From the information Daniel’s cronies had provided, Sir Simwa was the second son of the local earl that would have been in possession of the Earth star system had it not been made into a special protectorate by an NHA Emperor, about 5600 years earlier, and later handed over to the Hulk’Zif Duchy to oversee.
The door to the training room slid open. Daniel followed the two TSB commanding officers and the NHA Liaison in, he only being allowed to participate since he was the recruitment observer on duty for the first two phases of the trial.
The training room had again been modified by the Program in charge of recruitment, this time into a large, cavernous interrogation room, with a restraining chair in the center, sitting upon a circular dais, surrounded by four sets of tables and chairs, one on each side. Seated in the center chair was the unconscious Trent, being treated by the robotic Samantha, yet to be disintegrated by the Program in charge of recruitment.
Getting a close-up look at her for the first time, Daniel couldn’t help but lick his lips as he considered asking the Program to allow the robotic representation to come back to his room before it was disintegrated. It may be amusing to have some scans to hold over Trent for the future, when he was added to Daniel’s followers.
He smirked at the thought, taking his seat behind Trent, crossing his legs as he glanced to the TSB Commander who sat across from him, and prepared for what he knew, would be an interesting interrogation.
Chapter 5
Trent awoke to confusion and a painfully bright light. He tried to cover his eyes, but found his arms wouldn’t listen, being locked or restrained.
Am I dead? His mind questioned, strangely muddled, as his eyes began to adjust. Of course I’m dead, no one could have survived that, he answered himself, his last memory, though fuzzy, being of falling into the gully of flames after saving all the platforms but his own.
But why does it still feel like I’m alive? He wondered, his gaze clearing enough for him to see a single man seated directly before him, within a world of pure white.
He was like a mountain. His long, dark grey beard telling him old, but his greyish eyes still shining like the brightest star...the man possibly responsible for my destination in the afterlife, Trent mused to himself.
“I know you have a lot of questions, Trent...” the man spoke gruffly, like how Trent would think a mountain would speak, if a mountain could speak, “...and they will all be answered in due time, but for now, you must respond to our inquiries to the best of your ability and knowledge. Do you understand?” he finished, words of unquestionable command.
Trent forced away the hundreds of questions that rushed into his mind, glancing down at the restraints that held his arms and legs securely to the chair. Seeing no reason to resist, he decided to cooperate... just in case this was the afterlife.
“Yes...I understand,” his voice cracked painfully, as if it hadn't been used in ages.
“Final phase of recruitment trial for TSB Enlistment Candidate Trent Marcello has commenced. Please be advised: all further discussion shall be recorded.” A familiar, monotone voice filled the air around him, calling forth a wave of anger that roared its way to the surface.
How dare the voice follow him into death! His mind screamed, finding the concept made little sense...except...if he wasn't actually dead. The grey bearded man, apparently noticing Trent had lost his composure at the sound of the voice, waited a few moments before he continued.
“TSB Enlistment Candidate Trent Marcello, you have successfully completed the testing and initial placement phases of your recruitment trial and are now an official member of the Terra Space Battalion,” the large man paused long enough for his words to sink in, but continued before Trent had a chance to respond. “Let me be the first to congratulate you on your accomplishment. I am Knight Captain Quinn, Commander of the TSB, and to my left,” Trent's chair rotated to the right, following Knight Captain Quinn's gesture, to face a petite woman that reminded him instantly of an eagle, “is Commander Daiyu, Vice-Commander of the TSB. To my right,” the chair swiveled halfway around to face a man who looked unreal, as if his features were fake, who was obviously bored, paying more attention to his fingers then Trent, “Sir Simwa, NHA civilian liaison to the TSB. Directly before me,” the chair turned again to reveal a young man, probably in his mid-twenties, with dirty blond hair falling casually over his perfectly chiseled features. It matched his slim, muscular build perfectly; giving him a look of a model that Trent knew would cause the ladies to swoon, “is TSB Lieutenant Daniel, your recruitment officer.” The chair spun back to its original position as Trent tried his best to keep the measly contents of his stomach from making an appearance.
“We will now commence the formal questioning segment of phase four of the recruitment trial. This is mainly to garner an understanding of your thoughts on the previous three phases and your past on Earth. Your intelligence and aptitude for officer placement within the TSB will be fully analyzed during the questioning by the Program responsible for recruitment, based on your responses. So keep this in mind,” Knight Captain Quinn explained, while seeming to resist the urge to caress his beard.
“I will begin,” he leaned forward, perching on his elbows. “In your battle with the krakllian you showed signs of bravery well beyond that of an ordinary man. Could you please explain your actions?” asked Knight Captain Quinn.
“Knight Captain Quinn,” but before Trent had a chance to respond, another voice interrupted from his side, “your use of the word bravery in this instance...bothers me. This man,” Sir Simwa gestured absently towards Trent, there being noticeable disgust in the word, man, “was just fighting for survival like any other beast who is trapped in a corner,” the disdain Trent heard in the NHA Liaison’s words made his skin crawl, being totally unexpected, given his earlier disinterest.
“Based on your words, Sir Simwa, I believe you have not actually witnessed phase one of the trial,” Knight Captain Quinn responded curtly, his expression going distant, like his mind had fled his body, “like you are required. So to keep you from wasting our time further with ignorant remarks, I will replay the record of the initial encounter, for your convenience,” Trent could sense a carefully contained frustration tingeing Knight Captain Quinn’s accusation that must have been born from past wrongs, made all the more obvious by his gaze, that could bore holes through solid walls. Sir Simwa responded in kind, his own gaze simmering, anger and hatred for the knight captain mixing within.
A three-dimensional holographic projection appeared in the air before Trent and he was barely able to repress a gasp at its clarity. His amazement, however, was short lived. He had been through more than one astonishing event in recent memory, and little could keep him amazed for long.
As he studied the vaguely familiar sight being projected, recognizing it as an old abandoned railroad supply station, a single person, with a skip in his step, appear on the railroad tracks from one end of the projection. Trent immediately recognized who it was...him...and the fuzzy memories of that time started to regain their substance.
He watched as the giant insect-like creature appeared from the bottom of the silo moments before his drunken charge and subsequent reckless fight. He winced, grasping his now throbbing upper arm, when in the final moments, the creature, which Trent had now figured to be the krakllian that Knight Captain Quinn mentioned, took a defensive swipe at the pursuing Trent, catching him on his exposed arm. After the image of Trent recovered his feet to recklessly pursue the krakllian into the building, the projection faded, appearing to be sucked into a small hole in the center of a large, semi-spherical device that protruded from the ceiling high above.
“I have even more difficulty accepting this man now that I have witnessed his behavior. No sane human would ever rush a krakllian....but this man,” he waved at Trent dismissively, “rushed it multiple times. I think it is more than obvious that he is clearly insane and should be disposed of immediately,” Sir Simwa declared, as if he left no room for a
rgument, ignoring the fact that he'd just admitted his earlier comments were made without ever witnessing the fight in question.
“Sir Simwa, your ignorance is baffling. Insanity is closer to bravery then common sense, since any man or woman with an abundance of common sense would never willing charge directly into a krakllian battle wall, as we all must be prepared to do.” This time Vice-Commander Daiyu responded with steady words and an icy stare, which met the fiery gaze of Sir Simwa, causing Trent to break out in a cold sweat, being directly between the two combatants.
“Enlistment Candidate Trent,” Knight Captain Quinn’s voice boomed in a way no one would interrupt, “it is time for you to provide your personal account of the encounter you were just shown,” he trailed off at the end, his tone calm, but still commanding.
“Ok...Knight Captain Quinn?” Trent paused, looking to the knight captain for approval of the use of the moniker. A slight nod was all he needed before he continued. “The entire encounter is a bit fuzzy. I was pretty drunk at the time and I banged my head hard earlier when I fell on th-”
“Drunk,” Sir Simwa interrupted. “That explains everything, ladies and gentlemen,” a self-righteous smugness infiltrated Sir Simwa's words, “the only reason he succeeded was through the use of a mind altering substance. He would have fled and been destroyed like the rest of the tra-.”
“That may be true, sir, but if it's a case where you believe me to be a coward and only able to fight while drunk, I have no problem repeating the encounter sober,” the look of disbelief that covered Sir Simwa’s lips when Trent dared interrupt him, was replaced by a look of obvious delight.
“Now that, dear sirs and madam, is a wonderful idea. I vote we put this ridiculous farce of an interrogation on hold and allow,” Sir Simwa stared at Trent, seeming to have forgotten his name, “this...this useless candidate to face the trials like they were meant to be faced, without any external assistance,” Sir Simwa finished as he began to rise to his feet.
“I have had quite enough of your interruptions, Sir Simwa, and your repeated ignorance. My guess would be you have never been drunk before?” Knight Captain Quinn responded before Trent could gather his words.
“No upstanding citizen, especially a noble, would ever allow himself to be controlled by any substance!” The holier then now tone of Sir Simwa's words made Trent's ears ache. He glanced to his side, noting he was not the only one.
“Then let me tell you this, Sir Simwa. Being drunk is not the reason why the enlistment candidate survived the encounter. I will bow to you on the fact that he may not have charged at first if he was of solid mind, but the battle that ensued was a testament to his own tenacity. If you would have watched...and read the reports...before coming to this trial, then you would have known that Lieutenant Daniel had detected the impairment and altered the testing parameters. Did you not find it odd that the krakllian repeatedly attacked the Enlistment Candidate even though he was showing no signs of retreat? That is well outside acceptable testing parameters and the fact that he is alive after being attacked by an unrestricted krakllian is evidence enough for the passing of the first trial....drunk or no.” Trent noticed a hidden meaning in the knight captain’s words, his tone shifting when he mentioned, acceptable testing parameters.
“Now, Enlistment Candidate Trent, would you please continue. There will be no further interruptions,” Knight Captain Quinn stated a fact while staring at Sir Simwa, who seemed to shrink into his chair. Trent decided to continue before the tension grew any higher.
“As I was saying...the entire encounter is fuzzy, but I do recall seeing the giant insc-I mean krakllian, beneath the silo and believing it was a guardian of some sort.” He flushed with embarrassment as he remembered the train of thought that led him to believe that the silo was full of booze. But seeing no reason to lie, he continued. “It is rather embarrassing, but once I decided the krakllian was a guardian, the only thing I could think of it as guarding was a silo full of...ah...booze.” A muffled laugh broke the tension from behind, and he thought he caught a small smirk try to break the surface of the knight captain’s stone-like exterior. “That is when I decided to use my carbon rod as a weapon and charge the guardian. I was definitely scared, but not as much as I would have thought if you asked me previous if I would have been scared during such an encounter,” he noticed himself getting sidetracked, so he cleared his throat, “...anyways, when the krakllian fled, I thought I'd won, and decided to try to climb to the top of the silo,” Trent fell into his thoughts, trying to clearly recall the events as accurately as they occurred. “Thinking about it now...I was extremely lucky that the first rung on that ladder broke off when it did. If I'd been unprepared when the krakllian attacked,” he stopped himself from following that train of thought, “but that's not important, is it?” he paused, Knight Captain Quinn nodding for him to go on. “So after I fell I caught sight of it out of the corner of my eye, so I raised the ladder rung in front of me as I stood. That's when it struck and sent me flying. I think the shock sobered me up and allowed my adrenaline to take over, because without thinking, I attacked and landed that lucky hit on its leg joint,” A small cough rose from the right and Trent turned towards Vice-Commander Daiyu.
“If I may interrupt,” she glanced at the knight captain, receiving a nod of approval. “For what reason did you attack the rear leg joint? You mentioned it was blind luck, but it’s hard to believe you would have found one of only a few known weaknesses in the Krakllian's armored shell without some prior knowledge.” Her inquiry made him really consider for the first time how he actually knew. He was about to reaffirm what he’d said before, that is was just blind luck, when he remembered something from his childhood.
“I may be mistaken... but it may have came from a documentary I watched years ago about ants...” Vice-Commander Daiyu cocked her head, obviously intrigued. “If I recall correctly, it showed how a group of ants could take down a much larger, shelled insect, like a beetle. I seem to recall them attacking the leg joints to stop their prey's retreat before...ah...cutting it to pieces.” Vice-Commander Daiyu nodded her thanks, entering something into what appeared to be a projected input station on the table before her. Trent looked back to Knight Captain Quinn, who also nodded for him to continue.
“Umm...after I struck its leg joint with the ladder rung, the krakllian retreated towards...what I thought at the time...must be its den. I decided to try to finish it off since I didn't want to be surprised when I tried to access the silo,” Trent made sure to leave off the, full of booze, part this time, “I caught up with it and was attempting to take out its other leg when it turned, and instead, I caught it on that insanely hard outer shell. This is when it slashed me, I lost most of my senses after I recovered and still can’t fathom why I charged into the darkness after it. I don't remember what happened next, but when I came too, I was in my old apartment...” the memory struck a chord and Trent pushed back the vivid emotions that threatened to burst forth.
*********
Daniel stared at Trent's trembling back, then glanced down at the projection originating from the small PDU integrated into the table’s surface that allowed him to view the faces of everyone involved in the interrogations. The look that spread across Trent's face was one Daniel remembered quite clearly from the beginning of phase three, a look of total loss and despair...a look that sent a shiver of pure pleasure down his spine.
The interrogation thus far had been extremely amusing, more so then he could have ever possibly imagined, thanks to Sir Simwa. The man exceeded even Daniel’s expectations, openly displaying an utter idiocy that was a common feature of the vast majority of NHA nobility he had met over the years, who all seemed to believe that one's birth was the only thing that mattered. To defend this position, many NHA nobles would make baseless claims or ludicrous statements that anyone with a shred of sense would realize false. Daniel did, however, find he had a shred of respect for the idiotic noble. He too believed that this and every other enlistment
candidate was trash, a waste of their precious time and resources. But Daniel would never voice his displeasure for fear of further alienating himself from Knight Captain Quinn.
It was probably not overly obvious to a man of Sir Simwa’s brain capacity, but the mention of Daniel changing the acceptable testing parameters, because he had found irregularities in Trent's state of mind, was also aimed at Daniel, to let him know his little deception had not slipped by unnoticed. Knight Captain Quinn, a noble so unlike any other, was acutely aware of what Daniel had done, even though he thought he'd covered it up quite beautifully, and he knew he would be in trouble. In fact, Daniel was pretty sure it would lead to a disciplinary hearing and another formal demerit on his record.
He again concentrated on the image of Trent, who had recovered from his temporary emotional lapse. Sudden, inexplicable anger began to simmer below the surface at the sight of the man responsible for throwing a wrench into the gears of his ambitions, forcing yet another black mark on his already, less than ideal record.
No longer would Daniel just use this man, he would use him, then destroy him.
*********
It’s over, Trent chanted within his mind, forcing the emotions the memory of his brief reunion with Samantha, the fake Samantha, he reminded himself, had beckoned back to the surface. It helped, but knew it likely he would be unable to resist falling into despair if he was forced to fully recall what happened previously.
He breathed out slowly, looking to Knight Captain Quinn, who once again had a distant look on his face, as if his conscious no longer existed within his flesh. A tap from his right pulled his glare, to find a similar look upon Vice-Commander Daiyu’s exotic features, which returned to normal just as Trent's eyes made contact. A barely perceptible grin spread across her narrow lips, her gaze staring into his very soul, he finding the look both menacing and enticing. Trent, slightly taken aback by the duality of his reaction, tried to settle his mind while returning his attention to the knight captain’s stone-faced exterior.
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