hey every ones, sorry for not posting for so long but here's the next chapter.
Oh yeah, as I said before, the Mirratord isn't mine!
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Dustan, and the others, sat stretching out side when the Mirratord trainers arrived.
Grunting a command, Dustan and the others stood as the Sword's approached them.
'Line up.' the lead sangheili barked at the human's
In less then a second the children were lined up and were stock still with Dustan at their head; as all ways.
Growling the Mirratord Lieutenant inspected each one, finding fault with every one since the armor they wore was knicked and battered from past usage.
After he had gone through them he found that none of them were untrained, though some were more disciplined then others though none ever showed that they were in any pain when he punished them for their shabbiness.
He was impressed; but he hid it thoroughly so they wouldn't know.
'My name is Vrentahlee, but you will call me sir or master. Is that clear?' He barked
'Sir, yes sir.' Came the strong reply of the children
'Then follow' Vrentahlee said turning and jogging away
Dustan and the others kept perfect pace with the Mirratord soldiers as they jogged through the forest.
They did Drills all day, learning skills they already knew, and didn't pretend that they did not know. For those things they silently completed the tasks; astonishing their teachers at the perfection that they did them.
Vrentahlee was less astonished then the others, since he had seen their discipline yesterday but he was still surprised by how they didn't complain about relearning something.
Later, though, he was thoroughly put off balance by their patients when they were shown how to use sword's that only the Mirratord used.
'How much do they know?' Vrentahlee wondered out loud when he saw that most of the children already knew, and had mastered, the drills they were given
His second grunted, 'Yes and how did they learn?'
Vrentahlee sighed as he watched the children go through some more exercises. The children were deadly.
Dustan, by mid after noon, wasn't very tired and longed to take control and run his men into the ground.
'Their treat us like children Commander. We need something more difficult or we're all gonna go soft.'
Dustan nodded in agreement to Greg's statement as they jogged through the forest back toward their sleeping quarters.
When they got there they were ordered to take showers then get to the kitchens.
They were there before their teachers.
The looks on their faces were amusing but Dustan didn't smile, they ate lunch then went into class rooms for book work.
Everything was easy.
Dustan could see the frustration building on his teachers faces.
They couldn't understand why he and his people weren't dropping like flies.
By four in the evening they were told they could do what they wanted.
Dustan grunted then roared, 'Out side.'
The boys hooted and rushed out side.
'Scouts, mark the boundaries in the forest for games.' Dustan ordered
Forty kids dashed into the forest leaving the others behind.
'Hawk, Brumby, get your men lined up for Hide 'N Seek. Nelson, Coacher, Quiet Feet.' Dustan continued barking off orders for the various squads until the Scouts came back.
Dustan pointed out who had what games and the Scouts took them to the appropriate places. Once every one was in place Dustan grunted and motioned to Greg to come to him.
'Sir?' the older boy said his eyes curious.
'Set up a perimeter watch, we don't know these forests and there might be some very dangerous creatures here.'
Greg nodded, 'Yes sir,' he said glancing at the sangheili that were watching them and looking at the forest in confusion before dashing off barking off orders for a perimeter watch.
Dustan entered the forest and watched as his people did their drills.
Hide 'N Seek was a game of strategy; a deadly one when using weapons.
Quiet Feet was stealth drills, Monkey bars was climbing trees quickly and quietly.
Then so many other games that were designed to hone all their warrior needs.
Dustan spotted his teaches watching with perplexed looks on their faces; as though they could not believe that they were willingly put them selves through more drills.
Dustan walked over to them and nodded, 'This is our source of fun sirs,' he said looking over at the kids that were playing Hot Potato.
They were tossing large rocks with one hand back and forth to one another.
'If you have this much energy tomorrow, human, you are immortals.' One of the sangheili said dryly
Dustan grunted and smiled, 'Good, I was hoping you'd make our training harder after this.' He said
The sangheili watched the human walk away then looked at each other. Bemused.
Not even they were that eager to get beaten on for gaining improvement.
The next morning Dustan and the boys of BHI grinned wolfishly at each other when the sangheili showed that they weren't going to be nice any more.
For several months they trained nonstop. Growing and hardening with muscle. Dustan and his younger brothers became faster and soon even the sangheili had trouble defeating them in hand to hand combat.
After six months of training, Dustan and the others were surprised to find that they were going to be allowed to see the girls the next day.
'I wonder what they'll think of us?' Greg mussed gazing at him self critically in the mirror.
Dustan chuckled, 'They'll be surprised, then envious I think.'
Greg nodded and flexed chuckling to him self as he watched his torso bulge with muscle.
'Mmm, sometimes I wish I was older. I wouldn't mind having a girl of my own like Rock.' Greg commented as he flopped down on the bed across from Dustan's
Dustan's thoughts went to Razma then banished them, just nodding in agreement to Greg as he gazed at him self.
He had changed a bit over the months.
He was totally and completely muscle.
What would Kay think? He wondered to him self then smiled as he imagined the jealousy flit through her eyes before she slugged him in the stomach.
'Let's get some sleep.' Dustan said laying back on his bed ad closed his eyes when the lights went out
Kay sat sewing a skirt by a window with the rest of the girls of her group.
Six months had passed since they had come to this planet and Kay was sick of it.
She enjoyed the things she learned from the female sangheili but she was tired of having to sneak out at night to fight with the rest of the girls and drill them into the ground.
Kay and the girls had learned how to cook after the fashion of the sangheili and learned many of their customs.
She wondered idly if the boys had to learn all this stuff.
Kay heard some one enter the room but didn't bother to look up from her sewing as she listened.
'My lady, the human males are nearly a mile out. Shall we prepare the girls?'
Kay stilled with excitement then took a breath and continued with her sewing, listening intently.
'Yes,'
Kay glanced up when Karana spoke to get their attention.
'Put away your sewing and prepare for guests. They will be here soon.'
Kay stood gracefully with the other girls and obeyed.
"Do you know who it is?" Teena, a twelve year old like Kay, asked quietly as they went into their room
Kay smiled and nodded, 'The boys.'
The girls grinned and hurried to prepare.
Kay changed out of the dress she wore into pants and a shirt. The other girls in her room following suite.
"I'll tell the others and take care of the Mothers." Kay said, referring to the female sangheili
The girls nodded.
Kay went out into the halls and moved briskly to each room.
She was on her way to the fifteen year olds when she ran into Karana.
The female gasped, 'Child, go change at once! Those clothes are completely immodest!'
Kay chuckled softly. Bare arms made these females faint and pants made them green.
'I know who our visitors are going to be ma'am. Allow us, this once, to greet our friends after our own fashion then, if it displeases them, we will do it your way if there happens to be a next time.' Kay bargained
The female shook her head, No, I won't be responsible for this rashness.' She said firmly
Kay smiled wryly, 'Try and stop us ma'am. I promise you, if we are not received with pleasure, after the essential greeting is over, then we will immediately return to what you have trained us to be.'
Karana opened her mouth to say more but the human was already gone.
Muttering to her self she stomped off to see if she could dissuade the other girls from this outrage.
Kay, several minutes later, stood out side with all the girls and barked off orders.
Every one was eager for this reunion and the fight to come.
Moving into position Kay glanced around then looked down at the road below and beyond her.
Now it was time to wait.
Vrentahlee slowed as he came around a bend and saw three crates in the path.
The others behind him slowed as well then some one chuckled behind him.
The human leader, Dustan, stepped forward to the boxes and opened them and lifted out a sword then glanced back at him a strange light of eagerness in his eyes.
'Sir, would you mind if you went ahead? I and my people have a surprise to prepare for.'
Vrentahlee frowned, looking at the swords, 'Oh?'
The human smiled, this time with a hint of coldness, 'Yes, we have our ways of…greeting each other; we humans.'
Vrentahlee studied the boy then glanced back at the other humans. All had various expressions of eagerness on their young faces.
'We will trail behind.' Vrentahlee said his tone making it final
The human nodded, 'Very well but you might want to send just a few ahead to, uh, control the females of your kind.'
Vrentahlee shook his head, confused but some how knowing that in this he would not understand the boy's explanation.
'Just get a move on.' He growled
The boy nodded then barked off orders.
'Gear up, the girls want to play a game of Hide 'N Seek.'
The others grinned and roughly elbowed each other at the news.
A few moments later Vrentahlee watched as Dustan shot off orders with a calm authority he had not seen before.
'The boy is more then they seem brother.' Vrentahlee's second, H'rgormoree, commented wryly
Vrentahlee nodded, 'They are.' then followed the path, having lost sight of the children
As they came around the final bend a roar filled the air that had him and his men bring out their swords in case of need of immediate defense.
But quickly they realized that the noise was in the forest and it was quickly coming their way.
'Retreat!'
Vrentahlee remained standing still as children poured out of the forest, running at an incredible pace, for their sizes, toward the female township.
A moment later the human male's came out chasing them shouting their challenge.
Vrentahlee watched with growing concern when the female humans turned to face his students.
They would be hurt.
The mob stopped running after forming battle lines.
There was a moment of silence as the two…armies faced each other.
Both armies shifted in unison then whitish glowing things appeared in the children's hands before flickering and turning green.
The back row of both armies got out of the way, neither having weapons, and headed toward the buildings.
Vrentahlee suddenly realized that the weapons the children had were swords.
'Their going to kill each other.' He murmured then winced as the children suddenly rushed at each other.
Shaking off the initial horror Vrentahlee refocused his eyes to study the strategy.
The females were good.
Very good.
They held their own well but soon only a handful of them were still standing.
Vrentahlee shuddered when he saw the human leader, Dustan, plunge his weapon through the chest of a girl then turning and kicking another in the face, allowing another to finish her off.
After several moments there was only one female left standing.
She was tall and thick. She moved with precision and speed that was surprising.
'These children are dangerous.' He mussed watching with growing admiration as the girl defeated any one that got near her.
The girl got in close quarters with Dustan and brought her knee up. Hard.
Vrentahlee winced inadvertently. He heard grunts of sympathy from behind him.
Dustan doubled over, but as he went down he cut her sword hand.
Vrentahlee blinked when the hand didn't come off but the girl dropped the sword and retreated several steps before being able to take one from the ground and activating it with her left hand.
The fight lasted another fifteen minutes before the girl surrendered.
Laughing.
Dustan laughed too. Loudly.
Vrentahlee frowned as the two embraced warmly. He had never seen Dustan let him self relax enough to laugh or be merry.
The children that had left before this last battle commenced returned bearing pitchers of some thing and began pouring it on the children that lay dead on the field.
Vrentahlee shook his head in amazement as the children sat up and shook the water from their heads and began laughing.
Soon every one was up and babbling happily with each other.
Vrentahlee shook his head again as he went down.
Humans, what odd creatures. He thought to him self as he moved down to were the humans were talking
A squeal of delight drew his attention to a young woman running to one of the males and threw her arms around him.
The boy laughed and twirled her around before kissing her thoroughly.
Those around them jeered good-naturedly and gave cat calls.
'Easy brother, you aren't the only ones here.' Dustan called from near by, his arm lying casually over the golden haired girls' shoulders
The boy that had kissed the girl held her to his chest and glared at those around him, 'Mind your own business.'
That just brought on new laughter before the golden haired girl gave a piercing whistle, 'Come on y'all, food's getting cold.'
The boys rumbled their approval as they walked with the females into the building.
Vrentahlee followed them and noted, with amusement, that the females of his kind where wide eyed and clearly unsettled.
'I see why Dustan want some of us to come see to them.' H'rgormoree said with a slight laugh
Vrentahlee nodded silently, his mind working.
Several units later he closed the comm. with the elders with a satisfied smile.
They were going against tradition once again. The females would be joining the drills tomorrow.