Naomi Silver
Naomi Silver (born 7th July, 12230) is a Draconian politician and author serving as the first socio-economic administrator of the New Draconian Technocracy. At the age of 46, she is youngest serving administrator in the Technocracy. She was personally appointed by Illija Tykas as administrator in 12271. Silver has become distinguished throughout the Technocracy for her comprehensive economic reforms and for drafting the Draconian constitution. Silver is also a prolific economist, having self-published over 150 essays about Draconian institutional economics.
Early Life
Silver was born on the 7th July, 12230, to Izumi and Tadao Silver in Idyll’s End, Arkas. She was born at the Maverick Eastern Federation Outpost, where both her parents resided and worked. Her mother, Izumi Silver, worked as a night security, co-assisting the sparse Federation peacekeeping force outside the capital. Tadao Silver, Naomi’s father, worked as a desk clerk. In her memoir, Naomi jokingly states that “always one parent would be on call at any time”, since her mother worked regular hours at night and her father during the day. She would also remark that her parents recall her being inquisitive and at times, “almost annoyingly prying when it came to sensitive personal issues”.
By the time she was 7, the Black March had taken over the Draconian Enlightenment and had begun developing Arkasian infrastructure, particularly schools. This allowed the Silvers to enroll their daughter in primary and secondary education. Silver would attend a local school set up in her home metropolis of Maverick for both primary and secondary education. She performed astoundingly well according to her educators, and she would skip two grades, allowing her to graduate secondary education two years earlier than planned. She also received numerous accolades for her writing, with her creative writing project “Fade to White” being briefly showcased in the school’s newspaper. Her educators would also care to mention that Silver was very reclusive and spoke little, mostly only to friends she strongly confided in. She would graduate secondary education at 17.
Towards the end of 12248, Silver’s mother was injured during an anti-Federation demonstration outside their outpost. Political tensions on Arkas had now reached a flashpoint and Izumi Silver suspected that the situation was only set to worsen. The family appealed to the Black March for asylum but were refused for undisclosed reasons. However, they were offered an opportunity to move to the newly-founded colony of Fenrir which the family eagerly accepted. In January of 12249, the family packed their belongings, boarded a crowded March freighter and were resettled in the newly constructed metropolis of Rosarius. Though the colony was still developing, there were ample employment opportunities. Izumi readily found work as a police officer, whilst Tadao was employed and trained as a novice roboticist at the newly-founded Kaida Corporation. Naomi herself worked a stint as a librarian before choosing to pursue tertiary education under the guidance of her father. Silver noted in her memoir that the sudden flight from Arkas and the sight of her injured mother after the violent demonstration kindled a burning interest in examination of violence, and later, politics.
Further Education
Tadao’s employment at Kaida Corporation granted Naomi a scholarship at Kaida Polytechnic. Silver initially wanted to pursue politics by undergoing a Bachelor of Arts, but was strongly advised against doing so by the university’s career advisors under the pretense it would limit her employment options (particularly at the now burgeoning Kaida Corporation, which needed increasing numbers of engineers, designers and mechatronics specialists). In response, Silver ambitiously decided to pursue a double degree in both the Bachelor of Arts and a Bachelor of Commerce, stating that she planned to seek employment as an economic analyst at Kaida. She would graduate 5 years later, at the age of 24.The reclusiveness Silver harbored throughout her childhood followed her into university life. She rarely interacted with other students and spent most of her time studying and writing in her spare time. She exhibited little cohesion during group work and rarely performed well for group tasks, but excelled at long-form writing tasks. One professor noted that she had "a talent for weaving words into a compelling narrative" but was “impounded by her lack of social skills”. Partway through her degree, Silver stumbled across Illija Tykas' forum whilst researching power structures. The two never interacted, since the latter had long since left the forum and been preoccupied with the Draconian Civil War, but Silver intensively consumed her content, and interacted extensively with other like-minded Technocracy sympathizers. Silver claimed this “quietly racialized” her albeit 'further' than she would’ve liked. She did admit that the radicalization motivated her to pursue a Master of Arts which she completed a year and a half later. Silver would continue to be an ardent Technocracy supporter, however “now tempered by maturity and time”.
Local Administration Clerk and Secretary (12254 - 12266)
After graduation, Silver immediately pursued a politically-adjacent job instead of the economic analyst job she promised. She found employment as a bureaucrat for the planetary administration. Though she found the work dull, her diligence earned her numerous promotions through the ranks. She became appointed secretary after only four years of work.
She leveraged her adjacency to advise then-administrator Elliot Bruiser. Her "logical and concise recommendations" impressed Bruiser. In a 12263 interview, Bruiser publically credited Silver with the proposed economic reforms in Killy-Cibo.
Fenrir Sub-administrator (12266 - 12271)
In 12266, Elliot Bruiser's tenure ended and Winston Clay was voted in as the next administrator. Bruiser urged Clay to appoint Silver as sub-administrator. Clay, who had briefly work alongside Silver and had witness her work, eagerly appointed her.
Shortly after Clay's ascension, Silver co-guided sweeping economic reforms. In particular, she and Clay instituted new working hour laws and targeted subsidies which increased planetary GDP growth by estimated 1.2%. These reforms were met with controversy and faced considerable pushback from employees and employers alike. Despite this, the reforms were eventually pushed through and unemployment rates in some prefectures decreased to almost half of their former rates.
In 12269, Silver facilitated discussions towards nationalizing Fenriran tunnel infrastructure. At the time the infrastructure was privately owned, with ownership split between several domestic and foreign holdings. Silver projected that the net benefits to the economy would be an estimated Ā7.65 million (estimated at M̱10.2 billion). As of 12276, economists from Kaida Polytechnic determined that the actual benefits from nationalization were little under Ā7.8 million.
Silver was sighted regularly at the Neo-Genesis hot zone as an observer during the 12270s. She discussed several potential proposals towards peace which were put forward.
In 12271, Silver advocated for Clay's move towards the decriminalization of recreational drugs. The measure was partially successful, being implemented in 8 of 13 Fenriran prefectures. The move was applauded by sociologists but harshly criticized by the Fenriran Planetary Police, who argued that the proliferation of drugs was responsible for soaring crime rates in particular problem areas.
Socioeconomic Administrator of the New Draconian Technocracy
(12271 - present)
Instatement
Silver would later be nominated for the position of socio-economic administrator when Illija Tykas took power. The Draconian leadership made all attempts to avoid nepotism, since it was fundamentally counter to Technocracy principles. This made Silver an ideal candidate as virtually none of Tykas' administration knew of her. In a surprise move, Silver was appointed by Tykas as socio-economic administrator of the New Draconian Technocracy in early 12271.Arkasian Redevelopment Program
Silver’s administration spearheaded a number of economic reforms to rebuild a country emerging from decades of civil war. Chief among them was the Arkasian Redevelopment Program, which aimed at rebuilding the destroyed infrastructure around Arkas. Silver's program rehoused an estimated 250 million individuals and also aimed at tackling Arkas' soaring crime rates, which was on course towards exceeding 1000 incidents per 100,000 individuals, annually. Arkas was the biggest benefactor from these country-side reforms, receiving Ā12.5 billion in subsidies and relief packages.
Another major priority of the Arkasian Redevelopment Program was the demilitarization of Tatsu Park (and to a limited extent, both Bastion prefectures). A concerted swords to plowshares initiative resulted in about Ā2.18 billion worth of both Eldership and Technocracy war materiel being decommissioned. Over 600,000 military land vehicles were repurposed for civilian use. Though analysts believe that Silver’s initiative had likely reduced the possibility of civil conflict in the region by as much as 60%, the initiative received extreme negativity from the political and military administration. Amid outside pressure following the Arkasian Riots, Silver’s administration failed to pass the third phase of the initiative and it was prematurely halted.
Though slated to end in 12276, the Arkasian Redevelopment Program received a 5-year extension in October of 12275. The extension was aimed to address the squalid living conditions and low life expectancies experienced in Northern New Bastion, but was re-extended in scope to cover de-radicalisation program in the wake of the Fenrir Bombing.
Panlong Economic Development Plan
Panlong was the second largest recipient of government subsidies and structured reforms, but was also the most controversial. The undeveloped electricity infrastructure underwent renovations to accommodate Panlong's booming population, however the project was cut short after facing significant overruns. Though the majority of Panlong residents have gained access to electricity, rolling blackouts regularly occur throughout the Panlong Capital Colony and the newly founded city-state of New Ishioka. Administrator Illija Tykas blamed the overruns on increased deuterium prices due to Federation sanctions, however Silver rebutted these claims, stating that the increasing foreign interest rates was causing the Draconian Aurum to depreciate, making it increasingly difficult for her administration to find the necessary finance for such infrastructure projects.
Silver’s heavy handed approach towards Panlong’s disadvantaged has also been widely criticized by the Panlong local administration. As part of the plan, Silver aimed to resettle over 25 million individuals onto Arkas, though only 19 million had actually been removed. The action has been heavily censured by the local administration as the reduction in Panlong’s labor pool had allegedly stunted GPP growth. However, supporters claim that the resettlement greatly eased pressure on public services, as the underdeveloped Panlong infrastructure could not adequately support the beleaguered colony.
Despite these failures, not all of the Panlong Economic Development Plan has received such widespread condemnation. For instance, with the coordination of Emera Intenzu’s administration, Silver’s investment into education facilities on Panlong strongly reinforced the colony’s knowledge capital base. With more resources, Panlong institutions were also capable of hosting international students, which has now become a multi-million-Aurum industry. Silver has also been credited with raising the standards of living on Panlong, with the unemployment rate dropping permanently from 4.2% to 3.7%. Preventable diseases such as cholera were eradicated in part due to the implementation of universal health care in tandem with multiple successive vaccination campaigns. Homelessness was virtually eliminated on Panlong, albeit in part due to the extensive resettlements.
Fenrir Economic Development Plan
Fenrir was the smallest recipient of three-part economic reform, but arguably benefited the greatest out of the policies. Fenrir’s megacorporations received an array of contingent subsidies to initiate a detransition from a war economy. The biggest recipients of subsidies were the pharmaceutical industry; including former nanotechnology subsidiary, Taiga Nanotech, and the incumbent megacorporation Prolong Trans-netics. These subsidies were controversial not least due to the potential for corruption.
Several of Fenrir’s monopolistic industries were also aggressively nationalized. In a press conference with Fenriran executives and local administrators, Silver expressed concerns of national security and economic stability as reasons behind state ownership. This move was lambasted by multiple banking/lending megacorporations. Chief among them were CONSTRUCT bank, who would later publically refuse to provide finance for Arkasian redevelopment.
The Fenrir Economic Development Plan, however successful by 3rd party metrics, was nonetheless besieged by criticisms. Sub-administrator of the Local Panlong Administration, Teloren Soren, has been one the most outspoken opponents of the subsidies given out to Fenrir’s megacorporations. Soren alleged that Silver exhibited favoritism towards her homeworld, with additional remarks about Silver’s personal patronage of Prolong, one of the biggest recipients under Silver’s plan. Off-camera, Tykas allegedly expressed doubts about Silver’s commitment to impartiality, stating that the Fenrir Economic Development Plan could hint at favoritism and “potentially jeopardize the reputation of an apparently meritocratic administration”. Tykas has seemingly reneged on these statements in a later public interview, applauding Silver for her “overall successful and unbiased economic reforms on the planet of Fenrir”.
In February of 12273, Illija Tykas championed extensions to the Fenrir Economic Development Plan. Silver alleged that Tykas had pressured her administration into developing and giving approval to extensions to the plan, however these allegations proved baseless. Though the extensions to the Fenrir Economic Development Plan were also plagued with controversies, these concerns were overshadowed by public praise, as many were relieved to observe an domestic response to the now-sanctioned consumer electronic industry.
Response to the Bombing of Fenrir
In response to the Fenrir Bombing in 12275, Silver’s administration reassessed the threat posed by latent Eldership agents. Ksou described the threat as “enormously underestimated when considered in tandem with external threats”. Silver’s socio-economic administration raised the 12276 defense budget 16-fold to 3.2% of GDP.
Reputation and Criticisms
The Technocracy’s explosive economic growth has been largely attributed to Silver’s administration. Her three-part, planetary subsidy has been widely domestically praised, with socio-economic Technocrats publicly announcing their plans to re-elect Silver for the 12276-12281 term.
Despite positive claims and praise, Silver and her administration have been accused of violating Sapient Rights, particularly those regarding forced resettlements and alleged abuse of eminent domain. Clearsky arbiter, Atticus Passerine has been a notable outspoken foreign critic of Silver’s policy decisions, and has continually denounced the “continuing sentient rights violation that is the current [Draconian] socio-economic regime”. Other notable critics include the UTF ambassador Vladimir Zahkarov and Black March speaker Eliza Grünza. In response to the controversy, Silver stated in a scheduled press conference that “such resettlements were necessary to shoring up the labor pool of a devastated Arkas”.
Silver’s ‘Arkasian Redevelopment Program’ came under fire when statisticians from Tatsu Park University revealed that suicide, not crime, became the leading cause of death in 12275. Breakaways in Silver’s administration described the oversight of mental health as a “grave error” that needed to be acknowledged immediately. Silver and Intenzu announced a joint plan to acknowledge these issues raised that will be finalized in 12277, though critics claim a plan could be implemented as soon as mid-12276.
Silver’s demilitarization of Arkas’ major prefectures has a controversial topic within the Technocracy’s administration. Ksou has described the initiative as a “bastardization of the military” and as “peace-mongering”. In a rare public statement, Illija Tykas also criticized the swords to plowshares initiative, claiming that “it [the initiative] was a serious mistake and profoundly weakens our ability to thwart bad-faith actors on Arkas”. Silver’s propensity towards demilitarization has also been listed by critics as a catalyst behind the Fenrir Bombing.
Personal Life
in 12251, Silver married Vergil Nova, a 32 year-old computer engineer who she had met briefly back at Kaida Polytechnic. The pair purportedly had 4 children together.
A notable ‘practitioner’ of the Tau Principlism movement. Cites she is more a participant of what she sees as an artistic movement.
In 12270, Silver was one of fourteen participants arrested at a political demonstration at Rosarius. Charges were not pressed and she was released the day after her arrest. The reason behind her arrest was not disclosed.
The Technocracy Treatise
Whilst studying for her masters at university, Silver began researching and writing about Fenrir’s educational and corporate institutions, cross-examining its interactions with the Fenriran macroeconomy. Titled the Technocracy Treatise, the writings contained recommendations that would later prove critical during Silver's tenure as Technocracy socioeconomic administrator. The works took 8 years of sporadic work to complete.
Naomi Silver
Tadao Silver
