In Kadena Air Base, there were 4 squads of recruits. Being an effective Shine pilot was their sole goal. Each squad had 6 boys in it. The pilot program was managed and headed by the United Nations. That explained why a boy like Oliver was stationed in Japan for training. He was one of the only white boys on base. That did not matter to him though. It was only a time to hone his skills as a pilot. People up top had already assured him of his transfer once he finished his 10th synchronization attempt. An unavoidable glitch of the system sent him to Japan. Oliver wanted to fight to defend his homeland and family. The United States had lots of good looking recruits. Too many at the moment. So many that Oliver simply got lost in the shuffle. He was a prospective 3rd generation Glowie. Both his grandfather and father were Bottoms. Both had unfortunately sustained critical injuries that made them unable to continue piloting the Shines. It was a shame. Oliver had always wanted to pilot with his father. They retired. This world was such that some people were often disappointed about what befell them.
Due to his heartfelt desire to pilot with his father, he aspired to be a Top. Because his father was a Glowie, Oliver was essentially born on base. He knew all the protocols and was professional when on the clock. There was even a time where the base was attacked by Z'lanthrax and Oliver saved a wounded soldier by tricking one into a trap. Since the soldier with the injury was still conscious, they were able to escape. Oliver was praised as a true hero of that day. Because that wounded soldier was an officer and humanity was all united under the UN for the war, Oliver achieved international fame for this. It was a massive feat of courage and smarts from a 9 year old. It was also clear that the fame went to his head. Not only was he proud and cocky, he was also quick to bring it up to get what he wanted. Now that he was 14, he was able to join the Pilot Program. Some saw him as a spoiled brat while others nearly worshipped the ground he stood on. Oliver had 5 Japanese boys in his squad. Their names were Yamaji Kyo, Noya Kazumi, Sumida Nao, Higuchi Rei and Yamaha Rinto. They were nice.
They looked at him on the first day and wondered what to expect. They were natural born, pure blooded Japanese boys. Oliver did not speak any Japanese at all. He did not know why they would put him there. When his father was active as a pilot, Oliver spent time in several South American countries. His Spanish was fluent. It was lucky that Rinto and Kyo could speak a decent amount of English. They were able to translate conversations with the others for him. The first 3 months were spent in a boot camp. Then they were allowed to get in the Shine simulator room. While in training, all the prospective Glowies wore the training mech suit. Oliver knew all about them. It was not comfortable. He had seen his father and grandfather's at their house. These were the standard tan and only had the word "Testing" on the chest. They also did not have sleeves or pant legs. It was all part of their hazing ritual. None of his squad mates had the lineage he had. He was the youngest member of their squad and the second smallest. Only Nao was smaller than him. They had to attempt synchronizing in pairs.
