Cold looked over all the members of his new team once more. He couldn't help but feel a bit sorry for Pandadox, who would be leading them on the missions most of the time.
"Alright, good!"
The sergeant noticed one or two who had not entirely paid close attention. A human who seemed to dream off and did not mention 'sergeant' at the end, clearly giving off a stronger vibe to Cold about how small his attention span was.
Regardless, this was just day one. The polar bear had no intention to be rough with them from the start, but if they did not pick up their act, they would soon realise he was not to be messed with. They were not for nothing in the AdMi.
The sergeant nodded his head towards the panda standing besides him. "This here is my corporal. I'll leave him to explain the situation. Just like me he's brief on words and introduction. I'll say this once here and now. If you have any questions or issues, take it up with your corporal or with me."
After that he walked off. He needed some rest. He woke up very late at night from a nightmare and couldn't head back to sleep. This had been going on for several weeks and it was starting to take a toll on the large polar bear.
It must be the stress of him experiencing his first real mixed team as a Corporal. I sure hope he'll be alright. The thoughts of worry and stress were overtaking the sergeant, but he managed to keep it well-hidden from everyone else, including Pandadox.
Not too long before the new recruits were brought in, Pandadox was placed in a holding cell due to some further testing they wanted to perform, this kept Pandadox out of rotation for a couple of days. When he returned he was even more quiet than he usually was. Cold had no idea what happened in the time they had been separated. He was fearing something extremely bad happened.
Why do they keep doing this to him. They've never been this extensive with me or others. What's the issue? He just couldn't wrap his head around it.
The panda briefly looked at Cold when he was slumping off before looking back at the recruits.
With a somewhat gravelled voice, but not as heavy as Cold's, Pandadox started to speak: "We'll be doing a few training exercises to test if you're all up and running. Those who aren't will go through some rigorous training to make sure you are combat-ready for the upcoming mission. From what I see it you all should be, but the AdMi wants to be sure, so let's make sure they're satisfied. Today is meant for you to settle in, get to know your team, get your things organised and sorted out. This will be the last day in a while you can relax, so take advantage of that. Tomorrow morning we need to get up at five AM. 0500 hours. Be ready for training at 6 right at this exact same spot. If you're not there you need to do one-hundred push-ups. Not so much? Complaining adds another hundred. You have been warned."
Realising he talked a lot more in a short amount of time than he probably ever had in his life, he breathed in a lot of air and took a pause before continuing to speak.
"You're free to go now. Your sleeping quarters is left of you, keep going in a straight line and you'll spot it in no time. Breakfast and other meals during the day are just a few barracks further down. Rest well. You're going to need it."
Pandadox simply stood there, waiting until all recruits would head off. He now would also have time off. It was suggested by the higher-ups he would get more involved with his team, but he had no idea how. He left it as it was for now.