Date: Sat, 21 Dec 2013 20:27:49 -0500
From: alexzandermurot@hushmail.com
Subject: New World Apprentice - Intro-Chapter 1

Disclaimer:

This story is complete fiction.  None of the characters or scenarios are
real.  This story involves intergenerational sexual relations.  If this is
not your thing or it is illegal for you to read such things then don't read
it.

Please consider making a donation to Nifty.org

Introduction:

This is not going to be a fast paced story and it's definitely not a story
where we rush into sex.  Sorry, I wasn't up for writing that story and
there are plenty to choose from if that's what you want to read.

I wanted to set about writing a story that shared a fictional world and
characters with the hope of having you, the reader, get immersed in it.  I
wanted to write a science fiction story that explored ideas about a world
that survives a terrible ordeal and works toward a better tomorrow.  Mostly
I wanted to write a type of love story that we don't often get to read (for
many reasons).

I don't know if I will expand on this story further but I'd love to get
your feedback and thoughts.  This is my first attempt at writing something
of this length. Email me at alexzandermurot@hushmail.com


Chapter 1: History & Rebirth


"The ultimate problem with globalization is that all of our major financial
institutions are linked together and run the risk of failing together
should a destabilization occur.  We are essentially a single system despite
our international borders.  If there were to be a collapse, there would be
no coming out from under it." - Robert Reynolds, CEO of JP Morgan
Chase-Citi Corp. International Global Economic Finance Summit, 2041.

In the late 2050's after years of unrest, the worlds fragile economic
system finally fell apart.  Too many governments were living with the
belief that things would just correct themselves but the instability was
always there and once things started to falter, it was a domino effect.
All financial infrastructures were in shambles and the aftermath was civil
unrest, fear and chaos.  Currencies destabilized and paper money became
worthless practically overnight forcing banking and insurance institutions
to shut down.  As expected, everyone panicked.  People who lived in most
western societies had become so reliant on corporations providing them with
everything they needed, they were completely unprepared for the speed in
which services started shutting down.  In as short as two months,
supermarkets emptied out and gas stations went dry.  Cities burned and
there was a mass exodus to farm regions.  Despite the governments attempt
to take control, riots overwhelmed the military in countries worldwide.
The next ten to fifteen years was a nightmare scenario with war, famine and
a series of crippling epidemics.

The dark years, as they would be known, saw a reduction of the worlds
population to just under 3 billion. It took a few decades before some
assemblance of civilization emerged from the ashes.  Around the year 2085
many countries had banded together to form new territories and new models
of government.  These new systems still allowed a global marketplace but
there were far stricter control of industry and trade.  Most of Western
Europe located themselves to coastal towns and built a market of primarily
of livestock and textiles.  All of North America became a unified continent
and focused their attention heavily on agriculture.  South America became
somewhat isolated, developing a more insular society.  The continent of
Africa divided the land into Upper, Central and Lower Kingdoms with a
massive unification of countries.  These kingdoms became critical hubs for
the export of coffee and spices and along the western coast of the Upper
Kingdom, a large spaceport was built for a private asteroid mining firm.
The far east became the Great Eastern Dynasty and began developing a host
of clean energy alternatives.

Throughout the Scandinavian countries, who were historically some of the
most forward thinking, was the development of a range of communities called
FreeCities.  Today these communities are at the forefront of cutting edge
urban planning, social justice and economic change.  Further, is the
development of the Nieuw Philosophy Movement (NPM), a think-tank of
philosophers, idealists and life-radicals who give a new social order to
the FreeCities.  Together these ideals have shaped modern cities into
efficient communities that are focused on the betterment of its people than
on corporate greed and profits.  The people of FreeCities work toward a
common goal of meeting basic human needs so that food, clothing, shelter
and health services are readily available at extremely low costs.  With
these needs met, much more time became available for research and
expansions in technological advancements.  There were various tech
breakthroughs including medical nano-tech, autonomous transportation and
the most radical of all, stable teleportation systems.  The teleport
program was only available to very limited departments due to the dangers
of being misused.  One such group who had access to this tech was the ICR
group or Inter-City Relations.  This was a highly coveted position made up
of individuals who essentially kept everything organized and running at
peak efficiency.  ICR members were wholly focused on their communities and
put their work above all else.  To ensure the longevity and success of
these jobs, a unique apprenticeship program was developed that took years
of training before advancement into the ranks of the ICR.  Some individuals
would spend years as an apprentice and still not be offered a full time
post at the end if they did not pass a final evaluation.  Typical
apprenticeship began at age 13 but it was not uncommon to see members as
young as 10.  Society had advanced to a point where respect for individual
abilities, regardless of age, were celebrated and nurtured.  By age 13 all
citizens of a FreeCity were given rights to vote in community and
government initiatives since they too were becoming active players in the
roles of society.  While education continued to be essential for everyone,
students were no longer confined to the antiquated idea of a "desk
classroom".  Instead, children learned from Educational Leaders in a
facilitated, child-centered environment that operated in the real world.
Early candidates for the ICR apprentice program were those who had higher
IQ's and superior analytical and multi-tasking capabilities.