The shooting session of the first squad ended in half a minute, during which the bullets they fired were enough to wipe out a squad of the Kel-Morian Labor Auxiliary Army. The holographic projection showed that all the Kel-Morian Rippers had fallen before the shooting even stopped.
"Well done, Jim, your progress is simply amazing," praised Max Zander.
"You really can't make me happy," Jim replied, unimpressed. Only when shooting in groups could his extremely low hit rate be covered up—though his marksmanship had indeed improved significantly.
In Raynor's view, accuracy wasn't the most important factor. Maintaining absolute fire suppression was the priority. When a commander gave an order, all they had to do was fire relentlessly in the specified direction.
"Line up," ordered the commander of D Company over the company's communication channel.
"Is that all? I haven't had enough," the recruits from the first squad complained over the channel.
"It's time to call it a day. I'm so hungry I could eat a Shiloh buffalo," said Hank. He was always the exception, lacking enthusiasm for anything except fighting and gambling. Eating was his only other passion.
"I just got a notification, brothers. We can start preparing for the graduation ceremony," Augustus announced over the communication channel. "Next up is free time—take a cold shower, and at 1 PM, we start formation rehearsal for the graduation parade."
"Woohoo!" Hank cheered, and with that, the first squad disbanded on the spot. As if on cue, the strict formations of the other four squads in the second platoon disappeared without a trace. Their platoon leader, faced with a group of soon-to-be graduates, was helpless.
Raynor and Augustus walked side by side toward the dormitory. Over the course of their time at boot camp, they had become good friends. Augustus didn't carry the arrogance typical of nobles, but he was undoubtedly a central figure wherever he went.
Raynor had always doubted the noble class, which he knew little about, believing that the blood of ancient heroes would have little effect on those parasites. But Augustus gradually convinced him that at least not all nobles were federal leeches, as his father had claimed.
Augustus had a sense of justice that Raynor admired. While Raynor had simply wanted to leave the small town of Shiloh to see the real world, Augustus had abandoned a comfortable life to join the military, hoping to save the suffering people of the Federation.
If not for this, Raynor couldn't imagine what else could drive a noble to step onto the battlefield of blood and fire.
Aside from idealists and patriots, what kind of person would willingly join the Federal Marines with such lofty aspirations?
The young Jim Raynor had enlisted with a sense of justice and duty, eager to protect and save lives. He lacked experience and had yet to realize that, beyond patriots who volunteered to defend their country and ambitious youths seeking glory, there were also those like Augustus—who had joined the army simply out of a thirst for war and adventure.
The truth was, Augustus was just a war maniac and a thrill-seeker at heart.
Augustus himself never expressed strong opinions on politics or war, remaining cautious in such matters. The so-called sense of justice was something Raynor had projected onto him. Augustus had never considered himself noble—at best, he was just an upright man.
So far, Augustus's only goal was to survive in the army. Of course, securing a decent position with his own abilities would be ideal. Until retirement, Augustus would fight for his superiors and the Terran Federation.
Befriending Raynor wasn't about taking advantage of some supposed 'protagonist aura' or trying to curry favor. In fact, few people close to Raynor seemed to have good endings.
In a way, being Raynor's good brother was a dangerous job.
But since they were in the same squad and Augustus was technically Raynor's superior, they would likely fight together in the future. Avoiding conflicts among comrades and strengthening their team's cohesion would at least increase their chances of survival on the battlefield.
"Now that the base's signal shielding has been lifted, we can send emails to our families," Augustus said as they walked, his attention on the personal terminal in his hand.
"Inter-galactic communication has to go through the star information transfer station. The signal needs to be boosted and then sent at warp speed to maintain integrity and timeliness. If I don't pay extra, my parents will have to wait weeks to see my message," Raynor grumbled.
"Yeah, time is money," Augustus replied, checking the letters he had composed. There were ten in total, addressed to Katherine Mengsk and Dorothy Mengsk.
Most were sent to his sister Dorothy, rarely mentioning his experiences at boot camp. Instead, he focused on describing the starry sky above the camp and the beauty of Turaxis, which was vastly different from Korhal but stunning in its own way.
As for his letter to his mother, Augustus adopted a much more formal tone, reporting only good news and omitting the bad. He knew his father, Angus, would undoubtedly read it—despite not being listed as a recipient and despite his supposedly unrelenting schedule.
"I heard there's an intergalactic holographic projection device at the base. You might be able to video chat with your family," Raynor suggested. "If you don't mind the cost."
"Oh, I know," Augustus shrugged. "But the holographic projection signal is pretty unstable, and the delay is awful."
With that, Augustus sent all his emails. Despite being an instant messaging service, the sheer distances involved meant the letters would take time to reach their destinations.
Raynor glanced at the staggering bill that appeared on Augustus's personal terminal. He couldn't help but wonder whether the cost was high enough to buy a nice farm back in Shiloh.
...
The review ceremony that afternoon went smoothly. Major Mybika of the Recruit Training Camp and Lieutenant General Anderson, whose troops were resting at the main base of Turaxis, attended the review ceremony.
Augustus and his class graduated on schedule, and the officers of the training camp, along with the virtual sergeant Tavis, gave them high praise.
All the recruits in the training camp received the vacation they had hoped for. Before being incorporated into the front-line troops, they had two days of rest. From then on, Augustus would only have the opportunity to apply for such a long vacation when the troops were rotated.
The curfew was lifted after six o'clock in the evening. Almost all the recruits were rushing to the Alpha Gate, the closest exit, while Augustus's class followed him to leave the base through the Beta Gate, which had less traffic.
Outside the base, there was a free-fire zone extending for a hundred yards, filled with trigger mines. On the high steel walls of the base, the heavy machine guns, automatic turrets, and electromagnetic artillery of the Federal Marines were constantly monitoring this area.
The wars of the 25th century were not completely different from those of hundreds of years ago. On the ground, the army still pursued a strategy of heavy artillery fire coverage combined with tank and infantry advancement.
Landmines had not disappeared from the stage of history. Instead, they had been replaced by more powerful, intelligent induction mines with highly sensitive triggering mechanisms.
Augustus and his soldiers followed the bustling crowd across the free-fire zone. At this moment, the night sky was exceptionally clear. Two jade-like moons hung above their heads, making the night of Turaxis brighter than that of Earth. There was another moon on the opposite side of Turaxis. The tidal influence of this planet was far greater than that of an ordinary solid planet.
Soon, Augustus arrived at a small town called Braddock, the closest town to them. The next nearest settlement was twenty miles away.
Turaxis II had previously been a colony of the Terran Federation, so most of the residents here were inclined toward the Federal Army. However, the proportion was far lower than the Turaxis Command Center and Combat Command had anticipated. A considerable number of local residents had lost their homes due to the war and had become Kel-Morian slaves, anarchists, or desperate interstellar refugees.
Even in areas controlled by the Marines, federal soldiers had to be cautious of stray gunfire that could come from any corner.
Braddock Town was built on a desert oasis. Most of the buildings were square, dark brown alloy structures. The materials for these buildings had been delivered from orbit by interstellar freight companies decades ago.
Such young colonies were common in the pioneering era. The residents here had already survived for more than two generations.
This town was not without buildings of other styles. It's only church was magnificent, featuring both the Romanesque architectural style of Earth's era, with arches and columns, and the ornate grandeur of Rococo. The sword-shaped cross on the church's spire indicated that most of the residents here were Christians.
The streets of the town were clean and tidy. Two rows of well-maintained streetlights emitted bright light. Aside from the Marine recruits wandering around in small groups, Augustus rarely saw any locals.
At the end of the road, the scenery changed completely. There were department stores, clothing shops, and tobacco stores, but the most numerous establishments were bars and strip clubs.
Out of fear of war and the military, the locals hated these restless young soldiers, afraid they would cause trouble. However, over the past two years, these soldiers—who had just received their wages, had money to spend, and were eager to do so—had been extremely generous. This had significantly boosted the town's economy, gradually replacing tobacco farming as the local economic pillar.
As Augustus passed by these brightly lit establishments filled with the scent of alcohol, he had to frown and avoid the women rushing toward him. The girls, wearing flesh-colored, backless, and midriff-baring outfits, seemed to be dressed in little more than a piece of fabric.
Augustus looked slightly embarrassed—he had never seen such a scene before. What reassured him slightly was that there were no minors among the girls.