Slice of life
Warrior
Umiyara's eyes flicked open the moment the wake-up call sounded, and he sprang from his cot, standing upright and rigid. Two seconds later, the door to the barracks slammed open and in strode his company's sergeant major, eyes alert for anyone not perfectly stationary. This day, thankfully, all 60 members of the company had responded adequately; if it was a normal day, and the sergeant caught the movement of someone still climbing from their bed, the entire room would be on double-drill for the morning. On the bad days, when he spied more than one, it was usually double-drill and half-rations for the morning, not to mention a good fifteen minutes of shouting, making them all late for breakfast. Every day started like this; 6am, lights on, alarm sounds and then off to the first meal of the day. After breakfast came fitness drills. Umiyara quite liked this part; the mindless drudgery of the treadmill, or the rhythmic weights. It let the body wake fully as the mind prepared for the day ahead. Fitness was followed by the mid-morning break, then quickly into class - doctrines, tactics, history, weapon maintenance; a Xahian soldier was expected to learn constantly. Tests were random and frequent, failures being reprimanded and usually missed the afternoon training exercise. Whilst this was normally considered a punishment, Umiyara knew that on the odd occasion, tests were failed on purpose to avoid training. Informal rotas were organised so that only a few failed, keeping the officers in the dark. Personally, Umiyara had avoided such things, all the officers had been at this stage too, no doubt they were well aware of the practice. After the mid-day meal can the training; usually full combat exercises with laser-tag rounds and shock vests. The hive city Umiyara called home had vast hangers kitted out with all kinds of terrain; from blazing hot deserts, to bug infested swamps and even portions of foreign cities, the buildings all separate and open to the sky. On regular occasions, they were taken outside, to ensure they didn't suffer from agoraphobia, a condition far too common amongst hive dwellers. Any soldier afraid to step outside was instantly dismissed to a support role, their chance at being a Contributor and siring a future generation, gone forever. Umiyara's greatest secret was that sense of dread when he saw the endless sky, the emptiness that stretched on forever. Thankfully, he could suppress it and no one was the wiser. Afternoon training was always of variable length but was followed by their evening meal; a time of relaxation and socialisation, where they were encouraged to mix with other companies and take part in games and sports. Umiyara wasn't a very social person and knew this would hinder his progression up the ranks and was always pleased when the signals came for the evening exercises. Training in the evenings varied greatly. Most often it was more fitness drills but usually competitive in nature, races, endurance tests, that kind of thing. They also had more class and infrequently another full combat training well into the night to test their response to fatigue and sleep deprivation. Tonight, it was a typical fitness drill and by the time they were let back to the barracks at 11pm, Umiyara was ready for sleep and another day.Technical
Working throughout the night was always a chore, but Durma felt it was worth it. Her experiments were almost complete and the chance to publish her fifth paper was too good to let sleep get in the way of it. Besides, it was only two days from her mandatory rest day and then she could catch up on her sleep. Until then, she popped whatever pills it took to stay awake and struggled on. Five papers down until the magical ten, when she would be assessed for her promotion and, hopefully, the chance for field work. Field work led to lecturing and lecturing led to the esteemed heights of professorship and the real chance to pass her gene on to the next generation. Her friends scoffed at her 'pipe dreams', but she knew she had it in her. Just because they were happy with just being a member of Technical, didn't mean she was. The PCR beeped and Durma peered at the read out, her tired eyes uncooperative. As she made out the numbers, her lips curled in a smile, and she allowed herself a small fist bump. Forgoing the weekly laboratory meal out the previous evening had paid off. Extra time on the instruments when no one else was in had advanced her project significantly. She collected her notes and walked across the lab to the office. A quick check of the time showed that the rest of her colleagues would start in three hours, enough time to grab a bite to eat and a shower, maybe even a nap. With luck, no one will notice how tired she felt. Her tablet indicator light flashed, and she checked her messages seeing the newly arrived invite to submit papers for the latest issue of her preferred journal. She smiled again, knowing that she'd y be able to submit this year as a fully-fledged researcher. Life was looking good.Engineer
It was damp, it was cold, and deep in the mechanical levels of Golla, Eigen was trying to repair a broken coolant line, without which the energy output of reactor number sixteen was below optimal efficiency. The task was hindered both by the depth of the coolant pipe, some hundred meters below ground, and that the chemicals that made up the cooling liquid were escaping in a white plume, obscuring vision. He turned to the half-dozen workers who'd been assigned to do the labour and gestured to one of them. "You, head back to the plant room and tell En Sanil to turn off coolant line seven." He said. The worker nodded and turned to walk back the way they came. "Wait!" Eigen called out, "I need to check you got that right. Which coolant line did I just say?" "Coolant line seven En Eigen," the worker said, with just the barest hint of disrespect. Eigen nodded and the worker left, the engineer making a mental note to have the worker checked for dissent. "Right, the rest of you, once the line is off, you need to cut the pipe here," Eigen marked a section of the tube with his pen. "Then we'll cut again a hundred meters down. A replacement section is coming to be fitted." The worker crew nodded, and Eigen pulled up the schedule on his tablet, ignoring the others for the moment. He knew this was a prime job for a worker, away from the tedium of the reactor floor and its radiation risks, so he knew they'd be trustworthy and good workers. It was a shame one had to ruin it for himself. His other jobs for the week were fairly routine; checks, mainly, something he'd love to pass onto a Worker but he didn't trust their judgement. He'd much rather be back in his warm office working on the plans for the new reactor. Unfortunately, he was considered an expert on the cooling systems and his Leader supervisor had assigned this task today. He let out a breath, only eight hours until shift end, then he could head back to his rooms and see if the latest version of his favourite CAD program was out. Perhaps even watch some entertainment. Anything would be better than having to stand around with this lot.Farmer
Sloshing through the muck, Weilu was dying to scratch her nose, but the face mask that prevented the methane fumes from overwhelming her was in the way. Working in the recycling areas was one of the least glamourous of all the tasks she had, but Weilu knew how important it was. Waste of all types, from industrial to human, made its way down here to the lowest levels of the hive where it was sorted, separated and processed to be reused wherever possible. Most of the worst of the work was performed by Workers, but supervision of the work was the responsibility of the Leaders. The Farmer caste only really got involved where the waste handling involved the creation of the nutrient broths used in growing the vast hydroponic gardens and raw materials used in the meat vats. Today, Weilu had been dragged from her usual task of monitoring the hydroponics and was wading through thigh deep organic slurry to where the local Leader had encountered an issue that apparently needed the expertise of a Farmer. Clad head to toe in protective gear, grateful that she couldn't smell anything, she followed the Worker to where a small group had gathered around an outflow pipe which was slowly dripping brown sludge into the pool beneath it. "What's the problem?" She asked, once she was close enough to be heard over the constant droning of the processors."Ah, Fm Weilu, glad you could come. I am Cn Harris, reclamation tank seven Controller." The Leader said. "We've encountered... something and need your advice on whether we can continue with this batch."
"Well, it must be important enough to get me down here." Weilu said. Technically, she outranked the Leader, but protocol always stated that Leaders had ultimate authority in all situations. "Something that couldn't be communicated via messaging or sorted out yourselves. Slurry recycling isn't my area of expertise."
"I, ah, wanted some expert opinion before deciding on the best course of action." Harris replied. He pointed at the outflow pipe. "This outflow registered a blockage earlier and when the Workers saw it, they called me, and I called you."
Weilu frowned and approached the pipe, which was about a metre in diameter. "Seriously? You called me into this shit for a blocked pipe." She peered up into the dripping tube and gasped. A few metres up was a partly decomposed body, the bloated corpse jammed sideways. "Oh. I see the fuss, but I don't know why you called me."
"Well, it's a simple matter of logistics," Harris said. "I want to know if this will affect this batch of slurry. We're running close to our operating parameters, and I can't afford to lose it. I called you in person as a message could be intercepted and the Guards will close all this down for an investigation."
"Do you know the identity of the body?" Weilu asked.
"Yeah, just another Worker. From the mines. Can't tell if this is an accident or deliberate, but that's the Guard's job, should we decide to tell them."
Weilu tapped her fingers on the side of the pipe, "Should be okay." She said eventually, "The batch will be tested for trace contaminants anyway, but most of this is human waste anyway, so a human body won't add anything that isn't already here."
Weilu nodded, "Good call, I see why you got me here. Happy to help." She waded back through the much to the exit and shook her head, not entirely sure how to log this on her daily plan, but she'd think of something.
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