Trash: Interlude VIII Enlistment (Anastasia Bloom) (Patreon)

Interlude VIII

Enlistment

(Anastasia Bloom)

“You two wish to join up under the Self-Created Teams Doctrine, the one that notes you can come in as a pre-assembled team with up to five base fighters and up to two support and logistics soldiers as well?” The recruitment officer began. His voice echoing off of the highly polished and stylized mahogany walls. Walls that seemed to take in and hold the very history of the room and what it represented to be there.

Behind the recruiter stood a trio of three mounted flags. The tallest flag at the center was the flag of the empire, a dark background with a crown colored by nine trailing colors, representing the original nine founding families of the nation, two of which were now a dimmer shade of light purple and hunter green denoting the loss of those two families. Then to the immediate right was the bright red flag of war. Where a person in a halo of light was striking down a death eater with a glowing spear that was empowered by lightning bolts from the heavens. Then finally the last flag to the left was the white border flag of Unification for the Common enemy. This last and final flag was the reason the Nostrylvanian armed forces were allowed to roam freely within the Empire’s borders. This flag was a unification flag that offered safe harbor to any and all who might be fleeing the war against the Z-Rot.

“We do,” Luna and Lucia both agreed in near unison, a faint note of nervous tension filling their words as seemed common here. As they spoke, an almost imperceptible breeze seemed to flow in the room that caused the three flags that had been standing still to rustle faintly. An act that caused the two girls to jump, in startled excitement. Meanwhile, Anastasia Bloom did everything she could to not laugh at the two girls who were taken in by the oldest of pageantry and gimmicks. Then again, she too had fallen for that same exact spectacle when she was first enlisting. It wasn’t until later that she could see the old artifacts that silently spun to life, causing a jet of wind to rush out through pre-created channels that flowed directly over the flags, giving them the appearance of being alive and accepting the words.

Lucia and Luna stared on, first looking at the gently swaying flags, and then up at the ceiling, trying to see where the air flowed, but being unable to find the tiny slits that added to the art, rather than distracting from it, making their presence particularly hard to see. Especially as the same wood for the wall now covered the ceiling in ways that the flowing air looked like slits between decorative leaves. But this recruiter was a professional, giving just enough time for the impact of the generated wind to evoke a sense of the Gods are actually listening, but not giving enough time to note the odd inconsistencies that become more apparent with time.

“Now, I note here that neither of you have a Class, is that correct?” The recruitment officer continued.

At that comment, Lucia and Luna both looked flustered but nodded.

“That is correct, but we both have our bloodlines awakened,” Lucia declared commenting for the two of them, trying to highlight their selling points.

At that comment the recruitment officer nodded, but then took in a measured breath. This was a feigned reluctance, as it was clear that the recruitment officer was about to give the hard sell. For a moment Anastasia thought about cutting off the Recruitment Officer right here, of cutting this entire event down to what it would ultimately be. He would try to hard sell the girls that they would need a Healer for this exception, something that would be offered to her and every one of the enlisted group members, but if that wasn’t the case. That is, if not one of the potential seven recruits came up as being able to be a healer, they would all have to be reclassified for the needs of the military, which would force all seven to be in classes and roles that met what was important for the military at that time. It was the poisoned menu approach, for right now, the whole menu of what was available to them was wide open and available. They could look at the menu, sign up for any dish possible, knowing that if a single person that managed to awaken a healer class joined, the meal would be theirs and they would eat to their heart’s content. But if no one from the group of friends manifested the desired abilities, they would all be served the left over slop from yesterday’s meals that had been turned into a deep sickening stew. A terrible practice and one that everyone was warned about in school, but was still offered.

This was to take advantage of people who dreamed big. That wanted to hit the proverbial lottery. Healers and people that can become Healers aren’t that rare. At least they shouldn’t be, statistics have the rate of being a Healer, that is one person who can use a Healing based Skill as one in twenty. So with seven friends all trying for the same spot, the group has a 35% chance, that one person in the group can learn a Healing Skill. But that isn’t what is required for this test, as this test requires a Healing class, which is even rarer, for someone has to want at their very core to heal others, and have the ability to learn not one, but four healing Skills, which places the odds of someone unlocking the Healing class in the astronomically rare ratings. This is because the person gaining the class owner would need the desire to heal, have the required innate talent of the body to use the Skills, and finally the mental cognizance to learn Healing Skills in a timely manner that would fall within the review period being offered for this enlistment contract. The restrictions for what is required to earn the right to join up as a pre-approved group are astronomically tough, as the government is basically saying they will take any true class owning healer and their delinquent friends and provide them with the most resources available so that they can be the best team possible. It is a lot easier to have someone show up with mediocre Healing Talents, train them to be a functional piece of an established combat team, and have them survive that way.

The number of people that are bad at math and willing to risk their lives and careers on the hope of one of their friends not being a complete bust is astronomical, and that is why the government approves of these types of group recruitment. Get a group of young idealistic teenagers together, then let them fail at getting the conditions that they signed up for, which makes breaking them down into more manageable states that are much easier to mold correctly.

Failure rate for these types of recruitment is astronomically high, particularly as everyone going into these evaluations will secretly want a prominent fighting role, a support role that their father had etcetera, all hoping that the one person they designate as the Healer has enough to pull off their hopes and dreams for them. Then when that group designated healer fails, everyone loses faith in that healer all but forcing them to find solace and support in the established elder group who likely had a similar instance and didn’t realize what pressure they put on their own designated healer when they too enlisted. It is a vicious and perpetuating cycle, that Anastasia would try to end, if she didn’t realize how strapped the empire was for willing warriors.

Also, enlisting counted as a self-assigned quest via the system, which meant that all growth made while under this self-assigned quest would allow for drastic improvements. Not as drastic as those changes conducted by her own Apprentice over the past half week, as she had a meteoric rise due to her unending ability to pull through any suffering and not complain, something that everyone working with her saw and appreciated. Honestly, to see the way Mr. Yi now looks at her own Apprentice was astonishing, as Anastasia was almost certain that he now viewed her as the daughter he always wanted. Truth be told, Anastasia too wished that she could be the true daughter. The daughter capable of carrying on the Bloom household even after she passed away, but that was not possible given the bloodline flowing within her body. The rules of house succession are very clear, which is why Anastasia worked so hard to try to promote from within. Then when it was clear that there was nothing she could do, she instead turned her sights outward to at least find someone that she could pass her legacy onto. That’s when she found Catarine, and that was why Anastasia now found herself sitting at this negotiation table for two displaced nobles from a country that had long since fallen to the very war that they were now signing up to fight against. Signing up, using the ultimate system designed to break and oppress citizens that dreamed too big and didn’t understand large number probability. Despite this, Anastasia could barely contain the smile that threatened to burst forth from her lips as she watched this all play out.

“I understand that you both have your bloodlines awakened, and that is a great selling point, but that will not factor into your team’s deemed success or failure rate in getting accepted under the Self-Created Teams Doctrine.” The recruitment officer began.

Again, just hearing the name of this organization, the Self-Created Teams Doctrine reminded her of the nickname it got from everyone that joined under it, and ultimately failed. For in the military, they did everything in terms of acronyms, making it easier to express larger concepts that were linked together by known groupings that were expressed as simple three to four letter abbreviations. While the military officially called the Self-Created Teams Doctrine the ScTD initiative, the soldiers had a different name for the predatory program, calling it the STD enlistment. The line was, you get it once, and every time you think you are clear from it, it comes back to burn and ruin your day in unexpected ways. A vulgar, if apt way of describing the process, for those wishing to find out if that one friend truly has what it takes to become a true healer.

“I will warn you that the Self-Created Teams Doctrine is considered the premier group option, because it offers the most value for effort on your part. All it takes is one of the seven of you to show enough talent to be designated with a healer class by the system. Not a paladin class, not a hybrid class, not a healing minstrel, or other variation, but a true healer. If someone from that group of seven meets the requirements, you and the other members of your team will get the most advanced training that they are capable of learning, and access to the highest tier of resources and Class selection options available at the Joint Military Academy. This is a ten year minimum contract for everyone that signs, or the final time up to two times the training required for the last member of the team, which ever number is higher.” The recruiter said, glancing over the one pesky requirement, and highlighting the assets that everyone gets by signing.

With a practiced and depraved smile, the recruitment officer presented the paper needed for the Self-Created Teams Doctrine. Looking every bit, like the weasel that saw the rooster leaving the hen house unattended.

Hesitantly Lucia and Luna looked at each other, their instincts high as they noted the obvious predatory gaze of the recruiter who just might have overplayed their hands.

“Can we get a year long wait, for our Healer to come of age?” Lucia asked, her voice a meek acceptance of fate, even though she used the line that Madame Bloom herself had instructed her to say. Pulling off the look of a cornered animal well.

“But of course you can get a twelve-month joining extension, though, I will warn you that once you sign here, you will be locked into this contract.” The weasel-like recruiter responded hungrily.

“Okay, so all we have to do is have a person with a true Healer Class sign this contract along with our signatures and we will be fully recognized citizens of the Empire, listed as legally bound soldiers to the empire, who are just waiting on initial first duty assignment status?” Lucia asked, making sure the binding parts of the contract are going to be enforced by the system. By signing this document, it was clear that she would now be a recognized entity of the Empire and thus exempt from any previous ties to family or empires that might no longer exist. At her sudden shift in demeanor, the squirrely recruiter seemed to hesitate, but only for a second, as he had seen the initial screenings. No ties to a known government, and no signs of being exposed directly to Death Eaters.

“Yes, and I will note that this is also the only way people with, certain ailments, can get into the military no questions asked,” the weaselly director dragged out the word ailments, clearly insinuating the as yet unhealed Death Eater induced scars on Luna’s face and hand, while also indicating that Lucia still has a divot in her arm from where Catarine had managed to heal her.

“Very well,” Lucia signed first, then Luna.

“Excellent, now, I’ll just take this—” the weaselly recruitment officer responded jumping up and all but salivating at the binding contract, but he was not quick enough, for this is when Anastasia made her move.

“Wait, I will sign myself up as the noted healer, with the option to let my identified Apprentice take my place, should she be willing to earn a boon from me, by taking my place.” General Anastasia Bloom called out, signing in her name in the contract, and making the required markings that could allow for someone to take her place, and the promise of a reward for doing so. Seeing the actions, the weaselly man suddenly shifted gears.

“General, you?” His words hung there, and technically this was allowed as the General was not under an active contract, but in a quasi-role between retirement and needs of the military, a somewhat gray area of contract laws that allowed for just such processes under the idea that keeping the General bound for years would be worthwhile overall to the empire.

“Perhaps, you are unaware of who exactly these two are, their awakened lineages, or the boons that I owe their families. A boon I am willing to repay with my continued servitude, if required.”

At that, the weaselly recruiter’s face fell, as he realized this contract would not go as he had expected.