“I’m told you have some kind of magic hiding place and you have gear in it.” stated the Petty Officer.

  “Yes Petty Officer. It is empty save for the items negotiated and in the contract.”

  “Step out and to the side over there and show me what you have, recruit.”

  We moved to an empty spot by the wall where Tracy was posted and I brought everything out of storage. I arranged it all neatly as I put it down and then stepped back.

  “Handy. Is this everything?”

  “Petty Officer, it is. Petty Officer.”

  He flipped through items randomly checking pockets and such. He opened the aid bag and rooted around in it.

  “Alright, put it all away.”

  I restored everything to an orderly state as I made it vanish again.

  “I’m also told you are wearing body armor? Is this going to be a problem in your training? I don’t want you falling out on me.”

  “Petty Officer, I have historically done combat training in much more rigorous conditions than this vest, Petty Officer.”

  “Keep it clean. I don't want that to become a hygiene issue. Also, do remember that you are going to be drinking a lot more water with it on.”

  “Petty Officer, yes Petty Officer.”

  “Get back in formation.”

  “Aye, Petty Officer.”

  In another few minutes the petty officers started yelling at all the recruits and rummaged through their bags. Many items went straight into trash cans. Once the petty officers had all the children thoroughly terrorized, we were quickly separated from the opposite sex and they measured our feet using some machine with a screen on the wall that showed a footprint that was colored according to how much pressure your foot put on the ground.

  “What is up with your feet, recruit?” demanded one of the Petty Officers, tapping the spot on the screen where my claws touched.

  “I have anatomical differences from a human, Petty Officer. We have already addressed the issue of equipment that fits. If you have to mark a size down for paperwork I recommend marking size 10 wide/narrow, Petty Officer.”

  “What do you mean by that, recruit?”

  “Petty Officer, I mean custom built shoes, Petty Officer.” I held up one of my shoes.

  “Recruit, is that a paw print on the tread?”

  “Petty Officer, the shoemaker has a sense of humor, Petty Officer.”

  “Alright, go sit with your group there.”

  After a lot more yelling for people to pay attention and follow instructions we all made it onto a bus. Far too many people sat where they could look at me instead of listening to the Petty Officers, which didn’t improve their mood any.

  “Recruits. If I have to say eyes forward one more time we are all going to be doing corrective training before we even get in the door.”

  That helped a little.

  The rush into the RTC building was equally frantic as the run to the bus. The Petty Officers handed out cards.

  “Lose the hat, recruit.” said one of them as she handed me a card. My ears had been pinned down all day so I took it off with a sigh of relief.

  “You’ve got hat-hair. Fix yourself.” The Petty Officer commented with remarkable composure.

  “Everyone take out your cell phone and call home. You will read this card. You will say no more and no less and then you will hang up and turn off your cell phones. Am I understood?” yelled another Petty Officer.

  “Petty Officer, yes Petty Officer.” I yelled with the kids as I straightened my hair.

  “Why are you not making a phone call, recruit?” asked a Petty Officer who stopped in front of me.

  “Petty Officer, my home isn’t reachable by telephone, and everyone on this planet who needs to know where I am either arrived with us or are monitoring the tracking devices, Petty Officer.” I waved over to where Ashley had taken a position next to the far door. That got a double take.

  The Chief Petty Officer made an appearance and talked us through his expectations. It was all very simple compared to my original combat instructor. Carry yourself with poise, shut up and listen. Do what the Petty Officers tell you instantly. Don’t pay attention to the woman with the ears and the tail. I felt like that wasn’t a typical instruction for boot camp.

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  Then we were removing and packing up everything that wasn’t necessary to have. All I had to pack up at that point was my hat, sunglasses, and coat since I hadn't brought any luggage.

  The next several hours we were ushered around and handed things to put in the bag they also handed us. Whenever they went to hand me an article of clothing I removed the modified version of it out of my storage and held that instead.

  When we changed into the sweat pants people got their first real look at my tail from under the skirt I had been hiding it in. My pants had hook fasteners with Velcro in the back to compensate for the interruption to the waistband that all the rest of my pants had as well. At that point no one even blinked at the armored vest when I put on the short sleeve shirt.

  We packed all of our things into a box. All I had to put in was my aforementioned coat, hat, sunglasses and now dress. All I kept with me from arriving that I didn’t have around my neck was my ID card, bank card and a hair brush.

  The sun came up and we kept going. Another physical (and another doctor to confuse with my vital signs), drug testing and vaccinations. Since I had all my vaccinations from staying with the Marines in the prior few months and had the records to prove it, I didn’t have to get any more shots. I did have to spend that time explaining how my body worked to a doctor though, so that was perhaps worse.

  Then we went to see a tooth doctor and I had to explain to yet another medical professional why my teeth were all sharp.

  And then the vision exam, and yet more explaining. The eye doctor called me a cat, and I had to explain why she shouldn't do that. Exhausting. When the Petty Officers found out halfway through they pulled the eye doctor into the next room and had a quiet conversation that I pretended I couldn’t hear. I was quickly ushered back into the hall with the other recruits.

  Next we had hair cuts. Yet another person for my physiology to confuse. The person at the chair they sat me in had definitely been spoken to in advance about what to say to me though because she firmly kept her mouth shut the entire time she was taking an inch off the bottom of the bob that I walked in the door with.

  Then paperwork and payroll came next. My time on retainer with the DoD helped, I already had payroll set up for me. The time flew and by the time they let us sleep half of the kids were already in Dreamland while standing up. It really took me back to when I started combat training when I was nineteen, or twenty three in earth years. I fell into my new bed and was out before I knew it.

  The next day we had a physical fitness test. The pushups and plank tests were easy to get maximum scores on, and it was only a mile and a half on the run, so I went full speed. As soon as I was done I was surrounded by Petty Officers demanding to know how I was breaking world records.

  “Petty Officer, nearly ten years of intensive combat training on my world means extensive body modification. I don’t get muscle fatigue like an Earth Human does, Petty Officer.”

  “We’re going to test that, Recruit. Any time you are not carrying out an instruction and it is safe to do so you will be performing some physical exercise that will challenge you. I will let you decide what that exercise will be, but the other Petty Officers and I will judge harshly if we think you are slacking.” decreed Chief Perry Officer Presley.

  “Chief Petty Officer, shall I begin now, Chief Petty Officer?”

  “Begin, Recruit.”

  I flipped up into a handstand and began pushing vertically, dipping low enough so that I could touch my nose to the floor.

  “Are you showing off, Recruit?”

  “Chief Petty Officer, no Chief Petty Officer.”

  “Out of curiosity, what does showing off look like to you, Recruit?”

  I kipped up onto my fingertips and then lifted one hand so I was balanced only on the remaining hand. Then I slowly started pushing vertically again. I switched over to the fingertips of my other hand and pushed vertically again. Then I switched back.

  “Alright Recruit, you can stop showing off now.”

  I put my other hand back down.

  “So that you don't fall behind. I expect you to read your study guide while you're doing push-ups, recruit.” added one of the Petty Officers.

  “Aye, Petty Officer.” I confirmed.

  “Just keep her busy so she doesn't lose conditioning, but don’t go overboard. I don’t expect that we will be able to offer any serious physical challenges to her without disrupting training.” I heard the Chief Petty Officer whisper to one of the others. I just kept pushing.

  And then there was the dining facility. When we went in for dinner it was now the third time we had eaten and I had to explain again why I needed twice the protein and why I couldn't have the rice or the bread.

  The petty officers came stomping up as I was clogging up the line.

  “What is your malfunction, recruit?”

  “Extraterrestrial physiology based dietary requirements, Petty Officer.”

  The Petty Officer paused.

  “Did you get it documented in your physical exam, Recruit?”

  “Aye, Petty Officer.” He turned back to the man holding the serving spoon.

  “Give her what she says she can eat in whatever quantity she asks for.” He turned to me. “Don't ask for more than is appropriate for you to eat and don't waste food.”

  “Aye, Petty Officer.” the spoon man and I said in unison.

  “And pass the word, I don't want to have this conversation every time I come in here.” the Petty Officer said over his shoulder as he headed back down the line.

  The processing days wrapped up without further incident and before long we had moved our more permanent barracks across the base. While my ears were camouflaged in the ear pockets on my hat while I was in uniform, my tail still stuck out behind me and I caught far too many eyes while marching. The Petty Officers did make me carry the guidon though.

  “Since you're attracting all the attention, Recruit, and you seem to know your left foot from your right, you're going to carry this for the division. Make sure you study the proper procedures in your book.”

  “Aye Petty Officer.”

  Week 1 started and we went to do the swim test. Getting my tail through the hole in the suit made for it was weird and annoying, but not too bad. We women had to wear our bras under the suit and put our shorts on over the swim suit which was typically prudish for Earth Humans, but whatever.

  The Raiders had shown me what I was doing wrong when I arrived, and probably why I drowned. Thus I was able to float now without exerting myself. I had just enough body fat to counteract my extra dense muscles and stay on top of the water.

  We jumped off of a platform and swam and floated and then boarded a life raft that they brought out for us and we were done. I had to work at it a bit more than the other recruits with normal muscles and higher body fat, but I passed.