Vanguard Word Update

2180 words

***

“What’s Rakshal mean?”

“It’s hard to translate into your language,” she replied, holding her cue by her side as she watched him whiff the next shot. “It’s more of a concept or meaning, but your words elite, and fighter come to mind. Rakshal are a group of warriors who specialize in reconnoitering and attacking, with little to no support outside of their own members. We used them primality to assault rival clans on the homeworld, as our talons kick up much less sand than a landship or other vehicle would when traversing the deserts.”

“A bit like a commando team or something? Got it. So you two were the best out of the bunch? That why you got sent to the program?”

“The Kith concluded we would make admirable candidates after a few examinations,” Tilu said, nodding. “Most of us were on the fence about mixing our tactics with human forces, and Samiha was on the more… strongly worded side. You couldn’t imagine her reaction when she was picked alongside me.”

“Why’d she even bother coming if she doesn’t want to work with humans?”

“We were under the assumption that we weren’t. After the first batch of Balokarids were transferred to your station, it was only then that the Kith and your Senator made up this program. Samiha and I were obliged to accept, the Kith asked us personally to participate.”

“Obliged? Samiha doesn’t look like she wants to be here, why didn’t she just say no?”

“Refusing the Kith of a clan is a very uncommon thing to happen, that’d be like if you refused the Captain’s orders, or turned your back on your Senator.”

They were silent as they waited for the other squad to have their go, Ryan scrubbing his cue with some chalk. “Samiha tell you why she hates my guts in particular so much?” he asked.

Tilu clicked her beak, perhaps deciding if she should indulge him or not. “In confidence, yes. I do not think she would appreciate me sharing her life story with you.”

“Come on, Tilu, not asking for a life story, I just want to know what I did wrong.”

“I know you’re being genuine,” she assured. “but… I can’t explain her issues for her, she must do that herself. I’ll give you this, however,” she added, lowering her voice. “It’s not just you she has problems with, if you know what I mean. That’s all I can say without betraying her trust.”

“I get that,” he said, seeing this line of questioning had met its end. “We were talking about you anyway. So what’s it like being a Rakshal? Any different to what we’re training for now?”

Tilu grinned, glad that he’d decided to switch topics. “Being Rakshal is as much about defeating your opponent, as it is knowing your limitations, and pushing them. Clans on Balokar are situated thousands of your kilometers apart, where there is nothing but sand between. You must learn to conserve every drop of water, both in your canteen, and your body. We do this through specific movements and rituals predating the modern era, learning to flow across the sands just as our ancestors did. I remember during our first practical session we had to walk from the Kaaleshi water fields to the salt plains neighboring the Soshya-clan city.”

“How far’s that?”

“I’m not very good with human distance units,” Tilu explained. “but, if I were to guess, maybe… one thousand kilometers? Give or take.”

“You had to walk that far?” Ryan said, wide-eyed. “Across a desert? Holy shit.”

“Me and four others,” Tilu explained. “I remember after the first few days the moisture on my tongue was gone, and every time I swallowed it was like I was pouring salt down my throat. I was better off than one of the others though, she had to be airlifted out around the halfway mark, she’d been gored by a Cashiand had lost a lot of blood. The worst part was the nights, your body gets used to the heat of Balokar, but not the cold, I remember shivering for entire nights draped in my cloak, feeling the course sand on my back as I laid down, my body not sure whether to dread the next day or not, as the welcome heat of the sunrise would soon be followed by another day of stalking through the dunes. Good times.”

“That’s some SAS shit right there,” Ryan muttered.

“What about you?” Tilu asked. “How did you train while in the Confederacy?”

Ryan supposed an exchange couldn’t hurt. He told her all about his time as a recruit, the alien taking a keen interest in things Ryan thought couldn’t hold a stick to travelling across country’s worth of desert. The two delved into small talk, only stopping when it was their turn to make a shot. The pool game was almost an afterthought, Tilu easily winning the game for them after sinking the eight ball.

“Can’t say I’ve ever been beat this hard before,” the other team’s leader conceded. “Well played, bird lady.”

“Thank you for the game,” Tilu replied, offering a courteous bow. “Drinks are on you,” she added, chuckling to herself as the men moved over to the bar, a plucky Brindley offering them the bill.

The man flashed his credit chip, and Brindley came walking over with four drinks in his hands. “Next and final round guys,” he said, handing them to the team and only spilling a few drops. “At least for today. Personally I plan on using this new tab you got us every chance I get.”

“What are those circles on the wall over there?” Tilu asked. She sipped from her new glass, and even though it looked like she was pacing herself, her sip downed half the liquid, the glass was like a thimble in her hand.

“Dartboards,” Brindley answered. “Wanna play? You killed it in pool, reckon you’d be just as good at darts.”

“Those two things have literally no correlation,” Dominic muttered.

“Sounds like someone wants to challenge me,” Tilu chuckled.

“You’re on, Tilu.”

The team moved over to the boards, Ryan watching as the two Privates showed Tilu how to play. He noted that Samiha was still by the bar, the stool she was sitting on so small for the alien that her knees were up against her chest. It didn’t look comfortable, but she wasn’t about to move, that much was obvious.

She watched her counterpart try out the games in silence, her expression had to read. The feathers on her head were all flat, like an animal folding its ears back, making her seem annoyed or agitated, though that was just a wild guess. Her feathers glinted as she adjusted herself on the stool, the light making each stalk on her arms sparkle as though they were covered in glitter dust. He wondered if the Balokarids had some sort of body wash to keep them looking so sparkly, or if that was just their natural colouration.

She caught him looking and glared at him, Ryan quickly averting his eyes. Samiha rose to her feet, Ryan wary that another confrontation was about to begin. Instead, the alien moved to the bathroom door, the hinges squeaking as her tail disappeared through the threshold.

He played a few rounds of darts with his team and new alien friend, and as much as her finesse on the table was clear, the experienced humans outdid her on the dartboard. Tilu didn’t get angry, however, her enthusiasm to try new things putting everyone in a better mood. Some of the other Navy guys joined in to mingle with the Balokarid, the room soon filled with riotous laughter as the personnel mingled and played more games together.

After a time, Ryan downed the last of his drink and set the glass on the counter, upside down.

“Bathroom break,” he said, Tilu bidding him farewell as he walked off, a pleasant buzz warming his head. He passed a few other soldiers mingling in the booths, moving past them towards the far wall.

He pushed the restroom door open, two branching pathways leading left and right, gender signs marking the way. As Ryan stepped into the gents side, he stopped, a strange sound coming from the ladies side of the bathroom giving him pause. He could only compare the noise to that of someone breathing through their nose for a couple of seconds, was that crying?

He lingered between the two bathrooms, not wanting to be rude and barge in. Should he call out? No, announcing himself would just embarrass the crier. What was it any of his business anyway? Maybe he should just leave and not get involved.

The sniffing got louder, and eventually, his curiosity got the better of him, Ryan stepping gingerly past the ladies sign, taking a quick peak down the narrow corridor. Four or five stalls lined one side of the bathroom, and an equal number of sinks were built on the other, the mirror above each tap slightly misted near the edges.

Standing at the far end of the bathroom was Samiha, her feathery back to him, her rusty feathers standing up at full mast. Embarrassment and trepidation seized his insides, Ryan holding his breath as he stared, worried that any sound he made might turn her around. She was the source of the crying, her chest expanding as she drew a long breath, her tail rising and lowering in tiny flits of movement.

Just as Ryan contemplated his next move, she stopped inhaling, the alien sighing the air out of her lungs. No, she wasn’t crying, was she just doing some sort of breathing exercise, maybe?

He wanted to walk away, if she caught him watching she would probably do much worse things to him than just call him a peeping Tom, but as she raised an arm to wipe at her beak, he noticed she was clutching something in her hand.

He leaned on the spot, eyeing the object in her palm. It was a brown bag, with a little rope tied around the neck. Samiha moved her neck to her arm, Ryan watching with an eyebrow raised as she started nibbling at the feathers on her elbow. He couldn’t shake the feeling he was watching intruding on a private moment, not that walking into the ladies bathroom wasn’t bad enough already.

There was a circle of colour on the tip of her beak, Ryan straining his eyes to get a better look at it. Some sort of grey, sugary substance was splashed onto her muzzle, Samiha rubbing at it with her hand as though she was wiping at her nose. She moved over to one of the sinks, rinsing her digits under the faucet, clearing the mess away.

Her feathers bristled again, and Samiha froze, winding her neck around as she looked towards where Ryan was standing. He dipped behind the wall, hearing her heavy footsteps as the alien started moving this way. He opened the door loudly, pretending to be just entering by the time Samiha rounded the corner, her eyes flashing as she eyed him up. He noticed wasn’t holding the bag anymore.

“What are you doing?” she demanded.

“W-What?” he asked, feigning ignorance. He walked towards the male side, Samiha’s eyes drilling holes into his face as she watched him.

“Did you…?” she trailed off, Ryan locking himself into a stall and breathing a sigh of relief when he heard her leave the bathroom. Had she been sniffing whatever had been inside that bag of hers? Should he report her? Bringing contraband onto base like that was bound to get you serious reprimands, this could be his best shot to get rid of her! All he had to do was get an MP to inspect her and it was game over.

But why was she doing it so brazenly? There were much better times and places to smoke dope, if dope was what she was sniffing. He didn’t remember cannabis looking so silver, maybe it was some new product? But then where did she get it, she wouldn’t go to a human dealer out on the torus, would she?

Whatever the reasons, it didn’t matter, he’d caught her. He felt like a little kid finally getting the chance to tell on a troublesome peer, and a bit of guilt swelled up in his stomach. Maybe he should approach her first before getting the officers involved, he was technically responsible for her wellbeing, even though part of him couldn’t give a shit what Samiha’s situation was. Perhaps he should speak to Kith Shaliyya first? She was their clan leader after all, she’d know how to handle this.

He did his business and left the bathroom, Samiha back on her stool just like before, watching him as he walked by. She obviously suspected something, but neither of them said anything, Ryan holding his cards close to his chest as he gave Samiha the barest of glances, before returning to the darts game with Tilu and the others.