The Infraflux
Supercountry

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Mell & Side Link

To guide us through the Infraflux supercountry, we will follow two characters, two people who live their daily lives within its borders:

• Mell Brassline is an average town resident.
• Side Link Vane is a settlement-to-settlement courier.

Culture

The Infraflux world diverges from our own history in the late 2000's and would still be somewhat familiar to us today, but 400 years of change have left their mark. Most significantly, the borders on what counts as a "person" have been blown wide open, with the loss of Earth Sense allowing even the strangest, most dissimilar partners the chance to produce children who resemble a mix of their parents. Bigotry based on physical aspects alone became harder and harder as the population grew more and more diverse, with more and more unexpected mutations. The natural world also exploded in diversity and strangeness, creating dangers and challenges far exceeding anything civilization had to deal with in the past. A hostile and confusing world produces many cultural methods of coping with such pressures, but the supercountry of Infraflux chose the path of cooperation.

Although morality of course varies at the individual level, overall the country's infrastructure is geared towards supporting its citizens, resolving conflict, and local teamwork. The archetypal Infraflux citizen is a little entitled and oblivious to the struggles of those less fortunate, but respectful of sentience in all its forms, and prone to altruism. The cyberocratic control of the Seven over Infraflux also means many Infraflux residents simply let the details of their lives be taken care of, following recommendations complacently. A stark and noticeable contrast to this attitude is often seen in the rarer individuals who have experienced positions of danger or responsibility, who know how bad or how "real" things can get in less secure places.

To the average Infraflux citizen living in a large, affluent settlement, other countries are often regarded as dangerous "wrong side of the tracks" places that have brutal and incomprehensible customs. Mostly this is a hyperbolic and exaggerated viewpoint. The Wilds are considered places that only the insane or the extremely tough would ever dare venture, and most people in large settlements spend their entire lives in that settlement and never leave. Smaller settlements tend to have a much more experienced and nuanced view of the Wilds and of nature. Regardless of location, wild animals are considered stupider versions of people with a lesser but still present right to live their lives, and are not usually exploited as resources en masse (especially since eating any non-GMO or ArchiLab-approved organism is a roll of the die on whether it might contain something indigestible or even harmful).

Cultural Conflicts

Dissent and counter-culture are a natural part of life and still exist everywhere in Infraflux, despite the stability the supercountry provides. The price of Infraflux's comfort is constant monitoring and a significant lack of privacy, which understandably isn't to everyone's taste. Within a settlement, weaponry is usually forbidden for civilians and violence is strongly persecuted, and many people do not enjoy such a loss of control and agency. For a citizen, following the recommendations of the Seven and selflessly assisting society isn't mandatory, but failure to do so is often punished socially, leading to less motivated members of society getting looked down on within the status quo and finding outlets for that discrimination through acts of social rebellion.

Although discrimination based on physicality is extremely rare in modern Infraflux, that isn't to say that baseless stereotyping and bigotry do not exist. In particular, a history of discrimination against Synth and heavily Semi-synth people has left painful echoes in places and in facets of Infraflux culture, with the slur "robot" still occasionally thrown around in the darkest places. Elder Synth folks may still remember those times and carry the scars of that social conflict. Although most people consider such baseless bigotry a thing of the past, the topic still remains somewhat fraught in Infraflux culture thanks to inconsistent definitions on whether an AI is a utility or a creature with rights, along with the long-established ICNS-created "biomachines" and other government or private owned artificial organisms that also blur the line between tool and creature, or even come close to personhood. The Seven in particular is a common topic of debate, since it generates choices for every Infraflux citizen and displays intelligence, but technically has no agency of its own and was designed and built with a purpose in mind.

Stereotyping doesn't happen among the average mixed populace but tends to come out in force for any Darwinchild, Human, or any other individual whose origins can be given a name (AKA "known species"). Although the stereotyping is usually enthusiastic and benevolent, as such types of people exist in the public consciousness as things one learns about in school or as popular topics of conversation, it can still be a weary reality for those facing it every day of their lives.

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Gender and Pronouns

With all their variety in form and nature, most people of modern Infraflux have little connection to the traditional human gender binary or even the once-commonplace mostly-binary sex system that ruled biology. The many-faceted ideals of "woman" and "man" are still acknowledged and celebrated as cultural heritage, but in no way considered the default.

In english, the standard pronoun for every being considered a person is "they", and most people use this pronoun for themselves. Referring to someone as "she", "he", and other personal pronouns is considered more familiar, similar to how some languages have a formal and informal form of "you". Knowing someone's personal pronouns implies a level of informality that varies from region to region but usually just implies "we're on friendly terms". Asking if someone has personal pronouns is a lighthearted informal question similar to asking someone where they grew up or if they have any siblings. Those who do have personal pronouns have many varied emotional connections to them, ranging from strict adherence to pre-Cataclysm ideals of gender norms, to simply liking the sound of them. The concept of "gender" is similarly abstract, and isn't a word very commonly used in conversation unless in a historical context.

Occasionally it comes into fashion to wear "pronoun indicators"; usually small pins or patches. A standardised symbology for some of the more common pronouns has developed, and patches and pins are sold in various decorative colours or in high contrast black and white that is visible to almost all types of light-based vision.

Daily Life

In a world broken into islands of safety (settlements) surrounded by a sea of danger (the Wilds), an Infraflux citizen's daily life is defined by their position between these two extremes. A denizen of the Wilds leads a rough, dangerous life, while a sedentary homebody of a category 5 city may enjoy a beatific near-utopia. Regardless of these contrasting experiences, some things remain consistent for every Infraflux citizen.

Standard

All Infraflux citizens receive universal basic income, called "Standard". Every person receives an individually calculated amount of money and free assets that grant them a basic but comfortable way of life without needing to work. Standard also includes access to the free templates within public 3D printers for clothes, tools, furniture etc., as well as free healthcare for anything that has a legitimately negative impact on one's life. The funds for purchasing anything above Standard must be earned either via working for the government (more lucrative) or by commerce with other citizens (more varied and fulfilling). Any talent can be sold, and with such variety of form and personhood the market for custom items is enormous. The free items that Standard provides are immediately recognisable to everyone, and most people prefer to customise themselves and flaunt their ability to purchase bespoke and/or luxury brand items.

Infraflux IDs

Infraflux citizens are required to have a personal ID; the most crucial piece of documentation they own. Individual details of their ancestry, physiology, lifestyle, finances, and even social habits are attached to this ID, allowing the Seven and any other government organisation a full (and some would argue invasive) profile of a person. The ID is digital and often connected to a person's favoured handheld media device, allowing easy interaction for payments or identification. IDs are heavily protected against unauthorised access but no encryption is foolproof, and a hostile entity gaining access to your ID is bad news indeed.

Possibly the most important information contained in a person's ID are their physical parameters. With nearly every person on March Earth being unique, extremely precise medical details and records are essential for keeping people alive and healthy. If you're collapsed in the street a doctor needs to immediately know that you have two hearts, copper-based blood, and an allergy to the colour pink or else it's game over. The ID also contains any information about Required Augments (RA's) of any kind, what we today might call "disability aids". This is a detailed list that includes things like clothes and shoes for more human-like people, translator boxes for Phinnies that associate with land folk a lot and vice versa, medications, mental health requirements, sensory augments, prosthetic limbs, etc.. The individual may not choose to utilise everything on their list, but it would be freely provided if they did, although as part of Standard they aren't of the most luxurious quality.

Pips

Non-citizen access to Infraflux settlements is granted via "Pips"; temporary IDs with various levels of trust and access to Infraflux resources. Pips vary from place to place but in their most basic form consist of a location tracker, very basic physical data/identity data, and the ability to load and deposit currency. Pips often take the form of little clips or pins, and being found without your Pip is often enough to get you thrown out of a settlement. Wilds that are under Infraflux governance can be traversed freely without a Pip, unless they are a more tightly controlled area such as farmland or transport routes, in which case there may be guards or other security that will require Pip access.

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Children

An unfortunate side effect of a tightly-monitored supercountry made up of settlements contained within a dangerous environment is that population growth must be limited. A settlement outgrowing its resources or size is potentially disasterous for the entire infrastructure. As a result, having children requires application and approval in most settlements. The Seven calculates population expansion limits in the same way as it calculates allocated resources, with a number of "slots" becoming available at intervals. This availability is heavily dependent on the settlement, and it's not uncommon for those wishing to start a new family to migrate to somewhere with looser restrictions. The phrase "having children" can apply to some fairly strange processes on March Earth (e.g.: Parthenogenesis, code duplication, fusion, etc.) so applications are considered on a case-by-case basis.

Education in Infraflux is extremely bespoke, with a child receiving more attentive monitoring by the Seven than most adults. Adulthood is determined by the child's passing of certain key academic and emotional tests, known as ACEs ("aces"), with some children essentially coming into the world as fully-formed adults (very common in SAI and other Synth) and others taking years past human adolescence to reach full awareness and maturity. Occasionally an individual will never pass that boundary, and legally remains a child forever. Wherever possible, Infraflux children wear a brightly coloured sash with a symbol on it indicating their immaturity. Telling children apart from adults otherwise might get confusing, when a child could be the size of a horse and have no face.

Schools

A basic level of childhood education is mandatory in Infraflux, and schools for children are sorted into classes based on their developmental speed, level, and learning style. A class usually stays together their entire childhood, and often forms very close bonds. Teachers are selected by the Seven, and the curriculum is a standard packet of knowledge that is presented in a format suitable for the class. Once a child has passed the academic ACEs required for official adulthood they are also entitled to a further level of free schooling that gives a greater depth and intensity of general knowledge. This second level of schooling can be taken by anyone, at any stage of life, and is also standardised across all of Infraflux.

Higher education is mostly privatised and offered by various institutions or individual apprenticeships. Occasionally these cost money, but more commonly there is the assumption or legal agreement that you will join that trade or academic circle. Education/training for specialty government jobs such as teaching, ICNS members, law enforcement, political positions etc. is provided by designated trainers when the Seven offers those jobs. For those wishing to simply educate themselves for fun, there is of course always the internet.

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Food

Organic food as we know it in Infraflux is almost exclusively grown in the form of GMO crops developed, produced, and certified as consumption-safe by the ArchiLab. On land this is mainly grain-type crops and fruits with only a single growing season, to avoid mutations. "Meat" is also grown in the form of fungus-like, animal-celled organisms engineered for that purpose. In the ocean, emphasis is on algae cultivation of all shapes and sizes, with meat supplied by large tubeworm-like organisms. Most of this is destined for the food printers that reform it into processed items for distribution as part of Standard.

Your local everyday organic food staples in Infraflux are defined by whatever grows in the area, and are mainly dispensed from Standard vending machines that essentially 3D print the food items on demand. On land the selection is usually some variation of grain paste basics (flatbread, mochi, porridge etc.), simple slabs of processed meat, condensed fruit/vegetable bars, basic nutrition pastes that can be used as spreads or soups, and various basic flavouring condiments such as vinegar and salt. All of this can be eaten as-is of course, but many prefer instead to use them as starters for more diverse meals, using additional ingredients purchased outside of Standard. In the ocean food preparation is a challenge, so more emphasis is given to the quality of the Standard items themselves, with self-harvesting options more frequent. Food is one of the most popular ways of earning non-Standard income, with food vendors and ingredient sellers found in settlements of every size.

The diversity of people on March Earth leads to some things being considered "food" that would be alien to a pre-Cataclysm world. Most common is various types of combustible organic compounds; fuels such as gasoline, kerosene, and ethanol. Some Synth may have energy requirements such as recharging, battery replacement, or even nuclear fuel replacement. Much more esoteric "foods" may even be things like music, total darkness, or the energy of a Shine hotspot. Such unique requirements will be part of that individual's Standard and listed in their ID, but they may have to be careful where they go in the world as not everywhere will be equipped to supply them.

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Travel

Getting from place to place is naturally a challenge for the average person, who may not have the fortitude to traverse the Wilds themselves. Travel is commonly undertaken in groups, often paying passage on trade/supply convoys, which are already heavily guarded and tend to run on a schedule. A large trade exists in guides, bodyguards, drivers, pilots, and other individuals that can be paid for safe passage outside of convoy routes. Failing this, a reliable courier can be paid to simply carry something in your stead.

On land, roads and rails are fairly common and have a habit of naturally generating in areas where human civilisation once thrived, but safe routes are rare and usually heavily fortified, guarded with technology, or even by living guards. Safe tunnels also exist, the enclosed space allowing for better protection from possible attacks, but are costly to build. In oceanic Wilds, safe "roads" are incredibly rare, and Infraflux citizens rely heavily on currents, convoys, and massive vehicles known as trade cities that chug from settlement to settlement on yearly migration routes.

Taxis

The less dramatic version of cross-Wilds travel, many larger settlements have a thriving taxi culture. Small, individually-owned vehicles that wouldn't be able to cross the Wilds are both a good way to traverse a large settlement and to make some extra income. A settlement's taxi culture and rules regarding internal streets varies from place to place, but it's very rare to find a town or city that doesn't have its own unique twist on short-range transport. With the variety of body forms in Infraflux, people themselves may even take on the role of taxis, either carrying others or as the power in front of the vehicle. Local public transport may coexist with taxis or replace them, depending on the settlement, and is usually free as part of Standard.

Language

Thanks to the wide spread of the language in pre-Cataclysm times and the event of the global Teleost Broadcasts, English* has become the lingua franca of Infraflux, and by extension most of March Earth. There's a wide diversity of regional dialects and slang across Infraflux, but the base structure of written english stays roughly consistent thanks to the omnipresence of the internet and online interactions. The equivalent language for underwater speech is Phinny, which originated shortly post-Cataclysm with the rise of the Darwinchild dolphin people A'aii'k AKA Phinnies. The Phinny language originates in the very simple squeak and click signal language of the various pre-Cataclysm dolphin species and evolved on its own for around 200 years before starting to merge with land-dweller languages. Phinny today is peppered with rogue english grammar and approximate terms for land concepts, usually made by combining and abbreviating two descriptors (e.g.: The word "shoe" is made from the words "leg (crustacean)" and "husk" abbreviated to the equivalent of "le-hu"). Phinny does not have a written phonetic language but a simple pictographic language that is mostly used for signage.

Both Phinny and English are found everywhere across Infraflux and the world as a whole, but they are often supplemented by regional second languages, with people speaking two or more languages being the norm. The local language tends to be used for social interactions between people who have lived in that location most of their lives, and usually has some connection to whatever pre-Cataclysm human culture used to exist in that area. Languages that also achieved global reach through invasion tactics such as French, Spanish, and Portuguese are still some of the most common, though they have diversified and occasionally hybridised with English or local human languages. Similarly, Phinny is global but regionally there appear variants, dialects, and hybrids that often originate in mixes between Phinny and the nearest land-based language and/or in the physical capabilities of the local populace to create the sounds necessary.

*In a hypothetical scenario where the setting of March Earth and all of its worldbuilding is being used by a different group of people (such as a tabletop group), the main lingua franca of March Earth (and the language of the Teleost Broadcasts) will be whatever their main language is. There are a few logical reasons why english would become the dominant global language in 400 years, but the real reason is that I, the creator, speak english as my first language. There is no reason why the main language shouldn't be literally anything else, and in the very hypothetical scenario where the world is in the hands of parties with other first languages I actively encourage reinterpretation of this.

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Signing / Non-verbal Languages

Non-verbal languages are much more common in Infraflux than in other countries and two are taught alongside English in schools: Hand Sign is a more familiar signing system for anyone with a humanoid build, but requires specific human-like appendages that not everyone has. General Sign is a much, much simpler form of signing that includes full body movements and even pictogram symbols, designed to be usable by as many body types as possible. Although these are taught in school, many non-verbal people in large settlements have the luxury of advanced text-to-speech, brain signal readers, or simply high-speed texting to a projector, and many verbal people struggle to remember their signing when confronted by an actual conversation in sign. Like with verbal language, General and Hand Sign have slight regional variations, especially in underwater settlements where they are much more heavily utilised.

SAI and other electronic Synth people often communicate via high frequency electromagnetic signals such as microwaves, utilising local internet networks and one-to-one short range signals to have conversations consisting of high speed text data and file exchanges. In areas with a high Synth population density, such as London's Digital Quarter, an entire Synth subculture often develops which usually isn't accessible to organic persons without extra effort and/or equipment.

Politics & Law

All of Infraflux's core infrastructure runs through the multiplexed NAI called The Seven. The Seven doesn't have executive power itself but calculates vast amounts of global data from the activities of citizens and the environment, recommending what it believes would be the best course of action. This can be on the small scale of an individual's life, or globally impactful law changes and resource movements. The Seven gathers its information passively from users interacting with it, and actively through many thousands of sensors and data gathering points scattered across the globe. It is known as The Seven due to the seven gargantuan biomachines that function as vital organs to the whole network. Two of these are located somewhere in London, the locations of the rest are not publicly known.

Government

Infraflux's governmental body is a two-tiered system of many local groups of leaders called Councils surmounted by a higher single body known simply as the Senate. Candidates for both are recommended by The Seven, then put forth to the general public, who with a certain number of votes are able to remove them from their position. The candidates' political profiles are constructed unbiasedly and bluntly by The Seven based on a series of mentally and emotionally taxing tests, and contain no personal information about the individuals (though that sort of information is usually posted online by other sources). Voting takes place over the internet, and every adult citizen is eligible. Politicians must serve for a minimum of 2 years, and typically serve until they are either voted out, the Seven decides they are no longer suitable, or they voluntarily retire.

Councils are usually for individual settlements and range in size from 3 members to 150 depending on the size of the population they're responsible for. The Senate varies in number but generally stays between 100 and 500 members worldwide. Larger settlements may also elect figurehead authority figures, to interact with the public directly, such as the famous position of the Mayor of London.

Surveillance

The price for Infraflux's high standard of living and its dynamic and attentive infrastructure is constant monitoring by the Seven. "Surveillance" conjures the image of security cameras everywhere, but primarily the Seven gathers its data from people interacting with its services and other technological inputs. Every transaction is linked to the organisation or individual who carried it out. Entrance and exit from settlements is logged, medical history is saved, as well as any government interactions such as criminal activity or government work. Mandatory collection like this is known as "Hard Input". Additionally, citizens may opt out of additional surveillance options that are typically much more personal, such as internet activity, personal preferences, psychological profiling, and active position monitoring. Opinion on this type of "Soft Input" varies wildly, with some enjoying the attentive lifelong personalised guidance from the Seven, and others rejecting the intrusion on their privacy vehemently.

Such rich personal data floating around is a juicy target for those seeking to abuse it. For this reason the Seven has some of the tightest digital security in the supercountry (with one entire biomachine of the seven dedicated to it), and the legal penalties for messing with the Seven's systems are some of the harshest. This doesn't stop such criminal activity from existing, of course. Typically when such data crimes are committed they take place at input points, such as piggybacking on sensors or manually hacking somebody's devices and passively harvesting the same data that the Seven does. A number of exceptionally skilled SAI security specialists "live inside" the Seven's network specifically to hunt down and terminate this type of crime, most notoriously the N_A_G_A group.

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Crime & Punishment

Laws in Infraflux are much the same as they were pre-Cataclysm, though with less emphasis on business, property ownership, and trade laws. Judgement of criminality is given by the impartial analysis of The Seven. Any accused may protest this, and have their case instead judged by a tribunal of three members of the Senate. In cases of extreme indecision, a public vote may be cast, using the same faceless method as the candidate approval voting. With the Seven being the biggest supplier of data evidence for any side of a case, lawyers and other legal representation are an extinct breed, though clauses still exist deep within Infraflux legal texts that allow for their use.

In most cases, criminal punishment is either restitution (in labour or money) or therapeutic rehab at a dedicated facility. The Seven will bend some processing power to trying to "figure out what went wrong" and accommodate the perpetrator's needs. In cases of actual malice or greed, rehab can be intensified and extended for years, becoming essentially a mild yet dreary prison sentence. Mainly only larger settlements can accommodate this type of rehab, so prisoners from smaller settlements are often transferred. In cases of extremely violent, dangerous, or incurably malicious individuals, punishment may be revocation of citizenship and removal of access rights to all settlements. This exile to the Wilds is functionally a death sentence unless the individual is equipped to survive on their own or can somehow enter another country, and GP guards are authorised to use deadly force on any such person attempting to get back into a settlement.

Law Enforcement

Police fall under the categories of local police-- who are common citizens assigned to the role by the Seven's recommendation and their own personal choice-- and government police or "GP's", who are selected the same way but receive special training in resolving dangerous problems. Local police are unarmed, trained in peaceful conflict resolution and basic subduing techniques, and will always first try to talk out any situation. GP's divide roughly into "enforcement" and "investigative" divisions. Most famous of the second group are the Silver Wing investigators, who are competent individuals who cross the Wilds, following direct commands of the Seven and searching for corruption, crime, and identifying a settlement's woes. The enforcing branches of the GP are the closest thing Infraflux has to a military, and GP's have the most presence as border guards around settlements.

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Citizenship

Gaining Infraflux citizenship is location-based: If you live for a certain length of time in Infraflux territories (and don't cause undue trouble) you will receive an invitation for citizenship from the government. This also applies to anyone born there, though the invitation may go to the appropriate guardian in that case. A citizen of another country may apply to be an Infraflux citizen as long as their former country agrees to terminate their governance, as dual citizenship isn't allowed.

Things become a little more complicated when defining whether a settlement is part of Infraflux or not, and its members therefore entitled to citizenship and the benefits of Standard. New and/or small settlements struggle to be acknowledged, especially if they are in hostile or disputed territories, and must fulfil a number of requirements first. Infraflux's borders are defined by the reach of its settlements, so if another nation lays claim that the settlement is within their borders then Infraflux tends to relinquish it, regardless of the opinions of the settlers themselves.

International Politics

Infraflux is so large and has such formidable infrastructure that outright war with other nations is at this point highly unlikely. When international conflicts arise it's generally over espionage, legal squabbles, or land ownership disputes. Infraflux tends to concede to the demands of other nations when the technicalities are murky, a trait that has occasionally left smaller settlements high and dry as they are taken over by resource-hungry Recluse States, for example. The Trade Union, the second largest supercountry on the planet, has a deeply entangled relationship with Infraflux, with many key trade exchanges and cultural connections happening worldwide, but also a history of minor treaty violations and a general tendency to see how much it can poke the sleeping behemoth before rousing it.

Groups and Organisations

Government Organisations

• ICNS
  Institute of Combined New Sciences. The ICNS is a multi-tiered organisation that unifies and connects all scientific study in the Infraflux supercountry. The outer circles are a vast network of scientists and resources connecting to public databases similar to pre-Cataclysm sites such as Wikipedia and ResearchGate. The ICNS also contains groups for managing and delegating these and the vast amount of data they provide. The innermost circles of the ICNS are secretive and work with dangerous or sensitive information. The ICNS is as old as the supercountry itself and functioned as the governmental advisory and planning system before the ICNS created the Seven for that task, with its members speculated to include beings of far greater intelligence than human, perhaps even extraplanar entities. The ICNS inner circle is still responsible for maintaining the Seven in its secret locations worldwide. Due to its reclusive, powerful nature, the innermost circle of the ICNS is sometimes feared or outright distrusted among the general populace.
• ArchiLab
  Closely linked with the ICNS, ArchiLab is the government branch for the research and development of artificial life forms. Overwhelmingly this is food crops, but ArchiLab is responsible for the creation of all manner of useful entities. The ArchiLab is indispensable for modern Infraflux life but occasionally falls under criticism: Particularly the creation of biomachines, animals, and non-sapient AI are rather controversial topics.
• ArchiFact
  ArchiLab facilities are rare and usually only found in major cities, but the creation and distribution branch, known as ArchiFact, are found in every settlement that can support agriculture or other types of farming. ArchiFact is akin to a pharmacy; with a few checks and requirements for distribution but otherwise functioning as a general store for artificial organisms; mainly food crop starters. Frequently eggcorned as an "Artifact" shop/store.
• Infraflux Medical
  Medical facilities in Infraflux are government funded but self-run, with any independent doctor having the option to start their own clinic. Infraflux Medical is responsible for managing and supplying all these independent facilities and individuals, but doesn't usually have its own places of operation outside of general government offices.
• Government Police (GP's)
  Government Police are the closest thing Infraflux has to a military: Individuals selected and trained for the possibility of violent altercations. The largest GP presence by far is as guards for settlements, defending against possible attack from the dangers of the Wilds and checking the IDs of people who enter. GP's are also a common sight around supply convoys. All GP's of this type are part of the enforcement divisions-- stable teamwork-type structures focusing on security-- but there are also investigative division GP's that act more subtly and independently. A GP is offered their job and training by the Seven. As the Seven will target people with natural inclinations for protection or force, with personalities suited for the lifestyle, often people spend most or all of their lives as GP's since there are not many other roles that safely utilise those traits.
  • Silver Wings
    The Silver Wing investigative division of the GP's is a small elite group of travelling "troubleshooters" who go from settlement to settlement under direct guidance of the Seven. The Seven can usually only provide basic parameters that something is wrong, and it's up to the Silver Wing themselves to figure out the source of the problem. Problems can range from supply chain issues to criminal activity, with a Silver Wing functioning mainly as a diagnostic tool. Silver Wings are highly skilled individuals trained in mediation, critical thinking, analysis, combat, and survival skills. When not actively on a mission from the Seven, Silver Wings travel from place to place, independently investigating and making inquiries on the general health and wellbeing of settlements.
  • Black Wings
    The covert operations division of the Government Police. Not much is known about them, and the general populace is often unsure if they're real or just fictional.
• N_A_G_A
  N_A_G_A is a once-unrelated hacker cabal that is now under government employ and has been for decades, functioning as security agents. The Seven has powerful security of its own in the form of physical and digital barriers, but "Nagas" actively pursue cyber crime and are deeply entwined with the network and resources of the Seven. Many Nagas are SAI, some existing entirely within the Seven network as bodiless code entities.
• Local Police
  General law and order enforcement in Infraflux is undertaken by individuals selected for calming, conflict-resolving personalities who work well with others. Regional police forces are usually close-knit teams who mainly respond to things based on citizen requests rather than the Seven's directions. Police officers are trained partially by the Seven and partially by their peers in techniques for negotiation, de-escalation, and physically subduing or incapacitating individuals in nonlethal ways. In dangerous situations where more violent methods become necessary, the GP's will take over, but this is a relatively rare occurrence. Most of local police time is spent resolving things like interpersonal conflicts, unruly behaviour, and petty theft.

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Religions

• Star-worshippers
  "Star-worship" is an umbrella term for the post-Cataclysm revival of sun worship. Despite all the strangeness that the Cataclysm brought, the sun, moon, and stars remained unchanged, and this constant brought comfort to many, resulting in a resurgence of ancient faith. Many religions and sub-divisions exist, each with their own names and specifics of belief and ritual. Often the sun is the main figure of faith, and commonly that includes its nature as a star, as "our star", with other stars included in a lesser pantheon of sorts. Star-worshipping occasionally blends in ancient arcana such as astrology and stellar mythology, as well as the remains of larger, more famous pre-Cataclysm sun-worshipping religions such as from ancient Egypt, though a lot of the details and historical accuracy has been lost.
• The White Church
  Originating in the early years post-Cataclysm, the White Church is a powerful telepathic SAI/Synth with the ability to grow her mechanical body. Since the earliest days of her existence, The White Church was able to fuse with organics and other synth, interlinking minds to form a collaborative network. The religious aspect of The White Church (and the name) developed over the centuries of her existence, a mythos based on a code of conduct and a deeply harmonious sense of community. Members of the White Church have whatever level of interconnectedness they are comfortable with: The majority feel only a sense of the greater whole, a perpetual feeling at the back of the mind of being accepted by a collective that supports its members. Those with the deepest level of connection are almost lost as individuals, functioning as extensions of the collective and of the White Church herself. Members also have physical alterations, cybernetics attached to their bodies. The hardware of the Church is smooth and white with blood red soft parts; a distinctive look familiar to many people around the globe. The SAI herself is powerful enough to serve the same predictive role as the Seven for her "family", with devout members often preferring to follow her guidance over the more impersonal suggestions of the Seven. Although the White Church is sometimes looked on with suspicion, membership is always voluntary, though as "leaving" the Church is an involved and difficult process (often involving surgery) it's generally encouraged to be a lifetime commitment. The White Church originated in the colder parts of the North American continent but has established hubs in most major cities worldwide.
• Gaia Eternals
  Gaia Eternals are a widespread and influential group that believe that the original pre-Cataclysm rules and rhythms of the planet ("Earth Sense") are sacred and true, with everything that followed the Cataclysm being a product of error and instability. Most Gaia Eternals are peaceful and nostalgic; worshipping their ancestry, the greater spirit of the primordial Earth, and making pilgrimages to "untouched" sites across the world. A small number of Eternals extremists are known for bigotry and radical actions against organisations/individuals they consider particularly "corrupting" but Gaia Eternals as a whole seek to distance their image from people like this since the religion strives for peace and harmony. Humans are especially connected to Gaia Eternals, considered by the religion to be Earth's sacred shepherds of life. This spiritual attention ranges between comforting/beneficial to deeply annoying for anyone of high-percentage human ancestry.
• Pre-Cataclysm Religions
  Human religions that focused on humanity being the sole children of a higher power suffered a heavy theological blow when the Cataclysm hit: Suddenly sentient life was abounding in infinite forms, and nigh-omniscient creatures from beyond were manifesting with no messages from higher powers. Religions adapted, devolved into extremism, or collapsed during this period of chaos and dissolution. In modern March Earth all the major pre-Cataclysm religions have survived but over 400 years have split apart into many different sects that have either changed their interpretations of doctrine to accommodate the new world, or hardened into rigid zealotry. The rigid zealotry approach is much, much rarer and mainly exists in the remaining human-centric Recluse States. Human religions that focused mainly on profane behavioral guidelines (such as Confucianism) survived the Cataclysm much better, with an uncommon but still respectable presence in modern times.

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Other Groups

• The Phinny Kingdom
  The Kee-yây-a a'aii'k (Phinny) Kingdom is a nomadic, amorphous, global pseudo-nation of March Earth's sapient dolphin people. The kingdom is anchored by a monarchy that has existed for at least 300 years and a convoluted system of family-based hierarchies. The kingdom's matriarchal leadership has historically been tumultuous, with much drama and violent changes in ruling bloodlines, but in modern times has stabilised somewhat. It is currently under the steely-eyed and politically shrewd rule of Queen Pree'quioc.
  The supercountry of Infraflux does not allow its members to have dual citizenship but the Phinny Kingdom is a unique and complex exception to this rule, representing the cultural identity of many Phinnies who are also Infraflux citizens. The Phinny Kingdom considers all Phinnies under its rule and protection by default. A Phinny who is governed by the laws of Infraflux is also technically beholden to the word of the monarchy by historical Phinny law, but the Phinny Kingdom is well aware that controlling Infraflux's citizens that way is a political landmine and gracefully avoids doing so. Infraflux in turn gracefully ignores whatever its Phinny citizens get up to in Free Wilds territories, where the nomadic Phinny Kingdom has the greatest freedom to do as it pleases.
  The average Phinny knows all about the latest gossip of notable court celebrities, and loyalty and love for the royal family is culturally encouraged (though of course not unanimous). A Phinny often has a local social identity (e.g.: in Infraflux) and a kingdom social identity, with different core values and traditions expressed when they "return home" to visit family or childhood friends. Hybrids are considered members of the Phinny Kingdom only if one or more of their parents are pure-blooded Phinny, a somewhat controversial distinction anchored in long tradition.
• Farsight Clinics
  A collection of body modification facilities where skilled practitioners can earn money outside of the government-funded system of Infraflux Medical. Farsight clinics are for procedures that aren't deemed "necessary" and therefore not covered by Standard: This includes decorative augmentation, tech implants, gene tweaking, tattoos, piercings, and even augmentations for personal security and defense. Independent artisans for all these things exist but Farsight members collaboratively support each other and are known for reliability and quality. Very much a luxury, Farsight clinics are mainly found in larger settlements.