The Commander

by Kevin Groh

  Carter was accompanied by Leena most of the time and Kelly was also happy to be with them, as the three had gotten along well from the beginning. He was still struggling to decide whom to ask to come to join him in his room.

  Leena would be a great roommate because she was funny, hardened and didn’t look like someone who had a problem with ridicule. Kelly was incredibly lovable and a refreshing personality, but her looks worried Carter. He feared he might endanger her potential friendship if he asked her. Such a beautiful woman would make him want more. And he didn’t intend to be labeled as one of many drooling suitors. He also had the impression that she wouldn’t be interested anyway because she didn’t want to leave the group. Kelly sat next to him cross-legged and was weaving some blades of grass. She watched Carter’s gaze and asked: »Is something bothering you? You look so brooding today.«

  Leena lay in the sun in front of them but straightened up to take part in the conversation.

  Carter was embarrassed to talk about the subject because he feared that his physical interest in Kelly would slip out. He tried to explain it in a way that allowed the two to express their opinions.

  »Well, when I was led into the room by the officer on Monday, I felt pretty stupid. I don’t want to pretend that I don’t think it’s cool to have my own room and not have to sleep near Roderick ...«

  »And that doesn’t prevent him from working your door at night and hammering against it.«, Leena said with a disapproving look at the aforementioned.

  »... nevertheless, it feels strange. As if I was isolating myself and moving away from the group. I don’t want anyone to think anything wrong of me.«

  Kelly looked around: »Well, I don’t think badly of you. And as far as I can tell, none of us do. I’d say even Roderick is not mean to you because your father got you a room. With him, it’s certainly a deeper frustration from his youth. I think he despises all the privileged. He tolerates Billy only because they have the same interests, he simply doesn’t appreciate Henry’s gaze and he probably wants to see me naked first. But you are probably particularly noteworthy to him because of your name. Nevertheless ... I don’t suppose he thinks badly of you as a person. It is your name that he despises.«

  Leena smiled: »I think he rather wants to see me naked.«

  The two women laughed and Carter grinned a little stupidly because he didn’t know which reaction was the best here. After all, he couldn’t blame Roderick for this point. »Anyway, the officer told me that I could choose someone to live in the room with me. I’ve been thinking about who to ask ever since. And quite honestly ... I would like to ask you both. But that is not possible ... how do you think about it?«

  The women remained silent for a moment and looked at each other.

  Kelly said: »You know, it’s nice that you thought of me. But I don’t think that’s a good idea. For one thing, I already have it hard enough here anyway, even without special treatment. You would probably drift even further into this false reputation. And besides ... I’m sorry if I say so, but ... I don’t know your intention behind the offer. I have learned over time that many guys offer me beautiful things, but hope that I have sex with them. It’s always all about that. And as great as I think you are so far, we still don’t know each other well enough to either rule it out or reciprocate.«

  Carter wasn’t really disappointed because those thoughts had also come to him, which he immediately told Kelly. She smiled with relief that he was not angry or sad.

  Leena grinned cheekily: »So I have the opportunity to bypass the rules and get away with it? I’m sure Roderick would especially like it if I moved into a room with you. That’s a plus. And it brings comfort and a super nice roommate? If you’re really serious, I’m in!«

  Carter wasn’t one hundred percent happy with this turn of events, but his mind made it clear to him that it was probably the best. If he had made a move on Kelly and she would have refused, the situation in a room would have been difficult.

  He asked Leena: »And you’re not worried about possible ulterior motives or anything?«

  She laughed briefly and answered: »No, why should I? If you wanted to bang or get a blow job, I wouldn’t have a problem with that. It’s just sex. I don’t know what everyone considers so wrong about it, I enjoy it. But I don’t get the impression that you have something like that in mind. At least not with me.«

  She winked at him and nodded towards Kelly as she looked elsewhere. She was right about that. When Carter looked at Leena, he thought of funny conversations and valuable friendship. Physical interest was not particularly strong. He wouldn’t push her from the bedside, but he wouldn’t seduce her either. So it was decided and Carter was relieved that the choice no longer weighed on him.

  They spent the Sunday less lying down. Kelly and Leena were walking around the grounds with Jane and most of the others were found in the dorm or hangar watching the shuttles take off and land. Carter had gone with Henry to one of the computer rooms to play a little via the network against him. After a while Gina came along, first watched Henry a little and then joined him.

  The weekend had felt long because there was little activity on the base, but it was still too short. They suffered from sore muscles when they got out of bed on Monday. Right after Drill Sergeant Clemm’s morning roar, Carter came up to him and let him know that Leena was going to move in with him. He nodded with a meaningful grin.

  Carter ignored that, like so many things. When he told her that everything was set in motion, she seemed really happy. During the morning sports she was supposed to do some extra exercises because of her slow speed, but she refused. The sergeant screamed, but she remained stubborn and received a warning. On the way to lunch, Tom asked her: »Why did you refuse? It wasn’t that much more. I don’t think the punishments here are so pleasant that you should put it to the test.«

  »I don’t see the point of playing the puppet to amuse Clemm. Forced recruitment is already a downright insolence, but then there is that ›officers‹ like Clemm and Banes, who abuse their apparent power to destroy us ... I’d rather put up with a punishment. Probably after every hour they will jerk off at our painfully distorted and humiliated sight!«

  The others were a little shocked by her extreme language. Jane said: »You’ve often experienced such behavior before you got here, haven’t you?«

  Leena didn’t answer, but her angry look was answer enough.

  Her HUD bracelets indicated that a new lesson would begin after dinner. They came strengthened from the main building and instead of turning towards the hell trail, this time they had to go to the shooting range, which was quite a bit away. There was already a female soldier waiting in a dirty, partially torn tank top, wide military pants and dusty high combat boots. Her arms were tattooed and she had medium black hair with blue strands. She was also slim and sporty. When the group arrived, she began to talk. Her voice was a little smoky and she seemed to swear a lot.

  »Well finally! Shit, how lame can you be? Alright, if you’re all here now, we can start. I’m Major Abigail Dunn, but I don’t give a shit about ranks and such crap. You can just call me Dunn. Whoever calls me Abi, I’ll shove a rifle right up his ass, got it? Most recruits piss themselves when they see me for the first time, but I’m quite a pleasant person. If you do what I say, we get along fine. You can swear with me, that doesn’t bother me. I find it helpful not to mince my words and to let the anger out. Better than accumulating it and shooting someone.«

  She laughed about the idea, while the recruits were rather insecure and nervous. She waved them closer and then grabbed something behind her. She pulled out a pistol. It was white with blue ornaments. A frame ran from the handle past the faucet and ended at the front of the barrel, so it had a rounded silhouette. Overall, it seemed more mechanized than the handguns of earlier days. »This is a standard Cypher pistol. A little bit much bells and whistles for my taste, but the generals like that. This thing fires bundled hattokinetic energy projectiles. Since they consist of
energy, the magazines for these guns do not contain any bullets. They are basically strong batteries. The weapon converts the energy contained in the magazine into the shots that can be converted with it. Later, when you receive optical upgrades, you will be able to read the amount of ›bullets‹ in the HUD.«

  Tim raised his hand: »What kind of projectiles is that?« Dunn raised her eyebrow. »I’m not a fucking physicist. All I know is that a few decades ago a smartass named Haysa Hatto discovered a physical principle that makes these toys possible. And that’s why they call it hattokinetics.«

  She put a pistol in everyone’s hand and showed them how to unlock it, secure it, swap the magazine and perform various operations.

  »Of course, there are also modifications for each type of weapon. Silencers, extended magazines, improved performance, armor-piercing ammo, aiming attachments, and so forth. But you beginners are now learning how to shoot straight ahead, without falling on your face or accidentally killing anyone.«

  She explained to them how to hold the gun and how best to position their feet. Then they all stood at the shooting range and everyone should fire at targets a few times. Despite the advanced technology of the firearms, there was still no solution for the recoil. So four of them stumbled on the first attempt. Billy had held the gun too close to his head and punched himself in the face. His lip got thick and Dunn laughed her ass off.

  Carter didn’t find it that difficult after shooting a few times. The moment he picked up the gun, it felt right to him. He knew instinctively how to hold it and how to fire it best. Although he had never used a gun before, he automatically moved correctly. That seemed very strange to him, but he thought it was just talent. He only hit the target at the edge, but that was still better than Leena, who damaged the tree behind it. Kelly also had her problems. Roderick and Henry hit the target pretty well very quickly and Nambur even scored a shot right into the middle. »Shit, it’s been a long time since a newcomer got a bullseye!«, Dunn cheered. After a while, she called everyone close to her again. Now she held up a gray pistol with reddish parts.

  »Hattokinetic projectiles are practical, but many armors and shields, especially those of aliens, have good resistance against them. You have to land some hits in a short time to get through. That’s why we have these things here. This baby is a Blow-92 and anyone who laughs at its name is welcome to put it in their mouth. It’s actually called differently when you ask the manufacturer, but that’s her nickname because she just blows the opponent away. This darling has a penetrating power like they used to have only for shotguns. It fires old-fashioned bullets, but they are made of special alloys or a mixture of plastic and special ceramics. With this, you can penetrate kinetic and neysanic shields much faster than with the Cypher. The handling is different with each weapon, but the Blow-92 works in a similar way to the Cypher.«

  With this model, they were allowed to practice for a while as well. Carter raised his hand: »Are there people who still use older models? For example a caliber 50 or a 9mm?«

  Dunn sat on a box with her legs apart and lifted a corner of her mouth.

  »You guys are an interesting bunch aren’t you? Otherwise, they only send me incompetent ass-kissers. The answer to this question is yes and no. Of course, there are lovers and collectors like myself who like to use old weapons for fun and hang them above the TV. But there are also custom-made weapons. An unchanged gun from Earth times would cause absolutely no damage to our armors. That could only work against civilians.

  There is, however, a small company that upgrades such old-fashioned weapons. The optics remain, but the function is modernized. These models use ammunition that is no longer useful. Only very few connoisseurs use something as special as this. I’ve only seen it a few times myself.«

  Carter was interested, but the lessons were over for the day and he let it go for the moment.

  In the days that followed, they learned a lot. They learned more about the military and its structure, they practiced the use of pistols twice more and Banes chased them around the drill ground to increase their stamina. The last lesson of the week was close combat with Jazzir. This time, after warming up and practicing punching techniques for half an hour, they were to practice against each other with protective gloves. Carter trained with Jimbo, who was a rather thin and not very strong guy. So he had to keep his strength in check when he hit.

  Jazzir seemed to see that, but nodded and said: »Very good, Carter! It’s about practicing the technique on the moving object, not working at full strength.«

  He saw Roderick throw Jane over with all his might as she held onto the protective cover. Jazzir hurried there and helped her up. »This is not about the use of force. A good melee fighter works with technique and control. Breath control and the targeted dosage of strength. If you are ordered to take a woman prisoner, she fights you and you strike her as you did just now ... then you could break her neck with it.«

  He took up his paws and ordered Roderick to direct the attack against him. He should try to strike only as hard as he would aim at a wall. »If you’re afraid to break your hand if you hit too hard, you’ll adjust your power automatically.«

  Roderick seemed to find it hard to keep himself in check. One could really see how he made an effort not to exert himself. He struck and Jazzir cushioned the blow with the palm of his hand.

  »That was still too hard. It seems difficult for you not to work with all your strength. Why is that?«

  Roderick thought: »So far I just needed it that way. If someone in the neighborhood wanted to cause trouble, it was only a matter of hitting him as hard as possible in order to take him out quickly. Most of the time it was groups of hooligans, gangs of thieves or drunk guys who wanted to riot. If you knock down the first one hard, the others often run away. And let’s be honest: If your life depends on it because the guys would kill you without hesitation, then you don’t hold back. Apart from that, they’re all unemployed bums or rebellious and frustrated workers. If one of them died, the authorities wouldn’t even care.«

  Jazzir seemed to understand what he meant and he responded:

  »Well, if that’s the case, we should all work together on this next week.«

  The weekend was approaching and again their bones were aching, so they would have preferred to just sleep through Saturday. But the little free time was too precious for that. Carter was on his way to the group when Drill Sergeant Clemm appeared with Leena in front of him. »Your request to have recruit Whittaker as a roommate was approved. She can move in. I suggest you move her things upstairs today, then we’ll have the formalities done by Monday. My rules still apply. The fact that you live in the room does not release you from your duties. I expect obedience and service.

  And if I hear anything about you two being too loud or your nightly escapades affecting your focus, there will be consequences! Is that clear?«

  »Sir, yes, sir.«, they said at normal volume.

  The sergeant took a meaningful grin and marched off. Carter stated: »I think a lot of people think I asked you because I want to get you in bed.«

  Leena smiled: »Of course they think so. But you shouldn’t care, Carter. You have your own room and sometimes you feel isolated and alone. That’s why you wanted to have a friend with you. The fact that I’m female doesn’t change anything. I consider myself your friend and if anyone doesn’t like it, then fuck it! I certainly won’t justify myself to a stupid drill sergeant or a big shot like Roderick. You and I know what it’s really like and that’s all that matters.«

  Carter was very happy that she didn’t let herself be incriminated by such things. However, his thoughts kept wandering to the picture of Kelly being in the room and getting undressed before bed in the evening. Leena looked at him and poked him out of the daydream. »I know why Kelly would be your preferred roommate, but believe me, your chances with her are better now than if you shared a room. She is a desirable woman and if she had been pushed close to you by the room so quickly, she would actively
keep you at a safe distance. A part of her would label you as negative and your hopes would be gone.«

  »How do you know I thought of her?«, Carter asked and felt caught.

  »Because you put on that look. You often have it when you look at her and she doesn’t look back. I really have to say it amazes me that you have your face under control when you talk to each other.«

  They both went into the dorm and cleaned out her locker. She carried the uniforms and underwear, he took the boots, the caps, and undershirts. In the room, Leena stowed everything neatly in the cupboard, which was still empty, and sat down on her new bed. »This is much softer than the one downstairs! Outrageous! This stupid talking about hardening. It’s just intimidation and fatigue tactics.«

  Carter replied: »Well, it’s perfectly realistic that soldiers on missions sometimes have to sleep in temporary camps for days at a time. It certainly doesn’t hurt if you’ve practiced that before.«

  Leena skeptically raised a brow. »This may be true for soldiers who were at war on Earth. We are dealing with space war here. Even on other planets, it is impossible to say what conditions you find there. There is no way to prepare us for that. Nobody has experience with that.«