Twelve children sat quietly at their stations awaiting the next lesson. This is not out of the ordinary for on any given day these children would be at their stations receiving the education prescribed by the instructors. However, today is the exception to the ordinary because today they are being reviewed and decisions on their futures are being made by the group of representatives who show up each year. Some of these children will be allowed to continue their general education and lead peaceful lives as citizens. These children will never know violence, famine, illness, or want. Their children will be sent to the best schools and most of them would be given the choices that all parents want for their child. Some children, however, will never have a choice. They will never know that they were not given a choice. The parents of those select children will be told what an honor it is for their child to have been chosen for public service. They may be told this, but they knew it meant that their child would never be the same and may never be seen again.
Sitting quietly in class was one such child. He was being examined closely. His test scores and personality definitions were exactly what they were looking for. The child did not seem any different than any of the other children to his instructors. In fact to the instructors, no child seems more likely to be selected than any other. This was the reason a team of investigators was selected for this job rather than leaving it up to the school or the instructors.
This child was 9 years old and played skeef just like the rest of the boys. He had begun to become interested in the girls in the class, but was still too shy to have any real contact. He was starting to dream of his future. However; unlike the other children in the class room, he was beginning to think about being selected. He was not really sure he wanted this, but he was not thinking much about his other options. No one knew of this, not even his friends. As far as his instructors and family were concerned, he was just like the other boys dreaming of the future his parent’s wanted for him; a future where he would peacefully perform the same service as his father as a citizen of Tarre. If his parents had their wish, he would work on space carriers. He had even spent his summer on one such carrier with his father learning about the hydroplasmic engines. This was fun for him as an adventure would be, but it was not what he wanted to do.
His parents were very clear in their distaste of the possibility of public service for him. On the one occasion when he brought the subject up with his parents, they became anxious, actively checking windows and doors, and proceeded in whispering voices to tell him that it was not safe to say such things. They told him that public service changed you, took you away from your family, and you would never be allowed back into the society when the term of service was completed if they offered a term with a definite end and if he lived that long. From that time forward, he never mentioned it again, but he never stopped thinking about it.
On this day he was being examined for just such a life. The investigators were even going so far as to decide in what form of public service he would serve. In whispered voices they were chattering excitedly. They believed they may have found one, the one in a thousand who would suit the Quorum’s purpose. That purpose being one of the most well kept secrets. So well kept, that most in public service did not even know about it.
Of course, he would need training to prepare for this future. His first stop would be to the academy. He would need some conditioning to ensure his cooperation and desire to server in the capacity chosen for him. Then there would a period of time when he would actually put some of his training to use in a visible-to-society manner to keep appearances and questions at bay. Then after this training, when his prime and ready, he would disappear and no one would remember he ever existed. This future would essentially whip clean the existence of this child, his past, present, and any future he may have had. If selected now, his training would start immediately, he would not been here tomorrow.
After some more excited whispers, there was silence. The men standing in the corner of the room like the 5 pillars of Palnith, tall, formidable, unshaken, and fearsome, commanded attention. Everyone feared the entrance to Palnith, the depths of that cavern have not been reached and many who have entered have never returned. The similarity to the vision in front of them and the reputation of Palnith was not lost on the entire class and everyone knew why they were there. Many of the children sat nervously, fearing to their small depths that they were being reviewed, evaluated, or selected. With some sigh of relief from both the class and the instructor, only one of the pillars lifted his long shroud covered arm and pointed to the boy. “Gil Wayt.”
