Ares Confederation
“Hey, you want to know the secret how to kill two Confederates without lifting a finger?”
“No, tell me. How do I do that?”
“Well, you simply ask them what leftist philosophy is best…”
-Joke told commonly in the Ares Confederation
"Libertas Ad Astra, Freedom to the Stars. Many people say that Humanity already is free, after all we can vote, hold property, voice our opinions.
Maybe the tyranny of the state is broken, although this can be argued, sure.
But every employer is your king, every landlord your feudal liege. Humanity is still in shackles, called "portfolio", "assets", "dividends". As long profit is a God, and mega corporations his churches, Humanity cannot be free.
As long all that matters is the bottom line, Humanity shall be enslaved.
Freedom to the stars. It's not an epitaph of something finished - it's a battle cry of something that only has begun to be."
-Excerpt of the Ascension Speech of Rudolf Guillame, first Prime Minister of the Third Ares Confederation.
| Major Faction | |
|---|---|
| Third Congress of the Ares Confederation | |
| File:(Ares Confederation Flag) | Official Name Third Congress of the Ares Confederation Colloquial Names: ArCon, Ares Confederation, Sars Marans, Commies Government Type: Loose Confederation of Aligned Member Planets [1] Population: 80 Billion (small (Meta-)Human majority) Economic Strength: Self-sufficient Gift Economy Military Strength: Local Peacekeeping Political Importance: supposed Government-in-Exile of Mars |
After the failure of the Second Congress of the Ares Confederation to liberate Mars, the remnants and refugees of the Second Mars Revolt have rallied under the Third Congress and fled Sol Space. This ragtag fleet of refugees eventually founded the Confederation, as the original fleet split into several sister colonies after a while due to political differences and then reunited for mutual protection and free exchange of resources.
Key Planets
Sars Mara
Sars Mara, the original colony of the Third Congress, has not been chosen for its particular habitability : it was the similarity to mars and the rich asteroid belt of water and dioxide ice that has drawn the attention of the incipient Confederation.
Nowadays it is the most populated colony of the Confederation, home to most of its institutions and has an ever-expanding orbital half-ring housing shipyards, industry and logistic facilities. The surface itself is now quite liveable without much assistance, although the ruddy red and arid climate has been preserved - it is quite similar to Moghes or the Australian Outback, as a direct act of not trying to copy Terra itself and instead develop its own geo-biological identity.
Sars Mara was also the main supplier of material and mission support for the other refugee fleets after the original colonists figured it would be much better to grow apart than to fight and purge their own ranks over political misgivings. It was also Sars Mara and its government who laid the foundation of what would become the current Ares Confederation.
The dominant political party are the Old Guard and the Confederate Vanguardists - the former supporting moderate socialist democracy and direct action against the Commonwealth to return to Mars proper, the latter wishing to instead abolish the multi-party system of Sars Maran democracy for a single party and abandoning the premise that Socialism is only for Humanity, wishing to establish a galactic proletariat.
Okito
Okito is a cold planet whose establishment has been marked with frigid, cramped domes and underground colonies until four decades ago, the first solar mirrors have been installed and the atmosphere has been sufficiently adjusted to make the surface livable. But even then, it is only just livable - most of its biosphere is still in its arctic infancy, while its equator has the fragile resemblance of a boreal-continental climate.
Originally a mining colony for water ice for other geoengineering projects and consumption, as well as Phoron and rare metals, Okito boomed with the inclusion of drone technology, being the leading producer of beta and alpha drones for other colonies, as well as computing the massive amounts of data for the oft byzantine bureaucracies of its sister colonies - its cold climate perfect heatsinks for massive data banks and processing cores.
The urban centers of Okito themself are governed by an autocratic directorate of lead industrial experts and AI under the philosophy of “Visionary Rationalism”, trying to allot resources, people and luxuries in a planned economy, which is updated continuously and adjusted to increase productivity and to stymie the ever-increasing need for computing power.
Paraiso
Paraiso was initially overseen in the process of forming the colonies as it has been a panthalassic world : Most of the planet’s surface is covered in water. Only zero point two percent land mass exists in the form of volcanic islands along the equator. However, after the original refugee fleet split up, mobile sea towns began to spring up of fisher collectives, pearl divers and aquaculturists, who were able to stay mobile enough to escape the extreme monsoons that sweep across the surface.
Today, intensive geoengineering of landscaping and climate engineering has tamed the daily storms to bearable levels to transform the barren, algae-swamp islands into centers of agriculture and urban development. Paraiso is therefore the foremost producer of foodstuffs in the Confederation, happily sharing massive amounts of perishables with other colonies in exchange for their services, making it the second most populated and developed planet within Confederate space.
Paraiso’s government is a congress democracy led by syndicates of worker unions, who also control the Acquisition lists as they prefer to live in a moneyless society. Any citizen of Paraiso requests goods, services and even land from Congress and automated systems (some leased by Okito) calculate the eventual arrival time of those - food, basic lodging and medical services are always guaranteed, while luxuries (such as pleasing meals or a mansion) might involve decades of wait time or more. How fast they receive their requests depends on their reputation, tracked by contributions to their worker union or community.
Nueva Cubagua
Nueva Cubagua is a colony on the fringe of Confederate space, closest to the rest of Humanity. A formerly arid, martian-like environment, repeated aerobraking of dioxide and water ice has flooded the atmosphere and surface with a dense, rainy atmosphere, which has been further broken down with strains of hyper-active cyanobacteria and algae. Today, Nueva Cubagua is still in transition to a more complex biosphere, but sports a humid, jungle-like climate over a broad belt along the equator, while subtropical and mediterranean deserts and hill land compose the rest, with only very small polar caps of white water ice.
Nueva Cubagua itself is a port of call for immigrants and refugees of all stripes, usually the first stop when coming from the rest of Human space. While ostensibly the planet is self-designated as an agricultural platform, its main purposes are education, services and hospitality. Visitors often bring gifts or subsidies disguised as one to receive food and board, enjoying the various entertainments or eruditions offered. Most Confederates have visited Nueva Cubagua at least once to either learn a skill, for a seminar, or to simply have a good time.
Politically, Nueva Cubagua works on a market economy held between a mixture of private persons and worker cooperatives and handles the day to day business as a parliamentary republic similar to the Commonwealth - most of the moderates and social democrats of the refugee fleet settled this planet, making it both a familiar sight for refugees and “lukewarm pink” for the rest of the Confederation.
Political System
The political system of the Confederation is largely decentralized - each colony has its own way to express the guiding principles of the Second Congress and only have to abide by a few general rules - that every sapient is provided for in food, clothing, medical attention and lodging without any further input of the Sapient aside existence, while allowing free movement of goods, people and technology between member colonies.
In this largely autonomous system, only a few confederal government systems exist. The Second Congress itself is a pluralistic parliament, with delegates determined by population number of the colonies themselves. Informal alliances of Delegates exist, but how they are appointed is usually up to the government they hail from - most choose one sort of democratic process or the other.
The reach of the Congress starts with military and diplomatic matters, but ends there just as quickly. Few confederal laws exist, mostly pertaining to regulations of what constitutes adequate housing, food and clothing. They also oversee the gift economy between member colonies and the Confederate military.
Organization
As said before, every colony within the Confederation is mostly sovereign and only beholden to the Principles of Universal Happiness (the aforementioned food, clothing, medical attention and lodging) and yield authority in external diplomacy and military matters to the Confederation itself. This is largely honoured, although limited initiative is generally permitted when it is deemed it would not endanger the integrity of the Confederation.
Informal alliances and power blocs exist within the Confederate territory, colonies aligned in their commonality or forged into friends through history and generosity. These alliances are akin to political parties within the Congress, often voting and arguing as a united front against others. “Membership” can be quite fluid, however and the oft rapidly changing landscape of any given colony makes some of them change allegiance quite quickly.
Prospective members either are established by a colonial venture by the Congress (one of the easiest proposals to push through) or by invitation of a petitioning colony. Accession is somewhat arduous, as there is a rigorous inspection of the colony by any party within the Congress that wishes so, to ensure they’re sufficiently aligned with Confederate ideals - although this process can be expedited when, say, a former corporate colony just violently overthrew their central command.
Military
The military of the Confederation is two-tiered, with colonies retaining the right to organize militias and auxiliary fleets for their own policing and protection. These militias often are an extension of the political philosophy of their host colony - some are rather radical in their democratization, with positions and officer duties being strictly voted by the men supposed to be led, while some align themselves with traditional military doctrine of a central command and specifically trained soldiers for officer positions.
Needless to say, the full military strength of the Confederation can only be mobilized when a threat to the Constitution or livelihood of all citizens looms over the state, as per constitution. In this case, the militias are subordinated into the proper military branches of the Confederation.
The Confederation entertains only two branches of a confederal military - the United Fleet Host (UFH) and the Confederate Self Defence Forces (CSDF). These comprise a small core of professional soldiers from every member colony as strictly voluntary positions based on 4 year contracts. Typically superior in quality to the militias (which is one of the main recruitment pools), the UFH and CSDF are tasked with defending the sovereign space of the Confederation and assist the colonies whenever possible. This has slowly transformed the Confederate military into a force well-proficient in support duties, especially in infrastructural engineering and training.
Due to its smaller size and lack of skilled personnel, it’s not uncommon for the UFH to hire and equip freelance forces or rehabilitated pirates in older, mothballed ships as Auxiliary forces and privateers, with the mandate to patrol the edges of Confederate space and perform anti-piracy operations. This Free Fleet Host is a thorn in corporate eyes, as they often interpret their mandate to also support rebellion within corporate colonies and intercept response fleets. The Confederation itself is very quiet about their indirect involvement in these actions.
An often talked about branch of the military is also the Intelligence and Protection Service, colloquially called Firebrands for their torch and cog logo.The IPS roots out seditionionists and criminals within the Colonies and acts as intelligence service for the Confederation, oft rumored to support dissident and anti-corporate movements - with many colonies seeing it as autocratic and reactionary force within government. However, it still persists as a rather influential force within the Confederation.
Economy
Trade and money does not quite exist in the Confederate space proper, as they see the sharing of resources as a requirement of a civilized society - as such, “gifts” have taken over as main means of exchange. Between the colonies, reputation matters and providing colonies in need with needed resources will make the other colonies more than happy to “wash the other hand”. Especially Sars Mara receives much of its food from other colonies as thanks for all the heavy equipment, ships, et cetera they produce and gift to others.
However, many of these volumes are too much for a single human or even a government to track properly. Supply and demand is fickle and often changes day by day. This is why the Confederation increasingly relies on automated processes and algorithms to allocate gifts to others and request resources in turn.
Internally, it is a different matter and depends on the preference of the colony’s government how they wish to organize their economic efforts, as long as they keep to the Confederate mandate of providing food, clothing, medical attention and lodging for every Sapient residing in the colony. Internal currencies or even currency unions between aligned colonies are uncommon, but present, while many colonies prefer a total moneyless society, preferring some other form of resource allocation, whether it be reputation and contribution, automated allocation or proportional dividends of worker cooperatives.
Culture and Society
To say that the society of the Confederation is pluralistic is an understatement. While mostly left-aligned, the differences between colonies can be extreme, ranging from anarchistic purists, who only live in the Confederation for protection to moderate capitalistic ideology, who want to turn the market and for profit model into a prosperity for all. Everything can be found here and gives the Confederation an image of being argumentative, passionate and idealistic for its own cause.
However, this pluralism and division is tempered by the underpinnings of the generational trauma of many failed revolutions. Words and arguments, even insults can fly - but a civil war would have meant extinction for the early Confederation, an attitude carried over into the modern day. Dissent is seen as positive, a sort of whetstone of ideas. Sedition and saber-rattling is seen as the poison that kills society. Intolerable political circumstances are either dealt with a new colonial venture or by immigration to a more aligned colony instead of trying to change the host society.
Beyond that, Confederates are optimistic about their future, viewing the world with a pragmatic “can-do” attitude. They are builders, terraformers and workers and it reflects in the usual activities of its people, with a certain streak of adventurousness and opportunistic altruism, ingratiating themselves to neighbors with their problem-solving and generosity to sway them to “the Cause”. They have started from almost nothing and will do so again and again until there is no one left who would call themselves a citizen of the Congress or they have finally achieved victory and utopia.
Problems and Troubles
Old Loves, Old Hates
There is no denying it - the enmity of the Confederation and the Commonwealth is as deep as ever, even after decades of lost contact. Already upon re-contact, insults and claims have been simultaneously staked out and much saber-rattling has almost led to a war. Right now, the Commonwealth practically does not care for a costly war against a “long-forgotten, bygone ideology”, but the continued provocations of the Confederation will not be unanswered forever. Some colonies fear this fateful day - many colonies are looking forward to it as they will see it as the first shot for a popular uprising all across the Diaspora.
Insurrection Incorporated
Similarly, the Confederation is appalled at the concept of megacorporations like NT as a whole. While tentatively individuals and communes might do contract work for them in the Coreward Periphery for one reason or the other, many, many indirect and more overt dealings of the Aresians is aimed to subvert, arrest, delay or otherwise impede corporate holdings and claims within the Coreward Periphery. As an outside polity not beholden to corporate law of the Commonwealth, some of these conflicts end in bloody firefights and espionage wars. For now they do not cut into the bottom line too much - but push comes to shove, the TSCs won’t sit on it forever and use their vast influence within the Commonwealth to provoke a war to annihilate the Confederation a third time.
The pen is mightier than the battleship
Without the autonomic processes of venture capitalism, with the large bureaucratic overhead of a gift economy, and universally enforced property claims for any citizens, the Confederation struggles to keep up with managing her citizens, keep track or perform comprehensive censuses without inefficiency and red tape clogging up the system, which focuses confederal and local policy makers to rather address these than up-arming or organizing their military assets in the face of a much wider world than they have dealt with before. Confusing military organization, factionalism, and overall low funding makes the Confederation have a much lower military projection than they could truly have.
Gnarled Radicalism
It always looms on the horizon. Fiery rhetoric, passionate idealism, bitter thirst for revenge - the Confederation touts to be peaceful and working as truly socialist and democratic polity, where any expression of leftism can express itself without oppression. But it always looms. The shadow of autocracy, the iron fist of totalistic vanguards that stomp any supposed traitor to the revolution into the dirt. With the uncertainty around the Commonwealth, the Periphery and the influence of Megacorporation, the unthinkable of dictatorship becomes more and more a real solution for those who wish to show action and bring the liberation of the stars to every corner of the galaxy now and not tomorrow.
Opinions on other Factions
The Commonwealth
"A society rotten at its core. A leviathan that will devour all and produce nothing but filth and squalor in its wake. Unfettered consumption with the empty promise of wealth for anyone but the Top 0.01 percent is nothing short of bloodsucking evil. If there is a Hell, every politician, executive and celebrity from the Commonwealth is there, rubbing shoulders with demons like one of their fucking dinner parties."
The Unitary Alliance of Salthan Fyrds
"Abandoned by the Commonwealth, they are pretty much like us - and circumstance has shaped them to become warriors. I feel for them, but their paranoia and propaganda poisoning from ages ago makes them reluctant to get our help. I hope they prevail in their struggles, genuinely."
The Elysian Colonies
"Yeah, I imagine this is what we would be if we would've included capitalists and reactionaries to the refugee fleet. Similar idea, terrible execution. Figures. It's full of petty tyrants and rife with flagrant abuses of the rights of Sapients. Fuck 'em, let the cool kids come to us instead, we have plenty of room. Or we just make more, haha!"
The Third Ares Confederation
"We overcame so much. The future is not scary when we learn from our past. Libertas ad Astra!"
Skrell Consensus
"Iunno. They're far away, to be honest, so I don't know much about them. But I suppose they have figured out what works for them and have rigorously applied it to themselves for a near-perfect society. But why kings of all things? It has the stink of autocracy on it and I rather not linger around too much, you know."
The Unathi Hegemony
"Bit of a reactionary wet dream, aren't they? The evil, fucking alien coming to steal your land and wife. Great rallying call for the people who ACTUALLY lust for your land and wife. Ah well. Can't say I'm a fan of their autocracy but I think there is more to them than what the Commonwealth touts about."
The Tajaran Diaspora
"Kind of funny that the species so similar in the drive of exploration, conquest and colonization happens to be giant, bipedal cats. I hope they won't have a rough awakening to class consciousness like us though. That would get ugly fast and we probably would get involved - somehow."
Nomads
"It does have a certain romanticism, doesn't it? We are basically mirrors to each other. What would have happened if the refugee fleet never settled Sars Mara? Probably something like that. We might not agree on the details, but I think most nomads are closer to us than their parent cultures. Bless."
Mega-Corporations
"Chernobog, Azathoth, Ulopoka, Guayota, the Devil. Whatever you want to call them. Scum-fuck bastards begotten by evil slime, born in the filth and miasma of diseased and rotten backrooms and malls. Each and any of them in the corporate command structure has sold their soul and fucked a pig's head with glee, sold out their friends, their family and their dog. The lowest of the low, not fit to walk but crawl, into the minds, into the hearts, into the thoughts of innocents to corrupt their thoughts and vomit cruel, uncaring ideals into their head. There is nothing redeeming about any Mega-Corporation and anyone who tells you otherwise needs new eye implants. Or a brain."
The Free Trade Union
"You know the frustrating thing when someone is just about to really get it, you know and then gets the wrong epiphany? Yeah, that's the FTU to me. They're so close to becoming class-aware, but they really think they can become a big player like the other kids and not just throw the shit game at a wall and flip their middle fingers to it. One day, maybe."
Lore 
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