The Little Things

Book One: Trainee

Notes: This chapter has not been beta-read – any mistakes are my own. If anyone is interested in beta-reading TLT, please contact me and let me know. Also, for readers of TTBU – there is an update coming soon. Unlike this story, I would prefer to put out the epilogue of The Things Between Us in a polished form.

-03-

The trip back to the barracks was fairly uneventful after that madcap dash that he'd been led on by his squadron. He remained trailing in the rear for the most part and he didn't miss the occasional glances they would throw him over their shoulders. It didn't take a genius to realize what they were probably thinking - that he'd done it on purpose. It was enough to make him want to yank at his own antennae in frustration, but he didn't really know why it might ever have occurred to him that they should have thought something else. He was just a drone, he reminded himself frostily, and a sanitation drone at that. To expect anything else would be arrogant and to wish for anything else would be foolish.

A short distance back along the path they'd beaten down in their terror, the troop passed by the Irken male who had fainted upon seeing Skoodge. He was only just beginning to sit up and look around in confusion when they started to shuffle past him. When he caught sight of Skoodge though, still draped in tattered cloth and covered with pale gray dust, he squealed loudly in alarm, "G-ghost!" He raised a hand and pointed a shaking finger directly at the barely recognizable squadron commander and tried to backpedal without ever getting to his feet.

This reaction, while not particularly surprising, was still somewhat disconcerting to the shorter Irken who'd been placed in charge of these scientists - former scientists, he reminded himself sternly. But the reactions of the rest of the squadron were a bit more severe and markedly less lenient. They shoved past him, forcing him to struggle to remain on his feet. It was a battle quickly lost when someone introduced an elbow sharply to the poor unfortunate's midsection. Skoodge came to a halt beside the downed scientist.

"Are you okay?" He wasn't sure why he bothered asking - the likelihood of a coherent answer was pretty slim. As a long moment passed with nothing but sputters and not-even-approaching coherent speech, Skoodge thought he'd calculated those odds pretty well. Therefore he was startled when the taller Irken managed an answer.

"F...fine." From the look on the scientist's face, he wasn't fine. Instead he was terrified. He probably thinks I'm going to eat him or something Skoodge mused, not at all surprised by this quick assumption. He had that brief sensation of pleasure at having a taller Irken - technically his superior in every way - sitting in front of him and shaking with undisguised fear. Of course, leaving him like this was out of the question. Skoodge almost sighed, a quaking idiot was only marginally worse than one in full control of his mental faculties, but they already needed all the help they could get if they were going to survive this planet.

"I'm not a ghost," He said, hearing the slight edge in his voice and wondering when he'd developed it, "I'm Skoodge." Then he shook his head drawing his lips back in a grimace of distaste, "Get up and go back to the barracks with the others, we don't have much time."

The sheer audacity of his words was not lost on Skoodge - he'd never expected to be giving orders to someone four inches taller than him and doubtless with years or even centuries more of training than he could ever have dreamed of having. But so it was and as the scientist carefully peeled himself off of the ground, Skoodge felt a rush of exhilaration. Maybe he could do this after all! As the two of them continued forward, he couldn't help but notice the occasional odd looks that the other Irken was giving him – the fear seemed to have finally abated but curiousity had taken its place. The scientist was examining Skoodge as though he'd grown another head.

The intense scrutiny was almost more uncomfortable than the disdain he'd fended off earlier, but Skoodge did his best to ignore it. They were already coming upon the unlucky Irken who'd managed to get himself trampled earlier. The scientist was still unconscious and showing no signs of that changing anytime soon. "We'll have to carry him back..." Skoodge concluded, and the taller Irken beside him looked at him with a mixture of astonishment and disbelief.

"Carry him?" There was a note of incredulity in his voice, and it didn't take a genius to understand why. Help another Irken without any promise of personal gain? It just wasn't done! And to ask such a thing from a scientist who never had to do anything more physical than walking from their quarters to their lab, well, that was even worse! The taller Irken's lips were drawn back in a slight grimace, finding the notion to be extremely distasteful. "I'm sure he'll do just fine if we leave him there." He began, looking at Skoodge with an expression that was very nearly pleading.

Skoodge sighed inwardly – he didn't need this. "Something would probably eat him," He pointed out and was not surprised when the only response he got was a puzzled tilt of the head.

"So? That means one less hungry thing that could eat us."

There was nothing wrong with the logic – in fact, the other Irken had a really good point. Skoodge was already kneeling beside the downed scientist and sliding his arms underneath the limp male's body, but it was obvious that he wouldn't be able to carry (or even drag) the larger Irken very far without help. He looked up at the loitering scientist, who had obviously had enough time to regain a semblance of composure – he was giving Skoodge a look that wasn't quite haughty yet but one that suggested that he didn't think much of the idea of stooping to carrying someone. Instead he just watched as the small Irken tried to move the larger one and failed miserably.

Skoodge gave it an attempt, barely managing to slide the unconscious scientist a few inches before being forced to stop, glancing over his shoulder in the direction of the barracks. At this rate he would be lucky to get them back there in the span of several hours – time that he didn't have. Grob's order to them meant that time was limited and even if it hadn't been, the wild beasts of this region would surely converge quickly enough on wounded prey. They were rather like rank-hungry Irkens in that regard.

Frustration bubbled up in him as he tried again, his legs straining as he pulled the other a little further, his red eyes narrowed as he looked towards the watching scientist. "Hey, uh..." Well, he couldn't keep calling them 'hey you', could he? That would get confusing very quickly. "What's your name?"

Dusky red eyes widened a little, the scientist he was addressing hesitating a moment before shrugging. "Ceti."

"I'm Skoodge," He couldn't help the automatic reply – he always introduced himself when assigned to a new location, despite the fact that an Irken his size tended to be quickly forgotten.

If the slight sneer of distaste on Ceti's face was any clue, he was not likely to slip under the radar so easily here. "I know who you are, Commander." He gave the rank a mocking inflection and Skoodge laid his antennae back in annoyance. Only a few minutes ago, the other Irken had been quivering in terror at the sight of him!

He couldn't keep a bit of irritation out of his own voice now, "Please help me carry him s- Ceti." He'd almost called the scientist 'Sir' – a gaffe that would have made him even more of a laughingstock. Proper address or not, Ceti had a stubborn expression that was answer enough. Maybe it was time to try a different approach. "The longer I have to spend dragging him by myself, the longer we'll be out in the open for predators."

Ceti's mouth opened, but he didn't get any words out. A loud crash somewhere off in the brush cut off anything he might have said, and both he and Skoodge froze in their tracks and stared in the direction of the noise. There was a long stretch of silence, enough to lull the two into a false sense of security before another one came – this time closer. Skoodge could hear a low rumbling now, a particularly ominous sound.

Skoodge yelped out a curse, almost dropping the unconscious Irken he was dragging. "Help me move him!"

"Forget it!" Ceti hissed at him, braced to run. "I can get back faster on my own! There's no way I'm risking my neck!"

Ironically it was Ceti's fear that served as inspiration for Skoodge. His eyes widened as a wild thought struck him – it was a long shot, but it was his only option at the moment. "I swear, if I get eaten here, I'm gonna haunt you forever!" He growled the threat, trying to emulate the tone Grob had used when addressing them earlier. Whether it was a concession to his former ghostly status or an indication that Skoodge had managed to force a certain amount of intimidation into his voice, Ceti actually hesitated. His gaze flicked between the shorter Irken and the relative safety of the barracks in the distance.

Skoodge was sure that he'd make a run for it anyway and that he'd be left to face whatever was coming with only the unconscious form of an Irken he didn't even know to keep him company in his last moments. So the unexpected shift in weight caused by Ceti grabbing the downed scientist by the feet almost sent Skoodge to his knees. He recovered with only a few stumbles, his grip tightening on the arms of their passenger as both of them dashed towards the barracks. It was an awkward run, even with help – Ceti was taller than him and had longer legs, his own short limbs meant that he was taking five or six steps for each of the scientist's. Adding to that the fact that he almost had to crab-walk to move and still keep his grip and it was a wonder they were making any progress at all.

On the other side of their cargo, Ceti was panting, tongue lolling out of his mouth in a particularly unattractive manner as he wheezed and gasped. Skoodge doubted he was much better – he could feel a sharp jabbing in his side that made him want to stop for just a moment to ease the pain. The thought fled his mind completely as the brush near where they'd been arguing split open – branches and leaves flying everywhere as a huge beast emerged from the tangled foliage. The former sanitation drone's eyes got as wide as saucers but somehow his legs continued to carry him forward. On the other side of the body they were carrying, Ceti was coughing out a litany of curses that seemed out of place coming from someone accustomed to the sheltered lifestyle of the Sciences. He said something that made no sense to Skoodge and left the smaller Irken grasping for something to reply with, "I wish I had a remote!" Really, what was he supposed to say to that?

A roar from behind them reminded him sharply that he would have plenty of time to think of something if they actually survived this. The building rose up ahead of them and Skoodge could see several pairs of wide Irken eyes peering out from the doorway. Then the opening began to shrink in his vision and he realized with a bit of panic that the rest of the squadron was tying to close the door. If they succeeded, it would not only shut the monster out, but the three fleeing Irkens as well! "Hurry," He screeched at Ceti, noticing their hope of escape rapidly disappearing.

"We'll never make it!" The scientist whined but lengthened his strides. Skoodge ignored this nay-saying and darted a quick glance behind him. The beast with a mouth full of sharp teeth and strings of slobber hanging from its hungry maw. His antennae went flat against his head, determination to live rising within him. He didn't want to die – not here on this miserable planet, not with the humiliation of being a failed soldier heaped upon his head. Across from him, Ceti was babbling in terror, his words running over each other in their haste, "They're closing it! Irk save me, they can't do that! They can't! I don't want to die! I don't want to die!"

"Just keep going!" Skoodge yelped back, ducking his head in an attempt to make himself smaller as they reached the threshold. The moving door struck his shoulder, sending him careening wildly into Ceti's path. He could hear the scientist's renewed cursing, although it was largely incomprehensible. It was barely worth his attention anyway, his focus was on something more worrisome. His grip on the unconscious soldier they were carrying faltered at last, his clawed fingers grasping convulsively but unable to find purchase. The limp form fell to the floor in front of him, tangling his feet and sending him skidding into the barracks. He heard the loud crash of the door shutting only moments before Ceti's weight came down hard across his back and drove the air from his lungs.

Skoodge flailed, trying to scramble out from beneath the larger Irken. There was some grumbling coming from around them – it seemed the rest of the squadron wasn't quite so happy about their narrow escape as Skoodge himself was. When a large body slammed into the front of the barracks with enough force to make the building quiver alarmingly, he couldn't help but feel a little sympathy for their point of view. With someone outside to serve as prey, the creature would probably have already have satisfied its hunger and left. Could it break its way inside? Skoodge managed to disentangle himself at last, struggling to his feet and coughing as the action stirred up the dust even further. 'This is great' he thought, not without some sarcasm. Even if they managed to get this place cleaned up – and the possibility of that was already slim enough to be negligible – there was no way they would be able to report back to Grob on time.

The building shook again, the motion wringing a few startled cries and curses from its occupants. "Maybe it'll give up and go away," Someone piped up hopefully. This bit of foolishness was quickly silenced by a combination of snide rejoinders and silent contempt. A few more blows against the front wall rapidly silenced any further remarks as the Irkens hunkered down and kept their eyes fixed on the door. Skoodge could hear someone muttering under their breath – it took him a while to realize the other trainee was counting the seconds between the crashes. Still, as badly built and rundown as the building looked, nothing had fallen in just yet. Silence stretched out for longer than it had previously and Skoodge found himself counting the time in his head as well. The longer the quiet stretched out, the more restless the squadron became.

One of the Irkens eased over to the door. In the midst of the lingering airborne dust, all Skoodge could make out was that the bold individual was taller than him – which was no surprise – and very solidly built. He also had an air of casualness that the shorter Irken could not help but envy. As the individual in question reached out to grasp at the handle and proceeded to maneuver the door open a fraction, everyone in the building went completely still. Skoodge noticed that the other Irken was holding something in one hand and was idly rubbing his thumb over it but he couldn't make out exactly what it was.

Nothing rushed in the open door but the trainee closed it again with slow care before turning back to look at the others. "It's still out there." He commented in a rather bland tone, tapping the item he was carrying against the side of his face. Skoodge recognised it now – it was a small explosive. It seemed like a strange thing for a scientist to be carrying around, but who was he to argue with someone carrying a volatile device like that? It was just too bad that they couldn't use it on the monster blocking their path without getting themselves eaten, blown up or both.

"We need to find a way to drive it off," Skoodge said, largely to himself. The rest of the squadron took it as a statement aimed at them, their voices rising in baleful mutters. The former sanitation drone laid his antennae back as he looked at them and saw several pairs of eyes glaring in his direction.

"Why don't you go out there and draw it off for us," Kru's caustic voice rang out above the others. If they disliked being drowned out by a delivery drone scarcely over three feet tall, it wasn't as bothersome to them as the thought of taking orders from a grubby little sanitation drone. No one spoke up in Skoodge's defense – it was clear that he would have a big struggle ahead of him just to get them to even consider listening to anything he said. The thought made him cringe back under their combined glares. If Grob hadn't made him leader...

But Grob had made him the leader of this group – whether he wanted the position or not. If they got out of this alive, the squadron would be expected to follow his orders as though he was actually their commander instead of a floor scrubber. It was something he was going to have to get used to. He straightened up a bit, finding that the illusion of authority lent him some confidence. They noticed the change in his stance immediately and regarded him with varying degrees of wary interest.

"We don't need somebody to draw it off," Skoodge said, considering his choices more than paying attention to his words. His options in this scenario seemed pretty limited – either he had to serve as a decoy and lure the monster away, thus allowing his squadron to proceed to their destination without being attacked, or he had to command someone else to do so. The second of those two was likely to arouse the ire of the troops under his command since his height put him on the lowest rung as far as value went. An ideal solution, of course, would be to find away to get rid of the monster without sacrificing anyone – most especially himself!

Unfortunately, his unthinking reply had already been taken at face value and, as expected, it was treated with contempt. Muttered comments about the improbability of his statement rose like a wave with a few louder and more biting remarks standing out above the crowd.

"That's a great idea! Why don't we just let it stay out there?!"

"Why don't we just fill the stupid thing with bullets?"

"Statistically speaking, the likelihood of it leaving before our scheduled rendezvous with the other groups is slim enough that it might as well be considered an impossibility."

"What was wrong with the whole 'send someone to distract it' idea?"

Skoodge shook his head at the nearly overwhelming auditory input, raising one hand into the air in a gesture for quiet. It went completely unnoticed, causing him to have to resort to more extreme measures. "Everyone, would you please quiet down!?" As polite as his words were, the sheer volume of them was difficult to ignore. All eyes went to the frazzled little Irken. For his part, Skoodge was so startled at this ready obedience that he stared right back at him, flabbergasted. After a long moment of silence, Skoodge cleared his throat. "I... um..." he faltered and forced himself to continue, "I'm sure we can find a way to get rid of it without having to send someone out there." 'Especially if that someone is me!' he added mentally.

Someone only a short distance away shifted uneasily – Skoodge recognised Ceti's voice when the other Irken spoke, "Do you really think that's possible?" He sounded more confused than hostile, perhaps because he and Skoodge had made that very narrow escape earlier. 'Well, that's something anyway.' Skoodge thought.

"Or are you just saying that because you know no one would listen to you if you ordered them to do it?" Kru voiced what most of the squadron was undoubtedly thinking. "I mean, who here would listen to someone as short as you just because Grob said you get to be commander?"

He had a point, that much was clear. Neither his words nor his tone were particularly unexpected – what Skoodge hadn't been anticipating was the eager voice ringing out in response, "I'd do it!" Both Kru and Skoodge turned to regard the obvious lunatic who had just uttered those words. The Irken in question was not familiar to Skoodge at all- he was a little over half a foot taller than the once-service drone with bright red eyes, a wide smile and a stance that could only be described as "perky". The shorter Irken was still struggling to find something to say to this eager volunteer when someone else took advantage of the situation, grabbing the obviously young Irken by the arm and dragging him towards the door. Anyone who didn't scramble out of the way found themselves knocked down, jostled aside or otherwise compelled to clear a pathway.

As easy as it would have been to let the foolish Irken go ahead and get himself killed – thus solving the problem for everyone else – Skoodge couldn't help but feel a little bad at the notion. They would have been just as eager to do the same to him only moments ago. 'Besides,' a stray thought piped up, 'that crazy Irken is probably the only one here who might actually listen if I give a command.' Skoodge stepped forward, "Stop that! We're not going to send him out there to be eaten!"

The attention immediately went back to their so-called commander. "Why not?" Kru again – Skoodge was beginning to really dislike the sound of his voice. "A real leader would know when to sacrifice someone so the rest of us don't get mauled!"

"Someone's going to have to go out eventually," The explosive-wielding Irken with the too-calm voice commented, "That this isn't going to go away on its own."

Skoodge looked from one to the other, not certain which of these comments to address first. He chose to address Kru, mostly because the difference in their heights wasn't as intimidating – and partially because the delivery drone was doing a much better job of getting under his skin. "Grob made me leader. Talk to him if you have a problem with it."

"I'm already talking to you," The other Irken shot back, "If you're such a good leader why do you need Grob to tell me so? Why not just prove it? Get us all out of here alive and maybe I'll consider calling you 'commander'!"

That was a challenge, pure and simple. It couldn't be ignored or else his tentative status as the leader of this group would cease to exist, except in name. He had one person who would listen to him and a couple more who might be willing to do so if he could prove he had any ideas that were worth their time. Besides, they still needed to get out of this mess somehow.

"I will." Skoodge said firmly, although he still had absolutely no clue how he could go about doing so. He wracked his brain, looking around the dilapidated barracks and trying to appear diligent – as if there might be something among the dust bunnies and worn out bed frames that could actually help. All he could see were a few desiccated corpses and the only thought they inspired was, 'I don't want to end up like them!'

"So, if we're not going to lure it away with a decoy, what are we going to do?" The female voice uttering this question caught Skoodge off-guard. He turned his head to see who had spoken but only saw several of the taller males and the odd calm Irken who was still fiddling with that explosive of his. Skoodge's eyes lit up as a very strange idea popped into his head. It was a pretty desperate notion but, considering their situation, it was worth a try.

His intent stare did not go unnoticed and several of the other trainees slowly backed away, leaving the Irken he was scrutinizing alone in the center of the room. The individual in question blinked slowly at this, turning his head to look at Skoodge. "What?"

Skoodge smiled, "I think I do have an idea." The others stared at him with varying degrees of confusion.

"What's that?" Someone finally piped up.

"The thing wants a meal," Skoodge glanced at the door, his magenta eyes glittering. "Let's give it one..."