Chapter 1
Disclaimer Must Read!!!
This story is a complete work of fiction. It is not intended to be read by anyone under the age of 18, and certainly not to be read by anyone that is offended by fantasy stories that involve incest. All characters in the story are 18 years of age or older.
Set and Setting
To save time and confusion a little bit about life here in The Commonwealth of America, or American Commonwealth. The slang and abbreviation "AC" to the younger generation. I live in an area once known as Florida. Two hundred years into the future. The year is 2222.
In the year 2222 the planet is generally considered to be divided into commonwealths. These are geographical and geopolitical economic zones. The largest commonwealths are America, Europe, Africa, and Asia. People are considered residents of their respective commonwealth, and they may, or may not be, citizens of a particular country in the traditional sense.
Commonwealth America
This includes most of the geographical areas of North America, Central America, and South America. There is a sprinkling of countries in the western hemisphere that are part of the EU, or European Commonwealth. Us older folks call it the EU, because of the historical significance of the European Union. But EC is the more politically correct term, and is used by the younger generation, those born after 2180.
Most of the population is comprised of the working class. Although you can make the argument that the working class doesn't exist due to guaranteed income, we still like to call ourselves the working class. This defines people and families that work traditional jobs, or own businesses to gain extra credits and maintain a higher standard of living than could be achieved by just spending the credits issued by the commonwealth.
About 30% of the population is what we call middle class. This describes a person or family that has accumulated enough credits and Merits that can easily sustain a high standard of living for several years without the need to work. This is always a subject of debate because many in the middle class will tell you about how hard they worked, and the sacrifices they made "to get where they are today."
The elites make up about 10% of the population. These are individuals and families that have accumulated Merits over several generations. They have the right to, but not obligated to, exchange Merits in return for privileges. The privileges are numerous and diverse. It is difficult to list them all. Some of the more popular are school selection and church memberships. And can be as mundane as seating in a theatre or stadium.
An example of earning Merit may be a scientist or inventor that invents a new widget of substantial value. He or she is assigned Merits, and upon death the Merits are passed down to the beneficiaries. If there are no beneficiaries assigned to the Merits, the Merits are canceled. There is no probate process for Merits, but there is a probate process for Credits. As long as the novel widget is popular and useful the Merits will continue to be issued to the beneficiaries.
Less than 10% of the population is made up of mostly unfortunate individuals that are infirmed due to physical disabilities or mental illness, and those detained at correctional facilities.
Then there are the outliers that want to live in isolation without credits from "the state" as they call the commonwealth, and provide for their own needs by farming, working odd jobs, and bartering goods and services.
Life span is up to 150 years for the elites. And about 100 for the less fortunate. The middle class and working-class range somewhere in the middle, with a few outliers reaching 150 years, and those that have issues may not make it past 100 years.
All citizens are given a guaranteed income at birth. Income goes up (or down) each year according to calculations from the various algorithms of the Commonwealth.
All basic needs of housing, food, shelter, medical care, are provided. Most residents choose to take on traditional jobs in order to obtain extra credits or Merits to upgrade their living conditions, to travel more frequently, or in some cases to take on advanced studies at universities.
Source of income is derived from algorithms that create Credits and Merits. Merits are given out according to, well, merit. The completion of activities that go beyond what is normal. This would include volunteer work after an event such as a hurricane. Some residents go on to do important research with Merits distributed once a new drug or invention becomes utilized and its value has been actualized. For example, writing a novel, making a video, or other artistic works, would result in credits being issued depending upon sales, and popularity. If a story, or video, is online and very popular, it is likely that income will be generated from advertising. The novel, or video, would not become Merits until it became actualized as a profitable motion picture.
If a new drug improves on a previous drug the inventor will most likely receive Merits because of the time it takes to bring new drugs to the market. In an extreme case a drug was invented to treat a very rare medical condition. Although the drug itself had very little impact on the general population, its efficacy and novelty led to a substantial number of Merits being issued to the inventor.
The incorporation of artificial intelligence into algorithms that increase biodiversity has led to substantial increases in the food supply. The insane practices of agribusinesses haven't been used since the early 22nd century.