The Space Station - Chapter 1 - Page 6

Nevertheless, whatever the instrumentality of her love, her assessment of his career and of his future prospects had been horridly correct, if perhaps a little overstated in its brutality. The service had many functionaries running planets, moons and isolated space stations throughout the explored star systems. Constituting the bulk of that force, were many service employees recruited locally into low-grade manual or administrative jobs. Above were numerous middle ranking administrators whose were recruited by the central service. Their careers were managed by the central service and they had to go where they were sent. Yet, once appointed to a post, these middle ranking functionaries were likely to stay in that post for many years. For many, this could mean many years in a desirable and secure posting which compared well with the life chances of most outside the service. Yet some could face a very long appointment in some deserted or dangerous part of space with little prospect of recall. Functionary now faced such a predicament.

At the top of the Service hierarchy, were the most desirable senior posts which unsurprisingly offered rank, status, superior pay, regular advancement and other rewards, such as, better accommodation and regular free travel for both the holders of these offices and their immediate relatives. Importantly, the members of this cadre were frequently moved from post to post, so if one did find oneself in an undesirable, isolated or dangerous posting there was always the consolation that one would soon be moved on. It was to such a person that Functionary’s erstwhile strategic friend clearly wanted to hitch her future life and, reflecting on the life prospects for many beings within the system, Functionary could not entirely bring himself to blame her from this ruthless intention. Experiencing many of the benefits and prestige of the most senior ranks were those individuals, recruited and marked out for rapid development and potential promotion into the senior ranks. Functionary had been one such person over the last decade of his life. This had seen him rapidly moved around the system, progressing smartly through postings of increasing seniority, responsibility, status, opportunity and advantage.