What Shall It Profit?

In a tightly regulated Solar Union, automation has rendered most work obsolete, leaving citizens to subsist on a state‑provided credit that feels more like a dole than a safety net. In a dim, smoky tavern, Barwell—a bitter ex‑clerk—drinks furiously, yelling that the fallout from centuries‑old scientific experiments is finally returning like escaped chickens. Across the table, Radzen, a freelance news‑gatherer, listens, half‑amused and half‑concerned, as the conversation drifts from personal despair to a vague call for revolution.

Barwell’s abrupt firing hints at secrets buried within the Institute where he once worked, and his mutterings about long‑term genetic damage suggest a danger that could ripple through the whole population. Intrigued, Radzen decides to follow the clues, hoping his forthcoming analytical book will shine a light on the unsettling trends shaping their world. As they trade stories over cheap whisky, their uneasy partnership may uncover a hidden threat that could upend a society already teetering on the brink.