Crafter's Passion by Kris Schnee

Author:Kris Schnee [Schnee, Kris]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: UNKNOWN
Published: 2018-02-22T22:00:00+00:00

8. Banned

Back in the real world, it was sunset. He'd been dropped off shortly before curfew. He hustled from the edge of the farm toward his residence hall. He was still caught up in his daydreams, imagining the Community as a farm on Mars or underwater. Maybe he could find some used VR gear for himself so he could do fighting and crafting in even more detail. Or get a tablet with a bigger screen, or a third character account.

On the way to the dorm, one of his fellow Community guys spotted him. "Stan! Where've you been? The Baron is pissed."

Stan winced and felt his fantasies shatter. "I had a reservation to leave for the day."

"Well, tell that to him. I don't know what set him off, exactly."

Stan nodded and went to his room first. It had been searched. The mattress was at a strange angle, the sheets were piled up, his clothes had been shoved around, and the few other things he kept strewn around were messier than usual. The photo of his mother lay face-down on the desk. What was the point; to look for drugs or to find him hiding under the bed instead of attending the Community's events?

He figured his Slab would notify him of any formal summons from Hal, but he'd left it in the dirt. He sighed and headed for Hal's office.

Baron Hal was behind his desk, sitting with his hands under his chin. "Stan. Hello. Come in and shut the door."

Stan sat on the chair facing him. He sank into the deep cushion, putting him lower than the boss. "I had an event scheduled already and I couldn't cancel that on short notice without letting people down."

"You had an obligation to the Community, and that takes priority. You knowingly broke the rules and went AWOL."

Stan blinked. "A wall?"

"Away without leave. I like to think I run a well-oiled machine, with kids coming and going each year, but sometimes the system breaks down. This is one of those days."

He wondered what the game's Inspect skill would show him here. He imagined ["Baron" Hal Ferrum, Bureaucrat class], and chuckled at the thought of how one would earn that label in-game.

"What's so funny?" said Hal.

"It's not important."

"Your thoughts are important. I want to know what was going through your head when you decided to run off for this particular event."

"I already said I'd scheduled it in advance. I didn't know I was being automatically signed up for the blood drive." Stan sat up straighter. "I didn't think the Community would start claiming my blood without my formal permission."

"You gave permission to the necessary rules by coming to the Youth Community Program."

"I never had a choice about doing national service years."

Hal said, "You had plenty of choice. You could've spent your service years in the military or in another approved program to do something constructive." He jabbed one finger down on his desk. "In my Community you've been ordinary, nothing outstanding, and that's okay. But lately, your score has been slipping, and today I found out why.

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