Fort Hikari is a Star Army Training Administration facility located on Virginia. It services many needs in training for a portion of the Star Army of Yamatai. Part of its experimental nature is to straddle the line between boot camp and university, to test potential new methodologies for the Star Army Training Administration.
The training conducted at Fort Hikari is somewhat unique. Where traditional Star Army of Yamatai training bases focused on one aspect of education (initial entry, job training, etc.), Fort Hikari comprises them all. A trainee could possibly spend much of their education at the Fort before being assigned to an operational unit. There are various prerequisites for each course which must be met unless special exception is made on a Star Army Command or government level. These prerequisites are covered in promotional material for the courses.
Unlike some parts of the Star Army of Yamatai, different and alternative ways of teaching and experiencing subject matters are encouraged on-base. In the spirit of this, the Fort makes frequent use of guest speakers and seasonal instructors, to provide a vast array of experiences, expertise and inspiration to trainees. Its curriculum heavily emphasizes building teamwork skills and utilizing the wide diversity of proficiencies and backgrounds that trainees on-base embody.
During their training all trainees are referred to as Kenshūsei or Trainee regardless of what rank they may have had prior. All trainees are automatically placed on the Yamatai Prestige System for the duration of their training. There are various pre-requisites for each course that are covered in the promotional material, which must be met unless special exception is made on a Star Army Command or government level.
Note: Those without an Star Army Enlistment Contract cannot join the Star Army or be trained.
Rather than dedicating the Fort to a single practice such as basic training like the majority of Forts before it, the Fort was to consist of many distinct courses. These support basic training, advanced training (including MOS training), officer candidates, technical specialties and command school respectively.
The five points are each dedicated to one of the following:
There is also a wide variety of extracurricular activities available, which either encourage trainees to work alongside those from other courses with varying different skills and experiences, or which pits one section/course against another. These can include sporting tournaments, technical challenges and time trials.
In addition, infantry, ranger, MP and other types of vocational/MOS training may be provided, but are not a primary workflow like those listed above - these are generally provided in the AICT point.
Ultimately, trainees are given a grade depending on their participation and perceived aptitude. These are: Pass with Excellence, Pass with Distinction, Pass with Merit, Pass with Satisfaction, Fail without Prejudice and Fail with Prejudice. The most prestigious grades are at the top of the list.
These grades are mostly for a matter of pride and don't matter a large amount externally to the Star Army Training Administration. The only difference that matters is Pass versus Fail. Pass means the course has been successfully completed and that the certification has been awarded. Fail means that the course has not been completed satisfactorily within the required time-frame. Fail with Prejudice means that the trainee is barred from retaking that course and is only given for bad behavior, negligence or for multiple failed attempts.
When successfully “passing out” of a course, a parade is held to which the family and friends of the new alumni are invited. VIPs from the Star Army of Yamatai are also invited to observe or take part. A number of different awards are given to the best student in various categories. Some examples are “best teamworker”, “best leader”, “most improved”, “most knowledgeable”, etc. These vary by course, but generally there is an ultimate prize for the overall best student. This more often than not comes in the form of a customized sword - for example the Sword of Command for the most outstanding Command School officer of a cohort.
When “failing out”, the consequences may vary by course. For example, failing basic training results in remaining at Yontô Hei until the training has been passed at a later date. It is generally the case that only two tries are allowed for any particular course, after which the trainee is graded Fail with Prejudice on the second try, rather than Fail without Prejudice. Usually, there is a “cooling off” period after an inital failure before the trainee can try again. This is to allow them to study independently on their own time and have some time to consider whether they want to try again or not.
All trainees wear their normal Star Army Duty Uniform, Type 42 and with the in-built projector set to a certain color based on the student's course. They are also allowed a rectangular colored 'flash' on one of their arms, which is provided as a memento of their time on-base. Colored loops may also be required to be added to their shoulder epaulets depending on the regulations of the day.
The color is representative of the current training that is being undertaken. Trainees are restricted from star points that they do not have the colored clearance for. The colors are as follows: Red, Orange, Yellow, Green and Blue.
This is designed for it to be extremely obvious physically where each trainee belongs and provides a better alternative than keycards, IDs and such, by allowing immediate recognition by sight. Red is College, Orange is Academy, Yellow is School, Green is Advanced and Blue is Basic.
If a trainee has completed prior training, they may wear past flashes in descending order. Only the topmost flash is considered 'active'. This representation of past training adds pride and prestige that is instantly recognizable to their fellow trainees, and naturally encourages peer mentoring and promotion of other courses.
