Civil Humanist Congress

> Authority, Stability, Humanity.
>
> ―From the opening preamble of The Blueprint

The **Civil Humanist Congress**, or **The Congress** is an amalgamation between a structural doctrine for governance and a de facto political party, serving as the current overarching organizational framework for the civilian administration of the Combine presence on Earth. Infamous for erasing the diverse system of Civil Workers' Unions established under the regime of Wallace Breen and for standardizing the functions of state across every Sector, the Congress is designed as a pervasive instrument of control, centralizing all legally-sanctioned societal functions under its auspices as the political expression of Humanist Thought.

The sprawling control exercised by the Congress is said to evade any easy definition, as the Combine Civil Authority itself is often detailed as at the head of the Congress structure despite being referred to independently in common parlance, whereas the Bureaus underneath the CCA are often referred to as the primary manifestation of the Congress proper owing to their role as the most direct implementation of the structure's goal of total societal control. It is through this ubiquitous presence that the Congress has actively attempted to cement itself as an omnipresent fixture in the lives of those who dwell in the cities as an inescapable political force of nature. Despite the onset of the Uprising, the Congress has continued its stalwart adherence to a Corporatist societal structure and implementation of Humanist dogma.

## History

### The Occupation

> I remember the Civil Workers' Union. Back in my day, you had to cross your fingers if you worked in the Civil Science Union of one Sector after catching wind of your pending relocation- because there was a good chance that you might be out of a job, wherever they sent you.
>
> ―Anonymous Worker

The creation of the Global Administration under Wallace Breen was fraught with administrative perils from the start, as the task put upon it by the otherworldly representatives of the Combine was gargantuan in scope - entailing the total reorganization of human social and government structures under the auspices of an occupation government spanning the globe. Given the problems posed by lingering sources of resistance against the nascent regime and desiring not to exacerbate already monumental tensions in the wake of the global ceasefire, as well as Wallace Breen's own desire to intentionally confuse and disrupt the creation of cohesive and standardized administrative structures, the Civil Workers' Union was born.

Hazily defined by design, it is this ambiguity that served as both the premiere strength and Achilles heel of the CWU. Put plainly, the Civil Workers' Union was an organization used by individual Sector Administrators to organize labor projects of any size and type under the auspices of the local government in the name of planetary reconstruction. The decree enacted by Wallace Breen was intentionally sparse on the particulars of this system, citing it as an extension of the autonomy bestowed upon humanity by its 'benevolent benefactors', allowing for local Sectors to organize their CWUs as they pleased with regard to a wide array of local and sometimes pre-war agendas. As such, there was no legally-enshrined oversight to ensure the smooth operation of the CWU in any individual Sector, leaving the efficiency of any given example at the mercy of a Sector Administrator's competency.

The looseness of this system created for a wide range of variations on the Civil Workers' Union. In one city, there may have been a Civil Science Union or a Civil Commerce Union operating under the umbrella of an overarching "Civil Workers' Union" organization with rigidly hierarchical internal workplace dynamics that mirror the structure employed by the Bureaus of the modern Civil Humanist Congress, while in another city, there may have existed as many "Civil Workers' Unions" as there were workplaces alongside the implementation of a limited form of workplace democracy at the behest of a sympathetic Sector Administrator. Additionally, it was not unheard of for one Sector to lack the representation of one sector of industry or society found in another.

In spite of the immense administrative inefficiency this system created, the Directorate of Societal was actively able to leverage the lack of oversight in the implementation of the CWU in order to create vast networks of political patronage that allowed it to affect ever-sprawling influence over the functions of the civilian government. Simultaneously, it allowed for individuals sympathetic or secretly tied to the growing Resistance movement, such as Wallace Breen, to establish their own network of sycophants across the Sectors, with him in particular earning the loyalty of his underlings through promises of maintaining their substantial autonomy, which was largely achieved through the sweeping powers and minimal oversight afforded to him by the Combine's direct representatives, the Advisors, who themselves cared little of the particulars of the civilian administration and only desiring to avert the development of large-scale dissident activity that Breen did his best to blind them to.

This sprawling charade couldn't last forever, as the Directorate for Societal Integrity was eventually able to uncover Wallace Breen's network of loyalists following the interception and decoding of an encrypted communication from the Citadel that followed the code structure utilized by Entropy, a clandestine resistance network that had earned his cooperation early on in the occupation. This message, which detailed the inner-workings of the unfinished Citadel's core, proved to only be the tip of the ice berg as communiques from Entropy detailing instructions for destabilizing the civilian government through intentionally stoking administrative difficulties over the course of the next decade were uncovered in his office following his apprehension. With the approval of the Advisors, the Directorate initiated Case Turquoise, a secretive purge across a multitude of Sectors worldwide of sycophants found to have been working in service of Breen's aims.

Through this purge, the bureaucratic excesses of Breen's doctrine of sabotage had been laid bare. The structural incompatibilities between various Sectors had made coordinating the functions of government exceedingly difficult, as the tailoring of CWUs to local ambitions and beliefs on how to best govern a Sector would lead to immense confusion, as for example, many personnel traded routinely between Sectors would often find themselves placed at the disposal of a Civil Workers' Union with no equivalent for their profession of choice, leading to a swelling unemployment crisis caused by by many among the civilian population refusing to interact with this bloated, woefully inefficient system that left many hungry and the competence of civil services at the mercy of random chance. This state of affairs was fertile grounds for the creation of dissident mutual aid networks, as citizens increasingly began to rely upon each other rather than the state, which only further stoked feelings of resentment. Furthermore, the autonomy afforded to local Sectors was increasingly demonstrated as counterproductive to the aims of the Combine Overworld, a fact not lost on the Advisors, nor the Directorate.

Seeking to avail themselves of a potential reprisal from their off-world overseers, the Advisors and the Directorate debated on, and eventually, collaborated on a plan to totally overhaul the structure of the occupation. While the Directorate favored a more indirect approach by only installing token institutional oversight while relying upon sycophants loyal to themselves in order to locally re-structure Civil Workers' Unions to avoid stoking tensions with local bureaucrats, the Advisors demanded the implementation of a sweeping, legalistic reformation of the system that could be relied upon to create an intrinsic motivation for the civilian population to interface with the organs of the state. Lacking an in-depth understanding of human history or governmental traditions, this task was largely imposed upon the Directorate who opted to turn the situation to their advantage. It was these circumstances that allowed for the Directorate to additionally cement its control over the functions of state through the creation of a proprietary ideological framework and a governmental doctrine that abided by it, and by extension, the Directorate's desire for control.

In this crucible of opportunity, the Civil Humanist Congress was founded, and the doctrine of Humanist Thought was established through the publishing of the Blueprint, a primer on the finer tenets of this ideology's prescriptions. Through the Blueprint's advocacy for standardization and a greater role of the state in providing welfare for the average citizen all through the structure of the Congress, the Directorate was able to secure a substantial degree of stability through an event touted by Humanist sycophants as the Permutation. The Permutation heralded the beginning of the implementation of Humanist dogma through the constituent organizations of the Congress, forcing the imposition of the Bureaus, the end of Wallace Breen's Global Administration, and the creation of various new agencies under the auspices of the CCA, which itself was now considered to be a transformed organization at the top of the Congress. With the removal of Wallace Breen's cohorts from their positions of power, the Directorate's effective control over the functions of Dispatch, the cooperation of the Advisors, and the improved living standards wrought from the prescriptions laid out in the Blueprint, this societal overhaul was met largely with tepid positivity from wider society, as much of the global population remained desperate for any reprieve from the squalor caused by the Red Three and subsequent Seven Hour War.

It would be the implementation of the Congress and subsequent reorganization of society and industry under the direct auspices of the Congress that would create a new class of citizen known as a 'Paragon', a standardized Humanist iteration on the concept of the varied loyalty reward schemes found across the Sectors. The first citizens to be classified as Paragons would be found among pre-Permutation loyalists or regular citizens who took to this change with enthusiasm. It would be these individuals who would maintain or earn positions of social and legal prominence, leading to the creation of an ideologically-adherent class of citizen that would form the backbone of the implementation of the Humanist programme. There remained those who derided this change across society, however, with many referring to these newfound Paragons as 'Blue Men', referencing the increasing prominence of the color Blue in Combine propaganda. Additionally, Father developed as the personified embodiment of this new government-sponsored movement, featuring prominently alongside said propaganda to encourage the acquiescence of the populace.

### The Uprising

Like the rest of the Combine regime, the Congress did not go unscathed following the onset of the Uprising and the destruction of the unfinished Citadel. The temporary elimination of a central government and the fall of many cities to Resistance elements, or in some cases, Secessionists, often heralded the end of the Humanist experiment of the Congress. In the latter case, however, some exceptions remain, as some breakaway factions of the Combine remnant seek to maintain at least some of the societal prescriptions of Humanism, such as its Corporatist structure in order to aid with local agendas centered around ensuring control. Additionally, in cities held by Neo-States, many Congress assets are known to operate with only mild alterations to their functions, as the services afforded by the Bureaus come under increasing demand as the chaos of the Uprising endangers the civil services that many have come to rely on. In some cases, formerly high-ranking members of the Congress have found themselves placed into managerial roles within these new attempts at building nations, the latter of which remain recalcitrant to totally discard their undeniable expertise.

In Council-aligned cities, the structure of the Congress remains unaltered save for the rebranding of the Council of the Domain as the newly-christened Interim Ruling Council, which now operates under an expressly provisional mandate to lampshade the uncertain, yet increasingly human-dominated future of the remains of the Combine Civil Authority. Despite this structural consistency, the relationships between the various arms of the Civil Humanist Congress in any given example of a Council-aligned Sector have assuredly been affected by the sprawling, pervasive chaos affected by the Uprising. Uncertainty remains an recurring influence in the decision-making of the Congress leadership, as business owners in particular grow increasingly fearful of any threat to their bottom lines and political adherents fear the dilution of the tenets initially laid out in the Blueprint.

## Structure

### Combine Civil Authority

#### Council of the Domain

Sometimes referred to as the **Domain Council**, the Council of the Domain is the top executive organ of the Combine Civil Authority. It is made up of twenty-four prominent technocrats and other officials, charged with serving the role once held by Wallace Breen in his capacity as Global Administrator. Following the destruction of the Citadel and the deaths of a number of Domain Councilors, it has since been rebranded as the **Interim Ruling Council**. Ever since this rebranding, the backgrounds of those on the council has grown to include prominent, openly Humanist members of Civil Protection.

The true identities of Domain Councilors have never been revealed owing to a policy of utter secrecy, leading to the regular usage of aliases and body-doubles by members of this secretive cabal with regards to public statements and, on especially rare occasions, public appearances respectively. The new base of operations of the Interim Ruling Council is said to be a facility known as Bastion Zero, although the veracity of this claim, nor the location of such a facility have yet to be confirmed beyond a reasonable doubt - especially as internecine conflict rages between mutually antagonistic and formerly-aligned factions of the wider Resistance movement.

#### Committee of Consultant Ministers

While officially positioned as the second most prominent organ of the Combine Civil Authority, as the name suggests, the Committee of Consultative Ministers is no more than an advisory body made up of two-hundred individuals lauded as ‘accomplished’ examples of Humanist society. This committee is thus largely composed of scientists, prominent business leaders, the leaders of local Congress branches, propagandists and anyone else who the Domain Council deems to have insight on how the various forces of society might be leveraged in service of the Civil Authority.

While the legal functions of this body are limited to providing the Domain Council with proposals and making recommendations for its own new members, this body also serves as an unofficial 'holding room' for future Domain Councilors. The informal expectation to build networks of patronage and regularly demonstrate political savviness in order to secure an appointment to the Council has created a pervasive factionalism within the Committee that has spread even into the Bureaus and other sections of the CCA, leading to the creation of sprawling, competing cliques defined by their differing views on the future direction of the Civil Authority, as well as personal allegiances.

Proposals are voted on in a manner akin to pre-war legislatures, although no formal political or factional associations are permitted within the body. If a proposal passes, it is then delivered to the Domain Council, leaving the latter body to do with its findings as it deems fit. The Committee is also permitted to form sub-committees, which are bodies charged with investigating matters of state for the sake of uncovering information relevant to pending proposals.

The main factions on the Committee are as follows:

* **Unionists** - Taking their name from a speech delivered by Wallace Breen where the term 'Universal union' was used as a shorthand to refer to the wider Combine Empire, **Unionists** desire to maintain the status quo of tight societal and industrial control, as well as devising a means by which contact can be established with the Combine Overworld in order to secure reinforcements to stave off the Uprising. Their approach towards the implementation of Humanist doctrine is a pragmatic one, concerning themselves primarily with the aspects of Humanism that might aid in maintaining control over the remaining Sectors. Their control over proposals and some of the more autonomous bodies of the CCA sans the Domain Council have been entrenched since the formation of the Committee.
* **Fluxists** - Emphasizing the need to embrace societal 'flux' as a political reality, **Fluxists** are the largest one with an agenda expressly geared towards reform. While their influence was marginal prior to the Uprising, recent events have propelled them into an ascendant position. Fluxists stress the need for the remaining occupational authorities to foster positive relationships with owners of financial capital within the Combine system by granting autonomy to the large-scale businesses currently found across multiple Sectors. Their approach is founded on the principle that the strengthening of the relationship between the state and capital can be leveraged as a means to ensure economic prosperity that will diminish the incentives to engage in dissident activity, although individual Ministers vary on how much this policy of reform should enter social matters, with many only very tepidly supporting the softening of the more stringent aspects of Humanist doctrine. It should come as no surprise that many of their members have had their start as functionaries in the Commerce Bureau.
* **Resolutionists** - Derided as 'bleeding heart liberals' across all aisles of the Committee, **Resolutionists** cynically advocate for the introduction of a form of sham democracy and increased investment in social welfare. While starkly opposed to any kind of genuine democratic input on the functions of the state, Resolutionists posit that the creation of councils reminiscent of the Committee on the local level, made up of politically reliable and sufficiently 'accomplished' members of civil society, would bring the Uprising closer to a resolution through the creation of proposals by experts that could better inform the decisions of Sector Administrators and their comrades in Overwatch. Perhaps more infamously, their faction is also known for advocating the restoration of the CWU as an entirely symbolic, worker-democratized trade union in order to soften workplace disputes. Their insistence on this token reform has forced their membership to perpetually walk on egg-shells, as accusations of traitorous intent and abandonment of Humanist principles are never far behind.
* **Permutationists** - Considered the most hardline of the major factions on the Committee, **Permutationists** are the most committed to the further implementation of Humanist dogma. While they constitute the smallest out of the major factions, they remain notable for their ardent commitment to the expansion of and commitment to social welfare prescriptions of Humanism while maintaining strict control over all functions of society. It is thus not unheard of for especially well-connected members of this faction to engage in charity events for the impoverished while filtering these efforts through a rhetorical lens of living up to 'His Example'. Some members of this faction have been known to flirt with more fringe tendencies of Humanism, such as the Transformationists - a miniscule faction defined by their advocacy of accelerating the process of Ascension by making augmentations available to the populace.

#### The Directorates

One of the holdovers from Wallace Breen's tenure as Global Administrator, Directorates are organizations akin to government ministries, split between their roles as either managing one of two categories of policy that set the tenor for the efforts of individual aspects of society underneath them. Social Directorates are charged with managing regulations and providing oversight for matters of social cohesion. Labor Directorates, on the other hand, are said to manage policies that directly tie into matters of production. While they hold a great deal of autonomy and control on paper, they are entirely beholden to the objectives of the Domain Council above them.

##### Social Directorates

* Directorate for Societal Integrity
* Directorate for Urban Development and Reclamation
* Directorate for Health and Welfare
* Directorate for Popular Enlightenment
* Directorate for Pecuniary Affairs
* Directorate for Technology

##### Labor Directorates

* Directorate for Agriculture
* Directorate for Commercial Coordination
* Directorate for Transportation and Relocation
* Directorate for Energy Production
* Directorate for Industrial Practice and Regulation

#### Autonomous Organs of the Civil Authority

A number of specialized organizations exist as part of the Combine Civil Authority, although their unique responsibilities often necessitate that they exist somewhat independently of the Directorates positioned above them. The degree of independence afforded to these bodies varies substantially, with some being semi-directly managed by the Directorates, and others only having to observe their established regulations, otherwise being left to make decisions for themselves as the Domain Council deems appropriate.

##### Labor Relations Office

  A prominent example of the Corporatist approach of the CCA towards managing production, the Labor Relations Office is a semi-independent body subordinate to the Directorate for Industrial Practice responsible for processing disputes between private employers and laborers. Given the Civil Authority’s desire to maintain the maximum amount of production output for any given industry, the Office is notorious for rarely, if ever ruling in favor of laborers amidst disputes with regards to missing wages, poor labor conditions and so on.

##### Dispositional Secretariat

The Secretariat is the closest thing to a security force at the disposal of the CCA that isn't under the direct auspices of Overwatch. Managed by the Directorate for Commercial Coordination, the Secretariat is responsible for overseeing the Dispositionals, a force of baton-wielding security guards responsible for guarding Congress property or otherwise assisting Civil Protection with more mundane tasks. The onset of the Uprising has encouraged a greater reliance on this force of thugs as Civil Protection are increasingly thrust into a counter-insurgency role, being regularly given more leeway when it comes to the dispensation of justice.

##### Sectoral Labor Council

An independent representative body only convened at the behest of the Domain Council, made up of the leaders of individual Bureaus from across the Sectors or their designated representatives. This council is intended to directly represent the interests and concerns of the Bureaus at a local level, especially if the proposals developed by the Consultant Ministers are considered insufficient.

##### Liaison Committee

Referred to as ‘Diplomats’, the Liaison Committee is the closest thing to a Foreign Affairs organization attached to the CCA. The Liaison Committee is responsible for facilitating communications between the Domain Council and the sapient forces of the Combine Overwatch. While originally derided as useless, given the overarching authority vested into Dispatch, the onset of the Uprising has given the organization a new purpose as a key tool in the Directorate for Societal Integrity’s ongoing efforts to portray the Interim Ruling Council as the sole, remaining arbitrator of Combine rule on the planet. Orders ostensibly issued by the Interim Ruling Council are often processed through the Liaison Committee, who are all too happy to portray themselves as a vital instrument in staving off the worst of the Uprising.

Disputes between the leaderships of the constituent Bureaus are also considered to fall under its purview, arbitrating in accordance with the statutes laid out by the Directorates or the Domain Council. However, it is not unheard of for the Liaison Committee to make a ruling of its own accord, should it believe an outcome to be the most beneficial for production and/or stability. Appointment to this Committee is one of the least sought after appointments in the entire bureaucracy of the Congress, as settling these disputes are known to be especially taxing on those set to preside over them.

##### Committee for Planetary Reclamation

Responsible for the reclamation of pre-7HW industrial and commercial assets, this Committee is responsible for dispatching agents into Quarantine Zones and Outland sectors under the guard of Civil Protection to ascertain the feasibility of and either facilitating the return of business assets to their owners (provided that they have remained integrated into the Congress throughout the occupation) or awarding them at auctions to new prospective entrepreneurs. Given the amount of wealth held by more established magnates, this organization has effectively developed into a lobby for the interests of well-off capitalists who have integrated within the Combine system. It regularly grapples with the machinations of both the Directorate for Industrial Practice and Directorate for Commercial Coordination, who both compete for control over this Committee's functions.

#### Sector Administrations

Local Sector Administrators have retained a vestige of autonomy following the Permutation, as they remain largely in control of the overarching direction for the Bureaus within their Sectors, provided that their plans do not contravene the regulations laid out by the Domain Council or the Directorates. Sector Administrators are often charged with accomplishing productivity quotas and other related objectives, which they are granted just enough autonomy to pursue in the manner that they see fit. Their ability to carry out these objectives hinges on their relationships with the leaders of the Bureaus in their Sector, as an Administrator who refuses to build networks of patronage or 'play ball' will often find himself falling behind on production quotas and thus approaching an early retirement.

### The Bureaus

> Excuse you, civvie! You didn't sign off on forms 72-TSH, 92-GMD and 93-CAS! Back of the line!
>
> ―Anonymous Congress Bureaucrat

Through the Bureaus, every conceivable aspect of society is organized under the Congress, leaving nothing outside of the regime's control. An individual Bureau is run by an Overseer, who is entrusted with the organization of their respective Bureau as well as voting on a Sector Administrator candidate for approval by the Domain Council, should the current one be found to be incapable of fulfilling their obligations to the Congress. Overseers are themselves appointed by the Sector Administrator, although their pick must be approved by the Overseer of the Social Bureau, who is themselves covertly appointed by the Directorate for Societal Integrity under the cover of the Domain Council.

It is through the Bureaus that the average person becomes intimately familiar with the phrase 'The Blue House always gets its due', as this manifestation of the Congress is infamous for its cutthroat office politics and adherence to the factional politics of the Committee of Consultative Ministers above it. Opportunities to ascend the ranks of the Congress bureaucracy are highly sought after, leading to a culture of vicious competition between Bureau Overseers who vie for the ability to secure a promotion by earning the notice of potential patrons on the Committee, within the Directorates or on the Domain Council itself.

#### Welfare

> I said to take three a day for the whole week. You're not supposed to stop, even if you feel better. If you do that again, I'll kill you myself.
>
> ―Anonymous Welfare Bureau Physician

Consolidating all aspects of healthcare under itself, the Welfare Bureau is responsible for ensuring that the members of the human workforce are in the best condition they can be, the poor conditions in cities notwithstanding. While the Welfare Bureau is primarily known for administrating healthcare, it is also responsible for overseeing the production and distribution of pharmaceuticals independently of the Commerce Bureau, as these functions have been deemed too vital to be placed at the behest of private entrepreneurs.

The Welfare Bureau is also known to frequently cooperate with its Materials counterpart, particularly within the realm of Biotech. It is this intimate proximity to medical technology, especially augmentations, that has made the Welfare and Materials Bureaus a breeding ground for Transformationist sentiments, as they are additionally responsible for cooperating with the HELIX and APEX Divisions of Civil Protection to design and create augmentations for their use, among other projects.

#### Materials

> Is it supposed to make that noise?
>
> ―Sector 8 Materials Bureau Overseer, moments prior to a fatal accident

Finding its genesis in the now-defunct Civil Science Unions of Wallace Breen's Global Administration, the Materials Bureau has developed into a behemoth of an organization owing to its regular cooperation with every other Bureau. Xenian exploitation, advancements in every conceivable field of science known to man prior to the turn of the millennium and the invention of new and innovative industrial equipment courtesy of Combine technology have placed the Materials Bureau at the intersection of a variety of societal forces. It is this which has even granted it very regular cooperation with the GRID Division of the Metropolitan Police Force of Civil Protection, actively collaborating on projects that could be of benefit to either party or the civilian populace at large.

It is this which has earned the Materials Bureau a reputation among the less scientifically-minded Bureaus as being especially important to please. Every other Bureau relies upon Materials for their maintenance, from small electronics up to sewage through a sub-organization known as the Engineering Core, which has prompted the creation of rumors of Materials Bureau personnel actively and profoundly sabotaging the operations of other Bureaus over perceived slights. In some cities, it isn't entirely unheard of for there to exist a system of 'tribute' where gifts of food and favors are regularly given to members of the Engineering Core and other Materials Bureau sub-organizations to avoid the fates illustrated in the aforementioned rumors. While these tend to be more fiction than fact, the members of this Bureau tend not to be the kind to look a gift horse in the mouth.

Given the importance of Xenian exploitation to the mission of the Materials Bureau, another sub-organization, the Hazmat Service, serves at the forefront of forays into more desolate urban areas under and outside of Combine control in order to secure usable samples, or to clear areas for urban habitation. As Civil Protection is not always capable of offering protection for these exploratory missions, the Hazmat Service has earned a reputation for being hardy, chemically-inclined daredevils, as drug use is rumored to be rampant among their ranks as a result of the elevated danger present in their line of work.

#### Commerce

> I'm going to punch that motherfucker from Industrial Practice if he tries talking to me about installing catwalk railings again.
>
> ―Anonymous Entrepreneur

The relationship between capital and the state is at its most apparent in the Commerce Bureau, which manages what few supply chains remain globally as well as any and all fixtures tied to industry, finance, permits and logistics. The far-reaching responsibilities of this Bureau have made it into perhaps the largest and most economically vital out of any singular organization in the Congress, as any and all business is mandated to happen under its auspices. Large-scale business organizations have etched out a careful existence under its auspices, and a class of wealthy business owners had begun to take shape by the advent of the Uprising, further bolstered by what few capital owners that had managed to survive the Red Three and Seven Hour War with at least a portion of their assets intact. Whatever power held by this state-sanctioned bourgeoise is granted to them largely at the behest of the Congress and Combine Civil Authority proper, although they have begun to make in-roads into the administration of the latter as the power of the central government has deteriorated, allowing the pro-business Fluxist faction to emerge within the Congress Bureaus and CCA as a force to be reckoned with.

The relevance of the Commerce Bureau to the lives of everyday citizens cannot be overstated, as even industries like agriculture fall primarily under their management through the development of agricultural facilities adjacent to Council-held cities, some of which have come under private ownership across some Sectors. It is this assertion of strength in this newfound era of growing compromise within the Congress that has developed into a source of concern by other elements of the government, primarily among other factions within it who desire to maintain the stringent control that manifested prior to the Uprising. It being no secret that the constituents of the Commerce Bureau and private enterprise have long chafed under the intense control maintained, tensions have only periodically subsided in the face of the threat posed by Resistance activity.

#### Public Interest

> FOR HUMANITY, MY OWN
>
> ―Common Humanist Slogan

Functioning as the mouth piece of the Congress in every Sector, the Public Interest Bureau is primarily responsible for the dissemination of propaganda such as designing posters, the creation of slogans and the writing of speeches. The artistic inclinations of the organizations under this Bureau are considered its defining attribute, although its members are often reputed for their stricter-than-average adherence to and knowledge of the finer points of Humanist ideology. It is this ideological inclination that has put the Public Interest Bureau in the position of also censoring media as the Uprising has progressed, as the news of fallen cities has proven a remedy for any lingering loyalist sentiments among the civilian population. They do not do so alone, however, as the Social Bureau is said to have taken a greater interest in their affairs as of late.

Given the nature of the Public Interest Bureau's work, it often works alongside businesses to facilitate the distribution and presentation of the media it produces, especially if their functions are deemed to be more relevant to said Bureau rather than the Commerce Bureau, such as news agencies. The lucrative opportunities posed by media enterprises have additionally made it a close partner of the latter, as businesses are known to compete viciously for advertising space and opportunities to expand within the framework of the Congress. The most well-known of these private media enterprises is The Terminal, known for its wide dissemination across multiple Sectors. It continues to be printed in vast numbers in spite of the destruction of its headquarters in Sector Seventeen.

#### Social

> Paranoid is such a crass way of putting it. I'd like to think that we're a lovely group of people, actually. A careful group of people.
>
> ―Sector 24 Social Bureau Overseer

Functionally an autonomous, unwitting offshoot of the Directorate for Societal Integrity, the Social Bureau is staffed by civilian agents tasked with ensuring the political reliability of the population. Their most important responsibility is to foster relationships and networks of contacts among the population in order to catch wind of ongoing or planned dissident activity and sentiments, coordinating with Civil Protection to quash these activities. Honeypots and sting operations are considered integral to this aspect of Social Bureau operations, often leading to Social Bureau agents acting in the capacity of plainclothes agents. It is not unheard of for these operatives to also be embedded in Resistance cells, although this remains rare, and requires extensive planning with Civil Protection beforehand.

Social Bureau workers also strive to ensure trust in the Congress. To this end, they are responsible for ensuring the prompt issuance of rewards and the legal status of a Paragon to qualifying individuals, working to ensure that the broader populace maintains trust in the system of the Congress. This position of oversight requires that the Social Bureau actively remove itself from the machinations and factional conflicts within the structures of the Congress, functioning as an institutional failsafe should an individual or a faction rise to prominence within a Sector that works contrary to the aims of the Directorate for Societal Integrity and its intermediaries on the Domain Council. It is thus entrusted with a number of powers and exceptions that allow it to ensure that the outcome of any given power play works to the advantage of the aforementioned parties, such as the ability to audit its fellow Bureaus as well as the ability to reject a candidate for Bureau Overseer.

The Social Bureau remains largely unaware of its usage by the Directorate for Societal Integrity as a tool for maintaining the integrity of the Congress on a local level, operating largely autonomously in order to allow said Directorate to focus its efforts on more immediate and overarching sources of danger, such as operations directly orchestrated by Entropy. Even so, Social Bureau agents are sometimes known to be subsumed into the structure of the wider Directorate as full operatives, although this remains a rare occurrence, given the pressing and worsening need to maintain order among the regular civilian populace.