1.2.2

Selective Service

Astrid fell mute, as at the man’s declaration, she found herself ordered to the Keeper’s office.

The second she and the Statics, Guardians in tow, departed the courtyard, those left behind bleated animatedly in shock and wonder.

But Astrid could sense little but the fizzle of the five Statics that marched her to the Keeper. The further she stalked from the yard the more her connection to the others strained.

The strangers did not speak to her as they walked, which only heightened Astrid’s trepidation. When they arrived at the office, a Guardian rapped smartly at the door.

Keeper Alethea’s face shone in brief relief to see Astrid through the glass frame. Until, upon spying Astrid’s company, her expression drained of mirth.

She opened her door, and the older woman’s grey eyes met the group with apprehension. With a sigh, she spread the door wider.

“Just the captain, please.”

The dark-skinned man extended an arm to indicate Astrid should enter first, and she did so, with a confused look to her Keeper.

What she saw in Alethea’s eyes, however, did not console her.

The rest of the group remained outside, as the three entered a quaint carpeted den. Alethea took position behind her desk but did not sit.

The man, presumably in charge by Alethea’s words, stood as well. His posture presented him as tall and intimidating, almost effortlessly so.

Astrid steeled herself, as the two adults awaited her to be seated in the singular chair before the Keeper’s desk.

She felt inexplicably nervous to cross between them. When she sank onto the plush cushion, she set herself on the very edge and crossed her ankles to stabilize her knees.

A moment of silence stretched on, and Astrid folded her hands. She felt thankful the Keeper lacked the ability to sense her wavering nerve.

“Astrid,” the Keeper began, “we have the distinctly unique honor of welcoming an important guest. This is Captain Eli London. Of the Earthen Military Service.”

The man moved himself to the side of the desk, into Astrid’s view. She observed the crisp pleats ironed into his tunic, and the peppered speckle in his short and tight hair. Fine lines emphasized his features. His expression remained tactfully neutral, if affable.

“Captain London,” Alethea continued in her reserved manner, “this is Astrid Hale.”

The man extended a hand, and an amiable smile finally cracked his unreadable exterior. Astrid braved a polite shake. His large palm dwarfed hers when he enveloped it.

“What you just did in the courtyard was quite impressive, Miss Hale.”

“I just did what anyone else could have. Or should have.”

“But no one else did.”

“I talked. That’s all.” Astrid resisted the urge to squirm in her seat.

“Astrid is one of our senior students. She often takes it upon herself to help our struggling juveniles,” Keeper Alethea cut in.

“Yes.” The captain returned to stance. “That is evident. Many instincts can be trained. But not the disposition to involve oneself in the troubles of others.”

Astrid felt her ears grow hot.

“Astrid is only nineteen, Captain.”

“Many in the Service are no older. She’s of the proper age. And obviously the suitable inclination.”

“The Service?” Astrid blurted as her eyes raced between the two.

Alethea’s demeanor wilted.

“The captain has come seeking a recruit for his team. Though he has been reluctant to share the details. He insists he needs someone of your talents. However…” Alethea sharpened a pointed look to the man. “I suspect he hasn’t the authority to draft one unwillingly, as much as he would like to.”

“No, I do not have authority to conscript such an agent,” Captain London admitted. “Perhaps it is wishful thinking to believe one might find themselves drawn to a cause upon distinction of character alone?”

“What exactly is going on?” Astrid tried again.

“I need a Channeler,” Captain London reiterated. “For a mission out on the Rim. I cannot go into specifics with anyone outside my crew, I’m afraid.

“Of consequence, it would mean leaving here and joining not just my team, but the Earthen Military. You would be the first of your kind to do so.

“We would embrace you, train you, and you, in turn, could forge a path for others like you to rejoin the world outside these walls.

“Though, should you decline, I must ask that you not discuss this with any of your fellows. Should you accept, you would likely never return here. At least, not as a captive.”

“This facility is not a prison,” Alethea declared abruptly.

“She is permitted to leave of her own volition then?” The captain raised a thick brow at the woman’s harried tone.

But no retort came.

“As I suspected.”

The man then returned his attention to the bewildered young woman.

“Miss Hale, I do not wish to lull you into a fallacy. This requires equal dedication as your commitments here. You would work, you would be compensated, and you would live among us. Either on my ship, or among headquarters at one of our bases.

“But it will be dangerous. I can guarantee that at one point or another there will be attempts on your life. But because you will have become a competent soldier. Not because you are a Channeler.”

“Soldiers are tools of conflict.” Alethea scowled.

“Conflict is the nature of life, Keeper,” the captain countered. “Miss Hale has already demonstrated a desire to defend others. She could lead a much more meaningful life. Perhaps she might even spark a much-needed conversation about the potential of Channelers in the active world. You know as well as I do what this move could mean for the future of our race.”

Astrid straightened in her chair, alight with rebuttal. Weighty words hurled overhead like paper airplanes, but their gravity did not escape her.

“I’m a student, not a leader! I’m needed here. I can make a difference here!”

The captain’s face melted into a smirk at her words. “And you think yourself not a leader?”

“If I am then it is the people of Sanctuary Endra that should benefit!”

“That is pitifully shortsighted. You can achieve so much more for them with me.”

Astrid swallowed a rebuke. The captain’s staunch composure made it difficult to argue without sounding churlish.

“Among my crew, you would be respected, not enslaved,” Captain London continued. “You could become the first ever Energy Specialist. And I would be disappointed if you cannot fathom what that might mean to us all.

“You’ll serve my Task Force, yes. You will see and do things no other Channeler, and moreover, few humans, can imagine. But more than that, can you imagine what you might change for your people if they were no longer feared so? If they were seen as equals? As assets?”

“You weave illustrious opportunities for influence but expect her to blindly commit to a lifetime of scrutiny at best, and war at worst,” Alethea interjected. “Do us the courtesy of being blunt, Captain.”

The man, again, raised a brow at the Keeper. It struck Astrid that he seemed unused to being questioned so relentlessly. After a beat, Captain London cleared his throat and leveled his gaze at Astrid alone.

“Your Keeper is correct. There is more to being a leader, or a soldier, than altruism alone. You must be dauntless in the face of danger. Your brothers and sisters in arms, my people, will depend on you. And you will, in turn, find it necessary to depend on them. But then…

“Is your life not already completely in the hands of others?”

Alethea frowned but refrained from comment.

“The Service is about being part of something bigger than the individual, Miss Hale. We need a Channeler. But what it means for you is what you make of it. Maybe it will be nothing more than a singular chance to decide your own fate.”

Contemplative silence fell between the trio. Astrid looked from the captain to the Keeper, and back. Her mouth ran dry, and her heart raced. Perhaps the quickest in years.

“I...” She felt words bubble up her throat, conflicted as she sought any reflection that could provide reason. “I must discuss this with my Keeper. Privately.”