First Contact

Chapter 546: = 4th & 10

Vuxten had just finished up with his physical therapy and was wiping down the equipment he had been using when he saw Casey come in. The Terran was wearing a pair of shorts, a tank top, and socks with his combat boots.

Vuxten watched Casey with one eye as he finished wiping down the machine, resetting the controls, and moved his towel and bottle of water over to the bench. He sat down, slowly stretching his thigh and calf muscles as well as his knee and hock.

Casey paired up with a pair of large Rigellian females, both of which outmassed Vuxten by at least double. Vuxten watched as the big human not only turned up the gravity but lifted enough weight for Vuxten to raise an eyebrow.

Supposedly the big human was unmodified, but Vuxten watched him lift over a thousand kilos in 3.25G gravity, the two Rigellian women standing by wearing the heavy gloves to cancel the grav increase and help them lift the weight.

Vuxten checked a 'normal' Terran against Casey. He'd known Casey was big, but the strength seemed... really really outrageous.

There were a few planets that matched, but not many. Casey was apparently a human outlier, with some genetic engineering according to Vuxten's implant. Probably from a heavy gravity planet that had used genetic engineering to maintain their height.

After a few minutes, Vuxten got up and hit the freshers, figuring to get in a good meal before studying for the next day's lessons in the officer's course. The food was borderline bland, but good. Vuxten had to stay away from spices, peppers, or any heavy flavorings for another week according to the physical therapist, who apparently didn't believe in much more than boiled chicken breast, vegetables, and some crunchy bugs or toasted bread cubes for contrast.

Vuxten took it easy going to his room. His leg ached, but he was out of the cast and out of the brace and merely down to taking it easy and physical therapy.

He still wasn't looking forward to the physical fitness test he'd have to take three months after they finally took him off of profile, which would probably coincide with right after he graduated the Captain's training.

Studying took his mind off his leg as he went over the kinds of reports and paperwork he had to handle during the "Efficiency, Training, and Evaluation Reports" module of the classwork.

He suddenly felt bad for all of his previous company commanders. He could see how he must have generated a ton of paperwork. Every cracked barrel, every damaged vehicle, every dent and ding in the armor, every time he pulled the trigger, every grenade he'd thrown and missile he had fired, his Company Commander had to account for, explain, and justify.

He turned the page to "Self Tests: Non-standard and unacceptable reports" and read the first question of the self-quiz.

"Your Terran XO has returned with the efficiency report for a new Terran Platoon Leader, a Second Lieutenant on his third combat tour. The XO tells you that the PL is a terrible human being, good for only shooting out of a cannon and into the sun to brighten everyone's day and probably steals from the local orphanage fund. Additionally the XO suspects the PL of carrying on an affair with an enlistedbeing of the same sex and another species, accuses the PL of stealing from the vending machines, and claims he once saw the PL steal the hubcaps from the General's personal vehicle. The XO is so adamant that the PL is the worst form of life to crawl out of a puddle of protoplasm that his blood pressure nears dangerous levels.

"What is your response when the XO finishes his appraisal of the PL's abilities?"

Vuxten knew this one.

"Advise the XO that I will take his words under advisement. Once the XO leaves the office look for any points of contact between the two officer's careers, combat records, and personal lives. Examine if the XO has difficulty in his personal life or has recently suffered a head wound. Examine the PL's record as well as previous commander's notes. Make a note to keep the two officers separated while my investigation is underway.

"Finally, go out and make sure the hubcaps are secure on my personal vehicle and check the security cameras installed on the vending machines after the incident where the green mantid engineers used them for 'robot wars'."

Vuxten smiled and scrolled to the next question just as a knock sounded on his door.

Vuxten sighed and paused the self-test before getting up and answering the door.

He blinked twice as he stared up. The shadowed figure was massive, with one burning amber eye.

"Sir," Casey rumbled, breaking the spell.

"Oh, Lance Corporal," Vuxten said. "Is everything all right?"

"Kind of need to have a talk with my sponsor," Casey admitted.

"Leave the door open," Vuxten said, almost absently, as he moved over to the extra chair he'd hauled into his room and pulled it into the middle of the room. "Have a seat."

"Thanks," Casey said.

"Is everything all right?" Vuxten asked as the big human sat down.

Casey nodded, then made a face and shrugged, then shook his head, holding his hand up apologetically. "I don't know, sir."

Vuxten leaned back and opened a mini-fridge, pulling out two narcobeers. He popped the tops on them and handed Casey one. "Tell me what's going on in your head, Casey."

Casey rubbed his one eye and looked up. "I heard through the grapevine that Peel and Archaya got picked up a few days back and will be here, and I quote: 'sooner than hell.' I didn't hear it from you, or anyone else, just through the grapevine."

Vuxten nodded. "Someone's been running their big mouth. It's supposed to be locked down."

Casey shrugged. "You know the pipeline. We hear the rumors before the Admiral finishes closing his mouth."

Vuxten took a long drink, then shook his head. "You're wondering why I didn't tell you."

"Yes, sir," Casey nodded.

"How many days since your last episode?" Vuxten asked.

Casey shut his eyes. "Six. Six since I heard Lozen calling my name."

"How many days since your last nightmare?" Vuxten asked.

Casey winced. "Last night."

Vuxten stretched his leg and rubbed his thigh. "Tell me about it."

Casey winced slightly. "It was a bad one. I was dreaming I was having sex with Peel and she suddenly turned into taffy and pulled me into her then turned into Lozen, wrapped around me, telling me she'd love me forever and ever and she loved me best, only it was her voice and Peel's voice combined.

Casey looked up at the ceiling. "The worst part, when I woke up, is I wanted it so bad my hands wouldn't stop shaking. I wanted it so badly I almost threw up."

"How long did it take you to get back to sleep?" Vuxten asked.

"An hour of exercise, a half hour of meditation, taking a booster dose of my meds, and I went back to sleep for a few hours," Casey said. He looked away. "I dreamed of my mother this morning. I couldn't make out her face, but she was showing me the difference between the three types of ceremonial fighting knives at the kitchen table."

"How was your day today?" Vuxten asked.

Casey let out a long breath. "Tough. Two of my privates got in a fist fight, and no, I won't tell you who. I handled it. Another private lost a 10mm socket and we finally found it when it made a break for it from under a tire. I caught a Rigellian from Second Platoon taking naked poses of herself in the POL shed and posting it to social media, but luckily I had a witness with me. I handled that too."

"And?" Vuxten asked.

Casey looked down. "Lieutenant Gwarnkrek asked for volunteers to move the new Class-IV ammo nanoforges to the Class-V section," he opened and closed his hands. "For a moment I almost convinced myself that she probably wouldn't know that I was forbidden from being around them. I almost volunteered."

Vuxten nodded. "I had a word with the Lieutenant at lunch about that," he said. He took another drink and tapped his leg. "All right, think about today. Think about how it would have gone if I would have come to you just before breakfast and told you that Peel and Archaya had been picked up, along with a civilian VIP. Think about how hard your day would have been."

Casey looked up. "I can handle that stuff, sir. I'm a professional."

"So am I, and I take my duty seriously. My duty is to ensure that you are given the tools you need to recover. You're on profile as it is," Vuxten took another drink. "Casey, I can't imagine what kind of shock this was, to find out something called a 'necromancer' wandered by a raised your girlfriend from the dead, but I think I know a little better today than I did two days ago."

Casey frowned. "How so, sir?"

Vuxten tapped his leg, then ran his finger up and down his sweatpants leg. "A few years ago, when I was still a janitor, my wife's twin sister vanished on their birthday. When I went to work a few days later, I found her in a cell that they had assigned me to clean."

Vuxten looked up at the light and sighed, the memory coming back. The ozone tang of the neural pistol set on high, the smell of blood and brains and bowel, of burnt hair and scorched flesh.

"The Lanaktallan Corporate Executors had shot her in the head. No reason. She wasn't a problem," Vuxten said softly. "The Lanaktallan killed my sister-in-law, who I had known since my wife and I were podlings."

"I'm sorry, sir," Casey said slowly.

"Oh, the story doesn't end there, Lance Corporal," Vuxten said. He shook his head. "Something weird happened, probably has to do with the Purple People Eaters, but a fleet from another dimension arrived during an emergency transit jump."

Vuxten looked at Casey. "The Telkan Task Force was sent back to Telkan and my wife, the Planetary Director, met with them."

Casey frowned for a second. "Your sister-in-law is with that fleet, from a dimension where she wasn't killed in some cell."

Vuxten nodded. "Yes. So was another one. And a third. And my mother-in-law. And my little brother, who a Lanaktallan Corporate Executive ran over with a car when I was still a podling."

Vuxten clenched his fists for a moment. "The Overseers were cruel just for cruelty's sake so often. I have to set that aside, put it aside, and fight alongside them, help save the innocent people of their species that suffered just as much as me, as my family, as my people."

Vuxten looked up. "I am full of confusion, of remembered horror and sick gratitude that my family is partially restored," he tapped his cybereye. "Do you know what the majority of the dimensional refugees have in common?"

"What?" Casey asked.

"With one exception, I'm the one who is dead. That exception, I'm known as 'the Undying Vuxten, First Among the Second Biological Disciples of the Digital Omnimessiah, Brother in Wrath to Enraged Phillip," Vuxten looked back down. "Enraged Phillip, also known as Daxin, also known as Osiris. A man I fought next to on Telkan."

Vuxten looked back up. "Do you get what I'm saying."

Casey grinned. "That I need to quit my whining and get down off the cross because someone else needs the wood to build a fire to keep the wolves away."

Vuxten laughed and shook his head. "No. God, I'm terrible at this. The book's advice sucks."

"Empathize and show your troop you can understand their problem," Casey quoted.

Vuxten grinned. "We're in the middle of a war against dimensional invaders who manipulate time while fighting against a hundred million year old civilization while fighting against mechanical horrors from beyond the stars, and we're supposed to tell one another we understand what each other is going through," Vuxten laughed, then took a drink and shook his head as he lowered the bottle. "By the Digital Omnimessiah, man, look at us."

Casey raised an eyebrow. Vuxten noted it was the one over the patch. "What, sir?"

"My sister-in-law is back from the dead, thanks to dimensional fuckery, your girlfriend, who you've dated since before my grandmother was born, is back from the dead thanks to what is apparently a wandering necromancer with nothing better to do, and we're sitting here thinking 'By the Digital Omnimessiah's glittering ballsack, how can I help him when the situation is that fucked up?' about one another," Vuxten laughed.

Casey grinned, shook his head, then laughed. "So you figured if you were that mixed up about it all, you'd get some advice before telling me to make sure I didn't go absolutely ice cream crazy."

Vuxten nodded. "That's about it."

"When do they get back?" Casey asked.

"Tomorrow at roughly nineteen hundred local. There will be a couple days debriefing, then you'll be able to see her," Vuxten said. He tossed the empty into the trash and grabbed another, popping the top. "Think you can handle that wait?"

Casey shrugged. "I think so." He drained the beer.

"You know what you're going to do about your um... hm... how you're..." Vuxten kind of drew it out. He handed the big human another narcobrew.

"Religious issues?" Casey asked with a smile, accepting the beer and popping the top.

"Yeah, those," Vuxten said.

Casey sighed. "I have to watch out for sophistry," he admitted. "The Gods can be tricky, can tempt a mortal into missteps, tempt them into foolishness, and I can lose my place in Heaven, as a simple explanation."

Vuxten shrugged. "I'm not going to judge."

"I've searched my clan's honor code. I've consulted writings, including the expanded writings of the prophets. I've prayed. I've sweated. I've begged for an answer that I can understand. I've pleaded for the wisdom to know whether or not this is a trick, a cosmic joke on not just me, but Peel, and everyone who knows this," Casey admitted.

Vuxten nodded.

"But it's more than that," Casey suddenly said. Vuxten frowned slightly, noticing that Casey looked suddenly worried.

"What is it?"

"How is Peel going to react to it all? You've met her. She's stubborn, intelligent, emotional, everything I love about a woman wrapped in one passionate package. How's she going to react when we meet? I know she's considered my religious beliefs, how I might feel, and what does that mean for us?" Casey asked. "How does she feel? What is it like for her to have someone use basically magic, and yes, I know it's nanites, but it might as well be magic, to bring her back from being killed twice, once by her boyfriend? I'm trying to figure out how she feels so I can brace myself if she chooses to reject me. I'm trying to figure out what's going on in her head, and I keep getting the same damn answer and it makes me a terrible person."

"What's the answer?" Vuxten asked.

"The last thing I saw go through her head was a bullet," Casey said. "How in the name of Tyr's stolen beard do I explain: 'Oh, yeah, I'm the one that shot you in the face.' if she remembers that? The worst part? The absolute worst part? Part of me is terrified that she's got a big bald spot on the back of her head and is royally pissed about it and then she's going to realize she has it because I shot her in the face."

Vuxten held still for a second. His whiskers twitched, then his cybereye clicked twice.

Casey's mouth twitched.

Vuxten snickered.

Casey laughed.

The human and the Telkan laughed for a few minutes before they both straightened up and took a drink of their beers.

"Things are just all fucked up, aren't they, Lance Corporal?" Vuxten asked.

"Malevolent universe, god laughs at us, blah blah blah, sir," Casey said. He gave a big hitching sigh. "I feel better now, sir."

Vuxten nodded.

"Don't get up, rest that knee," Casey said, starting to stand up.

"Casey," Vuxten said.

Casey paused, caught between standing up and sitting down, then stood all the way up. "Sir?"

"A question," Vuxten said.

"Go ahead, sir."

"Today, in the gym, I saw you working out. How? How do you lift that much?" Vuxten asked. "You said you're OG human, no gene mods, no cybernetics. How can you lift that much in that high gravity?"

Casey was silent a long moment. Vuxten noticed the shadows seemed to thicken and gather around the human, his empty eye socket filled with amber fire that leaked through the eye patch.

"There are some things, sir, you do not want to know," Casey said. "By your leave, sir."

"Carry on, Lance Corporal," Vuxten said.

He watched Casey leave and sat for a long time, tapping one finger against the side of the bottle. After a long moment, he turned and went back to his self-test.

Casey was right. The book said that Vuxten should know everything possible.

But sometimes there were things that you just didn't want to know.