This is basic orientation 101. If you are sitting her listening to this lecture then you are just starting your first few days here at the academy. Don't worry; it may seem a little odd at first but after a few weeks everything you do here will seem like second nature.
You are embarking on a very noble phase of your life. Because of fine young cadets like you, we and our allies have not lost a war since the new rules for war were established many years ago.
Now you will all learn more about this in your history lectures, but I'm sure some of you are curious so I'll give you some information now. As you may have learned, war has not always been fought in the civilized manor that we practice today. There was a time when nations used swords and guns and bombs to fight wars. I can see from the look on your faces that some of you have never even heard of such weapons. Don't feel bad about your ignorance. It took many wise people to instate the modern rules so that you wouldn't ever have to have first hand exposure to these items.
While most things have changed since those ancient times, a few things have remained constant. The one that all of you should be aware of is the need for practice. To win you must be the best and to be the best you must practice your skills everyday. You will be doing that here. In fact, you will spend many hours a day practicing your skills and learning new skills with your instructors and fellow cadets.
And while this may seem like a lot of work now, it won't seem like work at all once you learn to love it.
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The speech the instructor gave the new cadets was the same every year. For the last three years he didn't even present it in person but rather simply played a recording of the speech for the new students.
"What did they assign your for this semester?" The guy sitting next to me asked.
"Basic application. Why, what did they assign you?" I asked, hoping that being polite would help me fit in.
"You lucky bastard! I got classical theory. I don't even know why they require that at all. What's the purpose of reading about what people used to think about it when you could just start practicing it yourself?"
"It's not like you won't get a chance to practice it with your group mates." The young man on the other side of my new friend chirped in.