The training hall was massive.
I stood at the entrance beside Rayna, my eyes wide as I took in the cavernous space. It had to be at least three stories tall, with multiple levels connected by ramps and platforms. Various sections were marked off for different purposes, combat zones with reinforced walls, obstacle courses that looked genuinely dangerous, and what appeared to be holographic training chambers.
Personnel in exercise gear moved through different drills, their movements precise and deadly. I watched a woman execute a series of strikes against a training dummy that would have pulverized a normal human, her fists crackling with energy.
*This is where they train soldiers?*
"Combat specialists, primarily," Rayna explained, sensing my curiosity through the bond. "Though anyone assigned to the Vigilance is required to maintain basic combat proficiency. My father's rules."
*Makes sense. A ship this valuable would be a target.*
We'd come here at Dr. Ysmene's suggestion. After analyzing the data from my first feeding, she'd concluded that I needed more than just nutrition, I needed physical development. Exercise. Challenge.
In her words: "He's growing, but his body needs stress to properly develop. Like a muscle, his evolution responds to demand."
So here we were, about to see if a week-old cosmic murder-kitten could handle military-grade training equipment.
This should be interesting.
"Lady Rayna!"
A woman approached, stocky and muscular, with scars visible on her arms and a cybernetic eye that glowed faintly blue. Her uniform marked her as a training instructor.
[SCANNING...]
[IDENTIFICATION: MASTER SERGEANT KIRA THANE]
[POSITION: SENIOR COMBAT INSTRUCTOR]
[RANK: MASTER SERGEANT]
[THREAT LEVEL: MODERATE-HIGH]
[NOTE: VETERAN OF 47 CAMPAIGNS, SPECIALIZED IN CLOSE QUARTERS COMBAT]
"Sergeant Thane," Rayna greeted with a slight bow. "Thank you for accommodating us on such short notice."
Thane waved off the formality. "Dr. Ysmene said you needed training space for your companion. I'll admit, I was skeptical." Her good eye focused on me, sharp and assessing. "But if the Doc says he needs it, I trust her judgment."
She crouched down to my level, studying me with professional interest.
"So you're the mysterious creature everyone's gossiping about," she said. "Gotta say, kid, you don't look like much."
I get that a lot.
As if sensing my thoughts, Thane grinned. "But I've learned not to judge by appearances. Seen too many small things kill too many big things to make that mistake twice."
I liked her immediately.
"What exactly are you hoping to accomplish here?" Thane asked, standing.
"Xiane needs physical challenges," Rayna explained. "His biology responds to stress by adapting. The more he's pushed, the faster he develops."
"So you want me to push him," Thane said, nodding. "I can do that. Question is, how much can he take?"
"That's what we're here to find out," Rayna replied.
Thane's grin widened. "Alright then. Let's see what you've got, little one."
She led us to a sectioned-off area marked "BASIC CONDITIONING." It was filled with equipment scaled for beginners, low obstacles, soft landing pads, and training dummies that looked significantly less murderous than the ones the soldiers were using.
Oh good. The kiddie section. My pride is intact.
"Don't look so offended," Thane said, somehow reading my expression. "Everyone starts somewhere. Even the Admiral himself used this section when he first enlisted."
That made me feel marginally better.
"First, let's test your baseline," Thane continued. She pointed to a simple obstacle course, a series of low hurdles, a balance beam, and a climbing wall maybe six feet tall. "Think you can handle that?"
I looked at the course, then at Rayna.
Seriously? This is training?
"Humor her," Rayna said with a smile. "And remember, no showing off. We're here to train, not demonstrate."
Fine. Basic it is.
I approached the first hurdle, a bar set about a foot off the ground. In my current form, I could easily jump it.
[ANALYZING OBSTACLE...]
[OPTIMAL APPROACH: STANDARD LEAP]
[ENERGY EXPENDITURE: MINIMAL]
I gathered my legs beneath me and jumped.
The moment I left the ground, I realized I'd miscalculated.
My new body was much stronger than I'd anticipated. What should have been a simple hop turned into a soaring leap that carried me over not just the first hurdle, but the second and third as well.
I landed awkwardly on the far side, stumbling and nearly face-planting before catching myself.
Okay. Note to self: still getting used to this body.
Behind me, I heard Thane whistle. "Well. That's interesting."
"Is he okay?" Rayna asked, concern evident in her voice and through our bond.
*I'm fine. Just... stronger than I thought.*
I turned back to face them, trying to look dignified despite my clumsy landing.
Thane was studying me with renewed interest, her cybernetic eye glowing brighter as it scanned me.
"Dr. Ysmene wasn't kidding about the adaptation thing," she muttered. "That jump, he didn't even strain himself. He's got power he doesn't know how to use yet."
"Can you teach him?" Rayna asked.
"Can I teach him?" Thane laughed. "Lady Rayna, teaching people, and apparently cosmic creatures, how to move their bodies is literally my job. Yeah, I can teach him."
She approached me, her posture shifting into what I recognized as an instructor's stance.
"Alright, Xiane, that's your name, right?" I nodded. "Good. Here's lesson one: power without control is just flailing. You've got strength, but you don't know your own limits yet. That makes you dangerous, to yourself and others."
Tell me about it. I nearly broke my face just now.
"So we're going to work on control first," Thane continued. "Forget the obstacles. We're starting simpler."
She led me to an open area marked with a grid pattern on the floor.
"See these squares? Each one is exactly one meter. I want you to walk, not jump, just walk, from square to square. Place your paws precisely in the center of each square. Focus on deliberate movement."
It sounded stupidly simple.
It was not.
The first square was easy enough. The second, I overshot slightly. By the third, I was compensating too much and ended up too short. By the fifth, I was getting frustrated.
This is ridiculous. I'm a cosmic bio-weapon, not a dancer.
"And that attitude," Thane said, somehow sensing my frustration, "is why you need this. You want to protect Lady Rayna?" She gestured to where Rayna stood watching. "Then you need to know exactly what your body can do. Exactly how hard you can hit, how fast you can move, how much force you can apply."
She crouched beside me, her voice lowering.
"Because someday, you might need to strike someone standing right next to her. And if you don't have perfect control, you might hurt her by accident. Can you live with that?"
Her words hit like a physical blow.
No. I can't.
"Then stop rushing. Stop thinking about what you should be able to do, and focus on what you can do. Master the basics first. The fancy stuff comes later."
I took a deep breath, both hearts pounding in my chest, and tried again.
This time, I moved slowly. Deliberately. Focusing on each paw placement, each shift of weight.
Square one. Center. Good.
Square two. A little off-center. Adjust.
Square three. Better.
Square four...
I continued, blocking out everything else. The sounds of the training hall faded. Even Rayna's presence through the bond became background noise.
There was only me, my body, and the squares.
[SKILL DEVELOPMENT DETECTED]
[BODY CONTROL: BASIC → IMPROVING]
[SPATIAL AWARENESS: +5%]
By the time I completed the grid pattern, I was exhausted, not physically, but mentally. The concentration required had been intense.
"Better," Thane said approvingly. "Much better. You're a fast learner."
Thanks. I think.
"Now do it again. Faster this time, but maintain the same precision."
Of course there's more.
For the next two hours, Thane put me through what could only be described as cosmic boot camp for babies.
Balance exercises on increasingly narrow beams.
Precision jumps to specific landing points.
Strength tests using weighted objects.
Speed drills through marked courses.
Reaction training with randomly appearing targets.
Each exercise pushed me in different ways, forcing me to understand and control my developing body. Thane was merciless but fair, never pushing me beyond what I could handle but always demanding I reach my current limits.
By the end, I was sprawled on a mat, panting heavily.
I take back every bad thing I thought about gym class in my previous life. This is way worse.
Rayna knelt beside me, her hand gently stroking my fur. Through the bond, I felt her pride mixed with concern.
"You did amazing," she murmured.
"He did decent," Thane corrected, but there was approval in her voice. "For a first session. We'll do this three times a week. More if he can handle it."
Three times a week? Kill me now.
"The good news," Thane continued, checking her datapad, "is that his development is accelerating. These readings..." She showed the device to Rayna. "He's already 15% stronger than when we started two hours ago. That's not normal."
That's the evolution system at work. Adaptation through stress.
[TRAINING SESSION COMPLETE]
[EXPERIENCE GAINED: +75]
[NEW SKILLS ACQUIRED]
- BASIC COMBAT FOOTWORK
- ENHANCED SPATIAL AWARENESS
- IMPROVED KINESTHETIC SENSE
[EVOLUTION PROGRESS: 31% → 38%]
[LEVEL UP!]
[CURRENT LEVEL: 4]
Seven percent evolution progress from one training session? That's actually pretty good.
"Same time in three days," Thane said. "And Xiane?" I looked up at her. "You've got potential. Don't waste it."
I don't plan to.
As we left the training hall, Rayna carried me in her arms despite my half-hearted protests that I could walk.
"You've earned the rest," she said firmly. "Besides, I like carrying you."
*I'm not a pet,* I grumbled, but I didn't really mind.
"No," she agreed softly. "You're family."
The word hit me harder than any of Thane's exercises.
Family.
I'd had a family in my previous life. Parents I'd disappointed. Siblings I'd drifted from. Relationships that had withered from neglect and mediocrity.
But this? This bond with Rayna, this absolute certainty that we belonged together?
This felt more like family than anything I'd known before.
*Yeah,* I projected, pressing closer to her warmth. *Family.*
[SOUL BOND STRENGTHENED]
[CURRENT BOND STRENGTH: 65%]
We passed through a corridor, and I caught a glimpse of someone watching us from a side passage, a flash of perfectly styled dark hair and cold eyes.
Lieutenant Corvax.
He saw me looking and smiled, but there was nothing friendly in it.
Then he was gone, disappearing around a corner.
*He's still watching us,* I projected to Rayna.
*I know,* she replied, her grip tightening slightly. *But we're getting stronger. Both of us. Let him watch.*
*Soon, I'll be strong enough that he won't dare do more than watch.*
*Soon,* she agreed.
But as we returned to her quarters, I couldn't shake the feeling that "soon" might not be soon enough.
Something was coming. I could feel it in my bones, in my cosmic instincts, in the way the universe itself seemed to be holding its breath.
Trouble's brewing, I thought.
Good thing I'm starting to enjoy a challenge.
---
[STATUS UPDATE]
- Level: 4
- Evolution Progress: 38%
- New Skills: Combat Basics
- Training Regimen: Established
- Threat Status: Corvax still monitoring