Gabatrix: Legacy

"You worry too much," Gavrill stated with a lack of care. "Besides....I get to kill Itreans. That's all that matters."

"Whatever," Dariea shook her head. "It's not like they're going to flush us out of an airlock for being shitty recruits." She lightly played with her hair and scoffed at the other recruits.

"Yeah....," Enlai remarked. His eyes narrowed at the guard. It appeared that the guard had been listening in on the conversation. Even with a helmet on, he could see that the individual was shaking his head and silently laughing to himself. He wasn't laughing with them but at the recruits. The moment Enlai realized this was something that started to make him a little nervous. The UHN had to have been desperate, but it wasn't as if marine boot camp was filled with troublemaking recruits. He could at least rule out that the UHN wouldn't kick them out of service yet. The guard's presence was proof enough. But, then again, it still didn't answer the fundamental question of what was going on.

The shuttle was getting closer to the UHN Lifen. By now, the vessel's full details were apparent. Its hull had the beautiful side painted letters of "UHN Lifen, MT-27" written in both English and Chinese. The shuttle's forward vectoring thrusters were starting to activate. The interior could feel a slight lurch forward while the vessel was slowing down and preparing to dock with the military transport.

"Attention, other passengers," the guard called out to Mizu and the two Itreans. "It's priority that these recruits are delivered to the Lifen. They will disembark before you."

"Roger," Mizu replied. The other two Itrean women did their series of quick nods to acknowledge the guard's request.

"Heh," Gavrill mocked. "Yeah, look at us. We're important!"

"Silence!" the guard snapped back at him. "I'm sure that all of you will have a....good time on the Lifen."

He said nothing else as the shuttle continued to close in on the port side hatch of the military transport. The location would bring it away from the rotating centripetal ring. Mizu appeared to give a thorough look at the ship. Even the Itrean women held onto his hands as if they were holding back their enthusiasm for coming aboard. To Enlai, he didn't care or mind what they were thinking about. Only Isandro seemed to mind and looked upon the structure of the ship. Ahead, the shuttle continued to slow down more and more. The spinning centripetal ring could be clearly seen. They were nearing their destination.

*******

It had been at least ten minutes since the shuttle had docked with the Lifen. Gavrill, Enlai, Dariea, Isandro, and the guard were walking in the transport's rotating ring. The four recruits had in their hands their service bags and belongings. The guard walked behind them as he issued commands to them.

Using centripetal force, the interior was rotating slowly and generating artificial gravity. Due to the ring's design, much like the other warships, the passageway was straightforward. If you kept walking in one direction, you would eventually find yourself back from where you started. There were closed doors leading to various rooms on the left and right through the corridor. Most of these rooms were crew quarters, but there was one that was labeled "Galley," "Crew Lounge," and "Officer Stateroom" that Enlai saw. The clean, fresh smell perforated the senses of the recruits. This would have been an indicator to them that this was a brand-new vessel, but they lacked the experience to acknowledge that.

The occasional UHN personnel came walking down the passageway, but they hugged the wall when they saw the recruits. These UHN crewmembers were dressed in their familiar red and blue jumpsuits. It was an odd sight to look upon. The armed walking guard almost made the scene appear that the recruits were prisoners being brought to their jail cells.

"Well, at least we'll have gravity," Enlai commented. "How much further?" He asked the guard. However, the guard simply ignored him.

"I'm getting a bad feeling about this," Isandro said.

"Don't be a pussy," Gavrill replied. "But, don't worry, yourself. Big ol Gavrill will protect your ass."

"In what way were you meaning that?" Dariea asked him. She shook her head and snickered at Gavrill. "You tell your girlfriend that?"

"Enough...," the guard said. They continued their walk until they finally reached their destination. "Here is your new room. All of you will enter and await for further orders."

"And if we refuse?" Gavrill challenged him.

"Then I notify the chain of command and have your ass tossed out of the marine training corps for insubordination. You're lucky you're not in prison for your actions. But don't worry. Somebody is going to take care of you....all of you. Enjoy your new....'reservations.'"

Gavrill raised his chin as a show of strength. The four recruits eyed the guard as he approached the nearby door. Enlai saw the name "Recruit Training Room" written on it in both English and Chinese. Suddenly, he could feel the same sense of little dread. Isandro reacted similarly as his eyes went wide. How was it possible that a ship would have an entire room dedicated..... to them? The guard tapped the side panel and pressed a few buttons. Suddenly, the door slid wide open. Enlai decided to step in first, followed by Dariea and Isandro. The guard gave the nod to Gavrill, and the stocky man went inside. With that completed, the guard tapped the panel. The door slid closed, followed by a locking sound.

Inside the room, it was actually quite spacious. It was a rectangular arrangement with four-bed alcoves. Both of these beds were stacked on top of the other. They carried no sheets on them but still retained straps to prevent sleepers from floating around or getting jostled if the ship were to make any sudden movements. There was a single restroom. However, there were signs that the room had been heavily modified. The bathroom consisted of a shower stall big enough to handle two people. Further modifications showed a series of projector screens that were currently off. The flat deck felt hard on their boots. It was almost as if there was a thin layer of carpet that had been removed. A series of lockers resided on one side of the room, and fold-out tables sat on the other side. It was almost as if this room was allocated for something else but had been gutted and rearranged. The room's lights seemed brighter than the outside corridor.

"Hmm....now we are talking," Dariea commented with delight. "Makes the barracks on Mars look like crap."

"Yeah....," Enlai remarked. There was hesitation in his voice.

"Hmmm...," Gavrill turned at the door and slapped his hand on it, producing a thump. He then reached the panel and tapped it. "Hey.... it's been locked."

Isandro felt another wake of fear. He quickly ran to one of the nearby beds and slapped his belongings down. Again, he thought that something terrifying was coming.

"What's wrong, pussy boy?" Dariea asked Isandro.

"Why is this room labeled for training recruits?" Isandro nervously replied.

"What?"

"It's true," Enlai stated. "Why the hell would they would bring us to a ship and lock us in?"

"It's just their scare tactics," Gavrill remarked. He stepped away from the door and shrugged. "They're trying to make a statement...."

"Yeah....that's what it is," Dariea said with a nod. "Walking steroids is right."

"I....uh.....think we might be coming into a world of hurt," Enlai said. "I think that we should all just hold fast and follow what they tell us."

"Yeah," Isandro gave a big nod. He swallowed hard as he took a deep breath and stood near his bed.

Outside the room, a large shadow was closing near the door, followed by a smaller one, most likely a pair of individuals. The big shadow was cast by something quite significant even for human standards. He was dressed similarly to the recruits, but his shirt carried a single light blue and red stripe from shoulder to the opposite hip. The bold words "Recruit Drill Instructor, Master Chief Stone" was proudly written on his belt buckle. Even his walking showed that of a pure stalwart. This was no ordinary human being but that of a muscular giant. He stood well over 6 feet in height and had large muscles on his exposed arms. On his side hip was that of a sidearm and holster. The gun alone seemed quite big for a handgun but was easily diminished in height by the sheer mass of the man. The guard near the door looked at the man, came to attention, and addressed him.

"Master Sergeant," the guard said. "They are all yours. Good to have you back in the service again. Give them hell."

"Hmph...," were the only words that came from Stone at first. Coming into view, Stone carried a pale complexion on him and short-cut blond hair. Even his face showed that of intensity. For a brief moment, the master sergeant flexed his hand, where the sounds of cracking knuckles could be heard.

Beside him was the one that was casting the smaller shadow. This was an Itrean woman, but a unique one. She had the features of an anthro oviraptor. Her scales were red and brown, but she had red and green feathers that protruded on her head, arms, and tail. She had a red crest that protruded from her snout and nose. She stood around four feet in height, but Stone's size easily dwarfed her. She wore a green and black skintight uniform. She carried a small pistol on her hip. There were other rank insignias with a pin recognizing her as chief of security. She remained composed and relaxed, but her reptilian eyes seemed mostly attuned to the towering mate beside her. This Itrean could have been described as a mix between an Aksren and a Yutilian. Even the guard briefly looked at her, seeing the uniqueness in her, before the master sergeant spoke.

"You're dismissed," Stone almost said rudely to the guard. With that, the guard turned and proceeded to leave. Stone briefly waited before he turned and looked down upon the Itrean.

"Ioren, are you ready?" he asked her.

Ioren was unable to speak. She had enough knowledge of human sign language that she barely needed to use her tilon device to translate her words. She raised her hands and signed the words. "Yes."

"Make sure that your gun is like mine and set on Condition 4," Stone firmly explained to her. He was strict with his words to her. "Keep the magazine in your pocket. I doubt that the recruits will ever try to go for our guns, but I don't want them to even have that chance."

Condition 4, Ioren understood enough of Stone's lingo when it came to words pertaining to guns. She unholstered her alien pistol, ejected the magazine, and slid the slide back to remove the round. Stone caught the unspent bullet in the air with his hand as she set the slide forward, engaged her safety switch, and holstered her pistol. Stone, politely, pressed the bullet into her magazine, where she briefly smiled at him. She then slipped the magazine into a secure pocket of her uniform.

"Are you sure you can do this?" she signed to him. Her fingers danced in her hands as she showed a little bit of tension.

"Hmph....just make sure to stay out of my way," he affirmatively said. "You know what my goals are. Don't show any fear. Don't show any doubt to them. They are mine. My duty is to those recruits. Do not hesitate to take care of the ship's duties if you need to leave. Make sure to remember your place as ship's security."

It was as if she already knew what he was going to say. Perhaps she just needed to hear it from him again. She knew what was going to happen. Stone was more than capable of performing his job. However, she also knew that her mate was excessive in every action he took. In less than a minute, all hell was going to break loose. She took a deep breath through her nostrils and did her quick nods to him.

It was all that Stone needed to see as he looked upon the closed doors. His eyes narrowed, and a new part of his brain was taking over. He gave a solid frown, not much different than what he had, but more intense. This time, however, he was well aware of what was on the other side of the door. Even his augmented eye could show the brief outlines of the recruits inside the room. Even with the door blocking the way, it was enough to suggest whom he needed to focus on. Their very actions were being used to measure how the recruits would behave. His hand went to reach for the panel, ready to open it. It was as the guard knew before. Stone was coming....

The door unlocked and slid open. All the recruits turned to look at the towering man and Itrean as they stepped in. Their gaze practically ignored Ioren as if Stone drew their life to him. Gavrill practically scoffed. Dariea gave a confused look at him. Enlai simply froze, and Isandro came to attention immediately. Ioren came to attention as she put her hands behind her back as an act of respect.

"What is this?" Gavrill remarked with complete disrespect. Stone walked into the room and began to look at each of the recruits. He wanted to give them a small chance to respond. Even first-week recruits knew the drill by now. He waited for the door to close behind both him and Ioren. Finally, it did, and Stone unleashed himself.

"WHY HAVEN'T YOU CALLED YOURSELVES TO ATTENTION?" he yelled at the top of his lungs. His voice boomed, and it was enough to even echo out of the closed door. Even Ioren momentarily jolted but knew it was coming. "ARE YOU ALL FUCKING BLIND?" He marched to each of them as Enlai came to attention immediately. Dariea reacted similarly, but Gavrill was slow. He came to once Stone looked at him. He still waited for them to answer, but they said nothing. Finally, he walked up to Enlai and pointed at him.

"Recruit Enlai, you look like you got an augmented eye. Are both your eyes malfunctioning!?"

"No.....umm....no....," he replied as his eyes looked down at the belt buckle.

"I'm not an 'umm!' WHAT AM I!?"

"Master Sergeant.....Master Sergeant, Stone."

"Private Enlai. WHY HAVEN'T YOU CALLED 'ATTENTION ON DECK!'"

"Attention on deck!" Isandro yelled out.

"FINALLY, somebody actually got smart. My god, I should give you a gold star for it, private Isandro!" he almost mocked him. There was a snicker from Gavrill. It caused Stone's gaze to go to him immediately.

"You find something funny, recruit? YOU FIND SOMETHING FUNNY!?" He walked up to Gavrill, and suddenly, even the stout and strong Gavrill realized how physically domineering Stone was. The master sergeant was slightly taller than him, and his muscle mass was somewhat greater than his.

"I do," Gavrill challenged him. He even smiled and looked at him.

"Really!?" Stone grimaced at him. "Think you're the one recruit that can spit in drill instructors' faces and get away with it, don't you? YOU THINK THAT YOU'RE FUNNY!?"

Stone took his hand, enclosed it into a fist, and drove it straight into Gavrill's gut. It didn't matter how strong Gavrill was. The master sergeant was a powerful man. Even Gavrill recoiled in pain as he fell to the ground. Ioren's reptilian eyes widened, but she did her best to remain composed. Dariea looked utterly shocked as the others remained still.

"GET UP!" Stone yelled at Gavrill. "GET THE FUCK UP! YOU STILL THINK YOU'RE FUNNY!?"

"Ack...." Gavrill was knocked out of breath. "No.....no.....no....fuck," he staggered but stood up and came to attention.

"Regular comedian, huh?" Stone addressed and pointed at him. "Think you can come into marine boot camp and think that everyone is your BITCH!?"

"You....you hit him," Dariea called out. "They're never supposed to hit." There was genuine surprise in her voice that she tried to use anger to disguise it.

Stone paused, turned his head, and looked directly at her. He then sidestepped to look directly at her.

"Well.....what do we have here," Stone remarked. His eyes went to the hair of the woman before looking at her eyes. "Recruit Dariea! You have something to say!?"

"No....no," she stammered.

"No, WHAT!? WHAT AM I!?"

"No, Master Sergeant!" She corrected herself.

"About time all of you got your fucking senses back into your tiny brains!" he addressed all of them before looking back at Dariea. "Recruit Dariea, your hair is not properly tied up according to UHN marine dress regulation 5-9 for females. Do you still identify yourself as a woman? Or have you decided to get a sex change?"

"No, Master Sergeant!" she responded.

"Then you have tonight to review and correct it. If I see that it is incorrect again, then I will come here with a razor, and you will be our new bald mascot for this division. Is that understood!?"

The woman held back a fit of anger. "Yes......yes, Master Sergeant!"

By now, Gavrill was standing back up and at attention. Everyone's focus remained forward. Stone decided that it was time to finally....break the ice.

"Now that I have everyone's undivided attention!" He explained. "My name and rank is Master Sergeant Stone! I lead the marine corps division and serve the third highest rank on the UHN Lifen. I am your father. I am your mother. And, unless the captain steps into this room, I am God! Is that understood?"

"Yes, Master Sergeant!" the recruits replied.

"As you are all aware, the UHN won the Battle of Cipra but suffered heavy losses. Our supply of marines remains low. It is in the best interests of the Captain to give you a second chance to graduate. What second chance is that you all ask? That is you, dumbasses. The ones that purposely challenged and gave the drill instructors on Mars a hard time. The UHN may be desperate, but they deemed that all four of you are no longer being worthy to continue going through boot camp. Don't try to pretend that you're self-righteous. We are in the middle of a goddamn war! You choose to be a part of the program, or you go home and wait for the enemy to bomb your worthless asses! You choose to be here, and you become my bitches! Maybe you just might make it. Maybe you get to fight the Itreans. Maybe you get to go down in glory for serving the UHN at its finest. However! I will not have insubordination, or you will be in a lot of pain. You are Recruit Division Lifen. That is you, all four of you recruits standing in this room. Your training starts today. You will have two full months of training under me, and then you will become UHN marines. Tonight will be the only night that you will have a full night's sleep, so I suggest you get your sleep while you get a chance. Give you a....chance to think about it. Is that understood?"

"Yes, Master Sergeant!" they replied.

"Food will be brought in by our ship's doctor, Folar'sha. This is Centurion Ioren, who is chief of security of the ship. For yours and the ship's protection, you will not be allowed to leave this room unless I or both of us are present to be with you for this one night only. This is subject to change as I deem fit once tomorrow hits. You will not talk to other crewmembers, and they are not allowed to talk to you unless it's the ship's Captain. Is that understood?"

"Yes, Master Sergeant!" they replied.

"Muster and inspection are at 0600. You have the bedsheets available for you in that cabinet. I expect properly made beds and properly folded-up uniforms in your stowage and lockers. Clean-shaven faces and ready to go. That will be all!"

With that, Ioren spun around in place to face the door. Stone was just about to approach the door. He was waiting to see if one of them was going to say it. It was Enlai that broke the silence.

"Attention on deck!" Enlai yelled.

"Carry on!" Stone replied. The door opened up, and both he and Ioren left the room. The recruits relaxed and looked at each other with shock and awe. Once the door closed, Dariea practically slammed her hand against the wall in frustration.

"God fucking dammit!" Dariea said in utter frustration. She began to undo the back of her hair ties. Then, she walked up to one of the display consoles and started to review the regulation regarding female attire.