Project Boussh: Training
by Josh Nolan

Josh peeked briefly out from behind cover to try and assess his route.
Somewhere out there, the defender was lurking, ready to pick Josh off
with no warning - but so far, Josh had evaded him.
He drew his head back behind the scraggly bush, took a deep breath like
he'd been learning to, and launched himself into flight.  He had learned
the hard way to run in a random zig-zag pattern, and this served him
well as the blue blaster bolts began filling the air around him.
Fifteen metres, ten, and then five, Josh sprinted towards the dry
creek-bed that would provide him cover from his assailant, and maybe
allow him to fire back.  With a shoulder roll, he tipped himself over
the bank of the creek, and, holding his blaster as he'd been taught, he
searched the mulga behind him for some sign of his attacker.
Nothing.
The scrub wasn't even moving in a breeze.  Josh looked as hard as he
could for about five seconds, his hearing stretched to its limit, trying
to find some clue as to where to fire - but found nothing.
Time was not on Josh's side.  The longer he stayed in one place, the
easier a target he became.  Keeping low, he ran along the dry creek bed
- if all went to plan, it should take him to within twenty metres of his
objective.
The plan fell apart as Josh rounded a sharp bend in the creek-bed and
received a blaster bolt square in the back.  Everything went black.

"Wake up, Josh, it's time for the debriefing."
Josh groaned, forcing his body to respond to his commands as the effects
of the stun-bolt faded.  He lifted his face out of the red dust to look
at Ooryl.  "I thought I had it this time," he croaked, and dragged
himself into a sitting position.
Ooryl waggled a finger at him.  "Overconfidence.  Never assume that you
are assured of victory.  You forgot an important lesson."
Josh pulled his canteen up from his waist and took a swig.  "I realised
that the moment you shot me.  I hadn't looked up near the bend."
Ooryl nodded.  "If you have, you would have seen Ooryl.  But you did
well."
"Yeah, right," muttered Josh, screwing the lid back on his canteen.  "I
just got shot, again,  like I did the other eighteen times."
"Sixteen," Ooryl corrected.  "And you got the closest you've ever been.
Look."  Ooryl offered his arm to Josh, who used it to pull himself
upright.  There, just a few metres off the bank, was the pack that Ooryl
had designated as Josh's objective.  Josh looked at Ooryl, confused.
"Hang on - wasn't it further down?"
Ooryl shook his head.  "Ooryl moved it.  Ooryl was expecting you to take
the ridge, since it was the easiest path in."
Josh chuckled and shook his head.  "And the most visible.  Come on,
Ooryl, I'm not as dumb as I look."
Ooryl ruffled Josh's unkempt hair.  "Ooryl knows.  Ooryl also knows it
would be hard for you to be as dumb as you look."  The Gand chuckled at
the grumpy look Josh shot him.
"Listen, you get to shoot me, so I get to make the jokes about you,
okay?" grumbled Josh.  "It's not fair if you get to do both."
"Life is not fair, Josh.  And for three days training, you're doing very
well.  I've seen trainees in their second week who would have been shot
minutes before you."
"Gee, thanks, Ooryl.  That somehow makes me feel a whole lot better,"
drawled Josh.
Ooryl nodded.  "Ooryl is glad.  Now, time for another run, and then some
target practice."
Josh nodded, and checked his blaster.  "Here we go again...  I do so
love getting shot."