Origin of the Name

I previously wrote that it was unclear when our organization switched names from The Foundation to Minerva. That may have been a little premature. It has been known for some time that before the War, they went by the former name, and that in most of the early records after the Long Winter use the latter. The archiving of several dozen notebooks, memos and journals belonging to various researchers of little influence, while not adding much to the body of scientific knowledge, have revealed some important facts about the development of the organization we now know as Minerva.

The Environmental Department gave their final report to the Council today. It seems the radiation levels have dropped enough to begin farming the valleys near the bunkers. They were very professional, and kept internal politics out of it completely, but it didn’t take long for the Neo-Romans to plug it into their propaganda. Some might find their speech of ideals and opportunities inspiring, but I’d rather we just stay to ourselves. We’ve got enough trouble feeding ourselves without expanding and taking in more refugees.

-From the personal journal of Arkadiusz Siemowit, a Polish endocrinologist, circa February 2023.

Tensions are running hot. The Neo-Romans have appointed their own Regency in opposition to the Council. My lab and the rest of the geneticists have managed to stay out of it, but lots of people are starting to pick sides. Unfortunately the Neo-Romans are attracting most of the weapons researchers, while the Council has mainly the liberal arts and sociologists behind them. It doesn’t take more than common sense to see how this is going. What do you think we should do?

-Excerpt from a personal letter to Slava Pavletic, written by Ryoichi Nishimura, circa May 2023.

It’s done. The Council folded before it resorted to violence. Good thing too. We need every able-bodied person to get this first crop harvested. Winter comes early these days. I’m fine with the symbolism of their movement and everything, I just hope that the Regents don’t require an offering to their idol.

-From the personal journal of Ampelio Veronesi, an Italian anthropologist, circa August 2023.

While the name Minerva is not explicitly stated in these or any of the other records yet archived for this time period, it seems logical to me that the name change occurred in the summer of 2023 as part of the change of power between the Foundation Council and these Neo-Roman Regents. As early as 2028 we have record of the Minervan Regency as the governing board. Any student of ancient history will know that Minerva was the Roman goddess of wisdom and warfare, two principles that seem to fit our history rather well. I am quite confident that these Neo-Romans were the source of the name, Minerva, and the source of the change in mission from the original Foundation. These influences can also be seen in the names of the three governing bodies of Minerva today: Aegis, Oculus and Glaucus.

Aegis

The history of Aegis is actually quite interesting. In the early days after the War, when the Long Winter first began to abate, Minerva faced few military or political threats. The few survivors they encountered were so weak from malnutrition and radiation poisoning that they couldn’t have posed a serious danger even if they had tried. No, it wasn’t until later, when Minerva expanded its territory that they first began to encounter armed competitors.

The following are several excerpts from logs of Metin Burakgazi, the first Minervan Minister of Security.

12/7/2038

We received word today that one of the outer villages was ambushed by a large band of men wielding automatic rifles and other assorted weaponry. Preliminary reports indicate they’ve killed several of the men and are having their way with all the women and girls. I wish I could do something, but I have less than a dozen poorly-armed security officers. I’ve sent out messages to the nearby villages warning them of the bandits, and encouraging them to bring their people in to the Base for protection. Maybe this will wake those damned scientists up.

16/7/2038

The bandits have raided another two villages in the sector, but the damned pacifists in command still won’t provide me with more men or weaponry. Do they think these raiders are just going to leave on their own?

19/7/2038

It seems the cavalry have finally arrived. A sizeable group of UN Peacekeeping forces has taken up position around one of the villages and repelled the last raid. I didn’t know that any of the military were still around and trying to do their job. The regents are voting right now on whether to send my force to support them or not. They better vote yes, because I’m going irregardless.

21/7/2038

With the help from the Peacekeepers, our combined forces managed to defeat the raider group and take back the villages. I was also able to convince the soldiers’ captain to stay on with us and help protect our people. With their training and firepower we might just be able to shield the locals from any more marauding bandits in the area. Somehow, I know we are going to encounter a lot more of them.

And thus, Aegis was born. From those first few Peacekeepers, Burakgazi was able to form a fighting force strong enough and agile enough to defend Minerva until today. From my experience, the men of Aegis have maintained the same mentality and willingness to protect the weak as those first Peacekeepers. They truly are deserving of the name Aegis.

Oculus

For the rest of the 21st century Minerva faced increasing opposition from bandit groups, local warlords and even some city-states that managed to survive the War. While the newly formed paramilitary branch Aegis employed their Peacekeepers to defend Minerva’s territory, there was a recognized need to pursue peaceful resolution to their problems.

At their April meeting in 2040, the Regents voted to create and fund a diplomatic corps. The new organization, christened “The Oculus of Minerva”, immediately set to work training diplomats, spies and propagandists. Basing themselves after the business-political model of the pre-War US, they organized a board and chose a president, John D Rockefeller VII, whose secretary’s records I here quote.

Agenda for Weekly Board meeting – 24/5/2040

10:00 – Welcome

10:05 – Report from Chair of Acquisitions Committee

10:15 – Report from Chair of Diplomatic Committee

10:25 – Report from Chair of Espionage Committee

10:35 – Report from Chair of Propaganda Committee

10:45 – Break

11:00 – Discussion of Long Term Goals

11:30 – Discussion of Short Term Goals

12:00 – Lunch

1:00 – Presentation on Current State of Affairs

Some of her minutes from the meeting include lists of potential targets for diplomacy or sabotage, and a variety of ideas for how to turn the various bandit groups to serve Oculus’ purposes. Some of her notes are damaged beyond my ability to restore, but the general tone of the meeting seemed to be hopeful, even confident in Oculus’ importance to the future of Minerva. Perhaps that very over-confidence is what led us to today’s state of affairs.

Oculus proved to be a very successful endeavor over the next few decades. Several powerful city-states joined Minerva after prolonged negotiations with Oculus diplomats. Many more joined despite their initial refusals when several raider groups began invading their territory, or when their resources were stolen and water was poisoned. Oculus denied any involvement, which in my opinion allowed the Regents to accomplish their goals without having to accept the moral consequences of their actions.

Brutal and immoral as some of Oculus’ tactics may have been, they certainly were effective. By 2100, Minerva’s sphere of influence had nearly tripled to include an area of over 3000 square kilometers, and continues to increase today.

Glaucus

Being a product of the traditions and mentality of Glaucus, it should be of no surprise to anyone that I find its history fascinating. While today Minerva has three Branches, Glaucus is, in essence, a continuation of the original Foundation. As an organization it holds to the ideals and principles espoused by the Founders, always seeking to further the scientific and technological knowledge of the human race, without regards to politics. While the reality of this post-War world requires a military and political presence, Glaucus continues to conduct as pure of research as possible.

Before 2050, Glaucus as an organization did not exist. They were simply Minerva. Aegis and Oculus, only about decade old each, where seen as subsidiary groups to research interests of Minerva. It wasn’t until the Mid-Century Council took place that the term Glaucus was introduced to refer to Minerva’s scientists, and the power structure of Minerva was completely remade.

I will cover the M.C.C. at a later time. Suffice it to say for now that while the control of the Regents was abolished, the newly established Glaucus continued to conduct research as it always had. They even continued to exert a disproportionate amount of influence over Minerva’s actions (at least according to internal Oculus reports from the time).

The following is an excerpt from a speech by Jacques Guillory, after accepting the appointment as the first Dean of Glaucus:

I am honored by the trust you have given me at this time. I know that many of you are frustrated, even angry, with how the recent Council resolved. I want to publicly promise, before all of you at this time, that I will work tirelessly to promote the Founders’ ideals of freedom, peace and knowledge. I will work with President Rockefeller and General Burakgazi to ensure that Minerva continues on the proper path, bettering the world one day at a time.

In the following years Guillory and his successors kept their promises, at times even having to stymie attempts made by Oculus – and less frequently, Aegis – to overstep their authority or change Minerva’s course. While the majority of Glaucus’ members despise such politicking, it has unfortunately become more and more necessary in recent decades.