Powered Military Lifestyle

[Frankie]

M I L I T A R Y   L I F E

Powered military recruits consist of volunteers between the ages of 16 and 35 (those who volunteer at a younger or older age are declined). Some lucky citizens who have the features and abilities best suited for harnessing powers, but did not think to volunteer themselves, are selected by the Unican military to become a part of the Powered Peoples Program.

Unican military life on Gamma Base - the only base dedicated to training Powered individuals - is at once simple, rigorous, and disciplined. Recruits stick to a strict schedule until promoted to Specialist, and each rank defers to and shows respect to those above.

Training in the military Powered Program is not for the faint of heart. The day begins with a hearty breakfast (powereds have very high metabolisms and so tend to eat much more than normal people), followed by drills and warm-ups to get recruits’ blood pumping for the day. These drills include running pacers, push-ups, jumping jacks, stretches, pull-ups, going through the obstacle course, and any other physical activity the Specialist in charge deems fit.

Following drills is an hour-long classroom instruction period in which recruits learn everything from surface topography and surface survival to battle strategy and proper equipment care. These classes are taught by Specialists, Corporals, and occasionally a Sergeant.

A short weight training session follows class, requiring recruits to build muscle mass and core body strength. A high protein lunch follows weight training, sometimes accompanied by a sweet snack.

The longest, most draining, and arguably most important part of the day is Power and Scenario Training. In this, the Specialist (and occasionally a Corporal) in charge of each Unit sends their team into the Simulation Room to first drill their powers on simulated enemies. They then must work as a team to complete simulated objectives such as rescuing a hostage, taking down a larger enemy force, or planting a bomb at an enemy encampment. Recruits may also be asked to spar with their powers. The Simulation Room has dampeners which restrict anyone from sustaining serious injury, though they can be hurt. Very rarely there is a system malfunction and someone may be sent to the hospital or, even rarer, be killed.

After this exhausting training recruits are given an hour of Leisure Time before work. Leisure time can be spent doing just about anything within the rules, from taking a nap or relaxing in the greenhouse, to playing basketball in the Leisure Gym or watching a movie in the Rec Room.

Then comes the daily two-hour work detail. Recruit jobs vary, from the least desirable custodial and dishwasher positions, to the much desired Greenhouse gardener and Perimeter Patrol (in charge of making sure no citizens wander into the military compound and keeping an eye on security feeds of the nearby surface world, this is a job for Specialists and above only). Occasionally a recruit may find themselves completing the duties of their jobs early, during which time they may have leisure time as long as it does not interfere with other recruits performing their jobs.

After work duty all recruits (and each Unit’s supervising Specialist) are required to meet their Unit in one of the Conference Rooms for private, Unit-only Cohesion group meetings. In these meetings, usually facilitated by the supervising Specialist, Unit members will participate in group talks, trust-building exercises, and strategy brainstorming sessions. Unit Cohesion is a time for bonding with your Unit, which will be your new family in the Unican Army.

An hour-long dinner period follows, full of hearty, rich foods cooked to boost immune systems and strengthen bodies from the inside out. This long dinner period gives recruits enough time to savor their meal as well as bond with fellow military persons.

Once dinner is finished, there are two more hours of leisure time to unwind before the call for lights out and all lights throughout the compound (aside from officers’ quarters, where they have switches) are shut off.

Tardiness and not following schedule are sharply punished, at the discretion of the Unit's Specialist leader, but usually through loss of at least one hour of leisure time, during which the punished recruit will complete an unpleasant task - such as scrubbing the toilets with a toothbrush.

Sundays are the one day military personnel are allowed off from training and duties. The only requirement on Sundays is the mandatory attention to the weekly broadcast by the Triad every Sunday morning. Aside from this, recruits have a full day to what they desire - while remaining in the military compound, of course.

Powered Persons are not allowed to leave Gamma Base military compound, unless on direct orders from a Corporal or higher rank.

Specialists and above are often sent on missions on the surface, always clad in radiation suits with oxygen tanks to protect them from the scorching sun, acide rain, and the very air that could kill them. They must go through decontamination procedures upon return to Unica underground.

The other way recruits may leave Gamma BaseBase is if they have children they wish to see - which is only possible as a reward for exceptional performance and behavior.

Procreation of Powered Persons is just as important - if not more so - as any other citizen of Unica. Privates are assigned mating partners, often chosen based on possible power combinations. These partner arrangements may be changed at any time by high ranking officials such as Triad leaders Dr. Powlett and Master Commander Davenport, though it is usually ordered by top scientists in the powered experimentation program.

Specialists and above are allowed to choose their mating partners, though they may be ordered to produce offspring with another partner from time to time to test power compatibility. All babies of Powered People are sent out of the military compound after the mother ceases to produce colostrum and begins to produce breastmilk - anywhere from two to five days after birth.

Once out of the compound, these precious babies are sent to a child-rearing center where they receive the utmost care and nurturing from citizens who cannot biologically reproduce their own children. Occasional tests are done on the children, but nothing that could hurt them, and any who show signs of latent powers of their own are then sent to specialized care facilities to better care for their special needs.

Female powered recruits who have just given birth are allowed a one-month in-hospital recovery period during which they receive attentive care from doctors in the Medical Ward of Gamma Base. Unless medical complications arise, the recruits are then released back to their barracks with another one-month handicap on activities deemed too strenuous for the new mothers. After the two months after birth is up, recruits are expected to return to business as usual.

All recruits are given clothing as no non-military issued clothing is allowed on base. The only clothes a recruit will own are: two sets of their regular uniforms, to be worn whenever on-duty. One set of their dress uniform. Two sets of off-duty outfits, including a white cotton t-shirt, white cotton long-sleeved shirt, khaki cargo pants, and dark gray sweatpants, as well as accompanying undergarments and socks and one standard-issue gray hoodie. [Unican army uniforms are based on US Army Marine Corps uniforms ]