Saraksh - Radiation

Radiation

The ABM System, made up of hundreds of defense towers all over the Land of the Creators, is a complete mystery at the beginning. Officially it is meant to protect the country from ICBMs from other continents but it is apparent that no nation on Saraksh possesses such weapons. Throughout the book it is revealed that the ABM system is actually a network of radiation emitters later destroyed by Maxim Kammerer.

This radiation is a mind affecting electro-magnetic wave pattern used by the Creators to control the population of their country. There are two types of the radiation known: "white" (inducing enthusiastic happiness, used daily) and "black" (severe depression, used on special occasions only). The "radiation-withdrawal" syndrom leaves 20% of those accustomed to its constant presence mentally ill in the varying degrees of severity once removed from its field of influence.

The white radiation induces the loss of a capacity for critical thought, so everyone are generally "well-adjusted" and happy just following orders and working for the regime, incapable of questioning the world-view fed to them by the regime's propaganda. Any decent well-meaning person would thus sincerely work to the advantage of the regime, and feel good about it, while really hating its enemies and any opposition to it. When used in its high-intensity setting it induces paroxisms of enthusiastic love for whatever the person is currently conditioned to hold as their highest and most supreme object of adoration, namely the regime leadership.

Black radiation induces acute sorrow, putting anyone it is applied to into a deep depression. Its use is reserved for special occasions like leadership change, or in war. This was used only once in Prisoners of Power, when Maxim Kammerer changed the program of the emanating emitters to win enough time to plant a bomb at the system center and get away.

Those who are impervious to the mind-controlling effects of radiation suffer from terrible headaches when its intensity rises above normal level (which happens twice a day for half-hour periods in order to flush out any residual doubts and dissatisfaction in the susceptible population). Such people are labeled "degens". They form the Underground and are hunted down by the rulers as a possible threat to their power since, unlike the general masses, they are capable of critical thinking. The Creators themselves all belong to this group as well, from time to time recruiting some new members from the "degens" of the Underground, which is full of their spies as well as those who genuinely oppose and resist the regime.

It is clear that the radiation system was the critical component in the creation of the most sophisticated propaganda machine ever employed on any of Noon Universe's non-advanced planets, like Saraksh or Giganda.