Chapter Thirteen

Evil Big Sister Goes To Boot Camp

Sib had found the remote to Una’s bedroom light only after making a mess of the room. Perhaps it was the electric blanket because she felt amazingly calm. Then again, after her last mission, anything was a breath of fresh air. She even ignored Sib as he flicked her lights off and on a bunch of times. However, she reached her peak after a point and swatted him out of the room, unintentionally sending Sib into Kaida’s room. Hopefully, he’d annoy her, she thought. Zaras purred as she slept next to her new body pillow. From Una’s point of view, her feline sister was getting a type of sleep she could only dream of with her new body pillow. Una contemplated smothering her in her sleep and taking it from her, maybe cutting her head off just to make sure, she thought. Like many intrusive thoughts, she repressed it. In Kaida’s room, Kaida sat at her desk flipping through a book that surprisingly wasn’t her bible. It appeared to be an instruction manual for putting together the model of a small robot.

“The captain says,” Kaida began. “Staring will get you killed.” That was a lie, Una thought, as every sister was told by father that staring was rude. Though in their line of work staring at another sister was how fights broke out. Una figured she was talking to Sib who had climbed his spider body onto Kaida’s desk, staying at the ready for the few moments the nun tried to grab him. Kaida slipped her pistol from its holster and aimed it in Una’s direction. “I can fix your staring problem if you like.”

Una kept staring, unfazed by her sister’s very real threat. The young Orc wondered how much damage she’d take closing the distance before beating her sister’s face in. A familiar chime filled the room, signaling there was an important message coming from the captain across the entire ship. Zaras quickly sat up in bed, hugging her body pillow close, while Kaida slipped her pistol away and stood from her chair when she started to hear her father’s voice. However, what everyone heard next, came as a surprise.

If I… lie down here and die, remember me,

As the only one who dared to set you free.

Fight the universe so I can hear you say,

Three special words I’ll cherish always.

I love you… I love you~

I love you, oh I love you

Oh I love you…

This world is dark and truly, truly cold,

But your eyes they brighten up my very soul.

Break reality so you can truly see,

This world belongs to us,

You and me.

Remember me… Remember me~

Remember me, Remember me,

Remember me.

Like a tree, with all its leaves~

Remember me, Remember me,

Remember me…  

When the captain finished singing, there was an odd silence in the air. While it was quiet before the message, somehow now it had become even more so. Glancing at Kaida, Una could see blood streaming down her cheeks more than normal. Zaras sat there in bed, staring down at nothing in particular as she listened closely, however, her gaze was sharp as if she were trying to drill a hole into the metal floor.

“Two thousand nine hundred and ninety-five,” the captain began. “Some of whom were born here… others adopted. All of you know,” he chuckled, “I have a hard time forgetting anything. To the point that if I were to stub a toe, I’d remember the pain vividly for a few months. I suppose compared to all of you, I’m fragile…”

“But you’re not,” the nun whispered before the captain went on to say.

“At least… that’s what many have come to think… and I’m happy to let them think that.” Silence filled the room for a little over thirty seconds before he spoke again, somehow in a softer tone. “But when I open the doors to our home just for them to manipulate and take the lives of those precious to me… I can’t help but feel… apologetic… for what’s to come. We’re going back to our home world… however, my fear is there’ll be nothing left after we depart.” He cleared his throat and his tone became a bit more cheerful. “On a brighter note, the lockdown is over, and I’ve rolled out a new currency system. Please speak with the Star Seeker’s AI if you have questions. For the time being, Sib’s mother will be inhabiting the Star Seeker. She is Brigadier General Mary, an AI who’s known for almost killing everyone on the world known as Earth. I bring that up because I know you all respect the slaughter of anything that breathes. If you see a girl with no face, that’s her. Brigadier General Mary outranks me so please don’t try to fight her it may land you in time-out. That’s all I have for now, oh, and one more thing. The Star Seeker has just been upgraded with many more rooms so have fun exploring when you have free time. I love you and be good.”  

Una’s gaze shifted from sister to sister before she finally popped the question.

“So does this mean we’re going to destroy our own planet?”

“While the very thought of daddy standing on a pile of bodies turns me on,” Zaras began. “It’s not something I’d expect.”

“That’s because you’re a retarded heathen,” Kaida began as she pulled out a cloth to wipe the bloody tears from her cheeks. “The captain clearly brought 16409 back from death and interrogated her. Most likely offering her a second chance if she gave him information.”

“If he knows who planned the betrayal, then why would he say the part about leaving nothing left?” Zaras asked.

“That… I don’t know,” Kaida said as she stepped over to her desk. “He’s far too kind to burn a whole planet just because a few thousand died. A proper trade if you ask me but…”

She paused when there was a light tapping at the entrance.

“What the hell is that?” Una asked.

Sib lept from the floor onto Una’s shoulder as he said,

“That’s… called a knock at the door,” Sib said, trying to process the lack of knowledge.

“Why not just walk inside and get killed? That tapping is just pissing me off,” Kaida asked, seeming puzzled.

“Perhaps it’s some kind of tapping kink?” Zaras asked.

“What?! Just answer the door!” Sib said, stomping his spider legs.

“I don’t talk to doors,” said Una.

“Aw, you’re all the worst type of stupid,” said Sib.

“Sucks when it’s the other way around, doesn’t it?” Zaras said.

“Come in!” Kaida yelled.

Sib quickly darted behind Una’s neck as the entrance slid open. Stepping into the room was the little boy from Medbay, still wrapped in a thick white blanket.

“Officer Yoko,” Una said.

As Una stepped down from her room and into the living room, she noticed Zaras rushing over towards him with sharp eyes like a beast to prey. She seemed to have a pretty good memory this time around because she stopped just out of arms reach.

“You’ve come to cum?” Zaras said, earning her an unsettling chuckle from Officer Yoko. Zaras took it as a warning.

“I’d like to show you three something.”

The boy turned his back towards them, causing Zaras to twitch, wanting nothing more than to attack him from behind but the chuckle made her rethink it. Even Una felt the desire to challenge the boy with his guard seemingly down.

“You know turning your back on a girl is dangerous,” Una said.

“I’m tempted to shoot you in the back of the head,” Kaida said.

He simply chuckled as he guided them outside.

“Well because you hesitated means your captain was right in letting you come here.” 

Una’s eyes lit up when she stepped out into a wide open space, instead of the corridor of the Star Seeker. Large two-story buildings made of red bricks and dark blue roofing were scattered across the open space. Countless young humans dressed in green jumpsuits seemed to be in a rush. When a boy just barely avoided colliding with Zaras, Una noticed her feline sister hadn’t even tried attacking him.

“What, you don’t like boys now?” Una asked.

Zaras stared after him for a moment as he joined a group of others who were hard at work paving the road she stood on.

“That boy doesn’t smell right… none of them smell right.”

“That’s because they’re all slaves,” Officer Yoko said. 

“You enslave your own kind?” Una asked.

“Were you not listening?” Kaida snapped. “Major Red said there were slaves in the organization. Their bodies are artificial but not their brains?”

“Correct,” Officer Yoko said. “Some of us believe killing to be a waste. So we remove the brain, place them in artificial bodies.”

“Seems problematic if they all start to revolt,” Una said, glancing at a tree before looking up at the massive glass dome covering overhead.

“They go through a neural evaluation,” began Officer Yoko. “While they are mostly a workforce, they’re pretty much treated equally; Some ships even use them as soldiers.”

Una looked back over her shoulder at the door to their new bedroom. The outside matched the rest of the buildings filling her with plenty of questions but at the moment, one stood out.

“Where are we?” She asked.

“Well… let’s go find out,” Officer Yoko said with a small chuckle.

He led the way, past one building after the next before taking them into one that had four sets of double doors wide open. As they approached, Una could see a group standing inside with their backs to the doorways. She gave her sisters a small knowing glance, a look that said this was a bullshit birthday party.

“This isn’t some surprise birthday party is it?” Una asked.

“You have those on your ship?” Officer Yoko asked.

Una noticed the boy seemed a tad surprised by this information although this didn’t stop his stride towards the wide building.

“Every year we have one,” Kaida said.

“It goes on for a few days,” Zaras said.

“Ever since this all started, we’ve never had birthdays. Sounds like your captain wants to smother you with hugs and kisses,” he mused.

“Perhaps too much if you ask me,” Una said.

“You won’t have to worry about any of that here,” he said while walking inside where hundreds of young humans stood facing a stage in rows of ten.

The three were instructed to get in line and face the stage like the rest of them; Una stood with Kaida on her left with Zaras on her right. Una didn’t necessarily have a problem with standing for almost an hour and given Kaida’s training, she could have waited motionless for a few days if required. Zaras on the other hand seemed to be losing herself thanks to their being boys nearby. Her purring would’ve been easy to hear if not for the light construction work going on outside. Finally, something started to happen as a girl that sparkled in the dimly lit room began moving down the side left side of the patiently waiting crowd. She had black hair with a sharp shoulder length hair cut framing her face. Una noticed the girl wore the royal crest of her captain. Until she realized it was the symbol of the military she was born into. The girl wore a long-sleeved white coat that came down just over her thighs. It didn’t cover the front nor the back just the sides. The girl wore black leggings and from the waist down to her white shoes.

“Oooo,” Zaras cooed with a slight purr. “That one… I want that one. He’s pretty in the face, thick in the hips.”

Una and Kaida did a double take when they realized the girl elegantly levitating toward the stage was a boy.

“Little big to be a fairy,” Una said while glancing over at her nun of a sister.

“Doesn’t feel like a fairy,” Kaida began. “Seems more… artificial?”

The boy finally reached the stage and faced the crowd with cold yet soft red eyes.

“I am Commander Klia of the branch, Digitus.”

He spoke softly yet loud and clear. Una was almost sure his lips weren’t even moving. Kaida couldn’t help but scoff.

“Sinful fuck,” Kaida spat under her breath.

Zaras smirked, giving Kaida a small glance.

“Upset that a boy’s words are easier to hear than your Queen?” Zaras asked.

“I’m not upset, heathen, I’m pissed. Only my Queen speaks to me in such a way,” Kaida said.

Commander Klia went on to say;

“This year I’ll be overseeing this new academy called Hall’s Academy. Named after Captain Adam. Some of you know him as the Prince of Evil and as you can see to my right, those approaching the stage are his princesses.”

Zaras couldn’t help herself any longer as she quickly marched up to the stage with Kaida close behind. Sib’s spider drone slipped out from behind Una’s neck and whispered in her ear.

“This is bad, stop them!” Sib said.

“Why? They’ll get in trouble, not me.”

“You might not get in trouble, but what do you think will happen to Captain Adam if someone from his ship blatantly assaulted another official?” Sib asked.

“Same thing that happened when Zaras attacked Officer Yoko… nothing. They’ll most likely just get their asses kicked,” Una said.

Sib grunted as he went on to say;

“Okay, but they’ll get kicked out, and because you’re from the same ship you might get kicked out too! Kicked out means losing in promotion, and losing in promotion means taking orders from Commander Alais. They might even decide to decommission everyone on the Star Seeker for being out of control,” Sib explained.

Una stood there molding over her options before sucking her front teeth.

“Damn it,” she said before casually making her way towards the stage.

On stage, Zaras came to a hard stop, leaning in close to Commander Klia.

“Sit on my face,” Zaras said before being nudged to the side by Kaida.

“Kill yourself,” Kaida said.

“Knock it off,” Una began. “This isn’t the time for that shit. Maybe tomorrow when all of these bastards aren’t watching,” Una said, while glancing over at the crowd filled with a mix of calm faces, belittling stares, and repressed rage. She’d hoped she could get a few of them to crack and make the problem worse in an attempt to spread out whatever punishment might be coming. She went to place her hands on her sister’s shoulders, noticing far too late that the levitating boy had done something with his hands. A powerful shock went through the three of them, causing their bodies to lock up and topple over to the floor. Una on the other hand remained standing but hunched over, though her body had steam rising off it.

“That tickled!” Sib whispered playfully. “Hey, dummy, do something! I know you can still move. I took the brunt of most of that!”

Una stood there, slightly hunched over with her cold eyes locked on Commander Klia. She was doing all she could to keep from falling over as her body surged with electricity, and interfering with her ability to move properly. Una was technically attacked so felt the desire to retaliate. If she had a weapon she might have tried it but she decided on a less violent approach. Straightening her back, Una snapped a salute by placing the tip of her index finger on her eyebrow. Commander Klia’s eyes widened ever so slightly.

“Saluting isn’t something we do in this military. It’s an old gesture for adults… are you implying I’m an adult?” Commander Klia asked softly.

“My captain taught it to me when I was little. He says it’s a sign of respect on Earth. He also says love it or hate it, sometimes it’s the thought that counts… Sir.”

“… I’m not technically from Earth.”

“I don’t care where you’re from, I’m just here to retrieve these two before they cause any more trouble… Sir.”  

“Hmm… must be hard for you to show respect given your culture and status. Don’t worry about your sisters, they’re just paralyzed. I’m surprised you’re even able to move, however. Anyway, pretend that you can’t and stay in that position.” Commander Klia turned to face the crowd. “Starting now I have a strict one-strike policy. If you or any member of your team is caught breaking my rules, your whole team will be sent back to your respective ships with a demotion. It would be better to fail this academy than to be kicked from it. Now… orientation will be the most challenging thing you’ve ever done in your life and it will last for one month of the year you’ll be here. You may find comfort in knowing it doesn’t get easier after said mouth; Let us begin.”

Una, Daughter 2218 Of Alais The Unbeatable Orc Queen

Una was made to stand there, saluting for an hour as Commander Klia addressed everyone, including her sisters still paralyzed on the floor. The young Orc even figured the boy was dragging out the speech out of spite. Una learned that the planet they were on was the same one they escaped from. The reason being, that training where a whole starship was almost taken down was beneficial for learning to avoid such things in the future, and finding habitable worlds was rare all things considered. Everyone there was selected by their respective leaders for special training, the goal being to take good marines and make them better. Una became so focused on the boy’s words, she managed to ignore her desire to scratch the back of her neck. Sib’s crawling around back there didn’t help the itching though whatever he was doing did take away the extra electricity flowing through her body. When the speech was over, Una was allowed to temporarily leave the orientation to take her paralyzed sisters to the hospital and come back in proper uniforms. Commander Klia didn’t tell her where the hospital was nor the place to get proper uniforms. Una made an attempt to find the hospital but only so she could drag her sister on the road for a little while before dropping them into the grass. Sure she was tired but giving her sisters a road rash was worth it. Una plopped herself down into the grass before lying back.

“Was that necessary?” Sib asked.

He jumped from Una’s shoulder and onto Kaida. Digging the tips of his spider legs into her neck just a little, Kaida’s body finally went limp as he removed her paralysis.

“You fucking bitch, my ass is on fire,” Kaida said to Una through gritted teeth, rolling over on her side revealing her clothing was scrapped down just enough to show her cheeks.

“Ha! Must be a liar, liar pants on fire!” Sib said before leaping onto Zaras. “Aw come on, aren’t you supposed to trim all this fluff?” Sib complained as he tried to reach her skin deep under her fur.

“Forget about it,” Una began as she locked her fingers behind her head. “We need to get proper uniforms anyway,”

“Not at all, first I’m going to kill that boy and then myself. The longer I stay here the harder it is to feel my captain,” Kaida said.

Zaras’s body relaxed as she took a long breath in and out before she said;

“Thanks, Sib, fuck you, Una,”

“You’re welcome!” Sib and Una said at the same time.

“If… we… get… kicked… out,” Una began slowly as if her sisters had a learning disability. “It makes our Captain look bad.”

“So we just kill everyone who bad mouths him,” Zaras said while she checked her clothing for holes. 

She had fur so didn’t need to worry about road rash, though perhaps a bald spot in her fur.

“Easier said than done,” Una began. “Sib what’s our survivability rate if we fought the higher-ups?”

“A hundred percent!” He said while bouncing up and down on Zaras’s shoulder.

“See, we’d die if we don’t play by the rules,” Una said.

“Nope! I mean a hundred percent you’d live! There is a very strict policy about killing our own,” Sib explained.

 “We’ve killed our own before, temporarily,” Kaida said.

“The Star Seeker is the first of its kind. Large enough to hold multiple nations and their Queens with Captain Adam being the head of it all. For the moment the Star Seeker is allowed to have its own set of rules.”

Una stood to her feet with a grunt as she asked;

“For the moment?”

“As strong as they seem to be,” Kaida began. “None of these little humans are able to defeat any of the Queens let alone my Queen.”

“As far as you know, big dummy!” Said Sib.

Sib lept off Zaras, bounding off Kaida’s face and onto Una’s left arm.

“Why are you always on me?” Una asked with a grunt.

“Because you’re the biggest dummy!”

“Mm… That means I’m better than the both of you,” Una said.

“Horse shit!” Zaras and Kaida said in unison.

“Anyway, we should get our uniforms,” Una said as she stepped from the grass to the freshly paved path. Staring down at the ground, she finally realized this was the second time in her life she’d left her home on the Star Seeker and perhaps a tad homesick. “We’re supposed to get in uniform,” she mumbled, “Before rejoining the orientation.” Turning to look back at her sisters as they stood, she added, “I’ve been thinking.”

“That’s where you fucked up, sister,” Zaras said, earning nod from Kaida.

“If we finish this shit-cademy, the captain will feel more inclined to use us and if we’re lucky, piss off the rest of the Star Seekers crew for being better. We might even manage to become stronger than our commanders.”

“You damn heathen,” Kaida spat. “I’ve no desire to be better than my Queen.”

“You can suck your Queen’s dick for all I care,” Una said casually. “The goal is to be useful. We got lucky on that last mission.”

“All thanks to me really,” Sib whispered.

“Sib, shut the fuck up,” Una said, only to receive a quick but painful zap to the back of her neck that made her flinch. She held back a swear as she went on to say, “The captain knows we got lucky but he also knows we might be able to do it again.”

“You had me at piss off the rest of the crew,” Zaras said.

“I… suppose if becoming stronger helps me better serve my Queen and Captain, then it’s fine… and upsetting the crew would be nice.”

Zaras, Daughter 4273 Of Kimi, The Lustful Chaton Queen

Thanks to Commander Klia not giving them at least a map they had to ask one of the workers where to go to receive proper uniforms. That particular worker seemed puzzled, needing to run it by another. It only took a few seconds to be told that there wasn’t really a place for that so their uniforms should be in their closets. Rushing back to their living quarters, they did in fact have everything they needed. Zaras threw a small fit when the Academy’s manual banned jewelry only to calm down when she realized training with jewelry on would make it harder for herself and possibly destroy it. Kaida and Zaras both had a problem leaving their weapons as being defenseless was practically suicide. 

“You don’t see me walking around with one,” Una argued as she laced up her boots, or at least was trying to, no thanks to Sib childishly fighting her fingers for dominance. 

“And how many times have you died?” Kaida asked while looking down her nose at Una. “I know death when I see it.”

“Unrelated,” Una said, as she flicked Sib’s spider body away and onto Kaida’s chest.

“Umm,” Sib began as he crawled up on Kaida’s shoulder before leaping away when Kaida made an attempt at grabbing him. “It’s a little odd that you’re so fixated on them. I mean… after all, they’re very old in terms of design. Later you’ll be authorized to upgrade your weapons!”

“You can do that?” Zaras asked.

“Well duu,” Sib began. “They were fabricated and with proper clearance, they can be re-fabricated to be better… if you make it through the Academy.”

“I’ll leave my blade if she leaves her bible,” Zaras said while jabbing her right thumb over at Kaida.

Kaida didn’t even acknowledge the comment as she stuffed away her pistol and holster into her closet with the rest of her clothing. Her bible on the other hand remained on the small of her back as if magnetized to her. Without a word, she stepped from their home and went left. As the doors slid shut, swearing could be heard faintly.

“Sib, how thick are these walls?” Una asked.

“Pfft, what am I some artificial intelligence with almost endless servers of data?”

“Forget it, let’s go before the bible-freak gets lost.”

Kaida, Daughter 5699 Of Lucy The Queen Of Hell

Now dressed in camo pants and a green shirt, they caught up with Kaida as she was asking for directions. Zaras had said she could smell sweaty balls from miles away so didn’t particularly need directions from a slave, at least not this time. Una took her word for it, only to threaten to kick her ass if she was wrong. Of course, Zaras welcomed the invitation to the point of trying to mislead them at the last minute. Thanks to the chanting they heard, Zaras failed. Walking past a few buildings into a wide open field, they could see the young humans from before lined up in rows of three in the same uniform as them. Getting closer, they could hear the chanting coming from a boisterous little human boy neatly dressed in a tan uniform with a sharp round hat on his head, and helping him watch the group were other neatly dressed young humans. With his fists clenched, the little boy marched up and down the ranks watching as everyone lowered their chests to the ground and pushed themselves back up at the end of the sentence the boy chanted.

“I can’t count past one! Down! I am number one! DOWN!” He roared at a girl struggling to keep up. “Mom calls me number one! Down! Cause I can’t count past one! DOWN!” He roared as the boy quickly marched a beeline over to the sisters with his back remaining straight and yet in comparison he was shorter than them coming just up to their chest. Still, Una had a sickening feeling in her gut about the young human. Zaras smirked as she started to purr with lust.

“You said your mommy calls,” 

Zaras began to say only to vomit when the boy’s fist crashed up into her stomach, causing her feet to lift off the ground.

“I said DOWN!” He yelled before grabbing Zaras by her uniform and chucking her over toward the rest of the young humans. 

Una noticed her nun of a sister was paralyzed with fear when the boy snapped his body in her direction. He took a deep breath to yell but paused when he noticed her headpiece.

“Well look at what we have here, a sister of the cloth. The cross on your headpiece is upside down, sister.”

“Th… that’s be,”

“I didn’t ask you a damn thing! Fix it!”

“I’d… rather die,” Kaida said with a trembling tone.

The boy took a step in Kaida’s direction only for her to faint. Crumpling to the ground. He sucked his front teeth in disappointment before snapping towards Una. Stepping in her direction, Una instinctively clenched her fists and raised them into a fighting stance. She’d fought the Unbeatable Orc Queen, her mother many times over and lost every one of them. So when it came to being afraid of someone stronger than her, Una had long ago lost that feeling.

“Well, I’ll be… DAMNED!” The boy yelled with a grin on his face as he snapped his head down and back up, looking over her stance in just a few seconds. “It’s a damn Orc,”

“Like the fairy tale, Sarg?!” One of the other instructors asked from afar.

“Like the fairy tale! Why are you late, Fairy Tale?! And put your damn hands down!”

Una lowered her fists, fighting against her body screaming to keep her guard up.

“Psst…” Sib whispered in her ear. “Tell him the truth.”

“Because… Sib is a pain in my ass, Sir,” Una said.

The boy’s eyes somehow opened wider at the mention of Sib. He stood there for a moment before he said, “You’ve got two seconds to get your green ass in line.” Spinning on his hills, he marched over to Kaida and roared. “WAKE UP!” He yelled, jarring the nun awake. “You can thank God you’re alive, sister! Now fall in line!” 

Una watched as Kaida got to her feet and ran over towards Zaras right behind Una. Zaras was still struggling to get up, let alone breathe.

“Hay, I said tell the truth!” Sib complained.

“I did and it worked, now shut up,” Una said as she got down to the ground, copying the other humans who had their chests and palms to the grassy ground.

“Now look what you made me do, I lost count!” The boy began in a mocking tone. “I better start over. I can’t count past one! Down! I am number one! DOWN DOWN DOWN, PRINCESS!” He yelled at Zaras who was still holding her stomach and drooling into the grass. “You can run your mouth but you can’t move your arms?! How fucking convenient! Perhaps your sisters would like to help you pick up the slack?” The boy looked down at Una and Kaida.

“No, sir,” said Una, while Kaida just kept silent, shivering on the ground.

“The hell?” The boy whispered when he noticed the nun shivering. Ignoring the trembling nun he looked out over the rest of the group ready and waiting in the push-up position. “Is there anybody,” he roared, “kind enough to help Princess 4273 with her pushups because she has a belly ache?! And what the fuck kind of name is that?! Nobody?! NOBODY?!”

“Looks like Nobody called in sick, Sarg. Probably got a stomach ache too,” one of the instructors joked.  

“There’s a lot of that shit going around apparently!” He crouched down low towards Zaras with her forehead still pressed into the grass. “Well princess, I guess nobody wants to do double the pushups for you! So you better start mo,”

“I will,”

A small voice chimed from somewhere in formation.

“We’ll bring your ass over here! I want two push-ups for everyone! Now where was I?! Shit, I better start over!”

The drill sergeant went back to chanting, forcing them to do the first push-up over and over again. Una managed to get a glance at the boy who agreed to do his and Zaras’s pushups. The young Orc couldn’t help but feel a twinge of excitement as this was the first time she’d done any kind of training that didn’t involve her getting her chest caved in or her spine snapped by her own mother. Memories filled Una’s head of her mother breaking every bone in her body over the course of a few years. She wasn’t allowed to tell her father of such accidents because if she did, he’d surely coddle her and make her weak and if she was weak, then she’d be useless. Her mother was right but damn did she hate her. Una’s resentment of her mother fueled her drive to keep going. Lost in her own thoughts, her vision began to tunnel as yelling and screaming could be heard coming from the other drill instructors. Still, the counting didn’t stop and it didn’t go past one. Before she knew it, the sun had shifted her shadow and everyone was gone aside for her, Zaras, the boy doing double the pushups, and the short drill instructor. 

“We’re gonna keep going until one of you drops! And the first one to do that will be running laps until your legs give out. And because I’m in a good mood, the last one gets the rest of the day off!”

While the young human was somehow managing to keep up, Una was sure she would outlast him if she kept going. Sib crawled to her left ear and whispered,

“Let him win.”

“Hmm!” She grunted in refusal.

“I’m pretty sure Zaras might have a broken spine. She peed herself about an hour ago. If you give up, the volunteer can take Zaras to the hospital. Besides, Kaida could use some moral support.”

She wanted to say that she didn’t give a damn but Sib hadn’t technically led her wrong so far. Una let her body drop to the grass, panting as she realized the fire burning in her arms.

“Bullshit!” The drill instructor said as he quickly marched over to Una. “Think I was born yesterday?! You dropped on purpose!” Una didn’t have a good enough excuse so she didn’t say a word. “Run, now!”

Una clawed at the grass as she climbed to her feet. Like the rest of the group, she ran towards the edge of the domed campus and began running clockwise. At the start she noticed Kaida lagging behind so she slowed down allowing the nun to catch up. Only slightly worried that she’d get chewed out for lagging behind. The young orc took in the sight before her as this was the first time she saw Kaida filled with fear and exhaustion. She was both happy but pissed because she wasn’t the cause of it.

“What?!” Kaida hissed. “You’re gonna get us punched.”

“Scared?” Una asked, earning her a long momentary stare from Kaida.

“… I’ve never been so scared in my life. Not having my sidearm is scaring the piss out of me. With it, I could just kill myself and pray my Queen blesses me with birth but… I feel like I just threw away a key to my cage full of DISGUSTING FUCKING HEATHENS!” Kaida’s upper body stiffened when she realized her outburst might have been noticed by a drill instructor. Giving it a moment and seeing Una glance around and back over her shoulder, Kaida took it as a sign she was in the clear. “That boy, why is he helping Zaras?”

“I’m more interested in how,” Una began. “He did double the work and still wasn’t slowing down.”

“We should break his neck when no one is looking. Can’t have a heathen like that living.”

“Sib says Zaras’s spine might be broken,” Una said.

“… One can hope. We should break her neck too just to be sure.”

Kaida flinched as a four-wheeler pulling a trailer came driving up from behind her. It was driven by one of the slaves and in the back was another who was handing out clear water bottles with a black top. The nun quickly took one only to be even more surprised when she noticed it was ice cold. Una took one as well before they drove away. She took a sip, noticing her sister had already gulped one-fourth of hers.

“You’ll… vomit,” Una said between panting.

“Wha?” Kaida blurted out.

“If you drink too much too quickly, you’ll vomit.”

“Just because you’re the firstborn doesn’t mean you know more than me,” Kaida snapped.

The run ended pretty much the same way as the pushups, although the sun had gone down. It came down to the last runner but this time it was Una and she didn’t have to run until she collapsed. Perhaps one more lap and she just might have. Kaida on the other hand had vomited and collapsed to the ground a few laps ago. Una made sure to trample her with each passing. 

“What in the hell, FairyTail?!” The short drill sergeant yelled at Una. “First time someone breezed past my training! Maybe I’m getting soft!” He spat, to his left.

Una held her sister on her back thanks to the nun being unable to stand.

“What about that boy? He… beat me,” Una said.

“Bull shit! I know a forfeit when I see it. But don’t worry things only get tougher from here. Luckily for you, tomorrow is a free day! Not for that other one, 4273. If she doesn’t get out of the hospital and catch up, she’ll be expelled, and so will you both.”

Una frowned as she asked,

“Why would I get punished?”

“Because there’s no I in team dumbass! Now get out of my face,” he said through gritted teeth.

Una stood there staring at the small human. He stared back as his gaze became increasingly more intense with his eyes slowly widening. Sib tapped on the back of Una’s neck.

“Hey, listen!” Sib whispered. “Step away from Sergeant Dimitri. It’s really hard for him to pull his punches. Let’s go back to your room and I can watch you kiss your pillow!” Sib said jokingly.

Once again Una found herself doing what Sib suggested. With Kaida still passed out on her back, the young Orc made it back to their room and with a small grunt, flung her sister’s body onto the side of Kaida’s bed as if she were a rag doll. Air rushed from the nun’s lungs, forcing her to wake up and suck in air. Kaida’s eyes opened wide and clawed at her sheets with trembling hands. Her head slowly spun and spotted Una walking to her own bed. 

“You bitch,” Kaida said as she pulled her aching body into bed.

“Next time,” Una began as she flopped down on her sheets. “I’ll leave you in the grass,” she said while drifting off to sleep and began to dream.

Una recalled the first time she felt pain. Her mother, Alais the Unbeatable Orc Queen had broken her arm at the elbow during training, leaving her five-year-old daughter weeping on the training mat. It was perhaps the angriest she had ever seen her father.

“The pain is temporary,” Alais said calmly while gazing down into her daughter’s tear-filled eyes. Una’s father broke the intense eye contact by pushing Una’s face into the side of his neck while picking her up. 

“That doesn’t mean you can just break her arm! Medic!” He called only for Áine the Fairy Queen who appeared before him in a flash of light. The Fairy Queen’s belly was bloated with her unborn daughters and her breasts swollen to the point of lactating with every breath she took, yet still floated off the floor with ease and grace. “Áine, fix her arm, please,” her father asked politely even though he didn’t have to; He was the captain after all.

“Of course, my sweet prince,” Áine the Fairy Queen said as she took a drag of her mana stick and blew a glittery smoke around Una’s arm.

“She needs to be able to overcome pain,” Alais the Orc Queen began. “If you coddle her now she’ll grow up weak.”

“There are better wa…” 

He paused when he noticed the arm had healed but healed at a ninety-degree angle. He quickly snapped an annoyed look at Áine. The Fairy Queen chuckled with a wicked grin as she said,

“Sorry my sweet prince, my hormones are a tad out of control at the moment,” she said as she blew more sparkling smoke. The arm finally went back to normal as her father hugged her tighter and rubbed her back.  

“I’m warning you, Adam,” Alais the Orc Queen began. “If you coddle her, she will die.”

“While I hate to agree with a cannibal,” Áine the Fairy Queen chimed in. “She speaks the truth. If you plan on acting this way with all thousands of your daughters, I can see you slipping quickly into madness.”

“Don’t be stupid,” Kimi the feline Chaton Queen stepped into the training room with a wide grin. “I’ve raped and ate the flesh from his bones while he was still alive. Still, he never broke.”

The conversation turned into an argument between the commanders and yet Una noticed her father’s gaze was on her, giving her a warm smile as he hugged her close. He carried her out of the room and the doors slid close behind him. In his shadow were two twin dolls, two female valets who watched her father’s every move. While he may have been the captain, he was still royalty and it was their job to make sure he acted as such.

“Do you feel better?” He asked.

Una’s thoughts were filled with what her mother said. She didn’t want to be useless but she also wished she could remain in her father’s embrace forever. Unsure of what to do, she ran aimlessly throughout the ship until she found a dark empty room to cry with light coming from the doorway. Eventually, her growling belly made it clear she lost track of time causing her to finally stand up from her corner and clean the tears from her eyes. Slowly turning around she flinched back when two shadowy figures stood in front of her in the dimly lit room. One was slightly taller with pink glowing eyes while the other one had blue glowing eyes.

“Demons!” The five-year-old Orc said, baring her small fangs. 

The feeling she was getting from the two was an odd mix of gentle and powerful. It was clear she was in no real danger but she still felt something powerful about them, more so than the Queens. Una was supposed to be the first and only one currently born on the ship but by the looks of it, Lucy the Queen of hell might have conjured up evil spirits to do her bidding.

“Demon?!” The pink eyes said, in a girl’s voice.

“Nah, we’re just Brooklyn kids, but you were close,” the blue eyes said in a relaxed boy’s voice.

“Brook…lyn?” The five-year-old Orc asked softly.

“Yeah, you got it! Good job, kid,” the boy said, sounding genuinely pleased. 

He was the second person to ever express such emotion towards her, making her father the first.

“Nice hair, you comb it yourself?” The girl asked.

“N…no, the Captain does it,” Una said.

“Figures, he’s a good kid dealt a crappy hand,” she said, scratching the back of her head. Or at least Una thought that’s what she was doing, thanks to their bodies being silhouettes. “What’s with the tears, you pee your pants or something?” The girl asked.

“I wasn’t crying!” The little Orc snapped.

“Whatever you say, pee pants,” she teased.

Irritated, Una made a high-pitched growl.

“What are ya, a Pokemon?” The girl asked.

“Breath kid, my friend was just teasing,” the boy said softly before changing the subject. “You’re the only kid here on this ship, right?”

“… For now I guess,” Una said, taking a deep breath.

“Must be boring being an only child, hmm… I know, how about a little brother?”

“I’m not hungry,” the little orc grunted.

“What? No, not to eat silly,” the boy chuckled. “A little brother will help you feel better and understand you better than anybody else in the world.”

“What world?” Una asked.

“It’s a figure of speech kid,” the girl said,

“Listen,” the boy said to regain Una’s attention. He pulled out a small rectangular gray object that glowed letters. “Take this to the Captain, he’ll know what to do.”

He reached out, waiting for Una to take it. Her first thought was to kill the two in front of her and take their strange glowing eyes to put in a jar. Maybe gifting them to her father would be a good idea. But the memory of her father giving her things in the past made her second guess her instinct for violence. Taking into her right palm, she got a closer look at the letters.

“S… I… B…” Una said, reading the glowing letters on the small object.

“Savagely Intelligent Brother, Sib for short,” the figure with pink glowing eyes said.

“His mother decided this should be his home, so do me a favor and be nice,” the boy said.

“My mother says being nice is for the weak,” the young orc said as she slowly turned the object only to find nothing else.

“Tell you what, you do your best to be a good big sister to Sib and he’ll help you fix what’s making you cry,” the boy said.

“He’ll also help you not pee your pants,” the girl teased.

The five-year-old orc snapped her gaze up with rage in her eyes but they were gone or at least she couldn’t see them anymore.