Chapter 27: Departure
The train arrived half an hour later as the roaring sound of the approaching electronic behemoth filled the mountain pass, causing the trainees to glance outside in amazement and worry.
Every region of the planet was infested by the scourge of the puppies, after all, so they could only wonder how something as loud as this could travel across its railway tracks unperturbed.
Arbus got the answer to that question a moment later when the train finally came into view. His eyes widened slightly as he watched a dark substance writhe from the front of the train like water. It flowed endlessly, moving like a living thing as it quickly assembled railway tracks in the span of seconds, only slowing down as the train came to a halt.
His mind short-circuited for a moment. Then, he remembered something he'd heard a while back. 'Aano machines.' Arbus thought, recalling the Aurnexes technology that had gotten anyone outside the Renegades arrested and executed for possessing it.
It was apparently the latest project of the Renegades' Mesh Department that they'd been developing and improving for the last decade or so. From what Arbus knew, the Renegades had gotten the idea from the abilities of a particularly troublesome Human that lived outside the protected galaxies.
He immediately understood that there were no prepared railway tracks laid out for the train. It simply assembled and disassembled its own as it moved, which meant it was capable of traveling through any path it wanted without a planned passage.
With its top speed, Arbus could see why it would be hard for puppies to pursue it, let alone catch up.
"It's finally here." Alexander said as he stood up, grabbed his bag from beside the chair where he left it, and headed towards the door. He stopped for a moment as he turned back to Arbus with a raised eyebrow. "Well, aren't you coming?"
Arbus stood up too, grabbing his bag below him before glancing to the counter at the end of the room and the people around it. Then he turned away as he followed behind Alexander and headed for the train.
***
Jet frowned as he watched the Human head for the train behind the white Mornan who didn't seem to value his life much. He glanced at the Ramarta officer in front of him who had already informed them of his inability to do anything substantial.
'...If there's no other choice, then.' Jet thought as he moved, heads turning in his direction with each step.
"The Prince is getting on the train too?"
"Does that really mean there's nothing to fear?"
The blue Mornan from earlier, Nota, also glanced at Colt one last time before nervously heading for the train as well.
Eventually, the rest of the trainees began heading towards the train one by one with indignant expressions, not willing to let it leave without them. They dreaded being in an enclosed space with a possible Human but saw no other choice as they simply hoped for the best.
A sudden idea surfaced at the corner of Jet's mind as he stepped into the train lined with bright red colours, different from the pitch-black painting its outside.
He glanced towards Arbus and Alexander sitting by the windows on opposite sides at the back of the train as his eyes gleamed.
'This... might actually be an opportunity.'
***
Arbus didn't pay much attention to the trainees filing in nervously as his gaze wandered the train's interior. The red walls and ceilings were lined with golden patterns looping on themselves in repeating swirls. 'What's with everyone and gold?'
The blue seats, arranged in rows of four with space in-between, were fixed with warmers to counteract the planet's ever-present cold. The windows seemed much brighter from the inside, although Arbus wasn't sure if they actually opened.
There was no area for a train operator to stay, so Arbus guessed an artificial intelligence of some sort was in charge of driving the steel behemoth, which made sense, considering it would also have to be controlling the Aano machines as the train moved.
He briefly wondered how a journey through the thicker blizzards of the planet would be like in a train like this.
"First time on a train, I'm guessing." Alexander said from the other side of the train as he glanced at Arbus with a small grin.
Arbus snorted slightly, not bothering to answer. He still felt strange about someone talking to him so freely after just meeting him.
Arbus glanced out the window by his right, staring into the station through the raging blizzard. By now, most of the Renegades were already on the train, occupying the front half completely and making sure to keep their distance from him.
From what he could see, there was only one trainee left outside: the white Mornan girl from earlier, who stood at the entrance, watching the train silently. Eventually, though, she moved forward as well, joining those on the train.
Her eyes met his for a moment as she entered, the flurry of emotions in them clear for him to see. She turned away first, finding a seat herself as she seemingly decided to ignore his existence.
If Arbus had to guess, he would say she had personally encountered a Reincarnator herself, which would more than explain her fear and subsequent hatred of him.
"I'm not doing it! I refuse to!"
Everyone's attention was suddenly drawn inside the station, where one last trainee surprisedly still stood in front of Colt with a defiant and furious expression.
Colt's expression was a picture of cold annoyance.
"You can't expect us to just go along with this, right? We were just attacked by those monsters and now you expect us to train with one of them!" The Bocheander continued, not taking the hint.
"Has the Renegades truly sunk so low!?"
The Ramarta officer stared darkly at the Bocheander for several long moments.
"Are you saying you won't be going along, then?" he asked finally.
The Bocheander gritted his teeth in frustration, not happy with the officer's response.
"No, I'm saying that half-human should be kicked off this planet this instant! If he isn't, then I will not be getting on that train!"
This time, Colt didn't take long to respond. "Very well, then. Your resignation from the Renegades has been accepted. From now on, you are no longer considered a member of this organisation. And neither can you rejoin in the future. We'll send for a ship to take you back to your planet soon. Till then, you're welcome to wait."
The Bocheander's face shifted from that of shock to horror in an instant. "What? No, that's not what I wanted! I'm not resigning! I simply want what's right to be—"
BOOM!
Arbus's eyes widened in surprise as the Bocheander was suddenly sent flying into the doors of the station, which seemed more durable than he had originally thought.
The blob-like body of the young Bocheander slid to the floor, passed out from the slap he hadn't even seen coming.
Colt, meanwhile, stared down at him with a cold gaze from behind his counter. "The Renegades is an organisation that does not tolerate insubordination." he said, his voice loud enough for even those on the train to hear clearly.
"When you are ordered to do something by a higher official, simply do as you are told and do not second-guess your orders."
He glanced at the trainees on the train through the windows. They weren't sure why, but his eyes made them feel like he wasn't a fan of the situation either. "Learn from the mistakes of others, and do your best to become knights worthy of this organisation. Or quit, while you still can."
Colt focused on Arbus one final time, before going back to his work.
Seconds later, the train roared back to life as it finally began moving again.
Arbus's gaze remained fixed on the Bocheander boy as the train accelerated past the Renegade station.
He couldn't help but feel guilty about his situation for a moment, before the feeling subsided quickly.
His eyes closed as he let out a long breath. His journey on Tomber had finally begun.