Chapter 19: Trainees
Like always, the raging and violent winds of the frozen planet of Tomber were almost as cold as the ice itself.
Researchers had once theorised that the weather was the main cause for why the puppy population on this planet in particular grew thirty times faster than normal.
The harsh temperature of the planet was also why only about a million people resided on it, despite how incredibly large it was.
Renegades assigned to the extermination squads often avoided this planet during their routine puppy hunts.
According to most, it was the worst planet in the entire star system.
Even living on a moon was considered to be more preferable.
"So... This is where Father has chosen for my training." a young white Mornan with short, glistening golden hair and an air of nobility surrounding him said with a hint of disgust in his otherwise apathetic tone.
From the window, his gaze swept across the barely visible, snow-covered mountain peaks that littered the terrain.
His black, regal attire lined with golden patterns ruffled slightly as he turned to his silver Mornan escort sitting across from him.
"I wonder, is this particular choice of his to make things more difficult for me?"
"...or is it simply a method to get rid of his disappointing heir once and for all? I'm really curious about the answer." the white Mornan said with a hum.
"..."
The escort assigned to the white Mornan noble remained quiet for several moments as he gazed out the window with a disinterested look.
Eventually, he let out a sigh as he turned to the prince.
"It's an entirely different star system that's under Renegade control, your Highness." he responded in a monotone voice.
"Your father has no say in where you're placed."
The white Mornan chuckled slightly before his face reverted back to an apathetic expression.
"Sure, sure, whatever you say."
Silence descended upon the ship again as it tore through the raging winds, flying toward the meeting point for the new batch of Knight trainees.
After about an hour, the ship slowly landed in front of an enormous silver structure that stood out among the frozen mountains.
It was the only building present for hundreds of miles.
The young white Mornan—Jet—stepped off the ship as he glanced back at his stoic Bodyguard—who had been assigned to monitor his movements and report back to his father for over a year now.
"It seems our agonizing time together has finally come to an end. You can run back to my father now, and tell him his son will soon be returning to claim his rightful place as heir."
"Till then, he can drool over my sister as much as he wants."
The tired silver Mornan guard said nothing as he glanced at Jet for several moments.
Then he smirked. "I'll miss your company too, your Highness."
He turned away from him and tapped the ship slightly, signalling for the pilot to lift up quickly.
Jet snickered disdainfully as he watched the ship leave.
He turned to the Renegade outpost stationed between two frozen mountains. He remained still for a few seconds as he calmed his heart and mind.
The Mornan prince knew that he had to focus from now on. He couldn't afford to be distracted by the thoughts of his twin sister.
Not when his goal was in reach.
After several long moments, he strode toward the building with confident steps.
The administrative officer at the door stared at him tensely. She was a short, female red Mornan, no doubt a newly assigned sentry. She opened the door for him as he approached.
Her hesitation around him made perfect sense in his mind. After all, he was nobility.
'It's always good when they know their place, even in an organisation like the Renegades.' he thought casually.
"W-welcome, sir. I wish you success in your training." the Red Mornan stammered with a bow.
Jet nodded with a warm smile he'd mastered faking years ago. "Thank you for your kind words. I wish you a successful journey, as well."
He walked inside, ignoring the stunned Mornan as his eyes scanned the large ground floor of the building.
The room was similar to the waiting areas in train stations used by normal Mornans for transportation.
There were several administrative personnel scattered around, most of them behind the counter at the far end of the room.
There were also other trainees like him lounging around the waiting area.
He studied them with interest, noticing a good amount of them were blue Mornans. There were also quite a few Bocheanders with Mornan-like shapes present. Most of them were staring in his direction with shock, awe, and amazement.
He smiled at them as they began murmuring amongst themselves.
"No way... Is that!?"
"Yeah! Yeah! It's him!"
"It's really Prince Jet!"
"Wait, but what is he doing here?"
"Are royal families allowed to become Renegades now?"
Jet gave a small wave as he slowly walked over. He thought it only natural that they would be enamoured by his presence.
After all, he was the prince of Wales, one of the most prosperous and well-known star systems under Mornan rule.
His father, King Alger, was an Orange Mornan ruler who served directly in the Mornan sovereign's royal court.
He focused on the group again as he noticed the two white Mornans sitting at the far end of the group opposite each other on the waiting chairs.
One was a white Mornan male, seemingly in his early twenties, with ear-length obsidian hair and bright purple eyes. He looked especially bored and mildly annoyed when he glanced in Jet's direction for a moment before glancing away in evident disappointment.
The female white Mornan was tall, with long brown hair and ocean-blue eyes, and also seemed to be in her early twenties. Her face was a mask of cold apathy.
His eyes widened slightly when his gaze landed on the female Mornan. 'Is that actually her? What a surprise!' he thought with a hint of excitement showing on his face.
Rin Dune. An outer member of the Dune family.
They weren't royalty like him, but they might as well have been one. Her family was well-known throughout this star system, just like the Grimm family.
He didn't even mind that the two white Mornans were the only ones who seemed to care less about his arrival and identity.
Jet had no idea who the male white Mornan was, but that didn't matter to him. He looked forward to training with white Mornans like him.
He couldn't say the same thing about the others present. To him, they all resembled beggars already wondering how to get in his good graces. He could see the thoughts going through their heads from their expressions alone.
Especially that of a portion of the female blue Mornans, who seemed like they were moments away from throwing themselves at him.
He knew they saw it as a chance to possibly raise their standing in the eyes of the Mornan elites or form meaningful connections.
'Lowlifes,' Jet thought, sneering inwardly.
He strode over, taking a seat beside the female white Mornan who didn't seem to notice his presence as she continued scrolling through the web on her pocket projector.
***
Time passed as they waited at the station. Jet wondered why a ship hadn't arrived to take them to the training facility yet.
"Umm, excuse me. Aren't we heading out yet?"
Thankfully, one of the blue Mornans had stepped up to ask just that.
A gruff-looking Ramarta administrative officer dressed in a dark suit and coat turned to the Mornan who asked the question with a blank stare.
"No."
"..."
"Then when will we head out? Or is there something we need to do before we go?"
The blue Mornan asked again, his tone more nervous than before.
The Ramarta shook his head slowly.
"There's one more trainee arriving. We'll head out when you're all here."
As if on cue, the sound of a vessel descending seeped into the building as the trainees turned toward the door.
The ship was a crude, low-budget transport ship invented years ago for transporting refugees during emergencies.
Jet immediately began to wonder if the passenger was a refugee from a moon in the star system.
A moment later, his eyes widened as the passenger stepped down from the vehicle slowly, bowed to the pilot, and ran over to the building.
A slightly horrified expression appeared on his face when he got a closer look at the new arrival.
The same expression appeared on the faces of the trainees focused on the doors at that moment.
"Sorry if I'm a bit late."
That was because, a Human had just walked through them.