Forever Young

Chapter Twelve. The Termination Facilitator.

PART TWO

Marilena

Chapter Twelve

The Termination Facilitator

The Year M85. Fifty-six years after the Battle of Engelsbay.

Marilena as usual arose first. Automatically she picked up a recently exposed solar disc and slipped it into her HED. The screen flickered on, and then, accompanied by the rousing national anthem, the familiar map surrounded by a rotating ring of stars appeared. The news was good. It was always good. 

The alphega crop was doing well, and a higher than expected yield was expected. Miners had discovered new vast deposits of myrite under nearby Chalk Lake and it was estimated that the supply would last for at least a thousand years. Government scientists were reported to have almost achieved complete automation of the mining and processing of the ore, and consequently, within the next decade all the miners would be able to retire and fully enjoy the incomparable Myrian lifestyle. Once again, our gallant defence forces had repelled an attempted landing by hostile Bellicans. 

Marilena was more concerned with the weather forecast and the estimated exposure time for Drylan. A clear sunny day was predicted, with an EET of 80 minutes. This meant that she would be able to start her studies earlier than normal. Possibly, she would even have time to talk with Gramps before the afternoon dream session. 

It was obvious from the state of the kitchen that her mother and father had been up to their usual nocturnal activities. A freshly caught hare was hanging from the back of the larder door, and they had picked some blueberries that Marilena used to augment her alphega flakes. The government, after considerable protest, now allowed the Myrians to supplement their alphega diet with wild fruits, or by hunting and fishing, but they didn't tolerate any of the farming techniques practiced by the uncivilised Darsians.  

Having completed her only meal of the day Marilena donned her hooded cowl, remembered to place a couple of discs in the sun box, then made her way through darkened passages to the solarium. 

She had been trained in the recommended procedure from birth. First, she sensitized her skin by bathing nude in a pool of pale green liquid for five minutes. After this dousing, she chose a suitable exposomat. These were cylinders of various lengths and inner dimensions situated around the edge of the pool. Marilena initiated the photometer, slid into the snugly fitting device, pressed the starter, and soaked up the rays as the cylinder slowly rotated. An alarm sounded when the radiation limit was reached. This was the signal to vacate the cylinder. It was a safeguard against dangerous overexposure. Marilena's sensitization took seventy-four minutes.  

Suitably protected she made her way back to her quarters and prepared for the morning lessons. A small rectangle replaced the map of Myr when she touched the screen. She pressed her right thumb inside the rectangle. This, along with her signature on the writing pad and a password, allowed access to her programmes. Like all Myrians, she was addicted to the Entertainment Network, but could only gain access after completion of certain tasks. All citizens were required to answer a series of questions relating to the Alphega diet, correct sensitizing procedures, and the dangers of overexposure to sunlight. If she answered any questions incorrectly, the HED would run a film on Alphega that would be repeated ad nauseum until she supplied correct answers. 

For a student it was even more difficult to access EN, as they not only had to complete the Alphega Quiz, but also their assignments for the day. At the age of four, the Education Department registered each Myrian child and assigned a course of study. In the early years, the emphasis was on language. The programmes attempted to ensure that every Myrian child would use their native tongue correctly. Words of non-Myrian origin had been expunged from the language, and correct grammar was expected in all communications both written and verbal. All instruction and evaluation was through the HED. Students communicated with the device either orally through a voice box, or by using a writing pad.