Cetaganda (fictional empire)
Cetaganda is the collective name for an 8-planet empire in the wormhole Nexus of the Vorkosigan Saga novels of Lois McMaster Bujold.
Cetagandan Society
Cetaganda is an unusual society with a two-tiered aristocracy. Haut-caste Cetagandans are the products of a several-century long self-conducted genetic engineering experiment to develop the perfect human being. (They believe this process is yet incomplete). Ghem-caste Cetagandans are a military caste which carries some engineered genes, but largely free of the intensive oversight of reproduction which so thoroughly pervades the Haut. The Ghem are driven to impress their Haut-caste masters, largely through military conquest, often with disastrous results (at least as revealed in the series to date). The Ghem population functions as an intermediary between the Haut and the lower class by occasionally contributing genetic material to the Haut, and sometimes receiving disgraced Haut women as wives. Having a Haut wife or contributing genes to the Haut are regarded as highest honors among the Ghem.
There is also a genetically engineered servitor caste, "Ba" - a genderless group incapable of reproduction and used as guinea pigs for the Haut genetic experiments. The ba also generally act as house servants for their masters. There is some indication that they, while being strictly conditioned and engineered for loyalty, may resent this role. Nevertheless, Ba are definitely not a common sight outside major Haut reproduction centers. One might assume that these upper classes require significant resources to continue their lavish lifestyle, but the haut make up such a small portion of the population, and the Cetagandan Empire is so vast that only a small portion of its resources are required to support them. Cetagandan subjects enjoy a per capita tax rate that is approximately half that of a Barrayaran's.[1]
Cetaganda's Role in the Saga
Within the Vorkosigan Saga, Cetaganda is principally known for its unsuccessful wars against the planet Barrayar, home to the heroic Miles Vorkosigan, his father Aral Vorkosigan, and grandfather Piotr Vorkosigan. Approximately 80 years before the current time of the story, a Cetagandan invasion of then-technologically backward Barrayar was repulsed. A second, probably minor war, during Miles' youth, is alluded to. More precisely, the only allusion is that the next one is called the third war, namely, a less advanced thrust against Barrayan interests, discovered by Miles and fought off by his father in the novel The Vor Game. Due to a Ba attempting to frame Barrayar for stealing genetic material, a fourth war was in the making in the novel Diplomatic Immunity, but was prevented by the discoveries and fast actions of Lord Auditor Miles Vorkosigan.
The Cetagandans are introduced gradually, with the existence of the haut class revealed only in the novel Cetaganda. The novels written earliest, The Warrior’s Apprentice and Ethan of Athos, feature Cetagandans in the characteristic face paint of the ghem. In the first case, they are mercenaries employed by the young Miles as he invents his alter ego, Admiral Miles Naismith. In the second, a group of Cetagandan agents searching for stolen bio-engineered materials kidnap and interrogate the protagonist Ethan, from planet Athos, who has wandered into the situation while attempting to recover a shipment of human ova supposed to be shipped to his home.
The novel Brothers in Arms, which also introduces Miles' clone brother Mark, has Miles, as Admiral Naismith, trying to repair his mercenary fleet's ships while avoiding revenge hits from the Cetagandans for a recent mission against them. He finds himself dealing with a full ghem-Captain, "painted and sworn to the hunt". Using his clone brother as a double, Miles is able to persuade the Cetagandans that Miles Vorkosigan and Admiral Naismith are not the same person, preserving the Vorkosigan identity as a place for him to hide between missions.
This marks the end of the ghem appearing as foes. The novel Cetaganda, while taking place early in Miles' career, was written later than the novels above. It takes place somewhat before the events of Ethan of Athos, and thus before Admiral Naismith's flight to escape their wrath. Barrayar and Cetaganda are at peace, and Miles, as Miles Vorkosigan, helps to solve a mystery for the Cetagandan empire, if only because failing to do so would lead to chaos and probable war with Barrayar. The late novel Diplomatic Immunity requires him to rescue a shipment of haut embryos stolen by a Cetagandan renegade, who has arranged for Barrayar to take the blame for the theft and the associated murder of a haut Lady.
Notable characters from Cetaganda
The haut Rian Degtiar
Acting keeper of the Star Creche at the beginning of the novel Cetaganda. She recruits Miles Vorkosigan, on a courtesy diplomatic mission attending the state funeral of the late Empress, to help solve the mystery of the disappearance of the Great Key, a sophisticated decoding device without which the entire genetic database of the haut is indecipherable. At the conclusion of the novel she is elevated to permanent keeper of the Star Creche and full "co-Empress". Miles himself is overwhelmed by her beauty and charisma, which indeed is one of the ways the haut exert their influence over the "lower orders".
Emperor the haut Fletchir Giaja
In the Cetagandan scheme of haut his is the final decision in all matters pertaining to haut and the direction of the genetic project embodied in the concept. He is also the main interface between haut and ghem. A formidable opponent, he is nonetheless deeply pragmatic about relations between the Empire's satraps, and between the Empire and other galactic governments. He has plenty of insight into human nature, and is not without a certain ironic sense of humor. When the question of rewarding Miles for his help recovering the Great Key arises, he awards Miles the Cetagandan Order of Merit, a medal which satisfies Miles's deep need for recognition and which also ensures he will be discreet about the episode back on Barrayar, where the Medal would be anathema.
The haut Pel
An older Cetagandan lady whom Miles meets on Cetaganda, and who appears again on diplomatic missions from Cetaganda to Barrayar. She may be almost a century old, but appears merely to be in healthy late middle age to Barrayaran eyes. Only her eyes suggest great age. She appears in the novels A Civil Campaign and Diplomatic Immunity, accompanied in both cases by ghem-General Dag Benin. This suggests that part of Benin's reward for his services has been at least the patronage of Lady Pel, and possibly some form of consort relationship.
ghem-General Dag Benin
Introduced as a ghem-Colonel in Security in the novel Cetaganda. He supplies the inside information, and later the military muscle, which permits Miles to recover the Great Key. In A Civil Campaign he travels to Barrayar with haut Pel for Emperor Gregor's wedding carrying a message for Miles Vorkosigan regretting the passing of Admiral Naismith, in effect letting Miles know that the Cetagandans have seen through all of Miles's misdirections and deduced that he and Naismith are the same person. At the end of Diplomatic Immunity it is Benin whom Miles contacts to say that he has recovered the stolen haut embryos and is returning them to Cetaganda.
Terrence Cee
Also known as Terran-C, the product of a genetic engineering project on one of the Cetagandan planets. He is a genetic construct designed to have telepathic abilities, and to function as an undercover agent. Unfortunately his abilities depend on him consuming large quantities of the amino-acid tyramine, and they are too variable to be useful in the field. He was employed in monitoring interrogations instead, but found the experiences so horrifying that he, along with a fellow telepath known as JN9, or Janine, escaped, using their training as agents to hide from Cetagandan agents. When she was later killed, he used his abilities to amass enough money to have House Bharaputra on Jackson's Whole splice her DNA into the shipments of ovaries destined for the planet Athos. By spreading the telepathy gene across the galaxy he hoped to avoid the Cetagandans having a monopoly on the ability. However when he reaches Kline Station, where the shipment is waiting for transfer to Athos, he discovers the Cetagandans waiting for him. His story is told in the novel Ethan of Athos.
Real World Basis
A very possible basis for this culture is Japan during the days of the Samurai. The Samurai were the warrior class that fought for the Daimyos, a higher pure nobility class. This would be similar to the ghem and haut. The face paint could be analogous to the helmets the samurai are depicted as wearing. Additionally, Cetaganda is run by an imperial government, as was Japan at the time of the Samurai.
Alternately, Cetegandan face paint is described as similar to that of traditional Chinese opera masks, and certain Ghem soldiers looking like "Chinese temple demons" in their face-paint, so the specific nature of Ceteganda's oriental theme is unclear.
See also
- ^ Cetaganda, Chapter 9