Becoming Chosen

We have our way to educate the Elders in the Habitat’s, which makes me wonder if we should not have a similar tool for those who rise to command in the Technical Crew. I’ve proposed it several times in Committee, but each time it’s turned down. For all our talk of not leaving blind spots, my fellow culture designers seem to have one of their own. Hopefully our descendants will be wise enough to look beyond the rules, when the situation requires it. Hope is fine, but I have my doubts.

-Marta Jager, Excerpt from file marked “Musings”, Sealed Archive.

Miri had the strangest feeling of floating. It seemed everything that had happened since the fireworks was almost a dream. There were so many new things to see and try to understand. She just wanted to sink into it all!

Running through that dreamy feeling was a steel-bar of will. The joy of discovery could, must, wait until she had a place among the Tech. She still stumbled in thinking of all of these new people as Town-people, but she was coming to terms with the idea that the Town, for all of its wonders and difference, was like the shop at the front of a furniture maker. The real work and effort all went on beyond what the Chosen saw every day.

She smiled a little thinking of how shocked Solange and Farhi would be at what was beyond the Town they knew! The smile was curdled a little as she thought that her friends would be amazed and impressed, but people like Uncle Fergus would just sniff and say it didn’t matter to the Chosen. The thought made her sad and angry in equal measure.

Miri shook her head, Mind on your work, my girl, she thought. It was a nice piece of advice for herself.

She and her new friend Ronan were sitting in a little room, outside the bigger room where the Officers Council met. The two of them had been told, “ordered” Ronan had said, to go there after she was patched up by the people in Medical.

Miri had been given clothes to replace her blood stained and ripped ones. The jacket with the zipper, and the pants with the stretchy fabric at the waist and ankles made her feel very much like one of the Tech!

When they arrived the two of them had stood before a big curving table, where four men and three women sat. All of them wore a dark blue suit similar to hers, though not as plain. Every one of them had gold colored stitching at the wrist, some more than others.

At the very center of the table sat a large old man, with a mostly bald head, and a fringe of white hair all the way around the back. He had four full lines of stitching on his sleeves and Ronan had murmured that he was the Captain.

Miri thought of him as the Eldest, the title the current oldest person and leader of the Elders used. He had that look about him too. Miri had seen the lines on his fleshy face. There were lines earned by worry and toil, but they were balanced by other lines made by smiles and laughter.

His eyes were a pale gray blue. They looked like the kind of eyes that could be kind or hard, depending on the moment. When he first looked at her, they gave no hint as to what he was thinking.

The Captain had said nothing for most of the time. Instead a thin woman with short gray hair had asked Miri question after question. How had she come here? Did anyone know where she was? How long had she been hiding in the ducts?

Miri answered them all, but had started to worry. The questions seemed like the kind you asked when you already knew what you would do about something, but just wanted to understand how you’d arrived.

Finally the woman had run down and asked the others if they had any questions. The Captain had shifted in his chair, and all the others took it for a sign he wanted to speak.

“You’ve told us how you have come to us, but I haven’t heard why.”

It wasn’t phrased as a question but it was one all the same.

“Well, Captain, sir,” Miri started, Ronan had been quite insistent that she start that way if the Captain spoke to her, “I left the habmo’ because I wanted to join the Town-people. I am not a good Chosen, but I think I could be a good, er, Tech. Though I didn’t know you were called that at the time.”

The stern visage of the Captain’s face cracked a little, as a small, very, very small, smile showed.

“And why is that? Why do you think you would be a good Tech?”

“Well, for the reason I’m not a good Chosen, sir. I want to know how things work, not just that they do. I don’t know if you know any of the Chosen, but none of them are very interested in knowin’ much beyond the skills the God’s of Earth decreed. Sir”

“You aren’t afraid of the strange things you’ve seen?”

“No, sir! I, well. I like strange things. Besides a thing is only scary when you don’t know what it is. Once you understand it, it might still be dangerous, but it’s not scary anymore.”

“One last question,” the Captain had said, “If it were up to you, would you stay here, with us?” Miri had been about to answer, but the Captain held up a hand. “Even if it meant you had to do things the way we say, obey all of the rules that the Tech do?”

Miri had been silent for a minute, then said, “Yes sir. When I left Habmo6, I knew I was leaving everythin’ I had grown up with behind. I didn’t know how different things are. But I am ready to do what it takes to be one of the Tech. Say true. Sir.”

This had earned her a full smile from the Captain, but a scowl from mean F.O. Nesbit. After a few more questions from the others they had been asked to wait in the other room.

Miri’s stomach was clenching at the thought she might be sent back, but she was determined not to show it. Ronan would think she was weak if she did.

The door across from them opened, and the officers started filing out. Ronan stood, so Miri did too. Mr. Nesbit gave them both a hard glare, but didn’t say anything, he just walked out.

The wide frame of the Captain filled the doorway. He stood looking at the two of them for a moment, then he glanced at his data-set.

“It’s nearly time for some lunch. I wonder if the two of you would like to join me?”

Miri had been expecting any number of things from the Captain, but an invitation to eat with him was not on the list.

“Yes, sir, we would,” Ronan answered for the both of them. Even so the Captain waited until Miri nodded as well.

“Excellent, I’ll have it arranged,” the Captain said, then punched at his data-set for a moment. “This way, then,” he said and led them out into the main hall.

When Miri had seen him in the meeting room the Captain seemed a forbidding person. The highest of the high according to Ronan. But as they walked along, his tone and manner were much friendlier.

Everyone made way for the man, and his two guests, either acknowledging him with a nod of the head, or coming to stiff attention, depending on some formula Miri had yet to work out.

For his part, the Captain just nodded to one and all. As they walked, he casually pointed out some features. Though truth be told, Miri had a hard time telling the difference. After all, the halls were all the same size, and every door, no matter what went on beyond, had the same dimensions as well.

“I know everything is new to you here, Miri, but I am curious as to what your favorite part is?” the Captain asked her.

“Well, sir, I haven’t seen very much yet, but the huge place where the Habmo’s turn is the most amazin’ thing I’ve seen,” Miri answered. Then, because she was brought up to be an honest girl, “So far, that is.”

“Ah, yes, we call that the Habitat Cavern. Not all of the Tech find it a comfortable place.”

“Why not, sir?” Miri asked. For the life of her she couldn’t understand why anyone wouldn’t find it amazing.

“Not all of us like the big spaces. Quite a few get nervous when they see that much open space,” the Captain explained.

That didn’t make any sense to Miri. How could anyone be scared by open space? There was nothing in it, so how could it be scary? She resisted saying this out loud. The Captain had still not told her if she was going to be sent back or not. There was no sense in ruining things by speaking out.

She wished Ronan would speak up more. He knew what was what here, but for some reason he was nearly silent around the Captain. Miri didn’t think he was afraid, so maybe it was some odd Tech thing. There was so much to learn here!

The Captain stopped at a door and waved his data-set near the doorframe. The door slid back to reveal a small dining room, complete with a table and chairs that showed the carving work of Farhi’s family.

The three of them sat, and a woman came from another door with plates of food for each of them. Slices of roast beef, a small green salad and a couple of rolls was the fare. Miri’s face fell a little.

“Don’t you like the food?” Ronan asked as he noticed.

“Oh! No! It’s lovely. It’s just I expected Town-people, um, excuse me, Tech would eat somethin’ other than what the Chosen eat.”

The Captain laughed, a slow, deep booming sound. If she hadn’t seen his twinkling eyes, Miri would have been embarrassed and angry, but the look was of shared mirth.

“I can see why you might think that!” the Captain said. “But the truth is, everything the Tech eat is grown in the Habmo’s. Without the Chosen, we might all starve!”

Having an explanation, Miri dug in. She was very hungry and the snack she’d had in Medical had not made up for the three missed meals. The food was very good, and she made short work of it.

The conversation had died while the three of them ate. At last the Captain was finished and pushed his plate an inch or so away to signal he was done with it.

Miri just couldn’t stand it anymore, she had to know her fate. So, against her better judgment she asked.

“Sir, please, will I be allowed to stay?”

The Captain steepled his fingers and looked straight at Miri. “I think so, yes. I have an important job that needs someone like yourself, young lady. Do you think you would be interested in doing it?”

Miri wanted to jump at the chance. At this point she would do anything, even if it was scrubbing walls. Still, she was cagey enough to know it’s rarely a good idea to agree without knowing the details.

“I might, sir, but could you tell me more about what you would be wantin’ me to do? I might not have the skills to do it. I’d be shamed agreein’ and then havin’ to back out.”

A big smile spread across the Captain’s face. Miri wasn’t sure, but she thought she might have passed a test with her answer.

“Fair enough,” the Captain agreed, “Let’s come at this in a roundabout way, shall we? Miri do you know where we are, the Tech and the Chosen?”

“Um, I think so. We are taught that everyone is inside a, ah, ship, travelin’ to a new place. At home, they say the Gods of Earth sent us.”

“Yes, we are in a star-ship, called the Resolute. As you’ve learned it’s a little bigger than most folks in the habmo’s realize. A very long time ago, we set out from Earth to a new world. When we arrive there, all of us will move down to the surface, and establish a new society.”

Miri nodded along. She had no idea what a star was, but so far it matched, in a general way, with what she’d learned in the Meeting Halls as a child.

“What you don’t know,” the Captain continued. “Is that we are very nearly there. Resolute has been traveling very fast for a very long time. In a few week’s we will turn end-over-end and start to slow down. It will take most of twenty cycles to slow down.

“Our ancestors, the people we call the Builders, and you call the Gods of Earth, planned for this day. While the ship was traveling it was important that the Chosen and the Tech be separate, but as we approach our new home, we must become one people again.

“To make this happen, we need some of the Chosen to learn about the Tech, and then share what they have learned in the habitats. And to teach the Tech the things the Chosen know. It is the only way we can be successful in our new home, as one people. It is a little ahead of the plan, but I am hoping, Miri, that you would be the first of these. Let’s call them bridge-builders.”

There was a ringing in Miri’s ears, she was so shocked. Could he be serious? She would get to learn everything about the Tech, then share it with the Chosen? God’s of Earth!

“Yes!” she sputtered.

The Captain held up a hand. He seemed to do that a lot. “Now, I won’t kid you, it will be a lot of hard work. The Chosen don’t learn a lot of math, and almost no engineering. You will spend a huge amount of time studying.”

“I understand, sir. I know how to work hard, you’ll see!”

“Yes, I think you do, Miri. I think you know how to work very hard indeed.” He turned to Ronan for the first time. “Crewman Candemir, I’m of a mind to assign you to help our newest Tech. Do you think they might be able to spare you on the Surface Crew? It’s entirely possible you won’t be returning to that Way.”

Miri shot Ronan an imploring glance. He was really the only person she knew and liked among the Tech. If he was with her, then how could she fail? Ronan had a bemused look on his face, a half-smile that said there was something more than what met the eye going on between him and the Captain. Miri wondered what it was, but put it aside for the future.

“Yes, sir. I think that they might get along without me. I would be happy to help Miri.”

The Captain nodded, “Good, then it’s settled.”