Pax Galactica - A Space Opera

Chapter 17 - Pomp and Circumstance

Decker woke up in a familiar sick bay. It seemed like not even a second had passed since he passed out. He sat up immediately.

"What happened? Where's Ophelia?"

The Lodge Mistress was sitting in a chair just across from his bed.

"She's fine. She'll be waking up in a similar sick bay on another ship 200,000 clicks off the starboard bow."

"What about Kel and Zaire?" asked Decker.

"As far as I know the other Aspirants are still on Hyperborea. There's just under a standard month left in the trial."

Decker felt his face. He realized his beard was gone. He was in a new body. He had died. He failed the trial.

He thought he would have been devastated but it seemed so unimportant now. Nobody was permanently dead. Nobody had an infinite number of copies of themselves being experimented on and/or tortured in simulations for all eternity. If all that cost him was his chance to join these weirdos that was a good trade in Decker's book.

It sure had been a wild ride though.

On the other hand Decker couldn't help but feel responsible for Ophelia washing out. If he hadn't talked her into helping him she would have aced that ridiculous trial. If he got to see her in person again he would apologize.

"So I guess Ophelia and I failed then?" said Decker.

"When did I say that?" asked the Lodge Mistress.

"Well you didn't have to," said Decker. "I died right? Wasn't that the test?"

"You should know better than to take anything we tell you during your evaluation process at face value, Squire Decker," said the Lodge Mistress.

Decker's eyes widened. He realized he still had all his new senses. That should have been a dead giveaway.

"The purpose of the trial is not to see if you can survive in harsh conditions. It is to see whether you can hold to the ideals of your lodge in a situation where survival is on the line," she continued. "You were being monitored the entire time you were down there. We saw you keep your word even to your extreme detriment. We saw you make friends out of potential enemies. We saw you find clever solutions to situations you couldn't overcome with force. We even saw you willing to put your life on the line when others were in danger. You only just barely passed the survival element but that's only one piece of the evaluation puzzle. You made it halfway at least."

"What about Ophelia?" asked Decker. "Did she pass as well?"

"That's not my call," said the Lodge Mistress. "She's with the Violet Motley. I will not embarrass myself by trying to predict the criteria by which they choose their members. She will if she impressed them."

Decker exhaled in relief. Ophelia knew what she was doing. If Decker had managed to pass he was sure she had as well.

"What about the aliens?" he asked. "Were they even real or was that all part of the evaluation too?"

"They were real enough to kill you, weren't they?"

"You are being deliberately inscrutable."

"It's not by accident," said the Lodge Mistress, "I always choose my words very carefully."

Decker suppressed the urge to roll his eyes.

"How long do I have to stay in the sick bay?" he asked.

"You can leave now if you like. It was just a routine mind upload. We've had the body ready since before you left for Hyperborea," said the Lodge Mistress. "I'll show you to your new quarters. I think you'll prefer them to your old ones. More roomy. Have something to eat, clean yourself up, and get some sleep because you take your oaths tomorrow morning. This is also your last opportunity to drop out with honor so think very hard about whether this life is for you."