Chapter 6: Aliens and Training?

FOB Shangri La

1 week later

Private Klara Bennet.

*Beep* *Beep* *Beep* The alarm wakes Klara up in a daze. 4:25 am…Why did I set the alarm for so early again? Oh yeah…I need to change my wake-up routine and get used to waking up at this time.

Stepping out of bed, Klara moves to the bathroom to shower in the modular quarters that the UNSC provided her. Once out of her pajamas she steps into the shower, instantly feeling the hot warm water flowing down her pale skin. Showering is a luxury and a privilege she all but lost when she became a slave.

Heh, funny to think that I cried for the first time in years when I stepped into a shower here at Shangri La…Shangri La. Such a weird name for a military base. Almost as weird as the new species that basically forced me to join. Join us or die…hehe that Admiral is a prick. Of course, I am going to join you. I am 30 years old and just regained my freedom. It will be stupid of me to choose to die now.

Klara leans against the shower walls while lifting a leg up to wash it. Ahhh I am going to take advantage of every single shower I get. Never been more grateful for warm water. I probably shouldn't waste too much water. And with that Klara turns the shower knob and starts to dry herself while staring at the clothes on the toilet.

My olive-green combat uniform. It feels weird having gone from a noble dress to slave rags and now a…military uniform. It's crazy how much a person's life can change in a week. After putting on the olive green combat uniform Klara stares into the reflection of her purple eyes in the mirror before tying her hair white hair into a bun. It's honestly stupid that I have to tie my hair into a bun…well it was either that or cut it all off…yeah no I'm keeping my hair thanks.

The UNSC is very resourceful. In 2 days they brought me this uniform that was fitted for me and my tail. "Where's my boots." Oh yeah under the bed. Retrieving her black boots from under the bed Klara quickly puts them on and ties her laces. 4:42 am. I need to be faster next time, maybe shower quicker or wake up earlier.

Stepping out of the front door, Klara is greeted by a dark sky tinted with lights from the base and the rising sun in the distance. Klara immediately proceeds to walk towards the rally point where the former slaves who are now recruits need to meet up at 5:00 in the morning. "I am the first one here again."

Guess I'll have to wait for the other recruits and our drill sergeant to arrive. He said to us that today is going to be an important day for us. Apparently, we are going to learn the truth about the species we are under command of and we are also going to start with firearm training…never thought I would use a gun. Normally guns require a skilled Arts user to function, but these humans don't need Arts to use their firearms…you just use them. Just imagining if everyone on Terra has access to such firepower sends a shiver down Klara's spine.

The sounds of multiple footsteps shake Klara out of her thoughts. Seems like the others are here. Finally, took them forever. Turning around Klara is greeted by 4 other Sarkaz women dressed in their own custom-fitted olive green uniforms. "You four took your sweet time getting here. But anyway how are you guys adjusting so far?" They are still too nervous.

"It's weird being here. And it's weird having a name now…" Right the UNSC was shocked to find out that most Sarkaz don't have names. So what did they do? They gave these four nameless Sarkaz names to make it easier to communicate with everyone. Violet, Amber, Sophia and Brunhilde are the names these four were given by the UNSC. Thankfully I came from a noble family so I have my own name and didn't give issued one. I am also the only Sarkaz here who has a formal education.

"Yeah, I am glad that I finally have a name. It makes me feel special and important. But I don't really feel comfortable about being a soldier." Says Amber who has brown hair tied into a bun and brown eyes. Wait…

"I don't know. I always wanted to join the military back in Kazdel before I was forced into slavery. This feels like a new beginning for a new me." Violet says with a hopeful smile. Violet has black and purple hair with light purple eyes…The UNSC didn't…

Did they actually name them after the color of their hair and eyes…these humans are something else. At least Sophia and Brunhilde got normal names…

"But the showers and food are so fucking goooood. It has been years since I was able to wash myself and eat food until I was good. Not just that, the other soldiers on the base here are nice and treat me as a human again…" Exclaims Brunhilde. Yeah, that's one other thing I am fond of these humans about, they treat us as their equals. Even though we were dirty slaves.

"Yeah, there was this cute guy who flirted with me yesterday! Me a former slave…ahhhh, I never felt so flustered before in my life. I think he is going to ask me out on a date soon." Says Sophia with a small blush on her face. Hmph! Lucky you. Klara thought.

"Are you all gonna ignore that the people we are now working for have no distinct traits?" Like seriously. They have no horns, halos, tails. They have no distinct traits that would tell someone what species they are. EVERY different human species on Terra has at least one distinct visual trait. These humans. None.

"Of course we noticed. We just choose to ignore that. After all, they could be some undiscovered species." Hmmmm you aren't very bright Sophia. But I think their origins are in their organization name. United Nations Space Command…. United Nations, from what I know none of the nations of Terra are united. And Space Command…Space, no one on Terra ever set foot off of our planet…I believe they are Aliens. Thought Klara.

After all their aircraft constantly descend from the sky and ascend to it. Where else could they be going? And it makes sense to think that they are aliens. They had no idea what race and subrace we are. They have no idea what Originium, Oripathy and Catastrophes are. And the way they stare at us when we walk around the base. The looks of awe, astonishment, and curiosity we receive are not normal. Almost as if they had never seen Sarkaz before. So yeah, they must be aliens.

As the other Sarkaz chatted with each other, Klara noticed someone was approaching. Sergeant Matthews. He is the one who was assigned to the former slaves to help them integrate with the rest of the soldiers here. He also teaches us military strategies, military slang, how to work together and how to act as soldiers. He is very strict but we started growing fond of him. Even though we aren't the same race or species, he cares about us as he does for all the other soldiers. The only thing we don't like about him is that he LOVES PT. And of course he drags us to go do PT with him every single fucking morning for the past week. Today will be no different.

"Ladies form up, Single File facing me!" The moment Sergeant Matthews shouted that order we all lined up. Standing completely still while stariing straight ahead of us without moving a muscle. We learned the hard way that our instructor loves order and cleanliness. Matthews slowly walks past them all before turning around to face the sunrise and taking a deep breath of fresh air. "Such a lovely morning we have here today, just makes me wanna go on a 20km run. Isn't that right Ladies?" He really loves PT…it isn't normal. "Yes Sergeant!" We all shout back in unison. He also likes it when we refer to him by his rank. Amber made the mistake of calling him sir once, I had never seen someone throw up so much from running.

"Unfortunately, I have terrible news, we won't be able to enjoy this fine morning exercising." Unbeknownst to Matthews, we all were very happy to hear this. Turning away from the sunrise Matthews looks us in the eyes before speaking again. "Because today will be a very important day for you." What? Gonna tell us you guys are aliens? I figured it out, the others… may not. "You will be debriefed about the true nature of our presence here and what we truly are. And later today you all will be starting with your firearm training where you will be issued your very own firearms! Are you happy to hear that ladies!?"

"YES SIR!" We all shouted in unison. I can't believe I am going to handle a firearm. I never even picked up a crossbow and they want me to use a firearm like some sort of highly trained Sankta. Judging by the looks of excitement on the other's faces, they are just as nervous and excited as I am.

"But the firearm training comes later. First is the briefing which would take 2 hours. And you will also be split up and assigned to your very first platoons after the briefing." One thing I learned is that when the military says a meeting/briefing is going to take two hours, it is in reality going to take 5 hours. And assigned to our first platoons? Wonder which one I will get and if they are at least friendly. I hope the same for the others here.

"The briefing is going to start in two hours. You are going to march in formation there just like we practiced. Private Klara, you have control." Nodding my head I turn left with the others following suit. "March!" I shout and we start marching to the briefing area in a single-file formation with Matthews following us from the sideline looking for any fault in our formation. "I'll be dammed! You ladies have been in this military for a week so far and are already marching better than half the soldiers on this base and those stationed on Sol!" I can't help but feel my chest rise from being praised. It's been so long since I was complimented. What even is Sol?

As we marched into the room where the briefing will be held, we were greeted by desks and chairs for each of us to sit in and a holographic projector at the end of the room. We each take our seats in an orderly fashion as Matthews walks toward the holographic projector. "Ok ladies. Are all of you gals settled in and comfortable? This is going to take a while."

"Yes sergeant!" We all respond in unison. So now they are going to talk about the fact that we are working for aliens.

The sergeant looks us all in the eyes while silently observing us as if considering whether this briefing is a good idea. "Do you all know what aliens are?" Upon asking that the other girls looked around confused as if the answer is somewhere in the room. With said answer standing in front of us. The sergeant's eyes met mine. He knows…he knows that I know. "Klara?"

Shit, the best course of action is to tell the truth. "Uhhh, aliens are other sentient species that ummm come from beyond the sky. That is what you are correct?" The moment I said that the entire room froze. The other Sarkaz girls looking at me and Sergeant Matthews in shock. Did I make the right choice…the sergeant is staring holes into me.

"Private Klara…you are far more observative and intelligent than I thought." This time I don't feel pride at his praise. Because there is not a hint of emotion on his face. His eyes…the same eyes I have seen on many slaves throughout my life…there is no life behind them, no joy. Nothing. It is as if the time he spent with us the past week was merely a facade. And in an instant, he was smiling again and there was 'life' behind his eyes again.

"You are correct Private Klara. The humans you see milling around the base are all Aliens. I know, I know. My species and yours look so very much the same. Except for the…. uhhh extra features you guys have." Our horns and tails…is he really going to continue on all happy like this? What about him staring holes into me earlier! "And after collecting some DNA and other samples, our scientists gave us a report. And the report says that our two species are 100% compatible with each other." What? Shouldn't the chances for us to be compatible be small…?

"Yes, I know the chances for that to be possible is minuscule. Just do what I do. Ignore it and let someone else handle it." Hmph! Make it someone else's problem. And just when I started looking up to you.

"Thanks to your interviews we came to the conclusion that there are multiple species on this planet that look similar to us and also call themselves human, so the Fleet Admiral decided to give our species a new name for you to call. Mankind." So these aliens also called themselves human and now they have a name for us to call them. Mankind…not bad. The other Sarkaz girls here are still in shock…

But that apparently doesn't stop the Sergeant. "As you now know we do not come from this planet. We know nothing about this planet. Know nothing about its inhabitants and cultures. We, mankind are officially stranded in this star system and planet after our FTL drive malfunctioned. And after we found out that the different species on this planet look so human we decided to not kill any of you." Huh!? They would have killed us if we didn't look like them!? Isn't that a massive red flag for this organization?! "Instead we chose the better option. We are going to integrate all of you into our society."

Stunned…me and the others were simply stunned. The kind humans we interacted with this entire time would have killed us based on whether we looked human enough! It's like Sankta versus Sarkaz all over again…at least they didn't kill us? Maybe I should have taken the bullet instead…

The sergeant merely smirks at our stunned reactions. "Don't worry, tomorrow you will learn why we hate any intelligent species that doesn't look human. And then you will feel the same as we do." The way he said that. He smiled, but there was intense anger and hatred directed at something or someone…but what?

"This is going to be rude for what I am about to say and I apologize in advance. But you all are test subjects. Test subjects to see how well the species of this planet interact with ours. And so far the Sarkaz are passing with flying colours." Never thought I see the day that Sarkaz as a whole would be complimented. And we weren't really treated like test subjects. We were treated like normal people and that honestly says a lot.

"I hope everyone is calmed down for the next phase. Next, we are going to show you the history of the UNSC and the planet mankind hails from. After that, you all will be assigned to your platoons and then we will be moving to firearm practised." With a snap of his fingers, the lights in the room dimmed and the holographic projector turned on showing a planet. "Ladies, this is Earth."

3 hours later.

Wow…that is all I could think. The others probably too. In these 3 hours, we learned about the formation of the UNSC, the Interplanetary, and the rainforest wars. The way their entire world united into the UEG and went to conquer the stars and colonized hundreds of planets all in the span of five centuries…yet here we are. The species of Terra fight each other over trivial things. Maybe with the UNSC here…Terra will hopefully be united under the guiding hand of the UNSC. Tomorrow we will learn about Operation Trebuchet and the Great War.

"Okay Ladies, now for your platoon assignments." Sergeant Matthews says in a tired voice. Guess the short history lesson tired him out. "Private Sophia, you will be attached to the 14th platoon, they are part of base defense." Sophia merely smiles in response. "Amber you will be attached to 2nd platoon. Brunhilde you will not be attached to any platoon. You will be receiving further medical training." Yeah, that makes sense. When we were slaves Brunhilde was always the one who patched us up and made sure we were in healthy condition. "Violet and Klara, you two will be attached to the platoon who rescued you all. 1st platoon." Huh, not a bad pick for me and Violet. I can finally say thank you to them for saving us.

"Okay ladies form up outside, single file! I am going to teach you how to use the glorious assault rifles that carried us through thick and thin." Finally! I am so excited to finally use a gun. I wonder how it feels to use it. We start marching towards the firing range.

After arriving at the firing range we each were given a large gun. It is unlike those the Sankta uses. This one is blocky. "Okay ladies, this right here is the MA40 standard-issue assault rifle given to every service member of the UNSC. This is going to be the weapon you five are going to train with these following weeks. This weapon is going to be your partner. Your lover, your fighter, your fucking fuck buddy! You will love and treat this weapon as if it is your own child! And you will not point this rifle at your fellow UNSC service members!"

I take it back…these guys are more obsessed with their guns than the Sankta. But I understand why…you don't need Arts to use these. You can just use them. ANYONE can just use them. If the nations of Terra get their hands on these and know how to use them, then there will be a new Evolution of warfare. One that mankind has already gone through. "Every rifle is equipped with a tracking device so that we can find it in case you lost it! But that isn't going to happen, you ladies are not going to lose your lover!" At least they are smart when ic comes to handling weapons.

"Yes sergeant!" We all shout in unison while holding our rifles close to our chests.

"Fucking brilliant privates! Now I want you all to copy my movements. Watch closely as I insert the magazine…" For the next 30 minutes, Sergeant Matthews taught us how to insert bullets into the magazine and how to insert magazines into the assault rifle itself. We were taught how to reload in any combat situation and how to walk and parade with our rifles. We were taught everything in this short time.

"Okay Klara your next on the firing range. Remember don't panic, keep both your eyes open and pull the trigger once your sight is on the paper target." I nod while grabbing my rifle and stepping into my firing position. Shouldering the rifle against my shoulder and resting my cheek on the stock I flick the safety off and aim at the paper target 500 meters away. Moving my hand to the trigger I press it and *Bang! * The stock hits back against my shoulder blade, I quickly readjust "Hit, next target!" Shouts Matthews next to me with binoculars in his hands.

I hit it…I hit it! Is it really so easy to use such destructive firepower?! Adjusting my aim to the next target I pull the trigger again. Miss…ok again. This time I hit the next target. The recoil of the gun feels sooo good. For the next 5 minutes I empty out my 3 magazines into the targets. Unfortunately, my shoulders started feeling a bit sore.

"Okay, everyone safety on and make sure there isn't a round in the chamber. We are going to deposit your rifles in the armoury. After that you all have the rest of the day off. I want everyone here at the firing range at 05:00. Dismissed." After we deposited our assault rifles in the armoury we all went to our small prefab houses to retire for the night.

Can't wait to shoot again tomorrow. Klara thought happily as she climbed inside her bed.

The best way to predict the future is to create it together.

- Joe Echevarria

Heres the new chapter. I hope you all enjoy it.

The next one will be about freeing more slaves and getting more manpower RAAH!

Leave suggestions in the comments or pm me. I read everything trust me. Even the 2 of you guys bickering on Ao3 lol.

Until next time.