041. Glory and Education

Glory sat inside her new office.

Less a secretary now, more akin to a Department Head. What with her leading the administrative division of Eggers General Utility.

Really, while the other departments were the beating organs that kept it all alive. While the Lord was the brain that gave the commands. Administration... Administration was the blood vessels that provided the link to each and every other department. What guided the flow of individuals, of resources, ensuring that, each arrived where it needed to. Ensuring that the small details that would otherwise be missed, were in turn handled to prevent larger issues jeopardising the entire project.

Such as the situation with the Blackjack School of Conflict. With the further enmeshment of the school with Eggers General Utility, it soon became evident that allowing such an organisation to continue... independently... was, well, a problem. After all, this was not a regional or even a District school.

Blackjack was the only privately own Battlemech training school in the Lyran Commonwealth, branching out in recent times to infantry and thus Exosuit combat courses. Each month, the school became further and further linked to different departments, with supply quotas, construction orders, and more. All at cost to Eggers General Utility, with the understanding this would be a benefit repaid to E.G.U in return. Either through graduates filling posts in E.G.U, or Alumni opening connections, and so forth.

With this in mind, Glory, operating as Huu Eggers' personal factotum, had authorised the purchase of the school. It had cost 100 million C-Bills. After all, the headmaster was the one with the controlling stake in the school. Itself passed onto following generations of principals as time passed. He had a vested interest in this relationship. One that would see the School of Combat rise to heights that likely only Sanglamore or the Nagelring could match.

Maintaining Headmaster Kleist as the headmaster, investing several billions in at the words of her Lord. Enough to build facilities in conjunction with Eggers Orbital Construction and Eggers Shipping for Aerospace, Dropship, and Jumpship schools. A feat that would soon be replicated on New Oslo with a sister school in the process of construction right now.

With the School of Combat (tm) brand now under Eggers Education, it was her responsibility to handle. The Blackjack branch, the New Oslo branch, and yet more in the future. Teaching all the skills for one to succeed in the EDF, Eggers Shipping, or even the LCAF if they were desperate. Yes, she had been LCAF-MI, but that didn't make her blind to their faults.

In this new office, she continued to sign documents and forward them as necessary. Irritating, but, as the Lord had said... all responsibility ends here.

Glory, as per her role, was facilitating the transfer of LCAF officers (ex-Blackjack Alumni) as trainers, purchasing Battlemechs and vehicles of all types for the trainer roles, transferring Automachines and exosuits from Eggers Armaments and Tolsand Warworks (from their factories on planet... that she was also coordinating), sorting out payment schedules, establishing a small money-house to convert local currency into Kroner and more.

Just like with blood vessels, Administration was moving everything from each organ to where it was needed.

This interconnectivity was why she was now trying to work her head around. Why? Because Eggers Education was planning a top down, and bottom up restructuring of the Rasalhague Kingdom's education, society, and economy.

It had started simply enough.

Eggers Education had planned to establish a satellite campus on New Oslo in March.

Staffed more by higher education staff, the campus made use of the surprisingly effective Combine Vocational School educators. Which, really, shouldn't be a surprise. The Combine had managed to survive through the Succession Wars relying on their vocational training, with very little in the way of higher academia.

That they had done as well as they did?

That truly did deserve praise.

Even if the reason why they neglected higher education was short-sighted and foolish in the extreme if she was feeling polite. Disgusting and worthy of condemnation if she wasn't feeling polite. Still, it gave Eggers Education a basis from which they could develop. Which, was, itself, a collaboration with Eggers Media.

The greatest problem that had emerged, was culture. One that would render all they worked towards pointless. Glory had read the reports.

Glared at them, more like. They all knew, of course, what it was like in the Combine. Yet, being on New Oslo, in previously Combine territory... and seeing this sacrilege up close? This was the systemic lobotomisation of an entire peoples! Turning them into thralls that were useless for anything that did not involve menial labour.

To think they even have a University... the University of Proserpina that taught infantry, Mechwarriors, AeroSpace and artillery personnel. A school that had a single four mechs at this point in time for Mechwarriors to train in. Given the honour of being considered a major combat school... making a mockery of the very idea of a university as a place for higher education.

If there was nothing else, that was enough to tell you of the Combine's attitude towards education for everyone who wasn't a noble. Creating dull, creativity-less creatures lacking the very spark that made humans people.

As Glory read the literature that Eggers Education had unearthed, especially their Education department (EEE). The anger bubbled up within her chest.

There was a reason that education, from all the way back into the days of ancient Terra emphasised the need for creativity. For creativity was where the human brain did its best work.

The use of Bloom's Taxonomy with its hierarchy of thought was slightly outdated, but in the basic form, functioned well enough for most individuals. From the bottom to the top, it went;

Remember.

Understand.

Apply.

Analyse.

Evaluate.

Create.

Starting from the bottom, remember, and then moving upwards, each step activating more complexity in the brain, developing the mind. Ensuring the students were able to function at a higher mental level, using the maximum of their capabilities to bring out their full potential.

Anyone could recite information, yet one's true capabilities and their true self emerged when they created. For in the act of creation, one came infinitely closer to godliness. It is, after all, only true intelligences that can create, all else are imitators at best. Culture, art, life... all were acts of creativity.

If all one's people were capable of was to simply apply the knowledge given to them and nothing else... like the Combine had taught the vast majority of its people... then the question became, who would analyse problems? Who would evaluate reports? Who would create solutions?

The answer was the elites, a small caste of 'superiors' that possessed these skills, stratifying society and reducing social mobility. Even then, they lacked creativity or individuality because of the heavy focus on indoctrination in the education system.

Ensuring, that at the very core of the Combine, a vast, unskilled, uneducated labour pool existed for the sufferance of the elites. After all, at the age of 10, children will undergo a test. 40% will fail and leave schooling forever, the other 60% receive middle-school education, the rest finish at 15. The widespread belief that further education would spoil a good worker by making them discontented with their fate?

Anathema to the Commonwealth, where education was always a priority. Even when the wandering Professor program had been halted, every citizen had the right to a high school education at the very least. Not vocational or middle school, high school.

Their limited universities could not be compared to the Commonwealth's universities, not when women were not even permitted to attend! With every single subject required to justify its existence by proving service to the Combine... was there any wonder education was so limited? The Imperial Institute of Technology, the Combine's premier technological university, graduates could not even compare to the basest of Commonwealth universities.

With Commonwealth education focusing on critical thinking, developing one's ability to think at the higher levels of Bloom's taxonomy. It was expected that Eggers Education focused on achieving this for the people of the Rasalhague Kingdom. To develop a healthy people, for a healthy economy. Both went hand in hand.

It was why they were working with Glasser's Hierarchy of Needs (for learning).

Or rather, why Administration had linked with multiple other departments to fulfil Glasser's Needs.

Huu Eggers, their King... had seen all of this before he had even stepped foot on Rasalhague.

Had seen, that no matter the education offered, no matter the push, the drive... one needed to meet a person's needs before they were able to learn anything.

They could offer all the incentives they wanted, could offer all the investment in the world, and it would come to naught. For the people of Rasalhague had been indoctrinated, had been raised to be thralls to the Combine. To serve the DCMS in all that they did.

A military with an attached society, in other words.

Glasser's Hierarchy stood in direct opposition to this, a series of priorities that they had forgotten needed to be implemented before any learning, any education... any... improvements to their situation could be possible. And in order to do this, their needs must be met.

To meet the needs of;

Belonging/connecting/love.

Power/significance/competence.

Freedom/autonomy.

Fun/learning.

Only by having belonging could a people feel connected and safe enough to seek power, competence, significance (recognition). Only in being competent and recognised as significant, could one seek freedom. Only in being free, could one have fun, and in having fun... one was most situated to learn.

In other words, one must, before applying highfaluting educational theory, must meet the basic human needs that were prerequisites for actual learning.

No wonder that it was only the nobles that created art in the Combine, they were the only ones who were able to feel enough freedom and autonomy to actually learn, to create. All else were simply... cogs in their machine. Not able to have even their basic human learning needs met.

Basic learning needs that the Commonwealth guaranteed in all of its people. It was why they were the strongest economy in the Inner Sphere, why they remained strong despite the military superiority of the Combine. Remained competitive despite the unchecked capitalism of the Free Worlds League.

Why the Lyran Commonwealth, despite the limits on corporations and people both, had the reputation of being the best merchants in the Inner Sphere. Not the Free Worlds League where corporations held enormous power. To fulfil the mandate the FWL had been founded on. Free trade no matter the cost, no restrictions regardless of casualty. Unlimited power led to corruption, checked power?

Led to growth.

Which was why Eggers Education was working with Eggers Media, Eggers Construction, Eggers Agriculture, and Eggers Armaments to meet those needs, to educate a workforce suitable for this new, mechanised age in the Inner Sphere.

Eggers Media to teach the population to think creatively, to not be ashamed of their own capabilities outside their set 'job'. Teaching both adults and children through a set of media that was, in and of itself, propaganda of the individual. To celebrate their Rasalhague nature, to accept their own strengths. To teach them their rights now that they were an associate member, pending full membership of the Lyran Commonwealth. Rights extended to all Commonwealth citizens.

Which itself was an outreach of the General Capabilities Curriculum. Designed as a means to explain and proselytise the indoctrination of a generation of children in the face of certain economic hardship and exploitation by corporations. Understanding that one would be constantly moving jobs because of no guarantees of employment. Developing critical thinking skills and people skills in the absence of time to develop mastery of specialised skills. To ensure, they could enter a new workplace and begin contributing instantly. To be satisfied with developing their core skills in the workplace because they will be working truly staggering hours to survive in this new cannibalistic environment.

A system that had, itself, evolved into a system of focusing on the individual developing themselves, so they could be happy with their lives.

Could develop freely.

Could move between jobs that better suited their needs at the time.

Giving power back to the worker.

How? By developing their communication skills, to negotiate, to learn that they were not alone. That they held truly tremendous power together.

To be able to simply leave and take their high demand skills elsewhere, the strength of numbers against corporations paramount.

Of course, in an unenlightened era where the workers had little representation, this did very little to curb the exploitation. Until the Lyran Commonwealth was created that is, where unions held an incredible strength to represent the workers.

It was why they were so strong. Able to meld the strengths of corporations and people. Not making corporations subservient, as in the Combine. Not allowing corporations to do as they wished in the Free Worlds. For General Capabilities worked best when the rights of the workers were respected, where the corporations were limited in the excess they could pursue.

This was why the Commonwealth was the best. It really was as simple as that. In reading these articles, this exhaustive research, it was clear. Through Katherine Steiner-Mardsen's reforms in education, it had, more than anything else, prepared the Commonwealth for the future of the Succession Wars centuries beyond her death. Had guaranteed a strong foundation in the face of a hostile universe.

In analysing this, perhaps the Star League was not as great as it appeared, Glory thought to herself. Militarily dominant, true. And yet... so weak elsewhere.

In teaching these new principles of needs, of general capabilities, of individuality and creativity through media saturation. The Rasalhague population would be more happy, more capable... more willing to leave the job that they, their father, and their father's father had worked at for centuries. To develop a true civilian economy, capable of innovation and advancement.

To choose.

Eggers Media hitting every aspect of Bloom's Taxonomy for maximum effectiveness. To educate the people on just how many options they now had as Lyran citizens.

Glory checked, one last time, that all the standards were being met before she signed off on the future action plan. One that would change the lives of these people forever... with a single flick of a stylus.

A list of the companies and what they were already doing, what they would be doing in the future.

Eggers Construction provided the shelter, the safety, the security for family units to feel safe. For the population to meet the most basic of needs. Employing a large number of workers, they were spreading themselves across the Rasalhague Kingdom. Security, in other words, of employment.

Eggers Agriculture provided the food to survive, the farms to employ, and the security to feel safe. Teaching all who wished to learn, how to re-grow food on the soil blighted by centuries of Combine agrarian policy.

Eggers Armaments, by a quirk of Combine culture, was the favoured civilian producer. Military goods, in the minds of the Combine people, equalled excellence. A result of the DCMS automatically requisitioning anything of high quality, leaving the civilian population with the dregs. Hence, why imports were so popular, one could not trust locally produced, Combine tools, materials, and electronics.

Eggers Armaments had been required to quickly begin the tool-up of local factories to produce the local necessities. Working with former Combine civilian companies to guarantee the market needs were met, while also providing work for a truly enormous swathe of the population. Was it not understood that small businesses were the largest employers in any economy?

Said small businesses, working under Eggers with funding, certification and approval, in just a few months, had expanded the scope of their operation dramatically. All across the Rasalhague Kingdom were these certified supplies and stores present. Applications for certification rising enormously as the benefits became evident.

More popular than their brethren. Automatically prioritised as the firm from which to purchase civilian goods by the citizenry. In a twist of fate, the corporation that had, through force, broken off the Rasalhague Kingdom... was now facilitating their clothes and shoes.

Eggers Healthcare serving to improve prenatal care, providing... even the most basic of pregnancy care, of post-natal care... or actual... medical care in the first place. Hiring doctors from across the Commonwealth to provide these services, at least until domesic doctors could be trained. Again, Glory felt hate in her breast, felt the utter need to facilitate the annihilation of the Combine wherever possible. That previous Coordinators had cut medical funding almost entirely for entirely philosophical reasons.

The nobles needed real doctors, of course... but everyone else? The Dictum Honorium said, in simple terms... struggle begat strength. And so, to the Combine citizenry, medical care equated weakness. No medical care begat strength. The only 'medicine' available for a majority of the population being traditional herbal remedies.

Oh, how she hated them. The sheer... horror, they inflicted on their own people was remarkable in how there was no limit to the depravity she could find.

Eggers Public Calisthenics to conduct daily brainwashing. Physical exertion and learning were positively correlated, after all!

In time, Eggers Education would have a population that was educated, willing to think outside the box... and ready to achieve the goals set by the King. Not a nation of creatively empty thralls. For Huu Eggers' demands of his companies had always been outside the box, had always been unorthodox. Thus, he was, in this moment, creating a peoples ready to fulfil those demands, to be best positioned to fulfil the greatness of his vision.

To think that this vast, complicated web of education, necessities, and commodities had already been laid by the King before he even left Blackjack.

That he had prepared all of it to aid a people he had never met.

To give them the freedom that they had never experienced. Not through military liberation... but a liberation of their minds.

Their souls.

Glory had thought he was a warmonger of no compare.

Yet, she and so many others had misjudged him.

Their Lord, their King.

Not a warmonger.

No, he was someone who deserved her loyalty above all else, one who continued on his path undeterred. His reputation having no bearing on his determination, his true purpose.

A Liberator.