A habitat controlled by the Aurogov, a movement or polity based in the Zuran Expanse. It has been described as a quasi-religious voluntary tyranny (though its leaders consitently deny its religious character). Participants advance through levels ("The Protocol") wherein Aurogov teachings take greater and greater control of their lives. Adherents typically begin with a download of Aurogov’s open license self-help software, distributed by parties unknown in the noosphere of most civilized worlds. The seed software slowly evolves into a nonsapient ai mind emulation of the (perhaps mythical) founder of the group ("The Prime"). Its progressive audits and critiques of the thought processes and behavior of the user lead to progressive behavior modification of susceptible individuals. "Advanced" members without public relations duties tend to dress in the same grey uniform like garments and use frequent aphorisms from Aurogov teachings in their speech.
Aurogov is thought to have its origins on Old Earth and is a
multi-geneline--even mutli-species--organization, but its primary
functionaries are a clade of gray-skinned, long-chinned humanoids who
call themselves "Technicians" but are known to those outside the
organization as Aurogovans. Defectors from the organization report the
Technicians' habitat within the Expanse is also the home of the Ascended
Masters of Aurogov: Individuals who have obtained superhuman powers by
mastering all stages laid out in their central texts. There are always
three Ascended Masters and they always hide their faces behind masks
like giant eyes. They are either posthuman masterminds or a bit of
theater to provide cover for the real leaders, depending on what
defector you ask.
There are
allegations or rumors that Aurogov and its Ascended Masters have a
hidden agenda: they are actually engaged in a secret, psionic
distributed computing project. Every new participant in the
Protocol--every new mind they can access--brings them closer to their
goal.