Star Force: Trials (SF68) Read Online Free

Territorial
allotments aside, this was the type of competition that they needed to really
ratchet up their advancement.
    When Jason’s dropship landed it came in through an
atmospheric shield that kept the polar air out so that the crews could operate
without wearing envirosuits. Jason stepped out into room temperature air
despite the sky overhead being clear of any machinery. The shield was just a
bubble covering the landing area, with a few other dropships coming down in
through it as his unloaded him then took off again, heading back to where it
had come. Only the crews necessary to facilitate the Trials would be staying
here, meaning all dropship pilots would be stationed in nearby cities and
called for when transport was needed.
    Jason had come without gear, knowing he could get
whatever he needed here, so he walked across the landing pad and into a wall
entrance with free hands and a clear head, looking around almost like a tourist
to see what Davis and Wilson had built. He ducked into a tunnel and walked down
two levels until he came to a reception area with a check-in desk.
    “Mr. Sangheili himself,” a male attendant said,
pulling out a datachip from a special batch and
handing it to him. “All instructions needed. I’m not allowed to say any more.”
    “Who’s orders?” Jason asked curiously.
    “Head Trainer Wilson. Please step into the car and
insert the chip.”
    Jason smiled and walked towards one of the three pod
cars with open doors. He chose the middle one and stepped inside, pivoting
around and finding a tiny slot on a wall panel but no other controls. He slid
it in and the doors closed, taking him elsewhere in the facility.
    He half expected there to be a holographic interface,
maybe a brief explanation of where he and the other Sangheili would be
billeted, but nothing happened. He couldn’t feel the movement of the pod due to
the artificial gravity and IDF so he just waited in silence, not knowing how
long it would take. After what seemed like a long time he began to wonder so he
pushed out his Pefbar to look through the walls and see how fast the pod was
moving…which was when he realized he couldn’t. He could see everything around
him inside the pod, but not past the walls.
    “What the hell?” he said, spinning about and looking
with his eyes. He reached out to touch the walls but stopped short as a slight
buzz sounded over his head. He saw the energy shield materialize there both
with his eyes and Pefbar a moment before the floor dropped out from under him.
    He fell fast, brushing up against his hip into the
angled tube of a dry waterslide that was completely dark. Jason could make out
the interior of the tube with his Pefbar though, but again he couldn’t see
through it. His mind went through several scenarios in a split second, with him
knowing in his gut this was Wilson’s doing even before the short ride ended and
he exited the tube into freefall.
    His Pefbar opened up around him just in time to make
out the wall of water below him. He hit it butt first and smacked the back of
his head on his way in, getting a jet of water up his nose in the process that
he clamped down on. The pool was deep and he couldn’t find the bottom for a
moment, but he could still see the surface with his Pefbar so he clawed towards
it as he forced himself to tolerate the water in his airways knowing that his
Hanme would start giving his bloodstream the oxygen stored in nodules around
his body automatically.
    Having no knowledge that this was coming he was caught
off guard, but pulled himself together enough to get himself to the surface.
When his head came up into the air he coughed out the water and used a
telekinetic wedge to move it out of his nose that his Pefbar allowed him to see
internally. Treading water he tried to get his bearings, unable to see the
bottom of the water or anything else around him in the pitch black. Wherever he
was it felt like a void, with only the distant ceiling just barely