Deficient

The S'aue Empire espouses a strict caste system, one in which the social status of an individual is almost solely dependent upon the caste they belong to.

At the bottom of this hierarchy, only above rudimentary artificial intelligence, are the deficient.

Definition

There are two ways a S'aue can find themselves in this caste. The first is to have manufacturing flaws. That is, parts that were already malfunctioning or broken at the time of assembly in a workshop. This could be likened to congenital disorders in organic beings, though obviously it is much less a case of misfortune and rather accidental or, in the worst case, deliberate oversight.

The second way is crime. The justice system of the S'aue Empire does not sentence S'aue to capital punishment, but rather they will be sentenced to being made deficient. This punishment involves the deliberate breaking of a S'aue's components and their social demotion to the caste. Crimes that warrant such harsh punishment include, but are not limited to; murder, treason, grand larceny and excessive embezzlement and fraud.

There exists some difference between how a deficient is treated based on whether or not they were one at conception, or if they became that way via their own actions. Unfortunately, any pity that might be shown to a deficient is most often mere lip service, empty well-wishing without action to support it.

Life In the Slums

The S'aue Empire wishes to project an image of prosperity to its allies which is why the deficient are, figuratively, swept under the rug and placed into Districts, slum-like groupings of housing units in the cities, far away from the better maintained neighborhoods and blocks meant for citizenry and the aristocrats.

Most of the deficient spend their days sifting through refuse that is dumped into their slums in an attempt to find scrap and parts that they might use to repair themselves so they could be accepted into society once again. This is a futile hope, however, as even if one could repair themselves and thus defy the caste system, the replacement of parts (and therefore effectively extending one's lifespan) is seen as a taboo that even the higher echelons of S'aue society are expected to not dabble in, so the chances of being accepted through such blatant disregard for the rules is close to nil. This does not stop the deficient, however, and it is not unusual for them to be assymetrical and consist of a makeshift assortment of scavenged parts.

Shipments of junk oil, already flown through many a machine, are sent to the Districts at regular intervals. This horrid sludge is meant for consumption by the deficient, as pristine crude oil is considered too valuable to waste on them by those in power, like the merchants of the Iron Cartel.

Rights

Deficient do not have the same rights as the citizenry and certainly not those of the aristocracy. They are not allowed to partake in politics and relations outside of their own caste are forbidden and discouraged via the fact that anyone not deficient found having relations with one is made deficient as punishment. All in all, the empire places little value on the lives of the deficient, but this does not mean they are without hope.

Flickstitch Mnemone, the mayor of Onset-1 and a member of the Board of Directors works tirelessly to champion the cause of the deficient, putting forth motions to either abolish the caste entirely, or at the very least to afford citizenship to those who did not choose to be deficient via their own callousness. So far, his attempts to sway his fellow members of the board have borne no fruit, but Flickstitch Mnemone is nothing if not persistent, and he will keep trying until he succeeds or powers off permanently.

Every time I look out of this window, my optics focus on that despicable travesty in that southernmost corner of my city.

I am talking, of course, about the Districts. Those dens of suffering that, in an empire built upon the defiant shoulders of the subjugated, demonstrate a staggering lack of self-awareness.

It disgusts me.

–Flickstitch Mnemone

by Midjourney

_{A Deficient S'aue}