Ace of Hearts

On a sunny day in a military airfield, the new recruits were going through a standard morning training. From doing push ups and running laps, to doing an obstacle course where they have to climb walls, jumping through the tires and crawling under barbed wire. So far, the recruits were doing well in the training.

Well, all of them but Private Riley.

From the beginning, he was having a hard time catching up with the rest of the squad through the exercises. It wouldn't come as a surprise since he's just a recruit like everyone else, but he was the only one who was barely making progress in all the training. The drill sergeant watched him vexingly performing poorly in the obstacle course. The rest of the recruits who were now waiting at the finishing line were trying so hard to contain their laughs as Private Riley just tripped over the tires. Then, he tried to climb over a wall, but just when he tried to climb down the other side, he slipped and fell in the mud puddle.

After a few more minutes of clumsiness, the rookie finally reached the end of the field with his uniform utterly covered in mud.

"Haah...Haah... So... How did I do?" Private Riley asked the sergeant between pants, yet wore an optimistic smile.

"Is that a serious question?" The drill sergeant grumbled as his eyes peered at the clipboard with the notes of every recruit's grades. Unbeknownst to Private Riley, the sergeant marked an F on his grades. "Get back in line, soldier..."

The rookie didn't hesitate as he met up with the rest of the squad.

"Alright, you pukes! I have a little surprise to share with you! Our captain has been watching your sorry asses through this entire training, and let me tell you that she's not very happy! She's expecting you to become the finest goddamn unit this army has ever seen!" The drill sergeant barked, earning some puzzled reactions from the recruits.

Before the drill sergeant could proceed further, everyone heard a rumbling sound of an engine, before they looked at the side and saw a jeep approaching.

"Oh, and speak of the devil. She's coming over to share some words with you, little worms! So you better have your pants buckled up and your underwear unsoiled!" The drill sergeant said with an unnerving smile.

Private Riley swallowed a lump as he watched the jeep stopping a couple of yards away from him and the recruits. He could barely see the captain's face through the dusty windshield, but then she opened the passenger door, and glimpsed her beefy leg stepping outside the jeep.

When the captain stood upright before the recruits, Riley felt his breath taken away the moment he bore witness to the intimidating and captivating beauty of Captain O'Fera. A slightly tall anthropomorphic Saluki woman with blonde fur, a long, fluffy tail, a pair of long ears resembling twin tails and a long snout with a cute button nose at the end of it. She wore a yellow army suit with a red collar, a red chest pocket, and a red armband around her right arm.

Most of the recruits couldn't help but stare at their commanding officer with dreamy eyes, which didn't go unnoticed by the Saluki woman before she cracked her whip, making them flinch before standing upright. The Captain's eyes roamed over the unit, before she approached them with her arms folded behind her back, as her high-heeled boots clacked loudly on the pavement.

"You know, when I was promoted as a captain, I was promised I would get the best recruits they could offer. And I gotta say... I'm disappointed." The captain spoke dryly, standing in front of the recruits while glaring daggers at them, but more particularly, was directed towards the rookie. "Private Riley!"

"Y-Yes, captain!" Riley stammered as he stepped forward, but the moment the captain called him out, he began to feel the anxiousness dwelling up.

The Saluki stomped her way close to Riley, towering her shadow over him that would make him like he was getting smaller just by looking at her piercing eyes. "Out of all the recruits, you've been failing at every exercise ever since the training started. Tell me something, private. How do you expect to be part of my unit if your chances to survive in a battlefield are slim to none?"

Swallowing a lump down his throat, Riley could only answer with a sentence that was the only answer he could come up with. "It is my duty to die trying, captain!"

The captain raised an eyebrow, barely showing any reaction at his response as if she figured that would be his best excuse. "Is that so? Let me ask you something, Private Riley. You see one of our fellow soldiers lying on the ground while wounded. Would you try to risk your life to save his life, or would you rather stay in your foxhole and watch him bleed to death instead?"

Riley opened his mouth to make an answer with a made-up mind, but the captain raised her hand.

"And even if you choose the first option, do you believe you'd be capable of crossing the muddy fields under heavy enemy fire?" Captain O'Fera's speculation left him speechless to make another excuse. "I'd better skip to the point. I won't have to tolerate watching you keep screwing around. If you don't make even a slight effort to shape up, I will personally drum you out of my unit. Was that very clear?"

"Y-Yes, ma'am!" Riley blurted out, trying his best not to cast a glance at her humongous breasts the moment she inched closer to him. He was pretty sure that he's gonna be kicked out of the army if she noticed it.

"Back to the line." She commanded, which Riley followed without further questions. "That goes the same to each and every one of you! Now all of you get your stinky butts to the showers and get back to the barracks!"

"You heard the captain, maggots! On the double!" The drill sergeant barked as the recruits broke the formation and trotted their way.

"Except you, Private Riley." Captain O'Fera suddenly called the young recruit.

Riley stopped his tracks before turning to the captain. "Captain?" He said with his tone full of surprise, wearing a nervous look on his face.

"Leave us alone, Drill Sergeant. I'll take care of this." The captain glanced at the officer. The drill sergeant nodded and walked away before she turned back at Riley. "You're not out of the woods yet. Normally I would inflict collective punishment to the whole unit for your clumsiness, but I want to try something unorthodox. You're going to start over again and you're not going to stop until I tell you when it's over."

"W-What?" Riley's eyes widened in disbelief.

"Now get down and give me fifty push-ups!" O'Fera barked, not allowing him to voice any complaint.

Riley inwardly let out a huge sigh as he lowered himself down and started to do the pushups, hoping that at least it would keep him distracted from thinking how tortuous the trial awaits him.

And so for the next hours, he went from doing physical training, to redoing the obstacle over and over again while Captain O'Fera was making sure he would beat the time records. Everytime he would make a mistake, even a small one, the captain would make him repeat the exercise or punish him with more pushups, sit ups and jumping jacks.

This went on for the whole day as Riley was trying to put much of an effort into the extra training, but unfortunately he would make a failure after another. And the more his body was getting worn out and roasting by the unbearable heat of the sun, his strength began faltering that he could pass out from exhaustion at any moment. The captain was aware of his condition, yet she didn't stop pushing him without giving him a moment to take a breath.

After a few more hours, O'Fera looked up to the sky and saw the skies turning dusky as the evening was bound to descend at this hour. When she turned back down at the recruit, he was struggling to climb up the wooden wall, but he was barely halfway there as he tried to climb up by the rope. Letting out a sigh, O'Fera knew it was getting late and the recruit just had enough for today.

"That's enough!" She barked, before watching Riley letting go of the rope and falling down into the mud. Walking into the obstacle field, she approached the young man and looked down at him as he wearily returned her gaze. "On your feet."

Riley blinked before sucking on his breath and pushed himself up, hissing at his whole body aching as he was getting back up to his feet. He wiped some of the mud off his uniform and stood straight before the officer. A part of him thought of asking her if he made some progress, but by the permanent scowl she was still wearing, it may not be the case.

"You can now take a shower. After that, I want to speak with you in my quarters at 2100 hours. Do not be late." Captain O'Fera said before she turned around and walked away.

For that moment, Riley felt a strong sense of catharsis when he was told the drill was finally over, but that didn't help to ease his concern about meeting the captain again in her quarters. Knowing he can't make her wait much longer, he stumbled his way to the showers to clean himself up, which was so relaxing for him to wash all the mud off him and feel his muscles recovering.

Soon after that, he went back to the barracks to change his uniform while chatting with some of his partners. Unfortunately, he didn't have the time to go to the mess hall and have dinner, for he had only ten minutes left to meet the captain in her quarters. It didn't help that he was feeling incredibly hungry right now after the intense workout this afternoon, but the last thing he needed was being expelled from the army and going back home.

Once he went back outside, Riley noticed the night had just fallen as the moonlight bathed the boot camp in a dull glow. He made his way towards Captain O'Fera's quarters, which were only five minutes away from the barracks. By the time he was now standing in front of the door, he took a moment to take a deep breath before knocking it.

"Come in." The captain's voice was heard from inside.

Riley opened the door and walked inside, only to stop after taking a few steps when he caught a delectable smell that even made his stomach grumble. Following the smell that came from the other side of the room, he spotted the captain standing in the small kitchen, still wearing her uniform but without the hat on her head. He could tell she was cooking her own dinner, much to his frustration since he's starving.

The Saluki officer turned her head over her shoulder to notice Riley. "You're one minute late, private. But at least you came just in time for your dinner." She turned around and approached the small dining table, while holding a couple of plates of roasted beef with green beans and carrots.

"I'm sorry, ma'am?" Riley asked, clearly confused to see that the captain was holding more than just a plate.

Captain O'Fera set up the plates on each side of the table before she took a seat on one of the chairs. As she picked the knife and the fork, she noticed Riley was still standing, making her raise an eyebrow. "Are you gonna stand there and let your food get cold?" She asked with an irked look on her face.

"Wait... You made dinner... for me?" Riley said in utter disbelief as he walked forward, letting the delicious scent of the food luring him to the table. Compared to the food they serve at the mess hall, it looked so fresh and tasty. He looked back to the captain, as she just gave him a nod to tell him he's allowed to sit down, which he hesitatingly did so.

"It is very important for you to consume meat after your workout. It contains so much protein that can help you build your muscles." Captain O'Fera replied nonchalantly as she proceeded to slice a piece of her dinner.

Riley couldn't argue that point, but he was still confused about what's happening right now. An officer giving a clumsy rookie a high-quality food than what the army could offer in the mess hall? That was too good to be true, and he didn't do anything to earn this dinner. Before he could ask her captain's motives, the constant grumble in his belly made him consider that it would be the best to eat before his stomach would eat itself out.

So he picked up the silverware and started taking some bites of his food, almost crying out of joy as he relished the delicious food that he didn't taste ever since he joined the army. Although that moment wouldn't last long when he glanced at the captain as she was indulging in the dinner. Growing unsure about the predicament, he took a moment to gather his thoughts before he spoke.

"Um... Ma'am. Permission to ask." He asked.

Captain O'Fera stopped from cutting another piece of meat as she looked at the private with an unreadable expression. "You may speak, Private." She replied as she continued using her knife.

"Why did you invite me to have dinner with you? Don't get me wrong, this food is so delicious. In fact, I think you're really good at cooking. But what did I do to deserve it? I don't think I was even doing well in the training." Riley asked, trying to sound as polite as possible.

She seemed to be taken aback the moment Riley complimented her cooking skills, only to disregard that detail quickly as she hummed in deep thought. "I understand you did not expect this at all, private Riley. To tell you the truth, my original plan was to give you the choice to leave the army for your own good." She replied gravely, earning a shocked reaction from the young man. The captain raised up her hand so he would let her continue. "But then I realized something. You've been enduring the entire drill all day without complaining, no matter how much you've been going through while I was pushing you too far. Because of that, I considered you'd deserve this kind of reward."

Riley almost lost the grip of his fork and knife, as he could hardly believe what he was hearing. It almost sounded like the captain was praising him for his determination. Of course, he was still a little upset that she wanted him to quit the army just because he was being a bad recruit, but he didn't think that somehow that he could make her change her mind.

"Tell me, private. Why did you join the army in the first place?" Riley snapped out when O'Fera asked him, as he looked forward to notice her eyeing him with mild interest.

He grew nervous about answering that question, but the captain deserved to know the truth of why. and what does he really feel about her.

"Well... this may sound a little crazy but... I didn't have a purpose about joining the army, but when you came into the picture, you gave me a purpose." Riley replied with a small chuckle, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Excuse me?" Captain O'Fera said with a genuine look of surprise.

After taking a sip of glass of water, Riley took a moment to gather his thoughts before answering. "I know we just met, but let me explain. The moment I saw you, I couldn't help but notice you are very special. Not because you're one of the few women who gets to be a high-ranking officer, but I see you as an upright, confident, and strong woman. And... When I saw how marvelous you are, I thought I could try to make you proud by being a good recruit, no matter how much I suck at the training and how much pain I have to endure."

There was a moment of deafening silence as Captain O'Fera's expression slowly became one of shock and astonishment. It wasn't a secret from her that some people in the army had high praise for her, but unlike this rookie, they didn't have the guts to express directly at her about how much they admire her. In fact, she felt genuinely flattered by all the praise that she could barely hold back a blush.

A small chuckle escaped from her lips, catching the young private by surprise. "You know, you reminded me of someone." She replied with a fond, almost nostalgic smile growing in her face. "It was two years ago when I used to be a sergeant. There was a young soldier who was kinda like you, Private Riley."

"Really?" Riley asked with a surprised look. After a moment of hesitation, he asked. "Uh... What was he like?"

Knowing she had a story to tell, she settled the utensils down on the plate before locking her fingers together. "He was reckless, stubborn to even follow orders, but he was a good example of a fine soldier. I mean, at least he was when we first met. Whenever I give him an order, he would follow without questions. And when I'm off duty, he would follow me around and ask if there was something I'd need as if he was my servant." She then let out a chuckle. "He was starting to annoy me because I figured he was having a crush on me. So I told him that he should stop bothering me because I wasn't interested in him.

Riley couldn't help but grow a smile to see the captain opening herself up to him. However, he was slowly losing that smile when he became aware that this story wouldn't have a happy ending. "What happened to him?" He asked in a soft, yet grave tone.

O'Fera glanced at the soldier with an unsure look. At that moment, she thought about dropping the subject, afraid to relieve that moment again and didn't want to make herself look vulnerable. She noticed Riley was looking at her with genuine concern, meaning he was already aware.

With a heavy sigh, the captain continued as her face grew dark and serious. "It happened in the trenches. We had orders to hold up the position until the reinforcements would arrive, but the enemy got us surrounded and kept us pinned. My captain got seriously wounded, which I knew I had to take command." She looked down to see her own reflection on the plate, a little shaken the more she retold about the battle. "It was madness. My soldiers started to panic, and some of them tried to run away, but they didn't get lucky. And before I knew all was lost, I heard him shouting to me. I didn't have time to react when I was pushed down and the next thing I saw... was him dropping down to the ground, and then there was an explosion. I didn't realize a grenade landed next to me, and he gave up his life to save mine..."

"I'm sorry, captain." Riley said in empathy as he hung his head low. He can't imagine how gruesome it was for the captain to witness that.

"I couldn't understand why he decided to sacrifice himself, to think that my life was more important than his. But... It made me realize that he looked up to me, just as the rest of the men I was leading. I knew that if I couldn't do something, more of them would die because of me." O'Fera said as she rubbed her eyes.

"Is that the reason why you're being hard on the recruits? Like me?" Riley asked after he just connected the dots in his mind.

O'Fera looked at him in surprise, not expecting he would come to the conclusion just before she would explain her methods of training. "You're smarter than you look, Private Riley." She sighed with a little smile on her face. "Yeah, after that day, I promised to myself that I wouldn't let a soldier be that reckless for my sake or for others. I believe that if I make you push yourself beyond the limit, you'd have more chances to survive in a battlefield. After all, it's my responsibility as your Captain."

"That explains a lot of things, actually." Riley let out a chuckle as the captain joined in. "Hey, by the way... I'm sorry about what happened to you. I mean, I can't imagine how much you went through that day and it's not my intention to open your old wounds."

"It's not your fault, Riley." O'Fera replied with a smile, addressing the young man by his name instead of his rank. "But if you're serious about being in the army, you have to try your best in the training and forget the idea that my life is more important than yours. You don't have to do all that just to try to impress me."

"Well, it's more than that, actually." Riley answered, averting her gaze as he cleared his throat nervously.

"What do you mean?" The captain raised an eyebrow with puzzled curiosity.