Down Pad 2
Making the Case / Boot Camp
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Making the Case
Captain Lorenz looked at the young “man” the recruiter had sent him. Well, at least they were clearing out his kind, since they’d gotten rid of the woke bullshit. And he knew just how to start this.
“Hello, miss,” he said. “So you want to join the Space Force?”
“Yes, I do,” said Jake. “And I’m male,” he added, conversationally.
“He/him?” asked Lorenz. This was already going differently than he’d expected. He’d expected Blacksmith to take offense.
“That’s what you usually call men where I come from,” he answered calmly. “But clearly, I have some medical problems. I’d just like to make the case that they shouldn’t keep me out of the service.”
“Medical problems? Gender dysphoria? We don’t take recruits like that any more.”
“Not gender dysphoria. And male. XY in every cell. No genetic abnormalities.”
The captain looked closer. Blacksmith had a crew cut, his face was masculine, mostly, but he’d bet money he never had to shave. And he’d swear the kid was pitching his voice lower. There was no obvious Adam’s apple. He’d probably sound like a child or a woman otherwise. He knew the signs. That’s why they sent these cases to him.
“Transwoman?” asked Lorenz.
“That’s what stepmom was aiming for,” said Jake.
Lorenz suddenly got a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach. He was starting to see where this was headed. And he’d never had a case like this before.
“When I was eighteen, I finally left home,” said Jake. “Not a lot was reversible by then, so no, I don’t shave, my voice never dropped, and I’m pretty scarred and weird-looking down there. They call it a micro-cock. But I don’t need hormones or special accommodations and no problem putting me with the other men.”
“You don’t need hormones?” The kid was absolutely calm.
“No, sir,” he said.
Jake set a paper folder on the desk and opened it.
“So they used part of my colon to make the fake cunt, but the colon healed completely. Here’s the doc’s report, and we got ultra-sound and everything,” he said. “And all the fake stuff is gone and healed, so no continuing wounds or infection sites – everything’s clean. No balls, so yes, I’m low on testosterone, and that might be an issue down the road – like decades down the road, it might make me more prone to some long-term degenerative diseases – but I should be fine for quite a while without.”
“You’re willing to give up the testosterone and die earlier?”
“Sir, I’m a guinea pig. All of us were guinea pigs. Any combination of hormones has health risks. They’re still trying to figure out what works best. I’m part of a long term study. So if not going on T gets me in the Space Force, I’m okay with that.”
“You’re part of a study?”
“Sort of,” Jake answered. “I mean, I talk to these doctors and they do tests and stuff. But if it interferes with enlisting, I don’t have to. I’m not obligated.”
“So there are mental issues,” Jake continued. “I mean, intelligence. They figure I lost some IQ points, but I’m still at 110, so that should be okay. I lost growth, but you can see –” here he stood up “– I’m not too short – I’m still 5 foot 10. And 165 lbs – I have to work out more, because of the low T, but I still got the skeleton and basic musculature of a man – I can meet the male standards.”
“You’re not going to have privacy –” said Lorenz.
“Yeah, that’ll be fun, but not really anything new,” said Jake. “I already know what they’re going to call me. If I can’t take the trash talk, I don’t belong in the military.”
The captain looked at the folder.
“You can keep that – it’s a copy,” said Jake. “And I’ve got a psych eval, too. No gender dysphoria. And personality eval – high conscientiousness, disagreeable in the normal male range, but not extreme. Somewhat above average openness. Low neuroticism.”
“Pretty common profile for a military enlistee. You’ve thought of everything?”
“Sure trying to, sir,” Jake answered.
Lorenz leaned over the desk and shook Jake’s hand. “I’ll run it by our doc’s,” he said. “Good luck.”
Boot Camp
Space Force boot camp was also held at Boca Chica Space Force Base, where the Space Force Training Delta was located.
“Hey, Jackie,” said Doke, one of Jake’s roommates in his four person room in the boot camp barracks.
“Jake or Jacob,” he corrected and headed over. “What do you want?”
“So what do you think? Boy or girl?” asked Doke.
Jake looked at the video of someone with piercings, tattoos and pink streaks in its hair. The pronouns said “Xe, xer.”
“Focus on the Adam’s apple,” he said. “If it’s there, you know male, late transition, or female, puberty block. If it’s not, probably female, late transition, or male, puberty block, like me.”
“Aren’t the pronouns a clue?” asked Wiltshire, another roommate. “The ones that want to be girls go for the xer, don’t they?”
“Don’t ask me,” said Jake. “You think I spend any time looking at that shit? I was an involuntary recruit.”
The new guy, Tanner, sat still on his cot, alone. He’d come in that morning – arrived late to boot camp for some reason. He was still behind the power curve as far as Jake was concerned.
Later that day, after Physical Training exercises, they hit the showers.
“Get her out of here,” said Tanner. “I thought they didn’t let them in anymore. It’s an abomination.”
Jake looked over at the new guy. “Hey, Jackie,” said Doke. “He don’t know about you.”
“Jake or Jacob,” he said, automatically, then went over to Tanner and dropped his towel. “Puberty blockers. Behold the effect.”
Tanner got a horrified look on his face and puked on the shower floor.
“Shit, Ugly, cover up,” said Doke. “I’ll be next.”
“You were first,” said Wiltshire, remembering the first ‘reveal’ in the shower.
“Come on, Tanner,” said Doke. “Clean this up before we get more demerits.”
By that Friday, their floor had finally earned off-base privileges for the first time since boot camp had started.
“We made it,” said Doke. “Not too many demerits. We get to go to the Down Pad tonight. People. Beer. Video games.”
“Anyone want to check out the new Final Fantasy – Namesake?” asked Jake.
“No, that way,” said Wiltshire. “Swipe right. She’s hot and she’ll be at the pub. Hey Jake, take a look at this one.”
Jake went over and looked at the picture on the hookup app. “Tranny,” he said.
“No way!” said Wiltshire, crestfallen.
“Are you trying to show how dumb you are?” asked Doke. “Ugly just said that to pwn you.” Then he looked closer at the picture. “Right, Ugly?”
Jake smiled. “Sure,” he said, in a tone that left it completely up in the air.
“I’ll check out the new game with you,” said Tanner. “Some of us are trying to keep pure.”
“Whoa,” said Wiltshire. “Like you have a choice, Tanman.”
Tanner wasn’t handsome, but he wasn’t ugly either. His clothes didn’t quite fit right, not even his uniform, although he kept it perfectly within regulation. The rest of him continued the same. Everything “within reg” but somehow, not quite right. His white-blond hair, his pale skin, his gray-blue eyes. His manner, especially.
“Tanman?” said Doke. “That’s the best you can come up with?”
Then Doke turned to Jake. “So, Ugly, maybe you could find someone….”
Jake looked at him.
“Maybe a guy?” Wiltshire asked. They’d gotten rid of the pronoun people, but there were still gays and bi in the military.
Tanner pressed his lips together. But said nothing.
“Nothing works,” said Jake. “Blockers. Blocked everything.”
“Okay, Ugly,” said Doke. “Then play the game with Tanman. But first, act as my wingman with this chick.”
“Tanman?” said Wiltshire, as he headed out the door with Doke. “I thought you said….”
Tanner looked at Jake.
“Nothing?” asked Tanner.
Jake shook his head. “Let’s go…. Shit, you’re not going to puke again are you?”
“No,” said Tanner. “So your stepmom….”
Jake nodded. “Look, it’s like someone born blind, and light. I can’t miss what I don’t know, right? Let’s have some fun….”
“I thought my dad was bad….”
Jake looked at Tanner. “What happened?”
Tanner was quiet, and for a moment looked like he was going to say something. Then he seemed to change his mind. “Yeah, let’s go have some fun.”
When they got to the Down Pad, it was noisy and crowded. Doke looked around, but he couldn’t find the girl he was supposed to hook up with. He lifted his phone in the air and called out “Doke here!”
The sound level went down a notch or two, and then an undercurrent of mockery went through the room. Doke didn’t care. The girl he was looking for waved her hand. She even had two more chicks with her. Cool. One for Wiltshire, one for Tanman, and Ugly wasn’t in the market anyway.
“Hi, Alicia,” Doke said, approaching the table. She actually looked like her picture on the app. Boobs big but not huge, really fit looking but not too skinny. Nice hair – shoulder length brown, tied back, no fancy braiding or sparkles or anything. No weird dyes. Not half naked like a lot of the pics, and not really a 10, but then it wasn’t like he rated that. More like a 6 or a 7. Just fine.
Wiltshire knew Alicia was Doke’s, so he just glanced at her and looked at the other two. Whoa, there was the hot chick! He looked over at Jake with a questioning look. “Tranny?” he mouthed. Jake grinned and shook his head. Wiltshire looked back at her. Short shorts, halter top that showed off her boobs, really big ones. I wonder if those are natural? he thought. Really curly blond hair, short so it didn’t come down to her shoulders, but still really feminine. Lots of skin. A 10, definitely. Way out of his league. So, no chance, but maybe practice? See how far he could get?
Tanner looked over the three girls. Alicia for Doke, Wiltshire was going for Sammy, of course, he led with his cock and she already had him wrapped around her finger. Besides being out of his league, way out of his league, he also found all the skin a turn-off. Not physically – it worked just fine there – but he knew a girl like that would only play around with a guy like him. Yes, he might get a pity fuck or a humiliation fuck out of it, but he wasn’t playing those games anymore.
Jake looked over the three girls and went up to the one Alicia had introduced as Yael. “It means ‘gazelle’ in Hebrew,” Alicia had said.
“Are you Jewish?” he asked, surprised. He’d guessed Muslim. She wasn’t wearing a hijab, but she had a scarf over her head that covered some of her long black hair. And while the rest of her clothes were basically normal for a woman going out on the pub with her girlfriends, they all tended to the modest side. Legs showing, but just below the knee. Forearms showing, but not her whole arms. A neckline that dipped low and showed her figure, but didn’t show cleavage because she wore jewelry that covered the bottom of the dip.
She shook her head. “Muslim Arab,” she answered. “We’re semites, too. We share a lot of words and names with the Jews.”
She looked him over. The shortest of the four, all military, clearly. The walk, the hair. And of course, she already knew Alicia was hooking up with a Space Force guy from boot camp so where else would he have picked up three buddies? Well built – they all were – military. Black hair, brown eyes, dark tan skin – Mediterranean or Hispanic? His nose was big enough, but his lips were too thin. And his hair didn’t look coarse or woolly. So just a standard American mutt.
Muslim, Jake thought. She was very, very pretty and definitely wouldn’t be up for sex. He could have fun and help her with the predators at the same time. This was shaping up well. He motioned towards her glass, which was half full. “Get you another?” he asked.
“Thank you,” she said. “Another Sprite.”
To her surprise, he grinned widely. “Right,” he said, and lifted his arm to get the attention of a waitress. When she got there, he ordered the Sprite.
“And I’ll take a Coke,” he said. “Yael, you like nachos? I’m hungry.” Since he’d brought the waitress to the table instead of getting the drinks at the bar – didn’t want Yael to think he was messing with her drink – he wanted to make it worth the waitress’s while. He didn’t want to be cheap.
Now Yael was smiling. “Could I have sweet potato fries?” He’s already taken, she thought. Not looking to score.
Jake nodded at the waitress. “I’m sticking with nachos, but bring sweet potato fries for her.”
Doke’s got the athlete, Wiltshire’s aiming for the slut, and Jake’s already got the Muslim, thought Tanner. And I’m invisible. As usual.
“So guys,” said Tanner, “I’m going to the game room.” He got up with his drink, paid the waitress, and headed for the other room.
They had left for the Down Pad together and against the hopes that Doke and Wiltshire had had, all of them got back to their room together as well, leaving when it closed.
“So,” said Doke, “I’m on with Alicia for next weekend, if we can keep the demerits down.” All told, he was satisfied with his progress. Some necking, not much else, but he liked her and he had a chance for a second date.
“Well, Sammy shut me down at second base. And she didn’t give me her text number,” said Wiltshire. “I could try reaching her through the app again, but I don’t know….”
“Check the reviews,” said Tanner, darkly. “See if she rated you.”
“Hey, I wasn’t that bad,” said Wiltshire. “No reason to….” But he checked the app. Then, seeing nothing, said, “Pulling my leg again?”
“Did you even check what kind of ratings she left for the other guys?” asked Tanner.
Wiltshire looked at Sammy’s page again. “She does have reviews and ratings….” He scrolled down, then looked relieved. “Good reviews and a stalker warning,” he said. “Nothing on me.”
“Makes sense,” said Doke. “False claims from her can lead to….”
“What?” said Tanner. “Fewer hits? With a body like that? A girl like that can always find a sucker…. So Wiltshire, when does she usually post her reviews? How soon after a date?”
“Don’t listen to him. You’re okay,” said Doke. “She just posted. You’re a nice guy….” All four of them groaned. “… a little awkward, but worth a try.”
“But not worth another date,” said Wiltshire. “Nice guy? She had to call me a nice guy?”
“You’re just a cute widdle puppy dog, Wilt,” said Doke. “A bit awkward.”
“So? I got to second base,” he said. “And they’re real. I’m sure of it.”
“So how about you, Ugly?” asked Doke.
They all jumped when he pounded the bed side table with his fist. “It… is… never… going… to… end….” he ground out. “All I wanted was to dance, play video games, nothing physical and she needs to know my medical history.”
“But I saw you,” said Wiltshire. “You were dancing.”
“And you made it to the game room,” said Tanner. “I saw you. So you got that at least. But no go on a rematch?”
“I… don’t know,” said Jake. “I have her text.”
Doke chuckled and Wiltshire grinned at that, but Tanner stood up. “You self-righteous entitled little prick,” he said.
Jake looked at him, stunned.
“You talked to her, drank with her, danced with her, played video games with her, and now you’re mad because you had to tell her something that she didn’t care about? You still have her text and a chance to see her again?
“Three women at that table, and not one, not one, even said ‘Hi’ to me. Even though I was standing right there with you three.”