A-H war

[Shock]

The game stopped. “Why did u stop the game?” the dark one said, “Unless you want to leave” he taunted. “I wish to review your move, I can do that” said the other. A while later, the other being spoke up “you have succeed in having a war,” he said quietly “you have use the weakness in each species. The andalite’s pride and the human’s recklessness” the dark one boasted “yes, the humans develop weapon to defend themselves and the andalites fear that they will take they’re place in the universe”. The other being studied the lines; he saw that many will suffer in this war, and new heroes that will take the place of the fallen ones. He knew what he had to do. The game started back up and resumed...

Jack

I got off the bus, while the orderlies where still checking other people bag.damn, I thought, well I’m not in a hurry anyway. At that second, they found my bag. I was still waiting for a couple buds. I saw James and Kelly. “OVER HERE!!” I yelled at them. He was wearing the blue striped shirt that the freshman got on they’re way to Boot.
“Bout time you two showed up” I said. “We would be here sooner if the people handed our bags faster” said Kelly. I have known James and Kelly ever since we were six. James had a medium built figure that went well with his dark brown hair. He was taller than me, but not by much. Kelly, I was not in love with Kelly, she was fine but I didn’t care for sex (which would separate me from most of the male population) we are just friends. She had jade colored eyes, a short figure, and was about 5 feet tall. She had no hint of DNA modification like the other rich sobs here. “Ah, well, let’s see what’s on the map” I said.

The building where color-coded. Blue was the recreation areas, bar, ect. Red was heavy assault trooper training, black was the dorms, yellow was navy practice. White was first aid and research facilities, and violet was pilot training. There was a brown speck on the map and we figured it was SpecOps training. “Come on! We need to get a bunk! Unless you like sleeping on the ground.” I ran to the dorm. I’ll be damned if I get the floor I
thought.


Scientist

Up in the northern part of the base, next to the parking lot was the staff center. On the top floor, a scientist paced in circle, mumbling as he went and looking down on the trainees as they came from the bus. “This type of Bio-armor is extremely unstable; I should have never given it to the joint chiefs.
Then a man came with stars of a general through a set of doors. The science looked up and straighten at the moment he saw him “how the progress” he asked in a stern voice.
The scientist cleared his throat and spoke, “90 % complete, the bio-armor pasted the animal trials and we need to proceed to humans” he looked down at the trainees heading for they’re dorms. “I’m guessing those are the subjects” he gulped. The general kept a stern face. “Yes, those are the ones that will test the bio-armor” he said quietly. “Is there any side-effects?” “There are a few that can’t change back to they’re ordinal shape and a few that have gone AWOL, we have found that human trials have suppressed sexual drive, but other then that none” the general stared at the scientist with his cold brown eyes. “Then proceed when they are trained.” The scientist looked down and wondered if he just signed the death sentence of these youth…

[Shock]

Chapter 2       


Axillie

My tail weaved back and fort from the ground. I was impatiently waiting on my instructor. The trial that I hope to do today was command-practice. It involved a state-of-the-art battle simulation, I stood outside two rooms, and each had a holographic project with a keyboard. The lobby that I had been waiting in had three entrances, the two that I have all ready talked about, and the elevator on the other end; the lobby was plain purple, many of which where in the domeship. O, sorry, forgot in to introduce my self,
My full name is Axillie-Avilla-Forger, Aristh of the andalite military, and Stationed on the domeship, Soors hope. Most of my stay here was quiet boring, we encountered only one or two human ships at a time, many of which where unskilled pilots. The Human-Andalite started over the human’s right to research weapons. At first, they just had hand-held dracon beam pistols, but then, it got grander, they started building orbital guns, warships, even started to make some break-troughs on the morphing tech. the andalites stopped giving them tech, but it was too late, when the human announced they had morphing tech, the andalite commanded them to destroy it, the refused and began the human-andalite war. The war has touched all of the known worlds, leaving none unscarred. As of now we are in a draw. The elevator open and my instructor walked in. normally, I would be terrified of a teacher, but this is command training, not tail blade sparring. His walk reminded of me of a minesweeper or the astronaut that has been in zero gees too long. A light blue gash went across the right side of his stomach to the start of the upper torso. He was a quiet fellow, not at all like the pilot or tail blade trainer.
But, when he spoke, it was in a voice that demands attention.
<Ah, Aristh Axillie, you will be my last student of the day. > He said. He noted my tail twitching impatiently, <judging on your body language, you are ready to begin>
<Yes, I would like to begin, which sim is it this time? > I answered, trying to sound patient. <New one, base on the war we are in right now. > He said, <they’re a few things you should know before we start> I started to listen as soon as he said that, the first time I was here, he devastated my forces with out losing a single fighter.
<There are projects that can be researched, you can design your own ships, and there are many more planet types> he said. I walked in to one of the rooms, booted the holo projector, and the game came up. I had to choose a side. Humans or Andalites most recruits chosen Andalites with out looking at all of the racial abilities. For example, humans have great repair ability, but lack the greater firepower of the andalites.

<Shall we begin? > He questioned.

<Let’s, you pick race. >

<Andalite> he answered.

<Agreed>

The game began

Groth
My name is Groth-Illire-Pliillen, High Commander of the andalite forces, but there are other things on my over tasked mind right now, as I looked over the report the second time, the humans have taken the Gruyar, Yivler, and Eplion, systems. I have sent a counter-strike force to stop the spread of them capturing more systems. The report I held contained four documents given to me by my adviser, the first one had the Grist agreement, the human’s rules of war I might say, they promise not to repent the yeerks, going to planet to planet enslaving as they go. The second one was the stats on they’re ships that we have encounter so far, the fighter, the carrier, the destroyer, and the battle ship. The third was the stats on they’re personal armament. I was surprised to learn that the humans have adapted to the morphing tech so quickly, they’re variation was called the bio-armor, also, based on the report, they where unable to create the advanced forum of the morphing tech that we andalites enjoy, instead they make they’re own versions of it that bonds to the subject. Also under personal armament was the battle-armor, a machine like version of the bio-armor, basic guns, and armor.

The fourth document was on Dlygon, a project that I have requested, it was 90% complete, only a test was need and I have picked my testing ground. My ship shook as
It exited Z-space. It was only about the size of an oversized fighter, constructed only for the purpose to carry me around. The electoral thinks that humans have infiltrated andlite command and have posted me on this ship until the end of the war. O how badly I want this war to end…

Sareen

I struck; my trainer blocked and followed the block with a WAP! Aside my head. <You can do better,>sneered my teacher. <We won’t leave until you at lest put a scratch on Me.> this was the fifth try I have tried to beat her. My stalk eyes focus on her tail, useless tactic, but it gave me some comfort. I tried to think of a hidden advantage that I had over looked, but found none. As if she read my mind, she said, < Don’t think how to strike me, just stop thinking> as I wonder what she meant by that, I saw movement out of my right stalk eye. Without thinking, I blocked, struck, and did a under cut to her front legs. As she fell, my mind was processing what just happen. She looked startled as she got up she noted the confuse look on my face. <So you do have some sprit in you, Aristh> she replied with an unimpressed voice. < You better hope did do leave you once we reach Eplion.> I was still in shock for what just happened. But I managed to walk away.


My name is Sareen, female Aristh of the andalite military. You have probably notice the female. Ever since the humans entered the war, they used both sexes to fight, (but the bulk of them are in the fleet, not on the ground). Since human use both sexes to fight, they double their number of troops. This was the main cause of the human’s conquest of outer worlds. This shocked the Electrode a bit, they where torn between tradition and modernization of this war. They choose the wiser choice. And here I am. Some of the males are spiteful of us females, but most don’t care. As I walked the long stretch of halls to my quarters, I spotted some fighters taking off from Combat Bay 1 for training, I guessed. I continued down the halls. Every once an in a while, I’ll past a window. It’s an old habit of mine to look out in to space while I walked. I continued until I reached my quarters. Then I just wanted to relax and forget about this war….

[Shock]

chapter 3

Author’s input) just to get this straight, I’m going to be talking about the dragon’s mind net. I’m going to give you a head’s up what the dragon mind can be compared to. I can be compared to the zerg (a race in starcraft that is united by the “overmind” and it’s Lt.s “celebrates”. the overmind is the overlord of the zerg and it has its own mind. So do celebrates, but none of the other zerg has minds) I want to have each dragon to have its own mind that shares space with the human host. (I’m saying host not because the dragon is a parasite, but it needs the human to maintain it’s dragon from) but there is order in the mind. None can question to orders of the Preserver (the red dragon) the maintainer of the dragon net. Now that that’s straightened out, continue reading the andalite-human war. One more thing: think outside the box.


3 weeks later

Jack

The back of my skull still hurt from the implant they put in all of us. State-of-the-art but still hurt like hell. The implant allows us to use bio-armor, assault-armor, and space fighters, ECT. It also improves our reflexes by 90%. As fast as an andalite tail. We have been practicing using a Kei, a blade attached to the upper forearm. Now as a lay in the bed, my pager when off. It showed the room number and the teacher of the class. Staff sergeant Cortez, figures, that basterd would call us up on lunch. I thought. Cortez was head sergeant of the heavy assault troopers division of the camp. Then I looked at the room,
Strange, that’s the auditorium, what does the serge want us over there for? I picked my self up out of the bottom bunk and tie my shoes; the dorm was nothing but a building with beds and a heater in the upper corner. Each bed had a trunk on the end of it, for the soldier’s personal belongings. I headed out in the bright sunlight and made my way to the auditorium, the auditorium was about the same size of a school café. I made my way in a quickly found my sit. It is amazing how the army get all of the troopers crammed in here.

I looked at the stage, very plain looking all except for three things: one, the long table on the stage that was covered boxes that where covered in a white table cloth, with one sergeant for one box. Two, there was a portable room that looked like a jail cell, its walls were solid cement, It had one window and a solid steel door that had dents and long claw- like scars. Three, an oversized looking sledge hammer with a cattle prod head attached on both sides of it.

Cortez came up on stage with a dog whistle on a necklace on his neck. “As you all know, we have developed bio-armor to challenge the andilite morphing technology, we have come a long way, today you will *voluntary* test out the Dragon type bio-armor”
Some of the students had a confused expression on their faces. “The bio-armor has its advantages and disadvantages. You can stay in the bio-armor as long as want, never having to change back.” Excited faces turned to him. “However, you can get the form that the bio-armor has given you, also, the bio-armor bonds to you, and only you. Also, the bio-armor is hooked up to your neural implant, the implant can withstand an EMP blast, waterproof, and can withstand what ever the andalites decide to throw at you, where it be rocks and sticks, or a fully loaded domeship.” The smiles that the recruits had where quickly turned upside down. Did I also say that the sergeants just loved to pick me all the time? I quietly walked down to the stage, everyone was quiet. None said a word. Then, all of the soldiers, at once, uncovered the white tablecloth. In all of the glass boxes, there was a pile of red, thick, goop in each. I turned around to Cortez and said, “How in the hell is a pile of goo going to help us win this war?” he smiled one of his cold smiles, “put your hand in it.” He said. I turned and look at the rest of the outfit. They were holding they’re breath. I walked to a box and the serge opened the lid. I put my finger on the top of the goop. There was an instance reaction; the thing pulled it’s self up my finger, then, into my hand, my body parts when numb when the thing touched it. The thing when up my arm and on my chest, I barely had time to say “what the ” then the thing covered my mouth. Before it covered my eyes, I saw my arm, thick with muscles, my fingers became claws, and my skin turned a pebbly red. Then, felt something, on the back on my skull. I heard an audio click then, saw the world around me in a different perspective. I saw the outfit, many of them had a face of disgust, and while many more with the sight of shock in they’re eyes. The scientist said something but I didn’t care
I looked at my self, my arms where muscular, but also had the red color the goo had.
My eyes caught some light reflecting of a mirror I didn’t see before because of the angle of the cloth on the stage. I looked at my self in disbelief, on my back where to wings, but instead of feathers, they were of skin. My eyes where cat-like, and I had a bulky tail, I found a dragon looking back from the mirror. Then I felt the dragon mind, this bio-armor had intelligence, a personally even, a female personally… It scanned the language part of my brain and copied my vocabulary. <So, you’re the lucky recipient> she said though my mind. I was still in shock. A few moments past and Cortez move into the room. <Um…hello, what is your name? > I felt confusion coming from her. <I have no name> she replied. <Can I choose a name> she questioned. <Sure, that’s fine with me> I said not really caring what name this creature picked. I felt her dig though my mind for a name. It was another few seconds before she picked on. <I choose Tiamat. > She said at last. Tiamat, where have I heard that name before…o ya, I did a report on Middle Eastern mythology. Tiamat was the dragon-god of the Babylonians, interesting that she would choose that name. Before I could reply a sound entered my ears. The sound came though my ear that was never heard before. The sound might have come from the depths of hell; it consumed all intelligent thoughts in my head. I charged the source of the sound; it was Cortez inside the room in the corner, I rammed the door and slammed at it, the other sergeants didn’t move a finger, but I didn’t ponder this, all I cared for is stopping that noise. Cortez opened the door and a hammer came upon my dragon head. Then, the world when black.

[Shock]

<WAKE UP! > Tiamat’s voice echoed though out my mind. I opened my eyes. I found my self still on the stage floor, thinking it was a dream, till I heard Cortez say, “we have put in inhibiters in the bio-armor that make the bio-armor sensitive to supersonic sounds, but they will be removed on your graduation.” He said, “We can’t have our trainees killing our teachers now, can we?” true, but why did you blow that f*ck ing thing so loud? I thought. <To get you to attack him is my guess> said Tiamat thoughtfully <why did you ask? > She questioned. By this time, I figured out of to communicate with her. <First, I didn’t mean for you to hear that, second, that question was rhetorical>I replied. <Ah> she answered. “It also has advance healing, but don’t think for a second that bullets or dracon can’t kill you, the bio-armor is tough but not invincible” <true, but we can take quite a beating, and our healing time is 60 times faster then a human’s> Tiamat pointed out. I got up from the stage floor, a little wobbly, (when you live most of your life on two legs, it’s kind of hard to use four) when I felt something bump my skull, I hoped that Tiamat wasn’t rewiring anything important, wait, scratch that, I hope that she isn’t rewiring anything at all! The scientist spoke up once more, “there is also some basic instincts of the bio-armor that we have added,” I’m starting to hate this guy. “We have worked out most of them out of the armor, but some remain, they are the basic instincts of any animal, the first one: the desire to leave the troops to live in isolated areas.” Uh...hu… Tiamat picked up on my wonder and spoke up <if they have the Reacor organ removed > she said. Now I’m worried <where is this Reacor organ located and what does it do? > I said with a bit of fear. <The Reacor organ is located in your head, and its use is unknown at this time. > Now I’m pissed. <WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY YOU DON’T KNOW! !> I roared. < I DON”T KNOW! > She rebuked me. I signed. This was getting me know where. “The second: the desire to breed, we still need time to find theses instincts but in the mean while, you will train until we find it, any questions about the bio-armor?”
A few hands went up. “Yes, you, in the front row” the trainee stood up. “Is there any way for us to communicate in the bio-armor?” The scientist pushed up his glass a bit higher on his nose. “Yes, we have built in a thought speck communicator in to the bio-armor; you only need to think of the person to speck to them.” He glanced at me, like I knew what to do? I did what he said, <My ing head still hurts> I said or thought. There was one more hand up “is there anyway the bio-armor can ‘demorph’” I was wondering the same thing. “Yes, it the same as the andalite morphing technology, you simply think of your self to change back” “also a few more things about the bio-armor, unlike the andalite morphing tech, u get to keep more then skin-tights, but don’t expect to wear a full suit of armor with this, and unlike the andalite counter-part, you have some control of the change.” That’s all I needed to hear, I started to change, the bio-armor seemed to melt and disappear in to my skin. I was overjoyed to learn the scientist words where true. Then, the serge added his bit “unfortunately, Jack is the only one to have the bio-armor for a while, the rest of you get the bio-armor at the end of advance arms training,” most of them signed, the advance arms training was the last part of the heavy assault trooper’s training. “Now, head to the dorms and get some god damn sleep!” they agree with out saying a word. “Jack, come here” Ok, it’s 11’o clock at night and the rest of the trooper are getting some sleep, what the hell does he want with me I thought. < Don’t know> Tiamat said, scaring the hell out of me. <Your suppose to be gone with the bio-armor! > I exclaimed. <The scientist for got to tell you that the bio-armor doesn’t disappear into Z-space. > She reasoned, <it remains in your body until you die>. Great, I’ll have a voice other then mine in my head for the rest of my life. <I’m not THAT annoying> she said, reading my thought. < lus, I’ll be sleep most of the time> o great, I’ll have a dragon snoring in my head. She remained quite as I approached Cortez. “Yes sir?” I asked him, “You wanted me?” his cold eyes scanned me and he spoke. “You know, you can practice getting used to your bio-armor in Rec time, if you want to try combat exercises, meet me by the pilot pad” I was tired “ok, I’ll think about it” then I head off to bed for some much needed sleep. There better no be any midnight runs tonight, was my last thought as a hit the bunk asleep.

[Shock]

James

“The objective of the SpecOps is to use his environment to his advantage, when one of your senses becomes disabled, turn to the others.” This was the 6th week in SpecOps training, and we have yet to fire even a pistol. The room that we where in was about the size of a high school gym and with the same lighting too, but it had one difference, it was that place was covered with mats, even on the walls. Our Japanese instructor was getting on my nerves for the most part. At the beginning of “class” she asks us to attack her. I didn’t strike him, but some kid did, he tried to tackle him, football style. The kid bent his back down as if to grab his feet when he got close. The instructor jumped over him, seized his wrist and twisted in an unnatural direction. The guy fell, hard, and howled in agony. We still heard his cries when the medics took him away. The instructor on the other hand, walked out of the way of the medics and turned to us when the cries when away. “Now, you are SpecOps, the best in the UNSC, and I am you martial-arts combat teacher.” She looked studied each of us with his intense glare. “And as far as I can see, you are the most pathetic bunch on this side of the world” her words hit hard as I could see from the faces on the crowd. “You really expect to kill can andalite by tackling it? They will slice you into bit so small, you all could find in the same shoebox.” She glared at us. “Tell me the first part of the SpecOps creed.” She demanded. We stood straight and proceed to say it as one voice. “We are SpecOps, best in the UNSC. We will strike with vengeance, for all to see. We will not stop coming, for that war has just begun. We are the predators in the valley of prey. We are SpecOps, and this is our glory day.” The echoes repeated what we said. Our teacher looked indifferent. “Ok, we will start your training with the Kei blades” two of the staff came into the gym with a rack of Kei.
“Once attached, the Kei will bind it’s self to your forearm.” The staff assisted us with them and to make sure they where on correctly. “It will use your nerves to know when to release and retract” she rolled up her long sleeves and with one quick motion, drew it out. “The Kei shoots out of its case at .024 seconds.” She paused to scanned us with her eyes to see that we all ours on, then continued. “Not many andalites see a Kei up close and live to tell about it but then again, they’re not supposed to see you at all.” She said. She nodded to one of the staff and he cut the lights. “Today, you’re going to be facing a hologram of an adult andalite” we hear the familiar sound of a mobile holo projector coming from the ceiling. Its tiny spotlight was aimed at the ground and spread out over an area about 4 ft.
“James, you start the show,” she said from the darkness. The moment I stepped in to the light, an adult andalite appeared. His tail blade held combat ready. He galloped towards me, but I was prepared for him. I ran towards him also, he was almost a pawn me when I ducked to avoid the jagged blade of his tail and I slid under him. He tied to locate me but failed. I was under the tail when I lased out and cut it off. There was silence for the holo project cannot make the sounds. But it does visuals well enough. The image bucked in pain and I retrieved the blade from the ground. I rolled out from under him and stood up. Then, I saw fear in his eyes and I hesitated. “FINSH IT!” roar my trainer from beyond the darkness. I took the tail blade in my hand and ran towards him. He raised his arms to defend himself but andalite arms are not as strong as human’s. I jumped up and gutted him. There was no blood, no guts inside him, just a hollow skin that the projector emitted.
He and the blade in my hands vanished when he hit the floor. “Lights on” said the teacher. And the lights came on with a flash. “Congratulations, James, you have proven your self worthy of the SpecOps name” She replied when she saw me. “You are dismissed” she turned to others. “You however, are not dismissed. We will repeat this exercise until each of you has a chance to prove your worth!” she said. I walked back to the dorms. The longest day in my life was over. Time to go to sleep…

[Shock]

Tiamat

The human entered R.E.M. but I won’t be sleeping for a while. I lied when I said I didn’t know what the reacor organ was. I knew full well what it can do. It was used to connect the dragons to the psychic net, that what I was meant for. I am the overlord and the preserver of the net. The reacor organ started to throb as I started construction on the net. The humans thought that the bio-armor’s color represented the personally of the user. They where sort of right, the bio-armor color show the personally of the wearer but it also showed the use of it. Bronze dragons where the basic fighter which is easy to figurer out based on the size of them, but the green one were scouts based on the enlarged wingspan. The most feared among the humans was the white. The white ones where the equivalent of human severs. they are the ones that keep the neuronet up.
The reason why the humans fear them was because the users went insane. But there is one dragon that is beyond my reach. The black dragon, this dragon has an unholy hatred for all life and lives for war. It does not breathe fire but has something real close, it has two chemical sacs in the neck at fills inside of a false pallet behind the throat. They are pushed into the chamber behind the pallet and they react violently inside the chamber and are ejected out of the mouth. The product of the reaction is a very acidic substance, well capable of melting metal, flesh, and bone. The user would have to be a psycho to have a chance to use this bio-armor. I know right now that I could not control a black dragon in this moment in time. But as the net grows, so will i. I reached out over the camp to see if there were any other dragons in wait. I felt the presented of two bronze dragons immediately. One was asleep while his human counterpart stayed awake. The other was the opposite of the first. I started with first one. I triggered the human to go into R.E.M. for a few seconds. I connected the dragon to me and proceed to dig into the human’s memories. I was looking for something in specific instead of just going for the hell of it.
I was looking for any reports of white dragons. I could manage to hold about 10 different minds in my head. I don’t enslave minds like the yeerks; instead I regulate minds and the dragon one I mean to say. The humans one are beyond my control and I don’t really want them anyway. The dragon mind can suppress the human one if it conflicts with the order I give the dragon. The dragon mind can still think but it can not question my order.
I continued my search, but found nothing useful that would help me in anyway.
I awaked the guard from his slumber. He didn’t notice my presence in his mind and was thank full that he was wake before any of the staff caught him napping. My human rolled in his bunk, still fast asleep. I quicken my pace. I looked in the guard’s mind for any trace of a white dragon. The white dragon, as I said before, are the severs of my network. They can handle millions of minds in seconds. But there was one thing that I forgot to tell you that the human mind is destroyed in this process, sad and harsh but it is need and necessity for the network that I was making. I moved on to the conscious dragon, which immediately sensed my residence in his mind. < P-Preserver> he stuttered <why have you come to me? > He asked with wonder. <I have begun construction to the dragon mind. But I am in need of a white dragon. > I answered. I felt him ponders and alarms as his host was nearly awaken by the sounds of us. But he relapsed in to the sub-conscious
<Of course, Preserver, the UNSC keeps all of the “incorporable” soldiers in the nearby asylum,> he answered. <The asylum is located up north by a nearby town.> this interested me in away. These would have to be soldiers that would have “cracked” and refused to fight. And, hopefully, hosts of white dragons. <Anything else, Preserver?> he asked. I had one more thing to research before I would leave him. <Can you tell me anything about this Cortez?> I waited as he summoned up the memories. <Other than that he was a 20 year SpecOp vet, noting in particular, > <thanks> I replied as I left <your welcome as always, Preserver. > He said before joining his human counterpart in sleep.
I expanded my reach out to the north. My human would sense me if I took to long. I quicken my pace. At last, I found the asylum. I felt the presence of five white dragons. I hurried to connect them all to me. The sun was raising and I can feel the human waking.
At last, I was finished. I had precious seconds to hide my net from him. Then at long last, It was my turn to sleep.

[Shock]

Earth, Area 51, Black Mesa sector

The scientist laid down the bio-armor in the pen full of lab rats. They were enticed to come to the sweet smelling substance. One by one the move, a brown rat rubbed his nose, with a flash; the bio-armor covered him. He signed; all they did with the bio-armor was turn mice in to little dragons. The bio-armor was altered from the one the soldier use. They edited the DNA so that no wings would grow, and that they stayed at the same size.
But then, something unexpected happened, the usual color where bronze, blue, gold, and green. This was the third try they tried the bio-armor on mice. But he thought nothing of it. The dragon was male, which made easier to ID from the marking on its back. He grabbed a shot off the counter where he was stationed and proceed to draw blood from the red, bio-armored, mouse. It gave a cry and tried to escape his rough hands. Hold Still! He thought. At last it was done. He moved back in the holding pen and placed the rodent back in its pen. Then, something caught the scientist’s eye, the rest of the dragons seem to follow the red leader. Puzzled by this, the scientist reached back into the pen. The other dragons quickly guard the red mouse. He noticed a camera lying on his buddy’s desk and noted the disk inside. He turned it on and pressed RECORED on the interface. He posited it on the desk and pointed it at the dragons. He tried again to reach the red dragon, but a brown one bite him on his finger. “Why you little...” and broke his jaw. He grabbed the red dragon, which looked a lot like a lizard to the untrained eye.
He was surprised that the others claw the side of the pen. Why where they so persistent? He thought. He ducked-taped the red-dragon to the scanner and opened a program on this computer. The scanner ran though bone, muscle, and skin. There was nothing particular about this dragon until he reached the head. Then, He gasped. All of the bio-armor hosts have a useless part of the brain, but then It was removed the dragon became unsociable and lived as a nomad. This dragon had a bigger one and also, he was picking up Psy emissions come from it. Wonder took over him as he reached to remove the mini-dragon from the scanner. The riot in the pen had cease for a while, but as soon he touched the scales of the red dragon, it started back up. He held the beast in his hands. Why would they care for this dragon? He thought. It is not a female, nor is it important in anyway. He pressed the end of the pen to the edge of the dragon’s skin. Instantly, the others roared for its release. He made sure he got this all on tape and dropped the dragon with the others and picked up an ordinary one. He pressed his pen against its skin just like to the red one. He was surprised to hear nothing from the pen. Wait…the scientist thought. Maybe this could be… His expression changed from wonder to excitement. He dropped the dragon back in the pen and locked the door to it. He pressed STOP on the recorder and ejected the disk. He took the disk and placed it in his pocket in his coat and ran out of the pen grinning. He crossed the café and the barracks. He slid on his boots as he ran on the hard granite floor of the halls that connected the base. He ran to the officers’ quarters and straight in the joint chiefs conference room. An ordinary day just turned into the discovery of the decade.

The joint chief’s room had an oak rectangular table that the officers sit. But now it was only occupied by a four star general that was just starting his report when the scientist cam bursting in, spilling the general’s coffee on the table. The general looked up from his computer with the stare that he reserved for soldiers that have fail in they’re missions.
The scientist, hand on his knees, panting, who didn’t not take note of the glance and said wheezing with each word “sir, you need to see this immediately!” the scientist collapsed in the seat reserved for the head of the Star Fleet. The general hit a button on his computer and the lights dimmed. A projector came down from the ceiling and showed the data. The general looked at the recording for a few minutes and turned to face the scientist, “what’s the use of this video? All you did was play with the rats in the back” he snarled. By this time, the scientist is about to stand up. “The red dragon is leader of sorts, notice a few frames back that the other dragons crowed around the red one, but there is no reason for protecting the red dragon, it is not female nor any other reason to defend it.” The general rubbed his day old black beard and studied the screen. “ Did you find the reason why they are so defensive of this particular citter?” he said at last. The scientist cleared his throat and spoke. “The other files on the disk contain data of the dragon when I scanned it.” He replied, “There is a part of the brain that we first thought useless, but when we remove it, the dragon become hostile to anything except a mate.” The scientist continued. “ The red dragon seems to have a more complex part, I guess that the red dragon is a “preserver”. It is like a general in an army, keeps them from going away” The scientist took it from the general’s expression to never use that comparison again. “What worries me is that the bio-armor that we are working with is almost identical to the one that our soldiers use.” There was a chill down the general’s spine. “The only ones that actively use the bio-armor are the heavily assault troopers, and I have the entire database on my computer” the general reasoned, half with him self and half with the scientist.
The scientist jumped from his chair and said to the general “is there any red ones? That what we need to search.” The general jumped from his chair and bolted to his computer.

>Loading database

The general’s hand where a furry on the keyboard.

>Loading filter /color

It was several nerve-racking minutes before the results appear on the screen

/search complete…

/Gold: 304
/Bronze: 474
/Green: 232
/Blue: 185
/Non-Marjory colors: 20

The scientist pointed at the Non-Marjory section and the general typed another series of commands

>Open Non-Marjory colors
/….


/White: 2
/Bronze: 14
/Green: 3
/Red: 1

The general’s heart was a triple stroke jackhammer; his fears come true.

“What is the name of the recipient?” the scientist asked. The general turned around to glare at the scientist. “I think I know what to do,” he said “o by the way, round up the officers and tell them that General Degalle want them to meet here at 0440.” The scientist grunted as he left. Then the general when back to work
>Open file red

/file opened

/name: Jack Berenson/location: Camp Nichia, TX/state of training: vehicle practice/date of GRD: 2-05-56/sector of combat: HATs (heavy assault troopers)/ outfit: none/ upload picture? Press y for yes, n for no/ date of birth = 4-16-40/ mother died in the andalite offence on asteroid beta 23/ father died on pirate raid of 41/ state of bio-armor: reaching maturity at a fast rate then normal, data has been recorded for this anomaly. / Accessing medical files/insert password/

>******

Accessed Granted/opening bio-armor record/unidentifiable organ found in brain, no action will be taken to remove it/grow daily but considered non-cancerous/ subject show considerable combat readiness and displays extraordinary leadership ability, expect to make squad leader. /open personal files? Y for yes, n for no
>N
>Exit database
/exiting database

The general leaned back into his chair, balancing it on two legs. He thought for a minute, the pressed a button on his computer. A disembodied female voice came out of the speakers above. “Yes, sir?” the general opened a box that was hidden under his desk and retrieved a cigar. He reached into his pocket to find his lighter. He found it and lit his cigar. “Give me the joint chiefs, we need to talk with them as soon as possible”

[Shock]

A while later…

“Are you saying we should just put him down like animal?” questioned the Star Fleet admiral. “No, I’m saying that we need to keep an eye on him and if he has his own agenda, we’ll sent the top SpecOps team in to terminate him.” The meeting was held in Z-space with made everyone paranoid of andalite easdroppers. And add to that the seriousness of the situation, many generals and admirals wanted to leave a soon as possible. The president of the space core had bags under his eyes; fore it was one in the morning where he was. “What are the possible solutions?” he asked. The general cleared his throat, “if we kill him, we have a possible of losing the entire HATs division but if we don’t, we could get the same result.” All eyes where one him now, the HATs where commandos, they succeeds at every mission or die trying, the only ones better then them was the SpecOps divisions “There is a solution in this puzzle however; the red dragon seems to be a preserver not a commander. It could be like an organ in a body, it prevents all other dragons from going AWOL from it.” He finished. The president gave him a look of wonder. “What are you proposing, Degalle?”
He said. “So far, he has showed us that other than this bio-armor, he is just a regular soldier. He respects rank and shows no mercy to the andalites. I believe that we should just watch him. Have a SpecOps team to watch for any evidence of him building an empire. And they do, we will eradicate him.” The president turned to the rest of the screens. “Any other suggestions?” he asked. No one answered. He turned to Degalle. “Then you have my permission to proceed”
The data steam stopped and the andalites easdropper stopped recording. <Acillies, you need to come listen to this>. Another andalite moved toward the post. He paused and then proceeded to relay the recording to high command. <They said something about a “dragon”, any idea what its means? > The younger one asked. < It could be a code word> the older one shook his head. <Could me but they where describing a type of bio-armor and the galaxy has no “dragons” in it> the younger one thought for a minute and spoke <they could create they’re own animals to unleash on us! > The older one again shook his head. <The humans can’t make life out of dust, but the bio-armor, based on our Intel, uses the human as a host then changes the host: It’s self, rather a primitive but effective none the less, they could ‘program’ their bio-armor to take any shape it’s chooses but it can have only one shape. That would take painstaking research to design such an animal so I say nay> the younger one spoke again <well I hope Intel figures it out>
<They will, somehow> the older one said…

(Author’s input) This chapter is going to be my longest one yet! It is showing an entire day in the life of the camp. So get ready for a lot of reading




“WAKE UP TRAINEE!” Cortez boomed as he entered the dorm. He always just has to be right next to my bunk when he yells at us to get up. Many ran to the shower, the first ones got all the hot water leaving the rest of us to freeze with the cold. I didn’t really need a shower unlike the others in my group. I slept with my cameo suit on and immediately proceed with the warm-ups. Waking to find my clothes already on save me the ing from the drill sergeants letting their mouths run on the rest of the platoon. I checked my Cycler and memorized the serial number. 36136, five little numbers that most soldiers forget and cause the drills to make them run 33 laps around the training ground. I hear snoring from somewhere. I didn’t have time to look around; I had a drill sergeant trying to give me a pop quiz on how to tie my boots. “THAT’S HOW YOU DO IT MARINE!” I had to just stand there and take it. Ah, it’s a soldier’s life. I was drafted in to the Heavy Assault Troopers outfit of the marine department. I swear they draw names out of a hat to choose who does what. Kelly became a pilot (which she was very unhappy with) most of the females when over to pilots or tank drivers. Josh, of all things, got into SpecOps. He still was in denial when I found him in the café yesterday. The snoring went though my head all the time the serge was howling at me. It was a few minutes before he found someone else to scream at. I managed pull all my supplies together and put my bed into shape before another one came along. I opened my pack and grabbed a few gun slots and slid them into place with a satisfying click. I put on the belt hostler and slid my pistol into place. I cleaned it less than a day ago so I should be ok if the staff tried to inspect it. I hurried to strap on one on my upper leg before Cortez decided to do inspection. I snatched a couple of stainless steel; combat knifes and tried to tie on my Kei blade to my forearm. I took the last leather one and wrapped it around my back. Then I took my Cycler and placed it back there. “STOP TRAINEES!” yelled the SOB serge that was yelling at me a sec ago. Cortez move out from his office in the head of the building and boomed “drills, proceed with inspection” the drills sergeants proceed counterclockwise, proceeding to single out the sloppiest trainees first. I pity them, they have to run until breakfast and that was not coming for another hour. At last, it was my turn. They nodded as they saw that I was in full uniform and with all my weapons in prime condition. The white staff inspector asked me for my rifle, an order I promptly obeyed. “What is your rifle serial number, soldier?” he asked in a calm voice. “36136, sir.” His face flushed with red, a warning sign that he was going to rip someone a new one. He turned and yelled at the rest of them. “FINALLY!” he exclaimed, “a trainee that know his rifle!” most of the first-timers have forgotten their serial number and during inspection, the common result from the drills when they found out that a trainee forgot his rifle number was “how do I know you didn’t steal this gun!” I was still half awake during inspection and did what I did out of instinct. The snoring continued through out the inspection and it was beginning to get on my nerves. The strange part was that the drills had woken everyone up and if they heard that a trainee went back to sleep; I didn’t really want to know what would happen to him. But the sound was persistent. “Attention” we all turned to Cortez’s voice.

[Shock]

“All those that the drills found “unprepared” will run around the complex until they got it in their heads that the UNSC does not want slackers.” He turned to the drills that looked on their list and called out trainees. It was a while before they left to run. There were 35 of us left out of 100. I was glad my name wasn’t on the list. The snoring was still going in my ears. “The rest of you” Cortez turned to say, “you have REC time until 0750 hundred, then report to my office” we stood at attention until we heard “dismissed!” and he left. I was still very much asleep. It was only 20 minutes that I have been awake. I walked to the rest room and pulled some paper towels from a nearby dispenser. I plugged up the sink and turn the handle to cold. It took about five minutes before it got high enough. I closed the door to see if anyone was looking and I dunked my face into the ice-cold water. That is when I woke up and the memories of the night before came flooding in. I pulled my self out of the bowl of the sink and turned to find a pair of eyes starring at me. The trainee was about my size. He had short chopped hair (which the insane military barbers gave him like everyone else) he also had dark hazel eyes. He wore the ceremonial blue clothes of a heavy assault trooper. And I should say that he was black. But there isn’t any thing wrong with that. But we don’t see many black HAT trainees. Most of the teachers where white and had no idea what they where saying. So it is very rare to have a black HAT trainee in this camp. He noted the water running down my face. “Need to wake my self up” I said as cold water droplets went down my neck. “Ah” he said in a northern accent. The snoring in my head ceased and was replaced with a <what? >. I ignored Tiamit for the time being. “So” I questioned him, “what’s your name and what got you into the troopers?” he turned around to see me in my combat suit. “For your first question, my name is Ray and for your second, it is an anger problem” that reason I understood, but the next caught off guard. “And I feel like I belonged here” he leaned against the counter where the sinks where. I wondered for that for a moment but then understood. He turned back to me. “So, you’re the guy that Cortez gave the bio-armor too.” I rubbed a few paper towels around my head to get the moisture out. “Ya, why do you want to know?” the bio-armor is nice and all but right now I got from it was a headache and Tiamat, and having a dragon snoring in your head isn’t really worth getting it. <I don’t snore> Tiamat said. <Ya, you do and you do very loudly> I corrected her. She saw that I wasn’t lying either. She signed in disbelief and stayed silent. The conversation outside my head however, was still going on. “Can u change into it right now?” he asked. I shrugged my shoulders, “I probably could, but I don’t really want to right now” If I got caught, Cortez would do more then just kill me and I don’t really want to know what. However, the other guy’s eyes lit up. “Can you show me?” he asked “and if Cortez walks in, he will have more then my ass.” I replied. <I can only imagine> Tiamat said. “Ah I checked where the Old man is and he’s eating right now” figures, can’t boss around with an empty stomach. “Then fine” he motioned to the door and checked on the rest of the trainees while I moved to the showers. They were your averaged gym showers, but lucky us, we have stalls so we don’t have to have our backs facing one each other. But there where only five stalls and the army wanted recruits clean as soon as possible so there was and open area where shower head where lined up on the wall. I moved to that area, placing my weapons up on the counter up front. I pulled my holsters off of my back, waist, and leg. I kept my Kei blades because they where bio-armor compatible and so was my combat suit. Even the boots where bio-armor compatible, don’t ask me how though. I expected to hear Tiamat remark about that I was about to do, but I heard nothing. Then I proceed with the change. I felt numbness along my spine and across my back. The combat suit seemed to be absorbed by it. Then spike ruptured cross my spine. Wings started to form and began to develop into a cape like fashion on my back. Muscle expanded and raced across body. My knees reversed and I fell on all fours. My feet became jointed in the middle, giving the bio-armor the ability to go from being a quadruped and being bi-petal. Talons burst from my feet, making them deadly weapons for ripping and shearing. My tail surged out from under me; it began long and thick with muscle, but became short and whip-like near the end of it. It’s proposes where, flight, battering ram, and a whip, very effect in combat if I ever get to the field. The moment it was finished, I heard to sound return. I curved around to strike anyone, but found no one. But unlike last time with Cortez, I knew what to expect. And this time I knew what I had to do. I began to claw at the side of my head. The bio-armor’s ears are very small (so they don’t get damaged in combat) and I couldn’t find them so I just began to claw. Pain stuck me with each blow, but if I succeed, I wouldn’t have to have to hear, Tiamat said something that I didn’t catch. Dark blood poured out of my ears with a pulsing rhythm. At last, a sliver capsule popped out of my left ear. Then the sound decreased on volume. The right ear proved more difficult, requiring me to use a mirror to pluck it out. Strange seeing a dragon in the mirror then realizing it is your reflection. I examined my self. My dragon head was covered with scales, and my hair has disappeared. My eyes had a yellow tint in them and the pupil lost there circler fashion but adopted the saber-like impression. Horns were coming out of the end of my head and stuck out about 4 cm. Then I studied the damage I have done to myself. The blood stopped flowing and the wounds started to heal. But there was still a lot on the shower room floor. The solution was easy to figure out. I just turned on a couple of showers (I was careful not to leave claw marks on the knob) and the blood went down the drain, but the capsules where still there, thick with congealed blood. Tiamat broke my train of thought. Every trace of sleepilyness evaporated from her and felt her anger. I knew instantly that she was pissed at me. <WHAT WERE YOU THINKING!??!> She roared at me. I didn’t know what to say to her. <YOU COULD HAVE GOTTEN US KILLED!> I tried to reason with her. <I’m sorry; I just active it and this sound came on and now you’re bi*ching at me!> I’m starting to think that sound pisses off dragons more that me. Then I felt her anger subside like a wave. Strange, a human would have kept it up. But it seem like she was tending to other things. I tried to find out what she was working on but, just like slamming a book in my face, she hid it away from me. <I need to work on this> she said when I asked her. Very weird that she would only stay angry at me for a min before she began working. I signed; I guess that dragon minds are wired differently than humans. Now that I brought my self out of my mind, I proceed with the real world. What to do with

[Shock]

these capsules, if I just leave them here, Cortez would find them and I would be at the mercy of that hell-call again. I stood on my hind feet and placed them between the floor and my arms. The dragon arm was meant to be a leg and an arm, a leg when on all fours, and an arm when sitting upright. I unconsciously twitched my tail. Then I squashed the capsules between my hands and the floor. They where crushed under my weight and became a fine powder, I wash it down with the water. Footsteps where coming from the left of the area and stop abruptly. I turned to see Josh coming out of the SpecOps part. He was fully dressed with a towel on his back suggesting that he was about to take a shower. He was hearing listening to his MP3 player and humming the tune as he turned the corner in to the shower area. I think I have told you this but I want to get this straight. SpecOps and the Troopers have separate dorms and the only area in the building where they meet is in the shower room and the Troopers are suppose to be long gone before SpecOps comes up. A SpecOps this early want a shower either meant that the drills on their side forgot about daylight savings time or they were all ready at breakfast. He saw the blood stains and pulled out his earphones.
“What the ” he said in amazement. Then he looked up and saw me. The look of awe was obvious. I could guess the question that was forming in his mind and I when ahead and answered it. <I didn’t kill anyone> He recognized my voice. “Jack?” I decided to add a punt on this line. <In the flesh> I said. He shook his head. “I heard the rumors about you being to turn into this…” he looked at the blood. “How in the hell did this happen?” I showed him the sides of my head. There were a long, thick, scabs that ran down to my jaw on each side. “Ah” he said. I wonder what happened to Ray. <Where was that black guy a few minutes ago?> I ask him. Josh cleared his throat. “One of the drills messed up on inspection and found he was missing a combat knife. <Ah> I began to change back; I can’t get through the door with the bio-armor active. I wanted to show off just this once in front of Josh. I changed everything except my wings which folded like a cape behind me. <You didn’t tell him that is relatively easy to control the bio-armor in morphing> Tiamat said, breaking her silence. <He’ll know soon enough> I replied. <And what are you doing?> I said with wonder. She was working on something but then I tried to glance it, she hide with in her. <Something that needs to be done> she said. As my wing sunk in my backside I turned to Josh, “come on” I said leavening the shower room, “I’m starving” he followed behind me, shaking his head as he went.

Cortez

I winced as the stabbed a needle into my leg and pressed down on the top of the tube. Then a friend walked into my office. “Cortez!” he said with open arms. I sat up and shook his hand. “Charley has it been this long” I replied with a grin. “Yep” I knew him from my old SpecOps squad. He and I have done missions over 12 years. “You, I would have never thought that you would be a Drill” he said with a smile, “and you as a postal boy” I said.
He laughed. He noticed the injectable on my desk. “You been taking steroids,” he questioned “Now I feel sorry for your trainees” I looked down at the pen. “Nah, it’s glucose, it’s the only thing keeping me together,” I said. “Ah, so when are you going to Eplion?” he asked. “As soon as these trainees are ready,” I said. The last time I went to Eplion, the UNSC had to prove it’s self to the Kelbrid. I was part of 3 trials; the first was the trial of strength, which we just threw a spear to see how far it would go. The second was the trial of wisdom, which was harder because we had to do a poem and there (usually) are no poets among soldiers we just wrote lyres from a song that one of use just to happen to have. I think it was called The Reason, by some early band from 2003. They liked it and we progressed to the last trial. The trials of sprit, where they just put you on a planet and then have an entire army after you. The equipment we had was the SpecOps ZeroGee Infiltration Suit or SZUS for short. If I had my choice, I would have picked assault armor, which is a mech-like exoskeleton. It has its main weapons on its arms. Its personal armament mixed with tank destructive capabilities. Its weapons include: two guns that can engage a platform mode which allow the guns to fire 120 rounds per min or a shotgun mode which fires all of them at once. It can switch between the guns or the melee weapons. The assault armor has 2 modes of melee combat. The first the claw, it can be used as a tool or be used like I just described it. But is it more humane then the next one. Of all the weapons, I would draw the line at the chainsaw. It uses a diamond bit blade (diamonds are VERY common in space, there are even whole planets made of them) to saw though flesh, metal, and bone. But on the light side, and to the pilot’s delight, there was even an MP3 player in the armor. The UNSC has been researching Psyops and declared it right for soldiers to listen to their music to get “Psyched” and ready for battle. DA*N IT! There I go rambling again. That proves how old I am. So where was I, o yes, the trial of sprit? The trial consists of them hunting and shooting us down. Our job was to get off the rock. 12 bodies later, we did, hijacking their own ship and leavening them. I was surprised to find out we passed the trial by doing that. So the UNSC was found worthy in their eyes and we get the silk we so desperately needed. “So, what do you go for me today, a message from the warden wanting me to press harder on the trainees?” I said. His smile dropped and handed me the package. The words CLASSAFIED! FOR YOUR EYES ONLY was printed with blood-red ink on the sides.

[Shock]

“Sir” he said softly as if the contents of the package were taking his breath away, “this is from High Command” he tried to poke a little fun at it with the next sentence he spoke. “How many people do you need to piss off for this to happen” he said, trying to look at the bright side. I laughed lightly. Charley gave me a look that said to me he needed to go, “I need to get these errands done or the warden will have my ass on a gold platter and serve it the rest of the troops” he said. “No wonder why the bacon tasted funny today” I joked. He laughed and walked out of my office leavening me with the envelope. “Well, it’s not a promotion” I reasoned with my self. I balanced my chair so that it stood on two legs and put my feet up on the desk. The door was locked and there were no windows, I didn’t want the trainees to see me acting this way. I pried open the orange container paper and fumbled the documents. I opened the first one. I sipped on my coffee mug and placed it on the oak desk behind me. They seem to want a full report the students (which I sent every Friday) but the strange thing was they only wanted an individual report. Jack Berenson was the person of the report. They had a full report on family history. He had no relation to the historic Jake Berenson. On the second page were the stats of his body functions: temp, heart, brain waves, ect. Why would they give this to me? On the third page of the four paged report was his bio-armor stats, this was confusing me, I’m a trainer and I leave the Intel to Intel. The fourth page stated the reasons why they are doing this and what I am suppose to teach him. “We have reason to believe that this we feel important to track this private and monitor this individual for reasons that are currently classified” It said. I signed, the first 3 pages where BS with out the reasons why I’m doing this but that’s how the army works. “You are to enroll him for: officer’s class, vehicle training, advanced Kei practice, special weapons training, advanced martial arts class, heavily weapons training, Assault armor training,” hell, the joints what him to have more training than SpecOp commando. The list stops short of any piloting of any starship beside the basic transport ship (which all HATs and SpecOps have to complete before they grad). “You will personally over see the development of the subject at hand.” A.K.A. they were telling me to baby sit this trainee. Then a thought hit me. I sent the bio-armor report yesterday; Jack was the first one to try the “dragon” type on this planet. The bio-armor has been released in the military for some time now. There have been reports of blue, green, gold, and bronze, but never a red. There were a few reports of black and white dragons but they were classified. Did it have something to do with the color? I thought for a min and after a while my head started to hurt. Then I signed, rearranged Jack’s schedule to fit what Command wanted and still gave him enough time to sleep.
I sat back in my chair and smoked a cigar, hoping that it won’t set off any alarms this time.

Jack

The sun was just peeking over the landscape when we got to the mess hall. The line was moving quickly. I saw most of the men talking to the women for this were the only time when both sexes were in the same room. As I expected, I saw Kelly and Josh (who had gone a separate line) waiting for me. Kelly was wearing the colors of a passed trainee pilot. I retrieved my food (same stuff that they give out in street kitchens) and walked over there. Josh was tearing into a chicken leg as I pulled my sit out. Kelly was the first one to speak. She looked over me and said, “So, you’re the one that Cortez chose for the bio-armor demonstration.” She wipe her mouth off with a napkin that where stacked in the middle of the table. I looked around at the women for a minute. Not to see if anywhere looking my way but to compare the ones that had their DNA molded so that they’re skin would tan faster, less wrinkles, etch. Tiamat took notice to my thought and added her opinion. <That won’t help them in the military> she said, <they are thousands of miles away from an inch of make-up> she said. I laughed at the thought then wonder why would Tiamat even care about the problems of women. <Just because I’m stuck in here (she was referring to my head) doesn’t mean that I can’t sympathize with them> and she returned to her work. I answered Kelly’s question. “That would be me,” I said. Josh put down the chicken leg and wiped the sauce off of it. “Well, next time” he said referring to the shower room “don’t use the bio-armor unless your have to” this was surprising coming from Josh. He was the last person I expect to give me a lecture on safety. “O you want to talk about safely” I swear I had a mental record of stupid stuff that he did somewhere in my mind. “Remember the time when you want to find an ‘alternative fuel source’ and we ended blowing up the urine septic room” Kelly (who happed to be drinking some water at the time) had a mouth full of water when I said this and tried not to spew the water out of her mouth when finished saying my sentence. I could tell on the look on her face that she hasn’t heard this story. “What?” she said when she swallowed the water. “Of all the times, why do you have to quote this one so much?” Josh groaned. “Because, this is the funniest to tell,” I said. I turned to Kelly. “I’m guessing that Josh hasn’t told you that tale,” he said with a smile. “With good reason” Josh added. With great interest, (and this is a woman that I’m talking to, note that) Kelly wanted me to continue. “Well, we all know how inventive Josh is, he can make up stuff for no appeared reason at all.” I said. “But as also we know that Josh has no common sense.” “Yep, that would be me” he said. “Before we met you, we live one of the older colonies, and that was paradise for him.” “He could go into the scrap pile to go looking for all sorts of nuts and bolts.” “But one day, he had a project for himself; he wanted to build a motor to power his little make-shift workshop.” “He got the motor but then we need some type of thing to power the motor.” “It had to be free and easy to find, but we were stumped until Josh had to bright idea of getting a bag of baking soda and going to the urinal tank.” Kelly’s face became distorted when I said that part but I continued. “You see urine is highly acidic and baking soda is a very power full base, mix the two together and you get an explosion” “ we made past the door and we collected some and was in the process of getting the hell out of there when josh dropped a bag.” “The bag was 5 pounds of baking soda and it fell into a lake of pee...” “That stuff might as well been C4” Josh looked up from his dinner. “You’re just lucky that it didn’t mix and set off the rest of it.” I laughed. “You just have to say this at breakfast, don’t you?” Kelly said. Before I could answer, two drills came in with a trainee in each arm. The first one had black and white trainees in each, obviously trying to rip each other to pieces. The second one had a male and female trainee in his. Both looked like they got dressed in a hurry, by the look of they’re clothes. Cortez walked into the mess hall, looking confuse as the rest of the camp was. He went up to the first drill and asked him why he had his trainees in a headlock. “I was around complex C when I spotted these two trying to kill each other.” the white one looked up and proceeds to yell. “I won’t work with these da*n ni**ers!” the drill tighten his grip and silenced the racist. The drill looked down. “YOU ARE IN THE F**KING MARINES!!!” he yelled in his ear. “YOU DON’T SPEAK UNLESS SPOKEN TO!!!” “The da*n creakier never shuts up” the drill also tighten this grip on the kid’s vocal cord. Cortez flipped out his knife and both trainees’ eyes when wide. He gripped the white man’s arm and cut it on the upper arm. Not deep so that it would kill him, but enough to draw a few drops of blood. He nodded to the drill and he let released him. He fell and used his arms to hold him self up. “What color is that blood, marine?” Cortez asked him using a colder than usual voice. “Red, sir” he said with out looking up. He did the same to the black guy and asked the same question. He got the same answer. He turned to us. “We all have the same god given , it’s what we need to live.” He looked at all of us with his piercing glare. “If any of you thank that you are better than your fellow soldier, don’t expect him to cover

[Shock]

your ass in the battle field, and I for one, want everyone covering my ass in the field” Cortez moved to the second drill. “I caught these two playing grab @ss in the tanker locker room.” This was a serous offence. The UNSC doesn’t want male soldier having sex with female soldiers, you could debate it’s not moral, but it’s really about if the female get’s pregnant, she will have to leave and have the baby, then have more time to raise the kid, and that’s a lot of time of her not on the battlefield. The UNSC wants every person that it can get. But many of the female are more than happy to make a man happy for a night than go on to the battlefield. Enter psyops, as I said before, sex has no effect on me. My brain thinks it to be production rather than recreation. Don’t ask me how; I was just made that way. But for the others that are friskier, Psyops trains them (the males) to resist it. They probably mess with the brain and remove the hormones. Anyways, Cortez looked at each of them with the glare that he reserved for every one that has broke protocol. He looked at them and spoke in a soft voice so that we won’t hear him but the café was so silent that we heard him clear as day. “Get this two dressed and fed, then head them out to Course 3” he was heading them to the Crucible. A course that is reserved for SpecOps trainees that are in the last leg of they’re training. It begins with dropping them 39 miles out with noting and have them walk back. Cortez and the drills moved out, with each trainee in each arm. The café roared once again when they shut the double doors.

[Shock]

. Josh still proceed to eat while Kelly didn’t really eat. Who can blame her; a lot of people can’t eat after I quote that story. I changed the subject. “So,” I said to Josh, “when are you going start playing at the bar?” I asked him. “As soon as we get that synchronizer” he said, “without it, we sound like someone beating some cats in a paper bag.” Ah, yes, I forgot to tell you that me, josh and Kelly, plan on having our own little band. Rock band yes, but not that heavy rock the troops are used to listing to. I managed to get lead and josh, base. Kelly (I swear that she has issues when she) plays the drums. But we need a one or two more for the lyrics that we play. Like many here, we play songs from the early 21st century. But they require 4 or even five players. “Have u asked anyone from the camp if they can play the electric?” said Kelly. I looked around. “I asked most of them, but not can play, or they can play but they start breaking windows once they hit the high C” she looked around, her emerald eyes scanning. Her eyes stopped on the kid over by the table to the north. He looked kind of small for an extra base, but Josh could make some mods on the extra base we had. “How bout him?” she asked. Josh glance at the kid, who was reading a book at the time.
“I’ll ask if he’ll join” I volunteered. I got up from my chair and walked over to him. As I did, I wondered why the voice inside my head was so quiet. <Just because I don’t give you my opinion every two seconds doesn’t mean I’m not here> she said. I pasted a table where all of the gambling people hung out. Short kid was in a heated argument with a tall kid. I moved on to the table. I pulled the orange chair out from under the table and the guy looked up. He was wearing the red colors of a HAT trainee. “Hey” I stuck my arm out to shake his hand. “How’s the book?” I asked him. He put it down and I read the title. “Hitchhiker’s guide to the galaxy, very good book” I said. He looked startled and said. “What’s your name?” “Jack and yours?” I asked him. “David” he replied. His face straightened as he got a closer look at me. “You’re the one that turn into a dragon” he was observant to said the lest. “Yes, that’s made me a sort of celebrity in this camp.” I said. “Are you going to say “what was it like?” or some other stuff” I said. His oak set eyes, reflected something dark, as if he was recalling something. “No, I have an idea what It is like” He said, breaking his trance. “Anyway, how good can you play a base guitar?” I asked him. He looked up and said, “I’m sorry, you look like someone I know, can you repeat the question?” “How well can you play a base guitar?” I repeated, somewhat annoyed. “I had some practice” “great” I said, “we’ll see you by the bar at 7:00 for your try out, ok?” “Sure” he replied, looking rather distant. I pulled my chair out and moved back to Kelly and Josh. “We still have to get a synchronizer” josh said. “Kelly” said, “can you get one?” she looked up. “Why me?” she asked. I could see the puzzled expression on her face. “The hanger where you pilots train at is right next to the storage facility, I bet they have an old ipod from 2005 in there” she gave me a look. “Am I doing this alone?” she asked <think fast, jack> Tiamat injected then laughed. <That’s rhymes> she said. I said <shut up> to Tiamat and “no” to Kelly at the same time. “I’ll be going with you” Josh begin to beat the rhythm of the classic theme from mission impossible, with we could only hear because of the racket in the café. “One question though, how are we going to get into the building and you know what the drills will think if we are out and around with a member of the opposite sex.” Josh reasoned. <Strange that none of them would care if I sleep with you> said the most annoy voice in the world right now. <No. one: I don’t care if you stay in my head, but don’t say that again, No. two: that’s a different thing from you and me. > She laughed and returned to dragonly duties, whatever the hell those are. “Do you have a few holo projectors and a recording of last year’s practice” I asked. Both Kelly’s and Josh’s eyes narrowed. “Where are you going with this?” they asked. “We could rig the holo for the bar and slip in to the complex” Josh resumed playing the mission theme when I started to say this. “Will you stop that!”
He played the end then stopped. “Sorry, just lost in the moment” he said. “Anyway, we could rig the holo to play at the bar and slip out of the bar and head for the complex”
“What if they have some security alarms that we don’t know about?” Kelly pointed out.
She didn’t know about my checker past. “I and josh have tripped every alarm known to man”. Josh smiled because he knew it to be true. “We know how the da*n things work.”
Kelly looked perplexed for a moment than spoke. “Why do you need me?” she asked. I knew I would get to this question sooner or later, and I didn’t have Tiamat disturbing my thoughts at this moment. “We need you cause our broad shoulders won’t fit into the vent’s” she gave a look. “Don’t worry, you don’t have to go into the vent if we can manage to infect the lock.” I what I meant by infect is upload a virus into the password compactor and have it unlock for a certain amount of time. This was 2104, every thing was electronic. And I had a knack for programming, thanks to Josh’s inventive hobby, which further fueled my programming skills. The virus I had was revolutionary; it infects every unguarded system and would be the electrical equivalent of making zombies out of them. Then they overload the password-encrypted systems and do the same to them. Saving the memory for me to use. I think that SpecOps uses more advanced version to boarded andalite ships. But I have yet to test mine out yet. Kelly looked relived. As I said that. A bell ring signaling that break was over. We proceed to dump our trash to the bags they had up front. I looked at my pager and looked at my schedule. I typed a series of commands that brought it up.

[Shock]

>Open schedule

/opening
/.
/.
/.
/done

I looked over it with surprise

/1.report to the vehicle training pad for your training. Demo by St. Cortez
/2.report to the advanced arms range. Demo by St. Cortez
/3.report to the officer’s class. Demo by St. Cortez
/4.lunch
/5.report to the hanger for fighter training. Demo by St. Cortez
/6. Report to assault armor practice. Demo by St. Cortez.
/7.Report to bio-armor practice. Demo by St. Cortez
/8.REC
Number 8 could have had “demo by St. Cortez” and I won’t have cared. Why where they all by Cortez? Did the guy have enough to have in one day? O well, better get to my class lest to spike the wrath of a drill.

Later…

“So, you just pull this back to make it go?” I asked Cortez on the radio. I was in a T5 anti-base tank. Unless you don’t know what look’s like, imagine a metal ball the size of a car that had a 60-pound gun and was suspend by four-spider like legs. That’s right I said legs. The UNSC decided that treads had more disadvantages on other worlds. Meaning that this tank can climb over obstacles that a normal tank can’t. I pulled the lever and the thing shot back in reverse. BAM! The tank collided with a parked one behind me. I set the lever back to its pervious place. “Congratulations, trainee” said Cortez over the radio “I have promoted you to the rank of dumbAs$” “thank you, sir” I said to my self, making sure that I didn’t press the button so that Cortez would hear me. I moved the thing forward just a little bit and not so hard on the level. “Now turn the turret to the right about 90 degrees and for the love of god, don’t shoot anyone this time!” I flipped a series of switches and buttons. And the thing turned right. “Ok, you now have the barrel facing down range, adjust the turret down about 20 and fire, any thing above 20 and the HAT’s
and SpecOps will be sleeping outside tonight.” I got what he said. He had me aiming in the tank target area but farther down was the dorm that we slept in earlier. I put the thing at 20 degrees, exactly 20 degrees and pressed the red button that discharged the high-velocity round about 200 feet. I checked one of the nearby screens to see if it hit the target. <I hope you do> Tiamat said, <I don’t want to sleep outside> they’re where two questions that formed in my mind at that point. The first is did I hit the target and the second is why would Tiamat care if I slept outside. Cortez answered my first question. “Well trainee,” he said. “I’m impressed that you hit the target, Now park the da*n thing and move on to your next class.” The answer to my second question came next. <I do care if you sleep outside>she said. I flip a few buttons and the hatch popped open. <How does it affect you if I sleep outside> I said. She was silent. I climbed out of the confining command area of the T5. The sun was about 1/3 its way up till noon as I hopped down from the tank. The brisk wind race across the landscape, making the grass move in tides as it went. I Turned and looked for Cortez. I walked around the tanks and saw him standing in one of the hallways that exited the tank practice. He nodded and started to walk to the advance arms range. Sweat droplets dripped down from my brow. Lucky me that I get the only tank with its air busted, thank god that I put on deodorant today. But now since the wind was blowing, I guess I’ll cool off pretty soon. It was a long walk but I was used to the 5 miles long runs that Cortez gave us in the middle of the night. I past a drill doing inspection on five rows of trainees and gave giving a red haired one a hard time.

I followed Cortez until we sighted the range. The range uses drones to test the subject’s accuracy with an LM. What LM stands for is light missile. The launcher is about the size of your usual RPG, but instead of material chemicals mixing, it collects about 5000 photons and focuses them into an area into about 5 feet by five feet. Very effective, somewhat rids the soldier of the consistent reloading, and can punch though an andalite bomber with the right shot. I’ve been paying attention in the orientation. But the only draw back is after five shots, the weapon is unusable and the only way to recharge it is to plug in a wall for 5 hours. The military has toyed with the idea of putting batteries in them but they deplete far too quickly. So the UNSC issues both these and the standard RPG. “At attention!” said one of the trainers when we got near. “As you where” Cortez said, never looking at them. He only walked towards the LM/RPG-proof room. As I walked up to one of the firing booths, a trainer handed me a headset. It wasn’t really a headset; it was more like a speaker and a mike attach to a copper wire. “Mike test, No 1” Cortez said through the speaker. “Give me a thumbs up if you can hear me” he said. Lean back out of the booth and looked down the walkway that connected all of the booths. The building that Cortez was in was overlooking all of the booths. I glance at the one-way window and gave a thumbs up. “Do you see the LM on the rack to your left?” I straighten myself back into the booth and looked to my left. There laid an LM, its design was similar to that of the RPG but it had 3 reflective mirrors inside it. The rack was build into the booth was closed by glass. “I said do you see it?” Cortez asked impatiently “yes” I answered into the mike that kept poking me in my cheek. “Good, now I’m going to release the protective glass” he said. “When I do this, take the LM and hold it follow the directions on the LM, but don’t pull the trigger! We have had enough trainees blowing themselves up today” the mike clicked as he finished. There was a hiss as the rack opened. I took the LM and looked at the directions taped to its side. “First, check the safety and make sure it’s on” I said to my self. The mike was off at this point in time. I looked over at the trigger and noted the red button was pressed down. <It’s on> I ignored Tiamat for the time being, but it was comforting to have a second opinion. “Next, make sure that there are no particles inside the reflection chamber” I opened the thing up and checked it. There where none. “Finally, take the safely off and point the front towards the target” I hit the little red button and it when up. The thing hummed to life. A LCD screen appeared showing wavy lines and the power. “Ok, you have the thing turned on,” said Cortez through my mike. “I’m taking the safeties from up here off, so when you pull the trigger, it will fire” I hoisted the thing up onto my shoulder and had the white letter THIS SIDE UP beside me. “There, I’m going to send a few drones out there for your target practice.” The right side of the range opened up and several sliver spheres came shooting out. They moved so quickly that I only caught sight of a blur before they escaped from my sight. “Use the da*n auto target on the thing!” Cortez yelled through the mike. I looked at the LCD screen again to see that it was tracking the motion and recognizing patterns in their flight. A red X appeared the display. I pulled the trigger but other than a slight hum, noting. I was tempted to put it down and go over the directions again to see that I have missed. My eyes moved involuntary to the display to see that it was counting down. 3.. 2.. 1.. The LM sent a bolt of light down the range and it nearly blinded me for a moment. I had my eyes closed when the bolt hit the drones and I was pretty glad that I did. I forgot to tell you when I walked into the range, the sergeants were all wearing sunglass. I could see why now they had them on. 2 seconds went by when the light finally started to fade. I opened my eyes to see the skeletal remains of the drones. “da*n it trainee!” Cortez yelled from my mike, “did you have the thing set for full blast?!” he screamed. The LM display had the red words LOW POWER flashing on it. I tapped the screen twice and it replied Max power settings. There are two things that Cortez hates. Three if you count andalites, those two are: excuses and the word sorry. he really hated them when they are both used together, but I figured I was already strewed so I went a head and used both. “sorry sir, didn’t see the power settings” I said. “I’ll let it go this time because this was your first time for firing that weapon, but this is your only time” he said through gritted teeth. I place the LM back into the rack and it shut with a hiss. “We were going to start training on the RPG, but that evidently doesn’t have enough safeties to keep you from blow your self apart.” He said and frankly, I didn’t want to tryout the RPG out of fear that I would trip some setting. “I guess that advance arms is over for you” he said, “meet me outside on the walk for officer’s class.” O great, going in to an officer’s class with my hands cover with blast residue. I walked out of the booth…

David

I tried to regain my thoughts. The dude that asked me to join their band just said the book that I was reading was the Hitchhiker’s guide to the galaxy but then I read the title again, it was the same title when I read it on the bus. I opened it again and found that I skipped the prelude: take note that beings other than you believe this to be a different book, so don’t lose this! It said. I laughed, more proof that god exists and he is on my side. Another series of words appeared from the space under the ones I just read: just because I have brought you back doesn’t mean that you can’t die, do anything stupid and I can’t help you. I took those words to heart as I left to go to the targeting range. And Jack’s offer, I’ll accepted. I nearly drove my dad crazy with that thing…before I got the damn blue cube…I put the past out of my mind as I moved forward to the practice range.

[Shock]

Jack

I was approached by a sergeant as I headed out of the booth  “Head over there to clean off” He pointed to a strange door looking thing on the other corner of the hallway. It was an alternative exit to get to Cortez. I stepped through it to see that all of the blast powder has vanished from my clothes. My skin, however, was still tan with it. Cortez was sitting on a bench with a white wet towel in his hands. He looked me over and threw me it. “The warden would have my ass before I let you back into a build looking like that.” He muttered. I was rubbing my face as he said this. Then I proceed to do my hands. Five minutes past before he said it was time to go. He got up and started to walk in the direction of the officer class. I threw my towel down on the bench (one of the janitors would pick up sooner or later) and followed him. I pasted the place where I saw the drill messing with that trainee. Now, that courtyard was clear of anyone unless you count the birds. It was probably about 10:00 judging on the sun. I confirmed my theory when I glance at the clock in the main building. We left the walkway and proceed to the main base. Transports ships came screaming from the sky as trainee pilots flew them. The ship’s trainer activated autopilot as the ship jerked to the right position. How did I know the trainer put the computer on? Base on how the ship rocked left and right then jerked and moved into a straight line after that, I could guess that did happen. A group of marines pasted me, based on their lack of gear and sweat shirts, they where running. Cortez let out a grunt of approval as they moved in front of him. The main base had the café, the warden’s office, the officer’s class, and the hangar. Cortez continued on when the marines past him. He, occasionally, checked if I was still behind him. I was about 5 feet from him at all times. I sighted the words written in gold letters Officer training on the building ahead. The building looked a little out of place in the camp. Most of the building here are portables. The only exceptions are: the dorms, the warden’s office and the building that I was staring at.
Every thing else could have been set up in about fifteen minutes, give or take. Yes, even the hanger looked like it could be set apart in 3 minutes flat and set up again in 5. Cortez entered the double doors of the limestone building and I did the same. The gust of wind from the heat exchange from air-conditioned building and the outside sent goose bumps across my arms and neck. Cortez stopped once I got inside. He looked at the signs that were bolted to the ceiling while I looked at the painting that cover the walls of the lobby. There was a copy of Washington standing on a boat but that didn’t really catch my eye. There was another one showing the opening salvo of the human fleet when the andalites declared war. The artist wasted no detail, showing the MAC gun firing in a flowering display of orange and red. The carriers unleashing their fighters on the opposing fleet, while destroyers lay in waiting behind the moon, waiting for the moment to strike. Clare stealth transports deploying from their mother ships and attaching themselves to domeship or andalite carrier that strayed too close to them. SpecOps uses the Clares to board and take over andalite ships. Usually, they only take the small ones. My eye moved to the next painting, The Assault of Mari 3, it stated but others may notice it as the Hork-barij home world. Huge thousand foot trees dotted the landscape while the artist’s point of view was on a cliff. It showed the familiar colors of a UNSC settlement. Before the war, the UNSC sent out a secret expedition to Mari and uncover some of the Arn’s biotechnology. They were disappointed to hear that most of the arn labs were destroyed when the planet was under yeerk occupation. But, by sheer luck or chance, they found an Arn gene-splicing facility with all of its data about the practice intact. This boomed humanity view of biotechnology overnight! And paved the way for the development of the bio-armor. When this was announced, the andalites criticized such behavior and demand the humans off the planet. The scientists that were on the planet complied with the UNSC ordered to leave. But it’s sheer irony that we come back to Mari. The native of the planet were left alone for the most part, the UNSC had no interest in a race of tree harvesters. But the real battles took place on the upper plains of the planet. This is when humanity first faced the andalite quantum virus.
A red light flashed on one of the signs that Cortez was watching. He motioned for me to follow him. I left the lobby and walked down the hall. Doors after doors ran down the hall. After a while, the hall floor started to slant down. Cortez stopped all of a sudden and looked at the door number above it. The door numbers were E-56 in neon red letters. The light from the letters reflected off of Cortez’s gray hair on the side off his hair as he thought for a moment. He opened the door for me and I saw the room. The only feature of the room was the oversized computer terminal that clung to the wall. It was ablaze with lights. It took ten seconds for my eyes to categorize all of the commands for the thing. It had five LCD screens which where labeled: overall, left, right, front, and behind. There was a main screen, which kept blinking INPUT SCENARIO every second. I looked for any input device. There was a keyboard, a mike, and a computer mouse. Cortez called my name and handed me a note on how to use the machine. “I would recommend that you read the note before doing anything.” He said as he moved to the door. “I should also mention that I can’t help you in this exercise, but I’ll be waiting outside the door when you are done.” He said before he left the room. The door slammed shut behind him. The lights on the ceiling that I didn’t notice before came on once Cortez left. I sat in the chair and read the note.
UNSC OPERTATING PROCEURE ON THE TRAING COMPTUER

1. Pick a scenario and choose a difficulty, and then the computer will randomly generate a map based on the selected difficulty.

2. The controls can be used from the mouse and keyboard, but the microphone is preferred because the trainee can order his troops to do anything and they will follow his exact order follow that they have not ‘broke’

3. Morale places a key role in this simulation. A broken squad will not follow your orders and will simply stop fighting. This can be overcome with victories in key or non-key areas.

4. Sleep and food: logistics are a key role for victory or defeat. Denial the enemy food or/and rest and his troops will break under the strain of warfare. But be wary for the enemy can do the same to you.

That was the end of the list. Tiamat, who was observing the entire time, spoke up. <Allow me to fight>. This surprised me and I thought about it. <Why should I let you do this?> I asked. She wasn’t getting the grade, I was. She sent me a mental picture of a puppy with sad eyes. I could see where this was going real fast. <please?> she pleaded about the fifth time. <Fine, do it> about this time, I would anything to make her shut up at this point. But another question puzzled me. <Just relax> she said, reading my mind. Right… the last thing I wanted to do right now was to relax, but I did it anyways. Now it was like watching my self in a movie. I even had a mental picture of me laying in a recliner, eating popcorn. <I hope you know what you’re doing> I said, <I do> she replied…

[Shock]

Tiamat

Jack relaxed just as I said and I surged to fill the gap between his mind and his body.
I did not have total control, (jack could still push me out if he wanted to) but that didn’t concern me at the moment. Using his eyes, I looked up at the computer screen and used the mouse in front of me to wake the computer. The computer responded with a request for the era which the combat was to happen. I looked over all of them. WWII, WWI, Mid ages, Roman age, ect. I choose Roman. Then the computer asked for the difficulty level. The difficulty level was based on a number scale where 1 was the lowest and 5 was the highest. I wonder how powerful a computer combatant could be. I hit the 5 button on the keyboard. The computer beeped and booted, then showed a progress bar. This left me time to think for the moment. I sat back in the cold steel chair and blocked jack from my thoughts. I didn’t need him to know what my train of thought was at the moment. The topic at hand in my mind was his sexuality or the lack of it would be a better way to say it. I have no interest in this human as a possible mate but I have been getting reports of the other dragons that have male hosts. Like me, they are constantly observing and keeping track of the human’s activities. They obverted that human males are controlled solely by the urge to reproduce with as many females as he can. They also stated in this theory that the instinct could only be repressed by lowering the testosterone level in the males to the near amount of the females. I would have accepted this stereotype if I had not been with this human. He had every thing needed (physically) for reproduction but he had no drive. The testosterone in his blood was the amount of any normal human and there was no memory of the UNSC removing it. Why this concern me is that this could affect the human’s judgment and that make all the difference in a war zone. I began to look through his memories but there were many gaping holes in them. Then I knew why the holes were there. Jack was holding on to the pieces that would fill the gap. The most noticeable gap was the years that he was 3 to five. From the pieces that he allowed me to see, I managed to conceive some of his life. All memories of his mother were gone from the selves of this area. It was the same with his father. The only memories that I could see did not interest me in anyway nor did it answer my question. Then I tried a different strategy to get my answer. I left his memories and looked around in the physical area of the brain. There I found what I was looking for. The area there the drive was supposed to be had been damaged. It was still functioning but was not being used in anyway that I could see. Curiously, I grabbed a few nerve endings near the drive and found pain was still there. I didn’t take long for me to come up with an answer for my question. The brain blocked out the drive because of the pain. But soon other questions formed from this answer. It wasn’t the UNSC doctors that did this to him; this was too sloppy if they did it. The drive was deep in the brain so someone had to bash him hard to damage this part. I study the bruised organ. This was no kind of bash you could get in a schoolyard fight.
This seemed like someone had kicked him when he was little and had a sloppy doctor fix the damage. Possibilities race across my mind and only one stood out. He could have been a victim of abuse when he was young thus having the ability to damage the drive that had yet to grow. But there was insufficient evidence of this. <Tiamat? > Jack asked, unaware I have done. <What? > I realized that jack had taken back his body and was waiting for me to start the sim. I broke my trance and when back to the issue at hand. <Sorry, I was just thinking about something> I tried to explain without giving my self away. <Well, I need you to start thinking about this sim> he replied. <I can’t do this on my own>. Jack sighed as I asked permission for the body and proceeded to open the game. A mesa rose up from the green default grassland and the center started to slope down. Gently at first but then it turned so steep that even a mountain goat could not climb up it. The mesa quickly turned into a volcano-like mountain with my troops in its crater.
A forest surrounded the mountain’s outer slope, which could be something that I could use if I get that far. The enemy force was then stationed on the steppe with crossbows. My troops were composed of Roman Phalanxes. Their shields especially large to stand against arrows but the shields and armor would be useless unless they work as a team. I watched as their morale dropped like a meteorite in Earth’s gravity. Some broke from the main group and ran for there lives. They where cut down by the rain of arrow from above and their screams silenced. I winched. Now, two thirds of my group was dead or breaking. The centurions (the equivalent of platoon leaders of modern day) ordered my legion to take up the Testudo formation. The other name for it is the tortoise, this formation involved linking the shields together to deflect missiles or in this case, arrows. I ordered them the take up residence along the wall of the crater. They did as they were told and set up a semi-dome of iron shields against the wall. I thought how I could win this situation… then a thought stuck me. I instructed the legion to sleep in shifts and told them to dig into the wall. The Centurions did my most of my work for me, they planned out the shifts when certain people slept, held the shields, and dug. I told the Centurions to dig at night for the enemy would be sleeping then. Progress was going slow at first but then I told them to use some of the spare shields to speed up the process. They continued this pattern until they tunneled out of the other side. I was about to tell the legion to run and flee into the forest when a naive PVT broke from the group and ran out. He never saw one of the guards on the cliff take notice of him leaving and alerted his comrades. 10 guards appeared from the overhang and fired their bows. The arrows arched up and came down on the youth like rain from a monsoon. My troops watched as the foolish trooper was killed. One of the centurions muttered to himself that foolish soldier dissevered that fate for leaving the group. As for myself, I didn’t really care about the death of this one human. I need to complete this mission. I ordered the legion to stay put in the man-made tunnel and to stay there until night fell. It was about 15 mins of real time, which equaled to 3 hours in game time. The soldiers complain and ed about the state that they were in to themselves but keep their mouths shut whenever a centurion was near. I was puzzled at this until caught an infantry when a centurion was near him. The centurion then moved towards the kid, drew out his sword; pick up the combatant and then slit the warrior’s throat. The soldier collapsed on the ground and the centurion finished the job by using his sword to open the head and stepped on the grey matter with his dust-covered sandals. <I didn’t really need to see that> Jack said as the centurion pulled the body-husk out of the cave and threw it to the mercy of the forest landscape. Blood still gushing from the stump that once was his neck. I put this incedent out of my mind and I ordered that two legionnaires to acquire some trees. The idea that I had in my mind now was undermining the slopes where the enemy was stationed on. For this to work, I need lumber to support the weight. Under the cover of night, I got all the wood I need. I thought briefly about sending the entire legion out and escaping but the iron armor that they wore would be too noisy and it would wake the guards up. Then I thought briefly about leaving the armor and weapons behind but what if my troops would happen to run into a checkpoint? This was the safest choice. It took an hour before the undermine when halfway and formed a crescent moon like shape under the mountain. That was all I need to have done. I ordered my soldiers to light a fire and told them to retreat to the mouth of the cave where they first tunneled. The fire weakened the wood that held the cliff up and it proceed to collapse. The oncoming avalanche of stone, human tools, and bodies spread over the game area. My troops didn’t need my order to bolt through the window of opportunity that the crash had provided for them. The remaining enemy troops left on the cliffs attempted to fire, but my troops where already in the forest. The green words mission accomplished appeared on the computer screens as my troops left the game area. I heard a sound and turn to see that the door was open. I felt the feeling of impatience run trough me and I wondered why I would have this feeling. The wondering took less then a second. Jack was waiting for me to release his body, which I did immediately. I severed my connection with the body and he rush to take the void that I left. I found my self tired and eager for some sleep. The training exercise has taken a lot more than what I had expected. I relaxed in my own little corner of Jack’s brain and was content to stay there.
Taking over this body like a yeerk was not in my nature nor was it in my ability. If there was a conflict between me and Jack over this human form, I would most certainly lose. The UNSC made sure of that… my mind trailed on two main things as Jack walked out of the room. The first was the dreams that I have been having…dreams of me being locked in an ice cave, feeling unbearable rage for a black dragon and intense sadness for an iron colored one. Why I felt these feeling where a mystery for me, then I heard a voice. The voice I heard sounded like it was off in the distance but came closer with every second. Jack woke me before it or I had a confrontation. The other thing that was one my weary mind was one of the many facts that I had keep from Jack. The first and foremost was the fact as long as I was with him, he would never age or fall victim to illness. Death can still take him on the battlefield, but that would be the only place where it could take him. He was immoral, not invincible. But I feel like I have damned him just the same. Many think that immorally is the ultimate gift but in truth, it is the ultimate curse. My mind continued to wonder as time past, seeking any answers for the questions in my mind…

[Shock]

Jack

The labyrinth of hall networks made their selves apparent as soon as I go into the dim-lit hallway. I cursed then pulled out the map. I felt something hitting my left foot over and over again. I looked down to see one of the rat/robots that inhabited the corridors of this place. I grabbed it and turned it upside down. Its wheels flailed in vain to grip the ground and stopped as I open the command compartment. I slid open the compartment door to revile a map and a computerized voice asking me where I wanted to go. “The exit” I replied. The thing beeped as I slid the door back in place. I placed it on the ground and it ran off into the darkness, leaving me to stand there. Shows how intelligent the AI of this age is. <The computer is only as good as its programmer> Tiamat added. I ignored her for the most part. Then I heard a constant beeping that sounded like I was in an ancient submarine with sonar pinging off its shape. I followed the sound, figuring it to be the robot. I continued to follow the sound until I alas reached the door to the outside. I when out into the lobby and looked for Cortez. The robot the guide me turned back into the darkness, chirping as it went. I spied Cortez in one of the numerous chairs that surrounded the lobby. He took noticed and motioned me to come closer. When I got close enough, he pulled out and threw a energy bar to me. “You stayed in the Sim too long so we will have to skip lunch and fighter practice for ya.” I ripped the plastic off of the power bar and popped into my mouth. I chewed it just enough to swallow it without damaging my throat. “Before we get to the next class,” Cortez said, trying to ignore the fact I had my mouth open. I finished the bar and said “and what is that, sir?” a snicker when across his rugged face. “Don’t blow your self up, your going to Assault-Armor practice next.” Then he turned briskly on the heels of his military issued boot and started walking out the door. When I reached the door, the bright sunlight hit my face any my eyes painfully dilated. It was nearly blinding to follow Cortez through the camp but I managed. I did not see or recognize the path to the Assault-Armor training ground but I did sense the cool wind rush out of the doorway when we entered the complex. My eyes became adjusted to the florescent lights overhead as soon as we walked in. The building looked like a hangar of sorts. Big enough to house two fighters side by side. The building was transformed into a target arena. Each area had a distinct “feel” you could call it. There was a barren landscape, which was noting more than a plot of dirt with a few things growing out of it. There was a desert landscape (it was nothing more than a plot of sand). There was an urban landscape that had everything, from the out-of-date telephone wires to cars. As I gawked at the area, Cortez moved to a door in the wall. Right next to the door was a 10 by 10 feet door. I heard the distinct roar of a truck and the 10-frame door opened. It did not swing open or bust open. It simply when up. Cortez then yelled at me to get out of the way and I did promptly. He backed out a turquoise mover that had a robot looking suit on the back of it. The color of it was night-black and bipedal (it was humanoid) Cortez then press a button that lowered the thing from the back of the truck. Two prods shot out and picked up the suit and placed it gently on the solid ground. He pressed the same button again and they retracted. He then pulled the vehicle back into the storage area. As he did, I got a closer look at the suit. The first things I noticed were the arms of the suit. They had diamond bit saws the gleamed when the light from above hit them in a certain way. They say that a diamond is a woman’s best friend but the way they were positioned on this saw, It looked like it could make mice-meat out of anything. A flash of memory appeared in my mind when they showed us the vids from when the war began. The UNSC didn’t bother editing the tapes; they showed us exactly how the chain saws were used…now, as I look at the chain saws blades, I just can’t stop imaging them covered with blue blood, alien entrails, or organs. I broke my gaze at the jewel bit saws to the upper forearm. This was were all of the weaponry was keep when not in use. I spied a claw, (it was designed more like a tool than a melee combat weapon) a gun about the size of my fist, and a similar one underneath the forearm. I looked up at the copper-colored visor and saw that it was just like a mirror. This didn’t really perk my interest and I moved on. The size of the AA (Assault Armor) was about the size of the average man but I hardly looked human. As I stated before, the color of its outer shell was black, but I never noticed the texture of it. The AA shined as if it was just polished. I ran my finger down the plates of armor on the back of the AA. I felt the cold, smooth, metallic, shell of the machine as my finger ran down each shield of armor. There was no visible entrance that I could see to enter such a thing. “Examining your new toy?” my head whipped around to the source of the voice to find it belonged to Cortez. He must have gotten in as I was looking at this thing. I looked him in the eyes and figured that there was no point of lying to him. “Yes sir” I stated to him. A small smile flicked through his day-old beard. “Now, I need to get to the control room and turn the AA on.” I was puzzled for a minute as he said this. Tiamat (who was observing all this time) broke her silence by answering this question. <He doesn’t want you inside the Assault Armor unless he has the off button> she answered <so you don’t shoot the place up> I listened but didn’t give a reply; I was too busy looking at what my instructor was doing. Cortez climbed his way to a series of platforms suspend on razor-thin wires. They bounced and swayed to the side when he leapt from one to the other. I knew from the day at orientation that he was a SpecOp vet but I never really imaged that a person at that age could move that fast. He reached the room and I heard the screeching of the speakers as they came on. I heard a sound that sounded like air rushing in to fill a vacuum and turned around to see that the AA was limp and the upper torso was bent over to the front. The plates of the back of the AA shifted upwards, watching as each lower plated slid in place beneath that higher one. The AA lower legs shells popped open as if someone had a pushed it out from the inside. They swung to the side and wait for me to climb in. I watched as the process was
completed and the AA was fully opened. “What are you waiting for?” Cortez boomed over the warehouse’s speaker COM (that he had the volume set way too high I might add). I went cautiously to the AA and wondered how I was supposed to step in the thing. Without thinking, I moved forward for some unknown reason and had both of my feet in the “shoe” of the AA. Then the assault armor sensed my presence inside it and started to close up. I felt the assault armor adjust to my size and weight. I felt the cold metal of it adjust so it could fit my shoe. Then it proceeded more rapidly. The back of my hamstring when cold as the armor closed in a matter of seconds. I felt the plates on the back of the AA reform and reorganized like a snake moving through grass. They closed the only source of light as they danced and slithered into their places. Then I feel a series of clicking then a sense of vertigo that lasted for a second then disappeared. Then the AA visor came on-line. It bleeped the green words START UP COMPETE that disappeared to show me the warehouse. The motion sensor came online and took up residence on the lower left corner of the screen. I noticed that several images covered the visor, one showed what weapon he had out in the current moment in the lower right corner, another showing the AA in sections. All of the sections were green at the moment so I assumed that the AA was fine. “All right, I can see from here that the AA has you buckled down petty good,” said Cortez from a pair of speakers on the left and right side of the helmet. “Try to move around in it but don’t do anything stupid, we all ready have enough soldiers dying on the fronts”. Obeying Cortez’s order, I took a step and found that the suit followed my every movement precisely as my brain had given them. I paced back and forth with AA. I found that I could change the vision settings in the visor just by thinking about them. There are four setting that I could use. The first was the normal setting that I was using at this moment. The second was infrared which was useless right now. The third was night vision, which doused everything in a sickly green. The fourth and final one filled the visor with static blue that active electronic equipment as a source of light.
I flipped through all of them out of inertest but I soon started to do it out of boredom. The weapons in a not responsive state right now and all I could do were just paced back and forth. As I did, I wondered why Tiamat was so quite but it took me a second to find out. From out of nowhere I got a mental picture of me being in a cave that was the size of one of the dorms that we slept in. the cave seemed to be craved out granite rock and was smooth to the touch. I was one on side of the cave while a red sleeping dragon lay on the other. The exit was to my left let in sunlight the reflected off the walls. Tiamat slept peacefully on stone slab, occasionally, jerking her pebbled textured head to the side as if acting out some part to a play in her sleep. I looked over her with awe. She was the perfect fusion of power and beauty. It was like a hunter admiring the color of a cobra or the skin of a lion. A sharp yell from the speakers brought me back in to real world. “Jack!” Cortez yelled through the suit’s speakers “GET YOUR ASS TO THE AREA NOW!!!” he roared. Amazingly, Taimat stayed asleep through all this, which was good. I didn’t need her input at this moment. A map appeared on the visor and let me down a maze of areas. I spied the door that had the sign with AREA 1 in neon letters. The door automatically opened as I approached it and I got my look inside. The entire area was a targeting range where caters and bullet shells laid. I looked at the shell and found they were out of place here. The AA minigun fired caseless bullets so I figured they must have come from the secondly gun. “If you stop day-dreaming for a minute, we could actually get something done on time.” Cortez mutter in the mic, “I shutting the area’s door so don’t piss in your pants if you see the door closing.”
True to his words, the door started to close. I watched slowly as it moved down and quickly scanned the area once it did. The best way to describe the land that I was in was to say that it was barren. No grass, no bush, no plants of any kind. I looked up at the walls of this cage. They weren’t really walls as I thought them to be on closer inspection. They were more like doors. Static came through the speakers and Cortez’s voice followed. “ Now I going to remotely activating the AA weapons and send some holo-drones for you to shoot at” he said “go crazy with the AA and I enable a self-destruct button that I have up here”. I got the last part and waited for the weapons to come on-line. It took a second then two new icons appeared on the screen. They were located in the bottom corners of the screen and displayed the ammo that I had available. 999 rounds of continuous fire for miniguns had me impressed. The UNSC kept expanding the AA’s limit time after time but I never thought that they could pack that much ammo in to such a little machine.
Suddenly the system heard the high pitch whine of the holo-drones and opened a database comparing it to all known sounds. It found the signature sound of the drone and opened a window that showed the stats of the thing. I closed the popups windows with thought alone and will my mind to the task ahead. Three drones shot out of a vent overhead and zipped down in a circular pattern. When they reached the ground, they projected three images of andalites. One was an Aristh, while the other two were older. The younger one charged me while the other two stood back and morphed. The Aristh was fixing to swing his blade with all his might at my head, determined to crush it with one blow. I acted on instinct; the minigun on my left hand retracted and a chain saw appeared. It was a second latter before it was buzzing and humming in my hand. The andalite swung at my head in that instant. I had only a second to time the shot when I sliced his tail off. The Aristh fell on the ground, blue blood still gushing from the tail. I stood over him and looked down. The andalite looked at me with all four eyes in fear. I retracted the minigun from my left hand and replaced it with a claw. With one quick movement, I reached down, grabbed the two stalk eyes, pulled up on the stalks, and lifted the andalite’s head so I could expose his neck. I buried the saw into his neck. Bits of tendons and muscle shot out from the saw and blue blood stained the floor. Strange, older holograms never show blood or body bits… this must be the newer version. I dropped the head and turned to face the other two. One looked like Medusa with whips coming out of its head while the other looked like a tiger with a mouth too big and full of shark teeth. The AA sized up the threat and gave me a suggestion. It asked to engage platform mode, which I said yes for the hell of it. Four beams shot out of the thorax of the AA and rooted me to the ground. The miniguns flashed out in under a second. The AA entered auto-targeting and unloaded on

[Shock]

the freaks. A foot long flame shoot out of my arm every .3seconds. The snakehead tired to attack but it simply cease to live after 40 rounds tore .5 millimeter holes through it.

The cat thing climbed up the wall and tired to attack from above. The AA pulled my arm upwards and fired. A sudden twitch in my arm moved the stream of bullets to miss the cat and hit the projectors. The cat vanished as did all of the gore. “Those are come out of your paycheck” Cortez growled. “Those were our last AA training drones Jack so I guess you get back to the set-up area” the same map appeared and navigated me back to the point.

I stepped on the white square signaling where I was to disengage from the AA. I briefly wondered how I was going to get out of this thing but as soon as that thought crossed my mind, it started to open. I heard the iron plates part and fold up like they did when I first entered it. The armor released my lower body and I stepped out of it. The cool air of the building greeted me and I enjoyed it. I had barely realized that I was sweating in the AA. I heard a beeping sound coming from one of my pockets on the strap on my belt. I flipped the brown cloth flap over and picked up the speaker. I placed it so it would fit comfortably on my ear and listened to Cortez. “All right” he said, “proceed Area 5 for your Bio-armor training.” I smiled as I walked off of the square platform. I found the door that had the number five painted on it in bold white paint. The door slid upwards into the wall as I approached it to reveal a room. The room it’s self was medium sized. I walked into find a another door that had a red and a green light on top of its frame. The red one was lit so I assumed it was locked. I looked to the left of to see a bench supported by two chains that attached to the wall. On the beach was a stack of papers. “I have never done this type of training for this type of ‘equipment’ so I’ve given you the complete report of what the guys in the white coats have done to you” Cortez blankly said. I picked out the papers and read it over

[Shock]

UNSC REPORT ON THE BIO-ARMOR

The bio-armor is really a symbiotic organism that bonds to any living creature that it comes in contact with and has the remarkable ability to manipulate the DNA of the host.
The armor can be programmed to take on a shape of another animal once a host is clamed. Then the armor represses the host original DNA so that it would take on the appearance of which it was programmed to do. I have never seen anything like it….
The armor is capable of emitting powerful hormones that allow cells to heal wounds at astonishing rates but this only happens when the armor intakes iron. The armor allows the host to share instincts with the mimicked animal and in some cases, allow shared intelligence with the mimicked animal. We have caught this problem early and have altered the armor so that the host will always dominate over the other intelligence. The main drawback of the Armor is that it can only take the shape for which it was designed for which leaves the andalites at an advantage. We have only one bio-armor type currently in the works and that is the “dragon” type. We have used the dragon DNA and fused it with the bio-armor but we have found that some of the DNA was incomplete so we fused it with Hork-Bajir DNA. The Hork-Bajir DNA adds spikes to the forearms of the dragon thus making it more deadly. But other than that, it only supports the dragon DNA.

I skipped the rest. It was telling me things that I already knew. There was a red button on the left side of the door. I pressed it. The button’s texture was hard but that didn’t really matter. The door slid upwards to reveal a city like landscape. It looked like a 21 first century city. Or I could have been a city if it wasn’t the lack of human life. The marks of war were present on the area. A collapsed building had steel points showing through the rubble. It was clear that Spec Ops had used this area before. There was a flash of static and I hear Cortez’s voice break though. “I’m sending a holo drone out there” he said, “ it will take the form of an andalite but it will change into some type of citter, your job is to kill it”. The blue glow of a Holo drone floated out onto the area as soon as he was done talking. I began to change as soon as I spotted the andalite appear. The change was going smoother and faster than the previous encounters. My skin hardened and proceeded to turn into dragon hied. Talons burst out of my shoes and hands, my back give way for my wings and then… I saw something out of the corner of my eye, a blur of blue fuzz. I sniffed the air, nothing. But still I wanted prey. I opened my wings and flapped them. A mighty gust of wind came forth with the down stroke. I waited for a breeze that I could fly on but none came. A buff of smoke appeared as I sorted in disapproval. I was just going have to make do with hunting on foot. I walked along the main street with my claws clicking the pavement. I stopped in front of a collapsed building. The building was about four stories high with heavy paint coming off of it. It had four windows on each side. As I stared at them, I could not help but notice a shadow in one of them. Curiosity got the best of me. I looked for a way into the building with out being seen. The doors on the ground where rusted and probably locked. I, being a dragon, would not have a problem smacking in if they were locked but it would certainly made a lot of noise if I did and the stairs of the building could have been corroded and would not hold my weight. I yawn and and stretch my arms out before me. I looked at my claws then looked at the wall. An idea stuck me and I curse myself for not thinking about this before. I plunged my right fore claw into the building and did the same for the left. I pulled my self up with surprising ease. My talons dung into the building’s structure and I proceed to the window. Grey dust appeared and faded away with each plunge of my claws. My tail hung down below me. As soon as I reached the window, I used my tail to search for the switch to open it. I heard it bang against the dust streaked glass a few times and found a hole that I could get the tip of it in. as soon I put it near the hole, I felt a sharp jab in my tail, I reacted it as fast as I could and examined it. I could see the wound. There were no glass bits as I had assumed. Instead it looked like a bite mark.