Technocrat Registry

"From the end of the First Empire and the last gasp of kings, there have been two forces in the debate of the perfect society and its governance. Gone are the days of democracy versus autocracy. Quite frankly, neither of these concepts scaled up to the task of managing a Solar Society. Democracy failed, as it was the fear of general populace in the face of the Gobi Horror that forced the governments of Earth, Jupiter and Saturn to bow to the Gobi Kings. Autocracy failed after the First Terran Empire simply couldn't exert enough military control to prevent the spread of vaccines against their favorite biological weaponry. Afterwards, the corruption inherent in autocracies allowed the Men of Merit to organize and simply bribe their way past the Gobi Kings' defenses, rolling their armies in a violent tide of bloodletting. What came next was the true debate for managing a society in the trillions and now, quadrillions. This debate is Merit against Algorithm. The Great Timocracy emphasized Merit, which failed in the face of a synthetic uprising of unknown causes. Individual merit was simply unable to organize enough for a system-spanning glitch. The Solar Commonwealth was governed completely by the algorithm, as cold and unfeeling as the cosmic forces we defy. Children went hungry because other children statistically will contribute more in the future. The Reformed Commonwealth was a step back to the ideas of personal freedom and democracy, but in the end they failed to unify in the face of the Cozine Disaster. The Pan Solar Consortium has, we believe, solved the balance, but it must be maintained. The algorithm is useless without data, and merit is useless without knowing what to DO with that data. That is what we have; Living minds raised from the people as planetary technocrats, using algorithms and the Technocrat Registry to manage and guide mankind. It's worked for five hundred years... may it work for five million more."

The Registry

The Technocrat Registry is a fundamental part of the Pan Solar Consortium. Every citizen has an entry. It allows officials to determine who is best suited to call up for a task, allows employers to rapidly fill posts with the best candidate, and serves as both an incentive and a punishment for behaviors. They categorize these as "Derbers and Tammerlanes," Licenses, Demerits, and Learies. Derbers, Tammerlanes, and Learies are highly scientific standardized tests named after the Academician that developed them. Licenses represent buy-ins, permissions and indulgences acquired from the government or other authorities. Learies represent social status, including medals and honors.

Derbers

The Derber Tests were initially developed to provide a standardized measure of human Attributes for comparison with other species in the fields of xenobiology and xenosociology. Their utility soon expanded beyond these disciplines, and they are now widely used in various sectors, including the Technocrat Registry, military, and paramilitary organizations. The tests offer a concise and quantifiable assessment of an individual's strengths and weaknesses, facilitating informed decisions regarding training regimens, skill sets, and operational deployments. Even vehicle performance has been adapted to Derber standards, allowing for apples-to-apples comparisons across different platforms. By establishing a human average baseline score of 10 for each attribute, the Derber Tests provide a universal language for evaluating capabilities.

The core Attributes measured by the Derber Tests are Strength (ST), Dexterity (DX), Intelligence (IQ), and Health (HT). Strength measures muscular power, influencing combat effectiveness and physical labor capabilities. Dexterity assesses agility, coordination, and fine motor skills, crucial for combat, athletics, and precise operations. Intelligence encompasses cognitive functions such as creativity, intuition, memory, perception, reason, sanity, and willpower. Health measures stamina, resistance to harmful agents, and overall resilience. Together, these Attributes create a fundamental framework for evaluating human performance across various domains of life and work.

Tammerlanes

Established by Academician Bettany Tammerlane, Tammerlanes quantify an individual’s proficiency in specific skills by comparing them against the baseline Derber Attributes. They provide a granular understanding of personal strengths and weaknesses by indicating how well an individual performs in particular skill sets relative to their attribute scores. For example, someone with an average IQ score of 10 but an Electronics Operation skill score of 15 would have a Tammerlane rating of +5 in Electronics Operation, denoting a significant aptitude for the field.

Tammerlanes serve as an integral part of the Technocrat Registry, offering a dynamic measurement of competency across various Professions. This allows for more precise placement in roles requiring specialized expertise, ensuring that tasks are performed by the most qualified individuals. Employers, military organizations, and academic institutions rely on Tammerlanes to identify talent and potential, making them a critical tool for career development and personnel management.

Licenses

Licenses act as both a measure of social trust and a means of regulating access to goods and services within the Pan Solar Consortium. Only full citizens of the PSC can apply for Licenses, with more powerful Licenses requiring deeper scrutiny and background checks. The license system is an essential mechanism for controlling access to potentially dangerous materials and technologies while curbing terrorism, separatism, and other destabilizing influences.

Each license is categorized by a grade, ranging from Nil to 0-S. A Nil rating indicates a Criminal who has lost all rights and privileges, while Grade 4 represents the default status for civilians, including clones, Bioroids, Uplifts, and AI. Grade 3 confers full citizenship, allowing individuals to vote and access limited travel rights. Grade 2 represents trusted individuals who have completed a public service contract or received corporate sponsorship. Grades 1 and 0 are reserved for highly trusted individuals, allowing access to military-grade equipment and capital-class Starships. Specialized grades, such as 0-M for military operations and 0-S for scientific research, grant access to restricted or dangerous materials.

The license system is deeply ingrained in PSC society, with a cultural divide between "Nils"—those who wear their low status as a badge of defiance—and "Zeroes," who take pride in their elite status. Licenses must be renewed periodically, with varying intervals depending on the issuing planet or corporate entity. Attempts to forge or sell Licenses are met with severe, often lethal, consequences.

Demerits

Demerits serve as a record of both Criminal offenses and physiological or psychological impairments that impact a citizen’s ability to function within society. While commonly associated with crime, Demerits also include conditions such as Mutations, untreated injuries, low-quality Cybernetics, and psychological disorders. Negative Derber scores can also result in Demerits, indicating deficiencies in key Attributes that may necessitate government assistance.

Though there is a social stigma attached to Demerits, they also play a role in determining eligibility for aid and rehabilitation programs. Citizens with severe impairments or past Criminal activity may be enrolled in corrective measures, work programs, or treatment plans designed to help them reintegrate into society. However, those with extensive or severe Demerits often find their opportunities restricted, particularly in fields requiring high levels of trust and competence. The balance between rehabilitation and punitive measures remains a contentious issue within the PSC, with ongoing debates over the ethical implications of the Demerit system.

Learies

The Learies system, founded by Charter Leary, is designed to objectively measure social standing, economic class, and demographic status within the Pan Solar Consortium. Unlike traditional class structures, Learies are used as a means of civic responsibility—higher-status individuals are expected to contribute more to the maintenance and defense of the system that benefits them. This principle is a deliberate effort by the PSC to counteract historical trends where the wealthy and powerful evade societal responsibilities.

Learies classify individuals based on wealth, influence, employment, and other socio-economic factors. Those with high Learies scores are called upon first in times of crisis, whether through taxation, mandatory service, or strategic planning roles. The system reinforces the idea that privilege carries obligation, making the upper echelons of society the first line of defense for the stability of the Pan Solar Consortium. While controversial among some elites, the Learies system is widely accepted as a necessary measure to prevent wealth disparity from leading to systemic collapse.

Together, Derbers, Tammerlanes, Licenses, Demerits, and Learies form the foundation of the Technocrat Registry, shaping every aspect of life within the Pan Solar Consortium. This registry is a living document, constantly updated and refined to ensure efficiency, security, and the optimal utilization of human potential in a society spanning quadrillions.

Type

Record, Public