Frenkish Eugenics

> *"A thing, such as a robot, is typically created for a singular purpose. The Caretaker robots, for instance, are designed largely for housework and industry. A combat droid is designed to fight. Nothing more. What these robots lack is the capacity to reason – to make their own decisions independent of their base programming. This is why humans are so special, and why the Mechanocratic Ideology places them above all other creatures. To breed them on a production line is to imply that they exist for a singular purpose, to deny them the ability to make their own decisions. It is also why we Mecharussians view Frenks as subhuman, since Frenkish Eugenics has resulted in the creation of a creature that exists purely for recreational sex."*
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> -a critical statement from (then) Mechanocratic General Elena Trotskaya to Sidh Judicator Serena Romana, referencing Frenkish Eugenics and the (often misunderstood) "end result" of said program
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## Introduction/History

**Frenkish Eugenics** is an all-encompassing term for the state-production of artificial "Frenkish-Humans". The Frenkish Eugenics program was initiated by Emperor Jonathan Stark at the turn of the 22nd century during the legendary "New World Reforms" of the 4th Triumvirate. Publicly, the Eugenics program was launched to help curb severe population loss after the nuclear exchange and the following nuclear winter killed off most of the population and rendered many survivors sterile. Secondary reasons included ensuring that "new humans would be well-endowed with natural traits to survive the brutal new world" and "removing the 'poor family syndrome' many children faced in the new world".

Following the launch of this program, all children, born and unborn, were grandfathered in and allowed to be raised by their parent(s) if they passed mandatory "welfare checks" every year. All Frenkish citizens were later sterilized - protesters who wished to have their own children later in life (which was remarkably a small percentage of those ordered to be sterilized) were required to be registered and pass a series of strict tests, which ranged from physical suitability (no one over the age of thirty was allowed host a child, gynecological health was taken into account, etc) to financial and political status ("extremists" and those who made a comparatively low income were barred, etc). The last natural birth recorded in the Empire took place in 2109.

The Eugenics program itself was introduced to the Empire as a "method of creating perfectly molded DNA from scratch" and later "forming that DNA into a 'perfect' fetus to be conditioned inside artificial wombs". In addition, new humans would possess "no natural deformities, physical or mental" and "would represent the greatness of the human race in appearance - Frenkish humans will be strong and attractive". The Eugenics program was also noted for preserving existing diversity (the new Frenkish-Humans would still follow the rules of existing biological sex, with a fifty-fifty male/female split, and they would also prepare new humans to match certain percentages of ethnicities, such as caucasian, black, latino, asiatic, etc).

The Empire faced some backlash for its heavy-handed implementation of this policy. Some expressed cynicism at the mass-sterilization and the replacement of "natural" children with "cocked-up Aryan ubermen". Others were distraught when it was revealed the children would be wards of the state, and would be raised and educated in the newly-developed YDP. However, despite the rocky start, Chancellor Gallridge managed to subdue the public by convincing many that the measure was "a bit harsh, but completely necessary to see humanity survive in its un-bastardized form" and that "the state taking the responsibilities of child-rearing and raising goes hand-in-hand with merit-based society and the eventual evolution of Hightower's grand-vision" in a widely-publicized propaganda campaign.

## Castes

> *"Kittens are cutest! And they're the freest spirits around! Cats get to leisurely enjoy life at their own pace! Cats are also very funny and entertaining, and enjoy attention! Kitties are the most abundant creature, and they're important to give our Empire the numbers she needs to stay strong! They also entertain the puppies and eaglets, and when needed, they kill rats and other pests that might be lurking in the shadows! Anyone you see on holovision or hear on the radio were probably kittens! While most kittens won't want a busy, stressful life, some kittens can still do great things if they work hard! Look at Emperor Zane! He was a kitten!"*
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> *"Puppydogs are man's best friend! They're cute, cuddly, and playful! Dogs are also very smart, and when well-trained, very productive! Unlike the cat, the dog strives for perfection and purpose! Puppies are fewer and far-between than kitties, but no less important! Dogs can take on a variety of roles! They can bite attackers, help the Eagles run the state with their strong backs, and help the kittens with problems they can't understand! Ask most of your caretakers - it's more than likely they were puppies too!"*
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> *"Eaglets, while cute, aren't cuddly and certainly don't like being played with! But they make up for this by being the smartest and most majestic creatures in all the Empire, flying high above the Kittens and Puppies! Eagles are rare, but their leadership and brains lead to great things for our Empire! They lead the state, build and design new things, help the dogs defend against attack, and decide the best way to make more credits! Chancellor Tandi is probably the best-known Eaglet, but if you hear of a new spaceship or a military victory against the far-away bad guys, it's likely the work of an Eagle!"*
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> -the caste system, as explained by a series of posters produced by the YDCs
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Aside from ensuring the Frenkish citizenry are born with "favorable" traits and ensuring independence from parental units, one less-obvious aspect of the Eugenics program is to separate the populace into a mysterious caste system divided into three tiers - Kitten, Puppy, and Eaglet. The Empire thrives on its submissive, hedonistic populace, but it didn't take long to realize that a population of highly-individualistic thrill-seekers would make poor soldiers and workers and rarely produced capable statesmen and thinkers. Seeking to capitalize on the ignorant majority dependent on the state while still having a fair pool of productive specialists, Emperor Jonathan Stark and Chancellor Amy Gallridge co-signed a classified executive order mere weeks after the Eugenics Program debuted, instructing the Office of Science and Industry to "use whatever knowledge in genetic personality-creation they have obtained to produce a fairly large minority of future productive citizens to fill the ranks of our mighty armies, support our many fleets of automated industry, and serve as academic greats to ensure a complacent, yet effective generation of Frenks within the next twenty years". Hence, the caste system was born once Stark rubber-stamped the "Animal Kingdom Initiative" to divide future citizens into "Cats, Dogs, and Eagles" as they are raised and educated. The names of the castes, with said system meant to be pushed on children, are made to be non-threatening, yet still symbolic to their meanings - Kittens aren't very useful animals to a society, but they are aesthetically pleasing and entertaining. They also "kill rats", signifying loyalty. Puppies can be trained to be useful work animals, while still falling into line with kittens. Eaglets, on the other hand, are meant to show the high intelligence and majesty of those belonging to the caste.

The castes are created by using highly advanced, closely-guarded genetic conditioning techniques (thought to be) known only to the Empire's top scientific minds. Fetuses can be constructed and conditioned to have certain personality traits implanted onto their DNA, making them (in theory, at least) capable for certain professions and statuses later in life. The three generalized "templates" for these traits are: Kitten, Puppy, and Eaglet. While recognized that personalities are generally formed more by social upbringing and events early in life, children born into a certain caste are made to be more "receptive" to certain traits than those not born into a caste. For instance, Kittens are generally meant to be more selfish than a Puppy, and Eaglets are meant to be more capable of learning new things quickly than the other two castes.

**Kittens -** By far the most common production model at around 75%, "kittens" can be considered the "proletarian" caste of the Empire's populace. Kittens are generally programmed to be submissive, laid-back, and individualistic. Hence, Kittens are meant to be the most hedonistic and loyal aspect of the citizenry. Kittens are, for the most part, produced mainly to populate cities and "drown out" resistance. Hence, most are unemployed and live off of funds from the guaranteed "citizen's investment program". With their spare time, many Kittens are expected to take up artistic pursuits, and hence, almost all entertainment (musicians, actors, etc), artistic (writers, painters, etc), and other cultural occupations are taken up by Kittens.

Notable "kittens" in the narrative include Deano Cipriani and (remarkably) Derrick Zane, who decided from a young age to "become" an Eaglet.

**Puppies -** 20% of all Imperials are made into "puppies". Puppies, unlike Kittens, are meant to grow into skilled workers. Puppy personalities are typically programmed to be more independent, assertive, empathetic, and motivated than Kittens. However, they are generally fully-integrated into Kitten society, and enjoy mindless hedonistic pursuits just as well (the only difference, of course, being that Puppies can be relied on to "drop the girls and soma and pick up a coding-pad or a rifle when you need them to"). Hence, nearly all Imperial soldiers, technicians, craftsmen, teachers, and law enforcement officers are Puppies.

Notable "puppies" in the narrative include Jonathon Rollins and Hadrian Kelly.

**Eaglets -** The rarest model at 5%, Eaglets are meant to serve as the "elite" of Frenkish society. It has been theorized that Eaglet DNA has been "corrupted" with controlled amounts of high-functioning autistic genes to ensure high intelligence and low social skills, which would cause most Eaglets to willingly ignore falling into line with Kittens and Puppies. Hence, most Eaglets share similar traits with Puppies, but are generally more intelligent and withdrawn. Eaglets are typically found in the roles of high-ranking military officers, scientists, industrialists, statesmen, and engineers.

Notable "eaglets" in the narrative include McKenzy Tandi and Rachel Enns (the latter known to have "exceptionally damaged" DNA and being raised as a Puppy because of it, despite possessing almost genius-level intelligence; rare even among other Eaglets).

WIP