After lunch, the squad returned to the barracks to regroup and reflect after everything in the simulations. Henri was going to speak to Fabien to ask for some help. It only made sense to ask the person who had been on base the longest for help. Fabien was there to guide them after all. If it was his job, Henri had no qualms making use of the resource. Before he could do so, the twins made their move. Remi walked quickly over to him while Noel approached Guy. Henri was instantly on his guard when approached by the twins. Something in him was instantly put on the defensive by their presence. However, that back foot would always resolve itself in taking an overly aggressive stance against what they were trying to do to him. It seemed that Remi was much the same way. He had looked determined as he approached. As soon as a visibly distrustful Henri glared at him, Remi immediately narrowed his eyes and balled his fists in response. Due to this hesitation, Noel was able to pitch his idea first. "It has been 2 weeks. We thought it was time for a switch. Would you like to partner up?"
Being that the twins were the most successful members of the squad, it would be assumed that everyone would want to pair up with them. Calvin, Guy's partner, tried to switch over just last week. Guy surprisingly shook his head to the idea. Everyone was shocked. Noel tried to gain composure and asked "Okay. You don't have to right now. But, can you tell me why you don't want to partner with us. We can emit pulses at a perfect 100. As long as you put something in, you'll be guaranteed at least 4 big successes. Can you explain it to me?" Guy looked at him and then the others before taking a step back. Calvin smiled awkwardly. "I guess he really does like being my partner. Who would have thought?" he chuckled. The look of hatred Guy gave him was so intense, Calvin jumped and ran behind Noel for support. "I fucking hate you. It is so obvious I don't want to be around you, but I guess I have to say it." Guy then took a deep breath to explain. "You are so annoying and never leave me alone. That does not mean I want to partner with someone that's part alien." Guy was xenophobic.
Calling someone xenophobic in earlier times used to mean hating or fearing someone who was a foreigner to your nation. Xeno- of course was a root word for alien. The revelation that humanity was not alone sidelined the very petty concern. It did not matter where a human was born if they were united together as an inhabitant of the same planet. Those born on Earth had a common enemy. That was the Z'lanthrax and their other enslaved races used to attack the planet through the portals. The use of xenophobia then became exclusively to mean hate or fear of non humans. While the Radiant Ones came in peace, many blamed them for opening the figurative door for the hostile races coming over. There was also the general distrust of an alien race that would give us weapons to help fight the invasion, but purposefully block off certain segments of the population from them. They excluded women from Shines on purpose after all. Women's rights activists decried the decision as really sexist and misogynist. Most people did not care because of wartime efforts. It was still an excuse.
It made sense that Guy was xenophobic. Everyone in the squad knew why Guy was an orphan. He had lost his family to a vicious Z'lanthrax attack. In a big squad with 6 squad mates, 3 of them were hybrids. The reason why he did not speak to anyone was because half his squad were untrustworthy. Fabien was clear that he was not only fine, but friendly to the twins. He also had professional courtesy towards Henri. He might act as a snob and just refuse to engage in English with the redhead, but he never refused to answer a question Henri had. If there was something he did not understand, Fabien would explain or demonstrate it to him. Henri respected that. Adam was a slouch that got everyone in trouble constantly. Calvin was in the same boat as Adam, but he tried to be there for everyone and be a mood maker. Calvin looked at him with a really hurt expression on his face. "I thought I was helping you. Sorry. The only thing that I wanted was to be friends with everyone." "I don't need help from you. I want to be left alone." Guy said coldly. "I want to be friends." Henri said to Calvin.
