Walking into the meeting Patrick was slightly disappointed that he hadn’t gotten to 4%, with a final score of:
11% - Strength - level 26
2% - Endurance - level 30
9% - Dexterity - level 24
8% - Intelligence - level 27
1% - Concentration - level 30
5% - Overall
Today the room had a single conference table and eight chairs. The chair at the head of the table was occupied by a dark skinned woman who appeared to be in her late 20s. She wore an unadorned white blouse and dark green blazer. Her head was shaved, and she projected a serious no-nonsense aura.
As the neighbors filtered in she was paying attention to a display on the table. Everyone took a chair, with only John and Edwin missing.
Patrick thought to himself, ‘Looks like Edwin’s door didn’t show up. I guess he didn’t make the cut.’
The neighbors greeted each other and Scott said, “Welcome to the neighborhood, I take it you are the Human Resources rep.”
She ignored the comment, still fiddling with something on her display.
After a minute of awkwardness Patrick tried greeting her in Draconic,
She looked up and with a polite smile said,
Promptly at 6:05 she looked back up and said in English, “Welcome to this informational session. You may call me Ruth. I will be covering some complicated information, so I will use your native language. Is English everyone’s preferred language?”
Harvey smirked and said in Spanish,
Ruth looked at him and replied in Spanish,
Harvey chuckled and said, “I was just kidding, English is good.”
Ruth: “I was not, you are dismissed.”
Harvey, more seriously, “I will be good, I promise.”
Ruth tapped her display a few times and Harvey froze like a statue, then his chair wheeled back to his room and the door disappeared.
Ruth looked back around the table and asked, “Is English everyone’s preferred language?”
Everyone replied affirmative through a combination of nods and vocalizations.
Ruth began:
“Please pay close attention. I will entertain a limited number of questions at the end, but there is too much to cover to allow questions during the presentation.”
“There will be three parts: 1) some context about the universe beyond your home planet, 2) who the Great Dragon Sol is, and 3) an overview of the position you are being considered for.”
“Before we continue I find it helpful to have an ice-breaker of sorts. Each of our bodies is made up of trillions of cells. What is your favorite type of cell and why?”
Everyone was caught off guard by the random question. After thirty seconds she called on Erin, who was sitting to her left, to begin. He said, “Neurons because that is how we think.”
In addition to neurons, blood and muscle cells were chosen. Ruth shared her favorite last with, “My favorite is skin cells. They form the largest organ and protect the body.”
Ruth continued, “Thanks, isn’t that better?” The tension was a bit better, but still high after what had happened with Harvey.
“I know during your stay here you have noticed many things that were inexplicable, events that defied your understanding of physics. Your senses were not playing tricks on you, it is just your understanding of physics is incomplete because your whole solar system is situated inside a walled garden. A place where reality is more constrained in order to make it safer. ”
“All matter and energy is made up of quarks, the stuff that makes up protons, electrons, photons, everything. Your world has discovered six quarks, which are all of the types that can exist in your solar system. In the wider universe there are another 10 types of quarks that exist.”
“There are dozens of types of energy and matter that do not exist on Earth. For now we’ll call all of this new physics ‘magic’. Now the problem with magic is that it interferes with what you all typically think of as technology. In simplest terms the forms of matter and energy of your world are not as stable in a world of magic.”
“A couple of rhetorical questions for you to consider. How would engines or guns work in a world where metals change their shape by a percent or two randomly? How about electronics where the voltages and currents randomly fluctuate by a factor of two?”
“Simply put, technology and magic are not compatible. This brings us to our next topic, the Great Dragon Sol’s mission. Sol is the reason that Earth is insulated from magic. He created and maintains the planar boundary that allows Earth to flourish. Sol has dozens of worlds throughout the galaxy that he protects. While magic is neither good nor evil, it creates chaos and danger. There are no advanced technological civilizations like Earth if magic is present. For billions of years Sol has been working to create havens from magic so life can prosper. ”
“And this mission is what you would be helping with. Protecting worlds is an incredibly complex task, and there are some parts that are better handled by humans than by Sol himself.”
“Consider this metaphor, if your foot has an infection what can you consciously do to address it?”
Ruth paused waiting for a response, then Scott said, “Go to a doctor and get some antibiotics.”
Ruth replied, “Ah, but the antibiotics are not something you are doing. Any other options?”
Ruth waited a minute and then continued smiling, “Nobody wants to suggest cutting the foot off? Not a pleasant choice, not as good as antibiotics, but that may be the best choice. Similarly Sol operates on a totally different scale than we do. Sol can easily change the orbit of a planet, but it is difficult and inefficient for him to protect a city on the planet. For more delicate tasks Sol is supported by his Dragon Riders.”
This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.
“Again, Sol is a guardian and protector of worlds, and ‘Dragon Riders’ are people who are pledged to Sol to help him in this mission.”
“Becoming a Dragon Rider is a serious commitment, on both the individual’s and the Dragon Rider Corps’ part. First, I will mention a couple of conditions of employment that are stumbling blocks for people, then I will talk about the major benefits. From your perspective Dragon Riders are a military force. There is a strict hierarchy and you are expected to follow orders to the best of your ability. Remember at the start when I asked you about your favorite type of cell? Neurons are used to think, but an individual neuron does not understand the world. Similarly for blood cells or muscle cells, they are all integral parts of a body, but they do not understand the big picture. It is impossible for any of us to see the universe like Sol sees it. Being a Dragon Rider requires that you have faith in Sol and in the Dragon Riders as a whole.”
“Next, being a Dragon Rider is not permanent, but the initial term of service is one era, which is roughly 2,200 years. It takes an immense amount of resources to train a Dragon Rider and the initial term reflects the amount of resources spent on training and development.”
“Finally, the most appealing advantage of being a Dragon Rider is that your training will enable you to become immune to aging. Anecdotally, I first became a Dragon Rider 83,000 years ago. At the end of your term of service you will be physically younger than you are today.”
“The other major benefit is the training you will receive to use magic. We conscript people from Earth, and other protected worlds, because there is a window of time when you first encounter magic to become powerful magic users.”
“After this presentation you will receive an information packet with some details about the mission, obligations, responsibilities, and benefits. We have time for a round of questions, one each, and then you will have a couple of hours to decide whether or not to accept. I will meet with each of you individually starting at 9 to finalize your decision.”
“Just to be clear, the contract is not negotiable and this is a one time opportunity. I will give you two minutes to think of your question, then we will go around the table starting on my left with Erin.”
Two minutes later Ruth said, “Erin your first.”
Erin cleared his throat and said, “What happens to us if we decide not to become a Dragon Rider?”
“If someone does not want to join then they will be compensated for this assessment period and given some help starting their life. We are currently passengers inside of Sol and are enroute to a training facility. There is a nearby city with civilians that you can settle in. The pay will be sufficient for a semester, which is about six months, of reasonable expenses. Darian you are next.”
Darian asked, “Can we return to Earth?”
“If you are a Dragon Rider then you will serve where you are ordered to serve. If you are not a Dragon Rider there is nothing that prohibits you from returning to Earth. Interstellar travel is very expensive and difficult. Dragons are the only beings capable of traveling through space safely. Some daredevils attempt interstellar travel using technology, but it is not reliable or safe. Tyler, what is your question?”
Tyler demanded, “Why should we cooperate with a group that kidnapped or as you put it ‘conscripted’ us against our will?”
“You and Sol are not equals. Your whole planet is not a peer of Sol. This is not to say that might makes right, but there is an unbridgeable power imbalance between Sol and any other person or group that you are aware of. Although it does not make it right, the conscription process is used because Sol’s work in protecting worlds is that important. The compensation package is more than generous. Scott.”
Scott asked, “What types of jobs will we be doing when we start?”
“There are more roles than you can imagine. Your initial focus will be on building your foundations and rudimentary skills and knowledge; adapting to a world of magic. During this initial phase you will be taught combat and have combat duties. Most combat is against monsters, creatures of a magical nature. A major responsibility of Dragon Rider forces is managing portals to different planes. These portals can provide valuable resources or be a source of problems. Based on your abilities and performance you will have opportunities to take on different or more specialized roles. Last question, Patrick.”
Patrick said, “What evidence is there that Dragon Riders are happy?”
“About ninety percent of Dragon Riders continue past their initial term of service. Human Resources continually surveys, monitors, and reports on morale and the corps works to take care of its members. Dragon Riders are highly respected members of society.”
“This concludes the presentation. The information packets are on the side table, and you are free to discuss amongst yourselves. Your individual meeting with me will appear shortly on your tablet.”
Tyler started to ask Ruth a question, but she disappeared before he got two words out.
Patrick went to the side table, grabbed the information packets, and handed them out to everyone. Tyler wordlessly took his and then left for his room. Scott, Erin, and Darian were still standing around the table leafing through the booklets.
Patrick said, “I’m not sure what your plans are, but I’ll stick around until 8 in case anyone wants to bounce ideas off of someone. There is a lot of information in these, so I would be happy to hear of anything that sticks out.” The other three agreed with the plan, and they sat back around the table browsing through the 256 page document. It gave more information about the galaxy, magic and the different planes of existence, Sol’s mission, and the Dragon Rider Corps organization. For the latter the document contained an overview of its history, organizational structure, positions, and ongoing missions.
After 10 minutes Erin said, “One question before we spend too long on this, why should we believe any of this, either what she said or these books?”
Patrick replied, “What are the alternatives? It seems to me we can either believe or not believe. I’m not saying that they are trustworthy, but we are stuck trusting them. I know that sounds paradoxical, but what I mean is that they could do anything to us without any consequences. We are stuck relying on their kindness, but that does not mean that they are trustworthy, we just have to hope they are.”
He continued, “Honestly, I think the best option is to continue down this path they have set us on. That doesn’t mean I am happy about it, that I will forgive or forget, but this is the hand we’ve been dealt.”
Erin asked, “So why even bother trying to look through this?”, as he tossed the book to the table.
“I’m looking for red flags that might change my mind, or any hints that might be useful later.”
Erin reopened his book and started leafing through it again.
A short while later he got up and said, “I am too upset about not getting back to Earth. Sorry, but I’m going back to my room to clear my head.”
At 7:30 Scott said, “I’m done, is now good for you?”
Darian replied, “Works for me, I will start with a piece of trivia I thought was interesting. They are called Dragon Riders, not because they are knights who ride dragons as mounts. It is because dragons are the only way to get around in space. Dragon Riders is used because they are a force that can travel between worlds using dragons.”
Scott said, “Yeah, I saw that and thought it was interesting, for some reason it seems dragons are the only ones that can use spatial magic. I was looking at the organization's command structure … ”
The three of them talked about what they thought was interesting for about a half hour.
Patrick smiled and said, “Thanks for helping me look this over. It’s an overwhelming amount of information to make sense of. I’m going to go grab some food and reflect on it some more. I’m leaning towards accepting, but I am still a bit on the fence. Thanks again.”
Scott and Darian said their goodbyes too. They were both planning on accepting.
Back in his apartment Patrick ordered a mint chocolate shake. Checking his tablet he saw his appointment was scheduled for 9:30. He finished the shake, changed into some sweats, and then went for a relaxed run on the treadmill to help think. He meant what he said to Erin about feeling forced to trust the Dragon Corps.
Two miles into his run Patrick was ready to make a final review.
‘Reasons not to accept: 1) being kidnapped and the lack of apparent accountability to anyone; is this a group I want to be associated with? 2) being away from Earth, my kids, Charlie, my friends, my life; although it sounds like there is no going back whether I accept or not; 3) blindly following orders for the group that just kidnapped me; 4) for at least 2,000 years.’
‘ok, that seems like the biggies for no.’
‘Reasons to accept: 1) probably safer and more certain than rejecting; 2) they do seem like the want me to work for them and they will be investing in my growth and well being; 3) although the kidnapping was terrible, the treatment since then has been ok; 4) the work they are doing sounds important, protecting multiple worlds; 5) reversing aging and better health sounds awesome; 6) learning magic also sounds awesome.’
Patrick continued to run, just letting his thoughts settle, until 9. He got changed, grabbed a snack, and waited for his appointment.