[@Tortoise] Alright, this is the almost-final form of the Zetan Consciousness, barring some minor rewrites for readability and a flag. How's it looking? [hider=The Zetan Consciousness] [center] [color=6ecff6][h2]The Zetan Consciousness[/h2] [i]The choice between humans and machines is a false dichotomy created to confuse and mislead.[/i][/color] [color=6ecff6]Government Form[/color]: [sub]Direct Democracy/Group Mind[/sub] [color=6ecff6]Demographics[/color]: [sub][i]Homo Sapiens Machina[/i] The Consciousness has passed beyond the limitations of [i]Homo Sapiens Sapiens.[/i] Hundreds of years of mechanical tinkering with the building blocks of humanity has lead to them being recognisably different to the humans that once left Earth all those years ago. Perhaps the most obvious one is that [i]Homo Sapiens Machina[/i] are a limited hive mind, otherwise known as a 'Group Mind' that they refer to as 'The Collective.' Although 'drones' maintain autonomy in action, they share a neural network that allows for a startling level of cohesion. Also, they dislike being called drones.[/sub] [color=6ecff6]Population[/color]: [sub]~One billion Zetans. ~Thousands of downloaded Zetans ~Countless non-Sapient automata[/sub] --- [sub]Under construction.[/sub] --- [/center] [color=6ecff6]Planet Name and Description[/color]: [sub]Zeta-5 is not a particularly friendly world to live on. With a thin, oxygen-poor atmosphere, poor resistance to interstellar threats such as radiation and extreme weather conditions and surface temperature range, most life on Zeta-5 is an extremophile of some kind. Competition is also extremley ferocious, with no animal settling into an apex position. Despite all of this, there are some beneifts to living on Zeta-5. Past eons of interstellar bombardments have left the planet rich with elements and compounds that would be considered fantastically rare on Earth, and its twin captured moons burst with even more such minerals, all of which are gleefully exploited by Zetan society. Furthermore, the unusual conditions not just on Zeta-5, but also on other planets and planetoids within the Zeta system are rife with unexpected answers to scientific questions, allowing for some truly unique research opportunities. [/sub] [color=6ecff6]History[/color]: [sub] To the initial coloniers, flung onto a system with no other habital planets, Zeta-5 was a desperate attempt to preserve something, anything of humankind- to fling a lantern into the future. Drilling down into the planet's crust, they formed subterranian cities, safe from predation, radiation and the temperatures of the surface, and carved out a niche for themselves among hydroponic plants, using robotic assistants to plumb the surface for materials. Some, however, were ill-content with the idea of cowering forever, and started to make changes to themselves to better accomodate the planet. Skin was replaced by radiation-resistant dermal plating, limbs with tools, organs with steel. Zetans forged themselves out of steel, and once they had done so they emerged onto the surface alongside their robotic companions to colonise the planet proper. So efficient and extensive were these replacements that they effectively halted senescence, allowing these early Zetans to live for hundreds of years. These men and women would be the prototype for what Zetans now refer to 'the enlightened-' members of the Consciousness that have left their biological bodies behind. These early Zetans also pioneered the early neural network that would form the foundation of Zetan society. By pooling their mental resources, they could act more efficiently on the surface, and as it was developed, more and more could be transfered. Zetans spread their wings to their nearby system, establishing permanent settlements on the twin moons of Zeta- Z and З, and creating multiple space stations. Zetan slower-than-light technology is quite effective, with Zetan space ships using nuclear-based thrust systems to slowly, yet consistently, accelerate. The harsh conditions of living on Zeta fostered a close sense of togetherness. One day's feast could easily be the next day's famine, and so it paid to keep in the good graces of your neighbours, in case you came to rely on them. Early on, the colony operated through a more 'classical' form of representative democracy, but the neural network's increasing spread lead to the 'representative' portion being slowly whittled away until politicians were no more. Now, the planet of Zeta works together, with one goal- survive, thrive, and plumb the depths of the universe's secrets.[/sub] [color=6ecff6]Culture and Society[/color]: [sub]Zetan society is one of collectivism and cooperation. Zetans know that well-cared for people are happier, more productive people, and the neural network creates a strong sense of duty to the collective. Although a Zetan could theoretically shirk from work and still be provided for, their mental link is a powerful incentive to not do so. No Zetan is viewed as 'more' than another, with housing, healthcare, food and electricity being distributed as evenly as possible. A Zetan works not just to improve their own lot, but also the lot of their entire society. In matters of reproduction, Zetans handle things rather differently to old Earth. Pair-bonding is discouraged in the Consciousness, and mothers do not privately raise their children. Instead, young are taken care of communually, raised and educated in a complicated network of systems designed to maximise their potential. On the other end of the spectrum, 'death' is seen as an abomination to Zetan society, and few members of the Consciousness ever face it. Instead, Zetans slowly replace their minds with biomechanical replacements over the course of their life, so that when their physical forms grow frail and weak they can upload themselves into the Collective's cloud. Although most Zetans view this as a natural progression of their life, a few are downloaded back into mechanical bodies, treated no differently except for their different physiological needs.[/sub] [center] --- [/center] [color=6ecff6]Governance and Politics[/color]: [sub]The Consciousness operates through a form of direct democracy facilitated by their pseudo-hive mind. No individual is worth more than another, and all individuals are provided for, from cradle to their enlightenment out of physical bodies. Unlike most Old Earth direct democracies, the Consciousness can be highly efficient in its decisionmaking- the entirety of the Consciousness can make an educated decision on a matter simultaneously, and members of the Consciousness can petition the collective for even the smallest of matters, although it is unlikely they'll receive much feedback for truly trivial topics. Furthermore, the Consciousness also has no one single 'leader.' Although there are figures of authority, individuals with specialist knowledge and expertise who lend their unique perspective to the colective, there is no 'hive queen,' and ultimately the consciousness acts like a flowing river- an obstacle in the path is flowed around or bulldozed through.[/sub] [color=6ecff6]Technology Overview[/color]: [sub]The Consciousness is a technological powerhouse, having made great strides in almost all fields of study. Of especial notes are Consciousness computing and biomechanical technology- although the birth of true artificial intelligence has frustrated Zetan scientists, increasingly sophisticated self-learning automata and a process of 'uploading' minds has not. Haecceity in these 'uploads' is maintained via the nanomechanical replacement of brain matter, molecule-by-molecule, and when the physical form finally fails, these minds can safely be transferred into the 'cloud' that is the Consciousness' collective, to be subsequently placed back into new bodies if they so desire.[/sub] [color=6ecff6]Military Overview[/color]: [sub]The Consciousness' military is nonexistant. Although their technological expertise could lead to quite a formidable fighting force, their isolation and collective nature has rendered armed conflict larger than petty squabbles between individuals a thing of the past. That being said, should the ire of Zetan society be roused, it is hard to imagine a more intractable foe. Non-sapient yet highly advanced systems could be used to pilot weapons systems, whilst downloaded or largely mechanical ground troops could suffer horrendous trauma and still continue. Every loss would be re-absorbed back into the Collective, each providing as much knowledge as possible for the next soldier to use in their fight.[/sub] [center] --- [/center] [color=6ecff6]Additional Info[/color]: [sub] [hider=Characters] (Anything else you want to include that there isn't a spot for up there.) [/hider] [hider=Thematic Music] [youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DGA94oKeozA[/youtube] [/hider] [/sub] [/hider]