The Bahiri Stellar Directorate
Species
The MinionsThe Minions appear as normal humans, although they are usually taller and more muscular. They are a result of a scientific experiment conducted on Bahiri Prime centuries ago, that was aimed to create a cast of people, that would take care of the hard labor and tasks that didn’t need too much thinking. The experiment was very successful – the Minions are genetically programmed to have low intelligence and are generally very obedient.
Marked with a tattoo on their face, which they receive shortly after birth, they are forbidden to engage in any form of contact with regular citizens. They may communicate only when they are given an order. They usually live in a secluded location and are only allowed to breed amongst themselves.
From time to time a genetic anomaly occurs and a Minion child with above average intelligence is born. If they are discovered at a very young age, they are taken from their family and put into a family of Normals, their origin being completely erased. However, after certain age the assimilation is no longer possible and an individual possessing higher intelligence is usually executed, to prevent them from spreading disorder amongst other Minions.
The NormalsThe Normals are regular human. Their appearances may vary, as using plastic surgery to achieve fashionable and desired looks is very common. You can find individuals with every skin color imaginable, people with cosmetically augmented body parts (long pointy ears, vertical eyelids, metal claws), even some with tails, non-functioning wings, horns, snouts and trunks. They possess normal intelligence.
Oelli – the AmphibiansOelli are amphibian humanoid creatures, that prefer to live under water. They have thin membranes between their arms and legs, allowing them to swim easily, and they have both normal lungs and gills, allowing them to breath both under water and above it.
Aelli – the GlidersAelli are very similar to the Oelli in their appearances, except for the presence of the gills. Their membranes and lighter body structure allow them to move in a motion that resembles flying, but is basically jumping and gliding around in their low-gravity environment. They prefer to live in high places, building “nests” on high trees or mountainsides.
The MastersThe Masters are mysterious beings behind the curtain. They orchestrate and manipulate nearly everything in the Directorate. They were originally born as Normals, but were taken from the family short after birth and put through serious enhancement and augmentation process. Their intelligence and brain capacity are greatly enhanced at the expense of their bodies being turned into nearly useless husks. They cannot walk or even sit without being supported and they require constant assistance to help them with their basic needs.
The Masters communicate through virtual environment – their brain can directly connect to the network to issue orders or discuss matters with other Masters.
Points of interest
Bahiri PrimeOnce being a major human colony located between the orbit of Mars and the asteroid belt, this large and beautiful world offers everything. Half of the surface is occupied by a city, currently used as a capitol of the Directorate, the other half presents beautiful a diverse nature. Since the colony was originally used to conduct various scientific experiments, there are still plenty of laboratories present. However, for the same reason Bahiri Prime lacks any kind of heavier industry.
LaoLao is a smaller world with very low gravity. Large part of the world is covered by water, there are also multiple mountain ranges and forests. This world was used as a controlled environment for genetical scientific experiments, so before Lao was taken in by the Directorate, there had been absolutely no technology present, other than the custodians maintaining the world itself. Lao is the home planet of the Gliders and the Amphibians.
Area Beta-6Beta-6 is a small world placed near an asteroid belt. It is the main industrial area within the Directorate, there are many smelting furnaces and factories. Thanks to the heavy industry, the environment of this world is often polluted, and it is generally not recommended to stay here unnecessarily long. Only the Minions live here permanently, accommodated in one of the large, uniform apartment buildings.
Station EL-2Despite being only a tiny mining station, EL-2 is a very important part of the Directorate. Located directly within the asteroid belt, it serves as a base for drilling and mining crews who venture to the asteroids to extract resources. There is a constant flow of shuttles between EL-2 and Area Beta-6, transporting ores, supplies or workers to and from the station.
Society
There are two sorts of people within the Directorate. The lower sort are the Minions, who are virtually slaves. They have no civil rights, are used as a workforce for manual labor and they are owned by the Directorate. The upper sort contains the Normals, the Amphibians and the Gliders. These are regular class citizens who have access to education, they can choose where they are going to live or in which field will they work.
The Masters are above everyone, but not many people know of their existence.
The Directorate was formed over 200 years ago, when the first Master appeared. He took control over Bahiri Prime, establishing order and making sure the society would prosper. Several smaller worlds have been conquered since then, mostly inhabited by Normals and Minions. Lao was the only exception so far, but since the Amphibians and the Gliders were deemed humanoid enough and displayed sufficient intelligence, they were allowed to join the Directorate as its citizens.
The society is focused heavily on research, especially on two main divisions – advanced weaponry and the world building technologies, which are used to improve the current habitats. There is also a project of repairing the nearby world which is currently uninhabitable, to make space for the growing population. Other areas of research aren't omitted either, they just aren’t the main priority. Only the DNA manipulation of sentient creatures is completely forbidden, as it was deemed too dangerous by the Masters.
The focus on research doesn’t mean that the people are omitting culture from their lives. The most popular form of ‘art’ are reality shows, the current trend being Hunger Games-like contests, where people fight to death in various environments and the last one standing wins a prize. The participation is purely voluntary, but there is never a lack of contestants.
The Gliders and the Amphibians are using the unique environment of their world to produce culture of their own – breathtaking acrobatic shows, both above and under water. These are very popular amongst richer Normals.
The Directorate is officially led by the Committee – a group of specialists, the best experts in various fields like education, medicine, technology, art, etc. In reality, they serve as a puppet government through which the Masters control entire society. The orders from the Committee are final, never to be challenged and they control everything in people's lives.
The law-enforcement body, the Blue Order, is responsible for maintaining piece within the Directorate and making sure all orders from the Committee are carried out immediately. There is very little crime, because the citizens are usually happy and content, and the Minions don’t think for themselves much, only following orders. The Blue Order also functions as a secret police, trying to reveal any individuals whose thoughts might be considered treasonous to the Directorate or who would wish to change the current state of the government. There have been some calls for a more democratic system or even for more rights for the Minions, but those have been extinguished before they could spread to general population.