Today the battle for the galaxy began. The young Jedi knights of the Wright-Miller-McGough lab powered up their lightsabers and charged into conflict. The dark siths of the other labs were fierce competitors, but we are quite confident that our kids’ knowledge of the force will overcome the darkside in the end. We took a break to go on a lab lunch to the far away restaurant-planet of Subway and devoured mediocre food. We’d like to give a huge shout-out to the entire Rebel force. We, the Jedi masters, are so proud of each of you for all your hard work and the progress you’ve all made over these grueling weeks. Great job!

Rest and preparation.

Sunday was, in part, a day of rest for the Rebel Army, code name WMM. Padawans were encouraged to rest so that they would be adequately prepared for the upcoming week. They were reminded that battle starts in the next few days, and their rest will be imperative to the army's success. Each Padawan was encouraged to select and attend electives that focused on the Padawan's individual weaknesses. Electives were taught by Jedi Masters, though not necessarily by commanders of the WMM tactical force. The remainder of the day was spent practicing tactical moves with WMM's sister unit, RDK. Padawans were excited to debate fellow Padawans from a different unit. The Rebel Army is ripe with anticipation about the upcoming battle.

The Rebel Army Disagrees Over Trade Agreements; Padawans Spar

On Saturday, the Rebel Forces spent all of their time with the Jedi Masters David, Kris, and Jennifer for hands on training in dismantling Storm Trooper armor with their light sabers (offensive responses on the AC) as well as deflecting oncoming barrages of Imperial fire by skillfully wielding said sabers with the aid of the Force (deconstructing their opponents' offense). The padawans learned that when in battle, retreat is only an option to reallocate X-wings to more vulnerable areas in the Imperial Fleet (perhaps to where the pilots had forgotten to mount extra plating on their tie-fighters). Later on in the evening, padawans Fianah McMillan and Patrick Humes got into a disagreement as to whether on balance, in its trade agreements, the US ought to value workers' welfare in developing nations over its economic gains. Padawan Fianah affirmed the statement in front of the other rebels, while padawan Humes publicly disagreed. The crowd of eager young rebels gathered around the fight to watch, while Jedi Masters Kris, Jen, and Yoda (David) interrupted the sparring periodically to correct their stances or grip on their light sabers. They took the two padawans pitched in battle through the various stages of attack, making sure that they knew how to parry, thrust and yes, even compound-riposte. Exhausted, the rebels retired to their quarters with an assignment to examine and tweak their weapons as necessary. The next day, they will be released to other Jedi Masters who will hone their specific skills as necessary. The Imperial Army is a formidable opponent. Rest is for the weak.