In the Outland Empire, as in the Eastern Empire, and the Old Empire that once united them both, the Civil Service Examination was the key to securing a lucrative bureaucratic position for life. Reflecting its origins as a presidential democracy, the Outland Empire Civil Service Examination was open (in theory) to all, and not just the patrician families of Senators. Since the positions opened up very rarely, and few new ones were added to the creaky and deeply ossified structure of the Empire, competition was fierce.

Hence, people tended to cheat on the exam. A lot.

“Exam takers, stand for inspection. No outside paper. No outside pencils. Be prepared to submit to a full body cavity search.” The orders were barked by a member of the Popularis Guard, serving double duty as a testing proctor. The Popularis Party had merged its own armed forces with that of the Empire long ago, and their penchant for sudden, savage, but ideologically acceptable violence made them the first line of defense against cheaters.

Sine followed their directions, stripping down to his skivvies. He had worn the regulation white undergarments, specifically designed to show writing on the inside as well as bulges where contraband might be smuggled in (with the side effect of being immensely unflattering). He was therefore spared the indignity of an impromptu strip-search, unlike many of the less-prepared candidates. Sine’s personal belongings–skivvies aside–were tossed in a barrel alongside those of the hundred-or-so other test-takers. A receipt was thrust at him, but Sine knew that his belongings would be divvied up among the Popularis Guard and had therefore worn old clothes of no value and carried nothing but his ID card and bus fare. The applicants who had worn their Sunday best wished they’d done the same, to judge from the expressions on their faces.

“No cell phones, no satellite phones, no external communications of any kind! Get caught with any of them and it’s the blacklist, so throw them away now!”

There was a jammer, adapted from one once used for Peace-Sajadas overseas, but it was old technology and could not content with some of the newest spectrum-hopping equipment. Successfully getting a jammerbusting phone in could mean a near-perfect score…but the blacklist meant being forbidden from ever taking the test again, at least not without a hefty bribe. Sine didn’t even own such a phone–they were far too expensive–so there was no chance of him violating the edict.

In poring through the hundreds and hundreds of books available at the local Outland Imperial Library branch, cross-checking facts and garnering tips to be themselves cross-checked against those who had taken a recent exam. For the Civil Service Examination was his best and only hope for a better life and an escape from the squalor in which Sine found himself.

  • Like what you see? Purchase a print or ebook version!