| Jewel Knight Training:
Arrival: Upon Arrival at the Imperial Palace, the Candidates are met by a liason from the Office of Jewel Knight Affairs (OJKA) who welcomes them and gives them a brief orientation to life in the Imperial Palace. They are led through the massive activity filled crystalline corridors until they reach Level 152, section 12. There they are led into a waiting lounge where they wait with the other candidates from their group- different paired names are chosen each training session for the two groups, they can be Apple Team- Orange Team, Blue team – Red team, Team Daisy –Team Rose, whatever they or the coaches decide upon. Regardless, at this point they only meet their own teammates. Once they are all assembled, there will be a short waiting period, and then their two coaches will arrive to brief them on their life during the next six weeks. They will have two coaches, one specializing in physical training, the other in mental/philosophical studies, both normally (but not always) former Jewel Knights who have since retired. They are told that during the next six weeks they will be put through a rigorous and highly strenuous training program, and that at the end of that program selections will be made based on both their personal performance and their performance as a group. If they pass these selections, they will become full Jewel Knights, if not, they will still have had a priviledge that few young women can ever dream of. They are given their schedules for the next six weeks, which start at 6am and end at 6pm, with lights out at 10pm. They will also have homework and other assignments to do during the evening hours, and there will be surprise field trips and special days that are not on their schedules. They will have two weekends off, at the end of the third and fifth week, except for that they will live, eat, sleep, and breathe together for the next six weeks. After they are allowed to ask questions, the coaches will then take them to the place where they will be living for the next few weeks, level 152, section 14. This section’s main hallway is T-shaped and running off it is 11 dorm rooms (7 double rooms for students, 4 single rooms for coaches), 2 large gymnasiums, 2 classrooms, 1 nurse’s office, and 1 cafeteria/study room/lounge. The candidates are given their room assignments and told they have 15 minutes to settle in and then they are to switch to their gym clothes and assemble in Gymnasium A. Each of the candidates is in a separate room (their roommate is their counterpart from the other team), in which they find bunk beds, two desks (with built-in voice activated holographic display computers), two sets of dresser-drawers, two closets and one bathroom. Inside their closet (it has their name on it) they will find in their size two sets of general-wear gym clothes, one daily uniform, one dress uniform, and one training suit. There is a note that laundry is collected each evening, and delivered each morning, toiletries and other small personal needs items will be delivered on request through e-mail to the liason officer. They are the first to arrive at the rooms, so besides the closet they are free to choose their beds and desks, and then they have a short break before they are expected in the gym. In the gym, their physical training coach will put them through their paces and even perhaps have them doing a little sparring if they are up to it. This session is to test them, to help see what each other can do, and try to encourage teamwork on their part, the physical training coach is usually extremely rough on them. The coach will also demonstrate the unique properties of the gym, which includes its ability to change or nullify gravity and produce solid holograms and energy fields. In the end, they will be told to be ready to go out running in the palace corridors with their coach at 6am the following morning. After the physical training is completed, they will be told to go shower, and report in duty uniforms to the mental coach in classroom A in 20 minutes. To shower they need to return to their rooms, whereupon they will find their new roommates have just arrived and they’ll have a few minutes to chat before heading out to their first classes. In the classroom -which converse to the massive cold gym is a small, warm, comfortable, intimate place- their mental coach will discuss with them the philosophy of the Jewel Knights. They will each be asked why they want to become a Knight, and to tell about the most embarrassing thing which has happened in their life, their greatest fear, and their greatest dream. They will also be asked to ponder the simple question of whether they feel they can handle the responsibility of holding the lives of others in their hands. Once that session is finished, they will be told that as it’s now late afternoon, they will be allowed to spend the rest of the day settling in, with dinner being served in the common area at six-thirty. At this point they are allowed to do as they wish, however they are told they are not allowed to leave the training section without permission. Their counterparts will finish class shortly after they do, and return to the rooms or head for the common areas as they see fit. At 10pm, it’s light’s outs. Training: Day One In the morning alarms go off at 5am, and they hear an announcement telling them to shower and assemble in their gym at 5:30. Their counterparts are told, however, that breakfast is at 5:30 and they’re to assemble in the gym at 6. Their physical coach takes them on a run around the central corridor on their level, which is approximately 2km around, sixteen meters wide and ten meters tall with many different offices and sections on it. A normal morning run is 10km, which means five times around the level. On the second trip around the level, whoever is at the tail end will find a beautiful woman wearing a track suit in her late twenties come running up beside her. The woman will smile extremely sweetly and kindly, and ask the girl’s name and where she comes from, and make general small-talk with her. If there is another straggler, the woman will talk to both of them, and then wish them luck and sprint ahead of them. When the woman passes the coach, she will greet the coach by name, and the coach will bow her head and say “Good Morning, Empress”. At the end of the run, the candidates will be told to shower and get into dress uniforms, and meet at the section door in 20 minutes, they’re having breakfast with the Empress this morning. Once they’re all assembled, the coaches will do an inspection, and then take them to one of the lifts where they will be lead up to the Empress’s public reception garden near the top of the Palace. They will be introduced to the Empress, who is now quite dressed up, looking more regal than she did earlier, and she will nod to each of them. She may also introduce them to her assistants, any visiting dignitaries or others who will be joining them for breakfast before everyone is led to the table. Conversation will be open, but very polite, and they may be asked for their views on any political or social topics The Empress fancies. They will also be given the chance to ask her any questions they wish, and this is clearly a good chance to make an impression. When the breakfast is over the Empress will excuse herself, and wish them good fortune, telling them to study hard and perhaps giving one or two of them a meaningful look. The coaches will take them back down, commenting on the meal and their behavior, and then tell them to return to their rooms and get their training suits. This morning, they are going to learn how to fly… ----- And so, training begins in earnest, and will continue until at the end of Week Six they face their final exams, where they must work as a team to defeat their opponents in a series of competitions. Where fourteen now stand, there can be only seven. |