Adam spent the next few days getting used to his life as an officer hated by most of his peers. And even without the collection of his medication, he was far better at allowing the events to happen to him and move on without fuss. just like he had done when he was just a civilian. Today though was different from the rest as it was his second week onboard the capital ship, he was finally getting his medicine daily, and he was going to get his first paycheck sometime that day.
"Have you decided what you are going to use your first paycheck for Master?" Charles asked Adam as they plodded towards the lesson he was probably dreading more than his engineering classes: combat training.
In spite of all the ways officers could tip the scales in their favor by sources other than themselves, the fleet mandated that they would practice personal self-defense so that they would not be caught unawares and be useless should enemies breach the ship they were on.
Honestly, the viability of these lessons were slim to none because if you didn't have a weapon, your bodyguards, or your other supports you were likely doomed to begin with. So enforcing these lessons on officers just appeared to be a way for the physically superior to flaunt their superiority.
"Master? are you listening?" Adam was thrown out of his thoughts, stuck in his head again as they were alone walking through the halls.
"Yeah, sorry. I was just stuck in my head again about how pointless the training seems to be." Adam stated, getting the equivalent of an exasperated sigh from his slave.
"Master how many times do I need to tell you that building up ways of survival is important. you are one of the weakest creatures and need to make sure your fall doesn't weaken everyone else."
There Charles goes again, berating Adam to get him to take more responsibility and awareness of the world around him and how he affected it. Honestly, the slave's excuse that his paternal nature was the reason his behavior was so supportive never struck home with Adam. it felt like something was missing there, even if Charles didn't know it himself.
I know, I need to learn to survive as much as possible. I don't want to leave you alone, let alone hurt anyone else with my death. I'll work on it. What was your question?" Adam had to honestly ask again, and though he seemed neutral, he was embarrassed that he needed to be asked again.
"What will you do with your first paycheck master? There are a lot of potential facets you could go down to improve your standing in the fleet. you could risk it on monetary investment. You could focus on your engineering weakness as well, A slave to advise you in engineering would be very helpful."
Adam let out a sigh at that, annoyed at his lack of progress. "I don't know. I want to think more about it but every time I try to, my brain just can't help but focus on whatever I was doing beforehand or whatever my thoughts strayed to."
His slave got more annoyed at his master's actions. Adam had taken him in not just as a simple slave, but as emotional support. He would do his job as an advisor but this young man needed someone to push him in the right direction too often. "I hope your medication can fix your lack of focus Master."
"If it was just a lack of focus that'd be easy to fix." Adam lamented as they neared the exercise room. "I can focus extremely well. just not on things I decide I need to focus on."
Unbeknownst to Adam though, the recruits the officers were training had been brought in to test the officers against those who would be attacking them should a breach occur, and Adam's own subordinate was debating within herself a decision that would likely change her life.
"Are you still worried about getting punished?" Rutemia's friend asked her in a tone that could only be described as exhausted. Rutemia knew that her friend had been going above and beyond to set her up favorably despite her indecision with the Vanid. But knowing the reputation of Steel Soul Fleet, she couldn't help but think that the Vanid wouldn't get their way if she made a mistake.
Cruma's exhausted tone was slowly turning into anger as she talked to the indecisive girl again. "How are you this timid? You hunted beasts twice your size before we applied to join this fleet. What makes the great hunt so different than punishing an upstart?" She knew Rutemia was a violent girl, and getting her angry would bring on the violence needed to complete this task.
"You be Quiet. Not all of us can have a basic officer. It's not my fault that the human is planning something any time he talks to me!" She retorted with force instead of a raised voice as the last of the officer recruits rolled in.
"So what? You're becoming like the human now? What has he done for you so far? He's stuck you in a room and told you to read, do basic problems! while the rest of us are preparing for war, he's dulling your skills and turning you into a scholar!"
This got Rutemia right in the place Cruma wanted to hit. she could see the anger roiling in her. "He's taking from you the part of us that gives Shu pride! He's making you weak just so he can feed into his Patriarchal desire for superiority."
"Stop with all the grand speeches Cruma. I'll make the boy regret living." Cruma could feel the anger billowing off Rutemia, how her talon's reared back, her muscles tensed up as if readying for a kill. She knew her friend all too well for Rutemia to fight off her influence, she was going to have a fun show ahead of her.
Rutemia for her part headed over to rehydrate herself for the wait that she would have to conduct for the human and her to be called together. Seeing that Cruma was up first she laughed. "Hopefully that'll shut your mouth. I don't need to charge him before the battle even begins."
And the pedigree of the Shu did not disappoint. She was going up against an officer with a hard exoskeleton, and even the hard to puncture chitin didn't help the four-legged creature, it's body rising so that it would have good leverage with its hammer-like hands. Cruma easily danced under the devastating first blow and jumped onto the creatures back. slamming her talon into it with such force that it cracked the chitin. a recoverable injury but with her holding back it was obvious that she was deadly.
Thinking about Cruma's tactics Rutemia could only sigh. Cruma was far more agile than her and while she could deliver more force and defend against punishment better, she always found herself on the losing end of fights between each other. "Congratulations on your easy win." She stated with a dull tone, indicating how little she cared for the fight.
"It's not like I could get to do anything too bad to the guy. he was a brute trying to rely on his brute strength to carry him through the battle. he was always going to fail when coming up against any quality opponent."
Rutemia nodded to that, watching as more bouts were conducted, the tests giving the officers in training and their instructors good points about where and how they needed to improve. It took half an hour but soon Rutemia was called up to face Adam, where he irritatingly stated. "Seems you don't have to try. at least give me a chance."
How dare he! asking her to be weaker so he could be better than her. she was about to send her talon flying at his arm that instant but held back. better that she made it look like an accident.
As the bout began Adam would move defensively, warily trying to parry Rutemia's attacks and keeping her talon away from his body. It was quite an ingenious tactic for the runt. He couldn't directly compete when it came to attacks but he could try and wear her down.
"Naive." Was all she said as she moved to purposely throw the boy off with a talon strike, he would dodge it but her next hit would hit him. But instead of him moving out of the way he would duck down, sweeping her legs out from under her.
"Wha?" Was all she could say before she rolled away from the foot that was descending on her. Shu fought in a very straightforward way. they needed to get to the point where their talon could deliver a killing blow. so for this human to ignore offense and play tricks? it was something she wasn't used to.
"Stop with your useless tricks." she stated in annoyance, beginning her standard combo again intending to catch Adam when he tried a trick, but he hit her again. This time when he dodged one attack and brought his right hand back for a punch, she was already readying to punish him for it when his left hand shot out in a surprise attack, the punch to the face was light but knocked her off guard, allowing his other fist to hit her hard.
"Heh, I didn't want you to take my request that seriously. I don't expect to win this." Adam said, laughing at how he was already defying his expectations but chalking it up to Rutemia slacking off. What he didn't realize was how royally pissed that made his subordinate. And with only a glare to warn him he had to roll out of the way of a talon strike that would've hit his ribs. "Okay, it seems I said that wrong."
It was too late for him though as Rutemia advanced on him, beating him back in ways where he could only desperately hope to avoid a lethal hit, until one moment where she used his own trick against him. She sent out a talon strike to his right side, forcing him to dodge left where she punched him in the gut, and her talon punctured him.
Rutemia's sea of red faded as she saw his eyes widen and felt her talon puncture something far different than the meat of muscle she had expected to puncture with a dangerous but nonlethal hit. the only thing she could think of was hitting an organ. and if that was the case...
Her stepping back was signaled by sounds of surprise from everyone in the room. her talon pulled out wanting to escape the situation but causing blood to gush out of her officer's wound. She could only look at Cruma as the boy fell to the ground and medical personnel rushed in. the look of fear in her eyes directed straight at her friend before the medical staff was loading him up on a stretcher. "He seems to have a punctured Kidney, get him to the emergency wing NOW!" the head medical staff ordered, rushing the human out of the room