“We have been watching you, Captian.”, a voice in the dark recesses of the council chamber echoed. “Your career in public service is to be commended.”
A man in no uniform that could identified, stood proud. He was not sure at first why he was called to this secret meeting, but he had heard tales, rumors, of these types of meetings. Those in service who were called here were never seen again. They simply disappeared, and no one ever asked about them again. Asking those questions usually ended badly.
Wayt, as he was called by his friends, was not concerned about disappearing; he was energized by this idea. To be called, to become a shadow, to disappear was not a bad thing in his mind. It was the reward almost any agent would die for and every man in service aspired to. To become an agent, an operative, a shadow of the Quorum, and a maker of peace, was the dream Wayt held most dear. As he stood in the silence, the idea that this was the reason he was summoned in the middle of the night was becoming a certainty. He was loyal to the Quorum and always expressed a desire to serve in any way that would further peace for the Ma’tris realm and spread the civilization to the other planets, even if that meant that he would never be able to claim that peace himself.
In the space of time it took him to develop and complete this thought, Wayt had not said a word, had not moved a muscle or allowed any emotion to be visible on his features. He just stood erect, shoulders back and his chin high in the center of an illuminated circle of light that did not reach the corners of the room. He held his anxiety in check. He wanted those who watched him with trained eyes to deem him ready.
The voice in the darkness lingered in silence as though reconsidering the offer which was about to be made. It is an offer which would surrender this serviceman into a life of secrecy and death. The outcome was already known; this serviceman would accept the offer. It would never be made otherwise.
“Agent Gil Wayt, you are to be transferred to the Central Tarre Agency and will begin training at once. You will report directly to the Ma’tris station Alpha for transportation and orders. From this night forward you do not exist in Tarre.” The light dimmed in the center of the room, while another light brightened revealing the door. His immediate obedience to the unspoken order was expected. Without a salute, Wayt turned and left the chamber as expected of a loyal and dedicated agent. It was then that he realized that he was no longer a serviceman. He was an agent of the Quorum, an operative, and sometimes an assassin. If he survived his training and was able to prove himself, he would be a Shadow. He never questioned the briefness of this unusual meeting. He also was only partially mindful of the fact that the door he was leaving through was not the same as the one he entered.
