Spectator

Chapter Twenty-four: Then

Now that they were down to seven groups, they had been retitled after the seven virtues from the nearly extinct Christianity religion. Seven sins would have probably been more accurate - they were teens, after all - but probably not the kind of example the Academy wanted to send. Religion had taken a big hit after the Collapse because humanity had taken a big hit. When three quarters of the world were suddenly wiped out like nothing by a rapidly spreading disease, it was hard to stick to past ideals. Some did, more adamantly than forever, and she knew there were still plenty of different credos on Old Earth that had survived through all the tumult.

But it was different with those that had gone to space. The haughty high scions of Mars would say that they were simply more advanced, that they could let go of silly fables in a way that those left on Earth could not. Something to do with a lack of culture and an excess of desperation. Kali didn't know about all that, but it did seem easier without conflicting denominations. Of course, Mars wasn't without their sects either. Some worshipped the Life Giving Domes as if they hadn't been built there specifically and purposefully to keep them alive by human hands. And then there were the doctrines, but those were defined less as beliefs and more as rules to follow if they were to survive and evolve.

They weren't dissimilar from the virtues, but a bit more wordy. Chastity could be translated into the population rule, which was that there could be an offspring limit enforced. Nerienne had had one for years. No more than two children to a family. Of course there was the complexity of step-families, but that was allowed, as long as no new children were added to the lot that could exceed two.

Temperance was as important as ever. The problem with Old Earth was the excess, the waste, the inferior distribution. Some people had so much they just threw it away, and others scraped and starved just to try to survive. Not on Mars. Everyone had food tokens to support their family, health care was immediate and open to everyone. Waste and food had to be carefully monitored because there was only so much space on Mars. Growing larger fields meant the construction of bigger domes. Most waste could be converted into energy at least, so they didn't have giant piles of garbage wrecking the atmosphere. Still, Kali wouldn't call it equality. Some definitely had more than others. Case in point: her. She'd lived in one of the sky apartments with her own yard and generated grass. The trees were required by everyone, but the flowers and the pond had been extra. They had a private shuttle to take them everywhere they wanted, and they didn't have to stick to the standard lanes. They also didn't have to eat BioVin for every meal.

Diligence had been translated into service. They would only be a working society if they had enough doctors, scientists, builders, maintenance. The public schools they were in since they were five would get a reading on which area they were more suited in. Occasionally, there would be an excess in one area, and they might try to shift the balance. Perks like a larger apartment to those who might choose to go into infrastructure instead of dock control. It wasn't a perfect system, of course, but Mars would much rather pluck from its own population than have to rely on Exodus or Earth. Everyone was expected to contribute, and persistently, and there would be discipline otherwise.

Discipline was definitely one of the doctrines of Mars, though it didn't exactly fit in with the virtues. It had a double meaning - inhabitants were expected to fill their duties, whether that was working or furthering education, to show up for other assignments as necessary, such as legal, medical, didactic. But more than that, they were expected to follow the law. Murder, abhorred. Not many got away with that, once convicted. They weren't exactly put to death, but being sent to the mines of Phobos and Deimos was basically the same. Into the pits, for the tiniest chance they might get enough credits to improve their way of living. The Pits was the worst punishment. Usually it was just in demerits that diminished privileges. In the early stages of her teenage rebellion, Kali had racked up many demerits for trespassing, loitering, littering, graffiti, defiance. Her mom had had to dole out quite a few credits to even the score, and Kali hadn't stopped until Ramses had told her the right way to do it. Not to get it on her record, but to revolt in other, more surreptitious ways.