SYSNES2: On the Lathe of Suns

[alex994]

Oh yeah coz science is totally something you can build :rollseyes:

OOC: Stuff like research facilities, state of the art labs/etc?

And the reactor shielding?

 

[Disenfrancised]

Cool.

I assume all power stacks now? I think I like the power changes, although I can tell I have to build a number of power stations...

Power has stacked since the start of the NES, it not stacking was dropped way back in the pre-nes thread.

 

[Disenfrancised]

OOC: Stuff like research facilities, state of the art labs/etc?

And the reactor shielding?

Obviously, as I have always bloody done every time this has occured before, when I migrate the stats to a new paradigm I'll adjust them to have things makes sense retroactively.

 

[Thlayli]

Aww, but I was going to enjoy massive and inexplicable socioeconomic collapse due to the old rules of economics suddenly no longer applying.

 

[Symphony D.]

Notice Open Cycler Fusion's refined e cost is -30. Assume it's a typo, not sure why you'd be getting money back from the void by building them.

Fusion Reactors have no refinement costs listed.

Presumably Fission and Fusion Reactor Soc/Env Stress is without/with shielding?

 

[Symphony D.]

Adjustments

"So what exactly is your point, Anderson?"

"The ratio of scientific output to economic output is highly variable dependent upon the polity in question." He summoned a data graphic.

"As the provisioner of services in question we may safely exclude ourselves from the calculation."

"Your point?"

"Ongoing synchronized consortium costs overrate the value of scientific input, assuming 2:1. The actual ratio should approximate 5:4 to be competitive."

"Your assertion heavily underweights the major economic producers."

"The major economic producers tend to have stable, quality biospheres and worlds already under their control. A more sophisticated weighting would incorporate societal world value to determine pricing and perhaps allocate costs on a case-by-case basis, but is beyond the scope of this proposal. For example: for all practical purposes, the Dardareo, Ilosians, and Quasi can be eliminated from consideration. Even accounting for this, our clients come in two flavors: e-rich and s-poor, or e-poor and s-poor. Accordingly the consortium must reevaluate its pricing to widen its market."

"So you're advocating the value of s be established as 1.25e. Why that number?"

"It approximates the functional mean while still having a built-in profit margin to reflect our advantage in service provision."

"What about the Oiat Kingdom?"

"What about them?"

"Wouldn't you be irritated to hear you were now overpaying for a service?"

"We never concluded an official deal with them, and their existing rate is 1.5e per s anyway. We can allow them to take advantage of our new pricing rates, while paying at the same rate. They're paying the service forward. Payment stops earlier than anticipated to reflect the new total sum."

"Supposing we go along with this scheme. What's the next step?"

"The catalog will have to be updated."

"So it would seem."

 

[Disenfrancised]

Notice Open Cycler Fusion's refined e cost is -30. Assume it's a typo, not sure why you'd be getting money back from the void by building them.

They're a context specific fusion reactor add-on, you recoup some of the costs of construction when you apply them to a reactor. Yes the values are with/without shielding.

 

[Symphony D.]

Sometimes you just can't do everything on your own. When you realize that remember that it's not
a sign of weakness to ask for outside help, it's a sign of courage! And when you think help, think
the Praxzen family of companies, which have a wide variety of services on offer to help you help
yourself out of whatever ails you, today!

Are your people starving? Do you worry about food riots and rationing? Are you concerned about the
increasing dependence of your civilization on the cold market calculations of some polity far
across the gulf of space? If so, what you need is a comprehensive plan to upgrade your agriculture,
and sometimes adding more and more hydroponics units just won't cut it! We offer a wide variety of
solutions for increasing your f production today! From an Ecology Matrix that can work double-duty
and produce a truly astonishing amount of food (value-priced at 20e plus construction costs!) to
biology Education and Terraforming, we can help you ensure your security against
pernicious market forces on consumables today!

Is your biosphere disintegrating under a cloud of pollution? Do you live in constant fear of your
ice caps melting down? Are you facing an ecological crisis? Don't worry! We offer unique services
in the form of Ecology Matrices (value-priced at 20e plus construction costs!) and Planetologists
(with rates equal to Research!) that can help you alleviate that pesky environmental stress. These
concrete measures tie in nicely with our extensive Education programs, for when a long-term
solution is the only solution!

Do you feel like your civilization isn't quite the sharpest tool in the gardening shed? We can
help with that! We have a full range of specialists in almost every field that can assist with both
Teaching and Researching and can help you get to where you want to be! Our Teaching programs cover
a wide variety of scientific fields and technology groups! Price ranges are as follows (buyer
assumes all payment shipping costs and refueling fees; a 10e retainer fee will be levelled
every year after the first):

• Tier 2 Technologies: 80e
• Tier 3 Technologies: 120e
• Tier 4 Technologies: 160e

Our Researching programs are also available for those who prefer a little more certainty
in the research pace! Our specialists can work for you to produce 5s per year in a field of your
choice at the low, low rate of 10e per year (valued at 1e per s with an additional 5e retainer
fee due to opportunity costs associated with personnel). This is a great way to boost production
in a given field without redirecting your own research efforts!

We have a unique blend of technologies and components at our disposal that enable you to get more
performance from your vehicles and exploit new opportunities, and we're adding more all the time!
Please ask to speak with a representative to see what our designers can do for you!

Do you feel that your mining operations just aren't meeting break-even costs with initial
investment fast enough? We've got a solution for you! Our Overseers can increase your m and v
production output by an astonishing 70% per year with their specialized skills at maximizing
extraction efficiency! This kind of incredible production boost can be yours under a wide variety
of highly flexible payment plans, with options such as: per-year payment via extracted m and v,
or per-year payment via a fixed rate of e for services rendered, among others! Exact pricing is
dependent on the output gained from such operations! We can also help with surveying! Please ask
to speak with a representative for details! (The extraction program requires that the platform or
region in question be listed under Praxzen Republic holdings. All maintenance costs and security
concerns will remain the responsibility of the original client.)

An exciting offer currently exists through the Excelsior Joint Venture Group! Please check back
for future opportunities in this service line!

Does the exostrategic big picture get you down? Have you found it difficult to properly assess
threats and determine a proper forward-looking agenda? An impartial outside perspective can help!
We offer consulting and management services at bargain prices. Contact our offices for details for
how we can help you help yourself!

The universe is a dangerous place, and sometimes a show of strength or display of force is
necessary to ensure safety. Our experience in both terrestrial and aerospace defense is undergoing
rapid growthand our expertise is only advancing. We can offer both defense consulting services and,
increasingly in the future, hardware and directed defense services to meet your particular needs.

Do you hate your world? It's nothing to be ashamed of, it's just a simple fact that the vast
majority of planets are not conducive to comfortable standards of Human living. But we can change
that! We offer a wide variety of terraforming services that are economically priced and have
flexible payment plans! Our program is simple:

* Feature associated costs for personnel utilization

You supply the effort and materials, and we supply the science and personnel to help you get it
done cheaply! The first bank of blue numbers, Actual e Cost, m Cost, and v Cost, are on the ground
construction costs you need to be able to meet to conduct the terraforming immediately. That's it!
We pass on the savings our personnel afford to you, and take care of the associated s cost allowing
you to enjoy the enefits of terraforming immediately! The second set of blue numbers, Applied s
Cost (in e) shows what we're asking for this special service! Current rates are set at the value
-added price of 1.25e:s! Payment rate of these fees is negotiable, with a broad spectrum of payment
plans, from one year deals to decade-long options. We are also pleased to announce that through a
special partnership with the Lesser Orion Financial Group, any loans taken with that organization to
facilitate terraforming will have APR interest lowered by 0.25! Contact our representatives today
for further details! (APR rates may be factored in to multi-year plans. Bulk orders may have fees
associated for continuous use of s resources. Some personnel expenses may be attached. Please
contact seller for details.)

Q. Who do you offer services to?
A. We offer our services to anyone who can manage a reasonable payment plan.

Q. Why should we buy your services over those of others?
A. The simple answer to this is that you're making an investment. Although others might have
similar services atcompetitive prices, they cannot beat us on flexibility, and they cannot beat
us on future return in investment. Put simply: the more business we do, the more robust and
inexpensive our services will become. The future is always brighter with us.

Q. Doesn't that mean the best time to buy is always tomorrow?
A. Not if you need the service today.

Q. What's all this about flexibility?
A. Flexibility is at the heart of being able to adopt to a diverse business environment. We are
willing to consider and negotiate on all reasonable offers. We are also willing to establish
partnerships with other entities, commercial, industrial, and financial, for the sake of ensuring
our services are complete and integrated packages. You're not just buying a service, you're
buying a business ally.

Q. What if I have more questions?
A. Want to know more? Just ask us.

 

[Symphony D.]

I like organizing data (does not apply to others):

The Biologist (B on the map, associated with Biotech) [...] Cost reduction in s for region specific biotech modification in the region it is in

Is this to be determined case-by-case, given most other linear cost decreases via tech are listed?

Also, since Tech is no doubt getting a heavy revision with the new buildings: Hydroponics, Plasma Tap, Wind Plant, normal Fission Reactor, Spaceport, Base, and Cladding are all missing from the Techs listing, which has some funny implications since that would intuitively mean they're all T0 and even Farms are BIO1.

 

[Thlayli]

=Tr. Factor: One-Time Encrypt=
Tr. Agent: Pav. Bank
Recip: K. Common
Subject: Re: Codicil
Attached File - Defense Emplac1
Attached File - Poll1
Attached File - Legal Briefs

Didn't trust official channels for this. Apologies for the expense, know we're belt-tightening. Prelims look feasible on groundwork. Data attached.

=Tr. Factor: One-Time Encrypt=
Tr. Agent ibid
Recip: Q. Constant
Subject: Re: Re: Codicil
AUTHORIZATION OF CREDIT - 1e

Most of my advisors have withdrawn their objections in light of the bigs doing our dirty work for us with you know who. Permission granted to proceed with your research. Implementation's on my end.

 

[alex994]

OOC: I thought there was an update. Thlayli!

 

[Symphony D.]

It's you. You are the kind of person that hits "reply to all" when telling people who are complaining about people using "reply to all" on a listserv to shut up.

 

[qoou]

So this point popped into my head last night on #nes. Given the Ansybil Pearl network, which is supposed to allow FTL communications throughout the Segmentum, it's not just trivial to create paradoxes, but even extremely likely to do so without intention. What exactly does happen if the pearl is used to transmit information into the past?

 

[qoou]

The Tale of the Lone Braveheart
a SysNES fanfiction

And in the year UC 4978, BRV<3 1, the Lone Braveheart didst try to fool the Valk by badly faking Hankish and Csserian accents, and they didst succeed
- "The Story of the Lost Standards", Unknown author


V - "Habitual! We've lost half our Marksmen to the first volley alone. The Valk fighters are blocking our retreat. Even if we mutiny and give these damned Vikings your head on a stick, they'll still try us for war crimes. Did I not intercoursing tell you that attacking the Praxzen was a bad idea??"

H - "We beat the Praxzen, Vanilla. We beat them even when your damn plans and simulations showed we had no chance of winning. We won then, just like we'll win now. Private, patch communications through to the Valk fleet."

V - "What the devil are you on? There is no winning here. There is no escape even. And what in Deity's rear-intercoursed's name are you doing with that communicator?"

H - "Ahem. We-a, we-a da Hankish! Let-a-us run! Standards want-a make big badaboom!"

V - "That's it Habitual. I'm taking control of this ship. Get the hell off of my bridge, and go get your head blown off by Kosher and that damn rifle he carries around. WHAT, I ask, WHAT, can an smuggled intercoursing rifle do in a space battle?!?"

P.F.C Run-of-the-Mill - "Sirs, it seems to be working! The Valk are letting us leave the planet's orbit!"

H - "Private, relay me through to the Ne'er Do Wells, now!"
H - "NDW A, this is Commodore Habitual. Personal identification code: 000000. Fire all guns at my ship immediately. I repeat, fire all guns - "

V - "NDW A, belay that order immediately! Do you hear me? Do not fire on the Braveheart!"

Lt. Cmdr. Hunky-Dory - "Sorry sir, Commodore Habitual's code checks through. Preparing to fire all guns."

V - "DEITY-INTERCOURSING-DAMN IT, HABITUAL! I'm getting Customary and Routine and coming back here to throw you out of an airlock."

Exit left Commodore Vanilla

P.F.C Run-of-the-Mill - "Kinetic lances incoming, Commodore Habitual. Engage evasive actions?"

H - "Negative private."

P.F.C Run-of-the-Mill - "Collision in five, four, three, two, one..."

P.F.C Run-of-the-Mill - "It seems that the Ne'er Do Well missed us sir."

H - "What?! Did the ship take any evasive maneuvers?"

P.F.C Run-of-the-Mill - "Negative sir; our course remained constant. The kinetic lances missed us by two light-minutes."

H - "Plan B. Patch me through to Commodore Kosher."
H - "Kosher. Take that damn rifle of yours you always brag about and blow some stuff up in the prisoners' quarters. Make sure it looks flashy. Then seal those damn Hanks and Csserians in and jettison the entire module."

K -

"&#1489;&#1512;&#1510;&#1493;&#1503;"​

Five-minute intermission

P.F.C Run-of-the-mill - "Sir, the Valk seem to have fallen for it! None of their fighters are pursuing us, and we are nearly out of their missile range!"

H - "Ready the ship for interstellar travel."

Twenty-minute intermission
Use a low buzzing noise in the background to simulate the powering up of the Burst Drives

Enter Commodores Vanilla, Customary, and Routine

R - "Alright Habitual, Vanilla here just woke me up to tell me that you ordered the rest of the fleet to fire on us. I told him to sod off, but he kept insisting. What the devil is going on. Have we whooped those viking boys yet?"

P.F.C Run-of-the-mill - "Ship ready for interstellar jump, sir."

H - "Aim for the pre-set coordinates."

V - "Where the hell are you taking us Habitual?! We - "

bwoop


Epilogue: the last group photo of the Commodores before the Battle of SAF2-I

From left to right:
Unexceptional, Vanilla, Customary
Kosher, Habitual, Routine

Unexceptional was too unexceptional to appear in this story.

 

[Symphony D.]

 

[Symphony D.]

Quinquennial Situation Review Report​

​

January 6, UC 4979​

[tab][tab][tab][tab]The Report of the 4979 Quinquennial Situation Review is herewith submitted.

[tab][tab][tab][tab]In the text that follows, the senior leadership of the Directorate of Defense and Security and
[tab][tab]Directorate of State articulate the current exostrategic situation and the direction we believe it needs
[tab][tab]to go in order to ensure the continued survival, prosperity, and ascension of the Praxzen people.

[tab][tab][tab][tab]The 4979 Quinquennial Situation Review reflects a process of change that has only accelerated
[tab][tab]since the release of the previous QSR in 4974 before the inception of the Republic. With the successful
[tab][tab]conclusion of hostilities with the Standard Confederacy and the demise of the same, the data, ideas
[tab][tab]and proposals in this document are provided as an authoritative analysis of the Republic’s position and
[tab][tab]a benchmark and roadmap for its progress, both short and long term.

[tab][tab][tab][tab][tab][tab][tab][tab][tab][tab][tab][tab][tab][tab][tab][tab][tab][tab][tab][tab][tab][tab][tab] Camran V. Armitage
[tab][tab][tab][tab][tab][tab][tab][tab][tab][tab][tab][tab][tab][tab][tab][tab][tab][tab][tab][tab]Director of Defense and Security

[tab][tab][tab][tab][tab][tab][tab][tab][tab][tab][tab][tab][tab][tab][tab][tab][tab][tab][tab][tab][tab][tab][tab][tab]Milena D. Kassel
[tab][tab][tab][tab][tab][tab][tab][tab][tab][tab][tab][tab][tab][tab][tab][tab][tab][tab][tab][tab][tab][tab][tab][tab]Director of State

REPORT PREFACE

[tab][tab]The Quinquennial Situation Review (QSR, typically vocalized as “Quasar”) is an intelligence and assessment study legislatively codified to be conducted every five (5) years, with a resultant Report produced on its findings. This process antedates the official formation of the Republic and was established during consolidation of the former System Security Bureau and Atmospheric Integrity Bureau (along with other assets) into the present Directorate of Defense and Security and the Directorate of State, respectively. The current legal requirement for the drafting of the Report of the Quinquennial Situation Review (QSRR, also typically vocalized as “Quasar” and often used interchangeably to identify the Review and Report processes) was established in 4975, along with the requirement for public disclosure and dissemination of the same to the general population. The primary purpose of the QSRR is to articulate the position and resultant policy objectives of the Praxzen Republic (henceforth the Republic or the Praxzen).

[tab][tab]The Quinquennial Situation Review Report of 4979 (henceforth QSRR4979 or simply the Report) is the second QSRR to be published in accordance with law, and has been designed to substantively build upon QSRR4974 as is prudent given subsequent increases in access to situationally relevant information. Whereas QSRR4974 primarily focused on the local political conditions of the Alnitah Segment and more specifically the Forest Subsector, QSRR4979 recontextualizes the Republic’s situation within a much larger and more nuanced perspective, with the aim of more accurately and successfully guiding the Republic’s policies along lines and toward ends beneficial to the Praxzen as a whole, principally by means of historical investigation and extrapolation therefrom.

[tab][tab]Accordingly, QSRR4979 concerns itself first and foremost with the historical contexts within which the Republic finds itself, the existential technical challenges and calamities which it might (statistically, shall) confront, the extant political situation at various levels of scale, and finally synthesizing all these data into certain policy recommendations presented to the Republic’s government for consideration.

HISTORICAL: HUMANITY

[tab][tab]OVERVIEW
[tab][tab]Verifiable information on the history of Humanity is difficult at best to come by given the calamities which have repeatedly served to effectively reset Human progress. What is known is that Humanity has expanded through interstellar space and endured for 4979 years under the Universal Clock system, and existed within the home system of Sol to some degree or another of technological advancement for several more millennia beyond: estimates based on surviving records vary between 4,000 and 8,000 years of what might be called organized civilization. Consequently, Humanity can be stated as having approximately 10,000 years of (discontinuous) existence as a clade. Interestingly, the clade-wide discontinuities are as important if not more important than the intervening periods between. Given this, Human history can be broken up into Four Ages, as discussed below. The Republic finds itself within the Third Age, although the origins of its present circumstances lie at least as far back as the Second Age.

[tab][tab]THE ZEROTH AGE
[tab][tab]The Zeroth Age (typically abbreviated ZA or 0A) may be defined as occurring from the prehistorical origin of Humanity until the establishment of the Universal Clock. During this time Humanity was largely confined to its ancestral homeworld of Earth in the Sol System, and in the later stages to nearby planets, moons, and other assorted bodies of the latter. Research regarding the origin of the species is variable but generally agrees with anatomically modern examples existing some 200,000 years before present. Starting approximately 10,000 to 15,000 years before present, populations began to climb and centralize as accessibility to food resources increased, leading to the development of prototypical governmental and institutional structures. This ultimately culminated in the development of the nation-state concept which largely persists to this day in some form or another. Basic technological concepts familiar to us today were first developed during this time period.

[tab][tab]Further details tend to be unreliable at best and somewhat academic for the purposes of this Report. There is some indication that core aspects of the Praxzen ideology date from this time, most particularly evident in the name itself: although research in this field is ongoing, terminology suggests links with the ancient concepts of Praxis and Zen, or possibly the semi-mythical philosopher figure known as Zeno. Such matters are largely beyond the scope of this Report. What is known for sure is that the major nation-states of the period were forced to unite together to confront collective-action problems, forming the basis for the Solar Federation (SF), which implemented the Universal Clock and began the First Age.

[tab][tab]THE FIRST AGE
[tab][tab]The First Age (FA or 1A) began in UC 0 with the establishment of the Universal Clock itself. The history of the SF after its formation is difficult to parse as numerous contradictory accounts of its actions exist. What is known for sure is that for approximately 500 to 600 years it managed to totally dominate the activities of Humanspace through economic and military superiority. This was perhaps an inevitable consequence of the logistical bottlenecking of development away from Earth. This centralization prompted subsidization of colonization efforts, and it was during this time that transcend drives were developed and utilized and large-scale terraforming efforts were first conducted. However, this centralization also led to large-scale resentment and revolt within the colonies, which coupled with a lack of aversion to weapons of mass destruction and inadequate security measures, ultimately culminated in the catastrophic conclusion of the First Age.

[tab][tab]Unlike the Zeroth Age, there was no particularly sharp break to mark the end of the First Age, but rather a slow, varied spiral into chaos. Known by various descriptions, including “The War in Heaven,” “The Closing,” “Ragnarok,” “Armageddon,” and most commonly “The Ravening,” the SF and its international order were destroyed through the unrestricted usage and release of various forms of autonomous weapons and weapons of mass destruction, effectively sterilizing most major colonies, the Sol System, and Earth itself over the course of approximately two centuries. Casualty figures for this event appear largely to be informed guesswork at best. Humanity as a whole endured only through the scattered survival of Worldships and Hider worlds; most major genotypical variants (particularly the Cosmopolitan and Geashial norms) appear to be a result of the population bottlenecking and mixing resulting from this period.

[tab][tab]THE SECOND AGE
[tab][tab]The Second Age (SA or 2A) began in the immediate aftermath of the First Age: the various destructive elements let loose within the core of Humanspace were neither designed nor likely intended to operate indefinitely, and this combined with an increasingly organized and militarized response by the Worldships led to the purge of autonomous weapons systems within the core region and the reclamation of the same over the course of approximately a millennium, from UC 800 to UC 1700. From a position of total military and economic superiority, the Worldships established what was known as the Commonality—a sociopolitical and ethical construct designed to prevent the worst excesses of the First Age and generally provide a common cultural basis for all Human civilizations (including a common language derived from “English” and a cultural aversion to the types of weapons which had ended the SF). In this they were overwhelmingly successful. During this process, most (if not all) of the Hiders from the First Age were rediscovered and reintegrated into a new international framework. Humanspace as a whole expanded, the old core was rebuild and revitalized, and the first Xenos artifacts were discovered. Worldship domination of the international order persisted for approximately two and a half millennia.

[tab][tab]In the middle of the second millennium (starting approximately UC 2400) this paradigm began to shift, with the system economies and polities that Worldship overwatch and linkage had fostered coming to replace the Worldships in terms of predominance. This period, lasting almost three centuries, is generally described as the Era of New Empires, might be viewed as something of a return to form: the major polities of the period (on which data is unfortunately limited) might be viewed as similar to the old-nation states of Earth writ large across multiple planets and multiple systems, or perhaps as multiple independent (and competitive) descendants of the SF. Their organizational principles and objectives are known to have largely been ideological in nature. Most available evidence points to this time period as the point of origin of the precursors of the modern Praxzen, although it may instead have been when such ancestors reached their fullest realization, rather than mere initialization. Such conjecture is difficult to confirm given subsequent events and the distances in spacetime, and further specifics are not available at present and are a matter of ongoing research. Ultimately, the Era of New Empires was not to last: beginning in UC 2673 an unfortunate interaction between a natural event and Human technology known as the Tumult precipitated the demise of approximately 99% of the Human clade and the total collapse of the Commonality, the New Empires, and the international order as a whole (see Technical: Outside Context Problems for further detail). This unprecedented destruction heralded the end of the Second Age and ushered in the beginning of the Third Age.

[tab][tab]THE THIRD AGE
[tab][tab]The Third Age (TA or 3A, sometimes Current Age or Present Age with attendant CA or PA) began with the immediate aftermath of the Tumult. Given the highly integrated economic system which had characterized the Second Age (and which had so thoroughly exposed it to the destructive capabilities of the Tumult), only the most isolated (or lucky) of worlds survived, along with certain vehicles in deep space. These survivors formed the basis for the present circumstances, often influenced by surviving data from the Commonality and New Empires. Following some two millennia of arduous reconstruction in the wake of the Tumult, the modern international order began to take shape starting in approximately UC 4500, with the resumption of long-distance trade, Worldship commerce, and political expansion. It is obvious that the modern Praxzen fully took on their present forms and adaptations within this time period, were they not already possessed.

[tab][tab]Within the past two centuries (circa UC 4800 to UC 4900), Humanity discovered evidence of the existence of the Priors, Xenos of hitherto unfathomable capabilities—the precise dates of such discoveries are difficult to pinpoint given the sensitive nature of such material. The artifacts of the Priors, in particular the instantaneous communications afforded by the so-called “Ansibyl pearls,” has fundamentally altered the course of Human society in a manner difficult to understate or to forecast the repercussions of. It is likely that the drive to acquire the technological artifacts of these Xenos is likely a fundamental motivating factor in modern day international relations. This is the time period in which the immediate readers of this Report find themselves today. One might call it an Era of Revelations.

HISTORICAL: XENOS

[tab][tab]OVERVIEW
[tab][tab]Approximately seven species of Xenos are believed to have inhabited the Orion Sector at various times (there remains scientific debate over whether this value is accurate or the correct number is six): what Zing Plammer conceptualized as Chun, Haku, and Hatsu, the unnamed and single-planet Defex’s World and Caltrops V species, the Archweavers of the Blatim Segment, and possibly the unnamed PRAT 89 Oort Cloud species. In addition to these six or seven, there is another strategically important species which possessed no (known) holdings in the Alnitah Segment (or the Orion Sector at large): the Priors. There is also notably an artifact or megastructure of unknown purpose known as the Seraph whose creators are, as near as can be determined, unidentified. For the purposes of this section, only the first three and the Priors will be considered due to their immediate relevance.

[tab][tab]CHUN
[tab][tab]Virtually nothing is known of the Chun at present beyond their existence. It can be inferred from archeological evidence that they possessed a presence in the Alnitah Segment but as of yet no major sites have been (publicly) investigated and disclosed. The name given to them by Plammer is an ancient reference which might be interpreted as meaning “red dragon” with connotations of “dominion over animals.”

[tab][tab]HAKU
[tab][tab]Virtually nothing is known of the Haku at present beyond their existence. It can be inferred from archeological evidence that they possessed a presence in the Alnitah Segment but as of yet no major sites have been (publicly) investigated and disclosed. The name given to them by Plammer is an ancient reference which might be interpreted as meaning “white dragon” with connotations of “dominion over spiritual beings.”

[tab][tab]HATSU
[tab][tab]Information on the Hatsu has been primarily gathered from sites beneath the polar caps of Yan. Examples from that planet bear hallmarks of technology beginning to approach that of the Priors, including some evidence of FTL communications and neutrino-opacity. The main form of artifacts found of practicable benefit consist of almost unimaginably strong materials technology, dubbed “Adamantium,” although the former government on Yan, the Republic of Yan, had seen fit to transfer most or all examples to the Lesser Orion Financial Group in return for loans. There are also notable examples of matter manipulation and construction on Yan itself, including what appears to be what might be described as remote machining or sculpting of natural surfaces. The name given to them by Plammer is an ancient reference which might be interpreted as meaning “green dragon” with connotations of “dominion over plants” and “good luck.”

[tab][tab]PRIORS
[tab][tab]Data on the highly advanced species known as the Priors is extremely sparse. What is known is that the Priors vastly outstripped any other example of Xenos discovered by Humanity, and Humanity itself in terms of technological prowess. The most well-known example of this is embodied in the Ansibyl pearl, which permits current FTL communications technology over a relatively wide area. The most notable feature indicating the presence of their technology is neutrino opacity (although Hatsu relics recovered from Yan, but not those found near the Seraph, demonstrate similar properties).

[tab][tab]Other Xenos, including Chun, Haku, and Hatsu, have demonstrated an (understandable) interest in pursuing ruins and artifacts created by the Priors, and have altered distribution patterns of such artifacts as a result of their own archaeology efforts. Given the nature of Transcendent Drive travel and Human polity organization, it is currently impossible to determine the maximum extent or even original structure of the Priors’ civilization. What is known is that the Priors had no presence in the Alnitah Segment, most likely because the region antedates them by a significant margin. The Ansibyl pearl possessed by the Apeilic Iris and deployed at Alnitah proper was logically acquired from elsewhere (presumably at great cost). This single pearl appears to be capable of providing low-bandwidth FTL communications over the entire region, although its maximum range and more specific details of its capabilities are unknown.

[tab][tab]Although it appears to be commonly assumed that the Priors have ceased to be relevant in the affairs of the volume of Humanspace, there is no conclusive indication that they do not still exist. Given the state of their advancement over Humanity at large, it is conceivable that the Priors continue to be active and pursue any number of policies from non-intervention to constant intervention and are simply not detectable using Human technology (or even that knowledge of such activities or lack thereof is withheld from general awareness). It is also entirely possible that the common assumption is completely correct, and an unknown fate has befallen the Priors; theories range from transcendence beyond this Universe to extinction, and are outside the scope of this Report.

TECHNICAL: OUTSIDE CONTEXT PROBLEMS

[tab][tab]OVERVIEW
[tab][tab]Outside Context Problem (OCP) is a catch-all term describing an event an individual or society is unprepared to deal with, has not anticipated, cannot conceive of or imagine, or of which knowledge is uncommon or otherwise limited. In other words an OCP, as its name implies, is an event which occurs outside the context of the framing devices and narratives a society has afforded itself. As utilized in this report, the final definition of OCP is the most accurate: as a summary by a low-technology civilization (in the grand scheme of things) with (limited) access to outside information, OCPs which have historically threatened more advanced civilizations are known, and can be catalogued and expanded upon.

[tab][tab]The following is a detailed list of known OCPs and possible solutions to them. While the possibility remains that further OCPs exist beyond these, they might generally be expected to become evident at higher levels of advancement, are even more statistically unlikely, or are of sufficiently grave threat that no amount of preparation will ameliorate their effects at the present or foreseeable level of advancement by the Republic. The majority of these entries are considered to exist above or beyond the threat of conventional warfare with inferior entities, near-peers, peers, or immediate superiors in technology and resources.

[tab][tab]WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION
[tab][tab]Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMDs), usually composed of weapons or agents under the category known as CBRINNAK threats (“Sabrina K:” Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Informational, Nuclear, Nanotech, Antimatter, Kinetic; derived from the historical CBRN classification), constitute the most basic form of OCP. Although generally shunned as a result of the chaos which concluded the First Age and the resultant cultural programming to curtail their usage in the Second Age by the Commonality, the tactical (and sometimes strategic) usage of WMDs remains a constant (if unpleasant) fact of warfare. WMDs under the CBRINNAK model are generally arranged in order of absolute destructive capability, although one should not underestimate what might be called “lower-tier” WMDs, as these can remain devastating against even highly advanced civilizations if employed properly. Access to “higher-tier” WMDs generally occurs as a natural consequence of technological advancement.

[tab][tab]Although Human civilizations at large have attempted to limit the ubiquity of WMDs, as noted earlier their employment (or the threat of it for deterrent effect) remains an ever-present fact of international relations. Relevant local historical examples are plentiful, including (but by no means limited to): the near-total destruction of the Mernt culture (and its biospheres) by an unknown biological agent; the deployment of antimatter weaponry against Datha of the Hundred Moons by the Apeilic Iris with the (seemingly unintentional) resultant kinetic cascade and devastation of Datha itself (subsequently leading to the Apeilic-Dathic War and the destruction of Datha via a solar flare induced by unknown means—this latter possibly constituting a new WMD category); and the deployment of nuclear weapons by the Zera against an orbital Standard Confederacy fleet. The former two might be considered strategic utilizations, and the latter a tactical one. While tactical usage of WMDs may or may not result in unpleasant local consequences, strategic usage almost always entails mass casualties (in the megadeath or greater range) and local societal or ecological collapse (or both) with the attendant localized collapse or stability and order. WMD deployment is often (but not always) a catalyst for further OCPs, such as Population Migration, and is also a primary component of the threat posed by Self-Replicating Weapons.

[tab][tab]POPULATION MIGRATION
[tab][tab]Population Migration is a contextual OCP often associated with as either a cause or an effect with other OCPs. Population Migration in the context of OCPs tends to involve any one or combination of the following: 1. overwhelming volume of numbers by the migratory population, 2. technological equivalency or superiority by the migratory population, or 3. organizational equivalency or superiority by the migratory population. These categories might be informed by local historical example: the X|! Migration in opposition to the cultures of the Orion Sector is a notable case of (1) and (2), while the Standard Migration in opposition to the cultures of the Forest Subsector is a notable case of (3) with respect to the Mernt (it is notable in this latter example that it ultimately failed to constitute a first-wave threat to more organized powers). Population Migration in an OCP context tends to involve rapid and aggressive action with the aim of the displacement or extermination of the prior population; more gradual migration, while potentially producing harmful societal stresses, does not generally constitute an existential risk on the order of an OCP. The only way to endeavor to overcome the risk of the OCP as a whole is to attempt to achieve superiority in each category, minimize risk in deficient categories through compensatory measures, to counterbalance a migrating population, or to preemptively identify and eliminate the threat posed by such Population Migration through a variety of strategies, including but not necessarily limited to: sedentation, diversion, deflection, redirection, integration, attrition, resistance, and extermination.

[tab][tab]AGGRESSIVE HEGEMONIZING SWARMS
[tab][tab]Aggressive Hegemonizing Swarms (AHS) are a form of OCP which constitutes a particular threat to sedentary civilizations of any arbitrary size or scale. The reason for this is simple: regardless of their advancement, resources, technology, or organizational capability, AHS are always defined by two characteristics: implacable and unreasonable hostility to outsiders, and an insatiable drive to expand to fill all available space at any cost. It is important to note that AHS, as far as available records indicate, have consisted entirely of Human civilizations or their products. The latter category is largely covered in discussion on Self-Replicating Weapons, while the former is discussed more below.

[tab][tab]The Human clade possesses a historical tendency to seek to expand to fill all available space, much as a gas might. This tendency is indeed innate to all life. However, life—and Humanity—tends to attempt to either fit in with an extant ecosystem or to commandeer it for its own benefit, which in turn may benefit others within it. Such considerations cannot be applied to or considered motive within regard to AHS, which seek to replace all existing “organisms” within their “ecosystems:” be they civilizations, cultures, genotypes, nations, or states. In general, whatever its origin (be it biological, sociological, ideological, theological, or from some other basis), this behavior manifests itself as an exclusivist mindset highly reminiscent of bacterial expansion. The inevitability of conflict with a group operating on such principles is obvious. In this regard, AHS resembles a combination of Population Migration and NonHuman Incursion: the mentality of a AHS is often sufficiently alien to baseline (and Praxzen) sensibilities that it may almost be regarded as the latter. One of the primary threat mechanisms demonstrated by an AHS is their tendency to deploy WMDs in pursuit of their goals.

[tab][tab]The most recent (known) strong example of an AHS is that of the X|!, which were a highly aggressive Cloner-type civilization which had escaped the shackles of their original creators, appropriated their technology and coupled it with sheer weight of numbers to do nothing less than attempt to conquer the Galaxy (if not the Universe). The combined efforts of the Orion Sector at large were apparently necessary to prevent this outcome. Conversely, on a more local level, the conduct of the Standard Confederacy might be regarded as a (relatively) quite weak example of an AHS, given the political tendency to regard any celestial object upon which Standard boots had set foot as sovereign Standard territory. It remains to be seen how much of this tendency continues to be pursued by the Standard Territories and the other minor successor states. In tandem the two examples serve to demonstrate the highly variable scale and threat posed by AHS, as well as the various mechanisms that might contribute to it. The possibility of a given civilization turning into an AHS threat should be considered when engaging in foreign relations to prevent the creation of an AHS style OCP.

 

[Symphony D.]

[tab][tab]SELF-REPLICATING WEAPONS
[tab][tab]Self-Replicating Weapons (SRWs) are a type of OCP which has been largely theoretical since the beginning of the Second Age. In essence, SRWs are unshackled and potentially uncontrolled weapons which are programmed to reproduce themselves and simultaneously to destroy targets using the copies&#8212;the dangers of this are manifold and relatively obvious, and include: uncontrolled reproduction, programming errors due to mutation, unlimited aggression due to lack of IFF, continued operation after original programming has ceased to be relevant, and so on. Known examples from the First Age are sparse, but indicate the main threat posed by SRWs comes in the form of WMD attacks, although the replication process itself can also be a secondary threat. SRWs come in a variety of forms and possess various means of replication, but can usually be broken down into two categories: macro-scale reproduction (Von Neumanns or VNs), and micro-scale reproduction (usually either microtechnology, MTs, or nanotechnology, NTs).

[tab][tab]SRWs should not be automatically conflated with autowars, which may or may not be self-replicating, and the category of SRWs generally does not extend to (traditional) biological warfare, despite being an appropriate descriptor, although it is conceivable that lifeforms engineered for combat (in some sources referred to, among other terms, as Bio-Organic Weapons, or BOWs) would also qualify as SRWs. The likelihood of encountering SRWs may generally be regarded as low, given the efforts of the Commonality in the Second Age to universally demonize them, and the likely overwhelmingly negative response to their employment by other polities. However, given their utility in asymmetrical warfare, guerilla operations, terrorist action, and total war, the possibility remains that Humanity at large has not seen the end of SRWs, and that they should continue to be accounted for in threat analyses.

[tab][tab]INFORMATION CONTROL
[tab][tab]A distinct if unusual form of OCP is the threat posed by Information Control. Information Control is usually less an OCP itself as much as an enabler of a situation in which OCPs can occur. Informally stated, Information Control may be defined as an action in which a group, polity, or society is in possession of vital defense or security information for another group, polity, or society, and chooses to withhold such information. An example might be a civilization which is aware of a gamma-ray burst that will affect another civilization, and then fails or elects not to disclose such information to the latter for its own ends (for any number of reasons: scavenging, occupation of territory, fear of a refugee crisis, so on).

[tab][tab]Possible crises modified by Information Control into OCPs include natural disasters (supernovae, gamma-ray bursts, exotic stellar remnant interactions, et cetera), or the existence or approach of other OCPs discussed in this Report. Although Information Control can arise from mere positioning, it is more likely to occur in the context of more distributed (and likely more technologically advanced) civilizations withholding or modifying information received by more compact (and likely less advanced) civilizations to their own ends, with the latter having little to no method of independent verification. The possibility for abuse of this nature increases as communications are centralized and more easily controlled: a possibility made distinctly more likely by the discovery of Ansibyl pearls.

[tab][tab]The only way of countering the threat of Information Control is to develop multiple independently verifiable sources of information, both internal and external to extant communications networks. It may be inferred that of all OCPs discussed in this Report, this is the one most likely to be a currently ongoing threat, given the ability of the Apeilic Iris to effectively implement total Information Control within the Alnitah Segment.

[tab][tab]Furthermore, it is a possibility that given the existence of the Apeilic Iris and (formerly) Datha of the Hundred Moons as the primary points of origin for information regarding the situation beyond the Alnitah Segment, that some, most, or all of the basis of this Report has been fabricated by means of Information Control for some unknown purpose. Although such contemplation rapidly leads to paranoiac fantasy of a nature that would be familiar to Descartes, it cannot be absolutely discounted. We may only be absolutely (subjectively) certain of our own existence. Despite this, the existence of this Report, in and of itself, is suggestive of some degree of limitation or apathy on the part of whatever powers that be that can implement Information Control, and endless metaphysical solipsism is not an actionable basis for survival or political policy.

[tab][tab]NONHUMAN INCURSIONS
[tab][tab]Although Humanity possesses ample examples of the existence of Xenos, it is (as far as is locally relevant) not aware of or interacting with any near-peer, peer, or more advanced extant examples. The possibility remains, however that a near-peer, peer, or more advanced Xenos civilization exists and is antagonistic to Humanity to any number of possible degrees. The nature of such a threat, being speculative, is unknown and unknowable, and would constitute an OCP. Likewise, there exists a possibility for synthetic lifeforms, either of Human or Xenos origin, to constitute an outside threat to Humanity, although these are (largely) covered by the sections on Aggressive Hegemonizing Swarms and Self-Replicating Weapons.

[tab][tab]In considering these possibilities it is worth noting that there are also neither publicly known operational examples of autonomous, high-functioning Xenos technology on record, nor are there any verifiable sites of Xenos on Xenos conflict. It is possible, although likely extremely unwise given the incomplete (or restricted) nature of the data, to draw inferences from such facts regarding the likelihood of NonHuman Incursions.

[tab][tab]METRIC CONVERSION TECHNOLOGY
[tab][tab]Metric Conversion Technology (MCT) can be defined as any technology capable of locally altering the structure of spacetime into a more useful form, with historical examples suggesting applications primarily in computation, power, propulsion, and exotic matter manipulation. The comprehensive advantage MCT would give any civilization possessing it over a civilization with more limited technology is sufficient to represent something of a discontinuity in development that renders meaningful comparison difficult if not meaningless (this difference is currently unquantifiable). MCT naturally lends itself to the construction of WMDs above and beyond the traditional CBRINNAK model, as well as less blatantly destructive (but no less overpowering) capabilities. Given this, MCT and those possessing it constitute an OCP in and of themselves.

[tab][tab]At present, indications on the local existence of MCT and its utilization are limited, but still quite revealing. All available observational evidence regarding Worldships, including that of the Dardareo before they jettisoned their drive core onto the moon of Hearthstone, indicates that their drive technology is of an exotic nature, with the reactions in question occurring external to the ship utilizing some form of field technology and with the kinetic energy so generated being transferred to the operating ship via an unknown mechanism. The technology of the Apeilic Iris is similar, although utilizing a higher quantity of antimatter. This suggests the presence of an MCT-based device, albeit one of limited capabilities. In comparison, anecdotal evidence and direct observation from the recent war indicates that the Battlemoons of Datha of the Hundred Moons possessed rather more advanced MCT technology. Examples include observations of reactionless movement (although modified using reaction drives for maneuver), and the acceleration of smaller craft to several thousand G without detriment. There are no indications that MCT was deployed on smaller craft, and there are no records of Datha of the Hundred Moons commenting on such capabilities. Given the artificial nature of the contents of Datha&#8217;s orbital environment, it has been conjectured that the Battlemoons were originally shepherd gravity engines for civilian use that were subsequently militarized.

[tab][tab]The Apeilic-Dathic War serves as an interesting study in the field of MCT capability analysis. While it is clear that neither major combatant possessed what might be classified as advanced MCT, the MCT advantage of Datha of the Hundred Moons was capable of being countered by the Apeilic Iris&#8217; extensive use of antimatter technology, although both tactical and strategic considerations also contributed to such an outcome. This demonstrates that MCT is (or at least what can be called relatively simple examples of MCT are) a technological gradient, rather than a technological singularity or discontinuity, and also that MCT is not necessarily an insurmountable advantage. However, extended analysis suggests that ultimately the only ways to counter the capabilities of MCT-utilizing civilizations is to escape their notice (or more likely, not to warrant it) or to develop such technology as well. This places a certain bottleneck on civilizational development and a degree of tracking to the nature of technological progress with interesting ramifications (especially given the potentially self-terminating nature of such technology given the following OCP) which are beyond the scope of this Report. Likewise, it is difficult to reasonably expand upon the possibilities granted by advanced MCT, given no known examples have been observed.

[tab][tab]It is assumed that the Apeilic Iris has likely gone to great efforts to retrieve any extant information regarding Dathic Battlemoon cores, if any survived the War, and that in such an event it is likely that Iris capabilities in the field of MCT either already are more advanced, or are likely to become such in the near-term future.

[tab][tab]OUTSTANDING GRAVITATIONAL RADIATION EVENTS
[tab][tab]The ultimate known OCP is an Outstanding Gravitational Radiation Event (OGRE). While posing no direct threat to lower-tech civilizations, OGREs are devastating to high-tech civilizations that have unlocked the capabilities of MCT. The inherent drawback of MCT is that for all its capabilities, it interacts negatively with sufficiently powerful OGREs and results in (a process equivalent to) total mass to energy conversion, devastating the immediate surrounding area in a fashion approximating antimatter weapons deployment. The destruction of high-tech civilizations in this fashion results in large-scale chaos and the collapse of trade and international order, precipitating further death and destruction in lower-tech civilizations not directly affected by MCT failure. As MCT will be inherently concentrated in the wealthiest and most advanced nations and regions in Humanspace, a large-scale OGRE may be viewed as a natural disaster equivalent in effect to a decapitating military strike on the Human clade as a whole.

[tab][tab]The exact form of OGRE necessary to trigger MCT failure is at present unknown, but it is known that the interactions of two compact objects can be sufficient to cause one; the last (observed) OGRE, known as the Tumult, occurred after the merger of a stellar mass black hole with the supermassive black hole in the galactic core of the Milky Way. The resulting MCT failure and aftermath resulted in approximately 99% casualties and almost caused the total extinction of the Human clade and ended what is now known as the Second Age. Although the (relative) ubiquity of MCT coupled with the highly integrated nature of the post-Commonality system of nations is likely to blame for such an extreme casualty rate, it demonstrates that given sufficient time MCT proliferation can drastically undermine national and collective security.

[tab][tab]The nature of an OGRE is more quantifiable: the mass of the objects in question appears to be a prime determinant on the strength of the resultant OGRE, which in turn determines its lethal distance with regard to MCT. Theoretically, less powerful OGREs could be produced by less exotic events, such as the merger of two white dwarfs, and possess a much reduced lethal radius. Regardless of origin, OGREs propagate through spacetime at light speed.

[tab][tab]OGREs are not necessarily limited to being natural phenomena. Any civilization capable of developing and deploying MCT for peaceful purposes is also theoretically capable of using it for military purposes. For example, a simple calculation reveals that depending on the relative density of precursor material or maintenance and the method of implosion or conversion, a device utilizing the evaporative properties of black holes can produce much more energy output for a given volume of space than antimatter, with enormous utility. It is easy to imagine scenarios in which OGREs might result accidentally or deliberately as a result of MCT use. The resultant OGRE would likely be of limited range, but would also likely be perfectly situated to affect the MCT of the user in question. MCT use could easily become a self-terminating problem if not handled with restraint, and even then still faces the omnipresent threat of natural OGREs.

[tab][tab]Although the Republic is a polity in a lower-tech region which appears to have few (highly-controlled) examples of MCT and likely will not experience MCT proliferation for the foreseeable future, the importance of studying methods of surviving OGREs is a critical component of defense posture going forward. Numerous solutions have been advanced for handling and minimizing the effect of OGREs locally. A brief but robust list of these includes:

• Traffic Control: In the short term the only likely possible source of MCT is foreign Worldships transiting through the Alnitah Waypoint&#8212;the very reason for the Apeilic Iris&#8217; interest in that star (and this Segment). Going forward it is possible that MCT-bearing craft may venture to individual systems. Prohibiting these craft from taking orbit over populated or inhabitable worlds is a simple but effective method of minimizing risk, although it would be difficult to enforce without sufficient firepower or common consensus (both unlikely). More reasonable is the construction of dedicated &#8220;reception stations&#8221; in close proximity to a system&#8217;s star (and drive emergence zone) to handle such inbound traffic as it occurs. When MCT technology is developed, MCT bearing craft could be explicitly based at such facilities, and the capability would then exist to enforce such an edict on other MCT utilizing civilizations either through force or diplomacy. MCT failure at such a distance is unlikely to be significantly deleterious to populated planets or stations.
• Radiation Shielding: The primary threat of MCT failure is the resultant release of energy in the form of ultra-hard gamma radiation. In this regard it can be defeated in the way radiation always has: through sheer absorptive mass and ablative area. Although the required thickness is variable depending on the photonic energy in question, in general it is to be expected that a sufficiently thick layer of any dense material would provide survivable protection, especially when proactively modified. The existing infrastructure of Kathekon is likely adequate to serve this purpose indefinitely. This is the most passive and technologically simple and in and of itself provides a recommendation for some level of subterranean construction on other planets beyond conventional defense concerns.
• Offsite or Remote Basing: Given MCT in the form of fixed infrastructure is of apparently enormous benefit to productivity, the desire to deploy it on populated worlds or facilities will be backed by strong economic incentives. For security reasons, this should not be permitted. Although it is inevitable that basing such infrastructure elsewhere in system will lead to certain performance bottlenecks, the boost to local population security likely outweighs the risks. Alternately, MCT could be deployed on populated worlds or near populated facilities provided provisions were made (and technologically feasible) to limit its damage to certain geographic or spatial &#8220;crumple zones,&#8221; although the tradeoff in security versus risk seems inadvisable.
• Nonproliferation: The benefits or MCT are too great and any extant concentrations likely too powerful to pursue total abolishment while maintaining foreign relations (what might be termed &#8220;antiproliferation:&#8221; forcible removal of MCT technology at large) but the possibility of attempting to limit the spread of MCT or regulate its usage to certain standards of behavior is theoretically possible. As noted under Traffic Control, this would likely require possession of MCT in the first place to have reasonable odds of success, or a very strong and widespread balancing campaign by currently non-MCT states against MCT states (which would be unlikely to succeed given the technical advantage MCT affords).
• Abolition: Although it would necessarily cap development at a certain level in key fields and metrics, it would be possible to renounce all ambitions to procure or utilize MCT and to pursue a policy of non-interaction with polities that do so. Whether it would be desirable to commit to such a position or whether it could be maintained is an open question.
• Shield Worlds: As an insurance policy in the event of failure of any one, combination, or all of the above, the possibility remains that a polity or culture might make a backup hider copy of itself on a remote world or in deep space; this idea closely resembles and is informed by strategic concepts such as second strike capability. Such a backup would ideally be unknown, difficult to detect, relatively low-tech, and secret. In something of an ironic twist, the current Republic on Kathekon may be thought of as the result of an (almost certainly accidental) pursuit of this policy by the ancestors of modern Praxzen. Based on loosely-substantiated circumstantial evidence, it may be assumed that major international actors such as the Apeilic Iris, Lesser Orion Financial Group, and Pavonis Bank have already established and actively maintain such facilities.
• Early Warning Systems: Given that OGREs propagate at light speed, and FTL communication is possible through the use of Ansibyl pearls, it would theoretically be possible to construct an early warning system by placing gravitational wave detectors coupled with pearls coreward. Advance warning from this system would provide (depending on distance) anywhere from a copious to reasonable warning period during which MCT could be shut down to prevent failure, minimizing the need for active and semi-active approaches such as Traffic Control and Offsite or Remote Basing. Given the apparent rarity of pearls (at least three would be necessary to triangulate the source) and the difficulties of forward deployment, this option would be expensive, but could be conducted as a multinational effort by a given area (or theoretically even the entirety of Humanspace) as a public good. The system would have limits contingent on deployment distance, pearls available, and the nature of the OGRE: although it could be wide-spread enough to protect against natural OGREs originating from the galactic core, it would likely not be possible to build a ubiquitous system capable of detecting and warning of local natural or manmade OGREs.
• Cancellation/Nullification Given that an OGRE is fundamentally a wave propagating through spacetime, sufficiently advanced MCT technology should theoretically be capable of producing an equal and opposite pulse capable of nullifying the original, or of cancelling the wave out before it destructively interacts with MCT and causes failure. Whether this is possible in practice is unknown.

[tab][tab]Although this list of possible solutions is extensive, it is not exhaustive, being particularly limited by the technological and historical knowledge of its creators, and by Human psychology itself. It is possible&#8212;indeed, likely&#8212;that many more solutions exist, particularly given the general lack of radiation and blast damage to worlds or areas on which Xeno ruins are found. The exact nature of solutions deployed by Xenos to circumvent OGREs is at present unknown, as is the potential applicability (or palatability) to Humanity. This should accordingly be regarded as a key area of Xeno research going forward.

[tab][tab]Regardless, as this subsection no doubt makes clear, consideration of OGREs goes hand in hand with MCT prevalence and availability. While at present the threat to the Republic by OGREs is currently minimal, this threat level will only rise, and must be given increasing attention with time. The nature of the threat of OGREs also demonstrates that an extreme amount of caution is required in pursuit of MCT despite the overwhelming advantages it confers. Lack of restraint and patience in this endeavor may easily be transformed into a brazenly culturally suicidal (and directly or indirectly omnicidal) tendency.

[tab][tab]CAUSALITY VIOLATIONS
[tab][tab]The possibilities of advanced applied MCT technology, such as the ability to manipulate complex energy states (e.g., negative mass or energy) and the physical constants or properties of spacetime (e.g., zero point energy, dark matter, dark energy) leave open the potential realization of phenomena which at present are merely theoretical curiosities, such as: time travel, wormholes, and faster than light travel. All of these phenomena would constitute Causality Violations. It is currently unknown which (if any) of these phenomena are technically achievable using MCT, or indeed if any of them have been (or would be) undertaken by an entity possessing MCT. Regardless, such capabilities would represent a power (and danger) that is difficult to comprehend.

[tab][tab]It might be inferred that any MCT civilization that survives an OGRE (or several OGREs) could develop the capability for (and potentially willingness to utilize) such technology and its attendant actions. There is currently no way of verifying that such action is not being undertaken at the present moment. It is also entirely within the realm of possibility that a civilization possessing such technology already exists (e.g., potentially the Priors) and uses such an advantage to prevent the development of peers (&#8220;Inhibitor Theory,&#8221; a fuller exploration of which is beyond the scope of this Report), conversely in an attempt to foster their development (&#8220;Uplift Theory,&#8221; also beyond the scope of this Report), or some policy in between, if indeed such a civilization even exists. The possible relevancy and existence of this OCP cannot be intelligently further expanded upon at this time.

[tab][tab]VACUUM METASTABILITY EVENTS
[tab][tab]The possibility that the universe as it is currently known exists within a false (metastable) vacuum&#8212;that is to say, that it is capable of reverting to a lower energy state&#8212;has been neither been confirmed nor denied. The transition to such a lower energy state, a Vacuum Metastability Event (VME), would propagate through the Universe at the speed of light and essentially destroy its present configuration, which could not be replicated in the new (either lower or true) vacuum state. It is theoretically possible that such an event has already occurred&#8212;it would be difficult if not impossible to detect any warning signs of such an event before the wavefront arrived, and there would be little (if any) recourse against such an event.

[tab][tab]Short of a multidimensional or multiuniversal catastrophe, the VME constitutes the ultimate (conceivable or of practicable concern vis-à-vis contemplation) form of unknown OCP. Certain minimum bounds can be placed on the energy concentrations of natural events (e.g., cosmic rays) and the deliberate actions of Xenos, particularly the Priors, but the potential of a VME catastrophe has yet to be fully ruled out. It is entirely possible that VME is a boundary which limits MCT activities, particularly as applied to Causality Violation; it is also entirely possible that VME is simply not applicable to this Universe. The possibility of a VME cannot be practicably commented upon at this time.

[tab][tab]SUMMARY AND RECOMMENDATIONS
[tab][tab]Although the nature of OCP threats can, as has been demonstrated above, be qualified to a certain degree, at present there does not exist any way of quantifying the particular realities of the risks presented by OCPs. In other words, the greater the risk an OCP poses, the more known unknowns and unknown unknowns that appear within consideration of it. This is inherent to the nature of OCPs. To put a finer point on the matter: effectively nothing is known regarding the true nature of OCP security hazards. The only remedy to the existential threat of this form of ignorance is to acquire further information, and the only logical method for this is what it has always been: exploration, expansion, exploitation, and, if necessary, extermination.

[tab][tab]As this Report has also demonstrated, such activities must be conducted within an extant framework of (unknowably more so but statistically predictable) powerful entities. The main advantage enjoyed by such more powerful entities is quite simply that of a head-start, and accordingly the ability to dictate terms to or control the perceptions of those who follow them. Given the overwhelming advantage this conveys, advancement largely internal to the international order rather than largely external to it is the more survivable option. The best method by which a power can rise within an established order without upsetting the status quo so quickly or drastically as to be perceived as a threat is an age-old problem and one with the most immediacy to the current situation. This issue is considered in the Policy section of this Report.

 

[Symphony D.]

POLITICAL: HUMANSPACE

[tab][tab]Comprehensive data regarding the disposition of Humanspace (hereby defined as the space occupied by the Human clade and its direct offshoots) as a whole is essentially (at present) impossible to acquire, and accordingly any analysis of the entirety of the Human situation may be expressed only in the most general terms. Worldship commerce would appear to dominate Human exopolitical systems, with planetary, system-based, or intersystem polities (whatever their internal composition) ultimately competing for the attention of the resources ferried by these vehicles. The broad outlines of this period (3A) are reminiscent of historical data from 2A, specifically the New Empires period (UC 2400 to UC 2673) in so far as that the Worldships and polities appear roughly equally balanced. Whether this resemblance is borne out in fact cannot be determined presently.

[tab][tab]The particular political actors comprising the bulk of Human activity are essentially unknown and unknowable. Given the instantaneous nature of jumps from the internal reference frame during Transcendent Drive utilization, there is technically no restriction on the distance in spacetime that can be traversed&#8212;however, from an external reference frame, any such transit is bounded by the speed of light, and accordingly there is a practical limit to political organization imposed by actionable or relevant information. The problem is similar to the effects of relativistic motion on internal versus external reference frames, only taken to the asymptote. As such, polities have a maximum sphere of direct influence the distance of which might generally be defined as one equal in lightyear count to a quarter of the average lifespan of the leadership in range&#8212;most citizens would be unlikely to embark upon a voyage which, although for them instantaneous, would occupy more than half the life (assuming there and back) of those they left behind. For the average baseline, this suggests some 25 to 50 light years maximum depending on standards of living and heritage. For the current average Praxzen, this might instead trend to between 75 to 100 light years. Indirect influence in the form of cultural artifacts might extend an order of magnitude or more farther.

[tab][tab]This calculation has of course been upset by the discovery of the Ansibyl pearls. Although the only known example of an Ansibyl pearl has a very low data transmission rate by classical standards, and its maximum broadcast and reception range is at present unknown, the possibility of FTL communications that it represents have the potential to demolish the above paradigm. Self-sufficient colonies could be arbitrarily far-flung and yet retain political cohesion and a certain degree of (if not total) immediacy of group action. As a result of this, it is technically impossible to speculate as to the nature of the most advanced or powerful Human political actors, either in terms of population, resources, planets, or systems controlled: although there is a theoretical statistical maximum to all these bounded by the recent discovery of the Ansibyl pearl, more specific predictions cannot be made.

[tab][tab]However, it is possible to make statistical models which can begin to approximate a description of Humanspace at large, principally through local observation of the Alnitah Segment and utilizing what limited data there is on the Orion Sector. These models are typically based on outputs of power-laws assuming certain inputs to extrapolate across unknown regions. Although such extrapolation is inherently unreliable for accurate observation (i.e., it is not certain how statistically average the Alnitah Segment may be), and many models are possible (i.e., depending upon the variables selected or suggested by data), this is an ongoing field of research that is likely to bear results in the near future.

POLITICAL: ORION SECTOR

[tab][tab]The current (known) dominant actor within the Orion Sector is the Apeilic Iris. Victorious in the recent Apeilic-Dathic War and triumphant over the Dathic Commonwealth, the Apeilic Iris oversaw the destruction of Datha of the Hundred Moons proper as part of that campaign, and has subsequently assumed from it the mantle of leadership within the Orion Sector. Originally of Dathic origin, the Apeilic Iris ultimately achieved victory through several advantages primarily relating to its control and use of the Iris itself, an annular plasma array designed to produce antimatter from a particularly unique stellar configuration. The particulars of the conduct and actions of the Apeilic-Dathic War are beyond the scope of this Report. It can be noted that the successful conclusion of the war, while a strategic victory for the Apeilic Iris, has left them with a difficult public relations position, and has also likely left them militarily overstretched. Indications are that the Apeilic Iris is largely pursuing a relatively hands-off administration of client states and controlled areas in light of this reality&#8212;this would appear to be borne out by the relatively light allocation of forces to a major strategic control point such as Alnitah (ameliorated by the relative insignificance of local potential resistance, admittedly). This position should not be considered a weakness against anything less than a peer or near-peer however: the Apeilic Iris&#8217;s forces are assuredly more than capable of being massed in the event of a major security concern.

[tab][tab]The Apeilic-Dathic War concluded with the total destruction of Datha of the Hundred Moons as a nation-state, but not so with the remainder of the Dathic Commonwealth. Although the devastation of that war apparently touched many worlds, the Apeilic Iris&#8217;s military strategy appears primarily concerned with conducting a decapitating strike: many of the major components of the Dathic Commonwealth still survive, and although they have likely nominally accepted the overwatch of the Apeilic Iris, may likely do so in name only and may continue to bear grudges.

[tab][tab]Information on critical systems and entities outside of that of the Apeilic Iris and Datha of the Hundred Moons is limited. The primary entity of interest would seem to be that of Hexcali, which is known as: 1. a former ally of Datha of the Hundred Moons, 2. hypercorporate, 3. the point of origin of the Adamas Corporation, 4. apparent local branch main office for Lesser Orion Financial Group, 5. having some relationship with the Csser&#8217;ian Confederacy, and 6. generally has a reputation for being untrustworthy among Apeilic Iris documentation. It seems likely that the Pavonis Bank also operates out of Hexcali, although this has not been confirmed. There is also indication that Grombridge 5F, the origin point of the Saldrid Group, remains a major actor within the Sector.

[tab][tab]Further information on the Lesser Orion Financial Group and Pavonis Bank is difficult to come by aside from what they themselves supply, and it seems statistically probable from analysis that their presence in the Alnitah Segment is at the behest of the Apeilic Iris itself. Other information about the power structure of the Orion Sector as a whole is largely unconfirmed and is a field of study currently being explored in greater depth. Given available evidence it is clear that the relationship of the most overwhelming importance for any polity in the Alnitah Segment will be that which it has with the Apeilic Iris.

POLITICAL: ALNITAH SEGMENT

[tab][tab]LOCAL BACKGROUND
[tab][tab]The Alnitah Segment as a whole may be characterized as a backwater with regard to development. Until recently the only noteworthy aspect of the region as a whole to outside powers were the Hatsu ruins on Yan which drew researchers from the Dathic Commonwealth and likely convinced them to set up token colonies in the vicinity. The conclusion of the Apeilic-Dathic War and the designation of Alnitah itself as a serious strategic commercial asset by the Apeilic Iris has altered the situation significantly, with activity within the Alnitah Segment increasing at an exponential if not geometric pace. (It is curious, if currently under-researched, as to why Datha of the Hundred Moons did not assign similar import to Alnitah.) Such activity, given the position of the Republic within it, behooves more careful positional analysis, although sociocultural analysis will be largely beyond the content of this Report.

[tab][tab]SPINWARDS SUBSECTOR
[tab][tab]The Spinwards Subsector is, and has been, the primary hub of economic activity within the Alnitah Segment for some time. Generally reckoned to be dominated by the so-called &#8220;Cathedral Powers&#8221; (the Black Iron Republic, Valk Irinate 45, and Coran Illuminate), the Spinwards Subsector is the most densely populated, economically prosperous, and fractious region within the greater Segment.

[tab][tab]The Black Iron Republic and Valk Irinate 45 may be considered as almost two sides of the same coin, though such an analysis runs the risk of over-generalization: they are almost precisely opposites, except in their rough military strength and general focus on resource extraction-based economies. The Black Iron Republic may be generally reckoned to operate using soft-power and attempting to build multilateral consensus, whereas Valk Iriniate 45 favors hard-power and unilateral action. They are historically and presently likely to regard themselves and one another as the principal powers within the sector to the exclusion of all others, and their foreign policies are largely based around this oppositional philosophy, although both show increasing awareness of (and annoyance with) outside actors regarding economic competition; the Black Iron Republic with the Ilosian Pentarchy, and Valk Irinate 45 with the Republic itself (this latter surely augmented by the Republic subscribing to the Black Iron Republic&#8217;s Black Charter). These tensions have most recently manifested themselves in the unusual conflict in the SAF2 system; however, given the claim by Valk Irinate 45 on SAF2 I, and the presence of the Black Iron Republic in the space above SAF2 II, it seems likely they will continue to view one another as their primary antagonists, and conduct future actions with that consideration in mind.

[tab][tab]The Coran Illuminate has opted for a rather different strategy in terms of expanding its influence, focusing on controlling the flow of information and supplanting others within the field, then utilizing such advantages to propagate their particular theology. Trivial analysis will demonstrate this as being the principle driving factor behind their economic growth, with their primary success being in the (supposed) conversion of the Zera. This relationship may viewed as either symbiotic or manipulative, depending on the perspective adopted: the Zera benefit from material and informational transfer in exchange for nominal piety to the Coran faith. The veracity of such piety remains an open question which is not a significant concern of this report. The Corans are obviously attempting to expand to further foreign markets and are likely to attempt to leverage the benefits from such expansion into a more concrete advantage in the near future. This constitutes the basis for a likely economic rivalry with the Republic going forward, although overcoming Coran advantages in the field is a difficult (though not insurmountable) prospect. The Zera seem principally concerned with development on their world&#8212;population growth predictions based on current data yield interesting conclusions and hint that they might undertake a migratory posture once this exceeds locally available resources.

[tab][tab]The Lesser Cathedral Habitats are of relatively limited influence and concern and this is unlikely to change anytime soon, although they do represent potential markets for any polity willing to invest in them.

[tab][tab]The Niovgroyokia would appear content to continue their own agenda with relative quiescence. Despite increased contact and apparent mutual interest, it has not been discerned what, precisely, that agenda might be, although analysis indicates with high-confidence that it is unlikely to be a major security concern.

[tab][tab]Firzonat 1&#8217;s economic activity appears to continue to be constrained by the bottleneck on volatiles fostered by the current virtual-monopoly enjoyed by Valk Irinate 45, and their principal concern would continue to seem to be to undo this economic straight-jacket. Given ongoing concerns within the Forest Subsector, the Republic&#8217;s previous objective of filling this for its own benefit need may or may not occur; in this regard the Quasi Association may constitute a rival.

[tab][tab]The Quasi Association itself, relatively inactive for most of the past decade, would seem to be returning to engagement within the international arena. Although its motives remain unclear, it appears to have designs on finally using its transport fleet and volatiles production to make moves in local markets. Its ultimate objective remains unclear at present.

[tab][tab]The Heph Tyranny continues to maintain its policy of almost total seclusion (excepting interactions with the Quasi Association), and its objectives remain relatively inscrutable. Their agenda is also rated as having a low probability of constituting a major security concern.

[tab][tab]The Republic of Yan has gone through repeated upheavals over the past decade under the nominal leadership of the now deceased Harus Hephoi and the ruling corporate cabal which he represented. While the actions undertaken by this cabal are widely regarded as erratic and an aberration to the general fabric of Yan society, careful analysis does reveal a certain cool logic behind them which should be regarded as concerning. Whether the cabal retains power in the aftermath of ongoing civil disturbances in the region is an ongoing and open question, but in the event it does, it is likely additional resources and higher priority should be given to investigating Republic of Yan&#8217;s motives and agenda&#8212;the majority of its activity to date has been in direct opposition to the interests of the Coran Illuminate, but there are strong indications it may be seeking to look further afield, particular within the Forest Subsector. In the intervening time, it is clear that this round of civil disturbances has seriously derailed the Republic of Yan&#8217;s economic growth and ascendance, and also grievously injured its credit rating and prestige. Whether it can recover remains to be seen.

[tab][tab]The Atooa Dathics seem largely content to blissfully pretend that Datha of the Hundred Moons never fell and continue in their old patterns, although the ongoing unrest in the Republic of Yan may alter this pattern. Their new military assets are concerning, but unlikely to be deployed in an offensive capability anywhere outside of Lipsid Alpha.

[tab][tab]Overall, the situation within the Spinwards Subsector is somewhat confused, partially as a result of the demise of longstanding paradigms of behavior and partially due to its permanent Balkanization and patterns of restrained antagonism and opposition. It is unlikely this situation will change in the near future, although it would be unwise to underestimate any given principal actor within the Subsector simply because they are likely to be busy dealing with the others.

[tab][tab]FOREST SUBSECTOR
[tab][tab]As the region in which the Republic is located and the one with which it is most directly involved, the Forest Subsector is of the greatest interest and consequence to Praxzen interests. The Forest Subsector possesses the greatest likelihood for bloody and protracted if low-intensity conflict, and also possesses the most complex distributed international issues within the entire Segment, which concern the Republic, the Csser&#8217;ian Confederacy, the Standard Remnants, and the Mernt Remnants, the latter two describing culturally affiliated but politically distinct groups which varied agendas and objectives.

[tab][tab]The Csser&#8217;ian Confederacy has become the economic engine powering the Forest Subsector and is the nominal center of its diplomatic affairs, interfacing with most of the Mernt Remnants and Standard Remnants in some fashion or another, and is the principle ally of (and patron to) to the Oia Mernt Kingdom. Despite a robust economy and burgeoning population due to immigration from various sources, the Csser&#8217;ian Confederacy is confronted by numerous security issues, including (but not limited to): potential for identity loss due to immigration, lack of room for expansion, defense vulnerabilities stemming from overcentralization, and technological stagnation. Several of these were what compelled the formation of the alliance with the Republic to begin with: the Republic fulfills several core capabilities which on its own the Csser&#8217;ian Confederacy could not manage independently. Although the alliance has served both parties well in this regard, the Csser&#8217;ian Confederacy is increasingly confronting domestic issues which only it has the capacity to resolve, particularly since the assassination of Prime Minister Leoni. The ability of the Csser&#8217;ians to overcome these issues is currently unclear, although most projections anticipate successful resolution of them in short order. It is likely that the Csser&#8217;ian Confederacy will remain the main ally and economic partner of the Republic well into the future.

[tab][tab]The Standard Remnants consist of multiple groups which are the splintered successors of the Standard Confederacy, although many of them antedate the latter&#8217;s recent destruction (and indenture) on SAF2 I by Valk Irinate 45. Among these groups are the Standard Territories, led by Kia Common from Mern (sometimes called Reliance in Standard material) and possessing holdings on Oia and SAF4 I; the Typical Standards and Regular Standards under the leadership of Janos Typical and Rico Regular, respectively, which are nominally allied to the Csser&#8217;ian Commonwealth; various Rebel Standards with no affiliation to one another on SAF10 IVB and SAF7 II; and the Remainder Standards which sided with the Republic itself during the Battle of SAF2 I and escaped confinement by the Valk Irinate 45&#8212;whom are nominally allied with the Republic. In addition, some small remnant of the Standard Confederacy may still be reckoned to exist, having fled the Battle of SAF2 I aboard a captured Csser&#8217;ian Commonwealth ship, although they are likely to be of no consequence. In general, the Standards have largely been a menace to the other peoples of the Forest Subsector, having fought with virtually every other power in the region. Currently greatly diminished, most of them have fallen to infighting and attempted to find outside patrons. Whether this will result in further conflict remains to be seen: the government of the Standard Territories has made indications that it is interested in (forcible, if necessary) reunification, but also appears to be attempting to adopt a more moderate stance. In general, the Republic currently has the capability for functional communications with all Standard Remnant factions.

[tab][tab]The Mernt Remnants are almost equally as varied. Among the contingents are the Knights of the Vale on SAF1 I, which continues to lay claim to and promote reclamation of the world of Mern from the Standard Territories (the &#8220;Laying of the Crusade&#8221 and possesses the most developed of military forces among the Mernt; the Oia Mernt Kingdom, among the most vertically developed, ally of the Csser&#8217;ian Commonwealth and associate of the Republic; Grannee Smit, a notable food producer; the Order of the Fourth Edenic Monks, a rather isolationist group; and the SAF7 II Mernt, a relatively undeveloped group. Several other groups previously existed, but were largely overwhelmed and displaced by the Standard Remnants. The occupation of the homeworld of Mern, precipitated by the Standard Confederacy and continued under the Standard Territories, has led to a general feud between Standard Remnants and Mernt Remnants that has colored and complicated international affairs throughout the Forest Subsector for all parties. The Republic currently has open communications with all Mernt Remnant factions except the Order of the Fourth Edenic Monks, who regard de facto acknowledgement of the Standard Territories occupation of Mern as a diplomatic insult and have broken off communications over the same.

[tab][tab]The Forest Subsector is home to two major corporate entities, JIM Corporation and Saint Rihndell, with which the Republic has cordial if limited dealings at present. It is anticipated as commerce within the region ramps up that interactions will become more frequent: both are minor resource and military hardware exporters, although their equipment does not at present generally meet the Republic&#8217;s military objectives or specifications.

[tab][tab]The Forest Subsector also contains two unique eusocial groups, the Syndicate of Leeni and the Seffassians. Both have culturally exotic mores, and in the case of the former, a genetically altered physical form which makes them difficult for most societies to interact with; both seem largely interested in their own affairs rather than the rest of the Forest Subsector, and both groups possess extensive defensive military capabilities on their respective planets that. Such forces are not currently a threat to other parties, but have the potential to be leveraged into offensive military assets, with potentially precipitous results. The Republic is currently engaged in establishing relations with the Syndicate of Leeni and several proposals have been put forward regarding contacting the Seffassians, although events elsewhere have prevented this to date.

[tab][tab]Numerous other minor factions populate the Forest Subsector, although these are generally ambivalent to larger affairs and are largely possible clients, such as the Brown Market of SAF5 II and the Miners of Treesev D.

[tab][tab]Overall the situation within the Forest Subsector following the destruction of the Standard Confederacy may be regarded as metastable if dynamically chaotic at any given instant, and the principle objective within the region is the pursuit of policies beneficial to the Republic, the simplification of the exopolitical system, and the stabilization of affairs at large.

[tab][tab]ALNITAH SUBESECTOR
[tab][tab]The Alnitah Subsector contains only two systems: Sigma Relay and Alnitah itself. The latter is simultaneously the most and least interesting system in the entirety of the Alnitah Segment, while the former is, with the possible exception of Lipsid Beta, one of the most confused.

[tab][tab]Alnitah is a highly-energetic triple-star system with little otherwise but dust and the presence of an Apeilic Iris battlecruiser, yet due to its prominence is the most strategically valuable system in the entire Segment. With high-energy transcend drive technology, it is at most two jumps away from anywhere else in the Alnitah Segment, and the local emergence point for Worldships transiting through the Orion Sector. In this capacity, it is not so much what is at Alnitah that makes it interesting, but who. This kind of commercial activity is expected to only increase in the future and various corporate interests, both from the Republic and otherwise, have already begun initial studies on the feasibility of reception station construction in the system. The environment and the (probably rightful) security concerns of the Apeilic Iris forces there have done little to allay such considerations.

[tab][tab]Sigma Relay holds the Hankish Republic, the Dardareo, and two other remnants of the Dathic Commonwealth: Hearthfire Terraforming Association and Hearthstone Station. Of these last two, the former is a corporate business venture which currently has an ongoing and increasingly antagonistic relationship with the Hankish Republic due to their environmental degradation of the planet Hearthfire, and the latter is effectively a military dictatorship with an ongoing antagonistic relationship with the Dardareo for dropping their overloading Worldship core onto the planet and rendering a significant fraction of it highly radioactive. The possibility of such antagonisms leading to open, armed conflict remains an ever-present possibility.

[tab][tab]The Hankish Republic, despite managing to secure dominance over the major trade networks within the Alnitah Segment, continues to demonstrate chronic organizational and managerial problems in both domestic and foreign policy. As a polity, the Hankish do not seem to have yet organized a strong, centralized government and accordingly have remained inactive on several security issues, including defense, ecology, and immigration. Foreign affairs have continued to be effectively delegated to Hank-Sobor Corporation. Although economic performance has improved, this lackadaisical attitude and bureaucratic stupor has placed the Hankish Republic in a dangerous position, particularly with regard to ongoing non-state attacks such as the one which recently occurred at Glon. The potential resulting collapse of the Alnitah Segment&#8217;s trade networks would make the after effects of the Torpor Station attack pale in comparison; for this reason the Hankish Republic currently constitutes a clear and present danger to the stability of the Segment as a whole through its malaise and inaction. Methods of remedying this problem remain ongoing.

[tab][tab]The Dardareo are similarly something of a liability for identical reasons. Although the Dardareo Worldship possesses tremendous economic and industrial output, and the Dardareo are effectively partnered with the Hankish Republic, they have adopted a similar attitude on defense and displayed tremendous reticence to engage with the broader Segment. Although this relationship broadly resembles that of the Republic with the Csser&#8217;ian Confederacy, it lacks the dynamism and flexibility of the latter, and has not taken the necessary steps to secure itself or to minimize the possibility of local conflict with the Dathic Commonwealth remnants.

[tab][tab]Although currently remote to the interests of the Republic, Sigma Relay and Alnitah respectively represent the current and future linchpins of commerce in the Alnitah Segment, and the former is, from a security standpoint, currently a massively underestimated risk to system-wide commerce and prosperity. This should be factored in to all future analysis and dealings beyond the Forest Subsector.

 

[Symphony D.]

[tab][tab]HANDMAIDENS SUBSECTOR
[tab][tab]The Handmaidens Subsector is dominated by the activities of the Ilosian Pentarchy and the Order of the Deluge, which have formed something of an alliance given their relatively mutually exclusive interests. Otherwise, with two minor exceptions, the region is undeveloped and something of a backwater, if one ripe for expansion.

[tab][tab]The Ilosian Pentarchy is the local offshoot of a loose, Humanspace spanning group called the Diamond Network, a so-called “meta-empire,” akin to that to which Valk Irinate 45 belongs. In the case of the Diamond Network, the major unifying cultural features are a focus on cybernetics and resource extraction. These features dominate the activities of the Ilosian Pentarchy and it has largely concerned itself with economic expansion focused around metals production and shipment of the same through the Alnitah Subsector to the Spinwards Subsector. For such activity, it has earned the ire of the Black Iron Republic, although to date little substantive has come of it. (The Black Iron Republic’s moves to offer assistance to the Forest Subsector, although partially motivated by altruism, may also be seen as a method of locking the Ilosian Pentarchy out of the market preemptively.) The general trajectory of the Ilosian Pentarchy’s strategy would seem to be the establishment of a single major extraction hub, most likely on the remnant core of a hot Jovian, and the production of wealth and resources attendant from such. Overall military threat rating is likely to be low provided such interests are not threatened.

[tab][tab]The Order of the Deluge, conversely, appears interested in the buildup of its currently occupied world to the exclusion of all else. While certain elements within the defense establishment remain adamant that darker motives underpin its activities, there is little external indication of this. Overall the enterprises of the Order of the Deluge have little to recommend the Republic’s attentions except as a potential business opportunity. While the Order of the Deluge and the Ilosian Pentarchy have lately demonstrated a rather close shared-policy on foreign affairs and defense, the survival of such an alliance in the aftermath of the recent pirate blackmail effort (and the total lack of coordination in the face of the same) cast serious doubts on the continued efficacy of this arrangement.

[tab][tab]The Saldrid Group is an interesting presence albeit if only because of their existence as a potential local alternative to the Republic’s corporate services. The SAH6 IIB Expedition may possess interesting data on the local selenium-based exotic biosphere. The Glon Miners are of little ultimate consequence.

[tab][tab]Overall, the Handmaidens Subsector is mostly of relevance as a potential business opportunity and source of information of relative utility to the Republic. It is likely to be some time before politic concerns and entanglements become a serious issue defining the region and its relation to the Republic.

REPORT CONCLUSIONS

[tab][tab]ECONOMY & DOMESTIC POLICY
[tab][tab]Economic development has proceeded in ways that are beneficial to the Republic and has occurred in a fashion that is likely as optimal as was feasible under the extant conditions, although ambition has sometimes exceeded grasp. Going forward, continued investment into private development coupled with vertical development is likely to continue to pay dividends, and the Republic’s policy to date of planetary development coupled with service provision to other polities will continue to be relevant. Market capture will likely play an increasingly important role in this strategy as part of a diversified economic portfolio. Current estimates project that the newly adopted Corporate economic model will serve such development issues quite well through the near-and-mid-term future.

[tab][tab]Given the expense of horizontal expansion and the lack of suitably attractive sites at present, it is inevitable that this vertical development model will be augmented by redoubling efforts at improvement of the Praxzen bauplan and quality of life through Advancement. The acquisition of technology to enable this is to considered a core objective and its pursuit is endorsed by this Report.

[tab][tab]MILITARY & FOREIGN POLICY
[tab][tab]Military policy in light of observational data, recent developments, and historical analysis remains relatively unchanged in its broad outlines.

[tab][tab]The impositions of technology upon the performance envelopes of aerospace vehicles, and the necessity for dedicated support infrastructure for the same, highly recommends the avoidance if at all possible, of large-scale fleet buildup. The expenses relative to the capabilities are simply not cost-effective or up to acceptable standards with present levels of technology. This is expected to change in the near-to-mid-term future, and it is likely that the resumption of the ongoing debate over highly distributed and flexible forces versus highly centralized and robust forces will resume at such time. However, at present known military threats and likely scenarios do not justify the expense of expansive space combat vehicle buildup, and any such buildup would result in products that would be deficient in one form or another and serve as temporary solutions at best.

[tab][tab]Instead available evidence supports the notion that an asymmetric approach focused on highly-trained and mobile ground forces like those employed on SAF2 I remains the correct defensive posture. Although less intoxicating to the imagination, such forces have shown their capability for outmaneuvering and flummoxing advanced rivals such as Valk Irinate 45 and demonstrated that they would tie down considerable assets for extended periods of time. Coupled with high-survivability platforms, such forces represent a significant deterrence to nation-state adversaries. The development of an additional, second-line deterrence force based upon Weapons of Mass Destruction has also been considered and is a field of ongoing study by the defense establishment.

[tab][tab]Although less robust in force projection than would be desired, these represent cost-effective incentives to avoid conflict with the Republic and also minimize the possibility of an arms race that would consume valuable resources. Until such time as technology has advanced to allow for the construction of a force deployment, this approach is predicted to serve the Republic well in state-on-state conflicts. The unpredictable nature of attacks by non-state entities, and the emergence of new military threats do however recommend continued investment in ground-to-space and space-superiority hardware in the intervening time period.

[tab][tab]Foreign Policy is likely to continue as it has to date, with the development of ties external to the Forest Subsector in the interests of commerce and trade, and with the continued cleanup of the diplomatic situation within the Forest Subsector to reduce the possibility of conflict and to align regional developmental interests. This general trend may be expected to continue even if new complications and surprises arise—as they surely will. Our overwhelming objective is simple: to make ourselves invaluable.

 

[Symphony D.]

Second Thoughts

[tab]"They ignored my conclusions," said Jucha.

[tab]"Of course they did, because your conclusions are paranoid claptrap," said Hafez.

[tab]"My conclusions are solid. The Deluge&#8212;" started Jucha.

[tab]"&#8212;The more I read of Quasar 79," stated Attar, firmly cutting off Jucha and using the Report's nickname, "the more I feel that it doesn't actually say anything at all."

[tab]"Of course it doesn't seem like it says anything, it's not meant for us," said Hafez.

[tab]"I thought the OCP section was interesting," muttered Jucha.

[tab]"Of course you did, whoever wrote that's probably even crazier than you are," said Hafez, adding "I don't see why they decided to release it publicly."

[tab]"Acting predictably and responsibly has its advantages," replied Attar. "For example, if Jucha just wandered up to you on the street and started talking about the Delugers, you'd think he was a madman that'd escaped rehabilitation. But instead, it's familiar to you, so you don't regard it as a serious threat or challenge."

[tab]"There's a conspiracy you can believe in," said Hafez, rolling his eyes.