CHAPTER 1

Here on Mars, we care not your religion, but have a third child and less than wealthy and you are in for it.  If you don't have family care chip (read: birth control chip) implanted by the time you are 21, you pay a penalty tax which goes into unexpected child fund pooled for Mars Family Care Package.  Yes, it's like that book, Ender's Game, by Arthur C Clarke. The law isn't that you can't have a third child, more like you have to pay for the child yourself. 

And being out here on Mars, with limited resources, an extra liability can kill you.  Oxygen, Nitrogen, and a whole set of other gases are required to breathe, as well as a lack of a working CO2 filter.  You can't suddenly magically grow solar panels to power your home and grow a botanical garden.  Water filtration uses up a lot of electricity, which means more money.

"Did you hear?  They want to have the FC chip implanted now by 16. As if our children are stupid enough to spawn children of their own while their dependent." Says my grandfather.  Here in the 23rd century, children under 25 are still dependent tax wise.  There is a tax incentive to keep children at home and in school.  "It creates a more stable society with a trainable work force."  Really, I'm 16 and already, and I already tire of being told to do this and to do that. I can't imagine 9  more years of this.  Moving out is not a viable option however.  The cost of renting a 350 square foot flat is already a month's worth of income at minimum wage.   I don't want to blow my meager savings just to run dry and come back to live with my parents.

Parents are responsible to make sure their child has the chip implanted by 21.  Some parents get their children implanted as early as 15 1/2 just to get a tax break.  My grandfather changed the channel on the viewer, and a man yells, "First they have a chip implanted at 16, then they have the chip implanted at 10, then 5.  Then they will start charging you fees.  Don't you see the government is trying to swindle taxes from you."  The man was some fellow from the anti-chip campaign.  He believes that big brother is watching you; George Orwell, 1984 and all.

I tuned the guy out.  Really, I just want to spend my days comfortably reading at my cot.  My favorite time is when I am at school.  Children between 5 and 18 undergo mandatory education.  The last 2 years, is a mandatory rotational internship, and a 3 for an option extended internship that can go on till you are 25, but most people get sick of it after a few years.  There are some stragglers out there that don't fit this norm, but most are university students, who got straight to the university at 16 and so start their internship a bit later in life.

You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

Me, no, I am going the internship track. While I can get by with my grades, I never had the genius genes.  My favorite past time isn't crunching numbers, or doing reports.  It's spending free time on the school's campus garden.  Speaking of a reports...my wrist watch beeps, I look down, and see a picture of my guidance counselor.  Classrooms, are mostly taught by computer programs and games.  Guidance counselors are in charge of 4 sets of 5 or so students and look after them till they are 25.  These counselors tend to be those who have intern a lot in their days or are as old as my grandparents, who are about 80.  Though, the education system.  I had the fortunate experience of having two guidance counselors.  One who was 75 who guided me when I was 5 to 10 years of age, and another who was 30 who look out for me when I was 10 to 16.  This call was from the later.  

Gillian Giles, now 36, calls me.  Her parents must have hated her to give her such a name.  "Yes?" I answer.

"Susan, why have you avoided my calls?"

"Sorry, you are breaking up, I can't hear you."  I activated the program that simulates staticky of an out of reach call.  I hate it when people start calls with an accusatory tone.  Though I made it a point to always, miss her calls only, when I am in the Rec' Center's garden; which was often.  I have to stay consistent after all.

The Recenter Center or Rec' Center has a football field with faux grass, surrounded by a running track surrounded by a stadium, surrounded by a second running path with softer earth, surrounded by a garden.  There is a faux grass in the middle of the stadium supposedly simulates real grass on earth, were people can run and topple.  And sure enough there were people doing just that, kids playing around, couples picnicking or bring their baby along to help them cope with the 1 Earth gravity.  The room has especially made faux solar light emitters; this helps with getting vitamin D but not so much UV and gamma rays. The garden take up the  boarders edges of the of the Rec' Center.  

Whimsical plants, that don't produce much food or oxygen, but are quite exotic and beautiful populate the corners as another running path surrounds the stadium.  The people in here are mostly under 25, mainly because this particular Rec' Center is  earth grav'1.  It's funny, how they don't use Mars gravity as 1 after 2 centuries, but well, they didn't want to confuse the people back on earth.  Thus, our math programs has the annoying repetition of Earth gravity (Eg).  After awhile, you get tired of the tablet educational program (game) saying the word.  At one point, I had to set the computer to say 'e-g' instead, or just "g."

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