The Reestablishment

The Reestablishment is an organization that has become the world-wide totalitarian government.

History

The Reestablishment came into power a few years before the events of Shatter Me, following a series of environmental disasters that caused the collapse of civilization. It is an international movement that has staked claim on all the inhabitable land left in the world. Their vision of the future is to recreate the world with one universal language and to forget everything else. The Reestablishment claims they could fix things if they were given complete power and to have the best interests of the people at heart, but the reality is that it’s oppressive, violent, and greedy. The Reestablishment controls the resources, the media, the education, and the language of the society, and suppresses any form of dissent or diversity. They will kill anyone who tries to stand in their way. They divided the world into five areas: North America, South America, Africa, Oceania, and Europe.

The internet was one of the first things The Reestablishment took away. Without it the world became instantly bigger, scarier, and everything was harder. Everyone felt helpless and no one realized just how much everyone relied on the internet for everything. Computers and phones were taken away and destroyed. Hackers were found and publicly hanged. Borders between sectors and areas were closed without clearance. Cross-sector communication is nearly unheard of. Only rebel groups are brave enough to risk sending coded messages across the continents.

Then The Reestablishment tore families apart. At first they pretended they were doing it for the good of humanity. They called it a new form of integration, saying race relations were at their worst because everyone was so isolated from one another. They said part of the problem was that people had built extensive family units, which The Reestablishment referred to as “dynasties.” They claimed these “dynasties” only reinforced homogeneity within homogenous communities. They said the only way to fix this was to rip those “dynasties” apart. They ran algorithms that helped them manufacture diversity by rebuilding community with specific rations. However, it wasn’t long before they stopped pretending to be motivated by increasing diverse communities. Soon, small infractions alone were enough to have people taken from their family. Something as small as showing up late to work can result in you, or someone you loved, being moved across the planet.

The movement long ago expunged all symbols and practices of faith or culture in at effort at resetting identities and allegiances. It was done to such an extent that places of worship were among the first institutions around the world to be destroyed. Civilians were to bow before The Reestablishment and nothing else. All signs of religion and culture are illegal.

After the fall of The Reestablishment, most rebel groups emerged from hiding to rejoin the world. There are still many around the world who would love to bring back The Reestablishment. Those who lived well under the reign of The Reestablishment continue to cause trouble. They disobey missives, refuse to leave their posts, and continue to rule their fiefdoms as if The Reestablishment were still at large.

Structure

The Reestablishment divided the world into five areas: North America, South America, Africa, Oceania, and Europe. Each area is divided into sectors. After the sectors were erected, it became near impossible to contact loved ones. There are 555 sectors in North America. Each region has a Supreme Family, with the head of the family in the role of Supreme Commander. The Supreme Commander is in charge of running the continent. Each sector is led and controlled by a Chief Regent who is known as the Head of Sector. The military is called the Reestablishment Armed Forced, or the R.A.F. The colors of The Reestablishment are red, green, and blue.

The people who are in positions of power, the commanders and sector regents, are loyal to The Reestablishment because they are paid better and are given perks and privileges. The Reestablishment keeps their higher-ups happy. They don’t have to mingle with masses and common people. They get to keep their finery and live in real homes on unregulated territory. These people don’t want to lose their rank and the privileges that rank affords.

The Reestablishment also exploits and abuses the people with special abilities, either by using them as weapons to help them take control of the world or by eliminating them. It calls these people “Unnaturals.”

Founders

Musa Ibrahim is known to be one of the founders of the movement, and one of the only supreme commanders to hold the position from the beginning. The Reestablishment was started as a political party. This group of people formulated their plans, called Operation Synthesis, for many years. They spent at least seven years until they were finally victorious and were able to take over the world.

Supreme Families

• North America: Paris Anderson and his wife Leila Warner
• Asia: Musa Ibrahim and his wife
• Oceania: Evie Sommers and her husband Maximillian Sommers
• South America: Santiago Castillo and his wife Mariana Castillo
• Africa: Azi Omondi and his wife
• Europe: Tatiana Mishkin and her husband