Xox Tradish is a human born on the planet Gorbis. The planet is sparse, and few people call it home. Xox grew up surrounded by scoundrels and hunters. Most found work in transportation or bounty hunting. Smuggling for King Gorb was among the most profitable things. The self-proclaimed king was more of a crime boss than anything. With enough money and people to do his bidding, no one dared challenge his rule. The dream for Xox was to get off this planet. He had just turned 16 and was old enough now to enter into a profession. His parents own a small store and dealt in arms. Everyone needed to be able to defend themselves, which made business easier for the Tradish. Johann and Moxie had learned the ins and outs of firearms and armor and even knew some basic mech repair. They supplied the entire planet with arms; however, they made most of their money selling off the world. Gorb allowed this while taking a cut for himself as the delivery crew. Tradish Weapon's were known throughout the galaxy as some of the most reliable weapons. Most parts were the same on different blasters; this made it easy to find replacements, and the armor plating was compatible between different models. Sure, you could use parts from other manufacturers on their weapons; it made business all the better. However, other companies' parts didn't last near as long. This meant that even the parts they crafted for their weapons and armor would be bought and used on other products for their durability. Xox learned very early how to build forge and repair weapons. His marksmanship was second to none among his friends.
As children, Xox and his friends would play games like capture the flag, smugglers, and hunters, hide, and seek. Xox and his best friend Dex had talked for a few years now about becoming hunters themselves. These games let them practice skills of stealth, teamwork, and tracking. Dex had learned to pilot a ship from his parents. Now they are old enough Xox and Dex gathered supplies from Xox's parents. Two laser rifles, one propulsion pistol, one plasma pistol, one plasma blade, one shock baton, and two bounty suits with masks. The two dressed the part, but bounty suits were made so that the armor plate would not clink, and the weight would not slow down the one wearing them. These suits were highly regarded as the best for stealth. Even most Hunters were unable to afford to use them, and the special plates needed for them were not cheap to replace. Luckily for Xox, his parents had a couple of old models the only condition for him to get them; he had to create and forge his own plates. These suits had taken almost 2 years to complete. They entered the bounty hall to register themselves as hunters. They placed their names on the list and waited to take the exam of "ethics." Even criminals have codes to follow. Most hunters get licensed and then form groups. Very few stayed on Gorbis; however, one group had made this their base. King Gorbs own personal hunters know throughout the village as the Goblins. Most new hunters on this planet join them to get some experience under their belt.
Time clicked by as Dex and Xox waited. Looking around the room, they saw a few others waiting with them. A couple of Elves sat in the back, a few Trexcians (reptalian people) sat up front looking anxious, a Drawf was seated across from the boys, a few humans, and one Melikin (beast people usually take the form of mammals) who looked to have descended from a cat. It wasn't uncommon to see multiple species around here. Most of the more exotic people stayed in groups and worked as smugglers.
"I am surprised there are so many people here today." said Dex.
"It is uncommon; however, some of the people look like this isn't their first time." replied Xox.
"Do you think we will pass?" asked Dex
"We have studied very well; it should be easy. Just make sure to stay calm. Breathe while you are shooting. You always try to hold your breath too long, and it makes your aim suffer." Xox reminded Dex.
"I will try to keep that in mind. However, the shooting portion of the test is the easiest. The stealth portion may be hard. We only have two members out of the four we need for a squad." stated Dex.
"We will have to find two others among the ranks here. I'm sure our test has already begun. Stay calm, and we will go make conversations. Who should we start with?" asked Xox.
Dex looked around the room. "Well, we could go make conversations with the humans. I don't know if you had anyone in mind. The Melikin over there could be helpful and probably doesn't have anyone else to join." Then, right in front of him, he sees the Drawf. "Or we could ask the nice man in front of us." Dex laughed nervously
The man introduced himself. "My name is Greg. it's an old family name. You boys are new here. This is my third attempt. I always fail on the part you're talking about, actually. I haven't ever been able to get into a good group. No one ever wants a Drawf, they say. Too slow and too loud. But I think every group could use a little extra muscle. Plus, I haven't ever been caught."
"Would you want to join us, Greg?" Xox asked."I think having someone experienced would help. And the added muscle would be nice."
Dex nodded in agreement with a smirk on his face.
"I would be happy to join. But don't get too eager. The trials are difficult. Who else do you think we should ask? Personally, I would prefer one of the Elves or the Melikin. But I wanted to see how you would rank our opponents." Greg stated.
"I think we should try to see if the Melikin would be interested. they look very knowledgeable. our biggest struggle, we be all the others who are familiar with the tests. The Elves' pure age and experience in life may also make things hard. but I know we will be successful as long as we work together. We just have to stick together." Xox said deep in thought.
They head over to contact the Melikin. "Hi, I'm Dex. This is Xox, and over here is Greg. We were wondering if you would want to join our team?" asked Dex.
"My name is Katash, and I would happy to join you. You should know that this is my first attempt. Are you sure you want me to join?" asked Katash.
"Of course." the boys nodded in unison.
"I agree also." said Greg
just as they shake hands the bell rings and the test is about to begin.