Mekanon Technocracy

The Mekanon Technocracy was a space-based government founded in the year -44 FA and is considered to be the first ever space-based culture, forming as a breakaway nation from Home-based governments. The Technocracy used their position of technological power to grow exponentially in their earliest years, functioning as a heavily automated societal structure that utilized simulated intelligences in advisory roles to determine courses of action. The Mekanon Technocracy developed the first energy weapons, and were a founding member of the Legacy Institute.

Background and Origins

During the middle decades of the last century pre-Foundation (around the -50s FA, 2100s C.C.) there was widespread cultural discourse across the world as rapidly advancing technology was creating an increasingly automated society where basic needs could be easily met at small scales. Many societal groups known as breakaway states were attempting to free themselves from the bondage of the still dominant world powers and establish themselves as independent civilizations with their own rights, taxes, and laws. 

Meanwhile, human genetic augmentation was becoming increasingly more acceptable amongst the common population. Space travel to the outer Home system was at this time still an expensive and lengthy undertaking, but a mission profile was outlined to send a team of experts to the moons of Jovia for long-term habitation to oversee a variety of industrialization tasks. Several volunteers amongst a large pool of astronauts consented to undergo several permanent genetic alterations to adapt them for their extended mission.

As a specialized group in a distant region of space, the team had been authorized to operate autonomously and accomplish given objectives at their discretion. While their genetic adjustments made them well-suited for their space conditions, mentally and motivationally they enjoyed their spaceborne lifestyle and thrived in their environment. After accomplishing their initial goals well ahead of schedule, they went on to complete a plethora of additional tasks within their mission window.

Over a relatively short period of time they grew to consider Jovian space their new home. The team submitted multiple formal requests for modified mission statements to extend their stay, but were refused due to resupply complexities and cost overruns.

By the year -45 FA the team had exceeded their mission requirements and reached the end of the original timeline profile. Upon being commanded to return to Home by their directive agency, the team refused. Instead, they requested and then demanded a mission extension for them to stay and further develop Jovian orbital space. After continued refusal, the group closed communications with their agency and in a widely publicized event, declared themselves an independent nation.

The move had a polarizing effect on the divided culture at the time; the rights of breakaway communities had been a contentious issue for decades. The Jovian crew’s declaration was criticized as barbaric piracy by established governments, while breakaways hailed the move as heroic. Sumetrolis was the most prominent recognized breakaway nation of the time, and their relations with large governments had always been strained. They recognized the Jovian crew and praised their bravery, going so far as to donate spacecraft and other equipment to the crew, further angering Home’s governments.

In the ensuing years, the Jovian colonists were not recognized by any large countries who could nevertheless do little about the situation. The move did cause a ripple effect throughout the space sector as other governments grew wary that their own colonies, both new and old, might declare independence and receive support for it.

In -44 FA the crew formalized their own constitution to become the Mekanon Technocracy, officially establishing themselves as a legitimate and independent nation. With assistance from Sumetrolis they were able to manufacture and produce societal infrastructure such as autonomous habitation centers, offering up citizenship and employment to any person willing to make the journey. With such barriers removed, a variety of private investors and independents alike invested in making the trip. The Technocracy’s population increased by a factor of 15 within just the first ten years, growing from the original 25 crewmembers to almost 400 by the mid -30s. By the start of the Foundation Age, they numbered in the thousands.

Government

Mekanon's governmental structure shifted several times as it adapted to suit the age of the society and the experience of its populace. The leader of the Technocracy was the Prime Representative, though many issues were voted on directly by all citizens. Technology played an integral role in their culture advancements, with any non-automated operations heavily augmented by technology. SI algorithms also played a key role in their decision making process of various matters.

In the earliest days, only the original 25 colonists were qualified with the expertise to oversee day-to-day operations. Once free housing was opened for anyone willing to immigrate, new arrivals were given a chance to receive biological adaptations to make them more comfortable, which they could refuse. The new colonists were then assigned to groups overseen by one of the original colonists. Training of new colonists was almost entirely automated by SIs.

As time went on, new colonists gained the experience necessary to become established leaders. The industrial capabilities of the Technocracy meant they could produce food, energy, and housing faster than it was able to be consumed by its population, however fast it grew. This runaway effect led to Mekanon's early success, but such advances were eventually within reach of other new space nations who grew to rival the Technocracy.

Progress

With such resources as are available around primary gas giants, the limit on what the Technocracy could extract and utilize was restricted only by the amount of hardware they possessed. As their original mission had been to establish industrial infrastructure for future use, they had set out from Home well-equipped to handle such initial tasks. After declaring their independence and with donations of mothballed torchships and supplies from Sumetrolis, the Technocracy found themselves at the center of a vortex of progress. Industrialization expanded exponentially, especially as new colonists arrived. The Technocracy undertook trade with other independents and some smaller governments of the inner system, growing to a point where success and cultural changes saw them recognized by Home’s countries with whom trade finally commenced. In the -30s they invented the energy weapon and were the first to undertake serious research of energons.

The Mekanon Technocracy became the most prominent outer system society in the years leading up the development of the warp drive, launching their own missions to other worlds of the Home system under their new flag. They colonized orbital regions and moon surfaces of the four outer giant planets, mining captured asteroids or the dust from gas giant rings. After the warp drive opened up other solar systems in 0 FA, the Technocracy invested significant capital in securing their own FTL fleet to set up new operations in other star systems.

Foundation Age

The Technocracy would achieve significant success in the first decades of the Foundation Age with their colonies throughout other star systems. They chose specific destinations where they determined they could thrive, avoiding less desirable systems in between. Due to distance, and without FTL communication yet discovered, each new colonized system became an autonomous colony upholding the constitution and ideals of its progenitor nation, exchanging information and resources for the mutual benefit of all.

As time went on however, these distant colonies began to encounter unique environmental and political circumstances which forced them to adapt their ways of life. One such example was a Mekanon colony in the Cas Ceta 92 system, who found restrictions surrounding the exploitation of resources claimed by other sovereign states too at odds with the pressures of the colony’s own necessities. They reformed into the Sofwithe Colonial Federation in 26 FA, which continued to have influence in Cas Ceta 92 for many more years. Sofwithe was not the last; in the ensuing decades Mekanon colonies continued to radiate into new political factions or end up absorbed by foreign entities.

Finally in 62 FA, after years of slow decline and slipping influence, the Mekanon Technocracy formally dissolved via unanimous congressional determination. By this time most of their assets had already either radiated into new governments or been incorporated into other interstellar societes, not closely tied enough to their origins to have a meaningful connection.

Legacy

The Mekanon Technocracy is remembered historically as the first truly space-based sovereign nation. While others at the time had many ties to Home, members of the Technocracy had a notable affinity for space-based society; citizens lived their entire lives aboard spacecraft or in moon colonies, with an economy focused on developing assets for their space-based culture rather than storing up wealth for life on terrestrial planets. Many space-based nations of the present day can still trace their origins back to Mekanon and its colonies. The Technocracy was also one of the founding members of the Legacy Institute.