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Rika set the test unit behind her and plunged back into the open panel, straining down until her waist was against the edge of the hole. She reached down, attempting to grab the probe while her weight shifted, threatening to send her tumbling into the cavity. Her fingers brushed the probe, but not enough to snag it. She raised her lip and tried to think long thoughts in an effort to squeeze very last nanometer out of her. Her foot bumped something, and she heard the object start sliding away on the slick vessel skin. "SHIT!" she said, scrambling backwards out of the hole and launching herself down the side of the Farrom. She was too fast. Her hands slammed into the test set, shooting it further ahead and off the "wing" tip, where it disappeared from view. "Son of a krosht," she cursed in half arlomic, rubbing her hands and picking herself up. She walked back up to the open panel, sealing it back on before climbing down into the cockpit and then back down to the hangar floor. This phase needed to be ready for a proficiency flight in the morning. The last thing she needed was a broken test unit. The green box was precariously perched on the left horizontal stabilizer of a super hornet parked immediately off the Farrom 8's "wing" tip. She sighed with relief. It had only dropped a few feet to the hornet's "stab": there was a chance it might still work. Standing as far forward on her toes as she could, she reached up the stabilizer and lifted the unit off. She was in luck, the flight surface didn't even look scratched. "Wouldn't expect anything different from a dog." She jumped at the male voice, then turned to see who it was. Behind her the corporal that had been staring at her from wing earlier was standing with his hands on his hips. There was a smirk splashed across his face. She knew he had used the word as a derogatory term for her, but she gave him the benefit of the doubt. "Expected what? From who?" His smirk turned into a scowl. "Don't play stupid. I know you were trying to do something to my jet-" "I just knocked my test unit off my wing, it landed-" "Test unit for what? To check your stolen crypto? Or is that to test the tracking unit you've installed somewhere?" Haha. Like they needed to do any of that. "It's for our comm laser-" "You're burning out our comm. Great. I knew it was something. I'm not falling for it, not like you have all the rest going. You are up to something, I know it. Why not just tell us outright? Are you here to find our weakness, then what, wipe us all out, or just to enslave a mass majority and call it a day?" "Huh?" Rika cocked her head to the side, more in shock and believing that she must have missed something than not hearing him. "You're training with us, learning our tactics, our capabilities. I'm not so naive. I know what you and your kind are up to here. You've even got your loyal human pets to help you appear friendly. Cute." "What the hell are talking about? If we were going to do any of that you would be dead or captive years ago." she said. Memories of her previous life rushed to her, and her anger lit like a spilt puddle of gasoline and a dropped cigarette. "As for my 'kind'," she said, "if you want to see the high tech disguise, look at the rest of my crew! I'd love to look like them, but I can't go be 'adapted' like they can." "Pfft, likely story. More like you remain yourself to maintain control. It's hard to establish yourself as boss when you all look the same. It's obvious in the way you work together- good attempt too, to appear below them. But you give it all away because it's too obvious, you play the bitch, but the respect is still there. They are afraid to push too far." Rika grabber her ears and shook her head. "Good lord you're skull is thick." "See? I'm getting you flustered tried to hide it. I knew it." "We spend days to weeks to months at a time together in that cramped little cockpit. We even live together, even after we get out of the military. You can't be a douch and expect to cohabitant peacefully. I keep the vessel THEY fly in working safely. But if that's not enough for you: Have you thought that perhaps alien units work differently than yours do? Hmm? Good god, if you're this close minded I'm surprised your shop can put up with you." He smirked and jerked his head back towards the door. "Oh them? They're my family. Another strength that you star swingers don't have." "-the fuck?" "-Maybe growing up and living without one is why you're type is so heartless." She spun and started for her vessel's ladder. "You know what? You're right. You're abso-fucking-lutly right. My kind IS heartless. We're ignorant and fearful too, and you are living proof of that. Jesus fucking christ; you make me want to forget I was ever a part of the... My biological, mother loved me so much she ditched me in a dumpster behind a shopping center several weeks after I was born. If it hadn't been garbage day, and the garbage man hadn't heard my crying and turned me over to the state I'd still be rotting in the bottom of a landfill. The foster home I ended up in was a wonderful, caring place, run a couple who took in as many kids as they could just for a check. They ran it like a children's gulag, providing us with the absolute minimum so they could keep the bulk of the government "aid" for themselves. I was lucky again: I got adopted when I was twelve by a man who had little and gave everything and I finally felt like a girl who was raised by someone. But it wasn't until he made me enlist with my crew, who aren't even from my own fucking galexy, that I finally had a real fucking family. They gave me what no one else would or could. They give a lot more than two shits about me, and it goes both ways." She had made it to the Farrom 8's hatchway and turned around to spit the last sentence at him. He stood silently, and for a moment Rika felt her scorching rage diminish. Perhaps she had finally gotten through to this clown. Maybe she had drilled it into his thick skull deep enough it finally reached his brain. The feeling was short lived though. Within a few moments his face cracked into a grin, and he broke into a laugh. It took him a few seconds to calm himself, and when he did he had his hands on his knees, trying to catch his breath.

Gamun strained to listen. What the hell was going on over there? Rika had been conversing with someone in a tense tone on the other side of her vessel, and it was quickly becoming and argument, with Rika ranting about something. She wish she had her ears back. The cockpit muffled so much without them, even with the door open. She climbed out, closed the hatch, and walked the few paces to peer around the Farrom 8's nose strut. There was a cocky looking marine smirking up at her friend, who was climbing back into the cockpit. This wasn't good. People were targeting Rika already because she was different. Maybe she had been right. They were her own kind after all, and everything she was spouting indicated that he had just said something really insulting stuff about the rakkan people. This wasn't going to end well. Not if this was the same Rika that ran Mr. Friendly off of her in the club last year. The corporal looked up at Rika with a sneer on his face: "Ho that's rich! So you're saying that you're trash, and they picked up someone's garbage. Haha! Assuming everything you just said is true, that makes you, like, what? A slave? A pet? Did they change you and bring you back here to mock you in front of every one? Oh! Tell me, do they let you eat at the same table as them, or only when you're really good? Those losers only treat you like that because they think they'll get something from it." Rika's lips drew back revealing a muzzle full of razor sharp teeth glistening in the harsh hangar light. A snarl erupted from her throat that made the hair stand up on Gunny's neck, who had poked his head out the shop door, likely to see what the fuss was about. Gamun had seen Rika do that before. This wasn't good. "I bet your mother is proud of you," the marine mocked. "She probably thinks of that toss into the dumpster as one of her better decisions in life." Uh-oh. Rika lunged. Gunny yelled. There was a blinding, violet flash. She appeared to fall asleep in mid flight, and crumpled into a lump onto the concrete floor. Gamun was airborne over her in a second, sheathing her multitool as she slammed into the mechanic, knocking him off balance and ramming her fist into his gut. He looked up at her with the essence of surprise as she ripped him to the floor and sat on him. It didn't take him long to recover. "What the fuck was that for you crazy bitch?!" "Shut your fucking muzzle!" She lifted his shoulders by the collar of his uniform and slamming him into the concrete again. There was a loud whack as his head hit the concrete. His eyes slightly wandered independently of each other as she lay into him: "I won't let him get into trouble over something as low and disgusting as you're sorry tail! You want to know why we all respect him? It's because he does THAT when people try to hurt those around him." "Fuck him! Get off me, you psyco-" She hoisted his shoulders up by his shirt and slammed him down once more, knocking his head against the floor again. "No! And for every bruise he has from falling, I swear I'll break one of your bones... If you have a problem with the rakkan, how about you at least address it to everyone." Pearson gave her a blank look. Puzzlement briefly flashed across his face and Gamun leaned into him again. "What, don't believe me? Here." She fished her PDA from a pocket on her calf and clicked through to her military ID, the one that showed her black-furred face and ears, red blaze and reddish tan throat. She was wearing her normal uniform in the picture, and looked rather irritated. Next to it was a photo that was clearly the woman in front of him. Beneath was her name, rank, and serial number, all in rakkan text. She showed the corporal. "That is me, when I'm not busy on some shit-rock dealing with idiots like you that loose their minds over simple appearance. If you had any sort of nose you'd know in a heartbeat where she came from." She brought the device back and pressed another button, changing the image to an attractive young woman with dark brown hair and a terrified look on her face beside the Rika that had nearly mauled him. Should she? No. Rika could show this turd herself. "That's fucking photoshopped. Pretend for the exercise. I'm not an idiot." "Excuse me, ma'am," a deep voice said from behind Gamun, making her jump. She hadn't notice the small crowd of mixed sailors and marines that had sprouted out of the ground around them. Gunny was standing behind her, holding out a hand as if to shake hers. "Please don't judge us all off him. I'm terribly sorry for his behavior. It was extremely unacceptable, even by our standards." "It was his actions, not yours, Gunnery Sergeant. If there is one thing Sergeant Yasoi has taught me it's that every person, regardless of what or who they are, has their own chance to make me think well," She glared at Pearson. "-or little of them." She took Gunny's hand, and he helped her up before shaking it. "Glad to hear that. We missed each other in the shop when you first arrived. I am Gunny Owens." "Sergeant Yasoud. Call me, uh, I think in your language it's 'Mallet'." The corners of his mouth twitched up. "Now if you'll excuse me," Gunny nodded towards Cpl. Pearson as his men scooped the mech off the ground ("Seriously! Don't tell me they have all of you brainwashed too!) and dragged him into the shop. "-we're going to have a little talk with him." The door closed behind him, and immediately she could hear Gunny screaming at the NCO. "PEARSON YOU FUCKING MORON, WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING? IS THAT HOW A MARINE IS SUPPOSED TO ACT?! FORGET THE RACIST BULLSHIT FOR A MOMENT, YOU CAN'T EVEN TARGET THE RIGHT PEOPLE! ...HOW?! WHAT?! THEY'RE ALIENS YOU SHIT BRICK! HAVE YOU SEEN THEIR SHIP? THEY CAN DO WHAT THE FUCK THEY WANT... I'M BRAINWASHED?! LOOK HERE FUCK-STICK, ONE OF THEM SAVED MY ASS DURING THE FIRST INVASION AND GOT THEIR FOOT BLOWN OFF IN THE PROCESS. I'VE SEEN THEM GIVE THEIR LIVES FOR US AS IF WE WERE THEIR OWN... NO SHIT! WAY TO GO FUCKTARD, WHEN SHE WAKES BACK UP I'LL INVITE HER IN SO SHE CAN RIP OUT YOUR YELLOW FUCKING LIVER!" Gamun couldn't help but smile. As she turned to wait for Rika to wake up he could be heard screaming again. "THE NEXT TIME YOU SEE THAT ENGINEER YOU WILL THANK HER FORMALLY.... YES THE ONE THAT TOOK YOU DOWN! NO, DUMB-ASS, THE ONE SHE FUCKING FLASHED! I SWEAR TO CHRIST HIMSELF IF I COULD I'D TRANSFER YOUR ENLISTMENT TO THEM JUST SO YOU COULD WALK IN HER BOOTS- HUH? I DON'T GIVE A FUCK! THEY CAN USE YOU TO TEST DICKLESS GENES FOR ALL I CARE! I HOPE THEY DO TO YOU THE OPPOSITE OF THEY DID TO THE REST OF THEM, JUST FOR YOU BEING SUCH A RACIST FUCKING BIGOT!" A muffled crunch boomed across the hangar, sounding much like a body being thrown into the shop wall. Sergeant Yasoud turned back to the shop, amazed. She had been mad, yes, but this was starting to carry on. Perhaps she should do something? Gunny wasn't done yet. "ANGRY?! YOU THINK I'M FUCKING ANGRY?! THIS IS NOTHING! WAIT UNTIL TOMORROW MORNING WHEN THE C.O. FINDS OUT!! I'M FUCKING HAPPY NOW! EEEEEEEAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!!!! GET THE FUCK OUT THERE AND APOLOGIZE BEFORE WE'RE ALL STANDING IN FRONT OF THE GOD. DAMN. PRESIDENT. TO EXPLAIN WHY OUR FIRST RELATIONS WITH PEOPLE OFF THIS FUCKING BALL OF SHIT HAVE TURNED SOUR! I SWEAR TO CHRIST I'LL HAVE YOUR ASS FAP'ED TO THE BOTTOM OF THE OCEAN BY MONDAY! MOVE!!" Ah. Now she could see the cause for panic. The door flew open and the young man burst through, nearly knocking into her as he came barreling across the hangar floor. He stopped and faced her, apparently struggling to get himself together as he apologized. "I'm sorry, I wasn't watching where I was going. Oh!" He seemed to recognize her suddenly. His jaw fell open momentarily, and his eyes moved back and forth between Rika's limp form on the ground with her tongue lolling to one side, and Gamun. "You really... He really was about to kill me, wasn't he." Gamun followed his gaze to Rika before turning back to him with an arctic look. "Yes." "Thank-you, for saving my life." "I didn't do it to save you. I didn't want him to get into trouble." He nodded silently, shifting from one foot to the other. "Will he be ok? From you shooting him I mean." "He's unharmed, though won't be happy. Having a different opinion now?" There was a groan and Rika blinked, squinting in the harsh hangar lights. Pearson eyed her warily as she attempted to blink things into focus. Her eyes passed over the bottom of Gamun's uniform, but stopped at the marine's boots. Her eyes followed up his camouflage utilities, over his blouse and name tapes, stopping at his eyes. He stared into her for a few moments, then she lunged. "MOTHERFUCKER!" Gamun leaped over her and sat on her back. "Easy!" she yelled, attempting to keep the rakkan from removing the marine's extremities. "He has something to say, and you should hear him out." "Why the hell should I?" she spat, "You should have heard him earlier." "I did! Every last word. I was right behind your vessel. You missed a bit while you were out. Trust me, Yasoi, just listen." Rika slumped back to the floor and Gamun stood off of her before helping the engineer to her feet. The rakkan then backed to the side, motioning to Cpl. Pearson.

He stood there for a few seconds, looking clearly awkward and embarrassed. Rika scowled at him, which equated to the white tips of her canines showing, with her arms crossed. He looked at his feet for a few seconds, his mind in thought, tracing his toes in the oily grime that covered the hangar floor. When he looked up again his face was sober, and he looked Rika in the eyes. "I'm sorry for accusing you of sabotaging our jets. I'm sorry for making fun of you because of how you look, for passing judgment while knowing nothing, and I'm sorry for acting like a twentieth century hillbilly. I've... I've embarrassed myself, my unit, and my species. Please accept my apology." Rika glared at him, but he didn't flinch. She recognized him now. His first name was Max, and he was THAT Max. She went to the party he threw in his dad's boathouse. The one where he... Where her spiral down had started. This was the Max she used to buy the liquor and the pot and the pills from. This little shit in front of her was the single leading influence that lead to where she was now- to who and what she was now. The Marine Corps evidently didn't know that, though, and they sure didn't do much to improve him current sincerity, if it really was sincere, aside... Her thoughts were interrupted by a heavy boot treading on her foot. "OW! Shit! Ok! I accept." "Good," Mallet said, "Now greet each like civilized people do." Pearson held out a hand and Rika took it and shook it. Gamun cleared her throat. Rika gave his hand a sharp jerk and Pearson stumbled forward. She leaned forward and gave his cheek a quick sniff. "That," she explained to the confused Corporal, "is what she meant by greeting." "Interesting." The voice made Gamun and Rika pause. Pearson wilted as Echo appeared from around the nose of the Hornet, sweat darkening his flight suit in the pattern of flight gear. "What happened?" "A minor misunderstanding, sir." Rika explained, "Nothing to worry about." Echo nodded. "Uh-huh. Corporal Pearson, what happened." "A minor incident sir. It's been resolved." "I know the game Corporal, I used to play it as a sailor. Now, you are going to explain what happened or-" "His division chief has already dealt with the issue, sir," Mallet said. "You really ought to speak with him. Corporal Pearson just completed what he was ordered to do by Gunny, and you should get the full report from your division chief, not from us." Echo looked at the sergeants, then at the corporal. He pursed his lips and started for the shop door. "Very well, I will. Carry on."

Echo groaned. "Oh my god." Gunny sighed. "I know." "Well, you can rest assured he's wrong about both the crypto and learning our tactics." Gunny chuffed. "Underestimating them, is he?" Echo leaned over, lowering his voice. "They hack our crypto on the fly. Fresh, every flight. We even tried switching codes last minute, -didn't even phase them. Commander Sadok won't say anything about it, but she's eluded that what we suspect is correct-" "Wait, won't say or can't say?" "Won't. We think she learned some really confidential shit after they pulled her broken ass out of the desert. She says that it would hurt us as much as it would them if it gets out, but who knows. They put this bright blue band around her wrist that's supposed to track her if she leaks, but with aliens who knows what it does." "A blue band, huh?" "Yeah. And I guess they're keeping tabs on her kid, too." Gunny leaned back in his chair. "Interesting. So they hack crypto fresh?" "Yes. And they don't care about our tactics. They club us like baby seals no matter what we do." Gunny gave Echo a sober smile. "I'm not surprised. I saw how they mop up Skinnies." Echo sank back into his seat and ran his hands over his face. "Still, if Pearson ever does something like that again and we don't catch it-" "Scratch that sir," Gunny said, leaning forward. "If this ever gets out everyone here will have investigations and brass shoved so far up their asses we'll be tasting nothing but cellulose and copper for months." Echo gave a short laugh. "You ain't kiddin'. It's almost 1800. I could use a drink. Have you ever been to Shaggy's about a mile out the back gate? Most people from base leave it alone for some reason. I go there when I want to get away from the military for a bit." "Hah! I used to be a regular before I started flirting with BCP as a sergeant. Good place to get away from people. I think it's on the banned list for most units -somethin' about too many higher-ups for lower enlisted to be around. It's always been a bit of a hole though, so I don't know why anyone that high would be interested in it. I'm up for a visit." "Great. I'll meet you there unless you want a ride." "Not in that archaic death trap you roll around in, sir, but thanks for the offer."

Twenty minutes later found Echo enjoying the crisp bite of a beer. "I still don't know how you guys manage to get this stuff way the hell down here. I thought they only sold this in the Northeast." The bar tender only winked at him before disappearing through a door into the back. Behind him Echo could hear someone come in. The heavy footsteps made it easy to know the owner of them long before Gunny Owens relaxed onto the barstool beside him, his stocky frame seeming to hang off him like low, snow-laden pine boughs. He groaned, tossed his battered Steelers cap onto bar and ran his hands through his somewhat sweaty hair. A sudden voice beside him made him jump. "Rough day?" There was a short man, maybe in his mid fifties, sitting a stool away from Owens. He hadn't noticed him before he sat down. Then again, he hadn't been paying much attention, either. "You could call it that," he replied. The bar keeper came out from the back and noticed Owens, perking up with a smile. He plunked a Yuengling down in front of the gunny. "Ya haven't come seen your therapist since you decided to loose weight. Well, drink up and spill the beans, Owens. I know you're not here for the decor." "Bah..." "I'll call you 'Gunny' all evening if you don't." "Fine! Fuck, 'keep, you-" "Name is Keith, Gunny," "-Keep, Keith, Keith the 'keep, what the fuck ever. Do you want to know or not, ya fucking earpiece for the Lance Corporal underground?" "Oh, no, do tell, Mr. Owens. We're all dying to hear," he said, winking at the other man. Gunny looked at Echo, who only shrugged. "Ah. Shit. Well, you know the Rakkan are visiting. -Only fucking aliens that don't want to outright kill us- It was supposed to be somewhat hush, but they aired it on the news and they don't exactly try to hide, so fuck it apparently..." He trailed off, but continued with an encouraging nod from Keith. "Well, one of my marines decided to go all hill-billy racist and bad mouth one of their mechanics. The only kicker is I think he picked a human to run his suck at." Keith had a confused look at this, while the other man at the bar leaned in. Owens continued: "She or he or however they work their confusing ass genders-Confusing as fuck, I know- but it is what it is and I'm pretty sure it's not bullshit and they're not originally rakkan. I'd guess it's a one way street for humans though, because she's the only one that actually looks like a damn alien. They rest are... dunno, modified to be less intimidating or something. So we're told." Keith raised an eyebrow. "Oh? How do you know she's a human then?" Gunny shrugged. "For starters she looks different than any other rakkan I met during the skinny invasion. They all looked strikingly similar, with little variation in fur color. This one is completely different. She looks like a two legged maligator- the dogs the MP's use- and acts like it, too." "Uh-huh." "Also, the other's mannerisms and accent stand out like a turd in a punchbowl. Awkward as hell and an accent thick enough to stand a damn spoon up in, though over the past few days they've been getting a lot better. That one, on the other hand, speaks like a cheesehead and interprets body language perfectly. She perfectly catches all the plays on words, puns and the like that the rest of them miss, as she has ever since they showed up. And mean flawlessly. The thing that blew the doubt away, though, is-" Gunny took a drink from his beer as everyone, Echo included, leaned in. "Is?" Echo said the moment the beer left his lips. "First evening they were here I was alone in the shop, waiting for Sergeant Thomas to come back in so I could have him sign some stuff. I'm sitting back in AM1's chair, tucked behind my desk and listening to the same angry metal playlist they all seem to have for shop music. Then the door kicks open and their three maintainers walk in, one after each other, carrying stuff to put in their corner. The first two come in and give the radio this slightly confused look- it's not normal, it's like this slight head tilt that gets steeper the more confused they are. Anyway, the furry one comes in last and she just freezes. Then this look comes over her like she... like she... Like she had that feeling you get when you're on DET in the field for six weeks and it's pissing rain and cold the whole time, and there's nothing but rocks to put your bivi on, and then you lay down in your own warm, dry bed for the first time. Like a junky getting a fix while in withdrawal." Keith laughed. Echo couldn't help but chuckle. "She starts tearing up, listening to this angry metal shit," Owens continued, "and when one of them asks if she's ok she keeps this thousand yard stare and says something like 'I've missed this so much.' Then she noticed me, dropped her stuff in the corner, and bailed." Echo and Keith laughed. "Anyway," Gunny said, "apparently he said some really insulting, personal shit to her. The mechanic took the bait and went to tear him apart him, and should have in my opinion, but one of the real rakkan laid her tail out cold. It saved his ass, and probably diverted an intergalactic incident or some shit. Man, I'd HATE to have to fill out that report. Anyway, I'm still stuck with the motherfucker. I can't send him up to mast or write him up because of the huge can of worms simply having something on paper would open. It would punish the whole unit, and I don't want to do that when everyone else is working together great. I just wish I could force him to walk a few miles in her shoes. Make him work with them for a few months or something." Just then the door opened and Rika, followed by Gamun, Niedka, and Grum stepped in. [HEY!] Yelled Keith, glaring at Rika. [I told you you needed to used the back door! What the fuck do you think you're doing?!] "You never said shit!" Rika said. "How about a goddamn sign!" [Yeah, shake off, butt huffer!] Gamun said. [This is our first time here!] [How the hell are we supposed to know?] Lost said. [It's called posting notification!] [Ease off, bork fucker!] Grum said. The group turned around, and as they did Rika could be heard grumbling. "-two weeks home and I'm back to gutter trash again. M' sorry I came. Hey Mallet, is it just me, or did that guy look like the skip-" The door slammed closed and Keith looked sheepishly back at Gunny and Echo. He was quick to explain: "Sorry about that. Some came-" "That was them!" Echo said. "See what I mean?" Gunny said, pointing at Keith. "She kicked off at you in english like it was reflex. She even muttered to herself in it; would you do that in a foreign language? The others all replied in rakken right off the cuff as if it were normal, which I might add," he said, eyeing Keith suspiciously, "you appear to be pretty fluent in." Keith shrugged. "They frequented here a lot right after the skinny invasion. Well, before they decided to get hammered and trash the place one night. I picked it up then. 's not much and pretty rusty. Do you really think it would be a good idea to just send your marine over to them, though? I mean, what if they do to him what they did to her?" "It would serve him right!" Gunny said. "All the rest of my marines and sailors work well with them. They've helped us jack jets, caught aircraft, hell, "Splash" or whatever they call him, helped us swap a nose strut. All of my guys have wing walked, drove support equipment over, unloaded stuff from trucks, help them look for lost tools... And that's just been over the three days since they showed up! Not Pearson though. Never him. And their pilots are douches, true, but what pilot isn't?" Echo snorted into his beer. Gunny kept going: "The rest of the crew seems pretty solid." "Interesting," a deep voice said beside him. Gunny turned, and the man stuck out his hand. "I'm Colonel Oontini, commanding officer of the Farrom squadron you're hosting." Owens stood and took the hand and shook it, unsure of what to do as his innards franticly scrambled into his throat while he felt the blood in his face migrate to his toes. The man continued: "A similar report was passed up to me when Sergeant Yasoud discharged his side arm at Sergeant Yasoi. I like your initiative and the mentality you have behind correcting your marine. To be honest, my engineers are having trouble keeping up with our flight schedule, and could use an extra hand. I'm sure your military has a temporary transfer program, yes?" "Fleet Assistance Program," Echo said, offering his hand. "Yes sir. I'm Lieutenant Thompson, his OIC." They shook. "Good," Col. Oontini said. "We'd love to have him. You route what paper work you need to, and I'll send a request from my end and make sure it reaches the right person to have Corporal Pearson temporarily attached to Sergeant Yasoud's craft for maintenance. Got a pen? He'll be going to Fourth Wing, Squadron 'F-L-I' six eight two, Farrom 10 in case you need it." "Is there a contact for my commander should they have questions sir?" "They can ask any one of my officers over there to put them in touch with myself or my XO, who is attached to your site aboard the Farrom 8." He took a pen and drew a series of odd characters on Echo's napkin. "There. Just show them that and they'll know with whom to connect your commander with. Anything else?" Echo scribbled the rest of the information down on the pad as the man got off his stool and slapped some money on the counter. "No si- er, Actually sir," Gunny Owens said, "will Corporal Pearson... er, need specially shaped boots or anything upon his return?" The officer gave him a wry smile. "No." Gunny looked slightly relieved. "Thank you sir." "I was worried what might be going on in your unit, Gunny. I was actually in here hoping to over hear something interesting this evening, but what you've given me is far better. I'm pleased that this is an isolated incident. Thank you." And with that he ducked out the door and walked off. "Holy shit!" Keith muttered. "I know, right? We're so fucked-" Owens said. "No, not that, he just tipped me fifty bucks..."

A door blasted open and Shepard's voice boomed across the hanger. "ECHO!" Echo turned around and perked up. "Grab your div chief and come here!" Echo heard the subtle scald in her voice that time. "Yes ma'am!" he said, briskly turning and jogging towards his shop door. He opened the door to find Gunny Owens powering across a mostly empty shop. He turned around and they began hurrying across the hanger. "MO just called," Gunny said, "wanted us-" "I know, I was coming to get you." "She sounds pissed, sir. This ain't good. Commander Sadok never gets pissed." "Oh I know." "Think she knows?" "Yes." "How did she-?" "We're about to find out," Echo said, pounding on the door to the MO's office. "COME IN." Echo and Gunny marched in, and before they could report she had thrust a packet of papers in front of them. "Explain to me what this is." Echo began reading over the top paper. "It's a request for us to fap a person ma'am." "I CAN FUCKING READ ECHO. Why on earth do I have a FAP request on my desk, from an alien command, with one of your marine's names on it?!" "Ah. Well..." He shot a glance at Gunny. "We had an incident last-" "Corporal Pearson verbally assaulted Sergeant Yasoi, and by proxy the entire rakkan people last night, ma'am," Gunny said. "Oh my God." She groaned. "What happened?" Gunny took a deep breath. "Well ma'am, I didn't hear the first part, and since lower enlisted seem to act the same across species nobody will tell me the whole story, but the part I heard and then saw started with Corporal Pearson asking if they treated her like a pet or a slave, and if they let her eat at the table with them, or only as a reward..."

"... And then he thanks us, tips the bar keeper a fifty, and walks out." Echo said, fishing in his pocket. He unfolded the scrap of paper with the alien characters on it and set it in front of her. "That's the contact info, supposedly. And now you know what we do. I hope you understand why we didn't jump into sending a report. I would have told you sooner, but I didn't think the FAP request would get to you this fast. It's been less than twelve hours." Shepard stared at the scrap of paper for a few minutes. "He shouldn't be FAP'ed. He should go to Captain's Mast..." She looked up at Echo. "-Or run over with a truck." "But then the 'why' behind it all will end up on paper," Echo said, "and far bigger fish than the Skipper will see it." She sighed. "I know. And as much as I want to torch his ass, the Skipper will likely say the same thing." "And as much as I want to stand up for my marines," Gunny Owens said, "after what I saw, I say throw him to the wolves. I over hear him going on about not trusting them again this morning." She nodded. "Then that's what I'll do. I need a rakkan officer, Gunny. Echo, I need FAP paperwork signed before your flight this afternoon. This will be dealt with before the three of you go home." "Yes ma'am," they said in unison.

"Corporal Pearson reporting as ordered, ma'am." He didn't dare look down. He could tell she was seething beneath her cool exterior even without taking his eyes off the wall. "Do you know why you're here, Corporal?" "I have a pretty good idea, ma'am." "Then you should know that your actions yesterday shamed your unit, your Corps, the Department of the Navy, your country and your species as a whole. Your bigotry and shallow ignorance was on par with that common before the civil rights movement. The only, and I do mean the only reason you are not being sent to captain's mast and then processed out of the military is that making any paperwork on this incident will draw attention from such high levels that our collective asses will be chewed out by the same people your Commandant himself address as "Sir". I will not put my unit through that and neither will the skipper. Do you have anything to say, corporal?" He knew he should say 'no', but to his horror he heard himself speak. "I regret attacking who I did, ma'am." He immediately kicked himself mentally. He swore here eye twitched. She signed a piece of paper on her desk and scribbled something in the margin. She thrust it across her desk at him. "Get out of my office." "Yes ma'am." He didn't make it ten paces across the hanger before "Pearson!" He looked across the hanger to the voice. AM2 Sanders was walking across with the shift logbook, likely headed to the evening maintenance meeting. "Yes AM2?" "How did it go?" he said, jogging over. "She was pissed." "Hah! Yeah she was! That has to be a first: making Lieutenant Commander Sadok so angry she yells. You really screwed the pooch to do that." Pearson shrugged. "Are you going to mast?" "No..." he said, looking down at the paper. His eyes grew wide. "Oh fuck!" "What? Duty every day for the next three months?" "She fap'ed me to them! She fap'ed me to the fucking aliens! To Sergeant Yasoud's ship too! Oh my god!" The petty officer broke into a smile. "I guess you shouldn't have talked so much shit. At least she was the one that didn't try to rip your throat out. How long? One month? Six?" "One month I think."Pearson kept reading, and as his eyes fell on a word he felt the blood drain from his face. "Not a month, huh." AM2 said. "No. No! They're only here for six months, right? They didn't get extended?" "Nope. I was just talking with Lt. Grum: they're still slated for six months and that's it. Why?" "She... she fap'ed me for a year." "And I hope I never see you in my unit again." Pearson jumped. Lt. Commander Sadok kept walking by him, like a polar wind sweeping across the arctic. The petty officer looked over at the paper, reading the note written in the margin. "'Do with him whatever you want.' Jesus fuckin' Christ man, what the hell did you say in there?! Holy hell!" "I don't know..." he said, partially in shock. "Well," said the petty officer, a smirk creeping onto his face, "at least it's not the ocean floor. Remember to write! Let us know what it's like to be, what did you call Sergeant Yasoi? A slave? I think you said she was a pet or something." The petty officer gave him another slap on the back before walking off, grinning. Cpl. Pearson staggered across the hanger and through his shop, not noticing the questions and jeering of his fellow airframers, and into the parking lot. There, as he trudged across the baking asphalt, he pulled out his cellphone and dialed a familiar number he knew better than to save as a contact. "Yeah?" "It's me," he said, looking over his orders again. "Look, I got a problem, and it's a big one..."