Chapter 0: Prologue (I)
28 May 2017Caointean
The waiting room was half full but still teeming with tension and wherever he looked, all Quentin could see was the same worried faces. The only changes of atmosphere happened when the loudspeakers would utter a name. The announcements were followed by a dreaded silence, replacing the buzz of conversations while a person would get up, detach from the crowd, and disappear in a corridor while followed by a myriad of envious eyes until the doors closed behind him, or her. Then, the buzzing would restart and last until the next call.That little cycle happened a few dozen times until his name suddenly echoed in the room. Quentin hastily put his tablet computer in his bag, got up and checked if he'd left anything on the seat, and then went half-running towards the lit corridor at the end of the room. As the doors shut behind him, someone hailed him from an office further ahead, seemingly inviting him in. A moment later, he was sitting in front of a middle aged man staring back and forth between him and his screen with a strict expression on his face, while an awkward silence was settling in.
"- Hello." said a smiling Quentin in an attempt to break the silence. "I'm Qu..."
- I know who you are. I have your file on that screen and called out your name on the speakers, remember? Oh and, no need to try and play nice with me, your evaluation process is complete and nothing can change the outcome now. I'm only here to detail you the results."
- Well alright then." The young man hesitated. "Did I do OK ?"
- Hmm." The office worker stopped for an moment, then looked at him straight in the eyes. "Plug your tablet there, it'll make things easier while we look through the results together."
Quentin executed the given order, and a few files full of numbers and charts appeared on his screen. Ensued half an hour of discussions and interpretation about the info contained in the files. The man's tone warmed up a bit throughout the conversation and Quentin felt more relaxed but still a bit uneasy as the final outcome of the evaluation was not yet clearly stated. They reached the final lines of the document and the discussion came to a close.
"- All in all, you did alright in the sims though you seem to be relying too much on flight assist. But that's a flaw we see in too many aspiring pilots nowadays. A piece of advice: get in a ring or an asteroid field and train, that can only do you some good." Quentin nodded as he continued "Anyway, that plus your marks on the theory tests means you pass the training program. A transport will get you to Trevithick Dock in the LHS 3447 system by 08:00 galactic time to get you sorted out with your Freewinder. That leaves you a few hours to celebrate but don't miss your window, else we'll cancel the application."
Quentin sighed as he unplugged his computer and reached out for his bag but the man cut him short.
"- You're not free yet, we have a few more formalities to fill." He went through a list of boring questions that Quentin felt like he already answered half of them at the time he submitted his application. "That's to make sure you didn't lie when you first applied." said the man, seemingly reading the boy's interrogation on his face. "Alright one last question. What will be your commander name?"
- My commander name? What is that for?"
- Well should you decide to get involved in some shady business, or play the freedom fighter, or whatever else, it's a little protection for your families and friends, so they don't get targetted right away by vengeful individuals. We reckon it is not fool-proof, and you're free to decide whether you want to use it or not. I still need to fill it in your file though. So what will it be?" Sensing his hesitation, he smiled. "Always a difficult choice, I know. I have a random name generator if you can't decide." And, smiling even more "Ha! It says your name will be BigLooser8173 if you don't hurry up a bit."
- Oh no, please don't. Er.. Okay, I'll choose 'Caointean'. C-A-O-I-N-T-E-A-N."
- And... done. Welcome to the Pilot Federation, Commander Caointean!"