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The Hive Regime of the Dominion of Liagolas.
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PlaceWithoutAPeople.org/excerpts/domain-council
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Excerpts from The Place Without A People: Collectivist Hyper-Nationalism in the Hive Dominion of Liagolas by Sophronia L. Pankratz. Research based on clandestine investigation, refugee testimony, and some social science extrapolation.
The Domain Council
Although the Liagolas's authority is apparently totalitarian, it does not rule alone. The Domain Council—perhaps best compared to a cabinet, though even this understates their influence—serves as the Liagolas's advisers or, to use the terminology of self-subsumption, as the most immediate and significant appendages of the Dominion. There are four members (and to reiterate the self-subsumption point of view, this is "member" as in appendage; not member as in person) of the Council, though other governing Liagosians participate in meetings as necessary: the Eye of the Dominion, the Fist of the Dominion, the Mouth of the Dominion, and the Inquiry of the Dominion. A simple description of the Domain Council's power would be to say that each member holds nearly supreme authority over a specific area of Dominion governance, susceptible only to the overrule of the Liagolas of the Dominion. However, this description does not adequately capture the specific dynamics of the Liagolas, the Council, and the Dominion. There are four factors that complicate governance in important ways.
First, the Liagolas is in effect raised and trained by the Domain Council, or more accurately by Liagosian "appendages" who report directly to the Domain Council. As a result, a Liagolas tends to have a great sense of deference toward the Council, as Councilors may be older physically and therefore considered older parts of Liagolas, dying cells who pass on genetic information to the next cell generation. While a Liagolas has absolute authority to overrule Council members, it may well choose not to exercise that authority if it thinks that a Council member knows better—or if it is frightened of Council member.
Second, the Domain Council is in effect raised and trained by the Liagolas, or more accurately by Liagosian "appendages" who report directly to the Liagolas. In what some suspect is an intentional counterbalance, the upbringing of replacement Council members is overseen by the Liagolas. Thus, there may well be Councils in which the "advisers" are younger than the Liagolas and defer to it by habit, withholding some criticism or innovation.
Third, precedence is more powerful than authority. This is because precedence is associated with the will of the Dominion itself. As hinted at in the earlier chapter on self-subsumption and collectivist hyper-nationalism, the dogma operates on even those at the highest levels of the Dominion state. Although I have used the language of "councils" and "advisers" to describe these "governing" Liagosians, they remain under tremendous pressure to conform to the presumed ideals of the Dominion, of the nation-state. Council members—and even Liagolases—who are perceived as individualists instead of appendages can be subjected to re-education. It is in these moments of conflict that the Dominion comes closest to fracturing its illusion of homogenous unity, as naturally Council members will disagree with each other on whether or not they are being individualists or are representing the natural innovation of the Dominion itself. According to refugee testimonies, an outright Council member removal has not happened within living memory, though it has been threatened. But it is difficult to be certain about these things, as information does not often flow "down" in Liagolas.
(It is interesting to note that there is no honor to the Council—at least, no more than the brain has over the stomach, to borrow Dominion parlance—and while there is slightly greater security, it is slight. One trades the risk of being re-educated by the Dominon's hands for the risk of being re-educated by the Liagolas itself.)
Regardless, of whether or not removals have happened recently, the fact remains that Council members are under enormous pressure to conform to self-subsumption, even at this "high" level of state. As such, precedence becomes the most powerful defense for any policy. If the Dominion has done it before, it is reasonable for the Dominion to do it again. This is, as the reader might guess, not conducive to a particularly innovative state.
Fourth, unanimity is paramount to maintaining legitimacy. While Hands (other state staff ranging in roles comparable to anywhere from an "assistant" to a "chief of staff," though naturally such terminology is not used in the Dominion) who witness Council meetings are sworn to secrecy, and no "vote count" is ever announced, the Council nevertheless has a vested interest in coming to unanimous decisions. If the Council tried to issue policy that it actually disagreed on—forced through by Liagolas fiat, perhaps—there is the risk that other Hands who labor under Council oversight might be able to discern the disunity. And if appendages perceived disunity in the Council, that could spell disaster for the illusion that the Dominion is a single person—or if not the illusion for some Liagosians, at least the veneer.
These four factors complicate the Liagolas-Council dynamic. The result is a mostly stagnant state "leadership" that is as suspicious of itself as it is of the Dominion. While it has displayed impressive dynamism at key moments in the Dominion's history—dynamism which has kept the Dominion alive, even resuscitated it, when signs seemed to point otherwise—that is the exception more than the rule.
The Eye of the Dominion has supreme oversight over all matters of surveillance, both domestic and international. According to the Dominion's official histories, the Eye was established so that the Dominion could self-regulate, identifying and stamping out dissent that would threaten the unity and cohesion of the whole. The Hands which work under the Eye are sometimes also called eyes (or "lesser eyes" to distinguish them).
The Fist of the Dominion has supreme oversight over the use of violence. This broad category includes what most observers would associate with law enforcement and the military, though the Fist's realm of authority is not nearly as neatly defined. As there is no statutory law—only the will of the Dominion—the Fist and its subordinate appendages exercise violence to enforce whatever it can claim the Dominion deems necessary. Hands which work under the Fist are often also called fists (or "lesser fists" to distinguish them).
The Mouth of the Dominion has supreme oversight over communications, including propaganda and foreign engagement. The Mouth thus oversees both domestic indoctrination and foreign ministries; while an odd combination to those on the outside, to Liagosians and the Council, it is only natural that the Mouth should handle both. Under the direction of the new Liagolas, the Mouth's foreign ministerial duties have expanded considerably, as the Dominion now actively courts diplomats for visitation and interaction. Hands which work under the Mouth are sometimes also called mouths (sometimes lesser mouths), especially when they have consular roles, such as greeting and hosting guests.
For most of the Dominion's existence, the above three formed the Domain Council. Although these members do not encompass all affairs of the Dominion state (e.g. technical training, scientific research, childrearing, procreative direction, etc.), they encompass those deemed most important. However, the new Liagolas has defied the usual dynamics. By fiat, it has forced the creation of a new position on the Domain Council.
The Inquiry of the Dominion is difficult to define. Put in the most banal terms, it is a professional tourist, tasked with visiting foreign nations, experiencing the culture, and returning to the Dominion to report to the Liagolas. The Liagolas insisted on forming this Council "appendage" to represent the Dominion's new curiosity about the world and perform information-gathering missions to strengthen the Dominion through knowledge. The Inquiry is the Council member whose personality is best known, as her travel responsibility leaves behind a trail of paper documentation (even if as mundane as convenience store receipts) and human encounters (everyone from street cleaners to world leaders). According to interviews, the Inquiry has said once that before becoming the Inquiry, it worked on an assembly line, but it has kept silent about it ever since that disclosure (possibly because a particular Liagosian having an individual life story which changes over time challenges the notion that they are interchangeable). When asked about her past, it only says it is an appendage of Liagolas and was grown to be the Inquiry (despite the contradiction of time that causes). Personality-wise, the Inquiry is mild-mannered, probably born in the manner which we might today call female-at-birth, and staggeringly naive, though that last point is to be expected of someone who has little experience with the outside world. The Inquiry appears to enjoy brightly colored objects and dislike spicy food, though emotion is always hard to discern from someone who always wears a mask. The Inquiry also seems to have developed some social sensibility about inconveniencing people, which prompts it to frequently resort to apology in what conversations it is capable of, whether saying sorry for its ignorance or just for taking up time and space.
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