A Hopeful Payoff

Emily was sitting on top of the base, looking down at the courtyard as the women performed physical fitness training. They were running in groups to build their cardiovascular endurance, using the heavy gear they would normally wear during hiking to improve their stamina.

Emily had learned that using the military training program wouldn't do much for her unless it involved hand-to-hand combat training.

Whether it was cardiovascular endurance, strength training, agility and flexibility, or even combat conditioning in simulated combat environments to test endurance under stress, all of it fell short due to her being both a hybrid and a Golden Moon Chosen, which Emily was.

Some of the women who were Chosen felt the same but were still too weak to avoid relying on some of the military training to their advantage—unlike Emily, who had a limited number of choices.