Ranger Training

Chapter 2

Despite the conditions of the cramped shuttle and the jostling that served as a constant reminder of precisely where he was, Trax'l was having a difficult time accepting this moment was actually happening for him. With every shudder the shuttle brought, there was a strong part of him that fully expected to be woken to start his duties on the ship. From the looks of those around him, at least those that could be seen from where he sat, he was not the only one.

He was sitting with his fellow recruits as they were traveling to some unknown planet for some unknown length of time and his body was more than a little sore. Every jostle caused his stomach to attempt an emptying of its contents, but he maintained his breathing to ensure that did not happen in front of his fellow passengers. There were far too many barbs already being sent his way from all around and had little interest in giving a single one of them any other reason to take any additional notice of him.

There was no way Trax'l was going to vomit and give any the satisfaction of seeing any Claxion embarrassed in that way. Upon finding out one of his kind was joining them in their pursuit, there yells and shouts of abuse had no apparent end to the creativity his fellow recruits expressed. Trax'l endured everything they could throw at him with as much grace and dignity as he could muster, because he knew it was not those crammed into that tight space that he had to impress. It was the Rangers that were responsible for his training and nothing else mattered.

If Trax'l had his count correct, there were ninety-nine other poor souls on their way to deal with whatever the Rangers had in store for them. One hundred bodies stuffed into a shuttle built for one-quarter that number, like cattle going to slaughter. The old Ranger had told him if his drive was strong enough then he would make it, so he continued to breathe through the bumping and shaking of the craft and willed himself through one of the most unpleasant ordeals he had ever faced.

The time of wonder at all the species he had come across had passed a long time before that moment. There was a time when he could not believe all the colors, shapes and sizes of sentient life in the universe. Being a member of ship's security changed his wonder to disappointment rather quickly, since he realized the various species in the universe had far more in common with each other than he ever cared to know. It was far too easy to cause trouble on a ship and he had been involved in numerous detainments, some of which had left with nightmares that lasted weeks and images stuck in the back of his mind that he feared would never leave.

His encounters with species that wore environmental suits outside of their quarters was something he found even more wondrous at first and somehow managed to make the wonder last a little longer than those without. As part of ships security, he was there for the medical briefings when any passenger was going to join them requiring environmental protection. He could not understand how so many different, intelligent species could not survive outside of an extremely acidic environment. Then there was the multitude that lived in an atmospheric state that would lead to the death of anyone if exposed for even a fraction of a second. It was far easier to look with wonder when he was completely unaware of just how likely death would come if there was a single tear in a suit he happened to be next to at the time.

Trax'l glanced over to the small screens that continued to be turned off inside the shuttle they were forced to share and none had any idea which direction they were heading. On occasion, he felt the ship turn one direction or another and he knew this was being done with a great deal of purpose. With no screens and several unnecessary turns, it was impossible to even begin to guess which part of the universe they were headed towards. In space, they should no more feel the turns as the jostling, but he felt everything and knew something must be wrong with the stabilizer.