Poll: Future Story Idea

So, I've got an idea for a future story, and I want to know if this is something that you all might be interested in reading. Am happy to discuss further in comments or through DMs on Discord. If there is sufficient interest, I can reasonably expect to start writing in August or September. Better to plan these things ahead of time.

The Background: 

So, I was watching the Matrix series, and the talk with the Architect triggered my brain: the idea that perfection is incompatible with our daily existence of toil, such that we reject it.

This got me thinking about my drone stories so far. The working principle has been that the dronification process is irreversible, permanent, and well-oiled for the most part. My short story "Distress" explored what would happen if some component of the drone broke down and couldn't function anymore—at least until repairs were made.

Parallel to this, I have been thinking about the posted first chapter of "Finding My Own Way," which I recognize is in need of some more thoughtful reworking. I've been so used to writing about processes that while it seemed logical to me at first to write in the way that it is, I recognize from the patterns of other novels in the past and some good feedback that it might be good to somewhat break the mold a bit for me and focus more on the characters instead of the process. (For the curious, I will be rewriting the first chapter but will keep both "first" chapters posted so you can see the differences. My goal is to write better for our collective entertainment).

So the base idea I have is as follows:

The story takes place in Drone World in the time when most of the world is drones. There are pockets of rebels and non-drone humans living separately.

While Master Jake has managed to turn the vast majority of men into drones, the control is not perfect. Some brains are able to shrug off the control (due to some unknown factor that will remain unknown throughout the series or explained briefly as quantum randomness). Two drones will gain the ability to think for themselves and "wake up" from the drone state. As such, while they are still "waking up", Master Jake has them shipped to a town in the desert. This town is filled with men that cannot be drones and is comprised of former drones.

Life in the town is hard, as it is difficult for sustainable agriculture and the miles of desert make any attempt to leave nigh impossible. Master Jake sends (armed) drone convoys regularly to deliver provisions and entertainment. As the awoken drones learn more about the state of the town, they become involved in its underground movement to take a ship and fly away to somewhere else. Conflicts of opinion and belief will emerge that will challenge the awoken drones to the core and they will go in different philosophical directions. A ship will be taken and they will escape to over the mountains to a forested land on the coast and have to learn to survive in the new land. Maybe there is a drone research facility there as well, which will continue the conflict of the story.

How it will end? No idea at this time.

For what reason? I've had the hardest time rationalizing a rebel movement in an all-male world that depends on the drone cities for new recruits and technology, and that somehow has to avoid Master Jake's drones and their resources. Having some reason for Master Jake to not pursue the rebels overtly (until they cause too much trouble) has been the hardest thing to come up with and remains a challenge for me that would be good to overcome in some way. Nothing is perfect and I should perhaps embrace that concept a bit in my writing.

What do you think?