Meera Sharma was the proverbial fish out of water at the Academy.

She found her studies easy, boring even, the physical aspects were demanding but repetitive.

Meera sought out the patterns, perfected the predictable outcomes.

Meera shone, singled out by her instructors as a future leader, groomed for promotion, given extra responsibilities, extra training.

The social aspects of the Academy failed to interest her. She shunned the little groups that formed, ignored invitations to gatherings and parties.

The only people she knew were the two from her old school, neither were of any interest to her here.

So, Meera spent long hours alone, studying, researching, learning about the organisation, the Society machine that she now served.

Across most of the 'civilised' world, Society ruled the populace with a gentle, but iron grip.

This Empire (for that was what Society was) spanned continents, eradicated all national and cultural differences, enveloped, consumed, and adjusted entire populations.

Every Citizen was a Citizen of Society, equal and equalised. Languages were a thing of the past; Society Standard was spoken throughout the world.

'Rome had been rebuilt!' Meera remarked in a lesson one morning. Neither her fellow students, nor her lecturer knew what Rome was.

The Audit Programme noted several searches for '#Rome?' and provided the standard 'Access Denied - No Records Exist For this Query'.

Meera was noticed. Watched.

She'd not meant to stand out, excel, it was just her nature.

She came from a family, a culture, that, despite restrictions imposed on schooling by Society, saw the value of teaching the history, the real history, of their ancestors, and the world, to their own.

Secret talks, clandestine classes. The elders of the extended family giving an insight into how the world had turned for thousands of years before Society was even dreamt of!

Meera's roots were in a country that some believed was the most invaded in history. For 4000 years, from Aryans to the British, a seemingly never-ending cycle of Empire building and Empires falling.

Though these names had now been lost or erased, Meera's interest in history grew; the more she learned of the present, the more she saw patterns repeating from the past.

She'd been set an essay: 'Imagine a scenario that could hypothetically threaten Society.'

Most of her classmates were stumped, a few had the imaginations to think of natural disasters, earthquakes, famine, and floods.

But the vast machinery of Society had Emergency Protocols in place, worldwide, each Area could support a population twice that of what it held. Any forced evacuations would be swift and efficient. Citizens would be protected, Society would prevail.

Meera's essay, however, caused a lot more thought to be given to her feedback. Her words were read but not understood, her incomprehensible thoughts confused and confounded her lecturers.

Those who oversaw the Academy were alerted. They had found an anomaly.

Society's hierarchy was both thrilled, and a little concerned, when they read Meera's essay.

'The New Barbarians are Already at our Gates'

Freewayriding

19.06.23 Front Page

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