"Andy Sykes" -
Before Captain Andy Sykes flew his ancient, broken down space frieghter, before he met his future wife "Brit", before leaving the military and before becoming a single father of two kids, Andy was a young cadet at the academy - dreaming about being a space jet fighter pilot.
Since Andy was a boy, he dreamed of getting his neural link as soon as he was an adult; only to be disappointed when his father confessed that they were too poor for his link operation.
Having enough money to get a neural link directly to the internet was a mark of achievement, a status symbol and the Holy Grail for most of his world's population.
Only those too poor to pay for the link remained unconnected.
And of course, a technological discrimination pervades the culture. Linked people automatically think the unlinked are dumb, lazy and a drag on society.
The unlinked spend most of their lives in a futile effort to earn enough money to get the coveted neural link operation.
But the whole system is stacked against them because of the disadvantages of not having instant access to the world's information.
In other words, because the unlinked cannot be competitive in the workplace, they rarely make enough money to survive - let alone get the link.
One way for poor people to earn a neural link is through military service.
Throughout history, the rich have used the same ploy to entice young men and women to fight wars for them. And countless young people eagerly enter harm's way for God, Country, or simply to lift their family out of poverty.
That's why Andy went to the recruiter as soon as he turned 17 y/o.
The rest of the story can be found in "Lyssa's Dream" by James S. Aaron and M.D. Cooper.
This is #1 of 3 rare (only three minted), signed and non-watermarked NFTs of "A Young Cadet Sykes" from the Sentient Wars Fan Art Collection.
Available HERE:
When purchased, the NFT is totally yours to display, HODL or resell.
May you and yours be well and love life today.
In lak'ech, JaiChai
(JaiChai 11 DEC 2021. Simultaneous multi-site submissions posted. All rights reserved.)