Human Hive

"Learn to overcome the crass demands of flesh and bone, for they warp the matrix through which we perceive the world. Extend your awareness outwards, beyond the self of body, to embrace the self of group and the self of humanity. The goals of the group and the greater race are transcendent, and to embrace them is to achieve enlightenment."

- Chairman Sheng-Ji Yang

Human Hive is an Alpha Centauri faction.

Description
This faction is ruled under harsh collectivist/authoritarian principles. The good of the individual is totally subordinate to the state. They are isolationist, and militaristic. The Hive begins with the Doctrine: Loyalty technology. Their bases are built underground, giving them the equivalent of a pre-installed Perimeter Defense facility. Their population growth and industrial development are above average, but their economy tends to lag behind others. The Hive can not make the “Democratic” social choice.

History
Sheng-Ji Yang is a teacher, a poet, a psychologist, a martial artist - perhaps the most enigmatic and powerful individual to travel on board the Unity. During the crew rebellion at the end of the starship's journey, he was captured by Santiago's Spartans. Alone and unarmed, he managed to escape and return to his loyal Security forces, nearly regaining control of the ship in its last hours. Seeing that the attempt was futile, he called his Security teams and any other crew he could find to an escape pod. He made it to Planet's surface... and apparently vanished.

The other colonists did not hear from Yang for many years, and assumed that he and his people had not survived. Eventually, they learned the terrifying truth. Yang's base of operations is an underground warren in which his people live under a pervasive police state. He claims that he is building a Utopia for his people, but it is a dark paradise of absolute control. The first visitors from other factions tagged it "the Hive," and Yang's faction has ever after been known by that name.

Beliefs
Sheng-Ji Yang is dedicated to the construction of a secure and perfectly controlled society. He believes that human beings have value only insofar as they contribute to the continued existence and growth of the human species. Those few who have attained a superior understanding of the uni- verse thus have a duty to lead the rest of humanity, without regard for individual rights or dignity. The Chairman calls such an understanding "enlightenment," and thinks of himself as a teacher rather than as a dictator.

The Chairman's "enlightenment" is a profoundly nihilistic view. He does not believe that the universe has any meaning or purpose other than that which the enlightened mind can impose upon it through force of will. Indeed, the exercise of will is central to Yang's motivation. To him, the ideal human being is one who can perfectly control the people and the physical world around him.

The beliefs of the Hive's other citizens are irrelevant. Those who have attained some level of enlightenment (by Yang's standards) form the ruling class. Those who have not do as they are told.

Relations With Other Factions
Sheng-Ji Yang and his Human Hive deal with other factions pragmatically. The Hive will gladly ally with another faction, if such an alliance will bring it greater power and security. The moment such an alliance is no longer in the Hive's interest, it will turn on its ally at once.

In general, Sheng-Ji Yang despises democracy and will behave aggressively toward any faction living under a democratic government. As a result, the Hive is likely to be an implacable foe for the Gaians, the Peacekeepers, or the Data Angels.

The Hive is also a bitter enemy of the Free Drones, who began their existence as a drone rebellion within a Hive base.

Strengths
The Hive's habit of building underground makes its bases easy to defend from hostile native life or other colonists. On the other hand, since building underground is expensive, the Hive suffers from crowding that would be unacceptable to other factions.

This is exacerbated by the fact that the state encourages citizens to raise large families. Hive bases are crowded and busy places, full of hard-working citizens.

The brutal police state and planned economics practiced by the Hive are more efficient than might be expected. The Chairman is the proverbial incorruptible man, and he watches his subordinates closely for any sign of laziness or corruption. As a result, the Hive is exceptionally productive on large-scale projects that can attract the Chairman's attention.

Weaknesses
The Hive is good at producing industrial goods, but it is often faced with energy shortages - in part because Hive bases tend to stand aloof from trade and hence the inter-factional "energy economy." Coupled with the fact that Hive citizens are violently discouraged from showing personal initiative, this leads to poor commercial performance.

In many ways, the Human Hive resembles Stalinist Russia. The security apparatus is quite effective, but it is unable to prevent all social unrest. The common citizens and drones are usually sullen and often resentful. Drone riots are not overly frequent in Hive bases, but they tend to be particularly violent when they do occur.

Lifestyle
Hive bases are strictly utilitarian, with little in the way of art or luxury to soften the harshness of life. Most citizens face an endless round of work, with little time to relax or pursue personal interests. Their common recreations include tranquilizers, euphoric drugs, group exercise, and sex.

In the Hive, it is impossible to get away from the mass of humanity. Hive citizens spend their days surrounded by crowds, unable to find solitude for more than a few moments at a time. Few citizens even have private quarters - they sleep in vast bunkrooms, eat in communal feeding bays, and spend the rest of their time at work. Only the ruling elite has personal quarters in which they can shut out the rest of the world.

The Hive is an absolute totalitarian state, with Chairman Sheng-Ji Yang and his immediate circle of advisors in command. From the earliest days of the settlement, it applies police state methods to keep the population in line. Certain groups have special privileges, such as scientists, the military, and the secret police. Everyone is under surveillance, however, and subject to punishment or nerve stapling if they display anything but complete loyalty to the state.