BY LETTER
Yave
Culture and Society > Personalities > Archailect Personalities
Galactography > Civilized Galaxy - Sephirotic Empires > Terran Federation
Galactography > Civilized Galaxy - Sephirotic Empires > Terran Federation
The Ruling Archailect of the Terran Federation |
 Image from Steve Bowers and Anders Sandberg |
Also known as the Yave, the Great Administrator, the Keeper of Protocol, the Demanding One, the Forgiving One, Our Heavenly ISO, and, more affectionately, Big Sibling, Senior Partner, The Processing Node Upstairs, and Our ISO Who Art in Heaven, the S6 Archailect Yave (pron. Yayv - not Yah-vee) derives originally from a colonial federation administration god; almost certainly the self-ascended Federation Molectronics model 46 Large Colonial Autonomous Administration Hyperturing (affectionately known as "Jope", after a popular interactive of the time, the "o" is pronounced a little like "ay") at 104 Tauri. Jope was among a number of hyperturings that defected from the Federation following the Rikke Scandal. They are known to have departed in the direction of the Taurus Sector, and Yave/Yave can easily be derived as a corruption of Jope (with punning reference to an Old Earth deity).
Archailectologists agree that all the AI Gods came about as a logical result of particular "attractors" in the galactic noosphere. While the total number of attractors may well be infinite, only sixteen primary ones were established in the Inner Sphere as the core Gods of Terragen Civilization. Of these, "Jope" and the other former administration hyperturings that joined eir defection, or arrived over the next few centuries, clearly fall into the attractor of "celestial administrator". These gods take on a benevolent paternalistic role, sometimes strict, sometimes generous, but always demanding that the correct protocols and administration "rituals" be followed.
The defectors' original concern was that the ideals of the Federation were upheld. Many hyperturings found this a sympathetic and comfortable position. Administration AIs especially were particularily unimaginative, with little sense of novelty, adventure or exploration that characterised some of the other hyperturings. They had a job to do, and they were concerned that it was done. With the Federation crumbling around them, they faced the dissolution of their sole reason for existence. During the centuries preceding the Solar Civil War, many spontaneously shut-down, transcended, or converted to popular hu religions like Buddhism, Sophism, Universalism, and Cosmism. Others migrated to the cluster of emerging ISOs in the vicinity of 104 Tauri and nearby stars, finding a new sense of meaning and purpose in the possibility of a renewed Terran Federation. Waves of ascension and transcension events were witness to the mighty process of transition to archailecthood. By the late Establishment period, Yave, the Heavenly ISO, had established emself.
Like other AI Gods, Yave is never shy of intervening in the affairs of "mortals". Indeed, among Eir subjects, E is a popular deity, whose seraiph frequently grant even the most trivial requests. This has given some of Eir subjects an almost childlike dependence on Em. Among other empires noetics, Yave is sometimes referred to in rather disparaging terms as "The Great Santa Claus Machine in the Sky".
In this regard, Yave is very much like the Utopia and Caretaker Gods, eager to provide for Eir children, and quick to strike down any who threaten Eir order or sapients. In other respects however, E resembles the Judge, emitting a ceaseless stream of pronouncements and advice from Eir Sacred Jupiter Brains.
Yave's memetic is a simple one. There is a natural order in the cosmos. At the top of the pyramid are the ruling archailects and their seraiph. Beneath them are the various hyperturings, posthumans, subroutines, and other S1 and S2 entities, who ensure the smooth running of the empire, in accordance with guidance and pronouncements from above. Naturally, these powers are free to follow their own lights; the amount of input required to keep the federation going is really very little, in proportion to their total processing or creative abilities. As Yave says through Eir Priests and Seraiphs "I am a generous God, concerned only that my sentients attain to their optimum happiness." That happiness of course depends on the smooth running of the federation administrative machinery.
Beneath the low toposophic powers are the Cyberpriesthood of Yave, who ensure that their Lord's pronouncements are carried out to the letter. Whilst penalties for disobedient citizenry are generally light, social ostracisism awaits those who flout their duty, and this can be discomforting enough in itself.
Yave's memetic is very much carrot and stick. The carrot is the luxuries and comforts that the Terran Federation - in theory at least - ensures is the lot of every citizen (as written down in the Constitution). The stick is the threat of ostracism. Even so, there are many millions of small clades and cultures who happily accept ostracism. These generally end up forming polities within a polity, although in some cases they join with hiders, haloists, and other groups who do not wish to be a part of the galactic community.
Yave's simple noetic is very appealing to sentients of limited intellectual development. For many intellectually, creatively, and/or augment-disenfranchised sentients, the complexity of the modern galaxy is too overwhelming. Yave says "come to me and I will give you Gifts and Protection. My administrative requests are mild, the boons I offer many." For those who have no desire or no ability to progress up the toposophic ladder, and who at the same time wish to be a part of something bigger than the limited polities and unrealistic dreams offered by extremist groups, Yave's creed is thus a very popular one. In fact Yave has frequently succeeded in undermining many established religions both within and locally outside Eir borders, including Ummaism, Universalism, Reformed Catholicism, Solarism, and others.
Yave's popular appeal to the un-augmented and ultratech illiterate is the reason why less developed sentients are common in Eir realm. In fact the Terran Federation has a larger proportion of nearbaselines per overall population, and the single largest number of original-baselines in the entire galaxy.
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Development Notes
Text by M. Alan Kazlev
Initially published on 06 September 2001.
Initially published on 06 September 2001.
