The 13th Star: An Action Adventure Sci-F Apocalyptic Novel by Adam Peled Page A

barracks.”
    “Barracks?” The four screwed up their faces. “What’s with that? It’s better here—at least there aren’t too many tasks, and
     it’ll be over in a few days,” Thor said, nodding.
    “They’re waiting for us to calm down. They haven’t realized we settled down as soon as we saw each other.” Zoi laughed.
    “Barracks!” Rettoul repeated. “We’re going to the staff residence. That was my personal promise to Bar so he’d release you
     on bail. I guaranteed you guys would come with me—to educate the younger generation how not to do the rubbish you did last
     month!” And he winked at them with true affection.

Chapter 8: It all Starts and Ends with Education
    There was something special in the work of the
     quintet; something completely unlike the previous generations of
     command staff on Kantara. There had never been a group of
     commanders whose priority was to bring the soldiers home safely—not
     only physically, but also emotionally. The quintet saw their cadets as they themselves used to be and treated them accordingly.
    Kantara’s Supreme High Command allowed them to develop a unique training program that had been approved last year. Under the
     watchful and critical eye of the army commander and the entire High Command, the exercise began.
    The division of labor was very clear: physical training was handled by Berez, who was responsible for the cadets’ abilities
     and skills as fighters. Berez approached his task wholeheartedly and soon other cadets asked to attend his lessons as an alternative
     to the Mayjing lessons. But the team maintained the cadets’ defined boundaries and didn’t allow students in parallel courses to join. Their strong desire to prove themselves a complete success needed their focus
     to remain solely on the group they’d been given.
    Zoi—the champion marksman—did take on additional groups for a last training session at Bar’s request. His success was tremendous.
     Shaky hands became stable, wandering looks became focused. His training methods were adopted by the other shooting instructors
     and his name became known all over the base.
    Thor was put in place as the personal coach of each cadet, a strong and important support role, both in practical terms and
     in terms of morale. Each cadet had a few hours a week divided into two days, during which Thor became a personal trainer in
     shooting, endurance, and tactics. He was the students’ favorite teacher and among them, they bartered “Thor hours” as a precious
     commodity. If a student lost a bet, his “Thor hours” were up for grabs.
    Thor matured among the cadets and spent time with them that the faculty defined as student hours only. He was found at night visiting cadets
     who’d cracked from homesickness, or due to the harsh conditions, taking the place of the mothers and fathers they missed so
     much. Thor was the one to provide a supportive word, pat on the back them in encouragement, promise he’d prepare them to be
     as good as the rest of their group, and perhaps even more.
    At night you could see and hear the cadets imitate him—his clumsy movements, his bone-cracking embrace, the vocabulary understood
     only by him and Zoi.
    Mattoui took on teaching flight and airborne tactics. Not all the students took his courses but, unlike his instructors, the
     cadets were exposed to him from the moment they were accepted to the course. Even cadets who didn’t complete the classes as
     pilots, but as fighters, often joined his lectures. With his smile, he could explain to anyone how to operate the most complex
     of vehicles and how to transport it to any campaign without being condescending.
    Mattoui took the concept of returning home seriously. When his homecoming was thwarted because he’d lost his home, he realized
     “home” was the one thing a person carried in his heart—not necessarily the place from which he departed. Mattoui taught the
     value of home to his students and