Hackett Continuum: Pilot Pre-titles 1
“Last four.â?
“750-1.â?
The man at the desk punched a few keys of his board and waited. Once the screen refreshed on his monitor, he pressed another key and a screen lit up behind him. “Is that information correct?â?, he asked, pointing back without looking—and keeping his sight on the youth he addressed.
“It is.â?
“Hmm.â? There was a heavy but not-very-tense moment. The man said, “You’ve been excused.â?
“What? How?â?
“Keep your voice down, son. Take a deep breath. Have a thought for the others in the Waiting Room.â?
After another moment… “I guess I understand. You’re just the messenger. It’s weird to go through this trouble and wind up back at square one. What if I volunteered?â?
“Assuming you make it through Basic—and I’ve seen better qualified Recruits fail—you’d have to do something spectacularly well to get this matter forgiven and forgotten. They’ll post you someplace harmless, and refuse you Candidacy. You’ll be on Probation your whole tour, and discharged before you know it.â?