Hey all! This is the last of part one’s character files! Instead of posting things Sunday and Monday like I thought I might, I am instead going to spend the rest of the weekend doing thumbs for the next chapter and prepping the first page of part 2. I’m sure everyone (me especially!) will be happy to get back to the plot.

Anyhoo, Cory’s really gone all out on world building notes today–so much so that you’re going to need to expand this if you’re looking at it from the main page. The second half of this will be going up with the first page of Part 2/Chapter 1 on Tuesday.

As the Fiah homeworld, Haalha’s laws and procedures are heavily shaped by Fiah social dynamics. Though this influence is most obvious in Haalha’s legal terminology, it also subtly and fundamentally informs the values, procedures, and priorities of virtually every formal system on the planet.

In Haalhan society, certain jobs cannot be legally undertaken without formal recognition from either a government-sanctioned trainer or the planetary government itself. This process is directly comparable to the licensing requirements maintained by many Earth nations, though Haalha goes one step further by using a unified bureaucratic framework to more easily keep track of any given citizen’s qualifications.

When a citizen proves himself a competent practitioner (usually, but not always, by completing a government-approved training program) in a regulated field such as piloting or medicine, he is placed in one of three categories, each identified by a specific title. The Haalhan government will sometimes award a title in recognition of existing experience; this is primarily intended to allow skilled immigrants to work without spending years reviewing what they already know. The rights, privileges, and responsibilities granted by a given title vary depending on the profession to which it applies.

Fledgling means that a citizen has acquired and demonstrated all of the skill and knowledge necessary to be considered competent in his field, but has not demonstrated a strong grasp of advanced principles or a respectable body of experience. In general terms, the Fledgling title denotes a level of accomplishment similar to that of a skilled apprentice. In most fields, this entitles one to carry out various basic, low-risk tasks without supervision – for example, a Fledgling Healer may perform simple operations and provide emergency care similar to First Aid.

Full-fledged means that a citizen is fully qualified and proficient in his field. Since this title identifies its bearer as a self-reliant professional, the criteria for advancement from Fledgling to Full-fledged are often quite stringent. Possession of this title allows a practitioner to independently pursue employment in his chosen field, or to serve in an appropriate branch of public service – for example, a Full-fledged Healer could work as an independent healthcare provider, or he could join an emergency response team and work alongside the Protectors.

Elder refers to a highly accomplished, exceedingly skilled practitioner. A matter of tremendous gravity, the decision to name an Elder cannot be undertaken by sanctioned trainers; this title may only be granted by an appropriate branch of the Haalhan government, and involves both lengthy deliberation and intense scrutiny. To be named an Elder is to be publicly recognized as a master in one’s field – in many professions, Elders automatically qualify as trainers, giving them the right to bestow Fledgling or Full-fledged titles at their sole discretion. This title is an enormous mark of respect, and its bearer can (and should) expect the deference of nearly anyone else in his field. It is also commonly seen as an investment of trust, bringing with it a responsibility to contribute both to Haalhan society and to the advancement of one’s field.

Haalhan law covers many regulated fields of expertise, only some of which are listed here. Each occupation can cover a broad range of specializations, but always demands a certain baseline skillset – for example, any given Full-fledged Healer could be a surgeon, a nutritionist, an eye doctor, a neurologist, or any other type of medical practitioner, but all Full-fledged Healers are trained to provide first-response treatment for common injuries (in both Fiah and Vaa Srruk patients, no less), in addition to complete professional competency in their chosen specialization.

Pilots are citizens trained to safely operate aircraft. For cultural reasons, Pilots of any kind are very highly regarded; the admiration a Haalhan Pilot receives from the general public is similar to that received by professional athletes on Earth. Despite its attractiveness as a means of earning recognition, a career in piloting is a daunting prospect – Haalha’s tumultuous skies are not forgiving of mistakes, so a would-be Pilot must complete a great deal of highly intensive training simply to be recognized as Fledgling.

Space-Pilots are citizens trained to safely operate spacecraft, including Dodge-capable ships. To begin training in preparation for becoming a Fledgling Space-Pilot, one must first be recognized as a Full-fledged Pilot – a significant endeavour in and of itself. Space-Pilots are permitted to operate a variety of civilian ships, and may pilot normally-restricted craft with permission from the appropriate authority. They also enjoy greatly relaxed restrictions on the types of spacecraft they may legally own, though they are still forbidden from owning or operating most ship-mounted weapons.

War-Pilots are citizens trained to take spacecraft into and out of ship-to-ship combat. It is generally not possible to become a War-Pilot without being recognized as a Space-Pilot first. War-Pilots are primarily trained to adroitly maneuver their ships through danger, but are also made competent in the use of a wide variety of ship weapons. In addition to their eligibility for various military assignments, War-Pilots are permitted to own certain restricted technology (mostly weapons and other combat-oriented systems) and may even legally work as mercenaries, provided they fully and transparently cooperate with Haalha’s strict laws regarding military contr acting.

Navigators are a unique class – they are drawn from the ranks of Space-Pilots, but given vastly more and greater responsibilities. A citizen must possess exemplary piloting skill, extensive education in a huge range of subjects, immense dedication, and absolute commitment to the core values of Haalha’s culture before he will even be considered for Navigator training – and only a fraction of those considered are ultimately accepted, at which point they face years of unbelievably grueling training. This is because each Navigator must bear one of the heaviest responsibilities imaginable: the safety and well-being of not only a capital ship, but the lives of each and every one of its many thousands of occupants, from veteran crewmembers to passengers and children alike.

What’s more, the Haalhan government entrusts the Navigators with its greatest and most important missions, up to and including the legendary Exodus – an undertaking so indescribably vast that it has only been done a handful of times in all of galactic history.
Where the people of Haalha celebrate their Pilots, they regard Navigators with almost mythic awe. Ironically, few Navigators are even interested in such adulation, as selflessness and humility are essential qualities for candidacy – if a Navigator’s ship faces destruction, it is his duty to stay aboard until every other living sentient is safely evacuated, even if it means being left behind to die alone.

Monitors are specifically trained to act as counterparts to Navigators. A Monitor is somewhere between a supervisor, an aide, and a second-in-command; he is expected to challenge, strengthen, and temper his Navigator, all while maintaining order and efficiency on their ship. Every Navigator is paired with his own Monitor as soon as he becomes Full-fledged; in the vast majority of cases, the two of them will remain full-time partners until one of them retires or dies.

The process used to match a Navigator to his Monitor is as much art as science – to work well together, the two of them must become respectful colleagues, like-minded equals, and, ideally, inseparable friends. A Navigator should prize his Monitor’s counsel above that of any other person in the galaxy; in turn, a Monitor should have enough faith in his Navigator to defer to his judgment, but should also respect him enough to be bluntly honest with him at all times.

Because of the unique nature of this assignment, any two Monitors are likely to have wildly different skillsets. Monitors are chosen specifically to complement their Navigators – for example, a Navigator with a mild disposition and a slow, methodical thinking process might be paired with a gruffly assertive, quick-thinking Monitor to ensure that he was never at a loss.

Further examples of Haalhan meritocracy will be available with the next update, including interesting roles such as Protector and Guardian.