There's more to Elysion than just its districts. Differences are more than ideological, more than geographical.
Elysion revolves around politics, its government the hand that guides the lives of all its people. They are what keeps the clock ticking, the heart beating. Made up of three major departments, all major decision about Elysion and its people are made by the three department heads, which form The Elysian Council.
First and foremost, the Department of Families manages all things relating to the people of Elysion. They are the spearheaders of the Soulmate Initiative and all its marketing, they run and contract Elysion's medical system, and they keep track of all citizens and their traversal between districts. The DoF is the department of names and faces, and they know yours just as much as you know theirs.
Second, the Department of Knowledge spearheads all of the scientific and technological advancements in Elysion. They have medical labs working on cures for diseases, manage all of the government-own hydro farms where new farming technologies are tested, and work with tech corporations to build the newest and shiniest in computing. They manage and upkeep the net, clean it of anything unsavoury, and ensure the cybersecurity of all departments of the Council.
Finally, the Department of Infrastructure is the clock that keeps the city ticking. Not only does it manage and maintain the physical buildings that make up Elysion, it also runs all public services, from trams, to first responders, to police and intelligence. Every officer and firefighter in the city wears the badge of the DoI, and every bus and border train bears its insignia on its side. Were it not for the Department of Infrastructure, there would be no Elysion.
Ever wonder why soulmates are always heterosexual, always from the same caste? Why sometimes soulmates don't get along, or even hate one another? Why sometimes one's soulmate is gone long before they even go looking? Why soulmates exist at all? Well, you're not the first, and certainly not alone. It's a question that burns many and ignored by all, save a select few.
The Spinsters, a subset of people collected by their common rejection of the status quo. Caste, color, gender, orientation -- none of it matters to them. Ranging from young to old, the Spinsters accept anyone and everyone as long as they're willing to live their most authentic life. Spinster communities are the only places it's safe to be yourself, to be queer, to be spiritual. But there's always a price.
Spinster communities are families, sharing everything from wealth to food to burden. In the outskirts of Terran, the furthest one can be from the clouds of Zion, lie those who reject the government and its propaganda. But will they fight against it? Or will they be squashed like bugs?
It's hard to live outside of the purview of the government, but not impossible. Sometimes, children are born without its knowledge-- never given a soulmate tattoo, never implanted with an identification chip, never written down on a list to be checked and dated. These people are ghosts-- unknown to the system, but barely able to function within it. They can't use credits, so they get by without them. They can't traverse districts, so they stay on the ground. They aren't assigned a soulmate, so they have to find their own.
Have you ever known someone from outside the city? Ever wondered what it's like in the forests and plains beyond Elysion? Ever considered that you've never been able to leave, know anyone who's left? Every once in a while, someone will appear on the outskirts of terran, naked and afraid, or hulking and feral. Sometimes, they have to be dealt with. Sometimes, they integrate, become a part of the city. But most of the time... well, most of the time we don't talk about it. There are some secrets too dangerous to speak.
