Chapter 5: The Class Journey

Time: January 22, 8235 noon

I showed up at Zaim's outer office shortly before noontime as ordered. Haytham and Mu'awiyah were already waiting there. They gave me brief, discreet nods of greetings and then pretended that I wasn't there.

I didn't blame them. The word had spread quickly after my first meeting with Zaim that I was no longer viewed favorably by command. No one desired to be associated with me. I turned politely away and watched the fierce summer storm lash the panoramic windows with violent sheets of rain.

Jizari and Bandar Arenas have an even more extreme difference in the seasonal sunlight than Anqara. Here we were a full standard month after the solstice, and there was still almost seventeen hours of daylight. My thoughts turned to Anqara. It would be in the coldest part of its winter right now, the countryside in a deep snowy sleep waiting for the rebirth of spring.

Zaim's secretary came to our waiting area and led Mu'awiyah into the inner office. The interruption returned my thoughts to the present.

For the first twenty days of January, Haytham's and Mu'awiyah's Guild assignment had been to prepare for the Asad, receiving six to eight hours of coaching daily from former riders within the Guild. My assignment had been to prepare for life as a laborer. I was learning an immense amount of information about operational procedures for the security network, and my only study hours for the Asad were in my free time at night.

I was somewhat surprised I was allowed to keep my prime quarters, but then thought that the Security leadership didn't want to bother with pettiness and would wait until I had fallen off the Lion before reassigning me. Perhaps they thought the extra time in the opulent quarters would more deeply set the memory of what my life could have been like, if I had chosen more wisely.

The secretary returned and gestured for Haytham to follow him. Neither of us had seen Mu'awiyah exit the office. He was either still with Zaim, which would be unexpected, or had left by another door. I risked giving Haytham a "good luck" gesture with my head as he passed near me. He kept his eyes averted but gave me a discreet gesture of gratitude with his hand in return. And then I was alone.

All three of us had spent six hours yesterday riding the Lion. The questions were strange, unexpected, full of mathematical puzzles mixed in with morality questions. The first three hours were filled with far more questions than anyone could possibly answer, and many of the questions in the second half of the test made references to the first half. It was a severe test of memory under stress, my secret strength. I still felt drained and exhausted by the end though and welcomed the evening prayers, especially the focus on the Shotokan Katas during the Prayer of Weakness. They are among my favorite exercise, and they helped relieve my tension.

As I stood waiting by the window, I thought again of the rumors flying around headquarters. Supposedly Zaim and the three other Security CL-15 currently at Jizari had an emergency meeting with Ghazi very early this morning at the capital, traveling by rail because of the storm.

The secretary returned again and escorted me into Zaim's office. He was alone, his back towards me as he stared out the window. Apparently I'm not the only one who enjoys watching the furies of the storms. I heard the secretary seal the door behind me and waited for the meeting to begin.

"Sit down Ilias, at ease," Zaim said, his back still towards me. As I took a seat in front of his desk, I couldn't help but notice a new Security shirt folded on his desktop, the green and blue hemispheres of Class Level 3 clearly visible. I didn't think Zaim would be cruel enough to tease me, and breathed a sigh of relief.

Zaim heard my sigh and then turned around and sat down facing me. He nodded to confirm my understanding of the shirt, and then asked, "Do you know the procedure for the announcement of the Lion results?"

"Yes sir. Results will be posted worldwide at the end of evening Prayers today. The Guilds and the Priesthood are permitted to inform and promote individuals after noontime."

Zaim nodded and glanced at the shirt. "You've succeeded in your first run with the Lion." He took a deep breath. "You're the only rider from Security that did."

I grimaced, thinking of my two friends.

Zaim went on. "General results are not to be released until 10 PM. Therefore, the rest of this conversation never takes place."

As an Anqara Initiate, such a violation would have shocked me, but I had learned much in my one month at Jizari. I nodded my understanding. "Yes sir, thank you."

"A total of 719 chose to ride the Lion this year, out of a possible 780."

I nodded. The percentage was high but not remarkable.

Zaim went on, "There were 359 riders targeting Level-3, 343 riders for Level-4, fifteen for Level-5, one for Level-6, and of course you for Level-14."

It took me a second to realize Zaim's point. "The Holy!" I whispered. "Half sir?!"

"One over! More than half the riders this year targeted above Level-3. This shatters the previous record of 42%." Zaim paused for a moment. "A total of 131 passed yesterday's ride, you, 123 of the riders targeting Level-3, and seven of the riders targeting Level-4. Regardless of what happens next, this will go down as the most severe Lion in history."

I thought for a moment about the skewness of the numbers. "A damnable year for ambition sir."

"Indeed. The Lion is well known for its temper, and to turn and bite the group of riders who are too ambitious. Part of the test yesterday was to overlay an overwhelming requirement for mathematical problem solving with questions testing morality and ambition. It takes much more effort and time to lie consistently than to tell the truth consistently. Any rider attempting to deceive the Lion is thus eaten for his low production of consistent answers. But this year, the Lion also devoured those who were forced to reveal their great ambition."

I sighed. "Except me sir."

Zaim gave me a slow, thoughtful nod. "Yes, except for you. Ghazi remarked this morning how interesting it was that you passed, given the current mood of the Lion. The Security leadership council agreed. Ilias, your position is still almost certainly hopeless, but the Guild has decided it will support your ride." He gestured for me to take the shirt and flicked his hand at a rear door. "Dismissed!"

I saluted and left.

Five months later...

Time: June 24, 8235 6:47 AM

As the highest ranking priest on the flight, a CL-6 Upper Manager had assumed the role of Mukkarib and was leading the Prayer Cycle in the passenger cabin. His attitude with the travelers was stern and judgmental, except for me of course.

I smiled at the memory. I had been turning to put away my laptop at 5:50 AM, about a half hour after departure from Hadramawt. I was preparing for the Prayers when the CL- 6 reached my aisle and snapped his fingers at me and pointed to his insignias, showing me a triangle yellow and green, and below that his identity as a Priest. He was indicating to me that he was a force to be obeyed.

From the pride in his countenance, I guessed he was a recent promotion. Perhaps last year the green at the top his Class insignia had been blue. I smiled at him in return and nodded pleasantly. His face turned to a deep frown, but before he could make a major mistake I took pity on him and turned to show him my own insignia, the solid red diamond of command and below that the emblem of the Security Guild.

He gasped at the blunder he had almost made. I didn't blame him for his surprise. Out of twenty-five million people on the planet, there are currently only a total of 374 Security Commanders (CL-8 to 15). Subtract from that the standard operating procedure of at least two of us stationed at each of the 120 townships, and the odds against bumping into any of us in flight are really quite high.