"Even to this day centuries after her death, the figure of the woman who was once called by the epithet of the "Golden Devil" is a subject of great debate and controversy among scholars and historians of all mankind. That a single person should have been of such great importance and influence for the development of our ancestors is something that leaves us in shock. Feared, admired, loved and hated in equal parts by all members of Society, The Dominion and the lower colors, daughter of the "God of War" and sister of a "Goblin". Tanya au Barca is undoubtedly one of the most important women in the last 500 years in the history of mankind. But she was not always the woman we know today, at some point she was just a young girl trying to make her way through the ranks of Society, her story like all other stories has an origin."
Sevro POV.
From the landing zone on the rooftop of one of the tallest buildings in the Martian capital, Sevro au Barca gazed at the buildings below him and waited that the Institute's shuttle arrive to that place.
"Sevro stop picking your nose, how many times do I have to tell you that it's disgusting and impolite to do it in front of others." Said a female voice behind Sevro.
Sevro was not the only one waiting for the shuttle in that place, so still without taking his index finger out of his nose, he turned around to see the origin of that voice. It belonged to a girl with blonde hair, fierce golden eyes and a similar height to his own.
Although that girl was Servro's twin aside from the short stature, there were few physical similarities between the two of them. In fact, if Tanya were taller she could pass perfectly well for one of those high quality golden bitches.
"She looks like her mother."
Old Fitchner always said in a strangely melancholy voice every time he saw his sister, his father always said this just before looking at Sevro and frowning in disgust.
[Asshole, If Tanya looks like mom, obviously who do I look like?] Sevro thought with disgust.
Seeing that Sevro hadn't stopped picking his nose, Tanya frowned disapprovingly.
"Brother, today is an important day. We've been discussing it for months, could you behave yourself?."
"No." Sevro replied, pulling his finger out of his nose to check what he had found in there.
Tanya sighed wearily and shook her head.
"Sevro...."
"It's a big day for you, for me it's the same old crap. I wasn't the one who got that stellar score. " Sevro interrupted her with a frown.
His sister had done it very well on the written test of the Institute and above average on the physical test.
"It's important for both of us, you got accepted too." Tanya said
"Which is somehow suspicious."
Sevro hadn't done it too badly on the physical test, but the written test was entirely another matter. However, when old Fitchner heard that Sevro was admitted he didn't even blink, just frowned a little and nodded.
"Even if that were so, this is a great opportunity. Our performance on the Institute will determine our working future...."
Ever since they were kids Tanya seemed to be obsessed with that shit, a good job, a retirement. As if the Golds cared about that crap. Her little sister could be pretty delusional.
"You already gave me that talk Tanya and I remind you that Fitchner told us that this is not going to be how you think it's going to be."
Fitchner had never told them exactly what the Institute was. When Tanya and Sevro had asked him about it, that idiot had merely replied.
"The only thing you need to know is that everything I've taught you so far will serve you well in that place."
And what had Fitchner taught them? For long as Sevro could remember, for that idiot a family moment meant going to a goddamn forest in the middle of nowhere and learning how to light a fire while it rained cats and dogs all over you. Of course, surviving in the wild wasn't the only thing Fitchner had taught them, he also showed them the proper way to skewer a human in the ass using a Razor or how to shoot from long range using a pulse cannon.
Tanya was daddy's perfect little girl, so she always listened to him and soaked up all the knowledge like a sponge.
[Of course, Fitchner would teach us that when he deigned to visit us] Sevro thought bitterly.
Fitchner sometimes disappeared for several months and during all that time it was just Tanya and Sevro, they had servants but in the end they only had each other.
"I know...it will be a little violent. Father mentioned the passage, but I don't think it all comes down to how well we can beat each other up."
The passage was the only thing Fitchner spoke to Tanya and him about, he only said a couple of words regarding it.
"You're going to have to kill someone ... you better be ready for that."
Sevro was more than ready and he had no doubt that Tanya was too, his sister could be mistaken for a Pixie, but at heart she was a Barca. During her childhood Tanya rarely used violence or bad language with other people (except with Sevro in the training sections), not even yelling at the lower colors, but to this day Sevro couldn't forget the only time he had seen Tanya really angry.
A shiver ran down Sevro's spine as he remembered how she had made a pulp out of that Rath kid. He pushed his thoughts away from such unpleasant memories and said.
"You say?" Sevro snorted contemptuously." Well, I suspect something a little different."
"Sevro, just behave a little. The connections we make at the Institute are important not only to us but to father as well." Tanya said using that tone that made Sevro irritated.
Sevro was about to reply something rude, when he noticed that something was approaching the rooftop, it was a shuttle with the Society's symbol painted on both sides of the fuselage.
"They're already here." Tanya gave Sevro a hard look. "Behave yourself."
Tanya POV.
When my brother and I entered the shuttle, I noticed immediately that there were only 4 other people sitting there in silence. The 4 people were teenagers, (3 boys and 1 girl) Golden like us.
Golds, even after 17 years of being reborn in this place it was still hard for me to process the whole social caste thing. I had been reincarnated almost a millennium later from what seemed to be the same world as my first life. Sometime in the last millennium humanity had terraformed and colonized most of the planets in our solar system.
An incredible achievement, which had to be ruined by a senseless war that led to the creation of Society and the establishment of an oligarchic hierarchy of genetically modified humans. An oligarchic hierarchy of which for better or worse, now I was part.
Sevro and I walked to the side seats of the shuttle and sat side by side.
The colored caste system of Society seemed to me a remarkable waste. Classism was nonsense, it was absurd to believe that humans (genetically modified or not) were superior to others simply because they were born into one caste or another.
[I know this very well, I have met Reds who could give lessons to many Golds]
When I was a child (or better said a baby) and knew little about the world around me, at first it seemed to me completely crazy how such a system of government could have been maintained and even prospered for over 700 years. At that time, I could only think of all the kind of despotism and profligacy that could be present among the high castes. And of the discontent that was sure to overwhelm the so-called "Lower Colors".
Make no mistake that despotism and profligacy, it was there, was what my fellows called "Pixies". They were Golds who only indulged in their own pleasures and had never done a real job in their entire lives. But the reason, the real reason why this system of government had not been completely shattered centuries ago and the lower colors had not killed us all, in a worthy imitation of the French revolution, were the Golden ones called Peerless Scarred.
The elite within the elite, the leaders of the upper caste chosen by absolute meritocracy. After passing through The Institute these men and women became those who dominated politics, economics and the military. The only ones who prevented that the whole solar system from falling into madness.
Even though I didn't like the Society, I had to give them a few points in favor because of this. They thought it well, choosing the leaders of humanity based on their accomplishments and capabilities was something I could respect.
[But it's still stupid that all these "leaders" come from one caste.....no the whole colored caste thing is complete nonsense]
However, I was not a revolutionary. Call me selfish, but I was not interested in challenging the system and standing up to it, breaking the wheel or whatever you want to call it.
Despite the fact that my mother had died shortly after my birth, that I had a distant and absent father figure, and that it was extremely annoying that at 1.78 m tall I was considered a dwarf among our race....
[Curse you Being X]
....I had been very lucky to be born into the highest caste of this society.
[I can almost think that Being X got tired of tormenting me]
For 17 years, I hadn't seen traces of that demon anywhere, this made me happy in so many ways that I couldn't put it into words. And I was definitely going to take advantage of it.
[Although, perhaps, it would have been less of a problem for me if I had been born as a Silver]
I wouldn't have complained about being born as one of them, the Silvers were high enough in the social pyramid to feel comfortable and because they were being mainly in charge of the economic affairs of the Society, very different things were expected of them.
[No doubt, it would have saved me a lot of trouble]
But there was nothing I could do at that moment but face it and move on. I needed to become a Peerless Scarred, there was no other way. Although Peerless Scarred were a minority among the Golds, there was no doubt that their opinion was the only one that mattered.
[I'll go through The Institute, earn my scar and pursue a career in politics for a few years. Long enough to ingratiate myself with some prominent figures and establish me in their economic circle, raise enough money and live comfortably]
That was my plan, I was definitely not going to join the army again. I wouldn't go through that madness again, the war was a waste and besides I didn't need it, as a Peerless Scarred, I would have access to all kinds of connections and better job prospects. The only ones who might look down on me would be others Peerless Scarred, but I could live with that.
[Besides, it's not that if Society hasn't accomplished some things worthy of admiration. They exterminated Communism, I can only applaud them for such a great achievement]
I would just have to go through The Institude and my path to a peaceful life would have begun. I looked at Sevro who was frowning as he looked around the shuttle.
[In a few years I could even give him a job]
My brother was not the sharpest tool in the shed and not only that, he was also brusque and certainly had rude manners.
[The only place where he could fit in would be the Army, but that's only if he can hold his tongue and be a little disciplined]
Although The Society was technically not at war with anyone, internal conflicts between the houses that were military powers were the bread and butter of the solar system. My brother had enough ferocity and skill with weapons to be able to thrive in that environment, but despite what he thought, I had helped raise him and I felt a little conflicted with myself for leaving him alone. So once I was properly settled, I planned to find him someplace to work more comfortably, whether he earned his scar or not.
[Although, if everything our father has implied about The Institute is true, Sevro has a good chance of becoming a Peerless Scarred]
I had marked a high score on the written test, so high that they sent a member of the Board of Quality Control to check that I hadn't cheated. Fortunately, I didn't and they found nothing, although they must have suspected something because of who my father was.
My father was a man of many facets. I had known him for years and still didn't fully understand him. Fitchner was a Peerless Scarred and someone who had advanced through the ranks of Society almost from the bottom. He was a worthy example of someone who could go far with a little effort. Sevro held a grudge against him, for his long absences, but I didn't feel in the same way, I could understood perfectly well his circumstances.
In the physical test, although I still had my magic and I could use some spells based on rough calculations, I did not use it to strengthen my body. I did not know if the examiners would detect anything and therefore I limited myself to do my best in my current physical condition ...
While I was lost in my thoughts, the time passed very fast and I noticed that the shuttle landed again and the door at the back opened. Another Golden teenager entered through it, he was tall and muscular, when he passed by my side we exchanged glances for a couple of seconds, there was something in him that was different from the others, he didn't move with the arrogant demeanor of most of the Golds and his eyes were much softer....
Sevro elbowed me and looked at me with a frown.
"You fell in love with that Pixie?"
I rolled my eyes and ignored him, I knew Sevro was in a bad mood and he was just looking for some excuse to argue with me. My brother knew well what were my personal preferences were when it came to sex, after all, when we turned 13 Sevro had tried to give me a Pink girl as a birthday present after stealing some money from our father. Obviously, I turned him down, I didn't want a sex slave .... no matter how attractive they might be.
Forgetting about the boy I saw a moment ago my thoughts went back to the Institute. The Passage would be the first obstacle, but no matter what it was I would overcome it.