Aces High, Jokers Wild

Sex. Drones. Rock and roll. Aidan Headly never wanted to be the man giving orders. That's fine with the Democratic State Force base he's been assigned to command: they don't like to take orders. Nicknamed the Wildcards, they used to be the most effective base against the seven Corporations owning the former United States in a war that has lasted over half a century. Now the Wildcards are known for creative insubordination, chaos, and commanders begging to be reassigned. Aidan is their last chance.

Seven Corporations rule the former United States with seven codes of conduct based on their ideas of morality. Comply with the code of the Corporation that holds your Citizen Contract, or suffer the economic consequences. Or fight back. For 60 years the Democratic State Force has been fighting to return representative democracy to the country. Living in the no man’s lands between cities and hanging on by their fingernails, the thinly spread guerrilla force hasn’t gotten far. But they have a secret weapon: their finest unit, Base 1407. Handle: The Wildcards.

Seven Corporations run the former United States on the codes of conduct their founders set down. You're signed into a Corporate contract the day you're born. And the fear of dropping in the Citizen Standing Scores keeps people in line. What choice is there? The Democratic State Force has fought for the return of democracy for decades, but they need the restless population of America to fight beside them if they're going to stand a chance. But when your Score goes down, so does your life. It's time for a new strategy: Take out the Citizen Standing Score system. 

Seven Corporations control what was the United States of America. The food supply and its production are controlled by American AgCo. All agricultural seeds in the United States have been genetically designed to fail outside corporate control. At least, that’s what the Corporations say. There’s a rumor that a seed bank has survived the destabilization that brought down old America, and the 75 years of Corporate ownership that followed. If it still exists, it would provide free, accessible food for the Democratic State Force and everyone in their care.

In 2159, the Democratic State Force gains ground every day. As they fight to bring representative democracy back, they become heroes to the citizens indentured to the United Corporations of America. Widely spread guerilla units support the first civilian protests the country has seen in decades. Now it’s the Corporations on the defensive. And they are getting desperate.