Brainstorming a new Economy

Emily called everyone she felt had the ability to think outside of the box into a large room with chalkboards arranged for the people in the room to write down ideas. She smiled at the assembled group of people and said in her soft voice, "Thank you all for gathering here with me today. I will tell you all why you are here now. If you look around the room you'll notice there are businessmen, scholars, inventors, religious and military leaders all here in the room. The one thing you all have in common is that you are forward-thinking, yes even you, Cardinal Pujols."

Many in the room including the Cardinal himself had a good-natured laugh. Sir Roger Colton asked, "Lady Connaissance, may I ask what problem you need such a group to solve?"

Emily nodded and said, "All of you in this room should know by now that I intend for our City to become the city of Tomorrow. What I mean by that, is I want our city to lead the entire world in all areas of advancement. Who in this room has heard of the People's Revolutionary Party? I see a few hands, so let me explain it to those who haven't heard of it yet. A group of our citizens has formed an organization intended to undo everything we have been forcing on them. They are scared of the future. They are scared for their children and grandchildren. They feel like slaves to our economy. The people who work the hardest, get paid the least while those of us at the top get the most benefit by doing the easiest work." She walked over to the chalkboard and wrote a word on it, 'Fear'. "My good friend Dean Wilson.." She extended her hand in his direction with a smile, "Pointed out to me that our citizens are afraid. Not of an enemy army or something tangible, but they are afraid of a future that doesn't have a place for them as anything other than being the poor.." She smiled and said, "I want you all, every single one of you, to come up with an idea, good, bad, insane, or flat out stupid. Just give me some ideas on how we could change everything."

Sir Roger Colton spoke out once more, "I'm a little embarrassed by my writing if someone wouldn't mind writing my idea down... In the military, we base a person's pay on the merits they achieve. If a ditch digger does better work than his fellows, he gets an upgrade in rank and pay. He'll rise as far as his abilities and skills will take him. Can we just hire every citizen at base pay and then reward the people who achieve merits?"

Emily looked rattled, "What about someone who does nothing at all?"

Sir Roger Colton shrugged and said, "They'd have a pretty spartan life I suppose." He looked around at all the people in the room, "It's not just the military that works this way, I believe the Church is run this way as well." Cardinal Pujols smiled and nodded not adding anything as Sir Colton went on, "Here's what you do, you give merits for accomplishing goals. Get an education, you get the merit. You serve in the military, you get the merit. You create a new product, you get the merit and the profits from your sales. You come to work every day and do good work, you get that merit. People will work harder and care more about their life if they can see visible progress. I suppose you'd only have to worry if people could achieve enough merits to live like the extremely wealthy at a young age for doing the easiest work, but that's why you'd need to adjust the merits based on what they are doing not just on what they have done."

Emily stared at Sir Colton with an open mouth. Teslaimia clapped happily and said, "I like this idea. My father's harem had a similar system in place for rewards for the wives."

Mr. Duke stood out and asked, "Do you intend to take our wealth, businesses, homes, and swords away, Sir Colton just so some bum can live without working?"

Sir Colton shook his head and smiled, "No, sir, Mr. Duck... Er, Duke. I just mean that every citizen wouldn't have to fear that they couldn't afford to eat, have shelter, law enforcement, education, and access to medical care. With just the work they do now, they could see their standard of living improve. With more effort and innovation they could see their opportunities open up."

Emily whistled and started to pace around on her cane, "Please, everyone. Sir Colton has come up with a fairly brilliant idea right at the start, but I want to hear ideas from all of you. So please, write them down on the provided chalkboards please."

Sir Colton walked over to Emily and said softly, "You know I think even my idea is going to have holes in it. You can't take the humans out of humanity. People will always use their power to push down the people they don't like and pull up the people they do like. The biggest issue with the merit system is making it so that it can't be used as a source of power for people. For instance, can a wealthy person buy extra merit for his son or use his wealth to have a competitor's son not gain merit."

Emily nodded and said, "You're right, but what I need right now, is something that gives the people hope. In your system, where would the money for the people's pay come from?"

"I'm just a knight, Lady Connaissance, I have no idea how a government makes money."

Emily smiled and said, "Sir Colton, you wouldn't be in the room right now if I didn't think of you as more than just a knight."

*****

Amelia decided to sleep as her airship slowly drifted under wind power. She tied a rope on the wheel pointing the ship dead ahead, pointing to the south. An hour after she fell hard asleep the wind picked up gently changing directions to the northwest. The Airship drifted from pointing south to pointing to the northwest as a stronger wind pushed the little Airship faster and faster. By the time Amelia scratched and started to get up ten hours later, she was drifting closer to the massive capital city for the Tzardom of Kruessian, Saint Nicholasberg.

She walked over to the old fashioned Ship's wheel that controlled the rudder for her airship pulled the rope off and then looked down at the ground, "Why is the sun on the wrong side?" She pulled out her spyglass and looked down at the approaching city, "Oh! I must be in Jermenly!" She adjusted her airship until it was heading toward the ground when she saw a burst of black smoke and then heard a sound like something passing by at high speed. Once the airship was near enough to the ground she swung out on one of the guide ropes and called out, "Hey fellas, where can I tie my ship off?"

A group of soldiers ran over pointing their muskets at Amelia shouting in Kruessian, "Put your hands up, let go of that rope!"

Amelia started to get scared calling back, "I don't know what you are saying, I'm Langlish! I'm from Langland!" Several of the soldiers raced over and grabbed the guide ropes of the Airship quickly tying the ropes off to the pillars of one of the nearby buildings.

An officer came walking over with a very heavy accent calling out, "Langlish whore vat are you doing in my see tay?"

Amelia started to walk to him when a soldier jabbed her in the gut with the butt of his musket. She cried out, "Wait, this is a mistake, I don't know where I am!"

Another officer a much younger man walked over to the group and asked something to the older officer. Who then spoke up, "General wants to know if you come from City of Connaissance?"

Amelia shook her head, "I have been there but I am from Langland. I am Langlish!"

"General says you will be guest here for now. You will be taken to meet with leadership."

Amelia shook with fear and asked with tears starting to roll down her cheeks, "Where am I? What is this place?"

The older officer laughed and explained her question to the General who smiled and then told the man to say something. "The General says you are in Father Kruessia. He thanks you for the gift of sky machine."

Amelia looked at the airship and then the general and asked, "Please, it's all I have, can't I just leave and never come back?"

The General smiled and then said something to the older officer who laughed, "The General says you are now guest, you won't need to worry about sky machine anymore."

Several soldiers took hold of Amelia and dragged her away crying.

The older officer asked, "Why did you want this woman so bad? I didn't think you were into the boyish types."

The General laughed and shook his head. He pointed at the airship, "That woman just brought us the key to the south and avenging our losses." He patted the older officer on the shoulder, "I need to go inform His Highness, make sure that you keep guards on this balloon around the clock. This is the single most important thing to ever fall into our grasp. You understand?"

The Older officer saluted forcefully, "Yes General."

The Older officer watched the young general walk away and muttered under his breath, "Snot nosed brat, you might have been made a general but you can't even tie your shoes without direction yet."

The young General walked down a long narrow corridor and then entered a gaudy golden door entering another long hallway decorated in gold, paintings, a strange array of valuables from many different nations and cultures. He knocked on a door hearing female giggling and a male voice who called out, "If that's anyone other than Gorki, go fuck yourself."

The General smiled and shook his head opening the door. Laying on a huge bed with four women in various states of undress was the young Prince of Kruessia, Nicolas the fourth. He grinned as his friend entered his room uninvited. Gorki smiled and waved at the girls, "The guards managed to find something interesting tonight. A boyish woman who flew here in a small balloon ship similar to what we saw at Connaissance."

Nicolas sat up quickly and stared at the young general, "Gorki, don't lie to me... Did you get them both undamaged?"

He grinned at Nicolas and nodded, "I have the girl under guard in the guest residence and the ship is tethered to your palace right now."

Nicolas jumped out of bed and called out, "My pants, get my pants! I have to see them. If it's as you said Gorki, we'll be able to build our own balloons and show those bastards the true anger of the pissed... Off!" He laughed crazily. Once he was mostly dressed he ran over and put an arm around the young General, "Gorki, since the tragic day we became friends, my life has gone from deep in the shit to glory! You are my lucky star!"

The young General chuckled and said, "I managed to get lucky in my first campaign is all. We just walked into the enemy's camp on a fluke and caught them sleeping."

Nicolas roared with laughter, "Never the less you achieved great military merit two days after I promoted you making me look like a fucking genius!" He grabbed Gorki and kissed him on the cheek, "Now, bring me to see my balloon, then we'll go talk to this boy woman."