Year sol standard 2132

In the morning I awoke to the sound of ships, coming in and out of the main docking bay whoever bright idea it was to put the docking bay right outside the barracks I hope you fall off your speeder and die.

“Get up you wastes of oxygen!”

The translator in my earrings buzzes from the sound of a Lamaran male marching in the door of the barracks his race was known as the most aggressive in the federation with four arms and standing at 193 standard units on average. They say Lamaran men and women have three times the strength of a human at the peak of their physical prime.

“If I have to tell you all to get up one more time this whole barrack is going to feel my wrath!”

I slowly dragged myself out of bed. This was a daily recurrence. He comes into the barrack yells obscenities at us then makes us march from one end of the station to the other, at this point, my body does it out of muscle memory. Legs still asleep and eyes heavy I try to hustle as much I can to the formation the last thing I want was to be thrown against a wall for being a pathic human as he put it last time. next to me in formation was a Laramran woman named Flora to my left and the other human recruit named Logan. We already had on our combat training suit that practically became sleepwear for most recruits so they wouldn't be yelled at or hit for being the last ones in formation

“Good to see you got up before he made it to this side of the barracks this time,” Logan said

“He wouldn’t be so tired if he didn’t spend all night reading that stupid earth crap,”

Flora said jokingly she actually enjoys this human crap a lot more than she lets on, I let her borrow two books one being When the cage birds sing and the other The Collection of H.P. Lovecraft. Needless to say, she loved them both.

After a quick inspection of the barracks, the Drill Sargent moved us out of the barracks and into the docking bay there was an easier way to get to the training level but the sergeant says the noise will wake us up. The sound of people yelling and the crick of the machines did wake me up but it also gave me a headache making it to the other side of the bay and down the stairs, with my eardrum intact was an achievement in its own right. After reaching the training level the sergeant puts us into our assigned group of three logans and Flora was my partners

“Oi let’s get to work Flora I want to get today’s morning workout done so I can have breakfast with Misty I’m starving and Flora please go easy on us today I still have bruises from the other day” Logan groans rubbing his side still sore from yesterdays training.

“Hoping for the best, prepared for the worst, and unsurprised by anything in between'' Flora smile at me and I had to assume she was checking if I noticed her quoting Maya Angelou

“I don’t know why you even try logan a Lamaren female would never go easy on a male of any species those women breed warriors and the words go and easy is damn near heretical for them to be used together.”

I pick up one of the practice blades from the rack and throw it to Logan

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“We just have to fight harder so she doesn’t bruise us, Flora!” her ears perked up when I said her name “How about two on-one today me and logan wanna try something today against you.”

“If that makes you feel better, sword brothers come at me at once”

she pulls out the hammer she uses as a primary weapon. It was padded so the worst she could do was give a bruise or two and a slight concussion. I hit the duel timer for 8 minutes, and Logan and I rush her me being the shorter of the two of them I struck low and Logan struck from above as I expected she tried to kick me in the chest but I blocked it with the flat side of my sword she was able to kick me and block Logan’s attack. She smiled at us

“If I wasn't a Lamaran that maybe would have worked Captain”

without a moment's hesitation, she rushed me, I stood my ground raised my sword to her, and took a stance as my adrenaline filled my chest and moved into my arms. She strikes down at me with her hammer I luckily dogged the hit that likely would have sent me to the medical wing as Logan swings at her, she steps into the strike and gave a merciless headbutt sending him back stumping to his starting position.

“Logan Dodge!”

I yelled trying to get to him before she capitalized on his moment of weakness, but I wasn't fast enough Logan's head met the business end of her hammer and knocked him out cold “It's always you and me at the end captain!” she said with the wide smile that meant she was about to either kill me or make me her new punching bag. I released the holo shield on my wrist to block and strike “Here she comes!” I thought to myself ready to block her attack. the power of impact with my shield felt like a car just hit me. If that hit would have landed anywhere but the shield the federation would have been sending the sergeant to tell my parents the bad news. I parry the hammer to the side then swing my sword across her chest.

“That was my first hit on her this week.”

I thought to myself. The Lamaarns were power warriors but chose brute strength over tactics and style. Before she could do another attack the duel time when off I did it I survived 8 minutes against Flora dropping her hammer he hugged me

“good job captain as a reward i'll buy you breakfast today but for you Logan.”

she looked at him with slight anger.

“You get nothing a man like you…”

“would never find a mate on your planet. I know… I know you say that almost every day Flora I get it the captain is the only human able to hit you at least once.”

rubbing his head. “I'm going to the medicine level to get this wrapped so my head does swell up I’ll meet you guys later.”

I could tell Logan was upset with himself for being knocked out but I thought it would be best to give him some time before talking to him. After putting the practice weapons away Flora and I walk to the mess hall after finding an open table Flora told me to sit and wait for my reward I prayed to the Universe that she didn't bring me any food from her home planet it’s not that the food was bad, it was the fact that the portions were massive. As I open my eyes from my quick praying sure enough Flora came back with two plates stacked high with eggs, that looked like normal eggs but had black spots where a yellow yolk would be, on the other was a thing that I could only assume was a meat that was white but shaped like a piece of bacon at least the bread looked familiar before I could pick my spoon up Flora grabbed it and tried to feed me it was really weird how she acts after I strike her in training. “What's wrong captain? I thought human males liked it when females did this kind of stuff at least that's what the picture books you gave me said” said smiling sweetly at me “Flora those picture books are called manga and they're not a good reputation on what human romance is.

I say as I desperately try to get my spoon back from her, but she moves it every time. “That's not true, captain, look over there.” Flora point at the human couple feeding each other lovingly. “That's because they are boyfriend and girlfriend Flora we… I say waving my hands in a circle around us "are just comrades, swords brother and sister, and friends.” as we are speaking two Lamaran youth approach our table. In Lamaran, culture the women, Barers as they are called on their home planet or nearest translation, are typically tall and stronger than their men counterparts. “Flora!” The short-haired Lamaran male said sitting extremely close to me in the booth.

“Why do you spend all your time with this human trash? He can't be good for your health, no offense to you my lady.”

Flora gave him a look at said insult my captain one more time and see what happens.

“I'm just saying my lady this human isn't worth your time especially not this subspecies of human, I mean you seriously can be friends with someone that people were enslaved right….”

Before I knew it had the knife from my plate at his throat “Shut up you blue skin piece of shit!”

Since humanity is very new and very young compared to the rest of the federation the other species use our history as a way to understand us. I hated when people who didn't know shit tries to speak of humanity's history without knowing all the facts. Flora seeing what I was doing looked shocked but laughed at the Lamaran man

“I don't think my captain likes you very much and just a heads up he was able to strike me in training this morning so be careful.”

hearing that the male step back and what I could only assume was Lamaran’s equivalent of a bow to Flora and walk away all will staring me down

“You handled yourself pretty while there captain I’m surprised pulling a knife on Lamaran male the balls on you!”

“Sorry, you had to see that it's just, that years no more like centuries have passed and still nothing has changed to the point where most of my people had left the sol system and colonized other ones. I'm not even from Terra so I get a little better treatment than Logan but it's just annoying.