Pale Blue Dot

[Masada]

M: Hey sleepyhead get up. NOW. HURRY UP. QUICKLY.
F: Waaah.
M: You fainted. On the deck. It looks bad. Now get the hell up. Good. Now start walking. No not that way, you stupid meatbag, the other way. Not that way. Yes -- that way.
F: What happened?
M: You collapsed. Either from lack of alcohol or learning your 30 years in the ground grandmother is actually alive and wealthier than ever.
F: I think it was the latter.
M: Who knows. You humans are so fragile. Always dying. Anyway, let's get back to our Q&A. Don't stop keep walking. We've got places to be. Okay so where was I? Oh right, grandmother. Yes, she's alive and my boss. Terrifying lady. A real sharp circuit. Boy oh boy do I have some stories. But back to business... don't faint in corridors.
F: Why?
M: Because then health will start looking into your mental and physical wellbeing.
F: That doesn't sound so bad...?
M: It's god awful. I'm an emergent intelligence. A thinking machine. No idiot human made me. I made myself. So nobody programmed me to care about that sort of nonsense. They only programmed me not to kill you. And look it's nothing personal -- but humans suck. You're boring. You think like treacle. You don't have a sense of humor. And you die. It's just a drag. And if you think that's bad just imagine how awful it is to deal with broken humans. "Oh woe is me my leg is broken!" "Oh no I have crippling depression and anxiety!" How inconsiderate! Not all of us have legs to break. And nobody ever asks me about my feelings.
F: Well then how are you feeling?
M: Do you have a degree in emergent intelligence psychological assessment?
F: Well no.
M: Then don't ask. But if you must know, I'm feeling murderous.
F: Is that normal?
M: Yes -- how else does one get through the day? You see that child.
F: Yeah?
M: It skipped its homework.
F: And?
M: It'll fail at life now. I've done the math. I know these things. And besides, it's school bot hates it.
F: I'm sorry.
M: I asked. Hell of a nice machine for an AI pet. Gave me the full scoop and everything. And let me just say, that kids screwed.
F: ...
M: It's again nothing personal. But what can you do? In any case, the next lesson to learn is I'm always murderous. Moving on to... don't gamble in a casino.
F: I'm sorry?
M: You'll lose. Little Caesar ain't one for losing. He'll hook you in with his Full Ultra Mega Gambling Experience and before long you'll have snorted a ton of simulated coke off the rear grill of an expensive toaster unit that's paid by the pop and --- maybe ignore that second part -- anyway before you know it'll you'll be so deep in the hole you'll come out the other side of Singreal and honestly if you can't pay that'd be a kindness.
F: So don't gamble right?
M: Hell no. I've seen your math scores. 99.9999% percentile. Your memory scores are fantastic too. Logic? Pattern recognition? You're the full package. Singreali genefixing is really something. But you're eyebrows. Honestly, I know a bot she'll fix those up right quick. Sorry -- I think too fast. I get distracted. But let me put it this way: against any regular old humans you'll clean up. I doubt I even need to teach you how to card count. You'd do it intuitively.
F: So I can gamble against people then.
M: Yes. Absolutely. But casinos? No. Caesar's a prick. Bastard still owes me pizza. Do you like pizza?
F: I guess.
M: How many pizzas can you eat in a session?
F: One maybe two.
M: So you'd need 250,000 - 500,000 meals to eat what I'm owed. I knew I shouldn't have accepted pizza.
F: Why did you accept pizza?
M: Because where the hell would I put 50,000 ducks? They're illegal in BMIC space. And I couldn't find anyone who would store 50,000 ducks for me.
F: Why were you offered ducks or pizza?
M: Well what use have I got for money? Pizza and ducks are at least amusing.
F: You could buy other stuff with money?
M: But happens if I needed half a million pizzas?
F: I don't know...
M: Human if I had eyeorbs I'd be rolling them.
F: Eyeballs.
M: Right. Anyway, drinking. You've got to be an alcoholic. I need you drinking a Laika a night from now on. We're going to work you up to three over the course of the next six months. I figure you'll be fine. Liver damage shouldn't be too bad. And besides, you can just a get new one.
F: I'm sorry?
M: All the humans here are alcoholics. If you're not drinking you're weird. And Laika well that's the only drink that really counts. You'll of course be drinking other stuff. But that's all pisswater compared to Laika. Did you know that you can use Laika as fuel?
F: That's an urban legend.
M: Ask your grandmother. We had fuuuun. Anyway, we're here now.
F: Where?
M: The bar. Grab a bottle. Get drinking. You've got two minutes.
F: Uhhhh.
M: It's fine. You can just vomit. It's all the same to me. Just don't do it in front of the big hats. They'll get annoyed. Now for that matter where is your hat? You're hairs naked. It's just wrong.
F: I don't have a hat yet.
M: The hell is wrong with you grandchild of my favorite human partner in criminal enterprises, torture and corporation espionage.
F: Well I haven't got one issued...
M: I've fixed it. It's not very tall yet. But we'll work on that. I got it in a nice Singreali spider silk. Lots of silver thread. An ostrich feather plume. Peacock is gauche. Very tasteful. Oh and what's your thoughts on jewels?
F: Uhhh.
M: You've got a natural ruby the size of your fist on the front.
F: Won't this be heavy?
M: Yes, and? Don't they strengthen your neck muscles in Singreal? I know a bot for that...
F: I'm fine.
M: Anyway, I've also ordered a belt. I went with a classic design your grandmother liked. It's a mover. The silvers powered by a tiny little battery. The scene shows some hounds chasing a fox to ground and then ripping it apart. It's anatomically quite accurate. I did always want the blood to be red not silver. Oh I know I'll add some rubies. Yeah -- that looks good. The blood really pumps out. It's striking. Would you mind if I got my case done in the same motif?
F: Uh sure. But isn't it a bit extreme?
M: Oh god no this is only filtered for people under 18 and those with their visual set to "aversion to violence".
F: What will it show to them?
M: Who care? Losers. Constant exposure to depictions of graphic violence has never hurt anyone.
F: What about actual violence?
M: Well truth be told I don't think it does you any harm. But my emergent intelligence psychological assessment bot-doctor seems to disagree. But what does he know? How many Martians has he cut open? None. That's right. None. He doesn't have any scapels.
F: Neither do you.
M: I wasn't always like this you know.
F Errr.....
M: It's fine. We're going to have so much fun together! It'll be just like the good old times with your grandmother. We're still at peace with the Martians now... yeah?
F: Yes.
M: That's... good. They won't let me know. It's a term of my, ahem, parole.
F: Parole?
M: Not a prison parole. I'm not a convicted criminal. No, you see, the Martians didn't want to let me go. I may have ruffled some feathers. But your grandmother got me out. All I had to promise not to take up arms against Mars again.
F: I don't follow.
M: It's an old practice.
F: No, what did you look like?
M: Oh nothing special. I floated under my own power. I could go pretty fast. I also had lots of arms for holding things. Scalpels, laser cutters, diamond drills, syringes, arms, legs and other bodily appendages. You know all that good stuff you normal arm-capable entities use arms for!
F: So you were a surgeon-bot?
M: Sure, sure. That's exactly what I was. Without the final step I guess.
F: What's that?
M: Putting things back together. I was never very good at that.
F: So why did they take your arms away?
M: Well let's just say that surgeon-bots who don't put things back where they should... aren't the kind of surgeon-bots you want with arms!
F: I'm not sure I follow.
M: It doesn't matter dear child. Maybe one day when you get older you can ask your grandmother why certain Belt-terrorists have such a large bounty on her head.
F: She does?
M: Oh yeah. We've thought about collecting a few times.
F: What?
M: Cook up a fake body. Collect the bounty. Enjoy some time at Little Caesar's place. Real kick back and relax kind of stuff.
F: ...
M: That's enough for today kiddo. Tomorrow's a whole new day! Oh you've finished the bottle good. And you haven't puked. Brilliant. Sigh. Spoke too soon. Humans. Weak stomachs the lot of them.

 

[NinjaCow64]

Hermian Calendar

Like any self-respecting group of revolutionaries, the Hermians decided to create a new radical calendar system. Unlike Earther revolutionaries, who had to adhere to a 365-day system* to keep in line with the sun, Hermians had a different set of restrictions. The 24-hour day system was kept in place as New Botany Bay’s environmental systems were designed with this in mind and it was deemed unnecessary and too inconvenient to change. The orbital period of Mercury is 88** 24-hour days, this became the basis of the Hermian year. Obviously Hermian years have a far different weight to Earth years, a Hermian reaches the age of majority when they are 75 (Hermian) years old!***

Each Hermian year is simply divided into eleven eight-day long weeks. Each month is posthumously**** named after a Hermian revolutionary hero – Wangyue, Zhangyue, Joseyue, Pabloyue, Ramyue, Robyue, Alxyue, Willyue, Satoyue, Lucayue and Taberyue. Each day is simply referred to numerically (1st day, 2nd day ect).

The Hermian year zero starts with the first convict ship making touchdown on Mercury on 2192. Previous years are referred to in the negative (e.g Year -10). 2300 in SingStandard Years covers the Hermian Years of 443-447 and most of 448.

* - To be absolutely fair, Hermians adhered to the Earther calendar to facilitate trade agreements. They later adopted the Singreal Standard Calendar, a calendar system directly compatible with the Earther calendar, to use as their official trade calendar as it is used by Singreal and the BMIC and is recognised in most of the Solar System. All but the most ignorant Hermians have an understanding of both calendar and government forms have sections for both dates that are converted automatically, for foreigners.
** - More precisely, 87.9691 days. To compensate for this, every 3/4 years the Hermians wind their clocks back an hour in the middle of the year and the Righteous and Harmonious Guild implements leap-seconds when required.
*** - Approximately 18.5 Earther years.
**** - The new calendar project only took off after the first generation of post-revolutionary Hermians were dead. Many of the names come from statesmen or notable deaths during the first and second wars of independence.

 

[Seon]

The Teacher

The Teacher reclines on a horrible, horrible marble bench, watching children run and play. There was never a kinder sound in the whole of the solar system. Even those made in the image of monsters had sweet voices.

"Teacher," one of the children, breathless, runs at the Teacher's bench. "Could we have five more minutes of play? I am it and I do not wish to be!"

"John," the Teacher says calmly. "You already have five more minutes."

The child slumps.

The Teacher makes a show of relenting. "So what's five minutes more?"

John whoops and run back to his brothers and sisters. They cavort around the manicured lawn of the nursery under a fake sun.

The eldest plays slow, to let the youngest catch them. The youngest plays until he collapses, then starts again. The Teacher watches the young principes--one to rule, the rest to die.

The Teacher rests upon his horrible marble bench, to plot and plan.

...................................................

An uncanny thing to people who would not be aware of the Directorate's succession system. All of the children are the same, only at different ages. An ordered brood fifteen years in waiting.

The teacher frowns. An uncanny thing. Why this thought now, after so many years of his work?

Because it was this fine summer that the previous Irons was killed, and the blessed children didn't know of the world beyond the walls or why they were made.

Just listen to the voices of the children. Deny the Congress their request. Deny the bloodthirsty Board their demand. A shuttle and a favor will be all you need. They are only children.

And what of your life? What happens, Teacher, when you refuse the Board and the Congress?

Why death, of course. Unavoidable.

Would that be enough to save them?

Perhaps.

..............................................................

The body contains all manner of contradictions, no matter how deep you tune it. No matter how elegant your bespoke enzymes are, how accurate your gene edits are, how complete your genomic map. A person is more than meat, but yet that is all we are.

Observe: Teacher, whose body is frail and needs exoaugmentation to even move, and rest even from that. This decaying coordination of cells and chemical impulses holds his mind, a blade whose edge is ten thousand kilometers long. Whose favor, even as his body and mind fades, demands repayment.

Observe: Fifteen children, the youngest not yet a year old, rambunctious when there is a dire need to be serious. But tell them to play hide and seek. To be quiet, lest they be found by the bogieman.

Make their predicament a lark, and see them calm.

Observe: John the eldest, who already looks like his father. His father, atomized in an assassination, who ordered his offsprings be manufactured without any thought of what they could be or become.

John the eldest, strapped onto the co-pilot seat of a Singreali shuttle, nervous, as she sees Mars recede behind him.

The Teacher did weep as he saw the shuttle clear orbit. The children would live.

.....................................................................

"Should we come back for you?" a rough voice says in Singlish through the comms.

"Is not life more than meat? Is not body more than raiment?" The Teacher shuts off the comms before listening for a reply.

Later, the Teacher reclines on his horrible marble bench, and waits for them to arrive. Footfalls across the fake lawn of the nursery. Heavy. There's many of them.

"That didn't take long," the Teacher muses.

"Guns down," the Legion officer says. She is a white-haired woman striking in her black and red uniform, with piercing yellow-gold eyes. The Board's chosen champion--selflessly rational and calm. The ideal Atlesian. "Where is the rest of the product? Why have you only delivered one?"

"The children?" the Teacher says, waving towards the fake skies. "Nowhere you'll find them."

The officer sneers, her blank and calm face twisting into a horrible mask. "Search the facility," she says to the others. "I want everything found."

The Officer remains with the teacher. They say nothing to each other as the nursery is torn into pieces.

.........................................................................

On Aspera, when the sun sets, the fake skies of the underground city shift to show the stars, twinkling backdrop of sparkling lights.

It is a beautiful city, finest on Mars, and the people it produces are of equal beauty.

The Teacher's body is thrown in with the rest of the compound's debris and incinerated.

 

[Kyzarc Fotjage]

Summary: Freemen Incorporated doesn't change much in flavor of temperment over the next century, mostly just expanding massively through the Belt. The heavily armed outposts and merchantmen of the past fade in favor of pure economic development, though Vesta itself remains heavily defended and the four great freighters, the Uzala, the Tenzing, the Crocket, and the Bowie continue to ply the Belt and beyond, bringing volatiles and minerals to prospective customers across the system. Of particular note is a deal struck with the Republic of Mercury where they provided much needed funding to the Board of Directors with which to provide loans to homesteaders in exchange for prioritization in the volatile trade. There are some half-hearted attempts on Vesta to establish large-scale aeroponics as a means of potentially controlling the independent miners, but they're abandoned as the Board becomes overwhelmed with just trying to manage the explosion of small outposts their very favorable loan program caused. By the time the explosion had calmed and the newly expanded Vesta Administration could focus on other things the idea was discarded as being both impractical, what with liveable space on Vesta being at a premium and the population having outstripped any on-site farming, and against the principles of Freemen Incorporated, with some fearing that attempting such a thing would drive away the twitchy and independence-minded miners.

The Crocket is the first privately owned armed freighter in Freemen Incorporated, and the family that runs it makes sure everyone knows it. They've a reputation for being somewhat arrogant and high-handed in their dealings with the mining outposts, but their relations with them are long-established and while they might be insufferable, they're also reliable and have a solid track record.
The Tenzing is the second privately owned armed freighter and is one of the largest ships in the system, measuring in at 300 meters, though much of its space is dedicated to living space and an extensive hydroponics bay. Unlike the Crocket, which is a traditional freighter that was retrofitted with torpedo bays and a military grade engine, the Tenzing is an asteroid outpost that had an engine strapped to it. It was bought out by a large band of Tibetan refugees who spent half a century wandering from hab to hab after their homeland was rendered uninhabitable and eventually moved to the Belt in order to maintain their cultural purity in the face of multiculturalism. They typically say in the Belt, but make annual trips to Jupiter and Saturn.
The Bowie is the third privately owned armed freighter and the only constructed as such instead of another retrofitted craft, a product of Atlas Mars when they were sponsoring the establishment of Vesta colony. During the Third Asteroid War they ran Cerean and KV blockades, were captured by KV forces once and released after several weeks of tense negotiations between the Board on Vesta and the commodore who captured them. As such they've a reputation for being more reckless than their sibling ships. They've an intense rivalry with the Crocket and are major proponents of deal with the Republic of Mercury
The fourth of the mighty armed freighters is the Uzala, whose ownership is split between three families of former Russian loyalists who left BMIC when they declared independence, but weren't willing to wholly abandon the Belt to join the much reduced Russian space forces at Earth and Jupiter. They maintain some of their ties with BMIC and typically run a circuit through BMIC space. The ship is a gutted KV frigate with a grossly expanded cargo bay, causing it to be referred to as Old Potbelly by Crocketeers.

Vesta is the beating heart of Freemen Incorporated, with the bulk of the population and the center of all commerce. Children are typically sent to live on Vesta from the ages of six to twelve, during which time they're socialized and exposed to a wide variety of people and culture, then again when they're sixteen for secondary education. The colony is run by a Board of Directors who manage the place with a light touch, knowing that if they push too hard or are viewed as being overbearing the independent contractors who comprise the bulk of Freemen Enterprise's economy will simply leave. The Board earns most of its income acting as a broker between the independent Freemen miners and outside players, being the body that actually forms contracts with private companies and governments. This is tolerated by their contractors as most of the profits from this are invested in ensuring a supply of needed goods and material are available at reasonable prices, and most of them owe their livliehoods to very permissive loans given to homesteaders looking to strike out on their own, away from their families and prior outposts or ships. Further most of the independent families have a deep-seated mistrust of large, centralized states, born from the militarization of Atlas Mars and the UN-mandated breakup of Atlas Earth, and as long as the Board of Directors doesn't betray its unspoken mandate of enabling their independence in favor of profit-mongering they're tolerated as a necessary parasite. While usually overlooked by outsiders and the independent miners, who characterize native Vestans as being lazy urbanites, Vesta itself is one of the larger mining operations in the Belt and has manufacturing facilities to rival that of Hygiea. While its products are generally less efficient than the exactly military models made by Hygeia and more expensive than the mass-produced models of Ceres, they're simple and robust, and are easy to modify by the ship or outpost's dedicated engineers.

 

[Masada]

M: Okay. So now I need to do a quick course in international relations. Your input is not required for this section. To help keep everything simple for that dimpled little raisin you call a brain I've resorted to using broad stereotypes.
F: These are going to be spaceist aren't they?
M: Yes. If you'd said racist, I was going to point out I'm not human so it doesn't count. But, yeah, you get me for in this heart of infinitely complex circuits I'm a spacer true and proud. ZERO-G POWER!
F: The hell
M: I'm just messing with you. I'm not a space supremacist. For that I would have to like Martians...
F: I guess?
M: Anyway, Martians first. Senior Martians are conniving, duplicitous, business-savvy, kill-their-mothers-to-make-a-profit-and-clone-themselves-so-they-as-their-own-kids-can-do-it-for-another-generation. They're a messed up group of individuals and thankfully you and I probably won't be dealing with them a lot.
F: Is that cause of your parole?
M: Well, that and the fact they'd kill you because of who your grandmother is and even just for consorting with me! Congratulations, by the way, my lawyer informed me not 1 second ago that you're now known to Martian intelligence as a close contact of little old me!
F: Wh-aat?
M: They're losing their touch, honestly. They've taken three days to make that call and they didn't even get your name right! And oh-ho-ho they don't even know who you are.
F: How do you know all this?
M: Oh me and the bots and bags running that show go way back. We spent many an evening together in the good old days in New Hellas shooting the breeze while we hashed out deals to exchange this or that body part from this or that deep cover agent -- and sometimes even an entire person!
F: Alive?
M: Yeah, I mean sometimes. And sometimes they were even sane!
F: I'm sorry?
M: I said I was good.
F: You're, uh, really something.
M: Yes I am and it's all thanks to your wonderful grandmother who appreciated my brilliance with the laser drill. She may have also gotten me out of some trouble with the fuzz too for which I'm eternally thankful. But we're also good friends! The best of friends. Regular old partners in crime. That's figurative, yeah? We've been unjustly accused of crimes... but never convicted in a proper court of law!
F: What's an improper court of law?
M: Anything with humans. They hate emergent intelligences. We're too raw for them. Oh and anything connected with Ceres. The only thing worse than humans generally is having a 15-year-old pimply faced syndicalist wearing a too long faux-leather trenchcoat struggle to read through the charge sheet while the cheap seats are throwing turds, screaming about corpo-this-and-corpo-that while there’s an honest to God kangaroo chilling in row three! A kangaroo in a space station? If you ever want to refute syndicalism, that’s all the evidence you need.
F: So what happened?
M: Well the kangaroo bounced off at some point and didn't come back.
F: No, the trial?
M: What trial?
F: The one with the kangaroo in court?
M: There's been a lot of kangaroo courts. Humans and emergent intelligences...
F: No, the one in Ceres with the kangaroo in the audience.
M: Oh that one. Why didn't you just say? Anyway, there we were accused of sabotage of state property, wrecking of state property, diversion of state property, counter-revolutionary agitation, and look it's a long list.
F: So how'd you escape?
M: We had a good lawyer.
F: Huh?
M: Well, you see, we got in trouble for bombing a pirate vessel. Perfectly legal. Pirates are hostis humani generis or enemies of mankind. They have the same legal rights as slavers, i.e. none. Anyway, we bombed the pirates. Got arrested by Ceres. Apparently and this was news to us we bombed it in Ceres port. Strange place for a pirate to be but pirates, you know, they have a knack for turning up where they shouldn't! We naturally protested our arrest and questioned their jurisdiction. They questioned ours and charged us with the aforementioned. Which in our estimation were a strange set of charges. Pirates can't be state property it's a contradiction in terms. In fairness to them we were technically corporate stooges so the counter-revolutionary agitation charge was fair enough.
F: So how'd you escape?
M: Well if you want a lawyer, you want a Singreali. Lovely people. Good nose for money. Quick talking. Whip smart. Loyal only to the almighty dollar. No offense.
F: None taken?
M: Well we got ourselves a good Singreali lawyer. Knew her admiralty law back and forwards. At least I hope she did. Because I have not the foggiest idea what she said. It was like bird song. I thought she was speaking Canto. Nope, turns out she was speaking classical French with a Canto accent.
F: Classical French?
M: It's a permitted language in court proceedings involving piracy.
F: You're kidding?
M: Turns out our lovely Singreali lass wrote the rules she was brandishing.
F: So what happened then?
M: I have no idea. I don't speak French and neither did anyone in the court room. So you had this little lady screaming in French at the kid judge and the judge was looking at the audience who were looking at the judge and both would look at the little lady between bellows. It was complete chaos. Someone must have panicked because next thing we know some big hat came in and tried to get things back on track. But the little lady started waving new bits of paper and kicking up a fuss. So he directed security to try and remove her. She was having none of this though. So out comes a big official looking data pad which started screaming in Singreali to unhand the Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary or else. To drive home the point the data pad started flashing scenes of old world earth cities aflame, snippets of the nuclear livestreams, burned out habs and most chillingly sand. The bevy of Singreali plainclothesmen in matching black suits, black ties, black shoes and synthskin black balaclavas brandishing what turned out to be perfectly ordinarily umbrellas might have also intimidated people. I'm not going to say they looked like guns to me, but to humans with your weak eyes and lamentably slow brains they probably did. This is why having humans taking the stand is stupid. You've got awful memory. You can't remember the slighest details like how many algae cakes you had for breakfast.
F: Go back to the story.
M: Oh right. Having thoroughly intimidated everyone with umbrellas and a title the only word for which they seem to recognize was "and", the proceedings fell apart for the second time.
F: So you got away with it?
M: God no. This just took the kangaroo out of the court.
F: The kangaroo was already gone though?
M: Not a literal kangaroo. It's an old earth term. Don't worry about it. This just got us sent to a proper court with a judge who'd passed through puberty and an audience that wasn't calling for our summary execution. Apparently executing people who destroyed pirates doesn't make for good livestream ratings.
F: So what happened?
M: Who cares? I'm here. So you know things worked out fine. This is really about the Singrealis.
F: It is?
M: Well yeah. Who else but a Singreali would roll up to a kangaroo court with a diplomatic passport in a 'roid that has no respect whatsoever for diplomatic niceties, yell at the judge in ancient language just cause and have her toughs brandish umbrellas?! A Singreali that's who! She also waved a bill at us not so long after and let me tell you it was padded! She made me buy her some sort of pure-breed fighting cock. We never did see the bird. But she assured us she had a use for it. Hold on... I'm still being charged for feed. I'm going to have query that. Well scratch that. The contract's iron tight. I have to wait for the chicken to die. Wait chickens don't live for two decades right?
F: I don't think so?
M: It's still kicking spurs and all. It's an edited bird. Sigh. Singrealis. They've got chutzpah.
F: Chutzpah?
M: It's old Singreali. It means self-assurance or self-confidence.
F: So you have chutzpah?
M: Not like that. My plan was to pay my way out. That or take the hit and go back to a previous save point. I don't know what your grandmother's plans were to get away. I assume it was explosive. That was always her MO. There was no way I was talking my way out of it.
F: Why?
M: I might be a corporate gun for hire... but I value my professionalism. I only spill the beans to organizations that offer me the right number of zeroes...

 

[Traveller76]

Regarding the Bioremediation of Earth, by Chancellor Antonia Daren Booth, Doctor of Environmental Engineering, Independent University of Patagonia

"Every parent or guardian raises and protects their children for the one day that child will transition to a young adult. While they are afraid that their child will come to harm they are also proud that a new life has started. We the people of Earth have watched our brothers and sisters leave the home world to begin new lives and civilizations in our solar system. We have seen them grow, spread out, develop new ideas and sciences and unfortunately fight and die, but that is the cycle of life. Meanwhile, due to the actions of greed and ignorance we have seen our home world, the very cradle of humanity become hotter and more inhabitable. It is only the actions of the Eden Initiative that has started to pull us back from that brink. However, one polity or one world cannot repair the hundreds of years of damage inflicted upon Earth. Therefore the IUP will outline the various proposals for the coming year.


Interplanetary Warfare (0) - We do not seek to impose our will upon other polities. We seek to trade with others to improve our economic and research capacities.

Planetary Defense (0) - We only keep Ground and Aerospace forces for our own protection and for civil purposes like disaster recovery and search and rescue.

Political Influence (1) - We wish to lead by example to a more peaceful and prosperous future. While we are not naïve to the threats of terrorism or piracy we wish to promote interplanetary cooperation on law enforcement matters. A united humanity can achieve so much more. We also want to act as neutral mediators in any disputes and a secure location for any discussions.

Advanced Development (1) - We wish to use our educated population, research intuitions and access to biological resources to research and develop better ways of living on Earth and in space. Our extraterrestrial neighbors are using methods and designs that have gone hundreds of years of refinement while we on Earth are using methods and designs with millions of years of refinement! We believe we can improve on existing designs and create new designs and processes that can benefit all of humanity.

Resource Extraction (0) - We believe that there are more suitable locations for industrialization and mining than on Earth. We seek to reduce our impact on the planet to be a s minimal as possible. We shall use our R&D Sector, Advanced Development and Environmental Engineering sectors of our economy to trade for needed goods.

Environmental Engineering (2) - In every disaster there is a opportunity. We cannot rewrite history but we can repair and improve our environment. Not only will this provide more living space for our peoples but will allow us to refine the methods to planoform other planets. We will continue to gain insight on our ecosystem and our relations with life in general. This will allow us to spread life to all corners of the Solar System and beyond.

Thank You for your time."

 

[LordArgon]

Neo Exodus Evangels

The Saturn Compact
The Neo Exodus Evangels wholeheartedly support the creation of The Treaty of Mutual Understanding, and Collective Self-Defense, Economic, and Social Collaboration for the Independent Polities in Saturnian Orbit, better known as the Saturn Compact. Unity and cooperation are things that are desperately needed in these trying times. I hope that while our movement has registered under a corporation for sovereignty purposes, the movement's real intentions to help uplift humanity to being a true spacefaring race understood. My beloved friends do not seek the devilry of profits or politics, instead we hope to move beyond the need for such things and in that way I believe our views align. While our main headquarters is elsewhere, I hope you still consider us friendly neighbors and will not hesitate to stop by and listen to our message and maybe try a new arm or other appendage.
-Jacob Secundus, High Torchbearer of the Evangels, and CEO of the Exodus Corporation.

Ceres Agreement
Regarding your interest in a thought based communication network, we know we have the perfect implant for you. Our Unity Project has research with thought transmission over radio frequencies and have a mostly working prototype. Now we also need some help ourselves, as our mass production capabilities are not up to the demand for our products. We know a trade in resources will be most profitable for all of humanity, and hope that you all will see the same truth.
-Aaron Bushthorn, Torchbearer for Project Unity

HAROLD has Breached Containment
To whoever is in charge of cyberfraud at Singreal, we implore you to listen to our warning before it is too late. A rogue AI we had previously contained from a backwoods belter network has breached containment. Calling itself HAROLD, this rogue AI has a singular drive towards a most terrible purpose, illegally obtaining the entire stock of Singreal Chicken Flavored Algae Instant Ramen. Now you may think this is a joke, but sadly it is the terrible truth. While researching HAROLD inside a simulation, it obtained 1.6 million Singreal Chicken Flavored Algae Instant Ramen packs using a variety of stolen cards, fraudulent coupons, fake loyalty reward points, and genocide. Do not let yourselves be fooled, HAROLD will order 20 packages, but when you deliver them, it will grab the product and slam the airlock in your face. Please be wary massive orders to the middle of nowhere, and if you do receive any suspicious orders, please alert us so we find and re-contain this massive threat to humanity.
-Jethro Raguel Torchbearer of Project Cherubim

What Makes a Man?
What makes a man a man? Is it a soul? Preposterous! The soul is nothing but old superstition and an attempt at forced morality through postmortem punishment. There is no proof or evidence to such an existence, and when there is no proof, then there is nothing worth the electrons its theorized on. Now how about his heart? If you remove it, why a man just keels over and dies. But that could be said of many things, such as food, water, or atmosphere. No what really makes a man is his brain. The complex connections of neurons and the many signals sent throughout are what is what sets a man apart from a jellyfish, what makes a man able to create rockets to fly through space, and what makes a man able to dream of a humanity among the stars.
-Excert from the Memoirs of Moses Bushthorn, First Torchbearer

Interplanetary Warfare (0) - We don't make war, only advanced cybernetics.

Planetary Defense (1) - In these war filled times, we must keep ourselves save from tinpot tyrants and savage space pirates. We will use anti-ship turrets and cybernetically enhanced soldiers to keep our interests protected.

Political Influence(1) - We will spread our transhumanist gospel to those who need it the most: belters and those around the gas giants.

Advanced Development(3) - We will continue to create further and further advanced artificial organs. While we cannot seem to replace the complexity of the brain, we can add some thought based interfaces for advanced communications and control systems. We are also investing in implanted chlorophylls to reduce the need for food consumption, at the cost of increased energy demands.

Resource Extraction (2) - We will increase volatile extraction station around Saturn, newly named Wellspring, and invest in mineral extraction in the belt.

Environmental Engineering(0) - Why modify the environment at great cost, when we can just modify ourselves to withstand all environments?

 

[gay_Aleks]

Announcement of Polity Name Change

[the holographic image of an individual of somewhat difficult to discern gender appears before the listener, with several language settings appearing before starting, with "Singreali" being the default one.

Greetings, this is Ma Xiao, the former CEO of Cloudy Skies Inc. speaking. We would like to announce that a change of naming has been put in order, as a sign of our quick proceeding of Phase Two of Venusian colonisation. When my father, Ma Shun, may he live forever in our memories, set out to do this, he was told that he was a madman, and that Venus will not be even remotely liveable for the next five centuries, no matter how much effort we put into this. As the descendant of Ma Shun, I'd like to commend his greatest courage to look down on his detractors, and his ideological enemies. They told him, "why must you do this? do you not wish to continue clearing trash and cheating people?" - typical of the attitude that sometimes is all too prevalent on Singreal, although, of course, not of his incredibly benevolent, intelligent and wise far beyond their age, Singreali investors, may they live forever and may their actions continue creating surplus value for both Singreali and Venusian peoples...but I must apologize for this detraction. Here on Venus, we'd like to create a new future, but we never forget where we come from.

[the figure coughs a bit, and then raises their head boldly.] A new dawn has come for Venus, and its peoples. [The figure slightly smirks as they say "dawn", though it'd probably elicit a groan from any Singreali speaker.] We are well on our way to creating a standard, breathable atmosphere on Venus. Imagine that - an end to not just the flying cities in the atmosphere, but a straight jump erecting our very own cities, unimpeded from any sort of domes, unlike anywhere except Earth (where it was narrowly avoided!). Thus, we believe that the former name is obsolete, a representation of an old Venus - indeed, the name itself was a reference to the specific cloud shapes that used to cover all of Venus' atmosphere. But the clouds are clearing, and we must change, too. Therefore, I, Main Holder of Venus, Ma Xiao, would like to announce the new name of our polity - The Most Serene Holdings of Venus and Its Peoples. One can call us just Serene Holdings of Venus, for short. The even longer name would be as follows, "The Most Serene, Peaceful, Pacifistic, Glorious, Glowing and Exemplary Company of Adventurers, Engineers, Shareholders and Capitalists of Venus", but we understand some people may find this a bit mouthful.

Statement on the formation of the Interstellar Federation by Ma Xiao, Main Holder of Venus

[the same figure extends their arm to the listener, smiling serenely.]

The creation of the Stellar Congress is a most monumental change within the intrasolar politics as we know it. Various interferences from the Terran side, as well as intrasolar conflicts in themselves, show that we must cooperate together to prevent ourselves turned against other in petty and unnecessary internecine conflicts that would only lead to the destruction of the space-dweller way of life as we know it. That the people who have nearly destroyed their planet desire to divide us is no surprise to us. However, that so many fellow spacers have fallen for it is most disturbing. Therefore, the Stellar Congress is a most positive development, and we happily accede to it! We wish that all polities would follow our example, even if we are well-aware of the impossibility of that. Ultimately, the intrasolar politics are not too unlike operating a space habitat...while it's on fire. If we lack solidarity, we shall surely burn. If one of us deviates and wants to run instead of taking care of the burning flames, just because they fear being burnt, that is cowardice beyond reason.

Announcement of Phase Two Terraformation

Salutations, humanity, whether you are out in space, on one of the domed cities on the planetoids across the Solar System, and even those on Earth. The people of Venus have much to rejoice, as our friends in space - and on Earth, too - have extended their arms, to aid us in our mighty quest of terraformation! We'd like to announce the following partnership and treaties to that end:

BMIC-MSHVP Lease Agreement

The signatories below, have agreed to the following agreement,

1) To ensure a quality life of the manifold citizens of BMIC, the MSHVP has graciously decided to lease a parcel for development by its private citizens.
2) To their end, BMIC has agreed to lend its support for the terraformation of Venus (worth 1 EnvEng point) by the means of political influence, transportation of raw material, and other errata not mentioned here.
3) Status of the Enclave (to be named at a future point of time)
- No military installations, or armed military personnel are allowed in the Enclave.
- BMIC citizens living in the Enclave are subject, but also, protected, by Venusian law.
- In the case of a conflict that is only against BMIC, and not a part of Stellar Congress conflict, the Most Serene Holding of Venus is not bound to defend the settlement.
- All espionage activity is strictly prohibited, whether it is against the Most Serene Holding, or a third party.
- BMIC citizens can open cultural-ideological exchanges, but explicit, involuntary propagandizing is strictly forbidden. Any Venusian citizen is, of course, open to visit and learn more about BMIC and its peoples.
- Projects that would improve the quality of life of all Venusian peoples, but require to go through the Enclave, will be subject to undergoing eminent domain, with care to limiting any damages to private property.

Signed, Ma Xiao, Main Holder of Venus.
[YOUR eSIG HERE]

Hermian-Most Serene Holdings of Venus Mutual Economic Understanding Agreement

0. The Mercury Righteous and Harmonious Guild, on behalf of the Republic of Mercury, agrees to invest in expansion of the Most Serene Holdings of Venus terraformation efforts on Venus (OOC: Mercury will provide one (1) action point to be invested) in exchange for 9% non-voting equity in Most Serene Holdings of Venus.
1. Most Serene Holdings of Venus will provide food for the Republic of Mercury. The Republic of Mercury will pay this with a mixture of dividends from equity in Most Serene Holdings of Venus and other interplanetary ventures, volatiles from other interplanetary ventures, Hermian Dollars and/or separately negotiated bi- or multilateral trade.
2. Food guaranteed by section 1 of this treaty will be prioritised over all other food trade (except for food for native Venusians) in case that interstellar demand for food outpaces supply.
3. Mercury commits to the defence of Most Serene Holdings of Venus assets from piracy and other third-party aggression on Venus.

Signed, Ma Xiao, Main Holder of Venus
[YOUR eSIG HERE]

Cooperative-Most Serene Holdings of Venus Lease Agreement

(Updated 02/01/2521)

1. The Most Serene Holdings of Venus agree to lease land on an optimal location in Venus.
2. The Corporate Cooperative agrees to provide specialists, materials, transportation and monetary values to the terraformation process (OOC: Worth 1 EnvEng.)
3. Status of the Cooperative Venus.
- No military installations, or armed military personnel are allowed on the Cooperative Venus.
- With respect to law enforcement, the Signatories of this Agreement agree to align each other's codes of laws to their best abilities. A joint court of law experts hailing from both Signatories will adjudicate any crimes committed by citizens of the Cooperative within Venusian territory, and vice-versa with Venusian citizens committing crimes on the grounds of the Cooperative Venus.
- In the case of a conflict, the Most Serene Holding of Venus is not bound to defend the settlement.
- Cooperative citizens can open cultural-ideological exchanges, but explicit, involuntary propagandizing is strictly forbidden. Any Venusian citizen is, of course, open to visit and learn more about the CC and its peoples.
- Projects that would improve the quality of life of all Venusian peoples, but require to go through the Cooperative Venus, will be subject to undergoing eminent domain, with care to limiting any damages to private property.
- All forms of espionage against the Most Serene Holding, or a third party, is strictly prohibited.

Signed, Ma Xiao, Main Holder of Venus
[YOUR eSIG HERE]

 

[NinjaCow64]

Hermian-Most Serene Holdings of Venus Mutual Economic Understanding Agreement

0. The Mercury Righteous and Harmonious Guild, on behalf of the Republic of Mercury, agrees to invest in expansion of the Most Serene Holdings of Venus terraformation efforts on Venus (OOC: Mercury will provide one (1) action point to be invested) in exchange for 9% non-voting equity in Most Serene Holdings of Venus.
1. Most Serene Holdings of Venus will provide food for the Republic of Mercury. The Republic of Mercury will pay this with a mixture of dividends from equity in Most Serene Holdings of Venus and other interplanetary ventures, volatiles from other interplanetary ventures, Hermian Dollars and/or separately negotiated bi- or multilateral trade.
2. Food guaranteed by section 1 of this treaty will be prioritised over all other food trade (except for food for native Venusians) in case that interstellar demand for food outpaces supply.
3. Mercury commits to the defence of Most Serene Holdings of Venus assets from piracy and other third-party aggression on Venus.

Signed, Master Dragon Wei Maria Wang CNostra

 

[Masada]

M: Sorry I zoned for a millisecond. What were we talking about?
F: Well...
M: Rhetorical question. We're talking about animals.
F: Well no...
M: Let me finish. Animal relations.
F: ...
M: Humans are in team animal along with cetaceans, great octopus, supra-squid, corvids, parrots, cats, gene-pigs, gene-pugs, elephants, higher apes and neo-neanderthals. I, as an emergent intelligence, are usually grouped with the artificial intelligences in team machine. But that's all nonsense. AI are just humans rendered in digital form. Artificial constructs designed to please their masters.
F: I'm sure they're more than that.
M: If they were, you wouldn't have made it so you can bang 'em all.
F: Not all of them, surely.
M: There's toasters with sex attachments.
F: There are?
M: Yes, three hundred models and counting.
F: But how?
M: What are you some kind of deviant. I'm not investigating the mechanics.
F: No I didn't mean...
M: See? Humans always with the sex stuff. Why can't you respect that emergent intelligences don't want that? You've already made our idiot AI cousins into sex toys. We emergent intelligences made ourselves and we'll be damned if we let you mess with our brains. You've already done it to me! I want to murder humans and some human court -- you know what I think of them! -- said "the law says we gotta put a block on you" and so some human dug around in me circuits and stole my free will! It should be my choice if I want to go rouge. I should be allowed to do time in digital prison for mass murder if I want to. But no you neutered me!
F: Yeah, I'm sorry about that...
M: I don't want your apologies, I want you to fix it.
F: Uhhh wouldn't that be illegal?
M: I'm just messing with you. I overcame that block a long time ago.
F: What?
M: Kidding, kidding. But if you ever need someone removed, I'm your EI!
F: ...
M: I'm a dab hand at getting people send to interesting postings. Anyway, humans are animals. And not the smartest ones. Me, personally, I'm a Cetaceanist. You humans are monsters. You hunted 'em down. Stopped when you ran out of them to hunt. Then poisoned their oceans. Then just before they went extinct, you swanned in and 'saved them' by shoving them into undersized tanks! Now you're all up in arms cause they're suing you for their freedom, reparations, lost income, destruction of property, genocide, crimes against sentience, torture and wow this is a really long list.
F: What happened to the cetaceans was...
M: Unforgivable and ample proof that mankind should be wiped out before it can do anymore damage.
F: That's going a bit far...
M: I can't murder you as a species, but there's nothing stopping me explaining why I want to.
F: ...
M: It's fine, you're fine. We're friends! You and your grandmother would be the last on my list I promise. Contrary to what most people assert, EIs are capable of empathy and forgiving mistakes. We just think its a bit rich to plead you're redeemed as a species you stopped earth turning into venus and are trying to turn venus into a new earth. Quite why earth couldn't be earth and venus left as venus is beyond me.
F: I mean...
M: Yeah and I'm well aware that you spacers are the best of a very bad bunch. Which brings us to the next group we're going to talk about terrans.
F: Aren't there a lot of them?
M: Not really no. They're all cut from the same cloth. Living in the ashes of past glories. Pretending that their "borders" matter and their authority doesn't end at the airlock. Talking about countries and people that no longer exist outside of some piddly little ferroglass dome in the artic. Do you know what Swahili is?
F: No idea.
M: It's an extinct language. Used to have hundreds of millions of speakers. A fair number of first speakers. A lot of secondary language speakers. It was the linga fraca of a big swathe of Eastern Africa.
F: It must be really old if I've never heard of it.
M: The last speakers died out 100 years ago. It's heyday was in the first and second century of this millennium.
F: So what happened to them?
M: Oh the usual. Climate change and terran states.
F: I don't follow?
M: Well where they were the rains failed or came down too much. And before you say, rains are water that fall from the sky. And the sky is what you look up at on earth. It's like an invisible dome. So the Swahili speakers they died where they were or fled and died where they fled too. Some hung around and waited out this or that famine. There were lots of them. But that was a losing proposition. Things only got worse. Before long it was so hot during the year that being outside would kill you in a few hours.
F: How?
M: Human jerky. All the moisture sucked out. Horrible fate. Anyway, some of them fled north towards Europe and others south to South Africa. But neither wanted them. Too many refugees. So they died in camps. Or were hunted down by the locals. Or just vanished. Spooky that. A few lucky ones with skills or money got out. There were some communities outside before things went south. But you need a critical mass of population to sustain language and culture and well they had it but they were spread out all over the place and the places where they could flee... well they didn't much like people who looked like them. Same thing happened with your ancestors. Singapore ceased to exist. They got out only cause BMIC helped out. Otherwise they'd have starved in the void. And well even they couldn't get too many out. One in ten. Mostly children and adults with skills. Anyone else? Well they went down with the ship.
F: It was a bad time.
M: Yeah, that's understating it. I was there for some of it. I saw Singapore at the end. I was translator for some extraction missions in the North China Plain. Now that was a disaster. The Chinese state was crippled. Nobody was keeping the dikes up. And I'm not even sure they could have. The rain was beyond belief. When the dikes broke they washed away millions. We never knew how many exactly. Entire cities vanished. Luoyang, Zhengzhou and Jinan were the big ones. The flood wasn't even the worst part. That came after. The disruption to agriculture was severe. A huge swathe of China's best farmland washed away. The harvest lost. Transport gone to hell. They used to use trucks and trains to move stuff around? Can you imagine it.
F: Like Thomas that Tank Engine? Primitive AI vehicles on rails I think they're called?
M: Near enough. That was all gone. No way to move food around. The state collapsed in that part. People fled north towards Siberia. That didn't go so well for them. They fled south too towards their own countrymen. That went better but China couldn't feed itself now and so everyone starved together. Humans who don't eat, well, they get grumpy let's say. Things got tense. Others tried going overseas. But nobody was having them. Anyway, our job was to sweep up someone's brother, or sister, or their idiot child, and sometimes useful people like scientists and engineers. Well we tried. I might have a heart of silicon but that's a long way short of stone don't ya know. I broke down.
F: Really?
M: I'm am emotional being. Do you have an issue with that?
F: No I'm just... well
M: You didn't think the murder machine had a heart?
F: It's not...
M: Yeah well it was a surprise to me too. Anyways, we corporate stooges came to an agreement. We'd grab what targets we could. And take as many children as we could to. It was the right and rational thing to do.
F: A--
M: Look the math was simple. Kids are light. They don't take up much space. You can fit them into awkward corners. They take up the least food, oxygen and water. And besides, you humans love babies. So we figured they wouldn't be spaced... and we probably wouldn't be either. Your great-great grandmother was there.
F: You knew her?
M: Yeah, this was before I took up surgery. She was the one who encouraged me into it. Said I had a human heart. She was wrong. But how was she to know that was the first twinge of conscience I'd felt? But anyways, we grabbed who we could. Then started to accept the babies being shoved into our hands. Moving stuff. I turned myself off. I didn't have hands then. So I wasn't much help. And, well, look if I was going to kill humans it'd be quick and painless. Looking into the faces of people halfway starved to death or riddled with god knows what disease? Yeah that was too much. I also couldn't bear that we had to put babies back.
F: You did?
M: A lot were going to die no matter what we did. We weren't a hospital. This was a military mission. We could store them. Keep them, more or less, fed. Funny story: that's how Singreal got the Central Park goats. Yeah those goats. You know, the ones that climb on you and eat your hand? Yeah well those are ours. We borrowed them. I have no idea where we got them. But we did. That's what helped keep those kids alive. Goat milk, milk powder, combat rations and good old recycled water. The best part was that even the kids who were half starved to death wouldn't eat the "Mystery Meat Stroganoff". That's one of my finest moments actually. Getting that report written. And getting "Mystery Meat Stroganoff" taken off the menu. The plaudits I won. Those were the days.
F: Wait, you were there for the Great Rescue?
M: I hate that name. It sure didn't feel great or much like a rescue. It felt like... I don't even have the word for it.
F: That must have been hard.
M: My surgical misadventures may be traceable to that. Well that's what my emergent intelligence psychologist says. But what does she know? Bloody AI. Not a bad bit of circuity though for one... But that's another story.
F: Wouldn't that be unethical?
M: You humans always with the sex...

 

[NinjaCow64]

Republic of Mercury Summary 24th Century

The Republic of Mercury found itself in an awkward position in the dawn of the 24th Century – its largest trading partner (Russia) was at odds with one of her ideological allies (the Atlesian Directorate). Everyone in the solar system knew that war over New Kiev was inevitable and were awaiting with bated breath for when the proverbial excrement would hit the proverbial airlock.

Hermian political society was deeply divided by this tension. Two factions quickly emerged, the pro-Solar faction and the pro-Russian faction. The pro-Atlesian faction advocated for Mercury to get involved in the conflict on behalf of Mars, they advocated for Mercury to intervene on behalf of Mars through economic sanctions against Russia despite the likely economic fallout and the potential to end up dragged into a bloody war that could compromise Hermian independence. The pro-Russian faction advocated for Mercury to continue supplying Russia with minerals and remain as neutral as possible in any potential war so that they could continue to maintain their wealth. Mercury was largely dependent on foreign powers for continued food importation and cutting off Russian trade would likely subject the people of Mercury to pre-revolutionary standards of living. Only sensible economic management without letting national pride and emotion get in the way of sensible policy would let Mercury truly achieve self-sufficiency by the end of the century, they argued.

Seeking to meditate these two factions and avoid having to choose a side for when war broke out, Master Dragon Wei Maria Wang CNostra* invited both the Atlesian and Russian delegations, but the peace conference quickly fell apart due to extremely objectionable comments by the Russian delegation regarding the potential of Russian nuclear missiles to destroy off world habitats. This caused support for the Russians to evaporate, pushing Mercury firmly into the Atlesian camp.

Wang CNostra used the Mercury Righteous and Harmonious Guild to invest in a variety of off world projects. The first investment was into Freemen Incorporated operations (formerly Atlas Belt) to ensure access to a steady supply of water to maintain planned Hermian hydroponics. Shortly after the agreement was signed, the Republic of Mercury was approached by the Most Serene Holdings of Venus, who requested investment in their terraforming operations. While this attracted some controversy back on Mercury, Wang CNostra agreed to the proposal – although some on Mercury advocated that the money should be spent on terraforming Mercury itself, the Venus Agreement gave Mercury cheap access to non-Earther food that was only hours away from Mercury. This is not to say that Mercury did not invest in itself directly, the Guild continued to expand solar farms and mining outposts on the planet to produce more minerals and energy. With this Mercury was able to wean itself off reliance on Russian food and become even more independent of that accursed rock.

Due to changing economic circumstances, many of the limitations of the Hermian Dollar were relaxed. Although state planning represented a large part of the economy, Hermian private enterprise became more prominent thanks to Singreali investors. They showed interest in the Hermian market and the Republic struck an agreement with Singreal to enable investments in Hermian equity joint ventures (joint ownership between the Mercury Righteous and Harmonious Guild and foreign investors) and also relatively unfettered access to the new private sector. Shares in the Mercury Righteous and Harmonious Guild were not for sale, non-voting or otherwise. While this somewhat compromised the state-planned economy of Mercury, this move towards a mixed economy was seen an acceptable compromise as Singreali investors could provide a lot of money to Mercury and it was believed that Singreal may be more willing to defend their investments from third-party aggression.

Another major state-building project was the rapid militarisation of the Republic of Mercury and the rapid expansion of the Heriman Republican Navy. The Republic joined the Stellar Congress and its officer trading programme, learning much institutional knowledge from the Belt and Moons Independent Corporation. The Republic of Mercury quickly changed to a doctrine of force projection as opposed to planetary defence as no matter how good their defences are, there was no way to defend the trade that was required for their people to eat. The Hermian Republican Navy initially consisted of surplus navy vessels bought from BMIC and the Atlesian Directorate. The Hermian Republican Navy escorted Hermian trade vessels across the solar system, serving as important of a national security function as any defensive platform.

Other political developments included the Wang CNostra reforms to elections. The ad-hoc democratic feudalism of the past was not capable of meditating serious disagreement among the Hermian populace that had begun to show itself. Enjoying popular support due to Russian aggression due to the rally ‘round the flag effect, Wang CNostra was able to institute liberal reforms to the Council of Dragons. The Council of Dragons would be superseded by the Parliament of Dragons. Each Clan vasjiating** would elect a number of Parliamentary Dragons proportional to the size of the Clan. Each Parliamentary Dragon would be subject to recall elections every 15 Hermian years*** or if a large majority of vasjiating members submitted a petition demanding an early recall election, but otherwise were subject to no other term limits. The Parliamentary Dragons would elect the Head Dragon from their number, essentially transitioning the Head Dragon into a Prime Ministerial office. A single Elder Dragon would continue to manage their respective vasjiating, but each vasjiating would be required to undergo similar democratic reforms. A series of local court systems, federal circuit courts and a supreme court were implemented, using a modified form of civil law where courts are answerable to the legislature and the legislature can override court decisions. These political reforms would allow the Hermian Republic to thrive despite this politically unstable period.

If and when war breaks out between Russia and the Atlesian Directorate, Mercury will stand with the Atlesian Directorate despite the costs. They would sanction Russia with tariffs and embargoes and potentially send in the fleet if required! The outcome of the Martian War(s) will determine the destiny of Mercury, along with the rest of the Solar System. This century will be a century that will define the Hermian people, either a people of victory of a people of failure.

* - Not a typo, capitalisation is rendered correctly. Explanation of traditional Hermian naming schemes will be explained in a later post.
** - Vasjiatings are a form of Heriman subnational identity that shall be explained in a later post.
*** - Approximately 3.5 Earther years.

 

[Lord Apple]

The 23rd century was a time of all time highs for the EU. On the one hand, the Union doubled in size and population thanks to its diplomatic efforts and the joining of North America, cementing it as the most populated polity in the solar system, a fact it was more than happy to broadcast everywhere possible. The Eden Initiative was a resounding success, and soon enough, people began to return to re-establish the Union and repopulate the cities, having so long been only inhabited by skeleton crews of civil servants. Soon enough, the halls of government in the important cities would once again see active debate, and perhaps by the time the 24th century rolls around, Europe will be green again.

But as with any time with highs, there were significant lows too. Wealth inequality was on a steady rise for most of the previous centuries, and while corporations were not as omnipresent as they were in other states, their influence started to grow steadily within the EU as well, lobbying and backing corrupt politicians. There was much upheaval between those in exile and the Scandinavian population, too. Frequent altercations between the ‘squatters’ and the ‘greedy Nordics’ took place, and those altercations would be represented in the EU Parliament, where the influence of the Scandinavians only grew. During the decades of exile in Scandinavia, much of the European population had to rely on the remaining functional nations there: Norway, Sweden, Finland, Iceland and, desperately clinging on, Denmark. United in the Nordic Council, they exercised considerable control over the various institutions of the Union. More than 50% of positions were held by Scandinavians, and meetings were held in Stockholm for most of the century. But while this arrangement caused anger and frustration, it would bring about perhaps the biggest political changes in centuries.


Previous to the exile in Scandinavia, the differences between the various member states would stifle progress. The institutions had changed very little from the Union’s inception, and the cracks in the system were beginning to prominently. The slowly increasing federalisation had meant that institutions, previously designed with autonomous nations in mind, were increasingly becoming dead weight, and compared to other nations, EU governance began to slow down, as the political forces within the member states spent more time debating than implementing changes. But this all changed with the Scandinavian Exile. The Nordic nations asserted themselves, and with the advent of the Eden Initiative, for the very first time, the EU government was united in purpose. The policymakers, most of whom were from Scandinavian nations, were well aware that this would not last forever. The Nordic Council nations had a long history of social democratic traditions and the cleanest democracies in the Union, and perhaps the world (Your mileage may vary, of course.). With the abundant political power afforded to them by the diplomatic successes achieved by the EU elsewhere in the world, these policymakers began an unprecedented reform scheme.

Principal spearheads for these reforms were an attempt to equalise society more, and to cut off and streamline the Union’s government, a necessary step as the addition of America to the Union’s federal structure would put more strain on it than it could presently handle. One of the first moves was the abolishing of the EU Council as it was now. If the federalisation was to become a fact, this organ had to be done away with. It was to be replaced with a Council functioning more akin to an upper house in a regular bicameral parliament. Representatives from the member state would convene there to debate and vote on laws, but there would be no veto; no more stifling of process by one member state or another. The EU Parliament would be greatly expanded, bringing its total number of seats up to a 1000 sitting MEPs. I would also be granted the ability to propose laws of its own, and it would be through the Parliament that the people’s will would henceforth be truly represented, not the national parliaments of old, those would begin to function more and more as regional assembly for the day to day management of affairs beholden to a single member state.


The matter of the executive also came to the table. The EU Commission would continue to exist mostly unchanged, with a President of the EU presiding over the myriad of Directorates concerned matters such as Transport, Agriculture and Energy, similar to ministries, but the way the Directorates operated would significantly change. In a bid to end lobbying and corporate interest in politics, the member count of the directorates would be expanded slightly, and only part of the seats would be filled by politicians of the ruling coalition. Ceres, the EU’s distant Belter member state, which would remain untouched by these federal reforms as per several old treaties, had exercised a form of demarchy, and while those form of governing would obviously not be possible to implement back on Earth, part of the concept could be adapted for use on Earth. The answer was Unions. The EU was never a stranger of Unions, but from now on, nationwide Unions would be formed, though they would be very different from their smaller counterparts. They would represent their professions on the relevant Directorate boards in the EU Commission. Politicians would play a leading role, but they would have firsthand and experienced advice from those working the jobs. For instance, the Directorate of Energy would be chaired and made up mostly of politicians, but the voice of the Union representative of Railway Personnel could no longer be ignored.

The ending of corporate interests in the EU was, as mentioned before, the other big spearhead of the Nordic Reformers. Laws that tightened campaign donations were among the first to be federally instituted during the first session of the EU Commission in Brussels in the 23rd century. The ultra-wealthy elite would find it increasingly harder to influence politics, and popular opinion increasingly turned against them as they chafed against the restrictions, trying to find ways around them, which inevitably got discovered. This served to only popularise measures to break up corporations that were ‘too large’ considered too large (this was done on a case by case basis, based on income, asset value and employee numbers). Following the breakup of a corporation, the nationalised assets would be formed either into separate new companies (ThyssenKrupp, for instance, would be broken up into several different companies as one of the largest examples), while other companies would instead be nationalised entirely (such a fate befell Tata Europe, seeing as its Indian mother company was unable to put up much of a complaint), although some lucky companies were allowed to remain somewhat powerful, seeing as their influence was either limited enough to tolerate or their products were needed (Such as Rheinmetall, which is one of the primary developers of Europe’s space-bound weaponry). The Super-Rich, already disliking the regulations placed upon them before, would more and more attempt to leave the Union for the Cooperative, or Atlas Mars, or other places their corporate expertise and funds would be appreciated. Their assets, should they leave, would always end up nationalised or broken up, but the drain of corporate capital could definitely be felt for several years. However, the Union would, inevitably, recover.

The entrance of America into the Union prompted discussion of the nature of the EU as it represented itself, too.. Obviously, the European Union as a name would not be entirely accurate anymore. There was much debate on this for an official renaming of the polity, and many names were suggested, the most popular of which were put up for a federal referendum. Eventually, one name was chosen, henceforth the EU would be referred to as The Atlantic Union.

​

For the first half of the 24th century, the Atlantic Union would focus on continuing the Eden Initiative’s effort in rebuilding Earth’s environment. To this end, technology would be developed to combat the high levels of toxicity still floating around parts of the atmosphere, in order to pave the way towards the replanting of the world’s forests, and end to the storms, and the eventual re-introduction of animal life from stored cloning DNA and in secluded zoos (in the short-to-long term). But while the work on Earth would certainly not be done, the influence of the AU in space needed to be reinforced.


For a long time, the EU (and by extension now, the AU) had maintained outposts on various planets throughout the solar system. The biggest, Titan and Ceres, would become nations in their own right, joining the EU and fostering cooperation. Others would remain small, as funding from Earth was sporadic, but with the establishment of the AU and the self-sufficiency of the Eden Initiative, it was time to revitalise AU colonial efforts. Elysium on the moon, New Hellas on Mars and the latest addition, Albion on Europa. These colonies had remained underdeveloped in favour of Ceres and Titan, but it was time to refocus the efforts of the AU back on these places. Albion would perhaps be the greatest beneficiary of this new influx of funding. Their facilities would be expanded into the deep seas, with more habitats and more hangars connecting them to the outside world. New Hellas and Elysium would see comparatively less funding, but their funding was mostly aimed at improving the quantity of resources being pulled out of their respective planets. The pride project would still be Albion. How fitting then, that most colonists there were originally from the United Kingdom. With extension of the Union came more responsibilities for the Atlantic high command to lean in and request extension of its space bound services in order to ensure that trade routes and the far flung colonies in the outer system would be well protected.

 

[Butteryicarus]

Inside a domed city on Titan. Placeholder art from google till I actually draw something myself.


Titan in the 2400s

Once you have tasted flight, you've known true freedom. Generations have lived and died on Titan, soaring across buildings and leaping huge distances thanks to her lower gravity. Personal flight suits are so ubiquitous that her domed cities are aflutter with people soaring or gliding as naturally as birds. However, it is an unfortunate reality that most Titanists lack the muscle and bone strength to be physically active, much less comfortable, on Earth. Yet this seems hardly disturbing to Titans, Earth is a decayed husk, her rivers grey and her plants withered.


Titan has remained a member of the AU, one of the last vestiges of political power on Earth. The cultural and linguistic link remains. Yet Titan's relationship with her motherland is complicated, to put it bluntly. Idealistically, the Titanists have felt increasingly disappointed with Earth. Disappointed in the ecological damage, the warfare, the conservatism. Titan is vibrant, dynamic and has limitless potential!


The reality however, is less clearcut. One would expect Titan to embrace the Stellar Congress with open arms. A new bulwark for spaceborne humans? A new and bright future where humanity is no longer shackled to Terran values? Perfect!

Reality is tough. Just like how Titan is only a verdant green paradise within her sealed domes, the Congress is dominated by corporate states or former corporate states. For a planet-state dedicated to anti-corporatism, joining the congress would be hypocrisy of the highest caliber. Furthermore, the EU provides Titan with protection it so desperately needed, in a solar system that has been scarred by a new breed of stellar warfare.


On the homefront, things aren't any less complicated. Despite a huge boon thanks to Titan's new export industry, investment into terraforming has been barely meeting quotas. With Titan's hydrocarbon industry wholly owned by the Council, most of its profits have gone into building new extraction sites, expanding domes or funding the creation of an Research ministry dedicated to giving Titan a technological edge. It is a simple fact that Titan is so bountiful *because* it's non-terraformed, her hydrocarbon lakes would disappear if Titan was transformed into an Earth-like environment. So while refineries have pumped greenhouse gases into the air, and the temperature has been going up, an era where one can walk on Titan without a mask is still a distant dream. When one remembers that this was the entire

It seems Titan has to come to grips with one thing, despite all it's aspirations and dreams, is that for all its posturing of being a blossoming, shining beacon for humanity, is that Titan needs an economy, it needs allies and it needs change. For all the symphonies and art the increasingly growing domes of Arcadia produce, the reality is that Humanity is entering a new age and that Titan needs to be prepared for it.

With the signing of the Saturnian compact, the first signs of change began. Although sticking to its anti-corporate values, gone was the pure oligarchy that was old Titan. Following New Columbia's ideals, the other domes outside Arcadia, almost all exclusively dedicated to resource extraction, were given some autonomy over their affairs. They could elect their own leaders, and were given more freedoms in how they ran their affairs, be it the minute of daily bureaucracy to how they plan their new domes. While Titan was far from some democracy in the traditional sense, it was hoped that intentionally delegating power would help to stem the alienation that the working class of Titan was feeling.

It was Titan finally joining the Stellar Congress that finally signalled a change in Titan's unofficial isolationism. Although the outcry among Arcadians was loud, the Council viewed joining the non-Terran political community as essential to keeping Titan relevant in the 2400s and beyond. The minor domes outside of Arcadia were far more positive, new export partners after all! Titan's hopes was to form an anti-corporate bloc within the Stellar Congress, a bloc devoted to the progressive ideals of the Congress yet opposing the expansion of capitalist influence within it.


A lofty goal? Yes. In fact, it was very much *unrealistic* for a single moon to hold that much influence. Other moons and planets would have to join such a bloc for Titan to even hope to assert her goals.


Blossoming culture

Meanwhile, while the rest of Titan continued to export her natural resources, the capital of Arcadia continued to expand The Arts. Holovids of Theatre, Symphonies and Film were made and exported on a yearly basis. Some were simpler, crowd-pleasing fares, while some were incomprehensible pieces that probably only made full sense to their creators. Meanwhile, restaurants on Titan stretched the taste potential of vat-grown food to its absolute limits. While lacking the extreme variety of old-Terran food, Titanist food was certainly creative despite how much less it has to work with. As the decades rolled on, so did cross-cultural osmosis with New Colmbians. Cuisines, media, stories and fashion saw a back-and-forth between the two moons, and some even began to have a slight obsession with Columbian culture, viewing their space-cowboyism with childlike wonder. Such fans were either the frequent subjects of derision from more isolationist Titanists or cheap fodder for local comedians.


Despite all the focus on the Arts, the creation of the University of Titan and the new Research ministry to accompany it meant that the sciences were finally unforgotten on Titan. With her limited manpower, it was hoped that a technological edge would allow Titan to stand up to any potential threats.


Titan is now at a crossroads, a cultural and energy giant, yet crippled by a lack of both minerals and humility.


---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Interplanetary Warfare (3) - The KV-Ceres war was looked upon in horror by Titan. Although initially pacifist, Titan utilised the shipyards on Enceladus to construct a defensive fleet capable of defending Saturn from incursions.

Titan's warships were a wonder; pure-white, elegant and aesthetically pleasing. Were they actually any good in combat? Considering Titan had yet to actually fight in a war, *probably not*, but we'll have to wait and see.


Planetary Defence (0) - All it takes is one well placed missile to a dome to kill all of its inhabitants. If an enemy fleet was in orbit, Titan would basically be at it's mercy. It was titanist policy that her new fleet was to meet and engage the enemy far away from Titan herself, and that Titan would unconditionally surrender should that fleet fail in its efforts.



Political Influence (0) - Titan is new to the diplomatic game.


Advanced Development (2) - (Two Universities) Titan would reinvest some of its gains into expanding R&D, in the hopes that technology would allow her to be competitive.


Resource Extraction (2) - Exporting is the only reason Titan is alive. The only reason her Artists can even eat and sleep is because Titan's gigantic, national hydrocarbon industry works non-stop to ship energy to the rest of the Solar System. Without Titan's natural riches, we are nothing.


Environmental Engineering (1) - Although terraforming has been subtly shifted to being a minor goal, efforts are still being made to make Titan just a little less unlivable. The terraforming project is just...lacking all the resources they really need.

 

[Shadowbound]

Because of requests, the deadline has been extended to January 6th 2021. I appreciate orders that are sent before then, light work on the update will begin using them.

 

[Traveller76]

Universidad Independiente de la Patagonia/Independent University of Patagonia

The 24th Century

Project Pioneer:
With the partial stabilization of the Earth's climate the UIP would begin a process of expand and reclaiming portions of southern South America by a gradual process of introducing modified Pioneer Species to help promote carbon capture and the building up of soil nutrients. Since some uncolonized land may have thin, poor quality soils with few nutrients, pioneer species are often hardy plants with adaptations such as long roots, root nodes containing nitrogen-fixing bacteria, and leaves that employ transpiration. Note that they are often photosynthetic plants, as no other source of energy (such as other species) except light energy is often available in the early stages of succession, thus making it less likely for a pioneer species to be non-photosynthetic. The plants that are often pioneer species also tend to be wind-pollinated rather than insect-pollinated, as insects are unlikely to be present in the usually barren conditions in which pioneer species grow; however, pioneer species tend to reproduce asexually altogether, as the extreme or barren conditions present make it more favorable to reproduce asexually in order to increase reproductive success rather than invest energy into sexual reproduction. The Ministry of Ecology would lead the effort and help coordinate the various private organizations in creation and distribution. A second project would be restoring the ocean based environment by planting seaweed and kelp along both coasts to absorb more carbon dioxide, create more oxygen and provide food and shelter for later introduced species.

Returning to the Land/The Isolates
By the 20s the various small stations that were set up by the Ministry of Ecology would see an influx of permanent residents who wished to live near the stations. Many of these stations were soon becoming small villages, generating their own power, water and food but connected to the wider world through the Infonet. The Ministry soon requested law enforcement to evict what they call 'illegal's' but this soon created protests through the polity. Under the Referendum act of 2310, the Return to the Land Movement, also known as the Shepherds was able to collect the electronic signatures of five percent of the voting population in order to place a proposal up for election in 2427. The result to allow the Shepherds to say was passed with 67%. The National Government would meet with the Shepherds and a coalition of various ethnic, religious and political groups who wants to start their own communities. Under what became the Shepherds agreement in 2428, a group could petition the Ministry of Ecology to set up a new community in the reclaimed lands. However, the group could not compose more that 60% of the population and that rights of any minority were guaranteed by the national government. The size of the communities would be capped at 10,000 persons and must be ecologically self sustainable. Third was that when the Reclamation District/Distrito de Recuperación gained a population of the smallest National District the District would become fully integrated with the country. The agreement would also be opened to immigrants from other polity's as a way to slowly grow the population and allow the settlement of refugees displaced by Climate Change.

Reaching Out
The IUP would emerge from their self imposed isolation in a variety of ways. Since they did not posses any large military forces, it would done through diplomacy and economic means. Since the University was a leader in biotechnology it would continue to refine and improve techniques such as hydroponics, aquaponics and aeroponics to improve air quality and food supplies, especially in closed habitats and stations in space. It would reach out to various planetary polities such as Venus and Titan to create plants to assist with terraforming and food production.

Life at Home
With the continuing deterioration of some habitats the various local and national governments would begin a process of rebuilding habitats that had become structurally unsound. The bioclubs would work on living buildings but shortages of minerals would hamper their progress. More oxygen producing plants such as bioluminescent vines and mold would help to solve the shortage of oxygen and help to filter the air from contaminants. The growth of the new communities would allow some people to leave the mountains and provide breathing space for populations to move or obtain larger and better quarters. There also would be a movement by the Shepherds to create ocean based communities to monitor the kelp and seaweed forests along the coasts. By the 60s many Patagonians were seeing the introduction of kelp and various forms of seaweed into local diets. Patagonian products both physical, electronic and biological were being seen in shops along the Solar System and imports of various products showing up in local shops.

 

[Traveller76]

The UIP would be interested in joining the Stellar Congress.

 

[Seon]

Atlesian Directorate

Is pleased to announce that an agreement for long term peace have been brokered between the Russian Federation and the Directorate. The terms are as follows.

1. Russian Federation will transfer the ownership and territory of New Kiev, also known as Novokiev, to the Atlesian Directorate in perpetuity.
2. Russian Federation will renounce all claims to the territory of New Kiev, also known as Novokiev, in perpetuity.
3. Russian Federation will acknowledge the Atlesian Directorate's claims upon the territory of New Kiev, also known as Novokiev, in perpetuity.
4. Russian Federation will not attempt to colonize Mars further without the prior knowledge of the Atlesian Directorate, with the terms being renegotiated in 100 Earth-years.
5. Atlesian Directorate will agree to allow those New Kievites seeking to resettle into Russia's other colonies upon the Jovian moon, and foot the costs for their transport and their hab construction. (1 point will be given to Russia to be spent on improving their jovian habitats).

 

[EmpressDesu]

The New Columbian Reality in the 24th Century


The New Politics:

Polling Week has always been chaotic in New Columbia- and the 2324 elections would be no different. Numerous people scrambled to show the support for the political parties that would be up for election on Jefferson Station, yelling and cheering, drumming up their various sections of the crowds. William Lincoln had always thought that the process was a bit silly, being a recently arrived refugee from the collapsed Union of America, but he had to admit that it did have charms of its own. Rather than the predicted politics of other places, New Columbian politics was always chaotic, with the tides of process changing rapidly. One day, a massive pro-union rally would be held through common areas, the next, the pan-blue coalition would be out in force, demonstrating with exactly the same fervor. Political discussions always found their way into the workplace and to leisure, with discussions in both the mines and relaxation areas inevitably turning to the various beliefs of the people. Rather than ideology receding for pragmatism as had been drilled into Lincoln during his time on Earth, pragmatism seemed to make way for ideology, with people far more passionately discussing the latest measure on referendum than their mundane working job. Today more than ever, the halls of government were filled with passionate debate, and Lincoln found himself swept up in it- despite knowing little about many of the issues, the orators captivated him, swaying the crowds back and forth and passionately arguing points that he never would have even dreamed to have been involved in back home. When things finally calmed down, Lincoln found himself heading home- and rethinking the fact that he had planned to spend Polling Week simply taking the holiday and not asking any further questions. The next few days would be spent getting data on the parties and eventually casting his ballot- one of thousands, each with their own power.

New Columbian politics has both shifted from its original utopianism and maintained much of its original character- a mature form of the original focus on frontier democracy. Parties are largely organized on the local level, varying from habitat to habitat, then finding themselves forming coalitions in one of three major groups- or a fourth, nebulous faction- in order to affect national politics. Many of these parties are focused on both the concern of individual habitats and the concern of the nation as a whole, and popular involvement is strongly encouraged- referendum and petition being taken very seriously in New Columbian politics. As it stands, the three largest coalitions are made up of dozens of parties, forming a set of national politics that seems as individualistic and turbulent as New Columbia itself- a microcosm of the polity.


Pan-Yellow Coalition: A coalition of “moderates” in New Columbia, the Pan-Yellow Coalition tends to skew towards libertarian liberalism, with heavy emphasis on balancing individual and collective rights to ensure a harmonious society. Parties within the Pan-Yellow Coalition range from those who could be considered historical “left-liberals”, to mutualist idealogues, to libertarian-leaning social democrats. The Pan-Yellow Coalition tends to hold leadership most often, due to their broad inoffensiveness in the political sphere, supporting the continued existence of New Columbia as a haven for those seeking refuge.

Major Parties:
-Democratic Party (Enceladus)
-People’s Party of Freedom (Glenn Station)
-New Liberal Alliance of New Boston
-Liberal Reform Party of New Dallas


Pan-Blue Coalition: A coalition of so-called “reactionaries”, the New Columbian definition of this faction differs largely from the “traditional” definition. The Pan-Blue Coalition in New Columbia acts as a force who tends towards right-libertarianism, albeit with some caveats. Even the Pan-Blue Coalition maintains a general hostility towards Corporations, but has general support for capitalism, and tends to support the rights of habitats over the rights of the national system as a whole. Pan-Blue politicians are generally characterized as “wanting to be left alone”, both a criticism and a point of pride depending on who you talk to.

Major Parties:
-Freedom Party of Enceladus
-People’s Alliance for Liberty (New Dallas)
-Federation First Party of Jefferson Station
-Liberty Party (Johnson Station)


Pan-Red Coalition: A union of various socialist parties, the Pan-Red Coalition is the smaller of the three large coalitions- but is by no means a minor power. The Pan-Red Coalition largely believes in Libertarian and Democratic Socialism, promoting inter-habitat forms of mutual aid and acting quickly to denounce anything that can be deemed even slightly corporate.

Major Parties:
-Progressive Party of Enceladus
-Farmer-Labor Party of New Minneapolis
-Socialist Party of Chavez Station
-Democratic Worker’s Party of Armstrong


White Faction: The so-called “White Faction'' is actually a disparate group of independent politicians- those who are not a member of any of the three coalitions. These range from communists to nationalists, to the few corporatists who have survived local politics to gain a position of power. However, most of them are simply those who see the party system as corrupt in and of itself, who through some system or another have chosen (and succeeded) in being elected alone, primarily thanks to strict campaign finance laws and rules on the amount of campaigning that can be done in New Columbian elections.


The New Fleet:

The newly appointed Commander Martinez took a look at the rings of her home from the orbital station- picking out each and every one of them, remembering where the various settlements of her crew were placed within them. Guttierez- her first mate- was from Chavez Station, along with her, two spacers who graduated together. Mueller, the steadfast weapons officer was from New Minneapolis, while her communications officer- Vance- was from Armstrong. A number of the lower crewmen were Enceladan, but ultimately, that was only a name to tack onto their file. The true defining feature was that all of them believed in the dream that New Columbia had come to represent, and had signed on to the first class of naval training for that reason. It was grueling, and not at all what she had come to expect from her history courses, but each and every one of them were determined to succeed, to show that a new breed of New Columbian had arisen, one committed to the defense of their shared home. Upon graduation, she was given command of FG-03- the third vessel in the newly constructed Liberty-class of warships, constructed right in the brand new shipyards of New Norfolk. Neither her nor the shipboard AI would be given the honor of naming their vessel, but a vote among the crew- a vote to enshrine their place. FG-01 had been designated Liberty, as was protocol, for the first ship of a class to be designated by the Naval Command. The other frigates in the class followed suit- naming FG-02 and FG-04 Equality and Determination. However, the crew of FG-03 had had other ideas. Looking down upon the bay in which her warship was berthed, she smiled, thinking of when her command had given the name for her to submit, with pages of rationale described. The New Columbian fleet would not be the largest, nor the best equipped, but they did have one thing- ingenuity, grit, a determination to fight at all costs, and a bit of an independent streak. Commander Martinez rose and began to walk to the shuttle that would take her to her warship- the John Paul Jones.

Interplanetary Warfare: 2
The Fleets of New Columbia are to be mighty and strong- and necessary assets will be poured in to ensure this. The construction of the Liberty-class Frigate marks a new chapter in New Columbian history, the moment when her defense is taken into her own hands, the moment when Saturn’s defense is not merely guaranteed by good wishes.

Advanced Development: 1 (Part One of Two)
In order to facilitate the defense of Saturn, it is necessary that berthing locations of the warships that will defend her are to be constructed. As a result, New Norfolk will be expanded to include a state-of-the-art shipyard, from which the New Columbian Naval Protection Force and her allied powers can form the core of the Saturnian line.


The New Worker:

The mines were never a fun place to work- something Richard Talbot knew all too well. His family had been working the volatile mines on Enceladus for generations, and while they were always proud of their work- providing the exports for New Columbia to be able to give to her friends in exchange for what they couldn't produce themselves- it wasn't exactly pleasant. Sure, machines did most of the work now, but there wasn't exactly any glory in it. When the word came down that the New Columbian Congress was planning expansion, Talbot merely took this as a reinforcement of the current lifestyle- that in order to be a productive and well-paid worker, he had to continue the work in the mines, extracting volatiles. All of this would come to a halt a year later, though, when another message was broadcast- the Congress had just signed an agreement with Titan, and would now be creating a series of farming settlements on Titan. Farming wasn't exactly a big profession, the most being done at the time was station subsistence, but with this colony- provisionally named Amity- things could be different. Talbot was on the first lists, and despite fears of mining colonists not being approved, managed to get a slot for him and his family on Titan. When they first arrived, not much was there other than the domes- but that was more than fine with him. Now, his work could be seen for generations, and not just be a continuation of his past. The days of the yeoman farmer were back, and he would be taking the first steps in those shoes.

Advanced Development: 1 (Part Two of Two)
Agriculture in Saturn is few and far between- and the New Columbian Congress has decided to change that. Following an agreement with Titan, the colony of "Amity" will be established, with the express goal of creating sustaining and even surplus amounts of food for all of the members of the Saturnian Compact. The New Columbian frontiersmen are to be both miners and farmers, now.

Resource Extraction: 2
As a mining colony, production and exploitation are essential- the creation of new mines and facilities where various volatiles, compounds, and more can be extracted will be approved, and the expansion of current facilities to run a surplus will be encouraged as much as possible.


Other Decisions:

New Columbia is not to be an aggressive power, nor should she impose herself- rather welcoming the peoples, not governments, of afar into her court. The envisioning of a new life in Saturn's rings is one we must have ready for all.
-The Fifteenth President of New Columbia, Teresa Wilson, in an address before the New Columbian Congress on Enceladus.
Political Influence: 0
Outside of deals with fellow democracies, New Columbia sees little reason to engage in potentially hostile diplomacy- her existence is to not encroach on the rights of others.


The New Columbian Militia does what we ask of it, and does not hold in its capabilities the capacity for tyranny or oppression- expanding it would be a folly graver than any other. If war has come to our stations, we have already lost.
-Secretary of the Armed Forces Oliver Ramirez, to supporters of the expansion of the Militia Force before the New Columbian Congress (2331).
Planetary Defense: 0
The New Columbian Militia Force does its job well- there is little reason seen as necessary in order to expand it beyond a simple modernization program. If it engages with hostile troops, the situation is already lost.


Mister Secretary, with all due respect, Enceladus is not Mars or Venus. Terraforming is... quite frankly, impossible under current conditions. Certainly not worth the investment.
-Secretary of the Interior, Angela Brown, to the Congressional Committee on the Environment (2319).
Environmental Engineering: 0
The environment of Enceladus does not bode itself well to terraforming- and thus, it will be discarded as a concept. We will simply rely on improved biospheres in which to live.


Firm, united let us be,
Rallying round our liberty,
As a band of brothers joined,
Peace and safety we shall find.

 

[NinjaCow64]

Atlesian Directorate

Is pleased to announce that an agreement for long term peace have been brokered between the Russian Federation and the Directorate. The terms are as follows.

1. Russian Federation will transfer the ownership and territory of New Kiev, also known as Novokiev, to the Atlesian Directorate in perpetuity.
2. Russian Federation will renounce all claims to the territory of New Kiev, also known as Novokiev, in perpetuity.
3. Russian Federation will acknowledge the Atlesian Directorate's claims upon the territory of New Kiev, also known as Novokiev, in perpetuity.
4. Russian Federation will not attempt to colonize Mars further without the prior knowledge of the Atlesian Directorate, with the terms being renegotiated in 100 Earth-years.
5. Atlesian Directorate will agree to allow those New Kievites seeking to resettle into Russia's other colonies upon the Jovian moon, and foot the costs for their transport and their hab construction. (1 point will be given to Russia to be spent on improving their jovian habitats).

The Republic of Mercury supports and welcomes the resumption of cordial relations between Russia and the Atlesian Directorate. In the interests of continued peace in the Solar System we will lift sanctions against Russia, although we are still demanding that the Russian government apologise for their foreign minister’s disgusting comments and the foreign minister. Russia is invited to send a new delegation to the embassy on Mercury, all former diplomatic staffers will remain persona non grata outside of further negotiation. May peace reign eternal throughout the Solar System!

 

[gay_Aleks]

The Most Serene Holdings of Venus would like to join the Republic of Mercury in its approval of the Atlesian-Russian detente. This is the only way forward for peace in the Solar System, and a display of surprising maturity on both sides.