General Domestic Issues

[jonisilk]

It was called the Darius Initiative, but it was Jenna who was behind the proposition, working for several months with the Medical and Cultural Directors to put the whole thing in motion. The name had been her idea too.

She wanted the motion passed during his final term and bearing her fathers name, so it would serve as a lasting memory to the Great Man and all the good he had done for the people.

The rest of governing body also saw it as a fitting tribute that such work should continue on in his name. He had touched the lives of millions on our own world and of billions upon others.

It would offer a route to citizenship that spoke to the heart of who we were as a people - kind, peaceful, caring and compassionate - and would also bring those off-worlders who share such traits to us, along with their knowledge, skills and expertise.

This was one part humanitarian effort, one part citizenship drive and cultural integration. There were the fingerprints of several directors to be found throughout, but it was clearly Jenna’s brainchild.

She was still a number of years away from taking office, but was increasingly involved in the role as her fathers right-hand and involved herself in many areas with an adaptability Ethan admired.

When the time came, she would be ready, Ethan thought, as he sat back with a smile and sipped a small Columbian coffee.

He didn’t allow himself to smile very often, but today, his decision to nominate Jenna as the future president was looking like another shrewd move and for the first time in the last few years, he was feeling positive about the future.

[jonisilk]

As the PCG prepares for implementation of the Darius Initiative, we would seek out your finest medical minds and ask that they might be allowed to share their knowledge and experience with us, as we set about our goal of creating the best of all worlds, for the people of all worlds.

The application process begins one standard year from now.

It is between now and then that we hope to devise a program for these applicants, broadening their knowledge of your practices and technologies and combining the latest in bio-engineering and academic theory with a focus on practical applications in the field.

We would be happy to offer compensation to the governments, organisations and institutes whom we would be depriving of their services, to an amount equal to that of the individuals annual salary, plus an additional 10% for any inconvenience the individuals absence might cause.

We thank you for your consideration of this proposal and look forward to hearing from you.

Anumah Sacian, Director and member of the governing body (Medical/Humanitarian).

In peace and plenty, for all.

The PCG.

[Subotai45]

Feliciano Belgrado, formerly President of Venus, turns the lights off in his office for the last time. He pauses a moment, thinking of the times he's spent in there, leading the foreign policy of Venus for the past seven years. He grabs his belongings, including his pet turtle, and walks across the hall.

Setting up his book in characteristic piles on the floor, placing his turtle on a small table behind the desk, and rearranging nearly everything in the room, he makes himself at home, and the office is barely recognizable.

He looks at the stacks of paper he has to deal with, and glances at his turtle. "We're alike, you and I", he informs the turtle. "Pushing around our pebbles and papers to make our homes just a little bit better than we found them."

He believes it is important to tell the turtle when he wants the turtle to know something. After all, how else is the turtle supposed to know? Some people just expect their pets to have an idea without any information. That's just silly.

The turtle bonks its head against the glass in an affirmative, and Premier Belgrado gets down to work.

[narwhalwarlord]

Premier Johann von Nar looks around his office, sighs, spins his chair around in a perfect circle, and gets up. Absentmindedly, he wanders over to the wall, picks the small motivational poster off it (a kitten dangling from a branch with the caption "hang in there!" emblazoned above it), stares at it, and walks to the door. As he travels, he begins ripping up and eating the poster. By the time he's reached the new office, he's finished devouring his snack.

Johann looks at the new desk, absentmindedly brushes the small pile of turtle poo off it, and sits down in the chair.

Hmph. Real leather.

He spins it, then absentmindedly dials the number of his new secretary using a pencil hastily removed from his pocket.

"Hello? I'll need a motivational poster, size small. Perhaps it should have some kind of bird or an athlete on it. Thanks!"

Hanging up, he spins the chair the other way, then absentmindedly hums a jaunty tune.

It's time for some military reform. How fun.

[jonisilk]

As Jenna stood in front of the holo-imager, inside the Chambers of the governing body, with the members of the governing body framing her on either side, she realised that she was a little nervous and unsure of herself. It was probably because, for the first time, she was not about to address the people of Mars, but instead the incoming and outgoing Premieres of the Republic of Venus.

No sooner had the PCG gained it’s wider recognition from the inter-planetary community, than President Feliciano Belgrado had arrived for the Peace Talks of 3999.

Her mind wandered back to those bi-weekly meetings with her father, during those 3 long months of talks. Her father would often talk of policies and the thinking behind them - not anything that ever really took her interest at the time - but there was something different about the way he spoke of President Belgrado.

Over those months, the two of them had worked very closely, with her father ever impressed by the President’s ongoing commitment to finding a peaceable solution during those difficult days. They had both nurtured a strong mutual respect for the other and her father had even said it would be a sad day for him when he saw his opposite number step down at the end of his seven year term.

It occurred to her that seven years was a very short term, thinking of her father and the 32 years he would have spent in office by the time she finally took over the role herself. She wondered how anyone could hope to make far reaching changes in such a short time, knowing they would be unlikely to see the benefits of those changes within their own term? It then occurred to her that with the peace talks, that may have been exactly what he was trying to do.

That sad day her father had spoken of was now here, as was her father, but it was she who would be delivering the message. Her father had said he would prefer to record his own personal message to the premiere, which would accompany the official one she was about to give.

She drew her breath and on being given the signal, she began -

“On behalf of both myself and my father, President Darius Langale, and all the members of the governing body, I would like to wish you the very best for the future, as you step down from the position of Venusian Premiere - a role you have performed with great distinction over these last seven years…”

She continued on for a further four minutes, recounting the highlights of his time in office and the beneficial effects of the policies he had enacted in that time, as well as praising his continued commitment to peace.

She closed by recounting a story from his visit to Len Cago, on the very day the peace talks began -

Having learnt the troubled history of the people of that area and having seen the amazing progress that had taken place, President Belgrado had delivered a speech to the people, praising them, along with the PCG itself, for their inspirational story of how it really was possible to bring about a lasting change for good - The speech he gave had been on a par with anything they had heard from Darius and the people of the area took to him with much warmth and affection.

Following the successful conclusion to the talks, the people of the region had taken it upon themselves to rename the public area in which the president had given his speech, ‘Belgrado Square’.

“It is my pleasure to announce that we at the PCG have now officially recognised the renaming of Belgrado Square”, she said, catching a rare smile creep across her fathers face as she spoke the words.

“And we would be honoured if you would join us at your earliest convenience for an official renaming ceremony and the unveiling of a commemorative plaque on the site, to mark the close of your distinguished Presidency”, before ending with a warm smile and the corporations now familiar signature, “In peace and plenty, for all”.

As the recording ended, she let out a long sigh, not realising how nervous she had actually been throughout the whole thing. Speaking to Ethan, he had assured her it hadn’t shown and there was no need to record the message again.

She still insisted on watching the recording back, but soon realised that he was right - her hands had been out of shot, which had been her main concern as she had noticed herself wringing them as she spoke.

They figured the recording was good and began to set up for the next one.

'This would be the tricky one', she thought to herself.

The outgoing President she had met in person at the opening ceremony of the Dividends celebrations, if only briefly. She had known much about him from her conversations with her father and she felt that she could address him as a friend and an equal.

She was not so sure about the man who would be replacing him. He was from a military background and the root of his surname - Nar - was one familiar to her from the newly revised histories of the planets.

The arrival of such men in positions of power would often herald a time of unease and uncertainty, with much posturing and flexing of military muscle. Often it would be just that - posturing - but when aggressive words became aggressive actions, the innocent were always among the first casualties.

She had already given much thought and consideration to this when devising the Darius Initiative. Her hope was that the next seven years would pass peaceably, but if they did not, the PCG would be ready to help those affected.

So much of that future could hinge on this one man. She also knew that much would hinge on the first impressions she could make upon him.

She snapped her mind back into focus and looked over the speech one last time, as she stepped up to her marks. Once more the directors assembled, framing her on either side. She took a moment, then when she was ready gave the nod. She drew her breath once more, and on being given the signal, she began again -

[jonisilk]

Dividends: A Cultural Perpective (Re-printed as first published in the Martian journal, The Galactic Voice)

The Winter Dividends is fast approaching and shaping up to be one of the biggest the people have seen since the day was renamed to commemorate the founding of the corporation on that very same day. But what is Dividends - besides a founding holiday - and what is it’s significance to the people and the planet of Mars?

Following the wider unification of the regions Frasta, Tigris Planus and the Tahr Kev Valley - which a few years later would be re-named, Langale Province, in honour of the man who had led the unification - the celebrations were held every 12 Martian months, in line with the standard off-world calendar the corporation uses for trade - It is according to this standard calendar that the corporation is celebrating their 45th year as a independent entity.

Prior to this, Dividends had been held every two years during the mid-point of the Martian Summer, in celebration at the passing of another year of Martian life. It was a time for the mourning of those that had passed, but also a time of celebration and new life - the Martian Summer being the year during which populations traditionally grew, before the winter cull of numbers began.

Those winter culls are now an increasingly distant memory and the Winter Dividends are becoming almost as big an event as the more traditional Summer celebrations. Birth rates have even increased during these winter periods, but for the most part, the people are still culturally conditioned to a mating cycle that favours a summer birth.

So what does Dividends entail, you may ask?

Besides the Annual Opera held in the Olympus Arena - a venue where every Martian artist aspires to performing - there are myriad of wonderful markets and stalls that line the streets of the Selinopolis, where artists, merchants and craftsmen all proudly display their skills and works in public.

Watching these artists at work, one can see the joy that springs from their creative expression and to be seen and appreciated for these skills is a source of great pride for them, with those who would watch, often rewarded with gifts of appreciation from those they enjoy watching and admiring as they display their talents.

Traditionally, this is both an act of charity and of trade, with such displays intended to bring custom and trade for the coming year, from those who they would hope to leave an impression upon.

Strong Martian winds and impressive mountain ranges have also combined to provide one of the more daring sports in Martian culture. Gliders can regularly be seen taking-off from the peaks in their customised body suits that turn them into soaring-daredevils, skirting through canyons and around rock and ice formations at incredible speeds.

It is a sport that relies as heavily on nerves of steel as it does on the physical strength to successfully execute manoeuvres at high-speed, especially when the ever-changing nature of ice formations suddenly presents the glider with a potentially fatal spit-second decision to make.

The growing interest in this sport from off-worlders has led to a number of courses having been designed for different levels of ability, should you want to try out this exciting pastime yourself, but the very best of gliders have spent years perfecting their skills and we do not recommend you attempt to recreate some of the manoeuvres you may see.

The taming of the wild boar is also a popular event, though a tense and unnerving experience for those watching, with would-be tamers carefully approaching the large beast whom they must saddle and mount without causing the animal distress, the result of which could prove to be fatal for the tamer in question. In times past, this was considered an act of great courage and modern tamers are still revered today as celebrities among the Martian people.

As the Martian people once more celebrate the passing of another standard year, so they would invite all other people to share in the celebrations with them, as they welcome the increasing number of off-worlders who have made Mars not only the new holiday destination of choice - following a sharp rise in the number of tourists - but also the growing number that would now call it their home.

[Subotai45]

"Premier?" a guard calls out from the hallway, a concerned note to his voice, "is something the matter?" A fire alarm was wailing in the Premier's office, and although that wasn't an uncommon occurrence, the guard still felt the need to check.

"Nothing to worry about, Fransisco" the Premier calls back, "Just some routine paperwork." Belgrado, famed for cutting through layers of bureaucracy when he felt that the people of Venus needed him to, was doing exactly that. Well, cutting and burning, he thinks to himself, as he dumps some water onto the fire he started in the wastebasket with his breath. The most recent paper victims of his ire were several reports detailing that his most recent plan was "frankly, sir, just not possible" and a "plan with no chance of success".

Belgrado decided that he would continue regardless. His proposal was the one that involved the expansion of Compound Eye nanites to the colony planets to enable better defense of the outlying settlements. He thought it would be a vital step towards defending every citizen of Venus.

So, with a stroke of his pen, he authorized the use of a small fleet of Aurora-class frigates to bring the nanites to the colony planets. Well that's that, he thinks, moving on to the next issue.

Picking a sheet of paper of the pile (the unburnt one), he reads it over, and is pleasantly surprised at the message from the PCG. He watches the video of Jenna Langale, the daughter of the man with whom he worked closely on the peace talks. Belgrado was sorry to see the end of Darius's presidency. He was an admirable leader, and a good friend. Belgrado thought for a time, about what would be a fitting recognition for his friend.

This moment of silent contemplation lasted for approximately three minutes before his computer lit up with messages he had neglected to answer that were supposedly quite urgent. Lost in his work, he pushed through the documents, requests, and myriad little things that needed his approval. After several hours of work, he stretched out on a couch in his office, and sleep hit him like a hammer.

His dreams took him back to his childhood, when he worked on his farm outside the city of Rawson, helping his father tend the crops. His most constant companies were a large dog that helped them herd the alpaca, and the friends he made in his local Scouting troop. Eventually, he slid awake, still thinking of those days long ago.

With a jolt, he realizes the problem that had plagued him the day before: how to properly recognize the leader, and the man, that Darius Langale was, and recognize the friendship he had shown a stranger that had arrived on his door step, asking for his help.

A slightly confused secretary, wandering in, hears the Premier talking to himself. Or his turtle. It's sometimes hard to tell.

"What better way to honor a great leader, a great man, than by founding an institution that will help others become great leaders?" the Premier asks the secretary. Or the turtle. It's sometimes hard to tell.

"You wish to name a university after the President of the PCG?" the secretary asks, bemused as to where this had come from.

"No, no," Belgrado objects, before pausing for a second. "Well, I suppose that will work. I was thinking a large camp for our Scouts, but we could go with the university. I do suppose it's more dignified."

"Premier, sir, you could just do both."

"I knew we paid you for something."



"Now, when do I not have anything scheduled?" Belgrado asks the secretary, who wishes she had just stayed outside, or had perhaps delivered the motivational poster to the President.

"You are the Premier, sir, you always have something scheduled."

"Great! I'm leaving next week."

"But sir!"

"Fransisco, I'm going to the PCG next week. Organize the security arrangements."

Fransisco, the poor head of the Premier's security detail, sighs. "Yes sir..."

[jonisilk]

As Jenna became increasingly active in taking on the responsibilities of her father, he was increasingly left with little to do. Not that that bothered him. It afforded him more time away from the public eye and it had filled him with pride to see her growing so admirably into the role.

It was the last thing Darius had expected when Ethan came to them with the news that he had intended to nominate Jenna as his successor and initially he was reluctant to see her follow his own career path - a path that had robbed him of so much time and so many memories, until eventually, what little time he did have to make that up was over all too soon…

Surprisingly though, she had agreed and in the two years since had excelled beyond any expectations he may have had of her. Jenna’s first term would not begin for another 5 years, but she was already president now in all but name. When her term finally did begin, the transition would be seamless and if she continued to progress as she had done so far, he had given some thought to having her sworn in earlier that originally planned.

Despite this, Darius had felt the need to take on a few duties while he still had them to perform and had drafted the welcome to the new nation power of El Beni.

It was another of those curious nations with a state religion, which wasn’t uncommon among the people of the other planets, but was a largely foreign concept to the people of Mars. They were also potentially the kind of emerging nation the Darius Initiative was designed with in mind - again, another of Jenna’s policies, even though it was passed on his watch and with his name.

He was pleased with the drafted welcome and the appointment of Harlin Deandus as the first olive branch and was hoping the offer of a 5-year loan of one of their Pheonix Mining Craft and it’s output for that period would provide a welcome financial boost to the young nation, if not quite on a par with the ACFR fund.

He was especially pleased also that President Feliciano Belgrado would be arriving next week. It would be most welcome to see his old friend again and he had been honoured to hear of not only a University named after him, but also a scout reservation. They were wonderful gestures indeed and they filled Darius with both great humility and great pride.

Yes, it would be good to see Feliciano again and - though they were not appreciated as such at the time - reflect on happier times.

[chrisman39]

Retconned to six months ago for the sake of my story line here (and since I meant to post it then).

In a surprise move, the Altior political party swept national senate elections in Sol, Gliese, and Alpha Centauri. Analysts had expected the party, which has promised vast domestic reforms, to take approximately 45% of the senate. However, the party blew away expectations, collecting a landslide victory of 64% of senate seats.

Today:

Results from HD 40307, HD 85512, and 55 Cancri have confirmed October's landslide victory for the Altior party, with new senators replacing old ones to bring the Altior party to a 82% majority. Unsurprisingly, the Altior party was even more popular in the Republic's colonies, where citizens have recently begun clamoring for reform and investment, claiming that the government is, "Allowing [them] to languish in the outskirts of the empire." Others, however, claim that the colonies have gained major industrial power, and are happy to have a part to play in the new Republic.

As we discuss the Altior party, let's take a look at their major moves of the last few months. Eager to fulfil early campaign goals, the Senate quickly voted to completely eliminate revenue inflow into the burgeoning treasury. In the budget, money was moved both from the newly freed treasury deposits and from the military budget - which has been described as "grotesquely overloaded" - into the budget for infrastructure, primarily in space and the Republic's colonies. As the party tried to move towards eliminating the excess from the Republic's treasury, their bills were routinely blocked by presidential veto. Though their new supermajority has allowed them to override the veto - we'll discuss the consequences of this in a moment - the senate has nevertheless voted to call an election. It's important to note that this is not an impeachment, which would be possible via the senatorial supermajority, but instead a vote to initiate an election.

Senate supermajority leader William Lucia commented that, "The broken up nature of the Republic and her colonies have made presidential elections less frequent than they should be. President Red has served admirably in his 336 year term, and kept his position through countless Senatorial Confirmations, but the Senate now feels that it is important to allow the people of the Republic to choose their own leader.

President Red did not respond when we reached out for a comment, but has since stated publicly that he will not be running for reelection. A person close to the president, who wishes to remain anonymous, has stated that the president plans to move on to living in one of the Republic's colonies. It is unclear whether or not he will seek political office there.

In a surprising turn of events, neither of the two leading competitors for the title, Anthony Moreno and Abigail Bishop, are members of the Altior Party. In-party conflict has led to two candidates, neither of which has been officially named the party's representative, and neither of which has distinguished themselves enough to take a significant portion of the vote. Mr. Moreno represents the Imperial Party, which has worked closely with the Altior party in the past, and Ms. Bishop represents the Dorikae party, a relative newcomer to the world of politics, but one which also promises radical change. Whichever way this election goes, major change is coming to the Republic.

This is the Republic National News Team, signing off. Thanks for tuning in!

[narwhalwarlord]

Venus and the Republic of Pallas jointly and officially create a mutual defense treaty. Should either one of our nations be attacked, the other is required to come to their aid in a military sense. Venus has immediately pledged that any attack on Pallas will be met with the full force of 20 cruiser groups of the Star Navy and as many Army units as are required to repel the threat.

A large-scale trade deal between the Pallian government and Interstella Aphrodite, our largest warp-capable shipping firm, has been signed. In essence, Interstella Aphrodite has taken total responsibility for the movement of the vast majority of Pallian capital, both between the colonies and back to the home system. Payment is furnished in the sum of 1% of all profit made by the corporations which use Interstella. Due to the former lack of serious commercial infrastructure in Pallas, their economic growth was retarded severely. Now, however, Pallian product will without a doubt flood international markets and bring the Pallian people a huge new dividend. This is also a huge economic boon for Venus, being the first large-scale foreign contract for Interstella. Such an opportunity will inevitably mean massive new numbers of jobs in corporate infrastructure and in shipbuilding, along with huge dividends for shareholders - including the Venusian government - in Interstella.

As part of this contract, a series of Warp Gates owned by Interstella are being set up outside Pallian colonial systems for exclusive use by Interstella transports, further speeding the commerce up.

All shipments are guaranteed safety by the Venusian Star Navy.