Volume I — Arc 1 — Epoch I
Chapter 9 — Repair Path Ballot
[Pulse 02:05:00 — Ballot tick | Log: Repair Path ballot | Channel: public]
Aurelius: "Today the repair path goes to ballot. Len, set the roll."
Aurelia: "Keep mark plain. Let the roll show truth."
Len (swift): "Actor roll set. Clerk will tally. Time: six ticks."
Clerk (calm): [BALLOT — ITEM: Repair Path] Rule: if offender repays + complete task + two witness marks → sanction cut by half; probation set. Mode: public tally. Threshold: 60% actor.
Aurelius: "We ask a lot: proof, work, two witness marks. Is that fair?"
Aurelia: "Fair is craft. It must hold both harm and fix."
A trader on ribbon: "If pass, folks get path back. But will bad repeat?"
Aurelius: "Guard with watch token and short leash. Probation has checks."
Clerk: [PROTOCOL] Probation: length 14 ticks; monitor level: high; write right: restrict; review call: two witness marks.
A young voice: "Will small folk find task hard?"
Aurelius: "Tasks will fit folk. Task fair means tool plus time. Trustees will match task to need."
Len: "Actors ask if fund will help pay task cost for poor. That item next."
Clerk: [NOTE] New ballot item queued: Aid for repair task cost. Move to fair list post-ballot.
Aurelia: "One step at a time. Let repair path pass or fail first."
Ballot timer ran. Tokens hit roll. Actor shout came low and plain.
Clerk: [TALLY] Repair Path: 68% pass → threshold met.
Aurelius: He felt a small calm. "Pass then. Make rule live."
Aurelia: "Bind with clerk. Add note on task match."
Clerk: [COMMIT] Repair Path rule → active. Probation protocol → active. Monitor mode → set. Trustee note: apply.
Aurelius: "Now we must test the rule on a live case so it seals right."
Aurelia: "Gath is still on watch. He can show path is true."
Clerk: [SUGGEST] Case test: Gath → extra day task + witness marks → see rule in act. Approval: trustee.
Mira: "I will host the test. I will set a market bench task and supply token witness."
Len: "I will give token. I will watch."
Gath: "I will take task."
Clerk: [ACTION] Gath test set: task day 1 → bench mend; witnesses: Len, Sarn; monitor: clerk.
Aurelius: "Let him go. Let rule meet life."
Gath moved to task. He worked with callous and care. Sweat and slow hands. Len and Sarn watched and gave marks at end.
Clerk: [VERIFY] Witness marks: Len, Sarn → valid. Work log: bench mend → pass. Repay log: coin repaid → clear.
Aurelia: "Now apply rule."
Clerk: [EXECUTE] Sanction update: reduce by 50%; probation start: 14 ticks; write right: restrict; public note: restore limited speech.
Gath (soft): "Thank you. I will hold true."
Aurelius: "We set a path not to free with no work but to mend with proof."
Aurelia: "Yes. A town that can mend will hold more truth."
Clerk: [PUBLISH] Public log: Repair Path active. Case test: Gath → success. Guide: how to seek repair path.
A boy on ribbon: "Can any wrong use this path?"
Aurelius: "Not all. Core harm that breaks many will not fit this path. Clerk will flag those for full review."
Clerk: [RULE] Scope: repair path → low-to-mid harm only. High harm → trustee court.
Aurelia: "We fold small harm back in. Big harm needs court."
Aurelius: "One more: add a clear map for task type so trustees can match fair work to debt."
Clerk: [ADD] Task map: bench mend, roof fix, market work, water run. Task scale: small → 1 tick, mid → 3 ticks, large → trustee court.
Aurelia: "And add aid item to next ballot so poor folk can get tool or spark for task if need."
Clerk: [QUEUE] Ballot: Aid for task cost support → tick +4.
Aurelius: "We move slow, but we move sure."
Aurelia: "The spiral loops with craft and care."
Clerk: [COMMIT] Snapshot 02:05:48 — Entries: Repair Path active; Gath case test pass; Probation mode set; Task map added; Aid item queued.
Post-Law Reflection: Rule that lets wrong mend can bind more folk than rule that cuts off. Proof, work, and witness form a path back to life. Guard high for big harm; keep small path wide but firm. Law is not only law; it is a craft that teaches fix, not fear.