As Las'Tai and Eirik approached the gym, they could hear the familiar sounds of clanging metal, groans, and muffled shouts, coming from the combat training area. Las'Tai wondered what she was going to see in there. What kind of training setup did the Terran's have in there that made them so formidable in close combat.

As the door slid open the sounds were immediately magnified and the scene that unfolded in front of Las'Tai was anything but what she had expected. She had imagined separate specialized areas where expert instructors would carefully teach their skills of death under the strictest of conditions. Instead, she was greeted by the sight of all the Terran assault squads forming a large open circle, surrounding 2 Terran's engaged in the most vicious and aggressive melee combat she had ever witnessed. With a round shield in one hand and an axe in the other, they were in constant motion. Blocks leading straight into attacks and back into blocks in a state of fluidity she had a hard time comprehending.

There was no hesitation, no waiting for a window of opportunity. They were both pressing the attack in what seemed like a reckless head-on attack with no technique or skill behind it. But the more she watched, the more she realized her faulty thinking. Upon close inspection, every move was restricted and calculated to make way for the next attack. Even the shield edge was frequently used to try and hit the opponent.

She remembered how she had scuffed to herself during the Captain's fight with her mother, as he did the same thing, but after hearing it connect with the other shield, she could well imagine the blunt damage that could be done with such an attack.

It was genius. Turning your defensive advantage into a surprise attack that would leave your opponent crippled no matter where the strike hit. If all Terran fighting was this versatile, it was no wonder they dominated any battlefield they took to.

Suddenly, the shield of one of the fighters started breaking. As soon as it happened, the fighter wearing it cast it aside and, with a 2 handed grip on his axe, launched a flurry of blows that forced his opponent on the defensive. During this, Las'Tai noticed that even though the Terran had to lose sight of his opponent when blocking the overhead swings, he always lowered his shield below his eyes after every block, clearing his vision. The self-control was astounding, the urge to put the handheld barrier between himself and the enemy attacking must have been overwhelming, and yet, he did not.

As the Terran without shield started running out of energy and the blows became slower and less impactful, his opponent thrust his shield forward, slamming it into him. Falling over from the impact, he hit the ground with a loud *thud* and the still standing Terran planted a foot on his chest and held the axe to his head.

"I yield!" The voice was strong and sounded resentful, but he spoke the words that ended the combat. Grinning, the winner stretched out a hand and helped his fallen friend up from the floor.

"GOOD!!" Eirik shouted, causing everyone to turn around. In a more normal voice, he continued, "That was a good fight. I could not have asked for a better presentation for Las'Tai."

Jesper stepped out from the circle surrounding the 2 fighters. "Happy to impress Captain, but isn't she forbidden from going in here??"

Eirik smiled wide at the confused soldiers in front of him, "That is actually why we are in here. Everyone! please greet our newest full member of the crew."

They all stared at her in a moment of silence that made her feel like crawling into a hole before they all erupted in cheers. She felt like she was hit by a wall of sound that was physically pressed against her. As the cheers died down, Eirik spoke again, "You all know what this means boys!" And he, along with everyone else, started smiling in a manner that made Las'Tai think she should not have wished to be granted entry into this circle of warriors.

"Fresh meat!" Their smiles had turned downright sadistic at this point and Las'Tai felt a sudden urge to run screaming out of the room.

__________________________________

Several hours later, Eirik was walking a limping Las'Tai towards the sauna. "So, how did you like your first day of training like a Terran?" Eirik had a hard time hiding his amusement and the look of pure disdain Las'Tai shot him did not help in the slightest.

"I'm sore in muscles and places I never knew existed!!! HOW COULD YOU LET THOSE BRUTES HANDLE ME LIKE THAT!!!" Her anger had made her forget her sore muscles and with a whine, she had to stop herself from continuing.

"Oh, come on, it was not that bad. They went easy on you! It's just that Kloxna and Terrans have different levels of stamina and strength. But I will admit, that today was not so much about training you, as figuring out what role would complement your natural advantages best. From this point onwards, your training will focus mostly on what you are good at."

"You could have warned me..." Las'Tai was determined to stay resentful for as long as possible.

"Now where would the fun be in that?? And don't be so grumpy, I have a small surprise that might make you forgive me. It's in the sauna."

Her curiosity peaked, she walked to the sauna and looked inside. "I see nothing different in here??" Was he teasing her??

"Look in your favorite corner," Was all Eirik said.

She scampered up the benches and looked around in the far corner where she liked to relax. The steam always gathered there. She soon found a small button on the wall. "What does this do Captain?" She asked as she pressed it. She heard a hissing sound and whirled around in time to see a spurt of water falling from the ceiling and landing on the hot stones in the middle, creating a large cloud of steam.

"Now you don't have to leave your corner to get more steam. Just.. ask first, if there are others in here, ok?"

"I promise Captain!!! Thank you!!" She exclaimed, hurrying to the changing room to get a towel.

Eirik walked towards his room after this, intending to send a reply to the Kloxna on Las'Tai's behalf. no reason to let them think she was more involved with his crew than they already did. Having him send the message would make it seem like she was still there because she was being forced to. He doubted any of the Kloxna that had witnessed the fight had been allowed to live after he was carried away. They knew too much about their leader's cowardice and oathbreaking.

He started mulling over what he was going to write as he walked down the corridors.