It's less than two weeks until the September 26 release of FREEFALL, and YA Guy's getting excited!
Since FREEFALL takes place in the twenty-second century, lots of things have changed in terms of politics, culture, technology, and media—and the language has adapted to reflect those changes. Here's an alphabetical list of some of the terms that have arisen in the world of Cam Newell and Sofie Patel. (Italicized words can be found in the list.)
Adjournalist: a paid propagandist who circulates falsified news accounts in the financial interest of one or more of Earth’s
corponations.
CanAm: an
Upperworld corponation, responsible for administering the former nations of North America.
Catastrologist: a combination of meteorologist and mystic who predicts future outcomes, typically of a catastrophic nature, at the behest of one or more of Earth’s
corponations.
Centurion: a biomechanical soldier employed in outer space by
JIPOC.
Chatshow: a talk show on the
worldlink, offering viewer interactivity through
selfone interface.
Classification: a corponational training program for all
Upperworld children, taking the place of the banned public and private educational systems.
Close supervision: a euphemism for military attacks on
Lowerworld sites believed to harbor dissidents.
ColPrep: an abbreviation for Colonization Preparation, the physical and mental training regimen required of
Upperworld residents chosen to depart Earth on a mission to colonize outer space.
ConGlo: a
Lowerworld corponation, responsible for administering the former nations of Central Africa.
Cons Piracy: a rogue group of computer hackers who attempt to leak top-secret data held by one or more of Earth’s
corponations.
Corponation: a corporate entity that has taken over the functions of government (territorial management, population control, distribution of wealth, etc.) and that operates on a for-profit basis.
Data Recruitment Specialist: an
Upperworld technician who performs the functions of a scientist, engaging in
corponation-funded research to support profitable initiatives.
Deepsleep: a form of suspended animation, developed in part by Cam’s mother, that enables deep-space colonists to survive voyages much longer than the span of a human life.
ExCon: an
Upperworld corponation, responsible for administering the former nations of western and northern Europe and Russia.
Frackia: a
Lowerworld corponation, responsible for administering the former nations of southern Africa.
Funding Fathers: the revered ancestors who established the underlying principles and secured the original financial security of the
Upperworld.
INTERCOLPA: the Intercorponational Colonization Protection Agency, responsible for overseeing security surrounding the deep-space colonization mission and for deporting or incarcerating perceived threats to the mission.
JIPOC: the Joint Intercorponational Panel on Otherworld Colonization, the
Upperworld conglomerate that pursues and finances the mission to colonize space.
Lower-life: a derogatory term for a resident of the
Lowerworld (plural Lower-lifes).
Lowerworld: the 99% of the world’s population that lacks access to wealth and basic resources, geographically separated from the
Upperworld.
MediTerri: an
Upperworld corponation, responsible for administering the former nations of southern and eastern Europe and North Africa.
Megazine: an entertainment site on the
worldlink, offering paid access to media content, tabloid news, and consumer products.
MexSanto: a
Lowerworld corponation, responsible for administering the former nations of South and Central America.
MicroNasia: a
Lowerworld corponation, responsible for administering the former nations of the far East.
Nanoroids: injectable nanotechnologies that build muscle mass and bone density while enhancing endurance, balance, agility, and nerve conduction velocity.
Nanoserum: any of a number of nanotherapies delivered through injection.
New York CITI: New York Central Intercorponational Telecom Interface, the hub of the
worldlink, located at the site of the former New York City.
Peace Corp.: a private paramilitary force employed by Earth’s
corponations to suppress individual liberties and political activism in the
Upperworld and
Lowerworld.
Plutocrats and Publicans: two defunct political parties from the waning ages of the old world, when governments rather than
corponations ruled the planet.
PMP: Primary Medical Personnel, an
Upperworld technician who performs the functions of a physician (often aided by an AMP or Auxiliary Medical Personnel).
Privacar: a privately owned vehicle, extremely rare due to its financial and environmental impacts and thus the prerogative solely of the super-rich.
Selfone: an advanced version of a cell phone, providing instant access to the
worldlink along with other functions.
SubCon: a
Lowerworld corponation, responsible for administering the former nations of southern Asia and the Indian subcontinent.
Techgame: a video game played on the
worldlink, with full immersive VR and interactivity among multiple players engaged with each other either synchronously or asynchronously.
Terrarist: an individual or member of a group who engages in violent political resistance, ostensibly in the interest of preserving the planet Earth (Terra).
Terra Tank: a slang term for
Centurion.
TranSpeaker: a hovering device that enables speakers of different languages to communicate.
UniVers: an
Upperworld corponation, responsible for administering the former Australia.
Upperworld: the 1% of the world’s population that has monopolized access to wealth and essential resources, and that plans to abandon Earth to colonize outer space.
Worldlink: the twenty-second century equivalent of the internet, providing entertainment and indoctrination on public channels, and strictly regulated to prevent unlicensed content from being viewed by the general population.
