The Technocracy

Bide

*"To achieve human flourishing through friendship and science."*
-Mission Statement.

The **Technocracy** is a para-governmental force known for running the Circle. The Technocracy takes more of a hard-science approach to policymaking. It is unclear whether they should be considered the actual government of the Circle, or a separate entity which is based there and is influencing that section of the Eastern Block. The Technocracy themselves would claim that they are beyond the standard definitions of government. They are a machine, built by Immortals and mortals alike over the course of more than a thousand years, which has systematized effective policy.

The Technocracy is an ever-changing group which is constantly improving itself in order to better manage the Circle, constantly incorporating new technological understanding into their structure, with the end goal of creating the perfect world civilization. They are generally considered to be naive and foolish, or simply recklessly benevolent, by most of the world. By those within the Circle, they are known to be cold, cunning, and extremely good at long-term planning.

## History

### Origins

Before the establishment of a centralized government, the various Immortals who ruled the southeastern block nations all had their own.

After the Second Goran War, the Immortals of the Circle stepped down from power, and the Technocracy became the predominant force leading their people.

### Golden Age

The Technocracy came to be seen as a major advocate of Mortal self-determinism, and backed free societies such as the Eastern Block unclaimed and The Syndicate.

### The Great War

During the events of the Great War, in their darkest hours, the Technocracy showed its true dark side. Under their leadership, the Circle and the surrounding nations were mobilized for fully industrialized warfare, the likes of which the world had not yet even fathomed. Factories once used for consumer contraptions were repurposed to mass-manufacture war machines, advanced military technology which had been developed in secret suddenly flooded into the ranks of the military, and the first widespread usage of chemical weapons was seen.

## Economy

The Technocracy has built up massive economies of scale, efficient production methods, and highly lucrative trade policy through extensive understandings of sociology and economics. Technocracy revenue comes from uplifting of various civilizations through a policy with the expectation of compensation later. From the combination of surplus, tariffs, taxes, and skimming, the Technocracy backs its own fiat currency: credits.

Credits are a colorful paper money, printed on highly complex equipment to prevent counterfeiting, and can generally be traded with anything the Technocracy is backing. Credits are the primary method with which the Technocracy pays for things, as they can print more of them for more capital in times of scarcity; as long as the Technocracy has resources to back whatever's being redeemed, they remain stable.

Public projects are often done through a combination of paying the workers in the leveragable credits, and utilizing the resources available. Because the Technocracy is constantly building and improving, they often run with extremely low margins, and do not keep large amounts of money in their vault, except for emergency funds, which has lead to the myth that the Technocracy is extremely bad with money. In reality, all the money is invested in long-term assets.

### Capitalism

The Technocracy has a fickle relationship with capitalism. As capitalism is a state of nature with many negative effects on a nation, the economists tend to have very negative views of the process, and have even gone so far as to call it one of the great evils of the world. However, the flow of goods in the Circle is, for the most part, still run by capitalist market. The Technocracy, realizing they cannot yet eliminate capitalism with their current technology, has marked this as a known issue, and focuses instead on minimizing the negative effects.

The Technocracy actively works to prevent distinct economic classes from forming, as this would undermine everything they are attempting to work for. They have eliminated poverty, which they consider to be the worst effect of capitalism, use a clever series of surplus taxes and corporate regulations to keep anyone in the inner circle from amassing too much wealth, and make sure that everyone has access to a healthy and enjoyable lifestyle through socialism.

### Socialism

The economics council has realized that certain things, such as food, healthcare, and housing, cannot be left to the market, as they would become unsustainable, inefficient, and do not meet the needs of the population effectively. In order to maintain a society free of starvation, disease, and homelessness, the Technocracy has socialized these services.

Farming communities are maintained to keep up living standards, and insured against bad yields through the surplus of other farms and trade deals. This system is far too large and used to make free food a possibility, and this is a known issue. Instead, the Technocracy has nearly monopolized the food industry, sells food for Credits exclusively, and works to keep prices low. The fact that one does not typically pay for food with any metal currency, and that foreigners are often allowed to eat for free, has led to the myth that the Technocracy has succeeded in their effort, however, and Foreign Affairs makes no attempt to correct the misunderstanding.

Hospitals are staffed and maintained by the Technocracy, which is also responsible for most medical research. As this is a service which most individuals don't use often, healthcare is free, and while numerous problems have popped up over time, the Technocracy has had centuries to alter and perfect their medical system, eliminating most of these problems. The Technocracy openly offers to share their highly advanced medical system with any nation which wants it, and expands it through the missionaries.

Quality housing is built to lead demand, with construction peaking in times of profitability. As a good structure will last for decades, the Technocracy has managed to make housing free.

### Workfare

As the Technocracy is well aware that they cannot simply run their country without a certain level of employment, some individuals will never be interested in a career, and that there are some jobs which will not otherwise be filled, they have implemented a policy known as Workfare, by which the Technocracy will offer anyone who does not have any other form of employment a short-term job. These jobs tend to be easy, relaxed, and have very few hours.

The Technocracy has stated, however, that they would like to push as many people as possible into actual careers, as they have found that those people are far happier than people on Workfare. The problem is that very few careers would perform the menial labor which has not yet been mechanized. This is a known issue.

## Government

*"This village, did the Technocracy overthrow the local government?"
"In a manner of speaking. They came in, built a school, and introduced more efficient ways of farming so all the farmers' children would be able to attend. Then they just waited fifty years until everyone on the council of elders died and was replaced by someone Technocracy-educated. Now there's a small office next to the time-honored assembly building where a couple of technocrats look over the elders' work like teachers reading their students' book reports."*

The Technocracy has often been called the government of the Circle. To an extent, this is false; the polities that make up the Circle frequently keep whatever government they had with the Technocracy acting in a auxiliary or advisory role. On the other hand, this is also true; the soft power that comes with a millennium's research into political science, as well as raising the standard of living in the span of generations that would usually take centuries, gives the Technocracy considerable influence in public policy, and to an extent, this is a moot point as the Technocracy is an institution beyond familial, ethnic, or national boundaries. The missionaries who arrive recruit from the best and brightest among the natives for staffing the Technocracy's local office. Of course, more than one savvy king has thought to hire tutors for his children, hoping this will give them an edge when competing for the higher ranked posts. However, even the savvy kings don't always fully realize in advance the effect of Technocracy acculturation on the nuclear family and, consequently, their lineages.

### Individuals

Individuals under Technocracy rule don't often feel much of the government's influence in their personal lives, but what they do is deliberate and positive. The Technocracy's main goals in its relation with the individual is to provide safety and stability, to maintain a constant feeling of societal improvement, and to maximize the ability to achieve personal goals. Aside from that, the Encircled are almost never subject to any direct imposition of Technocracy law.

### Polities

Individual polities tend to have their own structures and make their own decisions, often involving some sort of localized democratic process. Polities will typically organize their own laws and values, with Technocrats providing advice from the wealth of knowledge the Technocracy has accumulated, and supporting them with expertise brought in from other parts of the Circle.

### Technocrats

Technocrats are experts in various fields relevant to public policy which they oversee. This can be anyone from a farm surveyor, to a military tactition, to the head of Foreign Affairs.

### Regional Coordination

The Technocracy has offices spread throughout the Circle, all of which are constantly gathering, analyzing, reporting, receiving, and responding to new data on what is happening within the Technocracy's sphere of influence.

### The Councils

The Councils are groups of highly-trained, highly-experienced experts within their respective fields, who make broad policy decisions for the Technocrats beneath them to carry out. They are the closest thing to what could be considered a legislative entity, though they are not technically supposed to make decisions, only analyze data and state the best answers to fulfill a particular set of values.

The power of the Council-members is held in check by the fact that none of them actually holds a large amount of power; economists do not make decisions about the military, tactitions do not make decisions about farming, and agriculturalists do not make decisions about trade policy. Meanwhile, technocrats are expected to show their work when they make a decision, not only ensuring that they have to use scientifically derived means of solving problems, but that their peers can see their mistakes. Thus, corruption is prevented from becoming to widespread.

### The Revolving Door

Technocrats generally come out of training programs run by Kallipolis University, and will generally continue to take occasional classes and read frequent reports done by the scholars of their corresponding departments, and, when policymaking becomes more of a burden than a calling, will often retire into teaching and research positions there. This process is known as the revolving door, and while it is neither a rule nor universal, it is the norm. Sometimes, a Technocrat will leave their position to go into private industry, but they are barred from working in an industry they have been regulating due to a conflict of interest clause.

### Conflicts of Interest

Technocrats are not allowed to own large personal stake in whatever they are deciding on, nor are they allowed to retire into a position which they once regulated. Agriculturalists are not allowed to have large farms, while economists are not allowed to hold positions in capitalist ventures..

### The Constant Revolution

The Technocracy is increasingly hard to describe due to a mechanism built in by the Immortals when they first stepped down, by which the Technocracy is changed from inside. This can be as simple as a shuffling of ranks, or as complicated as a complete restructuring of the councils.

### Machinations

The Technocracy is known for being extremely patient, with complex schemes which can stretch for hundreds of years. These schemes are referred to as Machinations, as they're basically the governance-machine working in ways which only a few members truly understand.

### Conspiracies

The Technocracy has several conspiracies of various size, influence, and alignment among their ranks. These range from small groups which try to see if they can make a particular variable change by changing another, to groups like the Bayesian Conspiracy which actively conceals dangerous knowledge, to groups which are trying to downright subvert the core values of the Technocracy.

## Culture

The Technocracy is built upon a culture of hard science and cold rationality, with the most esteemed decision makers treating everything as if it were math, making decisions with complete emotional detachment. Technocracy leaders live in socialized conditions made to exemplify the living standards upon which the members live; the highest-ranking decision makers often live in communal apartments with each other.

Due to stress levels, high-ranking Technocracy members are known to age more rapidly as they rise in ranks, often dying far below the typical Encircled life expectancy of eighty years. Drug usage and other methods of simply calming down are rampant among the most esteemed members.

## Military

The Encircled military is primarily a defensive one, and relies on reservists to bolster its numbers in times of active conflict.

### The Circle of Shields

This is the bulk of the standing army, which defends the borders and assists in internal policing operations.

### The Unbounded Forces

A violent, aggressive, low-tech, fast response force for dealing with threats outside of the Circle's existing borders. Examples of Unbounded operations range from rooting out bandits to repelling Tallet footholds in strategic areas. They were originally established and are thus mostly specialized for crippling Tallet forces, and excel at moving into an area quietly and running counter-recon operations and officer assassinations.

### The Secret Army

The twin forces of Crouching Tiger and Hidden Dragon are secretive high-tech forces which sit in wait of an actual, large-scale conflict. They are not talked about often, and very little is known about them.

## Foreign Affairs

### Categorical Imperative: Cooperation

The Technocracy is extremely interested in peaceful relations with most nations they come across.

### Mutually Assured Destruction

The Circle, the Tallet, and the Goran are caught in a cycle of balanced power known as mutually assured destruction, in which none can attack another without risking an attack of opportunity from the third. The breakdown of this is one of the leading causes of the Great War.

## Reactions to Other Nations

> *"In time, you will come to recognize the merit of our system, and you will join us, not because we will force you, but because we are objectively right. One day, you will come to see this. It is inevitable."*
>
>

The Technocracy tends to hold the view that most of the world would be better off joining them. As this is not feasible, they settle for a policy of mostly open borders and eradication of elements hostile to human flourishing. Among their allies are nations which actively care for their people and do not attempt to conquer through force, such as the Kushani and the Broken Kingdom, which they see as an acceptable alternative for those who do not wish to live under their rule. Their greatest enemies are oppressive and militaristic factions, which use humanity itself as a means rather than an end, most notably, the Tallet Empire.

### Tallet

The Tallet Empire and the Technocracy are polar opposites with irreconcilable goals. There is a zero percent chance of either side ever accepting the other and making peace, and it is inevitable that one will eventually eradicate the other. When this happens, the surviving faction will likely spread to most of the world. Thus, the Technocracy is caught in a constant struggle against the Tallet.

### Goran

The Technocracy being long-term thinkers, they have determined that, if allowed to run their current course and conquer the planet, the Goran will halt all civilizational progress, and eventually destroy the biosphere. They are not, however, completely without reason or productive merit, and have changed in the past. The Technocracy seeks to eventually reform the Goran, create a long-term stability, re-establish the Goran-Circle alliance, and utilize them to conquer the remaining hostile factions.

### Inisfall Confederacy

The Technocracy doesn't have much contact with the remote Inisfall Confederacy, but their official policy is rather supportive. The Inisfall have a lot in common the Encircled. They are another faction which, while founded by Immortals, is not directly ruled by one, they are another faction which prizes freedom and individuality, and they are, most importantly, relatively developed enemies of the Tallet. The last one alone is a reason for the Technocracy to keep an open offer of military aid against Tallet aggression.

The Technocracy has reservations about the Inisfall region's poor governance though, and would probably attempt to bring about reforms if they shared a border.

## Criticism

### Meddling

The Technocracy has a tendency to meddle in the affairs of other nations, mainly when such meddling serves their own interests. Usually, this is simply providing security and technological aid to potential trading partners. Not everyone, however, is entirely happy with their involvement. The Technocracy has eradicated entire cultures, such as the worshipers of the Hungry Sun. Their proxy-wars with the Tallet have caused numerous casualties in regions where the Tallet may have actually uplifted the primitive locals. Their constant desire for cooperation with everyone has been seen as annoying at best, and an imposition at worst.

### Use of Dishonorable Tactics

The Technocracy does not believe in concepts like honor, decency", or even morality, opting instead for a system of objective, structured value-ethics. This has lead to extreme cases such as the use of chemical weapons to preserve life against the Goran during the Great War, which other nations found extremely distasteful.

### Violations of the BarrenSoil Treaty

The Technocracy has tiptoed around the edges of the BarrenSoil treaty for centuries, developing weapons which are banned by it, then building the technology into their defenses. The Technocracy's willingness to use their advanced technology defensively has made attacking them an extremely risky venture.

During the Great War, the Technocracy outright disavowed the treaty, claiming they would no longer allow the Immortals to wield their oppressive civilizations against them while hiding behind a treaty that they couldn't enforce. At the end of the war, internal factions shifted, and the new faction quickly agreed to reinstate the treaty.

### Hypocrisy

The Technocracy has done all this, but is constantly scolding other nations for what they've done, citing that when the Technocracy does what seems unethical, they have clear reasons as to why it's not. When the Tallet first developed chemical weapons, the Technocracy accused them of using them in regions they were conquering, and demanded the Council of the Undying take action. They later used more chemical weapons than any other nation in the Great War.