Ceres Chaos [Exosuit Progression]

A few days right after the qualifiers...

Oliver Athen looked over Zone 1 from his office, which seemed to meld into the environment with every wall apart from the door made of glass.

As he gazed over the Zone, the museum’s signature hourglass design with inversed gravity dominated the landscape, while the pillars and walls of the massive subterranean cavern were littered with haphazard buildings, crammed together to form a maze of metal concrete.

Floating buildings have yet to take root in Athen, but Oliver preferred his current office to not have any air plots above him.

The door to his office slid open and Chad entered the room in a respectful manner. “Grandfather, I’m here.”

Despite Chad’s usual proud demeanour in public, he was a completely different person when it came to his grandfather.

He could never oppose the family’s patriarch directly. Chad was much more timid and reserved, becoming a usual docile kid albeit with a large muscular body - which was quite an astonishing sight.

“Chad, come here.” Oliver beckoned to him to come closer to the edge.

He motioned with his hand, sweeping out with his hand across the amazing view of the Zone.“Tell me, now that you have grown up, what do you see in this view?”

Chad gulped instinctively. He knew this was one of the test questions his grandfather used to weed out the useless from the useful. “I see a city full of opportunities for the Athen Family to prosper and flourish in, if only we took it.”

Oliver chuckled, patting Chad’s shoulder. “I’m not testing you Chad, and if this was truly a test, that regurgitated answer by the hundreds of your cousins who came before you would not suffice as an answer. No, be honest. What do you see?”

Taking a deep breath, Chad mustered the courage to speak. “I see a disorderly city with minimal rules and no future. It’s doomed to forever be just a backwater resource planet, where our people will always be stuck. The citizens are too focused on ‘the other side’ rather than how to improve ourselves.”

“Good, good.” Oliver smiled, his hand still resting on Chad’s shoulder. “But despite how regurgitated your former answer was, there is some truth in it. Come, sit down.”

The two of them walked to the centre of the office, where two velvet chairs faced each other with a quaint table in between made from quartz.

Chad knew that that table had been fashioned by his grandfather personally and took great care to avoid touching the table and any of the teacups on it as he sat on the velvet chair opposite Oliver.

“Now, you have performed well during the qualifiers, despite losing your cool and almost jeopardizing your competition ranking thanks to that outer boy. Your coming-of-age ceremony is approaching soon, and I make it a point to explain to all my soon-to-be adult descendants the state of society and the Athen’s family purpose. I have been doing so for decades to those whom I deem worthy.”

Chad sat up straight knowing that this was a critical moment in his life. He knew for a fact that many of his cousins barely even had a chance to talk to his grandfather like this.

Still, he couldn’t blame his grandfather for ditching all the others who were useless, had fallen astray or left the family. There just wasn’t enough time in the world to help the hundreds of descendants.

“But first, let’s have you clear your doubts first. You have a few minutes to ask me any questions you want to know, and I will answer truthfully.” Oliver leaned forward, reaching for his teacup on the table.

“What do you intend for me to do? I know you groomed all children to eventually do something, so what am I purposed to do?” Chad knew that as much as he loved his grandfather, it would only be reciprocated if his grandfather knew that there was value in the deal.

Oliver is not one to be generous, he was a ruthless businessman, which was what got the Athen Family to this height in the first place. Chad was not angry at this perspective - he respected his grandfather even more for being upfront rather than trying to fake it.

“Have you heard about the university plan?” Oliver asked.

Chad nodded. It was hard to hide such a large wager within the Athen Family, especially when they had a chance of losing large amounts of assets and revenue to Cardenia.

“Then it’s simple for you Chad. You shall be the demonstration that the planet Athen has citizens in New Saint that can climb the next rung in the social ladder.” Oliver smiled.

Confusion stirred within Chad’s mind. “Are we not already at the top of the social ladder here? We lead the Five Families and have roots in the city administration and the enforcers. We effectively dominate the Consortium, is there really a next rung in the social ladder?” Chad could not understand what his grandfather was aiming for.

The Athen Family was already the pinnacle of society within the city. They formed the bedrock for the economy and administration power, being the largest of the Five Families. Shouldn’t the family be focused on improving society here rather than climbing higher?

“Recognition!” Oliver clenched his fist hard. “Prestige! Influence! All of this is lacking for the Athen Family now in the Loeric Empire!”

“Despite our advances in the sciences and skills and our ‘political influence’, we are still not even considered a lesser Dynasty. How humiliating is it for us to continuously cower and beg the Dynasty of Hawthorn for scraps and assistance when we were the original hardworking colonists who formed the Consortium!”

“We built this colony from scratch, all of us from the Five Families. Every stone dug out by sheer effort and grit, even when the planet to this day has not been terraformed properly! Yet regardless of our efforts, we were pushed around and shoved by the Dynasty of Hawthorn without even significant power to choose our path!” Oliver was almost on the verge of shouting, his anger rising.

“Grandfather, but back then, the Five Families agreed to the Consortium. I was taught that the Dynasty of Hawthorn had played a critical role in ensuring the colony’s survival! Till today, they fund at least 60% of the terraforming effort.”

“Of course, they taught you that - it’s part of the local educational syllabus to brainwash you into thinking that the Dynasty is indispensable, that it would be a good governing force as a whole. We are expected to be willing obedient slaves for the mere peanuts that they put into the colony. Do you really think that the Dynasty places a great emphasis on this planet?” Oliver leaned back into his chair; his face cynical.

Chad never really thought about how big or how wide the Dynasty actually was. All he knew was that the planet was owned by them, with its current representative being Cardenia Hawthorn who also chaired the Consortium.

Other than this little bit, he had no inkling as to how Athen functioned as a whole.

Oliver shook his head at the sight of Chad’s visible frown. “I blame both myself and the education system for your upbringing, as I have raised you to be a pure fighter. Your whole life you’ve been focused on becoming the best combatant there is, but now you must open your eyes.”

“The first thing to understand about the Dynasty: We are not the only ‘resource planet’ in their control. Close to a thousand moons and dwarf planets are owned by the Dynasty of Hawthorn, and that’s just one Dynasty. There are no other ‘semi-autonomous’ planets in the Loeric Empire, only Dynasty-controlled colonies.”

“The cost of running the budget of this planet and the Consortium is but a drop in their financial planning every year. Their members run regular parties on their home planet every month, where the cost of each individual party could easily rival the budget of this planet for an entire year, that’s how much we’re worth!”

Chad was shocked. He had already felt he had no further wants, with the Athen Family taking care of everything for him. Did the ladder of wealth stretch that far?

“And don’t forget that we as the Loeric Empire, we’re one of the lowest Class of star nations. Our economy is already overshadowed by C-class states in the neighbourhood, and don’t even start on the S-class states in the galactic centre.”

“Look how far down the rung we are! Do you not feel unfulfilled when you see the full scale of human hierarchy?!”

“As an original colonist myself, I’ve worked myself to the bones to build an ‘empire’ here on Athen, yet I have come to realise over the years that this ‘empire’ of mine is nothing but a scratch or a tickle to the people above.”

“We must climb - climb out of this rut! And in order to do that we have to push on all fronts: education, business, trading!”

Chad finally managed to come up with a rebuttal. “Grandfather, I understand your view now, but isn’t it impossible? Strathon’s technology level is decades ahead of us, how are we going to overthrow them and become the premier trading planet? It’s not like we can move the planet.”

“You’re right Chad, but the university plan solves all of this nicely. With the wager against Cardenia, if we managed to win it – then we will be able to prove that we are not the dumb work slaves that only know how to mine!”

“We can set up our own research institution and harness the intelligence that our people possess. Only then can we begin to climb the supply chain and free ourselves from the lower rungs! We must shift the economy to a higher tier of goods – intelligence!” Oliver resolutely declared.

“But what about the mining industry?” Chad asked. “They provide for more than 60% of all the jobs in Athen – the entire planet depends on them for income! Worst of all, the ‘outers’ that is our workforce would suffer terribly from the loss of the sector. The university would also come into conflict with Strathon – we would be pressured on both sides!”

Oliver shook his head. “Chad, do you really believe that we would crumble under such a minor adversity? We have struggled and prospered under such hazardous conditions – only then did this city start to flourish under our guidance!”

“Tell me honestly Chad, based on what you have seen in the qualifiers, do you truly believe that the ‘outers’ or even the ‘inners’ apart from the Five Families can participate in this university plan? Would the students and professors emerging from the university follow the same distribution as the current population?”

Chad was about to retort that every human life was valuable in the Loeric Empire – but he caught himself before he uttered something so naïve.

The Loeric Empire may have brainwashed many citizens into thinking that they are working hard for the glory of the star nation and that each of them is equally important in their separate roles, but Chad knew better than that.

Meritocracy did not result in equality, and he was a poster boy for such an effect.

He remembered how Ceres mocked him and his family during the qualifiers while the team of orphans continued to pull sneak attacks, which angered him to his limits. Chad also recalled how other inner teams had dropped out of the qualifiers due to sheer incompetence.

If Ceres’s team was the target of his anger, the other inners who were knocked out by Ceres were the target of his disgust and disdain.

Oliver gently smiled as he watched Chad contemplate, knowing he had finally got his grandson onto the same perspective. “Equality is a lie fed to us by those above – the rich Dynasty members party in decadence while the poor like us are indoctrinated to believe that the system is fair. It is not! However, there are some merits in its key principle – strength!”

“None of the currently rich Dynasty members are incompetent, nor do they not deserve to be in their positions – rather they fought with tooth and nail for every inch of their current fortune, be it through blood or intrigue.”

“Take Cardenia Hawthorn for an example. One might be inclined to think that she is weak due to having gotten the short end of the stick – yet the level of training she had undergone and resources dedicated to her far surpasses what anyone on Athen has experienced. You will lose your life ten times over before you even manage to touch an inch of her hair.”

“The same goes for Imperial Prince Zachary. Despite being so far down the line of succession for the throne, his education, combat prowess and pedigree far outstrip the best we can offer. Not even I can compete with him despite my enhancements!”

“Yet it is people like this who have been thrown to the side by their respective Dynasties for being too weak! What does that say about the level of competence of the main members of each Dynasty? And if the two in question are considered too weak by them, what are we counted as? Rats? Bacteria? Simple organisms as good as fodder for a nutri-paste dispenser?!” Oliver shouted the last line, causing Chad to instinctively flinch.

“Our current trajectory of growth has hit its limit! Regardless of how much I own of Athen’s economy or how much influence in the city administration and the Consortium I hold – I am considered even lower than a ‘lesser’ noble. A ‘rat’ who owns an insignificant ‘sewer’. This is exactly the reasoning behind the university plan: to show and prove that there is a higher level of intelligence, of prestige and technology available on Athen!”

Chad finally aligned with his grandfather’s perspective, understanding what he was meant to do. “You intend to use me as a poster boy for how great the university can be!”

“Exactly, Chad. If everything goes smoothly and you win the competition, you will be the very first scholarship student admitted into this university! Everything has already been prepared: the professors, the campus and the facilities – all of it is simply waiting for the approval of Cardenia Hawthorn.” Oliver nodded, before continuing.

“Because, despite all our so-called “equality” in the Loeric Empire, no one can set up an institution of higher learning without an official sponsor from the Dynasties. Even one as influential as me in the Consortium!”

“Chad, the future of the Athen Family rests on you. It is up to you to raise those who are capable up to their accurate standing in this star nation. By blazing a path forward, you create a precedent for all those who follow after you!”

Chad was extremely motivated now. His short-term ambition was to be the best he could be, which was winning the competition.

He truly believed that no one else was worth looking up to within the competition, especially when he had set his grandfather as his role model! Not even the antics of Ceres could faze him any longer once his goal became certain.

“I’m sorry that took so long, but it was a critical question to answer accurately. I’ll allow you a few more questions, Chad.”

Chad calmed himself down, thinking hard. It wasn’t every day that he got an opportunity to question his grandfather. There was one issue that had continuously been bugging him. “Grandfather, if I may ask, is there a solution to the divide between inners and outers?”

Oliver smiled gently, taking a sip from his teacup. “Do you know why we have legal trial by combats, or ‘riots’ as you might call them?”

Taken aback, Chad did not see how this was related to his question. “Trial by combat was a way to alleviate the stress on the justice system, due to the lack of resources and surging population.”

Oliver nodded. “But you know that other planets do not have this system. If we truly want to unify the planet and rise to a higher station, how can we still retain this archaic system? Do you know why the Dynasty of Hawthorn continues as such?”

“I’ll tell you the truth: the Dynasty of Hawthorn wants us to fight each other. To continuously show off our primal urges to beat up each other and provide an outlet for the public’s anger. A bread and circus trick. To distract us from the true machinations behind the Consortium.”

“With the level of disrespect from the Dynasty so far, would anyone on the planet stay quiet? The riots help to keep such impulses under check, by pitting the population against themselves.”

“The best way to completely control a group of humans is to pit themselves against each other! Make both sides the enemy! This way they ensure that New Saint will never unify under one banner, that the planet Athen will never unify.” Oliver stood up from his seat, heading to the glass wall again while Chad was still in turmoil from the new perspective on riots.

“But legal riots and protests help to alleviate the stress for the public as well as serving as entertainment, removing them in such a sudden fashion without giving time for people to adapt to the new way of settling issues would be disastrous! Right now, the city is slowly slipping into unrest due to the qualifiers. The divide between the ‘inners’ and ‘outers’ will only worsen if all the riots have been removed! There will no longer be an outlet!” Chad shook his head.

Chad was very self-aware of what the qualifier stage had done to the local city residents of both inner and outer zones.

But it wasn’t because he had gone out personally into the streets to understand how the people feel, nor did he spend a significant amount of time trawling the net – instead it was due to the consistent requests for interviews and comments on how he felt about this ‘divide’.

He knew he had been propped up as the leader of the ‘wagon’ on which every inner hinged their pride on, and he had to face a similar wagon from the outers in the form of Ceres.

Oliver stared out into the Zone, scowling: “The ‘divide’? The pitiful divide between the ‘inners’ and ‘outers’? An engineered division bred 200 years ago by previous owners of the planet, to create hatred between the two sides of New Saint so they would forget that they are just dangling on the strings of the third party – the Dynasty of Hawthorn.”

“Both ‘inners’ and ‘outers’ who have bought into this divide on living areas are equally stupid in my eyes. If such a distinction were to be made, then the ‘inners’ should look down on themselves for being descendants of the original pitiful colonists brought to this colony, who worked in the harsh pre-terraforming environment on the surface.”

“I was one of them – am I an outer too? To discriminate against people based on which Zone they originated from – that’s one of the most sickening things to do!”

Chad was even more confused now. “Grandfather, were you not prejudiced against the other ‘inners’ and ‘outers’ for the university plan? You intended only for the Five Families to rise up!”

Oliver sighed, turning around to face Chad while the glass wall form a majestic backdrop behind him. “Chad, do you know why so many of your cousins have fallen to menial positions, yet you remain as one of the few standing, being able to talk with me like this?”

Chad instinctively gulped, knowing that he may have overstepped his boundaries in rebutting and questioning his grandfather that aggressively.

“It’s because of proficiency, spirit and luck! Only on these three principles do I segregate, not just the ‘inners’ and ‘outers’ from us, but even the incompetent among the Five Families! We do not have the technology nor monetary reasons to purchase designer genes packages to elevate our family through procreation, so why would I divide based on familial ties? To me, if you fall short of my criteria in the three principles – you’re considered worthless to me.”

“Were some of the original ancestors of the ‘inners’ now not the lowest-born citizens of the Loeric Empire? Just because they live in an underground cavern does not mean they get to look down on those outers above!” Oliver spat in anger, while walking back towards Chad.

“I do not even waste my time comparing myself to those beneath me, only to those who lord above me! Only with this can we continuously push ourselves to climb higher. But how can we climb when we continuously indulge in wasteful and primitive methods such as legal riots and dividing between ‘inner’ and ‘outer’?”

“My aim is to solve this divide once and for all, reuniting New Saint under one banner. And I will do anything to achieve it. No matter the cost.”

“Chad, I want you to focus on being the best! Do not be dragged down by the mob, and do not follow the crowd. Only then would you achieve both your personal ambition and the family’s! Prepare your best for the main competition and win it ALL!”