Exodus

The Citadel was alive with exuberant shouts and music.  The Parting the Ways ceremony always resulted in the clan's celebrating their new arrivals.  Stefan wished he could go to a party or two before leaving.  He had completed the exams like everyone else and thought he deserved to celebrate just as much as they did.  But his choices had led him down a much more sober path.  Scurrying alongside Jerma as they briskly walked down the wide stone pathways towards the outer wall of Hanlier sector, Stefan wished he could have just one minute with Haley.  It was not to be.

The pair approached a building that was attached to the Citadel wall on one side.  It jutted from the wall sharply and vaguely looked like an ancient carriage house made of large cut limestone.  It had an angled roof that peaked in the middle with terracotta shingles and was surprisingly short compared to the rest of Hanlier Sector buildings.  They entered through a small entrance perpendicular to the large reinforced supply door that faced the Citadel.  

The anti-room they entered had a drastically different feel than the rest of the Citadel.  The room was barren of adornment and gloomy, with the exception of a bright spotlight shining from the walls and the ceiling.  Stefan was motioned by Jerma to the exact center of the sun like glare.  A voice spoke over a speaker telling Stefan to stand still until otherwise informed.  Moments later, the heavy metal door opposite of their entrance swung open and a voice announced their admittance into the secure staging area.

There was a noisy hustle of heavy equipment and machinery moving around.  Stefan realized suddenly that Clan Hanlier was capable of performing and on occasion did perform trade missions that were much larger than he otherwise expected.  The price of a child from the badlands warranted more than just their three by two meter carts.  Those were tasting carts compared to these supply behemoths.  Especially if the Order was brining in as many children as members that were lost in the previous year.  This spectacle did make him wonder why missions were not conducted past the badlands.  As if Jerma sensed his questions, she responded.

“The efficiency of our equipment can't take us to the edge of the farthest border of the badlands to the east.”  She said.  “The world is a bigger place than you can imagine, I think.  You will learn this soon enough, to be sure.”

Jerma looked over at Stefan with a warm smile.  Stefan returned the smile tentatively.  He did not know what he would have done without the graces of Jerma.  At least she was on the Council and could speak for him.  

“I guess I shouldn't dawdle if I want to get somewhere safe before nightfall.”  Stefan said apprehensively.

“You are correct Master Stefan.”  Jerma said.  “Come this way.”

Jerman began walking briskly parallel to the action taking place in the staging area.  Stefan continued to look around in awe at everything.  They reached an area that was clearly the edge of the inside wall and the room opened up to a scale that Stefan thought was impossible.  The inside of the Citadel wall was hallow.  The Hanlier used it for storing their machinery three dimensionally.  Bellow the wall, through a thick steel grate, Stefan saw the food and materials in crates whose walls resembled the walls of the fief he had visited less than a week ago.

“Amazing.”  Exclaimed Stefan.  “You supply everything to the fiefs, don't you?”

“They are incapable of surviving without the Citadel.”  Jerma explained, continuing to walk towards a small office with a security checkpoint on the outside wall.  “Our efforts ensures the Order's longterm survival in this dangerous world.  We keep our population appropriate and the badlands stay fed with our ancient technologies.”

They entered the small office and Jerma closed the door behind them.  Grigsby and Seriana were already waiting for them.  Grigsby stood up with a grunt as they entered and Seriana, already standing approached Stefan with an emotionless expression.  Seriana closed the distance quickly, and halted abruptly.

“I am glad to see you are following a passion.”  Seriana said.  “You will have challenges ahead, but this is the hardest challenge you will face.  Have faith that you have made the right decision.”

“It's not like he can take it back.”  Snorted Grigsby.  “Come over here my boy.  You must change into your gear.”

Grigsby piled clothes into Stefan's arms and ushered him into an unnoticed bathroom to the left of the room.  Stefan held up each piece of clothing to look at them.  They were a drab white and gray.  He was given heavily reinforced pants, a long sleeved tunic and Barhus gloves and boots.  He put them on, and was surprised by how snug they were.  Not necessarily uncomfortable, but it seemed that they touched every part of his body that they touched.

When Stefan exited the bathroom, his old clothes left behind, he noticed he felt almost naked in front of others.  The pants particularly showed off bits of himself he was not comfortable showing to anyone.  His discomfort showed on his face.

“You will have to get over yourself child.”  Grigsby announced.  “These garments were developed by the old empire in this region just a century before the fall.  Active camouflage, sound dampening, temperature stabilization in all climates and conditions, waterproofing and it can even give the water and salt you will lose subcutaneously.  The Barhus and Hanlier use this all the time.”

“Viceroy Grigsby.”  Seriana said blandly.  “Please refrain from announcing Barhus methods.  Master Stefan.”  She said, turning her attention away from Grigsby.  “You are familiar with the gloves and the boots.  Here is a winged backpack.  I have unlocked the functionality.  You may alter the settings through a virtual interface.  Instructions were downloaded to you locally.  The backpack can be modified to be used in ways that may surprise you.  No time to tell you now, you must hurry.”

“Here you are Stefan.”  Jerma said. “A genuine Hanlier cloak.  It has plenty of gadgets in there for you, including compressed food rations.  Everything it can do was downloaded to you as well.  You better go now dear.  No more time to waste.”

Stefan's heart was about to leap out of his chest and rush back to the Citadel.  Gave a nodding bow to the three of them individually and turned toward the security checkpoint.  The door swung open at his approach.  He entered, turned to see the last look of the faces he knew and the door slammed before he could waste any more time.  He turned toward the exit and a voice announced over the speaker:  “Area scan complete, no life reported in the vicinity, exit safe.”  The outside swung open with a clang and Stefan stepped through the door tentatively.  He heard the door slam behind him as he cleared it, and turned back to look.  The door had disappeared into the gleaming white wall.  The large door for equipment that was visible from the inside was also invisible from the outside.

I guess no one would attempt to break into a door they don't know exist.  Stefan thought as he turned back to face the forest.  He had become acutely aware of the plethora of noise emanating from all around him.  The forest that Stefan had found so peaceful to look at most of his life was now a source of terror for him.  But he had to start somewhere, so he began to walk toward the southern badlands.

A calmness sloshed over Stefan's consciousness almost immediately.  With an euphoric realization, Stefan discovered he was suddenly happy.  All of his anxieties from not just the previous months, but from his entire lifetime melted away.  He was finally doing something for himself.  He of course had a mission, and a difficult one at that, but how it would be done was up to him.  The Order only cared that the Order was not damaged in the process.  A goal that, to Stefan, would be accomplished as a matter of course.