— Chapter 17 —

Readiness Tested

Progress always meets pressure eventually. This chapter can carry the sense of a team being tested, with training beginning to touch the edge of real-world consequence.

A small house with a porch, red door, and green shutters, surrounded by trees under a blue sky, with a gravel yard and a blue propane tank in the foreground.
A residential neighborhood with two houses, parked cars, a dirt driveway, and trees in the background under a clear blue sky.
An old television set with a wooden frame, sitting on a small table next to a plant with long leaves. A cat with black and orange fur is in the foreground, partially obscuring the bottom of the TV.