She stood and made her way to the office whose door had just opened. The officer’s face told her nothing as he closed the door after her and walked behind the desk. “I’m Recruitment Officer Patrin Hu. Take a seat,” he said, doing so himself. She sat, spine so straight even her mother would have found no fault with her posture. He consulted a screen. “You passed the physical, and your knowledge base test scores were above average except in interstellar history. Understandable, since you were raised on a Steader colony. It’s noted that your slipspace computations were quite elegant.” Shayalin allowed herself a smidgeon of hope. She didn’t breathe. “There were some concerns about your psych exam, however. Normally they would not be a sufficient deterrent, but your family connections prejudice your application,” the officer said. The wild thought flew through her mind that the man had somehow met her mother and the full force of her disapproval.
