Dragon walker; Signature

“Please take a seat, Cadet” Admiral Evans offered in those you better not refuse offers. “Yes ma’am” Allen answered while sitting down in a rather comfortable wooden chair. He did not even dare to sit down in the leather chairs with his soot covered clothing. The admiral herself took her seat behind her large oak desk that had a Zebrano wooden surface to write on. She sit up straight in her own impressive chair that was decorated with wooden carvings of dragons. Her two pistols disappeared in a hidden compartment in her desk.

Allen took a deep breathing, looking at the admiral who took a note book and gently screwed of the cap of a fountain pen. “I am alright” Tanith let him know, she sounded distant in his head. “You will be alright. I am sure of it” It was a relieve to hear she was alright even trough she couldn’t be of any help. He just watched as the admiral made a request over the phone for his file to be send to her office. “Well I don’t care he is navy, he is sitting in my office just send me the file” the Admiral concluded her phone conversation. With placing the horn on the receiver she let a few minutes of deadly silence fall between them, no sound in the office but the distant sound of dragons and a clock ticking from somewhere in the room.

“Before we continue.” She finally started “What was your task onboard the ship cadet?” Allen took a deep breath, his stomach turning. Tell the truth that is what Tanith said. “Boiler boy ma’am” he said, failing to name the official name for his role. “boiler boy?” Admiral Evans’ eyes pierced at him. A small silence between them fallen again before Allen realised she wanted clarification. “Fireman Admiral. Boiler boy is what we get called, so it sticks.” The Admiral kept looking at Allen while noting something down. “I assume your file will tell me this cadet. However just for a formality can you tell me your schooling? military or otherwise?” Allen’s heart skipped for a beat before he answered her, only barely succeeding to sound confident in himself. “Primary school and the introduction training ma’am”

The admiral looked rather disappointed for a moment before straightening her face again. “Are you a hard worker cadet?” she asked, noting down yet more. “As hard a worker as any fireman ma’am” she looked down at her notepad before looking up. “Let me rephrase cadet, do you think you got it in you to go through high school and military academy?” she stopped writing, yet again all attention was on him. He worried, his fear apparently run across his face as the admiral added. “I have taken in stranger people then you cadet and they all passed. What I need to know is if you have the guts to become an Airman.” She gazed at him. “Doing what you did takes courage cadet and you saved the air corps an valuable asset. But” she laid the emphasis on the ‘but’ “I don’t tolerate failure, we are at war we need good man and women. So cadet I ask again, do you have the determination to become an airman.”

Allen took a breath to sturdy himself “Yes ma’am” he answered “I wanted all my life to become a pilot, but never had the change. I will not disappoint you ma’am!” he started to sound a little bit more enthusiastic about the situation. His mind finally accepted he was no longer going to be chewed out by the admiral. “It’s not me you will need to please cadet, but it will be your team.” She opened a drawer and took papers from it. The papers fell on the table in front of Allen. “Sign here, you will be airman recruit second class.” She offered a fountain pen. With somewhat trembling hands Allen accepted the pen. When the pen hit the paper he steadied himself and put a crude but clean signature under the reassignment papers.

With the papers signed the admiral stood up, quickly followed by Allen. “Congratulations recruit welcome to the corps.” She looked past him at the door. “Smith!” she shouted and soon after a short man walked trough the door. He was in uniform and looked at Allen for a moment before saluting to the admiral. “Yes ma’am” He responded to her. “Corporal Smith, this is airman recruit second class Walker. He is your newest addition to the team. I will send his file over ASAP. He did save a dragon but I expect no special treatment.” She then turned to Allen. “Walker. This is Corporal Senior Airman Smith. You will report to him from now on. He will oversee your training.”

“Yes ma’am” Allen said to the admiral and turned around to salute to Corporal Smith. “Recruit Walker reporting for duty, sir.” He received an at ease and turned back to the admiral. “Recruit, Corporal. You are dismissed” They both said in unison, a yes ma’am and walked trough the door. “Follow me recruit” and the corporal took a brisk pace out of the building onto the airstrip. Allen remained quite for the walk to the barracks.

To a huge surprised he didn’t gotten a shared bunk bed room like normal barracks. He received a rather barren small room with a desk, light, bed and a clause to store his gear. He looked into the room with surprise. “Something the matter recruit, not big enough?” Allen shook his head. “No sir, I am not used to having an own room. I am used to share a bed with two others.” The corporal let a soft smile appear on his face. “You have a dragon recruit, that gives you privileges. But recruit” The corporal’s done turned into a warning voice “Having a dragon as recruit is highly unusual, what is more. The dragon just left a few weeks ago. A fair warning to you, most of those here on camp remember the dragon’s old pilot, who we are all fond of.” The corporal kept quite to just let it sink in for a moment “So don’t catch me you abusing the privileges private or there will be hell to pay. Understood?”

Allen gotten cold for a moment “yes sir.” He said and saluted. “For king and country, sir” it seemed to ease the corporals mood a bit. “Good, now get your arse to the quartermaster will give you your outfit. Get a shower and get that soot of. I will not stand for a dirty pilot. Dismissed!” Allen gave another yes sir before walking out of the barracks. The layout of the base was similar to where he was trained, the quartermaster was located near the entrance next to the barracks to give ease of entrance.

Allen entered the Wearhouse trough collections door. A stout man was sitting behind a desk working trough documents. His desk was covered in paper and two phones ready to buss. A small brass name plate states ‘Quartermaster’. “yes, what you want” he asked without looking up. “Sir, I request a uniform for private second class” Allen said, trying his best for a good impression. He had to admit he was a bit rusty on most military customs. “New uniform? I can’t remember anyone getting a promotion” He looked up at Allen and Imidatly boast to him “What on earth are you wearing!? You look like you went through a chimney!”

“Close, sir” Allen replied “I got transferred this morning from my station as fireman onboard the Goliath.” The quartermaster looked across Allen again. “So you are that kid who blew over on a dragon” his gaze pierced Allen “Second class, that is going to set some ill blood with the boys.” He stood up “Follow me” and the quartermaster walked off with a  brisk pace to the storage. Allen followed to receive his new boots and uniform in a cotton bag so not to make it dirty by his sooty cloths. “The corporal will give you your stripe.” He said, then taking a pen and a notepad from another box. “take this you will need it.” Allen took it thankfully “Thank you sir” and he took off to the showers of the barracks.

We was luckily with the time, the camp had yet to dine and thus no one was in the shower. He let his sooty cloths fall to the ground and gotten into the shower quickly. It felt pure heaven to have the water running over his body. It was only luke warm but even then, the ability to shower was heaven. He could not remember the last time he showered. He took the soup and tried to scrub himself clean. Getting the soot out of his hair took five washes and his skin, while slightly washed from the salt water still required several attempts. His nails where the most trickiest but her did his best. Hunger made him effectually stop after an quick inspection.

He dressed himself up in his uniform. Most of it was made of leather, he could only guess to protect against the cold of dragon riding. He also found a aviators jacket and a harness in the package. He put them to the side and tossed his old cloths into the washing bin. He took a deep breath before looking at himself in a mirror. He looked quite dashing, it filled him with pride even trough he was only a recruit.

“Dinner should be soon” Tanith decided to let herself known. “Could you meet me before in the stables?” Allen nodded and gave a yes before realising that she was not actually here with him. “Damm I should get an way to communicate back with her” he grunted to himself. The stables took him longer to find, not quite aware where they were but the sounds of dragons helped him guide. At least after he walked to the landing zone were a dragon was quite vocal about not wanting to go for night flight. Allen looked at the pilots rank to see the pilot was only a airman, perhaps only just passed his training. Allen turned down a path to find the stalls, inside dragons of many shapes, sizes and colours where all gazing at him. He walked down the centre to find a stable where Tanith was placed behind a cage. “do they have to always lock you up?” Allen exclaimed unpleased. “Are you even allowed to walk around?”

“Also good to see you” Tanith said “I see they officially made you my pilot” Allen nodded, opening the gate to the stall and entering. “Yes, but I doubt they are pleased” He walked to her and reached out to rub her flank. Soon he could hear another voice. Heavy and male, an rumble trough his mind that almost made his chest vibrate. “A new rider Tanith!? I knew you hated war but to kill your pilot, brutal” Allen looked around surprised, he could feel Tanith shrink under the weight of the dragon. Allen saw a large eye looking trough the cage. A dragon at least twice Tanith’s size looked at the two. “You?” Allen simply said, the dragon suddenly looked at Allen in surprised. “You can hear me?” the dragon had a slow rhythm to his voice. “Unusual, someone who can hear more dragons…”

Allen looked at Tanith for a moment, seeing her sorrow. “Yes yes, now you might want to apologize to Tanith. She saw every single one of her company being killed while still being chained to the deck. Their pilots burned in a hell trap when the goliath got attacked.”

The dragon seemed to be taken aback for moment. “You have any idea who my pilot is? He is your corporal” Allen looked at the dragon, he had this odd look on his face that Allen couldn’t quite decipher. “This morning I learned dragons are intelligent” he walked up to the larger dragon “and just now I also learned they can be quite the arseholes it seems. That you might be high and mighty doesn’t give you the right to treat others like hell”

The dragon grumbled for a second “It seems you picked one with a spine this time Tanith” He followed it up by a deep breath of Allen’s scent. “this one, washed as he is, smells like work and ash.” The dragon turned to Allen again. “I give you a fair chance boy, that is more most of you humans get. They call me maximus because someone thought it a bloody good joke to call me after a old dead general.” Allen nodded “Maximus, pleasure to meet you. If you ever want to call me by any other name but human you can call me Allen, Allen walker.” The dragon snorted and retreated “funny one, okay I leave you two to it. It’s rare enough a pilot comes to visit one of us as it is.”

Tanith gazed at her pilot with a soft hum “Never imagined you picking fights with dragons. Certainly not after being afraid some might eat you” Allen approached Tanith ones more and placed a hand on her shoulder. “Well I have you to protect me” Tanith gave a soft laugh “Clever one. But what If I decide to bite” Allen gave a small laugh “I just have to make sure you will not have the need to bite.” He took an guess and placed his hand just behind the base of her left horn and scratched. “What are you…” she stopped for a moment and leaned into the scratching. “Don’t you dare to stop or I will bite” Allen smirked at the dragon that was now pressed against his side. “You know you act like a rather big scaled cat” He received a firm shut up, or ill bite from her.

He remained with her as long as he could, not much talking but more just being with her. Another dragon, one that had a beautiful maroon coloured scaled head poked it’s large eyes up from another cage from time to time. While the dragon did not spoke, it looked jealous at the two. Through the time together came to an abrupt ending by the sound of a horn. “dinner time” Tanith said “Better be quick” Allen nodded and left with a quick “till tomorrow” towards the dinner hall of the barracks.

By the time he arrived at the large hall it was already filled with pilots and recruits. Sitting separated by rank and social group. The hall was filled with the buss of conversation, but it all fell silent when the door fallen shut behind Allen. They all stared, some with curiosity, some with anger, most with judging looks. Allen forced himself to walk upright to show himself from his best side, to make that first impression but never the less he knew he was getting chewed out. He made his way towards the buffet table to get his fill.

A tall, man with darker skin and pitch black hair stopped him along the way. “Is it true you came from the Goliath on the back of a dragon.” Allen looked at the shoulders to quickly judge that this person was just a recruit like him. “Yes, that is true” Allen said looking towards the recruit, what he was not prepared for was the sheer anger in the man’s face. “Is it true that you are just a bloody fireman? A little boiler boy?” He asked again, his tone turning sour. “Yes, I am Allen Walker and I only barely escaped the fires and death trap that was the belly of the ship”

“Listen up boiler boy” The man spat out at him “I don’t give a fuck’n what your name is. You don’t belong in that uniform” he could feel the mans finger push against his chest. “You should have died, one of us should have returned with the dragon” Allen looked past the recruit to see the corporal standing, ready to interrupt a fight but otherwise not interacting. Allen turned back to the man, he could feel adrenaline rushing trough his body. “Did you lose someone onboard?”

“Only because you didn’t bloody save them traitor. My brother should have flown that dragon back! He was master of the arms for the dragon crew” Allen, while on his adrenaline high could feel sorrow for the boy. He remembered the face of his friends who properly never escaped themselves from the metal hell. “I am sorry for your loss but there was nothing I could do and I am certainly not a traitor for leaving a ship that is on the brink of explosion.”

“You fuck’n could have tried” Allen took a deep breath fore looking straight at him “Have you ever seen combat?” apparently that was the wrong question to ask “What the bloody hell does that matter?” Allen kept on going while his blood kept on boiling “because, I want to know if you can imagine what it would have looked like. Everyone who wasn’t blown to pieces was turned into Switch cheese by shrapnel. Tanith’s pilot was impaled by a tube trying to outrig the dragon for a fight. Tanith was the only one alive on the dragons deck, the others died in the blast, jumped overboard or burned live inside the ship.” Allen took a step closer to the man. “I am sorry that you lost a brother, but don’t think that I don’t share that burden. We evacuated because there was blood flowing trough the pipes and down the stairs”

“Reqruits!” The corporal finally shouted. “You made both your points now move along” the man that blocked Allen’s path moved out of his way with an nondescript “I hope you are prepared”. It allowed Allen to get his food and then sit down among the new recruits as not to disturb the picking order. Silently he ate his meal, wondering what tomorrow will bring.