Page 3 of Grulen

After Grulen finished his training forms, he picked up the towel and water pouch from the blue grass next to him.Muscles loose and limber after his workout, he wiped the sweat from his face and chest before rehydrating.Even after being on theInvictusfor fivelunars, he still was amazed by the aquiponics area.

Staggered levels with produce and herbs growing surrounded the enormous space.A pink gravel path circled the lower perimeter with fruit-growing bushes and trees scattered about the area.Smaller clearings dotted the central space such as the one he just used—some with benches and flowering plants.

Tail swaying, his nostrils flared as he drew in a deep breath enjoying the fresh scents of Costonia on the space cruiser.The aquiponics area served multiple purposes.Fresh food production and cleaner air meant healthier, happier warriors.Whenever possible, Grulen liked to conduct his forms here and used the designated training areas for sparring and other physical activities.The routine also helped him meet more of the three thousand warriors stationed on theInvictus.

“Warrior, come here.”

Grulen looked around at the yell and saw the older male who seemed to always be working among the plants gesturing to him.Dark brown hair laced with silver, brown eyes, and a strong body housed the irascible male who seemed to be a similar age to Grulen’s own sire.

“Me, sir?”

“Do you see anyone else?Yes, you.”Grumpy male.

Tucking his water pouch and towel into a pocket, Grulen jogged across the grass to meet the other warrior.

“I require another set of hands to help harvest a section oflobile.The warriors scheduled to assist me are being disciplined by their team lead for their drunkenness last evening.”

“Would those be the warriors that loosened some training bots into one of the hangar bays?”

“Yes.Crekkin’ naroons.Fortunately, none of the ships were irreparably damaged or Commander Durek would be handling their discipline personally.”

“Then the healers would have extra work as well.”Grulen chuckled.

The older male grinned, his fangs white against his face.

“Have you been on the receiving end of the commander’s ire?”

“No, sir, I’ve managed to avoid that type of attention.However, I heard rumors.”

“Yes, he likes to reinforce his lessons with a heavy dose of sparring.What is your name, Warrior?I’ll comm your team lead to let him know you’re aiding me.”

“Grulen Jevax, but I’m not on duty.I’m happy to help.”

“Merix Hunnek.”The old male grunted, kneeled, and proceeded to show Grulen how to properly harvest the purple tubers.Grulen didn’t tell him he already knew how to do it from his time in Nestune.

“TheMerix Hunnek?The one that invented aquiponics areas?”

Brown eyes widened.

“How would you know that?”

“My last assignment was onboard theDiligence, a science vessel.We had a much smaller aquiponics area based upon your research.One of the exobiologists extolled your work.”

“Are you a scientist?”

Grulen shook his head as he pulled a tuber from the dirt and lightly tossed it into a container.

“No.The ship traveled to many planets, and I primarily took a protective role on away missions.Otherwise, I assisted wherever there was a need.Only one hundred of us made up the ship’s complement.”

“Hmm.A big step from theDiligenceto theInvictus.Were you not happy?”Hunnek dug out a tuber.His fingers looked misshapen and painful.

“I enjoyed my time there, but when Commander Durek offered me a place on the Svesti flagship, I chose to accept.”

“Have you settled in with the crew?I notice you practicing your training forms here regularly.”

“I believe so.I like the peace of this space when I meditate.Now that we’re in the Quon system protecting Urdite space, I hope I will have more to do beyond learning more about space cruiser operations.”

“Be careful what you wish for, Jevax.If we’re lucky, the Zuvgran will ignore Urdita and the other planets in this system.”

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