Safeguard-Superior day 2

Samae Level 4 Student [encrypt record key id ***]
[Student [pre-divisional] :- Level 5 - Level 4 - Level 3 - Level 2 - Level 1]
{Examiner :- Legal - Doctor - Educator - Government - Computer }{City :- Examiner - Business - Monastic}
 `- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -`
                               [_______________________________________]
                               | EDUCATIONAL PYRAMID: Student L4  |
                               |      Discipline -- Civics -- Health -- Etiquette       |
                             /  Reading -- Math -- Writing -- Exams -- History    \
                    /  Studying -- Analytics -- Probability -- Economics -- Instruction \
[X]      / Doc. Analy -- Biology -- Neuropsych -- Civics L2 --Health L2 -- Computing \
avg                 68                 81                73                   92             89                  83              : [82]
 / Pre-Legal -- Pre-Doctor - Pre-Educator - Pre-Gov -- Pre-Computer -- Exams L2 -- Orders \
 `- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -`


Her mother Joleen had already left for work. Samae took a flash shower, got dressed, and left for school.

Her tablet provided the legally allowed amount of advice about her school day: 1st, she needed to work on her Document Analysis, and try to get that school up. Secondly, working on Civics L2, because a flashpoint was close.

With all subject grades at 70 or above, she could reach Level 5 immediately by getting one subject grade to a flashpoint: 95 or above.

She soared in Civics and Health L2 more easily than the other courses. Computing and Biology were going pretty well, but she was struggling in Document Analysis and needed a boost in Neuropsych.

So she headed into the Level 4 Student building with intent and determination.

Her tablet interface with the building AI, and received her assigned workstation. Exams were held every 2 weeks at her level, which meant that fifthday would be the next chance to update her scores.

Each workstation was isolated from the others by a thin half-wall made out of some kind of supermaterial. It prevented sound from spreading about the facility, each from one station to the next.

Samae put on her silent demeanor and stepped before the workstation, sitting down in the solid chair, which provided support and comfort but didn't turn, twist or tilt.

She flexed her fingers, stretching and warming them up.

She stowed the tablet in the workstation's identity slot, both identifying her to the system and preventing her from using the tablet during her school day.


[SAMAE LEVEL 4 Student] - - - / / /
~|
ADMINISTRATION MESSAGE:
You are required to attend the monthly Student Social at the Examinee's Social Center tommorrow night at 7:30 pm. Please dress according to formal standards of attire. You will be attending with students of all levels in your specified student block [#0630].
~|

EXAMINEE MENU:

Document Analysis
Biology
Neuropsychology
Civics Level 2
Health Level 2
Computer
GRADEBOOK
SYSTEM INTERACTIONS

>> Document Analysis

Document Analysis
~|
MENU
Video Instruction
Transcripts
Examples
Documents to Review
Documents to Write
Documents to Review (Appellate)

>> Video Instruction

Her first step was to go over the Video Instruction given by the Associate Professor for Legal Education.

The class videos were given by both Legal and Governance professors, but she had done well in the parts of the class that covered Governance document analysis, but the Legal stuff was more subtle, it seemed.

~|
Lesson 1 - What is a Document
Lesson 2 - Reviewing a Document
Lesson 3 - Writing a Document
Lesson 4 - Sending and Receiving Documents
Lesson 5 - Honorable Sending and Replying Procedures
Lesson 6 - Governance Documents pt 1
Lesson 7 - Governance Documents pt 2
Lesson 8 - Legal Documents pt 1
Lesson 9 - Legal Documents pt 2
Lesson 10 - Computer Documents
Lesson 11 - Doctors Documents
Lesson 12 - Education Documents
Lesson 13 - Business & Monastic Order Documents
Lesson 14 - Legal Capstone
Lesson 15 - Governance Capstone

>> Legal Documents pt 1

The Legal education professor painstakingly went through a variety of topics he said would be covered in more detail later.

Creating a legal brief for a client, reviewing the briefs created by others. Documents of communication between Governance and Legal. Civil and Governmental Liability. Sentencing Documents. Documents of communication to inform City officials of any order and division of the dispensation of their subordinates.

Legal Documents pt 2 got into the nitty gritty. Recommended lengths and number of times to revise for different document templates and standards. Proper use of critical status flags in message headers. Serving papers on someone. Documents asserting Identification and authorization and crimes related thereof.

Details, details, details, and not a lot of concern about sensibleness.

She started going over the Legal documents to be reviewed, and it was the first 15 minute break.

The room full of students cleanly walked down the hallway to the break room, where they passed another group of students who had just left.

Samae always shared a classroom with the otherr members of block #063. Break times were staggered based on available break rooms to make sure students all had a chance to step away from the computer briefly.

Juwan was one of the few people she talked to much in her block. There wasn't a lot of time in the day to get to know people, and she didn't hang out with the people in the dorms because she lived in the business residential district with her mom.

Juwan was in a similar boat, being the son of a Monastic division chief. She didn't ask what division.

"You've got a chance to make it through! Level 5 here we come," Juwan said eagerly.

"Let's talk about something else though. My brain is in a fog."

"More legal document research," he said, and Samae nodded.

"I've started thinking about what division I want to get assigned to," he said.

"Let me guess... Education?"

"No. Of course, I wouldn't mind that one, but I was thinking Governance like you, or even better, Doctor, preferably a Diagnostician."

"How do you know I want Governance," Samae said. "I just want to make it. Whatever division they put me in is fine."

~ o ~ o ~ # ~ o ~ o~

The chapter house was full of conversation.

Syd proclaimed, "I got two collectees to put away their makeshift weapons and surrender."

Allan said, "I worked with 3 different juniors. I think they really are learning."

Bull spoke only a few words, "I protected a Senior minister."

Dinner was chicken chili. spicy, creamy. Made by Syd. It was her turn to make dinner for the group.

Marl and Anthony, the junior members, didn't say much. Marl's evals were started to reach full member status. Most likely he would be moved to another chapter house, once promoted.

Still, it was his duty as Superior and Commander of the house to train up the next generation.

"There's a few irregularities with your file," Syd said to him. Syd's supplemental role was as watcher and minder of him. She reported right to the Great Superior Safeguard on that one.

"Unexpected contact with a high level business order official. High enough to override Monastic protocols and request a second meeting," he said.

"What happened?" Allan asked.

"Sat at the end of the bar watching for the collectee's entrance. She sat down next to me. Had a lot of curiosity about the monastic order for someone so high up."

"Division chief," Syd asserted.

"Not that high. Chief Executive in charge of a subdivision of Medical."

"So on your boss' level. Why do you call that so high?" Syd responded.

"One level and one Order higher. She's seen and heard by the elites."

"This invite. It's for a place that will not welcome you eagerly. We're not welcomed in their eateries, boss."

"One meeting and this will all be over," he said, then changed the subject. "What missions are planned tomorrow?"

"Patrol. Be a presence. We're all going out onto the streets. No specific missions beyond that," said Bull.

"I'll be there to help. Make sure Marl and Anthony clean everything up. This place could use a good cleaning."

He left his bowl and plate and went upstairs to his quarters.

It was illegal to wear anything other than official attire of the three orders, appropriate to rank and position and occasion. So he was perplexed by how to dress for this meeting.

Formal robes, way overkill. Regular robes, not nearly nice enough. Disciplinary Robes, rather drab.

He avoided the Disciplinary robes and Regular robes on the off chance someone knew what they were. Formal robes, headed right into the center of business and examiner elites.

He fretted, perspiring from the anticipation of what would happen. He brandished the invitation he had printed out like a weapon.

Carisca Crema wasn't busy despite the time of day. An occasional man or woman in a business suit, complete with bow tie and shiny shoes. They presented a business card to the hostess standing outside the door and were let in.

Examiners, men and women alike, came to the Crema wearing their black or grey dresses handing letters in envelopes with colorful floral wax seals, and entering.

Associate examiners and Chief Executive level business people were mostly those who entered, but as Wildden mustered the courage to walk to the Crema he saw a Business Division chief and a Full Examiner enter one after the other.

In contrast to the flashy business cards, and elegant Examiners' envelopes, Wildden's clearance was a  long letter with several seals and evaluations verifying that he was authorized.

The hostess couldn't help but react when he presented the long letter without any envelope.

She had to go inside to confer with the restaurant's Vice Executive.

"Well sir," said the hostess, as she came back to the door. "You may enter. Our manager requests that you exhibit the well-known reserved nature of the monastic's superior."

There was laughter and light conversation in the restaurant. The bar was full of patrons sitting on the stools and talking with others who stood next to the bar.

There seemed to be three drinks of choice. White wine, whisky on the rocks, and the martini.

There were signs directing guests to private booths, available for the more senior members of their clientele.

It struck Wildden that the Associate examiners didn't seem to have a haughty attitude towards the business execs. They were friendly with the mostly older crowd of Chief Executives. A successful examiner could reach the level of Associate by their early twenties, but Joleen and these Chiefs here looked more thirties or even forties.

How many chief executives were there in the business order? Far more than there were Great Superiors in the Monastic Order surely? That latter number was only 28, the vast majority of those being in Agricultural, Mineral and Manufacturing.

Wildden had little chance of reaching Great Superior level unless he requested a transfer into another division. There were 7 agricultural subdivisions, 5 mineral and 9 manufacturing, but only 3 military and 4 sanitation. He suspected there were perhaps 20 subdivisions in medical alone.

Joleen was in the middle of the crowd at the bar.

He didn't approach until she spotted him, saying, "Wildden, come on over."

"This is Wildden," she said to the others. "He just collected on one of the Oncology vice execs. It was interesting to shake things up by talking to someone else for once."

"How many students do you have to collect on after exam day?" one of the Associate Examiners immediately asked.

"It's down to only a few dozen, as far as I know. I run the Southwest district chapter house, the business residential district. Mostly dealing with Business order situations,"  he said.

"Well then, a toast to our pursuer. I'm Chief of Infrastructure - Trains by the way," he said.

They all toasted to that. To Wildden it seemed like mockery, but he took it in stride.

"You're all higher grade than my purview. It would be the Great Superior of Safeguard, with an Governance examiner accompaniment."

"I'd like a moment with my esteemed guest," Joleen said to the others and pulled Wildden away from the bar.

"What's this about. You know I'm already getting close to disciplinary action just being here."

"You might be wondering," Joleen interrupted, "How I got you in here? I mean, we can't just invite whomever we want, or there would be effectively no controls at all. Just step inside that private booth over there, and then have a talk with me after."

 If you had asked Wildden who he expected to find in the booth, not even his feverish dreams would have included Governance Division Chief.

The City's 2nd highest official was sitting in the booth wearing a gray dress that wouldn't look out of place among his junior governance examiners. He had no special insignia or fancy threads that Wildden had seen the senior examiners wearing.

He stood up as Wildden entered the booth. He slid the cloth divider to close the booth from peering eyes.

"Safeguard," he said. "Thank you for coming."

"Lord Governance, I try to do everything I can to work with the better orders," Wildden said with some trepidation.

"It may surprise you that many of the newer Superior Safeguards can't handle the responsibility. You've had three personal collections including the one last week, and you've conducted yourself with professionalism and not any sense of resentment or getting back at the business order," he said.

"I enjoy doing just what needs to be done. I can't think about anything but doing the job with excellence, to lead my team. I know it's just a small piece of the puzzle, and Governance and Computer do everything to make the collections possible."

"Well, that's good to hear. I'll get right to the point. One of the Examiners working for me is in charge of a rare multi-order program intended to use associates well versed in all three orders. We find our associates make many connections that the three orders separately cannot make. If you pass the entrance tests, you'll be the first member of the team coming from the Monastic order.

"Even if you don't pass all of the tests, as long as I see a full effort from you, I'll be inclined to encourage a promotion to Superior Safeguard at Central district."

"I love leading this team of Safeguards... however, I can't pass up an opportunity given by the Lord Governance."

"Don't sign up just for me, Wildden," the man said in warning.

"It is a good opportunity, but will there be any used for my Safeguard background, will I have a good chance at being helpful to the team?"

"You'll learn a lot more from my Special Operations Subdivision chief, if you chose to go through the testing process, but I'll say this: Safeguard skills will be a key asset to the team, but you need more. Business order, Financial division skills will be a big plus, as well a Governance skills. This will be a severe test, which is why we haven't had any Monastic order members as of yet.

"My projections indicate that the cause of your release from the Examiner and Business orders is behind you. You have a real chance to pass the Examiner and Business order qualifications. If that sot of thing interests you, this is another chance to make it in both the Examiner and Business orders. This is a sealed envelope. Only Spec Ops Chief Granville can open it. Present yourself at the Central Examiners Compound, with this envelope, and you will be into the applicant process."

"My existing position will be inapplicable once I become an applicant?" Wildden asked.

"It's as if you received some rare transfer back to Student Level 1, except you will also have to go through the entire business order training program if you make it through Examiner training. I would recommend letting your charges know, if you end up taking this opportunity. And be quick about it."

"I've got a lot to think about them," Wildden said.

"Please close the slider when you go."

~ o ~ o ~ # ~ o ~ o~

 It was late at night. He had been uneasy, and left the dinner table early to go back to his office. Maybe his closest friends and subordinates had sensed something because when one of them knocked softly, they were all right there.

"Something happened, something unpleasant," Syd said.

"Sit down, all of you," Wildden said. "Unexpected good news, but it makes me sad too. I apprecate all of you and this chapter house. I don't know how I'll handle not working with the three of you, but I've been given an opportunity, kinda like a cross transfer and a promotion all in one."

"Man," Allan said. "Well, on the bright side, what can you tell us about this new position you're headed to?"

"I still have to decide if I want to take it. But if you look me up, it won't make any sense, that's all I can say."

"Even though we'll miss you, Wildden, you have to take the shot? Who thought they would keep you here as long as they did."

"My evals were good, certainly not promotion material," he said. "But I'm glad to hear you guys encouraging me. Maybe someday, you'll see me again, and maybe I'll see you, the next Superior or Great Superior."

He slept better knowing his team was behind the effort that would surely come in the days ahead.

Marching into an Examiner's compound was both culture shock, feeling of being out of place, and nostalgia from his early days when he was still a student.

Once again he wielded the sealed envelope as a badge, and several examiners in sequence scanned it discretely, placing him directly into the Special Operations floor, 7 floors below ground level.

The elevator only opened on the floor because of his envelope, and no one else was getting off on this floor.

 Lighting on the floor was dim, casting a dull red palor over it.

The clerk at the front desk on the -7th floor took the envelope and actually unsealed it.

"Room 721," he said.

There were no windows on the doors, no visible key or keycard, but only internal computing system authorization. Some rooms had only a flat wall, and no visible marker of a door at all but for a number above it.

"Mr. Leblanc," said a man standing in the center of the room whose door swung open as Wildden approached.

He wanted to look back, to see who the man was referring to. It wasn't since the days of his childhood that he had been referred to by last name. Leblanc might as well mean nothing as a monastic.

How do you address someone who doesn't seem to be wear the attire of any of the three orders, instead wearing white slacks and a white shirt with long sleeves which his arms barely reached out of.

"Lord, sir, honored one. I apologize, I'm not sure how to address you," Wildden said.

"You're here to get a reset. Listen, I don't care why, or what Governance is up to. Nonetheless, here you are. Yours is a second chance reset. If you fail out of the Examiner's program due to behaviorally infractions, you have no second chance, but a failure by reason of low grades will give you another chance as specified by your contact person. I need to attach this second chance beacon to your pinky toe."

Wildden took off the impeccably polished and cleaned tall black boots of the order, pulling even the grey tube socks off his feet.

"Please undress the rest of the way as well," the man said without any hint of impropriety. He probably did this on a regular basis.

The little mark on his little toe hurt for a few seconds as it was applied. The attire he was clothed in was full of meaning and emotion. Senior Examiner, Special Projects.

A far cry from the plain dresses of his childhood as a Level 1 student, this outfit had gold filigree and broches. The flower of Governance Senior Examiners was pinned on his dress; the blue ageratum being a tradition in governance, and even the Division's main complex in the city had a special garden for the flower.

The honest truth was that men were less likely to become examiners, 48% to 52%, and the ratio was reversed in the monastic order, except that most of the truly deviant men were exiled from the city, putting monastic officials at nearly 50/50.

It seemed a little odd and ornate to be wearing flowers on the official attire of one's profession, but Wildden had never seen an examiner comment or joke about the honorary corsage of another senior examiner. It was a mark of distinction, that you were speaking to someone of true importance, and he'd never approached a Senior examiner closely until he met the Governance chief.

"As a Senior Examiner, the punishment seen to be sufficient for your 'crimes' is the become a Level 1 student all over again. For many Examiners, such a thing is worse than exile. Your crime is tortious in nature, purloinment and abuse of supervisory power over the BusHosp division. You will meekly accept the judgement against you."

"I will meekly accept the judgment," Wildden said with trepidation.

There was little else to be said, and no instruction given, so Wildden went to leave the office, only to find a Superior Safeguard, with Junior Examiner in tow.

Thankfully, the Safeguard didn't recognize him in the Examiner's attire.

"Honored Examiner, have you agreed to turn yourself in now?" asked Superior Safeguard Jack, of Central district.

Wildden pushed away his recognition of the man and instead nodded. "I am," he said.

"And I am prepared to use the desistor, so please don't resist?" the Safeguard said.

Wildden knew very well that he didn't want to be desisted. He complied in the best way he could, knowing the nerves of a Safeguard on a collection run.

The Public order van was very nearby, this being the heart of central, and Governance sentencing was only a few minutes away, so he was very soon sitting in the opposite situation at sentencing.

It was five minutes before Legal and Governance got there, and they didn't have much to work with, both admitting so.

"Well since this is a self admission, and not a collection against a non-cooperating collectee, please describe the nature of your perfidity?" the Government agent asked.

Knowing of such cases from his time keeping up on Safeguard news, and the time he collected on an Examiner involved in the health division helped him to play the part well.

"I convinced the hotel staff I was reviewing their treatment of guests, actually I was supposed to audit their financial system controls. I told the group that their relationship with the Sanitation monks had been flagged in the system, and I extended my investigation, getting things like free food and rooms. I wanted to a host a party for free, but I was identified, and here I am," Wildden said.

"Surely a Senior Examiner has no need for such things?" the Governance agent asked.

"I had my eye on a certain Examiner. She had similar thoughts but she was shy, and didn't really like my normal circle of friends, so when the hoteling investigation began, it seemed like a nice opportunity. It was really stupid, but I wasn't thinking."

The legal advisor spoke up next,

"You are charged with two offenses. B-P7 Purloinment under Investigatory Duress and H-M7 Failure of Examiner code of ethics," he said. "Are you allocuting to these offenses?"

"Yes minister," Wildden said, feeling acutely, th sense of strangeness of the last 24 hours.

"We will begin our sentencing presentation," the Government minister spoke.

"On the charge of B-P7 Purloinment under Investigatory Duress, you are hereby demoted to Associate Examiner, under the monitoring of a trained Governance examiner, subject to weekly evaluation of conduct.

"On the charge of H-M7 Failure of Examiner code of ethics, in conjunction with the prior offense, you are hereby demoted to learn again the standards of the Examiners order as a Level 1 Student. You will be excluded assigned to Governance, Legal and Computer divisions on the basis of failing the Morale Maturity test, assuming you rejoin the ranks of Examiners."

"You have two options: First, you may accept these burdens and become a student once more, or Second, you may choose exile from the City. Legal Advocate, please inform the Sentencee of his choices."

The Legal advocate spoke again, Wildden could have spoken for him.

"Citizen of the City," Wildden recited as the advocate spoke. "You are surely needed even now. Your contribution is less than the City desires, but what time, effort and integrity you give to the City, she gives to you. Governance and Legal Affairs, and indeed all the orders of this city, and the Premier herself, implore you to take the punishment and begin again. You will find you contribute more, learn more, and make a new dedication that restores the City's faith in you as it restores your faith in the City. We Implore You."

Wildden could sense the Government examiner already preparing the Exile process as he spoke. "I choose to continue in the city, and begin again as a Student."

"Very well, Legal Affairs, if you would take him to the Rehabilitative Student Program. Safeguard and Public Order, please return to your branch offices. The City thanks you for your service."

The Legal advocate directed Wildden's steps, standing just a few feet behind him. He was directed back to the original Examiner building he had traveled to the -7th floor in.

This time the advocate lead him up to the 2nd floor. Rehabilitative Student Program, said the placard above the door.

This room had a large closet and changing room.

"Examiner," the Legal Advocate addressed the one sitting beyond a desk.

"An arrival, excellent. Perhaps our rehabilitation will have another success someday soon. I see that this one's Sentencing placement is Student Level 1. Very good. Thank you, Examiner. I will take over from here."

The Advocate bowed slightly, and walked away.

"First," said the Rehabilitation examiner. "You will find Student attire in the closet section marked Level 1. Please get changed. Leave your old clothes in the changing room, hanging."

The Level 1 student's attire was a plain, boring grey dress that dipped onto the floor as he put it on. It was rather baggy, and even wider at the bottom. There was no mark of distinction or decorate, but instead just an identity of plain-ness, but still the dress was special to Wildden. Another chance, though even if he passed, it would not be an ordinary Examiner's career for him. If he didn,t he had the opportunity to advance further as a Safeguard, which he loved anyway.

"Good, next up, I'll speak to your expectations as a Level 1 Student, and your assignment. To be honest, few among the examiners choose to go back to being a Student, for many, it was a harrowing time. For others, the privileges they have, they don't want to lose.

"You may socialize with your fellow students during break times, and in the residences, but you are not an Examiner any more. You are restricted to places which are explicitly allowed for students. You will largely be traveling between the residences and the Education complex.

Your behavior will be noted, and will affect your Exam grading. As a Level 1 Student, you will be spending most of your time at the Complex in immersive VR. You will be asked to demonstrate Discipline, understand the history and pridefully represent the Civics of the City, have an understanding and practical habits of Health and cleanliness, and practice proper Etiquette. In particular I must remind you to treat all persons with the respect and honor they deserve. Treat members of all orders as your superiors, as they are. Honor your fellow students and practice deference to everyone else."

"You are assigned to a Block which we hope will contain every Sentencee who is reassigned to the Student program. Few are Sentenced these days, which is good, but less than 1% chose rehabilitation, which is bad. Your Block currently only contains two other rehabilitators, but also contains 198 other Level 1 Students who are first time Students. Be respectful to your younger students, but also reach out to the other rehabilitators.

"I don't expect to see any others, today, so I will walk you over to the Student building. Your Block id is 0198."

The Computer room Wildden ended up in was full of 8 year old students. They didn't recognize Wildden as he entered, being surrounded by the VR equipment which filled their field of few.

The Level 1 Student's desk was like an exercise machine, hidden inside a desk chair at the moment.

The computer chided him, "Please put your tablet in the bay. Identity processing will commence."

Wildden took the tablet out of his new students bag, which the Minister had obtained for him on the way here. He put it into the slot.

"Level 1 Student Wildden. This is your first session, so I will go over a few things. The Level 1 Student Program covers the four subjects of Discipline, Civics, Health and Etiquette. Discipline will be taught entirely in Immersive VR. The other three subjects will contain both traditional exams and exam preparation, as well as VR segments. You are encouraged to spent at least 10 hours a week in Discipline VRs. 5 hours a week in Civics VRs. 2 hours a week in Health VRs. And 8 hours a few in Etiquette VRs. Spend the remaining time studying your written exams in Civics, Health and Etiquette. Since you have begun your classes mid-week, I recommend you start strictly with Discipline VRs for today. Choose wisely."

~|

EXAMINEE MENU:
Discipline
Civics
Health
Etiquette

>> Discipline

Discipline Sub-Menu

Initial Progressive Evaluation VR

Improvement Techniques <Enabled after first Evaluation>
Easy Practice VR <Enabled after first Evaluation>
Moderate Practice VR <Enabled after first Evaluation>
Hard Practice VR <Enabled after first Evaluation, passing Moderate Practice VR>
Last Year's Grade Promotion VR <Enabled after first, Evaluation, passing Hard Practice VR>

>> Initial Progressive Evaluation VR

The "Exercise Machine" VR unfolded around him, blocking out the view of students around him. His block was full of other new students, so many of these young first time students were also going through the same VRs and exams, he assumed.

He couldn't really remember how real it felt to be in the VR when he first was a Level 1 Student.

He felt a wave of claustrophobia as the equipment surrounded him closer and closer, and then his eyes adjusted, and he saw new things.

He was in a classroom, sitting at an old fashioned school desk that shouldn't have fit him as an adult, but he was smaller, the same size as the other kids sitting at the desk.

"The Examiner is going to be late," said a man that appeared. "Please stay in your seats and remain quiet. It will be able 5 minutes."

Could they scan his brain activity during the test, Wildden wondered, as he sat there, waiting. He had been on a lot of Collections as a normal Safeguard official where he had to wait hours, or even days for the right situation, or the final authorization from governance.

He interacted with Business order and Monastic order officials during nearly all of his missions, and dealt with interruptions from his staff and by other people all the time.

He relied on an old trick he learned from his superior officer when he first become a Junior Safeguard.

"Imagine there's a contest going on between you and me. The contest is to not notice what time it is, or that time has passed, and also to not zone out or fall asleep. We're going to wait here on this bench, and I've put a tracer on your internal interface and the tablet to find out when you ask for the time.  I'll also be monitoring alertness and awakeness. After a few weeks of tracking, you'll be thinking of these days and this little contest, even when I'm not tracking your alertness and your time checking."

He lost focus and also checked the time way too often at first. But then he began to hone the craft of alertness without awareness of time. He began to rely on his subsystem, setting alarms when he needed to do something, rather than relying on constantly checking the time. So he stopped checking the time.

He might be vaguely aware, oh look, the sun is going down, but he never explicitly asked the time, but instead relied on years of programmed alarms and specified system behavior from his personal computer interface.

Jason would be proud. The only reason he knew it was five minutes was because the man came back in, and said it would be a little longer.

Wildden wasn't sure how long had passed before the Examiner actually showed up. The students around him were either sleepy or caught talking when the Examiner entered.

"Leblanc," said the Examiner.

The last name was a bit more familiar from this morning. "Yes, Honored Examiner," he responded.

"Please take this down to the Admittance office," he said, handing over a heavy manila Envelope.

"Can you help me out? I don't know where the Admittance office is?" Wildden answered.

"Follow the signs."

The signs were clear, but deceptive. They pointed in the right direction, but when he thought he had reached the Admittance office, it was still further away, he had reached some other office. After the third time, he realized something odd was happening. He kept going anyway, keeping a steady walking pace.

After finding the real office, it turned into the Principal Examiner's office, where the Principle Examiner spoke at length about how Wildden had broken the rules and deserved the punishment that was coming.

After that, the situations became more intricate and odd. Another student wanted to copy from his exam with a spy tech.

Suddenly, he was an unspecified powerful Examiner who had discovered one of his assistants had stolen from the department. He was in trouble now from his superior because of it.

At this, Wildden told his superior he would investigate, and deal with whatever punishment his superior brought to him.

Then he was walking through a crowd as people bumped into him. Rude people, people shouted at him, accussing him of things. Someone stole his tablet as he got on the train.

An extortionist promised that he would kidnap Syd if he didn't get the man into the Computer Division's secure data center. He refused to comply, and he didn't believe the man could get away with something like that, or accomplish it. Governance and Computer division must have put a high priority on malignant cases such as this.

He responded to every situation, knowing he couldn't do more than a little, instead relying on the whole City's system of people checking on people, assuming they would deal with the increasingly horrifying scenarios presented to him.

At some point, it all became so surreal that his awareness that this was a Progressive test VR returned.

There were trolley problems, and halls full of people laughing at him, in equal measure. He was humiliated, tortured, extorted, offered opportunities at every turn. Tested in a thousand ways. There were a few that hit the mark, in that he was tempted to take the easy way out, but he resisted.

He gritted his teeth, dealing with a complex situation, in which he had forgot that he was in a VR all over again.

He knew that the current City Premier would be removed from office if the false allegations were passed along, but he also had the obligation as Computer Chief Examiner, to force the exact Secure message which had been relayed to him. He had spent an hour punishing his subordinates for trying to interfere in Quantum message passing protocols, but now,he would be passing lies!

In addition, he knew that the alternative for City Premier, the current Legal Division Chief, had a lot of shadiness.

He wanted to dig into the information on the man, but he left that to the computer system. He had a positive duty to send the message, which overrided his personal objections to the content of what was sent and who sent it.

He was invited to a dinner party. Everyone wanted to sit at the head table, where the City Premier would be sitting.

No one knew exactly who would be coming, so it was tough to say if you'd be more junior than the others sitting at that table, or even embarrassed and forced to sit elsewhere.

Instead, he sat at the most plain tablet, with a bunch of students, Monastic order junior members and  a mystery guest. It turned out the man was Division Chief of Education, who could have sat at the head table, but he sat with the junior members of the three orders at this littlest table.

The Education chief's words broke Wildden out of the after-dinner reverie, however.

"It's been a while since I've embedded in another person's VR. I only have a minute, but I wanted to see for myself. The perfect score."

The Education minister toasted to Wildden, and the other juniors toasted with him.

His vision became blurry again, and then returned to the VR, which folded itself back into the desk and chair.

~|
Discipline Progressive Evaluation

Predicted Advancement Grade: 35%
Your Progressive Evaluation Grade: 100% (OVERRIDE)

:: Education Chief Examiner Emmet has ordered a bypass to your Discipline Exam Result. Your Discipline Exam Result is 100%. You do not need to take further Discipline exams or training.

It had been hours inside of that Progressive evaluation. The windows in his Block's computer room were now dark, the sun had set.

Wildden was surprised that he hadn't be instructed to leave the area before the end of the school day.

>> Log off.

He entered on the computer, pulling the tablet out of it's receptacle, and putting it back in his new backpack.