Wild Sun

Training had begun, and hundreds of thousands stood still in line waiting for their turns in the cosmic labyrinth, they all waited as the commanders announced to beginning the trails.

Lieutenant N. Rivers stood excited, the chants of encouragement and loud cheers of the rest of her squadron and the surrounding others brought her back to reality.

Noeli had been staring at the large panels above her.

Right behind the panels was the colossal gates of Arena HC9.

Noeli smiled to herself and in turn chanted encouraging words to the man and women behind, in front of her line. She was familiar with Arena HC9,17 and 93, she was sure this would finally be the year she would be able to board a ship to Titan3Y12.

Galaxy MagnusTII had been her one and only dream for the past 28 years, she had trained incredibly hard to be among the few hundred that would be able to board one of Colonel E.YHO.

Noeli admired her, YHO was the reason she and many had trained to one day become defenders of the Auraos. Noeli remembered looking up at the sky above her and seeing Col.YHO salute at the crowd below as they made their way to other worlds.

The large artificial lights from above began to die down and the sound of the speakers gradually increased reaching the massive crowds, all the voices quieted as the panel with the symbol of the Auraos came through the screen.

A wing within a star as it eventually broke apart and the face of Col.YHO came on, the masses lost their composure and the cheers and shouts could be heard from far and wide.

Col.YHO was the most respected and honored of the defenders of Auraos. As her voice was heard from everywhere she greeted the crowd roaring her name and throwing their hands in the air to salute and honor her.

She welcomed them all and gave her usual speech, as soon as she finished the lights were switched off and the area grew silent in the darkness. The gates of the Arena were opened to the deadly labyrinth.

All were dressed in black jumpsuits but wearing shoulder patches the symbol of the Auraos in different colors.

It was time to choose their weapons of choice, there were guns, knives, bows, swords, hammers, axes, and more.

HC9 was a trail mostly based on speed, they each had 10 hours to complete through the ever-changing labyrinth.

Noeli got her electric batons ready in each hand, and she adjusted her maroon patch symbol as the rest of her squadron always did. In the dark they all took deep breaths and got ready, running and fighting to stay alive was no easy task, but she was used to it now. This was her third and last year at the trials if she didn't make it this year. She knew she would never have the chance to try again.

The countdown started in the usual random sequence of numbers, and she focused on the panel above her.

GO!

Noeli broke out in a run as the surrounding crowd sprinted towards the gates of HC9. Thousands ran each and every where in the dark, the chaos was nothing unusual, the new Ltns. Just like Noeli had something to prove, they spread like blood through veins entering the first part of the maze.

Noeli steadied herself against the walls of the maze as the first earth movement happened, there were thousands still going each and everywhere, she could hear screams and nonlethal gunshots all around her, but she stayed focused.

She and her squadron kept moving, not distracted, she had already taken down a few from the different squadron as they all moved around in the dark.

Noeli continued running to the left. she felt the first drops of rain, but she knew not to be distracted as she sensed an unknown behind her she moved out of reach and stroked him in the neck with one of her batons.

As the second earth movement came, it was now raining and freezing cold, Noeli looked down at her watch as she steadied herself on the walls. The rain had come two hours early this time, and her squadron had been running and attacking for about four hours now.

Noeli continue to focus on moving through the rain, she was sure they were going in the right direction, no matter how many times the movement would take them off guard, and they would face a dead end, only to turn back and face others in fight.

She kept running trying not to think of the time passing, she had 17 months of extra training under her belt and she knew when to stop and wait for the right move.

Bright and Shanice carried the rest of the weapons as well as the liquids to carry them though, they needed to be protected at all cost.

Noeli finally looked down at her watch as the fifth earth movement had them on their knees, they were three hours away from the exit, and as Noeli battled hitting her opponents left and right with her batons, she was hit a few times. She was hurt badly on her left leg but knew better than to slow down, this was it she was so close even if the major part of her squadron had been lost, she needed to finish the course.

As she looked on at the faint light in front of her, all she could do was sprint as fast as she could on a broke leg.

~~~~~~

Noeli could barely believe it, she drank with the rest of the squadrons who had made it, she laughed loud as the voices all around her sang merry songs. Although she was beyond joyful, in the back of her mind there was unrest.

Many Ltns. Never made it this far, while the labyrinth was all about speed and endurance. Many squadrons would not make it in the BOX, she had only heard of stories and read theories about the box, it was the last trial before anyone could board any ship.

Capt. X was the creator of both the labyrinth and the Box, while the labyrinth was to test strengths, speed, and endurance. The Box was infinitely worst, it was designed to break the soldier's mind to the point of no return with discipline, control and illusions.

Noeli wanted to believe badly she was ready, the only thing she had ever dreamed of was to be second in command to Col. YHO. While it was extremely difficult, she knew it was not impossible to beat the Box.

Three weeks had gone as Noeli set looking up at the sky in ATLAS12, this planet had been all she had known all her life. she rested her head on Julie's lab, as she notice the white moon behind the clouds.

"Don't worry, I am sure you will get in" Julie assured her for what felt like the billion time.

"I know! I am not worried, is just excitement that's all, you know this is my last chance..." Noeli said.

"Yeah, but at the list, you made it through that shitty maze" Bright mustered.

"OH, come on! You went down like a solder, you can't start beating yourself over it again" Shanice said, rolling her eyes.

"Well, the point is, at the list, one of us will make it on to Titan3Y12," Julie said.

"Well let's not get carried away now" Bright teased.

"Shut up!" Shanice said throwing blue sand at him.

"What? It's true!" Bright said.

"How about you listen to your sister," Julie said angrily.

"Whatever Titan3 is not the only ship going to MagnusTII" Shanice smiled as she mounted her sand bike.

"Yeah, but no other ships are under Col. YHO's command." Noeli said, getting up to join them.

"Don't worry about it, Ali you're going to do great in the Box" Bright tried to cheer her up, "If AXEL made it through the Box, I know you will too."

"That reminds me, did any of you speak to him since the first trial?" Shanice asked pulling her brown hair out of her face.

"Why is he ignoring you?" Julie said, but she didn't wait for an answer as she drove right into the no gravity zone inside the blue dunes.

"HAJ, LOSER!" Bright yelled as he followed Julie into the fall.

"Bet, you won't say it to my face!" Shanice ran after her twin.

"WOW!!!" Noeli screamed as she jumped right after Shanice.

Noeli was glad Julie was by her side as they both waited for their names to flash across the screen above. She tried to calm herself down and be as relaxed as possible. When Julie's name was called, they both looked at each other with smiles as she walked away, into one of the chambers of the Box.

Noeli was surrounded by people, all doing the same breathing exercises, as they got ready to enter the chambers. The grass beneath her feet felt like cement as her name was finally called.

Noeli was surprised to see a white room with nothing more than two chairs, and light coming from everywhere. She had always pictured a hologram, levitating chairs, and unconscious men being carried out. She sat in the room for a few minutes, calming herself and listening to any noise, but the room was soundproof, and the light seemed almost too bright.

A large man with white curly hair walked into the room, looking down at the golden sand screen. He sat still in the chair in front of her and continued to work on the screen, he was wearing a first-class uniform. When he looked at her, she immediately felt surprised; he was young, pale, with rosy lips dark purple eyes, and a Stoic face. The golden sand screen hovered away from him but stayed right by his side. The silence between them was so uncomfortable, she looked down at her hands.

"Miss Rivers?" he asked, his voice deep and husky.

"Lieutenant, N. Rivers squadron M number 412, sir," She said firmly ignoring the vibration under her skin when he spoke.

The silence between them was unbearable and defining, she wasn't sure if it was her jumpsuit or if the room was getting hotter.

"Noeli listen to me and listen clearly, I will not repeat myself, as long as I am breathing you will NEVER leave ATLAS as defenders of Auraos." He said, and with that, he got up and left the room.

Noeli sat there transfixed, this had to be a nightmare, it couldn't be real, and there was no way this could be happening to her. The fire in her belly and in her throat was suffocating her, never in a million years had she imagined it would feel like this. She tried to force her mind to silence as crazy thoughts ran free and the hot tears behind her eyes imposed themselves.

"No way, it can't be!" Shanice exploded with rage.

The four sat in silence as they drink liquor, Noeli felt numb, like the world was ending right in front of her eyes.

"He didn't even start the simulation?" Julie said, still amazed.

"He didn't say anything else?" Bright asked again.

"No, he just said that and walk out." Noeli confirmed again.

"Was he with Col. YHO first in command?" Julie asked.

"I think he might be the mind breaker himself, but I have no idea, he didn't even bother to identify himself," Noeli answered.

"There has to be a way to report him to first-class ranks" Shanice blurred out.

"How do you report if the offense is from Capt. X himself? He is even bigger than YHO in the eyes of the Regiment." Bright said slumming down on the chair defeated, "Even Atlas Max won't keep him, and they still won't discipline him properly."

"Do you think them scared of him or something?" Julie asked.

"I say let's dare do the unthinkable," Shanice said mischief all over her face.

"Like what? AXEL is gone, we can't blame shit on him anymore" Bright spat out.

"You can't, but I can" Noeli finally said, looking out the window towards the blue dunes.

"Ali, don't do anything crazy..." Bright tried to be sensible.

"Be quiet!, if you have nothing positive to add" Shanice answered her twin, "Whatever you do, you know we got your back, Ali."

"Yeah, just tell us what to do, and we will do it" Julia added.

"Even if it means not boarding Titan3?" Noeli asked, looking at Julia.

"Of course, Whatever you need, Ali, I got you," Julia reassured her friend. "You know Titan was always more of your dream than mine."

Noeli embraced her friends as she cried, she had never expected that answer, but she knew her friends would be loyal till the end. And wherever Axel was, she knew he would have said the same thing. But she also knew she needed to do this on her own, she couldn't risk her friends having to lie to protect her.

~~~~~~~

Two Months later, Noeli had been falling with her sand bike from the blue sand dunes with her friends with nothing but happiness and excitement, and now she was falling out of a window. Atlas's gravitational pull was lower than normal today, and Noeli would take advantage of it.

She dived downwards midair and held on for dear life as she stopped on the 102nd floor of the citadel. She knew the highest tower was reserved for the first-class captains, she avoided going anywhere near the 70th floor, it was always the most safeguarded. Furthermore, she knew there was no way she would get through to Col. YHO's security team. But high on the 100th floor or higher, she could find the first-class defenders living quarters.

She was not specifically looking for Capt. X floor, but maybe a blue sand screen could get her close enough. She thought maybe if she spoke to one of Col. YHO's assistants, she would be given one last trial. Noeli knew as soon as she made contact with the blue sand screen she would be caught, and dragged back down.

She hated to involve her friends, but she was desperate, she had stolen all their past access codes except Julia's, to get this high into a restricted zone. Julia was the only one of them who was sure to board Titan 3.

Noeli pulled herself up the ledge and broke the mirror of one of the rooms on the 102nd floor. As she got in she didn't expect anyone to be there, luckily it was empty and mostly unfurnished, who ever lived here was in the process of moving or had already left.

She looked around everywhere she could until she found a golden sand screen. She hesitated to touch it, this was not her plan and she had never seen one up close, only the most highly qualified rank members of the defenders use golden sand screens.

Before Noeli even had the chance to touch it, the doors busted open and the guards of the Regiment ran to detain her. She immediately punched the first guard sending him off to the floor, she swiftly pulled her electric batons out and slammed the next one with them in the face, the electricity sending him flying to the wall.

She turned and kicked the next guard in the chest with full force, she then jumped on the next guard hitting him on the neck before popping his arm, as he screamed in pain. A guard grabbed her hair and pulled. She stepped on his foot hard and slammed the back of her head against his face, causing him to let go of her in pain.

Noeli realized she had lost one of her batons as she stood, assessing the situation. The room was getting smaller as the guards kept rushing in, surrounding her, Noeli pulled out her gun and shot at the first guard that ran towards her, and he fell to the ground. She continued shooting left and right until she was out of electric bullet pins.

When she heard the familiar voice in the crowd, and everyone stopped fighting as they moved away and cleared the center of the room, Noeli was face to face with her Hero, her inspiration, the reason she had spent all her life trying to board a Titan to MagnusTII, Col.YHO was standing right in front of her, and it felt like a dream.

"Ltns. Rivers Squadron M 412, I presume?" the older woman stepped towards her.

"Yes, ma'am," Noeli said with eyes wide open in amazement, she couldn't even believe what was happening, she knew if she was to tell anyone in her squadron or even her friends they wouldn't believe it either.

"Ltnt. Would you consider walking with me?" Elaine asked.

"Yes of course! Ma'am" Noeli said eagerly following her out of the room, and carefully steeping away from those she had shot.

As both women walked down the hallway, accompanied by the rest of the Cols. Guards. Noeli still couldn't believe she was walking next to a hero of the Magnus TII wars. The woman had distinct yet familiar white hair, violet eyes, slender and she was much taller than Noeli had expected. While Elaine was considerably older, she still looked like her posters from before the wars, feminine but still commanding and solemn. Both a complete contrast. Noeli's dark honey skin, golden brown eyes, jet black hair and round curved body.

"You have caused, quiet the ruckus must say," Elaine said, smiling down at her.

"I expected all floors to be covered, but I did not expect you here ma'am," Noeli said in a more serious tone.

"Well now that you are here, tell me the reason for your visit." Elaine continued walking gracefully in her lavender dress.

"I was rejected from the trial, and I have no knowledge of the reason" Noeli tried to hide her shame by staying controlled, "I believe my case was misjudged, and I have come for a retrial."

"And you thought I would be the one to make that happen and allow you to board one of the Titans under my command?" Elaine said as one of her guards open the doors to a garden that played as a rooftop. "You have been training for a long time, I can tell."

"I believe myself to be capable of a voyage on one of your Titans, Ma'am," Noeli said, hoping her Hero would see she was ready.

"I know you are, you are strong," Elaine said, looking up at the cosmos in front of them.

"So you agree that Capt. X was wrong to send me away?" Noeli said, trying not to show emotion.

"The mind breaker himself send you away?" Elaine said, surprised and almost shocked.

"Yes, He said I would never leave Atlas as a defender of Auraos." Noeli answered, "Am I wrong to assume this can be amended?"

"Of course, you are not wrong, child!" Elaine smiled at her, "But not by me."

"If not you, then who, Col. YHO?" Noeli said, trying not to show desperation on her face.

"Well the mind breaker himself child!" Elaine said, "after all, he is my brother and greatest protector."

"Your...brother is ...the mind breaker?" Noeli repeated, not able to believe it.

"But of course he is, I have never hidden that fact" Elaine answered, walking further into the garden.

"But no one saw him in the war..." Noeli said.

"The greatest defender of Auraos is unseen Ali." Elaine said as she caressed a white flower." X is a master of mystery."

"Then I demand an audience with the captain," Noeli said, trying not to lose hope.

Elaine ushered Noeli to walk hand in hand.

"It is not me you should demand, the heavens know he would never listen to anything anyone says." Elaine said "Right now he is a way somewhere in ZOA4R92"

"When will I be able to request..."Noeli started to ask.

"You will not make it to the Titans first trip, but I will summon you when he arrives and you will have the words. For now no need to break into anything else. Elaine answer.