Chapter 6: Training Days

Bill focused hard and visualized a tendril of energy reaching out to touch Jet's mind. The tendril slammed against Jet's head but could not enter the other man's mind. Bill's minds eye went carefully around Jet's entire head looking for any weakness that he could enter through. Nothing. I can't see a way in my friend, he thought to Jet.

Jet smiled and quickly shot his own tendril towards Bill's head, only to be blocked by the same energy shield Jet was using. I thought I might catch you off guard my friend, he thought, laughing inside his mind.

Both men brought their shields down to the minimum power needed to block simple scans. It was enough to keep them from being detected by anything other than a full Balisee scan from an enhanced mind.

Even then, the scan would have to be within a mile of their location, and the new crew would have to be out of their ship's own formidable shield.

"Want to grab some coffee?" Bill asked, rubbing his head. Both men had a mild headache that came when using as much mental power as the mind sparring required.

"Sounds good to me my friend," Jet said, slapping Bill on the back as they headed to mess hall. Bill went flying forward through the air from the friendly but powerful slap on the back.

Right before his body was going to make contact with the floor Bill tucked his legs to his chest and executed a perfect roll letting his shoulder make first contact. The second he made contact with his feet, he simply pushed up. He leaped over six feet into the air, landing softly with almost no sound.

The entire two seconds from the forward motion of the slap to when Bill's feet touched the ground again was a single flawless motion.

"HA!" Bill said, grinning at his new sensei. "Don't you ever take a break from training Jet?" he asked.

Jet smiled, shaking his head, "Only when I'm dead my friend, only when I'm dead."

Well, next time can you at least make sure you do it when I don't have a bottle of water in my pocket? Now I have to go change my damn pants. Bill thought to Jet. Looking down at the soaked rear-end of his camo pants, the water bottle was split in half in his rear pocket.

Jet grinned, then focused on the water particles on his friend's pants. He pictured them moving back into the bottle and the spit in the plastic reforming with a slight amount of energy to melt the edges together again.

There you go Bill, although considering where that water just came from, I don't think I'd drink it, Jet chuckled in Bill's mind.

Bill tried to keep an angry face, and made it for almost three seconds before he burst out laughing.

The two continued to the mess hall as Bill thought to Jet, Hmmm, I wonder if Bear might be thirsty. I'm always willing to help a buddy out you know.

Jet almost split a gut laughing so hard; thinking about Bear's face once he found out where the water had been. Just remember to be running when you tell him about the reclaimed water. I'd hate to have to bury you just before your training is complete.

Buck, who was monitoring the two men's training exercise, caught that last part. Well I damn sure want to see that too, he thought. Turning to Benny, who was working with Razor and Shera on the same mental sparring, he watched as they too finished up. Both of the lion people had shown themselves capable of the same powers as the rest of the team.

Shera, however, was off the charts even for them when it came to reading someone else's thoughts. It seemed her range was unlimited, at least within this system. She was in constant contact with Chief Medical officer Karooka on the Balask, confirming her new medical knowledge. This shook CMO Karooka's belief that all earth species were a lower form of life to the core. Shera not only knew the knowledge he possessed but found flaws in three of the basic treatments used on Fergussia for major illnesses.

"Let's go guys or we're going to miss the show," Buck said to Shera and Razor.

What show Buck? thought Shera.

Buck showed them the last part of Jet's and Bill's training and the conversation that came afterwards.

"Oh, there's no way I want to miss that show!" Shera said smiling. I just hope Bill is fast on his feet. She thought to the two others.

Bear and Tex were in the weapons room, practicing with the Single Combat Tactical Weapons Unit. Of course, that being a mouthful to say every time, Tex named him Sarge.

Sarge was a newer AI, since he had only been awakened three hundred years ago. He knew every form of armed and unarmed style of fighting in the fifteen systems.

Some of the combat forms were not practical for the humans, since they required either a tail or extra appendages. But over one thousand of the forms that Sarge knew could be adapted to the team.

The AI was just a little taller than Bear, which meant he was over seven feet tall. At the moment, Sarge had taken the shape of a Sabori warrior, with upper and lower sets of arms wielding short swords and the center set holding two shields as he attacked both Bear and Tex at the same time.

The two men circled, keeping distance between them to make the combat droid split his attention between them.

I'll take high, you go low, Tex, Bear thought to his partner.

Gotcha pard, watch that lower set of blades. He almost kneecapped me last time, Tex thought back.

Now! thought Tex, stepping in close to the seven foot Sabori.

His own blade was a three-foot double edge broadsword. Sarge deflected his first strike as the center shield on his side slid down to cover its legs. Sarge quickly slid his lower sword up from behind the shield and sliced a four-inch furrow on Tex's left arm. Damn, that boy's fast! he thought to his partner.

Bear didn't bother replying, as he was busy dodging both blades on his side of Sarge. They were a blur of steel as Bear went from offensive to defensive strokes.

Letting the lower blade pass within a quarter inch of his stomach, Bear quickly struck as the blade went by him. He slammed his own shield into the upper blade, knocking it from Sarge's tentacle and stepped close, putting his huge, four-foot Broadsword's edge against Sarge's throat.

The blue eye's widened and damned if the beak didn't split into a grin! "Well done, Commander. You anticipated that my attention would be on your partner long enough for you to perform a Dubloi strike," Sarge said as he shimmered and liquefied back into his normal shape.

Buck had allowed Sarge to go through earth's historical records and pick a human, male likeness to assume as his permanent form. No one had bothered to ask the name or history of the man he chose. Only Benny knew, and the name meant nothing to him personally.

Sarge had picked a retired Captain Jonathan Stone of the U.S. Navy Seals. Sarge's reason was the dedication and leadership the aforementioned Captain had show in his missions. Captain Stone always made sure all his men got home, dead or alive.

Benny had checked the records of the man, making sure Sarge had not picked a nationally recognized persona. Benny's records showed that after retiring, Captain Stone became an engineer and consultant to the military.

Jonathan Stone developed a new engine, which ran on alcohol, for military aircraft. He sold the patent rights to the military, and disappeared two years before the meteor struck the earth.

Sarge stood 6' 4", wide in the shoulders and narrow hips. His new face was rugged, ending with a pronounced square chin. His bright blue eyes seem to burn into the soul of a man. Sarge ran his hand through his gray flattop hair cut that sprouted from his new features.

Turning to the bleeding Tex he softly admonished, "I hope you learned your lesson, Commander Tex. Your Shuta stroke was one inch too far inside for a fast withdrawal."

Sarge smiled seeing Tex acknowledge his mistake. "Commander, you may now release your nanites to repair your arm," Sarge ordered.

"Well it's about time. Here I am bleeding to death while you're shootin the shit with big boy," Tex said, as he mentally ordered the nanites back to work in his skin.

While in training mode, Sarge did not allow any healing or protective measures to be used by the combatants he trained. "A little pain is a great teacher," he told the crew.

They could heal themselves in a matter of seconds from most injuries, except a loss of a limb. A loss like that required a trip to medical for an hour in the regenerator.

"Thank you Sarge. As always, it's been an honor," said Bear, bowing to the AI.

Sarge had never encountered the respect these humans showed him. Usually he was only a target for ridicule, since the Fergus considered him a lower lifeform.

"You are most welcome, Commander Bear," Sarge replied.

"As for you Commander Tex. I might add that no real Sabori could have resisted your attack, since I was in full mode," he said to the wounded man.

Sarge had been in his full combat mode during the sparring, something he had never been able to do with the Fergus crewmembers. If there had been ten Sabori warriors, the two men would have killed them all, he thought to himself.

Watching as the nanites closed the last damage to his arm, Tex said, "Well, my stomach thinks my throat's been cut, let's grab some chow, buds."

Bear grinned at the most sacred word in the English language, chow, "Sounds good to me, little buddy."

"Who are you calling little, big boy?" said a semi-irate Tex.

"You better remember what old Sam Colt said, my man."

Sarge was curious, he had never heard of Sam Colt from the old west. "What did this Sam Colt say, Commander?"

Tex smiled, patting the S&W's around his hips, "God made men, but Sam Colt made them equal."

Sarge picked up his matched set of LERG's that Tex had designed, slipping them into the holsters on his hips. "Well I do not know this Sam Colt, but I know Commander Tex and his work does the same thing," he smiled at the man.

Tex almost blushed at the compliment. The LERG's Sarge was using were designed by Tex based off both a combination of lasers used by the Fergus, and a rail gun system Tex had found in the U.S. military database with Sasha's help.

The LERG stood for Laser Enhanced Rail Gun. It could fire both a lethal and non-lethal laser beams. The rail beam system surrounded the laser section on the perimeter of the barrel. It was absolutely silent, with just a mild kick, and was invisible as it shot from the gun.

The result of the rail beam hitting a target was astounding. Nothing survived the impact it produced. The force of the faster than light wave punched holes through every material they tested it on. Its range was well over a mile. At that distance the shooter used the rifle version of the LERG with an electronic scope for accuracy.

Sarge's LERGs resembled Colt .45's since the shape really didn't matter. Tex had been proud to help ole' Sam Colt make a comeback.

"Let's roll pards," Tex said, once the men were again geared up.

Right outside the mess door, Bear got a buzz from Sasha.

"Oh Really!" he muttered, and then smiled.

"Oh really what?" Tex asked his big friend.

Bear just grinned, "Nothing, enjoy the show my friend, I'll be right in, gotta hit the can first." He watched as the other two went on in to the mess hall.

Backtracking, Bear went to the conference room and ordered a bottle of water from the replicator. Slipping it into his fatigues, he headed back to the mess hall.

Everyone else was already eating at the main table in the center of the room. "Man, I worked up a sweat," he said to Buck as he slapped the Captain on the back. "You've got to let Sarge run you through the Sabori simulation training."

Buck smiled. "Been there, done that, hurt like hell, too. The Sarge don't seem to recognize my Captain's status on this ship."

Since he did not require food, Sarge just sat with them, chatting the way Benny was doing. "Of course I recognize you're the Captain. That's why I push you harder than everyone else, Buck," he stated with a malevolent grin.

Bear had slipped his water out while everyone was listening to the exchange. Sitting down, he spoke loudly.

"Damn, I forgot to get something to drink."

That was Bill's cue. "No worries partner, here ya go," tossing the bottle of water he had been saving.

Bear caught it saying, "Thanks" and managed to let his fork fall off the table. "Damn, I'm all fingers today," he said, as he bent down switching the water under the table.

Everyone watched as he opened the bottle and chugged the entire drink down in one gulp, smacking his lips he shook the bottle. "Gonna take more than one of these," he said. Bear got up and ordered two more from the replicator.

He slipped Bill's bottle of water back out and switched it with one of the clean ones. "Here ya go Bill, got one for you too," Bear grinned, as he tossed the bottle to Bill.

"Well thanks partner, I appreciate that." Bill said. He tried hard not to laugh at Bear just yet. He wanted to have a good head start before he told the big man what he had drunk. Bill opened his bottle and took a good slug of the drink before he realized it had a strange taste to it. Not bad just different than what it should have tasted like.