Chapter 2: Tzynnia pt.2

A brief flash of white, followed by an equally brief flash of discomfort as the pupils constrict. Looking down, the reptile unclasped the restraints that kept her body upright. The cover on the small sleeping pod had fully retracted, allowing the reptile to gingerly cross the threshold. She set her eyes on a relatively narrow hallway lined with pods and walked down, hearing the cover of the sleeping pod shut with a quiet hiss.

The hallway opened up to a larger corridor, and she joined a throng walking down the hall and into a moderately occupied mess room. Gun metal gray walls and plasteel floors gave way to off-white walls and synthetic tile; the dull hum of the ship's engines giving way to quiet conversation. The reptile made way to the various machines that lined the mess room walls and selected a delta ration - less calorie-dense than the gamma or beta rations for heavy work, but protein-rich and still providing adequate nutrition for an active adult. Unwrapping it, the reptile bit onto the tough jelly and shivered as she tasted the meat flavoring.

A beeping from the reptile's wristpiece caught her attention. The display showed a schedule neatly tabulated by timeslots. She had but minutes left to finish her ration - and by the increased frenzy in the hall, so did the rest.

Morning drills. Section One Hall. One and a half hour.

The shrill klaxon barely did justice to the controlled chaos that was the swarm of reptiles at the sectional morning roll call. Some walked briskly to their groups; others ran, dodging fellow section members left and right. For forty seconds, the hall was filled with frantic steps and the occasional grunt - followed by instantaneous silence when the klaxon stopped. The section commander and advance party leader, standing at a platform at the head of the hall, scanned the formed-up crowd and gave a small grunt.

"Section One," the female reptile barked, "You will be the front line. The first to drop through the atmosphere. The first to land and take claim to our new home. As acceptable your drill execution has become, it is not enough."

The female's voice dropped its edge and softened. "It never will be enough. Even with all that our science ships have gathered, we do not have an idea of what meets us when we arrive in the system, much less what meets us when we land. You must keep your wits about you when we land, no matter how chaotic or how dangerous it becomes. Your priority, as you know, is to set up a secure camp first - and then to scout the surrounding areas as we send in additional waves. Communications with the colony ship might be difficult, danger will arise at every turn, and our drills and classes cannot fully prepare you for all of them. In the end, you can only rely on yourself .

"Which is why we must not let up in these drills! You are to scramble and assemble as a ring formation in forty seconds, on my mark!"

Advanced Cartography, Geography, and Rangefinding. Section One Lecture Room. Three hours.

"...And that is all the theory we have for today. For practical, we will pick up where we have left off from the last session. Headsets, please."

At first, the headset put the reptile in darkness. Gradually, an image started to form - she, along with the other students in the class, are standing in the middle of a hilly landscape. On her hands is a miniature multitool programmed for geographic use.

"In our last session we have discussed the use of the rangefinder to determine distance as well as height differentials. This session will focus on practice as well as transmitting data to your wristpiece for analysis."

The instructor pointed to a rather steep hill a good walk's distance from them. "As I have mentioned, your wristpiece will automatically track your elevation and terrain data and transmit it to the Geographic Analysis computer to improve our maps. In some cases, this is impractical or impossible - this is where your rangefinder will come in handy.

"It can also be used to track animals or other targets - it will be very likely that you might be called on as guides for hunters, or that you yourself do some hunting in the later stages of settlement. Simply point at the target, press the trigger, and adjust using the display to obtain peak elevation as well as flat distance. Perform this now."

The reptile aimed at the top of the hill and pulled the trigger. The display showed a massively zoomed-in image of the hill; she then adjusted her aim to put the peak at dead center. Distance: 2200m; height differential: 800m.

"It looks like everyone has obtained the correct distance and height differential. Good. Now, on to transmitting the data. Firstly, you will look to your wristpiece…"

Rest period. One hour. Section One Pod 210.

Only small pieces of the gamma ration, required for the upcoming survival training, remain on the reptile's plate. As filling as the ration was, it had to be scarfed down quickly. There was only one hour of rest allotted, and she needed all the enhanced rejuvenation that the pod's suspended sleep state facilitates. The reptile briskly walked back to Pod 210, which opened with a silent hiss at her approach. Stepping through the threshold, she strapped herself into the suspension harness and pressed the button to indicate she's ready. The pod cover smoothly closes over her, and she's quickly put into a silent darkness. A barely audible puff, and she's quickly put to sleep.

Extraterrestrial Survival Training. Seven hours. Holographic room.

The reptile opened her eyes into a the middle of arid desert. A quick look-over determines she's wearing desert survival garb and burdened with a small pack. An electrode-tipped, expandable stave is holstered in her belt, and a physical-pattern ultralight rifle is slung along her shoulders. The conditioned air quickly shifted into hot, dry desert air, and stray grains of sand peck at her scales. Once she put on the headset, she quickly forgot she's strapped into a holographic simulation system.

As she looked around, fellow reptiles slowly flickered into view - first one, then three, until all twelve have fully materialized into their simulated environment. Some of the reptiles fiddled with their equipment - one even going so far to unstrapping and checking its rifle, sporting a unique lightweight marksman's scope.

A voice, that of their instructor, boomed over them. "Welcome again to Extraterrestrial Survival Training. In the last session, we have familiarized ourselves with the equipment you will be wearing on a desert environment. In this session, we will be putting your training to the test. Check your wristpieces now."

Twelve synchronized beeps signaled the trainees to check their wristpieces, now displaying a map with a route attached. All twelve trainees' locations are present as pings on the map.

"This is a twenty-kilometer hike along relatively flat desert terrain, sandy in places. You may encounter wildlife. You may encounter hostile humanoids. You are to stay in formation as discussed in earlier sessions, neutralize any threats, manage your resources, and reach the endpoint within the end of the session.

"As a reminder - the physical-pattern rifle is semi-automatic and has a five-round magazine. It has a holographic sight that activates when you raise the rifle, but do not depend on it; use the physical sight when necessary. Your baton's electrode tip will automatically activate when you trigger its extension. If your pain sensors reach your threshold or you endure fatal injury, you will be disconnected from the simulation and sedated.

"Take formation."

The twelve reptiles took the standard scouting party position - four vanguards and four rear guards wielding rifles forming a square, with two designated marksmen and the spotter taking the center. The scout leader, holding a rangefinder, stood just front of the center.

"Begin."


A brief flash of white, followed by the familiar discomfort as the reptile gained consciousness. The memories quickly flooded the awakening reptile - the group being ambushed by a pack of canine predators, the chilling howl as the canines advanced, the desperate struggle as she blocked a savage bite with her baton, the quick flash of extreme pain as her side was shredded by another canine. She instinctively touched her unhurt torso.

Her fellow trainees slowly rose from sedation, all of them looking around groggily. The twelve trainees, sitting up from their simulation beds, started making scattered conversations about the ambush - their failure to spot the pack, the sheer speed of the canines.

The door to the simulation room opened, and their instructor stepped in. The twelve reptiles shakily rose to their feet. With a flick of his wrist, the instructor materializes a hologram of the canine that attacked them.

"No amount of training with stationary targets will ever prepare you for this. These canines once roamed our lands, when we only dreamed of reaching the sky and the stars. Your ancestors beat them off with simple spears or clubs; you must do the same with the equipment you have.

"We do not know what lies in the planets in Initium: reptilians like us, canines like these, or some other life-form we are not aware of. We can only prepare you with beasts that once roamed our lands - and hope it is enough."

The instructor turned around and stepped towards the door, speaking as he went:

"You have traveled around four kilometers this session. You have but three weeks to reach the end of the route at the very least. We will repeat this simulation tomorrow."