Chapter 4: Recruitment

Horti parked in the empty car park and walked ten meters to the recruitment office. She was early but was happy to wait. She had dressed carefully. Horti covered her scars with makeup and tried hard not to limp. She wanted to make a good impression and see if there was a remote possibility they could take her. Not that she wanted to go, but she wanted to have the option.

The waiting room had comfortable seats, but the chairs had no arms. There was no one to meet her. Horti sat in the corner so she could use the wall to help herself stand. A young woman opened the door at the back of the room.

“Horti?”

Horti nodded. The woman was well-dressed and pretty, but her mouth protruded cat-like. It wasn’t flat like a Persian cat but protruded less than most cats. Undeniably it was a small snout.

“Yup, I am early. I am happy to wait.”

“There is no need for that; come through. Horti, you will do your assessment in a simulator. You can call me when you have finished.”

Horti was a little taken aback.

“I came on behalf of my family looking to study on Dinnion Prime. I came to find out information for them. I hoped to speak to someone who could give me some basic information.”

“Horti, let us begin again. My name is Helax Drosselmata. You are the first person to visit this office. I will do my best to meet your needs. Your father indicated you were representing your family and friends, some of whom would be interested in studying on Dinnion Prime. Is that correct?”

Horti nodded.

“I am here to do as your patriarch suggested. A powerful AI runs the process. The AI has had special training to meet the needs of potential recruits to the Dinnion Regency. The AI will answer your questions. Have you allocated sufficient time?”

“Helax, I have the whole day and every day if necessary.”

“Horti, we assess you in virtual time, and it will rarely take more than half an hour in real time. Do you have any other questions before we begin?”

“I cannot imagine half an hour is enough. I have a lot to discuss and ask about. Is the AI flexible enough to deal with all the issues people here may have?”

Helax looked at Horti and frowned. “The AI is networked into one of our city AIs. That AI is trillions of times more powerful than all the supercomputers on this planet combined. It can link to five thousand friends if it has a problem.”

“That is hard to believe, but I am prepared to give it a go. I cannot imagine it can deal with everything in so little time, though I have no concept of virtual time. I have created and used virtual servers, but virtual time is unknown. We have unique issues. I hope the AI is flexible enough to cope with our family’s unique problems and address those of my friends.”

“What did you mean by flexible, Horti?”

“I am not entirely sure. Perhaps I will talk to you about it after the assessment. I can’t imagine we will get much done in half an hour. It sounds like a half-baked process to me. I wanted to face a detailed, rigorous assessment, not a paltry half hour of automatic rigid programmed responses.”

Helax smiled. “You may be right! You can tell me what you think when you are finished. I am sure it will be short and sweet, and it could be robotic and rigid.”

Helax led Horti to a booth, one of a hundred identical ones in a large room, and showed her how to get started.

Three-quarters of an hour later, Horti staggered out of the booth.

“Hells teeth, Helax, that felt like a ten-year marathon interrogation. That is the longest half-hour session I have ever had.”

“Yes, it was longer than expected. You were in there for forty-three minutes and twelve seconds,” said Helax smiling.

“I feel zonked. It’s a bit like being hit by a freight train. Tonight, I will sleep for a week.”

Helax guided Horti to a red circle next to one of fifty upright cylinders adjacent to the booth. Horti disappeared.

Horti reappeared that afternoon at 4 pm in the same spot.

“How did that go?” Helax asked.

“That was a bloody outstanding experience! The assessment was days long in half an hour. The Dinnion will accept me and, in likelihood, our family and friends. That is great news for the family and my friends.”

“That is what you wanted?”

“I didn’t think I could cope. I intended to stay behind,” said Horti.

“What did the medical AI tell you?”

“The fantastic news is your medical systems can fix my burn scars, and I can get a new leg once I decide to go to the Dinnion Regency. They can fit it within a day, and then I need rehabilitation, so I must come in daily for a few weeks after the leg fitting. The other information was less reassuring.”

“What do you mean, Horti?”

“The bad news is the Dinnion are insular and believe themselves superior. We will have a tough time and face prejudice and discrimination. They are highly advanced but have not mixed with other civilizations. They believe they are the most advanced of the Uzliumbax. I don’t know if I can go somewhere unfamiliar where people will give me a hard time.”

“Horti, how will you feel once we fix your scars and you have a perfect leg? Don’t answer now; think about it,” said Helax.

“There is another problem. The medical AI said I have some ancient DNA it cannot identify. It may cause trouble and make me sick in the future, but it may not. It can’t remove the problem as the DNA is of an alien civilization, much older than the Dinnion. The AI does not yet understand what the genetic material does and what might happen if it removed the cells that contain it.”

“What did the AI suggest?” Helax asked.

“The AI says a more advanced treatment pod must assess me immediately. I permitted the AI to send my DNA templates to the Dinnion and the other advanced civilizations for the scientists to study.”

“Why do you feel you can’t cope if you go to the Dinnion Regency?” Helax asked.

“My family are all tall and good-looking. I am short, squat, and recently disabled. My self-esteem is poor. I will struggle to manage if the Dinnion is prejudiced and hassle me.”

“Surely, the medical AI told you it could help your appearance?”

“Yes, it said it could. I don’t look like I should. The AI doesn’t know if the ancient DNA is starting to take over and has a negative influence. Helax, I would be devastated if I agreed to go, had the treatment, and was no better off. How do I know the medical AI was not spinning me a yarn?”

“Horti, the Dinnion are millions of years ahead of Earth. We can do what we say we can do.”

“Helax, what does it mean, ancient DNA?”

“Horti, I have no idea. I will find out and tell you.”

“How long will that take?”

“Come back in a week; that will give the doctors plenty of time.”

That evening Horti’s friends joined her family for dinner.

At dinner, Vivian, Horti’s mother, announced. “Horti went to the Dinnion recruitment center today to find out on behalf of the family if we can go to the Dinnion Regency and Dinnion prime to do our military service and re-educate ourselves. Horti, you have the floor,” said Vivian.

Horti explained what happened when she went to the recruitment center and how the Dinnion recruitment agent, Helax, assessed her.

“Dinnion Prime is easy to select, and whoever goes there will get a top education. Each person must be individually assessed, and they will tell you what courses you are best suited to. Before you go, they will optimize your genes and resolve most of your medical problems. They do this in a medical cylinder on the premises, or if it is complicated, like my burns and leg, you must go to one of the hospital ships that regularly come here,” said Horti.