3.3.3.3.3.3.3.3.3.3.3.3
.3.3.3
.3.3.3
through hard work and dedication, as
opposed to the rigidly-controlled mon-
etary economies of the inner system and
the Jovian Republic, where class strati-
cation is institutionalized and upward
mobility is largely a myth.
As many supporters of the status quo
are fond of pointing out, even the “have-
nots” are smarter and healthier than
any previous generation of humans and
carry as much potential immortality as
the wealthiest member of the elite. It is
equally true, however, that in many ways
the divisions between rich and the poor
are signi cantly greater than they have
ever been, especially in the inner system.
In the past, the members of the elite might
be somewhat healthier and better fed than
the have-nots, but both rich and poor still
lived in relatively similar and fundamen-
tally human bodies. Now, the very nature
of humanity has been called into ques-
tion. The least fortunate can be forced
to inhabit bodies designed specifically
for the pleasure of those wealthier than
them or even denied any body and forced
to live as infomorphs until they can nd
some way to acquire a new morph—typi-
cally by selling their services to the high-
est bidder. Meanwhile, the well-off can
customize their bodies and their minds,
enabling them to accomplish far more
and to be considerably more impressive
and charismatic than anyone lacking their
advantages. These inequalities may seem
insurmountable, but some anarchistic
groups and even some entire habitats
have dedicated themselves to reducing
inequities by producing low cost (and
occasionally highly unreliable) versions of
many of the more impressive morphs and
augmentations.
CLADES AND SEPARATION
In many habitats, hyper-augmented elites
rule a mass of humanity that is stuck using
low-end morphs and minimal augmenta-
tions, or even infomorphs living in rented
morphs, but this is not the only option
found in the solar system. Transhumanity
has splintered into a wide variety of sub-
cultures, s