Voor Technocracy

The Voor Technocracy is a major interstellar government organised as a technocratic dictatorship. Its capital is the arctic world of Hiverion, located in the Exedor System, where the humanoid Voor evolved. The population of the Voor Technocracy are notable for their cybernetics, love of technology and science, and lack of individual freedoms. The Voor Technocracy is ruled by a Chief Scientific Officer, who is appointed for life by the state's scientific elite. The Technocracy is organised along scientific lines, valuing efficiency and technological progress above all else. Due to Hiverion's recent transformation into an arctic world, the Technocracy practices environmentalist policies to mitigate the impacts of their ongoing ice age. Diplomatically, the Voor Technocracy values exploration and discovery, preferring to trade for knowledge if possible. If that is not possible, they have been known to seize research by force.

Table of Contents

Government

The Voor Technocracy is structured as a unitary technocratic republic. It is typically classified as an authoritarian command economy autocracy, with moderate levels of corruption.

The executive of the Voor government is the Chief Science Officer (CSO), who rules for life or until retirement. The CSO is elected by an assembly of the most prominent scientists in the Technocracy after a three-month period of deliberation. To become qualified for the assembly, a candidate must defend a thesis on what contributions they have made to Voor society, and how their selection will empower the assembly. There are a number of restrictions on candidacies for CSO, the most prominent of which is that the candidate must hold at least three degrees: one of which must be a PhD (the nearest UNE equivalent). The CSO has nearly unlimited power in enacting their political and economic plan across the Technocracy.

The CSO is supported by the Voor Science Council, a body of twenty of the top scientists in various fields. These include fields such as physics, engineering, computers, economics, and agriculture. The Science Council advises the CSO on the state of the Technocracy, and aids in drafting and reviewing plans for the nation. The economic system of the Technocracy is centrally planned by the Science Council based on the directives of the CSO. Each member of the Science Council is the head of their own department charged with determining, using the scientific method, the most efficient ways to run the state. These reports are collated and presented at daily meetings of the Council. Members of the Council are selected by the CSO at will, requiring several degrees in their field of expertise.

History

The Voor homeworld of Hiverion experiences a rare phenomena wherein it cyclically raises and lowers in temperature over approximately one million years. At its trough, the planet is cold enough that very little life can survive. The Voor evolved during an interglacial period far longer than average, and were biologically ill-suited for the temperature decline. As the Voor developed, temperatures slowly declined, but began rapidly declining in the 1900s CE. Nations ceased their conflicts, and instead began working together to try to find a way to reverse climate change, or if that failed, survive it. An international emergency coalition created the position of Chief Scientific Officer to oversee efforts to save the species, giving them extraordinary emergency powers.

As more harvests failed and polar regions of Hiverion became uninhabitable, the governments of the planet were forced into making difficult decisions. Individual freedoms were sacrificed and scientific institutions were given virtually unlimited power and resources. Massive domed cities were constructed to retain heat generated by geothermal and nuclear power, but there was not enough room for the entire population of the planet. Hundreds of millions were left to freeze or starve, actions the Voor Technocracy maintains were "regrettable, but necessary". Rudimentary cybernetic augmentations were developed in the early 2000s CE, which allowed for limited life on the exposed surface.

The 21st century CE saw a scientific renaissance within Voor society. Old nations had collapsed or been overtaken by scientists, and the planet's intellectuals collectively agreed that they were the sole reason the species had survived. The position of Chief Scientific Officer, which had long been the de facto ruler of Hiverion, was formally established as the leader of the newly-formed Voor Technocracy. The government was organised along scientific lines, with scientists being given prominent positions and broad authority to execute their orders.

The population of Hiverion returned to its pre-freezing levels by the mid-21st century CE. Most of the population lived in domed or underground cities, as the surface was inhospitable without cybernetic augmentation. Efforts to make the planet livable through geoengineering were undertaken, warming up the planet enough that, by the beginning of the 22nd century CE, cities were being re-established on the surface. In order to repopulate Hiverion's biosphere, environmental studies became a critical part of the geoengineering process. Seeds and animal embryos that had been stored in vaults prior to the extinction-level event were slowly reintroduced to the surface as it warmed up.

Although the geoengineering plan was partially successful, Hiverion remained an arctic world. However, by the late 22nd century CE, the Voor had adapted enough to their new environment that it was considered an acceptable outcome. The century also saw the reemergence of spaceflight, which had been difficult during the coldest years of the 21st century CE. Voor scientists developed the hyper drive in 2199 CE, allowing the species to finally leave the Exedor System.