((Cover by majesticmountain she is seriously the best!!! Can't thank you enough lady!))
The Zion Galaxy. A galaxy known for its many planets and many occupants. The very existence of this galaxy derives from many lost astronauts and travelers from the original Planet Earth who had discovered ways to travel through different galaxies, but remained stuck in this one and was never able to return.
By discovering these other galaxies with livable planets, humans were able to thrive again in a totally different setting, with totally different rules, governed by totally different minds.
The name of the new found Galaxy that the last humans of Earth landed on was a Galaxy of almost 300 planets. The ship that these last humans came on was called Zion. Therefore, after discovering so many uninhabited planets with very similar characteristics as Earth, some having advanced characteristics or additional characteristics unknown to Earth, the humans then began to rebuild, thrive, live, and survive.
They started new governments and systems, created and adapted new cultures, while still holding true to some very familiar customs. The capital planets in the Zion galaxy were Rose, National, Euphoria, and Lancaster, huge earth-like planets with purple hues around them.
These planets themselves, being the largest, were also the original planets discovered when the last humans from Earth arrived. The galaxy of Zion held many undiscovered areas, unknown species, creatures, spirits, materials, and other secrets unbeknownst to many who resided in Zion.
One of the main systems of life in Zion now was the Guardian-Disciple construct. This construct made it simpler for new discoveries, ongoing research of life in Zion, it gave access to a permanent military presence, a planetary defense, constant employment, and easier to detect natural leadership.
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The way this system works is at the age of 25, you are legally able to choose a Disciple amongst millions of children ages 13 and up to be their Guardian and to train them, raise them, care for them, go on missions and assignments with them to earn merits and potentially be able to do more in their community. The key to surviving and thriving in Zion is to complete as much work as possible while contributing as much as you can to your community and building a name and legacy for yourself.
The motto of the Guardians of Zion is "Guardian and Disciple. We strive. We stay alive. We survive. With Nature's grace and Zion as our guide."
The purpose of the Guardian-Disciple system is to create a uniform society where mentors train up law-abiding citizens and teach them to survive and live amongst the community of Zion. Though this is a more male dominate system, females are also encouraged to become Guardians as well as strive to be chosen as Disciples once of age.
There are many occupations and ways of life in Zion, but this is the most prominent and most sought after occupation because your way of life is completely different and most times holds more rewards.
The way the process works is at age 25 you are automatically, by law, given the right to become a Guardian. However, in order to be recognized as a Guardian you must first pay a certain amount of merits to register as a Guardian candidate and then draft a Disciple.
There are 3 ways you obtain a Disciple...bidding for one, drafting for one, or purchasing one off another Guardian. There is also the case of finding one as well, but usually that would mean you were a Disciple-less Guardian or they were of age to be a Disciple but not in the system registered as one.
The way bidding works is that once a child is age 13, they can show their talents and skills and any formidable traits they have. The Guardian candidate can personally meet them and find out more about them. And then, the 30 top ranked Disciple candidates are then bidded for by the wealthiest Guardian candidates. Whoever bids the highest receives the Disciple of choice.
The way the draft works is more random. Guardians and Disciples are given 10 choices of preferred candidates. If a Guardian and a Disciple both choose each other they are then paired together. If there is multiple pairings or no pairing with any Guardian or Disciple, the Guardian is then randomly assigned a Disciple from his/her choices. But if none of their choices are available through random draw then they are assigned a random available Disciple candidate of the system's choice, unless they pay a fee using merits to redraw randomly. A redraw only gives you another random candidate of the system's choice.
The bidding and draft only happen twice a year. If you choose not to have a Disciple but you register as a Guardian, you are considered a Disciple-less Guardian and pay a heavy merit fee monthly for not having a Disciple under you. If you lose a Disciple through death by natural causes, battle in the field or on a mission, you are exempt of the monthly fees for 2 years, but are still considered a Disciple-less Guardian until you are reassigned another.
Lastly, there is the process of buying off of another Guardian. You can trade or purchase amongst other Guardians at any time as long as you have the merits and meet the requirements. If you register as a Guardian and then go to a retiring Guardian or a Guardian with multiple Disciples you can purchase one from them. But once your Disciples turn 25 years of age they are no longer considered as Disciples. They are automatically seen as Citizens in the system until they register to be Guardians themselves.
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This makes up the system of how the Guardian-Disciple relationship is formed, why it is formed, and the benefits it creates for Zion. Of course the government of Zion provides mainly anything you need when you follow this process so it makes living this life desirable and credible. Citizens who do not qualify to be Guardians or Disciples, because of many other reasons, have to work very hard and live sometimes dangerous lives just to survive and to earn merits.
It is expensive to live in Zion and not be a Guardian or a Disciple. You already need merits to become a Guardian and you also need skills, abilities, or something to offer to be chosen as a Disciple. The livelihood of Zion is dictated and controlled by its rulers and sovereigns. The Original Families and the politicians run how the galaxy operates. Not everything that looks good, is. And not every system that seems to be working, does. Not every fact is truth and not all things of value worth the price.
Welcome to the world of Zion.
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The Guardians Of Zion
Science Fiction[#60 in aliens on 5/11/2018] ((Excerpt)) Jonah and Zack together - "A GIRL???!!!!" Jonah - "Dude, how? Like a girl never ranks! Not in bid! Not in high draft! Never! Like usually girls become Guardians and then recruit other girls as Disciples for...
