Rebin Society is organised along militaristic lines, and despite its authoritarian stance is not unpleasant to live in.

All citizens, male and female are educated by females until age 8, when males are sent to the boys barracks and educated/groomed for their future duties.

All sexes undergo extensive psychometric testing throughout their education in order to determine which career paths will offer them the most fulfilment and happiness in later life. Thus malcontents and dissidents are rare in Rebin Society, though outsiders frequently comment that the basic education provided until age 8 is nothing more than extensive conditioning and brainwashing with basic mathematics and Anglic skills thrown in, as most males are only literate to a minimal standard.

"I've never seen so many people brainwashed at such a young age, both males and females, the females are taught to think of themselves as superior whilst the males are taught to think of themselves as inferior. All for something as irrelevant as Sex."

IISS Scout Commander James Randolph

Rebin worlds have no local currency, money and the associated greed that comes with it was considered to be unnecessary by the idealistic colonists that first populated the region some 460 years ago. All Rebin citizens can have access to or permanent ownership of any civilian item produced by the empire in as much abundance as they desire (within some safeguards). These items are considered to be a gift of their employer "A gift of State" (normally a lady or other ranking noble) in return for service and hence can be revoked with the authority of the gifting noble or her superiors. Rebin citizens are given a permanent home, food, clothing, drinks and a high standard of living as long as they currently work in the service of the people (working for a noble in some capacity) and for the most part never see a coin or unit of currency from birth to death.

"They're all slaves, don't even earn a credit, everything they've got can be taken away…"

IISS Scout Team Leader Cynthia Gallicise.

Exemplary performance or standard of work etc, is rewarded by additional gifts such as rare and wonderful works of art, bigger living quarters in more prestigious areas, or on suitable worlds the exclusive use of a private vehicle or a reduction in the amount of time they are expected to work in any given period. Generally these additional benefits are awarded each time a person gains a promotion or recognition in their field. This simple system at once eliminates all property-based crimes such as theft (why steal when you can have your own items simply on request) and rewards ambition/personal endeavour whilst ensuring a minimal standard of living for all citizens.

The technological bent of the Rebin Empire tends towards highly automated industrial processes and methods of working, hence leisure time is plentiful and things to do multiple and intriguing (within the confines of the law). All leisure activities are also considered to be a gift of state and hence open to any off duty Rebin citizen.

Citizens may however swap all of this for a cash gift, in which case all of their year's service to the state and any exemplary acts are totalled up into a cash equivalent, along with any other small physical items they might wish to keep. The cash is then given to the person in a lump sum (mostly gold) and passage is provided for the citizen to leave the empire on the grounds that they must never return. The R.B.S. routinely publicise the space around the Rebin Empire to be dangerous and lawless, the domain of criminals, pirates and the disenfranchised, not to mention populated by evil empires, so unsurprisingly this option is rarely taken up.

Interstellar trade is conducted in gold and other naturally occurring precious materials. Naturally enough there are no costs associated with transports and shipments of raw materials that originate within Rebin Space, with a final destination also within Rebin Space. Hence Rebin citizens could travel from one Rebin world to the next free of charge as such transport would also be deemed a gift of state.

Gold is only paid to independent shippers bringing in materials from outside of the empire, each gold coin is called a 'Reb' and genuinely is solid 22 carat gold, mined from within the empire and considered to be an ideal unit of exchange with independents shippers who can change the gold into any currency they like when travelling elsewhere.

The Rebin worlds will also accept any precious materials/metals from independents (either the Reb or coins/ingots minted elsewhere or even naturally occurring gold/diamonds, sapphires after authenticating their purity etc) in return for fuel, accommodation within the port, maintenance and repairs or as complete payment for an item. All equivalent values are given in 'Rebs' though good bartering skills are sometimes needed to get a fair price for your wealth.

At each Rebin port a list is published of needed resources that the empire is willing to pay over and above what is normal, provided that the goods are brought within a target timescale as detailed on such a 'priority list'. These are usually items or resources that cannot be manufactured locally or do not naturally occur within Rebin space in quantities large enough to be useful.

"Don't even try speculative trading within the borders of the empire, unless you want to loose your ship, and as for freight forget it, the Transport Guild handles the lot. Unless you join up…"

IISS Team Leader Cynthia Gallicise.

At the age of 15 all males are sterilised (easily reversible) as recreational sex is considered to be an essential and healthy aspect of Rebin life for males and females alike. Males must never initiate sexual relations though, as female citizens find this to be incredibly insulting as both sexes are subject to strict codes of conduct and practice.

"My local liaison has informed me that a routine medical examination conducted by the prison doctor has determined that James is still fertile, this is illegal in Rebin Society, all fertile males are not supposed to leave the port, let alone get into town to view processions, what the hell was he thinking. Now's he's got even more charges levelled against him."

IISS Scout Team Leader Cynthia Gallicise

Citizens are only exempt from service to the people if unfit for work due to medical reasons as substantiated by a government-sponsored doctor. Such people are still entitled to enjoy all of the benefits of Rebin society in recognition of any past services done but are encouraged to return to work as quickly as possible through a combination of peer pressure and exemplary medical care for both physical and mental ailments, the high standards of which mean that severely injured citizens can still play an active part in Rebin society as spinal injuries can easily be treated and body parts quickly cloned to replace failing organs or limbs. Other types of medical treatment involve replacing body parts with robotic equivalents hard wired into the central nervous system so that after a while of adjustment the citizen fitted with such devices can function normally, though in most cases these adjustments are not considered permanent, only temporary until an organ or other body part is cloned and surgically emplaced. Rebin citizens who wish to keep such implants on a permanent basis are normally viewed with suspicion or considered mentally ill and sent away for treatment.

Hospitals, medical technology and standards of care are excellent throughout the empire, in addition to extensive expertise in trauma care and cryo-technology, the Rebin Empire also excels in broad spectrum antibiotics and diagnosis and treatments of rare and virulent diseases and is often called upon by worlds across the neighbouring sub-sectors to assist in disaster relief and epidemics.

Rebin Hospitals and medical institutions are also responsible for maintaining the genetic purity of the population; long-term monogamous marriages are not the norm in Rebin society. At a young age suitable females are chosen to join 'the brood' an elitist wing of local government, tied closely to medical services and are expected to have as many children as ordered by the government's local medical council during their fertile lives (this is seen as a great honour and members of the brood are held in high esteem). Embryos are filtered and created in a laboratory before being implanted in the womb, at which point they develop normally. At birth children of both sexes are taken away and raised by female governesses until the age of 8 when they are separated. Many other cultures would find this harsh and dehumanising not so in the Rebin Empire as it has always been done this way and is socially so acceptable that other methods are considered abnormal.

"It's insulting, they can't even raise their own children or decide who the father is going to be, as a matter of fact it's a bit of a mystery as to where the genetic material comes from as males are sterilised at age 15. In making my enquiries I haven't met a single male who's had their sterilisation reversed even for a short time in order to provide new genetic material. The common rumour is that there is no new material, all present citizens are made up of genetic material provided by the original colonists and are clones or combinations of clones. Very worrisome."

IISS Tactical Officer - Julia Andram.

Hence hereditary diseases and conditions are simply filtered out, every child is born healthy and genetically engineered to be of maximum health though within human norms.

Compatible non human life forms are allowed to peacefully co-exist with the majority human population on Rebin worlds regardless of how they reproduce they are also expected to be party to similar programs to sustain their genetic purity. Current medical research is geared towards creating embryos and bringing them to full term in a laboratory so that the brood would no longer be needed.

The overwhelming facet of Rebin life however is that Males and Females are not considered equals. Any Rebin citizen will explain that cultures that try to claim both males and females as equals often suffer social arrest and moral decay and have strained relations between some members of society causing a loss of morale and loss of resulting productivity. Natives of the Rebin Empire will explain that Males and Females are biologically, physically and mentally different each having contrasting and complimentary strengths and weaknesses, and if working together with an understanding of these crucial differences can achieve great results. Hence males and females have distinct roles and are assigned a career path most in line with their physical and mental abilities (the psychometric testing).

The observation made by non Rebin citizens that males are not generally well educated is not entirely correct, whilst it is true that most males that work in industrial processes or fulfil roles at the bottom strata of society only tend to have a rudimentary education, males are given training and education necessary to function in their designated job roles, hence shuttle pilots and engineering assistants or shipboard gunners and the like are generally well educated, the additional schooling being part of their training.

"Whilst in prison I have never met so many ill informed though clearly intelligent men, wasted minds all of them that could benefit from education and training, some of them here are just about capable of rudimentary mathematics, yet they all love their female overlords, or at least say they do…"

IISS Scout Commander James Randolph.

Males however are not encouraged to gain additional schooling in their free time, and whilst some males may have an interest in history or the sciences it is uncommon for them to ratify this with an official qualification or much in the way of extended learning that has not been gained as a result of their employment. Females however often do formally study along any lines of interest deemed worthwhile to them making this the social norm.

"In space I might be the captain but on the ground I had better do little more than move cargo and connect fuel feeds, less I offend one of those obnoxious women."

IISS Scout Commander James Randolph

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