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“Alright recruit. Your turn.”
Kallus was nervous, as any good imperial recruit would be in this situation. It was also his first day in this particular training program, so he wanted to make a decent impression. Being a member of the ISB was an honor that very few cadets gained once graduating, but studying under Colonel Yularen almost guaranteed him a spot amongst the Imperial Security Bureau upon his graduation. And getting accepted into this training track would be a definite way to secure that future for himself.
He had been training as a regular cadet since he was recruited off the streets of the lower levels. But given his high pain tolerance and aptitude for brutality, he had been on the fast track to the more advanced study track. One that would land him a position here on Coruscant at the ISB headquarters.
He took a deep breath, trying to calm his heartbeat as he stepped into the room, leaving the rest of the recruits in a line outside the door, awaiting their turn at whatever test they had set up for them. As the door slid shut behind him, Kallus took in the room. There was one table, two chairs, and a peculiar looking device. Sitting in one of the chairs was an ISB agent with a datapad. The other chair was empty. The man waved him forward and Kallus snapped out of his daze. He stepped up to the testing table, pulling out the empty chair as he went. He wasn’t sure exactly what was going to happen to him, but he was trying his best to be ready.
While sitting in the chair, he viewed the paper lying on the table. Before him were approximately twenty simple math questions. Taking a look at them, he knew he would breeze through them without any difficulty. They were simply addition and multiplication. Kallus shot a calculating look at the man across the table before realizing the man was not paying him any mind.
While he waited for the man’s attention, Kallus grabbed the pen from where it was laying on top of the paper. He readied it in his left hand, solving the first row of problems in his head quickly as he waited to be addressed.
“Takes initiative,” the man before him mumbled, while marking a quick note on his datapad. Kallus’s vision snapped up to the man, giving his full attention to the man.
“Kadet Kallus, reporting for testing, sir.” He snapped a salute to his temple, just as they had drilled into him in the academy proper.
“At ease, Kadet.” The man looked over his datapad at Kallus. The voice in his head begged him to swallow, or move, or twitch, or anything to break the intensity of the encounter. However, he remained strong as the man raked his eyes over him. After about thirty seconds of scrutiny, the man hummed, making another note on his datapad. “Are you aware of the test you will be participating in today?”
Kallus shook his head. “No sir. I was told I would be briefed once inside.”
The way the ISB agent’s lip quirked slightly at this made Kallus’s stomach turn unpleasantly. As if he hadn’t already been worried enough, now his test proctor was acting strangely.
“I see…” the man mused before gesturing to the paper on the desk. “Well, as you could likely tell, you’ll be doing some math problems for us today.”
Kallus nodded. “I had seen that, yes.” He kept his eyes trained on the agent as he stood from his chair. “Seems slightly… elementary, if I dare say so?”
The agent laughed as he strode over to the machine sitting beside Kallus. He watched as the man opened a compartment on the machine, pulling out what looked like an oxygen mask attached to a thick tube, which connected to the side of the machine. “Under normal circumstances, it would be. But this is no ordinary test.”
Kallus kept his eyes trained on the chair across from him as the agent slipped behind him, out of his field of view. He started as a hand was placed violently across his forehead, tipping his head back. He kept his head positioned there, eyes trained on the ceiling as the man fitted the mask over his nose and mouth. Once the mask had been placed, the agent placed a hand on the top of his head, redirecting his gaze back at the paper.
Trying not to overthink too much, Kallus picked up the pen, ready to begin. He heard the agent pace back over to the machine next to him. He couldn’t help but be a little curious what exactly the machine would do. He could feel himself start to overthink, as the mask around his nose and mouth caused him to feel slightly claustrophobic.
“You will begin the test on my mark. Your answers will be graded for completion and accuracy.” The agent flipped some switches on the machine, and Kallus heard it whirr to life beside him. He refocused on the page in front of him, determined to prove himself worthy of this program, no matter the cost.
“Begin.”
The first line was simple. Simple math equations were something he had been doing for years, as he had always had an aptitude for the subject. He fell into a trance, answering the questions without a second thought.
It wasn’t until the second line of questions that he started to feel strange. His lungs were starting to burn uncomfortably in his chest. He took a deep breath. It did nothing to dissuade the feeling. He answered another question, trying to catch his breath.
Once he had made it through the second line of questions, it felt like his entire chest was on fire. He was panting in the mask, desperate for oxygen. Black spots began to swim across his field of view, and his grip on the pen faltered, causing it to skid across the paper.
Within seconds, he was gasping for air, trying not to panic as his vision went dark. His body screamed for oxygen, and he had forgotten all about the test before him. As he tried and failed desperately to take in air, his mind went blank, and the last thing he heard was his own head hitting the table in front of him. He was unconscious before he even felt the pain.
~~~~
“Ah, Agent Kallus! What a treat it is to have you visit.”
Kallus had never really been one for recruits. Once he was finished with school, he would have rather stayed out of the academy, and simply focused on his work. But when asked to do a demonstration from Colonel Yularen himself, it was rather difficult to say no.
“The honor is all mine, Colonel,” Kallus said smoothly, bowing his head respectfully at his superior.
Yularen nodded at him, smiling as much as the man ever did before turning back to the lecture hall full of cadets. “Now, cadets. We are here today to talk about the ISB training track…”
If there was one thing Kallus was good at, it was being able to listen and gather every detail of a conversation that was happening around him, while taking in every detail of the space around him. Kallus listened idly as Yularen repeated the speech he himself had heard so many years ago, as he surveyed the room. The lights were dim, apart from the ones on stage, making him feel like a spectacle. His gaze landed on the table, chair, and machine sitting behind them. Years ago, the sight would have been enough to induce a panic attack. Now, he simply felt mild disdain for the objects. He had known something like this was coming. He was just thankful it was something as simple as oxygen deprivation, rather than a demonstration of torture methods. He supposed those were saved for the people already trapped in the ISB training courses.
“As most of you likely know, ISB-021 graduated at the top of his class. He remains one of my star pupils to this day.” Kallus nodded at him, flashing what he hoped had come off as a brief, appreciative smile. “Today, he will be demonstrating for you what these highly trained agents are capable of.”
Yularen gestured to the table behind where the two of them were standing. Kallus knew the drill. He pulled out the seat and sat, reaching over to remove the mask from the drawer of the machine. After securing it over his own mouth and nose, he picked up his pen, and reviewed the task in front of him. Calculus. Easy enough, he supposed. Not something he used every day, but still something he could manage, even without the proper use of his lungs.
Once he was ready, he looked over to where Yularen was standing by the machine. He took a moment to slow his breathing while Yularen briefed the cadets on what exactly the machine did.
“As you probably noticed, ISB-021 is wearing a mask connected to this device. This device is used during interrogation sessions. It filters out all the oxygen from the air, causing the victim to suffocate, and lose consciousness within minutes. However, with their extensive training, our ISB agents are able to withstand these conditions for incredible amounts of time.”
Without any warning, Kallus heard Yularen flip the switches to turn on the machine. He got to work, focusing simply on the task at hand. After finishing one row fairly quickly, he moved on.
The second row got more difficult, as his brain was fogged with confusion from the lack of oxygen. He tried to keep his breathing as steady as possible, reminding himself that everything in life is only temporary, and he would be alright, one way or another.
The third line of problems was always the most challenging. Kallus had to adjust his position multiple times in order to view the numbers around the numerous black spots clouding his field of view. After that was finished, he moved on to the final row of problems.
Fighting his brain the entire way, Kallus gritted his teeth. He was getting extremely dizzy. With every ounce of willpower in his body, he finished the sheet before the black took over his vision, and he lost consciousness for a moment, hitting his head against the table.
When his vision returned, Kallus found himself staring out into the audience, gasping for breath. The machine had been turned off, and he was breathing the unfiltered air of the imperial academy once again. The mask was still firmly affixed to his face. He lifted his hands, still fumbling from the lack of oxygen to remove it as he watched Yularen show off the work he had done while oxygen deprived.
His head spun wildly as he stood from his chair. But that wasn’t something he needed to worry about. He was breathing fine, and his demonstration had hopefully inspired some of the cadets to try their hand at the ISB training track. As the black spots faded from his vision, and his balance slowly returned, Kallus stood next to Yularen, only half-listening as the man finished his speech about the amazing feats of the ISB.