Proxima Centauri b

Fort Benavidez

June 16th, 2176 A.D.

Talik felt his legs trembling from exhaustion as he tried becoming one with the ground to avoid being hit by the painful stunner bolts sizzling through the air right above him.

Turning his head to the right, he could see Johansen a galactic meter away and doing the same, his eyes filled with a crazed look that Talik had never seen before.

Johansen noticed him looking and flashed hand signals, asking if he had any juice left in his stun rifle. Talik shook his head in the negative like the humans did, and Johansen's eyes became even more enraged, making Talik think his companion was becoming bloodlusted.

Johansen flashed more hand signals, and Talik looked at Johansen in confusion, not understanding what he wanted him to do. Johansen flashed the same signals again, slower this time so Talik could easily follow along with the battle language.

He is bloodlusted and not thinking correctly, Talik realized as he saw Johansen start belly crawling like a reptile. Determined to follow his true companion into the Burrow of the Damned, if need be, he tried his best to stay as low as possible as he trailed Johansen.

They crawled in the shallow depression that barely gave them cover and concealment for several galactic meters before Johanson finally stopped and signaled for Talik to crawl up right next to him.

Once he was by his side, Johansen whispered to him. "There is an opening right there two meters ahead. We are going to crawl through it, and there is a deeper ditch that will allow us to flank them."

He looked at him in shock, now truly convinced Johansen was suffering from a reality displacement as his battle companion began to quickly crawl towards the narrow opening. Talik reluctantly followed him and forced his way through the barely wide enough space, sure they were going to suffer great pain from the stunner bolts.

They were now in a deeper ditch that veered sharply to the left ahead of them, and Talik continued to follow Johansen, careful not to cry out as the sharp, jagged rocks dug into his belly and joints.

They made it past the bend of the ditch, and crawled a little bit further before Johansen finally stopped and looked back at him with a smile on his face before picking up a large, slightly rounded rock as his eyes glinted mischievously.

"Find a good rock and get ready to throw it at the enemy, Talik." Johansen urged him quietly as Talik stared at the rock without understanding. Before he could respond, Johansen shot upright and lobbed the rock at the ambushers before throwing himself back down.

"Ow! What the fuck!?"

A flurry of stunner bolts followed the surprised cries of whoever Johansen had hit with the rock, and Talik quickly found a rock that fit perfectly in his paw, determined to help his companion if this is how he wanted to go out.

He pushed himself up and was now looking directly at the heads and shoulders of the ambushers in the other ditch less than six galactic meters away, almost forgetting to throw the rock as the enemy finally spotted him and started swinging their stun rifles in his direction.

He panicked and threw the rock, barely managing to duck in time before another barrage of stunner bolts passed right through the space he had just been occupying.

Johansen was giggling, obviously in the full throes of his reality displacement as he held another rock in his hand, and the angry curses of the aggressors carried over to their ditch.

Talik grabbed another rock and was waiting for Johansen to give the signal to throw it when a loud, piercing whistle cut through the battle noises and cursing.

"Cease fire! Cease fire!"

The aggressors immediately ceased firing at them, and the ruddy sunlight of the red giant suddenly dimmed before a long shadow in the shape of a human appeared in the ditch. Johansen immediately stopped giggling, and Talik flinched as the hoarse voice of Drill Sergeant Washington slammed into them like a physical blow.

"What the fuck are you two morons doing to my ambush response exercise? Get the fuck out of my ditch! GET THE FUCK OUT OF MY DITCH RIGHT NOW!"

Talik never moved so fast in his life as both he and Johansen scrambled to get up without stumbling on the loose rocks. They both jumped out of the 0.7-meter-deep ditch and came to attention facing the irate drill sergeant.

The drill sergeant's bulging eyes looked like they were on the verge of exploding as they bored into their souls for several solar seconds before finally addressing them again.

"Answer my question! It's bad enough I must be vigilant to ensure you two are not trying to copulate and make the beast with two backs every time I turn around, and now you pull this dumb shit? What the fuck are you doing to my ambush response exercise? Who told you two idiot fucktards that you can throw my rocks at the ambushing force?"

Talik kept his mouth shut, sure that anything he said would be the wrong answer and get them smoked, and he couldn't believe it when Johansen answered the question. "We weren't throwing rocks; we were throwing hand grenades, Drill Sergeant!"

The drill sergeant's eyes widened well beyond what he thought was physically possible for humans as his black skin visibly darkened. Talik was certain that was the wrong answer, and they were about to be smoked until his fur fell off when the drill sergeant responded in an unusually strangled voice.

"Out-fucking-standing!"

Before Talik could get over the shock of being unexpectedly praised, the drill sergeant took his cover off the top of his head and placed it over his face before spinning around and storming off, leaving the two of them standing there. They stared at the now shaking back of Drill Sergeant Washington as he double-timed towards the observation hut before entering it and slamming the door behind himself.

The other two drill sergeants came running over, and one of them blew her whistle before bellowing. "Both teams! Go to secondary positions and restart the exercise; fresh energy packs are already there. Let's go! Move it!"

Talik and Johansen remained where they were, unsure if they were supposed to go since they had not been dismissed by Drill Sergeant Washington, who had still not come out of the observation hut and was now blasting loud rock music they could clearly hear from where they were standing.

The drill sergeant finally noticed Talik and Johansen and looked at them for a long moment with the barest hint of a smile on her lips before the perpetual frown that seemed to be the natural expression of every drill sergeant on the base took over her features.

"That means you two rock-throwing morons as well. MOVE!"

Talik and Johansen both bolted for the secondary position, grateful to have been spared the wrath of the drill sergeants and running as fast as they could before any of them changed their minds and decided to PT them after all.

* * *

Six solar hours later, Talik eyed the soaking wet bedding within his burrow, too tired and painful to even think about trying to replace the mulch and hay so he could at least be dry while sleeping.

The commanders of the Republic Interspecies Training Battalion quickly realized that trying to get the Xenxin recruits to sleep on the Republic military standard-issue cots and bedding was an exercise in futility after several accidents and complaints, and after the first week, they gave special dispensation for the initial one hundred and forty-two Xenxin recruits to dig sleeping burrows right outside the barracks and provided the mulch and hay they would need to sleep comfortably.

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Now, only eighty-four Xenxin recruits remained, and they were just about to enter the final phase of bootcamp. Still eyeing the waterlogged mess that used to be his bedding, Talik cursed himself for believing the weather report and leaving his burrow open to the elements instead of covering the entrance with a moisture shield.

"I'll help you, Talik."

He spun around and instinctively went into a defensive stance, scared by the unexpected presence of Johansen, who had come up right behind him without making a sound. "Cheeze, Erik! You are too big to move like a glur'kal and sneak up on me like that."

Erik laughed before correcting Talik. "It's Jeez, not Cheeze, Talik. The translator used the word wraith in place of what you called me. Is this correct? A wraith is a ghost or phantom, like a bad spirit."

"Yes, you make no noise like a glur'kal. I am too tired and hurt to replace the bedding. I thought the stunner bolts were only supposed to cause pain for less than a solar hour."

Erik snorted in disgust before responding. "Yeah, I think they were full of shit when they told us that, Talik. I feel like a bunch of Centauri farmhands just beat the shit out of me. Let me help you; you are going to be cold and miserable if you sleep in that soaking wet mess tonight. It is supposed to drop to three degrees Celsius tonight."

It took Talik a moment to convert the human temperature measurement to the Xenxin equivalent in his head, and he realized Erik was right; he would be freezing on top of being wet and uncomfortable. He reluctantly double-flicked his ears in agreement and groaned as he got on all four paws to enter his burrow.

"I'll grab fresh bedding, buddy. Be right back!" Erik said before departing without making any noise again. Hurting in places he never knew existed in his body, Talik slowly began to shovel out the mess by cupping his paws before extending the claws to their full length and pulling everything under his chest.

Once everything was piled up underneath him, he ignored the pain as he clambered over the slimy mass until it was behind him and began to kick out with his back legs. "Oi! Watch it, Talik!" Erik yelled from outside the opening.

"Sorry, companion! Almost finished."

He kicked out the last of the slimy bedding and began to crawl back out backwards, which seemed to hurt even more than going in. I can't do this anymore; I want to go home, he thought despondently as he struggled to get himself out.

Once he finally backed out of the burrow, he sat on his rear and stared numbly at his mud-covered paws, done with it all. Erik must have seen his ears flattening in despair because he dropped the large bale of hay next to the two bags of dry mulch already by the opening and took a knee next to him.

"Hey, buddy. You okay?"

Talik continued to stare at his muddy claws, unsure how to tell his companion that he was going to quit and leave him like a coward. I was so sure of myself; I can't believe how arrogant I was thinking this would be easy, he thought to himself as he remembered how the veteran had chastised him for mocking the humans and their training regimen.

"Talik, look at me, man."

He finally looked up at Erik, who had unexpectedly become the first and true companion of his life. "Erik... I do not think I can keep going. I don't want to do this anymore." He said quietly, ashamed for abandoning Erik after they had come so far together. Erik stared at him, his eyes burrowing into Talik's exhausted soul for so long that it became extremely uncomfortable to endure. Right before Talik was about to avert his gaze, Erik finally responded.

"No. If you go down washout lane and ring that bell, Talik, you will regret it for the rest of your life. Do you remember what I told you when you first wanted to quit?"

Talik looked away and down at the floor, not wanting to be reminded of that time. He heard Erik's words ringing in his mind, clear as the day when Erik had said them when he wanted to quit three weeks ago.

"You said if I rang that bell, I would not be doing it alone, for you would be right next to me. I don't want this for you, Erik! You are so close to finishing; you told me you always wanted to be a Pathfinder ever since you were a youngling."

"I still do, Talik. But I do not want to graduate if it means you will not be there with me. I thought you were a hairy little asshole when I first met you; you're still a hairy little asshole, but you are also my friend and my brother, Talik.

I promised you I would never leave you behind, and I keep my promises. If you quit, I will be right next to you ringing that bell. Do you think I don't want to quit every time I go to sleep and every time I wake up? That the thought doesn't cross my mind a hundred times a day?"

Talik looked back at him, surprised by the large and strong human with his rippling muscles admitting that he wanted to quit every day too. "What stopped you from quitting, Erik? How do you keep going?"

"You did, Talik. You are the reason why I never quit. At first, I refused to quit because I didn't want to give you and the other Xenxin the satisfaction of seeing me give up. You all came in here strutting and bluff charging like a bunch of dickheads, and I hated all of you.

You grew on me, though. You turned from being an arrogant, hairy little shit I couldn't stand into my best friend somehow. As long as you kept going, I would too, because I was not going to leave you behind, and I sure as hell was not going to let you quit."

Talik found himself deeply affected by Erik's confession, and he suddenly found his despondency fading away and turning into anger as he envisioned them ringing the bell and quitting like cowards.

They would both rue their choice for as long as they lived, and he could not bear the thought of his companion living the rest of his life with such regret burdening his soul. Erik put out his hand and held it there, challenging Talik to make his decision right now.

Talik looked at his companion's hand for a moment, working up the courage to take it and keep going despite wanting nothing more than to go back to Xenxia and stop being in pain all the time.

Before he knew what he was doing, his claws retracted back into their sheaths and his dominant paw was clasping onto Erik's. The look of pure joy that crossed his companion's face made all the misery and pain afflicting his body and spirit vanish, and he allowed himself to be pulled up by Erik.

"You are making the right choice, buddy. You'll see." Erik said quietly before pulling Talik in and embracing him. Talik stiffened instinctively, as this was a typical fighting maneuver Xenxin employed during personal combat, but he forced himself to relax as Erik patted him on the back several times before finally letting go.

"Let's get you squared away so you can sleep well tonight, okay?"

Talik double-flicked his ears in agreement and flashed his fangs in true thanks, which Erik responded to by flashing his square, white teeth in happiness before bending down and tearing open a bag of mulch.

They worked quietly and efficiently, and a few solar minutes later, they both eyed the now dry and properly prepared burrow. "I have to admit, that shit looks kind of comfortable, Talik." Erik said with a voice filled with pride as he gazed at the results of their efforts.

"It is! You should try it once, Erik." Talik replied before looking at his wristcom. "Shi'larka! It is 2051, Erik! You got to go before they catch you!" Erik's now tanned face returned to the original paleness it had when he first arrived, and he spun around and bolted without another word.

Talik looked around nervously before throwing himself on the ground and entering his burrow in a panic, hoping his companion would not get in trouble for helping him.

* * *

From the dark corner of the barracks where he had been hiding, Drill Sergeant Washington covered his face with his hand to stifle his snorting as he saw Casper's face turn a ghostly pallor before fleeing while Trash Panda threw himself on the ground and crawled into his burrow with celerity.

He noticed Casper's absence when he checked in with the Barrack 3 AI for the head count at 2045, and he had every intention of smoking the errant son of a bitch until his dick fell off. He activated his wristcom and toggled the biometric locator, which pinged Casper's location as right outside the barracks by Trash Panda's burrow.

The two of them almost made him break in front of the others with their ridiculous hand grenade bit, and he wanted payback, though he did have to admit that it was funny as hell. Those two were thick as thieves, and this was the perfect opportunity to punish them both with cause.

He had turned the corner and was just about to tear them brand new assholes when he stopped as he saw them, still unseen within the shadows. Trash Panda was sitting on his ass with his ears flattened against his head, and Casper was kneeling next to him as they spoke quietly to each other.

He could feel the emotional maelstrom surrounding them both, and he retreated deeper into the shadows and strained his ears to hear what was being said. Listening to Casper convince Trash Panda not to quit and to keep going before helping his battle buddy and apparently, now his best friend, fix the burrow made Washington feel all kinds of warm and fuzzy.

His plans to smoke them until they died of myocardial infarctions now all but forgotten, he stealthily retreated until he was back around the corner and waited till exactly 2100 before taking his flashlight off his belt and doing his final perimeter sweep of the eighty-four Xenxin burrows around the four barracks like he normally did every night.

He saved Trash Panda's burrow for last and covered the bulb, directing the red light downwards as he knelt in front of the opening. "Recruit Trash Panda. Are you all squared away?"

The hairy bastard was pretending to already be asleep, and it took a lot of effort not to crack a smile when he saw two creepy eyeballs appearing from the back of the pitch-black burrow as the sneak blinked once before answering quietly.

"Yes, Drill Sergeant! Thank you, Drill Sergeant!"

"Good night, Recruit Trash Panda."

"Thank you, Drill Sergeant! Good night, Drill Sergeant!"

He stood up and was about to walk away when he felt compelled to say something to convince the Xenxin to see it through to the end. He knelt back down and peered into the darkness, seeing the two eyes still staring at him.

"Nice job today, Recruit Trash Panda. It is my job to teach you to always back up your battle buddies and to never leave anyone behind, but I see that is something you have already learned.

I know this is hard, and I know every day is a struggle filled with regret and pain. You chose to leave your home and everyone you know and love to fight for them, and I just want to let you know I am proud of you."

He stood back up and turned the light off before walking away, leaving a completely stunned Xenxin to ponder his words before falling asleep.

I need to let the others know to keep an eye on these two and see to it they are paired up for advanced training, he decided as he checked his wristcom to see what time it was.

2119.

Smiling to himself, he decided to check each barrack to see if there was a dozing firewatch he could torture for fun before hitting the rack himself.

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