The camp was busy as usual today. It wasn’t anything strange; troupes ran about in full combat gear, worked at obstacle courses with dummy guns, fired at the range with live ammo to work on their accuracy. The military camp was its usual bustle of worker ants and fighter drones.
Well, except for one particular vision on base. Most of the drones and ‘ants’ were in uniform. One curvy, slender figure was not. Dark, muddy brown scales smeared with emerald green markings that glowed vaguely in the dim sun’s light were bare to the world, not a scrap of equipment or clothing visible whiles she worked at cleaning one of the broader-barreled photon weapons off the rack.
This fact was not at all lost on the drill sergeants, most of whom left it alone while quietly discussing it behind their claws with one another, deciding more who should handle the issue than how.
	
There were plenty of people talking, but not a single one of them were doing anything, typical of a military base, however it was strange that there happened to be a female on base who was maintaining the equipment.  One of the grunts happened to be going to gather a weapon for the firing range, stepping next to the female while she worked, selecting his weapon and pulling it from the rack.  He didn't bother looking at her, as he figured it was some sort of test for the soldiers.  "Pretty warm day, didn't know clothing was optional."  He stated simply, and with that, he moved to the field, his black armour aglow from the suns' rays, and only glimpses of his deep crimson scales were visible around his neck and along the ridges of his folded wings.  He prepared, the instructor yelling out orders: "Check!  Reload!  Safety off!  Aim!  Fire!  Hit!  Perfect!"  The same chorus sounded from the instructor until the tenth time passed.  "Good job recruit, I'm sure the sniper's academy is going to want to get their claws on you."  He came back to the rack shortly after, placing his gun back in it's position after ejecting the magazine and emptying the chamber, finally releasing the energy cell and placing it back within a separate container.

The fae tilted her brow at the comment, glancing up just long enough to watch the soldier wander off before returning to her maintenance. When he came back from his shots, she’d moved to another weapon, working at the barrel with the cleaning rod. “It’s not,” she muttered back at him, her eyes drifting to their corners to watch the superiors, who now looked to be breaking rank. “I’m unsure if I should be concerned it hasn’t been addressed by someone more… Vocal than you.” She glanced up at the brute, tilting her brow again. “You’re a good shot. He’s usually a royal asshole. I’d have to call that glowing praise, myself.” I stood and pulled the cleaning rod from the gun, glancing down the barrel to check for debris before heading for the ammo. “But… I suppose it’s my turn on the range, since, apparently, no-one’s going to yell at me. Wonder when the lazy bastards became so non-confrontational… Think it’s the gun?”

I glanced over to you, then shrugged.  Whatever the reason you decided to run around without armor wasn't my business.  Nor was it my concern over what the superiors warranted as proper punishment for doing so.  Perhaps just the fact you had to walk around without armor was a punishment.  Meant little to me.  “Never look down a barrel of a gun.  Loaded or not.  Good way to lose an eye, or worse.”  Was my simple reply to the entirety of what you had to say to me.  I stepped away from the rack and moved to the next part of my training without another word, waiting in line to begin the drills with the rest of the lizards who had completed the firing range with an acceptable grade.  Those who didn't were stuck slogging through mud under barbed wires several times before wiping off their claws and being sent back to the firing range to attempt to score better again.  Many who failed were stuck in that endless loop.

I humphed and rolled the eyes I still had. “Yeah, yeah.” I took my turn at the range. I got in some decent shots after I adjusted for the lack of armor, but the first couple were bad enough to earn me a trip under the barbed wire. It didn’t bother me much. I was more lithe than most without all the armor, and even managed some camouflage, half-buried in the mud and spreading my wings to utilize for further grip while I shoved my claws under the mud to grip at rocks and roots for extra pull. I had more snags with my horns than anything else, in the wires. I brushed off the mud at the exit from the pit and marched back to the range to wait for another opening, not bothering too much with most of the mud.
It was about this time the officers finally made a decision, one of them flying over to stand in front of me, arms crossed and stance as dominant as possible. I gave an honest salute and listened to a brief lecture and a couple questions I wouldn’t have time to answer before the brute finally shut up. “My armor was used for recreation yesterday, sir. I wasn’t made aware of it until this morning and haven’t had time to remove the paint. I don’t really like the idea of making myself a target with unusually bright colors illuminating the weak points of my armor, sir!”

I didn't catch any of the words while I ran through the obstacle course, leaping over logs, diving through hoops and sliding beneath benches.  I ran the course in a time that made the time keeper need to check his watch again.  By this time I had begun to gather unsatisfactory looks from the other soldiers around, some grunting about how much of a “show off” I was, and others trying their damnedest to keep up.  I moved onto the next field, and then the next.  By the time I had reached the end, the officers had stopped worrying about the naked lizard and had their eyes on me, debating betwixt themselves over where I should be put, with the decision finally being settled that the offers would be placed and they would let me decide for myself.  “Showers!  Then go get some grub!”  One of the officers yelled over a PA.  I began to remove my armor, piece by piece while wiping it down meticulously.  I managed to remove my armor completely, standing 6' 4” with blood scales and a black chest and stomach.  The length of my tail held the same black colouration along the bottom of it.  Placing my helmet down atop of my perfectly cleaned armor, I stepped into the showers, bracing for the cold water to come before starting the process of cleaning, ignoring the chatter about me from the others around.

It was a relief, when the focus was off my scales again to follow yours. I managed to get a decent enough score the second time around, but the drill sergeant made me go through the mud and range again before I was allowed to move on. I managed through the first course before showers were called, and I found a stall to sidle into not far from yours, to start working at the drying mud I hadn’t bothered with since it had been acquired. I glanced over at you and hummed. “I’m pretty sure the range sergeant wasn’t the only one that liked you today. Bet you get some nice offers soon.”

My attention perked as I heard your voice again.  “Why are you following me?”  I asked plainly, the cold water not pleasant in the least bit, so I washed quickly the little bit of dust I managed to accumulate under my armor on my scales.  “I am simply performing to the best of my abilities, as we swore to do before joining.  Where I end up is not a concern to me.  I am here to serve our people.”  With that, I slipped out of the shower and dressed in the battle casual attire that we were provided, simple gray uniforms that covered our scales.  I gathered my armor and began towards the mess hall before three scales stepped in front of me.

	“Think you can come in here like that and show everyone up?  Boy do you have some learning to do, punk.”  The one in the center growled, the other two lunging at me.  I stepped back, jumping before my wings spread and I pushed a gust of dirt from the ground at the lot of them.  “The officers are watching.  I would not suggest ruining your chances of being able to advance.  Prison would not suit the lot of you very well.”  I stood ready, wings outspread while the three remained, rethinking of another way to assault me.

I glanced over at you and rolled my eyes. “Actually, I’m avoiding the urge to rip scales off the fae that tiedyed my commonclothes pink in the wash. It’s easiest to do that when you don’t have to shower with them.” But you weren’t listening. It didn’t seem anyone was bothered with a naked fae, today, so I shrugged and finished my shower.
The short water allotment was all I really needed to scrape most of the noticeable mud off my scales. The water squeaked off in the middle of your last comment, and I peered out of the shower curiously. I rolled my eyes and draped the towel around my neck to feign modesty, before slipping out of the shower. “Idiots.” I muttered, sidling around the mess in the entrance. “At least use the arena for your stupid brawls. The showers are much better covered than open-air, I promise.” I didn’t bother rushing as I made for the barracks. “And if you break yours, I can guarantee you the faes won’t be sharing while they’re occupied.”

You walking out of the shower certainly distracted the bunch, mindlessly starring at you while I walked around the other direction, headed to the hall.  The bunch only grumbled after they realized that I had made it away.  I sat by myself when I reached the hall, sifting through the “food” that we were giving and only taking out the pieces that were appetizing, or actually had nutritional value.  Why the superiors had allowed the female to walk around naked the entire day without forcing her into some sort of garb was on my mind, but that was cut short by several officers sitting at the table around me.
	“Couldn't help but notice you today.”  Spoke one of them, another chiming in, “You did pretty good, better than the average riffraff that rolls in.”  I didn't bother looking up while I continued fishing for the tasty morsels.  “I was simply performing to the best of my ability.”  I replied.
	“Well you've got some skills, kid.  And we have some very important rolls that you could easily take part in.  Special forces, marksman-” another one interrupted “with scores like yours, you could effortlessly pass the officer training, no doubt.”  The third of the trio finally spoke.  “Or with athleticism like yours, you could save lives on the field as a combat medic.  There are a lot of doors open for you soldier, when you feel like you've made up your mind, come and let one of us know.  Keep up the good work soldier.”  And with that, the three stood and walked away, leaving me to my silence and inedible heap of food I had left.

I made for my paint-splotched armor and sighed at it, as I fetched the armor, and halfway through buffing out no more than a portion of the mess receiving a tongue-lashing from the Barracks Commander about my bare frame, and the fact I hadn’t eaten yet, and the state of my armor, and, after I donned my ‘common’ clothes, their state, as well, before I was sent out to the mess to grab some chow, and told not to run about like a hatchling.
When I walked into the mess, it was in the off-white top I’d been given, dyed in a vortexing spiral in bright pink thanks to a mistake in the wash. At least the burlap was solid, and only tinted pink. I tossed a few glares at the faes that snickered at me and snarled at one as I passed her to retrieve my slop and hunt for the darkest corner I could get alone in. I set to tossing back some of the pieces most liked less, before I’d found myself a seat, pushing the more tasty pieces to the side of the plate while I hunched on my table.

Just as I walked from my table to toss my tray away, an alarm began to sound.  “This is not a drill.  All recruits report to your barracks.  You ARE NOT to engage in combat.  Remain in the barracks until the all clear sounds!”  The orders were crisp and clear over the PA while the alarm continued to drone in the background.  The soldiers in the mess hall all got up and began towards the barracks, orderly and without panic.  I walked back to my table, gathering up my armor and equipping it piece by piece.  When finally suited up, I walked out the front, headed towards the racks of weapons to gather a rifle, a few magazines and cell charges before running to meet up with a few soldiers who were late to the briefing, just to blend in.

I stared up at the intercom, holding my third grub just beyond my muzzle. With a growl, I rose to dump my nearly-full tray and put it on the receiving rack. I followed the others towards the barracks, slipping out of line and around a tent when I could. I took a sidetrip to the women’s showers and stuffed the target markers in a corner behind the last stall before slipping under the edge of the tent and heading to the weapons’ rack, myself to find an angled blade and a range rifle. I didn’t bother with ammo, it was just for scouting, in my case. Without armor, I’d be a dead dragon after the first shot sounded, and I knew that much. I worked my way to the dark edges of the briefing, tucking my smaller frame behind a bush and listening for the plan.

The briefing was short, simply shoot at anything that tries to get through the front gate.  Apparently a nearby cell had decided to rile and attack the base.  Several scouts were missing, and two parties were being organized to find them.  I volunteered for one of those positions.  It didn't seem like anyone even bothered to notice the lack of insignia on my armor for rank, or even a tag for my name.  Like that our party was sent out, under the covering fire of allies on the base walls behind us.  There wasn't a thing moving for miles, and it made me wonder just what the enemy was planning with the missing scout units.  We headed off into the woods to remain hidden from sight as we progressed towards the enemy encampment.  It was a good three miles before we made it to the location intel suggested was the cell compound.  It was completely deserted, at least from the outside.  Our team slowly made our way in, and it wasn't long before lasers began flying.  I pushed down a barrier, crouching behind it and picking off ones that showed themselves just enough, but they outnumbered our unit 10:1.  It wasn't long before one of our guys started yelling in pain.  The second unit closed in from behind the complex, flanking them and successfully taking point within a building across from where we were pinned down.

	I made my way over to the soldier.  “Shut up, you're going to get the locals involved if you keep screaming like a mammal.”  I growled down at him.  He had taken a shot through the shoulder, the sizzling hole in the armor having no traces of blood on it.  I got to work tending to the wound before I heard something whiz by.  Everything went black after that.  I had taken a laser to the side of the helmet, where it had managed to ricochet upwards thanks to the photonic plating, through my ear.  I collapsed to the ground, however, due to the high resonation within my helmet atop of the pure energy that had traveled through my ear.

I kept close, scouting ahead a bit, but keeping out of sight. If they saw me without armor and out of uniform, I was sure they’d either think me a local or a spy or a deserter. I was eager not to let people die, though, and followed the sounds from within the compound from above it. When shit started to hit the fan, I could hear it. The wounded one wasn’t exactly being quiet.
I shed my rifle and smashed in a window to wreak some havoc in amidst the unfriendly ranks. I may not have been the strongest dragon in the facility, but I knew how to use what I had. A long tail meant more than one opponent flying, and the lithe motions of an unarmoured combatant meant I could get around the lasers before they could find their marks, and slash at the paws holding the responsible weapons.
Most of the opponents would still be laserfodder, when I slipped around the corner to escape the brawl, relieved of my knife and limping thanks to a chunk of seared scales on my right thigh, the flesh under it sizzling and cooking from the lazer. I tilted my brow at the deep red on the floor and rolled my eye at the babyish little lizard with a hole in his shoulder, dragging my tail through the air to tie his maw shut in your place.

I wasn't out for long, coming to my senses and slowly lifting myself from the ground.  I took a moment to access the situation of my personal self, before realizing that you were here without any uniform at all.  At first I didn't say anything before I drug you down to the ground.  “What the hell is wrong with you?”  I growled before relocating the medical gear I was using to dress the wounds of the soldier who was shot.  After finding my rifle and starting to fire into the remaining forces, keeping one of my knees on you.  It wasn't long before a whirring was heard coming from behind.  Without warning the sky lit up with red dots before massive lasers blasted through the building the remaining enemies had hunkered in.  During the blast I had hit the dirt, waiting for the smoke to clear.

It wasn't a surprise when a company leader came over to find an unmarked soldier and a naked female, he wasn't all too pleased.  With the smoke clearing the remaining enemies were taken out, those who didn't manage to run into the woods for their lives.

I rested my head on my paw under your knee, looking annoyed and a little bored. “You’re right… I should totally have worn that Neon Pink vortex tie dye scouting… OOH! Or my bright, paint-splattered armour one of the other girls borrowed for midnight target practice. PERFECT choices for stealth ops...” I rolled my eyes and waited to be released, twitching an ear skyward at the whirring, and tucking into the dirt about the same time you did. Admittedly, I hid in it better, since I met the color halfway.
I looked up at the leader, and remained quiet, glancing at you briefly and finding myself curious what story you’d be telling, just as much as how much any officer would believe one word of what either of us said about the event. I also found myself wondering, as I returned my eyes to the leader’s to gauge reactions, if one of us might be losing their position in the military… And it wasn’t you I was wondering about.

“I'm going to guess that neither of you know how to follow orders very well.”  He said with crossed arms while looking down at the two of us.  The lizard who had been yelling before had gone into a silent fix.  I stood from the ground, giving a salute.  “I was eager to test my skills, sir.”  He gave a scoff, before staring down at the female.  “And I presume that having a little fun with her was part of the test, hm?”  He asked looking back at me.  I took a moment to think about the options.  Disobeying orders and going into a mission was a certain court marshal.  Having 'relations' with another soldier would probably be overlooked.
“If not for them..  I don't think our team had much of a chance out here.  They might not be soldiers yet, but they certainly performed like them.”  The lizard who had taken a shot spoke.  The officer looked down to him for a moment before returning his gaze to the two of us.  “Get back to base before clean up operations arrive.  I'll be keeping my eyes on the both of you.”  He growled before walking off to access the rest of his men.  The lizard on the ground grinned.  “Well, you heard him.  Get.  And thanks.”  I didn't wait, leaving immediately into the woods back towards the base.

I wasn’t any more willing to wait to be told twice. I climbed a nearby tree to its top before taking a low flight, using a grasshopper’s flight pattern to stay low while using my injured leg as little as I could. I was only faster than you long enough to catch up, and then barely managed to keep up, the awkward method a drag on energy reserves. Just short of ‘free from the forest’, I made my way down another tree to the ground to run along behind you, not nearly matching your speed, but making plenty of time about it.
While I wasn’t far behind, I called up at you. “How’s your head? I… Have to imagine you were unconscious… You seem the type to either shoot me or drag me out by the tail just to get the unarmoured fool out of combat, so…”

“You're lucky that you didn't get killed.  I don't even want to know what you were thinking when you decided that would be a good idea.”  I responded bluntly.  The only visible damage I had sustained was a piece of my bottom right ear being missing, though the laser had closed the wound while it passed and so there was no blood, or complaint from me.  “Further lucky that you didn't get me in trouble for deciding to chase me around naked all day.  There was standard armor near the weapon's rack you could have put on at any point today.  I think you just enjoy being without armor on your scales.”

I humphed and rolled my eyes. “The standard armor is too thick and loud in too many ways. I wanted to be useful, not sent back to base as a liability.” I humphed, shrugging. “Y’know… If you wanted your ear pierced… I’m sure there’s someone on the grounds that could’ve done it and left your ear whole.”
I stopped to lean on a tree for a moment and pretend to stretch. “And for the record, I don’t give a scaleless tailbone whether you get in trouble. You got too many eyes lookin’ at you in high hopes to be kicked out. The idea we might have both had the same thought bothers you, doesn’t it?” I leaned off the tree again to start walking, not bothering with a march at the moment.

I gave a shrug.  “I'm not the one limping.  I am sure training is going to be a lot of fun without letting someone know what happened to you.”  I said, though I did not stop at any point.  “What exactly are you trying to prove?”  Was my only question that I couldn't shrug off within my mind.  There was clearly some reason you wanted to be here, other than showing off your scales in front of a whole platoon of recruits, officers, and soldiers.  “You want to stay, yet you do incredibly thoughtless things.  How is anyone supposed to work with you if rational thought is not your forte?”

I humphed, letting my claws drop to the offended thigh to lift the scales and get some air to the injury beneath them. Mine was more of a burn than a cauterized wound, because of the way the lazer’d hit. “Occupational hazard,” I muttered, letting my scales fall and returning to a light trot. “I don’t want to be overlooked any more than anyone else… Unless I’m scouting. Painted and heavy armor’s a good way to get shot, in that particular line of work.”
I set to focusing on breathing for a few more paces before I’d talk again. “I know where my strengths lie, and that if I want to live to do anything useful, using them is what’s going to be a major requirement. You were too busy earlier to notice my… Track record with the guns, I’m sure.”

“None of that answers my question.  What were you trying to prove?  How easily you get yourself into trouble?”  I asked, but then shook my head.  “Never mind.  You were lucky back there, I can't see you staying so lucky in boot camp.”  Once we were on base, I went back to the barracks, without any questioning or further distractions beyond what you might have provided, removing my armor and pulling out a small book that I had been reading, going over “The Art of Combat” again for the umpteenth time.

I humphed and remained quiet, myself, until we made it onto base, slipping into the showers to dig out my vibrant outfit. I had to hold the shirt at arm’s length and hiss at it’s vortex of a target mark in that brilliant pink against the deep forest green top, before I shrugged into it anyways. I started back to the barracks. I glanced back at the showers for a slow moment before sighing and wandering back to enjoy a shower, not at all worried by the chilled water. Actually, I quite enjoyed the feel of it cooling the injury. I dressed and returned to the rooms afterward, not at all concerned that I was still a little damp from the shower. I slipped through the barracks to get to my bunk and unrolled the mat so I could lay across it and stuff my scales in a fiction novel.

The next day came, and it was back to the training fields.  With more interest growing in me, it was soon evident that the patience of the commanders was wearing out.  They wanted me in their divisions, and were beginning to argue over it even.  After training, grub, and a shower I was approached.  “You are hereby finished with conditioning, it is clear that you are ready for the field.  Have you decided where you want to specialize in?”  I was a bit upset that I was being front lined out of the group, knowing that was never a good thing when working with other soldiers who quickly think you kissed ass to get there.  I gave a small nod.

“On one condition.”  The commander lifted his brow, never having been given a proposition on the matter, but curious all the same.  “The female who's limping around the course, will be part of my unit.  I want to specialize in Special Forces as a Marksman.”  He looked out to the field as though to try and see what I was talking about before looking back to me.  “Hm, an interesting proposal.  Is there a specific reason you want her?”

I gave a nod.  “She needs hands on training on the field to understand the severity of her actions.  And I feel I am more than suitable for over watching those actions to ensure she doesn't get herself killed.  She has potential, sir.”  He gave me an odd look before he shrugged.  “We'll see.  Why don't you head to my office and we'll go over the details.”  With that he walked off.  I gave a nod and began towards the offices while the officer fetched a crew lead to go and find you to tell you to find your way to his office as well.

I wasn’t far, trotting through the speed runs in the course, when they found me, dressed in a simple, form-fitted white muscle tank instead of that vortexed mess, and the standard, casual green bottoms. I finished my bout before I responded so I wouldn’t trip anyone else up in the process.
I nodded obediently and moved off to go find the appropriate office. I didn’t get to see the offices often, so the idea kind of inspired some level of fear at the summoning.