Chapter 1: Selection for Service

There was no warning, no rhyme or reason.

Karen was sitting with her husband Evan and her youngest son, Jared, outside a popular bistro in their hometown. They were celebrating the fact that Jared had finally landed a job in his major of Hotel Management. He had graduated in May, it was now late September, so it looked like he was finally on his road to being a productive member of society and Karen’s responsibility as a parent was ultimately fulfilled.

She had been disappointed with Jared’s choice of majors, it seemed really un-ambitious, but she had to admit to herself that Jared wasn’t exactly the most motivated kid out there. What parent didn’t want her kid to become a lawyer, or a doctor? His older brother, Zachary, had just finished his MBA and was recruited immediately by a tech startup with an impressive compensation package. But Jared seemed happy with his decision, and ever since the Sira came, tuition was considerably less expensive, so it was less of a financial burden on her and Evan ... there really wasn’t a whole lot to complain about.

The job market for hotel management was not good recently; tourism had dipped tremendously in the wake of the Siran invasion, and business trips had lessened as well, where most people were doing their meetings online. It had taken him months to find an entry-level position at a convention center half a state away, but he had finally found one. Karen had mixed feelings, knowing he would ultimately be moving out of the house and away from her ... and knowing that he would finally be moving out of the house and away from her!

In her early fifties, Karen had a lot of life to look forward to. She kept herself in shape (better than her husband did, he got lazy as he got older though he was in construction so still pretty active) and while she was no spring chicken, she was athletic, attractive, and had a good career as VP of Global Services in a fairly large international business headquartered in town ... and now she could spend more time on herself. Life was good!

The bistro was one of several venues joined together by a common courtyard, bustling with activity. It was a beautiful day, unseasonably warm and not a cloud in the sky. Perfect for an outdoor lunch with the family.

... and suddenly, the courtyard was swarming with armed Siran soldiers. Their uniforms were solid black, a very utilitarian style, and they all wore black helmets with darkened faceshields that you couldn’t see their features through. Obvious weapons of some kind rested easily in their gloved hands. They were shiny black cylinders, and a casual glance couldn’t identify the business end.

One of the soldiers was not wearing a faceshield nor carried a weapon but rather sported a bright blue armband and a loudspeaker. This was obviously the leader, visibly female ... and, interestingly, a human. “All civilians in the area, please peacefully gather in the center of this courtyard, we’ve been directed to make a mass service selection and require your cooperation.” Her tone was matter-of-fact, simple, and brooked no resistance.

Several patrons, upon hearing that it was a service selection, abandoned reason and attempted to bolt away in a panic. This was instantly met with weapons fire. The odd little devices themselves were quiet, they made an odd coughing sound, but whoever they were pointed at, immediately fell to the ground, dead. There was no blood, but their wide open eyes staring at nothing made it perfectly clear that lethal force was authorized, and used without hesitation. The crowd froze in terror, with a few screams strangled silent.

The officer casually took note of the half dozen people that had tried to escape, and issued a command to a soldier at her side. “Identify their bodies. I’ll need to report the rebels to the Office of Human Affairs and arrange for a coroner to pick up the remains.” As the soldier wordlessly moved to comply with her orders, she turned her attention back to the now-terrified crowd. “Please peacefully gather in the center of this courtyard, we’ve been directed to make a mass service selection and require your cooperation.” Her intonation and inflection were exactly as she said it before, like she was playing back a recording.

Karen and her husband and son looked at each other in horror. The worst possible situation had occurred. The bright futures that were so clear to them minutes ago had turned to dust in the blink of an eye.

They reluctantly got up from their chairs and walked to the center of the courtyard, hand in tightly clasped hand. There were possibly 200 people gathered together, looking at each other in trepidation. Nobody had ever heard of service selection happening like this.

After they’d gathered, the soldiers seemed to lose interest, and the expressions of misgiving slowly turned to confusion. What now? Why gather here like this? Finally Karen gathered her courage and asked the officer.

The woman glanced at Karen and simply spoke, “We’ve arranged for transport. Please wait quietly until the transport arrives.”

Karen blinked. Why would they wait for a transport in a shopping courtyard? But the moment she thought that she heard a strange low humming above her head. Looking up she saw a large object floating in the air, and watched as it rotated and lowered to the ground before them.

It looked like a smooth, black, rectangular box, about 15m long, 10m wide, and 5m high. There were no obvious special features to it, and if someone had told Karen that it was a personnel transport, she wouldn’t have believed it ... but as soon as it landed (crushing some bushes in the way), a hole appeared in the side, with a ramp to climb in.

“Alright, everyone, thank you for your patience. Please board the transport in an orderly fashion,” the officer called out. Surrounded by soldiers carrying those strange weapons, there were no other choices. They filed onto the transport in silence.

As soon as everyone squeezed into the black box that looked just as featureless on the inside as the outside, the door shut and it was absolutely black. There was a long pause, and then the unmistakable sounds of several people spontaneously starting to cry filled the small space.

Karen was still holding Jared’s and Evan’s hands. In a low voice, Jared brokenly muttered, “I can’t believe this is happening. Why now? It’s not fair!”

Evan managed a strained chuckle. “Well, look on the bright side, maybe you’ll be selected as a breeder with a supermodel!” Jared snorted a half-laugh, half-sob in response.

“You’re a funny guy.” Karen responded flatly. What happened to those poor girls who were selected for breeding was nothing less than government-sanctioned rape, and she didn’t want her son associated with that. Karen’s reproach to her husband had a hint of a smile, however, as she was grateful to him for trying to lighten up the mood. “I wonder how long we’re going to be in here? They said it’s a transport, but I don’t feel like we’re moving.”

“Well, that may not mean anything. For all we know, we’re halfway to the other side of the galaxy already.” Evan responded seriously. He sighed loudly. “At least this thing’s got A/C. Back when I joined the Army, they shipped us around in cattle trucks in the dog days of summer. It was miserable!” Again, his attempt to lighten the mood fizzled quickly.

After another somber moment, Jared spoke again. “This is probably the last time we’re going to see each other, isn’t it?”