Part 6: 2780-2800-Man is Not Alone

Man is Not Alone



The Liberals retain power in the 2780 elections, amidst popular concern about rising food prices. It is only two years later, in 2782, that MaliTech, a Bamako-based agricultural genetics firm, announces its development of a new suite of bacteria designed to fix nitrogen compounds in soil, providing simple, durable, and efficient fertilisation of the soil for crops. Over the next year, farmers worldwide deploy MaliTech solutions- and it is in this year that the galaxy changes forever for Humanity.




The RES Sir Francis Drake, on station in Hut, makes contact with what appears to be civilian shipping of unfamiliar design from the opposite end of the fixed hyperspace conduit in Hut. A program of linguistic analysis ensues as a light craft from the unfamiliar species which deploys from the system beyond the conduit arrives.

Eventually, mutual comprehension of languages is achieved, and the crew of the RES Sir Francis Drake relays this message via communications probe back to Earth:

"I, Ghorag, Herald and Speaker, on behalf of Churaz, Lord and Father of the Nation of the Sakkra about Qablu, who is himself a vassal to Sarezaear, Great Lord, Father of all Nations, and Master of all Lineages, am requested to inform you that Lord Churaz has a lawful claim to Qablu and all surrounding space, and, further, that Great Lord Sarezaear will enforce all lawful claims of the Nation of Qablu as he would any of the Nations of the Sakkra. Conduct yourself according to your full awareness of the lawful claims of our Nation and all the Nations, and relay to your own Lords and Fathers this message as we have given it to you."

Despite the claim of the Feudal information box that conquered Feudal populations assimilate instantly, this is untrue, and does not happen. The morale penalty for lack of a ground garrison on Feudal colonies represents the difficulty of controlling the general population without armed forces to enforce the government's will in an autocratic system.




A flurry of negotiation with instructions dispatched via communications probe ensues, eventually resulting in an agreement between the Great Senate and Great Lord Sarezaear that Republican commercial shipping will be permitted to make port at Qablu and exchange goods with the Sakkra there, and that no informational controls will be enforced on routine communications between Republican citizens and subjects of the Nations. Sakkra designs for sensors measuring variations in the background tachyon radiation of the galaxy are made available to Republican shipbuilding concerns in exchange for specifications on Republican damage control methodologies. Despite its earlier resolution not to expand the RCSPS, the Great Senate votes to resume expanding the service to ensure the security of contacts between the United Republic and the Nations.




In 2788, Williamson-Lin Aerospace issues a patent for a series of designs of turrets and support structures that should theoretically allow much better space efficiency on any dedicated military craft commissioned by the Republic, and, in 2797, Republican Atlantic Aerospace unveils a new set of designs for civilian light craft, orbital warehouses, and traffic control systems that should greatly reduce the expense of bulk shipping from a planet, increasing trade volumes and making travel by citizens easier. A year later, the bulk of the colonists and equipment headed for Nieuw Vlaanderen depart, preparing to expand the first scattered landing sites into a true independent colony.

Xenology Report: Sakkra

The Sakkra, despite their 'reptilian' appearance, are a warm-blooded species, with agility and activity levels comparable to Human norms. Males are larger and more heavily-muscled than females (males average 170 cm in height, 100 kg in weight; females average 150 cm in height and 70 kg in weight), and, at least in Sakkra groups interacted with by the Republican Exploratory Corps, appear to be comprehensively socially and legally dominant. Reproduction is by laying clutches of 4-6 eggs which hatch after several months; high-status males appear to practise polygamy and fertilise multiple females; pride in male fertility appears to permeate Sakkra linguistics. Sakkra appear to be capable of enduring conditions of crowding and environmental discomfort which would cause health issues in Humans.

Sakkra social structure focuses around patriarchical Lineages or extended families owing obedience to a dominant male with blood ties to all members of a Lineage. Low-status Lineages are subordinated to higher-status Lineages, owing service in exchange for protection. Clashes between rival Lineages for the loyalty of subordinate Lineages appear to be common, and injury or death to Sakkra involved is considered socially acceptable within certain bounds. All Lineages within a region owe allegience to a 'Lord and Father', who serves as a symbolic patriarch to an entire 'Nation' of the Sakkra. The Nations themselves are unified under a Great Lord, who is himself a symbolic patriarch to the Nations as a whole. Respect for tradition, precedent, and legality is strongly evident from our interactions with Sakkra. The dominant religious tradition within Sakkra society focuses on the worship of both direct ancestors and symbolic ancestors of the Nation, venerating their literal fertility and their role in promulgating cultural norms.

The legal and traditional principles of subordination of Lineages mean there is little social or economic mobility amongst most Sakkra. Legally, individual rights are not guaranteed. Legal protection of an individual is entirely subject to the patriarch of the individual's Lineage and his judgement, and the patriarch of a superior Lineage has the right to violate the protection of the patriarchs of his subordinate Lineages. It is the considered opinion of the Republican Exploratory Corps that the Nations of the Sakkra as they exist today are a fundamentally autocratic society.

Sakkra are efficient farmers who can fit more population on any given world than Humans, and their population growth rate is extremely high. Their Feudal government is a severe drawback, however, and their society produces poor spies. What's further, it has become clear that by Sakkra standards, Humans are quite Charismatic, capable of flexibly adapting to different social norms. We can expect our diplomatic efforts to go easily.

The United Republic in 2800



The population of Earth has stabilised at slightly over 14 billion persons; emigration and contraception hold the net birth rate in balance with the death rate. Food prices have dropped to levels even lower than those that existed prior to the colonisation of Mars, and the agricultural workforce has dropped back to 300 million persons. Heavy industry has expanded over the last twenty years; the efforts of launching colonists to Nieuw Vlaanderen and of starting to establish an infrastructure for expanded interplanetary trade has occupied the heavy industry of Earth, while R&D remains fiercely competitive.



Staffing for the RCSPS has exploded, saving Ultor Armaments from the brink of bankruptcy as it once again picks up supply contracts for the security service. Mars has exceeded 4 billion persons, and its population is expected to plateau at 5 billion. Although the environment is harsher than that of Earth, Mars is well-developed, prosperous, and established, and little of the 'frontier spirit' that the Mars colony started with remains. Many companies, including Ultor Armaments, now maintain their headquarters on Mars.



The Sakkra appear to be well-disposed to the current Liberal government, which has not challenged the sovereignty of any of the Sakkra Nations. A profitable trade with the Sakkra has enriched companies, investors, and workers across the Republic, and the openness of information exchange with the Nations has helped pay off for Republican R&D teams. The RCSPS has doubled in size from 10,000 to 20,000 persons, although the leadership of the RCSPS still considers the service understaffed.



The Republic is more prosperous, overall, than ever before. Investment is up, and the rate of innovation has continued to increase over the past 20 years. Shipping volume is near capacity, and new freighters are slated for construction by various aerospace firms within the next five years. The colony at Nieuw Vlaanderen is within a year of full viability... and, for the first time since the end of the Last War in 2697, the United Republic needs to consider how to handle foreign policy.

The 29th century is dawning, and the voters must once again decide.

The Conservatives have a guarded attitude toward the Nations. They wish to start construction on the first true star warship of the Republic to help secure the Nieuw Vlaanderen colony, build the RCSPS up to a staffing of 50,000, and attempt to establish a network of orbital fortifications over Mars and Nieuw Vlaanderen to match those over Earth (after ensuring the industrial base of Nieuw Vlaanderen is modernised to support the construction there). After the completion of a warship, they wish to support a colonisation mission to New Greenland in order to exploit the resources there. They do not wish to commit to any permanent recognition of Sakkra Nations legal claims to territory, so that should conditions support a liberation of subjects of the Nations, the Republic can act without contravening signed treaties. Their program of support for military aerospace investment may result in new weapons, new tactics, and, possibly, new industrial infrastructure.

The Social Democrats want to conclude a treaty recognising the mutual claims of the United Republic and the Sakkra Nations, ensuring peace between both peoples. Meanwhile, they wish to expand the RCSPS up to a staffing of 100,000, and wish to consider offensive operations in Sakkra territory to collect data on advanced missile seeker systems the Nations possess. They believe that commissioning a warship can wait until after a new colony mission is dispatched for New Greenland, in order to ensure more territory for the people of the Republic, and they wish to institute population bounties on Nieuw Vlaanderen as soon as its industry has been properly modernised. The research teams the Social Democrats were relying on for advances in cloning have disbanded, but the Social Democrats hope to encourage studies to help the efficiency of the RCSPS and support the development of new medical and pharmaceutical breakthroughs against disease.

The Liberals want to expand the RCSPS to a staffing of 30,000 to ensure security against possible hostile action by the Sakkra, and otherwise continue to let the market address civilian demand for investment in trade, industry, science, and colonisation, without industrial subsidies. The Liberals believe that if permanent legal recognition of the Sakkra Nations is offered, risk of Nations military action is minimal enough that development of a star navy can wait. Market analysts believe that current investment in heavy industry may lead to breakthroughs in industrial methods if trends continue.

Proposal papers by various aerospace companies for the shape of a new navy have been submitted for the consideration of the Great Senate Military Appropriations Committee.

Republican Atlantic promises reliable engineering, solid logistics, and its considerable expertise in industrial methods for equipping a force designed for volleys of nuclear missiles and defenses against hostile missile volleys.

Williamson-Lin wants to look into perfecting naval coilguns for a deep space environment, anticipating that with some refinement, coilgun armament should allow punching through most armor to cause devastating damage, while continuing to work with the optronics industry to develop advanced sensor, targeting, and analysis systems.

Mikhailovich Interplanetary promises their ship will be cheaper than the competitors, and that they will be open to new ideas that their competitors would dismiss as 'too dumb to rely on'.