Zhodani
Human major
race
(H. sapiens) inhabiting the Zhodani
Consulate, a region far spinward
of the
Imperium.
The Zhodani are a branch of humaniti
similar
in most respects to other human races. In general, they tend to
be
taller than Solomani or Vilani and lithe of build. Their most
important
difference is the acceptance and use of psionics.
Society: Zhodani society is divided into three classes: nobles,
intendants,
and proles. Nobles are the enfranchised ruling class, and they
receive
psionic training from childhood. Intendants are managers and
administrators
of society, and they also receive early psionic training. Proles
constitute
the masses, they are forbidden the use of psionics and do not receive
training.
Within this rigid class system, there are two opportunities for
promotion
to a higher class. All prole children are tested for psionic
potential,
and those showing high scores are taken from their families and adopted
into
the intendant class. Intendants are rewarded for great diligence,
service
to the state, or victory in the psionic games through the granting of
noble
titles.
The presence of psionics in the hands of those in power means that many
aspects
of society work at high efficiency. Psychology, behavioral
science,
communications science, and education are more refined and exact than
in
other societies. Educational methods are finely tuned and capable
of
teaching concepts rapidly and accurately. Mental deviance or
criminal
tendencies can be detected early and corrected with facility.
Zhodani society is generally a happy one. Individuals are members
of
a functioning whole, and each makes a contribution to its success.
The
relative lack of upward mobility for the proles is offset by the
possibility
for their children to move upwards if they have the proper potential.
The
burden of responsibility imposed on the intendants is lightened by the
ever-present
possibility of reward through elevation to the noble classes. The
nobles
themselves temper their burden of authority with comfort derived from
their
station in life.
Morality: The Zhodani have a general distaste for other human
races
which do not practice psionics. Effective indoctrination and the
ever-present
possibility that one's mind is being read have removed dishonesty and
deviance
as common features of society. The Tavrchedl' (Thought Police)
are
a special branch of the government who are charged with maintaining
right
thought in the population.
Imperial citizens have a strong distaste for the Zhodani. Because
the
Zhodani practice psionics, an Imperial cannot be sure that a Zhodani is
not
invading his mental privacy at any time. Imperials feel exposed
and
uncomfortable when they are knowingly in the presence of Zhodani.
Because of their psionic abilities, the Zhodani have the most effective
authoritarian
rule in history. Imperial citizens, who are used to a great
degree
of local autonomy, fear Zhodani conquest because of the loss of freedom
it
would entail.
Government: The Zhodani consulate is a participatory democracy
in
which only nobles are allowed to vote. Executive and judicial
functions
are the responsibility of a series of councils of varying sizes.
Each
council elects one of its number as executive officer and a number of
its
members as delegates to the next higher council.
A city, for example, will elect several of its council members to be
representatives
to the world council. The process continues upward through
several
layers of councils to the overall Grand Council of the Zhodani.
Nominally,
each member of a council serves for one olympiad (three Zhodani years),
but
in practice, each councilor serves until his replacement arrives and
replaces
him officially, or until word of his reelection to another term is
received.
Oftentimes, the district from which a councilor is elected will
have
only his relatives as voters, and his reelection is virtually assured.
Standard practice (when possible) calls for Zhodani councils to submit
important
questions to a plebiscite of those affected. The principle can be
suspended
where immediate action is required, but the official ordering the
action
stands responsible to the voters and must justify his actions as soon
as
possible.
Supreme executive power is vested in three consuls; one is elected each
year
for a term of one olympiad by and from the members of the Grand
Council.
No consul may be elected twice in succession, and retired consuls
become
life members of the Grand Council.
History: The Zhodani date their empire from the traditional date
of
the first organized use of psionics on Zhodane, -6731 Imperial,
the
year of the first olympiad. They achieved jump drive about 1300 years later, in
-5415
Imperial.
The expansion of the Zhodani was gradual and uneventful. Although
some
states on the fringe resisted absorption into the Consulate, most were
annexed
peacefully. The Zhodani first came into conflict with the Third
Imperium
in the 500s, which started the First
Frontier
War in a dispute over present and future limits to settlement in
the
Spinward Marches
area.
Frontier wars over the next 600
years
failed to resolve the basic differences between the two empires.
What the wars did not resolve, peace achieved. The buildup to a
Fifth
Frontier War was discovered by Duke Norris of Regina. Rather than use
this
as a military advantage, he turned it into an opportunity for peace --
he
immediately confronted the Zhodani Consulate, and the final outcome of
his
diplomacy was the Treaty of Quar.
This
document sets out a structure for a lasting peace between the Consulate
and
the Imperium, and as a result tension in the Spinward Marches has all
but
dissipated.
See also Zhodani Calendar.
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