Post Human Ch. 03

The idea was further fueled by an ominous message received a few years after the war through one of the interplanetary communication devices formerly used by the Sikatis. Since the rebels took over the planet, there had been no incoming communication and after this one occurrence it never happened again. Humanity lacked the know-how to properly operate those machines and interpret incoming data. The real origin and content of the message were still a mystery, but some experts believed that it was an attempt of the Primus to make contact. Religious leaders had taken it upon themselves to interpret the message and incorporate it into their preaching.

Primusism, as it was sometimes referred to, was the largest religious group during my time. It was far from being a unified movement though. The interpretations ranged from obsessive fanaticism which dictated strict rules, demanded utter devotion and elevated the Primus to god-like creatures, to loose spiritual guidelines, attempting to help becoming more like the idolized super-humans. In most cases there was little harm in it. The idea of a higher, wiser entity watching over us, protecting us and eventually absolving us of our mundane sufferings was a comforting thought, whether it was reasonable or not. Especially after the religions of old humanity had been mostly vanquished by the Sikatis.

The Primus were idolized due to their role in the revolution, their tragic fate and their superior abilities. These motives overshadowed any negative notions such as the fact that the other subspecies had suffered at their hands for centuries or the accusation that they might have only led the rebellion so they could take over regency once the Sikatis were gone. This kind of criticism was not very popular, especially among the religious types. Since the real ones were gone, an imaginary, artificially crafted image had been molded in their stead, shaped by denial, romantic nostalgia and wishful thinking. The legend of the Primus as saviors had been an important component to help humanity heal after so much time of slavery and war. It was still a sacrosanct fixture in this fragile, volatile society.

The academies were undeniable proof of that. They had been founded in honor of the Primus and were still focused around the idea of humanity becoming more like the glorified super-humans through academic achievements and accumulation of knowledge. The institution was kept safely separated from religious doctrines, but the image of the superior Primus was still omnipresent. The statue in front of me was just one of many examples.

"Sorry for keeping you waiting," Niklas said from behind me, startling me from my absent staring at the over-dimensioned Primus stone replica.

"No problem," I assured him.

"How did it go?" Niklas asked, referring to the interview.

"As expected."

"That bad huh?"

I handed him the paper with the result.

"Disappointing but not surprising," he remarked. "That is why we have a backup plan. I talked to my boss. She is the first name on my list of professors who might help us and she wants to meet you as soon as possible. We could see her right now if that works for you."

"Sure," I answered although the sudden proposal caused an anxious nervousness in me. "I have no other plans."

"Great, follow me."

He led me to one of the six large buildings surrounding the Manor and square at some distance. The structures looked all pretty much the same: Large, seven story high houses, built during late Sikatis rule with a trapezoidal shaped base broadening as they extended away from the Manor square. Just like everything else on the campus they were well maintained, at least in comparison to other buildings of their age, profiting from having some of the best engineers in the world on premise.

Each of the buildings housed one of the six departments into which the academy's teaching and research fields were divided. These departments were derived from the six basic doctrines on which the academies were founded: Understanding the universe; advancing technology; shaping society; enabling peaceful coexistence; learning from the past; preserving and improving life.

The department for Understanding the Universe was focused on the natural sciences: Math, physics, chemistry, astronomy and some more specific fields building on them. The department for Advancing Technology was all about various forms of engineering, informatics, innovation and crafts. The department for Shaping Society, the one Niklas was employed at, pursued sociology, anthropology (including all subspecies as well as old humanity), philosophy, psychology and linguistics. The department for Enabling Peaceful Coexistence was occupied with law, politics and economics. The department for Learning from the Past studied history, archeology, everything about the Sikatis as well as the culture and art forms of old humanity. The department for Preserving and Improving Life was invested in biology, medicine, genetics, the human subspecies, zoology and botany.

I followed Niklas inside the building, drawing curious looks of his colleagues as we went. We ascended the stairs up to the topmost floor and came to a halt in front of a door with a sign reading "Professor Erika Sörenheim, head of department", next to it. Niklas knocked and a voice instructed us to come in.

The office we entered was spacious, modern and tastefully decorated. Professor Sörenheim sat at a huge desk on the opposite side of the room, facing us. She was an Eloquens in her fifties with a friendly, slightly wrinkled face.

"Hello Niklas," she greeted warmly. "And you must be Teo. I have heard a lot about you. Please have a seat."

"So how do you like Berlin so far?" the woman asked once we were seated. She considered me with an expression of honest curiosity.

"It is quite imposing," I answered without hesitation, prepared for that kind of question. "A lot different from my old home and a bit overwhelming, but a very exciting experience."

"That is good to hear," she remarked with a benevolent smile. "How are people treating you around here?"

That question was hazardous terrain. I didn't want to lie, but I had no intention to insult anyone or appear overly sensitive. "Some have been very nice to me," I answered truthfully.

"And others?" came the inevitable follow-up question.

"Others are not so fond of my presence."

"I thought so," She didn't push the matter any further. "So how is your application going?"

"Not very well," I admitted. "My character assessment score isn't high enough I am afraid."

"That is actually why we are here," Niklas interjected. "The committee is clearly biased. It's wrong. Teo deserves a fair chance. If we had a commendation from a full professor, he would get that chance."

"So you want me to provide a commendation for him," she inferred with a contemplative expression. The way she said it already suggested that she wasn't all too thrilled by the idea.

"It would be a good deed against discrimination and a great favor to both of us," Niklas added, probably aware of professor Sörenheim's reluctant attitude.

"I agree that the evaluation he received was probably not an objective one," Sörenheim started what sounded a lot like the beginning of an elaborate, apologetic refusal. "It is indeed not fair and I would love to remedy this problem. Alas, the matter is more complicated than that. It would be a conflict of interest if I interfere with the application process for the sake of furthering the research of someone from my staff. It would look as if I did it just to help you achieve a desirable result for your experiment. That would be highly unethical."

"But that is nonsense," Niklas protested. "Teo is a legitimate candidate, not just someone I dragged here for my research. He would have applied sooner or later anyway, regardless of my assistance. I am convinced that he has the potential to make it through the academy and that he will be a valuable addition to it."

"I believe you, but that doesn't change how it appears from the outside. Usually I wouldn't be so concerned about the common opinion, but I intend to apply for becoming director of the academy, once the position is available and the potential backlash from this case is tremendous. I just cannot take that risk. I am really sorry, but I can't help you."

That verdict was final, that much was obvious. Niklas stayed silent, his face showing obvious disapproval. "I understand," I replied when he failed to acknowledge her decision. "I don't want to cause trouble for anyone."

"Thank you," the woman said with a sympathetic smile. "But don't be too complacent around here. Sometimes a troublemaker is just what is needed to provoke a change for the better. I advise you to keep looking for someone else who can provide you with a commendation, someone who is not as compromised by professional obligations as I am."

"That is the plan," Niklas informed her defiantly.

"Good; and even if it doesn't work out, you should definitely still do the exam. An impressive score could get you a lot of attention and maybe more support for the next application period."

I nodded, accepting the advice, but the thought of having to wait another year so I could apply again was devastating."

Soon after that, Niklas and I left the office, somewhat disheartened but not ready to give up yet. There was a lot of work ahead of us and we got right to it. The next few days were dominated by two activities: Preparing for the exam and talking to professors for a commendation. Both were quite frustrating in their own ways. My remaining optimism was diminished considerably when I learned that Niklas hadn't mentioned the intention of asking for a commendation in his requests for meetings with professors. He had merely asked for an informal opportunity to present me as his new experiment. The idea was that the recipients were more likely to agree to the meeting if they didn't know about our plea and that it was harder for them to refuse in person than on paper. That made sense but it also made the few confirmations we received a lot less promising. I had hoped that those professors, who agreed to talk to us, were already considering granting me their support and that they only wanted to make sure I deserved it. Instead we had to state our case to each of them and hope for the best.

Niklas' first lead was a friend of his at the department for Enabling Peaceful Coexistence. He was another Eloquens, a few years older than Niklas, but with a similarly candid and talkative demeanor. Despite his friendly attitude he refused us rather swiftly. The reason he stated was that he didn't want it to look as if he only granted the commendation as a favor for a friend. To me it seemed a lot more like he simply didn't want to have anything to do with this mess.

We didn't have any more luck with the head of the department for Advancing Technology, an old, portly Callidus with a bushy, grey beard. He talked bluntly and with a harsh honesty, making clear that he had no intention of giving me a commendation. The reson was simple: He had nothing to gain from it, but reputation to lose. He also admitted that he had only agreed to the meeting so he could see the "Genius Barbarian" everyone was talking about, with his own eyes. That nickname, dripping with cynicism, had apparently spread like wildfire within the academy since I had applied.

I dared give myself to a glimmer of hope when a mathematics professor we met presented me with three mathematical problems, ensuring me that if I was able to solve one of them, he would grant me his full support. My hope was short-lived though. While I understood enough about functions, equations and geometry not to make a complete fool of myself, I failed to complete any of the tasks put in front of me. Subsequently my request was denied. Only later did I learn that those were not just some random assignments. Each of them was a mathematical problem humanity, at least our current version of humanity had not been able to solve yet. Why the professor had bothered to put up this charade was beyond me. Maybe it was some personal joke, maybe he did this to everyone who came to him asking for a favor, maybe he did it to have an excuse for denying me or maybe he had actually believed there was a chance I could solve in a few minutes what the leading experts of the field couldn't solve in decades. Regardless, our search went on.

The most unpleasant meeting was with a Durabilis biologist. I had gotten used to being treated with disrespect and derogatory attitude, but this was a whole new level of condescension. He didn't even seem to acknowledge me as a human being, considering me with what seemed like curiosity in a peculiar specimen of animal. His eyes were on me the whole time, but he only talked directly to Niklas. As it turned out, the professor wanted to conduct some degrading experiments on me, the kind one would do with a dog or a monkey. Niklas started to formulate a polite but very determined refusal when I interjected. I volunteered to participate in her experiment in exchange for the commendation. I was willing to suffer some humiliation, if it granted me entry to the academy. The thought appeared to be completely absurd to the professor though. He declined, calling it a ridiculous, anthropological perversion to encourage the access of Fortis to higher education. Somehow he even managed to make it sound as if it wasn't meant as an insult. After that we left as fast as possible.

I knew that we were running out of options, when we visited an economics professor who was two month from retirement and rumored to be going crazy. The best we could hope for was that he didn't care about consequences anymore and was crazy enough to help us. Whether the old man was really losing his mind or not I couldn't ascertain during our short conversation, but he certainly was eccentric if nothing else. The idea of me joining the academy seemed very amusing to him and he called it a "great prank" but he also claimed that he couldn't make that happen because his colleagues would probably "beat him dead" if he did. It sounded like a joke and he laughed but I still wasn't completely sure that he didn't mean it in earnest.

"Well, that was a waste of time," Niklas remarked exasperated when we came back to his office after our meeting with the eccentric old man.

"At least I didn't feel like he wanted to dissect my brain, like with that biologist."

"Give it a few months. If his mental state deteriorates further, there is no telling what he might want to do."

"I am beginning to wonder whether this whole endeavor was a bad idea in the first place," I contemplated. "With all the hostility against me, does this make any sense? Even if I made it in, how would I pass any courses with that kind of resistance?"

After all the setbacks my doubts had finally gotten the upper hand. There were only three more days until the exam. At that point the application period was over and there would be no chance to get the necessary points for my character assessment anymore.

"It is not as bad as it seems," Niklas claimed. "Most of them have no problem with you personally. It is just that nobody wants to take the sole responsibility for bringing what might be a huge change for this institution. They are sacred of the personal and institutional risk which comes with it. It will be different once you have proven yourself to some of the academy staff and they are no longer putting their careers on the line by supporting you."

"It doesn't look like I will get much of a chance anyway. I guess we are out of potential candidates to talk to."

"Not quite. There is one more reply I received," he revealed reluctantly.

"You don't sound very reassuring," I observed."

"This last one is really a long shot, but we don't have a better option so it's worth trying."

"Who is it?"

"Veronika Siebal, a Durabilis woman leading the anthropology institute within my department; not the most pleasant person to be honest; she is not really an advocate of our cause either; plus she doesn't like me very much."

"That doesn't sound optimistic. Is there any reason why she would help?"

"If so, she won't do it just out of pure altruism that I am certain of. It is hard to tell what her intentions are most of the time, but she usually has some ulterior motives. There is one reason for hope though. Siebal doesn't care much about the opinions of others and usually she doesn't have to. Within her domain she is a real luminary, enjoying an almost legendary status. It is said that there is nobody who understands humans of all subspecies as well as she does. In her many interdisciplinary projects she conducted groundbreaking social experiments, made some fundamental discoveries about the origins of the subspecies, published very important works giving insight into human behavior, led some archaeological expeditions to better understand our ancestors and made interesting observations in her study of various contemporary human societies. She is only in her late thirties, so her career will flourish for many more years. Due to these circumstances pretty much every university, Primus academy or private research institution would love to employ her. She is very aware of that and knows how to use it to her own benefit. It is already certain that she will become head of this department as soon as Professor Sörenheim gives up the position. That promise is what keeps her here. It means she could help us without fear of repercussions. Hardly anyone would dare criticize her. That might be a significant advantage for us."

"It is worth a shot," I admitted, though I wasn't all too thrilled to meet that person, based on Nikla's account of her. "So when will we go meet her?"

"She proposed that you drop by her office today or tomorrow afternoon. You could try it right now, since you are here anyway. But I think it would be better if I didn't accompany you. As I said, we are not exactly best friends. My presence would be of no help; at best."

That prospect made me even more anxious about the meeting. I wouldn't shy away from it though.

"Fine, I will see her."

"Great, getting there is easy: From my office you go up two floors, then right. Siebal's office is at the end of the hallway, name is on the door. In the meantime I have some work to do, so just come back here when you are done."

I had a feeling that Niklas really didn't want to go anywhere near that woman. Considering his usual enthusiasm for conversations, that was worrying. Nevertheless I followed his directions and made my way to the anthropology institute. Unsurprisingly, the reactions of people I passed were even more worried and bewildered when I moved through the facilities without Niklas. The one thing I had learned in this institution so far was ignoring them. I sincerely hoped this wouldn't remain my only acquisition from the academy. When I arrived in front of the door and knocked, for a brief moment I found myself hoping that no one would answer. I was asked to enter, so I peeked inside.

Apart from those occupied by department heads, the office was the largest one I had seen so far; certainly an indication of the owner's status. The room was decorated with some trinkets, which appeared to be interesting artifacts of old humanity; otherwise the interior looked rather plain. A Durabilis woman with a stern expression sat at a huge desk, scribbling on a piece of paper. She only cast a brief, disinterested glance at me, before returning her attention back to the work in front of her.

"The Genius Barbarian, in the flesh," she remarked without any formal greeting, a hint of amusement in her voice. "Come in and close the door."

There were two chairs in front of the desk, but she didn't offer me to sit down, so I just stood in the middle of the room, hands behind my back, trying not to look as nervous as I felt.