Editing Vetrovnak (section)

=The Vetrovnak Human Protectorate=
The state, officially titled the Vetrovnak Human Protectorate of Hvar but often abbreviated as simply the Protectorate or just VHP, encompasses the entirety of the Hvar Cluster. Despite what the name protectorate may imply the separation of the human and vetrovnak states are in name only- the human state exists entirely as a subset of the vetrovnak one.

==Government==
The Protectorate is a unitary directorial commonwealth whose precise form of government is difficult to pin down into a single term. Ultimately power resides in three main bodies: the Grand Deliberative Council of the Ministry of Administration, the Pancensus of the Ministry of the Ombuds, and the Noosphere system of the Ministry of Welfare. Each of these have an interlocking relationship with one another but no one body can be simply labeled as a specifically legislative or executive branch. To outsides though it generally appears as some form of democratic republic from what little they are willing to share.

The Noosphere system is the central pillar of society in the Protectorate. It is a vast quantum computer, incorporating both human and vetrovnak minds into its architecture, that is capable of analyzing an individual's mental condition, aptitudes, personality, and criminal or apophrenic tendency through specialized scans or implants. Its purpose is to bring the greatest amount of happiness for the greatest number of people and as such is the ultimate arbiter of a person's worth in the society of the Protectorate. That said the system does not run everything, it largely limits itself to just functioning as the conscience of the Protectorate and policing it.

The Grand Deliberative Assembly is responsible for most all legislative and executive duties that do not fall under the Noosphere system's immediate purview. It consists of 31 coequal Chief Directors, all vetrovnak, that are elected by the members of all the lesser assemblies that make up the various administrative subdivisions of the Protectorate. They serve for 20 year terms with no term limits but the number of votes required to win increases with each consecutive term. Though any adult vetrovnak in good standing with the Noosphere system is eligible to run for the office it typically only ends up in the hands of those who have hundreds of years of experience under their belts. The only way a chief director may be dismissed from office is by exceeding regulation values on their Noosphere assessment or by the Ministry of the Ombuds deciding they are too at odds with the results of the Pancensus to be allowed to remain in office.

The Pancensus is an aggregate in-depth snapshot of the mind of all members of the Protectorate. It uses the same methods of the Noosphere system to take this snapshot but due to the scope of the analysis it cannot be done in real time, thus it is only performed once every 5 years. The Pancensus is the only way to adjust the ethical prerogatives of the Noosphere system outside of directly hard wiring new minds into its constituent parts. It used by the Ministry of the Ombuds to ensure the government is running effectively and maintains the approval of the population. Of course the Ministry of Administration makes ample use of the data to draft and enforce policy.

==Human Society==
The mortal populace of the populace of the Protectorate enjoys an average quality of life unheard of in most of the Imperium. For those who live under the blessings of the Noosphere system almost every conceivable basic need is met; food, shelter, safety, stability, and happiness come easily for those will accept the system's comprehensive guidance. Life is safe enough that homes aren't locked and that even complete strangers can be easily trusted. Anxiety and worrying over the future is unheard of, the Noosphere system will happily reveal where one will make the most of their talents or whom they would be most compatible with. Only those who are so blessed with talent that the system literally can't make up its mind ever have to worry about such things. Still, despite everything the system offers it doesn't go so far as to deny people the chance to strive to improve their lot. Luxury isn't something that is freely given and anyone who wants to improve their station in life will have to do it themselves. Those that seek to rise though need to keep themselves firmly grounded though, decadence and debauchery are quick route to finding oneself with a bad assessment from the Noosphere.

Ideally one's Noosphere Assessment Value (NAV for short) should be between 0 and 100, the lower the better. That isn't possible for a number of people though due to any combination of circumstances, personality, mental disorders, or apophrenic disorders. Anyone with a NAV between 100 and 200 is still regarded as someone that could be rehabilitated back into society or put to use elsewhere. Those who won't or simply can't have their minds rehabilitated enough to warrant being placed back into society at large typically find themselves in quarantined communities or in the case of those of an adventurous or aggressive dispositions offered the chance to serve in the fleet to aid the vetrovnak. A NAV of 300+ is grounds for being sent to an isolation facility for the individual to live out the rest of their lives on the off chance they'll recover enough to be downgraded to quarantined communities or service elsewhere. Anyone who hits above 400 will typically find themselves either killed on sight by the police or executed by a hungry vetrovnak. Those with high NAVs tend to find themselves feared, shunned, and pitied before ultimately ostracized by their peers for their dangerous minds.

==Vetrovnak Society==
Vetrovnak society is deeply intertwined with that of their mortal charges but it cannot be said to be wholly coterminous with it. Like humans they are judged by the Noosphere system but becuase they are made of sterner stuff they can be trusted to remain socially functional at higher NAVs—each "bracket" is roughly 2.5 times that of what is permissible for humans. In addition to a higher permissible range the vetrovnak have less severe restrictions placed upon them for exceeding regulatory values as they are likely to recover even whey reach the upwards of 1250 given enough time or a bout of torpor. Their psychological stability is trusted enough that execution won't be called for until around 2000 or so.

Most vetrovnak spend until their late teens growing up along humanity. This serves a dual purpose, first it gives the young vetrovnak a firm grounding in humanity and enables them to soften their protective instinct as they learn not to be overbearing with it and how to cope with the wildly conflicting emotions when feeding from live donors. The second is to acclimatize and endear themselves to humanity. By 20 most vetrovnak will begin to move into careers and positions where they can protect, supervise, or advise humans while still interacting with them regularly. This pattern will generally hold true until they become old enough to see that their human peers are aging while they aren't. By the time their human peers are dead and buried most of them will begin to settle into longer term thinking and moving into careers with broader scopes.

==Technology==