Ziba Mehraban
| Ziba Mehraban | |
| Full name | Ziba Mehraban |
|---|---|
| Pronouns | She/her |
| Physical information | |
| Species | Human |
| Race | Raspurid |
| Gender | Female |
| Biographical information | |
| Father | Bahram Mehraban |
| Mother | Faranak Sorkh-Ābādi |
| Spouse | Widowed |
| Children | Parviz Mehraban |
| Date of birth | 3.VIII.1696 AN |
| Place of birth | Raspur City, Raspur Khanate |
| Residence(s) | Petropolis |
| Nationality |
 Constancia |
| Allegiance(s) | Imperial Constancian Government |
| Alma mater |
Dabirestân-e Pardanashin Akadimía Anthropistikón Epistimón |
| Occupation | Civil servant |
| Religion | Zurvanite |
Ziba Mehraban (born 3.VIII.1696 AN) is a Constancian civil servant who serves as Chief Secretary to the Mesazon of the Imperial State of Constancia. She has held this position through three consecutive administrations, serving Agnar Egbert Oakwood, Ardashir Bābakān-e Osman, and the current Mesazon Lucas Espiridon. Her continuity across multiple governments has made her the administrative linchpin of the executive branch, responsible for coordinating the Mesazon's schedule, controlling access to his office, and ensuring the smooth functioning of the government machinery.
Descended from a minor Raspurid noble family that lost most of its wealth during the Second Euran War, Mehraban has risen through talent and determination to a position of considerable informal influence. Ministers and senior officials have learned that her favor can smooth the path to the Mesazon's attention, while her disfavor can result in appointments perpetually delayed and memoranda lost in the bureaucratic labyrinth.
Early life and family
Mehraban was born in Raspur City to a family whose fortunes had declined sharply within living memory. The Mehraban clan had been minor landholders in the Raspur Khanate for generations, possessing estates in the agricultural hinterland surrounding the capital and maintaining a modest but respectable position in the complex hierarchy of Raspurid nobility. Her grandfather, Ardavan Mehraban, had served as a provincial magistrate under the old order and had accumulated sufficient wealth to provide for his descendants.
The Second Euran War destroyed this modest prosperity. The family estates, located in territory that saw heavy fighting, were devastated. The irrigation systems that sustained agriculture were wrecked, the manor house burned, and several family members killed in the chaos. Ardavan himself died of illness during the post-war famine, leaving his son Bahram with little more than a noble name and memories of better times.
Bahram Mehraban, Ziba's father, found employment in the nascent civil administration that emerged during the reconstruction period. He worked as a clerk in the Grand Vizier's office, a position that provided subsistence but no path to restoring the family's former status. He married Faranak Sorkh-Ābādi, the daughter of another impoverished noble family, in 1694 AN. Ziba, their first and only surviving child, was born two years later.
Education
As a girl of noble birth, albeit diminished circumstances, Mehraban received education through the Education & Indoctrination Service of Raspur. She attended the Dabirestân-e Pardanashin, the secondary institution for girls born to the Special Breeding Programme and, by extension, those of recognized Raspurid noble families. The curriculum emphasized literacy, numeracy, domestic management, and the traditional accomplishments expected of women of her class, but Mehraban distinguished herself particularly in languages and administration.
Her instructors noted her exceptional memory for detail and her ability to manage complex information. She could recall the contents of documents she had read weeks earlier with near-perfect accuracy, a talent that would prove invaluable in her later career. She also demonstrated unusual discretion, rarely repeating information shared with her in confidence, a quality that earned the trust of her superiors from an early age.
Upon completing her secondary education, Mehraban secured admission to the Akadimía Anthropistikón Epistimón in Astérapolis, where she studied administrative science and political economy. She graduated in 1718 AN with distinction, having written a thesis on the organization of the Babkhan imperial bureaucracy that drew on fragmentary records preserved by her family. The work attracted the attention of several senior civil servants, who saw in the young woman a potential recruit for government service.
Civil service career
Mehraban entered the Imperial Government in 1719 AN as a junior clerk in the Ministry of the Interior and Local Government. Her initial duties were routine: copying documents, maintaining files, and managing correspondence. She performed these tasks with a thoroughness that quickly brought her to the attention of her superiors.
Within two years, she had been promoted to senior clerk and assigned to the minister's private office, where she assisted with scheduling and correspondence. The minister at the time, a political appointee of limited administrative ability, came to rely heavily on her judgment in managing the flow of business through his office. When he departed at the end of the Synklētos term, he recommended her warmly to his successor.
This pattern would repeat throughout the 1720s. Ministers came and went with the political tides, but Mehraban remained, accumulating institutional knowledge and relationships that made her increasingly indispensable. By 1728 AN, she had risen to Deputy Director of Administration within the ministry, a position that placed her among the senior permanent officials of the government.
The 1725 crisis
The 1725 Constancian crisis tested Mehraban's abilities in ways that routine administration never had. As resentment over the Norasht campaign losses boiled over into political instability, the normal functioning of government threatened to break down. Ministers resigned or were dismissed, the Imperial Synklētos proved incapable of providing stable leadership, and the machinery of state ground toward paralysis.
Mehraban distinguished herself during this period by maintaining order within her sphere of responsibility when chaos reigned elsewhere. She ensured that essential functions continued, that records were preserved, and that the transition between ministers occurred with minimal disruption. Her calm competence amid the turmoil drew the notice of senior figures in the Permanent Standing Committee, who began to see her as someone who could be relied upon regardless of circumstances.
Transfer to the Office of the Mesazon
In 1731 AN, following the appointment of Kenneth Keith Stürmer as Mesazon, Mehraban was recruited to the Office of the Mesazon as Deputy Chief Secretary. The position placed her at the center of government operations, responsible for coordinating the administrative support functions that enabled the Mesazon to exercise his authority effectively.
She served in this capacity through the remainder of Stürmer's term and into the administration of Agnar Egbert Oakwood, who assumed office in 1738 AN. When the Chief Secretary retired that same year, Oakwood promoted Mehraban to succeed him, making her the first woman and the first Raspurid to hold the position.
Chief Secretary
Role and responsibilities
The Chief Secretary to the Mesazon occupies a position of considerable formal authority within the structure of the Imperial Constancian Government. The officeholder is responsible for managing the Mesazon's schedule, coordinating communications between the Mesazon and other government officials, maintaining records of decisions and directives, and overseeing the administrative staff of the Office of the Mesazon.
In practice, the position carries influence far exceeding its formal description. The Chief Secretary controls access to the most powerful official in the government after the Autokrator. Ministers seeking the Mesazon's time must work through her office. Documents requiring the Mesazon's attention pass through her hands. The order in which matters are brought to the Mesazon's notice, the framing of options presented for decision, the record of what was decided and communicated to others, all these fall within the Chief Secretary's purview.
Mehraban has wielded this influence with skill and discretion. She does not pursue a policy agenda of her own, at least not visibly. Her interventions serve to facilitate the Mesazon's work rather than to substitute her judgment for his. Yet those who have observed her operation over the years note that she is not merely a passive conduit. She shapes the information environment in which decisions are made, and her preferences, however subtly expressed, carry weight.
Service under Oakwood
Agnar Egbert Oakwood, who served as Mesazon from 1738 AN to 1743 AN, was a methodical administrator who valued order and predictability. Mehraban's organizational abilities suited his temperament perfectly. Under his leadership, the Office of the Mesazon functioned with clockwork precision, documents moving through established channels, meetings beginning and ending on schedule, decisions recorded and implemented systematically.
Oakwood relied on Mehraban extensively for institutional memory. Having served in various capacities since the 1720s, she possessed knowledge of precedents, personalities, and procedures that no newcomer could match. When questions arose about how similar matters had been handled in the past, or about the history of relationships between officials and institutions, Oakwood turned to his Chief Secretary for guidance.
The partnership ended with the outbreak of the Fourth Euran War in 1742 AN. The demands of wartime governance proved beyond Oakwood's capabilities, and by 1743 AN he had been replaced by Ardashir Bābakān-e Osman, the Khanzada of Raspur, who brought a very different approach to the office.
Service under Ardashir
The appointment of Ardashir Bābakān-e Osman as Mesazon during wartime represented a significant shift in the character of the government. A military man and member of the al-Osman family that dominated Raspurid politics, Ardashir brought urgency, decisiveness, and a certain impatience with bureaucratic process to the office.
Some expected Mehraban to struggle under the new regime. Her methodical approach seemed ill-suited to a Mesazon who demanded rapid action and chafed at procedural delays. In the event, she adapted. She learned to distinguish between matters that required full process and those that could be expedited without undue risk. She streamlined her office's operations to match the accelerated tempo of wartime governance while maintaining sufficient documentation to protect against future questions.
Ardashir, for his part, came to appreciate having a Chief Secretary who could translate his directives into implementable orders and ensure that subordinate officials understood and executed his intentions. Their relationship was less intimate than her partnership with Oakwood had been, but it was effective. When the war ended with the Vanie Accords of 1745 and Ardashir departed the Mesazonship in 1746 AN, he specifically requested that his successor retain Mehraban in her position.
Service under Espiridon
Lucas Espiridon, the current Mesazon, assumed office in 1746 AN with an ambitious agenda for post-war reconstruction and reform. His administration has launched numerous initiatives, including the Sanitation Corps, the National and Household Solarization Plan, and comprehensive reviews of the Constancian National Infrastructure Master Plan.
This activist approach has required adjustments in the Chief Secretary's office. Where Oakwood sought stability and Ardashir demanded speed, Espiridon expects both, along with creativity and flexibility. Mehraban has responded by expanding her staff, delegating more routine functions, and focusing her personal attention on the matters of greatest importance to the Mesazon's priorities.
Her relationship with Espiridon is reported to be cordial but professional. Unlike some previous Mesazons, he does not seek her counsel on matters of policy, preferring to rely on his ministers and personal advisors for substantive guidance. He values her administrative capabilities but maintains clear boundaries regarding her role. Whether this arrangement will persist remains to be seen; previous Mesazons who began by keeping their distance have often found themselves drawn into closer consultation as the complexities of governance revealed themselves.
Influence and reputation
Informal power
Mehraban's position grants her what observers have termed "the power of the gatekeeper." She cannot make policy, but she can affect which policies receive attention and which languish. She cannot appoint or dismiss officials, but she can influence the Mesazon's perceptions of their performance. She cannot command resources, but she can facilitate or impede the approval of requests.
This informal influence has made her a figure of considerable importance in the corridors of power. Ministers seeking favorable treatment for their initiatives cultivate her goodwill. Officials hoping for promotion ensure that she receives no cause for complaint. Those who have crossed her, whether through discourtesy, failure to follow procedures, or perceived disloyalty to the Mesazon, have found their careers mysteriously stalled.
The extent to which Mehraban actively exercises this power, as opposed to merely benefiting from others' assumptions about it, remains unclear. She does not threaten or make demands. Her manner is invariably correct, even warm. Yet the perception persists that displeasing her carries consequences, and this perception itself constitutes a form of power regardless of whether it reflects deliberate cultivation on her part.
Discretion
Throughout her career, Mehraban has maintained extraordinary discretion regarding the matters that pass through her office. She does not gossip about ministers or their disputes. She does not leak information to journalists or political operatives. She does not discuss the Mesazon's deliberations even with close associates.
This reticence has contributed to her longevity across multiple administrations. Mesazons of different parties and temperaments have all concluded that they could trust her with sensitive information. The State Protection Authority has reportedly vetted her multiple times over the years and found nothing to suggest divided loyalties.
Critics suggest that her discretion serves self-interest as much as principle. By keeping others' secrets, she accumulates obligations. By refusing to take sides in political disputes, she positions herself to work with whoever emerges victorious. By maintaining opacity about her own views and activities, she avoids creating enemies. These interpretations may be uncharitable, but they reflect the suspicion with which any figure of her influence inevitably contends.
Personal life
Mehraban married Dariush Vaziri, a civil engineer in the Ministry for Reconstruction and Infrastructure, in 1724 AN. The marriage was reportedly arranged by their families but developed into a partnership of genuine affection. Vaziri died in 1739 AN from complications of an illness contracted during inspection of a construction site in Shahzamin. Mehraban has not remarried.
The couple had one son, Parviz, born in 1726 AN. He followed his father into engineering, graduating from Euran University and taking a position with a construction firm that contracts with the government. Mehraban has been scrupulous about avoiding any involvement in matters affecting her son's employer, recusing herself from relevant discussions and ensuring that documents pertaining to the firm pass through other channels.
She maintains a residence in Petropolis near the government quarter, a modest apartment that reflects neither her status nor her salary, both of which would permit more conspicuous consumption. She is known to work long hours, often the first to arrive at the office and among the last to leave. Her social life appears limited to family obligations and the official functions her position requires her to attend.
Mehraban remains a practicing Zurvanite, observing the traditional festivals and maintaining connections to the religious establishment of the Raspur Khanate. She has donated to the restoration of temples damaged during the war and is said to consult occasionally with senior clergy on matters of personal guidance. These religious connections have reinforced her standing within the Raspurid community while creating no apparent conflicts with her government responsibilities.
