The call came. For a brief wonderful moment in time Leroy was relieved that the wait was over. This fleeting sense of tranquility quickly died when it dawned on him just what it was he was waiting for. He tensed up, his palms became sweaty, and panic and adrenaline shot through his body like a bullet. All he had to do was stand up, and walk. This simple task had never been harder, and it took him a bit longer than he would have liked to mange to stand up.
He walked, and by some God given miracle managed to make it into the interview room. He stood tall, puffed out his chest and clasped his sweaty hands behind his back.
"Commissar, good day" he said, a tinge of both worry and pride in his voice.
"Hmm sure why not, it is not like we are likely to be lasting the night, I mean its great if we can but it is evident that we can not enjoy that luxury anyway to the matter on hand Leeds. Well a few months ago I was told to report to Planet Leeds by the Office of Health on New London after boarding the Hippocratic oath a civilian transport upon which we were assigned our duties while heading towards Leeds as I was in the middle of the line. I chose to work with the people who needed my care the most the workers and the poor refugees."
Zack sighed and continued "As I was doing my usual rounds I saw a Kusarian Family that were, being tortured by the crowd the father was taken off to a corner of the square and beaten to a pulp while the mother was taken by half of the crowd to a squalor house. I manged to luckily take the malnourished children and send them off on a ship of my friend.2
Zack paused for a moment and continued "After going back on my rounds I saw a refugee being taunted and kicked in the face with some gravel by two fat suited business men so I intervened got a broken nose and killed the two fat pigs I then fled and thats how I ended up here following the truth."
"How about you how did you wind up here?" Zack asked calmly
-Well, as I have already mentioned my father has a small repair station on Planet New Berlin. Not very profitable, but it could keep the family alive. I helped him where I could. I went to an engineering school, so I could give a hand at repairing some smaller transports. Everything went good, if we can say good for that life, until the local police turned on us. They accused my father that he's helping some pirates by repairing their ships, but they were willing to forget this for a little summ every month. As my father first denied it he was beaten almost dead. And when I wanted to help him they simply shot me in my leg.
Dmitriy pulls up his trousers to show the piece of metal attached to his leg.
-The bullet splintered the bone. I'm very lucky, that the doc managed to fix it with this crap.
He stared for a moment at the metal, falling deep into his memories.
-Yes, indeed. The doc made a fantastic work. My leg is almost as good as a new one.
He laughs loudly, but it can be heard that not happily.
-So my father is still working there, paying the monthly fee to these corrupt officers. I tried to get around them to some sort of authority, but they brush me off everywhere. Then one of my friend told me about the coalition. A better future, and things like that. First I didn't believe him, but as I was constantly thrown out of every office, I thought about it again. I left all my money at the desk of my father, and got into an Arrow. It worth tenth part of the money I left there, so I hope my father won't be very angry. And now I'm here waiting for my execution.
Research is to see what everybody else has seen, and to think what nobody else has thought.
Koniev looked at the latest sheep herded to the slaughter. He rolled his eyes slightly before picking up the stack of prepared dossiers sitting on his table.
"Why don't you cretins ever introduce yourselves? Am I supposed to read your mind or should I make up a name for you?"
Just as the applicant was about to answer Koniev cut him off, raising his voice noticeably.
"Too late. I think I'll just make up a name for you. You look like a Nancy, so that'll do."
Koniev muttered something to himself while rubbing his eyes.
Leroy was struck sharply with tension. He had been on planets with various gravitational strengths but now it felt his body had increased significantly in weight merely from stepping into this room. He attempted to ignore his body and mildly succeeded.
"Leroy Baker, sir" he stated.
Soon after he spoke, he wished he hadn't. Perhaps the commissar meant for him to call himself Nancy, perhaps he had just mis-followed an instruction of the commissar, perhaps he was thinking to much, and perhaps most importantly he should be listening closely to the commissars response.
Koniev tilted his head as he looked at Baker. He shook his head, and shrugged.
"Do me a favour, and get me that stapler on the ground there."
After the stapler was back in the Commissar's hands, it quickly re-assumed the role of a projectile weapon. Koniev threw the stapler at Baker, catching him in the forehead.
"Didn't I just say your name was Nancy?"
Koniev's tone steadily rose, sounding angrier with every word.
"If you can't follow such a simple line of thought, what makes you think you can cut it in the Fighter Corps?"
Koniev mumbled something to himself in Russian before continuing.
"I hope you have a good reason for being here other than to waste my time and get yourself killed."
It is always unfortunate to hit with a object on the forehead by your interviewer when applying for anything. It is doubly unfortunate for the object in question, a stapler, to then get caught in the skin of your forehead during an interview. Leroy was doubly unfortunate.
"Well sir,..." He grunted as he struggled to pull the stapler that had happily nested itself on his forehead out.
"I'm here because .." He succeeded in pulling it out, however, now he was bleeding slightly "..I broke free of my ignorance, It hit me rather hard. My entire view on life was turned upside down. The system i was so entrenched in, that I so believed in started to break me, corrupt me. It made no sense that this perpetual greed machine was running in every star system in Sirus. I searched for an alternative, someone somewhere had to also have the brains to know this, and to do something about it....that's when i found various Earth-history books with Marxism, then Talinism, the glory of Communism that lead me to SCRA, people I belive are doing what's right for Sirus.
Koniev couldn't help but smirk as a managed to staple Baker's forehead.
"So why should I put you in the Fighter Corps? I can just as easily assign you to a factory line. Or do you think that kind of a job is too low for you? Not befitting a man of your... stature?"
"Not for an iota of a second do I think myself above the factory worker; I think myself above no man or woman, sir. But I do feel a drive, a lust, if you will, to be part of that which drives the frontlines towards the galactic peace, to help rid the world of all those that threaten the glorious life of the common man. I believe I could be used to do much more if you were to put me behind the controls of a fighter, sir. My passion to push alongside my comrades agiesnt the wave of capitalism would be dulled if i was made to churn out identical parts all day. I feel I could combine my compassion with the Fighter corps far more effectively than in factory."
Leroy breathed in sharply, he almost forgot to breath after he was done talking. he had spoken without break for a bit to long, and the blood on his face had gleefully slid down to his cheek. He dared not move to wipe it off. An itch he could not scratch.
"Let me tell you something boy. Without those men and women churning out identical parts, as you say, you wouldn't even have a seat to sit in, never mind a ship."
Koniev rubbed his temples.
"So you're only zealous for the cause if you're part of the most glorious part of it? The part that involves killing? Not the honest, hardworking aspect? Not the one that provides everything your comrades need to live a comfortable existence?"
He scoffed.
"Very well. Tell me, Nancy. What do you think we in the Fighter Corp risk our lives for?"
![[Image: CptRoyKhan2_www.kepfeltoltes.hu_.png]](http://kepfeltoltes.hu/120716/CptRoyKhan2_www.kepfeltoltes.hu_.png)
