Chapter 1

In hindsight, the red line was probably a bad idea. Another wall certainly would’ve lessened the temptation, but the council was more concerned with aesthetics than practicality. Those permitted to travel freely (the wealthy, council members and certain pre-approved service providers) didn’t care to deal with bottlenecks and checkpoints. It was far easier to simply contain the Deltors, citizens born in or assigned to Delta Sector, than to inhibit free travel for everyone else. Not that anyone outside of Delta Sector really wanted to be there. Deltors weren’t necessarily criminals or revolutionaries, they were just underprivileged and expected to remain so. Still, the red line beckoned to some of the young Deltors. Those who crossed it, and returned, wore the feat like a badge of honor.

On the surface, the Sector Resolution had merit when it was presented to the council nearly 80 cycles ago, but most Deltors would agree that they are far more likely to end up in Echo than to ever cross the red line into the Alpha or Bravo Sectors. Echo is where the wall is… and it’s a big one.

Prior to the Sector Resolution that effectively divided the socio-economic classes of New Hawking, traditional prisons were used to house and punish the convicted. These institutions were deemed an unnecessary expense and done away with. The idea was to segregate the undesirables, malcontents and criminals from the rest of society, but with little cost and minimal oversight while still being able to control them. With the resolution’s passage, Echo and Delta Sectors were born…. And it wasn’t just for criminals. Instead of imprisoning dissidents (an act not allowed by the Articles of New Hawking) whose seditious words haven’t led to actual crimes, but still caused headaches for government, the Council could easily vote to revoke citizenship. The subversive party would then be given the choice to strike out into the wilderness on their own--a free man, or take up residence in Echo. Very few were willing to take on the wilderness… not with them out there. Most opted for a modified version of freedom within Echo’s walls.

Centered like a bullseye in the heart of what would later become Delta, Echo was the first sector built. Its enormous circular wall dwarfing all other structures in the vicinity. Other than Administrators, Judges and inappropriately named Peacekeepers, the only people to see inside Echo are the residents. Echo is home to violent offenders as well as non-violent criminals whose crimes were deemed egregious enough to warrant harsh sentences or even revocation of citizenship. Within Echo, the only freedom denied is the ability to leave. A Utopian hell, Echo is completely self-sufficient. There are no bars, no cages and no restraints. Inhabitants are free to do as they please, with a couple of exceptions. Peacekeepers, mostly Deltors working under the supervision of a few Bravos known as Judges, are in place to enforce these rules, though they do so with limitation and bias. The rules are more aptly thought of as guidelines, not official laws, as Echo has no laws. Laws are for citizens who obey them.

The guidelines are simple and straightforward. Each new inhabitant is given a roof over their head, be it a bunk in a barracks or an apartment. The right to this space was inalienable. It could not be taken away from you by any other inhabitant. The trading of spaces is allowed and happens frequently, though many instances through coercion. Two inhabitants would simply inform a Peacekeeper, verbally, of their decision to trade spaces and the deal would be documented and accepted. Often, new inhabitants who were lucky enough to receive enviable housing were forced to trade to much lesser accommodations by the stronger, more violent residents. Peacekeepers were not concerned with the fairness of any trade. Once documented, it was so. No repeals. This guideline is the closest thing to a law that Echo has. Peacekeepers are allowed to use any force, necessary or otherwise, against any inhabitant that impeded another inhabitant from entering and remaining in their space. Echos knew this well, and rarely tested enforcement.

Peacekeepers also quelled uprisings. They defined uprisings as any threat to Alpha, Bravo and Delta Sectors. They did not protect the safety or wellbeing of inhabitants. That policing was left to the Echos themselves. If a disagreement led to violence, so be it. Crime was rampant and PKs and Judges weren’t overly concerned, though they did step in from time to time.  

The wall surrounding Echo stands one hundred feet tall and five feet thick. The lowest ten feet made from steel. Electrified wire criss-crossed the inner surface making climbing all but impossible. The wall has a diameter of two miles. Within its boundary is a much smaller wall, roughly twenty feet in height, that forms a square with each side being just under a mile and half long. This wall separates the inhabitants from the outer wall as well as from buildings and systems meant for Administrators, Judges and PKs. All of the area inside this wall, roughly two square miles, belongs to the Echos. New Hawking, the settlement, officially ended where Echo Sector began.

PKs walk regular beats along the top of the inner wall and Judges on a catwalk that encircles the inside of the outer wall, about fifty feet up. The Judges on the catwalk are stationary, manning sniper rifles they are free to exterminate with impunity. No Judge has ever been reprimanded for killing or injuring an Echo. Though infrequent, it does happen. More often than not, it’s the result of a Judge watching a dispute through his scope and deciding to settle the matter before it escalates. Most Echos have learned to settle their disagreements indoors. Interactions between Echos and the Judges and PKs are infrequent.

Prior to Echo Sector’s construction, a committee of ten inmates was selected from the prison population to be the de facto governing body. The purpose of this group was to give input on the infrastructure of the sector’s interior. It was made clear to these prisoners that after construction, Echo’s residents were to be self sustaining. They were to feed themselves, police themselves (with noted exceptions), care for their sick and go about life in a way that would have little to no impact on the resources of New Hawking. Certain staples, such as medicine, fuel and timber would be provided as necessary, but the prisoners would be responsible for growing their own food, collecting and filtering their own water, disposing of their own waste, generating their own electricity and ensuring their own safety. This group, later known as the Governors, gave input as to the location and size of barracks and apartment type buildings, the placement of water collectors, the size and location of fields for farming, the location and number of wind turbines and solar panels for generating power. Most of the electricity was hardwired into the machinery, lighting or buildings that would require it. Electrical outlets were scarce… as were items that required them. They made many recommendations as to what equipment would be needed by the inhabitants, many of which were adopted into the final plans, and they were present for most of the construction. They had in depth knowledge of all the workings of Echo Sector’s systems and structures. The Governors were given complete control to form a workforce and assign jobs and responsibilities to all inhabitants.

The Governors still exist today, their number increased by one to ensure that votes cannot be deadlocked. A Governor is appointed for life and replaced after death by popular vote. No nominations required. Their responsibilities were divided over the years with two being placed in charge of agriculture and farming, two overseeing water collection, one each supervising security, waste disposal, maintenance and healthcare. Of the remaining three, one served as a Liaison between the Administrators and the inhabitants, and another organized the assignment of jobs to new arrivals. The last Governor served as Chairman, overseeing the Governors themselves. A vote was held among the eleven to select its Chairman each cycle. Among the inhabitants and Governors, the power and authority of the Chairman was near absolute. Over a span of 75 cycles, there have been 14 Chairmen. The latest, Denellick Brackton, has held the position the past ten cycles.