Week 1: Introduction (AU)

My name is NApuof. Technically, NApuof 06302250097, but that’s a bit of a mouthful, of course, and you can tell so much about me just from the letters. N indicates I was natural born, not a test tube baby that was genetically edited to ensure optimal health. There are trade offs with these things, of course. If I had been TApuof, my parents who have had to pay more up front to the National Birthing Service (NBS), but both they and I would not have had to pay for health insurance the rest of my life. When the NBS prepares a baby for a family, they pay for any healthcare needs during the offspring’s lifetime, and since the being’s change of health-related problems is extremely low, this works out financially for NBS.

In addition, the NBS’ lobbyists are so powerful that they managed to almost put several corporations whose products are linked to long-term health issues out of business. Sugar, tobacco, and most junk food is out of favor. You couldn’t find a candy bar for less than 10,000 credits. Exercise is also mandated for all employees now, not just for T’s, but N’s, too. All of that so that the BNS doesn’t have to pay as much for healthcare for their “products.” In the end, NBS’ policies have benefitted the entire population in a way, but N’s still do have a greater change of needing health services than T’s. But since the NBS is part of the National Healthcare Service, they benefit regardless.

I pay a very large percentage of my salary each month for health insurance. I sometimes wish I had been a ‘T,’ but N’s are sort of a thing in our family. There is one ‘T.’ in my family, my cousin TOl-ff, and she was created by my father’s estranged brother and sister-in-law. I understand my parents’ choice. Studies show that N’s have lower rates of depression, suicide, and other mental illnesses (something the NBS does not treat in T’s.) This is because N’s are more likely to have strong support systems and a sense of self and belonging. I should note, though, that the NBS still assigns the second and third letter in our names based on our parents’ letters, but this is problematic in many ways, not least of all creating a kind of caste system in which N-born babies, who are usually born to families with fewer financial means, are relegated to certain jobs and locations. Which brings me to my next two letters, ‘A’ and ‘p.’

‘A’ is for Antares, that capital plant. It is the largest and most resourced planet and I consider myself very luck to live here. Many other planets are not as well off, have poorer climates and atmosphere, but Antares works hard to send supplies to these other planets. This, of course, is a polarizing policy, but many people remember the horror stories of the end of Earth, so we are trying not to repeat the mistakes of the past. Memories are short, though.

I mentioned TOl-ff earlier, so you might be wondering what ‘O’ is. ‘O’ is for Oculus, which is not a planet at all, but a satellite enclave for the ultra rich. My uncle, NApusm, through some means, got permission to go into business, becoming NAbusm. He made a ridiculous amount of money, then married into money to my aunt TAbuff, and they moved to Oculus, becoming Nob-sm and TOb-ff. Oculus is mostly comprised of former TAb’s, TAl’s, and TAm’s, with some NAb’s, NAl’s, and NAm’s. Even fewer are those from other planets.

I haven’t explained the third letter yet, which will help to further set the scene for my life and family, and the residents of Oculus. The third letter has to do with your profession. M is for medicine, B is for business, L is for law, p is a public servant. There are also T’s, who are teachers, Fs in finance, S in safety, A for administrators and C for caregivers. This letter is typically assigned to you at birth based on your family history, as I mentioned previously. T’s, by and large, are assigned to m/b/l, but more and more are being assigned to other sectors as Ns die off and Ts become a larger segment of the population.

The fourth letter is what sector you are assigned to live and work in. There are only four options at this point in time: u, s, r, and -, but that last one is a newer one. In order, they are: urban, suburban, rural and ‘-‘ for Oculus and other satellite communities, which do not fall into one of the three former categories. My family and I live together a small apartment in Telrus, the third largest city on Antares. It is not far from Veltir, the largest city on the planet, and Yanto, the capital. The city is growing, but has seen hard days after an exodus of citizens, mostly Ts, to satellite cities. We are recovering slowly, and the city looks somewhat neglected compared to Telrus and Yanto. I love it here, though, and get mad when Telrusians and Yantians poke fun at us, which is often.

I am getting off track now. The fifth letter indicates birth order. There are only three options since there is a limit on the number of children families can have: o, f, and s, which stand for ‘only,’ ‘first,’ and ‘second.’ Related is the sixth letter, which is changing in legislature as we speak, but it relates to sex: f or m. There are additional options being added soon to account for those who are intersex, trans, or queer. Yet others are pushing for this letter to be removed entirely from our names, which I prefer and support. Then the numbers at the end address my birthdate and what number birth I am on that day. So I was born June 30^th, 2250, and I was the 97^th born. There is cap of 99 children who can be birthed or “created” each day. This seems to me like it would be difficult to control, and indeed, there are some documented cases of some days going into the 100s, but as more and more of the population become T’s, it is easier for the NBS to predict the number of total “births” each day.

This brings me to a final, silent letter that is not part of our names, but is part of our healthcare records. At this point in time, at age 30, I am NApuof:f. The final stands for ‘fertile,’ though it doesn’t actually speak to your true fertility, just whether you could, in theory, have children. Once I turn 31, if I am not pregnant, my tubes will be tied and I will become a :s, for sterile. This is the case for all N’s. T’s are born without the ability to reproduce, so this is not a consideration for them. In my case, though, I must choose within the next 11 months what I must do. Since I am not partnered, I can choose to enter a program where I am partnered with another single N who is seeking to raise a family. This is not necessarily someone we marry or have sexual relations with, but it could be. The intention is mainly to find someone with whom you choose to cohabitate and raise a child with. I enter this program tomorrow, though I am nervous I will not find anyone I am compatible with. If I do not find anyone, I can choose to become impregnated with donor sperm and raise a child on my own, but the cost of healthcare for a single ‘N’ is most likely prohibitive. Later in my life, but not past the age of 40, I could choose to raise a ‘T’ child if I find the means to pay for one, but that is also a less likely future. I would like to start a family, but I would like a partner to share that with. Starting tomorrow, I will be living full-time at the NBS’ facility, where they will make us participate in various activities to try and meet someone to share our lives and this responsibility with.