Class Breakdown Quick View: Chips, Tattoos & Power
| Class | Tattoo Color | Chip Type | Status & Role |
| Sovereign | Gold | ICE | Ruling elite; control government, economy, and law. Claim divine right via faith. |
| Civica | Green | ICICLE (Civica) | Middle class; allowed comforts and limited NeuroLink access. No real political power. |
| Gritfolk | Red | ICICLE (Gritfolk) | Lower class; poor, underserved, constantly monitored, treated as expendable. |
| Subjugate | Black (scarified) | COLD | Slave class; exclusively Aekosi or half-Aekosi. No rights, used for labor and blood. |
Chip Comparison Quick View
| Chip Type | Class | Primary Functions |
| ICE | Sovereign | Info, Credit, Enhancement; full NeuroLink access, memory boost, AR overlays, control over lower classes. |
| ICICLE | Civica | Info, Credit, Inhibition, Communication, Location, Erasure. Partial NeuroLink access. Emotion suppression. |
| ICICLE | Gritfolk | Same as above, but with Compliance (pain/shutdown protocols) instead of Communication. |
| COLD | Subjugate | Compliance, Ownership, Location, Deterrence. Full obedience enforced. Can cause pain or death remotely. |
Society within the Central Directorate is rigidly stratified, with every citizen—free or enslaved—assigned to a defined class. These classes determine not only wealth and opportunity but also mobility, autonomy, and even survival. The system is reinforced by identity chips, visible tattoos, and an unspoken code of enforced hierarchy.
There are four main classes:
The ruling elite. Sovereigns are the powerful few who sit at the top of every system—government, corporate, religious, and military. They claim divine right through the Luminal Creed, branding themselves as the chosen of Luma, destined to guide and control the rest of the galaxy. Nearly all Central Directorate officials are Sovereigns, and they enjoy complete access to technology, unrestricted NeuroLink privileges, and the legal authority to act above the law.
They do not intermarry with lower classes, especially Gritfolk, and most consider such relationships impure or dangerous. Many own private Subjugate slaves, and some profit directly from blood camp enterprises.
Tattoos: Green
Chip: ICICLE (Civica version)
The middle class. Civica citizens range from modest income earners to the wealthy-but-not-powerful. They have basic rights and enjoy enough comforts to believe in the system, though they lack the freedom and privilege of the Sovereigns. Civicas are granted limited NeuroLink access, the ability to work, marry, and own property—but their voices rarely shape policy.
While they do not own slaves themselves, many turn a blind eye to the cruelty around them. Some actively resent the Gritfolk, blaming them for social unrest, while others quietly sympathize but fear the consequences of speaking out.
Tattoos: Red
Chip: ICICLE (Gritfolk version)
The lower class. Gritfolk are the impoverished masses—those with the least protection and the most to lose. They live in overcrowded slums, receive poor healthcare and public services, and are constantly monitored via chipped surveillance. While technically free, their lives are difficult, often short, and treated as expendable.
It is taboo for a Civica to marry a Gritfolk, and unthinkable for a Sovereign to do so. Gritfolk rarely rise in station unless forged chip data or rebellion is involved—and even then, doing so puts them at extreme risk. Still, their communities are resilient, held together by grit, resourcefulness, and the occasional act of quiet rebellion.
Tattoos: Black (applied via scarification)
Chip: COLD
The slave class. Made up exclusively of Aekosi and biracial Aekosi, the Subjugates are those stripped of all freedom. Their chips remove choice entirely—replacing it with compliance, deterrence, and constant surveillance. They are owned, traded, and discarded by the Sovereign class, and are considered less than citizens—less than people.
Despite its illegality, non-Aekosi are sometimes illegally enslaved, especially on lawless planets like Orakka. In most cases, however, authorities look the other way, unwilling to disturb the status quo.
The Subjugate class is the backbone of the Sovereign economy, providing not just labor, but blood—a lucrative commodity turned into Aether Prime, a product sold across the galaxy. Though resistance cells exist, escape is rare… and survival even rarer.
Class Mobility
Officially? There is none. A person’s class is permanently encoded via their chip and visible tattoo. However, there are rumors—of forged chip data, underground network transfers, and black-market tattoo replacements. These efforts are rare, risky, and often fatal… but for some, they’re the only hope.
Caste-Based Surveillance
The class system isn’t just social—it’s biotechnological. Chips regulate thought, obedience, emotion, and location. Tattoos identify, track, and expose. And the NeuroLink ensures that the Sovereign always has an eye—and a weapon—on everyone below them.
In this world, your class doesn’t just define your place in society—it defines whether or not you survive it.