Post Human Ch. 01

As in so many other things, I was somewhat different in that regard. My preferences had always tended towards shorter, slimmer girls. Maybe the reason for it was the same as for my other psychological anomalies or maybe it was due to my general fascination with the other subspecies. Whatever it was, it caused me to oversee the supposed beauty attributed to the woman in front of me.

I became even more aware of my unusual mentalities, when I was ordered to undress. The thought of standing naked in front of all those people, with an erection even, left me very uncomfortable. For a Fortis that was absurd. I had grown up in a society where nakedness and basic body functions were absolutely not something which needed hiding. Neither was there a particular reason to be ashamed for my body. While I certainly wasn't a paragon example of my people, nobody could doubt from my looks that I belonged here. My penis was of average size as well, maybe even a bit above, nothing to by shy about. Still I was absolutely not happy when I stood there, fully nude. I even felt my face heat up with a blush. With a futile attempt of appearing unaffected I endured her ministrations, dreading their final component. I winced when she wrapped her hands around my genitalia. Her grip was rough and tight, almost painful. Despite my lack of attraction to the woman jerking me and the discomfort of the entire situation, my body didn't fail to show the intended response. Once the Mother was satisfied with the result, she unhanded my appendage and moved on. I was left partly relieved that it was over, partly wishing she had finished what she had started.

There were not many candidates left after myself and the first part soon came to an end. We were not free to reclaim our clothing or leave the stage though. Not yet. The second part, the test of steadfastness had to be completed first.

A large bottle and a cup made from clay were brought onto the stage. The vessel was filled with Fortiamin, another heritage from our time as slaves. The peculiar liquid was extracted from a plant called Fortiota. This small shrub had not existed before the arrival of the aliens on earth. At least not in its current form. It had either been brought from a different planet by the Sikatis, produced through severe genetic modification of a native planet or was the result of combining earthly and alien fauna. The name was obviously given in reference to the intended users.

When consumed, Fortiamin had drastic effects on the body. For any human but a Fortis it was pure poison, lethal even in small dosage. The Fortis digestion however, had been modified in a way to allow breaking it down and utilizing it. In small amounts it was invigorating, dulled pain and kept attentive. A little more and it greatly increased strength and stamina. Too much and it sent a person into a mad, uncontrollable frenzy with a huge destructive potential.

The Sikatis used the drug to increase the effectiveness of their slaves. Especially soldiers and gladiators were exposed to dangerous quantities before thrown into battle. The mind-numbing effects were so strong that with enough Fortiamin they could even make a Fortis attack his or her own people in blind rage, without a second thought.

The procedure how to cultivate Fortiota and retrieve its potent byproduct, was one of the few crafts the Sikatis had entrusted the Fortis with. It was simply too deadly for other humans to let them handle it. The knowledge had endured and the plants were still grown and harvested by many tribes. When used responsibly, the drug had both practical and recreational purposes. Not that it was always used responsibly.

A proper Fortis adult needed to be able to handle a moderate dose of Fortiamin without losing control, at least that's what the tradition claimed. Therefore, the second part of the proving day challenges demanded for each candidate to drink a certain amount, and show their resilience afterwards. It was a test of both discipline and physical tolerance.

There was little risk of anyone failing this task. While officially forbidden for non-adults, it was not uncommon at all that adolescents got their hands on some Fortiamin to sample. Everyone on the stage had already tried it at least once, some probably with much bigger quantities than what was administered as part of the ceremony.

My feelings about the stuff were mixed. On the one hand I didn't like that it affected my cognitive abilities, of which I have always been quite fond. On the other hand it temporarily caused me to be more like other people of my kind, which had its perks. Therefore I was no stranger to the substance and accepted it with no worries at all.

The Supreme mother went down the line again, filling the cup for each person. It was small enough to drain with a single gulp, but that was all it took to feel the effect. Even though it was disgusting, I welcomed the bitter taste, the slight itch it caused in my mouth and throat as well as the familiar warmth spreading from my stomach when I jugged it down. It didn't take long until the drug's potential unfolded. Once it did, I became a lot less anxious about the whole situation.

After that my memory gets a bit fuzzy. The Fortiamin erased plenty of details from my mind and left me with just a rough, hazy recollection of the following hours.

As expected, everyone passed the second test without problems. The third one, the test of dexterity, was an obstacle course with a lot of exercises in climbing over or crawling under something. I performed relatively well; or so I was told afterwards. Truthfully I barely remember doing the course at all.

Number four was the tribe's favorite: The test of force, essentially a tournament of personal combat. The candidates went up against each other in pairs of two, each winner progressing to the next round until a champion was determined. The spectacle took place in the fighting pit, a large, artificially created depression in the ground, at the border of the village. There was a shallow slope intended for spectators, leading down to a circular plain. This area was large enough to accommodate either one big or multiple small fighting rings, depending on the purpose.

Combat had always been something of a weak point for me, so it was no surprise that I was defeated in the first round. Allegedly it was a close call though. With the Fortiamin still doing its work I didn't mind all that much.

Afterwards it was time for the last part of the proving rituals, the test of pain. A Fortis needed to be able to withstand a certain measure of pain. Moreover it was expected to be able to continue on an assignment while exposed to physical suffering, especially under the influence of Fortiamin. For the test, a couple of basic tasks, such as beating a nail into a piece of wood, needed to be fulfilled, while being impaired by intense hurting. To instill the necessary amount of pain, the poison of a special type of hornet was used. Whether this specific hornet had existed before the arrival of the Sikatis or not, I can't say.

Unfortunately for us, the effect of the Fortiamin was already beginning to subside when the test began. That was intentional of course, the drug shouldn't be too much of a help. If the body of someone was able to utilize the effect longer, that was an advantage of course, one which had been desirable for the selection.

My recollection of fulfilling the actual test is rather blurry, but I do still remember the indescribable pain I was exposed to right before that. It was so intense that my body was pretty much paralyzed for the first few seconds. My Fortis heritage did not fail me though and I quickly accustomed to the pain. What I lacked in resilience I made up in willpower and skill. In the end I finished my tasks in a respectable time.

Once the excruciating pain had subsided to a faint stinging, it was past noon and the tests were over. Due to the very effective liver and kidneys of our kind, the Fortiamin was mostly purged from our systems as well. The tribe Mothers had withdrawn to evaluate the candidates' performances and decide on the results. The final verdicts would be announced at the big feast after dusk. Until then there were no specific plans for what the candidates and the rest of the tribe were supposed to do. There were plenty of traditional games and pass times to occupy them though. I had more than my fill of Fortis traditions for now, so I decided to sneak away from the tribe for a while, as long as my presence wasn't mandatory.

Once I had left the village, I came to the bridge across the Mersa river. To me, this bridge was the gate to a different world.

The Fortis were not the only subspecies living in the area. We shared the valley our village was located in with three other human societies. They had settled there after us, about 30 years ago, building a small town called Zusammenkunft on the other side of the river. The intention of the founders was for the different subspecies to be of mutual use to each other and thereby strengthen the understanding and tolerance between them. This plan had worked only partly. There was still a lot of friction between the different kinds of inhabitants within the valley, especially between the Fortis and the rest. Despite the fact that we definitely profited from the newcomers, most of the tribe's people were quite suspicious of them and liked to keep their distance.

Between some setbacks there were plenty of success stories to be told about this community though. Risking to maybe sound a little arrogant I will dare say, that I am one of them. Without Zusammenkunft so close, my talents might have gone unnoticed and I probably would have missed the chance to develop them. Luckily the town had a school which was, unlike most educational facilities in the world, open for all subspecies. Of course not many Fortis children ever attended it and those who did, rarely made it beyond the first four years, because the material quickly became too complicated for them.

With my inquisitive nature I had been a nuisance to the caretakers of my tribe from an early age, so they had decided to get rid of me by sending me to the school as soon as possible. To everyone's surprise, I was not only quite fond of learning, but also excelled at it. I attended all available subjects and graduated as best of my year.

But I was not content with that. My ambitions urged me to reach higher goals and for that it was necessary to leave the valley. I wanted to attend one of the Primus academies. These institutions were dedicated to the advancement of mankind. They were home to some of the most brilliant minds of our time and offered the best education one might hope for. Unlike usual universities and most other research and learning facilities they were not exclusive to a specific subspecies. Anyone who had the necessary intellectual capabilities could join. Being accepted into an academy was my best and maybe even my only hope of getting the education I desired.

In more than a hundred years of their existence, there had never been a Fortis student at a Primus academy though. Either I was unique enough that no one had tried before or all others had failed. Even more problematic was the fact that I had grown up in a rather primitive, rural environment and had very little idea about the more sophisticated life in the city. I didn't even have the slightest clue where to begin my quest of getting into an academy. Fortunately I knew someone who had answers for many of my questions. This person's home was the target of my current way into town.

After I had crossed the bridge I continued on the main road until I reached the main town square. At this point, the three parts of Zusammenkunft met. Each part was home to one subspecies. Most settlements in the world were separated that way, from the smallest villages to the largest cities. Even in places like this, where the subspecies got along fine and cooperated well, most of them refused to mix their communities. There was still far too much difference between them.

The parts were clearly distinguished by the looks of their buildings. The Callidus had the most modern, most solid looking houses with very little decoration or ornamental components. Their homes were also more isolated from each other than the rest. The Eloquens mostly lived in large, conjoined blocks with a lot of living space but little distance to their neighbors. They put a lot of effort into decorating and individualizing their houses or flats. The Durabilis had the highest buildings, which were plain and looked all pretty much alike. A tendency towards efficiency was very obvious there.

The person I intended to visit was a Callidus and lived in the appropriate part of town. I passed my old school, which stood right next to the town square, and took a small side street. Less than ten minutes later I had reached my goal: A compact cube of stone serving as house for a single person, surrounded by a small garden.

I knocked at the door which was about twenty centimeters too short for me. The man who opened was objectively tiny. The Callidus were considered the smallest subspecies by average height as well as body mass. This particular specimen was 72 years of age and barely reached more than one and a half meters.

What he lacked in physique he more than made up for with mental grandeur. The man by the name of Wilfried was without a doubt the smartest and most educated person in this town and probably also in a much wider area. He had once been a professor at the Primus academy in Berlin. After his retirement he had moved to Zusammenkunft. Occasionally he taught at the local school, which is how I got to know him. Since then we had become good friends. He was intrigued by my unusual mind and had sparked my interest for studies beyond what the school had to offer. It was him who suggested that I should try to join an academy. I hoped that he would also be the one who made it possible.

Wilfried looked up at me and showed a wide, welcoming smile. "Teo, glad to see you. Come in," he offered. That was easier said than done, I had to duck down far to get through the door. Once inside it was somewhat better but I was still too tall to comfortably fit into the room.

"Shouldn't you be at the proving day ceremony?" the old man asked as he led the way through his house.

"I was; for the important parts at least," I responded and followed carefully so I didn't knock anything over. Wilfried's home was filled to the brim with all kinds of interesting trinkets; various machines he or associates of his had built, pieces of Sikatis tech, even artifacts from old humanity, wildly scattered all about. Befitting a Callidus he had great passion as well as talent for handling machinery and technology. A lot of his time was spent tinkering with his peculiar possessions. I had assisted him a couple of times. He always claimed that I did very well, but my large hands were not really made for handling delicate apparatus.

Still I enjoyed being here and studying the strange devices. The building resembled more a museum than a residence. Seven decades were plenty of time to build up a collection. Sometimes it was kind of depressing when I thought about the fact that I would not live that long. Fortis bodies were designed to do many things. Achieving old age was not one of them. An individual purely conceived for its physical fortitude became useless once its body started to weaken. The wisdom of old age was of little value for the purposes we had been created for. So the Sikatis had made sure we would not live long enough to be a burden to others. Our organs were incredibly strong and effective while young, but their increased workload took a heavy toll over time. Once a Fortis approached fifty years of age, health began to deteriorate fast. Almost every Fortis died before turning sixty. That was far off for me though, no point in dwelling on it now.

We came into the living room where Wilfried offered me a seat. He had acquired a comfortable chair fitting Fortis proportions, especially for me. It seemed ridiculously oversize compared to the rest of the furniture but I was incredibly grateful for it.

"So the tests are over?" he asked once we were both seated opposite to each other. "How did you do?"

I shrugged. "Fine I guess. It's all a bit fuzzy. The Fortiamin, you know. I will find out in the evening, but I'm pretty sure I passed. Even if not, who cares?"

Wilfried nodded. "So how was the ceremony?"

"As always, an atrocity. A ridiculous genuflection to our former masters."

"Harsh words," Wilfried remarked. "What would your tribe members think if they heard you talk about their precious traditions like this?"

"Who cares? It is true, isn't it? Why are we still playing by the Sikatis rules if we could have achieved so much more by now?" I needed to vent my anger about the whole situation somehow and Wilfried was the only person I knew who was willing to truly listen, understand what I had to say and not judge me for it.

The old man sighed. "Finding a new way of life after our long slavery wasn't easy. For the Fortis it was probably harder than for anyone else. A majority of them have been relatively content with their simple lives under Sikatis rule. Their conditioning has been more effective than for any other subspecies. And everything they were conditioned to crave, the Sikatis provided for them, as long as they stayed loyal and fulfilled their duties.

"It were primarily their human commanders from other classes who talked them into revolting. They were so used to following orders. Once there were no more orders and they were free to do what they wanted, they were simply lost. Everything became so much more complicated for them after the revolution. Clinging to old habits and traditions is a logical reaction in that situation."

I hated when Wilfried answered my ranting with reason. "It is just further prove that I don't fit into this society. I can't wait to leave this life behind and start a new one in the city."

"That is understandable. You may want to reconsider dismissing your Fortis heritage entirely though," the former professor advised.

"Why?"

"Even if you make it into the academy, not everyone will consider you as one of them. The prejudice between the subspecies is strong, especially towards the Fortis."

Wilfried had warned me about this before. It did little to dampen my enthusiasm though. I had lived as an outsider all my life, I was sure I could handle anything the future might throw at me. A foolish thought of course.

"If they don't respect me because I am a Fortis, wouldn't it be better to stray even further from this life, instead of clinging to it?"

"That is a valid approach of course. But I doubt it is the best one. There are people who will always see you as different, no matter how hard you try to be like them. In the end you might discard everything which makes you special, in a futile attempt to fit in with people you will learn to despise. That doesn't sound like a path to a happy life to me.

My personal advice is this: Be proud of who you are, never forget or deny your origin and never apologize for what you are or where you come from."

Wilfried's words seemed a bit like sentimental babbling to me, but I was smart enough not to easily discard the old man's wisdom.

"I will try to remember it," I promised.

Wilfried nodded with a satisfied smile. "Good. Now to more pleasant topics: I have a surprise for you. A gift for the occasion of your coming off age, if you will." When he saw the surprised look on my face, he asked: "Do your people give presents at such occasions?"

I shook my head. The concept of exchanging gifts was something unfamiliar to me.

"Well, where I come from it is a common custom when someone turns 18. Our youth is kind of spoiled I guess, becoming adults without any tests or sorting rituals, just by getting older and getting presents for it." He chuckled to himself. "Anyway, here you go."