ISO: In the Wake of Technology

Jason Bitzer

Description

A well-planned attack on the U.S. leaves the Hawaiian Islands isolated. After enduring a high casualty first wave attack by a Chinese regime, the island regroups and is thrust into a power struggle between the various factions remaining. Power is non-existent and resources scarce. Using a civilian designed closed-loop technology named the "Kapu system," a Hawaiian philanthropist, Ha'a Klien, will attempt to use his family estate's resources to put the islands back together. A race for control of this new sustainable Hawaiian society is on. Inches from martial law and a repeat of Hawaiian history, locals band together in resistance against a leftover military group that no longer answers to the U.S. Government. Every facet of the Hawaiian population will need to learn to work together to avoid a military coup. A war against the snatcher of lands, "Ku-kaili-moku," has begun again.

Sujets

• Science fiction

Informations

• Publié par: Austin Macauley Publishers
• Date de parution: 30 juin 2020
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781647505394
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 2 Mo

Extrait

ISO: In the Wake of Technology
Jason Bitzer
Austin Macauley Publishers
2020-06-30
ISO: In the Wake of Technology About The Author Dedication Copyright Information © Foreword Introduction A “Island Chain” of Events The General’s Account Kanaka Maoli (Culture Reborn) Strength in Numbers Nurses Filling Hearses Chapter 1 Awakening Chapter 2 The Delegates Chapter 3 No Rest for the Windward Chapter 4 Momentum Chapter 5 A Tale of Three Voyages Chapter 6 Shot up in Downtown Chapter 7 Aligned by Alchemy Chapter 8 Stadium-Size Problems Chapter 9 Usury as Usual Chapter 10 Valley of the Dead
About The Author
Jason Bitzer has been a lifeguard on the beach since 1999—working the last 10 years on Oahu’s dangerous North Shore where he was awarded the Mayoral award for lifesaving merit in aiding in the rescue of professional surfer, Evan Geiselman, at the world-famous pipeline. He cut his teeth writing as a contributor to Vice Sports as well as writing feature scripts, such as ‘ In Deep ,’ which made finals of various screenplay competitions such as the California Film awards. Looking to challenge himself in long-form storytelling, he wrote his first novel, ISO: In the Wake of Technology. The story encapsulates Hawaii’s role in global affairs while showing what it would be like if the islands were cut off from the world during a major military conflict.
Dedication
To Pat and Jim Bitzer, for always letting me follow my own path and trusting in my madness. To Roberta, James and Numa, for being my foundation.
Copyright Information ©
Jason Bitzer (2020)
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other non-commercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, write to the publisher.
Any person who commits any unauthorized act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
Ordering Information:
Quantity sales: special discounts are available on quantity purchases by corporations, associations, and others. For details, contact the publisher at the address below.
Publisher’s Cataloging-in-Publication data
Bitzer, Jason
ISO: In the Wake of Technology
ISBN 9781645363460 (Paperback)
ISBN 9781645363477 (Hardback)
ISBN 9781647505394 (ePub e-book)
www.austinmacauley.com/us
First Published (2020)
Austin Macauley Publishers LLC
40 Wall Street, 28th Floor
New York, NY 10005
USA
[e-mail]
[phone]
Foreword
I have been writing since I was young; music lyrics to punk songs, short stories of travel I had imagined but had not yet experienced. I have a slight dyslexia, which has always hindered me releasing my writing to the public as my words have not always translated from my thoughts correctly. It has gotten better through effort. When I was young, I had vision problems and my mother who was a Special Ed. Teacher had noticed it. She had put me in an eye training program to correct my issues. Once I was through the training, I never had to wear glasses even through my adult years. So, moms, pay attention to your kids. You never know how big of an impact you will have on your kids later in life.
My father was an avid science fiction reader and I would grab his Isaac Asimov books when he was through, which consequently led me to writing ISO: In the Wake of Technology . Through my mid-twenties. I was a professional Bodyboarder and change was my constant. I would travel non-stop, almost as if to be running from something or chasing experiences, whether it be in the surf or on land. I wrote through my travels, fiction and non, until my wife and furthermore my daughter Numa came along, I had never thought of releasing anything to the world. However, like everyone, I will not be here one day and thus decided to release dribs and drabs of my writings so Numa would always have a piece of me to reflect on. I practiced, first with a script during my wife’s pregnancy dedicating it to my daughter and then some non-fiction for VICE Sports. However, I wanted to tell long form stories and incorporate real life issues, to find some resolve in the major issues the world, and my surrogate home of Hawaii. ISO: In the Wake of Technology was born from really nothing other than the frustration of how the world treats itself and, especially, Hawaii. It’s a testing ground for everything bad in agriculture, but holds the richest soil in the world. It is a society based on Aloha, but holds the Pacific’s greatest military installment. All the things that make you ponder what are we really doing with our world and where will we end up if we keep complacent and let the powers that be push the power envelope. Even with ISO: In the Wake of Technology’s worst case scenarios, I still have hope for the world and human spirit. That’s truly what this book is about. Cross racial lines, power struggles, and battles over resources to benefit the greater human good. We are all on this big blue marble in the sky together and nowhere more so than on a remote pacific island do you realize you rely on you.
Introduction

A “Island Chain” of Events
When the event happened, the island was in its own world, a daily fight to be a part of some idyllic dream of living in paradise. Who had time to worry about war? Hell, most people needed two jobs to keep the lights on. Most of Honolulu’s Hawaiian residents had more in common with Manhattanites than they did their Tahitian ancestry. Skyrocketing cost of living, the Pacific financial hub centered in Honolulu, a housing crisis, and corrupt politicians. The who’s who of socialites could be found at any given political fundraising dinner. At this point, the blue water was the only thing left masking the island as a paradise and that could be quickly ruined by city rain runoff.
World War III was an inevitability everyone had accepted back on the mainland. Between bi-partisan rhetoric, a road blocked senate born from an aggressively progressive left fighting a highly regressive right. Washington was divided and weak. But, hey, we stay on Hawaiian time. That’s for the busy bodies in Washington to chew on, not us islanders, the politicians and wealthy knew the score but the day to day people were as surprised as they were during the Pearl Harbor attack. Somethings change in society but keeping the common man well informed was still status quo.
Hawaii was part of the machine, even if only through complacency. The military industrial complex was just too fine-tuned. To the residents on island, their activity was just a news blip on their phone, but the military kept the island economy running with new crops of grunts spending their government funded cost of living check at businesses island wide. It’s like they could bomb a small city, drop a base complete with strip mall anywhere in the world and get the boys back on Hawaiian leave in no time. Drones were delivering hellfire missiles or your groceries, depending on what side of the hemisphere you were living on. Oahu had all the benefits of being a part of the US empire, but somehow tried to hold the notion it was separate from its capitalist manifest destiny pouring east.
Everyone knew Hawaii was never without fault, both locally and in the bigger picture. We just felt removed from the equation. Yes, the economy was driven by the military bases operating on our islands. However, it never felt like we were truly under the thumb of Washington. It was more like an absentee landlord. The US played war games on our shores, but the generals couldn’t even pronounce the street names. The RIMPAC military exhibition was a way for the US to invite the world to a US-owned friendly paradise where they were reminded who was carrying the big stick. New weapons were put on display and Generals postured, showing off their resources, but they paid their bills and provided a lot of people in the private sector with wealth beyond reason. However, for the masses it was a daily struggle also known as the “service industry.” Paying bills by making the tourists happy, going home to an overpriced one-bedroom studio that faced a mall or a prison. The odd rainbow sighting keeping everyone’s hope alive in pursuit of that Hawaiian dream.
The mainland’s grumbles about which way the US was going, or which candidate would steer us to the promised land, seemed like an “us and them” conservation. However, in reality, mainland influence had overtaken the Hawaii of old, chipping away since the state’s shadowy annexation. Hawaii’s culture did see a renaissance, but it was from the minority and was ceremonious at best. “Kill Haole Day” was no longer staple at high schools across the state. The assimilation of the new Hawaii was in full force. Too busy with social media and pop culture to care, teens played the role of good Americans island wide. Hawaii became such a melting pot over the years that true Hawaiians and their hopes for a “Reinstated Hawaiian Nation” became a talking point at barbeques. A mute topic, hampered by big business and insider land acquisitions and corrupt heads at the Office of Hawaiian Affairs. There was more Micronesians living in Waikiki than Hawaiians in the entire state at the time it all went down. The plantation colonies of the 1800s spawned generations of families from the Philippines, and Micronesians were given green cards in trade for Washington’s use of the Marshall Islands. That’s the least they could do for using their ato