The Commander

by Kevin Groh

  The following morning he was quite tired and not exactly eager for lessons. However, it was the day of the bow and he loved it too much to allow himself to shuffle around like a zombie.

  Jazzir spent the first hour showing them the different types of bows: Short bows, longbows, hunting bows, riding bows, and composite bows. The technique was very demanding and using one of them effectively in combat required years of training, far more than Carter could show for.

  »Now that you’ve tried to put an arrow on the string and stretch it, you’ve probably realized the difficulty of doing something like this quickly. Quivers are either on the back or on the side, depending on the bow and personal preferences. Neither is helpful if you can’t get the arrow on the string.«

  The T’zun demonstrated a lightning-fast shot at a target ten meters away. The group was thrilled.

  »What keeps most would-be shooters from learning the bow is the difficulty. A modern sniper has to aim for a long time, do calculations in his head and hold his breath before the shot. Body control, practice, experience, and precision are required. With a bow, this applies to every shot, no matter at what distance. This can be frustrating during training. So don’t get annoyed if you practice today because for most of you a bow is useless in combat. The effort of learning is out of proportion to the benefit. There are very few exceptions for peoples other than mine.«, Jazzir said with a tense sideways glance at Carter. He had shown them several more modern bow models that offered some useful functions, but these variations were too powerful to be given to a recruit.

  They each got an ordinary recurve bow from the armory. Designed for sporting competitions, they were perfect for beginners because they were optimized for hobby shooters. They had arrow support surfaces, simplified string winding and sport arrows that could be clicked onto it without much effort. At some distance, targets had been set up for them, but Jazzir still demanded that they practice the pulling movement in a dry state for almost an hour. Since most recruits were only used to modern weapons, which did not require much physical strength, their arms quickly became weak. Keeping the string in tension was exhausting and their fingers hurt despite the bow gloves. Even Carter noticed it because he hadn’t fired for a long time.

  When the exercises were finished, they all seemed pretty depressed. For most of them, this week was just useless. Even Carter couldn’t imagine that he would ever go into battle with a bow. He had scored some good hits, but he didn’t say a word about it which the others interpreted as modesty. The result was perceptible goodwill towards him.

  The Thursday was quite painful, as the handling of blunt weapons was easier, but hits hurt them more. It didn’t matter whether it was a club, a heavy mace or a modern nightstick. All in all, even Jazzir admitted that such melee weapons were among the most ineffective tools of attack. Most hostile creatures had either battle armor, old metal plate armor, scales, or chitin armor that protected them from blunt force. According to Jazzir, even with a power-boosting exo-suit, one could not apply enough force for real damage. So they were happy not to have to pick up the subject again on Friday. On that day, Jazzir told them that they would switch between several stations to try out all the rare weapons. These included nunchucks, three-linked rods, a long chain, a combat fan and some types of axes. The day was the most fun for them because it wasn’t about actually practicing. Each of these weapons, except the ax models, was so hard to learn that they were more likely to get hurt if they tried a fight. So they laughed a lot when someone tied themselves up or tangled up in the chain. They bawled because the fan in the hands of a giant like Nambur looked so silly.

  But most of all they had fun with the nunchucks. Each of them hit themselves against the body at least three times with the pieces of wood connected with a short chain. This happened even more frequently with the model with three pieces of wood. They could hardly imagine how people of earlier ages had competed against each other with such primitive devices.

  »Imagine if we had done the training exercise last week with such things. You sneak around a corner of a house and hit your face with this wooden thing in front of your opponent’s eyes ...«, Rod laughed and tears of joy rolled down his trembling cheeks.

  Gina agreed: »Or you have to draw the bow first and hit your elbow against the helmet of the person behind you. He then staggers around half-blind.«

  Tim laughed with a loud sound: »And the facial expression of a Lorgan, if you beat him with a club at full force and then he shrugs his shoulders completely without understanding! A look that really says: ›What did you want to achieve with that?‹«

  They fantasized such stories for the rest of the evening until they fell into their beds completely tired. Carter stood outside with Leena for a while in the warm evening air.

  »All in all, I thought the week was cool. Sure, we’ll never need most of it, but it was interesting to have these antique things in our hands.«

  »Oh, you know, you seemed to be doing quite well. Jazzir was so enthusiastic, I thought he wanted to adopt you.«, Leena giggled.

  He smiled: »In the end, I’d have to become a trainer like him. No, thank you. I’d rather choose a special unit and use my skills.«

  »You mean when you’re good enough. Which special unit wants have you fool?«, she teased him.

  »Probably the rival department of the one that takes in people with two left hands like you. Such guys who can hardly shoot straight ahead.«, he returned with a grin.

  They continued to tease each other for a while and enjoyed their conversation. Because of her single room, they rarely had the opportunity to make nonsense only as two.

  The weekend was once again filled with services, so there was no real relaxation. When the next week started, the normal lessons seemed to be insignificant. It gave them neither the excitement of the exercises nor interesting new content. They had to get through two weeks until they finally reached another milestone. They had completed all of Kova’s hacking sessions, thus completing another subject. The free time slot was filled by Kwax to demonstrate special mission technologies to them. The Salvani dealer would even have his own lessons this time without another instructor being present. He stood in the middle of the simulation hall and waited there with a crate for them. He rubbed his hands and looked like a fly.

  »Hello there, I was asked to show you something very special today. And since it’s not a weapon in the true sense of the word, I don’t have to put up with that pain in the wings Dunn. I really know a lot of people of all species, but none of them is nearly as crazy as she is.«

  He corrected himself when Leena pointed out to him that he had actually wanted to say ›pain in the neck‹. Carter whispered ›nerd‹ into her ear and she held out her middle finger discreetly.

  Kwax took an object out of the box that looked like an arm-guard. He strapped it to his forearm, which was quite impressive considering the missing fingers. His jaws grinded as the artificial voice explained to them that it was a common addition used by many units.

  »This special weapon here is called the Multator ... at least that’s the official name. The soldiers say multi-bar to it. Whatever you want to call it, it’s a rack for the forearm that can serve various purposes. It was originally designed for reconnaissance troops to advance on surreal worlds.«

  He pointed to a small roller at the rear end and then to a strange arrowhead further forward. »It’s a rope thrower that fires an ultra-light rope made of special polymer fibers at high speed, which is designed for climbing using a grappling hook. Climbing, swinging, pulling a little ... in combination with jetpacks, this is an unbeatable aid for movement. Of course, you can also use this function as a weapon and draw in enemies, tie them to each other or set up trip wires.«

  He demonstrated them how to fire with it and they should climb up a wall. They thought about how much easier it would have been to climb on Nirvana with such a device. He then showed on his model that it was possible to equip the bars with silent stunning or poison dar
ts and then fire them using a sophisticated mechanism. The range was limited, but the possibilities seemed enormous. Kwax mentioned that Syntech recently integrated folding blades as extendable melee weapons. They looked at different models and he demonstrated how to attach them to different types of armor.

  It was the first of their lessons with the Salvani, but it appeared to be an always interesting subject that gave them an insight into great equipment.

  After the lunch break was over, Clemm came into the dining room. However, he did not approach them, but stood in the middle of the room and addressed everyone in it.

  »As you all know, tomorrow is Mutton-Day. A holiday commemorating the first wave of settlers and the brilliant astronomer Henry Earl Mutten who left Earth to live here on Utopia Beta. You are free to leave the facility. Since Mutten-Day coincides with one of the hottest days of summer this year, the administration has decided to host a summer party to raise morale. Therefore, on behalf of the Supreme Army Command, I would like to invite you to participate in this celebration. It begins in the afternoon with an extensive barbecue and ends at 2300 with a party at the parade ground.«

  His facial expression during the lecture left no doubt that he did not approve of the frivolous celebration. The recruits were totally excited and talked loudly and enthusiastically about it.

  When the celebration took place on Tuesday, they all had a relaxed, sunny morning behind them and were absolutely thrilled at the prospect of a party. Carter had thrown on short jeans, a pair of red sneakers and a loose shirt and strolled with Kelly in hotpants and a belly-free strappy top towards the smoke that the huge grill blew into the sky. Rod was already standing in line in his black muscle shirt waiting for a load of meat. Leena was sitting at a table a little bit away and had a salad and bread in front of her. She waved to them and while Kelly strolled over to her, Carter queued up with two plates. Since the military required a lot of sport and one was quickly brought into a good physical condition, they feasted extensively at their celebrations. So there were gurra burgers, masklu steaks, bacon from Earth pigs, marinated orato chicken, corn on the cob, gurra sausage, and many other grilled delicacies. Even some T’zun specialties could be found. In addition, you could get pizza from an oven and there were ice cream machines and several beverage stations with alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks. Kelly got bright eyes as Carter headed towards her with her heavily loaded plate.

  »I still find it funny how much and how glad you eat.«, Rod munched smiling.

  Leena also smiled as Kelly pushed three strips of bacon into her mouth. The others from their group were all over the place. Some played ball on the court, some took part in a small wrestling tournament right next to it. Jimbo had found a lot of people who wanted to play him in chess.

  »If you really don’t have any lessons, the terrain here doesn’t look so gloomy. The sun is shining, the grass is green and the trees are waving slightly in the warm breeze.«, Carter commented.

  »Yes, if there weren’t the many bullet holes in the trunks, because some people can’t aim ...«, Leena replied with a grin.

  Kelly said: »So you’re talking about yourself, huh?«

  She laughed: »What can I say? I don’t think I’m gonna be a front-line soldier.«

  Rod mischievously said: »Who knows? Maybe they still need cannon fodder. Besides, someone must carry the white flag.«

  »With your statue, you’d be ten times better cannon fodder.«

  The two grinned at each other and both Carter and Kelly had to smile because something seemed to develop gradually. After the meal, which lasted quite a long time as Kelly was getting refills four more times, they went for a walk. It was the early evening and the heat had subsided. They sat down in the shade of one of the larger trees and chatted.

  Carter said: »Now we have more than half the training behind us. I have to say, it went pretty fast, didn’t it?«

  »Well, I’m looking forward to the end of the three years rather eagerly. I never wanted all this.«, Leena replied.

  Kelly asked: »Do you want to tell us that it didn’t do you any good that you were here?«

  Then Rod said: »Well, I wanted to join the military anyway, but I never thought I’d encounter so many experiences. Education was expected, but I found friends, even befriended a totally stupid privileged person and had a lot of fun.«

  Carter had to grin into himself, and Leena said:

  »Yes, you’re right. My opinion about the military and its approach hasn’t changed, but I wouldn’t want to miss getting to know you. I never had any friends, you know. At school, there were a few girls who liked me, but I could never bring them home. Well, visiting someone else ... my father prevented that. So it is a wonderful experience that I was allowed to have here.«

  While she said this, she looked at Rod several times before quickly turning away her gaze.

  Carter said: »When I was home a while ago, I chatted with my brother-in-law. He made me realize how much I have changed through training. We spend the whole day exercising. We practice a lot of different things and are so caught up in this rut that we don’t even notice what we can do by now. When someone meets us, we seem self-confident. Nobody can imagine what we can do. We’ve become quite dangerous.«

  Rod laughed loudly: »Nobody will expect Kelly to be able to crush a guy by every trick in the book if he makes a fool of her. Neither they expect it from Leena.«

  At that thought she looked away, embarrassed.

  »Kelly can shine even without her fighting skills. Her sight alone is enough to knock people out, but her personality can disarm even the meanest guy.«

  »Now you’re overdoing it a little.«, Leena remarked.

  »The fact is, she’s a wonderful person with a wealth of great qualities and abilities. Everyone would be happy to know her.«

  Kelly grabbed him and kissed him while the other two sat around embarrassed. Rod said: »Well, I’d say you should get a room, but you already have. So I ask for respect for your two friends, who are uncomfortable when you make out in front of them.«

  They detached and Carter grinned innocently.

  Kelly asked: »Leena, how’s your parole going? Is everything okay?«

  »Well, what’s going to happen? I’m under observation and I’ve had to miss good opportunities several times to do the right thing. I am frustrated but no more than usual. I’ll make it to the end of the year.«

  As they talked, it was getting late and the grill was dismantled. Instead, a music system was set up and loudspeakers were distributed. Colorful lighting was switched on and most recruits changed to alcoholic drinks.

  When Rod saw that, he said:

  »Oh no. If they all drink here, drunk people will have sex everywhere tonight.«

  »Now you’re jealous of the room, aren’t you?«, Carter asked.

  »Tonight probably everyone is.«, Kelly said.

  The party started without warning with the sound of loud music. It didn’t take long until some of the tables and benches were cleared away and the first recruits on the dance floor released their accumulated energy. The group threw themselves into the turmoil and as Carter set out to get some cocktails, Kelly started dancing. This was not his thing, he had no rhythm and two left feet. Apart from that, he didn’t like the crowds of people. Leena was at a bar at the side of the dance floor waiting for him and her drink. Rod stood by her, even if he would have preferred to go dancing. Despite the noise around him, Carter could hear them talking to each other.

  »Do you like to dance, Leena?«, Rod asked.

  »Sometimes. But today I’m not in the mood for it. I have a lot on my mind at the moment.«

  »Did you know that you get stuck at some point by thinking too intensely? It can help if you keep your thoughts occupied elsewhere and let your brain keep pondering a solution in the background.«

  »And dancing would be a possibility? I don’t know. I don’t feel like it.«

  Rod thought for a moment and then said: »There is als
o the thesis that you can tear the brain out of its rut with an unexpected turn so that you can get back to work fresh afterward. This would be one way of doing it, for example!«

  He leaned forward and before she realized what he was up to, he kissed her. Carter widened his eyes and waited to see how Leena would react. To his astonishment, she didn’t move at first. She let it happen and after a moment her lips loosened and Rod looked at her uncertainly.

  »I really hadn’t expected that.«, she admitted.

  »Is that good or bad now? How did it feel for you?«, Rod wanted to know.

  She contemplated for a while, then she said: »I’m surprised myself how much I like you, even though you’re a narcissistic idiot who talks a lot of shit. But I don’t want a relationship or anything. That’s too much stress and work for me.«

  »Who’s talking about a relationship? I find you pleasant as a person, you are easy to talk to, we have fun together and I find you attractive. I would like to go out with you and see if something can come of it.«

  »Sounds like a relationship to me.«, Leena returned.

  Rod crossed his arms: »You don’t want a boyfriend. You want to do your own thing, you want to be free and not tied down. I understand that well. I don’t need a woman who sends me messages all day and asks me how long I was in the bathroom either. I want to have a good time, do stuff, sometimes hang out and I want to fuck. We can leave out all the other crap.«

  Leena looked at him and her eyes wandered along his muscular arms.

  »So you want a casual solution and sex? That sounds much better! Sex when I’m up for it and a conversation partner when I need one, but no obligations. That’s exactly what I want.«

  »So ... Is that how we do it now?«, Rod asked.

  She answered by grabbing his head and putting her tongue down his throat. Kelly saw it from the dance floor and she got big eyes. She grinned wide and winked at Carter, who just came to the table with the four drinks. When the two told her they didn’t want a real relationship, she was a little disappointed. Later she whispered to him that the two would get together, even if they didn’t know it yet.