Overview
The Classification System is the primary social structure of 2325. Developed by both the Eastern Coalition and Pacific-Atlantic Alliance between 2150 and 2210, the system sorts children according to neurological potential and utility to the state. By Nova's time, it has reached peak efficiency — nearly 30% of all children are raised in state Residential Allocation Centers, with most never questioning their predetermined paths.
The Seven Classes
Class-One (Elite) — The rarest classification. No new class-one had been designated in five years before Nova. Class-ones have exceptional neural adaptation capabilities and are groomed for integration with Guardian Vessels and Radio Units. The hidden truth: class-ones don't graduate. They're converted. No exit records exist.
Class-Two — High-potential individuals receiving enhanced education and neurological conditioning. Administrative and technical roles.
Class-Three — Mid-tier. Can receive a salary. Terra is being considered for class-three status. Genetic screening, cognitive enhancement, and neural implantation are standard.
Class-Four — Lower mid-tier. Limited opportunities but still within acceptable social bounds.
Class-Five (Threshold) — The critical dividing line. Citizens above class-five have basic privileges. Those below are excluded. A key rule: classes one through five cannot have immediate relatives below class-five.
Class-Six — Below the threshold. Limited rights, social stigma, diminished opportunities.
Class-Seven — Automatic designation for criminal behavior. Immediate adult classification regardless of age. Complete social exclusion. Association with class-sevens drags down relatives' classifications.
The Orphan Pipeline
The system is designed to produce class-one candidates. Between 2150 and 2180, both superpowers implemented policies that increased the number of children in state care. Research showed that children without familial bonds had ideal neural plasticity for system integration. By 2195, GEPA identified orphans as "ideally unbiased" — perfect administrators with no competing loyalties.
Emergency care centers became permanent Residential Allocation Centers. Classification became industrialized evaluation. Children became inventory.
The Handicap Period
Class-one children receive neural interface implants — presented as a privilege. The surgery causes temporary blindness and deafness lasting years. Nova was blind and deaf from age 12 to 16. Those who survive and recover are prepared for final integration: consciousness transfer into Guardian Vessels or Radio Units. The graduation ceremony has no graduates. Only conversions.