Read A Learning Experience 2: Hard Lessons for Free Online

movies,” Martin muttered in her ear.  “I think this is when they call us maggots and shout at us a lot.”
     
    “Joy,” Yolanda muttered back.  It didn't bother her, not really.  Her mother and father had shouted at her for most of her life.  “I can take it.”
     
    The man waited for the final recruits to take their place, then closed the hatch and stamped around until he was facing them.  “Welcome to Sparta,” he said.  “I am Senior Drill Sergeant Bass.  You will address me as Sergeant .  In the course of the next week, you will meet other Drill Sergeants and Drill Instructors.  You will address them as Sergeant too.”
     
    He paused.  “For my crimes, I have been assigned as Senior Drill Sergeant for Recruit Company #42,” he continued.  “That’s you, by the way.  You will be asked hundreds of times over the coming months which company you belong to, so I suggest you remember that you’re #42.  Getting it wrong will earn you a demerit, which you will have to work off; if you earn ten demerits, you will have a very embarrassing interview with the Commandant.  Your career may not survive drawing his attention.
     
    “My job is supervising you for this, the first stage of your training.  Everyone goes through the same basic training, then we split you up into smaller groups in accordance with your desires and capabilities.  You will be given a fair shot at trying to become anything , as long as we believe you have the ability to learn and succeed.  But the outcome will largely depend on just how much effort you put into it.  I am not here to coddle you into completing an exam or writing an essay, although you will have to do both over the coming months.  What you get out of this largely depends on what you put into it.”
     
    Yolanda felt herself shrinking backwards as his gaze passed over her.  She couldn't help finding Bass intimidating, even though he didn't seem to be trying to intimidate them.  But then, he was a strong man who clearly wouldn't let anything stand in his way.  He wasn't the type of person she knew to trust. 
     
    Give him a fair chance , she told herself.  He isn’t one of the bastards from school .
     
    “You are all ignorant ,” Bass thundered.   “You are utterly unaware of the dangers of this environment, let alone training to become spacers or soldiers or whatever.  So you will learn from me.  Those of you who don’t learn will die , killed by your own ignorance or your own stupidity.  And we will simply carry on.”
     
    His gaze swept the line of recruits again.  “There are rules and regulations,” he warned.  “If you break a minor rule, you will earn demerits; if you break a major rule, you will face the Commandant!  Do you understand me?  Good.
     
    “If you don’t understand something you are told, ask me,” he added.  “Until then, stick to the rules.  There is a good reason behind each and every one of them.”
     
    Bass clapped his hands together.  “Offences against military order, listed as follows; insubordination, use of drugs, tobacco and alcohol, possession and/or consumption of food outside designated eating periods, possession of any contraband, failure to perform duties as assigned to you by lawful authority, being absent without leave and, last, but not least, fraternisation.  To repeat; any of those offences will get you a punishment that may range from heavy exercise to being summarily discharged from the army.  You will have those offences read to you every day, along with the definition of each offence.  You will have no excuse for committing any of them!”
     
    He paused long enough to take another hard look at his recruits.  “Many of you will have brought drugs, or alcohol, or even food onto this base,” he said, coldly.  “When you are taken to be assigned your uniform and regulation-issue underclothes, get rid of them.  This is your one warning.  You may think that the police on Earth