2786 A Development Phenomenon.
The planet of Yaris was discovered 130 years earlier. At that time Yaris had only Stone Age cultures with small settlements and simple agricultural societies. However, within just a few generations, Yaris colonized its interstellar vicinity with ships at FTL speed. This rapid development is a phenomenon.
After its discovery, Yaris has been in close contact with several high technology civilizations in the region. Natives from Yaris (singular: Yari, plural: Yaris) started working for interstellar companies very early on. Despite their upbringing in a pre-industrial society, Yaris are very popular as workers in high tech environments. They are quiet, cooperative, efficient, intelligent, creative, and they quickly embrace the principles of modern technology. Yaris are known for their balanced character. They integrate easily into the social and cultural environment of their employers. Some of them make a career obtaining important positions in the middle management of interstellar companies.
After some time, these expat workers return to their home planet. Employing the training, bioelectronic upgrades, and financial resources they have received, they quickly advance their societies. Within a few generations, some regions of Yaris have been modernized.
After about 100 years, Yaris begins exploring the surrounding solar systems with rented interstellar ships. First research outposts with small settlements are established in the Yaris system and beyond. The first colony is founded only ten years after the first research expedition left for a different star system. Yaris supports the colony at their best. Shortly thereafter more settlements are stablished on planets and in the asteroid belts of nearby systems. Finally, the foundation of the United Nations of Yaris creates a new self-confident and friendly interstellar power.
Of course, the planet is far from being entirely modernized. Technology and wealth are concentrated in few cities in certain regions. Large parts of the planet still remain in the Stone Age. But even these parts are doing relatively well. Although they have no technological goods and no modern medicine, they lead a content traditional life. The "backward" parts of the planet know about the modernizations. The more advanced regions keep them in the loop. Over time, all cities and villages get modern means of communication, then autofabs, and even autodocs. More and more inhabitants of Yaris start to participate in the technological civilization many of them leaving their traditional profession. However, prices of traditional goods and services also grow so that even for those still living traditionally the standard of living rises.
Yaris benefits very much from interstellar technology. The planet skips many painful transformations like industrialization and electrification. The Yaris do not have to discover technology on their own. Their expat workers connect them with other high-tech civilizations. Most technologies can be adopted and adapted from free sources. Yaris jumps from a Stone Age society directly onto the interstellar technology level, from manufacture of plowshares to the design for autofabs.
Yaris develops rapidly. The civilization is evolving much faster than usual. Some 80 years after the first contact scientists are struck by these changes, even more so when Yaris founds interstellar colonies only 110 years after its discovery in the Stone Age. They start studying the Yaris phenomenon intensively. Scientists try to find the special factor that causes this rapid development. Scientists of many races and from many disciplines investigate the Yaris case. They discover special circumstances, but no conclusive cause. When analyzing single developmental steps in detail, the mystery disappears. All steps appear possible, logical, and natural. Only their combination seems unlikely.
- A native, who had worked in the procurement department at Touqan Enterprises for 20 years rising to the position of area manager through good performance, returns to Yaris with fabs and free designs for everyday objects.
- Another one, after several years as a mining swarm pusher at Dhatu Metals, brings a few mining bots to Yaris and starts to produce raw materials. Expensive AI-controlled equipment is rarely used, since cheap labor is widely available. Yaris supervise the equipment themselves. This gives many people work and distributes the new wealth evenly.
- A Yari, in his main job a traditional hunter with bow and arrow, spends six hours every day with distance learning, at first with instructional videos, later with slinks, sensory links via implants. After four years he becomes a prospector for mineral resources operating analytical instruments.
It starts with a few, then there are thousands, then hundreds of thousands.
The Yaris phenomenon is more characterized by the absence of special circumstances. There are few disturbances or impediments, no wars, no riots, no speculation bubbles, no labor strikes, but also no exploitation of workers.
Yaris are popular as employees with exo-companies. This is an important factor. It explains how seed capital and know-how come to the planet Yaris.
Yaris seem happy to share their wealth. Almost all expat workers return after some time and help their relatives, their village, and thus their community. They buy educational material or production resources to make them available to others. They remain owners and yet the community benefits. When questioned why they buy things only to provide them to others, they reply: "why not?" or "what else am I supposed to do with a big bank account?"
Yaris do not waste time. They work, they learn, they do research, and they teach. If you ask Yaris how they have accomplished so much, they answer: "learn, try, do". That sounds logical, but it does not explain the difference to other races.
Also, the Yaris system does not have much that is worth stealing. When races start to expand into their solar system or to other stars they often suffer from external threats. Yaris has been visited by looters of several races and external factions. However, only some gas stations in the asteroid belt have been damaged. Yaris does not have any large infrastructure. Neither on the planet nor in orbit. Everything is decentralized. Individual mining bots dig through mountains and extract minerals. Couriers and drones take the materials to local refineries, and then to minifabs. Wind power stations, solar panels, and a few small fusion generators produce energy in a distributed fashion. Some prospecting and mining swarms operate in the asteroid belt, but they are not worth stealing either.
Yaris are very cooperative. There are almost no conflicts. Yaris living in "backward" regions are also striving to enter the high-tech age, but envy seems to be alien to them. They live in the certainty that soon it will be their turn – or their children's. Wars do not seem to exist. It is true, stories are told about serious conflicts, and even bloody ones. Yaris know how to defend themselves, but in the recent past such has not happened. People who asks Yaris why there are no wars meet with incomprehension. The concept of war is well known, but it is considered irrational and uneconomical, especially when all follow-up costs are added up, as Yari economists are happy to explain. That sounds reasonable.
Yaris are mostly honest. There is little fraud or exploitation. Verbal agreements count. There are also written contracts, especially when the matter is complicated. In the rare case of arbitration, the intention of a contract counts, not the wording.
The financial system of Yaris is underdeveloped. It is based on full-reserve banking. Yaris lend only what they have. There are banks, but it is considered indecent to lend deposits more than once. Many loans are given without securities. The promise of repayment is Jarura.
"Jarura" seems to be an important concept. It is translated as "decency, honesty, character". The direct translation is "human". "Jarura" is based on the same word as "Yaris". It is just a different transcription from a Yari language. The natural way for a Yari is to be Jarura. As if it were natural for a human to be decent. Yaris want to be Jarura. The more, the better. Those who are honest and friendly gain Jarura. Translated into our terms, Jarura is an informal reputation system. Yaris who have Jarura are attractive as business partners. In our words, people want to do business with you if you are known to be honest. That sounds reasonable.
Some consider Jarura to be the decisive factor. Perhaps it is decency that makes the difference, at least for races where decency is a valid concept. Some alien races are organized in a completely different way. One example are the Dilan beings. They are very cooperative. However, concepts like decency and cooperation are probably not relevant in their biology. Are honeybees cooperative and honest and fair with each other? It surely seems so, but they have been made cooperative by evolution. The bees probably do not have the choice.
Yet, Yaris have a choice. They are "Jarura" because it is reasonable.
Other races, like Earth humans and Kisori, have similarly structured flexible minds as the Yaris. They have the same choice. And they often decide to ignore "Jarura" to gain short-term advantages.
Perhaps individual egoism and greed cost society as a whole more than we think.