Pale Blue Dot

[Masada]

EI related accident.

 

[Shadowbound]

Hello, some changes from people sending me some scientific articles.

• Modifying a ship design and refitting a ship to the new design has formalized. Every module swapped out costs 2 research as opposed to exponential growth. Swapping out modules in refits will now cost 1 industry per module. Refitting will also return the mineral cost.
• Deep Core Mines now cost energy instead of minerals on icy worlds.
• Miranda has gained the low metals trait.
• Fungal farms have gained a slight boost to food output to bring them in line with hot and cold farms.

Also, keep in mind rules for blueprinting/tech-sharing are different than the pregame.

I remind everyone that orders are due tomorrow.

 

[Double A]

5 energy to Triton.
Ship 1 bio to Juno via private shipping. Send Freemen 35 energy.
40 energy to Russia for a freighter. Deliver to Juno. (40/120 energy to Russia)
Load ship docked in Interamnia with 3 volatiles and 2 minerals. Move to Oberon.
Use 1 PP on Miranda and 1 on Oberon (2 total) to boost cohesion by emphasizing unity in the face of Singreal's expansionism. While war is undesirable, we must work harder to stake our claim on Uranus and create Utopia, or else they will out-compete us.
1 PP to attract labourers, especially miners, in order to better meet the demands of our people. We lack the resources to be self-sufficient.
1 PP in a bid to attract tourists to experience the freakish geology of Miranda. It's crisscrossed with craters and canyons, perfect for explorers and racers. Tatooine ain't got nothin on us.
Mothball ship not doing anything.

 

[Robert Can't]

Be A Miner!

Do you feel weary? Is providing for your family becoming too much of a strain on you? Maybe you feel like Julie here, her job on Earth wasn't paying nearly enough to support even her small family of four.
[We see Julie, Pyotr, Jana and little Dmitry packed into a small habitat on Earth, Pyotr is trying to make dinner but there is too little food in the cupboard to do so, the children Jana and little Dmitry are hungry]

But she plucked up her courage and made a big choice, the right choice! She booked herself and her family passage to Triton - where the future of humanity can be found! It was a long journey but our partners in transportation made the trip more like a luxurious cruise!
[The family stand on the spacedock, we see the journey where Julie and Pyotr drink champagne while Jana and little Dmitry play Spaceball with a bunch of other children.]

Now that the family has arrived on Triton they can see just how good a choice that was. Julie has become a part of something incredible, helping to hew out a brighter future for all humanity from the icy surface of Triton. Here she has found a rewarding job, a space to live and a community of hope and progress.
[Julie is shown with the other miners laughing and looking happy. Children play on the gleaming walkways and are also shown in a school doing some learning]

There are many wonderful benefits to raising a family on Triton. Pyotr can connect with new friends at the dance halls. Jana can finally take up curling, look at her go! Even Little Dmitry can find exciting new friends here too!
[Pyotr dances at the disco, an athletic Jana is shown sweeping in front of the rock, gracefully guiding it into a winning position, Dmitry makes friends with a cat.]

Be a miner and come and join the the security and prosperity of Triton. Move from the scraps of Europe's tables to the banquet of Triton. There's plenty here for everyone!
[For a moment we see once again Pyotr struggling to scrape together a meal on Earth before cutting back to Triton where the family gather around the dinner table as Pyotr serves dish after dish of delicious looking food.]

Be A Miner! Sign up with the Triton Mining Board today!
​

Meanwhile on Triton domestic television

[A woman stands in a television kitchen she looks tired, at the end of her rope. She doesn't want to have to be doing this but she's putting on that television smile, pushing down all the anxiety - there is a job to be done.]
Good morning everyone. You might have heard that food rations are having to be decreased once again and I've decided to use this opportunity to share with you some of my favourite tips for making less into more!

[She holds out a standard ration pack to the camera]
One of these ration packs is meant to supply one person with all the nutrition they need for a single day however for most of us here we have to support our whole family using just one of these. I want to show you all the tricks you need to stretch this little thing out so that all of the family can leave the table with full stomachs.

[She moves over to her pots to begin the demonstration. The smile is fake, its so obviously fake, maybe to some its reassuring.]

Okay so here is the first dish that you could prepare for you and your family. Its my fav-​

​

Too depressing, what else is on?

 

[NinjaCow64]

MERCURY TRADE LEDGER (TURN ONE)

Mercury-Freemen Trade Agreement 5 Ramyue 680

0. All stellar standard units will use the definition as defined by relevant Stellar Congress legislation.
1. The Mercury Harmonious and Righteous Guild enters this agreement on behalf of the Republic of Mercury as per the laws of the Republic of Mercury.
2. Freemen Incorporated agrees to transfer four standard stellar units of volatiles to Arboretum, Venus.
3. Items transferred per section 2 shall be immediately transferred to the Most Serene Republic of Venus as part of an unrelated trade agreement.
4. Freemen Incorporated agrees to organise shipping of the items in section 2 of this agreement through their trade fleet or civilian shipping.
5. Freemen Incorporated will assume all costs incurred by section 3 of this agreement.
6. The Mercury Harmonious and Righteous Guild agrees to transfer 44 standard stellar units of energy to Freemen Incorporated.

Mercury-Venus Trade Agreement 5 Ramyue 680

0. All stellar standard units and structures will use the definition as defined by relevant Stellar Congress legislation.
1. The Mercury Harmonious and Righteous Guild (hereafter referred to in this document as "Mercury Guild") enters this agreement on behalf of the Republic of Mercury as per the laws of the Republic of Mercury.
2. Mercury Guild will provide the following services to the Most Serene Republic of Venus (hereafter referred to in this document as "Venus Republic"):
-Transference of 12 standard stellar units of minerals from the New Botany Bay Habitat to Ma City and payment of third-party civilian shipping costs associated with this action.
-Transference of 4 standard stellar units of volatiles via third-party agreement with another corporation.
3. Venus Republic will recognise the 1 standard stellar unit of minerals transferred to Neo-Singapore previously, as well as the transfer in section 1, as covering the previously agreed upon 13 minerals to be transferred from Mercury Guild to Venus Republic.
4. Venus Republic will provide the following services to Mercury Guild:
-Transference of 3 standard stellar units of food (bio) to New Botany Bay
-Transference of 2 standard stellar units of food (bio) to Dragon's Peak
5. Mercury Guild will pay for third-party civilian shipping costs associated with section 2 of this agreement.
6. Venus Republic agrees the following actions will be taken as soon as possible:
-1 standard stellar unit will be transferred from Neo-Singapore to Ma City
-The Ma City will be expanded to construct an additional standard galactic structure.
-1 standard galactic farming structure will be constructed in Ma City.
7. Venus Republic and Mercury Guild will commit to future, mutually beneficial trade agreements to ensure mutual prosperity and to ensure no person goes hungry within the solar system.

Mercury-Atlesian Directorate Trade Agreement 5 Ramyue 680

0. All stellar standard units will use the definition as defined by relevant Stellar Congress legislation.
1. The Mercury Harmonious and Righteous Guild (hereafter referred to in this document as "Mercury Guild") enters this agreement on behalf of the Republic of Mercury as per the laws of the Republic of Mercury.
2. Mercury Guild agrees to transfer 2 standard stellar units of minerals to Arsenal.
3. Mercury Guild agrees to transfer 6 standard stellar units of energy to the Atlesian Directorate.
4. Mercury Guild agrees to pay 4 standard stellar units of energy for the civilian shipping costs incurred by section 2 of this agreement.
5. Mercury Guild and the Atlesian Directorate recognise that Mercury Guild will expend 10 energy on this agreement as previously agreed.
6. Atlesian Directorate will research Fungal Farms by 10-Wangyue-689/31-12-2352 (OOC: this turn).
7. Atlesian Directorate will grant a perpetual license of Fungal Farms to the Republic of Mercury.

 

[NinjaCow64]

also russia has agreed to transfer 1 bio to terminus using their own shipping or civilian shipping (which they will pay for) in exchange for 17 energy

 

[EmpressDesu]

Commission for Public Interest, New Columbian Congressional Report on Trade and Spending (2351-2352):

In the interest of public knowledge and oversight in government, the Commission for Public Interest has prepared the following report. Please note that all of the information is subject to change if further agreements come to light in future investigations. Remember, the only way that our democracy functions is if every individual is well-informed and aware of the dealings of government.

TRADE: 50 ENERGY FOR 5 MINERALS - ATLANTIC UNION
TRADE: 8 VOLATILES FOR 4 MINERALS - ATLESIAN DIRECTORATE

RESEARCH AGREEMENT: DEEP MINING - COST: NONE - ARCADIA

CONSTRUCTION: 50 ENERGY FOR CONSTRUCTION OF DEEP MINE - ENCELADUS
CONSTRUCTION: 2 X LIBERTY-CLASS FRIGATE (FG-06 AND FG-07, DESIGNATED "TENACITY" AND "ADMIRAL MARTINEZ") - TO BE COMPLETED 2356 - NEW NORFOLK

Confirmation of Veracity:
Isabel Gallagher - 54TH PRESIDENT OF THE FEDERATED STATES
Stanley Gutierrez- SECRETARY OF TRADE AND COMMERCE
Marley Stone - CHAIRMAN, COMMISSION FOR PUBLIC INTEREST
Ryan Fitzpatrick - CHAIRMAN, INDEPENDENT GROUP FOR CONGRESSIONAL OVERSIGHT

 

[NinjaCow64]

Hermian Republican Navy

The Hermian Republican Navy consist of three older BMIC surplus Sovremenny-class Destroyers. The Destroyers follow the BMIC naming tradition (inherited from their Russian roots) of naming destroyers after Fleet Standard adjectives. Hermians respect the taboo of renaming vessels and thus their ships have kept their old Belter names.

• H.R.N.S Protsvetayushchiy (Prosperous)
  
• H.R.N.S Bditel'nyy (Vigilant)
  
• H.R.N.S Neutomimyy (Tireless)

 

[Shadowbound]

The Interplanetary Astronomical Union (IAU) is pleased to announce the receipt of the first data burst from the Icarus probe sent to the Alpha Centauri System. Four light years away, the probe first arrived in 2347 and it is only now that the data has been collected and reviewed by this independent organization of scientists. This represents the first close observation of extrasolar planets in human history and, we believe, a prelude to the first extrasolar expedition.

Alpha Centauri is a trinary system consisting of three stars: Alpha Centauri A, Alpha Centauri B, and Proxima Centauri (also known as Alpha Centauri C). The first two stars are similar to our sun, while Proxima Centauri is a red dwarf. Each star has its own planetary system.

Proxima Centauri is very different than the other stars. This is where Icarus began its detailed observations. Two planets orbit it in the habitable zone, with an orbital period of 5 and 11 days respectively, but they are tidally locked to the parent, which has rendered them geologically inert. Proxima Centauri does not have much of a heliosphere and thus the stellar wind is much stronger than anywhere in the Solar System: this seems to have stripped both worlds of any atmospheres. Ice was detected on the far side of Alpha Centauri Cc, however. Frequent, high intensity flares of radiation from Proxima Centauri bombard the planets, about 200x necessary to kill any bacterial life. A mini-Neptune on the outskirts of the system, effectively in interstellar space, has a small ring system including several small moons.

The binary system of the other two stars is very different: it is warm and energy rich. Because of the close proximity of A and B to each other, no gas giants have formed. Most terrestrial material was condensed into a few large orbiting bodies, none of which they expect are icy due to their distance from their stars. Volatiles would have been accreted into these planets during formation and kept in a liquid state by the heat. Over the millions of years since formation most of the water would have been eroded by the stellar wind, except for three worlds with atmospheres, where there is likely a magnetosphere protecting them. Each world will be investigated in the coming decade by the Icarus probe for potential signs of life, beginning with Alpha Centauri Ac.

Spoiler Alpha Centauri :

• Alpha Centauri Ab - Large - Very Hot
• Alpha Centauri Ac - Huge - Hot, ??? Atmosphere
  • Alpha Centauri AcI - Small - Hot
  • Alpha Centauri AcII - Tiny - Hot

• Alpha Centauri Bb - Large - Very Hot
• Alpha Centauri Bc - Medium - Hot
• Alpha Centauri Bd - Large - Hot, ??? Atmosphere
• Alpha Centauri Be - Huge - Hot, ??? Atmosphere
  • *Alpha Centauri BeI - Small - Hot

• Alpha Centauri Cb - Large - Very High Radiation
• Alpha Centauri Cc - Huge - Very High Radiation, Icy, Metals
• Alpha Centauri Cd - Ice Giant - Very Cold, High Radiation, Ice Rings
  • Alpha Centauri CdI - Medium - Icy, Very Cold, High Radiation
  • Alpha Centauri CdII - Small - Icy, Very Cold, High Radiation
  • Alpha Centauri CcIII - Tiny - Icy, Very Cold, Volcanic, High Radiation

 

[NinjaCow64]

Extract of the interplanetary bestseller autobiographical comedy “Hermian Trucker’s Guide to the Solar System II – I’ve Struck Volatiles with this Writing Gig!” by Nicolah Null Nicolah Banditos

ON SPACEBALL

Dear readers, one thing that never ceases to surprise me in this galaxy is the ignorance that Earthers display about the way that we Extras live. One thing I learnt on a recent bio run to Russia was that many (too many) Earthers think that there is only one kind of Spaceball! I can think of nothing more Earthlike than to paint all us Extras with the same brush and assume that we are all the same (I write without a shred of irony or hypocrisy).

I’ll have to ask my Extra readers to bear with me for a moment, this will all be old hat for you but as the free market’s designated Hermian representative (don’t blame me for making the best of a system that you lot invented) it is my responsibility to clear up misconceptions. I know that many of you who will be reading this are Earthers – as of writing this Trucker’s Guide to the Solar System has already been translated into Fleet Standard and then into Russian (among many others including Singlish and Hebrew) and from there it will likely be translated into the Atlantic languages.

Now let me make it abundantly clear to all Earthers: THERE ARE MANY DIFFERENT TYPES OF SPACEBALL! What is popularised on Earther television is actually Outer Rim Spaceball, which is mainly played by some living in far out colonies in Uranus (and I believe Triton). This has nothing in common with the way that they play the game on Mars, or the incredible game as played by the Voyska Belters (which my mere words could not do justice). There is no one spaceball, I believe that the Stellar Congress tired to make an interplanetary league but it didn’t go anywhere (which is a good thing as there are many more important things that they should be getting around to doing if you ask me).

The many Spaceballs out there are all incredible in their own right, but as a Hermian in both body and soul I only feel qualified to talk about my game. Hermian Spaceball grew out of the brutal games of soccer that the first convicts would play. Rules such as “don’t pick up the ball, don’t injure or kill other players” were frequently ignored and often they would devolve into bloody fisticuffs. Despite the violence, these games built comradery and joy, so much so that some allege without these games the varying cultures that made up the Early Colonial Period would have never found common ground. During the Revolutionary Wars, Master Dragon Wan Dingxiang needed as many men as possible to fight for our freedom and rah rah rah and he was understandably upset about the fact that his men kept dying in game related incidents. So he strongly encouraged those who played to come up with new rules that stopped people from dying. Many changes were experimented with during this period, but the one that stuck was what became the Hermian Spaceball of today – players would tie ribbons around their two arms and the other teams would try and tear them off. The opposing team are free to rip those ribbons off and if they do, the player whose had to run a lap around the field or do a number of pushups (nowadays in official play they just have to run off the field for 30 seconds). This replicated the feel of old Hermian spaceball while minimising the injuries, the game retained elements of disabling the opposition while also attempting to score goals. It also added an additional tactical layer to the sport – would players pick up the ball, a more effective way of defending the ball but opening their arms up to attack? Or would they keep the ball at their feet, sacrificing ball defence for player defence? Eventually these sets of rules evolved into the game that all Hermians watch and play today – two teams of ten players (variants with a goalkeeper position were not as popular and were eventually phased out), two nets and one ball. We developed a league with teams representing our various habitats and vasjatings (Rangers Always Win! Rangers Always Win!). It was the game of my youth and the youth of today.

But truly it is not the rules that make Spaceball. It is something more primal. It can’t be explained in words, you have to see it. So, Earthers, if you know any Extras you should (preferably while drinking) ask them about their game. They’ll know what you’re talking about. First, they will tell you that you lost the game (an old Extra joke) and then, after a brief pause, they’ll start describing the game. Their eyes will light up as the memories of their blissful, carefree, youths flood back. The days spent in the recreation pods playing with their friends. Then will come the memories of them huddled around the TV watching the game played at the highest level, the cheering that was had as their team finally wins. You will see words about the game come flying out of their mouths, coming to them as naturally as breathing. That, my friends, is what spaceball truly is.

 

[Traveller76]

Throughout the 22nd and the first half of the 23rd Century the political life of Patagonia was defined by two parties; the Center Left Infosocialist Party of Patagonia (PIP) and the Center Right Cyberdemocratic Party (CP). Both parties had branches in every branch of government from Commune to Department to Provincial to National and groups ranging from sports clubs to youth and education associations to retirees and all workplaces. Elections were run smoothly with minor scuffles between members, usually younger members with too much time and liquor in their systems. Every decade would see the formation of a few minor parties or dissident movements by most died out or were merged back into the two parties by the next election. However, the creation of the Citizens Party of Patagonia/Fiesta Ciudadana de la Patagonia (FCP) would greatly upset the balance.

The FCP would be formed after the discovery of Cyberorganization, which would allow for coordination of individual actors using wireless communication devices with unbreakable encryption allows and the beginning of a joint intelligence. One of the researchers, Dr. Ascension Palomo, would write a research paper calling for the creation of a Demarchic government or government by sortition with the selection of political officials as a random sample from a larger pool of candidates similar to Ancient Athens or several Medieval Italian City States . Such a government would provide better representation, would be anti-corruption since people would be more loyal to their conscience that party or backers, allow more diversity in thought, and empower ordinary people. The paper would soon become one of the most discussed topics online and offline as the merits and problems would be debated. Many holders of Doctorates and Masters degrees felt that this was an attempt to remove the votes they had earned and replace the experts with candidates who did not have experience or knowledge. However this was refuted by Dr. Palomo in an online discussion, saying that to be in the candidate pool for a government position one must take an Exam, be under review from the National Assembly while in office and would have their record of past service open for review. If that did not work a government member could be recalled by the National Assembly or a Citizen Referendum if needed. Since nearly all Patagonians were well educated and lived under also constant electronic supervision the claims of incompetence, unaccountability or illegitimacy seemed empty and being over enthusiastic a benefit.

During this debate several Communes would begin to form political clubs to debate and encourage the formation of Demarchic governments. Within a year the FCP would be formed and work would begin to create an party infrastructure. At least a third of the PIP and CP membership would begin to drift towards the FCP, this prompted even more interest from news programs to all sorts of organizations who were interested in novelty. While Dr. Palomo would be offered membership in the FCP, he declined this in order to preserve neutrality. The New Territories in the northern parts of the country would become the biggest supporters of the FCP while the more densely populated coasts and mountains would be fought over by the three parties. Change was coming with the election in 2355 but no one was sure what it will bring.

 

[NinjaCow64]

Political Parties of Mercury

Master Dragon Victor Margherita Salandra CNostra led the Republic of Mercury into the Fifth Asteroid War and was generally hated for it. It was largely seen by Hermians as a costly waste of life. Hermian politics at this point had devolved into two competing factions – the Wards and the Dials. The Wards (originating from the English and Hermian word for “coward”) were the pro-Earth faction, often called cowardly because they would prefer to align themselves with Earth or remain due to the economic benefits, hence “cowards”. The Dials (originating from the English and Herian word for “suicidal”) were the jingoistic faction that sought the need to defend the Solar System from what they saw as “corruptive Earther values” and prove Mercury as a real nation through the crucible of war, hence “suicidal”.

Master Dragon Salandra CNostra had aligned himself heavily with the Dials and had aggressively forced the Wards out of political life. His failure to produce any real gains for Mercury the economic hardship suffered from reduced trade with Earther powers during the Fifth Asteroid War led to him being ousted by Master Dragon Wei Maria Wang CNostra in a coup. Master Dragon Wang CNostra’s coup was supported by a majority of Mercury, but she was worried that there were enough disgruntled people that her ascension could bring about a civil war. This was a large motivating factor in her enacting electoral reform. Wang CNostra’s Ward Dahgn (Ward Party) won 51% of the vote. Her wisdom in managing the Republic enabled the Wards to have successful victories enabled her to serve 124 Hermian years (30 Earth years) as Dragon Master. Her successor, Dragon Master Yuhan Zhu Shufen SonYee was elected on 11 Willyue 671 with 55% of the vote.



Ward Dahng – 66 Seats
Dial Dahng – 46 Seats
Unionliberalmus Dahng – 8 Seats

Master Dragon Shufen SonYee’s Ward Dahng (Ward Party) has long served as the government, overseeing a dominant party system. The Ward Dahng follows the corporate idea of governance – they run the Republic to maximise shareholder value. In the context of the Republic of Mercury and her sovereign corporation (the Mercury Righteous and Harmonious Guild), all citizens of Mercury are considered shareholders. The Wards are a party of pure realpolitik, aggressively pursuing the increase of living standards and security of Hermians while ignoring grander ideological visions. This has proven popular among Hermians as the Ward Dahng has near-consistently delivered on their promises of better lives for all Hermians.

Master Dragon Shufen SonYee is supported and leads the larger of the two factions of the Ward Dahng, unofficially called the Guilhweyryen (Guildsmen, Corporate). They follow the teachings of Master Dragon Wei Maria Wang CNostra and Singreali Kevin Yu (who was a major inspiration for Wang CNostra’s policies). The Guilhweyryen respect individual achievement and aim to reward productivity and merit. Despite being considered “evil corporatists” by some, the Guilhweyryen have ensured that most sectors of the economy is controlled by the government, only allowing free market activity and foreign investment if it is believed to have positive economic impact. These policies have kept wealth inequality to a minimum and economic growth strong.

The Fangrehen (Indulgent, Liberal) faction, led by Daiwei Ursula Leyonhjelm Banditos, have a different view of how to maximise the wealth of Hermians. Describing themselves as libertarians, they advocate for a liberalisation of the economy and the sale of most government corporate entities. They believe that unnecessary government intervention into the economy weakens the free market’s natural impulses and has slowed down the growth of Mercury. They also advocate for the government to strongly safeguard the civil liberties of Hermians. While popular among the wealthy elements of Hermian society, the Fangrehen have minimal influence over the Ward Dahng due to minimal wealth inequality and the general unpopularity of their ideas over most Hermians. Still, Leyonhjelm Banditos currently represents the only credible alternative to Shufen SonYee’s control over the Ward Dahng.

The Dial Dahng (Dial Party) is the largest opposition party on Mercury. They market themselves as a party of romantic ideas, promising the creation of a utopian Mercury that will lead the Solar System into a better place. They have largely abandoned the jingoism that defined the party in its early years and now emphasise collectivism, a strong Hermian national identity and the protection of Mercury from the evils of Capitalism.

The Dial Dahng is currently dominated by the Blare Faction (Corporate), faction led by Opposition Leader Blare Hazel Lei Banditos. Lei Banditos has deemphasised the most extreme elements of the Dial ideology in order to more broadly appeal to the public. Lei Banditos and her followers believe that attacking the government for issues such as corruption and other perceived failures of governance is a more efficient strategy for securing electoral success than attacking them on ideological grounds. This strategy has been extremely effective, gaining the Dials more seats than they have held in a long time. Lei Banditos only proposes some very mild reforms to the Hermian economic system, reducing reliance self-employment and foreign capital slightly over a long period. This keeps the core base happy without completely alienating more traditional Dials.

The Jianghong Faction (Fundamentalist) are led by Jianghong Chun Yan SonYee. They begrudgingly support Lei Banditos’ current strategy, but they yearn for the days where the Dials “really stood for something”. They wish to implement major reforms that would transform Hermian society, reversing most free market reforms and limiting foreign capital to an absolute minimum. They also advocate for Mercury to become active in the interplanetary community, advocating for cooperation on niche projects such as transhumanist research and colonisation of Alpha Centauri as well as pressuring other nations to improve their human rights policies.

The Old Dials (Stratocratic) are named for both their commitment to an ideology that is seen as outdated by most Hermians and for the average age of both their constituents and their representatives. Consisting of and supported almost exclusively by revanchist veterans of the Fifth Asteroid War, the Old Dials advocate for a complete refocus of the economy towards a military build-up in preparation for a Sixth Asteroid War that almost everyone else is hoping will never happen. Consisting of only a handful of members, they are led by Fujikawa Shizu Danjuro Gumi, the oldest member in the Parliament of Dragons. They are tolerated by the rest of the Dials only because they would likely form their own party and successfully eat into their seats if they were removed. Likewise, the Old Dials only remain part of the Dial Dahgn because they are sticklers for tradition.

The Unionsliberalismus Dahgn (Union Liberal Party, Liberal) are the only other party to hold seats in the Parliament of Dragons. They embrace the philosophy of Unionliberalismus (Union Liberalism), an economic and political philosophy whose definition has changed over time. In modern usage it refers to the politics of the Atlantic Union, devotion to the ideals of liberalism and equality with a strong dislike of the corporate states of the Neuquen era. Led by Blanche Rosa Tang Banditos, they advocate for a new constitution of Mercury that establishes a new basis for Hermian sovereignty outside of the Nequen Accords, sanctions on corpo-dominated states and increased legal protections for immigrants and refugees. This small, but growing, party is extremely popular among intellectuals and new immigrants to Mercury.

 

[Shadowbound]

Update Four
Space Pirates
(2351 to 2352)​

2351 kicked off what was popularly known as the “Recolonization Era” on Earth, as the major powers made moves to secure and construct infrastructure across previously abandoned areas. The actual resolution of the disputes primarily occurred through the United Nations, which relinquished custodianship of large tracts of land in Africa and Asia to the new claimants: the Atlantic Union established control of northern Africa, the Corporate Cooperative the south, and the astropolis of Singreal successfully pressed its claim to the Chinese mainland, to some disconsternation among terrestrial powers. All of these states made similar moves in their new territory, establishing settlements and irrigation systems with an eye towards restoring biodiversity and ecology.

In this game of musical chairs, Russia found itself left out in the cold. Its consolation prize was the Singreali habitat in orbit around Neptune, the most expensive attempt to date at establishing a profitable mining operation over one of the outer system’s ice giants. This move was unpopular in Russian society, as the strong Chinese diaspora within the state vehemently objected to trading their ancestral homeland for the system’s coldest icebox. Many chose to resettle in Singreali-controlled China anyway, bringing with them investment and manpower that saw the colony exceed its growth projections.

Russia: -8% Cohesion in Siberia
Singreal: Tiny Earth Habitat upgraded to Small

Russia wasn’t the only terrestrial power with domestic problems. The post-revolutionary Patagonian state was a hybrid of low-tech agriculture and high-tech urban areas, and the relative amicable relations between the two began to break down as the energy demand of the advanced research facilities resulted in rolling blackouts across South America, along with a considerable debt to financial interests.

Patagonia: -5% Cohesion in Patagonia

Finally, the complex and intricate relations between the different elements of Singreali society were disrupted by the emphasis on the reclamation of China. While broadly popular among the Singreali population, the resources to do so were diverted from industrial work and Singreal’s major shipyards were dormant through 2352. The workers secured the support of the powerful Teamsters and the Singreali labor movement organized a city-wide slowdown until issues of backpay were addressed.

Singreal: -5% Cohesion in Singreal, Singreal can regain cohesion by paying 20 energy

While Earth was politically tumultuous, Mars seemed to enter a period of relative calm. Investments in infrastructure and self sufficient food production, along with a carrot and stick program of collaboration, did much to mollify the Aresian population to control by the Directorate. The Atlantic Union, likewise, moved to temper the militarized New Hellas habitat, and while the population at large had largely stood down from its heightened alert the garrison remained.

Atlesian Directorate: Change Ares to Corporate, +5% Cohesion
Atlantic Union: Change New Hellas to Liberal

Overhead, the Evangel mining operations in near-Martian orbit came to a close, having exhausted much of the resources of the local space. The engineers and academics of the Deimos habitat, looking to preserve their own jobs, have presented a plan to the Evangel leadership to convert the mining operation into a proper shipyard for the polity for less than the cost of building a new facility.

Evangels: Gain trait Low Metals at Deimos, an opportunity to convert the mine at Deimos to a factory for only 5 minerals is available

Meanwhile, a Mercurian patrol ship discovered the lost Mariner 4 probe in a heliocentric orbit and managed to intercept and retrieve it, donating it to an Atlesian museum as a gesture of goodwill.

Dozens of ships scurried to and fro across the Asteroid Belt, transporting life support, medicine, raw materials, and fuel between habitats as necessary. This rich volume of trade had grown since the tense days of the Cerean War, but this came to an end as a Freemen freighter reported an approaching stealth ship on its way to Callisto. It soon lost contact in the first pirate attack in a decade, as that ship presumably intercepted and jammed them. Worse, rather than the expected ransom or hijacking, observers detected a fusion drive ignite dangerously close to the freighter several hours later, turning it into a cloud of superheated gas. The ship, cargo, and all souls aboard were presumed lost when a BMIC Kirov swept the area several weeks later and found no traces.

The fallout was immediate: while luckily the farms on Callisto weren’t dependent on its supplies for operation, a Freemen propaganda campaign to gain support for a planned settlement on the moon backfired and cost them critical votes in their home asteroid just in time for an election which returned a greatly weakened government. Further complicating matters an alternative narrative emerging from Earth-based media was not of a pirate attack at all, but poorly maintained systems resulting in a catastrophic accident that was blamed on piracy as a way of saving face among the maintenance-conscious Belters. The opposition, meanwhile, is demanding a focus on self defense and rearmament, returning to the good old days of armed freighters at the cost of profit margins.

Freemen: -1 Pretty Flower-class, -5% Cohesion in Juno, -1 Political Power (election)

Callisto was the site of another political drama, because the nonarrival of an expected freighter: the Belt and Moon Independent Company exported the entirety of Usra Habitat’s food supply to feed their holdings across the Inner System. The inhabitants turned to black market smugglers, off the book farming operations, and the generosity of their (sometimes literal) cousins in Rupia. The BMIC garrison on the moon was sufficient to quell the resulting riots, but relations between Callisto and the broader polity have been badly damaged.

BMIC: Usra -10% Cohesion
Resettlement Directorate: +5 Energy

Ganymedism, the ecological and nationalist movement on the eponymous moon, gained significant strength in the Resettlement Directorate’s habitat as a result of several ambitious plans announced for Callisto, including further terraforming and the creation of a modern university system. That these programs were unfunded did not matter, as it highlighted the perceived sense of abandonment that Ganymede felt, as the center of political power within the polity shifted to the newer habitat. A four point manifesto, calling for political autonomy, the resumption of terraforming, the withdrawal of extralunar troops, and economic consolidation was widely circulated in Ushakov, Jovia, and Ganymede City, though it was suppressed by Singreali security forces in the latter.

Resettlement Directorate: -5% Cohesion in Mandate of Jovia
Russia: -5% Cohesion in Ushakov
Singreal: -2% Cohesion in Ganymede City

Across the Solar System the sport of Spaceball entered the popular consciousness, and the Hermian variety was increasingly dominant, mostly because it resulted in the fewest injuries as a result of the flag system used. While the Saturnian variants survived (very different in any case, having evolved from zero gravity basketball), the standardization of the game’s rules and the emergence of a loose, private sports network allowed a market to form around it. It was even included in the Russian Union games on Chernobog in several exhibition matches between different Russian teams, and there’s appetite for more: a proper Spaceball League across the Solar System.

Opportunity: One polity can bid energy to host the first System-Wide Sportsball Game, becoming the center of the sport.

Closer to Earth, the Venusian government invested what it could in new farms on the planet, along with an influx of development by the Corporate Cooperative and BMIC, transitioning away from Solar Power generation and into food and materials. Venus was now the second most habitable planet for humans in the system, requiring only oxygen and sunscreen, and had ample opportunity for growth. More, in fact, that the Most Serene Republic of Venus could administrate, and there was a steady trickle of Spanish-speaking immigrants from Patagonia, New Hope, and the Atlantic Union into semi-legal settlements on the planet unrecognized by Neo Singapore.

New Tiny Independent Habitat on Venus - Ciudad Afrodita

Titan’s government entered an election year promising all things to all sides: promises of investment into both biosphere development, corporate regulation, and the extraction industry had very little backing them and allowed it to be outmaneuvered by a “Titanist” opposition who offered a very real and immediate boost to production. Ultimately a very weak government survived on a confidence and supply basis with New Columbian-inspired libertarians in the republic’s parliament.

Titan: -2 Political Power (election)

Saturn as a whole was a relatively amicable place in this era, as Titan, the New Columbian Confederacy, and the Evangels shared the system. Commerce and ideas flowed freely between the three and a great deal of intermixing occurred among the Saturnian Compact. That isn’t to say everything was perfect: the New Columbians and Evangels found themselves competing for the same ideological real estate in their appeals to deep space habs, with the Evangels slowly winning on a transhumanist platform vs the New Columbian romanticism, while Titan failed to follow through on some research agreements with the New Columbians, resulting in delays on a planned mine expansion.

Titan, New Columbia, Evangels: +2% Cohesion to all Saturn habitats

The curious socialist state among the Uranian moons began to pivot this year into a new income source: tourism. Specifically, extreme sports (“Pod Racing”) gained popularity among the ravines of Miranda, and a local pastime of high speed maneuvering among them began to attract thrillseekers and daredevils from across the Solar System to participate in the unique local custom. This caused some consternation among the population, who had moved out here to get away from the very people now coming to appropriate their culture, but also everyone likes money.

Caelum: +10 Energy

In the furthest reach of the solar system, a prospector returning to Triton from the Kuiper Belt has told tales of another alien ship out there, the mothership of the craft found in orbit around Neptune. While unsubstantiated at best and denied by those actually familiar with the alien ship, word has made its way across the system and a flurry of hastily prepared craft are preparing for expeditions.

Opportunity: Fusion Drive-equipped craft can explore the Kuiper Belt, remember to bring spare fuel!

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

Right, we've survived the first turn of the actual game.

Some changes;
1) Resources are now all consolidated within a single planetary system, there is no longer any energy cost for internal transfer. This includes orbit-surface and the Asteroid Belt. Players who invested in the tech Tower of Babel get a 6 research point refund they can invest into something else.

2) This leaves a lot of excess energy floating around, so I'll be adding adding a life support cost for habitats in cold areas (and upping that in very cold).

3) A private market is being added to allow the purchase of minerals, bio, and volatiles. It's meant to be a pricey option for when you can't arrange a trade. Prices will fluctuate every turn, though there will be floors.

Spoiler Private Market Turn 4 :

Minerals: 80 Energy
Bio: 60 Energy
Volatiles:30 Energy

4) Some players spent more energy than they had this turn, typically by miscalculation. As a buffer for this debt will be allowed, but with 50% interest, for turns after this i.e. this turn's debt is free as long as it is paid off.

 

[Immaculate]

The Cooperative is offering:

• engineering and technical assistance to further develop refineries using the methods of helium fusion (licenses on helium fusion)

The Cooperative is buying

• Minerals

 

[Robert Can't]

​

Invest in the future of humanity.

Out among the ice giants a small miracle has been occurring. Decades ago a small group of dauntless colonists began to hew out from the icy surface of Triton a new home for themselves. They called this place Halosynde and it quickly became clear to one and all throughout the solar system that this small venture was going to represent something important.

That importance was soon realised as the Triton boom began, those investors insightful enough to see the potential on this icy moon quickly pitched in to the project and soon savvy business persons from all quarters began to realise the potential for investment.

Now Halosynde is a shining jewel of the solar system. It represents a model for the future and a first step on the journey to a better life for all of humanity. Thousands flock to immigrate to this beacon of hope and industry has boomed. People can find a quality of life here much greater than where they came from and investors are seeing titanic returns as the ice mines bring forth volatiles of such great quality to be unmatched throughout the solar system.

Those that got in back when Halosynde was young have made their investment back hundreds of times over.

But don't worry if you are feeling a tinge of jealousy as there is a new opportunity for investment in Triton! The hard working people of the TMB have decided that it is time for big expansion and this are opening the gates for big investors to step forward and help them out with this brand new project. The hope is to find a consortium of interested parties to help fuel the next stage of the Triton project.

It is an opportunity to be part of the future, to help bring humanity into that better future. It is from the ice of Triton that such a future will be born and it is that future that we can move towards together. Invest in Triton. Invest in the future.

Our proposals for how this investment would look are as follows:

We are seeking minerals in quantities of 3/6/12/18 and we will send back (shipping paid for) 10/20/40/65 volatiles. First shipment in the same turn of delivery of minerals and then 4 more installments to follow. That is a much higher payout that you could expect from the open market and a once in a lifetime deal.

Get in contact with a local representative of the Triton Mining Board today and buy your own little piece of the future!

 

[NinjaCow64]

Approximately a week ago Shadowbound gave me permission to take over this game. Then my life got unexpectedly busy for a week and I didn't want to say anything until I felt I had the time and energy to devote to getting this game back into interplanetary orbit. Now that my life has calmed down sufficiently, I am excited to announce the launch of Pale Blue Dot 1.1! If you are interested, please come and join us in the new thread!