| Looking for the Allura Logs? Click here. The Inner Asylum Sporky's Art Gallery The Oracles of Sporky |
The Entrance Exam
A guest, a guest, the station was receiving a guest. Cadet Roget had been assigned to this station for two years and hadn't seen a guest step foot on Station 1532. Located in a remote region of the empire, the station was an under-staffed, dilapidated guardian against the unknown. Sure the occasional supply ship stopped by, but they were all too happy to leave once repairs and unloading was completed. Commander Min was a special guest. Roget fantasized about telling his fellow cadets back home about Min. During his stay at the academy and boot camp, Min was a celebrity. She graduated from the academy with the highest scores in the history of the empire. Furthermore, she was also known for being the best soldier at boot camp and every subsequent soldier was compared to her by the staff there. Min single-handedly saved her battalion during the last battle of the civil war. Even more amazing to Roget and his friends, was that Min was a female. Females in the empire didn't fight along side of Soldiers -- they were Leaders, auxiliary troops, or workers. Also, it was rumored that Min had hair, something only reserved for high ranking Soldiers and Leaders. Min wasn't of high enough rank to be breed with hair. As Roget dreamed about the guest, a cargo freighter docked to the station. The noise jarred Roget back to reality. Nervously his straightened out his uniform and waited for the air lock to open. The first air lock opened letting Min step into the station's air lock. Then the door that let her into the station itself hissed and opened. Smoke came out of the airlock as Roget fidgeted while staring into the lock to see Min. "Welcome to Station 1532 Commander Min," said Roget as he saluted the figure that hadn't emerged from the smoke yet. "Thank you cadet," said a figure in the airlock. Out of the bay's doors stepped a tall figure in a black robe. Removing the hood from her head, Commander Min eyed the space station in disgust. She recognized the outdated equipment immediately. After returning the cadet's salute, Min rubbed the back of her neck and wondered what she had gotten herself into. She looked at the cadet, he just stood there with his mouth open. Min looked at him inquisitively and grunted. "Don't you have something to do cadet?" "Yes,...y, yes sir," the cadet said. "I'm Cadet Roget and I'll be giving you a tour of our facilities." "Cadet Roget, I can find my way around by myself," she said. "Go return to your daily activities." "I...You should go report to the Captain as soon as possible," Roget said looking a little dejected. The Min he knew wasn't as harsh as this one. "I know my duties, Cadet," she said. "But, thank you for reminding me." With that Roget let Min be on her own. The Commander took an tour of the facilities while looking for her quarters. The station was clean although it looked like the Empire abandoned several decades ago. The computer system was outdated and some doors still had to be manually opened. Min disliked a great deal of what she was exposed to, but this station struck her with a deep distrust and an aura of contempt. As a child, Min had been raised by servants of the Empress and had to fight her way through the academy. She proved to everyone that she was the best and demanded the best from everyone and everything around her. This station was no exception. After giving herself a tour of the station, Min found her quarters. As she entered, she studied her sparse accommodations with a critical eye. A table holding a lamp and computer was in the center of the room, and a bed leaned against the right wall. The bathroom hid itself in the left corner of the room. Min's two-foot-by-three-foot window was of the docking bay she arrived in. As she sat at the table, Min took off her robe. Underneath the robe was a gray suit with black and red trim at the cuffs. Min reached into the top of her suit, pulling out a necklace. She looked at the pendant, a dog tag for all Empire personnel, and placed it into the computer's disk drive.
Personal entry,
Tilme'core gave me my assignment. I've been assigned to some old man
named Milanther. I haven't meet him personally; I just know what fellow officers have told me. He's supposedly
a specialist in what I'll be assigned to (what that is I don't know). Milanther strikes me as a halfling with a
higher than average intelligence than his contemporaries. Tilme'core, he's one of those people that screwed up
something and was sent to this station. Enough about my co-workers. After my meeting with Tilme'core, I went to
my quarters to get some sleep. Freighter trips always take a lot out of me.
Personal Entry, I had that dream again. I was on floating ship in water and I was looking at myself. On the other side of the room, my parent's friend from the photo, Jonathan was telling me to let me (the one I was seeing the dream through) go. In the corner of the room was a female with brown hair. She seemed familiar to me. Then, I put myself (the eyes I looked through) down and Jonathan and I fought. The brown haired female carried the figure I was looking through and covered it as if to protect it. Then, she rocked me as if to comfort me. I felt safe. Then Jonathan said something to the human. She looked down at me (the figure) and a piece of water came out of her eye and rolled down her face. Then she put me on the floor. I was engulfed in a white light; I couldn't move. I panicked and woke up. I wonder if this has anything to do with those other dreams about the brown haired human I have. I know I'm part Leader, hence my need to shave every day, but the human in my dream is not of any species the Empire has encountered. I knew she was a female because of her higher-pitched voice. She felt real. It was as if I really know her. I think I'll try to get some sleep. I have to get an early start on the day. I'm suppose to meet Milanther in the morning.
"Wake up sleeping beauty." said a man's voice over Min's subconsciousness.
"Time is unimportant at the moment," he said. "Meet me in the training room right after you dress." Min turned to look at her clock. The clock shown 2 tics past the inner circle. She had only been asleep for less than 3 tics. When she turned to face the man, he was gone. Without a sound, he had appeared and disappeared. Min's mouth grinned as she realized that this man was Milanther. He may prove to be a challenge, she thought to herself as she got dressed. Min arrived to the training room in her fatigues. Milanther sat on the opposite side of the room facing the entrance way. As she entered he stood up and motioned for her to stand in front of him. Out of the corner of Min's eye, she saw a figure above them watching. Milanther waved his hand above him. A grunt was heard from above. "That will teach Roget to mess with my teachings," Milanther said with an evil grin. "No doubt you know that I'm Milanther. I'm suppose to prepare you for your upcoming mission." Milanther's frame as rugged and worn. He was indeed a halfling like Min suspected, but of unknown origin to her. As they scrutinized one another with their glances, Milanther circled her like a vulture. When he was done, she looked right into her eyes with a gaze that made Min almost tremble. He sighed and began to circle and analyzed Min again. "So, this
is the best of the best," he said in disgust. "They sent a child to do this job. Commander, you're too
inexperienced in the ways of the world." He motioned for Min to take a seat. She did and Milanther sat next to her. "This is off the record Commander. Before we begin your training, I want you to know a little about myself," Milanther said. "I'm a manic-depressive. It's the half that you don't recognize. Furthermore, Commander Min, I know both your real parents and those who raised you. They're all upstanding citizens of the empire. Your birth mother in particular was very dear to me. I can see her in your eyes." Milanther then became serious. "The rest of this is on the record. I have orders to train you to do something that I'm not allowed to tell you. I've read your entire history with the Empire's army, so I know what they think you are capable of. I'd like to see what you are capable of myself, so I've prepared this little entrance exam for you. If you pass, your training will continue. If you don't, I'll be forced to train you anyway." Min was amused at Milanther's candidness with her. However, something about him made her take him seriously. "Do you have any questions before we begin?" Milanther asked. Min thought to herself, "How did such a unfit Soldier such as you get to become my trainer?" But she said, "No, I'm ready for any test you have for me." Milanther jumped up and went around the room to make sure everything was locked. Min looked at Milanther as he pulled out a celliputer from his fatigues. He gave it to Min. "After this 1,000 question factual portion of your exam will be a 10 centi-tics break. Then will come the psychological and physical exam," Milanther said. "You may begin."
Personal Entry, I've never been so drained in my life. I have no energy left what-so-ever. Milanther (who has no official title) gave me an extrance examination. The factual portion was 1,000 question on some of the most obscere facts I've seen. After a 10 cent-tic break, I did the psychological exam. Forget the fact that Milanther has been diagnosed as a manic-depressive (he told me and I checked his files), he conducted the exam. At first I thought I would be like someone who doesn't know anything about engineering asking you repair a celliputer and then says that you did it wrong. However, the test was more of a test of mental abilities such as telekinetics, telepathy, etc. After that potion was done the tic cycle for the day was over, but Milanther kept going. The physical test was a huge obsticle course on the lower levels of the station. Those levels were the most neglected, and provided for an interested test. I couldn't stay as alert as I should have because of the psychological tests, but I survived. I didn't do as well as I would have hoped on Milanther's test but he said I passed. Now I can get the rest that I deserve.
The End
© 1998-2001 Nicole S. B. Layton. All rights reserved. For personal use only. |