Crime and Punishment

Financial Investigative Services (FIS). This World Federation agency is responsible for the enforcement and investigation of financial activities and crimes. The FIS is part of the World Federation's police branch and has the power to act anywhere on the globe irrespective of political or geographic boundaries. Since most crime tends to be white crime, the FIS is the busiest police force in the world.

Genetic Revolution. The scientific advancements (occurring primarily in the 21^st century) that were responsible for eliminating famine, disease and other physical ailments through the use of bioengineering techniques. These advancements were also applied to other species to insure food supplies, create environmentally sustainable resources, and enhance the diversity of the biosphere. In addition, the revolution enabled designer engineering of the human form a long with gender selection and physical augmentation as well as retarding the aging process and extending lifespan. It also enabled the Decision and its resulting consequences.

Gender Crisis. This crisis resulted when the male population decreased to such low levels that the survivability of humankind was threatened. The crisis followed a few generations after the Great Plague which wiped out most of the male population. This decrease was exacerbated by advances in bioengineering which permitted reproduction to occur ex utero. As a result, it was quickly realized that only a small population of males was required to sustain the species as long as the female population remained large. The choice of women to have mainly female offspring after the Great Plague precipitated the Gender Crisis. This crisis was eventually resolved by the

Tiresias Compromise which resulted in the permanent enslavement of the remaining male population and the all-female society of the 24^th century.

The Great Plague. The Great Plague resulted from a genetic flaw introduced into the human genome after the Decision. As a result, 95% of the male population was wiped out in the second half of the 22^nd century eventfully leading to the Gender Crisis and the Tiresias Compromise and the all-female society of the 24^th century.

Hotop. Short for hot-topic; Net gossip. A hotop is a thread of discussion about a particular topic on the Net. The topic can be any noteworthy item from major news events to trivial matters involving fashion, celebrities, or unusual events. A hotop can last from a few hours to several weeks depending on the topic and the level of interest.

Judicial Investigation. A formal investigation of the facts regarding the involvement of one or more persons (called collaborators) in specific criminal activities; the state in the person of the Complainant formally initiates the investigation by notifying all parties, including collaborators and the Lead Judicial Investigator (who presides over the proceedings). A Judicial Investigation is similar to court trials held in the 19^th, 20^th, and 21^st centuries with the Collaborator, Complainant, and Lead Judicial Investigator corresponding to the defendant, prosecutor, and Judge, respectively. The jury is replaced by a panel of Investigators, usually six in number. The investigation itself is analogous to a trial. However, a Judicial Investigation differs in several important ways from a court trial. The first and perhaps most important difference is that the system is cooperative, not adversarial. As such, it is a neutral investigation into the facts with the ultimate purpose of determining if the Collaborator has violated the law. As such, all relevant facts are admissible to the Investigators, and the Collaborator (as well as the Complainant) must answer all questions asked by any of the participating parties. The second important difference is the use of logic and modeling. The facts presented must be rigorously modeled with all conclusions deduced and verified using the formal rules of logic. Inference and unsupported facts are not allowed. The ultimate determination of the Investigators must be based on the facts and rigorously supported by the modeling. Third and final, is that all the facts (evidence) must be presented; nothing can be withheld by any party. Although the Complainant has the full resources of the state at her disposal and may request and obtain information from any party, she does not have legal immunity or protection if she violates the law. Intimidation and other coercive techniques are illegal. If the Investigators find that the facts do support Complainants position, then the Collaborator is found innocent; otherwise she is found guilty. If guilty, the Lead Investigator determines the penalty as specified by the Servitude Laws.

Medtech. Short for medical technician; a person trained to treat physical injuries, diseases, or aliments. After the Genetic Revolution, the medical doctors of the 18^th, 19^th, and 20^th centuries were replaced by medtecs. With medicine on a firm scientific foundation, treatment of injuries and disease is handled mainly by machines under human supervision. Medical doctors were therefore replaced by technicians trained to use these machines. The research previously conducted by medical doctors prior to the Genetic Revolution is now performed by scientists and bioengineers.

The Net. The Net is the integrated world-wide communications network linking everyone on the planet in a continuous and ever present data-stream of news, entertainment, gossip, and facts. In principal, all human knowledge and information can be accessed via the Net; these can take to from of text, pictures, videos, etc. The Net also hosts all the Virtual Personas created through Blue Onyx.

New Age of Reason. The period of time just before and after the Decision and covering the Golden Era wherein humankind sought to improve and control its reasoning and rationality using bioengineering. The goal of this era was to reduce aggression and thereby eliminate both war and crime and usher in a new ear of peace and prosperity.

The New Golden Era. The period of approximately 50 years following the Decision; this era was marked by an unparalleled period of peace and material prosperity. Crime and war were essentially non-existent during this time and poverty and hunger eliminated. The era came to an end with the Great Plague and the resulting crises which followed.

The New Social Contract. The social contract developed after the Tiresias Compromise by the World Federation that established the rules and laws for the post New Golden Age era. This contract guarantees individual liberty and rights as well as personal prosperity. Poverty and crime are virtually eliminated and a near utopian world is established. This world is governed by the new social elite who, in conjunction with the Servitude Laws, are responsible for maintaining order, keeping the peace, and insuring prosperity.

Nina's Cut. Slang for the Venkatesan Modification, after Nina Venkatesan its inventor.

Pisshonie. A childish name used for the female genitals; pussy. Because of the manner in which this term is applied and used, it has both an inferior and embarrassing connotation. Slaves therefore have pisshonies while Mistresses and fee woman have pussies. The intention is to emphasize the superiority of the Mistress over the slave and to further reinforce the Venkatesan Modification.

Psychtech. Short for psychiatric technician; a person trained to study and treat mental disorders. After the Genetic Revolution, medical doctors were replaced by medical technicians known as medtechs. Treatment of physical problems is handled by machines under human supervision with new research and technical advancements being conducted by scientists and engineers. Treatment and research were therefore separated into two distinct fields for physical problems. For mental disorders, the situation is more complicated since even in the 24^th century the human mind is still not fully understood. The physical component of treating mental disorders is therefore handled with machines, but the diagnosis and treatment of the mind is handled almost exclusively by humans. In addition to treating mental disorders psychtechs engage in active research into the human mind.

The Ranch. The physical location of Varinia; the property had been a ranch since ancient times and had been owned by an ex-criminal. Two hundred years ago, the property of criminals had not been confiscated and upon their release, these criminals could resume active ownership. The Ranch was such a property and eventually it became the property of one of Varinia's members and the physical home to the organization.

Restricted Sex. As part of the Tiresias Compromise, the male sex is confined to special breeding colonies known as Duenas. In addition, women are restricted to having only female offspring using seaman provided by the few remaining males in the Duenas. As a result the de facto gender becomes female with male referred to as the restricted sex because of the tight controls placed on the gender.

The School. The School is special facility on Zax Island where the Children are held and raised as they await conversion to diapered slaves. The Children are kept isolated in this location and brought up using the moral ideals of the Victorian Era. The School is their home and they are confined to this part of the Island. Although the School's staff is part of Zax, there is little or no interaction with the Castle staff. As such, the School is essentially a microcosm of a bygone era with the sole purpose of molding the Children for use after conversion. The building itself contains three stories, plus a basement. The first floor houses the classrooms, a gym, and an indoor pool. The second floor contains the dormitory where the Children and their Headmistress sleep. This consists of six bedrooms with adjoining bathrooms, the largest of which belong to the headmistress. The top floor holds the dining hall, kitchen, and administrative offices.

Servant. See Slave.

Servitude Laws. These laws define both crime and its corresponding punishment. In essence the Servitude Laws reestablish indentured servitude as the punishment for all crime with relatively minor crimes being punished with public humiliation or short periods (anywhere form a day to a year) of personal service to the victim or the public. More serious crimes are punished with longer terms of service and the most severe crimes with a lifetime of service and an (almost) complete loss of rights and freedom. In the latter case, the offender is typically sold at public auction to the highest bidder and the proceeds used to compensate the victims and the government.

The Seven Cardinal Rules (of an Indentured Servant). The 'rules' as they are colloquially known, were originally developed by Zax as the core behavioral guidelines for its slaves. Because of Zax's standing and reputation among slaveholders, these became the unofficial code of behavior expected for slaves. The seven rules are: silence, respect, subservience, obedience, acceptance, and denial. Formally these are as follows:

(1) Silence. A slave is to remain silent in the presence of her Mistress and is never to speak unless spoken to. Silence insures that a slave is always listening so as to understand her Mistress's commands, wishes, and desires. The rule of silence is demonstrated by never speaking unless spoken to.

(2) Respect. A Slave must always treat her Mistress with the utmost respect and deference. Her first thought should be to please her Mistress always and to place the interest of her Mistress first and above all else. The rule of respect is demonstrated by always addressing all non-slaves as 'Mistress'.

(3) Subservience. A slave is always subservient to her Mistress, placing her Mistress above herself in all things. The rule of subservience is demonstrated by never making eye contact with a Mistress and always maintaining a downcast gaze.

(4) Obedience. A slave must instantly obey any order given her by a Mistress without question or hesitation. The rule of obedience is demonstrated by quick and unflinching compliance to every command given by a Mistress.

(5) Acceptance. A slave must fully accept her situation and enthusiastically embrace her servitude. A dutiful slave willingly and eagerly serves her Mistress. The rule of acceptance is demonstrated by wearing the Mistress's clothing or uniform of slavery and never touching or removing these garments without permission.

(6) Abstinence. A slave exists for her Mistress's pleasure and as such must always remain focused on pleasing her Mistress, not herself. Physical pleasure is to be shunned in favor of modesty and chastity so as to remain attuned to the Mistress's desires. The rule of abstinence is demonstrated by never touching one's genitalia or masturbating without explicit permission.

(7) Denial. A slave always foregoes her own pleasure and satisfaction in deference to that of her Mistress. The Mistress's wishes and desires are placed above all else, including the slave's own wants and needs. The rule of denial is demonstrated by never coming without explicit permission.

A slave that fails to follow these rules is subject to immediate punishment. Compliance with the seven cardinal rules insures proper obedience and that slaves always place the interests and desires of the Mistress first and above all else. Each of the seven statements contains a demonstration clause intended to reinforce the philosophy and concepts embodied by the rule and to serve as a tangible reminder of what is expected from the slave. The rules are also known, less formally as the Slave's Code of Conduct. This term is less popular and not as widely used as the Seven Cardinal Rules.

Slave. Technically a irrevocable indentured servant, as established by the Servitude Laws. Criminal offenders found guilty are sentenced to terms of public or private servitude as punishment for their crime. The length and terms of service vary depending on the severity of the crime. The rights and freedom afforded these offenders is proscribed by law, however they are not completely without rights. Women sentenced to terms less than their lifetimes are termed servants while women sentenced to a lifetime of service are called slaves. In all cases, severe physical abuse is not allowed and under no circumstances can a slave or servant be physically injured or killed by her owner. The rights guaranteed a servant vary with the severity of the sentence. For short periods of servitude, the servant may retain most, if not all, her legal and civil rights as well as her personal freedom; her only obligation being to satisfactorily complete her service within the prescribed period. In general these rights and freedoms decrease as the length of the sentence increases. For sentences lasting several years, the servant effectively looses most of her legal rights as well as her personal freedom. For slaves all except the most basic rights to life and limb are lost as well as all personal freedom. Since crime is relatively rare so are slaves. As such slaves are expensive to obtain and own and quickly become lucrative status symbols for the ultra wealthy and powerful.

Slave's Code of Conduct. See Seven Cardinal Rules.

Standard Year. The time required for the Earth to complete one complete orbit around the sun. Nominally 365.25 days, where one day is the time required for the Earth to make one complete revolution about its axis.

Tiresias Compromise. The compromise is named after the legendary ancient Greek Tiresias who was changed into a woman and then back into a man as punishment for displeasing the gods. The Compromise established men as the restricted sex controlling their numbers and location on the planet. In particular males were relegated to the status of breeding slaves and confined to and raised in special all-female colonies called Duenas. To insure control of the male population, only one male is allowed in a Duena at a time and males are never allowed to meet or come into contact with each other. In addition males are kept from even knowing about the existence of other males. In practice Duenas are separated by large distances to avoid the spread of potential plague and disease among the male population, making any such meetings virtually impossible. The practical effect of the Tiresias Compromise is to eliminate all males from the general population and insure that an adequate and stable number of males are maintained at all times to guarantee the continued survival and viability of the human species. Women desiring children are restricted to having daughters; male offspring no longer being permitted. The Tiresias Compromise restructures humankind into an all-female society and eventually results in the New Social Contract.

Transport. A vehicle use to transport people and goods from one place to another on the Earth. Transports vary in both size and type; depending on the vehicle, they can travel over water and land and through the air. Specialized transports can also travel underwater however all these vehicle are restricted to travel within the Earth's atmosphere. In general, transports are automated and do not require a human pilot. These vehicles are the main form of transportation between cities and other widely separated locations on the Earth. No special facilities are required for handling transports, though larger vehicles may require reinforced or special structures to accommodate their size and weight.

Varinia. Named after a rebellious slave from ancient times, this organization is formally called the Colony and its stated purpose is to repeal the Servitude Laws and free all slaves, especially those owned by Zax. The group itself is composed of ex-slaves and led by Erin Brooke, an ex-slave framed for a financial crime she did not commit. Varinia is located at the Ranch the site of the Colony. The group is best known for its raid on Zax Island when it attempted to end Zax's diapered slave breeding program and free its slaves. Varinia was only partially successful in its effort; it succeeded in ending Zax's breeding program, but was unable to free any of the diapered slaves. After this partial success, Varinia has focused on changing public opinion regarding the Servitude Laws and monitoring the Children.