ZZZzzzZzZZzzz… *BZZT* *BZZT* *BZZT*

“…M’Up… I’m UP! Damned…” *SMASH* Ron looked up at the half-mangled frame of his chronometer, which read three hours past the dawn.

“I never can remember why I set it so freaking early…” Ron sighed, and clambered out of his tiny bed. At only three meters, he was an extremely average Issan. Master Howard had always told him that average was good, but still… And besides, he couldn’t afford to be average, not if he wanted to succeed, and especially not with the draft. Those damned Liderns were moving in full force, and the Ahbol military’s scouting forces were being swiftly picked off. He looked around his living quarters, and smirked. ‘Probably for the last time,’ he thought to himself. The small bed was a concession he made, because of his… hobby.

Hundreds of small, primitive toys were strewn across the floor and shelves in the room. He stretched out his extremely long arms and looked at his lanky frame in the mirror on the wall. His six fingers tapped reflexively against his palm as he looked at the suit The Academy had sent him. There used to be a name for The Academy. Now, though, nobody ever bothers. He looked down at his three toes, then looked up as his mother walked into the room.

“Okay Ron. I’ve packed you a few things for the trip, of course. I know the whole mother-crying-over-her-little-baby-going-away thing isn’t cool, so I promise you. I won’t cry.” And with that, Ron’s mother left, having miraculously managed to hold back the tears Ron knew to come… Yup, there’s the sobs off in the background. Ron sighed, knowing what he had to do next. He began to pull on the military jumpsuit, then thought better of it. ‘Better not until I’ve calmed her down a bit.’ He grabbed some slacks and a shirt and wandered downstairs to the second level of his homestead. Through the door on his left, he saw his mother crying, and walked over to her.

“Mom, it’s not like I’m going away forever,” he calmly explained, reciting the words he had practiced in his head days on end.

“All I’m going to do is go to The Academy. You’ve seen the population statistics as much as I have, probably more. You KNOW that we have a military more than twice the size of Lidern, and the war’ll probably be over before I’ve finished basic training.” He enfolded her in a big hug, realizing that perhaps he was wrong… ‘No, better not go down that avenue just yet, keep confident at least until I leave.’ He grinned to himself as his mother’s shuddering breaths slowed, and finally she separated from him, wiped her eyes and looked at him.

“Damnit Ron! I don’t care! I don’t want you to go, and you know that. And you also know I know there’s nothing I can do about it, which makes it even harder on me! Just… I’ll be fine, please. I promise you, I’ll be okay. I just don’t want to see you except like this.” She looked at him, then shooed him out of her room with her arm.

“Just leave!” One more long hug followed, after which Ron turned away. He could hear the lock in his mother’s door slowly and softly turn, then he climbed the stairs to his room for the last time. Picking up his suit, he carefully changed clothes and folded his comfortable outfit back into the drawer. He looked at himself in the mirror. The jumpsuits, he decided, were comfortable, if a bit more form-hugging than was usually his style. He could see the slots where the electronic sections of his body armor were going to go, on the various areas of his body. He grinned and walked out the door. You left everything behind when you went to The Academy, so that you would have no emotional ties that would make you weak. The thought of leaving his collection unattended… His mom would take care of them, he knew. ‘Just… Just don’t think about ‘em, and it’ll be fine.’

“Hey, yo, shorty, over here!” Ron grinned. His best friend Jack had nearly a half-meter on him, and the two commonly joked about it. They lived nearly a mile apart from each other, but they still managed to hang out every chance they got. Ron trotted over to the waiting Jack, who leaned against the pole for a bus stop.

“Hey, I got a call from the zoo,” Jack joked, “they say they’re missing a lummox, and there’s a reward involved. If you come along quietly, I’ll split it with you 50-50. But if you do…”

The rest of the sentence was roughly cut off as the two suddenly stood face-to-face with the shortest, widest Issan either had ever seen.

“Arright, maggots, lizzen up! If’n you ain’t on the bus when I’ve said three… Juz get on the bus, it’ll increase your life expecncy.”