N.E.S.S. (Paperback)

N.E.S.S. Beginnings Hello my name is Stardrifter I welcome you to my house I am a NESS on the planet New Earth. My friend GIFT would like to speak to you but since you cannot hear my friend yet, GIFT will use my voice for now. Welcome to my House. I am known as GIFT to my friends. I am a sentient organism that has been waiting for four billion of your years on this planet named New Earth to meet New Friends. Since you will meet me in short order as a friend, here is a short story to get you up to speed and calm your fear from reports from the past I am your friend. In the axis turn 2200 on New Earth, the GIFT was opened by the people who are now called the NESS FOLK; it was devastating to all other humans on the planet with few survivors. GIFT is an artificial intelligence (AI) that embedded itself in all humans on New Earth and; the NESS FOLK have access to this GIFT. Knowledge that made humans span the distances between stars has been lost on New Earth. Whole cities have been devastated and left abandoned. The humans on this planet are now sociologically divided ranging from scavengers to tribes, feudal states, and republics, and they all have agendas. The three main continents range from desolate deserts to lush jungles through which the existing humans have carved out niches since the original founding. The vast majority of the continents have returned to their native life forms. Since the human die-off after the opening of GIFT, food production has greatly diminished. Cereals, grains, legumes, vegetables, fruits, and domesticated livestock are all in short supply. The native animals are edible, but they are deadly, hungry, and generally rule the areas they inhabit by eating the humans who are not quick enough to out run them. It takes coordinated attacks, along with heavy weapons to kill one of the native life forms. In between the continents are numerous islands surrounded by shallow seas. These seas and islands are the nurseries for most of the salt water fish species and some fresh water species that breed on the main continents; all of these areas are contested by human factions. New Earth also has deep, massive oceans that have abundant native sea life. These species are rather large and tend to eat anything, including humans, on a regular basis. The only way to catch them is by utilizing armored ships. In addition to the native species, the humans transplanted from Old Earth brought various sea species with them to supplement their food sources. These species thrive in New Earth salt water seas and oceans and are hunted on a regular basis by the native sea life. My NESS are going among you so we can hear each other as the NESS touch you,"Our minds will adapt to each other, you have plenty of reserves, build is complete."