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Gaia

Jason – Gaia (T0, E1, R2)

SYSTEM ASPECTS:

SYNOPSIS:

Gaia is, as the name implies, a paradise. Abundant natural resources coupled with a heavy focus by the populace on environmentally sustainable living maintains the pristine nature of their home world. Other planets in system are undergoing colonization, with the assistance of Volcana advanced technology, provisioned by the resource rich planets formed from ancient supernovae.

The real appeal of Gaia, however, is its advanced social, moral and political perfection as they have worked to create a utopian society. Underlying this is the prevalence of psionics, the backbone of Gaian culture. All children are tested for psionic aptitude and trained to use their talents.

SOCIETY:

Gaian society is divided into three hereditary groups:

There is no upward mobility for proles unless psionic powers are detected in them as children, in which case they will be inducted into the intendant class. Intendants who perform well in their positions can be elevated into the ranks of the nobility. In this way, proles can have some hopes for an improved lot for their children; Intendants are encouraged to strive hard, and there is a constant infusion of new blood into the nobility. Extensive psionic ability among the ruling classes permits the Gaian government to weed out subversives early in life, and re-educate them as useful members of society. With rare exception, Gaians are extremely patriotic. Gaian citizens possess a high degree of personal honesty. Indeed, the few Gaians who have been off world feel uncomfortable, where “liars and thieves are allowed to wander around loose.” Privacy of thoughts is highly respected among the Gaian upper classes, although proles have no such right. Nobles have almost complete right of personal privacy, and intendants nearly as much. Foreign nationals generally submit to an rigorous entrance/visa process, but diplomats are generally left alone.

The presence of psionics in the hands of those in power means that many aspects of society work at high efficiency. Psychology, behavioral science, communications science, and education are more refined and exact than in other societies. Educational methods are finely tuned, and capable of teaching concepts rapidly and accurately. Mental deviance or criminal tendencies can be detected early and corrected with facility. Gaian society is generally a happy one. Individuals are members of a functioning whole, with each making a contribution to its success. The relative lack of upward mobility for the proles is offset by the possibility for their children to move upwards if they have the proper potential. The burden of responsibility imposed on the intendants is lightened by the ever-present possibility of reward through elevation to the noble classes. The nobles themselves temper their burden of authority with comfort derived from their station in life.

CRIME AND ENFORCEMENT:

Typically, Gaian society does not expect violence or dishonesty, and most of its enforcement apparatus is devoted to annual check-ups of individual attitudes. Each prole has a caseworker who maintains a file and performs an annual check-up for correct attitudes, as well as feeling for any problems or situations in need of assistance. Enforcers within the community enforce traffic regulations, arbitrate disputes, and watch for disturbances. These enforcers are similar to police, but can detect problem situations in the course of their patrols.

Gaian, crime takes on a different guise than it has in other societies. Willful crime by proles is easily detected and dealt with, and as a result, occurs only infrequently, Any burglar broadcasts his intentions before the fact, and can be detected after the fact as well. Enforcement agents find it relatively easy to apprehend criminals, and they are reeducated to more honest values. Because of the enforcers’ psionic talents, it is possible to detect intentions of a criminal nature, and even intent is considered criminal. Those crimes which do occur are more often crimes of passion, or derangement. For example, two merchants may honestly disagree on some point of commerce, and it is possible that in their frustration, they may come to blows. This is a crime of passion, not premeditated, and easily resolved by an arbitrator. Or an individual may feel for some reason oppressed by the tasks or responsibilities expected of him, and crack under the strain. Suddenly and unpredictably, he becomes violent and must be restrained by the enforcers.

The Morality Police: One aspect of Gaian government is the Dàodé jǐngchá, translated as the Thought Guardians or the Morality Police. This organization is staffed by intendants and nobles, and is charged with maintaining correct thought within the population. They are constantly on the alert for aberrant thought. When detected, they home in on its source, apprehend the individual, and take him to a re-education center. There, psionics is used to monitor the progress of reeducation and the individual remains in custody until corrected. To some outsiders it would be easy to look upon the Morality Police as a sort of secret police oppressing the masses. To the Gaians, this is not the case. They are instead a respected community service. Even its clients feel relieved after being located and assisted back to normalcy. That, of course, is how they are supposed to feel.

Security: Because of the basic openness and honesty of the Gaians, the arrangements for security are minimal. Locks on doors are simple if present at all. Walls and structures are built for protection against the elements rather than against criminal penetration. Even re-education centers (there are no prisons to speak of) have only loose security arrangements.

GOVERNMENT:

The Gaia is a participatory democracy in which only nobles are allowed to vote. Executive and judicial functions are performed by a series of councils of varying sizes depending upon the nature of their duties and the size of the area they govern. Each council elects one of its number as chief executive officer, and a number of its members as delegates to the next higher council. A city council will elect a number of its members as representatives to a planetary council, and so on up the line through subsector and sector to the Grand Council of the Gaians. Nominally, each member of a council serves for three years, but in practice, each councilor serves until his replacement arrives and replaces him officially, or until word of his re-election to another term is received. Often times, the district from which a councilor is elected will have only his relatives as voters, and his re-election is virtually assured. Standard practice (when possible) calls for Gaian councils to submit important questions to a plebiscite of those affected. The principle can be suspended where immediate action is required, but the official ordering the action stands responsible to the voters and must justify his actions as soon as possible.

Supreme executive power is vested in three consuls, one elected each year for a term of three years by and from the members of the Grand Council. No consul may be elected twice in succession, and retired consuls become life members of the Grand Council.

To-Do: Economy, History, Foreign Relations

Connections to Volcana, SysOneCo, and Mantis

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