Pinwheel Remastered

"You will be forming units with trainees from two other species that have been specially selected for this program," the Staff Sergeant continued. "You must learn to interact with them and to fight alongside them effectively in combat. You will be eating with them, training with them, bunking with them. Anyone who can't cut it gets sent back to whatever rock they came from, is that clear?"

There was a chorus of affirmations, and then we were led out of the hangar bay and into the station proper. There were gasps of awe as we emerged onto the torus, an artificial breeze ruffling my hair and the muddled roar of a thousand conversations rising to my ears. I could have been standing on any city street back on Earth. The torus was massive, the curvature beneath my feet imperceptible, only the way that the walkway curved out of view in the distance giving it away. The ceiling was painted blue, dotted with puffy clouds to create the illusion of a sky, the large lamps that were spaced along it at intervals shining with a light and heat that approximated Sol. Buildings lined the torus to either side of us, seemingly carved out of the white hull material, their facades decorated to resemble terrestrial structures. There were molded bricks and wooden slats, windows and doors, colorful awnings over what might be stores. There were planters along the center of the walkway that housed trees and flowers, along with benches and information kiosks. They had gone all out on selling the illusion that one was standing on a planet rather than on a space station.

My senses were almost completely fooled, and I immediately felt more at ease than I ever had on any of the previous ships and stations that I had visited. I felt more like I was standing in a resort rather than a Naval base, but in the back of my mind, I knew that the feeling would fade once the hard work began.

"Welcome to the torus," the Staff Sergeant shouted over the din. The walkways were packed with bustling crowds, civilians and military personnel alike. I could even see a few aliens, although they were too far away for me to get a good look at them. "The station is split into four quadrants. Military, tourism, residential and engineering. As trainees, you are to remain in the military quarter. You see those colored lines on the floor? If you get lost, or if you end up somewhere that you're not supposed to be, follow them to find your way back. Now follow me, and don't get separated. The Pinwheel is even larger than it looks."

I stared with my mouth agape, until the impatient trainee that occupied the place in the line behind me gave me a shove, ushering me forward.

***

The Staff Sergeant gave us a guided tour of the quadrant, and I only became more surprised as we marched on. Not only were there barracks to house the troops, but also gyms and recreation centers, even an Olympic swimming pool. Everything was built from the same white material, but decorated with planters and other aesthetic touches that made me feel like I was back on a college campus.

Sergeant Vasiliev led us to our barracks, a large, squat building that looked as if it would house around a thousand recruits. We marched down a small pathway that was lined with trees and artificial grass, and as we entered through the main door, I saw that the building was far larger than its outward appearance would suggest. As well as the facades that protruded out onto the torus, the interior of the structures here extended deep into the station's hull. Rather than finding exposed pipes and naked wiring, the buildings were as attractive on the inside as they were on the outside, all whitewashed corridors decorated with potted plants and UNN regalia.

The barracks building that we would be calling home for the foreseeable future was split into several different areas. Our quarters were comprised of a small room that housed two trainees at a time, each one furnished with two bunks and two lockers, along with a desk and a few other pieces of necessary furniture. I couldn't help but notice some irregularities. Some of the beds were conspicuously larger than the others, and in some of the rooms, the second bed was missing altogether. Instead, there was a bowl-shaped recess in the floor that was lined with pillows. What might be sleeping in those? I had to assume that the rooms would house two aliens of a different species, as this exercise was not solely for our benefit.

The less presentable soldiers were given time to change their clothes and to freshen up, and then our tour continued. There was an expansive mess hall, a communal shower and bathroom, and a common room where recruits could spend what free time they would be allotted.

Boot camp had been rough, I had spent almost a year crawling through wet mud and running obstacle courses while Drill Instructors shouted insults at me, we had run from sunrise to sunset until half of the platoon had passed out. In comparison, this facility was downright luxurious. What must it have cost to put a structure like this together?

The smells of cooking food captured my attention as we neared the mess hall, but I was distracted when I noticed a procession of Krell entering the building. I had never seen one in person before, and I couldn't help but stare at the aliens.

The Krell were huge, lumbering creatures evolved from amphibious reptiles. They were about eight feet tall despite their hunched posture, and at least fifteen feet from their long snouts to their oar-like tails. They resembled bipedal alligators, with jagged teeth jutting from their jaws, their bodies coated in a protective armor of spinach-green scales and bony scutes that tapered into a lighter beige on their soft underbellies. Their many-toed feet slapped on the deck as they marched toward our group, wide and splayed to prevent them from sinking into the mud of their homeworld, their heavy tails dragging along the floor behind them.

They wore no clothes besides for a kind of leather poncho that was draped over their broad shoulders, worn for utility more than to preserve their modesty, covered in pockets and pouches where they might store items. That wasn't to imply that they were nude. If they had genitals, they weren't visible.

The two groups exchanged suspicious glances, the humans shifting uneasily as the Krell peered at them with their beady eyes. It was no fault of the aliens, but they were fucking scary. They were golems of teeth and scales, standing a good two feet taller than their human counterparts in spite of their poor posture. It was hard to tell what the Krell were thinking, their faces weren't exactly the most expressive.

"Looks like some of our friends have arrived!" Vasiliev chimed, walking over to meet them. I noticed that the aliens were being led around by a human. I had been so engrossed by the sight of the strange creatures that I hadn't even seen him. It was another Staff Sergeant, judging by his uniform. He must have been giving a similar tour to the aliens. He chatted with Vasiliev for a minute or two, out of earshot of the recruits, who continued to scrutinize their reptilian allies.

"These are the Krell," Vasiliev announced, turning back toward the trainees and gesturing to the giant aliens. "They're ugly bastards, but nigh unstoppable on the battlefield once their blood gets flowing. Consider yourselves lucky that they're far friendlier than they look." He glanced back over his shoulder, appraising the squad of reptiles. "These guys are a little green," he added, chuckling at his own joke. "But here's a tip from me to you. If you have to share a room with one, don't fight him over the humidifier. You'll lose."

The human trainees chuckled nervously, now dreading having to bunk with one of these monsters for the next several months.

"They don't talk much," the other Staff Sergeant said, pointing to his throat. "They lack the vocal apparatus to reproduce human speech. That said, they understand English well enough, so you shouldn't have much trouble communicating."

The Krell joined our procession, and we toured the remainder of the barracks. Unfortunately, we didn't stop by the mess hall for more than a minute, it seemed that dinner wasn't being served just yet. Instead, we headed back outside and moved on to an adjacent building. Could these structures even be called buildings? They were technically integral parts of the station, making them more akin to the cabins on a spaceship, but this place was so huge that it blurred the lines.

This structure housed an impressive gym. It was a large, open-plan space littered with exercise equipment. This was also where the lauded Olympic-sized swimming pool was situated, the colorful lane dividers floating on the surface of the blue water. As we neared the edge of the pool, I could make out a few humans in swimwear, moving up and down the lanes as they swam lengths. There were Kell, too, floating on the surface like crocodiles in a river with only their scaly backs and their snouts visible. Their long, powerful tails waved back and forth lazily, pushing them along. Our Krell entourage seemed pleased by the sight of water. They were amphibious, after all, they must be relieved to see that they would be able to take a dip if they wanted to.

I leaned over the edge, looking into the pool and wondering how deep it was. To my bemusement, I spotted a dark shadow lurking beneath, a solitary air bubble rising up to disturb the calm surface.

Suddenly, a great shape exploded out of the water. Before I could so much as cry out in surprise, a powerful force slammed into my chest, sending me skidding backward on my ass and knocking over a fellow trainee like a bowling pin. As we picked ourselves up, the Krell bristling unhappily and snapping their jagged teeth together, the orange mass shook itself like a wet dog and sprayed us with water. I nursed a bruised rib, glaring accusingly at the alien.

It was a she, that much was obvious enough, all eight feet of her. She was basically humanoid, with a feminine figure and the impressive musculature of a swimmer or a gymnast visible beneath a tight-fitting, one-piece swimsuit. My eyes were drawn to her impressive bust and the rows of abdominal muscles that rippled beneath the wet fabric, even before I had noticed her more alien features.

She had digitigrade legs like a dog or a cat that was standing on its hindlimbs, ending in paw-like feet that were tipped with black claws, her round thighs dimpled with muscle. Her hair was a shade of ginger that bordered on orange, cropped short in a messy bob. Protruding from it were a pair of small, round ears like those of a lion or a bear, situated high on her skull. They were covered in matching fur, pivoting and swiveling independently of one another as they tracked sounds.

Her smooth skin was eerily similar to that of a human, but it ended at her knees and elbows, where it gave way to a coat of orange fur that was patterned with faded tiger stripes. It gave the impression that she was wearing furry gloves and socks. Whether she was furred beneath the swimsuit, I couldn't speculate, but I didn't see any protruding tufts. She was resting her four-fingered, fuzzy hands on her wide hips, each one tipped with the same curved claws as her feet. They looked like shiny, black meat hooks to me.

I looked up at her face, finding it somewhat uncanny. She looked human enough, but the brow and the bridge of her nose were flat, ending in a pink nose like that of a cat. Her lips were full and rosy, while her eyes were a mesmerizing shade of amber, the alien peering back at me with her feline pupils.

"You're dead, tree climber!" she announced as she flicked her long tail back and forth. She spoke English, with a thick, rolling accent that reminded me of Russian. Unlike the Krell, her species must have a similar enough vocal apparatus to humans. Behind her, more orange heads emerged ominously from the pool, their reflective eyes peering at us from beneath mops of wet hair.

I prepared a retort, but thought better of it. I had worked too hard to get here, I didn't want to make a bad impression on my first day and put my position in jeopardy.

"These are the human soldiers that I've heard so much about?" the alien continued. "They're tiny! I thought that they'd at least be larger than the support staff." She pointed a clawed finger at me, exposing a set of pointed, carnivore teeth in a mocking grin. "This one reacted so slowly that I could have killed him in my sleep!"

I rubbed my side as I scowled at her, and Vasiliev stepped forward, his tone stern now.

"Stand down, Raz. May I remind you that you're here as a guest of the UNN?"

The big, orange alien shrugged her shoulders dismissively, falling backward into the pool with a splash.

"These are the Borealans," Vasiliev continued, addressing the recruits. "They recently joined the Coalition. They're not quite as well socialized as some of the other species, so be patient with them. Their planet is right on the frontier, and it's going to be an invaluable asset. Now, if you'll follow me this way, we can continue the tour and get everyone fed."

***

We continued through the facility, touring the rest of the gym, then we headed outside and into a training building. It looked much like a school, with desks of varying sizes and shapes in order to accommodate the different species, along with wall-mounted monitors that would display lesson information. I wondered what the subjects might be. Advanced tactics and enemy intelligence for sure, perhaps cultural and historical studies of the different races participating in the program.

The Krell seemed interested and attentive. Although initially wary of their fearsome appearance, the humans had begun to warm up to them, and crude communication was being attempted between the two groups to the amusement of all. The Borealans, on the other hand, were nowhere to be seen. It seemed that they had arrived earlier than we had, finishing their tour of the facility before our shuttles had landed.

Once the tour was complete, we made our way back toward the barracks and the mess hall. I was glad of it, we had been on our feet all day, and some of the trainees had lost their breakfast in the shuttle. My stomach was growling, and I was more than ready to get some food in me.

The mess hall was large enough to feed a couple of hundred people and aliens at once. To the far wall was a glass counter and stacks of metal trays, and beyond it must be the kitchen. Occupying the rest of the space were tables and benches made from metal, spartan and functional in their design. Much like the bunks and the desks, they came in various sizes in order to accommodate the different species who were participating in the program.

As we made our way toward the counter to pick up our trays, I noticed that the Borealans were already sat at their table. There were half a dozen of them in all, their tight-fitting swimsuits replaced with more standard UNN attire, jumpsuits in the usual Navy blue. I noted that none of them were wearing shoes, they seemed to prefer to go barefoot. They were all females, as far as I could tell.

They were eating what looked like slabs of bloody steak, along with some kind of large fish that I didn't recognize. The sea creatures were almost intact, their long, muscular bodies sporting more fins than I was comfortable with. The aliens didn't use cutlery, there wasn't a knife or a fork in sight. Instead, they dug into their meal with their curved claws, tearing off hunks of flesh and chewing them noisily. Every so often one of them would bring out a glass vial from one of their pockets, uncorking it and seasoning the food with some unidentifiable sauce.

I was a little annoyed by the bad attitude of the aliens. The humans and the Krell had spent the entire day interacting and bonding, while the Borealans had been nowhere to be seen. They hadn't mingled with the other species at all, save for the encounter by the swimming pool.

They nudged one another, peering across the room at us as we collected our trays and started to load them up with food. I chanced a look over my shoulder at them, meeting Raz's gaze, her yellow irises reflecting the glow from the lighting strips in the ceiling like those of a cat. She gave me a sardonic smirk, then went back to her meat, tearing into it with her sharp teeth as red juice dribbled down her chin. She maintained eye contact all the while, trying to intimidate me. What was her problem? I stared right back at her, refusing to let myself be bullied. After a few moments, she broke off and began to chat with a companion to her right.

I felt as if I had achieved some minor victory, turning my attention back to my lunch. I selected a fruit cup, and a sandwich wrapped in clingfilm from the counter, watching as the towering Krell beside me picked out his or her own meal. Unlike the Borealans, it was hard to tell if the reptiles were males or females. The Krell were eating what looked like a gelatinous mass of caviar and stringy, dried seaweed. They gestured to one another, grunting happily in low, resonating tones that made my teeth chatter. It seemed as though they were pleased with the catering.

The humans and Krell paired off into several groups, making their way toward the various tables, sitting side by side as they ate their meals together in the spirit of the exchange program. Sandwiches were dissected, seaweed was examined, everyone seemed to be having a good time. Except for the Borealans, of course. The feline aliens watched from a distance, their round ears swiveling as they listened in on our conversations, their furry tails whipping back and forth behind their benches as they muttered to one another in a language that nobody else could speak.

Once everyone had eaten their fill, the Staff Sergeants ordered us to our sleeping quarters. The humans and the Krell were now firm friends, mingling as they made their way down the corridor. The Borealans lagged behind the group unenthusiastically, talking to each other in their yowling, spitting language despite their obvious mastery of English.

As I had surmised, once we reached the dormitories, everyone was paired off and assigned to one of the rooms. The Sergeants read from their tablet computers, directing us toward our respective quarters. Krell and humans, humans and Borealans, Borealans and Krell. The mix seemed to be completely random. The humans, who were now more comfortable with their reptilian friends, seemed relieved to be placed with one of the placid amphibians rather than with a Borealan. Those that drew the short straw gave their comrades desperate, fearful looks as they followed the surly felines to their assigned rooms.

The Krell seemed perfectly happy wherever they were placed, not uttering so much as a word of complaint as they chose a locker and unpacked their gear obediently. Unlike the humans, they hadn't brought rucksacks with them. All of their belongings seemed to be housed within the pockets of their leather ponchos. The mystery of the strange bowls in the floor was solved as I watched one of the Krell sink down into the padded recess, curling up like a giant dog.

The Borealans, on the other hand, hissed and protested. One of them argued fervently with Vasiliev, who appeared to speak their language. She spat and growled, gesturing with her furry hands, leaving the rest of us confused as to whether those odd vocalizations were a component of their speech or not. The Staff Sergeant quickly grew frustrated with her, ending the argument with a reprimand, and the order to "speak some damned English." The pleading look on the face of her roommate told the whole story.

I was assigned to room number forty-seven, and I waited patiently by the door, hoping that a Krell would separate from the crowd and walk in my direction. To my horror, it was Raz who swaggered toward me, her face split into a cruel grin. No, this was impossible, there must be some mistake. What were the odds?