The Path of Progress

If the Apex of Humanity, the sprawling, hovering capital of the Path of Progress had to be described with one phrase, it would be „Venice of the Skies”. The city’s architects carefully preserved the Byzantine, Baroque, Gothic and Renaissance styles of the original, now submerged Venice. However, at every corner, classic architecture is entwined with state-of-the-art technology, showcasing that the Path of Progress is second to none in scientific advancement.

There are no roads in the Apex – the city’s gigantic hovering platforms and buildings are connected by the Cloudways, a high-speed transport network. Sky Gondolas – the most basic form of transportation – are a common sight on the Cloudways, as are citizens with various PTDs (Personal Transportation Devices). Depending on the owner’s budget and of course the latest trends within society, PTDs come in all shapes and sizes, from cheap hoverboards to multi-person Cloud Speeders. Much rarer sight are the Gargoyles, the majestic, mighty Exosuits of the Path of Progress, capable of prolonged periods of flight without Cloudway support.

Thanks to their advanced technology, most manufacturing and agricultural processes in the Apex are fully automatized, and the majority of the citizens serve the Path as intellectuals - either in the vast city administration, or as scientists, artists and free thinkers. The Path of Progress preserved humanity’s thirst for culture: the Apex is home of a new renaissance in arts, poetry and film, with many galleries, cafés, museums and theaters to keep the population entertained.

The incredible hovering platforms supporting the city were built as high in the skies as it was humanly possible. The outer layer of the troposphere was far enough from the contamination, but the scarcity of oxygen presented a new problem. The first of many impressive achievements of the Path’s engineers was a gigantic protective dome around the platforms, functioning much like a greenhouse and serving an essential part in keeping the temperature, humidity and oxygen on safe levels.

Despite of all this, the Path of Progress’s technology is everything but environmentally friendly – to them, Earth is just an uninhabitable, dead world that’s beyond salvation, so they treat it accordingly. All the waste and sewage of the Apex is simply released from the platforms, so the surface underneath it is a horrible, contaminated wasteland avoided by all but the most reckless surface-dwellers. From afar, the city is a truly marvelous sight, with beautiful cascades descending from majestic floating platforms – until one realizes that the cascades are actually the city’s raw sewage.

From the inside, however, the Apex looks almost unnaturally clean and organized - the Path of Progress is desperately trying to uphold the looks of a modern, civilized society. The fashion taste of the citizenry is rather sophisticated, even poorer inhabitants dress elegantly and use various perfumes. The fashion style, just like the city itself, is a seamless mix of modern and renaissance, with plenty of room for expressing individual tastes. This is particularly important, because citizens of the Apex look very much alike – all of them are tall, thin and muscular, with pale, pearly skin.

It had not always been like this. In the early days, the Path of Progress had the fewest followers, and due to their vanity and pride, mixing with other Paths was hardly an option. Inbreeding was a common thing in the old times, resulting in many misshapen and handicapped offspring, which was something the Path of Progress was too vain to accept. In the beginning, cheap plastic surgery was a half-solution, until a monumental breakthrough in genetic engineering. By dabbing into the DNA chain right after inception (a now-obligatory process), a special class of doctors called Shapers were able to “hand-craft” the perfect-looking child. With this technology at their disposal, followers of the Path of Progress have developed a strong sense of superiority – they consider themselves to be the next step in human evolution, and while they are careful to always act polite and tolerant in their diplomatic endeavors, in reality they deeply despise the other, “lesser” Paths. Consequently, reproduction with followers of the other Paths is strictly forbidden – such an act means immediate expulsion from the Path and the Apex.

Sexuality is far from being a taboo topic within the Apex’s society. Brothels are a common sight in the city, catering to all sorts of sexual tastes, for both men and women. Courtesans are respected members of the society, and visiting them is widely accepted, even in relationships.

The Path of Progress has a very strong sense of fellowship. In an alternative economic model, Credits are distributed to each citizen regularly and individually, based on his or her contribution to the Path’s progress in the fields of technology, culture and growth.

These individual performances, as well as the amount of Credits awarded, are judged by the Patrons’ Court, the political elite of the Path of Progress’ society. At the age of 14, each citizen gets a Patron assigned to him or her during a ceremony called the Exaltation – this Patron will be guiding and judging the protégée through his or her entire life. Only the most notable citizens with the purest lineage can become Patrons. During their initiation, Patrons receive a special, mysterious genetic treatment developed by the Shapers that prolong their life to 2-3 times of that the average Apex citizen.

While in theory the richest and most influential members of the Path of Progress’ society are those who did the most for the community, in reality true power is held entirely by the Patron’s Court. Through patronage, they know everything about the citizens, and while the strong sense of fellowship keeps the Path on the track of progress, the Patrons’ Court itself is riddled with corruption and power struggles. There are also many whispered rumors about the Patrons among the society, from sexual depravities to various “side effects” of an unnaturally long life…

In the center of the Apex stands the Library - the city’s most notable building, a cornerstone of the Path of Progress. It is a special, state-of-the-art knowledge center, where citizens can study using a groundbreaking meditational technology. With the help of a special substance and machinery, they enter a state of heightened awareness, where they are able to absorb knowledge at an incredible pace. On top of theoretic knowledge, this method is just as useful for simulating practical applications. The study programs are created and maintained by the Librarians, who use them to slowly shape society’s way of thinking. Their influence is subtle, but rivals that of even the Patrons’.

Gargoyle pilots appointed by the Patrons are also trained in the Library with a special program. This training can be finished by practically anyone in days, but since Gargoyle pilots are in frequent contact with the outside world, they are under specific surveillance by the Patrons. It’s also a dangerous assignment, and few citizens are willing to give up the comfort of Apex to become Gargoyle pilots.

Knowledge and learning is a basic human right of all citizens of the Apex, and they are free to choose their area of specialization as long as it serves the purpose of the Path – but in reality, these choices are very strongly influenced by the Patrons and the Librarians.