Luke and Leo's first impression of the Arc ship was that it was absolutely massive!
At a first glance the ship did not look like an airplane or a flying vessel at all but more like a small metropolitan district as it spanned several kilometres in all directions.
The ship's exterior was a gleaming expanse of silver and black, reflecting the sun's light in a way that made it look like it was shimmering. Several sections of the vessel expanded and retracted almost seamlessly suggesting the presence of advanced adaptable technology that transcended the capabilities of Earth.
As they walked inside, the brothers were struck by the stark contrasts that existed within the confines of the Arc ship.
Based on one's ticket, they were housed in different sections from S to E with there being a major difference between the luxury and quality of life within each sections.
[ Section S ] was the epitome of luxury. Named 'Silver Sanctum', this housing section had lavish apartments that housed the top1%
Residents of Section S had access to personalized robotic assistants, state-of-the-art health facilities, gourmet dining halls, and personal leisure areas.
The people here moved with a sense of entitlement, their faces betraying no surprise at the marvels around them. It was as if they always knew about, or perhaps even expected, this level of grandeur.
"Look Luke, that's the president-" Leo pointed out with his finger as Luke immediately covered his brother's mouth and forced him to look downwards.
Pointing at anyone was not considered good manners and if someone like the president took offense then they could throw small fishes like Luke and Leo out of the ship in an instant.
Was it a surprise that she was given housing within the best sector? Not really, however, it still pissed Leo off as in his opinion that bitch did not even deserve a ticket.
Walking forward, Luke and Leo passed by Section A.
[ Section A ] a.k.a the 'Aurum Abode', was a step below the S ranked quarters but still breathtaking. It consisted of high-end apartments with modern amenities. The residents had communal gyms, entertainment areas, and advanced medical facilities.
After section A came-
[ Section B ], known as 'Bronze Borough', was designed for the middle-class elites. While their lodgings were modest compared to the previous sections, they had access to basic facilities and shared recreational areas. Families here seemed grateful, their conversations hinting at a mix of anxiety and hope.
[ Section C ] was called the 'Copper Commons' and it resembled urban housing complexes. Families had small living quarters, shared laundries, and communal dining areas. While things were orderly, there was a palpable sense of uncertainty, with whispers about job allocations and the hope for upward mobility on Terra Nova.
Uptil this point, the Arc Ship looked like the perfect carrier to live in, however, as the brother's walked past section C and into section D, they realized that even the arc ship was a place where severe inequality prevailed.
[ Section D ] labeled 'Dural District', was more like tenements or dormitories. Several individuals or families shared a common living space and it looked just like the hoodlums and back alleys that were commonly seen in the most dangerous parts of an urban city.
They had few communal facilities which were clearly overstressed. Yet, despite the challenging living conditions, the inhabitants of these quarters seemed to be ready for a challenge and desperate to improve their living standards.
Finally, [ Section E ], or 'Elemental End', was where the most downtrodden were placed.
It was the lowest of low sections where Luke and Leo were to live alongside other menial workers of society.
The facilities were basic and clearly not enough to prevent overcrowding, with long queues for food and essential services.
As Luke and Leo passed by shops that were labeled as "Lunch Hall" and "Laundry Hall" they saw extensive lines forming outside these buildings as the brother's realized that waiting 30-40 minutes for daily essentials was going to become the norm in this place.
The living quarters were cramped, with several families sharing single units leaving no privacy for individuals.
The units here were only square boxes with minimal furniture as there was absolutely no distinction between bedroom, hall or kitchen.
There was one communal bathroom shared amongst ten housing rooms that accommodated two individuals each.
The atmosphere here was a mix of despair and resilience.
E-46. As the brother's entered their assigned quarters they realized that it was a small box spanning ten feet by twelve feet and was barely big enough for both of them to sleep at full length.
The flooring used was the same material as the rest of the ships baseframe and the only furniture provided were two sockets for power and a study table mounted on the wall.
There was no proper bed and the brothers were meant to sleep on mattresses which had 'Welcome Kits' placed on-top.
After viewing the kind of luxury that the inhabitants of the other sections were going to live in, the brothers found it hard to digest their own living quarters as the two of them exchanged no words as they put down their measly 3kg luggage.
As they opened their welcome kits, they found some sophisticated headgear inside whose purpose seemed unclear at the moment, alongside a fresh set of clothes that would become their uniform from this day forward and a dental essential kit.
The clothes they had looked like a medical surgeon's robe but in orange color with E-46 embroided in large white lettering at the chest.
"Leo, there's a small booklet given at the end, it apparently explains the rules and regulations of this ship, give it a read first.
We don't want to get in unnecessary trouble-" Luke instructed as Leo looked for the small booklet in his welcome kit and discovered it at the very end.
He spent the next 20 minutes reading every single rule of the arc ship before realizing that it was extremely absurd and oppressive by design.
Apparently freedom of movement, freedom of expression, freedom of speech and such ideals no longer applied within the arc ships as the different housing sections created essentially worked as large prison cells.
Moving from a higher ranked section to a lower section was permitted, however, the reverse was not allowed.
Although a D ranked individual could walk freely into the sector E housing, the vice-versa could not be done.
Except for two special days in a year, everyone had to necessarily wear their assigned robes to work within the arc ship and could not wear the clothes they came with on the ship.
No protest of any sort against the authority was tolerated and at the first action of dissent individuals risked being thrown out of the Arc Ship into the cold dark space.
There were a total of 112 such bullet points that explicitly detailed what one could do and could not do, however, many of these points touched on a subject called 'Gaming Time' and 'Virtual World' which Leo could not fully grasp.
Apparently, everyone aboard the ship had to spend a minimum of 12 hours a day playing a deep dive MMORPG game called 'Terra Nova Online' but the precise details were missing from the rule book.