Chronicles of Sol: The Fall

May 5th, 007 SDE:

Sali looked up as the door slid open. She'd always wondered at the alien cell doors. Back home they used forcefields, but here the humans used a grid of charged bars. Hurt like hell to touch them when they were charged. A mistake she'd only made once and that was years ago.

Putting that aside, she took notice of the man coming in, dragging a floating case behind him. She smiled, "Captain! What brings you here?"

"On your release day?" he chuckled, "As the man responsible for you. I was going to get you dressed, give you the grand tour, and get you settled. I put my entire day aside for you."

He shifted the case and opened it. Revealing a selection of clothing, "I brought you something from the starter kit I've been putting together for you."

She blinked, recalling their previous conversations. Being in jail she didn't often see her credits, but she still earned them. Countryman had been managing them rather than her, and given the whole expiring thing she'd never had a reason to object to his use of them.

Slipping off the shelf, she walked up to the case and started looking around. Countryman had brought a selection of clothes, she saw panties, bras, blouses, skirts, pants and dresses. All of which she knew was sized for her, she'd given him her sizes a long time ago.

Idly she fingered her shift, thinking. "I'll leave you...."

Sali pulled her shift off in one swift motion. Countryman made a noise and she looked up, "What?"

He sighed, "I was going to give you some privacy."

Sali looked down at her naked body and then back at him before blushing. "Oh, right um, sorry."

Countryman replied, "I'll just leave now then."

Reaching into the case, she replied, "Nah, stay. It's not like I have anything to really hide and you're basically my grandfather at this point."

Countryman frowned, then laughed, "I guess that's one way to look at it."

Holding a dress against herself she asked, "So how's this look?"

"Quite good."

She smiled and started putting it on. Not bothering with the panties or bras, they were nice to see, but she hadn't worn either in years. At this point, she was rather used to the breeziness of a dress without undies and Sali felt rather unsure about changing that just yet. Still it was nice to have the option as she was pulling the dress over her head, she said, "So where are we going first?"

"The residential districts. I have a few options lined up for you to consider."

"Anything better than this cell?"

"Matter of opinion, but I don't think the lack of privacy will be much of an issue for you. I wasn't able to find you any options that are private, just a collection of semi-private options and several communal ones."

"Communal? I've heard a few things about that. Any of it true?"

Countryman smiled, "Only one way to find out. Ready to go?"

"As ready as I'll ever be, let's go."

Sali looked around, they'd come down to the residential districts. The Enterprise had several entire sections of the ship that were dedicated to living spaces. Over the years they'd become known as the residential districts. She heard more than a few conversations on the subject, but the Enterprise was rapidly becoming a cityship. Perhaps not that surprising when you considered that the ship had no port to return to, and they'd been out here for years. It was only natural that the place would start to become home and they had all the amenities you would expect in a city. Sweeping residential areas, vast markets, numerous farms, and the underbelly was filled with numerous factories that produced all sorts of goods. Robert had also shown her more than one show on their little dates. So she knew they also had an entertainment industry, and it seemed to be thriving.

This part of the residential area had been the site of several renovations. They were right off the markets here, the local market districts on this level used to be cargobays until they'd been repurposed. Sali wasn't sure what this section used to be, but what she saw was a wide open space. Metal sheets, and privacy curtains divided the area, near the center was a bit of a park area where playground equipment and fake plants had been set up. It was a bit better lit than the average hall, and young kids were swarming the area. Mothers sat on benches while the area was filled with chatter.

"This would be one of the communes. I can't say much about the privacy, walls are thin, no doors, everyone accesses their space via a curtain. The good news is that the spaces here are dirt cheap."

Sali looked around, "Right, so, um, what does this cost?"

Countryman gestured for a bench and sat down. "Not surprised you'd ask, now every bunk has a bit of a cost to it. We practice assigned quarters for the upper officers, but for everyone else over the years we found it easier to work things out on a lease system. The civilians find it easier to understand and it helps fund the council. We can't tax anyone since that just doesn't work with our system."

Sali settled down next to him, "I guess not, but I do need to know what I'm in for. I've heard a few things, but I haven't really had to deal with the system."

"I'm aware, and if you need any help you can contact me. For now I'll give you a run down." Countryman pulled something out of his pocket and handed it to her, "This is your ration card, keep it safe. We'll charge you to replace it if you lose it."

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"Understandable, so what do I need to know? Expected costs?"

"Let's start with daily bills, the cost of living hasn't changed much over the years. Prices are generally set by the council, the Ration Credit has a fixed valuation so that one credit is always worth one full meal. Due to this fact the credit has remained stable since the cost of food has remained stable. Some items have gone up though, most notably clothing."

"Right, I've heard panties are what 15 credits?"

"Used to be, it's 18 credits a pair now."

Sali looked at her suitcase, the one Countryman had brought to her, all those panties and bras. She had a fair bit of clothing piled up, maybe she could sell it? Putting that thought aside, she opened her mouth but Countryman started speaking first.

"Now onto cost of living, the average individual spends a minimum of 22 credits a day on their essentials. That includes food, utilities, general hygiene and rent. Credits spent over that amount are usually for other things like database access and entertainment."

"Computer access? You regulate that too?"

"Computer resources are limited, so naturally there is some regulation. Primary database access is restricted for government use, which usually means the labs. The average civilian gets a few hours of access to those resources every day. Often used for basic relaxation and entertainment."

"And what does that cost?"

"Right now? Eight credits a day for the basic package, more for the extra features. Right now the basic package includes low level library access. That means access to a wide list of videos and books, along with educational resources. There are plenty of items not on that list, most of which outside of military files come with the higher packages. I'll put the exact details on your terminal, if you have one."

"Let me guess, that comes with the place and not every location has a terminal."

"Commune locations typically don't, but rent is dirt cheap at between one and three credits a day depending on the location."

"Let me guess the more expensive commune apartments are closer to the markets."

"Generally, the markets are more than just a place to buy goods, you'll notice the market districts have restaurants, theaters, and even parks. They are more or less the community centers around here, which means a lot of people work in those sections."

"That makes them more desirable, but what about schools?"

"Samantha Greyman is in charge of education and she personally educates the military kids, but we also have schools set up throughout the ship, mostly in the market districts since that enables the best access for the kids. There isn't much to talk about there right now, but the schools are going to be expanding over the next few years. We have a lot of very young children right now, and a smattering of older kids."

"You know, I never thought much about that, but..."

"I've heard, you have a young man you really like, and how things have been going there, did you tell him?"

She blushed slightly as a hand fell to her stomach, "You heard?" then she looked away, "and um no. I mean where would I have started?"

Countryman shrugged, "That's up to you, but I'd suggest you tell him sooner rather than later."

She nodded, "So about the school system?"

"It starts with the pre-k level around three years old. Early schooling is largely traditional with the first years focusing on basic language and math skills. History and social studies will be introduced later, along with more complex subjects. The goal is for them to get a solid, well rounded baseline by fourteen years old. This is a little earlier than traditional systems, but we don't have a convenient route for higher education and this is a ship as I mentioned. At fourteen we expect the young student to join a department as an apprentice, where they can learn the skills they need to be a successful individual."

"I guess that means there isn't much of a pilot's school."

"Oh, we have something and I figured you'd ask. I was going to have you meet with Eri, she's one of the best pilots on the ship and rated for just about every craft in our inventory. She'll be able to set you up. As for a more formal pilot's school? I have plans for it, but let's face it, we don't have enough prospective pilots on a yearly basis to justify one."

Sali nodded as she thought about it. That made a degree of sense to her and as she looked around most of the kids she saw playing didn't look that old. She didn't see anyone that looked more than four. Well maybe a couple, but not many, almost everyone was on the younger side of the scale when it came to kids. There wasn't any surprise there, she knew the story as well as anyone else on the ship.

Standing up, she said, "I guess we should take a look around."

Countryman smiled and led her down to the first unit.

Sali looked around, it was a small room with two bunk beds in it and a rug on the floor. There was a locker on the rear wall, and a pair of trunks at the foot of each bed. Countryman spoke up, "This is a standard room, the trunks are shared storage, anything you want private will be stored in the lockers. If you choose this area, you'll be sharing the room with seven other people."

It didn't seem like a first pick. Low cost of rent was a plus, but she wasn't sure this was an improvement on the cell. Hell the room was somehow smaller than her cell and from the look of it didn't come with a bathroom. Not even a toilet. "So what about the facilities? I'm not seeing a bathroom."

"All public there is a unit down the hall, and a large public bath that services this area."

"I think my cell was better, public baths I can live with, but the toilets are public too? This room is smaller too."

"There are larger units, some of them even have a joint toilet. Those cost more and most of them are already claimed."

"Figures, but I don't think this one would be right."

After several units, Countryman led her to a location overlooking the market. It felt pretty vibrant with numerous shops, restaurants, and theaters, making it easy to believe you were in a growing city and not on a ship. The view from the upper level where the latest unit was located was pretty good. As Countryman led her to the door, he declared, "This one is a semi-private unit. If you take it you'd be sharing it with three other girls. It comes with a main bedroom, a joint living area and an attached half-bath. Like the commune units you'll still have to use the public baths."

"Not a big problem there. I had to use a public shower for years," said Sali as Countryman keyed the door. A young woman, tablet in hand looked up from a cozy-looking sofa.

"Oh? You must be the prospective tenant, I'm Amelia Cutter," she glanced at Countryman and blinked before shooting to her feet, "Captain! I wasn't expecting you as well."

Countryman smiled, as he stepped in, "Well, Sali of Clan Arimae is someone I'm personally in charge of. I'm showing her around and making sure she gets properly settled."

Amelia set her pad down, "Sali is it? I heard they were letting you out of jail early. Good behavior and all that. If you'd like I can show you around, we have an empty bed at the moment."

"Sounds good."

Countryman settled onto the sofa and said, "I'll be here." He pulled a pad out, "catching up on paperwork."