Draka
The Draka are a species that feature in Domination.
Contents |
History
The Draka
The Draka take over Egypt and Ceylon from the French during the Napoleonic Wars, and over the course of the 19th century, the Draka gradually conquer and enslave the entire continent of Africa. The last areas to be conquered were the jungles of the Congo Basin, due to the danger of tropical diseases. Technological development is faster than in our own history, as the Draka put the wealth derived from their vast gold and diamond deposits to effective use by offering large grants to scientists and inventors who settle in their territory and develop new inventions. These include Richard Trevithick, inventor of the steam locomotive, who settles in Virconium (equivalent to our own world's Durban) in 1796, RJ Gatling, who settles in Diskarapur in 1850, and Louis Pasteur, who discovers malaria's mosquito vector in the 1860s while working for the Shahnapur Institute of Tropical Medicine.
Overview
Citizens, who are free and can vote, comprise only a small fraction of Draka's population. Over 90% of the population are slaves (officially referred to as 'serfs', as the Draka maintain the fiction of obeying the British Empire's ban on chattel slavery). In fact the entire Drakan society, from sex to the economy, is based on slavery. Almost all Draka citizens own at least a few slaves. Because the Draka are so heavily outnumbered, meaning that a general slave rebellion could well mean their extermination, the Draka are utterly ruthless. Impalement is the favoured Draka method of executing rebellious slaves. Nonetheless, many Draka, especially those who are central characters in the novels, aim to create an idealised, "rural community under a lord" feel on their lands. Such an idealistic image is often spoiled, however, when punishment - always severe - has to be enacted.
The Citizen Draka army known as the Citizen Force is made up of shock troops, meant to be used as the arm of decision in maneuver warfare. Citizen children receive military training as part of their schooling from ages 5 to 18. All Citizens begin military service at age 18, with a normal peacetime enlistment of four years. Leadership candidates are identified during the first year and qualification testing is used for NCO ranks. Officers are promoted from within the ranks and receive additional advanced training. After leaving active service most Citizens do two months' reserve service per year, being transferred to second-line formations after age 40.
The Draka came to produce a genetically altered new serf race called Homo Servus that were psychologically incapable of rebelling. Thus they can dispense with the brutal repression needed earlier, and entrust serfs with sensitive positions such as theoretical physics. The "right" of Drakas to have sex (both heterosexual and homosexual) with any Homo Servus which catches their fancy is taken for granted; such sex cannot lead to pregnancy, since Draka and serfs are now two separate species, specifically designed to be incapable of propagating offspring together.
Members
- Elvira Naldorssen :
- Eric von Shrakenberg :
- Tanya von Shrakenberg :
- Yolande Ingolfsson :
- Gwendolyn Ingolfsson :
Notes
- The Draka were created by S. M. Stirling where they featured in the Domination novel series.
Appearances
- Marching Through Georgia:
- Under the Yoke:
- The Stone Dogs:
External Link
This article is a stub. You can help Multiversal Omnipedia by expanding it.
