The days began to blur together, the same routine every day. Jogs around the perimeter, hand-to-hand training, first aid, tech training, and finally weapons practice. That was the highlight of her day, the shooting range, the only place she felt comfortable. The thought of that first time still brought a grin to her face.
The Sergeant had them line up in front of the row of targets, each of them told to shoot as quickly and precisely as they could. The turians overall had been much better than the humans, but those from a colony like her were doing better than the Earth born. Finally, it was her turn; she stepped up to the line, unconsciously adjusting herself for the old beat-up rifle she used back at home. She pulled the trigger and had to re-adjust herself since this new rifle was leagues better than her old one. Even so, she still managed to get a good cluster and quickly.
The Sergeant eyed up her target, "Not bad, human, can you repeat that?"
Shepard nodded and this time her grouping was even tighter, now that she didn't overcompensate for like she normally did for her old one.
"A human that can shoot straight and consistently, the Spirits must have heard my prayers. So human, what is your name and what kind of rifle did you have back home?"
"It's Shepard, sir, and I had an old Lancer...this Crossfire is a dream to fire."
Canicus groaned, "I can't believe you hit anything with a Lancer. Well boys and girls, that's how your target should look. Now let's see some bullets actually hitting the target."
The turian who had the bunk next to her was the last one to shoot and his grouping was just as good as Shepard's was.
"Well look at that, someone else who might have a shot at killing something. The rest of you keep trying, to you know, kill the dammed target. You two, follow me."
Canicus led them further along the range to where the targets were much farther away. He pulled two cases out of a locker.
"Alright you two, let's see how you do with a real weapon. This is an Armax Punisher; it's going to have more kick than anything you've used before. Once you get used to that and master this first target, keep moving down the line until you reach the end. And I expect you to keep up your ability with the assault rifle and every other gun I throw at you along with this one. I've sent the directions on how to care for your new sniper rifle to your omni-tool."
Now Shepard had her very first sniper rifle. She had seen a few among the turian military outposts, but the high cost of one meant it would never be hers. Garrus, she had noticed, had been just as excited to get hold of the rifle as she had been. Canicus left them alone to go back and tend to the majority of the unit that was still working on using their assault rifles.
Shepard gave Garrus a nervous grin as she pulled the weapon out of its case and he flared his mandibles in a turian version of a smile.
"I had an old sniper rifle back home, I never thought I would get one as good as this to use during basic."
"I saw some of the turians using them around my town but never dreamed I would actually learn to use one. Any pointers?"
"Make sure you brace your legs and shoulder for its recoil. It may take a bit to get used to it."
Shepard nodded and together they set up their rifles. She watched him closely as he fired it for the first time. He hit the target but she could see him move to absorb some of the impact of the rifle against his shoulder. She mimicked his stance, sighted down the scope and pulled the trigger. She hit the target but the gun nearly knocked her on her butt.
"Not bad for a first time using one. You'll get the hang of it."
"Damn straight I will, I think I'm in love with this thing."
Garrus laughed before he returned to his own practice.
As the weeks went on and everyone adapted to the rigorous schedule, the 'shower hour' (as she liked to call it) soon became the social and shower hour. The lengthening of the fringe signaled that a young male turian had entered that last growth spurt which in turn drew the attention of the young females. Shepard watched with amusement, for their behavior was similar to what she had seen among her own kind. Perhaps the two species weren't so different after all. Turians were much more casual about sex than most humans were, and the military had long ago allowed sex in its ranks. The humans, being older, were less about forming relationships and more about sexual gratification.
Shepard retreated to the safety of her bed; as the youngest human in the unit, she didn't draw the interest of the others. She sat reading one of her datapads, waiting for lights out, when some rustling next to her brought her out of her novel. She glanced up to find Vakarian digging through his locker. He pulled out a datapad as well, but instead of reading, he began playing a game on it. Her curiosity got the better of her and she sat up so she could see what he was doing. Noticing her interest, he showed it to her.
"It's a strategy game. I used to play it with my older sister before she went into basic."
"How do you play it?"
He gestured her over and within a few minutes, they had started a new game. Shepard found it much like the human game of reversi, a game she played with her father before. For a little while, they both concentrated on the game until Shepard saw that some of the turians were watching them.
"Aren't you worried that the others will look down on you for socializing with a human?"
Garrus looked up at her word and noted the direction her eyes were facing and then found eyes watching them. Garrus flared his mandibles in a grin at the turians before turning back to the game.
"Nope, don't care. I need to study my competition, and you're it, Shepard. Besides, none of them are really interested in me yet, I appear to be on the late side for obtaining my fringe. What about you, afraid you'll be labeled as a sympathizer?"
Lily snorted, "I'm a survivalist and my Mom needs this money to survive, since Dad died. Besides, this is the best way to get to see some of the galaxy and get paid for it."
"Sorry about your Dad."
"Thanks, this game is a lot like one I used to play with him."
"Crap, I've got other games we could play on this thing."
"No, no, I like this. It's a good reminder of him."
They managed to get in several games before the lights went out for the night. That last game was played quietly in the dark, the backlight of the datapad illuminating their faces as they hunched over the device.
During one of their sessions at the sniper range, Garrus and Shepard once more were making small talk while they were shooting, since they were the only ones in the area.
"Did your parents warn you about anything in particular when you said you wanted to join the military?"
"Nah, my Mom just didn't want me to go. She thought I should at least wait until I was eighteen. Well, she did give me a vague warning about turians, since both her and Dad had fought in the war. You?"
"Mostly my Dad told me 'do it right or don't do it at all', that always was his favorite motto. He did warn me about trusting humans...he too fought in the war."
"Which means both of our families would be terribly unhappy we are left alone at a target range having a friendly conversation. Oh, and don't forget playing games at night," Shepard mocked.
Garrus chuckled, "Yep, of course I figure we are going to have to learn to live with each other sometime. Hell, humans were absorbed into the Hierarchy as a client race, which means technically; if there was a war we would be fighting on the same side. Hey, I like those games, especially since I'm ahead in wins."
"Not for long Vakarian!" Shepard declared before taking another shot. "My Mom just didn't get it that if we wanted a better life the only way to do that is by becoming part of the Hierarchy. Hell, my basic pay is more than my Dad earned before he died. I'm hoping I'll be good enough to make it into a turian unit so I can send more back to Mom. What do you want to do after you muster out?"
"Well, Canicus must think you're good, he hasn't sent anyone else to train on the sniper rifles. From what I've heard most are still learning the other weapons. Me, well I would love to join the Spectres, you know, serving the galaxy. My Dad, however, wants me to join C-Sec."
"Hey, C-Sec is nothing to sneeze at. I mean, your councilor has to recommend you for it. It's not like the turian councilor would approve a human for that job."
"Sneeze at?"
"Uh, right, means don't take it lightly."
"Ah, got it. I don't see why not, if you are good enough they should take humans. Maybe you'll be the first," Garrus said grinning.
"I don't know, space cop just doesn't hold the appeal of serving on a warship. At least then you have patrols and take on pirates and slavers."
"I agree, if not Spectre I would rather stay in the military as well."
The sound of a whistle ringing in the air interrupted their conversation and they jumped to their feet. They quickly stowed their weapons before they began the jog back to join the rest of the unit. Shepard, however, had to quicken her strides in order to keep up with the easy loping gait of the turian at her side.
Garrus grinned at Shepard as she worked to keep beside him.
"Not going too fast, am I?"
She flashed him a grin, "Nope."
They arrived together and fell in with the others already standing at attention.
"Really Vakarian, you couldn't beat the human in a foot race?" Canicus mocked.
"Sir, one should never give away any advantage before a combat situation."
Canicus laughed, "Very true, young Vakarian, very true. Already planning for the War Games, I like it. What about you Shepard? Think you can outrun him?"
"I don't know sir, but I wasn't running full speed either."
Canicus gave an approving hum before turning back to his assembled recruits.
"Alright, time to go beat some more code into your heads, only a few more months until your basic is done! Now, move out!"
Under the Sergeant's watchful eye, the unit began the jog down to the tech classroom.
~Author's note: Thanks again to my beta, Mordinette! And thank you for all the follows, favorites, and reviews - I'm delighted so many are interested in this!~
