Gabatrix: The Silver Rain

Book Cover Artwork by Jaizub. Special thanks for the artist’s hardwork in this piece.

Jordy, Frank Nordhaus, Quintin Martin, Anthony Kestle, and Nightsound for their generous donations and of course, the other patron supporters for allowing me to write and supporting the universe that I write. :)

Copyright 2020

As human beings, our entire society and way of life have been defined by our eyesight. Light is what allows us to see. A star was born and gave life to us—what better survival method than to use the star’s radiating brightness to observe our environment. The simple fact that we see the light given to us by Sol could be defined as our daily cycle. Nights could be characterized by the lack of light as Earth spins away from Sol for twelve hours. Our eyesight fails to operate correctly as we stumble in the dark.

But the night is not an end-all system to our eyesight. As we gaze up to the night sky, we end up seeing other things that amaze us. We see the light. It isn’t just the light that is radiating to us from nearby Sol or the reflected light from Luna. It is, instead, the countless thousands of other stars. Like glowing dots, the stars become our guides. Traveling at night is measured by the method of where these distant stars are located. We have desired to reach these alien glowing orbs like ancient artifacts of mystical power.

The reality is that this method has been our proper guide to the universe. The night is our friend and companion to the universe. Darkness is everywhere as we follow the light. Our eyesight tries to find the light because the light is what gives us warmth. Light allows us to survive, and light is what will enable us to find other things that can benefit us as the human race.

There is one problem with this simple operating system for humankind. The universe itself is vastly enormous. Entire spans of nothingness permeate the spectrum. Space is so utterly massive that there are seemingly little out there. Nearest stars take thousands to hundreds of thousands of years of travel on conventional drives to reach. What is filled in between?.....

Space itself is the lack of the things that humanity needs the most…..heat, food, water, air, just to name a few. The primary things required for survival, space lacks. It could be defined as a miracle that humanity had found the things needed to live beyond Earth, and yet it has.

Perhaps that miracle could be defined as humankind has discovered the ability to fold space. Those distant glowing orbs that we call stars are suddenly within reach. As we follow the light through the long distances of darkness, we find new worlds to call home. The dark and the light once again work in harmony as we find unique places to expand and allow the human race to survive.

There is still a cost to this system, though. The system that allows us to see by tracking light is not always the perfect human survival concept. We travel through the solar system away from Earth. We fly through space as we leave the confines of this world we are most comfortable with. Its fate has been long defined in past stories. We must find new homes if we are to survive.

It is lonely out in space. The lack of light and heat causes the temperatures to reach its lowest temperatures. It is a vacuum in which no ordinary human being can survive. Sol's radiation can be lethal if the lack of air and temperatures don’t get to you first. These contributing factors have made it difficult for humanity and its desire to explore the black depths of nothingness.

It is no wonder that the darkness is often the method in which those often get scared of. To leave Earth can be death. To leave the area of light at night can warrant demise. The night and darkness are typically the largest sources of horror in most stories to invoke terror in human beings' hearts.

It is true, and it is not true that the lack of light is the be-all means of our survival. The lack of light does not mean a real sense of nothingness and death. The universe is very much alive. Just because we can’t see it doesn’t mean that it isn’t there. We, instead, must rely on our other senses. If our eyesight fails us, we must adapt and use different methods to track it.

One such method is sound. Indeed, the sound doesn’t really exist in space. Lack of air pressure prevents sound waves from being formed, and as a result, we can’t hear what the universe makes. There are methods, however, to being able to listen to the sounds, though. One such way is what the objects in space create, and that is electromagnetic radiation. The recordings are changed so that we can hear it, and suddenly the environment of the universe is altered.

We suddenly realize that the universe is very much alive. It speaks in multiple ways and different concepts. The vastness of darkness echoes that of chittering, static, harmonic tones, pulses, and ambiance. To some, it is beautiful. To some, it is nothing but ambient nothingness. To others, it is horrifying.

Fear is the end and beginning. It is designed to encourage us to stay away from something. Fear has allowed us to survive against the hardships of our environment. It is both limiting and inviting to us as a method to beat. To win against fear is victory. To lose against fear can also be a victory. The complexity of one single emotion is one that can fill volumes of books. The human race both enjoys and stays away from things that invite the concept of fear.

What are the sounds of space that can inspire fear? This question alone is one that can be difficult to answer. Everyone has different tastes in what causes and invokes this emotion. To some, certain spatial phenomena' sounds can invoke terror, but to others, it is a mere annoyance. Perhaps the question is more attuned to what are the more unsettling sounds heard in space?

Again, there is no perfect answer to this question. In the Sol system alone, the more uncomfortable sounds can be measured by society's general opinion. We leave Earth behind once again. The ball of gray and orange is but a mere tool in the tour of the cosmos. Its fate has been long determined. It becomes a dot as it zips away from our sight. We fly past the seemingly nonexistent asteroid belt that lies between Mars and Jupiter. We travel through the darkness of space as a familiar planet comes into view. The ringed gas giant is one that we are all familiar with and heard before.

Saturn's sounds recorded from probes that flew by the second largest planet of the solar system are often well renowned. The gas giant’s sounds are often looked at as a scream. The electromagnetic waves, combined with the enormous rings, often create a screeching sound that rises slowly up and down. If Sol had the power and were annoyed by such a world, it would have rid it by now. The most beautiful planet by some is the more fear invoking and uncomfortable sound to listen to when it comes to worlds alone.

That being said, Saturn is not the end-all of unsettling sound-producing objects in the Sol System alone. Every celestial object and the star itself produces some unique noise that is often recorded and played back. Saturn is a place that consists of many moons. We back away from Saturn as we tour through the many objects that orbit it. The moon of Enceladus is one that can be unnerving to listen to. The distant sounds of air being pushed around, even on a place that seemingly has none, is one that grabs much attention. Enceladus is pretty to look at. Its white covered surface with light blue veins is indicative of frozen water that is continually molded and crushed under the gravitational tidal heating of the massive gas giant. The moon is a treasure trove for life as it is slowly being bled off into space. It is believed that the great moon will eventually be no more in one to two million years as the incredible geysers will ultimately run down and shut off.

But, we have been to these two places before. We already know of its sounds and music as we leave Enceladus once again. Instead, we turn our attention to another moon. Measuring at almost 400 kilometers in diameter, it is so small that it barely fits within Saturn’s top seven largest moons. It is the smallest moon in the known solar system that is spherical. One side consists of an enormous crater as we see its surface marked with multiple meteor impacts.

The name of the moon is Mimas. Perhaps this object produces the most unsettling of sounds when it comes to the moons of the solar system. The sound is distant, like a slow wind. It then starts to produce a low hum that slowly gets higher in tone. As it rises in volume, it begins to form a scream-like sound. It pierces the ears like spears and needles. The wind-like sound has become almost like that of an electronic screech that rises in and out. If one listens thoroughly, it almost sounds like the moon is calling out to you in terror. Voices can perhaps be heard from it as the listener desires to turn it off.

Surprisingly, this is attributed to the fact of its shape and magnetic field. Out of the many solar system objects, Mimas has one of the weakest and is continuously torn around by Saturn. Like a child being abused by its parent, Mimas has no choice but to follow its planet. Its massive crater named the Herschel crater is the single defining landmark that often reminds other readers and observers of other familiar science-fiction literature.

Instead, we must leave Saturn once again. We have been here before, and we know where the story goes. We say goodbye to the ringed world as it remains in forever orbit of Sol. Even when the star becomes a red giant, Saturn will remain. The forgotten destroyed worlds of Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars will be gone, and the outer planets will be its only children. Sol is a life-giver, but it is also a cannibalistic parent.

We listen to the sounds of the solar system as we begin to veer away from Saturn so quickly that Uranus and Neptune are flickering dots. We instead travel to the sound of an electronic wind tunnel. It fluctuates in and out, drawing us to it. It can be eerie to some, but it pulls us in. Sol is far away. It is so distant that the temperatures are freezing. We are beyond Neptune’s orbit as the noise draws us to this object. The ambiance is exciting but creepy. The vibrating tones echo to its music.

We instead see a small celestial object that comes into our view. Being white, gray, and brown in color, it is a desolate, lonely world in the solar system. Its harmonic resonance echoes in our ears. The concept of being alone is one that can drive people mad. This object is one that seems to let everyone knows how it feels.

It is Pluto that we see before us. It was once called a planet but was devalued to that of a dwarf planet in 2006. It was so tiny that it is smaller than Luna and Triton, the moons of other planets. The United Worlds’ Alliance has even abandoned the idea of colonizing this seemingly desolate world as human beings find other habitable worlds for living and resources. Like a crying child, Pluto is one that sits, singing its songs of sorrow to the solar system.

It isn’t to say that Pluto is not entirely lonely. It does have its companions. The dwarf planet does have moons. Five celestial objects have been observed that orbit Pluto with Charon being the largest. Shaped like a cracked ball, Charon produces a single pitch in a volume that rings in the ears. It gradually goes up and down. If Pluto enjoys this sound, then it has a happy neighbor, but to many, the desolate location hallmarks the edge of the Sol System. The darkness of space permeates the spectrum as many consider Pluto's future and its role for humankind.

Instead, we say goodbye to Pluto. Never again will we visit this world. Maybe one-day humanity will see this world to give it the attention that it long desires. We float away as we listen to the universe. Our goal is to follow the distant sounds of space. We watch as Sol gets smaller and smaller as it is nothing but a faint speck of dust in the galaxy. Pluto and the other planets of the Sol System are left behind.

We travel faster than the speed of light as objects zip past us. We listen, and we hear the sounds of space itself. The electromagnetic waves continue to sing to us, but we are attracted to the various sounds. Some are harmonic and beautiful, but others are unsettling.

Why are we attracted to the beautiful and horrific sounds? The harmonic sounds may or may not be a representation of a pleasant environment. The music and noise have no bearing on places that humanity may wish to go to, but it still draws us toward it. Perhaps we are looking for a pattern. Maybe if we head towards something of familiarity, we can find new homes or worlds for the human race to call home. We instead try to follow the things that may have some semblance. If life can develop on a G-Type star such as Sol, then perhaps other G-Type stars can find homes for humanity.

The sounds of the sun are a deep low hum that comes in and out. It oscillates up and down as if it is alive. It is almost like an ohm like sound as it is very deep. To some, it is beautiful, and others, it is an unsettling sound. It is, however, our reference point in helping us find other stars. When we tune our ears to it, we are now able to begin tracking similar sounds of that pattern.

Our head turns as we listen…….the noises are everywhere. The Milky Way Galaxy is filled with billions of stars. We decide to pick a random one, and it is located in the Draco Constellation. We hear a similar pattern so that it might be a G-Type star. We zoom towards it moving faster than anything alive. Stars and dust fly past us at blazing speeds. Our goal is clear. We must find other worlds for human beings to live on. We must find the things that we are most comfortable with if we are going to survive as a species.

It comes into view. Traveling over seven hundred light-years, we track the humming to a star that can be barely-viewed from Earth. The star is indeed a G-Type star. The yellowish glow is intense as it fills our eyesight. Worlds must fill this system. If a G-Type star gave us life, then what new wonders can be found in this system alone?

You see it first as you turn your head towards a planet that is close to the star. At first, you think that your vision is still adjusting to the brightness. You realize that you have traveled to the system known as TrES-2. You have traveled further than most human beings had ever desired.

Yet, you still see no light coming from the close planet. TrES-2b, the world that orbits this star, is still hard to see. It is massive, yet it is black as the void of space. We get closer and closer to it. Perhaps the relative luminosity of the star is still making the planet hard to see. Closer and closer we get until we are finally right next to it. Again, we must close in on it.

It is a gas giant that is bigger than Jupiter itself. It is so close to its star that it takes a little over two days to make one orbit. The planet is tidally locked as one side is scorched by the star, yet one problem remains. We got so close to it that we practically ran into it. The reasons are apparent…..we couldn’t see it.

The planet is dark. It is so dark that only about 1 percent radiates any light from its gaseous surface. You crash through the dark clouds that are blacker than coal. Only faint lights of red can be seen as you feel the searing heat of almost 1600 degrees Celsius permeate your body. You can’t see the stars as the temperatures are hotter than the planet Venus. You can’t see anything. It is as if Satan himself came up and wrapped his hands around your eyes. You realize all too well that you are in hell.

It must be impossible as you struggle to find your way out. To this day, scientists struggle to figure out why TrES-2b is one of the darkest planets ever to exist. A possible belief is that the atmosphere's gases consist of chemicals that can absorb light, such as sodium or potassium, that produces low luminosity. The proximity to its star may also be a trigger to the events as well. For now, learning about this world is not your priority. Our goal is to escape it.

By reversing your direction, you hold your breath as your heart beats faster. Like a blind person, you must rely on your hearing to get you out. Only the star's sound is your guide as you move faster and faster through the hellish blackness of the environment. Finally, you see it as you fly through the clouds and back out into space. We have escaped the clutches of TrES-2B.

Unfortunately, we have found little for humanity to benefit from. This world is not what we are looking for. By trying to find a G-Type star, we didn’t succeed in our mission. It is no easy task as the melody of the star is next to us. We watch as the gas giant starts to leave us. At 5 billion years of age, the star will eventually turn into a red giant and consume this hellish world anyway. For all you believe, it is best to let the star have it.

We believe that being here accomplishes little else. Finding new worlds for humans to live on is no easy task. Even with the famed Gabatrix experiment, having to check every little spot in the galaxy takes considerable time. Even by this period, humanity has only explored a tiny fraction of the galaxy alone. The territories are consumed by their enemies and allies.

But, the vastness must harbor places to live, and life must exist. We say goodbye to TrES-2 and its close planet. You watch as the star shrinks in size as we get further and further away. A part of you feels the relief. Perhaps it is best to find a world that is closer to human-controlled space. Maybe it is for the best to let humans do their work in finding other planets to live on. We instead watch as the stars become dots of twinkling sand as we move faster than the speed of light. A pleasant view of the center of the galaxy consumes the view. Stars zip past you as we once again listen to the sounds of the electromagnetic radiation.

We turn away as your ears begin to catch something in the openness of space. You once again hear another sound. We slowly return closer and closer to the Sol system, but we are still almost a hundred light-years away from it. The Milky Way Galaxy is so enormous that even a hundred light years is nothing but a mere footstep in one direction. Regardless, within this envelope are at least 10,000 stars. Most of the stars are tiny dim red, and brown dwarf stars near impossible to be detected with even the best telescopes of the 21st century. It is both a wonder and a spectacular view.

The Gabatrix experiment opens the possibilities of the galaxy and universe alone. Human beings have been given the gift to traverse the galactic playground. There seems no limit to what could be found and what couldn’t be found out there.

Yet it is a time when things can slow down. Humanity has paid the price to reach it this far. Earth has been given to the T’rintar clan as a bargaining chip as the humans have found new worlds to live on. Survival is paramount, and Earth is a forgotten legacy of past glory. Mars and Cebravis serve as the bastions of human civilizations as they expand outward. The humans had found a few worlds to declare as homes and colonies, but much of the space is ripe for exploration. Progress is slow. War is all around the vast expanse, and the enemy could be anywhere.

Even with this, the void of space is seemingly quiet. We listen to the emptiness as the sounds of stars run around us. You yet hear it, though. Among the many red dwarfs, you finally hear a star that matches that of Sol. It must be another G-Type star. Perhaps here, we can finally be at rest.

We begin to close in on the star in the distance. More stars fly past you as we get closer and closer to our destination. It is getting close to us. Located in the Cetus constellation, the star sings into our ears. Just like a running motor, we have found another system that we might call home. Suddenly an unusual event takes place.

Hmmm…….odd……that noise that just came in. You thought you heard it as well. It was a blip sound. It was not natural, and it is enough for us to stop our journey to this star. The universe is filled with little out there. To hear such an event as this is something that seems essential.

The sound that we heard is not typical at all. It was not electromagnetic radiation but a specific radiofrequency. Our attention is diverted to the source of that blip. We are curious….what would cause such an event to take place?

We instead, convert our hearing to that radiofrequency. You can hear it now as apprehension fills your veins. The frequency is one that you listen to closely. It consists of three short blip tones followed by three longer repeating tones, with another three short tones. There is a pause as the signal repeats again and again.

On ancient Earth, the signal was similar to that of an S.O.S. given out by ships that were stranded or in trouble. Another signal is given out, and it is the voice of a human woman. Her words are garbled. It seems to make little sense, but her words are that of fear and confusion.

“Ship……..r…….tack………..please………way…..” are the only words that you can make out of the garbled words. You try to listen again, but all you hear are static. The same S.O.S. tonal blips are on repeat.

This is not the songs of the galaxy—your heart races to the event. The humans apparently have an event going on nearby. There is little that we can do here. Sitting here in the void of space will not accomplish anything.

Is this something that we should be concerned about? Perhaps it should. The galaxy is enormous. The enemy could be anywhere. Like shadows, the enemy has many different abilities. A cloaked vessel could be nearby. The Itreans consume a massive amount of the galactic cluster as it is.

Yet……we stand wondering about this. What is truly out there? The darkness and the light dance together. One cannot exist without the other. Without the dark, we would not know fear and how to conquer it. Survival is paramount. We must continue with our journey. The distress call…..somebody must have heard it besides us.

It is both a good and bad sign. It is unfortunate for that woman but fortunate for us. We instead focus back on the star that is near us. The good sign is that we have found the possibility of other human life. Where an event takes place, more are sure to come. Humans must help out other humans. It is their nature to do so.

We zip closer and closer to the star. Slowly we close in on it as it comes closer and closer. It is indeed a G-Type star. The bright yellowish glow fills our vision. It is slightly larger than Sol, and it seems promising.

The star is known as HD 1461. It is almost 2 billion years old. All that traveling away from Sol, and now we only stand 76 light-years from Mars. HD 1461 is nothing awe-inspiring. Its mass is slightly more than Sol, but it seems to be working very well. It has been under the spotlight of telescopes due to the bright luminosity, even how distant it stood from former Earth. In 2009, it was discovered to have a planet that orbits close to it.

We are not far from the star as we begin looking around. You indeed spot the planet named HD 1461b. It is close to the star and orbits once every five to six days. Another planet called HD 1461c is seen. It also orbits its star once every thirteen to fourteen days.

You feel it don’t you? We are nearing the end of this journey. Just like Sol, there are indeed planets that orbit this star as well. It seems to be a constant in the universe. Where there is a star, there are planets and where there are planets……..

You don’t need to say anything else. Your ears are tuned to the electromagnetic radiation. You want to find it, and now you are close. Is there a planet that has a similar sound as Earth? Are there livable worlds in this solar system?

The answer is simple…….yes.

We zoom closer and closer to the planet. We fly past another orbiting planet named HD 1461d. In the vast distance, you can see another ringed planet named HD 1461e. It is nothing significant but is something noted. Finally, the sound draws us in. We get closer and closer to this world and the end of our journey.

The world has come into your view. It is relatively small. It was so little that it was possible to fly on by and miss it entirely. It does, however, produce similar sounds that Earth makes. It is a perfect sign indeed.

It was named HD 1461f, but it would eventually be called Eutera. It is an odd planet. It is more significant than Mars and smaller than Earth. It is relatively small, even for a habitable world, and it would be much later before anybody would ever find it. Unlike many planets, this one spins almost entirely with no tilt. Earth has an angle rotation of about 22 to 24 degrees. This causes seasonal changes. Without it, there is only one season.

Some would claim that a planet like Eutera shouldn’t exist, yet it does. Founded only recently, it became the farthest colony of the United Worlds’ Alliance. The world is both beautiful and evident of what can happen to other habitable worlds. Unlike Earth and Cebravis, Eutera is a world of extremes. For a planet of mostly water, the poles are frozen completely solid. Massive ice sheets consist of almost two-thirds of the planet, yet it receives the proper amount of heat from its parent star.

It is a planet where life had developed regardless but in a limited fashion. It is beautiful to look at. It consists of large white arctic poles on the north and south, moderately cold mid-latitudes where the ice still operates, and then the warmer equator. The equator is warm enough to melt the ice. This creates a fashionable ring where life is running from. Small patches of green can be seen from the island continents that are not frozen in the ice. It is all aspects of an Earth-like planet with a mere difference in how it spins.

There are advantages to this type of environment. While it can limit life, it can also help it. Consistent environments can speed up the development of life if there are no changes to that environment. Plantlife was the key for Eutera, even if noncomplex life never developed. It is a world to call home, and humanity staked its claim.

We get closer and closer to the world. The songs of the universe come to a close. We can see several spaceships and warships in orbit, but they do not matter. You can see one of the moons of Eutera, but it is nothing like Luna. It is shaped like a potato, but again, it doesn’t matter. The darkness is all around us, but we have found the light.

We fall through the atmosphere as we close in on where our story will begin. We zoom through the puffy white clouds as we are guided towards the equator. We see a variety of island continents that jut from the melted ocean level surface. Instead, we single in on a small island continent south of an enormous continent that interconnects the northern mid-latitudes frozen ice. The world is seemingly quiet as we near the ground. There are trees and plant life, but most are things we are not familiar with. The grass is similar to that of Earth, but the trees are wider and lower in height. The temperatures are around 13 degrees Celsius but somewhat comfortable. It is near the afternoon as we fly by a pair of mountains. The color of the sky is much like the former Earth of long ago.

Once we fly past the mountains, we near the long beach of the grand island. It is here that you see it. It is a wondrous but perhaps insignificant sight. Past an outcropping of a large forest is a collection of buildings. The buildings are high tech and human in design. It is a small settlement where the humans have called Eutera their home. The colony of Eutera has a few things that make it remarkable. Among one of the things is the great colony lander. The CX-2 class colony ship is designed to maximize settlement efforts. As we fly by it, the name “Jen” is written in English and Chinese on the side of the hull. Equipped with every piece of equipment available, the ship is stuffed with colonists and sent to a new world to call their home. Once the lander makes landfall, the vessel can then be dissembled to make new homes or be used as an emergency transport to get the people off-world. Instead, the lander has remained parked near the settlement and left virtually untouched except for an individual or two that use it as a makeshift building and equipment storage.

Near the lander are several shuttles in a makeshift ground port. A small tower building with a massive radar dish has been erected. We fly on past this area as we get closer and closer to our destination. We see people that walk around the small town. The buildings are arranged haphazardly like the trees of the forest. Occasionally, we see large square like farms that have been dug into the ground where food is being grown.

No two building is truly alike in the town. A few are large towers where administrative matters are most likely taking place. There is a large circular area near the center, and a black monument marks this spot as we continue to fly on by.

The people here are not all human. Some of them are Itrean. Some are walking with each other in casual or formal conversation. The recent alliance with the T’rintar clan may have something to do with this. There appears to be no resentment or dissatisfaction with one another. It is as if Eutera has become a new cold Eden for the two ailing races. We even see a human and an Itrean woman that are holding hands together as they are heading towards the great lake of the mountains.

We continue flying until we slow down. We begin to slow down as we near a set of two buildings that are stacked together. It isn’t ample for an installation, but you can tell that it is a military base of some sort. There is a large railgun battery installed at the far edge of the facility. A pair of missile silos are also embedded on the other end of the base. The other side of the installation also parks a single military shuttlecraft. We see different artificial lights that illuminate the facility. There appears to be a soldier on duty that is walking around the base, but there is little other activity except on what is going on inside one of the buildings.

Our journey comes to an end as we close in on the smaller rectangular structure. It appears to be a barracks of some sort. The numerous windows are all the same and indicative of the same rooms arranged together in a pattern. The only apparent exception to the building is the sliding door entrance for individuals to enter and leave.

We enter into the building as we zero in on an event that is taking place. There is cheering and hollering going on as we are lured to the commotion going on. There is some sort of music that is heard, but men and women's shouting continually drowns it out as they are gathered around a table. It appears to be some sort of lounge in the barracks. An overhead TV/display is mounted in the top portion of the wall with a series of seats in place.

One person is sitting down on his seat as he has an arm perched around another chair. He seems to be focused on the display screen as it gives a live feed of the news. The man looks like he is trying to ignore the commotion going on in the center.

The center of the room is hard to see due to the number of bodies in the way. The men and women seem different than your typical civilians. Some are very lean and strong by appearance alone. Their shirts and clothing are all indicative of those of military personnel. The famous red and blue shirts of the United Human Naval service are commonplace. The individuals seem to be enjoying their rest and relaxation after a typical day of work, if there is much at all. Some of the men are wearing blue pants, and others are wearing blue shorts. Alcohol and even occasional smoking are apparent.

Past the circle of individuals are a human woman and an Aksren woman busy at arm wrestling. Their hands are locked together as they use all their might to try to pull each other’s arm down to the table.

The human woman has a dark complexion to her. Her hair woven into dreadlocks and tied into a bun. There is intensity in her eyes as she gives a look of anger and ferocity towards the hand that she has grabbed. Her tattooed arm is not that much different than the other men and women in the barracks. Written on the tattooed arm is that of “UHN Marine Corp Redder than Blood,” a familiar motto also written on other peoples’ arms as well.

She seems strong, but her arm and hand refuse to budge or move towards the direction that she wants to go. Clasped to her hand is the hand of an Itrean woman. Wearing a green shirt and green shorts, the Aksren woman, by appearance, had a four-digit hand. Her body was covered in soft scales that consisted of mostly red with hints of green tinge to it. She was slightly shorter than the typical human at about five feet in height. She looked in all aspects similar to an anthro oviraptor. Her most distinguishing feature above all else was a large crest above her beak-like nose.

Like all Itreans, this one had a tail to her. Unlike the Yutilians of the T’rintar clan, however, she lacked the feathers that rode down her arms or tail. This woman was not as robust-looking as the human beings that were either cheering for or against her, but it looked like she was holding firm against a human she was challenging. Her reptilian yellow and green eyes showed her own intensity as her large series of razor-sharp teeth were cringing.

“Come on, Zalika!” yelled one of the men. “Are you going to lose against an Itrean?”

“Yeah, Zalika!” another yelled. “You are stronger than her. Take her down!”

It seemed to be an even battle. Wrist was locked against wrist. There was a single moment where the woman with the dark complexion was beginning to falter. Her arm was starting to tilt back in the direction. At this rate, she was going to lose.

“Hey, Bekra!” another man with a black mustache called out to the Itrean woman. “If you win, I will make sure to show you a nice time around the base…..maybe even my room!”

Zalika, the woman challenging the T’rintar clan woman, seemed to get angry. She cringed her teeth as her eyes went to the man and then Bekra. With a deep breath and a heave, she began to push back more and more. She summoned every ounce of strength available. Bekra’s arm was starting to go back. Her digitigrade legs and clawed feet were even trying to brace the floor.

“Don’t you even think about it, you fucking bird!” Zalika yelled out at Bekra.

The Aksren, in turn, looked up at her. She was now starting to lose the fight. Zalika was slowly pushing back more and more. Eventually, she cried out and brought the Itrean woman’s hand to the table.

“Yeah!” the others called out in cheer. A few seemed disappointed as Bekra looked down in defeat.

“Fuck yeah!” Zalika called out in victory. She released Bekra’s hand as she grabbed her bottle of beer and began to drink it hard. “That’s what it takes. Years of hard work in the gym!”

Bekra seemed to calm down rather quickly. She even gave a slight grin as she put both her hands on the table. She was breathing a little bit hard but was doing just fine.

Zalika almost slammed her bottle on the table, producing a loud metal bang sound. She got up as she still had a look of ferocity.

“Oh, Cruz!” Zalika called out.

“Yes?” the man with the black mustache replied.

The woman balled her right fist. She took it and slammed it into Cruz’s face. It wasn’t hard, but it wasn’t pretty either. Cruz stumbled back in pain. He felt like he was hit with a baseball bat as he put his hand to his face in pain.

“Ow! Son of a bitch!” Cruz reacted.

“Yeah! Don’t harass my friend, asshole! That’s my job!” Zalika yelled.

Bekra nodded her head in approval. She seemed content as the others were pointing and laughing at Cruz.

“Hey, Cruz,” another person called out. “Next time, go on the porn propaganda websites if you want to have some tail. Maybe if you are lucky, you won’t have to go down on yourself next week.”

There was still some snickering towards Cruz, but his only reaction was to walk away. With a beer in hand, he began to rub his cheek, still feeling the pain of the punch. He took a big swig as he went over to the seats next to the TV display.

“You seem a little upset,” a woman remarked with a Russian accent. “Doing alright, Zalika?”

“Yeah, I am alright, Karine,” Zalika replied as she looked over to Bekra. “I just have watch tonight.”

“Six-hour watch ain’t that bad. Get some sleep now and get some more later on.”

Zalika went and took a quick swig of her drink. “Not when I have to deal with a newbie tomorrow.”

“Oh yeah,” another man called out to her. “We got a rookie coming in tomorrow morning fresh from boot camp. Well, sucks to be you.”

Zalika was unimpressed by the man’s comments. She pulled out a small bayonet and tossed it on the table. It even startled Bekra a little bit as metal smacked metal. “Hey, Felix! Rusty Cage!”

There were “oh shit” comments that reined around the table as a few of the people walked away to do something else.

“Rusty cage?” Bekra called out.

“Yeah, rusty cage,” Zalika said with a snicker looking at her. “I guess the five months you have been here. You have never seen it. They sometimes call it Five Finger Fillet.” She turned her head to look at Felix that made the snide comment to her. She grabbed the handle and lifted the point of the bayonet’s blade as she stabbed the metal table. “What do you think, Felix? Care to play a game of Rusty Cage? If I win, you get to take up my watch. If I lose, I will take up your next watch.”

“Fuck no,” Felix replied as his Irish accent came through a little bit. “I wouldn’t win against that augmented arm of yours anyway.”

“You got one too, dumb ass!”

Felix waved his hand as he walked away.

“Pussy!” Zalika taunted him. Her head turned back to look at him. A few people shook their heads at the scene.

“Hey, Zalika,” Karine said, grabbing her shoulder. “How about we trade watches? I think they fucked up that they are giving you this watch for tonight. I have a watch in two days.”

“That seems reasonable,” Bekra said with her unusual mixed accent. The marines had been used to Bekra’s presence by now. Even as her diverse accents that ranged from French, Spanish, and Japanese would fluctuate, it never seemed to drive a snicker from the other UHN soldiers.

Zalika once again looked at Bekra as she shrugged her shoulders. “Fine….I have to assume that the Major is a little too busy trying to make himself look nice with the Itreans to notice that I had a watch and be babysitter the next day.”

Karine went and grabbed Zalika’s beer and downed it. “Then I have to go to sleep. I have watch tonight. You know the watch bill. My watch is…..”

“0100….” Zalika answered. “Yeah, I know. Shit! Wait a minute. You have the twelve-hour watch!”

“Promises are promises, Zalika,” Karina said with a laugh. Others seemed to have heard it and pointed and laughed at Zalika.

“Fuck!” Zalika snapped a little bit as she smacked her head to the table. “Ugh…..well…..I guess I can’t argue with it. Come on, Bekra.”

With that, the rest of the crowd began to disburse from the table. Others went to have chats with other individuals. All in all, there were about forty marines that were in the lounge. Zalika went and tossed the bayonet down onto the table. She and Bekra then stood up as they pushed their chairs in.

“I don’t think you should drink anymore for tonight,” Bekra told her as Zalika was heading towards the lounge refrigerator. Her tail seemed to swing a little bit more than usual.

“I don’t give a fuck….” Zalika tried to say. There was a little bit of hesitation in her speech.

“You are getting drunk. I don’t think the Master Sergeant will be happy. He was the one that brought the beers in for us to enjoy but not get carried away.”

“The Master Sergeant can kiss my ass,” Zalika replied as she grabbed the handle of the refrigerator. She opened up the door as she saw the beer bottles in it. She went and grabbed a bottle, and was about to open it up. There was more hesitation as she looked at the bottle. The label had written “Cebravis Grand Hops” on it.

“Eh……maybe not,” Zalika said as she placed the bottle back in. “Maybe you are right. He got us a shitty brand of beer.”

“We got a full schedule tomorrow,” Bekra said, seemingly satisfied as she watched Zalika close the refrigerator door. “I want to see the test flight that is going to take place.”

“Yeah, that…..ummm…..” Zalika was beginning to notice that she was tipsy. “That robot woman thingy…...” she paused as she snapped her fingers. “Miranda?”

“Minerva,” Bekra corrected her. “Now, I know you are a little bit intoxicated.”

“Minerva? Man, all this time, I kept thinking it was Miranda. Now I know I have some people laughing at me. I have been calling her that all day.”

There was a chirping laugh from Bekra. They began to walk away from the refrigerator together as they saw two men that were talking to each other.

“Ugh…..I got a new guy to show around,” Zalika said. “Why do I have to be the fucking babysitter for the rookie?”

“Hey!” Bekra said as she used her tail to smack Zalika’s leg. “I will be there with you. I don’t mind helping out.”

“Yeah…..” Zalika said with a sigh. “I guess it also because I was just promoted to Corporal a month ago. Master Sergeant wants to make sure that I have more….‘responsibility.’”

“We have had really nothing to do here on Eutera besides drill and party. We need to do other things.”

“Yeah, I suppose you Itreans do more than just drill and play.”

“We do everything we can to prepare for the next Aksren or Shal’rein clan attack. All responsibilities fall on us.”

“Yeah, yeah, I know.” Zalika almost cut her off as she looked at the TV display. A few of the dispersed individuals walked and had a seat to watch whatever was on. “That rookie…..he is supposed to be from Batrice, right?”

“Yes,” Bekra said as she crossed her arms.

“Ugh…..a Batrician. Seems like lately, I am hearing nothing but problems from them. I wonder how long till we are at war with them.”

“I don’t think it will lead to that.”

“No, it won’t. I don’t give much of a shit anyway. Just looking forward to some action. Maybe we have been stuck on this world for too long.”

“You and I have only been here for a few months.”

“Yeah, it is true. We got here after the T’rintar clan released everyone from captivity.”

Bekra did a few quick nods. “I admit, I miss the lack of combat but enjoy this place. It is very peaceful.”

“Not several months ago. I missed all the action. Hell, I fucking missed the Battle at Oshun. My own fucking home planet, and I miss the fight there!”

“It was a battle in space,” Bekra commented. “You didn’t miss anything.”

“I know, I know. Still……I could have had a chance to fight those big ass sharks. That would have been fun.”

Bekra’s eyes seemed to widen. “Fight Shal’rein? No…..no…..don’t want to fight them. Ground combat against Shal’rein is very bad. Remember Aphadus? That was over a month ago.”

Zalika seemed to nod. “Yeah, you are right. Fuck…..the marines got wiped out in that fight.”

“You just need more marines. Forty marines on this planet are not enough. We can’t provide all the soldiers for your defenses. We need more, and that is why you must help ensure that the new person is given a good place here.”

Zalika simply shrugged. She seemed to agree with her, but the thoughts of the Battle of Aphadus weighed a little bit in her head. She instead focused her attention on the display.

The display showed a live feed from the UWAN of the news network. It displayed a man with long blond hair as he sat behind the desk. He was a news anchorman that was telling the current news around the UWA. Zalika and Bekra couldn’t hear from the display screen since the volume was low and drowned out by the conversations inside the lounge and barracks. Zalika could see what was being displayed on the ticker tape that was running by it.

“Speaking of Batrice…..” Zalika said as she pointed to the screen for Bekra to notice.

The ticker tape that was moving displayed the words that reported that protests were going on in the great space station of Fort Batrice. The massive pill-shaped battle station was depicted as the anchorman reported the current events in the Trappist system. The report continued as it mentioned that another diplomatic mission was being sent to the system to carry on public relations.

“Doesn’t beat Oshun,” Zalika commented. “What do we have? Corruption? Riots? All that shit.”

“Things will get better,” Bekra replied. “You have the T’rintar clan to help you out.”

“Ugh….no offense, but there are some things we need to take care of ourselves. Argh…..” Zalika was waving at the screen. “Hey! Turn something on other than that news shit!”

“Yeah, man,” Cruz called out. “I am getting tired of the media bullshit! I want to watch some Cebravin football.”

“Seriously?” another person called out. “Fine! Fuck!” The woman lifted up her hand and turned on a control screen. A digital screen was displayed from her augmented hand. She interfaced with the display from where she sat. The channel switched away from the media as they could see the sports channel feed kick in. They could see two men kicking a ball as it flew through the air. Zalika seemed uninterested in the feed.

“Hey, turn it up, Cassidy!” another man called out. “I can’t hear shit!”

“Ugh….” The woman replied as she used her digital interface. She slid her other finger on the screen's volume slider as they could hear the screen’s volume go up. There were nods as the other people sitting behind their seats seemed to agree in approval. The woman then closed up her hand as the digital interface projection faded away.

Zalika was briefly reminded of her augmented arm. It was no different than her other arm, at least by appearance-wise. The perfection of the technology was apparent. Mechanical limbs and organs were commonplace in society, and most people were augmented to some degree to survive in their environment. It was no different than Bekra was with her bioengineering.

Bekra seemed bored as she gestured Zalika to follow her. She went and grabbed her left arm, and started to guide her away from the lounge.

“What?” Zalika asked her.

“Just wanted to head to our barracks room,” Bekra told her. “I want to make sure that you are alright.”

“Hmmm…..” Zalika huffed. “Fine. I don’t think you are what I think you are planning?”

“There is too much going on,” Bekra said, shaking her head. “You don’t seem to be in the mood for it right now.”

“Good….I don’t want to anyway.”

“That is what I wanted to talk about,” she said as they headed away from the lounge and the long hallway.” It consisted of a series of rooms arranged like a dorm. There were a man and woman that were busy talking to each other in the far end of the hallway. They didn’t even notice the woman from Oshun and the T’rintar clan woman walking together down the hall.

“Looks like Darshit and Ruby are hitting it off again,” Zalika remarked to Bekra as she was looking at the couple down the hall. “I bet they are going to have some fun tonight. Poor Cruz will have to stay out of his own room.” She then raised her voice at them. “Hey! Go get a hotel room!”

Darshit gave a middle finger to Zalika as Ruby smiled. Bekra simply shook her head as her reptilian eyes looked at Zalika. Darshit and Ruby then focused their attention on each other and resumed their conversation.

Both Zalika and Bekra continued their trek down the hallway until they reached the fourth door on the right. Upon reaching it, Bekra placed her scaly finger on the thumb scanner. The door slid open, and they both walked in.

“Ugh…..” Zalika sighed as the door closed. “I wanted more today. Same shit every day.”

“That isn’t true,” Bekra replied. “I enjoy being here. I enjoy being here with you.”

The room that belonged to them consisted of two beds that were evenly spaced apart. It had a single slide window that was on the other side of the door. There was a display screen that was shut off in the room. It even had a small restroom and shower stall.

It was just short of being a hotel room, but it had all the comforts of daily living for marines. The room had a slick tileset to it instead of the carpeted hallways. Zalika could hear Bekra’s clawed feet tapping and clicking the floors as she walked.

“You need to clip your talons a little bit,” Zalika commented. “I can always hear it get louder and louder each that passes.”

Bekra looked down. Zalika could see her nose crest protrude towards her as the reptilian woman was scanning her digitigrade legs. “No….” Bekra commented. “I trimmed them last week. I don’t need to do it again till next week. You are just tipsy. Any volume given off is louder than it should.”

Zalika walked over to her bed as she almost crashed into it. “Well……feels loud to me.”

Bekra was looking at Zalika’s back. She walked up and leaned down to look at her close companion. Her clawed hand went to her back as Zalika was lying down on her stomach.

“Do you need a back massage?” Bekra asked.

“Mmmm……no…..it is a nice offer, though.” Zalika turned her head on the other side of the pillow to look at her. “Nah…..I just need to sleep.”

“Alright, my mate,” Bekra replied.

“I wish…..you stop using that word. It sounds so stupid to use that word.”

“You had never protested to me before when I used that word.”

“Ehh……no…..I just…….I prefer closest friend. Like……deepest friend ever.”

“Mate is the closest word in the English language. We don’t…..”

“I know,” Zalika interrupted her. “I know you don’t use the word, ‘husband’ or ‘wife.’ Perhaps…….dearest friend is the best word for it.”

“If you are not my mate, then how else can the others know we are not joined together?”

“You never leave my side,” Zalika simply replied. “Never……I remember having this conversation before. I might be a little drunk…..but I do remember that night.”

Bekra seemed to smile. “I see……you wish to be my mate but have no one use that word?”

“I don’t want any man claim you. If Cruz ever makes a move…..”

“He…..will not. Do remember what I told you, though.”

“Yeah…….” Zalika said as she was growing more and more tired. “I do know one thing that you got used to, though.”

With that, Zalika moved her head away from her pillow as she brought it close to Bekra’s head. It was a gesture that the reptilian woman was familiar with. She leaned her head forward to her as Zalika’s lips pressed to hers. Bekra had more of a beak than actual lips, but it was flexible enough that her closest friend could still feel the warmth and smoothness to it. Both of them closed their eyes as they kissed for a few seconds. They broke their kiss as Zalika’s head fell back to the pillow again.

“Sleep well, Bekra,” Zalika told her. “Tomorrow…..”

Bekra did a series of quick nods. “Tomorrow….”

Zalika sat in her truck as the driver as Bekra sat comfortably in the passenger seat. The electric vehicle was powered down and parked not far from the makeshift port. The two had a pleasant view of “Jen,” the colony lander ship, as they looked at the other shuttles.

“It’s amazing the T’rintar never damaged her,” Zalika remarked. “She was a big fat target.”

“Our target was the planetary defenses…..nothing else,” Bekra replied. She shifted her tail a little bit to make herself more comfortable.

“Sorry about the seats. They weren’t thinking about Itrean tails when they built them.”

“It is alright,” Bekra said with a series of clicks in her voice. “My tail is unhurt.”

It was just past 0800 in the colony. All was seemingly quiet as the port was still a few minutes away from the town itself. Zalika had a pleasant view of the center of the colony from a distance. She was on the verge of tapping her augmented arm.

“Good ol UHN,” Zalika remarked. “The classic hurry up and stand by routine.”

“It will arrive,” Bekra said. “Be patient.”

“The shuttle was supposed to be here about thirty minutes ago.”

Bekra had pulled out what Zalika knew were called tilons. She pulled them out of her pocket and unrolled them. The twin tubes opened up to reveal a computer display screen. She placed it on her lap as her clawed finger began to tap a series of buttons. Information began to be displayed that her reptilian eyes carefully read.

“It looks like the shuttle from the Hawthorne was delayed for thirty-five minutes,” Bekra explained. “The freighter was reporting problems with the hangar facility. They fixed it though and continuing with the launch.”

“Good….” Zalika said as she shook her head. “Civies…….they never update those JX-15s. I already know the problem the moment that I saw what type of freighter it was coming in from.”

“What do you mean?”

“The shuttles and attachment mechanisms are always exposed to space. It always gets riddled with space debris. By the time they launch their shuttles, there is always a delay.”

“We do that with some of our shuttles,” Bekra commented. “We never had that problem.”

“Yeah, but you don’t have bioengineering to help regenerate your ships when it gets the occasional pen prick in the hull.”

“Why do you design your ships that way?”

“Oh, the JX-15s? Yeah, before I transferred to the marines, I was a civilian engineer. Those JX-15s could be built pretty fast at the time. Deimos shipyards were spitting them out as fast as the economy could build them….but they just suck. We did replace them eventually, even if they are still used today.”

Bekra did her quick nods as she closed her tilon, causing the projection display to fade. The two strip-like devices closed up as she stuck it back into her pocket. The two mountains in the distance were the most significant landmarks of the island continent. She observed the environment noting the open beauty of the colony and its location. The truck itself was parked in healthy, thick grass. Euteran grass was not like the ancient grass of former Earth. It formed stalks that split in two as it rose up from the ground. This caused the field of grass to be very thin but ultimately thicker when other grass was growing. The grass stalks grew to heights that approached the doors of the vehicle. She could see the separated trees as they grew out of the ground. A single surface boat was out in the large lake by the colony. All in all, it was a peaceful day.

The truck itself was sleek in design. It was large and black, having six large wheels (two on the forward axle and a four rear wheel axle) for traversing the rougher terrains of planets. It didn’t appear to be military in design but perhaps something close to it. It was large enough to have three additional passengers in a backseat. 

“Good thing you pulled me away from the alcohol,” Zalika commented to breaking Bekra’s attention away. “I would have had the most shittiest of hangovers.”

Bekra looked up to the sky as she pointed at the gray-like object that was coming down. Zalika looked up and could see it as well.

“There it is,” Zalika said. “About damn time.”

They could see a shuttlecraft that had flown in from the atmosphere from high above orbit. The sunlight reflected off its surface, making it look like a falling silver bullet. There was a glove compartment where Zalika went and grabbed a pair of high powered binoculars. She turned it on and began to look through them.

“Yep…..” Zalika said as she adjusted the settings to display in infrared. She could get a better view now as she could see a red object coming through the atmosphere. She could even see the vectoring thrusters’ fire to keep it steady in its descent. “Looks like one of those Mark 11 decommissioned military shuttles that they sell to the civilian market.”

The shuttle itself looked like a long silver cylindrical object. It had a series of thrusters that adorned the entire hull. Unlike the military shuttles, this one had more windows for passengers to see out from. The forward section of the hull had a pair of retractable arms for moving cargo in space. All of its guns were stripped from it.

It began to slow down its descent as the two women watched the shuttle get closer and closer to the landing strip of shuttles. The dirt construction was all there was of what would be called a landing area. The shuttle's multiple thrusters were firing to ensure the vessel wouldn’t crash to the ground.

Zalika went and put the binoculars away as she sighed and took a deep breath. Bekra went and tapped her clawed hand on her leg.

“Are you going to be alright?” Bekra asked.

“Yeah…..I will be fine,” Zalika replied. “Just going to be annoying for the day.”

“I am looking forward to it.”

“Everything has to happen at once, doesn’t it? Poor recruit here is going to feel some of it.”

“There isn’t much for him to worry about.”

“Yeah, but he is assigned to a planet that was attacked not long ago. This planet may get attacked again pretty soon for all we know.”

“The Aksren and Shal’rein clans will have to defeat our combined fleets in orbit if they ever wish to hurt us,” Bekra tried to assure her. “He will be fine.”

“Yeah, and I keep telling myself that. Why do I feel that it won’t?”

Zalika remained relaxed as she continued to watch the shuttle come to land. It was nearing the port as they could hear the loud engines working overtime. The ship had slowed down to the point it was hovering. The landing pad's hard dirt was being pushed as the dust was being kicked in the air.

The shuttle had extended a pair of landing struts from the hull's bottom belly as the heat was still being emitted from its thrusters. As each second went by, the engine's sounds and the dust being thrown about were starting to die down. Eventually, the shuttle shut off its engines as it fully landed comfortably on the ground.

The two women watched as the side right hatch opened up and lowered down as a ramp to the dirt below. The hatches alone were large to accommodate the vast parts that spaceships utilized. It opened up to reveal a single individual that was struggling to step out of the shuttle.

Zalika could see that it was man’s facial features that matched that of a person that came from Japan or China of former Earth. He had short black hair and was cleanly shaven. He had a pale complexion and was wearing the typical UHN marine camouflage uniform that she was wearing. The mixed colors of blue, light blue, and red were apparent all over his blouse, pants, and backpack. He also had a seabag with him as he was practically limping out of the hatchway ramp.

“He looks like he needs help,” Bekra said as she was about to open the door of the truck.

Zalika’s hand went to Bekra’s chest to halt her from leaving. “No. He doesn’t need help. He is doing the same thing I had to do when I got out of Marine boot camp. The main facility trains its people on Mars, where gravity is far less than most planets. The gravity is twice as strong here than Mars, so he is feeling the effects of it. Let him adjust. Trust me. I still remember getting out of Mars to go back to Oshun, which has the gravity of former Earth. If I can get used to it, so can he.”

Bekra relaxed as he saw the man straighten his back out and resume his walking toward the shuttle. Each step he took was hard, but each one got better and better. The Itrean woman turned to look at Zalika.

“See?” Zalika said, pointing at him. “It will take a little bit, but he will be fine. I actually really fault the concept of the boot camp and its original location. They are planning on expanding new facilities on Aphadus and Palora to help recruits get used to the different environments that we may face. They can’t get it done soon enough, honestly. Watch this…”

Zalika pressed a button as the window lowered down. She poked her head out and smacked the side of the truck. “Hey! Move your ass here, marine! Move it!”

Bekra could see that Zalika was smiling at the new marine that heard her voice. He turned towards the truck and began to run toward it. The hatch of the shuttle began to close up as its engines were starting to power up again. The man was gaining ground with the truck as Bekra was watching the shuttle start its take-off prep.

The man ran across the dirt and into the grass. He reached the truck as Zalika pointed her thumb at the passenger seat door of the vehicle.

“Hop in, marine.”

“Private First Class Chuang, reporting in, Corporal!” the marine said with a salute. His voice had a more Chinese accent to it, but it was hushed out as the shuttle’s engines began to activate.

Zalika once again pointed to the truck’s interior as she raised the windows. The rear passenger doors lifted up, and Chuang threw his seabag and backpack inside. He then jumped in, and the doors closed behind him. He was breathing a little heavy.

The shuttle began to lift off as more dust was kicked up in the air. As quickly as it landed, the shuttle had completed its job. It altogether left the port as it rose in the air. It turned a little bit and angled itself upward before its rear drives activated. It slowly left a trail of smoke behind it as lifted up and away into the sky again.

The sound began to die down as the noise of the shuttle began to quiet down. Zalika and Bekra turned to look at Chuang that was busy fastening his seatbelt. He turned to look up at them.

“Dah…..” Chuang replied, seeing Bekra’s face. “You…..you’re an Aksren!”

“Hey! Don’t worry about it,” Zalika called out. “She is an Aksren from the T’rintar clan. She is harmless……mostly.”

Bekra smiled a little bit. “Private First Class…..are you alright?”

Chuang seemed to calm down a little bit. Seeing an Aksren up close startled him, but he started to regain his composure rather quickly. “Ye……Yes, I am alright.”

“Chuang, my name is Corporal Zalika. Welcome to Eutera. This is my good friend Centurion Bekra….ehh….” Zalika seemed to pause and hesitate. “Just in case for you. The Centurion rank in the Itrean clans is basically a Corporal or Sergeant in UHN rank.”

“Yes, of course,” Chuang replied nervously. “We had a few Itreans that were training us at boot camp…..first time getting a chance to see an Aksren up close. Sorry about that, Centurion Bekra.”

“Actually, you can just call me Bekra. I was assigned by the T’rintar clan to assist the UHN Marine Corps stationed on Eutera.”

Zalika knew that Chaung would quickly adapt to the events. It made sense that the T’rintar clan was getting more and more involved with UHN affairs in its aid to stand against the other Itrean clans. With most of the Itreans being Yutilian, to see an Aksren or Shal’rein serving under the T’rintar clan was an impressive or startling sight to be used to, something that she was already well adjusted to as it was.

“Chuang, you can also just call me Zalika,” she explained to him. “I know boot camp beats the whole rank addressing thing into your heads. Just make sure that you respect the higher rank. Me? I am just your boring marine that comes from Oshun. Get used to seeing people like her here on Eutera. I suppose you already know the recent history of this planet?”

“I know a little bit,” Chuang replied. He seemed like he was somewhat composed. “I know that it got attacked and conquered by the T’rintar clan about like a year ago. The T’rintar returned it back to us half a year ago…..I think.”

“Yep,” Zalika replied. “All the people taken prisoner with the exception of the few that wanted to stay with the T’rintar clan, returned back to here……well most of them. There are about a thousand humans and a thousand Itreans that call this place their home. It is basically a little outpost in the system. The T’rintar clan feels bad with the events that took place and have been offering any available aid to this place, including all the nice warships that are up in orbit above us as we build up the infrastructure around here.”

“How big is the military base here?”

“About thirty strong. We don’t have a naval installation for the UHN yet, but we have the marine corp base that serves as the new base of operations after the attack. More or less, it is the UHN base for the colony until more is brought in.”

“How is the weather here?” Chuang asked Zalika. He watched as Zalika went and turned on the truck’s engine as it revved up.

“About as good as you think. Be used to blue sky and white cloud cover every day. Temperatures are pretty much the same all year round since we have no seasons. Might be a little cooler than the artificial weather on Batrice or Mars, but the uniforms do a good job with the weather. You…..you’re from Batrice, right?”

Chuang nodded his head. “Yes. Have you been there?”

“I was at the shipyard of Gillan once on a freighter awhile back, but I never saw Batrice itself. Nope…..never had a chance to see that floating pill in space.”

“Everyone always talks about Fort Batrice,” Chuang said with a smile. “We have other things than just that.”

“Yeah…..whiners and complainers…..” Zalika said under her breath.

“What?”

Bekra smacked Zalika in the arm that Chuang noticed.

“Eh….sorry,” Zalika apologized. “One thing that you will have here, Chuang, is plenty of opportunities to watch the news and politics. Don’t get too buried in them. I am guilty of it too.”

Bekra once again smacked Zalika in the arm, but this time it was harder.

“Fine! I am sorry…..Fuck! If it is one thing about this place is that you won’t have too much to do. Make sure to follow the protocols that the marines establish. We are the tip of the spear. Treat everyone fairly and equally here. Our goal to protect this place.” Zalika turned her head to look at Bekra. “If you hit me one more time….”

Bekra held back but kept a smile that Chuang could carefully see.

“Eh….enough of this shit,” Zalika said as she pressed a button on the steering wheel as the gears shifted in the truck.  “I will explain more to you as you are going to get a nice tour of the colony.”

The engine of the truck roared as the heavy vehicle powered up and began to move. As soon as it started to reach faster and faster speeds, Zalika did a rapid u-turn of the vehicle as Chuang and Bekra were pushed hard to the left. Dirt and grass were kicked up into the air as the four rear tires were spinning hard.

“Yeah!” Zalika called out as she was focused forward. “Feel that shit?” She kept the wheel steady as the truck was directed towards the outer edge of the colony. She stomped her boot to the floor pedal as the truck’s wheel spun hard. “If it is one thing I love doing on this planet is having some fun.”

Chuang and Bekra both watched as Zalika was behind the wheel driving. The truck flew forward as the shocks and wheels were bracing for the rough, uneven terrain. Even if it was a plain grassy field, it was not a concrete paved road. The vehicle was capable of doing heavy off-road driving, though.

Immediately, the truck’s speed increased more and more as Zalika went and put on a pair of sunglasses. The vehicle was roaring as the bumps became hard. The shocks alone were doing their jobs though as Chuang and Bekra didn’t feel much from the hard-driving. The truck was producing a hushed hum to it. The heavy-duty electric motor barely made any noise except for the spinning tires and underbrush that hit the underside.

Chuang turned his head to the left to look at the colony. He was busy noting all the buildings and landmarks. He could see all the individuals as a few looked at the speeding truck's direction in the distance.

“What do you do here exactly?” Chuang asked.

“Are you asking about our schedule or me?” Zalika replied.

“Just what the marines do here? What is our schedule?”

“Today, we get you to the marine base. You are stationed at Fort Caprise like the rest of us. I believe your orders identified you as an engineer, correct?”

“Yes.”

“Well with the exception of helping out the weapons installation here, you will be drilling most of the time. Work is typical schedule for the UHN and UWA schedules. You will be working for five days of seven days a week. Weekends are off. Eutera has 23 hours in a daily revolution, but we still follow UHN timetable protocols like anywhere else. With Eutera, we have an extra day here and there that we declare holidays to make up the time.”

“Nice,” Chuang replied with a smile.

“It is awesome. We still have our watches like any other base. You will be in duty section seven, I believe, unless our Staff Sergeant has anything to respond to that. You will be on watch at least once every six days. Better than boot camp, right?”

“Yeah, it is.”

“Heh….I still remember my drill sergeant. We had port and starboard watches. Damn, it sucked.”

“Shit. We had four duty sections with our recruit division.”

“Hold on!” Zalika called out. It was little time given as the truck was nearing a slight bump. Bekra could see that the vehicle was approaching speeds of about 120 kilometers an hour as it went airborne over the bump.

“Whoa,” Chuang called out.

The truck slammed down on the grass with a hard thump. The shocks and wheels handled it perfectly as it produced a small bounce in the interior.

“Perhaps we should slow down a little bit?” Bekra cautioned her.

“Haha, fuck no,” Zalika said. “You know how much I love doing this.”

Chuang could see better detail of the colony. He could see the tallest building as another vehicle was carrying around parts and supplies. A crane was busy moving a chunk of another building's wall up and aligning it with the infrastructure under construction.

“One thing about Eutera is enjoy your time here,” Zalika explained. “It is a large open town in all directions. We got a nice large lake to go swimming in if you enjoy the daily temperature of about 50 degrees Celsius, that is. Honestly, I never wanted to swim in it, but we have it regardless. We have the mountains that you can go and explore. We also, of course, have the forests too. We even have a sports arena that holds tournaments for football and baseball.”

“What is that?” Chuang noted in the distance. He could see what looked like a massive crawler near the clearing in the forests.

Zalika looked at what he was gesturing at. “Wow, how do you not know that? That is the heavy-duty CR-150 Crawler that comes with the colony ship. They help out in the construction of colonies. We use a military crawler based on that design on our Phalanx Assault Carriers. Did they teach you anything in boot camp, or did the instructors get lazy?”

“Oh, those are the crawlers! Sorry, I thought they would be a lot smaller than that. I didn’t know it was that big.”

“Yeah, they are damn huge. The one they use here at Eutera is barely needed, and it is being stripped for parts, which they designed them for anyway. The crane from it has been taken off and used to help put the buildings up.”

As Chuang got a better view, he could see the multi-ton vehicle past the buildings. Most of it had been indeed stripped and taken apart. It was a shell of its former self, but he could still see at least three treads on one side that remained. It was mostly a boxy-looking tank that could haul massive amounts of goods and supplies. It had a variety of tools and equipment to begin overhauling the landscape for a colony. With Eutera being the way it was, there was no need for over-elaborate buildings or domed overlays for cities. Regardless, the UWA and UHN insured that things could be recycled and reused very quickly if they wanted.

They reached the colony's past edge as they drove past the viewpoint of the center of the settlement. There was a slight bump as the truck hit something hard and went over it.

Bekra was still looking at Zalika that seemed to be enjoying her driving. Chuang noted the center of the colony. He could see more individuals, both humans, and Itreans, that were walking around.

“What is that black thing sticking up?” Chuang asked.

“That is the monument for everything that has happened here?” Bekra explained. “It was erected to remember the people that were killed when my people attacked this colony.”

“Yeah, it is basically her people saying ‘we are sorry, we won’t let it happen again.’” Zalika chided in.

“It must have been hard on the people here,” Chuang commented.

“Yes, it was,” Bekra continued. “The T’rintar clan has given the colony back to you humans. We make sure for our alliance that the people are treated well. We provide the best equipment for your hospital here. We funded the monument and its placement. We protect you from the Aksren and the Shal’rein in orbit.”

Zalika began to slow down the truck as they drove past the edge of the colony. She was nearing a large outcropping of a forest of trees. There was a dirt road that was cleared out that the vehicle began to steer into.

“Yeah, I can’t speak for the colonists since I wasn’t taken prisoner, but we had a marine survivor that was taken and returned to the planet awhile back. He reported that he was treated well. It sucked, but the T’rintar attacked the world because they needed human subjects.”

“Now everything is all better…..” Chaung replied with some hesitation. There was even some question as to how he worded it.

“Again, I can’t speak for the entirety of the group, but for the most part, yes.”

“My home planet would disagree if they had it their way.”

Bekra turned her head around as he looked at him. It even caused Zalika to turn her head to him slightly as she kept her focus on the road.

“There isn’t going to be a problem, is there?” Zalika asked him.

“What? No, no…..” Chuang said. “I don’t agree with a lot of the feelings that Batrice has…..I just know that it isn’t going to be a simple fix.”

Zalika sighed a little bit. “Always remember that we fight with the T’rintar clan to defend our homes, Chuang. The UHN and the T’rintar swore their loyalties together. Let the politicians do the jobs. Let us serve as the soldiers we are meant to be.”

“I swear that,” Chaung said as he put his hand to his heart. “Bekra, I assure you that I hold no ill feelings towards your people.”

Bekra smiled. “I am happy then. I swear to give my life for the cause and to defend your homes.”

“Speaking of which,” Zalika jumped in. “Hey, do you have a tattoo?”

“No…..not yet,” Chuang answered.

“We got a person at the base that can fix that. UHN Marine Corp: Redder than blood!” she shouted.

“Redder than blood! Blood for life!” Chuang finished the motto. He pounded his fist to his heart and said it with great enthusiasm.

“Daaammmnnn,” Zalika commented with a nod. “I always loved that motto. I don’t care if Mars has it for their flag motto too. The UHN Marine version is said twenty times better and ten times more spirit.”

“As I recall, they don’t have that last sentence either,” Bekra added.

“True. Fuck I wish you could get a tattoo of it for your body too,” Zalika said. “Too bad, your body can’t hold the ink well.”

“I can get a scale…..Ummm…..I don’t know the word for it in English……it is basically laser surgery on the scales that leave a picture or words. Some of our people have it.”

“Your people can’t have tattoos?” Chuang asked.

“Yes, we can on our fronts, but my face, arms, legs, back, and tail can’t. We still have that laser…..thingy we can do.”

“We use lasers for tattoos, so I can imagine it is pretty much the same thing anyway,” Zalika replied. “Still wish you could get one. Bekra is a little shy on the whole art department.”

“That isn’t true,” Bekra protested. “I like art. I just…..don’t want it on me.”

“Excuses, excuses,” Zalika shook her head. “See? Even Chuang is going to get one, and we haven’t even been here for thirty minutes! Chuang is going to get along with everyone just fine.”

Chuang looked around the road as they were getting to a clearing just ahead. The small base in the forest was coming into view. He could see the walled up fence but see the two main buildings.

“And here is home sweet home for you,” Zalika explained as the vehicle was slowing down more and more. “We already have a room assigned for you. You can request to live off base and in the other buildings, but you will need approval from the COC before you can.”

“I understand,” Chuang replied.

“Trust me. You will love it here.”

Chuang seemed more curious about everything than anything else. He watched as the gate slid open when it scanned the vehicle. It was basically some military outpost in the middle of a densely packed forest.

“You know, I haven’t considered the fact that you hadn’t seen many trees before,” Zalika commented.

“It is true,” Chuang said. “I have only seen a few in museums at Batrice with my brother. It is….weird.”

“Growing up on Oshun, you have nothing but ocean. There are no trees there either. All the oxygen comes from the ocean wildlife. It was an adjustment for me, as well.”

“What about you, Bekra?” he asked as the truck pulled into the base. The gate closed behind the vehicle as the wheels were finally touching pavement.

“My planet that I was born from, New Atrea, it had trees that were much taller than this,” Bekra replied. “Some areas were forests, but I actually grew up in the desert area of my home planet.”

“New Atrea is the capital world of the T’rintar clan,” Zalika added. “Don’t confuse it with Earth, by the way. I know the T’rintar clan just got done renaming it to Itrea, the new word for Atrea. I have had to correct soooo many people on that.”

“That is right,” Chuang said. “I know that you Itreans are dinosaurs from former Earth. It is so crazy.”

“To come from the same planet? Fuck yeah, it is.” Zalika said.

“To some of our people, Itrea is a sacred home,” Bekra explained. “I don’t mind going to see it once, but I don’t want to live there.”

“Yeah, because we got done fucking it up, and now you guys are having to clean it all up.”

“No, it isn’t that. We terraform planets all the time. I grew up in New Atrea. New Atrea is my home. Itrea is just another planet to me.”

“Same with me,” Chuang said. “Batrice is my home. I care for it instead…..even if there is some……bitterness from my home over handing Earth to the T’rintar clan.”

The truck came to a stop near the main building. It was one of the two vehicles in the base as the three began to undo their seatbelts.

“Honestly, who cares about handing over a chunk of worthless rock to the T’rintar?...emm no offense, Bekra,” Zalika said as she perched her arm on the seats and looked at Chuang. Bekra simply seemed to shrug.

“I don’t care either,” Chuang said. “I know my father has been upset with the idea. I won’t go into it any more than needed, though.”

He decided to stop the conversation since they had arrived at their destination. He examined the scenery and the base. He could see another truck that was painted brown similar to the configuration as the black truck he was in.

“Well…..” Zalika said. “We got a full schedule for you today. Ready to head inside and meet your team?”

“Yes,” Chuang said, nodding his head. He went and grabbed his belongings as the doors began to slide open.

“Alright….Let’s go.”

“The man with the red hair is Corporal Felix,” Zalika said. “Mind his accent. Mine is better.”

“Hey! I heard that!” Felix replied from across the room.

Zalika then pointed to another man that was in the lounge. “That man with the pale complexion and long blonde hair is Lance Corporal Harper. He comes from Cebravis, and man he can hook you up with the best weed.”

“Yeah, man!” Harper said as he raised his glass to him. “Let me know, and you can enjoy the best stuff, Chuang.”

Chuang smiled as Zalika pointed to another man. “The woman with the blonde hair is Ruby. Might as well point out to Darshit next to her. Yeah…..the man from Aphadus with the darker skin. Don’t get any ideas with Ruby. Those two are joined at the hip.”

“Just like you and Bekra!” Ruby cried out to Zalika with a smile. Darshit turned his head to look at the man next to her. “Chuang, it's fine. I always don’t mind meeting new people and fellow marines.”

There were a lot of people in the division, even for the small base. All the new faces seemed daunting to meet, and it was a goal to learn about all of them.

“The brunette one who always watches the display is Cassidy,” Zalika said. “She has a mean streak and will kick your ass if you are not careful.”

Cassidy shook her head as she waved at Chuang.

“Hey….., who is the pipsqueak?” another female voice came up from behind them. She had a drink in her hand and spoke with a Russian accent. Chuang turned around to greet her.

“This here is Private First Class Chuang,” Zalika handled the introduction. “Chuang, this is Corporal Karine. She is my friend and fellow asshole rolled up into one.”

“Hello,” Chuang greeted her.

“Friend and asshole that she wishes she could kiss,” Karine called out in response. “If it weren’t for Bekra here, Zalika would be all up in my trunk.”

“Haha,” Zalika joked. “With people like you, I wouldn’t be a lesbian anymore.”

Karine chuckled a little bit as she came up and shook Chuang’s hand. “Just ask Zalika about the nice watch she is going to have soon.”

“Oh, fuck you!”

Karine laughed a little bit more. “Watch was real nice last night too. I heard they plan on doing fleet exercises in orbit the day of your watch. You won’t be able to play your games on watch either. They will need you completely armed up.”

“Oh, son of a bitch!” Zalika exclaimed with a stomp. She held up her hands in the air as she walked to a nearby table to grab a sandwich.

“Have you had a chance to meet the rest of the COC yet?” Karine asked Chuang.