Alutia Rising

by Craig Gerttula

  Tears came unbeknownst to Sasha as Tiana's broke free and she buried her face in Sasha's bosom. Both girls, hugging each other fiercely, letting out the frustration that had been building from the moment they heard about being forcibly shipped from their childhood home.

  Quietly, the servant slipped out of the room, all the while showing an expression commonly seen when using a BC Node. Sasha caught a glimpse through the tears and sobs, knowing exactly who she would be contacting. A minute passed as the girls continued to cry in each other's arms when a new warmth embraced her and the scent of her guardian filled her being. New tears joined her own and she realized her grief was nothing to that of Lady Liana, who was not only losing her daughter, Tiana, but also Sasha, who she raised as a daughter, to the hands of galactic politics.

  *********

  Daniel lounged in the small, underground, single person observation outpost for Terra Space Battalion recruitment grounds X17a, intently watching the projected three-dimensional image of his next unsuspecting victim, floating in the air before him.

  The Terra Space Battalion, or TSB, observation outpost where Daniel was stationed, contained only a tiny square room, three by three meters, with a single seat situated in front of a smooth, semi-circular irradiated particle display unit, or PDU, rising half a meter from the floor. The device projected the crystal clear, three-dimensional image in the air before his seat, while also projecting a workstation over his lap, allowing him to manually input or access required information. It was an inefficient way to do his work, Daniel knew, a direct BC Node link being much faster. But he enjoyed the tactile feel of the projected buttons and the ability to review his decisions before they were captured by the I/O system, which was impossible when transmitting through a BC Node.

  He carefully studied the man in the image, being aged anywhere between the early twenties and late thirty's...it was hard to tell with the layer of filth that covered him. The man stood a meager 177 centimeters tall, with a weight that couldn't be much more than 77 kilograms, mostly in the midsection. He seemed happy enough, whistling as he walked down the railroad tracks, a stick with a bundle tied to the end resting on his shoulder.

  "First time I've seen a real hobo..." Daniel muttered as he contacted the Program in charge of recruitment. His current assignment was simple. Test the outcasts from Earth's society for aptitude and possible usage by the Terra Space Battalion.

  Earth was not an official member of the New Universal Empirical Human Alliance, but due to its unique history, it needed to be studied and protected. For this, orphans were collected and raised in special TSB orphanages, like Daniel, or more recently, harvested from Earth's society, mostly from the numerous dredges and outcasts. These recruits, or scum as Daniel thought of them, were then required to successfully pass a set of tests, which if successful, would allow them to join the ranks of Earth's protectors, becoming members of the Terra Space Battalion, or TSB.

  Daniel had asked his superiors at one time why it had to be this way, why not recruit the best Earth society had to offer or push further for recruits from the massive NHA population. The response was simple, if high-profile members of Earth society vanished or NHA citizens became curious about Earth, the TSB might be discovered, or more nobles might try to sneak onto Earth, having a negative affect on native society.

  Today it was Daniels job to do the dirty work, which he hated, being himself plucked from an Earth orphanage at a very young age and raised by the TSB. He was the best, and he knew it, but to have to pick from people he considered trash to be his compatriots...bothered him to no end.

  The latest candidate was slowly approaching an abandoned train maintenance station, recruitment grounds X17a, consisting of a group of rotting and decaying buildings to the left of the tracks, used at one time to store spare parts and worker housing, and a fueling silo to the right, with a rusted ladder and broken spigot. Daniel quickly inputted the initial testing parameters that he'd found to be the most effective at removing unqualified candidates, then waited patiently for the Program in charge of recruitment to approve.

  The initial testing phase was simple. A robotic representation of an alien race, usually a member of the Anti-Sapien Unification, or ASU, would appear from the silo. The creature would then attack the candidate, attempting to provoke him into fleeing. If the candidate tried to escape, he was immediately disqualified and the robotic alien was allowed to hunt the runner to make sure no word about the testing location returned to Earth's native authorities. If the candidate stands his ground, or tries to fight back, the robotic alien will flee into the building across from the refueling silo. The candidate must then follow the alien into the building for the start of the second phase of the recruitment trial. If he does not, and tries to continue on or flee, the robotic alien will attack again, fleeing back to the building if there is continued resistance, but attacking if the candidate shows no signs of pursuit. Eventually, the Program will allow the robotic alien to destroy said human when enough time passes, or the Program deems the candidate a lost cause.

  Daniel continued staring at the figure approaching the starting point, a grim satisfaction flowing through him, knowing that another piece of human garbage would soon take his last breath. His hand hovered impatiently over the red activate icon, waiting for the Program to acknowledge the candidate. Seconds ticked by slowly as the figure approached the point of no return and with an annoying, but satisfying chime, the icon turned green.

  With expectations for a good show, Daniel pressed the activate icon just as the figure on the display tripped over a railroad crossbeam, falling flat on his face. Daniel broke into laughter, holding his sides as he leaned back and prepared to enjoy the death of yet another unworthy Earthling.

  Chapter 2

  Flashes of white exploded before Trent's eyes, like millions of stars were being born within, after his head struck the unforgiving ground. He lay motionless for a moment, recovering what little whit he had left, before rising to his feet, wiping away the fine gravel that still clung to his face...a remnant of his less then graceful tumble.

  "Damn railroad..." he mumbled, kicking the track that he was certain had moved to trip him. A loud thump responded and he jumped back in pain, cursing under his breath as he grasped the ill fated foot, losing his balance in the process, and tumbled away from the tracks, into a dense growth of scraggly bushes.

  "Son of a..." His vision spun when he tried to curse, causing his stomach to tense. He quickly swallowed the increasing saliva, fighting his bodies urge to expel the excessive tequila that filled his belly. But the urge was too strong and he hastily rolled over, aiming towards a gap in the bush in which he was tangled.

  After his convulsions ceased, and the meager contents of his stomach were no longer staring at him ominously from the ground, he began removing himself from the grasping branches. He swayed, stumbling drunkenly to the center of the old railroad tracks, returning his gaze to the object that had held his fascination, an old silo, now only 30 meters ahead. He'd been wondering what it was since it appeared in the distance, and now that he could clearly view it, a strange thought appeared in his muddled mind, which he had to voice.

  "I wonder...full of booze..." His words were slurred and slightly choppy...his reasoning, that of a drunk. But the thought did revitalize him, having just finished his last bottle of booze a few kilometers back. Steadying himself, feeding off the new energy that grew inside him, he started trotting forward. When the last of the dense growth paralleling the railroad track cleared, a small grouping of dilapidated buildings came into view, barely holding at bay the encroaching wilderness.

  The silo stood across the tracks from a large square building with a slightly slanting roof, rusting away, the years not kind. Beyond the metal building stood an old style market, abandoned years ago, rotting away with holes in its pitched roof and a collapsing wall. Surrounding the market stood many foundations, full of rotting wood and debris, no longer holding any clue of what their past purpose ma
y have been. Sudden movement caught Trent's attention as something appeared at the base of the silo. He stumbled to a stop, rubbing the blur out of his eyes with one hand, while shading out the blinding sun with the other.

  What he saw was an impossibility. Twitching its massive limbs at the base of the silo stood a strange grayish-green creature that had the distinct shape of a praying mantis. Atop its long, skinny neck stood a tiny head with one giant multifaceted eye. The head swiveled quickly back and forth, turning towards the slightest sound or movement, seeming unable to determine if the rustling leaves and clinking metal that the slight breeze created was actually a threat. Its torso was elongated, like that of an ant, and glistened eerily in the sun. Two arms, that looked to be razor sharp, extended straight out at an unbelievable speed before slowly retracting into the body. Six legs, very spider like, but with four joints, lined the torso, skittering across the dirt covered ground as if it was ready to move at the slightest threat. More baffled then fearful at the sight of the giant insect-like creature, Trent's drunken mind reasoned an explanation beyond any logical understanding. Again, voicing his thoughts out loud.

  "There must be...booze......only explanation for guard..." Trent slurred as he swayed, pulling the sack off the end of his carbon rod before proceeding to charge the towering creature.

  *********

  Daniel stared at the image displayed by the PDU in utter disbelief, unable to grasp the hobo's reaction when presented with the robotic representation of a krakllian, the most feared species of the ASU. What sane man would charge an unknown beast? Daniel shook away the thought, knowing most likely the man wasn't sane. In his experience to date, no candidate had survived when faced with the krakllian, all having fled at first sight of the grotesque horror.

  Feeling a rising disgust at the thought that this insane hobo may be able to survive the first trial, Daniel contemplated a quick solution and decided to test how much leeway the Program would provide him. He quickly entered a new aggression algorithm into his projected input station and waited with anticipation. After a few moments the Program beeped approval. Daniel grinned, selecting the activate icon to integrate the alteration, before leaning back to enjoy the show he hoped would turn bloody.

  *********

  The mighty beast fled in front of Trent's drunken charge, scurrying towards the metal building across the tracks. Trent kept running, ignoring the fleeing beast and slid to a stop next to the silo. He spun his head side-to-side, checking for more guards as he caught his breath. Seeing none, he nodded, satisfied that his charge was enough to scare away any threats. He quickly turned his attention to his reward, a silo full of booze...or so he thought.

  Swiftly shuffling to the rusted ladder that led to its peak, he reached for the first rung and fell to the ground with a loud thump as it broke free. Wiping the dirt from his backside as he carefully climbed back to his feet, Trent barely noticed the charging beast swipe at him with one of its razor sharp arms. He raised the rusted ladder rung unconsciously, somehow blocking the unexpected swipe. But the force of the swing was enormous and the rusted bar bent as he was thrown five meters through the air, his drunken limbs flailing like jelly as he bounced, rolling to stop on the gravel covered ground adjacent the railroad tracks. Being only slightly fazed, Trent forced himself back to his feet.

  "I knew the guardian of the booze....wouldn't give in..." Trent tried to yell in his slightly slurring voice, but he found the creature to be unfazed. So he raised the carbon stick in one hand, and the now bent rusted ladder rung in the other, and again charged the monstrosity.

  Trent's movement was driven by instinct, throwing the carbon stick at the right side of the beast, which it easily deflected with a flick, giving Trent time to dive to the beast's left, rolling under the slower defensive swipe of the already extended, razor sharp arm. Adrenaline filled him as he completed his tumble, clearing the drunkenness from his mind as he expertly recovered his feet. In one smooth motion he swung the rusted iron ladder rung with all his might and was rewarded with a loud crack as he caught one of the creature's leg joints. Without a response, the giant insect turned and awkwardly scurried back towards the building, dragging its broken limb behind.

  *********

  Daniel sat on the edge of his seat, watching the insane ninja hobo, who minutes before couldn't even walk straight, land a clean hit on the krakllian. It was unthinkable! Not only did the hobo escape the initial attack of the krakllian, he was able to fight it on equal ground, even damaging its rear leg.

  "Just who is this hobo?" Daniel muttered under his breath as he accessed the Earthling's primary database, requesting information based on the DNA gathered by the Program when the hobo entered the recruiting grounds. He usually didn't care to look at the history of dead men, but by the way phase one was progressing, he would need to start preparing for phase two of the trial, and that required him to delve into the candidates past.

  Quickly he glanced through the records that scrolled through the air before him, but nothing distinctive became apparent. The hobo looked to be a normal middle-class citizen who had fallen on hard times. He was a college graduate from a lower class New England university, having seen an abuse councilor during those years, but nothing concrete for Daniel to use. He worked for eight years at one of Earth's larger mega-corporations, Motapplesoft Trust. Daniels eyes lit up as he read through the compiled history during his working years.

  "Seems like somebody made some powerful enemies..." Daniel whispered under his breath as he read the reason for the corporate blackball. A note amended to his corporate record that would forever keep him from being employed...the same as being dead in the backwards Earthen society.

  The note started very innocently, stating that Trent, Daniel found the name hobo more to his liking, was involved in a relationship with a coworker at Motapplesoft Trust. This coworker, named Samantha, was widely known to be the fiancée of the current CEO's son. Trent was then said to have seduced Samantha in hopes of shaming said CEO, while improving his reputation among the company's elite, who opposed the current management. This terrible plot had been uncovered when Samantha came clean and the facts were brought to light. Trent was summarily dismissed and the report of his apparent unethical behavior and blackmail attempt was permanently included as the first line of his compiled background record. Trent was done in this world...a dead man walking.

  Daniel smirked, finding a sick kind of glee in the suffering of others. The report was bias, that was more than obvious, and as he read further, he found the description didn't fit the companies own annual performance reports. The reports stated Trent had little motivation for advancement and did the minimum amount of work required for his job. They also stated he kept an unhealthy distance from his coworkers and recommended additional motivational training.

  Daniel thought for a moment, working out his own, more likely scenario to what had befallen Trent. Samantha must be the type of woman Daniel liked, immoral and unfaithful, and she must have decided to have a fling before she was married. Finding a coworker, Trent, who was isolated from those around him, allowed her to pursue the relationship without the knowledge reaching her fiancé. The only part he couldn't figure out is why the woman would have let the cat out of the bag. If Trent survived the test, Daniel would definitely have his curiosity sated. But that could wait. Right now he needed information for the next phase of the trial...something to make sure that if Trent did indeed survive the first phase...would guarantee his failure in the second. An idea crept into his mind and he lightly taped the proper inputs to request additional information from the Earthling's primary database. The new data streamed through the air around his station, providing everything he would need...including an image.

  "This should be fun..." Another childish grin broke across Daniels face as he eyed the projection of Samantha and inputted the final commands to the Program in charge of recruitment, requesting a programmable matter robot created in her likeness.

  *********

/>   Overcome by a drunken bloodlust, Trent charged after the retreating monster. His instincts told him to stop, to not purse. But his mind was blank, his vision blurred, and his rapidly beating heart washed away all sound...nothing mattered but the beast. His toe caught a root, but he kept his balance, catching his feet just in time and continuing his head-on charge. The creature, slowed by its broken limb, barely made it into the shadow of the rusting metal building before Trent struck.

  Full of confidence, he wildly swung the bent ladder rung at an exposed leg joint, but the creature dodged and he missed wide, his strike deflecting off the armor plates covering the creature's abdomen. It was like he struck a metal wall and the ladder rung vibrated free of his grasp. Flailing its razor sharp arms in response, the giant insect caught Trent on the left triceps, slicing cleanly to the bone. Trent shrieked as he tumbled across the grassy ground that surrounded the building, feeling the pain from the force of the impact more than the actual wound. Slowly he recovered his feet, ignoring the torrent of blood that gushed from his wounded arm, only concerned with one thing...his prey. He caught sight of the creature escaping into a dark opening set in the side of the metal building. With little thought, his pain and senses dulled by his drunkenness and raging adrenaline, he rushed after the beast, fearless in pursuit, while being oblivious to the possible dangers of entering its dark den.