Pax Galactica - A Space Opera

Chapter 18 - Resplendent In His Armor

Aranarth, fully suited, came and found Decker as soon as the ceremony was over. That's when Decker found out who he was going to be squiring under.

"Oh no. This is a joke right?" asked Decker.

"Who did you think it was going to be?" Aranarth laughed.

The ceremony had left Decker feeling pumped, but now all that air was let out of his balloon.

"Great," he deadpanned.

Aranarth leaned right up into Decker's personal space.

"You need to understand something, Squire: you're not in just yet. Forget the ceremony, forget the stuff with the sword. You're still under evaluation. The second I'm finished with you, you're out. You're gone. If I wake up tomorrow and decide I don't like the way you pronounce the word 'tomato', if I don't like the look you give a dog, or how you chew your food, I will wash you out. They're not going to ask me why. There is no appeal. So remember that. You're not safe. You're not a ranger. You're not an A.R.C. squire. You are my squire."

Aranarth straightened.

"Now let's get your dumb arbo suited up."

"No way," said Decker.

He thought he was going to have to wait until he was a full ranger to be fitted with a suit. This was the least Decker had ever hated Aranarth.

Aranarth led Decker through the ship until they came to a small, unassuming room off one of the main corridors. In the center was a circle, delineated by a raised metal line along the floor.

"You're going to displace me somewhere?" asked Decker.

"No," replied Aranarth, "I'm going to displace something onto you. Suits come from hyperspace. That's where they're born."

"Born?" asked Decker, stepping into the circle.

"You should read more," said Aranarth. "Now strip."

"Excuse me?" asked Decker.

"Did you think you wore it over your clothes?" asked Aranarth. "I'm going to be in the adjacent room where the controls are if this is some kind of modesty thing. Don't move out of the circle until the process is finished unless you like being cut in half."

Aranarth left. Decker shrugged and stripped off his clothes, throwing them out of the circle just in case.

Decker stood in the circle, naked, waiting. For a long time nothing happened. Then for a longer time nothing continued to happen.

It occurred to Decker that Aranarth might not have been entirely truthful about him getting a Suit. He might just have wanted to see how long he could get Decker to wait in a circle naked.

Huh, thought Decker.

Now what was he going to do? He didn't want to give Aranarth the excuse to wash him out. If he was telling the truth about the Suit and Decker left, he'd definitely be kicked out. He was given explicit instructions. On the other hand if he just waited here like this all day on a flimsy story Aranarth could make the argument that Decker was too gullible to be a ranger.

Decker felt a tingling sensation and stiffened. He was staying in the circle. He was always planning on staying in the circle nobody could say otherwise.

It started on the small of his back, spreading outward across his body like a sentient liquid. First it covered him up to the neck in a single unbroken bodyglove, then it began to break down into various pieces and points of articulation. Weak points began to reinforce themselves. The 'liquid' began to take on the look of metal.