House Hermes
Government
House Hermes has a strange government, in that it is technically a hydraulic empire masquerading as a meritocracy. Prestigious government positions are awarded based on service to the community, usually in the form of valuable research. In this way, government positions are generally awarded to scientists and engineers who themselves receive their positions through rigorous testing and screening. Working one's way up in government therefore requires not only ability in a specific field but demonstration of one's talent and ingenuity over years of service, both in their original field and then later in government. The head of government is the Speaker of the Sky, often referred to simply as Speaker. They are selected from and by the senior government officials of the Council. The position is awarded on the basis of community service, field excellence, and a sense of fairness. This last is particularly important, since it is the Speaker that personally appoints the judges of the highest courts and those judges appoint those below them. A failure of character at the highest level would therefore trickle down to affect all of society for years to come. The Speaker is a position that is granted for life, though in practice the Speaker steps down when senescence begins to impede their ability to rule. In the event that a Speaker begins to behave erratically and does not step down of their own volition, the Council may remove an errant Speaker with a vote of no-confidence. This has happened only twice in House Hermes' long history and is not considered lightly. There are a few aspects of this method of assigning merit that trouble the masses, particularly families that have been unable to break into government in generations. Traditionally, scientists and engineers working on spike drive and starship technology were considered the most meritorious, followed closely by psionic teachers with a particular focus on teleportation. Parents in government often tutor their children in their fields of expertise, virtually ensuring that their positions stay in the family. Poorer families believe that tutoring should be available to all potential students in order to more evenly distribute coveted research positions. Secondly, since the Silence has lifted, Cyllene has slowly become a massive trade hub but while more and more of its wealth is derived from trade with each passing year, mercantilism has not been recognized as a meritorious service, making it nearly impossible to move from business to government. Some claim that business interests should stay separate from government, fearing the influence of money in politics, while others decry this policy as unfair. Even the value of Cyllene's spike drive technology, they say, is predicated on the sale of these goods to other systems. Roads, farm equipment, and other infrastructure are often neglected as tax money is poured into research and development. While such research is the source of so much of Cyllene's wealth, the less privileged often feel forgotten by the scholars their hard work supports. There is a growing sentiment that Cyllene should transition to a democratic communist state, in which wealth is evenly distributed amongst the masses and the funding of research, public works, and infrastructure decided by vote. Thus far, the unrest is relatively minor but the communist philosophy has strong support amongst the military which is primarily made up of individuals that could not test into a more prestigious field. This could prove to be a problem if the government continues to neglect its duties as the people see them.Nobility
In theory, the nobility of House Hermes should be a shifting, nebulous thing. In practice, the nobles are comprised of the same wealthy families they have been for generations, as calcified as any caste system.
"Through service to our brethren, we earn the sky."
Overview
Commerce / Trade
Psionics: Teleportation
Smuggling
Spike Drives
Capital
Government System
Meritocracy
Official Languages
Controlled Territories
Comments