The recruits were beside themselves.

  “You got shot!?” demanded recruit Clarke.

  “Yes, and he got me good too.” I confirmed. “The bullet fragments just missed puncturing both lungs.”

  “Were the bullets magic?”another recruit asked.

  “No, the bullets don’t have to be magic to hurt, regular ones will put a hole in me just like anything else.” I countered. “I am lucky that I have people watching out for me, or things could have gone very badly.”

  “So what happened to you?”

  “The space people came to get me. They have a magic power source that helps me do more magic faster.”

  “So you could heal yourself?

  ‘I could have healed those injuries without them, and Ashley’s too, but it would have taken a long time.”

  “Petty Officer on Deck!” Came a call across the room. We all hurried to stand out in front of our racks.

  “Alright recruits, this has been disruptive as hell, but we are going to get through it like we do everything else.” she turned quickly to the recruit immediately to her right as she walked down the line. “And how do you think we are going to do that, Recruit Osborne?”

  “Petty Officer, we will do it as a team, Petty Officer.”

  “Good answer, recruit. Throughout the remainder of the day and tomorrow we will be visited by damned near every Chaplain on base. Each and every one of you WILL talk to a Chaplain, am I clear?”

  “Petty Officer, yes, Petty Officer!” We all called out across the bay.

  “This is not a one time thing, either. Training is on hold so everyone gets an appointment, but once we resume training you are to tell me or another RTI if you need to see a Chaplain about this and we will get it scheduled. Am I clear on this, recruits?”

  Again we all sounded off. About an hour before dinner it was time to start and my name was the first called, along with a dozen others. We and one of the Petty Officers all piled into a large van parked outside. Tracy was in the front passenger seat, and Bianca was in a suburban waiting behind. The two shadowed me all the way to an office close by but waited outside.

  Inside there was a man in uniform but he definitely didn't have the atmosphere of command about him. He wasn’t sitting behind the desk either.

  He had moved the comfortable chair out from behind the desk in the place of one of the other two, and left it for me apparently. I came to attention and saluted.

  “Recruit wem Wammat reporting.”

  “Thank you, please have a seat.” he said. Once I did he continued. “I hear you have had a rougher day than most.”

  “Permission to speak freely?”

  “Please do. I am a Chaplain, not a line officer. It is our duty to look after your well-being, rather than your combat readiness.”

  “Second worst day on this planet and fourth worst overall, sir.”

  “Oh? What tops being shot?”

  “My third worst day was when an Aether Beast managed to hit me with acid. I lost some good equipment, much of my skin and burned both lungs.”

  I ticked off my fingers.

  “The second worst day was during my physical combat training. This was before I had physically hardened myself so when I got flung by a very large mundane beast it severed my arm when it didn't let go.”

  “And the worst day was the one where I was transported to this world. I lost everyone I knew and loved, swam until exhausted and then drowned.”

  I examined the ceiling.

  “There have been many days that are tied with this one for fourth.”

  “You are remarkably well put together for having all that happen to you.”

  “Yes, I am very good at putting myself back together every time.”

  “Wow, I do seem to be putting my foot in my mouth with every sentence, don’t I?” the Chaplain observed. “Although I suspect you know that isn’t what I meant.”

  “Yes Sir. I chose the life path that I did because my tribe has a need for someone who can do what I can now do. I picked apprenticeships specifically because I was aiming to make myself hard to kill. When fighting Aether Beasts, death is an ever present concern. And if the defenders die the tribe is next.”

  “And those skills and abilities carry over into this new world?”

  “Alas, I can’t do everything here that I can do at home or as readily. Not without help. But that help packs a punch.”

  “I am glad that these troubling times aren’t putting a hitch in your step, but it is important to remember that you don’t have to shoulder this alone.”

  “I’m never alone. But I also wake every day and remember that I am not a frail creature swimming in a lake named Peril. The Peril is me. That man may have downed me, but I don’t stay down. If I had woken before being removed there would likely be much less of that man in the world today.”

  Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

  “Is killing so casual in the world you are from?”

  “Givens showed me an old Earth television show. The main character said If someone tries to kill you, then you try to kill them right back. In the world I am from, prisons aren’t very effective and aren’t used much.”

  “That’s certainly a philosophy.” the Chaplain said, scratching his head.

  “One must embody it, if one is to survive fighting Aether Beasts.”

  After the meeting with the Chaplain was over, they drove us back and we went to dinner. All the next day we were kept in our bunk room while they pulled groups out to go talk to the Chaplains. The rest of us had to study. I had to answer an unending stream of whispered questions from the other recruits.

  Finally the day after we resumed training and had suicide prevention training. It seemed ironic considering the sniper situation, but I gave the subject the solemn attention it was due.

  Afterwards they let us make a phone call. I called Givens.

  “Troy find new lover yet?” I asked as soon as he picked up.

  “Troy, how are you doing? It’s been a few weeks, and I just missed you and wanted to hear your voice!” he countered.

  “Last call I give Amanda phone number. You go date yet?” I shot back, unbothered.

  “If you are going to keep bratting I am going to let you wonder until your next phone call.”

  “Troy, how are you doing? It’s been a few weeks and I just missed you and wanted to hear your voice!” I laughed.

  “I am doing great, and the date with Amanda went well. Did you know she is trans?”

  “What is trains?”

  “No, not trains, trans. Transexual. It’s when your body’s software doesn’t match the hardware, so you have to fix it in aftermarket.”

  “Can you dumb down vocabulary? Use some words not have context.”

  “OK, so DNA is the worst system ever for transmitting information between generations. Imprecise, prone to error.”

  “Like old political joke I read when study how government work, democracy worst political system ever, except for all the others.”

  “Yes, exactly. Now the only thing worse than DNA for making living creatures correctly is Neurology. A hot mess, every time. If you get it stable where it doesn’t crash every day you are ahead of the game.”

  “I follow.”

  “So trans people are born with the physical characteristics common to one gender, but as the neurology developed it went the other way. Older civilizations didn’t make a big deal out of it, but for some reason right now on planet Earth it is the hottest topic for everyone to have a hot take about. It's a struggle here to deal with it in a way that can be considered a functional solution to a problem.” Givens continued.

  “OK, still follow.” I confirmed. “Even though gender is social construct, not biological.”

  “Trans people trend towards getting a prescription for hormones that their bodies can’t make, and often have surgeries to bring the body, cosmetically at least, into line with the internal gender.”

  “How does joke go? You void warranty? Why this worthy of special attention?”

  “Do you not have trans people at home?” Givens sounded genuinely confused.

  “Liefsenai. Yes. Not big deal. We learn how to fix problem over three hundred years ago.”

  “Fix problem how? There is some history here on Earth that is worth looking up before speaking out of the side of your mouth about that issue. People take it personally, often for good reason.”

  “Healer rebuild body. Take specialist and is time consuming, but happen all time. If can’t afford specialist there is ah, charitable Order that do nothing else.”

  “Are you a specialist in this?” Troy inquired hesitantly.

  “Not done before, but very well educated. Know how. Have to go very slow to not make mistake. It… how you say? Fiddly. Mentally.”

  “Well, Amanda might want to talk to you about that once she finds out. Back to the date though. We went to a live showing of The Rocky Horror Picture Show.”

  “Not familiar.”

  “An old movie. It is over fifty years old by now. By itself it is kind of a mess, but the cast was great, and it developed a subculture following. It is a lot of fun to watch in large groups, if the group is allowed to get a bit… rambunctious.”

  “We go watch when I have leave. Bring Amanda. She no doubt dress up?”

  “Yes, she dressed like one of the characters”

  “Which one? Important pretty one?”

  “No actually. A side character that was part of a song and dance number.”

  “Pity. Amanda pretty.”

  “It worked for her. There were a half dozen each of all the main characters in the audience. So yeah, a lot of fun.”

  “And have fun after?”

  “Ah, that’s where it gets a little awkward. Amanda is still transitioning, so she has a lot of body dysphoria that makes her uncomfortable.”

  “I work on technique when complete training. See if can help.”

  “Sweet. So that is how the date went.”

  “You not have dinner? That traditional for date on Earth.”

  “Amanda’s friends joined us at an all night restaurant as a group after the movie. That is somewhat traditional for that movie experience.”

  “Sound like success.”

  “Yes, it was. So how is training going?” Givens asked

  “Got shot yesterday. Had to put lung back together. Ashley also shot. Put her lung back together too. We fine now.” I answered.

  “Nani the fuck?”

  “Hear local Raiders took shooter. Space people bring ship, engine dump Aether on me. Fix wounds very fast then return to division. Sure and certain people trained to research… get answers? Already here.”

  “Investigators.”

  “Yes, them. Someone else do, I keep training.”

  “And you both are alright? I remember what happened when you went Super-Saiyen here.”

  “So horny am cross-eyed, but yes. Not break anyone here. Still sorry about pelvis.”

  “You fixed it. And I can’t complain about the rest of that evening.”

  “Fun practice not use teeth or claws.”

  “I think you just like being t-”

  “OK, I have to go now, you go find more lovers.” I interrupted.

  “Brat.”

  I hung up.

  The following week we had firearms training and the instructors relaxed a bit when I let them know that the Marines had taught me how to shoot side arms. The shotgun training was a new experience but still interesting. Finally, the range people were surprised when I brought my own hearing protection out of storage but after I put it on they saw the sense in me wearing my own helmet while everybody else just had ear muffs on.

  I scored very well on the shooting. Not about to let children show me up on ranged weapons. I have a reputation as the best on Earth to maintain.

  Casey's Space Adventures