Araminta Station

Araminta Station is a science fiction novel by Jack Vance. It is the first part of the Cadwal Chronicles, a trilogy set in the Gaean Reach, the other two novels being Ecce and Old Earth and Throy.

The planet Cadwal is discovered by a member of the "Naturalist Society of Earth". To preserve its natural beauty, the society sets up a Charter to minimize human exploitation. Six bureaus are established, each with a staff of 20 women and 20 men under the leadership of the Conservator, to maintain the Conservancy.

There are three major continents: Ecce, Deucas and Throy. Araminta Station, the main settlement, is located on Deucas, the continent most hospitable to humans. With society members constantly visiting (and often remaining) for "research" purposes, an additional settlement was grudgingly set up at Stroma on Throy.

From the earliest days, the bureau heads recruited close relations and associates for their staffs. Inevitably, the number of family members grew to exceed the Charter limits. On a person's 21st birthday, they are either granted "Agency status", if there is a vacancy and they pass the exams, or they become a "collateral", with much lower status and prospects. Thus, the society of Cadwal is a highly stratified , where birth matters much more than aptitude.

In addition to the collaterals, another group not envisioned by the Charter resides on the planet under the same transparent fiction of being "temporary" laborers: the Yips, "descendents of runaway servants, illegal immigrants and others." Yips are issued six-month work permits. Once these expire, however, they are sent back to overcrowded Yipton on Lutwin Atoll. The Yips present a grave social problem to the "permanent" residents, whom they greatly outnumber, and it is no secret that they would like to occupy Deucas.

The novel centers on Glawen Clattuc, an intelligent, capable young man. Glawen's father Scharde foils an attempt by an old family enemy, Spanchetta Clattuc, to falsely inflate Glawen's "index number" and thereby reduce his chances of achieving Agency status. He joins Bureau B, the department responsible for enforcing the laws of the Charter.

...
Wikipedia