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    The Divided States of America: Stories 13-16
    The Divided States of America: Stories 13-16
    The Divided States of America: Stories 13-16
    Ebook102 pages1 hour

    The Divided States of America: Stories 13-16

    By J Alan Erwine

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    About this ebook

    The fourth set of four stories of The Divided States of America now available in one collection. You get: Trial of Payne, Behind the Scars, and Path to a New Life all by Ian Brazee-Cannon, and you also get Frozen Ambitions by J Alan Erwine.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherNomadic Delirium Press
    Release dateMar 24, 2023
    ISBN9798215618127
    The Divided States of America: Stories 13-16
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    Author

    J Alan Erwine

    J Erwine was born Oct. 15, 1969 in Akron, Ohio. Early in his life he was exposed to science, and specifically astronomy. From there on, J's passion turned to science fiction, a passion that's never died. Due to family issues, J eventually found himself in Denver, Colorado, where he still lives (well, right outside now.) From the time he could put subject and predicate together on paper, J has been writing stories. None of those early stories exist anymore (thankfully), but that passion for writing has never waned. After several years of rejection, the story Trek for Life was eventually sold to ProMart Writing Lab editor James Baker. It wasn't Asimov's, but it was a start. Since that time J has sold more than forty short stories to various small press publishers. In addition ProMart also published a short story collection of J's entitled Lowering One's Self Before Fate, and other stories, which is still available. ProMart also published a novel from J entitled The Opium of the People, which sold a few copies before going out of print. The relevance of the novel after the events of September 11th caused J to self-publish the novel, as he felt the story had a lot to say in the new reality we now find ourselves living in. Now, this same book has been re-released by Nomadic Delirium Press. Eventually J would become an editor with ProMart. Then, after the untimely death of ProMart editor James Baker, J would move on to ProMart's successor Sam's Dot Publishing. J also spends most of his time working as a freelance writer and editor. J's novel was voted a top ten finisher in the 2003 annual Preditors & Editors contest, and his short story The Galton Principle won a ProMart contest for best story over 5,000 words. In addition, a number of his stories have been voted "best of" in various issue of The Martian Wave and The Fifth DI… and have been included in Wondrous Web Worlds Vols. 2, 3, 4, and 6. In 2009, the Ephemeris Role Playing Game was released. J is the co-creator of this game, and has written numerous supplements for the game. J has now sold three novels and four short story collections, all of which are still available from various sources, including Smashwords. J currently lives with his amazing wife, three wonderful children, three cats, and a very quiet turtle.

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      Book preview

      The Divided States of America - J Alan Erwine

      The Divided States of America

      Stories 13-16

      Edited by J Alan Erwine

      Published by Nomadic Delirium Press at Smashwords

      This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

      Contents

      An Introduction to The Divided States of America

      Trial of Payne by Ian Brazee-Cannon

      Behind the Scars by Ian Brazee-Cannon

      Frozen Ambitions by J Alan Erwine

      Path to a New Life by Ian Brazee-Cannon

      An Introduction to The Divided States of America:

      No one can say with any reasonable certainty when the United States of America began to fall apart. Many point to the presidential election of 2016, but most believe the breakup started long before this. Now, in the year 2110, the former United States is made up of 13 nation-states and The Wastelands. Some of the nation-states have prospered under self-rule, while others have declined. Some nation-states are very accepting of outsiders, while others trust no one…sometimes not even their fellow citizens. There is chaos in some places, and order in others…sometimes too much order.

      The first state to break away from the USA was, not unexpectedly, Texas, and from there, things continued to spiral out of control as the national government tried to hold on to control that the state governments wanted back, and eventually, the federal government was no longer able to control the states, and the break-up came about.

      Some of the nation-states kept the name America in their new names. Some did this as a tribute to where they had come from, while others did it to remind their citizens of what they were breaking away from. Others adopted new names, or took on names that were given to them.

      Borders in some areas are heavily patrolled, even walled in places, while other borders have no protection at all…mostly it depends on the views of the new government and its citizens, even though sometimes those two groups still don’t agree. Let’s face it, greed and independence are bred into the human race, and even allying with others that have similar viewpoints does not necessarily mean that they will always get along.

      If you’re interested in learning more, please click http://www.nomadicdeliriumpress.com/dividedstates.pdf to see a map of the new nation-states and to read a little about each of them.

      Trial of Payne

      By Ian Brazee-Cannon

      There was little to do in the hotel room, as Debra didn’t care for TV. She had been in New York City for just over a week now. She had been hired as a bodyguard for Conrad Pendragon as he finished up his latest tour. Most of her time had been spent keeping teenage girls out of the way. The one time she was forced to draw Leslie when a protester started to get violent was a surprising change of pace. He backed away quickly enough, with no other action needed.

      Now that the gig was over, Debra was stuck looking for the next job. She didn’t need the money, as her basic needs were minimal and she still had yet to spend all she had made from the events in St. Louis and her time in the Indian Nations. She didn’t like having nothing to do and could not get into doing touristy excursions. A visit to the Statue of Liberty had been pleasant enough, but that only took a few hours.

      One problem with traveling as much as she often did when on a job, was the wait time for her mail to catch up with her. She was waiting for the renewal paperwork for her multi-nation state carry permit and wasn’t about to risk letting it expire, especially here in Corprotopia. Their strict adherence to the laws gave no room for risks.

      Maybe it’s time to go back to Denver for a little vacation, Debra remarked to herself.

      She had grown tired of the stale air and mindless humming of the temperature regulator of her room. The few journeys to explore the amenities of the hotel had proved more annoying with a seemingly never-ending parade of men and women trying to pick her up. The hotel had a reputation for attracting certain types, most likely why Pendragon had decided to stay there.

      The knock at her door brought hope that the waiting would soon end.

      Through her peephole Debra saw a young man standing politely in the hallway dressed not in the drab uniform of a hotel employee, but in a tan suit with brown adornments. His overall aura held the presence of purpose.

      Debra opened the door and asked, Can I help you?

      Am I speaking to Debra Lennon?

      Yes, that’s me.

      Then this is for you.

      Debra was handed a folded piece of paper, sealed with blue wax indented with a stylized P emblem in front of a griffin logo. Debra Lennon was written in elaborate calligraphy above the seal.

      The young man took a step back and stood patiently with a polite smile as Debra broke the seal and unfolded the paper.

      Debra Lennon,

      There is a need to come in for a face to face talk concerning your Special Authority Firearm Carry Permit.

      If your schedule allows, I have set aside time this afternoon to meet with you. Marco, the gentleman who delivered this letter, can escort you to my office.

      If, however, you are unable to take leave at this time, he will give you instructions on how to set up a future meeting with me.

      Remember to bring the firearm with you. This letter will serve as an official Permit to Carry for an excursion to my office.

      I look forward to meeting with you soon.

      S. Payne, Seated Delegate of the Oversight and Authority Commission of Corprotopia

      Seriously? Debra looked up to the young man. What is this crap?

      I do not know the details ma'am, Marco replied. I am here to escort you if you choose that avenue.

      And if I don't?

      Then I give you the second letter and will be on my way.

      Debra took her time trying to sum the man up. He seemed sincere. There was a sense of training and discipline to him, but no trace of malice or ill intent. Her instincts told her this was all legitimate.

      Debra took in a deep breath and said, Give me a moment.

      Of course.

      Debra went back in the room and checked what she already knew, that Leslie was loaded with standard ammo. A quick switch into her utility vest, with the pockets always stocked and ready to go. If there was something sinister going to happen, they would find Debra Lennon was not easy prey.

      *

      Out front of the hotel Debra was escorted to a black stretched luxury car of a make and model she was unfamiliar with. The car was designed to resemble the automobiles of old, even with old fashioned real rubber tires. Then there was an actual person driving it. Debra had learned to pilot many different vehicles during her life, both in the Wastelands and the Rocky Mountain States,

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