Alutia Rising, Anniversary Edition (Alutia Rising Series, Book 1) (12 page)

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
argument, 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.