I read the screen that Juna told me about. There were instructions about the initiation process but also a warning about the potential dangers of the process that apply to all initiates, the risks and duties of an Operating Superstar with a page of liability waivers at the end.
"If you didn't become an OS, you still needed to go through a step here." She advised.
One of the sections was specifically for anyone like me, from another world. It had disclaimers that I could lose memories of my "old life". It also stated that any humans and any other being from beyond Techlandia that are to stay must "be reformatted into compatible data" and there are additional risks for them. I felt a shiver down my spine reading this. I had an ominous feeling what being "reformatted" would be, but I was told that somehow I'd still be able to temporarily return to the Human World.
I also thought again about what Piroska said and tried to be assured by it, that this process should be easier for me than it was for her due to refinements in this technology.
"Do you want to write down anything about your life and memories in case you forget them?" Juna asked me. I thought it over for a few moments but asked for a pen and paper to write things down. What did I want to remember about my old life in case I lost my memories of it?
Juna handed me a notepad with a pen, and I started writing to myself. I wrote down the names of family, cities I lived in, and the schools I went to, but maybe I'm being sentimental. "I'm distant from a lot of my family. Time drove some of us apart as we took different paths, but I'm estranged from some because they didn't like that I got into countercultures..."
"I'm Damien and I'm 30 years old, graduated from Berkeley, and became a UNIX enthusiast when I was in college. I was a software developer until I was taken to the computer world-- to Techlandia!"
"Since my teens I was drawn to countercultures. The garage rock bands I saw in the 60's inspired me. Their styles were often simpler, but more raw. I couldn't manage to be a musician, but I went to many concerts and many of my favorite were from the garage rock bands."
"The counterculture that shaped me the most though is the hacker culture which I got to try when I was in college and got access to mainframes and minicomputers. It shaped my career path, which shaped my new life!" I wrote these down and a few more things. What my grades were in school, about the jobs that I had, of people I didn't want to forget. Several minutes passed until I was finished writing.
"Alright, this should be enough." I said. I put the clipboard on the console where there was free space. On the liability waiver screen, I typed my name and where I was from as the section at the end requested, but I was stuck on the date. It was October 21st 1977, but the date field didn't recognize it.
"I signed my name but it's not accepting the date I entered!" I said, frustrated.
"You need to enter the date and time in a Techlandian format." Etta advised.
"I haven't learned that."
"I'll help." Juna entered the date and submitted the form. The bottom of inside of the pod lit up green as did the light along the rims.
"Do I just... step into that?" I asked, regretting my decision.
"It might look scary but the process is actually quite painless." Piroska cheerfully said.
"How would you know this?" I asked with a nervous chuckle.
"I used to be human." She said. "I got here in a similar way to you, but let's focus on your initiation first." She added.
This was a shock to me but I didn't have much time to think about it. I had so many questions I wanted to ask her, but she and her teammates that are in the room along with the group of developers, gathered in a large circle around the pod.
I climbed into the pod, taking a deep breath to calm my nerves. "She said it was quite painless, not completely painless" I grumbled to myself.
"We'll monitor every step for you. If anything goes wrong, we'll get you out." Etta said.
When I entered he pod and lied down, the lights inside turned from white to red.
"It just needs to be closed and we'll be ready to start." One of the developers said. Juna entered another command to close the pod and walked to an open spot in the circle. A transparent domed ceiling closed on the top of the pod but I could sit up enough to get a glimpse of what was going to happen next!
One of the Developers, who was holding a large book and was wearing a lab coat with more ranking insignia on it start an incantation. Bright light started to shine from the book. Juna then pointed her wand at me and said another incantation before the rest of the circle joined in. The lights inside the pod started to change colors and soon I had the feeling that a lot of knowledge was being beamed into my head until I passed out.
Phuong was standing next to the pod with a clipboard in hand, taking notes and recording the readings from the console monitor. She also held small flags with different colors and symbols on them in the pockets of the white lab coat she was wearing over her dress.
When she saw me wake up, she happily waved around a pair of flags that announced success. "Your initiation was successful!" She announced. This was the first thing I heard after I woke up.
The ceiling on the pod opened, mist flowed out from it and the lights along the rim glowed green. It was still hard for me to move but some of the developers and the Programmable Darling Patrol members were gathered around close enough where I could see them.
"It worked! You're an Operating Superstar and a Techlandian!" Piroska cheered. The room filled with an applause.
"That's a relief." I said. I tried to climb out of the pod but a jolt of pain in my head knocked me back down, but I sat up and put my hands on my head as I felt a throbbing headache. It was difficult to keep my eyes open.
"Any questions?"
"Yes. Many of them!" I said, sounding more annoyed and confused than excited. "I felt like I had a lot of knowledge beamed into my head at once, so much that I passed out, what happened?"
"The initiation process for Operating Superstars is a bit like that, but you went through more since you were human." Piroska said, wincing slightly; she looked at me with an understanding like this happened to her before.
"Were human..." Those words gave me a chill as they reminded me I'm not human anymore and can't go back.
"It was a shock for me when it happened to me too."
When I stood up, took my hands off of my head and fully opened my eyes, there were oohs and aahs about my appearance! I was relieved that the throbbing headache I had was subsiding, but now I’m confused again.
"Does anyone have a mirror?" I asked.
"I'll get it!" Etta offered. She ran upstairs and a few minutes later she returned with a large round mirror from the lobby wall. Piper also returned with her guitar.
"Here he is, our new superstar!" Piper sang as she strummed a series of power chords! Etta held up the mirror. There was enough lighting in the room that I could see my reflection. I saw that my hair was a bit longer and covered my eyes. I moved it out of my eyes, and suddenly the lights brightened which let me have a more clear look. It showed that my hair turned a reddish-brown and that my eyes turned red!
"Is that supposed to happen?!" I asked, briefly recoiling in shock.
"Yeah! Do you think I had green hair and red or purple eyes before I was initiated?" Piroska asked with a chuckle.
"Probably not..." I said. I took a few steps to try to walk around in my new form, but I stumbled.
"Whoa there!" She said when she caught me. "It'll take some getting used to and I know that from experience!"
"I'm sure you'll go far! To go from a human is rough, but you will endure, you will be tough!" Piper sung while she strummed more power chords.
"Right. It'd be good to rest up today." Polyxena cheerfully and calmly suggested amid the loud improvised rock ballad.
"I concur! It's wise to rest to be your best!" Piper sung in agreement.
"Yeah! Let's make sure you'll be feeling well enough to attend Valencia's debut party in a few days!" Piroska cheered.
"If you can't make it to the dining hall, I'll bring a plate of dinner for you to the guest room!" Polyxena cheerfully said.
"I'll check on you again later to make sure there aren't any complications." Phuong said.
Piritta offered to help me back to the guest room I stayed the last night. I needed her help since I stumbled every few steps.
Getting up the stairs was tricky but it got somewhat easier past the stairs. When we passed by the kitchen, I saw Etta using the videophone. Etta quickly turned her focus away from the screen and waved to me. "I told my sister about your initiation and she should be coming over in time for Valencia's debut party!" She cheerfully said. "Thanks for helping Damien get to the guest room too." She thanked Piritta.
"That's great and I'll look forward to meeting her!" I said and waved back before I continued walking past the kitchen.
"Is Etta's sister part of the team? Is she also an Operating Superstar?" I asked.
"Yes. Her name is Olympia and she is a prominent researcher and could also be a helpful teacher. You would not have a shortage of teammates that would be ready and willing to help you." Piritta said.
"That's a relief. It was terrifying arriving here.
"Thank you." I said after I was helped up again in the middle of the hallway.
"You're welcome. We're not too far from the guest room." Piritta said. The walk continued and I stayed by her side, being careful not to trip again. When we arrived to the guest room, she opened the door for me. I quickly walked and stumbled onto the bed.
"I wanted to do that." I chuckled.
"Did you want to watch TV?" She asked. "I could also show you the library later."
"Sure, and thank you." I said. I wanted to watch TV for the sake of research. To learn more about this world. Piritta brought the remote from the drawer that the TV is on and I turned on the TV. The channel was the same as I had left it.
"I can also check on you later." She offered before she was about to head out of the room, but a question I asked convinced her to stay for a while.
"Is this person another Operating Superstar?" I asked, pointing to the TV. She turned towards the TV again to take a look.
"Yes and she was one of my students." She said with a smile. "There's more I could tell you."
Piritta grabbed the chair that was in front the desk to the side of the room, and moved it in front of the TV. She decided to sit down and watch TV too.
One of the Operating Superstars we saw on TV was wearing a blue dress with black and gray trim with white leggings, gloves and blue boots and a helmet. She had long white hair that was tied into a ponytail that trailed behind her as she flew in the sky with her jet boots! The color scheme of her outfit reminded me of one of my own computers! I may not have forgotten much. I still remembered that I ordered an Altair 8800 through a magazine when it became available.
"That's Alastriona. Around 2 years ago in your world's time, she and some Developers I knew asked for my help with an important project and we worked together on it." She reminisced. "We still hear from each other from time to time, but we’re both busy with a lot.”
"Really? Is she in the entertainment venues like Diana? I saw a performance of hers on TV this morning” I said, sounding surprised.
"Yes, and in hobbyist movements. I am sure it sounds surprising we work together when our social circles tend to be completely different and we operate in fields that are as different as day and night. Many of the OSes in the professional fields think the OSes that joined in entertainment and hobbyist movements might be just a fad.” Piritta said before she sighed. “It’s personal when they look down on these things.” She quietly said, but visibly frustrated.
"Did any of them say that to you?" I asked, concerned.
"A few did, but not any that you’ve heard of."
"I don't want to know them." I said. "In the letter Gerald wrote to me, I'm not sure how assuring this is." I paused before I tried again and hoped that mentioning this wouldn't be a mistake. "He said he didn't fully understand the entertainment and hobbyist fields for OSes, and was unsure if they'd have long-term success, but he said he sees what they're trying as an experiment that's worthy of being recognized. There's something else he said at the end but I didn't entirely get it. The letter is by the TV."
Piritta stood up, picked up the letter and read it. She smiled. "He is usually grumpy and stubborn and we clash over that, but he is not as arrogant as he lets on and he sees the potential of the hobbyist and entertainment fields though he would not usually admit this."
I nodded, was happy for her, and we continued watching the show. Alastriona had landed near the stage and walked up to it. She announced she was hosting another event. Diana was a returning performer and brought some of the paintings she featured that morning! They auctioned off the paintings, and after the last one, Alastriona announced another performer:
"Trish from The Lodgers will also be joining us!"
Trish arrived on the stage briefly looking nervous before looking determined. She had dark gray hair that was about shoulder-length, light blue eyes and rectangular wire-frame glasses; she had a black headband with gray rivets and wire trim on it and the front of her hair had simple metal hair clips. She hauled a box of items with her, but was careful to not trip over her skirt. Her dress was black and silver with light yellow buttons and a red belt. It may have been long-sleeved with the sleeves rolled up.
Her outfit was elegant but had a thrifty and industrial edge to it. The earrings she wore had red metal pieces and necklace she wore had a thick metal chain with red metal pieces dangling from it. A few people wearing suits in a similar color scheme followed her and brought larger metal and plastic sculptures.
She brought items out of the box onto the table. The items were refurbished electronics which she promoted along with the sculptures.
After that show was finished, I continued to watch TV for a while more and asked Piritta more questions about what I was watching. She didn't mind answering them at all. She was happy to answer them, and started to give a list of book recommendations which I should look for in the library once I'm feeling better. She got up from the chair and asked how I was feeling.
"I feel like I'll be ready to make it to the dining hall, but I'll still need help." I said, sitting up further on the bed.
"Alright. After another episode of this show could be a good time to head out to the dining hall."
"Hey! Look who made it!" Piroska cheerfully announced when she saw Piritta and I arrive to the dining hall. The table was nearly full; only a few empty chairs were left and we were seated. There were plates, cups and silverware in front of each chair and several platters sat in the middle of the table with different foods along with containers of seasonings and sauces.
Some of them looked familiar to me, but others didn't. Polyxena wasn't in the room when I arrived but she returned with another large platter of food; it resembled a well-cooked steak in its color and texture but like much of the food I've seen here, it was in a rectangular shape.
Piper began serving the food to everyone at the table.
"Thank you!" I thanked her when she served my plate.
"You're welcome! There should be a few more things to talk about with becoming an Operating Superstar, but let's keep this dinner a celebration for your initiation" Etta said to me. "And for your upcoming public debut party!" She said to Valencia who smiled and looked eager.
"Do either of you have any questions?"
"I'm fine. I feel ready." Valencia said.
"Will I have my own public debut?" I nervously asked.
"After you complete your basic training. Valencia completed hers and we're just preparing for her debut party!"
"Alright. How much time will I be given to train before my debut?"
"It depends on several factors." Juna answered. " I asked to keep my initiation and training simple. I encourage it for all my students. I didn't care about training to have the most power. Damien, I don't encourage it because there's a drawback to it that I've seen."
"What was that?"
"Multiplicia had one of the riskiest initiations for a Techlandian. Hers began several cycles before mine, but our official debuts were around the same time because her initiation and training caused a lot of complications." Juna said somberly. She looked like she wanted to say more about this, but she decided against it. "I'll be your primary mentor to teach you the techniques of my team. When you're rested enough, I'll show you the first steps." She said more confidently.
Juna seemed worried about something, but I also didn't want to dampen the mood of this celebration. I'd rather wait for another time to ask about what was worrying her, but for now this dinner is a celebration for my successful initiation, and what will be ahead.
