Chapter 20: Malfunction
Alexander grabbed the duel high tech guns offered to him from the rising podium, testing their weight and balance before giving Kate a nod.
Kate studied him for a moment, wondering if she would see another spectacle similar to the one Jet had just put on.
"What level?"
Alexander gave the question some thought. Currently the highest he had gone was the level 3 bots, just like Rin. In his opinion, he was already comfortably above them. He wondered if he should go for the level 4 like Jet did. A smile crossed his face as he decided to be a bit more daring.
"Let's go with Level 5"
Kate's curious expression instantly transformed into one of disappointment.
Jet barely managed to contain a chuckle.
"that idiot"
The instructor handling the control panel simply shook her head in pity, as she selected the level.
A moment later the floor opened up again, just like last time. 4 large humanoid bots emerged from it, ready to be activated. Unlike the previous models, these didn't resemble humans.. Instead they were modelled after Tarokians.
Arbus took a deep breath when he saw that. Alexander had gone overboard. He knew for certain that he wouldn't be a match for bots that had the same strength as 5 full blooded members of his species. From what he had seen so far, White Mornans were about equal to him in strength. Which meant Alexander was just as outmatched.
Alexander studied his opponents briefly before a hesitant smile crossed his face. "Hmm, now that I'm looking at them... I don't think I thought this through."
Kate merely signaled to the instructor again.
"Begin."
The bots activated simultaneously, just like last time. They all locked onto Alexander, studying him for a few moments.
Alexander swallowed hard, deciding to create as much distance as possible before engaging with his weapons.
"Yeah, didn't think this through at all," he muttered.
The bots moved in tandem, dodging his shots with relative ease as they closed the distance.
Jet sighed audibly as he watched the spectacle from above.
"How fascinating. I've never seen a White Mornan this... incompetent. I suppose growing up in an orphanage would do that to you."
The Blue Mornans clustered around him chuckled nervously. They were cautious about openly mocking a White Mornan. Despite his background, Alexander would likely advance further than them in the Renegade hierarchy due to his genetic advantages. They didn't want to answer for their disrespect later.
Arbus's expression hardened as he fixed his gaze on Jet.
"That's enough out of you, don't you think? What is it with you and looking down on others? Do you get some kind of satisfaction from it?"
Jet turned his attention to Arbus, meeting his challenging stare.
"Oh, so you speak. It seems hanging around that failure of a White Mornan is making you more talkative than usual."
A small smile crept onto Jet's face as he saw Arbus's expression.
"What are you going to do? attack me like you did Rin? I'll tell you now, that won't end the same way."
Rin tore her attention from the fight below, her eyes flashing with anger at Jet for casually bringing up her humiliation.
Jet didn't bother sparing her a glance.
"You're dangerous, half-breed. Extremely dangerous," he continued, focusing entirely on Arbus. "For the past few weeks, you've hidden it well. Knowing your place despite all the things we put you through. But you showed your true colors a few days ago."
Jet walked toward Arbus with deliberate steps.
"It's only a matter of time. Maybe not now, maybe not for twenty years. But one day, you'll get tired of this universe. You'll be forced to choose between us or your true kind." His voice dropped to a near whisper. "And you'll choose them in the end. Because you're nothing but their spawn."
Arbus rose slowly from his seat, his eyes locked with Jet's. The tension in the observation room became palpable as the other trainees instinctively backed away. After his altercation with Rin, they had naturally grown more wary of him. Arbus felt his hatred rising again, the one he often struggled to keep in check. Not the hatred directed at Reincarnators, but the one reserved for people who judged him constantly because of how he was born.
He always did his best to avoid fighting back. Because their rage was understandable, same for their pain. But most importantly, he stopped himself because he didn't want to prove them right.
"That's enough, both of you!" Kate shouted, cutting through the tension. "This is neither the time nor the place. Save it for the sparring room if you must, but right now we have assessments to complete."
Jet simply smirked as he backed off, clearly satisfied with having provoked a reaction.
"Apologies, Head Instructor. It won't happen again."
Arbus took a deep breath and returned to his seat, forcing his anger back down.
Down below, Alexander was currently doing his best to keep away from the Tarokian bots with little success. As one of the machines lunged for him, he feinted a shot directly at it, causing the bot to dodge sideways — directly into the path of his actual target.
"I did it!, I actually did it!"
He shouted in a brief celebration before he realised he was still doomed. The remaining three bots were converging on him from different angles, leaving no viable escape route.
"Well, I suppose the orphan isn't as bad as I thought," Jet remarked, sounding genuinely impressed that Alexander had managed to disable even one of the bots.
"That's enough," Kate commanded from the observation room, signaling the Red Mornan instructor to deactivate the simulation.
"Alexander, get up here. Now."
When he arrived in the observation room, breathing heavily and covered with several minor injuries from his impromptu game of tag with the bots, Kate fixed him with a stern look.
"Your overall trainee score has been reduced for that display of recklessness. It's not bravery to challenge something far beyond your capabilities, it's foolishness. A knight who overestimates himself ends up a dead knight."
"Arbus, you're next," Kate said, turning away from Alexander without waiting for a response.
As Arbus descended to the simulation chamber, Jet subtly signaled to the Red Mornan instructor at the control panel, who acknowledged with an almost imperceptible nod.
When Arbus finally got to the chamber he decided to keep things simple.
"Level 3 bots," he requested calmly.
He didn't really have anything to prove to the trainees or instructors. For him there was no point in going overboard, his assessment scores were already pretty good as it was.
"Weapon?"
"Long blade," Arbus answered.
A sleek high-tech sword rose from the floor on a podium. As Arbus took it, getting reacquainted with it, the floor opened up again.
Instead of the expected level 3 bots, a single humanoid bots emerged, already fully activated.
Arbus's eyes widened in shock, along with everyone in the observation room. This wasn't a level 3 or even level 5 bot, it was a level 6. These units were designed to mimic Reincarnators with powers, though not at full strength.
"What are you doing?! Disable that thing now!" Kate shouted to the Red Mornan instructor, who appeared visibly distressed.
The Red Mornan instructor frantically worked the controls, feigning confusion. "There's a malfunction in the system! I can't shut them down!"
The bot focused its gaze on Arbus and slowly raised one hand. Arbus gritted his teeth as he charged toward it. The only way to defeat these models was close combat, since they were designed for ranged attacks.
BOOM
A concussive pulse strong enough to make the entire room quake shot from the bot's hand, catching Arbus mid-sprint and sending him flying backward into the wall with bone-crushing force.
Before the bot could launch another attack, it froze in place as the emergency override finally took effect.
Kate rushed down to the chamber, a bit of concern evident in her usually composed expression.
"Arbus! Are you alright?" she called, approaching his crumpled form.
Arbus held up a hand, stopping her.
"It's alright, Head Instructor. I'm fine, only a bit bruised, that's all," he assured her, while his regeneration actively worked to heal his severely damaged internal organs.
At just a glance it only seemed like he was bleeding from his nose a bit.
"Everyone out," Kate ordered, turning to address the trainees still in the observation room. "The simulation room is closed until further notice. This malfunction will have to be handled properly so that something like this doesn't happen again."
As Arbus and the rest of the trainees filed out, Jet gave the Red Mornan instructor a slight, satisfied smile before walking out as well.