Oath Post

Oath Post

Two hops off Khesret, through Ee'la's gate traffic and back into Republic jurisdiction, the lane ends at a dense-aired desert colony around HIP 114110. Rust dunes crowd the horizon. Black mesas shoulder above the weather. The Federation built a D-class berth into one of them and put Colonial Affairs directly behind customs, because nothing says frontier optimism like a civil servant waiting with six copies of the same form.

The colony took its name from the posting hall. Young recruits arrive from crowded systems to swear their first federal service oath before taking assignments in water control, berth operations, survey crews, clinics, and registry offices. The ceremony is plain: flag, seal, witness, signature. No mysticism. The weight comes from knowing the assignment may last years and home is two gate jumps behind you.

Oath Post is gentle by frontier standards and rigid by any sane person's. Water is offered. Dormitory stewards find blankets for frightened arrivals. Colonial Affairs minders correct manners, paperwork, and posture with the same flat stare. Treat a recruit like a person instead of freight and the post remembers your hull kindly. Make a homesick kid perform courage for your amusement and somebody in a navy-blue jacket will make the next hour feel like an audit.