Dayton placed 10th in his school. All those above him were genetically enhanced. To his surprised, there were even four individuals below him who had also had the injections. Dayton was shocked and excited by this own achievements, but the question in his mind remained; would it be enough?

Graduation Certificates were presented in order. Listing both their school rank, and their international rank. Numbers that would follow them for several years.

No one was offered positions at Academies during the ceremony. If they were, they were often contacted by email within the next week, and their decision also had to be quick thanks to the off-world travel time, and the need for those who had not taken injections to do so before they left.

From what Dayton had heard, the body’s adjustment took 1-3 days, and often left individuals weakened or even sick as the body purged itself of its impurities. Dayton received his certificate, many clapping out of politeness than excitement of what he’d achieved. Dayton had never been the most social of individuals, and the truth of his father’s predicament had left him outcasted.

Dayton only paused to say a final farewell to Professor Martin and thank him for his teachings, then he headed by bus to the Funeral Hall to show his mother and grandfather.

“There, I told you I’d do my best,” Dayton smiled at the plaques, his eyes moist with tears, “I placed tenth in school, above even some of the enhanced”.

His eyes turned sad and his smile faded a little, “Do you think today I could celebrate with ice cream for dinner?”

He waited in the silence for a response that would never come, then chuckled to himself, “You’re right, I should wait until I get an Academy invitation first, but I can have Korean barbecue or hot pot instead”.

Dayton waited a bit longer, talking with his family before he walked back out in the late afternoon to go and by a hotpot kit to make at home and celebrate.

“Dayton Wayfinder?”

Dayton paused at the accented voice, turning to find a man in plain but expensive attire with a woman by his side who had sharp and intelligent eyes. For a moment, Dayton thought they were human, but as they stepped into the light, the slight sheen beneath the woman’s skin, or the slight red tones to his, not to mention his pointed ears, made it clear that they were not of Earth.

Dayton frowned, “I don’t know how you know my name, but I don’t want any trouble”.

The man smiled, then reached into his pocket and took out a Link Key, a programable and portable device that appeared like a watch, that many on Earth dreamed of but could not hope to afford for another decade at least given the amount of Star Dollars they’d need. The man clicked it, and a holographic screen showing an identification was revealed

“We’re not here to hurt or take anything from you,” he smiled in amusement, “We’re here to make you an offer”.

Dayton read the ID. Nathen Wilcomb. 2nd Army, 73rd Corps, Rank: General.

Dayton’s eyes widened in shock, then narrowed suspiciously, “Is this a joke?”

The General chuckled, “I can see this will take some convincing. How about we buy you dinner. It is a celebratory night for you, is it not? Besides, this planet has such a vast variety of cultures and palates. It’s almost a relief from the Central Systems”.

Dayton looked back and forth between the two of them before he decided this was too elaborate to be a prank. Why would two aliens who apparently had military rank come down to prank him?

Even if he dismissed the fact that it was a major crime to impersonate Military Personnel, where on earth had the pranksters gotten the money for holographic disguises?

“We have a car, if you’ll give me a location,” the woman spoke.

Dayton hesitated only one more moment before he nodded in agreement and rattled off the address of a Korean barbeque restaurant in a lesser-known part of the city. The last thing he wanted to do was draw attention to himself.

“Ahjumma! Two Servings of pork, Two of Beef and one Kimchi and Cheese Fried Rice for the table please!”

The answering reply of an okay rung out and Dayton indicated for the woman and man to make themselves comfortable, “I’ll be back in a moment”.

He then grabbed a tray and grabbed several side dishes, including kimchi, lettuce leaves, dipping sauces, garlic, mixed picked vegetables and some bean sprouts. He also grabbed a large bottle of water and three glasses for the table.

Dayton returned and unloaded the tray just as the owner arrived with the meat and turned on the central tray heating it and then cutting the meat into manageable strips onto the tray.

“You tell me when you want Fried Rice, yes?” asked the woman as she finished dishing the meat onto the tray.

Dayton nodded, taking the tongs from her, “Thank you”.

She nodded and walked off.

Dayton pointed to the jug of water, “It’s just water, so it’s free, help yourself. If you want other drinks, you’re free to take them from the fridge over there but you have to pay for them”.

“Such strange customs, cooking food in the centre of the table. Is it a common practice on this planet?” asked Nathen as he watched the meat sizzle, glancing around at one other table in the corner that was occupied.

“There are a few variations of it, this particular version is Korean,” replied Dayton.

“You are Korean?”

Dayton shook his head, “No, I don’t claim Korean Heritage. I had a grandparent that was Vietnamese and married a Canadian, but my mother was half Danish and half English, so I relate more with the English side than anything else”.

“It is common for peoples of your planet to intermingle cultures?” asked the woman, curious.

“More common in the last century or so than in the past,” said Dayton as he flipped the meat methodically, “Technological Advancements gave way to Globalised Economies and Communication which in turn led to further technological advancements in other areas such as transportation. It wasn’t all smooth sailing, but we were well on our way to paving a path of a united earth prior to the Induction. That has probably only served to hasten the process”.

“You are indeed quite well-learned and intelligent, as your Exam Rankings indicate,” said the General.

“You have seen them?” asked Dayton.

“They are easy enough to get a hold of if you rank high enough”.

“I don’t mean to seem rude, but I meant why would you bother?”

The General paused, and gave a wry smile at the woman beside him who held his gaze with no answering expression for only a moment before the General spoke, “Have you ever heard of the General Sponsorships, Dayton?”

Dayton shook his head, then indicated to some of the meat, “It’s ready”.

He then spent a couple of minutes teaching them how to eat with chopsticks and which dipping sauce was for which meat. He then made himself a lettuce wrap and explained that they could pick and choose what they wanted from the side dishes. After they began eating, and seemed happily surprised by the flavours, Dayton urged them to continue, “You were going to explain the General Sponsorships?”

“Ah, yes, sorry,” said the General around a mouthful, “Danin, please”.

“About a thousand or so years ago when the Military Power of the Empire began to Stagnate, the Emperor and the Grand Generals of the time proposed that they implement a system that is still in effect today known as the General Sponsorship,” Danin explained delicately, “In short, each Corps General of the Armies is given the opportunity to sponsor an individual every ten years to enter the Military Academy of the General’s choice. The idea was to source these individuals from lesser-known regions, but the tradition has not always remained as such as the only restrictions are that a General cannot choose someone from their own family, nor can they choose someone from a S-Class Planet. That being said, most Sponsorships are chosen from A Class, and on occasion B Class planets”.

Dayton nodded in understanding.

“The reason we are here speaking with you, Dayton, is because I wish to offer you my Sponsorship,” the General said. Dayton proceeded to swallow his food too quickly, and practically hacked it back up before he recovered, turning slowly to face the General.

“Me?” asked Dayton.

“You show remarkable promise,” the General replied, “Not only through your Exam scores, but Psychological evaluations, and of course there are the unconfirmed reports of…incidents occurring to the worst offenders amongst your bullies”.

Dayton did not show a reaction to that. The General smirked, “Good, it needs a little work, but get used to using that blank face”.

Dayton frowned.

“If you accept the sponsorship,” Danin explained, “You’ll be placed into not only the best and oldest Military Academy in the Empire, but also the Political Arena that surrounds it. You’ll need to learn to navigate it, and quickly. You’ll be an anomaly coming from an F-Class planet, let alone one that was only recently inducted. All other Cadets will correctly assume you are in way over your head, not to mention that they will be far ahead of you in terms of Genetic Enhancement”.

“But,” the General stated, “If you are willing and determined enough to navigate all that crap, you may just make something of yourself. Something exceptional”.

Dayton couldn’t believe they were making such an offer to him.

“What do I owe, when it is done?”

The General shook his head, “The Sponsorship doesn’t work like that. A General like me selects you, then you are provided with Military Schooling and all your basic necessities for the duration of your education. When you graduate and are distributed to an Army, you pay off your debt through military contributions”.

“So only when my contributions outweigh my debt will I be free?” asked Dayton.

The General scoffed, “Come now, I was under the impression you were intelligent. Nobody sneezes in these empires without the Governing Bodies picking up on it. ‘Freedom’ is a relative term, and in your case, no, you won’t earn a profit until your contributions outweigh your debt. But this was what you wanted, wasn’t it? A chance at a Military Academy?”

Dayton wanted to ask how the General knew that. But it was probably the same way he knew everything else about him.

Finishing the meat, the Ahjumma arrived with the rice and kimchi and dumped it onto the tray, cooking it for several minutes before sprinkling cheese on top. She stepped back when it had melted and indicated it was okay to eat.

“How long do I have to decide?”

The General glanced at Danin, “Two days. If you are going to accept the Sponsorship, arrive here with the belongings you wish to take with you within that time. We will take care of anything you need to settle before going off world following that”.

“So soon?”

“It’s a long way to the Hedelian System, you’ll need to get there in time for the new school year to begin”.

They finished eating, and the General smiled at him, “You think on it, we’ll pay for this. Thank you for introducing us to some of your home planet’s culture”.

Dayton stood to wish them farewell. And shortly after they left, quietly went back to the Student Housing himself. Now that he thought about it, he was no longer a student, he’d have at most a month to find another place before they kicked him out.

Dayton couldn’t believe the kind of offer that had been made to him, and was terrified of what he would encounter. But he also couldn’t deny the excitement and expectations that burned within him. He could do this. He knew he could. Yes, it was on a far larger scale than he could have ever anticipated, but it was a path to follow his dreams. And the truth of the matter was he had no reason to refuse. Nothing that was keeping him here.

Nothing except…

Dayton gave a deep frown, well, that wasn’t really something that was keeping him on Earth. If anything, it had always been detrimental to whatever he wanted. But it still felt wrong to just leave without saying goodbye.