In the Greater German Reich of 2099, genetic superiority does not necessarily guarantee wealth, influence, or authority. Although the Über represent the privileged segment of Reich society, they are themselves divided by a rigid social hierarchy that determines their opportunities, responsibilities, and access to the benefits of citizenship.
The Reich recognizes four principal Über ancestries: Brutal, Gehirn, Schönheit, and Edel. Each represents a different outcome of generations of selective breeding and genetic engineering, designed to fulfill particular roles within the Reich’s vision of a perfected humanity. However, ancestry alone does not determine an individual’s place in society.
Within the Über population, three distinct social tiers have emerged: Über-Bürger, Über-Verwalter, and Überragend. These classifications exist alongside genetic ancestry, establishing a hierarchy of wealth, responsibility, and political influence.
An Über’s ancestry determines their inherited genetic characteristics, while their Social Background reflects their position within the Reich’s social order.
Über-Bürger
Tier I: The Citizen Class – Workers and Ordinary Citizens
Prerequisites: Über
The Über-Bürger constitute the foundation of Über society. They are the workers, tradespeople, technicians, soldiers, and ordinary citizens whose labor maintains the Reich’s vast industrial and colonial infrastructure.
Although they enjoy privileges denied to the Ünter population, Über-Bürger are far from the wealthy aristocrats commonly associated with the Reich’s ruling elite. Many work long hours in factories, mines, agricultural complexes, construction projects, and military installations. Their lives are governed by corporate employment contracts, state regulations, and the ever-present scrutiny of Reich authorities.
Brutal Übers frequently dominate physically demanding occupations, particularly mining, construction, industrial labor, and military service. Gehirn Übers often work as technicians, programmers, and laboratory assistants, while Schönheit Übers may find employment in entertainment, hospitality, commerce, and public-facing service industries.
Even members of the Edel ancestry may occupy junior positions within this tier, although these assignments are generally intended as preparation for greater responsibilities rather than permanent working-class occupations.
Über-Bürger receive better housing, education, medical care, and legal protections than their Ünter counterparts. Nevertheless, economic hardship, dangerous working conditions, and corporate exploitation remain common, particularly in the outer colonies.
Many Über-Bürger believe that their genetic heritage should entitle them to a better life than the one they have been given. This growing resentment occasionally manifests in labor disputes, underground political movements, and resistance activity.
Über-Verwalter
Tier II: The Administrative Class – Professionals and Middle Management
Prerequisites: Über
The Über-Verwalter form the professional and administrative backbone of the Reich. They occupy positions of responsibility throughout government institutions, military organizations, research facilities, and megacorporations.
These individuals are entrusted with supervising workers, managing resources, implementing government policies, and maintaining the efficiency of Reich society. Their authority is considerable within their assigned responsibilities, although they remain subordinate to the executive and political elite.
Brutal Über-Verwalter commonly serve as industrial foremen, military officers, security commanders, and operational supervisors. Gehirn Übers are particularly prominent among engineers, physicians, scientists, systems administrators, and research managers. Schönheit Übers frequently occupy positions in public relations, diplomacy, entertainment management, and corporate communications.
Edel Übers within this tier are commonly assigned administrative, military, or political responsibilities intended to prepare them for eventual leadership.
Membership in the Über-Verwalter class provides significant advantages. Better residential accommodations, preferential medical treatment, advanced education, and access to restricted technologies are among the benefits associated with their social standing.
Advancement into this tier generally requires a combination of professional achievement, state-approved education, demonstrated loyalty, and favorable evaluations from superiors. Family connections and political patronage can be equally important, particularly within the Reich’s more influential institutions.
Although Über-Verwalter possess authority over many Über-Bürger and Ünter workers, they remain vulnerable to political scrutiny. Failure to meet production quotas, enforce government directives, or demonstrate sufficient loyalty can result in demotion, reassignment, or more severe consequences.
Überragend
Tier III: The Exceptional Class – Executives and the Ruling Elite
Prerequisites: Über
At the pinnacle of Über society stand the Überragend, the privileged executive and ruling class of the Greater German Reich.
The designation Überragend, meaning outstanding or surpassing others, reflects the Reich’s belief that these individuals represent the highest expression of its social and genetic ideals. They are considered exceptional not merely because of their ancestry, but because of their wealth, influence, authority, and service to the state.
The Überragend include senior government officials, military commanders, corporate executives, influential political families, and the directors of the Reich’s most important scientific and industrial institutions.
The Edel ancestry is particularly prominent among the Überragend. Bred specifically for leadership, Edel Übers are widely regarded as the natural rulers of Reich society. Nevertheless, exceptional members of the Brutal, Gehirn, and Schönheit ancestries may also achieve Überragend status through military distinction, scientific accomplishment, corporate success, or political patronage.
The privileges enjoyed by the Überragend are extraordinary. They reside in exclusive residential districts, receive priority access to the most advanced medical treatments and genetic enhancements, and exercise considerable influence over government policy and corporate affairs. Their families often enjoy preferential admission to elite academies, prestigious appointments, and opportunities unavailable to the lower social tiers.
Although the Reich officially promotes achievement and service as pathways to advancement, the Überragend increasingly function as a hereditary aristocracy. Powerful families protect their influence through political alliances, corporate ownership, and carefully arranged marriages.
Competition within this class can be ruthless. Political intrigue, corporate rivalries, and struggles for influence are commonplace, as individual families and institutions seek to preserve or expand their authority.
For the Überragend, loyalty to the Reich is both a fundamental obligation and a means of maintaining their privileged position.
Ancestry and Social Standing
The three social tiers apply across all four Über ancestries, although the opportunities available to each differ considerably.
| Über Ancestry | Über-Bürger | Über-Verwalter | Überragend |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brutal | Miners, soldiers, industrial workers | Foremen, security commanders, military officers | Generals, security directors, industrial executives |
| Gehirn | Technicians, programmers, laboratory workers | Engineers, scientists, research managers | Chief scientists, research directors, technology executives |
| Schönheit | Entertainers, salespeople, service professionals | Media managers, diplomatic aides, public relations directors | Ambassadors, media executives, influential public figures |
| Edel | Junior administrative trainees | Political administrators, leadership candidates | Senior political, military, and corporate leadership |
While the Edel are traditionally associated with leadership, their genetic ancestry does not automatically confer authority over every other Über. A Brutal Überragend serving as a senior military commander may possess greater institutional authority than an Edel Über-Verwalter assigned to a junior administrative post.
Such distinctions frequently create friction within Reich society, particularly among those who believe their genetic ancestry should determine their position in the social order.
Social Mobility and Advancement
Movement between the three social tiers is possible, but carefully controlled.
An Über-Bürger who demonstrates exceptional ability, loyalty, or professional achievement may be elevated into the Über-Verwalter class. Similarly, an accomplished Über-Verwalter may eventually attain Überragend status through distinguished service, corporate advancement, or political appointment.
However, advancement is rarely determined by merit alone.
Family ancestry, political affiliations, corporate sponsorship, and personal connections play significant roles in determining an individual’s opportunities. Those born into influential families frequently enjoy advantages that ordinary Über citizens cannot hope to obtain.
Demotion is also possible. Political disfavor, professional failure, criminal convictions, or accusations of disloyalty can strip an Über of their social standing and associated privileges.
The Reich promotes this system as an orderly meritocracy in which every citizen contributes according to their abilities. In practice, it reinforces existing inequalities while encouraging competition among the very population the government claims to favor.
The Illusion of Über Unity
The Reich’s propaganda portrays the Über as a unified population, genetically perfected and collectively destined to lead humanity. The reality is considerably more complicated.
An Über-Bürger working in the dangerous mines of Mars may share the same genetic ancestry as an Überragend executive directing those operations from a luxurious orbital residence. Yet the differences in their wealth, freedom, security, and political influence can be enormous.
The Reich maintains that these inequalities are necessary for the efficient functioning of society. Every Über is expected to fulfill the responsibilities appropriate to their abilities and social position.
For many ordinary Über citizens, however, the promise of genetic superiority offers little comfort when confronted with industrial accidents, corporate exploitation, inadequate compensation, or the indifference of their supposed social superiors.
These contradictions have become particularly evident throughout the Reich’s colonial territories, where isolation, dangerous working conditions, and corporate authority often expose the divisions within Über society.
Although most Über remain loyal to the Reich, some have begun questioning whether their privileged ancestry truly grants them freedom—or merely a more comfortable position within an oppressive system.
For Monolith and other resistance organizations, these divisions offer opportunities to recruit individuals who have experienced the contradictions of Reich society firsthand.
The Reich may have engineered its citizens to fulfill different purposes, but it cannot entirely control what those citizens come to believe about their place in the world.