Draka
The Domination of the Draka is the name of the titular faction in a series of alternate history novels written by SM Stirling.
History
The point of divergence in the series is that the Netherlands declares war on the British Empire during the American Revolutionary war, eventually leading the British to take over the Dutch Cape Colonies (renaming it Drakia after Sir Francis Drake, which eventually gets corrupted to Draka) and has it's population bolstered by Loyalists, German Mercenaries, French Nobles, and Confederates. They turn to conquering Africa, enslaving it's population as they go through the 19th century, getting around abolitionism by re-designating their slaves as 'serfs'. As they go, the free white population of the Draka creates an ideology that divides the world into two groups: themselves, who are fit to rule the world, and everyone else, who are to be enslaved. The Draka eventually succeed in conquering Earth, although their rivals maintain a presence in Alpha Centauri.
Ideological origins and motivation
On top of the general racism of the early 19th century, the Draka develop a distinct siege mentality. This came not only from conflict with the native peoples of Africa that they fought and subjugated, but also resentment at the social and political changes of Europe and America. Many of the immigrants to the domination were either slave owners who's power and station was upended by Abolitionism or aristocrats displaced by revolution and the general decline of the European nobility. This soured the Draka against numerous aspects of 19th century liberalism, but with their displacement also convinced them of the need to both a high level of militarization but also industrialization to secure themselves. It also paradoxically led them to certain oddities, such as an early push towards (Citizen) women's rights due to the shortage of population, frontier attitudes and a need to arm every citizen who could hold a gun in case of a serf uprising.
The process became a positive feedback loop. Draka brutality lead to condemnation from without and condemnation from without furthered alienation of the Draka from the social trends that led to them and digging in their heels on the subject.
Attributes
The ruling class of the 25th-century Domination of the Draka are genetically modified humans called Homo Sapiens Drakensis, commonly called Draka.[1] They have superhuman strength, endurance, toughness, intelligence, and longevity. Draka also generate pheromones that cause humans to react to them favorably. Draka can consciously adjust the intensity of these pheromones, ranging from a subtle positive disposition to inducing overwhelming lust. Prolonged exposure to Draka pheromones will essentially brainwash any ordinary human into a loyal follower. Draka may receive medical procedures to further increase their physical attributes; such modifications are especially common for members of the Draka military.
The working class of the Domination are also genetically modified humans known as Homo Sapiens Servus or just Servus. They have no superhuman attributes, but they are inherently docile and obedient to the Draka, largely because they are especially susceptible to Draka pheromones.
Organization
The Domination of the Draka is an oligarchy in which only Homo Sapiens Drakensis have voting rights. The Domination has a parliament with an "Archon" serving as head of state and government. Although they have an elected government, their genetic engineering makes Draka inherently prone to dominance behaviors, which can result in internal conflict. In fact, the leading cause of death among Draka is fights with other Draka.
Threat Assessment
The Draka pose a threat to any civilization that they encounter, as they have a strong compulsion to gain dominance in any situation. By the "peak" of their civilization in their 25th century, they have directed-energy weapons and a space fleet, but they have not expanded their territory much beyond the Sol system. This makes them a significant interplanetary power, but not a major interstellar power.
See Also
Notes
- ↑ Drakon, by SM Stirling