Aurora Information Uplink - User contributions [en]

Administration Guidelines

2025-03-04T17:35:27Z

MattAtlas: forgot to remove the respawn rule

==Moderator Powers==
As a Moderator, you are given several powers, typically used in the event that an administrator is not present. These are powers that you typically should use extremely carefully, as '''you are not protected by the ability to host an event'''. It is very easy to contribute to a gimmick and spawn an extremely powerful item by trusting the player on the other side of the admin ticket, and then have the round end up in a total catastrophe for everyone involved. '''Be thorough, investigate, and be reasonable before using any of these verbs.'''

* Moderators may not use their powers to alter a round, or in other words, to create a situation that may be considered an event. '''Hosting events is exclusively the purview of administrators.'''
* Do not spawn items for players just because they asked. '''Double and triple check when spawning items for a gimmick''', as it is easy to spawn something that is far too powerful for the antagonist that is asking.
* When using the Spawn verb, '''make sure to not click the verb itself and to use it in the command bar with an argument''', otherwise you will lag the server quite a lot.
* You are under no circumstances allowed to spawn an item for yourself, unless it is cleared by a staff member that has those powers. '''Spawning items should be reserved for fixing bugs and helping antagonist gimmicks in the absence of an administrator''', or if an administrator has allowed you to, as gimmicks could easily fall under the purview of a mini-event and administrators have better tools in general for fixing bugs.
* Teleportation and rejuvenation should generally only be used if there is no other solution. '''The game must still punish players; we do not want to remove every single element of risk from the game'''. Try to reserve these powers for fixing bugs.
* You should only use the delete button to fix bugs or if you absolutely must (e.g. if you spawned the wrong item).
* Be reasonable when giving out languages, and keep in mind a species' maximum limit of languages.

==Adminhelps and Complaints==

* If a staff member is ahelped, preferably someone of a higher ranking should deal with the situation, otherwise another moderator or an admin of a lower or equal rank should handle the situation. For example, if a secondary admin is involved in an ahelp, a primary or headmin should take it. If no primary is around, a moderator can take the ahelp and solve it.
* If staff is directly involved in the situation, they should not take ahelps related to it. They should take the ahelp if there is no other option.
* Staff are considered involved in a situation when their actions are directly related to what is being ahelped in a way that they were subject to the effects of the action or they caused said actions. Being in round is not enough of a reason.
* If a moderator is the subject of a complaint, any admin, with the help of a moderator or another admin if they wish, should handle it.
* If a secondary admin is the subject of a complaint, a primary admin or headmin, with the help of a moderator or another admin if they wish, should handle it.
* If a primary admin is the subject of a complaint, a headmin, with the help of a moderator or another admin if they wish, should handle it. If a headmin or head dev is the subject of a complaint, another headmin or head dev, with the help of a moderator or another admin if they wish, should handle it.

==Ban Appeals==

* Staff is not obligated to unban anyone and can deny an unban.
* Two permabans are the limit. There are no third chances.

==Non-canon Events==

* Always make a vote in the round before, asking if people want a non-canon event. The vote should preferably be done after the transfer/emergency shuttle leaves the station. Do not run a vote during the lobby before the game starts, this will break the gamemode vote.

* Explain what the event is about, if it is going to be violent, and other details. It is not necessary to explain everything that is going to happen.

* Always set the custom event text with the basic information about your event. This can be done by using the Change Custom Event verb.

* Take into consideration the rules and atmosphere of the server. While some lighthearted shenanigans are fine, don't just run events that are just jokes or memes.

* Take into consideration who you are picking to be in a volunteer/event role. You should always check someone's notes before selecting them. While an admin might not be held accountable for something that an event character did, they can be responsible for ignoring someone's note and overall behavior.

* It is recommended that admins mute ooc. However, this is not mandatory.

* Don't run non-canon events consecutively. If someone ran an event today, wait some days to try to run another. No more than two events a weekend.

* These guidelines do not apply to minor adminbus stuff in the round, like helping antags with gimmicks or doing a vote to add something else to the round. This kind of thing is mostly based on common sense and if they will improve the round somehow.

* Always include a way for the crew to be able to deal with the opposing force, if such a force exists. It does not have to be brute force, but an intelligent way that you have hinted about throughout the round.

==Midis==
* Unless it is something related to what is going on in character, only play midis before or after the round.
* Do not spam midis, try to restrict yourself to one or two at most.
* Ensure to respect applicable copyright laws when playing midis.
* If staff is dealing with ahelps, do not play midis.
[[Category:Staff Guidelines]]

Administration Guidelines

2025-03-04T17:30:19Z

MattAtlas: Moderator expanded powers.

==Moderator Powers==
As a Moderator, you are given several powers, typically used in the event that an administrator is not present. These are powers that you typically should use extremely carefully, as '''you are not protected by the ability to host an event'''. It is very easy to contribute to a gimmick and spawn an extremely powerful item by trusting the player on the other side of the admin ticket, and then have the round end up in a total catastrophe for everyone involved. '''Be thorough, investigate, and be reasonable before using any of these verbs.'''

* Moderators may not use their powers to alter a round, or in other words, to create a situation that may be considered an event. '''Hosting events is exclusively the purview of administrators.'''
* Do not spawn items for players just because they asked. '''Double and triple check when spawning items for a gimmick''', as it is easy to spawn something that is far too powerful for the antagonist that is asking.
* When using the Spawn verb, '''make sure to not click the verb itself and to use it in the command bar with an argument''', otherwise you will lag the server quite a lot.
* You are under no circumstances allowed to spawn an item for yourself, unless it is cleared by a staff member that has those powers. '''Spawning items should be reserved for fixing bugs and helping antagonist gimmicks in the absence of an administrator''', or if an administrator has allowed you to, as gimmicks could easily fall under the purview of a mini-event and administrators have better tools in general for fixing bugs.
* You may not respawn yourself unless it is cleared by a staff member that has those powers.
* Teleportation and rejuvenation should generally only be used if there is no other solution. '''The game must still punish players; we do not want to remove every single element of risk from the game'''. Try to reserve these powers for fixing bugs.
* You should only use the delete button to fix bugs or if you absolutely must (e.g. if you spawned the wrong item).
* Be reasonable when giving out languages, and keep in mind a species' maximum limit of languages.

==Adminhelps and Complaints==

* If a staff member is ahelped, preferably someone of a higher ranking should deal with the situation, otherwise another moderator or an admin of a lower or equal rank should handle the situation. For example, if a secondary admin is involved in an ahelp, a primary or headmin should take it. If no primary is around, a moderator can take the ahelp and solve it.
* If staff is directly involved in the situation, they should not take ahelps related to it. They should take the ahelp if there is no other option.
* Staff are considered involved in a situation when their actions are directly related to what is being ahelped in a way that they were subject to the effects of the action or they caused said actions. Being in round is not enough of a reason.
* If a moderator is the subject of a complaint, any admin, with the help of a moderator or another admin if they wish, should handle it.
* If a secondary admin is the subject of a complaint, a primary admin or headmin, with the help of a moderator or another admin if they wish, should handle it.
* If a primary admin is the subject of a complaint, a headmin, with the help of a moderator or another admin if they wish, should handle it. If a headmin or head dev is the subject of a complaint, another headmin or head dev, with the help of a moderator or another admin if they wish, should handle it.

==Ban Appeals==

* Staff is not obligated to unban anyone and can deny an unban.
* Two permabans are the limit. There are no third chances.

==Non-canon Events==

* Always make a vote in the round before, asking if people want a non-canon event. The vote should preferably be done after the transfer/emergency shuttle leaves the station. Do not run a vote during the lobby before the game starts, this will break the gamemode vote.

* Explain what the event is about, if it is going to be violent, and other details. It is not necessary to explain everything that is going to happen.

* Always set the custom event text with the basic information about your event. This can be done by using the Change Custom Event verb.

* Take into consideration the rules and atmosphere of the server. While some lighthearted shenanigans are fine, don't just run events that are just jokes or memes.

* Take into consideration who you are picking to be in a volunteer/event role. You should always check someone's notes before selecting them. While an admin might not be held accountable for something that an event character did, they can be responsible for ignoring someone's note and overall behavior.

* It is recommended that admins mute ooc. However, this is not mandatory.

* Don't run non-canon events consecutively. If someone ran an event today, wait some days to try to run another. No more than two events a weekend.

* These guidelines do not apply to minor adminbus stuff in the round, like helping antags with gimmicks or doing a vote to add something else to the round. This kind of thing is mostly based on common sense and if they will improve the round somehow.

* Always include a way for the crew to be able to deal with the opposing force, if such a force exists. It does not have to be brute force, but an intelligent way that you have hinted about throughout the round.

==Midis==
* Unless it is something related to what is going on in character, only play midis before or after the round.
* Do not spam midis, try to restrict yourself to one or two at most.
* Ensure to respect applicable copyright laws when playing midis.
* If staff is dealing with ahelps, do not play midis.
[[Category:Staff Guidelines]]

Developer Guidelines

2024-12-11T09:31:39Z

MattAtlas: edit the maintainer discussion rule

* Developers should not use their powers in-game outside of testing areas like the Thunderdome unless specifically required or asked to. You should always defer to a maintainer or administrator if one is present. If no maintainers or administrators are present and there is a game-breaking bug or a similar problem, you are allowed to fix it, though you should still be careful. Your actions will be your own responsibility.
* Developers are expected to regularly review pull requests. Our Github does not function without regular reviews. You are also expected to be somewhat thorough with reviewing pull requests - errors are fine, but you should still put effort into it.
* You are not expected to review pull requests the contents of which you do not understand or cannot review. A spriter who can only sprite, for instance, is not expected to review a complex backend pull request.
* Developers are expected to be active if submitting regular balance-related pull requests. Doing only back-end work does not require a high activity level, but repeatedly submitting balance pull requests while not being up-to-date with the game and its culture will lead to a review of your position.
* The Feedback Required tag may be applied by any developer at their discretion, but it should not be used for trivial changes. It should be used when a pull request is controversial enough to justify a forum thread.
* The Maintainer Discussion tag may be applied by any developer at their discretion, but it should only be used for changes that would have a large effect on the server, its gameplay or its setting.
* When the Maintainer Discussion label is applied, the maintainer or developer will post their reason for doing so on the PR. They will then immediately bring the PR to the maintainers' attention, who will try to discuss it within two weeks. If this time period has passed without you being notified of an outcome, feel free to remind the Maintainers about your PR.
[[Category:Staff Guidelines]]

Developer Guidelines

2024-06-24T10:11:02Z

MattAtlas: maintainer discussion tag guideline

* Developers should not use their powers in-game outside of testing areas like the Thunderdome unless specifically required or asked to. You should always defer to a maintainer or administrator if one is present. If no maintainers or administrators are present and there is a game-breaking bug or a similar problem, you are allowed to fix it, though you should still be careful. Your actions will be your own responsibility.
* Developers are expected to regularly review pull requests. Our Github does not function without regular reviews. You are also expected to be somewhat thorough with reviewing pull requests - errors are fine, but you should still put effort into it.
* You are not expected to review pull requests the contents of which you do not understand or cannot review. A spriter who can only sprite, for instance, is not expected to review a complex backend pull request.
* Developers are expected to be active if submitting regular balance-related pull requests. Doing only back-end work does not require a high activity level, but repeatedly submitting balance pull requests while not being up-to-date with the game and its culture will lead to a review of your position.
* The Feedback Required tag may be applied by any developer at their discretion, but it should not be used for trivial changes. It should be used when a pull request is controversial enough to justify a forum thread.
* The Maintainer Discussion tag may be applied by any developer at their discretion, but it should only be used for changes that would have a large effect on the server, its gameplay or its setting.
* When the Maintainer Discussion label is applied, the maintainer or developer will post their reason for doing so on the PR. They will then immediately bring the PR to the maintainers' attention, who will discuss it within two weeks.
[[Category:Staff Guidelines]]

Stellar Corporate Conglomerate Occupation Qualifications

2024-06-14T14:23:31Z

MattAtlas: consular can now be heavily movement impaired + limb impaired

{{Reference}}

The Stellar Corporate Conglomerate looks to hire the best and brightest in a wide range of fields. Given the vast breadth of known inhabited space and the variety of university, doctorate programs, and general experiences potential employees can be subject to, SCC HR has come up with these explicit requirements applicants must meet before being hired or allowed to work as a contractor.

==IMPORTANT: Applicability==
The following requirements and recommendations are applicable all Horizon crewmembers working for the SCC directly, or as a contractor employed by an SCC affiliate company. More on the SCC and it's affiliates can be found [[Stellar_Corporate_Conglomerate | here.]]

==Standard Requirements==

All potential employees must be able to meet all of the following criteria to be considered for employment either directly or via contract by the SCC:

* Must be a citizen or possess a work visa from all applicable governments
* Must be at least 18 years old
* Must be of sound-mind
** Those with psychological disorders are subject to additional levels of psychological screening
* Must understand Tau Ceti Basic without a translator
** Must be fluent in speaking Basic or using Sign Language
* Must have no outstanding warrants or bounties in recognized states

==Standard Procedure==

All potential employees are subject to the following pre-employment procedures, regardless of species, race, age, nationality and socioeconomic status before any scheduled work is begun.

The following are done in the order listed:

* Two-tier background check
** Employment and Educational History
** Criminal Record
* Routine Level-1 Psychological Evaluation
** Performed by employing corporation
* Routine Level-1 Physical Examination
** Performed by employing corporation
* Interview(s) with HR and department head(s)
* Sign binding non-disclosure agreement

==Occupation Specific Requirements==

For qualification and educational requirements for specific jobs, look at the job qualification section on specific job guides.

The physical requirements of each job are listed below.

<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"><center>
==Job Accessibility Requirements==
<small>The Biesel Government alongside its companies has earned a reputation for inclusiveness, this applies not only their policy on aliens but also those differently-abled. Nonetheless, certain disabilities regrettably disallow the affected person to perform certain duties, which could lead to possible hazards, injuries in the workplace, or, in the worst case, loss of profit.

Note, this refers to the state of your character at the beginning of the round. Your character will not get fired because they lost their hand as an engineer in the middle of the round. However, your character should try to find corrective means within possibility as soon as possible. Like a Mechanical Limb.</small>
</center>
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
===Criteria===
The following are classifications of disability levels that scale up according to the severity in regards to affecting the production of the crewmember. These classifications are not meant to imply that certain conditions are less severe or that individuals that have them are less important. It is simply meant as a simple way for players and admins to classify characters into job roles that are left purposefully vague.

Note, a job that allows characters with high severity disabilities likewise permits lower severity disabilities. Thus a job that allows muteness also allows every other "lower" speech impediment.

====Mobility:====
*'''Unimpaired:''' The job will require the character to move quickly, navigate obstacles and perform complex and exhausting maneuvers in high-stress environments. Characters with prosthetics that are just as effective as healthy limbs also belong to this category.
*'''Movement Impaired:''' The job will require a character to be able to move and navigate the station and main departments without issue. Characters with joint pain, Vestibular issues, and other disabilities that might require a cane belong in this category.
*'''Heavily Movement Impaired''': The job will require the character to be able to move in the main hallways and departments. Characters with missing legs, severe arthritis, and other disabilities that might require a wheelchair belong in this category.

====Eyesight:====
*'''Perfect:''' The job will require the character to be able to easily discern details, and have perfect depth of vision. Characters with nearsightedness, or other disabilities that may affect the eyes to a minor extent belong in this category.
*'''Flawed:''' This job will require the character to be able to see most of the light spectrum, and have adequate depth of vision. Characters with colorblindness or nearsightedness also belong in this category.
*'''Blind:''' This job will not directly require the character to see in any form. Characters that are blind, or otherwise unable to see belong to this category.

====Communication:====
=====Speech=====
*'''Minimal Speech Impediment:''' The job will require the character to enunciate quickly, clearly, and properly, lives will depend on their ability to speak. Characters with a minor, single-syllable stutter, or a light, and understandable accent belong in this category.
*'''Speech Impediment:''' The job will require the character to be able to speak quickly and properly, these characters might find themselves in emergencies where proper speech might save a life. Characters with the nervousness disability, a stutter, a lisp, or a heavy accent belong in this category.
*'''Heavy Speech Impediment:''' The job will require the character to be able to communicate with their co-workers. Characters with a limited ability to speak Tau Ceti basic, heavy stutter, and other disabilities that severely limit speech belong in this category.
*'''Mute:''' The job will require the character to communicate with their co-workers via text, sign language, or other means besides speech. Characters who are unable to talk at all, belong in this category.

=====Hearing=====
*'''Healthy Hearing:''' The job will require the character to receive and understand commands clearly and quickly. Characters with a hearing aid also belong in this category.
*'''Impaired Hearing:''' The job does not require the character to receive or understand commands clearly and immediately. Characters with a popped ear-drum, severe tinnitus, or impaired with deafness belong in this category.

====Limbs:====
*'''Unimpaired:''' The job will require the character to use both their limbs with precision and speed. Robotic limbs belong in this category.
*'''Impaired:''' The job will require the character to use their limb. Characters with a missing hand, a missing arm, or tremors belong in this category.

<div style="width:60%; font-size:100%; border:2px solid #ccc; background:#ffc1b5; margin:0; padding:.1em; text-align:center;color:#000;">!A CREWMEMBER SHOULD NEVER BE MISSING BOTH OF HIS ARMS OR HANDS!</div>

===Permission===
Here is a comprehensive list of which types of disability your character is permitted to have, per their job.

====Command====
Command is expected to lead during situations and emergencies. However, due to the amount of experience required to attain such a role and the variety, each role has different expectations associated with it.

{| class="wikitable sortable" align="center" border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" width="80%"
|-
!style="background:#FFDF00;"| '''Command''' !! '''Mobility''' !! '''Eyesight''' !! '''Speech''' !! '''Hearing''' !! '''Limbs'''
|-
| Captain:|| Movement Impaired || Flawed || Minimal Speech Impediment || Healthy Hearing || Unimpaired
|-
| Head of Security:|| Unimpaired || Flawed || Minimal Speech Impediment || Healthy Hearing || Unimpaired
|-
| Executive Officer:|| Movement Impaired || Flawed || Minimal Speech Impediment || Healthy Hearing || Unimpaired
|-
| Chief Engineer:|| Unimpaired || Perfect || Minimal Speech Impediment || Healthy Hearing || Unimpaired
|-
| Research Director:|| Movement Impaired || Flawed || Minimal Speech Impediment || Healthy Hearing || Unimpaired
|-
| Chief Medical Officer:|| Movement Impaired || Flawed || Minimal Speech Impediment || Healthy Hearing || Unimpaired
|-
| Operations Manager:|| Movement Impaired || Flawed || Speech Impediment || Healthy Hearing || Unimpaired
|-
|}

====Command Support====
Command Support has a variety of requirements due to the varied nature of the few positions in it's umbrella. Consulars and Liaisons are given more leeway with their requirements, whereas Bridge Crew have much stricter requirements due to the potential needs of the role.

{| class="wikitable sortable" align="center" border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" width="80%"
|-
!style="background:#166294;"| '''Command Support''' !! '''Mobility''' !! '''Eyesight''' !! '''Speech''' !! '''Hearing''' !! '''Limbs'''
|-
| Bridge Crew:|| Unimpaired || Flawed || Minimal Speech Impediment || Healthy Hearing || Unimpaired
|-
| Consular:|| Heavily Movement Impaired || Flawed || Minimal Speech Impediment || Healthy Hearing || Impaired
|-
| Liaison:|| Heavily Movement Impaired || Flawed || Minimal Speech Impediment || Healthy Hearing || Impaired
|-
|}

====Security====
Security is one of the most physically demanding departments. Chasing assistants, wrestling with a drunk Unathi, or hunting space carp all belong on the work-list of security. With the exception of cadets, all members of the department are expected to be capable of EVA activity if required.

{| class="wikitable sortable" align="center" border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" width="80%"
|-
!style="background:#05A3A4;"| '''Security''' !! '''Mobility''' !! '''Eyesight''' !! '''Speech''' !! '''Hearing''' !! '''Limbs'''
|-
| Security Officer:|| Unimpaired || Flawed || Minimal Speech Impediment || Healthy Hearing || Unimpaired
|-
| Security Cadet:|| Unimpaired || Flawed || Minimal Speech Impediment || Healthy Hearing || Unimpaired
|-
| Warden:|| Unimpaired || Flawed || Minimal Speech Impediment || Healthy Hearing || Unimpaired
|-
| Investigator:|| Unimpaired || Perfect || Minimal Speech Impediment || Healthy Hearing || Unimpaired
|-
|}

====Science====
While scientists are widely considered lazy and weak, this doesn't mean just anyone can join. Many roles require the crewmember to perform heavy duty work, complicated EVA maneuvers, or delicate movements. Much more leeway is afforded, however, to the basic scientist role as this role can vary wildly in its specialization.

{| class="wikitable sortable" align="center" border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" width="80%"
|-
!style="background:#e0b0ff;"| '''Science''' !! '''Mobility''' !! '''Eyesight''' !! '''Speech''' !! '''Hearing''' !! '''Limbs'''
|-
| Scientist:|| Movement Impaired || Flawed || Speech Impediment || Healthy Hearing || Unimpaired
|-
| Phoron Researcher:|| Unimpaired || Flawed || Speech Impediment || Healthy Hearing || Unimpaired
|-
| Xenoarcheologist:|| Unimpaired || Flawed || Speech Impediment || Healthy Hearing || Unimpaired
|-
| Anomalist:|| Unimpaired || Flawed || Speech Impediment || Healthy Hearing || Unimpaired
|-
| Xenobiologist:|| Movement Impaired || Flawed || Speech Impediment || Healthy Hearing || Unimpaired
|-
| Lab Assistant:|| Specialization Dependent* || Flawed || Specialization Dependent* || Specialization Dependent* || Specialization Dependent*
|}
'''*''' Choose based on the science role your Lab Assistant is specializing for.

====Medical====
The medicinal field is much more permissive towards the disposition of the doctors. More frequently they'll be expected to stand around for long hours rather than running to any patients, with the exception of paramedics.

{| class="wikitable sortable" align="center" border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" width="80%"
|-
!style="background:#BBF1F1;"| '''Medical''' !! '''Mobility''' !! '''Eyesight''' !! '''Speech''' !! '''Hearing''' !! '''Limbs'''
|-
| Physician:|| Movement Impaired || Flawed || Speech Impediment || Healthy Hearing || Unimpaired
|-
| Surgeon:|| Movement Impaired || Flawed || Speech Impediment || Healthy Hearing || Unimpaired
|-
| Pharmacist:|| Movement Impaired || Flawed || Speech Impediment || Healthy Hearing || Unimpaired
|-
| Paramedic:|| Unimpaired || Flawed || Minimal Speech Impediment || Healthy Hearing || Unimpaired
|-
| Psychiatrist:|| Heavily Movement Impaired || Flawed || Minimal Speech Impediment || Healthy Hearing || Impaired
|-
| Medical Intern:|| Specialization Dependent* || Flawed || Specialization Dependent* || Specialization Dependent* || Specialization Dependent*
|-
|}
'''*''' Choose based on the medical role your Medical Intern is specializing for.

====Engineering====
Engineers are expected to deal with station emergencies and physical work is their daily bread and butter. As far as speech impediments are concerned they aren't as strict.

{| class="wikitable sortable" align="center" border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" width="80%"
|-
!style="background:#E8891D;"| '''Engineering''' !! '''Mobility''' !! '''Eyesight''' !! '''Speech''' !! '''Hearing''' !! '''Limbs'''
|-
| Station Engineer:|| Unimpaired || Perfect || Speech Impediment || Healthy Hearing || Unimpaired
|-
| Atmospheric Technician:|| Unimpaired || Perfect || Speech Impediment || Healthy Hearing || Unimpaired
|-
| Engineering Apprentice:|| Unimpaired || Perfect || Speech Impediment || Healthy Hearing || Unimpaired
|-
|}

====Service:====
The Service department features many jobs and many people. Thus, it is the most permissive department in regards to disabilities.

{| class="wikitable sortable" align="center" border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" width="80%"
|-
!style="background:#BBC2CC;"| '''Service''' !! '''Mobility''' !! '''Eyesight''' !! '''Speech''' !! '''Hearing''' !! '''Limbs'''
|-
| Chaplain:|| Heavily Movement Impaired || Blind || Mute || Impaired Hearing || Impaired
|-
| Librarian:|| Heavily Movement Impaired || Flawed || Mute || Impaired Hearing || Impaired
|-
| Reporter:|| Heavily Movement Impaired || Flawed || Speech Impediment|| Healthy Hearing || Impaired
|-
| Janitor:|| Unimpaired || Flawed || Mute || Impaired Hearing || Impaired
|-
| Bartender:|| Heavily Movement Impaired || Flawed || Mute || Impaired Hearing || Impaired
|-
| Chef:|| Heavily Movement Impaired || Flawed || Mute || Impaired Hearing || Unimpaired
|-
| Hydroponicist: || Heavily Movement Impaired || Flawed || Mute || Impaired Hearing || Impaired
|-
| Assistant:|| Specialization Dependent* || Specialization Dependent* || Specialization Dependent* || Specialization Dependent* || Specialization Dependent*
|-
|}
'''*''' Assistants can assist in a variety of roles, refer to the above tables when deciding into which role they should be permitted.

====Operations:====
Operations is, likewise, relatively permissive. However, it is much more specific to each individual role as a Shaft Miner will be required to do much more physically than a Hangar Technician or a Operations Manager.

{| class="wikitable sortable" align="center" border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" width="80%"
|-
!style="background:#c19a6b;"| '''Operations''' !! '''Mobility''' !! '''Eyesight''' !! '''Speech''' !! '''Hearing''' !! '''Limbs'''
|-
| Hangar Technician:|| Unimpaired || Flawed || Mute || Healthy Hearing || Unimpaired
|-
| Shaft Miner:|| Unimpaired || Flawed || Heavy Speech Impediment || Healthy Hearing || Unimpaired
|-
| Machinist:|| Movement Impaired || Flawed || Speech Impediment || Healthy Hearing || Unimpaired
|-
|}
</div></div>

== Corporate Hiring Restrictions ==

Though the megacorporations of the Orion Spur hire quite freely, certain origins are restricted from being hired by certain megacorporations for various reasons. These regulations are enforceable by moderator action.

* Those originating from the '''[[Himeo|United Syndicates of Himeo]]''' possessing syndicate membership are barred from working with [[Hephaestus Industries]], [[Idris Incorporated]], any [[PMCG|Eridani Private Military Contractor]], or the [[Stellar Corporate Conglomerate]] unless they renounce said membership.
* '''[[Eridani I|Eridanian]] dregs''' will not be hired by Idris Incorporated, [[Zeng-Hu Pharmaceuticals]], or the Stellar Corporate Conglomerate unless they undergo the process of reinstatement.
* Members of the Communist Party of '''[[Pluto]]''' may not hold command positions on SCC vessels or facilities.
* '''[[Unathi]]''' will not be hired by Idris Incorporated or Zeng-Hu Pharmaceuticals. '''Guwan''' or '''[[Aut'akh]]''' Unathi may not hold command positions on SCC vessels or facilities.
* '''[[Tajara]]''' will not be hired by Zeng-Hu Pharmaceuticals or [[Zavodskoi Interstellar]].
* '''[[Vaurca]]''' have their own hiring restrictions by Hive:

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"
|+ Vaurca Hives' Relationships
|-
! Corporations
! Zo'ra
! K'lax
! C'thur
|-
! [[Nanotrasen Corporation|NT]]
|style="background-color:#86dada;" | Preferential
|style="background-color:#39ff14;" | Yes
|style="background-color:#39ff14;" | Yes
|-
! [[Hephaestus Industries|Heph]]
|style="background-color:red;" | No
|style="background-color:#86dada;" | Exclusive
|style="background-color:red;" | No
|-
! [[Zavodskoi Interstellar|Zavod]]
|style="background-color:#39ff14;" | Yes
|style="background-color:red;" | No
|style="background-color:#39ff14;" | Yes
|-
! [[Zeng-Hu Pharmaceuticals|ZH]]
|style="background-color:#39ff14;" | Yes
|style="background-color:#39ff14;" | Yes
|style="background-color:#86dada;" | Preferential
|-
! [[Idris Incorporated|Idris]]
|style="background-color:red;" | No
|style="background-color:red;" | No
|style="background-color:red;" | No
|-
! [[Private Military Contracting Group|PMCG]]
|style="background-color:#39ff14;" | VP/NT
|style="background-color:#39ff14;" | VP/NT/DPF
|style="background-color:#39ff14;" | VP/NT/Eridani
|-
! [[Orion Express|Orion]]
|style="background-color:#39ff14;" | Yes
|style="background-color:#39ff14;" | Yes
|style="background-color:#39ff14;" | Yes
|-
! [[Einstein Engines|Einstein]]
|style="background-color:red;" | No
|style="background-color:red;" | No
|style="background-color:#86dada;" | Exclusive
|-
|}

{{Jobs}}
{{Guides}}
[[Category:Pages]]
[[Category:Guides]]
[[Category:Corporations]]

Federal Technocracy of Galatea

2024-02-19T17:33:26Z

MattAtlas: fixes an yggdrasil typo

{{Navbox Lore}}
{{Navbox Human Lore}}
[[File:Federal Technocracy of Galatea.png|The government flag of the Federal Technocracy of Galatea.|thumb]]
Nestled in the Weeping Stars region near the All-Xanu Republic lies the Yggdrasill System, home to the '''Federal Technocracy of Galatea'''. One of the only successes of the misfortune-addled Galatea Project, the [[Sol Alliance|Alliance’s]] ambitious effort to transform the modern [[The Orion Spur#Weeping Stars|Weeping Stars]] into a cradle for humanity, the Federation is a renowned center of scientific advancement and still possesses practical large-scale terraforming equipment from the pre-Interstellar War era. '''Galateans''', the citizens of the Federation, prize academic achievements above all other things and possess a unique technocratic government where one’s political power as a citizen is directly tied to their level of education. The most famous field of research in the Federation is undoubtedly its biotechnology sector, which heavily cooperates with [[Zeng-Hu Pharmaceuticals]] and is so prevalent in Galatean society that almost all citizens of the Federation have some degree of biological augmentation.

But the Federation itself sits at an awkward juncture. Due to its position near both Xanu and the historical Solarian border it as long as a society had hands in both nations, much to the irritation of many Coalitioners. But with the [[Sol Alliance|Alliance]] dramatically contracted and the Federation far inside the [[Coalition of Colonies|Coalition’s borders]] will this model remain practical, or must it innovate upon even this?
{{TOC Hidden}}
==History==

<center><i>“The Galatea Project, Prime Minister, is the next bold step forwards for our great Alliance! With these new worlds for humanity, we shall create a legacy for centuries!”</i> - Gerhard Hassel (2175 - 2289), Secretary for Alliance Colonial Affairs, at a meeting concerning the Galatea Project (2237).</center>
===Pre-Interstellar War (2255-2274)===

In the mid-23rd century the Solarian Alliance stood as the premiere power of the known Orion Spur and claimed dominion over all of humanity, with its control reaching from the Sol System to the furthest reaches of charted space. The ambition of the hegemonic-era Alliance, however, were restrained by a logistical problem: the Inner Solarian Frontier — now known as the Weeping Stars — suffered from a lack of habitable worlds aside from the trading hub of Gadpathur, which served as a vital transit hub for trade closing from the Solarian Frontier to the Solarian Core and vice-versa. With Gadpathurian port facilities essentially at their maximum reasonable capacity, and the [[Sol Alliance#Department of Colonization|Solarian Department of Colonization]] planning a massive colonization effort in the Riphean Frontier Sector — modern-day Arusha — the Alliance was faced with a severe logistical shortage which could not be easily addressed through only orbital facilities.

The Department of Colonization, never one to be constrained by the limits of budget, designed an ambitious project to overcome this challenge: the creation of habitable worlds throughout the Inner Solarian Frontier. This Galatea Project was to be the greatest accomplishment of the Department of Colonization. By the mid-2240s a practical prototype was achieved via the government cooperation with Zeng-Hu Pharmaceuticals, Einstein Engine, and Hephaestus Industries, and in 2255 the first Galatea Terraforming platform — complete with an assortment of vessels intended to assist it — was dispatched to the unpopulated Inner Solarian Frontier system of Yggdrasill to much fanfare in the Alliance, with more following the Yggdrasill Expedition over the coming years.

The Yggdrasil Expedition itself was not meant for long-term colonization and primarily consisted of the skilled engineers and scientists required to run, operate, and maintain the large-scale terraforming equipment utilized in the era’s terraforming projects. Over the 2250s they set about the arduous process of transforming Yggdrasil II from an uninhabitable world into a fully habitable one, and renamed it to Galatea after the project itself, as it was to be the first planet ever terraformed by it. Massive amounts of resources were pulled from the gas giants of the system to create Galatea, and progress proceeded faster than expected due to plentiful supplies from the broader Alliance. More and more workers arrived to aid the Expedition’s efforts as progress on Galatea continued and the Expedition’s scientific staff set their eyes upon planets further in the system, such at the planet of Svarog, — located slightly outside of the Goldilocks Zone further from Galatea’s twin stars — Empyrean on the system’s edge, where intense Helium-3 mining operations were underway, and Galatea’s moon, Tsukuyomi. Svarog’s terraforming began in 2259, a mere year before economic disaster struck the Galatea Project.

In 2260 the Galatea Project’s ambitions met reality as the Second Great Depression saw the Department of Colonization’s budget contract as markets crashed across the Spur and the government desperately attempted to control a spiraling budget deficit which worsen as the decade continued. In the Yggdrasil System the Department of Colonization’s budget cuts were felt as regular supply convoys began to reduce in frequency and contained less supplies when they did arrive. Supplies acquired from the Alliance’s frontier regions and colonies, such as Xanu, did not resolve what had become an increasingly dire situation for the Expedition, which had to continue its terraforming process on Galatea and Svarog or risk potential ecological catastrophes as the terraforming technologies spiraled out of control.

Faced with the prospect of losing all progress they had made forever, the Expedition made a difficult choice. To sustain both operations the choice was made to begin drawing materials from Yggdrasil's two gas giants, Nüwa and Ymir, and their moons. Planetary-scale mining technology such as the legendary Brahma platform was utilized to crack the surface of the gas giant’s moons and massive amounts of resources were siphoned from the giants themselves, all in the name of sustaining a project which they had sworn to see to its end. More resources and more workers migrated from the Solarian Frontier in order to sustain the Expedition’s massive mining and extraction operation, and the formerly small scientific expedition now found itself in charge of a large number of non-degree-holding workers who had become increasingly vital as autonomous industrial equipment, which had to be imported from the Solarian Core, became harder to acquire at the required rate.

As the 2270s dawned the Expedition had effectively drained Ymir and its moons of materials, turning the gas giant into a floating mass of rocks and debris, and nearly drained Nüwa to the same extent, but they had almost reached their goal by 2275. Galatea itself was, as of 19 November 2272, declared officially fit for habitation to much celebration in both the Expedition and the Department of Colonization, which had had to scrap several less successful Galatea Project ventures due to budget constraints and was thrilled to have any success. Terraforming Tsukuyomi, its moon, was initiated later in the same year due to the vast amounts of resources left over from Ymir’s destruction and promises of further resupply efforts by the Alliance as the economy improved. Svarog, though not nearly as far along in the process as many in the Expedition had hoped, was habitable by late 2274 and, assuming supplies from the Core and Frontier were sustained, both it and Tsukuyomi would be brought to the same standard as Galatea by 2285 at the latest.
[[File:Old Sol.png||thumb|The flag of the pre-Interstellar War Solarian Alliance, the single largest state in the Spur's history. The three stars represent the Northern, Central, and Southern Solarian Frontiers.]]
But as 2275 dawned, events outside of the Expedition’s control that would throw its entire existence into jeopardy began to unfold.

===The Interstellar War and Treaty of Galatea (2275 - 2299)===

The secession of the Coalition of Colonies on 18 January 2275 threw the Yggdrasil Expedition into chaos. Supplies from the Solarian Frontier stopped entirely and the Department of Colonization’s supplies end as well. As the Navy scrambled to control the flow of goods to the Frontier, the Solarian Frontier’s supplies stopped too. The Expedition suddenly found itself short of the materials it needed to terraform Svarog and Tsukuyomi into fully-habitable worlds. A difficult decision had to be made. At the orders of Expedition Director Sachiko Amaya the Expedition performed a series of analyses on the potential outcomes of terraforming Tsukuyomi and of terraforming Svarog and was decided, after days of debate between the highest-ranking staff of the Expedition, to terraform Tsukuyomi instead of Svarog. Without further supplies, the experts concluded, it would be impossible to bring Svarog to the expected standard of the Galatea Project but was possible to bring Tsukuyomi to this standard. This decision,made by a handful of individuals who the Expedition deemed most capable of making it without public consultation, is viewed by some as the first step by the Expedition towards becoming the Federal Technocracy of Galatea.

As the terraforming of Tsukuyomi continued and the Inner Solarian Frontier collapsed into anarchy around them, many in the Expedition grew worried. The Sovereign Solarian Nation of Xanu was in revolt, as were many of the worlds of the Inner and Outer Solarian Frontier. By early spring 2278 many in the Expedition were concerned they would never be in a stable area again, and voices within the Yggdrasil Expedition began to call for a reassessment of their policy of deferring to the Department of Colonization for matters of self-governance. However the majority of the Expedition supported remaining loyal to the Alliance, believing the Solarian Navy would come to their rescue and reestablish the flow of material and resources to the Galatea Project. Despite reports other Galatea Project systems had fallen into ruin, or been abandoned, the Expedition remained confident in rescue by the Navy.

This belief the Navy would save the Expedition lasted until late March 2278, when news reached them from the nearby Solarian world of Gadpathur through refugees arriving from the same world. The news of Gadpathur’s bombing by Admiral Terrence Hopper on 08 March, 2278, shattered the confidence the Expedition had in their rescue by the Alliance’s Navy, which now seemed a greater threat to them than the prospect of having their equipment looted by secessionists or it falling into disrepair due to supply issues. Expedition Director Amaya and her senior researchers met once again to determine the best course of action. Many in the Expedition called for supporting Xanu and its rebels against what they saw as an unforgivable crime by the Navy, while others called for remaining aligned to the Solarian Alliance out of practicality rather than morality. Some called for the Expedition to declare itself as a neutral state, or to form its own nation in the hopes it would be able to chart a course independently. It was another point where making the wrong decision, even if it was the decision supported by the majority, could be fatal and destroy what they had created so far. Expedition Director Amaya, trusted experts from the Expedition, and advisors conveyed an emergency council, again ignoring the prospect of achieving a majority decision, and concluded the most logical course of action was to remain neutral in the conflict.

In late April 2278, shortly after this decision was made by the Expedition, a group of vessels arrived in the Yggdrasil System. They were a group of battered civilian vessels, escorted by a small number of Solarian Navy corvettes, all flying the flag of Gadpathur. These vessels revealed they were a group of Gadpathurians, escorted by the remains of Gadpathur’s naval defense force, who had managed to escape Admiral Hopper’s destruction of the system. They were low on supplies and fuel, and requested to take refuge with the Expedition in the Yggdrasil System. Expedition Director Amaya, seeing the Yggdrasil Expedition’s need for personnel and armed ships to defend itself, accepted after conferring with her council. In time the Gadpathuri, as they are now known, would go on to form a significant group in Galatea.

More crises would emerge before 2287, though none as great as these two, and all would be decided through this technocratic-council model in which Expedition Director Amaya and her chosen experts determined the best course of action. Refugees continued to arrive in the system, seeing it as a beacon of stability in the former Inner Solarian Frontier, and limited numbers of Solarian – and Coalition – Navy deserters sought refuge in it. By 2287 what had started as a scientific expedition with a limited number of personnel had shifted into an odd combination of scientific expedition, terraforming project, and technocratic oligarchy where a small handful of individuals the best and most qualified in their given field were chosen to make decisions on the behalf of a voiceless majority. The foundations of the later Technocracy had, by this point, already been laid. Now they would be built upon.

Unlike Xanu, Himeo, and other future Coalition member-states the Yggdrasil System was not represented at the peace talks on Earth which resulted in the signing of the Treaty of Xansan in 2287. The Treaty saw Yggdrasil fall out of direct Solarian control and into the Alliance Neutral Zone (ANZ) between the Alliance and Coalition. Gadpathur, which was assumed by most to have been simply bombed into oblivion aside from the Gadpathuri, was similarly not present. The Yggdrasil System was now placed de jure under Solarian control while being de facto independent, if not aligned with the Coalition. Expedition Director Amaya was now faced with a decision: to remain with the Alliance or to align itself with the new Coalition as a nominally independent state, and to determine what this new state would be if it were to be declared. Calling her council of experts together once again Expedition Director Amaya sought the best course of action for the Expedition.

The result of this meeting was the foundational document of the Federation: the 16 October 2288 Treaty of Galatea. This document, which is been on Galatea itself, declared the four planets of the Yggdrasil System would form together into a federal state ruled in a technocratic manner which would benefit all and favor none. The name of this state, the Federal Technocracy of Galatea, was taken from the project which had created its worlds. Furthermore, the Treaty founded the Galatean Federal Navy — made up of formerly Gadpathurian vessels — and Army to defend itself. The Treaty declared the Federation was not part of the Alliance as it was in a neutral zone, but would willingly work with its former masters to a reasonable extent. It also declared the Federation would work with the Coalition but was likewise not a technical member of its roll of member-states. The Technocracy sent messengers to both Xanu and Earth, where both were received with some confusion but ultimately acknowledged. The Federation was now its own nation and would succeed or fail on its own, without the Department of Colonization to cushion its fall.

===The Early Federation (2300-2359)===

Assuming the newly created position of Chief Director, Amaya and her experts set about establishing a state focused on one thing above all: scientific excellence. The reason for this was simple: maintaining this edge, in the eyes of the Chief Director, was the best way to ensure the Federation’s continued success and survival. Diplomatically they would have to balance the interests of the Alliance and the Coalition. In the years after the treaty was signed and the Federation began to find its footing this meant favoring the Coalition over the Alliance, then recovering from the Navy’s coup attempt and the Martian terraforming disaster. As Galatean institutions began to take shape it drew closer to the Coalition, eventually ensuring Federation citizenship would be recognized by the broader Coalition as equivalent to possessing Coalition citizenship.

Life for the Federation was secure as it plunged further into the 2300s and its academic society grew further, coalescing into three major research fields: biotechnology, interstellar avionics, and planetary engineering. All three fields worked closely with the nearby [[Xanu Prime|All-Xanu Republic]] and profited from events such as the Second Astonishment and Xanan Renaissance, with Galatean technical expertise in demand across Xanu and workers from across the Coalition flocking to the sprawling factories and mines of Svarog and Empyrean. New technologies were created in laboratories on Galatea and Tsukuyomi for use across the entire Coalition and beyond, and the success of the Federation seemed all but guaranteed for many in the Technocracy’s upper education ranks, particularly as it began to appease the Alliance by opening inroads to the newly-colonized Solarian world of [[Konyang]].

Two events would shake the Federation’s faith in its continued success. The first, and more important for many in the Federation, was the '''2338 Empyrean Unrest'''. Mine workers across the member-planet, motivated by Himean syndicalist thought which had made its way to the planet’s mining facilities through regular interactions with [[Himeo|Himeans]] – and thus their syndicalist ideologist – and by distaste at a lack of voice in the Technocracy’s government, went on strike and brought operations across Empyrean to a halt. The Federation’s Chief Director Willelm Allard, a dedicated researcher from the biotechnology sector, called an emergency session of the Federation’s top scientists to resolve the issue. They debated for two weeks but before making a decision which broke the strike: they would dedicate themselves to finding a way to improve the workers scientifically but, for the meantime, would ensure the housing, food, and basic necessities of every non-degreed worker were cared for. While this was not what the strike leaders wanted many strikers accepted and its strength was broken, with most leaders of it deported to the United Syndicates. This solemn promise to improve the lives of Federation workers through science was the start of what has become Galatea’s thriving human bioaugmentation industry. The Technocracy claims the United Syndicates sponsored the Empyrean Unrest and teaches this in its history classes. The United Syndicates deny they were involved in the events.

While never published to the broader Federal public Chief Director Allard’s special committee came to another conclusion: the Federation was unprepared to combat internal issues such as the Empyrean Unrest, and its top-down system of ruling made it vulnerable to these threats. The committee advised taking harsh actions against the United Syndicates of Himeo and to build an internal security service to combat these threats. As Allard condemned Himeo he created the '''Ministry of Academic Security (MfAS)''' — an internal security agency which would become one of the Federation’s largest and most critical institutions. The relationship between the United Syndicates and Federal Technocracy remains poor to this day.

The Empyrean Unrest marks the start of the Federation’s history of intense censorship and internal propaganda, as the event was devastating to its economy in the short term. This damage resulted in a brief economic downturn during the late 2330s and early 2340s known as the “Heaven Slump.” A desire to ensure this event never happened again led to massive investments by the Federation into ensuring its non-degrees population remained both loyal and content. To do this it instituted extensive state aid programs for its workers while immersing them into pro-Federation propaganda and banning, “potentially harmful material,” from the Federation. Over time this form of state welfare-propaganda would become a hallmark of the Federation, and a reason for its continued success.

The second event was the '''2347 Gadpathurian Skirmish'''. The Skirmish grew out of what [[Gadpathur]] viewed as a grave insult and the Federation viewed as a natural continuation of its policies: a refusal in 2344 by the Federation to officially condemn the Alliance for the bombing of Gadpathur, citing its policy of neutrality towards the Alliance as its reason why. Instead, the Federation condemned Admiral Terrence Hopper himself, who was by that time deceased. As a Coalition observer rather than a full member the Federation’s refusal had no impact upon the resolution, which passed. Gadpathur, however, was infuriated by Galatea’s refusal and began antagonizing the Federation’s expeditions into the Weeping Stars. This escalated until 2347, when a Federal Navy patrol group encountered a Gadpathurian patrol group in the Weeping Stars. Details of the engagement are unclear, but both patrols had their weapons activated and ready to fire at the time a Xansan patrol intervened and defused the situation. Galatea and Gadpathur have had no formal relations since this point.

Following the Gadpathurian Skirmish Chief Director Kamilla Yamaguchi assembled a council of military experts to assess the condition of the Galatean Federal Navy. The result of this survey, published in 2349 and known commonly as the Navy Report, was found the Navy as too small and too dated to be a serious defensive or offensive force for the Federation, and recommended major investments be made into the Federal military to make the it capable of fighting and defeating the most likely enemy of the Federation: Gadpathur. These recommendations and Chief Director Yamaguchi’s subsequent investments into the Federal military led to the founding of the '''Ministry of the Federal Military (MfWF)''', the most recently-created Galatean ministry. The expansion of the Federal military proved successful for both the military and two research fields: biotechnology, which had to supply the military’s genetic modifications, and interstellar avionics, which supplies the majority of its equipment.

===The Federation Realized (2360 - 2399)===

By the 2360s the Federation was effectively a member of the Coalition of Colonies despite its insistence on neutrality, and some Solarian actors — particularly those in the Solarian Navy — were leery of the well-armed military forces possessed by the Federation. While the Solarian Alliance was still recovering from the secession of Elyra earlier in the century the 2360s were the height of the Warp Gate Project — a massive endeavor intended to again make the Alliance the Spur’s dominant economic power of it was successful. At the same time Galatea’s close ally Xanu, under the leadership of President Ameliye Flohimont, moved to strengthen relations with individual Solarian planets despite protestation from the United Syndicates of Himeo and Gadpathur, the Technocracy’s traditional rivals in the Coalition. Following the 2364 Xanu-Konyang trade settlement the Federation saw an opportunity to bring itself closer to the Alliance and assure its neighbor that it, despite its growing military, posed no danger to the Alliance.

The 2365 Galatea-Konyang Mutual Trade Agreement formally opened the Solarian market for Galatean exports and brought the Federation more wealth as its available trade partners grew from Xanu, Assunzione, and Vysoka to the vast majority of the Solarian Northern Reaches and modern Corporate Reconstruction. While [[Himeo]] criticized Galatea for threatening to bring the Coalition’s economy into the Alliance’s dominion once again and Gadpathur claimed these trade deals were, “typical snakelike Galatean behavior,” the Federation continued to trade. Deals were signed with San Colette (2366), [[Solarian Reconstruction Mandates#Northern Solarian Reconstruction Mandate|New Peoria and Novo Igman (2367), Lhokgon (2367), and Lycoris (2368)]]. Then came [[Mictlan]] (2370), [[Biesel]] (2371), and [[Port Antillia]] (2373). Profits soared as Galatean products began to enter the Solarian market and many of these profits were folded into the unique Technocracy propaganda-welfare system. By the mid-2370s the typical Galatean lived in luxury the Yggdrasil Expedition could have only dreamed of, even in majority non-voting areas on Svarog and Empyrean.

Increased trade brought increased diplomacy with the Alliance and, unlike President Flohimont’s government, the Technocracy was able to pursue more normalized relations with the Alliance in exchange for more access to the coveted technological relics in the [[The Orion Spur#Weeping Stars|Weeping Stars]] and the former [[Sol Alliance History#Historical Solarian Sectors and Regions|Solarian frontier]] beyond. The Alliance-Federation relationship only became stronger after the assassination of Flohimont in 2374 by a Gadpathurian, which the Federation officially condemned Gadpathur for — an action which gained it the approval of the Solarian embassy in the Coalition and the condemnation of Himeo and Gadpathur. During this era the Federation increased its foreign investments in the Coalition to continue its balanced diplomacy, with much of its efforts focused on sharing its terraforming techniques with [[Vysoka]] in exchange for favorable trade conditions regarding foodstuffs from Vysoka and industrial exports from the Federation.

While the Federation’s economy grew massively during the latter half of the 24th century this growth was not without its faults. A demand for more industrial production led to a sizable increase in industry on Svarog and larger mining operations upon Empyrean. The rapid growth of heavy industry on Svarog led to the '''Svarogite Rejuvenation of 2365''' which repurposed the surface of the planet into the “Sector Plan” — a centrally-planned project which organized the entire planet into a series of industrial cities connected by high-speed rail lines designed to allow for the rapid transfer of personnel, resources, and products. While the Rejuvenation was successful and vastly empowered the planetary engineering sector it led to the current extremely polluted environment of Svarog’s surface. The massive factories of Svarog were constructed for the most efficient output generation possible and little thought was given by the Technocracy to the environment of the frozen, half-terraformed planet. Even now residents of Svarog receive federally-mandated bioaugmentations for their throats which allow them to better endure the polluted environment of the planet, and wearing a respirator outside is recommended.

===The Federation and the Doldrums (2400 - 2451)===

The Federal Technocracy, like much of the [[Coalition of Colonies|Coalition]], experienced a period of economic downturn during the 2390s and early 2400s due to having no more trade partners to expand to. The Doldrums, as they are known in the All-Xanu Republic, were felt less severely in the Technocracy due to its greater amount of centralization and its ability to discard public opinion for expert analysis. To combat the economic downturn felt across the Federation its experts decided upon two courses of action which were unlike Xanu’s strategy of injecting phoronics into its economy, which the Technocracy disregarded due to a belief that the fuel would make them more dependent on foreign powers and throw their diplomatic balance in the Alliance’s favor permanently. While this measure resulted in poor relations with [[Republic of Biesel|Biesel]] to this day, it insulated the Federation from the Phoron Shortage.

The first effort by the Federation was the '''2404 Galatean Trade Initiative''', which was intended to open further markets for the Technocracy to sell its products in. The first nation they approached was the Alliance, where the Galateans had not yet managed to secure trade agreements with Solarian worlds closer to Earth. It is a testament to Galatean diplomacy that this effort was successful in 2406, when the [[Callisto|Commonwealth of Callisto]] granted Galatean merchants special access to its ports. The [[Republic of Elyra]] rejected similar overtures by the Federal Technocracy and its trade deal with Callisto — the first of its kind between a Coalition affiliate and a Solarian Core world, though independent Coalition vessels have long traded in Callisto — drew condemnation from its rivals in [[Himeo]] and [[Gadpathur]], and from more anti-Solarian elements of Xanu’s political parties. The Federation, however, viewed the Callisto-Galatea trace agreement as a critical victory for their economy. With the influx of more Solarian trade and the presence of new markets the immediate concern of economic downturn had been averted.

With new markets the Federal economy grew, particularly on Svarog. In an effort to ensure Svarog attracted more investments the Federation initiated the Second Svarogite Rejuvenation in 2422. It built upon the basis of the first — the Sectors were expanded, the population was augmented further, and the planet’s industry became more dirty and productive than it had ever been before. Unlike the original rejuvenation project the second opened Svarog for investment by foreign corporations — a unique opportunity in the protective Federation — if the corporation could prove itself to be aligned with Galatean interests and able to provide aid to Svarog’s half-complete terraforming project. Xansan corporations and [[Zeng-Hu Pharmaceuticals]] quickly formed a new sector of the Svarogite economy.

As the decades progressed the Federation continued to prosper, although under a system of extensive surveillance and censorship it — and many of its residents — viewed it as necessary for its survival and success as a nation-state caught between the Alliance and Coalition. As on Xanu the early to mid 2400s were a time of great cultural works in the Federation, though they were always subjected to review by the Technocracy’s various state censorship ministries to determine what in them could constitute an unacceptable risk if published to a broader population. Scientifically it continued to make broad advances in the biotechnology and interstellar engineering fields, though most discarded phoron as a field of research due to its limited accessibility in the Federation and a perception phoron would, at some point in the 25th century, run out unless further deposits were discovered and exploited. Galatean historians have, in the following decades, debated if this was a well-thought-out move by the Federation which saved its economy in the 2460s or an unacceptable limit upon the scope of its research which caused it to lag behind in phoronics-related fields.

===The Modern Federation (2452 - Present)===

The secession of [[Republic of Biesel|Biesel]] from the [[Sol Alliance|Solarian Alliance]] in 2452 placed the Federation into an awkward position due to its longstanding diplomatic policy toward Sol. The [[Sol Alliance History#2452: The Secession of Biesel|Tau Ceti Accords]] were viewed as a humiliation by the Alliance and Galatea, seeking not to irritate one of its main trade partners, refused to recognize Biesel as an independent state after its secession. The Technocracy instead officially referred to Biesel as the “Solarian Republic of Tau Ceti (de jure)” until 2462, when the Second Solarian Incursion created an environment where the Federation’s needed to recognize Biesel as the broader Coalition intervened directly in the Solarian Navy’s invasion. Galatea maintained its trade relations with Tau Ceti in the interest of making money off of the ongoing phoron boom, even if it itself did not utilize the “wonder fuel” of phoron out of fears existing deposits would eventually run dry.

Over the rest of the 2450s as the Alliance drifted further to the right the Federation attempted to continue business as usual, but found itself increasingly at odds with some of its trade partners in the Alliance. As ATLAS’ influence increased, Galatean ships found themselves more and more often harassed by the Solarian Navy in both the DMZ and on trade routes. In 2458 a long-standing trade partner, Lycoris, broke its longstanding trade agreement with Galatea, declaring it anti-Solarian. This authoritarian turn by Sol only escalated in the 2460s with the dawn of Prime Minister Michael Frost’s regime, which took a hardline anti-Coalition stance and forever the two rivers policy even further towards the Coalition. Konyang however remained friendly to Galatea throughout the 2450s and became its gateway to San Colette’s warp network, which was itself now the gateway to the broader markets of the Solarian Core. Part of this friendliness is certainly due to the Technocracy’s willingness to contribute to [[Konyang|Konyang’s]] culture of institutional corruption through its willingness to pay bribes to get its way.

Elsewhere in the [[The Orion Spur|Spur]] as the Alliance seemed to further destabilize the Federation found itself involved in more joint Coalition efforts to ensure its continued stability. Throughout the 2450s the Galatean Federal Navy participated in joint Coalition anti-piracy sorties designed to combat [[Human Piracy# Empire of Dominia-Affiliated Privateers|Dominian privateering]], Solarian bandits in the Alliance Neutral Zone, the [[Human Piracy#Unified Sadar Fleet|Sadar Fleet]], and other unaffiliated groups which were emboldened by the shrinking authority of the Solarian Navy over the 2450s. The force contributed by Galatea was only a fraction of its total naval strength but proved to be an effective part of the Coalition’s anti-piracy efforts, even if they were forced to operate separately from Gadpathurian forces. Like [[Xanu Prime]] the Technocracy contributed greatly to [[Republic of Elyra|Elyran]] relief efforts following the Lii’dra incursion of 2457 and aided greatly in land reclamation efforts on Bursa.

The 2460s have been a difficult period for the Federation. The Second Solarian Incursion of 2462 made it recognize Biesel as an independent state even if the Federal Navy refused, despite Gadpathur’s protestations, to participate in the Coalition’s intervention. The Solarian Collapse which followed was nearly disastrous for Galatea as its trade route to the northern and central Alliance were cut off entirely beyond [[Konyang]], which it moved to support as the former Solarian world entered into the Coalition. It was only through a quick pivot to trading with the worlds of the CRZ — and Empyrean’s significant Helium-3 industry — that a total economic meltdown was avoided as the Technocracy’s economy buckled under the strain of the opening months of the Solarian Civil War.

Galatea had found itself now, like its neighbor and rival [[Gadpathur]], a full member of the modern [[Coalition of Colonies|Coalition]]. Its flexible diplomacy, long a cornerstone of Galatean policy, seems to have run its course by 2363. However, the dawn of the [[Sol Alliance History# 2462: The Solarian Civil War|War in the Northern Wildlands in early 2465]] and the later [[Solarian Armed Forces#The Solarian Navy|Solarian Navy]] intervention demonstrated the Technocracy may still need a relationship with the Alliance. Its lack of involvement in the Coalition meetings regarding the Wildlands Crisis can be attributed to both this policy and its belief Xanu, its long-standing ally in the Coalition, is able to handle Gadpathur.

As conflict in the Northern Reaches winds down and the Alliance seems ascendant, the Federation finds itself safe but somewhat nervous. Its welfare-propaganda system is intact and more functional than ever, and standards of living remain very high. But many in its upper echelons — the ranks of the Technocracy which make its decisions — are anxious and look towards the future with some apprehension, fearing a potential re-establishment of Solarian control in the Weeping Stars. Only time will tell if their concerns are appropriate.

==The Yggdrasil System==
<center><i>“What we have created here, in this system, is a true miracle of modern science. The Federation is the most significant accomplishment of the Galatea Program, and the heir to its legacy,”</i> - Doctor Shizuko Nishioka (2389 - ) in an interview with the Xanu News Service regarding Galatean terraforming (22 August, 2448).</center>
Located near the edge of the Weeping Stars and relatively close to Xanu Prime, the Yggdrasil System was originally chosen for terraforming due to its potential as a future hub for transportation between the [[The Orion Spur# Jewel Worlds|Solarian Core]] and the [[Sol Alliance History# Historical Solarian Sectors and Regions|Solarian Frontier]]. The presence of binary stars Mariel, the larger star, and Fornax, the smaller star, was another reason for its status as an early terraforming site due to the immense power drain of the massive Brahma Planetary-Scale Mining Platform requiring stars to fuel it. This, and its two gas giants of Ymir and Nüwa, proved to be a major reason for the ultimate success of the Galatea Project in this system.

The Yggdrasil System has six major stellar bodies, three of which are home to permanent human habitation, in addition to numerous smaller celestial bodies such as moons, comets, and asteroids. Holographic or mechanical orreries of the System are a common sight in many Federation buildings and are often found in Galatean residences. Some Galateans are known to carry miniaturized orreries on their person, or in their houses, as a reminder of home.

===Mixcoatl===

Mixcoatl is the nearest planet to Yggdrasil’s twin stars. A barren and lifeless world which was extensively mined for resources during the terraforming era, its surface is covered in massive scars originating from “planetary scalping” operations carried out by the Brahma platform during terraforming. While most of the valuable resources of Mixcoatl have long since been mined by the Federation, various scientific projects can be found on its surface or within the massive canyons created by the Brahma’s laser. Mixcoatl has no permanent Federation settlements but is home to several power generation facilities which feature rotating crews of non-degreed workers supervised by a smaller number of academics. Workers on Mixcoatl often utilize biological augmentation to better endure the scorching temperatures of the planet, which has no atmosphere to protect it from the heat of Mariel and Fornax.

In Federation iconography Mixcoatl is represented by a diamond.

===Galatea===

The single most important planet in the Federation, Galatea is a triumphant example of the hegemonic-era Solarian Alliance’s mastery of terraforming and a representation of what could have been if not for the Interstellar War. Terraforming Galatea took an incredible amount of time and resources but is stunning to behold: what was once a barely habitable planet devoid of all but the most basic forms of life is now a verdant planet where extensive Technocracy-mandated regulations ensure the Cities of the Future — centrally planned futuristic cities of the Technocracy — on Galatea live alongside nature rather than in it. Most Galateans who call Galatea itself home are degreed Galateans and the non-degreed Galateans which reside here are often involved in industries which support the planet’s large population of researchers.

Due to its strict environmental regulations the list of industries which can be present upon Galatea is short and mostly restricted to the biotechnology sector, which has long been powerful in the Federation and is responsible for many of its widely-known innovations such as biological augmentation. The laboratories and research facilities dedicated to biotechnology on Galatea are impressive facilities which contribute directly to the Federation’s continued dominance in the field. Most Galateans live in Technocracy-planned, “cities of the future,” which are connected to research facilities and other cities by magnetic rail lines. These cities, which are held up by the Federation as examples of their technological prowess, have been painstakingly designed to have minimal impacts on the environment of Galatea while maximizing their efficiency.

Due to the emphasis the Technocracy places on retaining its cutting edge technology, particularly in regards to its biotechnologies, no foreign companies have obtained a foothold on Galatea proper, though supervised — and tightly controlled — visits are relatively common. Galateans represent the peak of the Technocracy’s commitment to furthering its scientific progress and are, as such, held to a rigorous standard of academic excellence, and most of the Federation’s Chief Directors have come from either Galatea or its moon, Tsukuyomi.

In Federation iconography Galatea is represented by an inverted triangle.

===Tsukuyomi===

The only natural satellite of Galatea, Tsukuyomi is one or two bodies in the Yggdrasil System to be fully terraformed from an uninhabitable world into a habitable one. This decision, which left the industrial world of Svarog in its current state, is seen by most as a necessary sacrifice as gains on Svarog would have been nominal at best while Tsukuyomi was transformed completely. Slightly larger than [[Luna]], Tsukuyomi is held by the Federation as one of its two crown jewels alongside Galatea itself. Its biosphere is similar to 22nd-century Earth, and great effort has been made to ensure it remains this way. Access to Tsukuyomi is difficult to gain for a non-Galatea due to the nature of its research facilities and its status as the Galatean Federal Navy’s main port.

Tsukuyomi is home to a multitude of Federation cities of the future and research facilities, with most dedicated to projects which require a greater degree of secrecy than the typical Federation research initiative. Cutting-edge military biotechnology and interstellar avionics breakthroughs are achieved at these facilities, and much of the Federation’s ongoing technological edge can be attributed to Tsukuyomi’s facilities. Despite efforts to gain access to Tsukuyomi’s facilities, no foreign business — megacorporate or otherwise — has been granted a charter to work on the moon, and most are redirected to Svarog if they are not rejected outright.

Tsukuyomi is the home of the Federal military’s Navy and Army. While it is laid out in much the same way as a typical Federation city of the future on Galatea, featuring extensive green spaces and seemingly being part of the landscape rather than a city built into it, the naval facility and city of the future of Cantref Gwaelod serves as the main base of operations for the Technocracy’s military. From it, the Federation projects power throughout its system and into the Weeping Stars, where it often dispatches scientific expeditions. Most non-degrees Galateans found on Tsukuyomi are involved in the Technocracy’s military, while degreed Galateans are often found within its research facilities.

In Federation iconography Tsukuyomi is represented by a non-inverted triangle.

===Svarog===

A cold yet habitable world located slightly outside the Goldilocks Zone of the Yggdrasil System, Svarog is the center of the Federation’s heavy industry and manufacturing sectors. It is the only of the four inhabited worlds in the Federation where such industries are both permitted and practical as Empyrean is far too frigid to allow for extensive activities on its surface. Svarog was partially terraformed but was ultimately left in a half-finished, though habitable, state due to a resource deficiency following the draining of Ymir and its moons. The planet’s surface is cold, though not enough to prevent activity outside, and the weather is often either snowy or overcast, with the twin stars of Yggdrasil rarely visible most from Svarog’s surface.

Compounding the planet’s climate issues is the amount of heavy industry on it which employs much of its population. Svarog’s heavy industry is remarkably dirty and produces significant levels of pollution, which has resulted in smog blanketing much of the world when snow does not. Air conditions on much of the planet outside of its mountains are often dismal and Svarogite Galateans have biological augmentations which allow them to better endure the planet’s pollution. Those who do not often find themselves afflicted by respiratory illnesses. Travel on the planet’s surface between its sectors is most typically done by magnetic rail lines elevated far above its snowbanks. Most Galateans on Svarog are non-degreed and are exposed to large amounts of Federation propaganda which glorifies their work as without Svarog the Federation’s economy would rapidly collapse due to having very little manufacturing. The limited number of degreed Galateans often work in mountain facilities above the smog of Svarog.

Svarog is the only Technocracy planet which permits foreign corporations to purchase land for development and exploitation. However, they must demonstrate why their development would benefit Svarog’s partially complete terraforming project and are often given inferior land when compared to their Galatean counterparts, which are favored by the Technocracy as part of their effort to retain a competitive edge. The largest owner of land from outside the Coalition is [[Zeng-Hu Pharmaceuticals]], which has long enjoyed a good relationship with the Federation.

In Federation iconography Svarog is represented by an inverted pentagon.

===Nüwa===

The first of the Yggdrasil System’s two gas giants and the only one to survive the terraforming of the system, Nüwa is an orange gas giant which has several uninhabited moons. Nüwa is significantly smaller in the 25th century than it was when the Yggdrasil Expedition first arrived due to the massive amount of resources which were siphoned from it by the Expedition and early Federation, and the decaying remains of these facilities can be seen near the surface of the gas giant.

Nüwa’s moons are home to a large network of research facilities known as the Thalamus Research Station Network (TFSR) which are mostly operated by research concerns related to the interstellar avionics research sector. Most TFSR staff are native degree-holding Galateans who are supported by a smaller network of non-degreed Galatean or immigrant maintenance staff, though megacorporations such as [[Hephaestus Industries]] and [[Zavodskoi Interstellar]] are known to occasionally dispatch observers to TFSR facilities.

In Federation iconography Nüwa is represented by a hexagon.

===Ymir===

A dead world surrounded by broken moons, Ymir is a stark reminder of the cost required to create the modern Federation. To fuel the terraforming of Svarog, Galatea, and Tsukuyomi, Ymir was drained of resources until the gas giant itself was nothing but a dead core surrounded by moons cracked open by the massive laser of the Brahma Platform. Every idyllic landscape on Galatea or snowbank on Svarog owes its existence to the death of Ymir, and the Federation has not forgotten the loss of Yggdrasil’s second gas giant. Ymir now stands as a memorial to sacrifices made by the Federation and all Galateans to sustain their technological edge and better humanity as a whole. No permanent settlements or research facilities are present upon Ymir or its moons.

In Federation iconography Ymir is represented by a circle.

===Empyrean===

The furthest major planetary body in the Yggdrasil System, Empyrean is a frozen yet habitable planet which features a naturally-formed breathable atmosphere. It is the only planet in the system which was habitable without terraforming, and was initially utilized as a hub for the terraforming project which transformed the Yggdrasil System into its modern state. Empyrean’s incredibly cold weather, which naturally rests at temperatures similar to the Arctic Circle of Earth, and lack of native flora and fauna aside from microbial life makes inhabiting the planet difficult without extensive support infrastructure such as hydroponics centers. The planet has Earth-like gravity and is roughly the same size as Earth despite its position on the very edge of the Yggdrasil System.

Empyrean served as the system’s major Helium-3 mining and processing hub both during the terraforming era and Federation era due to its position near the Outer Yggdrasil Belt, a frozen ring of asteroids and comets on the edge of the Yggdrasil System which is exceptionally rich in Helium-3 deposits. While the Department of Colonization’s facilities have long since been upgraded or replaced the industry’s importance to the Federation has not faded, and the Technocracy places a great deal of importance on ensuring the continued efficient operation of Empyrean’s refining and processing facilities. Empyrean’s largest settlement, Opona, is dedicated to the production of Helium-3 fuel and features large port facilities which allow easy transit between Opona and Empyrean’s orbital processing facilities.

In the distant past Empyrean was heavily bombarded by asteroids and extra-solar bodies such as comets which have provided it with a very mineral-rich environment. Many of these resources dwell far under its surface and must be extracted via deep mining facilities which can plunge miles into the surface. Residents of Empyrean who are not employed within its research facilities or the Helium-3 refining industry are often workers in these facilities. The largest and deepest mine, Nav (officially Federal Mining Facility E-32), plunges kilometers into Empyrean’s surface and is known for its sparse, utilitarian central facility from which all mining efforts are coordinated. Curiously, Nav sits almost exactly opposite of Opona if one were to draw a line through the planet between the two.

In Federation iconography Empyrean is represented by an octagon.

==Government==
<center><i>“Innovation Without Fear,”</i> - Official motto of the Federal Technocracy of Galatea (first used c. 2289).</center>

The Federal Technocracy of Galatea is a federation of planets under a technocratic government consisting of four member-planets: Galatea, Tsukuyomi, Svarog, and Empyrean. This unique form of government is rooted in the Federation’s origins as a scientific expedition and the use of terraforming — which requires significant education to utilize properly — in the creation of the modern Yggdrasil System. It is ruled by the '''Chief Director''', who is elected by a popular vote of all eligible citizens for a singular five-year term. The Federation has long held that its single-term policy is a method for ensuring its ideas do not become complacent and stale.

Immediately below the Chief Director are the '''Research Triumvirate''', who represents the three major research fields of the Technocracy, and the '''Planetary Representatives''', who represent its member-state planets. The Triumvirate is made up of three representatives, one from each field, elected by eligible members of the field to represent their interests to the Chief Director. The Planetary Representatives are likewise elected by eligible citizens of their respective planets and form a council of four which advises the Chief Director. Galateans of all social classes have long held a high level of confidence in their technocratic government due to a persistent cultural belief that the most qualified are the most fit to rule. There has never been a Chief Director, Triumvirate member, or Planetary Representative who has not held at least one doctoral degree.

===Voting===

Due to its technocratic nature the Federation has long possessed a voting system which is unique amongst the major human worlds of the Orion Spur: to be eligible to vote in an election as a Galatean, a citizen of the Federation must hold at least a bachelor’s degree. Holders of associates’ degrees are eligible for a “half-vote” under Galatean regulations while those who hold no degree are unable to vote in any election and must rely on their degree-holding counterparts to keep their best interests in mind. A pervasive structure of state propaganda, and history of success by the Technocracy, ensures non-degreed Galateans have a high level of confidence in their government.

A Galatean’s voting power increases with their level of education. While a bachelor’s degree is worth a singular vote, a master's degree is worth five votes, and a doctoral degree is worth ten votes. Though criticized by foreign governments — particularly the [[Himeo|United Syndicates of Himeo]] — as being undemocratic, the Galatean method of education-based weighted voting is considered vital to ensuring the Federation remains technocratic and retains its technological edge. Most Galateans are supportive of the weighted voting system due to a long cultural history of valuing expertise which is rooted in the needs of the early Federation’s terraforming efforts.

Galateans holding foreign degrees can be awarded Galatean voting rights assuming they are able to pass a proctored exam covering the knowledge their degree is related to. These examinations are administered by the Ministry of Academic Affairs and are regarded by some scholars as crushingly difficult even by Galatean standards, and this is regarded by many as an effort to ensure Galateans use the Technocracy’s education system rather than foreign ones. Those that do pass their Ministry examinations are granted the corresponding weighted voting privileges their education level dictates.

===Ministries===

While executive power rests in the hands of the Chief Director, the daily operations of the Federation are managed by Galatean ministries staffed by technocrats. The origins of these ministries are rooted in the scientific expedition which originally founded Galatea, and the history of the Federation. They and their management are responsible for much of the Federation’s continued success. To become a ministerial technocrat in the Federation is not easy as one must pass the Galatean Ministerial Examination, a yearly examination held upon Galatea itself which is regarded as very difficult. Many non-degreed Galateans seek employment in these ministries due to the prestige associated with service in one, and the ease with which a low-level technocrat can seek out further education if they desire it.

====Ministry of Academic Security (MfAS)====

The internal and external security agency of the Federation, the MfAS is a large ministry as responsible for protecting Galatean academics secrets as it is for ensuring dissent does spread amongst the population. The MfAS has broad powers which let it act with immense authority, limited transparency, and almost no oversight. The Federation views the MfAS as a vital part of ensuring continued Galatean technological innovation, which the Technocracy values above all things, and MfAS operatives are often sent abroad with Galatean dignitaries to serve as their security attaché. Despite its importance the MfAS is often a subject of popular criticism abroad as it is regarded to be the “face” of the Galatean security and surveillance system.

MfAS ministerial technocrats are drawn from both the degreed and non-degreed population of the Federation. Due to their role as security personnel and, at times, spies, they are typically heavily bioaugmented to perform their duties at the highest level possible. A common augment utilized by many MfAS technocrats is an adjustment to their facial and throat muscles which allows them total control over their expressions and vocal tone, as it is easier to lie when one is expressionless. A common foreign rumor is that MfAS agents have an augmented form of speech similar to a [[Vaurca|vaurcesean Hivenet]], but these rumors have been denied by the MfAS itself.

====Ministry of Exploration and Exploitation (MfEA)====

A powerful Ministry responsible for managing and organizing Federation survey expeditions into the Weeping Stars and non-Coalition frontier, including uncharted space, the MfEA has little regulation or oversight in regards to its activities outside of the Coalition due to the Federation’s long-standing policy of viewing itself as more capable of researching and maintaining any Solarian Hegemonic-era relics found in uncontrolled regions of space. The MfEA’s research expeditions are performed in conjunction with the Galatean Federal Navy and are viewed by the Federation’s interstellar avionics sector as an opportunity to test new innovations and technologies against frontier systems and pirates. Galateans expeditions, particularly into the Weeping Stars, have long been criticized by [[Gadpathur]] as intrusions into an area which should be left untouched in order to ensure any Solarian journey across it is as unsafe as possible. The Federation has long ignored this criticism.

Ministerial technocrats of the MfEA are most typically degreed Galateans but are drawn from all three major research fields of the Federation, both due to the MfEA not wishing to favor any of the factions and due to all three desiring to pick part Solarian relics. The MfEA and its technocrats have prospered following the Collapse and its expeditions are now more frequent and research further into the Weeping Stars and frontier, much to the displeasure of Gadpathur. While much of the research and technology recovered by the MfEA is exclusively sent to the Technocracy it is known to assist foreign expeditions in their forays into the Weeping Stars assuming the Federation’s interests are kept in mind.

====Ministry of Academic Affairs (MfSA)====

Arguably the single most important ministry in the modern Federation, the MfSA manages its academies and educational institutions. From the most prestigious doctoral program to the smallest classroom on Empyrean is managed by the MfSA, which employs more ministerial technocrats than any other ministry in the Federation. The high standards set by the MfSA for educational institutions within the Federation are seen as the foundation of the Technocracy’s technological edge and these regulations are themselves subject to a punishing biannual review by the MfSA which ensures they are always in the absolute cutting edge of education. The MfSA regularly works with the MfAS and MfGC to ensure their education supports the Federation’s ideals.

The ministerial technocrats of the MfSA are exclusively drawn from the Federation’s degreed population and non-degreed Galateans are never found within its ranks. Many foreign governments seek out the MfSA for advice on their systems of education, and ambitious technocrats of the MfSA can easily request “ambassadorial positions” as observers in foreign institutions. The MfSA does not extend the same rights to foreign academics and has long prohibited individuals without Galatean citizenship from attending its prestigious academic institutions.

====Ministry of Galatean Culture (MfGC)====

The second-largest ministry after the MfSA, the MfGC’s explicit purpose is to preserve and maintain Galatean culture for the common good of the Federation’s citizens. In reality the MfGC functions as the propaganda and censorship arm of the Federation while carrying out more mundane duties such as promoting Galatean holidays, the Galatean dialect of Solarian Common, and maintaining records of significant achievements made by Galatean citizens. Non-degreed and degreed Galatean citizens alike are targeted by the MfGC’s propaganda efforts and the Federation posters which decorate Svarog and Empyrean are its creations. The MfGC regularly works with the MfSA and MfAS to ensure the Federation’s propaganda works to ensure its continued academic success and security.

MfGC ministerial technocrats are drawn from all walks of Galatean life and it is perhaps the most diverse ministry of the Federation. The Technocracy views the MfGC as a vital part of Galatean society and a central pillar of its continued success. The MfGC rarely censors academic work as the Federation believes this would impede its ability to maintain a cutting edge.

====Ministry of the Federal Military (MfWF)====

The MfWF’s is as an oversight and supervisory for the two branches of the Federation’s military: the Galatean Federal Navy and Galatean Federal Army. It is responsible for coordinating equipment supply efforts and is the main connection between the Federation’s military and its research and development sector. It is ultimately a civilian organization and has been praised by some foreign observers for its ability to prevent military corruption while remaining independent of the military, in contrast to the Solarian Armed Forces and its Department of Defense.

Ministerial technocrats of the MfWF are largely drawn from both degreed and non-degreed Galateans. Many often have some form of military experience prior to joining the ministry due to a longstanding Galatean cultural belief that the most educated and experienced should lead. Relations between the Federal Military and the MfWF are generally positive, and have improved since the [[Sol Alliance History#2462: The Solarian Civil War|Solarian Collapse of 2462]] starkly revealed the dangers of a military without oversight.

====Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MfAA)====

The MfAA is a small and important ministry which maintains and establishes relations with foreign powers such as the Solarian Alliance and other Coalition member states. It, along with the rest of the Federation, has long walked a delicate path between the Alliance and the Coalition where it has balanced the Coalition’s concerns while keeping the Alliance content enough to allow the Federation access to the former [[The Orion Spur#Alliance Neutral Zone|Alliance Neutral Zone]] and current [[The Orion Spur#Weeping Stars|Weeping Stars region]]. Now, with the Alliance having retreated from the region, the MfAA has found itself performing a delicate balancing act between the Federation and the Coalition’s other planets. Whether or not it manages to maintain the Federation’s unique level of access to the Weeping Stars and the uncharted frontier remains to be seen.

The ministerial technocrats of the MfAA are drawn from the degreed population of the Federation and securing a position in the ministry carries a significant amount of prestige. Prospective MfAA technocrats are subjected to a rigorous examination process which takes almost an entire year and has a failure rate of roughly 70%, but those who do succeed are regarded as some of the best and brightest of the Federation outside of its scientific leaders.

===Citizenship===

Acquiring Federation citizenship is a more unique process than simply acquiring Coalition citizenship, despite the Federation’s status as a member-state of the Coalition. It has consistently refused to compromise on this principle and has, in recent years, supported [[Konyang#Konyang and the Coalition|Konyang’s efforts to maintain its own citizenship standards]]. The primary form of Federation citizenship is granted to individuals with at least one Galatean parent, but can be acquired if the following conditions are met by the applicant:

* Have lived in the Federation for at least five years.
* Have no criminal record.
* Able to pass a five-phase MfAS examination to prove they are loyal to the Federation.
* Able to pass a standardized MfGC examination on Galatean culture with at least a 90%.
* Able to prove fiscal independence and their status as a productive member of the Federation.

Acquiring this form of citizenship is infamously difficult and most applicants fail. Fortunately, there are other routes for citizenship. The first — and most common — is to enlist in the Federation’s military for five years and serve without demerit or punishment, then take simplified versions of the cultural and loyalty examinations which are far easier to pass. These veteran-citizens form the majority of successful applicants for Galatean citizenship.

The other option is to simply not pursue full citizenship at all, and to simply continue one’s existence as a “'''Resident-Worker'''” — a Federation resident who does not have Galatean citizenship, but is a resident of the Federation and entitled to most benefits outside of voting rights. Many residents of Svarog and Empyrean are Resident-Workers, though full Federation citizens outnumber them.

While they are entitled to most benefits full Galatean citizens are, resident-workers are not treated equally by the Technocracy. Due to lacking citizenship they are objects of inherent suspicion for the Federation’s extensive system of state surveillance and can easily be deported to another Coalition member-state, or their nation of origin, if they are suspected of anti-Federation activity, or harboring anti-Galatean ideals. Both categories of offense are deliberately broad and poorly defined, and intended to grant the Federation broad powers to control and propagandize its Resident-workers. They are under constant surveillance and many of their Federation-provided apartments are rumored to have hidden cameras and microphones within them that allow for the Federation to maintain surveillance over them even during moments of privacy. On a more mundane level Resident-Workers are often passed over for more desirable work positions and promotions in favor of Galatean citizens, and often are found within the least glamorous and lowest-income jobs in the Technocracy’s borders.

===Personification of the Federation===

Technocracy propaganda published by the MfGC places a great emphasis upon the national personification of the Federal Technocracy to make its lofty ideals of progress for the good of humanity more personable to the common resident or citizen of the Federation. The federally mandated depiction of the Federal Technocracy of Galatea is a silver-haired woman named Galatea who is depicted as wearing a white-and-gold Galatean researcher’s uniform and often holding some form of scientific instrument. Galatea, not to be confused with the planet, is a common feature of Federation propaganda as she represents the timeless ideal of seeking technological advancement which drives the entire Federation forward and has consistently brought it success. She is often depicted with the mostly-black eyes associated with the members of the Federation’s scientific expeditions, and many pieces of propaganda depict Galatea in a voidsuit in an effort to emphasize the importance of the MfEA’s expeditions into the Weeping Stars and uncharted territories of the frontier. Galatea is often depicted accompanied by a silver-feathered owl which symbolically represents the collective knowledge of the Federation.

===Foreign Relations===

Galatean foreign policy has long been defined by what it refers to as the “hill between two rivers” doctrine, which references its position between the Solarian Alliance’s Alliance Neutral Zone and the [[Xanu Prime|All-Xanu Republic]]. The Two Rivers Doctrine has historically seen the Federation broadly align itself with Xanu while maintaining a neutral, if not amicable, stance towards the [[Sol Alliance|Solarian Alliance]] in order to allow its scientific expeditions free access into the Weeping Stars. This position has naturally brought it into conflict with the nearby Coalition member state of [[Gadpathur]], widely known for its hardline anti-Solarian stance.

The Two Rivers Doctrine dates to nearly 2300 and has been cited by many in its technocratic government as a reason for its continued success as a regional power and Coalition member. But with the Alliance having retreated from the Neutral Zone as of 2462, some in the Technocracy are now calling for a change in the doctrine due to concerns over their regional rival of Gadpathur. Others, however, believe it can continue with minor adjustments and a total paradigm shift on foreign policy could be harmful.

Below is a brief summary of the Federation’s relations to other Coalition members and non-Coalition nations, in addition to some non-state actors.

The '''[[Xanu Prime|All-Xanu Republic]]''' and Technocracy have long coexisted as trading partners and allies, with both Coalition members closely aligned on a variety of issues and willing to cooperate with the Alliance to a reasonable degree. The Federation assisted Xanu’s rebuilding efforts in the aftermath of the Interstellar War and the All-Xanu Republic has worked to defuse tensions between the Technocracy and Gadpathur. While the two have not always agreed upon the best course of action for the Coalition as a whole they are always ready to assist one another in moments of crisis.

The '''[[Sol Alliance|Solarian Alliance]]''' and Technocracy have long had what the Federation refers to as a “special relationship” due to the Alliance’s historical dominance of the Weeping Stars, where much of the Technocracy’s research interests are concentrated. The Federation has long held a policy of official neutrality towards the Alliance and refuses to to vote on provisions against it which are tabled by other Coalition member states. The Alliance, perhaps in gratitude or perhaps as a bribe, has long been happy to trade with the Federation and has granted its expeditions free access to the Weeping Stars. With the Alliance’s retreat from the Neutral Zone in 2462 and Konyang’s entry into the Coalition in the same year some in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs now seek a different approach to the Alliance and the special relationship.

'''[[Gadpathur]]''' and the Technocracy have an infamously poor relationship. The Federation initially came into conflict with Gadpathur over its dealings with the Alliance to secure access to the Weeping Stars, which Gadpathur viewed as a betrayal of the Coalition’s interests and a violation of its security. A conflict between the two was mediated by Xanu but flared up in the mid-2300s when the Federation declined to vote on a resolution recognizing the bombing of Gadpathur as a crime against humanity and condemned the Alliance, citing its policy of neutrality towards the Alliance as justification. Gadpathurian forces proceeded to almost attack a Federal Navy patrol until Xansan space forces intervened. Neither has had relations since this point aside from mutual attempts to undermine one another and now, with Gadpathur increasingly isolated due to its hardline stance in response to the Wildlands, some in the Federation have suggested their old rival can be further weakened.

The '''[[Himeo|United Syndicates of Himeo]]''' and Technocracy have a poor relationship which is rooted in ideological and governmental differences. The Federation’s top-down and oligarchic approach to its society has drawn extensive criticism from the United Syndicates, with a particular focus upon its extensive system of state censorship and propaganda. This criticism has only resulted in the Federation creating more and more extensive systems of censorship and propaganda, much to the disdain of Himeo. Little formal trade exists between the two member-states, which has long been cited as a reason behind the Federation’s extensive industrial developments on Svarog and Empyrean.

The '''[[Vysoka|Free System of Vysoka]]''' and its various city-states have a positive relationship with the Federation due to Galatea’s long-standing policy of agrarian assistance towards Vysoka via the Technocracy’s terraforming technology. Galateans are often more welcome than other foreigners on Vysoka and researchers from the Federation’s biotechnology sector are known to often visit the agrarian planet for research projects and simple tourism alike. Federal efforts on Vysoka are focused primarily upon the planet’s urban centers, and much of its development has been concentrated on the cities of Vedamor and Sevaschaiv. The Federation’s permanent diplomatic mission to Vysoka is based in Czsari. Despite not being a focus of Technocracy efforts, enterprising researchers have been known to distribute “control samples” of weaponry to Hosts in order to field-test prospective Galatean Federal Army equipment.

The '''[[Assunzione|Republic of Assunzione]]''' and Technocracy have a stable and friendly relationship founded upon scientific collaboration and trade related to both member states’ shipbuilding sectors. Federation expeditions into Light’s Edge and the Lemurian Sea are rare due to a perceived lack of technological relics, or other valuable information, within the sparsely-populated region. Both the Republic and Technocracy have a friendly relationship with Zeng-Hu Pharmaceuticals, and Federation personnel seconded to Zeng-Hu are often stationed in facilities on Assunzione in order to observe the Republic’s exploration-related technology.

'''[[Konyang]]''' and Technocracy have a friendly relationship which dates back to before independence. Before 2462 Konyang was the primary passage through which Galatean-Solarian trade flowed prior to its arrival in San Colette’s warp gate networks. Konyanger customs checkpoints were, due to both the valuable resources they provided and willingness of Galateans to pay bribes, much easier for Galatean-flagged vessels to pass through. Following its independence the Federation eagerly welcomed Konyang into the Coalition as an equal partner in an effort to promote its interests over Gadpathur’s and gain more access to Konyang’s robotics industries. The Federation staunchly supported Konyang during the crisis of the Solarian Civil War by sending a large Federal Navy detachment to its system. With the Alliance once again at the Coalition’s borders Konyang may, according to some observers, once again become Galatea’s gateway into Sol — despite Gadpathur’s protests.

The '''[[Scarabs|Scarab Fleets]]''' and the Federation have a relationship which has seen much cooperation. They have much in common as both are, in their own ways, the result of the Alliance’s efforts during the hegemonic era to expand further into uncolonized space. Both were impacted by the Interstellar War and have a focus upon research and discovery. However, they have diverged significantly from one another over the nearly two centuries since the end of the Interstellar War. This divergence, however, has not been enough to turn them against one another, and the scientific expeditions of both groups are known to cooperate with one another when they have run-ins in the free frontier or elsewhere.

The '''[[Empire of Dominia]]''' and Technocracy, despite or perhaps due to sharing an interest in biotechnology, have poor relations. Unlike the rest of the Coalition, which worries itself more with Dominian privateering, its conquest of unaffiliated frontier worlds, or its authoritarian religious government, Galatean animosity towards the Empire is rooted in another source: contempt for the Empire’s less advanced biotechnology sector, and its seeming inability or willingness to apply this sector beyond its noble classes. Technocracy citizens hold their Imperial counterparts in an unusual form of patronizing contempt wherein they regard the Empire as simply not good enough to be involved in biotechnology. The Federation and Empire occasionally encounter one another in the Weeping Stars, though these Imperials are often acting upon the will of House Volvalaad instead of the Empire itself. While not actively hostile, these encounters are far from friendly.

The '''[[Republic of Biesel]]''' and Technocracy have little in the way of formal relations due to the Federation’s avoidance of phoronics as a field due to most phoron being concentrated in Elyra and Biesel. The Federation’s long-standing desire to remain between two rivers — the Alliance and Xanu — delayed its recognition of Biesel as an independent nation until shortly after the Solarian Incursion of 2462 and Biesel’s rapid expansion. Even now little practical relations exist between the Federation and Republic. Galatean researchers have begun to travel to the Republic more frequently following 2462, though typically on behalf of Zeng-Hu Pharmaceuticals rather than the Technocracy itself.

The '''[[Republic of Elyra]]''' and Technocracy have limited formal relations and Galatean researchers are known to often visit its borders — often to learn more regarding its antigravity technology. The Serene Republic and Federation are both opposed to the Empire of Dominia, but the Federation places less emphasis upon the Empire and its expansionism than the Serene Republic does. Many Elyran Non-Citizen Persons who opt to leave its borders eventually find themselves in the Federation, where they are quickly given a place to work in the industrial sectors of Svarog and Empyrean.

The '''[[Nralakk Federation]]''' and Technocracy have little in the way of formal relations, both due to distance and longstanding Galatean policies against working with any species capable of psionic abilities out of concerns they will use their abilities to steal research secrets from the facilities of the Federation. The MfAS has long banned skrell from travel to the Technocracy’s borders due to these concerns, and has refused to consider any arguments in opposition. Galatians who do interact with skrell often have bioaugmentations which make their thoughts difficult for psionic species to read, and some – such as members of the MfAS – are rumored to have bioaugmentations which cause a lethal feedback loop if one attempts to read their mind. Most Galatean citizens and residents are wary of skrell, and will attempt to avoid them.

The Federal Technocracy’s contributions to the '''[[Coalition of Colonies#The Frontier Protection Bureau (FPB)|Frontier Protection Bureau (FPB)]]''' and the associated Frontier Rangers are poor compared to the economic impact the Federation has upon the broader Coalition and wider Spur. Citizens of the Federal Technocracy are barred by the government from becoming members of the FPB out of a desire to not antagonize the Solarian Alliance, and the Federation has long refused to provide anything aside from non-lethal aid, and has never provided bioaugmentations, to the Bureau. The Galatean Federal Navy cooperates with the FPB when they encounter one another but does not hold its rangers in high esteem, viewing them as an undisciplined force direly in need of central control and discipline. The Rangers in return typically view the Federal Navy, and Galateans more broadly, as self-absorbed opportunists unwilling to give their all to the Coalition.

'''[[Zeng-Hu Pharmaceuticals]]''' is the megacorporate entity most readily interacted with by the Federal Technocracy. When Galateans go abroad they often find themselves employed by it, and Zeng-Hu has long courted the Technocracy in pursuit of access to its advanced technologies. Despite these efforts Zeng-Hu has only limited access to the modern Technocracy and its facilities can only be found upon Svarog, the solitary member-planet which allows foreign megacorporations to have a presence upon its surface. The fierce economic protectiveness of the Technocracy has endured the creation of the Stellar Corporate Conglomerate, and Zeng-Hu’s foothold remains relatively small.

While not a state in of itself the Technocracy has officially banned practitioners of the '''[[The Trinary Perfection|Trinary Perfection]]''' within its borders, viewing the religion as dangerously contrarian to the Federation’s focus upon improving humanity through the mastery of biotechnology. Following events on [[Orepit]] in 2464 the Federation renewed its commitment to this ban, a move which brought it praise from an unusual source: the Empire of Dominia. The MfAS has broad powers which permit it to track down and eliminate any suspected Trinarist presence within the Federation’s borders. The Technocracy holds no relations with Orepit and views the planet as a “Sponsor of Anti-Galatean Ideals.”

==Society==
<center><i>“Galateans claim they are a society of equals. Bah! They’re the Empire, but with degrees instead of noble titles!”</i> - [[Himeo#Political Parties|National Himean Worker's Vanguard leader Oskar Ljungberg]] (2436 - ) in an interview with Himean media regarding other members of the Coalition (15 July, 2462).</center>

Galatean society holds, as a near-universal constant, that innovation and technological progress is the most important goal in the lives of the typical citizen or resident of the Federation. This belief informs how nearly every resident of the Federation goes about their daily lives, what they prioritize, and how they behave. Galateans believe they must excel in all things they do to ensure the Federation’s continued success, and Galatean society is obsessed with the idea of perfection and innovation. To the typical Galatean there is nothing they cannot overcome through innovation and technology. If a Galatean cannot innovate, they are not worthy of being called a Galatean.

Galateans as a whole are often stereotyped abroad as perfectionists who must have everything done in the manner they dictate as they know how to best handle a situation relevant to their academic interests. Despite this stereotype Galateans with and without degrees are fully capable of working alongside, or even under, non-Galatean staff. However, they often find themselves frustrated with the perceived slowness or willingness of non-Galateans to accept what they view as less than satisfactory work as, for a Galatean, anything less than perfection is often unacceptable. Galateans abroad are often employed by [[Zeng-Hu Pharmaceuticals]], where their culture of perfectionism and obsessiveness has allowed them to excel within Zeng-Hu’s highly competitive culture.

===Degreed Academia===
<center><i>“Do not speak to me as if I, a Galatean researcher, are your equal! Your ignorance of the true potential of biotechnological innovations is plainly written in every plodding step your massive frame takes!”</i> - Doctor Shihong Li (2398 - ) speaking to a [[Empire of Dominia Great Houses#House Volvalaad|House Volvalaad]] geneticist at a research conference on Galatea (28 March, 2422).</center>

The term ''academia'' defines much of the Federal Technocracy, from its society and norms to its government and economics. Since the dawn of the early Federation it has been dominated by those in it who have degrees granted from its institutions of higher learning. Below these institutions are preparatory schools which aim to prepare the students of the Technocracy for a life in its academia where excellence is expected to be the baseline. The Federation’s academic fields can be broadly divided into three categories which roughly correspond to its three major industries: biotechnology, interstellar avionics, and planetary engineering.

Higher education in the Federation is an incredibly serious issue for the members of its existing academia and no expenses are spared in ensuring children rise to the same level, or beyond the level, of their parents. For these academics and their children achieving success in education is a matter of vital importance critical to ensuring a family keeps its position in Galatean society and works to maintain the Federation’s position upon the cutting edge of research in the human Orion Spur. No less than excellence is expected in the Federation and the children of academics are placed into a grueling process of education to ensure they will be ready to enter into the Technocracy’s academic ranks by gaining entry into some of its most prestigious institutions of higher education. Those who cannot handle the pressure of this educational system are considered disgraced and are ostracized by their peers and often disowned by their family, as '''a degreed Galatean who cannot excel in academic pursuits is unworthy of being called a Galatean at all'''.

The education of a Galatean child who wishes to enter academia starts, in the best circumstances, at the age of three when the child is enrolled into a Galatean elementary preparation school. These schools, which can occupy their young students for as many as 60 to 80 hours a week, are designed to ensure a young Galatean who hopes to join the ranks of its academia is sufficiently prepared to enter its primary academic education system at the age of eight. At graduation from these preparatory schools, generally at age seven to eight, students are expected to have gained a mastery of Ministerial Common in reading and writing, an understanding of mathematics, the sciences, Galatean history and ethics, and fluency in [[Languages|Tau Ceti Basic]]. Elementary preparatory schools vary slightly based upon if they are generalist or specialized into one of the “big three” research fields in the Federation. Though their lessons are often taught using games designed for children they are serious matters and considered a vital building block for a student’s future development.

After graduating from an elementary preparatory school a Galatean student will enter into their first tier of education, which they will remain in from age seven to 13. Here students will begin to master their chosen field, and will be involved in their chosen school for roughly 80 to 100 hours per week. Having ideally acquired a basic mastery of common fields primary school students bound for the Federation’s academic classes are expected to begin specializing into their chosen field of research and will often be seconded to chosen “learning facilities” to work alongside full Galatean researchers developing new innovations in the Federation. Primary school students in the Federation are expected to continue to master the subjects they began learning about in their preparatory school and are expected to gain a complete understanding of Tau Ceti Basic if they have not already done so.

Between the ages of 14 and 18 Galatean students are enrolled in high school, their second tier of education, and are expected to further their studies to prepare themselves for the infamous test of the Ministry of Academic Affairs (MfSA) known as the '''Federal Standardized Academic Examination Test''', or simply as '''the Examination''', through rigorous preparation which can include up to 120 hour weeks of instruction and preparation where students live in barracks-like academic dormitories to better prepare for the Examination. The Examination is a pivotal moment for the prospective academic as it will determine which of the Federation’s institutions they are able to be reasonably accepted to, and parents often push their children to work beyond the expected 80 to 100 hours of the average Galatean high school student. Some hopefuls who intend to gain acceptance to one of the Federation’s most prestigious universities — such as the Sachiko Amaya Institute of Biotechnology — are known to biologically augment themselves to require only three hours of sleep per night, and spend almost all of their waking hours studying or in class. Prospective Galatean academics will often form into study groups that become lifelong friendships as they make their way through high school and bond together in their struggles to overcome the challenges of entering the Technocracy’s academic fields.

Once a Galatean student has passed into the university system they are expected to maintain the work ethic they have established during their pre-university career by studying their own field and assisting other, more senior students in their research. Once the student has acquired a bachelor’s degree they are considered to be a voting Galatean citizen but most are expected to carry on to further levels of education such as a master’s degree or doctorate, both requiring additional work and further commitment by the student. The status of doctor is viewed by many as the highest level a Galatean can aspire to and simply possessing the title, regardless of one’s field, is viewed as a mark of excellence.

===Prominent Universities===

Which institute of higher education one attends determines one’s position within the academic society of the Technocracy, and which university one attends depends upon how one scores upon the Examination. Only those who have scored exceptionally well are able to attend one of the three most prestigious universities in the Federation, with one for each major research field. These students are the best of the Technocracy’s educational system and are destined to hold high positions within it or abroad, such as in Zeng-Hu Pharmaceuticals. The reputation of these institutions often precedes them abroad, and to have a degree from one is viewed as a badge of honor throughout the Federation. These institutions are commonly referred to as the “Big Three” among the Technocracy’s populace.

Perhaps the single most prestigious academic institution in the entire Federation is the '''Sachiko Amaya Institute of Biotechnology'''. Located in Lintukoto on Galatea proper, it derives its name from its founder: Sachiko Amaya, the first Chief Director of the Federation. Often simply referred to as the Amaya Institute, its graduates have greatly influenced – and arguably created – the field of bioaugmentation in the Federation. Graduates from the Amaya Institute are often destined for leadership roles in a biotechnology research firm. If these graduates travel abroad they often find employment in Zeng-Hu Pharmaceuticals, which shares their intense focus upon perfection and interest in the field of biotechnology.

The only of the big three located on Tsukuyomi, the '''Tsukuyomian Institute of Interstellar Avionics Research''', or '''TIMAR''', is located in the lakeside city of Ketumati on the moon’s only continent, Mu. Originally established in 2350 to train the Galatean Federal Navy’s new generation of naval pilots, TIMAR has since expanded to train the engineers and scientists who design the vessels utilized by the Federal Navy. It is divided into two halves: the Federal Naval Academy and the more academic aspect, which is directly associated with the interstellar avionics research concern. Academic graduates from TIMAR sign a contract which states they will not leave the Federation for the first ten years after they graduate, and those who do depart after this time are often eagerly scouted by foreign naval firms such as d.N.A. on [[Xanu Prime]] for service as consultants and researchers.

Located in Jeolla on Galatea, the '''Gojoseon Engineering Research Institution''', or '''GMBI''', is the most prestigious of the Federation’s planetary engineering institutions of higher learning. Originally established in 2280 to assist in training engineers for the creation of Jeolla’s atypical city design, the GMBI now trains the best and brightest engineers in the Federation. Its graduates have gone on to greatly influence planetary construction throughout the modern Federation, and are responsible for both the Sector Plan of Svarog and the Cities of the Future of Galatea proper and its moon, Tsuyukomi. Those that go abroad are often employed as experts or consultants for a variety of large-scale engineering projects or urban planning.

===The Quest for Innovation===

The daily lives of most degreed Galateans are devoted to a concept the Technocracy regards as important above all other things: maintaining its technological edge over other human nations of the Spur through continuous development and innovation in the three major fields of biotechnology, interstellar avionics, and planetary engineering. If the Federation loses this edge most Galateans in it believe they begin to slowly waste away and eventually collapse as a society as its welfare-propaganda state implodes on itself and its citizens flee the Yggdrasil System for its more innovative counterparts. No loyalist to the Federation, from the Chief Director to the least experienced resident-worker, wishes for such to happen and all constantly strive to ensure the Technocracy’s steady march towards a better future for humanity does not slow, let alone halt.

This concept is referred to as the Quest for Innovation in Galatean propaganda, and by Galateans themselves. It is a cornerstone of the Federation’s society and a constant feature of its propaganda which is known to every resident or citizen of the Technocracy. To ignore or inhibit the Quest for Innovation is to risk being declared an anti-Galatean element and the subsequent wrath of the Federation’s internal security apparatus, the Ministry of Academic Security (MfAS). Those pursued by the MfAS do not often escape it and individuals convicted of being an anti-Galatean element will soon find themselves deported from the Federation and their citizenship, if applicable, permanently revoked. These exiled individuals are shunned and rebuked as failures by their fellow citizens and residents, and are often utilized by teachers and propagandists alike as examples of how to not behave.

===The Welfare-Propaganda State===

A critical structure of the Federation is what is commonly known abroad as its welfare-propaganda state, though within the Federation it is simply known as the MfGC’s federal welfare program. The Galatean welfare-propaganda state is an expensive but powerful system which ensures its citizens, and residents, do not want for basic necessities. Food, shelter, entertainment, and education are all provided for by the Federation’s government via the MfGC, which bundles these resources with pro-Federation propaganda in an effort to promote the Technocracy’s image as a benevolent entity for the citizens and residents of the Yggdrasil System.

The welfare-propaganda state was created shortly after the 2338 Empyrean Unrest, which almost collapsed the economy of the young Federation. It is intended to prevent such an incident from ever occurring again by providing a reasonably comfortable life to every citizen or resident of the Federation and has thus far been extremely successful in doing so. No protests on the scale of the Empyrean Unest have occurred since its implementation and MfGC polls show support for the Technocracy as high across all sectors of society even as much of the Spur anxiously watches the Alliance re-exerts its authority over territory it had previously lost control over in late 2462. Any who do go against the welfare-propaganda state, and thus the entire Galatean state, are regarded as anti-Galatean elements.

===Anti-Galatean Elements===

Relentlessly pursued in Federation space by the MfAS and used by the MfGC and MfSA as examples of failures, those who have been declared anti-Galatean elements are regarded by the Technocracy as hazardous to the continued stability of the Federation and its ability to remain on the bleeding edge of technological progress. These individuals are typically imprisoned and released once they have been freed from their anti-Galatean beliefs, either through therapy or through other means known only to the MfAS. Those who recant and return to being anti-Galatean are quickly removed from the Federation through any means deemed necessary or appropriate before they can become a true hazard or an exile.

To become an immediately deported anti-Galatean element one must be judged a danger to the Technocracy so severe their wrongness of thought cannot be reasonably rectified. The followers of the [[The Trinary Perfection|Trinary Perfection]], a faith officially viewed as a sponsor of Anti-Galatean Ideals by the Federation and regarded by the overwhelming majority of citizens and residents as a dangerous cult, are the only group to be treated with such from the start. When one is found they are quickly removed from the Technocracy through any means deemed reasonable and necessary. Any exiled for anti-Galatean ideals will quickly find their degrees stripped away from them along with their property, citizenship, and any wealth they may have in a Galatean institution. Condemned to wander through the [[The Orion Spur|Orion Spur]] and never return to Galatea, these individuals are scorned and mistrusted by many.

===Contraband===

Commonly associated with the MfAS and MfGC the Federal Table of Culturally Damaging or Socially Dangerous Concepts, Products, Practices, or Methods Officially Deemed Contraband in Galatean-Controlled Space, or more simply the '''Federal Contraband Table''' (formally abbreviated as ''FTSoSGKPPLMGEMEGGnKsRKD'' in Ministerial Common), is the Technocracy’s official, lengthy, and exhaustive list of items it considers to be dangerous to the continued health of both the Federation and its civil society. Officially maintained by the MfGC and enforced by the MfAS with the assistance of Federation citizens and residents, the Contraband Table was created shortly after the Empyrean Unrest of the 24th century in response to the perceived danger posed by Himean syndicalist thought. Over time it has expanded to include a multitude of entities deemed anti-Galatean in nature, and being found with one — or more — of the Table’s items is an effective method of being declared an anti-Galatean actor. Researchers who have acquired permission from the MfSA may study entities on the Table with a reasonable justification, but can expect to be closely watched by the MfAS for the duration of their experiments and for some time following them. There is no black market for Contraband Table goods in the contemporary Federation due to the extensive efforts of the welfare-propaganda state and MfAS.

Some of the items found upon the Contraband Table are divided into several categories which include but are not limited to:

====Hazardous Products====
* Himean-produced goods, which are viewed as hazardous to the industrial member-planets of the Federation.
* Gadpathurian-produced goods, which are viewed as substandard and ineffective.
* Any technology associated with the Empire of Dominia’s geneboosting programs, as they are considered to be health risks.

====Hazardous Concepts====
* Ideological concepts associated with Himean syndicalism.
* Ideological concepts associated with Gadpathur and its anti-Galatean stances.
* Any material which depicts the Trinary Perfection in a positive light.
* Material which is deemed critical of the Federation’s institutional structures.

===Non-Degreed Education===
<center><i>“Remember to do your part for the Federation whenever you work, for the future of the Spur rests upon our shoulders!”</i> - Federation motivational poster commonly seen in the Svarog metro system.</center>
The Galateans who do not opt to become involved in its academia are instead sent through a more typical educational program which prepares them for a life in the Federation’s non-degreed sectors such as mining, heavy industries, or service. Non-degreed education generally stops at 18 — assuming the non-degreed does not seek a two-year degree, which is often the highest they can rise and is viewed as a stepping stone towards their children joining the academia — and retains the traditional Galatean focus upon perfectionism and academic excellence in all things. Non-degreed Galateans are expected to excel from an early age and to achieve a mastery of their job even before they have worked a day of it. Most non-degreed Galateans attend school within the same apartment block where their family resides, though some must take a train to another apartment block where their school is located.

The most qualified non-degreed Galateans often seek two-year, or “half,” degrees from institutions which specialize in granting them. While they are not subjected to the same levels of academic rigor as their degreed counterparts are to pursue these half-degrees, named so as they give half of a vote in the Federation, those who do successfully acquire such a degree are viewed as the best and most talented of the non-degreed population, and often serve in administrative positions or supervisory roles where they direct and oversee the myriad industries of the Technocracy while themselves being subordinate to degreed Galateans. The children of half-degree holders are often pushed by their parents to pursue a full degree, and many succeed.

===The Gadpathuri===

<center><b>NOTE: The Gadpathurri are subject to the same ethnicity rules as typical Gadpathurians. Non-Gadpathuri Galateans, however, have no restrictions.</center></b>

A distinctive population of the Federation, the Gadpathuri are descended from Gadpathurian refugees which settled in the Yggdrasil System shortly after the bombing of [[Gadpathur]]. Over the intervening centuries these Gadpathurians have diverged significantly from those who remained on the planet and eventually created the modern, ultra-militarized Gadpathurian state. Known as the Gadpathuri, these Galateans of Gadpathurian descent are concentrated upon Tsyukomi and have retained much of the pre-Interstellar War culture of Gadpathur, which the planet’s current population has discarded in favor of a militaristic and anti-Solarian culture. Gadpathurians and Gadpathuri do not have good relations with one another, with Gadpathuri viewing Gadpathurians as unable to recognize the futility of their militarism and Gadpathurians viewing Gadpathuri as traitors who have associated with the Alliance.

In the Federation Gadpathuri often occupy positions within the Galatean Federal Navy’s officer ranks as many of the original refugees were members of the small naval force pre-war Gadpathur maintained. Many view a career in the Federal Navy as the best way to protect their new home from the potential aggression of old Gadpathur, which they view as having been lost in the fires of the Interstellar War. While it is not an official holiday within the Federation, many Gadpathuri mark the eighth of October, the anniversary of Gadpathur’s bombing, as a day of mourning, they are typically released from their duties for the day.

===Architecture===

The Technocracy’s architecture is, like its broader society, always attempting to remain upon the cutting edge of innovation. Referred to as Cities of the Future inside the Federation, these settlements are carefully designed and planned by degreed Galateans to meet a specific purpose with the smallest amount of inefficiencies reasonably possible. Technocracy city planners view themselves as both innovators and artists, and their cities resemble such — particularly upon Galatea proper and its moon, Tsuyukomi. Upon Svarog and Empyrean cities must often prioritize practicality over aesthetic designs and the Galatean cultural trend of building alongside nature rather than through it. The architectural style of Galatean cities of the future is known as “'''Technominimalism'''” abroad due to its combination of minimalist designs and frequent green spaces.

Upon Galatea proper and its moon, Tsuyukomi, the Technocracy has spared no expense in designing the cities of the future in which the vast majority of its degreed population resides. They are painstakingly designed to maximize the comfort and efficiency while minimizing their environmental footprints. These cities are built as a part of nature rather than over nature and can be strikingly beautiful, with frequent parks and green spaces throughout them which have been eagerly studied by foreign city planners from across the human Orion Spur. To further reduce their environmental impacts the cities of the future have fully banned personal automotive use and instead feature vast and interconnected rail networks which allow transport both within a given city and to other cities across Galatea proper and Tsuyukomi, in addition to important destinations such as more rural research stations. The cities of Galatea proper and Tsuyukomi have no true urban sprawl and instead transition directly into the natural environment at the predetermined limit of the city’s urban zone.

On Svarog and Empyrean, the Federation’s industrial worlds, architecture is markedly different from the cities of the future. Upon Svarog the Sector Plan, created during the Svarogite Rejuvenation, has resulted in a surface dominated by brutalist industrial cities which are connected by elevated magnetic rails designed to withstand the frigid temperatures of the planet, its frequent blizzards, and the omnipresent industrial pollution which is barely ameliorated by the presence of massive turbines in most cities intended to reduce air pollution by processing and filtering massive amounts of air. Svarogite skylines are dominated by row upon row of Galatean apartment blocks which can stretch dozens of stories into the air and are connected by an extensive network of underground rail lines referred to as the SWRH, or the Sector Internal Rail Network, which allows for easy transport between blocks without exposing oneself to the hazardous weather conditions of the surface. These blocks are not simply apartment buildings as their lower levels are home to a variety of small, often family-owned, businesses and establishments ranging from restaurants to photo studios to bookstores and more where Svarogites gather to socialize, shop, and relax. Beyond the apartment cities dwell massive centrally organized industrial parks which belch clouds of black smoke into the atmosphere as they fuel the Federation’s engines of progress while they pollute Svarog’s air.

Empyrean’s architecture bears resemblance to Svarog’s, with the same style of apartment blocks connected by underground rails linked to other communities, but its industrial zones feature markedly different structures due to Empyrean’s economy focusing on fuel and mining instead of the large-scale industrial production of Svarog. Where there are rows upon rows of smokestacks belching black smoke upon Svarog, on Empyrean there are vast chemical refineries where Helium-3 fuel is produced and great holes dug into its surface from where its mineral wealth is extracted for use in the industries of Svarog. Empyrean’s mines are massive structures which tunnel kilometers into the planet’s surface and provide the raw materials of the Galatean quest for innovation. The architects of these mines are, unlike the designers of other facilities, often half-degree holders who work as foremen or managers in these massive structures. The Federation, after all, places a strong emphasis on ensuring those who have the best knowledge of a situation are those who manage it, and who better knows a mine than the workers?

===Biological Augmentation===

Perhaps what the Technocracy is most known for in the 25th century, biological augmentation is common throughout Galatean society and almost all citizens of the Federation – and many resident-workers – feature a degree of augmentation, whether it is as simple as vision correction or as complicated as the extensive biological modifications provided to Galatean Federal Navy pilots which allow them to outperform their counterparts in other forces. Galatean bioaugmentations can be found outside of the Technocracy but are most prominent within its borders. For many Federation citizens, to receive and benefit from the Technocracy’s mastery of biological augmentation is seen as an act of patriotism, and non-augmented Galateans are often looked down upon by their counterparts as oddities at best and potential anti-Galatean elements at worst.

Bioaugmentation for a Galatean often begins before they are born, as many of the Federation’s native-born citizens are “born” in Technocracy facilities intended to replace more traditional methods. In these facilities researchers and staff affiliated with the biotechnology sector are able to monitor development and address genetic issues as they arise, and give a developing child any augmentations their parents or guardians may request – assuming one is able to pay for such. Once “born” genetic editing and tweaking often continues for these children well into their adulthoods, particularly for those children of researchers and other higher-ranking Galatean academics. Non-degreed Galateans, and its Worker-Residents, often seek out more utilitarian biological augmentations such as filters which allow them to breathe more easily upon Svarog or eye modifications which allow them to see more clearly in the often dim environment of Empyrean’s mineshafts. Those in the Federal military have their own class of augmentations which are rated military-grade and not permitted for exportation throughout the Spur.

As Galateans augment themselves further they acquire an unusual or otherwise atypical appearance which, though considered normal or even desirable in the Technocracy, makes them appear uncanny to many individuals from outside of the Federation. They will often have unusually pallid skin tones, sometimes appearing to be waxlike, and atypical eyes. Some Galatean eye-based biological augmentations, such as those used by the Federal Navy, turn eyes into a solid black designed to assist in acquiring more light. Some Galateans have unusual patterns in their skin as a result of their augmentations, or feature visible external ports which are utilized in cheaper and often more dated genetic editing techniques. Others rarely blink or breathe, having edited their eyes or reduced their necessary oxygen intake. The most visibly biologically augmented individuals in the Technocracy are arguably the pilots of the Galatean Federal Navy, particularly those of the small Hydrangea-class Multi-Role Attack Craft the Federal Navy relies upon in most engagements. Hydrangea pilots have standardized military augmentations which give them entirely black eyes – aside from a small, white pupil – designed to react faster than a typical human in any condition, skin criss-crossed with patterns designed to reinforce their skin against g-forces and low pressure, never blink as their eyes instead passively water themselves through the creation of a saline-like substance, and rarely breathe. Pilots generally have white, black, or gray hair – sometimes a mix of all three – as a result of these augmentations, and are entirely hairless aside from that on their head. These augmentations, due to their extensive nature, cannot be reversed. However, Hydrangea pilots are viewed as an elite within the military and are often lavished with benefits and rewards, with many having become major figures in the Technocracy’s interstellar avionics research fields.

===Dreams===

Galatean culture, across all levels of education, places a strong emphasis upon the subconscious or unconscious mind and its actions, believing that innovation can often strike when one is asleep. This presents itself as an emphasis upon dreams and what happens within them. Researchers in the field of biotechnology have observed that biologically augmented individuals often experience more vivid dreams, and that these dreams become more vivid as one is augmented further. While a Svarogite worker with throat bioaugmentations may only experience these occasionally, a Hydrangea pilot may experience vivid dreams in her sleeping hours and these can often be lucid enough for the dreamer to manipulate.

While none in the Federation currently understand the link between bioaugmentation and more vivid dreams, the citizens and residents of the Technocracy have long been interested in the analysis of their dreams and their potential meanings. Galateans commonly keep dream diaries and some innovations have allegedly come to Federation researchers in their dreams. Some researchers have attempted to reconstruct particularly notable dreams in virtual — or physical — reality, to varying degrees of accuracy and success.

===Language===

The Federal Technocracy, due to its status as a multi-planetary entity, is home to several major languages. The first and most common is a MfGC-regulated dialect known as '''Galatean Ministerial Common'''. An unusual dialect of Solarian Common, Ministerial Common was first standardized under the early Technocracy in the early 2300s. Efforts by the MfGC to eliminate “foreign” loanwords from Ministerial Common, such as those from Freespeak or Tau Ceti Basic, have resulted in it being a close linguistic equivalent to pre-Interstellar War Solarian Common, and many who hear the dialogue note it utilizes terms which have fallen out of common Solarian parlance. Out of contemporary dialects Ministerial Common perhaps most closely resembles Gadpathurian Common but possesses more regional sub-dialects due to the Federation’s less authoritarian government. Ministerial Common is further subdivided into Galatean Standard, the more common dialect which is found upon Galatea itself, and Tsukuyomian Standard, a more rare dialect found upon Galatea’s moon and typically associated with the Federal Navy.

On Svarog and Empyrean languages are less managed and more diversified due to the flow of immigrants into the industrial hubs of the Federation from the Coalition in the decades following the end of the Interstellar War. The resulting creole of Interstellar War-era Solarian Common and Freespeak from other areas of the Coalition is known as '''Federal Freespeak''', which is regarded by the MfGC as a second-tier language in the Federation: it is taught in schools, but it is not actively promoted in the way Ministerial Common is. Federation documents on Svarog and Empyrean such as propaganda posters are typically written in both Ministerial Common and Federal Freespeak. This dialect of Freespeak, due to its looser regulations, does have many Solarian Common loan words and varies between Svarog and Empyrean.

===Holidays===

'''New Year’s Day (January 1)''': The official start of the new year throughout human space, this holiday is generally a time of reflection for Galateans as they look back on the previous year while looking forward to the next.

'''Galatean New Year (Varies)''': The first day of the new lunisolar year, this holiday is a time of family celebrations and reunions. While the first day of the conventional new year is often a time of reflection, the first day of the lunisolar new year is instead a time of celebration and enjoyment where Galateans often celebrate the year’s accomplishments with their families.

'''Federation Workers’ Day (1 May)''': A celebration of the non-degreed residents and citizens of the Federation, Workers’ Day is roughly equivalent to May Day in the wider Spur. However, the Federation goes to great lengths to ensure Workers’ Day is a celebration of the fact that all Galateans work for a common goal, rather than a celebration of organized labor. To do so would be dangerously Himean, and encourage anti-Galatean ideals.

'''Graduation Day (14 May)''': A celebration of recent graduates from academies across the Federation, Graduation Day has long been a popular holiday in the Technocracy. It is often on this day that new degreed Galateans will enter their field of choice, having been previously selected by a research firm during their last semester of studying.

'''Federation Day (16 October)''': Perhaps the most important Galatean holiday, Federation Day celebrates the founding of the Federal Technocracy of Galatea. It is marked by celebrations across all four member-planets of the Federation and is considered a symbol of its continued unity.

'''Interstellar Peace Day (28 November)''': Another important holiday, Interstellar Peace Day celebrates the signing of the Treaty of Xansan and the end of the Interstellar War.

==Economics and Industries==
<center><i>“Our biotechnology surpasses anything else in the Orion Spur, President Sneijders, and it shall only grow stronger as the Federation continues to prosper!”</i> - Doctor Teofila Vecoli (2238 - 2358), Federation Representative to Xanu, during a discussion with All-Xanu Republic President Nicolaas Sneijders (15 January, 2311).</center>

The Federal Technocracy’s economy is one of the largest within the [[Coalition of Colonies|Coalition]], though it is not as large or diverse as [[Xanu Prime]]’s, and sits on the same industrial level as its rival, the [[Himeo|United Syndicates of Himeo]]. While Xanu Prime dominates in the shipping industry and Himeo dominates in mass industrial goods, the Federation’s niche is in exporting high-end technological goods and equipment across the Coalition and beyond. Its economy is dominated by three major sectors – biotechnology, interstellar avionics, and planetary engineering – which answer to the Research Triumvirate, and thus to the Chief Director. Researchers in the Federation tirelessly work to maintain a technological edge which allows the Galatean economy to excel and maintain an innovative edge over its competition, and the Technocracy prides itself on applying its motto – Innovation Without Fear – to all corners of its economy. From the mines of Empyrean to the research facilities of the Galatean countryside, all loyal workers in the Federation strive to continue the quest for innovation and retain its competitive edge.

The largest of the Federation’s three primary research and production sectors is its sprawling biotechnology concern. Established shortly after the start of the Interstellar War and responsible for many of the terraforming and bioaugmentation innovations which have allowed the Federation to grow and prosper in the modern Orion Spur, the biotechnology sector is prized above all others by the Chief Director and many in the Federation, and to work in it is a point of pride for many Galetean citizens and residents. The largest research firm in the biotechnology sector is the Biological Innovation Bureau, or BNG, which manages human bioaugmentation and developments associated with bioaugmentation. Similarly important is the Biological Diversification and Adaptation Bureau, or BDJeG, which is responsible for the management of the Federation’s practical terraforming technology. Biotechnology firms are most commonly located upon Galatea itself but can be found across the Federation, including upon its industrial worlds, and its researchers maintain several missions abroad to the Free System of Vysoka, where they both assist and research the native biosphere. Zeng-Hu Pharmaceuticals most commonly works with the biotechnology sector as their research areas are similar in nature to those of the keiretsu.

The second-largest of the sectors is its interstellar avionics concern. Though it dates to roughly the same era as the biotechnology sector the interstellar avionics industry only truly came into its own following the 2347 Gadpathurian Skirmish and the subsequent rapid expansion of the Galatean Federal Navy in response to findings by the Federation. This rapid armament created vast opportunities for growth in the then-small sector, which was at the time only involved in the production of research vessels and research stations in addition to the maintenance of the Federation’s surviving terraforming equipment, such as the Brahma mining laser and its Galatea platform. The largest firm within the interstellar avionics sector is the Interstellar Avionics Research Bureau, or IARG, which manages the Federation’s naval developments. The second-largest is the older Interstellar Engineering Bureau, or IIG, which manages the existing terraforming infrastructure of the Yggdrasil System and most stations in Federation space. The engineering researchers of the interstellar avionics sector occasionally find themselves employed or contracted to foreign entities to assist in research, or to learn what they can from foreign actors such as megacorporations. Interstellar avionics research facilities are most commonly found upon Tsuyukomi, where the Federation’s naval forces are based, but are often found in the Thalamus Research Station Network near Nüwa.

The smallest of the three sectors is the planetary engineering concern. The oldest of the three major sectors, it primarily relates to terrestrial engineering and production techniques. They are responsible for most of the industry upon Svarog and Empyrean and employ many non-degreed Technocracy citizens and residents to assist them in this work. By sheer number the planetary engineering sector is the second-largest and nearly as large as the biotechnology sector, but it lacks influence and voting power as many of its staff are non-degreed Galateans who do not have voting rights within the Federation. The largest research firm of this sector is the Planetary Reclamation and Development Bureau, or PRRG, which is responsible for the majority of the Federation’s engineering and production facilities on Svarog and Empyrean. The PRRG often works alongside the smaller Planetary Weapons Development Bureau, or PBCG, which manages equipment development for the Federation’s army and security services. Planetary engineering facilities are most commonly found upon Svarog and Empyrean, where they manage much of the mundane day-to-day operations of the Technocracy’s industries.

===Major Research Firms===

The Federal Technocracy’s research firms are massive, powerful entities essentially equivalent to major local corporations elsewhere in the Spur such as [[Xanu Prime]] or [[San Colette]]. Most have their roots in the desperate years of the Interstellar War, or in the early Federation era, and have grown as the Technocracy has prospered and spread its technology across the human Orion Spur. The age of these research firms, the Federation’s top-down control structure, and regulatory troubles with megacorporation involvement in the Alliance Neutral Zone have resulted in the Technocracy’s research firms holding more economic power in Galatean space than foreign corporations and megacorporations, the majority of which barely have footholds. While some deal with megacorporations the research firms of the Federal Technocracy most readily trade with the corporations of nearby Xanu Prime and often rely on Xansan-flagged vessels for shipping. They have significant power in the Yggdrasil System, but the influence of Galatean research firms often sharply drops outside of the Federation’s space due Xanu’s greater economic power.

Galatean research firms are led by Executive Researchers who in turn answer to the Research Triumvirate. Federation executive researchers are powerful and influential individuals who decide much of their firm’s day-to-day activities and have the power to stop projects they deem ineffective and reassign staff as necessary. They are responsible for ensuring the Federation retains its competitive edge and are often extensively biologically augmented to require less rest time than a baseline human, and some research executives have been known to work for weeks without resting to ensure the Federation maintains the best course towards the quest for progress. They typically have at least two degrees and are regarded as nearly infallible experts in their field, though they are always advised by other qualified experts.

====Biological Innovation Bureau (BNG) – ''"For the Future of Humanity."''====

The Biological Innovation Bureau, or BNG, is the single largest research firm in the modern Technocracy and dates to the Interstellar War-era Yggdrasil System, where it formed in 2285 as a research collective of the Yggdrasil Expedition. The BNG’s mission is to improve upon the natural capabilities of the human form and they are pioneering developers in the field of biotechnology, easily surpassing their rivals in House Vovlalaad in the Empire of Dominia. The BNG’s current objective is to continue innovating in the field of biotechnology and it is, within the Federation, the sole provider of the highest-quality bioaugmentations. It works with every entity within the Federation, from the mines of Empyrean to the Office of the Chief Director, and has dealings with Zeng-Hu Pharmaceuticals which have resulted in BNG employees being hired into the keiretsu as staff.

The BNG works alongside the Boelens & Vaeghts Chemical Corporation (B&V) to distribute its medical products throughout the Tuliprose Healthcare medical system, and it maintains a small research wing in Pataliputra on Xanu Prime where its researchers work alongside B&V staff, though most BNG research remains within the Technocracy itself and is concentrated upon Galatea proper. The BND is led by Research Executive Isold Mangjeol, a pioneering bioaugmentation researcher who contributed greatly to the augmentations utilized by modern Hydrangea-class pilots. Doctor Mangjeol is regarded by many as the fourth member of the Research Triumvirate due to the influence the BNG holds over the Federation.

====Biological Diversification and Adaptation Bureau (BDJeG) — ''“For the Future of Galatea."''====

The Biological Diversification and Adaptation Bureau, or BDJeG, is the second-largest research firm in the modern Technocracy and dates to the pre-Interstellar War era, having formed in 2272 to manage the terraforming of Galatea’s moon Tsukuyomi. The BDJeG is responsible for the terraforming which has made modern the modern Federation able to maintain its technological edge and is still involved in extensive ecological efforts across the modern Federation, where it is responsible for ensuring the continued ecological stability of the Federation’s fully terraformed member-planets: Galatea and its moon, Tsuyukomi. While terraforming technology is not readily exported by the Federation its management is critical within the Federation itself, and the BDJeG’s daily operations often relate to discovering methods through which the biospheres of the Federation’s member-planets can be further improved.

The BDJeG performed land reclamation work upon Xanu Prime in the years following the Interstellar War and had a relationship with CESAR-X even before it was privatized. It is the research firm most commonly associated with the Federation’s efforts on Vysoka, where BDJeG researchers are involved in agricultural and climate-related work. Due to the closely-guarded nature of the Galatea Platform, where much of the BDJeG is located, it has no permanent foreign branches. The BDJeG is led by Research Executive Reinald Fu, who is responsible for the design of pollution filtering stations utilized across Svarog.

====Interstellar Avionics Research Bureau (IARG) — ''“We Follow in Daedalus’ Footsteps.”''====

The Interstellar Avionics Research Bureau, IARG, is a large research firm which is responsible for the modern vessels and weaponry of the Galatean Federal Navy. It was founded in 2349, making it a fairly young research firm, through the conglomeration of several smaller naval research firms in response to the events of the 2347 Gadpathurian Skirmish and the 2349 Federation report which noted the Federal Navy would have likely lost the resulting engagement. Over the following century the IARG has worked to create and develop cutting-edge equipment for the Federal Galatean Navy such as the Hydrangea-class strike craft and the large Owl-class battlecarrier. Due to its work being considered sensitive to the Federation’s continued security the IARG is expressly forbidden from performing its research in facilities located outside of Galatean-controlled space.

While it is concentrated within the Yggdrasil System the IARG has a working relationship with the Xanu-based d.N.A. Defense & Aerospace but has refused to encourage the use of the d.N.A.-designed Shrike-class corvette over the IARG-designed Amaryillis-class corvette currently used by the Galatean Federal Navy. The IARG is led by Research Executive Ludwika Araki, a veteran of the Federal Navy and famous Hydrangea-class pilot prior to transitioning into her position at IARG.

====Interstellar Engineering Bureau (IIG) — ''“To Maintain Galatea’s Future.”''====

The Interstellar Engineering Bureau, or IIG, is a large firm which predates the IARG and is responsible for the construction and maintenance of stationary spaceborne and orbital facilities within the Yggdrasil system such as the orbital Helium-3 facilities of Empyrean, the Thalamus Research Station Network near Nüwa, and – most importantly – the Galatea platform above Galatea itself. Founded in 2268 by the chiefs of staff of the Brahma and Galatea platforms, the IIG has since expanded into its current role as the main constructor and maintainer of orbital platforms in the Yggdrasil System. Unlike its terraforming counterpart, the BDJeG, the IIG works outside of Galatean space and has built spaceborne facilities throughout the modern Coalition.

The IIG most often works alongside Xanu-based corporate entities such as the Markhor Interstellar Logistics Group, which it utilizes to move much of the construction materials built for its use upon Svarog to where they are needed in the wider Spur. It has been known to work with both Hephaestus Industries and Einstein Engines while abroad as both are more widespread than the IIG itself is. The current Research Executive of the IIG is Masayuki Cousineau, a resurveyed engineer from Tsukuyomi who has spent much of his career building facilities for the Federation’s scientific expeditions.

====Planetary Reclamation and Development Bureau (PRRG) — ''“Forging the Federation’s Future.”''====

The Planetary Reclamation and Development Bureau, PRRG, is the largest research firm in terms of total employment. However, a large amount of its staff are non-degreed Galateans and it employs a smaller number of degreed Galateans than the BND or BDJeG. Though the PRRG was originally founded in 2270 to manage construction efforts on Galatea it is most known in the modern Federation for its role in the Svarogite Rejuvenations and the associated Sector Plans, which saw the half-terraformed planet transformed into the major industrial hub it is today. The PRRG is also active on Empyrean, where it manages much of the planet’s Helium-3 industry. Due to its influence on Empyrean and Svarog the PRRG employs more non-degreed Galateans citizens and residents than any other research firm and often works alongside the MfGC to spread Galatean cultural ideals and propaganda to its staff.

The PRRG exports much of what it produces abroad to the broader Coalition and foreign nations such as the Solarian Alliance and Republic of Biesel, and is often seen as the public face of the Technocracy’s research firms in the broader Spur. Due to the massive amounts of goods it ships the PRRG frequently works with the Xanu-based Markhor Interstellar Logistics Group to ensure its finished goods are sent to where they will readily sell. It also works with Polaris Holdings to deliver goods to Xanu Prime itself which are sold in Polaris-owned retail establishments. The Research Executive of the PRRG is Wilfried Seonu, a Galatea-born researcher who has pioneered much of the PRRG’s post-Solarian Collapse trade policy.

====Planetary Weapons Development Bureau (PBCG) — ''“To Defend Galatea.”''====

The Planetary Weapons Development Bureau, or PBCG, is the smallest of the Federation’s major firms and was founded in 2349 shortly after the Gadpathurian Skirmish. It is considered a sister firm of the larger IARG due to its focus on ensuring the Galatean Federal Army has the best equipment available to it while the IARG focuses upon the Federal Navy. It is primarily based upon Svarog and Empyrean, where it has a ready environment to stress-test equipment in harsh circumstances, and is widely regarded as a pioneering force in the field of personal laser weaponry. Its most widely-known creation is the Mark 61 Infantry Laser Rifle, or O61 ILG, the current standard-issue rifle of the Federal Army.

Unlike the IARG the PBCG maintains a limited presence abroad, mostly upon Xanu Prime. It is a frequent collaborator with the Xanu-based d.N.A. Defense & Aerospace and is behind some of the laser weapons used by Chevauchée Asset Protection, d.N.A.’s private security contractor wing. Its current Research Executive is Wiktor Durant, a native of Svarog and a veteran of the Federal Army who is well-regarded by the Federal Army due to his veteran status and work with the BNG to create new combat bioaugmentations for the Army.

===Scientific Expeditions===

Managed by the Ministry of Exploration and Exploitation (MfEA), Galatea’s scientific expeditions into the [[The Orion Spur#Weeping Stars|Weeping Stars]] and the non-Coalition frontier regions once controlled by the Solarian Alliance are both a concern for many of its neighbors and a source of important technological relics for the Federation. The MfEA conducts these expeditions alongside the Federation’s research firms and its military, and they are utilized as both an opportunity by the IARG to “stress test” many of their latest innovations by pitting them against any who dare to oppose the Federation’s interest in what it officially describes as “decivilized space” beyond the borders of any major power in the Orion Spur. These scientific expeditions are primarily concerned with gathering information and relics from the pre-Interstellar War era of [[Sol Alliance History#2259: Apotheosis of Solarian Hegemony|Solarian hegemony]], when the Alliance controlled far more space than any contemporary human power and had the power to launch massive engineering programs such as the Galatea Project which created the foundation for the modern Technocracy.

These expeditions are led by an Expedition Director of the MfEA, who handles research matters, and a flag officer of the Federal Navy, who handles security matters. The Expedition Director, who is always a degreed Galatean of the MfEA, is given broad powers and a set of official documents which mark them as a representative of the Federation abroad who is able to make diplomatic decisions regarding individual free frontier planets as necessary to ensure the success of their expedition and the continued technological edge of the Federation in its research concerns. Expedition Directors are vetted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MfAA) to ensure they will attempt to minimize any political fallout from their actions during an expedition. The MfEA’s scientific expeditions have a reputation abroad for their willingness to go to any length to ensure their expeditions are successful, and many Expedition Directors view the welfare of a single planet of the free frontier as irrelevant when compared to the continuous Galatean quest for innovation. Gadpathur has repeatedly protested the extensive powers given to MfEA Expedition Directors but the Federation has refused to curtail the power of its expeditions to act independently. Some Expedition Directors are known to become quite flamboyant and their escapades often appear in Galatean mass media within the Federal Technocracy.

MfEA scientific expeditions are key to ensuring the Federation has the ability to utilize and maintain its antiquated terraforming equipment which dates back to the prewar era, such as its Galatea Platform. Perhaps the last of its kind in the Orion Spur which remains functional, the Federation places a great emphasis upon maintaining its continued operational state and ensuring the Brahma mining platform which fuels it when it is operational – another relic of the pre-Interstellar War Alliance – can be utilized when it is needed. The fragile state of the Technocracy’s pre-Interstellar War terraforming equipment and the massive amounts of resources which must be expended to properly utilize them ensure the Federation’s still-functional Galatea Platform is, in reality, rarely used and was last utilized on a large scale to terraform Tsukuyomi during the Interstellar War.

The Federation’s scientific expeditions are large ventures which can be away from the Yggdrasil System for multiple years at a time and consist of a multitude of vessels ranging from unarmed scientific craft to the intimidating Owl-class battlecarrier – the largest warship utilized by the modern Federal Navy. These research flotillas can be found throughout the Weeping Stars and the non-Coalition frontier regions near the modern Coalition, and are large enough that most do not interfere with them. Those who do will quickly find themselves at the mercy of the Federal Navy as they are swarmed by Hydrangea-class fighters, one of the enduring symbols of Galatean naval power in the non-Coalition frontier.

==Federation Member States==
<center><i>“WARNING! Do NOT exit this door without wearing protective equipment! Temperature conditions outside are below acceptable hazard levels for unmodified humans! '''BEING UNPREPARED CAN COST YOU YOUR LIFE!'''”</i> - Galatean hazard warning poster seen on the exterior doors of many Svarog facilities.</center>

Per its foundational documents the Federal Technocracy of Galatea is a federation of four member-planets — Galatea, Tsukuyomi, Svarog, and Empyrean — under one technocratic government. The planets of the Federation are not independent states and are essentially administrative subdivisions of the broader Technocracy, which is primarily based upon Galatea proper. Due to the Federation’s unusual system of determining votes some member-planets have much more sway than others, but a massive amount of what the Federation refers to as welfare-propaganda ensures all four member-planets work together towards the common goal of scientific excellence in all things. If one member-planet fell out of lockstep the Federation would be greatly endangered and weakened, and much of its propaganda efforts are aimed at preventing such.

===Galatea===
[[File:Galatea.png|The planetary flag of Galatea.|thumb]]
The most populated of the Federation’s two fully terraformed member-planets, Galatea is the Technocracy’s crown jewel. It is the only known true planet to be successfully fully terraformed during the course of the Galatea Project from which it derives its name. It is a verdant world which is covered in carefully planned cities of the future which have been engineered to have the minimum impact upon its pristine environment – a dedication which has resulted in the current state of Svarog. Galatea’s environment is earthlike by design and divided between three major continents: the verdant Arkadien, its largest, and Gojoseon, its second largest, and the frigid Kvenland in its far north. The majority of its surface, roughly 73%, is covered in water

Arkadien is home to several major cities of the future including its planetary capital of '''Lintukoto''', located along Akadien’s eastern coast in a temperate forest region. Lintukoto is home to many of the ministerial facilities which ensure the Federation’s continued success and is the location of the prestigious Sachiko Amaya Institute of Biotechnology, the most elite higher education institution within the biotechnology sector. Arkadien’s north is home to tundra and boreal forests which gradually transition into temperate forests and grasslands where the majority of its population can be found. As one proceeds southwards through Arkadien they will eventually reach the savannah regions of the continent which are home to many research facilities and smaller cities of the future which are not nearly as large as Lintukoto. The continent is bisected by Galatea’s single longest river, the Okeanos River, which stretches from Lintukoto in the east to Gyeongsang in the west. Gyeongsang, Arkadien’s second-largest city of the future, is home to the continent’s only space elevator and is the location from which much of Arkadien’s off-world travel is performed.

Across the Hvergelmir Ocean from Arkadien is the smaller continent of Gojoseon, which features a similarly temperate climate to Arkadien though its interior is notably dry and mountainous. The largest city of the future on Gojoseon is the settlement of '''Jeolla''' along its western coastline. Jeolla is an atypical city of the future due to being built in a large river delta known as the Gjöll Delta, the terminus of the Gjöll River which runs from Gojoseon’s mountainous interior to its coast. A great amount of Jeolla is built on elevated platforms above the delta which are connected by rail lines and can be raised or lowered to avoid the seasonal floods of the Gjöll. Jeolla is home to the Gojoseon Engineering Research Institution, the most prestigious planetary engineering higher education institution within the Federation. Much of Gojoseon is unpopulated and the continent is instead reserved for research purposes or the work of the Federation’s multitude of research firms. Many tourists who come to Galatea come to see the environment of Gojoseon, which is regarded by many biologists in the Spur as the nearest living equivalent to pre-industrial Earth.

Unpopulated aside from research facilities, the northern continent of Kvenland is dominated by arctic deserts and vast ice sheets which are hostile to human habitation due to the lack of easily-consumable water, freezing temperatures, and harsh winds which will quickly turn exposed limbs frostbitten unless one is properly prepared. Regions of Kvenland are utilized by Galatean researchers to prepare equipment for use upon Empyrean, which is similarly frigid, or on planets with harsh atmospheric conditions. Kvenland is the only continent on Galatea where automotive vehicles are widely used as the environment is too harsh and too underpopulated to reasonably justify the expansion of its rail networks.

Private automobiles are essentially unheard of upon Galatea aside from on Kvenland and travel between its cities of the future, and to its research facilities, is done via extensive rail networks which criss-cross the interior of its continents while minimizing the environmental impact of travel by Galateans. The Federation symbol associated with Galatea is an inverted triangle which is most often colored forest green. This symbol is commonly seen on Galatean facilities and equipment, such as the collar tabs of Technocracy researchers from the planet.

===Tsukuyomi===
[[File:Tsukuyomi.png|The planetary flag of Tsukuyomi.|thumb]]
Galatea’s only natural satellite, Tsukuyomi is roughly one-third of the size of Galatea proper, making it larger than [[Luna]], and is home to cities of the future similar to those present upon Galatea proper. Tsukuyomi is the heart of the Federation’s modern military and is home to the Federal Navy and Federal Army’s headquarters and much of the research facilities and educational institutions associated with the continued functional operation of the Federation’s military. Tsukuyomi is home to only one continent, Mu, which is surrounded by the Ryūgū-jō Sea. Roughly 80% of the moon’s surface is covered by water. Mu is home to a generally temperate climate which is comparable to that of Arkadien on Galatea but is more densely populated than its counterpart, with much of its coastline occupied by cities of the future and its interior dotted by research facilities which ensure the Federal military maintains its cutting edge. Access to Tsukuyomi is heavily restricted by the Federation due to security concerns regarding its military assets, and few non-native Galateans will ever set foot upon its surface for more than a few hours. Residents of Tsukuyomi are known as Tsukuyomian Galateans or simply as Tsukuyomians.

The planetary capital of Tsukuyomi is the combined city of the future and naval facility of Cantref Gwaelod, where the Federation’s contemporary military is based. Though similar in design to Galatean cities of the future such as Jeolla much of '''Cantref Gwaelod''' is restricted by the Federation’s security services, which have a significant presence across Tsukuyomi. The natural environment of Mu outside of its cities of the future is similar in nature to 22nd-century Earth and the continent is well regarded for its natural beauty, with its coastal regions transitioning gently into rolling hills which eventually open into vast interior grasslands home to a multitude of research facilities. The center of the continent is dominated by a large inland body of water known as Lake Parime. Along the lake’s shores is '''Ketumati''', a city of the future home to the Tsukuyomian Institute of Interstellar Avionics Research, the most prestigious institution of higher learning in the interstellar avionics sector. Ketumati is connected to Cantref Gwaelod by a long rail line which runs along the Vaitarna River and opens into the Ryūgū-jō Sea.

While Galatea proper is represented by an inverted triangle, Tsukuyomi is represented by a non-inverted triangle which is generally a dull gold color. This symbol is commonly associated with the Federal military and appears on the collar tabs of both researchers from Tsukuyomi and Galatean military personnel. Across the Federation a red version of the Tsukuyomian triangle with the text “NO ACCESS” written across it in Ministerial Common is utilized to note that entrance into an area is restricted for security purposes.

===Svarog===
[[File:Svarog.png|The planetary flag of Svarog.|thumb]]
Svarog, the third planet terraformed by the Federation and the only not fully terraformed, is not known for its striking natural beauty. The partially-terraformed surface of Svarog is cold and barren of most natural life aside from a native biosphere consisting of hardy, small mammals and small scrublike brush, and is heavily polluted due to decades of heavy industrialization. The air on Svarog is hazardous to breathe for non-bioaugmented humans and even bioaugmented humans wear gas masks or respirators when working outside in its cold environments. Instead of cities of the future the settlements upon Svarog are organized into what the Federation refers to as the Sector Plan: a centrally-planned technocratic design dating to 2365 which is intended to ensure Svarog’s economy is as efficient as possible regardless of the cost to the planet’s environment. When compared to Galatea proper Svarog is slightly larger but a smaller portion of its surface is covered in water, and this water is often frozen over during most of the year.

The frozen nature of Svarog’s surface and the Sector Plan have resulted in the planet having no true continents and it is instead divided into two regions, Svarog North and Svarog South, which are divided by the planet’s equator. These regions are further divided into 26 Sectors each, one for each non-accented letter of the Ministerial Common alphabet, to encourage further efficiency and allow for easy identification. Residents of these sectors give them nicknames, but the Federation refers to them with names such as Svarog North Sector R or Svarog South Sector K.

While the cities of the future are designed to be works of art which best represent the Federation’s desire to improve humanity through knowledge, the Svarogite sectors are the best representation of the Galatean obsession with maximizing efficiency and productivity. They are often ugly to the eye and their air is choked with industrial pollution which one must receive bioaugmentations to endure, but the Sector Plan ensures Svarog is one of the most productive industrial worlds in the Coalition of Colonies and is able to rival the output of the Federation’s nearby rival, the United Syndicates of Himeo. Svarogite sectors are further divided into industrial and residential zones which are connected by magnetic rail lines perched high elevated high enough to avoid the snowdrifts which define the unpopulated areas of the planet. While Svarog is often barren and ugly the massive apartment blocks in which its residents, the vast majority non-degreed citizens or residents of the Federation, reside are full of life and centers of activity at all times of the day and night as workers leave and return, heading to and from work in nearby factories. These apartment blocks are further connected by a massive network of underground rail lines known as the Sector Internal Rail Network, or SWRH, which further encourages Svarogite commerce and social life.

Despite its oppressive climate Svarog is the only location in the Yggdrasil System where foreign corporations are permitted to purchase land for development, with the condition that the development will benefit Svarog and its climate. The largest non-Coalition owner of land on Svarog is Zeng-Hu Pharmaceuticals, though its staff are often not eager to be assigned to one of its Svarogite facilities due to the living conditions of the planet. Aside from Zeng-Hu, corporations from Xanu Prime such as the Boelens & Vaeghts Chemical Corporation and Markhor Interstellar Logistics Group operate branch offices on Svarog. Svarog is officially represented by an inverted pentagon which is often colored red to represent the planet’s industrial nature. The Svarogite pentagon is stamped onto all products made on the planet and features the text “FEDERATION QUALITY CERTIFIED” in the pentagon itself to indicate it has passed a quality inspection check by the Federation. The symbol, like others, appears on the collar tabs of researchers associated with the planet.

===Empyrean===
[[File:Empyrean.png|The planetary flag of Empyrean.|thumb]]
The most distant Member-Planet, Empyrean was the only world in the Yggdrasil System naturally habitable when the Yggdrasil Expedition arrived. It is a difficult planet to live upon despite the Federation’s best efforts and is the least populated Member-Planet of the modern Federation, but serves a vital economic role as the center of its mining and Helium-3 processing industry. While roughly the same size as Galatea it has no true bodies of water to speak of due to frigid surface temperatures which are roughly equivalent to Earth’s Arctic Circle. Empyrean has no native life beyond a microbial scale and activities on its surface are practically impossible without safety equipment such as EVA suits or extreme cold weather clothing. While the planet’s atmosphere is breathable it is often uncomfortable to breathe Empyrean’s air without a filter due to the planet’s extreme temperatures.

Settlements on Empyrean are similar to Svarogite structures as constructing settlements in the style of the cities of the future is impractical upon its frigid surface. Efficiently-constructed apartment blocks and industrial facilities connected by underground rail lines are the most common structures on Empyrean and almost no rail lines are built aboveground due to the hazardous nature of surface travel on the planet even while inside of a railcar – a situation similar to Himeo, though any Empyrean would be insulted to be compared to the syndicalist planet. Empyrean’s cities have grown and expanded in a more natural manner when compared to Svarog as the planet has had no equivalent to the Svarogite Sector Plan due to its major industry, mining, being based upon where minerals are located rather than in a manner designed to ensure the maximum level of efficiency. The largest city on Empyrean, '''Opona''', is the center of its Helium-3 refining industry and a common first destination for merchant vessels entering into the Yggdrasil System due to its large port facilities. Much of the raw Helium-3 which comes to Opona for processing is originally mined in the Outer Yggdrasil Belt by Federation-affiliated miners before being brought to one of Empyrean’s orbital facilities for initial processing and then sent to Opona for final refining. Opona itself is an unusual city which is partially underground, as building aboveground is often dangerous on Empyrean, and linked together by a complicated underground rail network.

Empyrean’s other major industry is mining, and it provides the majority of the raw materials utilized on Svarog from its mineral-rich crust. These mining facilities can be massive and stretch kilometers into the surface, sometimes requiring a day or more to traverse to the bottom of the deepest mines safely. The mining industry employs the majority of Empyrean’s non-degreed population and operates around the clock to ensure the Federation receives the materials it requires to keep the engines of progress fueled and operational. The largest of these mines, '''Federal Mining Facility E-32''', is nicknamed '''Nav''' and is located almost exactly opposite of Opona if one were to draw a line through the planet. Built around a massive central facility, Nav stretches several kilometers into the surface and has been mined almost continuously since the arrival of the Yggdrasil Expedition. The upper levels of the mine are effectively a small city which exists to support the mines lower levels and are home to architecture similar to Opona, and some residents of Nav joke that they will eventually mine a straight path through the planet to Opona. Nav was the center of the Empyrean Unrest of the 2330s which resulted in the creation of the modern welfare-propaganda state.

==Military==
<center><i>“Serve the Federation! See the Stars! Fight for humanity’s future!”</i> - Common Galatean Federal Navy recruitment poster typically seen on Svarog and Empyrean.</center>

The primary defensive force of the Federal Technocracy is the '''Federal Galatean Military'''. It consists of two branches: the Federal Galatean Navy, or Federal Navy, and the Federal Galatean Army, or Federal Army, with both branches having a reputation for professionalism abroad. They trace their origins to the early Federation and are smaller than most Coalition forces, but maintain a high degree of professionalism and utilize the best weapons the Federation can develop. Galatean troops are always fitted with some degree of bioaugmentation and this, their advanced equipment, and extensive training give them an edge over more numerous opponents. These combat bioagumentations are restricted to use by the Federal military and mostly classified by the Technocracy. Stories of Galatean soldiers with self-healing wounds, the ability to see in the dark, and the ability to react faster than any normal human are common across the Coalition and throughout the non-Coalition frontier. All Galatean troops are professional soldiers, as the Federation operates no reserve branch, and many of them are hopeful applicants for its citizenship process. The Federation has no draft and relies entirely upon volunteers from its population. It is the only human military in the Orion Spur which uses mostly energy weaponry rather than ballistics in both branches, citing its mastery of biotechnology and weapons science more generally as enough to overcome the logistical challenges posed by such a choice.

In the modern era the primary role of the Federal military, particularly its Navy, is to defend the numerous MfEA expeditions organized into the less-charted regions of the Orion Spur such as the former Solarian frontier sectors and the more remote regions of the modern Weeping Stars, which remain littered with abandoned relics from the Alliance’s golden age. The unstated objective of the Federal military is to engage and solidly defeat the Federation’s most likely opponent in conflict: [[Gadpathur]]. Long regarded by the Technocracy as both a nuisance and a potential threat, Gadpathur’s anti-Solarian inclinations and militarism have long been a major concern for the Technocracy — particularly with its recent behavior towards [[Konyang]] and the [[The Orion Spur#Northern Reaches|Northern Reaches]].

All Technocracy military forces are ultimately overseen by the Ministry of the Federal Military (MfWF) and are expected, as all Galateans are, to be unfailingly loyal to the Federation.

===The Federal Navy===

The Federal Navy is the larger of the two branches and receives more of the MfWF’s budget as a result of a Galatean doctrinal belief that a conflict not won in space combat will simply never be won at all. Based upon Galatea’s moon of Tsukuyomi and primarily operating out of the naval facility at Cantref Gwaelod, the Federal Navy is a vehicle through which the Technocracy projects its influence across the Weeping Stars as part of its ongoing efforts to secure technological artifacts from across the region once valued highly by the Alliance. To do so the Navy will almost always accompany MfEA expeditions sent to secure the Weeping Stars, and beyond, to ensure the Federation’s scientists are not threatened. The Federal Navy’s most recent engagement was the Coalition’s joint anti-piracy efforts throughout the 2450s, where the Fleet conducted itself quite well — if in a manner antagonistic towards Gadpathur.

Though primarily an anti-piracy force the Federal Navy’s intended if unstated objective in the eyes of the Technocracy is to engage and resoundingly defeat its primary rival in the Coalition: Gadpathur. The Federation and Technocracy have, since the 2200s, been at odds with one another and rhetoric nearly devolved to open warfare in the mid 2300s. The Technocracy’s experts reviewed the situation and determined the Federal Navy would have, at the time of the Gadpathurian Skirmish, lost. In the following years it rapidly modernized and has now established a reputation as the most cutting-edge naval force in the Coalition, even if one of the smallest.

Many Federal Navy officers are drawn from the Federation’s Gadpathuri population, which is concentrated upon Tsukuyomi. Viewed as exiles and traitors who fled Gadpathur during its hour of greatest need by the current government of Gadpathur, many Gadpathuri are descended from Gadpathur system defense force personnel who survived Terrence Hopper’s bombardment and made their way to Galatea. These descendants view themselves as carrying on the legacy of their precursors through service in the Federal Navy. Many of its enlisted sailors are drawn from the populations of Svarog and Empyrean, and are often hopeful applicants for Galatean citizenship. However, many full Federation citizens from both of its industrial worlds enlist in the Federal Navy for a variety of reasons — some out of a desire for adventure, others out of discontent with their lives and careers in the Federation’s heavy industries. Federal Navy officers are known throughout the Coalition for their distinctive uniforms — green with gold highlights and their rank upon a high collar — and their often nearly entirely black eyes which are intended to allow them to see more readily in low-light conditions.

The Federal Navy is the only human fighting force in the modern Orion Spur which utilizes energy weaponry as its main armament. Its sailors are often biologically augmented to endure g-force, depressurization, and to react more quickly than baseline humans. Doctrinally the Federal Navy places a heavy emphasis upon the use of its famous fighter aircraft, the agile Hydrangea-class Multi-Role Attack Craft. All Federal Navy craft, from the Owl-class battlecarrier to the Amaryllis-class corvette, can launch some amount of Hydrangeas. The use of these craft — whose pilots must be extensively biologically augmented to withstand the force it can place upon its pilots through its rapid maneuvers — gives the Federal Navy the ability to strike far above its weight in naval engagements. Hydrangea pilots are viewed as the elite of the Federal Navy and often retire to prestigious positions within the interstellar avionics sector. The Federal Navy’s warship-strike craft coordination has been used to great success in its scientific expeditions and is how it intends to combat ships larger than its Owl-class battlecarrier, the Federal Navy’s largest warship.

===The Federal Army===

The smaller of the military’s two branches, the Galatean Federal Army receives less MfWF funding due to a doctrinal belief that any serious engagement will be fought and won — or lost — by the Navy. The Army is based upon Galatea’s moon of Tsukuyomi and operates out of facilities in Cantref Gwaelod which are situated close to their Navy counterparts. While the Navy serves to maintain and promote Galatean interests across the Weeping Stars, the Army’s purpose is to provide security for its research expeditions and facilities within the Yggdrasil System. They also possess specialized units which serve as boarding personnel for the Federal Navy. Where the Navy goes, the Army typically accompanies it to serve as an on-the-ground element for either expeditions or anti-piracy operations.

The Army is not intended for a large-scale ground operation against the Federation’s rival, Gadpathur, as the hazardous environment of the planet and its fanatical militarized population makes any theoretical operation there dangerously impractical at best and impossible at worst. However, the Army is intended to reliably engage and defeat Gadpathurian troops encountered abroad attempting to harass or otherwise disrupt Galatean expeditions or scientific ventures. Most Army personnel are recruited from the non-degreed or non-citizen populations of the Technocracy, but many of its officers are drawn from the degreed population — particularly those involved in the planetary engineering field.

To ensure the Federal Army retains its competitive edge the Technocracy has spared no expense in arming and equipping it with the most modern weapons, armor, and biological augmentations. Galatean soldiers, while not numerous, are augmented to react faster, endure more, and fight more efficiently than their baseline human counterparts. Soldiers of the Federal Army are typically armed with energy weaponry — a rarity in the Orion Spur — and utilize the Mark 61 Infantry Laser Rifle, or O61 ILG, as their standard-issue rifle. A creation of the Planetary Weapons Development Bureau, the O61 is a cutting-edge laser rifle which draws power from a small pack on the user’s lower back which is roughly the size of a common satchel. This pack draws its charge from the wearer’s latent electrical charge — which Federal Army troops are augmented to produce more of — to supply power to the O61. Using an O61 without the proper electricity-production bioaugmentation will result in the user being painfully shocked and likely placed into a state of torpor as the rifle draws more electricity from their system than they can reasonably produce.

{{Navbox Human Lore}}
{{Navbox Lore}}

[[Category:Factions]]
[[Category:Pages]]
[[Category:Humanity]]

Lore Staff Guidelines

2024-01-04T13:52:19Z

MattAtlas: remove the defunct rule on the deputy loremaster handling the lore master's breaches of conduct

== General Guidelines ==
* '''All members of lore team are expected to be active.''' Activity requirements are to be met in a composite of interaction with the community and fellow staff on discord, the forums, or the server. Large lapses of on-server play may be forgiven if there is a sufficient amount of lore writing and community interaction. Inactivity is determined at the discretion of lore team administration, however unless a team member has ghosted from server play for months of time and has not maintained any significant community or team interaction, a member will generally be considered active enough.
* '''All leaves must be preceded with prior notice to lore team administration and the lore team.''' If a team member is going on leave they must notify the lore team, as well as ping or private message lore team administration with notice. Explanations for going on leave are not required, however a general estimate on when a leave is ending must be provided if available. If a lore writer goes on leave their duties are handled by lore team management unless otherwise delegated to relevant lore deputies. If the loremaster goes on leave, the deputy loremaster will assume the duties of lore team management in their absence.
* When submitting content to the wiki, '''you are still bound to the [[Wiki Staff Guidelines]].'''

== Whitelist Management ==

=== Granting a Whitelist ===
Whitelists may only be granted following a whitelist application process, unless special permission for a specific case has been granted by lore team administration. However, lore team administration may never grant itself special permission to dispense whitelists, even in the case of a lore writer vacancy.

=== Processing Whitelist Applications ===

Discretion on whether to accept or deny a whitelist application rests with the writer for the relevant lore department. Applications may be accepted or denied entirely at a writer’s discretion. For best results, a lore writer should carefully check the application against any relevant wiki pages and take feedback in an application thread into consideration. A race’s main wiki page should contain all of the relevant core content required for a whitelist application. If an application has any work which contradicts other wiki pages under the care of a lore department, the applicant should be worked with to bring their application in line with the overall lore instead of denied outright. Once an application is accepted or denied, a tag should be edited into the title saying either [Accepted] or [Denied]. The thread must then be locked and moved into the whitelist applications archives.

After an application is accepted, in order to grant the whitelist you must log into the web interface at https://byond.aurorastation.org/ and search for their ckey in the players category under the admin tab. Once you have found their profile on the web interface, click the “add whitelist” button next to the relevant whitelist. A general best practice is to discuss the contents of an application with the applicant and provide the opportunity to correct for any discrepancies before making a decision. An application must stand for a minimum of 24 hours before a ruling on the application can be made. This is in order to provide time for feedback to be posted on the application. An application must receive input from the relevant lore writer within 72 hours. If you need more time you must say so in the thread along with a tentative self-imposed deadline on when a decision can be expected. Discussing the application and any possible issues with the applicant, demonstrating active engagement with the application, provides flexibility to the deadline by which the application must be decided on. If no input from the relevant lore writer is forthcoming after 72 hours, the applicant may reach out to lore team administration.

Multiple requests will be issued to the relevant lore writer until they do something about the application. Failure to handle the application will result in lore team management handling the application at their own discretion. The results of an application being handled at lore team management’s discretion is that the decision cannot be grounds for reversal and whitelist granting or stripping. The decision is final and the whitelist can only be stripped through violation of whitelist expectations over the course of play, or granted through another application. In the absence of a lore writer in a lore department, the lore team administration must handle the whitelist applications or delegate it to a relevant lore department deputy.

Applications that find themselves being denied due to administrative actions, lack of display of the knowledge of a species’ lore, or any other reason must wait a certain amount of time before applying, chosen by respective species' Lore Writers from the following: three days, a week, two weeks, a month, and two months. The initial denial of an application cannot be extended beyond two months. It must be reapplied upon the denial of the reapplication should behaviour not have improved, or not displaying adequate knowledge of the species’ lore to the expectations of the species’ respective Lore Writers. It is within the jurisdiction of the species’ respective Lore Writers to set additional requirements for reapplication, outside of the prescribed time constraints. A species’ Lore Writers may deny an application due to information that has remained confidential to the wide public. In such cases, the specific behaviours which should be improved should be discussed in private, if they can be improved upon. If a player believes they are being denied for unfair reasons, they are entitled to lodge a staff complaint against the denying staff member(s). If a time constraint regarding reapplication was issued by a Lore Writer that is no longer on the Lore Team, it will persist until the allocated time constraint has been completed.

=== Stripping Whitelists ===

Whitelists are for managing the quality of roleplay of whitelisted races. If the quality of roleplay a whitelisted player engages in is contradictory to the lore of the whitelisted race, or demonstrates a lack of understanding for the whitelisted race’s lore, their whitelist may be stripped. To remove a whitelist log onto the web interface at https://byond.aurorastation.org/ and search for their profile in the players category through the admin tab. Once you have found their profile, click the “remove whitelist” button next to the relevant whitelist. For a best practice, a whitelist must never be stripped without good reason. Warnings should be issued prior to stripping a whitelist to allow for correction in their behavior. The amount of warnings before stripping a whitelist is at the discretion of the relevant lore writer. Keep a log of warnings issued to whitelisted players for accountability to lore team administration. For conduct which is especially egregious, a whitelist may be stripped without prior warning. For proper guidance on handling whitelist management, consult lore team management when unsure. Stripping whitelists without appropriate cause may result in disciplinary action. However, lore team administration should be lenient and handle these situations on a case to case basis.

== News Articles ==

There are a variety of news organizations in the galactic news database on the forums. Articles are an important feature of living lore and let us tell stories and arcs in real time by providing everyone with in character news updates from around the setting. These serve as important storytelling tools which the whole server can read. When writing an article, the content of a news article can be anything from war reports, political and economic drama, sports news, advances in technology, or even dramatic retellings of events that occurred on the server. While the writing can be just about anything a writer chooses, here’s a few key things to keep in mind when writing an article.

'''1. Only write articles for news agencies which are under the jurisdiction of your lore department.''' If you are a deputy, make sure your direct superior approves of your article before posting it. If you are writing an article which is under the jurisdiction of another team, first get their approval before posting your article. '''EXCEPTION:''' Mendell City and Tau Ceti based channels are a common area for the whole lore team. However, any articles submitted to these channels must be reviewed by lore team administration.

'''2. Respect the formatting and voice of the news channel you are writing for.''' Most of the news channels in the galactic news database have a specific formatting and bias associated with them. If a channel has a header in all of its articles, include it. If it's formatted in a specific way from dates and times to spacing or even font, use that as well. If the channel is biased or written in a certain way, maintain consistency by keeping that same “voice.” While these can and have changed over time, it should be done with careful consideration, and should never be done by deputies or other departments without the approval of the relevant lore writer.

'''3. Never use news articles as a vehicle for retcons.''' When writing an article, make sure to carefully read any relevant previous articles to ensure retcons or contradictions do not occur. Articles are the highest visibility form of lore writing off-server, and contradicting previous articles may cause great confusion with the news reading community.

'''4. Coordinate with relevant writers when writing your articles.''' If you article prominently features another department’s race, you must gain their approval before posting your article. This is to ensure that their race is portrayed appropriately and consistently with that writer’s canon and does not contain contradictions. In general, you want to coordinate with any interested lore team members as much as possible using the coordination channels. This way you can gather as much feedback as possible and improve the consistency of our lore. When articles consist of large arcs or major changes to the setting, you must get the approval of lore team administration before posting it. Examples of these would be starting wars, major changes in international politics and trade, changes in national leadership, the larger galactic economy, or the destruction of major planets.

'''5. All edits, changes, or deletion of past articles must be approved by Lore Team Management.''' This is important for quality control. If previous articles must be tampered with or even archived and removed from circulation to facilitate changes to lore, they must be approved by lore team administration as an important check for the far reaching consequences it may have on our shared lore setting.

'''6. Lore Team Management reserves the right to curate lore in news articles.''' This means if you post an article which contradicts one of the above points, or otherwise is deemed unacceptable to the direction of the server’s lore, the loremasters reserve the right to edit, modify, retcon, or even delete any violating articles. All relevant writers will be notified and in the case of deletion or retcon, an announcement will be made to the community. If the writer displays malicious intent in violating the rules when posting such an article, disciplinary action may be taken. However, if it is the result of an unintentional creative difference, no disciplinary action will be taken.

=== How To Recton News Articles ===

Over the course of years of lore development older articles become defunct in their nature. Whether they are forgotten and new lore which directly contradicts them is made, or they become incompatible with changes in lore over time, the need to remove old articles crops up. Follow the Major Retcons guide and rules in the Wiki Development section of these rules and regulations in order to have retconned news articles archived. All articles that are archived will be announced to the community and a description of why it was no longer canon will be affixed to the article in the archive.

== Major Retcons ==
In order to formalize a review process for retcons in our lore, all major retcons must first have a feedback thread on the lore staff forum for the duration of no less than 72 hours and no more than one week before it may be implemented. These feedback threads will then be announced to the lore team where they will be allowed to input criticisms, praises, and suggestions. After one week, the Lore Master will then have to choose if the retcon will go into effect. If the Lore Master is unsure about their decision, or if suggestions in the threads are determined to be necessary and may take some time to include, the Lore Master may delay the decision by a maximum of 72 hours, unless the lore developer making the proposal requests more time to make changes based on suggestions. No major retcons may take effect until this process has been completed and the Lore Master has agreed to implement the proposed changes.

A major retcon is defined as moderate to large changes in pre-existing lore, such as species rewrites, history reworks, deletion or removal of existing content, or any significant reworking of lore-based wiki pages.

The following '''does not''' qualify as a major retcon: Spelling corrections, formatting changes, general corrections to syntax or grammar, rewording the same sentences, any new lore additions which do not intentionally contradict pre-existing lore, corrections to mistakes such as wrong dates or names, small changes which have minimal impact on the overall culture and narrative of its field in our lore.

If the Lore Master feels a major retcon may require wider community input, the Lore Master may bring the proposed retcon to the public for feedback within this one week window, either on the forums or one of the official discords.

If you are unsure if a retcon would be a minor or major retcon, or if it would need this review process, '''ask the Lore Master''' or Lore Master Deputy. Always inform the loremaster before posting a retcon feedback thread to the forums. Although the Lore Master must be informed and has discretion if a major retcon may take effect, the Lore Master may not refuse to allow a lore developer from beginning the major retcon feedback process.

== Event Rules and Regulations ==
The following section is both a guide on how to do events and the rules and regulations that surround them. It is important for all lore staff to be aware of these requirements.

=== Mini-Events and Arcs ===
Before going further, it is necessary to cite the differences in Mini-Events, and Actual Events, as well as their associated arcs, as they have two separate sets of rules and regulations.

'''Mini Events can be defined as the following:'''
An event, or set of events, that while potentially canon, has little to no impact on the setting at large, run with already available assets, or assets that can be created by one person within the timeframe of a week. Their impact is mostly focused on player characters, and aftershocks are generally limited to the SCCV Horizon, or another limited area the event takes place in, such as a space station being visited. No spur-shattering moments, instead being built around more mundane things, that could be seen as day-to-day in the Orion Spur. The overarching objective being to create an environment where players can develop their characters by reacting to everyday canonical situations as they occur, which they might not have been able to do as effectively without a staff-planned event.

This differs from actual events and their arcs, which are much wider in scope in both lore impact and development time.

==== Mini-Event Rules and Regulations ====
* Mini-Events, and their arcs, must be properly documented on the forums in the form of a calendar post, made following [https://forums.aurorastation.org/topic/11560-how-to-events/#comment-110842 Arrow’s Guidelines]. They should not be documented on the wiki.
* '''Mini-Events must also be announced to the server at large at least 5 days in advance of their planned date, and be presented to the administrative team, any relevant species writers or loremasters at least a week in advance.'''
* Mini-Events must be approved by any relevant species head whose lore is used, canon or non-canon, it doesn’t matter.
* Loremasters must approve canonical mini-events and their associated arcs, however, they do not need to be posted in the Lore Staff section of the forums for review.
** This does not mean Loremasters should not be aware of the happenings of the event, but in general, a lesser review process, only there to ensure that if something occurs that results in a staff complaint, Loremasters do not need to play catch-up to understand the general context of the situation.
* Mini-events should, whenever possible, be planned in conjunction with a member of the administrative team, who will then act as the assigned administrator for the mini-event(s).
** Due to their potentially short development time, this is to cut down on miscommunication and ensure the assigned admin is also up to date as to what will be occurring during the event. If this is not possible, standard procedure should be followed.
* Any technical requirements of mini-events are not to be referred to the Dev Team as a staff assignment. It is of course okay if a specific member of the dev team wishes to assist, but it should not be considered a project the likes of handling technical requirements for actual events. Either use assets already present or get someone to code whatever you want without making it an assignment they need to do as staff.
* Non-Canonical Mini-events do not require the approval of Loremasters, but instead the approval of a member of the Administrative Team. It is preferable that this approval comes from a primary administrator, but approval from a secondary administrator is also acceptable.
* Canonical Mini-events follow all the procedures of canonicity as regular events, including death retcons.
** Any complaints that result from a canonical mini-event are to be handled as all staff complaints against lore team members are.
* As mentioned above, canonical Mini-Events should have their impact and aftereffect limited to the SCCV Horizon, or minor impacts on the corporate organizations characters work for.
** In addition, unless given express permission by the Lore Team Administration, Mini-events are limited to an intensity of Low, or Medium. Should you wish to run a High Intensity Mini-Event, reach out to the current LTA members.
* '''The Main Objective of Canonical Mini-Events is to create an atmosphere between larger arcs where there are canonical opportunities for players to develop their characters, rather than develop the setting.'''
** This could be something as simple as a party; basically any situation that players can react to, or interact with, in order to further develop their characters. Keep it in mind when planning mini-events.
* It is encouraged that beyond reaching out to the administrative team, other teams such as CCIA are also reached out to, both to keep them in the loop, and to possibly include in mini-event arcs.

=== Event Arcs ===
==== Event Arc Planning and Timing ====
Major Event Arcs should be planned and presented for review before the arc that would precede them is completed. An example of this would be that, after the second event of an arc taking place in the Coalition, an arc plan is presented that would take place in Adhomai. This is to give both the dev team and yourself ample time to prepare the following arc, and minimize the gap between major arcs. In theory, there shouldn’t be more than a three to four month gap between major arcs. Presenting an arc while its predecessor is still ongoing, and then immediately starting work on it helps tremendously with ensuring this gap remains small.

The Lore Team Administration reserves the right to decide the timing of arcs in relation to each other. Just because one arc was approved before another, does not mean that it will come first. Such a decision should be preceded by a team discussion on the reasoning behind it, and allow team members the opportunity to express their thoughts about changing the timing of event arcs to the Lore Team Administration.

Major Event Arcs should also in some way impact the setting in which they are run as a whole. This could mean the entire Spur, or just a single system where the arc takes place. This impact does not need to be clearly defined by the crew, they may simply be in the wrong place at the wrong time, but an impact on the overall setting should be the theme of any major event arcs

==== Event Rules and Regulations ====
* Major Events and their arcs must be properly documented both on the forums before/during them, and then properly documented on the wiki afterward. This documentation should follow not only [https://forums.aurorastation.org/topic/11560-how-to-events/#comment-110842 Arrow’s Guidelines] for the scheduling of events themselves but also [[Libération, Révolution et Évolution Arc | the Arc Outline Template that can be found here]].
* Arcs should also be announced with a general time of occurrence to the server as a whole two months before their scheduled time, to alert players of what might be coming next. Whenever possible, this should be kept OOC only.
** An important part of this is ensuring that you will in fact be ready in two months. Announcing months ahead of time, only to be delayed constantly, will merely leave the player base waiting on their hands for the arc to begin, not as engaged as they might be.
* Major Event Arcs must be presented in the Lore Staff Section of the Forums, to be approved by Loremasters after a review period. This presentation should take place during a major event arc that would be preceding it, as mentioned above.
** In addition to the Loremaster review and stamp of approval, Major Event Arcs should be discussed amongst the entire team in regards to their impact. If possible, other teams should incorporate some of the impact of an arc into their own lore, in order to make the setting feel more alive.
* Events follow the server’s canonicity rules, as outlined [https://wiki.aurorastation.org/index.php?title=Lore_Team_Rules_and_Regulations#CANONICAL_DEATHS_IN_EVENTS%3A below].
* When Scheduling an Event; the forum calendar post should follow [https://forums.aurorastation.org/events/event/1-event-template/ this format].
*All event arc proposals must follow these rules;
** [https://forums.aurorastation.org/topic/16780-nbt-plotline-proposals/#comment-153462 This is the format for event arc proposal forum posts], the long description is a google doc, shared via link to anyone who access the link.
** [https://docs.google.com/document/d/1fgNQohVlEpkJER1kMadq1JMxtDGenjoq-vw51T5xj3k/edit?usp=sharing This is the template used for the cover page of the proposal.]
** The Proposal Document should be several different documents, with a main document containing the links to the others being the “cover page” of the proposal. This page should outline the overall objective of the arc, and specific goals that are needed to accomplish the objective. The centerpiece of this page however should be an overview of the arc, including its stages; as well as the traits of the arc.
** Linked to the proposal page, there should be a document, or set of documents, containing the written information about the arc, including event summaries, articles, wiki changes pre and post arc, and potentially even differing sets of articles and events depending on actions taken by the crew over the course of the arc.
** Technical Requirements such as sprites, code, maps, and other similar things should be compiled into a technical document, with the arcs name, and if approved, then forwarded to the Dev Team in a newly created channel for managing the technical side of the arc, who will work on it as part of their contribution to the staff team. Whenever possible reference images should be provided, and outlines of event maps made for the dev team.
** In addition, the development process should be coordinated by a member of either the dev or species team running the arc, who acts as a manager for the technical side, ensuring that work is completed in a quick and organized fashion.
** By the time everything has been entered into the appropriate fields, [https://forums.aurorastation.org/topic/16780-nbt-plotline-proposals/?do=findComment&comment=169697 the document should look something like this.]
* Staff Complaints regarding event arcs, such as complaints regarding canon deaths, are to be handled as per the respective rules.

==== Canonical Deaths in Events ====

From the server rules:

"Happenings related to canon events, usually ran by admins with the guidance of lore staff, are considered canon. The lore writer and the admin coordinating the event can make exceptions if permitted by the lore masters and the headmins. In the case of character death caused by the canon event, the death is considered canon and permanent unless the lore masters and headmins explicitly permit the character's death to be retconned.

This only applies to deaths related to the canon event. The other canon and death rules are still valid, this applies only to stuff that happens due to the event itself.

== Lore Team Expectations and Staffing ==

=== Lore Team Administration ===

The lore team administration consists of the loremaster and deputy loremaster. They are at the head of the lore team and steer the direction of our game’s direction in story telling. They are responsible for curating the content of our official lore in all forms, managing the lore team, staffing lore departments, handling neglected whitelist applications, and mediating disputes between different lore departments. The loremaster cannot concurrently serve as a lore writer or lore deputy. The deputy loremaster may concurrently serve as a lore writer. This is to prevent the loremaster from having a bias when writing lore, and to help them to serve as an impartial arbitrator when discussing the direction of our lore and disputes between different lore departments.

The loremaster is appointed by the server’s head developers and in turn appoints their own deputy loremaster, typically through an application process. The loremaster has the power to take disciplinary actions against lore writers and deputies only with the approval of the deputy loremaster. The loremaster may only staff lore writers through an application process which provides the community with the opportunity to provide their input, and cannot directly appoint a lore writer without observing the process.

Lore team administration may not appoint deputies, however all lore deputies must be approved by lore team administration before their applications can be accepted. The requirements for the lore writer application process are at the discretion of lore team administration. Lore deputy hopefuls must also go through the application process before they can join the team. In the event that there is a lore writer vacancy, jurisdiction over that department is absorbed into the responsibilities of lore team administration, but the duties associated with it may be delegated to any deputies within that department. Even in the event of a lore writer vacancy, the loremaster may not appoint deputies to that department but must appoint a lore writer first who may then select their deputies within the rules. Lore team management is expected to be active in both the management and editorial review of content, and in interaction with the community through discord, forums and server play. Lore team management is expected to set the example in both lore writing and code of conduct.

=== Lore Writers ===

Lore writers are the departmental heads of the lore team. Each lore writer is in charge of a major playable race of our server’s setting, and handles all of their lore and manages the whitelists associated with their jurisdiction. Lore writers are appointed by lore team management through the developer application process. Writers are expected to be active in both terms of lore writing and server play. They are expected to maintain consistency between their news articles, wiki pages, and on-station events. They are expected to follow the rules laid out in the “How-to” guides above. Writers are also expected to coordinate with their fellow writers in their projects and to uphold the code of conduct in their interactions with each other, their fellow staff, and the community. They are allowed to appoint up to two deputies through the developer application process and may delegate any of their duties to their deputies as they see fit. Lore Writers reserve the right to modify the application process when selecting their deputies to any extra requirements they desire, and cannot be forced to accept deputies against their will by lore team administration. A lore writer cannot concurrently serve as the writer for multiple lore departments and is ineligible for lore deputy positions. However, a lore writer can concurrently serve as deputy loremaster.

=== Lore Deputies ===

Lore deputies are the appointed help of lore writers who assist by performing any tasks delegated to them by their lore writer, or lore team management in the absence of a direct superior. They are the de facto proteges of their writer and should be trained as heir apparents by their superior. Despite this, lore team management reserves the right to appoint other applicants to lore writer positions when vacancies occur. A lore deputy cannot serve in multiple deputy positions simultaneously. If a lore deputy would like to apply for a different deputy position, they may apply but if accepted must forfeit their previous position. Lore deputies are not expected to manage an entire lore department unless there is a lore writer vacancy in their department. Even though lore deputies have decreased responsibilities when compared to writers, they are still expected to maintain a degree of activity in both lore writing and on-server play. Like everyone else on the lore team, deputies are expected to abide by the code of conduct in their interactions with their team members, fellow staff, and the community.

[[Category:Staff Guidelines]]

Lore Staff Guidelines

2024-01-01T14:33:38Z

MattAtlas: Replaced content with "Superseded by https://wiki.aurorastation.org/index.php?title=Lore_Staff_Guidelines."

Superseded by https://wiki.aurorastation.org/index.php?title=Lore_Staff_Guidelines.

Wiki Staff Guidelines

2024-01-01T14:30:11Z

MattAtlas: Replaced content with "Superseded by https://wiki.aurorastation.org/index.php?title=Wiki_Staff_Guidelines."

Superseded by https://wiki.aurorastation.org/index.php?title=Wiki_Staff_Guidelines.

CCIA Guidelines

2024-01-01T13:36:51Z

MattAtlas: initial rules

* CCIA staff members are expected to maintain a civil presence both on server and off server at all times. Avoid unnecessary conflict or outbursts, each of us is the face of the team. We represent the population’s opinion of both our team and the staff collective as a whole. Insults, harassment, server rule breaks, or other abusive actions will result in being spoken to, and potentially a review of your position.
* Activity is a requirement for the position. While daily play is not expected for this position, activity within the staff channels is. You will need to be available for IR’s and faxing as required. Answer all pings that pertain to you. On a whole please engage with the community at large, don’t be an ominous figure that only arises to deal out IC punishment.
* Leaves of absences must be notified to the CCIA lead. Your life is your priority, this will never be more important than your day life. All that is asked is you let us know when you will be gone. Seniority affects the length of time that will make this absence okay. But on a whole, if you are feeling done, it is better to resign than to go AWOL. Resignations follow the same procedure by simply letting the CCIA lead know. You can always be rehired when you return.
* The CCIA Megathread is not optional, and must be followed. Read it carefully to understand the nature of the role, expectations, and functions.

Developer Guidelines

2024-01-01T13:36:05Z

MattAtlas:

Developer Guidelines

2024-01-01T13:35:59Z

MattAtlas:

* Developers should not use their powers in-game outside of testing areas like the Thunderdome unless specifically required or asked to. You should always defer to a maintainer or administrator if one is present. If no maintainers or administrators are present and there is a game-breaking bug or a similar problem, you are allowed to fix it, though you should still be careful. Your actions will be your own responsibility.
* Developers are expected to regularly review pull requests. Our Github does not function without regular reviews. You are also expected to be somewhat thorough with reviewing pull requests - errors are fine, but you should still put effort into it.
* You are not expected to review pull requests the contents of which you do not understand or cannot review. A spriter who can only sprite, for instance, is not expected to review a complex backend pull request.
Developers are expected to be active if submitting regular balance-related pull requests. Doing only back-end work does not require a high activity level, but repeatedly submitting balance pull requests while not being up-to-date with the game and its culture will lead to a review of your position.
* The Feedback Required tag may be applied by any developer at their discretion, but it should not be used for trivial changes. It should be used when a pull request is controversial enough to justify a forum thread.
* The Maintainer Discussion tag may be applied by any developer at their discretion, but it should only be used for changes that would have a large effect on the server, its gameplay or its setting.

Developer Guidelines

2024-01-01T13:35:46Z

MattAtlas: initial rules

* Developers should not use their powers in-game outside of testing areas like the Thunderdome unless specifically required or asked to. You should always defer to a maintainer or administrator if one is present.
* * If no maintainers or administrators are present and there is a game-breaking bug or a similar problem, you are allowed to fix it, though you should still be careful. Your actions will be your own responsibility.
* Developers are expected to regularly review pull requests. Our Github does not function without regular reviews. You are also expected to be somewhat thorough with reviewing pull requests - errors are fine, but you should still put effort into it.
* You are not expected to review pull requests the contents of which you do not understand or cannot review. A spriter who can only sprite, for instance, is not expected to review a complex backend pull request.
Developers are expected to be active if submitting regular balance-related pull requests. Doing only back-end work does not require a high activity level, but repeatedly submitting balance pull requests while not being up-to-date with the game and its culture will lead to a review of your position.
* The Feedback Required tag may be applied by any developer at their discretion, but it should not be used for trivial changes. It should be used when a pull request is controversial enough to justify a forum thread.
* The Maintainer Discussion tag may be applied by any developer at their discretion, but it should only be used for changes that would have a large effect on the server, its gameplay or its setting.

Administration Guidelines

2024-01-01T13:33:57Z

MattAtlas: initial rules

==Adminhelps and Complaints==

* If a staff member is ahelped, preferably someone of a higher ranking should deal with the situation, otherwise another moderator or an admin of a lower or equal rank should handle the situation. For example, if a secondary admin is involved in an ahelp, a primary or headmin should take it. If no primary is around, a moderator can take the ahelp and solve it.
* If staff is directly involved in the situation, they should not take ahelps related to it. They should take the ahelp if there is no other option.
* Staff are considered involved in a situation when their actions are directly related to what is being ahelped in a way that they were subject to the effects of the action or they caused said actions. Being in round is not enough of a reason.
* If a moderator is the subject of a complaint, any admin, with the help of a moderator or another admin if they wish, should handle it.
* If a secondary admin is the subject of a complaint, a primary admin or headmin, with the help of a moderator or another admin if they wish, should handle it.
* If a primary admin is the subject of a complaint, a headmin, with the help of a moderator or another admin if they wish, should handle it. If a headmin or head dev is the subject of a complaint, another headmin or head dev, with the help of a moderator or another admin if they wish, should handle it.

==Ban Appeals==

* Staff is not obligated to unban anyone and can deny an unban.
* Two permabans are the limit. There are no third chances.

==Non-canon Events==

* Always make a vote in the round before, asking if people want a non-canon event. The vote should preferably be done after the transfer/emergency shuttle leaves the station. Do not run a vote during the lobby before the game starts, this will break the gamemode vote.

* Explain what the event is about, if it is going to be violent, and other details. It is not necessary to explain everything that is going to happen.

* Always set the custom event text with the basic information about your event. This can be done by using the Change Custom Event verb.

* Take into consideration the rules and atmosphere of the server. While some lighthearted shenanigans are fine, don't just run events that are just jokes or memes.

* Take into consideration who you are picking to be in a volunteer/event role. You should always check someone's notes before selecting them. While an admin might not be held accountable for something that an event character did, they can be responsible for ignoring someone's note and overall behavior.

* It is recommended that admins mute ooc. However, this is not mandatory.

* Don't run non-canon events consecutively. If someone ran an event today, wait some days to try to run another. No more than two events a weekend.

* These guidelines do not apply to minor adminbus stuff in the round, like helping antags with gimmicks or doing a vote to add something else to the round. This kind of thing is mostly based on common sense and if they will improve the round somehow.

* Always include a way for the crew to be able to deal with the opposing force, if such a force exists. It does not have to be brute force, but an intelligent way that you have hinted about throughout the round.

==Midis==
* Unless it is something related to what is going on in character, only play midis before or after the round.
* Do not spam midis, try to restrict yourself to one or two at most.
* Ensure to respect applicable copyright laws when playing midis.
* If staff is dealing with ahelps, do not play midis.

Main Page

2023-05-01T19:55:27Z

MattAtlas: update bay wiki link

{| id="mp-topbanner" style="background:#000020; text-align:center; border:8px solid #667992; margin:0 auto; width:85%"
| style="width:85%; color:#000;" |
[[File:Main page banner1.png|link=]]
<div style="font-size:162%; border:2px solid #ccc; margin:0; padding:.1em; color: white">Welcome to the '''Aurora''' wiki!</div>
<div style="font-size:85%; border:none; margin:0; padding:.1em; color: white;">'''Aurorastation is a Space Station 13 heavy roleplay server that takes place on the SCCV Horizon. The setting features progressing canon and constant development.'''</div>
<div style="position: relative; top:0.2em; font-size:95%; color: white">Most content copied or edited gratefully from [http://tgstation13.org/wiki/Main_Page /tg/ station] and [https://baystation.xyz/index.php?title=Main_Page Baystation 12]. Editing guides copied/inspired by the [https://pzwiki.net/wiki/Main_Page Project Zomboid wiki]. Join us at: byond://server.aurorastation.org:1234
<br>Today's date for the SCCV Horizon:</div>
<div style="font-size:162%; border:none; margin:0; padding:.1em; color: white;">{{CURRENTDAYNAME}} {{CURRENTDAY2}} {{CURRENTMONTHNAME}} {{#expr:{{CURRENTYEAR}} + 442}}</div>
<inputbox>
type=search
buttonlabel=Search
width=55
</inputbox>
<br>
<center>
{{Template:Server Resources V2}}
<br>
{{Template:Aurora Lore V2}}
<br>
[[File:Ship_wireframe.png|link=]]
[[Category:Main]]
[[Category:Pages]]

Corporate Liaison

2023-04-12T12:59:22Z

MattAtlas: add new rule

{{JobPageHeader
|headerbgcolor = #166294
|headerfontcolor = black
|stafftype = COMMAND SUPPORT
|imagebgcolor = #BFC6E0
|img = Corporateliaison-nbt.png
|jobtitle = Corporate Liaison
|access = The Representatives Office, [[Job_Guides#Station_Command|the Bridge]].
|difficulty = Medium to Hard
|qualifications = At least 30 years of age, relevant education. You've convinced NanoTrasen Central Command you're worth loaning a shuttle, and you are representing an [[#Interest Group|Interest Group]]
|education = [[Tajaran Educational Institutions#Al'mari College of Hadiist Sciences|Al'mari College of Hadiist Sciences]] - [[Tajaran Educational Institutions#Kaltir Law Academy|Kaltir Law Academy]]
|superior = [[Job_Guides#Station_Command|Ship Command]] and your [[#Interest Group|Interest Group]]
|duties = Representing your faction's interests, conducting interviews and AMAs, improving your interest group's image, <s>being less creepy than the old IAA role</s>
|guides = [[Corporate_Regulations|Corporate Regulations]], [[Guide to Station Procedure|Ship Directives]], [[Guide_to_Law|Guide to Law]], [[Guide_to_Paperwork|Guide to Paperwork]], [[Chain of Command]]
}}

'''Corporate Liaisons''' or '''Representatives''' act as the link between an [[#Interest Group|Interest Group]] and their assigned facility. Their primary concerns are to ensure that the group they're representing is treated more favorably or just ensuring they're treated equally, within [[Corporate Regulations]], via interviews and reports to [[Job_Guides#Station_Command|Command Staff]] about misconduct.

Secondary responsibilities of a '''Representative''' include increasing awareness of whatever factions or cause they represent. For more information on the goal of different kinds of '''Representative''', see: [[#Interest Groups|Interest Groups]]

'''Representatives''' can be played by characters of any species that can be a part of the represented faction, by players with a Head of Staff whitelist - they are not part of [[Job_Guides#Station_Command|Ship Command]], however.

'''A Consular must represent an official interest group,''' present on the wiki, that is reasonably connected to the SCC: this excludes criminal factions, pirate factions, and so on. A Consular may be from a sub-faction such as house Zhao, but they must still fully represent the major faction they belong to. To make sure that your Consular character fits this description, contact a member of the command whitelist team.

= Variation =
There are two variations of Representative, those being Corporate Liaison and Consular Officer. They can both be active on the ship at one time, allowing for a representative of a faction to be there alongside a liaison from a megacorporation. It is encouraged that they will work together on matters if there is a Corporate Liaison alongside a Consular Officer, so the consular can have an easier time getting important messages through to central command or ship command.
== The Corporate ==
While the consular officer's purpose is pretty cut and dry, the more flexible nature of the Liaison role affords it a few alternate titles, including:
*Workplace Liaison
*Corporate Representative
*Corporate Executive
These titles should give your Liaison a bit more flavor by allowing them to have some specialty in the company. However, '''no alternate title gives you any more authority than another. Playing a Corporate Executive does not increase your authority - you have the same amount of direct authority as a liaison: none.''' As a corporate executive, think of yourself more of an executive of middle management; your direct power over the Horizon is functionally zero, as you've been sent by whatever as a liaison and advocate. The SCC chose the heads of staff to command the ship, and they'd like to keep it that way.
= Interest Groups =
All Interest Groups get access to an External Comms Link in their Fax machine which enables them to contact their superiors, and receive an orders list on round start.
=== [[Nanotrasen_Corporation|NanoTrasen Liaison]] ===

* NanoTrasen Liaisons are dispatched by NanoTrasen to act as an on-ship link between [[Nanotrasen_Corporation#Executives | NanoTrasen]] and [[Job Guides#Station_command|Ship Command]]. They can talk to command and crew on matters such as NanoTrasens interests aboard the ship, advise Station Command, and issue various paperwork, including Contract Extensions and situation reports. They can also make sure that ship command is following [[Corporate Regulations|correct procedure]] and not doing anything unsavory in the eyes of the most powerful company of the [[Stellar Corporate Conglomerate]].

=== Corporate Representative ===

* On ship liaisons from other megacorporations for contractors on ship. They are supposed to represent the interests of their parent company, as well as to ensure the well being and prosperity of their contractors. They can pressure [[Job_Guides#Station_Command|Command Staff]], make requests, or even do back-alley deals and bribes in [[traitor|certain circumstances]].

=== [[Republic_of_Biesel|Tau Ceti Representative]] ===

* Tasked by the [[Biesel|Republic of Biesel]] government to ensure that [[Guide_to_Law#Republic_of_Biesel|Tau Ceti Law]] is being followed, and that safety regulations are being followed. They are to promote Biesel sentiment, and reinforce the image of the bright beacon of democracy. They may also issue Tau Ceti citizenship and passports in certain circumstances.

=== [[Sol_Alliance|Sol Consular Officer]] ===

* Following the aftermath of the [[KING OF THE WORLD#READE FALLS!|35th's invasion]], Sol Alliance consular officers are not welcome aboard the Horizon.

=== [[People's Republic of Adhomai|PRA Consular Officer]] ===

* Dispatched from the [[Tajara#People.27s_Republic_of_Adhomai|Peoples Republic of Adhomai]] to ensure the well being and interests of Republican citizens who are living in this far away [[Tajara|Tajaran]] enclave. They are to encourage proper Republican values and make sure that party lines are being upheld.

* They are the Party's eyes and ears on the ship and are tasked with reporting any subversive behavior to the government. They are given a set of tools and access to the fax machine to deal diplomatically with possible subversive elements. They can also issue Honorary Party Memberships to any crewmember.

* Consulars are Hadiist Party members and should always be loyal to President Hadii. They must be exemplary citizens and embody the Republican ideals. Cooperating with NanoTrasen authorities is also necessary due to the strict bounds between the Republic and the corporation.

=== [[Democratic People's Republic of Adhomai|DPRA Consular Officer]] ===

* Dispatched from the [[Democratic People's Republic of Adhomai]] to ensure the well being and interests of Al'mariist citizens who are living in this far away [[Tajara|Tajaran]] enclave. They are to encourage proper Al'mariist values and ensure that the rights of the Tajara people are being respected.

* Consulars are employed by the civilian government and should display the values upheld by the Al'mariist ideology. They are given a set of tools and access to the fax machine to make sure that any DPRA citizen is working towards the future of their species.

* While consular officers are part of the civil government, they can still harbor sympathies for the military juntas and Supreme Commander Nated. Cooperation with NanoTrasen is desirable when the outcome is beneficial to the Al'mariist cause. While direct opposition against the megacorporations is no part of the consular's duties, DPRA consular officers should do their best to support Liberation Army personnel on the field.

=== [[New Kingdom of Adhomai|NKA Consular Officer]] ===

* Dispatched from the [[New Kingdom of Adhomai]] to ensure the well being and interests of Royalists citizens who are living in this far away [[Tajara|Tajaran]] enclave. They are to encourage traditional Tajaran values and ensure cooperation between the New Kingdom and NanoTrasen.

* Consulars are under the supervision of the Crown and should be model citizens. They are given a set of tools and access to the fax machine to make sure that any NKA citizen is acting in an upstanding manner. Cooperation with NanoTrasen is necessary, as the Kingdom is doing its best to acquire allies.

* Consulars can be either nobles or commoners. Despite their origins, they were chosen for their support of the Royalist ideology.

=== [[Unathi#Izweski_Nation|Hegemony Consular Officer]] ===

* Hailing from [[Unathi|Unathi owned space]], these diplomats are here to reach the Unathi working on SCC vessels and keep the relations between the [[Stellar Corporate Conglomerate]] and the Hegemony in top shape. As a [[Unathi|Unathi]] representative, you will need to carefully balance the morals of your homeworld and your diplomatic responsibilities.

* You are recommended to call Unathi to your office, to speak with them and learn their origins. Talk about their clan back on Moghes, learn their religious ideals, find any... '''[[Unathi#The_Guwan|undesirables]]''' who might be hiding their clan name and ensure paperwork is sent to a Hegemony vessel documenting a possible Guwan hiding their Guwan title behind their old Clan name.

* Consulars will always be '''noblemen''', or even '''noblewomen'''. Either way, your clan is notable and you might be related to a [[Unathi#Izweski_Nation|Lord of Moghes]] in some way.

* Hosting Feasts in honor of the Hegemon is always fun. Let everyone know you're rich, by paying for all their meals for the shift.

*If a Guwan wishes to prove themselves capable of restoring their title, or creating a new one, you are one of the first steps. They must prove themselves worthy enough to be represented by you or someone you choose in a court. Afterwards, directly message the Lore Developer in charge of Unathi, or a deputy.

=== [[Skrell|Nralakk Federation Consular Officer]] ===

* Having come all the way from [[Notable_Skrell_Systems_and_Locations#Nralakk:_The_Home_system|Nralakk]] these officers are very well versed in local customs and culture. Being the natural diplomats, Skrell Consular Officers are very diplomatically savvy and knowledgeable and are on the ship to remind other Skrell how far the Federation reaches. Thus a Skrell Consular Officer should strive to be the last person on the ship to offend their host, while not being a complete pushover.
** Federation Consular Officers also have standing instructions to report back to the Federation on [[Nralakk_Federation#Social_Credit_System | Inductive and Deductive actions]] of any federation citizens that they observe for review. This should be done via fax or other long-range communications.
* Consulars for the Nralakk Federation are always [[Nralakk_Federation#Social_Credit_System | Primary Numericals]], model citizens of the Federation.

=== [[Empire_of_Dominia|Dominian Consular Officer]] ===

* Sent by the [[Empire_of_Dominia|Dominian Empire]], the job of Dominian Consular Officer is to dispel all perceived inaccuracies about Dominians first and ensure the loyalty of its subjects second. Dominia has had an understanding with NanoTrasen ever since its rediscovery by the other spacial factions and its officers ensure that this relationship lasts, despite the ideological differences.

=== [[Vaurca|Vaurca Consular Officer]] ===

* Representing one of the [[Vaurca#Hives|hives]], Vaurca Consular Officers are always a special type of Vaurca, a [[Vaurca#Playing_a_Hive_Representative|Ta]] also known as a Breeder. As the emotional centerpiece of Vaurca society, a Vaurca Consular officer is the ideal type capable of communicating and understanding all the other species in the system.

=== [[Synthetic_Factions#The_Golden_Deep|Golden Deep Consular Officer]] ===

* As a representation of the Golden Deep, your duties are to ensure the continued relations between NanoTrasen and Golden Deep affiliates.
* Golden Deep Consular Officers must have acquired their Golden Deep Citizenship.
* A Golden Deep Consular Officers are more often than not highly esteemed merchants, or a membership holding, carefully vetted synthetic made to engage as a diplomatic bridge between business partners.
* You are recommended to promote the Golden Deep affiliates in the Republic of Biesel, as well as seeking out synthetics for purchase under the Golden Deep umbrella.
* A membership within Golden Deep is not to be given lightly and Consular Officers are responsible for ensuring that any IPCs inducted into the group can increase its prosperity.

=== [[Coalition of Colonies|Coalition of Colonies Consular Officer]] ===

* As a Representative of the expansive CoC, you are entrusted to act as the link between all the members of the CoC, their populace, and the Coalition as a whole. You are likely to interact with a wide range of people, so Coalition Consulars are normally excellent at conflict resolution and problem solving.

{| class="wikitable"
|+ Species Consulars/Liaisons Permitted
|-
!
! Humans
! Skrells
! Unathi
! Tajara
! IPCs
! Dionae
! Vaurca
|-
!NT Liaison
|style="background-color:#39ff14;" |
|style="background-color:#39ff14;" |
|style="background-color:#39ff14;" |
|style="background-color:#39ff14;" |
|style="background-color:#39ff14;" |
|style="background-color:red;" |
|style="background-color:red;" |
|-
!Tau Ceti
|style="background-color:#39ff14;" |
|style="background-color:#39ff14;" |
|style="background-color:#39ff14;" |
|style="background-color:red;" |
|style="background-color:#39ff14;" |
|style="background-color:#39ff14;" |
|style="background-color:#39ff14;" |
|-
!PRA
|style="background-color:red;" |
|style="background-color:red;" |
|style="background-color:red;" |
|style="background-color:#39ff14;" |
|style="background-color:red;" |
|style="background-color:red;" |
|style="background-color:red;" |
|-
!DPRA
|style="background-color:red;" |
|style="background-color:red;" |
|style="background-color:red;" |
|style="background-color:#39ff14;" |
|style="background-color:red;" |
|style="background-color:red;" |
|style="background-color:red;" |
|-
!NKA
|style="background-color:red;" |
|style="background-color:red;" |
|style="background-color:red;" |
|style="background-color:#39ff14;" |
|style="background-color:red;" |
|style="background-color:red;" |
|style="background-color:red;" |
|-
!Hegemony
|style="background-color:red;" |
|style="background-color:red;" |
|style="background-color:#39ff14;" |
|style="background-color:red;" |
|style="background-color:red;" |
|style="background-color:red;" |
|style="background-color:#39ff14;" |
|-
!Dominia
|style="background-color:#39ff14;" |
|style="background-color:red;" |
|style="background-color:#39ff14;" |
|style="background-color:red;" |
|style="background-color:red;" |
|style="background-color:#39ff14;" |
|style="background-color:red;" |
|-
!Zavodskoi Interstellar
|style="background-color:#39ff14;" |
|style="background-color:#39ff14;" |
|style="background-color:red;" |
|style="background-color:red;" |
|style="background-color:red;" |
|style="background-color:#39ff14;" |
|style="background-color:red;" |
|-
!PMCG Rep.
|style="background-color:#39ff14;" |
|style="background-color:#39ff14;" |
|style="background-color:red;" |
|style="background-color:red;" |
|style="background-color:#39ff14;" |
|style="background-color:red;" |
|style="background-color:red;" |
|-
!Idris Rep.
|style="background-color:#39ff14;" |
|style="background-color:#39ff14;" |
|style="background-color:red;" |
|style="background-color:red;" |
|style="background-color:red;" |
|style="background-color:#39ff14;" |
|style="background-color:red;" |
|-
!Heph Rep.
|style="background-color:#39ff14;" |
|style="background-color:#39ff14;" |
|style="background-color:#39ff14;" |
|style="background-color:#39ff14;" |
|style="background-color:#39ff14;" |
|style="background-color:#39ff14;" |
|style="background-color:red;" |
|-
!Zeng-Hu Rep.
|style="background-color:#39ff14;" |
|style="background-color:#39ff14;" |
|style="background-color:red;" |
|style="background-color:red;" |
|style="background-color:#39ff14;" |
|style="background-color:#39ff14;" |
|style="background-color:red;" |
|-
!Orion
|style="background-color:#39ff14;" |
|style="background-color:#39ff14;" |
|style="background-color:#39ff14;" |
|style="background-color:#39ff14;" |
|style="background-color:#39ff14;" |
|style="background-color:#39ff14;" |
|style="background-color:red;" |
|-
!Nralakk
|style="background-color:red;" |
|style="background-color:#39ff14;" |
|style="background-color:red;" |
|style="background-color:red;" |
|style="background-color:red;" |
|style="background-color:#39ff14;" |
|style="background-color:#39ff14;" |
|-
!Vaurcae Hive
|style="background-color:red;" |
|style="background-color:red;" |
|style="background-color:red;" |
|style="background-color:red;" |
|style="background-color:red;" |
|style="background-color:red;" |
|style="background-color:#39ff14;" |
|-
!Golden Deep
|style="background-color:red;" |
|style="background-color:red;" |
|style="background-color:red;" |
|style="background-color:red;" |
|style="background-color:#39ff14;" |
|style="background-color:red;" |
|style="background-color:red;" |
|-
!Coalition
|style="background-color:#39ff14;" |
|style="background-color:#39ff14;" |
|style="background-color:red;" |
|style="background-color:red;" |
|style="background-color:#39ff14;" |
|style="background-color:#39ff14;" |
|style="background-color:red;" |
|-
|}

== Embrace The Bureaucracy ==
So, your shoes are polished, your tie is on straight, your stamp is inked up and there’s a full cup of coffee on your desk - what now?

:Typically, the broad duties of a Representative can be sorted into three major categories:

# '''Awareness''': Doing activities to spread awareness of your [[#Interest Groups|Interest Group]] is a very good idea to keep everyone happy, and most importantly, informed. A good representative might give seminars on the virtues and upsides of their Interest Group, or a Consular Officer might do a QnA or trivia for their faction. Get creative with it, and remember that certain factions will be trying harder than others, such as the PRA or Hegemony.
# '''Oversight''': Doing activities that keep members of your [[#Interest Groups|Interest Group]] happy is also a good idea. If a member of said Interest Group is unhappy, take them in and work out ways to make it better, such as talking to ship Command to improve the situation. In order for that to work, a Representative needs to be keeping track of members of their Interest Group, in ways such as PDAing to check in, or calling them in to your office for a [[Vampire|chat]].
# '''Protest''': Activities taken in response to mistreatment. An example would be contacting the [[Captain]], [[Executive Officer]], or [[Job_Guides#Security|Security]] when you suspect someone from your [[#Interest Groups|Interest Group]] is in danger or has been wronged. Another would be vocally protesting in response to someone from your [[#Interest Group|Interest Group]] being arrested, even going as far as to negotiate for their release, or lessening of their punishment. '''Do not push this or it may''' [[#Directive 12|lead to trouble!]]

Before you sign on for that first shift, recognize a hard truth about '''Representatives''': you are not, strictly speaking, a necessary component of the ship’s crew. By yourself, you cannot permit, prevent, or enforce just about anything. You are barely even a part of the ship's crew.

Your ability to effectively do your job therefore relies on your ability to communicate with the ship’s various [[Job_Guides|Departments]], and [[Job_Guides#Station_Command|ship Command]]. Having good working relationships with the crew also makes it more likely that they will come to you with their problems, or report things to you, rather than leaving you to hunt for them, or to sit at your desk contemplating your coffee all shift.

:In order to help build those working relationships, there are a few things Representatives should try to do.

#'''Do Spread Awareness''': The only way you're going to get ship Crew on your side is if you get involved with the Crewmembers aboard the Horizon, in whatever way you may choose to do so, or your [[#Interest_Group|Interest Group]] entails.
#'''Do Not Cause Trouble''': You are here with the express permission of [[Job_Guides#Station_Command|Ship Command]] and NanoTrasen, a permission that can easily be revoked, you don't want to test them, and any violation of [[Corporate Regulations]] should be strictly covert, if at all.
#'''Do Play Favorites''': It is the express purpose of your job to advocate for your [[#Interest_Group|Interest Group]], and thus, to play favorites. If you think that helping a Crewmember who is close to someone in it will aid in that, you should definitely do it if it fits your character. Though, you don't want others to know, as it could land you in trouble with a [[Security Officer]], and thus, [[Job_Guides#Station_Command|Ship Command]]. It could also violate [[Server Rules]] in extreme cases, if in doubt, adminhelp.

=== [[Guide to Station Procedure#Representatives and Consular Officers|Directive 12]] ===
"Command staff are expected to engage representatives through diplomacy and to consent to reasonable requests. The representative is not part of the ship chain of command. The representative is granted special status in relation to corporate regulations;"
* The representative does not serve brig time for low level infractions, the fine alternative can be used in those cases. The representative can serve brig time for medium and high level infractions, with command staff being able to contact Central Command requesting the revocation of the representative's privilege.
* The representative's office offers immunity to the representative. Security may not enter to conduct arrests under normal circumstances. Entering or refusing to exit the office is considered trespassing. The office's immunity may be revoked by the captain or a captain level decision.
Read more at: [[Guide to Station Procedure#Representatives and Consular Officers|Directives: Directive 12]].

== Traitoring ==
:This scenario is unlikely as the Corporate Liaison, as the Mindshield Implant all Liaisons are required to have prevents you from being brainwashed, However, if find yourself selected for traitor, congratulations! You are an antagonist trusted explicitly by your [[#Interest Group|Interest Group]], who will likely be thrilled to help you.

:Wield your bureaucracy against the company you've signed up to act within! The morphic clerical kit may be of use to a traitorous Representative, as the stamps it provides allow you to forge command staff approval of just about anything. Through this, you can stamp approval papers to your fellows, have them lie to [[Job_Guides#Command|Command Staff]] about who they got them from, and then procure anything they'd like, thanks to you. If anyone questions what you're doing, remind them that you have the best interests of your people at heart.

{{Guides}}
{{Jobs}}
[[Category:Jobs]]
[[Category:Command]]

Empire of Dominia

2023-01-20T12:29:28Z

MattAtlas: No more land-owning nobility on the Horizon.

{{Navbox Lore}}
{{Navbox Human Lore}}
{{Infobox Species
|Species = Dominian
|Scientific = H. Sapiens / Human
|Image = Dom410x320.png
|System = Mira Sancta
|World = Dominia
|Language = High Morozi (Tradeband), Vulgar Morozi (Solarian Common)
|Politic = Empire of Dominia
}}
<div id="EoDGeneral"></div>

The '''Empire of Dominia''', often simply referred to as “the Empire,” is a heavily religious absolute monarchy with its capital, Nova Luxembourg, on the planet of Moroz in the Mira Sancta System. This autocratic state is presently ruled by His Imperial Majesty '''Emperor Boleslaw Keeser I'''. The Empire of Dominia was proclaimed in 2385 by Emperor Godwin Keeser, the father of Boleslaw Keeser. Imperial society is dominated by the Great and Minor Houses under the Emperor and is very socioeconomically stratified due to the so-called blood debt, known as the Mor’iz’al. All citizens are born with the Mor’iz’al debt in exchange for the privileges of citizenship, a debt that takes some a lifetime or more to pay off. Imperial society is heavily divided by class and the Mor’iz’al blood debt is a very important part of Imperial society. Many in the Empire follow a strict code of honor, which originates with its great houses. The Empire is considered by many to be a threat to the free frontier. Its state religion is the Moroz Holy Tribunal which lays a heavy hand upon the Imperial government, with their edicts enforceable as law and those that violate its edicts being referred to as “edict breakers,” a class of unpersons actively hunted down by the government. Perhaps the most famous export of the Empire is the gene-boosting techniques it has carefully developed over centuries, though they lag behind the Skrell. It remains highly imperialistic and somewhat isolated but has recently made strides to enter further into the galactic stage. “In the Goddess’s Name, So Shall It Be Done” is commonly regarded as the unofficial motto of the Empire, due to the association of the phrase with the Tribunal.
{{TOC Hidden}}
==Population and Planets==

The total population of the Empire roughly fifteen billion based on the 2459 Imperial Census, though this has grown in the intervening years. Citizens from the Imperial Core tend to be extremely devout in their belief in the Tribunal due to their proximity to the heart of the Tribunal's power. As one travels outwards from the Imperial Core loyalty to both Emperor and Goddess slowly fades, and the presence of the Imperial Army increases in response.

Citizens of the Outer Empire or "Imperial Frontier" tend to lack loyalty to both the throne and the Tribunal, largely due to being conquered by force rather than colonized by Morozians as the Dominian core worlds were. Many subjects are new to the Empire in these regions and are unwilling to bend the knee, leading to a great number of military units being stationed here. Imperial frontier subjects have a reputation for being uncivilized in the Inner Empire. They tend to be unwilling to convert, with these regions seeing higher amounts of edict-based executions.

====[[Moroz]]====
The capital planet the Empire with roughly six billion residents. The planet is largely dominated by its large polar circles which encompass around 70% of the planet’s surface. Moroz is by far the wealthiest settlement in the Empire and owes much of its wealth to the extraction-based economics of Dominian imperialism, which has led to some resentment from other planets in the young Empire.

====Zhurong====
[[Image:Minimap dominia.png|thumb|A closer image focusing on the planets and territory of the Empire.]]
With one-point-two billion residents and plentiful mineral deposits, the Imperial Mandate of '''Zhurong''' serves as the Empire’s primary industrial hub. It has a thin but breathable atmosphere and a largely unstable crust that unfortunately causes it to suffer from frequent natural disasters such earthquakes and volcanoes. Despite the violent geology making permanent habitation dangerous, the unstable crust contains an incredibly rich source of minerals and valuable ores that form the backbone of the local economy. Much of the steel and other metals used in the Imperial economy are mined here. The planetary capital, Hongse Chengbao, literally translated Red Castle, is home to the Imperial arsenal that it takes its name from. Zhurong’s orbital station, Zhurong Orbital, is home to the majority of the Empire's offworlder humans, and the planet itself has numerous shipyards often staffed by these same offworlders. Many of the Empire’s warships are laid down and built in the orbit of Zhurong. Zhurong was one of the Empire’s first colonies, with its original settlers arriving upon the planet in 2387.

<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed">
====Zhurong Imperial Shipbuilding====
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">

<center><i>“Let me phrase this in a way even you can understand, Grand Consul. A sculptor cannot function without her materials, yes? The resources you will be diverting into this pet project of yours are my materials, and my sculpture is our Empire!”</i> — Grand Admiral Huiling Zhao during discussions preceding the creation of ZIS.</center>

'''Zhurong Imperial Shipbuilding''' is a Zavodskoi Interstellar affiliated company subordinate to the larger Zhao-run Zhurong Imperial Naval Arsenal (ZINA) which is located on the Empire of Dominia’s industrialized core world of Zhurong. The ZIS is focused around, as the name implies, the construction of ships but has a focus on civilian hulls rather than military ones. Founded in 2462 after the construction of multiple shipyards in orbit of the industrial planet [[Empire_of_Dominia#Zhurong | Zhurong]] by House Zhao and funded by House Caladius, ZIS is a successful attempt by the Empire to force Hephaestus Industries out of a market, in this case the need for civilian and industrial vessels within the Empire of Dominia, and replace it with a native Dominian company.

Contemporary Operations and Influence: Currently, the ZIS profits along the Great Houses of the Empire, using the raw resources of newly conquered frontier worlds to build the vessels which transport those resources from the frontier worlds. By cooperating with both House Zhao and Caladius and focusing their efforts on civilian vessels rather than military ones, ZIS has come to hold a near monopoly over the construction of those vessels within the Empire, and limitations on other megacorporations places by the Chief Commissioner of Economic Development ensure their position remains secure. Outside the empire they currently compete with Hegeranzi Starworks, a Hephaestus subsidiary for markets not only in the Badlands but across the Spur. Currently, the Starworks has a leading edge due to the help of Hephaestus Industries and ZIS’ focus on serving the Dominian market first. However, ZIS is increasingly finding an edge in more specialized vessels and equipment compared to the mass production design of the Starworks. ZIS works closely with Zavodskoi Industries, who buys their ships for sale outside of the Empire. Zavodskoi also provides many skilled engineers for the ZIS through a work contract program. Most ZIS employees not affiliated with Zavodskoi are Ma’zals from the Imperial Frontier seeking better work and higher wages to pay off their Mo’ri’zal. These Ma’zals are typically supervised by Secondaries, who make up the vast number of white-collar jobs found in both ZIS and its parent company, ZINA.

'''Executives'''
'''Lord Master of the Shipyard (CEO): Lanying Zhao'''

Though criticized by many in House Caladius for being clear evidence of Imperial Fleet meddling in the affairs of civilian shipbuilding, the Admiral-Governor of Zhurong has doggedly maintained her position as Lord Master of the Shipyard through her own influence, vast talents, and the patronage of the Grand Admiral. Lanying’s tenure as ZIS’ first, and so far only, leader has been relatively unpopular with House Caladius due to her repeated choices to direct ZIS resources into ZINA, which she also controls, despite protests by many merchants. Conversely, these choices have made her quite popular with her own house. Rumors have recently spoken of the Admiral-Governor, a woman bored half to death by her duties, resigning her position as soon as a successor emerges. Only time will tell if these are true.

'''Master of Production: Xiu Zhao'''

The mind behind many ships used by civilian and military actors across the Empire, Xiu Zhao is often regarded as one of the house’s greatest contemporary engineers. Serving as Master of Production is something of a retirement for the old engineer as he is now responsible more for production schedules than military vessels. Some say it is more a punishment than retirement for his promotion and production of the somewhat inefficient Empire-class cruiser, but House Zhao has been quick to deny these rumors. Regardless of why he is there Xiu has proven to be an effective technical mind, though he often finds himself in conflict with Lanying over how best to allocate resources.

'''Commissioner of Finance: Annette Caladius'''

The comptroller of ZIS’ budget, Annette Caladius — otherwise known as the Countess of Saint’s Landing on Alterim Obrirava — is a woman often frustrated by her associates on the executive committee. Much of her time is spent thwarting Zhao plots to funnel more money away from ZIS and its merchant ship production. The time which is not spent doing this is often instead spent managing the affairs of her distant, though religiously important, holding or meeting with the myriad House Caladius-affiliated merchants. Countess Caladius is almost always surrounded by a throng of Secondary and Ma’zal clerks, secretaries, and functionaries who work tirelessly to ensure the will of House Caladius is carried out at ZIS. While the Countess has won great approval in her position she has long yearned for more, and some believe she is merely using ZIS as a springboard to launch herself into the position of Grand Consul — House Caladius’ elected leader.

'''Chief Supervisor of the Shipyard: Henryk Gottfried'''

An Imperial Knight with a long history of service in the Imperial Fleet, Sir Gottfried is the only Secondary on ZIS’ executive committee. A former Fleet logistics officer assigned to the elite First Battlefleet, his organizational skills — and family connections to House Zhao — made him an ideal candidate for the position of Chief Supervisor of the Shipyard, and he is now responsible for much of the day-to-day running of ZIS. A Fleet man to the core, Gottfried is not unwilling to shift ZIS resources to Fleet projects if the Governor-Admiral or Grand Admiral deem it needed.

'''History'''

With the shipyards of the Zhao-dominated Zhurong Imperial Naval Arsenal almost entirely focused on the construction of military vessels and their accessories, the Empire, and House Caladius, found itself struggling to transport resources from their expanding frontier colonies to the Imperial Core for use in heavy industries or other economic activities. The Empire, ever wary of outside influence, curtailed the expansion of [[Hephaestus Industries]], who had been attempting to enter the market with their ships produced by [[Unathi_Guilds#Hegeranzi Starworks | Hegeranzi Starworks]], one of their subsidiaries. House Zhao was instructed by the Emperor and Chief Commissioner of Economic Development Izla Caladius to create an imperial company to supply ships for the empire's industry, being the great house most familiar with shipbuilding. As the Zhaos were more obsessed with their military shipyards however, they came to an agreement to work closely with Zavodskoi Interstellar, a well respected company in the empire, to accomplish their orders with minimal effort. Were it not for Zavodskoi, the ZIS would be an often ignored and poorly supplied organization.

Many in House Zhao, including — according to the Fleet’s rumor mill — the Grand Admiral herself, resent ZIS for taking up valuable manpower, resources, and time which could have instead been diverted to the Imperial Fleet’s arsenal, and perhaps allowed for the construction of a third of the feared Moroz-class dreadnoughts. But the House and the Imperial Fleet are not blind to the reality of the situation: while the existence of ZIS may result in a small decrease in materials sent toward what truly matters, more ships for the ever-complaining House Caladius will allow the Fleet to divert its cargo transports toward more important tasks.
</div></div>

====Alterim Obrirava====

Carrying around two billion people and featuring a diverse yet Earthlike environment, the Imperial Mandate of '''Alterim Obrirava’s''' system is home to vast reserves of Helium-3 that have brought the planet – and the broader Empire – wealth beyond imagination. This Helium-3 has long served as the primary fuel source of the Empire’s warships and is zealously guarded by House Zhao, which only permits House Caladius to sell off a pittance of the total fuel mined and refined in the system – a stance that has become increasingly unpopular among the Caladius and independent business concerns as Helium-3 prices have increased dramatically due to the worsening phoron crisis. In the capital of Ilstel a bustling foreign merchant quarter sponsored by House Caladius can be found, with a diversity of goods to match the planet itself. The planet is one of the Empire’s oldest colonies, and was settled in 2392 alongside its sister planet of Alterim Balteulis. Much of the planet’s population comes from immigrants who desire a climate more pleasant than Moroz, and many noble families maintain “summer homes,” on the planet.

====Alterim Balteulis====

Often called by the equally popular name of Ignatzi Alte’uz by the resident unathi and populated by roughly a billion, the Tribunalist Mandate of '''Alterim Balteulis''' is a dry world with a mixed climate of savannas, deserts, and arid polar regions. The planet is home to many Morozian cathedrals and temples, and the religious branch of House Caladius has long maintained a great amount of influence on the planet. Its capital, Casotania, is home to the Grand Temple of the Holy Tribunal – an extravagantly expensive structure commissioned by House Caladius to demonstrate their unwavering commitment to the Goddess that attracts millions of pilgrims from across the broader Empire each year. The Grand Temple was built in a region painstakingly terraformed by House Caladius to demonstrate their dedication to the Goddess and make for a more comfortable experience for pilgrims. Some in the Empire balk at this display of wealth but the Caladius view it as a badge of pride and a demonstration of how far they will go for the Goddess. Its climate has attracted one of the largest unathi populations in the Empire, though they remain a small minority. The planet is one of the Empire’s oldest colonies, and was settled in 2392 alongside its sister planet of Alterim Obrirava.

====Sun Reach====

Recently conquered by the Imperial Army and added to the Empire in 2422, the Imperial Viceroyality of '''Sun Reach''' is one of the least populated major worlds in the Empire, with a population estimated to be around fifty million. The planet, taking its name from its largest settlement, is itself mostly covered in primitive algae with a low level of biodiversity. In its orbit, however, dwells a vast reserve of Helium-3 comparable to that of Alterim Obrirava – if not greater. For that reason, the Imperial Army and His Imperial Majesty’s Fleet have long desired the system, and intend to go to great lengths to hold it – regardless of how the local population views the broader Empire.
The Empire has other colonies throughout its small sector of the Orion Spur that typically exist to provide resources to Moroz proper, with populations ranging from just a handful of settlers to thousands of colonists.

====Novi Jadran====
A tundra planet initially colonized by inhabitants of the Adriatic coasts with a population of roughly 100 million people, located near the edge of the Empire's westernmost frontier. Predominantly cold and icy with short summers, this climate has kept the economy primarily rural and much of the planet underdeveloped, with most living in small cities dotted around the coast and major waterways. A few major population centers exist, such as the capital of Nova Rijeka, that have a semblance of a modern service-based or industrial economy, though these are typically based around processing the foodstuffs the planet is well-known for. Noble authority on the edge of the Empire in Novi Jadran is quite strong, with many people viewing themselves as loyal to their local nobles first and the greater Empire second.

Novi Jadran has been under firmly the Empire's control since its peaceful annexation in 2389, and has proved itself to be a loyal colony despite not contributing much to the Imperial treasury. Many in the Empire view it as the “model colony” of the Dominian frontier and it is visited by many functionaries on tours due to this status, with the Chief Commissioner for Colonial Affairs visiting the planet twice a year. These visits are major events for the planet’s inhabitants and bring with their best offerings for the visiting Primaries in hopes of attracting attention, and the benefits from having a Primary’s eye upon you. These gifts are usually finely crafted feasts and food, though it is not uncommon for horses and other animals to be presented.

Planetary cuisine holds true to its Adriatic roots, with many Croatian and Italian elements still present. Fish-based diets are ubiquitous among the rural people as the vast oceans make for perfect fishing conditions and much of the ground is too cold to properly till. The raising of livestock is common towards the equator of the planet, but is not as prevalent as fishing.

Despite its status as the “model colony” the planet is not without its problems. Many local nobles are negligent regarding the needs of the rural population and often refuse to carry out mandated infrastructure or electrical reforms. Many of the rural inhabitants in far-flung regions still have either no electricity, or very little. The petty nobility that oversees the various settlements and cities often protests this mismanagement, but the dukes keep them in check through vast and indulgent parties and balls. Calls for a new administration have been spreading around the planet for some months, but only time can tell if the nobility will be reigned in by the Empire or not.

==Economy==

Though Dominia accepts the Solarian Standard Credit like many other regions of the Spur, it continues to use the Imperial Pound as a local currency, which is backed in precious metals by the Imperial Bank of Moroz. The Great Houses are very powerful movers in the Imperial economy and are some of the largest employers. Defense industries, raw resource production, and agriculture are the largest sectors of the Empire's economy, with recent years' modernization efforts making the latter two increasingly lucrative. Consistent expansions of the Imperial Military’s budget have seen rapid growth in all types of equipment production and research for the army and navy, sectors dominated by houses Kazhkz, Strelitz, and Zhao.

==The Mo’ri’zal==

The Empire’s unique form of taxation is the Mo’ri’zal, or “Blood Debt” in Vulgar Morozi. The Mo’ri’zal is a lump sum every Imperial subject receives upon birth (or otherwise acquiring their citizenship) that is paid to the state over the course of their life, and is often high enough to require decades to pay off. How quickly one can pay off their Mo’ri’zal is a key marker of one’s economic class in the Empire. Most Primaries — those of the Empire’s aristocracy — have theirs paid off at birth, most Secondaries — the Imperial middle class — pay theirs by early to mid adulthood, and many Ma’zals — the colonial subjects of the Empire — must work their entire lives to pay it off.

One’s Mo’ri’zal can be paid off by others, and many noble houses of Dominia attract commoners into their employ through promises of paying off parts of their debt. The Mo’ri’zal can also be paid off in other ways: military service pays five percent of the debt per year served, and injuries received in the line of duty — particularly severe ones — can pay off large amounts of the debt. Those that fall serving the Empire have their entire debt and a part of their immediate family’s debt forgiven.

While the Mo’ri’zal is a significant sum — and criticized by some as simply a state-sponsored form of indentured servitude — it is quite popular in the Empire’s core worlds due to the benefits it provides them: their paying of the Mo’ri’zal funds healthcare, public services such as education, infrastructure, and the might of the Empire’s war machine. It is additionally often trivial for many of them to pay off their Mo’ri’zal due to the wealth of many in the Empire’s core. In the Empire’s colonies, such as Sun Reach, the Mo’ri’zal is looked upon much more poorly. Many Ma’zals were initially born as non-Imperial subjects and only received their Mo’ri’zal when the Empire conquered their planet, and few of them view the debt — which is meant to be paid off gradually from one’s birth onwards — as reasonably payable. While the debt is legally meant to not carry over to one’s descendents, should it be unpaid at one’s death, a familial history of being unable to pay Mo’ri’zals can result in a denial of privileges such as healthcare until the debt is settled -- generally through a family member joining the the Imperial military.

Compounding the issues of these recently-conquered Dominian subjects is the nature through which the Mo’ri’zal is calculated. As the Mo’ri’zal is assigned to an Imperial subject at their birth -- or at the point that they become a subject -- it is not, like other taxes, based upon one’s income. Instead it is based upon one’s perceived loyalty to the Dominian state, and the Imperial throne by extension. Primaries and many Secondaries often have small Mo’ri’zals due to generations of dedicated service to the Empire while less loyal populations -- such as Fisanduhians, Lyodii, and some Ma’zals -- tend to have larger Mo’ri’zals.

==Edict Breakers==

Breaking of an edict is punishable by death so it is not uncommon for an "Edict Breaker" to go on the run outside of Dominian space. Due to the nature of the Empire, in-depth records are kept on all subjects and once one runs, their details are reported on the local ExtraNet daily until they return/are returned. These details include name, address, picture, family details, everything. As such, any "Edict Breakers" are instantly identifiable to Dominian subjects. In Dominia space, any "Edict Breakers" are violently sought for capture. Outside of Dominian space, however, due to the nature of the fourth edict, subjects of Dominian usually do not violently attempt to apprehend these criminals but instead try to convince them in the nicest way possible to return to Dominian space under their own volition for judgment. This usually devolves into near-passive harassment where the loyal imperial subjects will remind the "Edict Breaker" over and over that they have violated the law and should return to the Empire to repent, usually in a sickly sweet manner. The effect is usually maddening for the lawbreaker and it's not uncommon for them to allow themselves to be returned to Dominia for judgment and in some extreme cases take their own lives. Edict breakers abroad in human space sometimes find themselves pursued in the legal realm for infringing on the trademarks of their House if they refuse to change their surname.

==Government==
[[File:Dominia_Flag.png|thumb|The Imperial standard of House Keeser, intended to represent three nation-states of old Moroz that formed the basis of the Empire of Dominia.]]
The Empire of Dominia operates as an absolute monarchy, with a powerful central government and an expansive, all-consuming imperial bureaucracy. The Imperial Cabinet and Electors are major parts of the government.

===Imperial Cabinet===

The Imperial Cabinet is the direct will of the Emperor manifested in the hundreds of officials that work in his name and carry out his will. The ministers, judges, and bureaucrats of the Imperial Cabinet manage many parts of the Empire, as well as advising the Emperor on all major decisions. The majority of all political posts are directly controlled by Emperor Keeser. His Imperial Cabinet consists of:

</div></div>
<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed">
'''Colonel-in-Chief of His Majesty's Special Operations Group: Angelika-Lina Strelitz'''
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
The typical soldier of the Imperial Army is a well-trained, well-equipped, and well-motivated individual that is able to take and hold ground from the Empire’s typical opponents with ease. But there are some things that even these individuals cannot do, and this is when His Majesty’s Special Operations Group is deployed. The position of its leader — the Colonel-in-Chief — is considered to be an extremely prestigious duty that has been held by a member of House Strelitz since the Group’s creation following the War of Moroz.

The present Colonel-in-Chief is herself a veteran of the Group, as every member before her has been. Recently ennobled into House Strelitz shortly before her ascension, the twenty-five-year veteran of the Imperial Army prides herself on being above politics. Prior to her promotion the Colonel-in-Chief served with distinction in the non-geneboosted section of the Group — an unusual unit for the Moroz-born nobles that often serve with the Group. While her service would cost Angelika-Lina her left eye (lost to shrapnel while in Inner Fisanduh), it would give her the network — and the prestige — required for a promotion to Colonel-in-Chief in 2461.

As Colonel-in-Chief, Angelika-Lina has desperately attempted to stay uninvolved in politics while attempting to mold the Group into a perfect special operations force. While she has managed to consistently increase its budget — and, as a result, its successes — the Colonel finds herself pulled further and further into the realm of noble politicking, and often privately wishes to be back on the field. When the Emperor goes to join the Goddess, many believe that the Colonel-in-Chief, with her multitude of connections to Ma’zals she has served with and obsessiveness towards the Group, will have no choice but to formally align herself with the Crown Princess or be sacked. And to her, the thought of another in charge of the Group — her Group — is not something she can bear.
</div></div>

<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed">
'''Chief Commissioner of Economic Development: Izla Caladius'''
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
All states — including empires — are built upon their economies first and foremost. Without a strong economic base to support its wars of conquest the Empire of Dominia would doubtlessly buckle under its own weight and begin to shrink before collapsing, defeated by internal forces rather than external opposition. A position that can only truly be filled by a person addicted to their work, the CCED manages economics through the Empire: everything from taxes to tithes to trade passes across their desk, and is stamped by their hand. The position is regarded as so vital that it has been held by the Caladius since inception and has remained with one family of the house for its entire history, slowly passing from relative to relative through Imperial history.

Born in 2420 to the Montague family of House Caladius, Izla Caladius bears a resemblance to her distant predecessor: Maria Caladius, CCED from 2398 until her unexpected death in an aircraft crash in 2421. Her immediate precursor, Victoria Caladius, perished under similar circumstances in 2445, thrusting the young Izla into the position of chief commissioner alongside her aide, Josephine Caladius — herself quite similar-looking to her relative, Victoria — at the age of twenty-five as a freshly-minted doctor of economic studies. Izla scarcely has a life outside of work and is viewed as something of a reclusive night owl by the rest of the court, with very few daytime appearances ever recorded — a habit which seems to define many CCEDs, which often work atypical hours long into the night.

In her nearly twenty years as CCED Izla has led the Empire through booms and busts, but has committed it to a steady course intended to ensure the Empire can retain much of its economic and military output even in a disaster scenario where it is embargoed by the entire Spur. Despite this policy she has not shied away from broader trade relations with the rest of the Spur, and is often credited for enticing Zavodskoi to permanently relocate its headquarters to Moroz. Notably, she was a major factor behind the Empire’s decision to stick with Helium-3 refining rather than investing into phoron. With the crisis deepening this policy, criticized in the short term for being unprofitable, is paying dividend hand over fist.
</div></div>

<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed">
'''Chief Commissioner of His Majesty's Imperial Military: Eliza Volvalaad'''
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
While the various cabinet members may hold near absolute power over their respective military branches, it is the Chief Commissioner that directs much of the military’s efforts from behind the scenes. The chief commissioner is, on paper, intended to exist as the primary director of military research and development. In reality the position — which has been occupied by a Volvalaad since its creation — is used by House Volvalaad to exert influence over Houses Strelitz and Zhao. The research of the Volvalaads is used and valued by all branches of the Imperial Military, but often comes with a price attached, and the cost is typically repaid by carrying out the Volvalaad’s goals abroad.

Born in 2398 to a family long deeply involved in House Volvalaad, Dr. Eliza Volvalaad, PhD. is regarded as one of the Empire’s foremost researchers in the field of laser-based weaponry — much of the military’s laser weaponry currently in use can be traced to her and her Volvalaad-staffed laboratory in Jinxiang on Moroz. Decades of work and research, along with her connections to Houses Zhao and Strelitz, made her an ideal candidate for the position of chief commissioner, which she was appointed to in 2454 in the hope that she would be able to balance the influence of her own house, the Zhaos, and the Strelitz while ensuring the military retained its technological advantage over its neighbors.

In the ten years she has spent as chief commissioner, Dr. Volvalaad has effectively balanced the demands of the Volvalaads alongside the desires of Houses Zhao and Strelitz while ensuring the Imperial Military retained its edge over the frontier systems it must conquer for resources and prestige alike. But despite her best efforts the chief commissioner has not been able to keep pace with the Serene Republic of Elyra’s phoron-backed development sector, and some believe Doctor Volvalaad - now rapidly approaching seventy years of age — will soon retire, leaving the critically important position vacant.
</div></div>

<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed">
'''Chief Commissioner of Imperial Sovereignty: Antonio Caladius'''
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
Diplomacy — even for the Empire, which has long had sour relations with its neighbors — is key to any modern state. But despite the importance of diplomacy, the role of the Chief Commissioner of Imperial Sovereignty is somewhat limited due to the Empire’s poor reputation abroad, aside from the Republic of Biesel and Jargon Federation. Much of the CCIS’ duties instead relate to maintaining good relations with Zavodskoi Interstellar, which has quickly become one of the Empire’s major employers.

Though a member of House Caladius, Antonio has had close relations with House Volvalaad since his birth in 2412, and often collaborates with Grand Duchess-Electress Landi Volvalaad to push for the demands of both houses abroad. A lifelong liberal Dominian and advocate for a greater Dominian market abroad, Antonio’s ascension to the position of chief commissioner in 2455 was seen by many as a concession by the Emperor to Houses Volvalaad and Caladius.

But despite his high-minded goals of a more liberal, more politically involved Empire, Antonio's time as chief commissioner has been fraught with disappointment. He has been stymied by the more politically powerful Huiling Zhao and Dorothea-Frieda Strelitz, who favor strength over diplomacy when it applies to the Empire’s frontier, and his efforts to have the Coalition’s embargo formally lifted ended in failure in 2462. Many talk of replacing the often-unsuccessful diplomat, and Antonio worries the Emperor — who now rarely calls upon him — has begun to listen to these detractors.
</div></div>

<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed">
'''Chief Commissioner for Colonial Affairs: Alessandro Amadei'''
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
In a society such as the Empire of Dominia where expansion — for resources, primarily — is a key pillar of its continued ability to survive and thrive, the duty of managing its colonies is one of the most critical in it. Every colonial official found in the Imperial Frontier,from the viceroys in charge of entire planets to lowly Ma’zal bureaucrats, is the responsibility of the Chief Commissioner for Colonial Affairs, the master of the Dominian colonial empire. To be entrusted with such a critical position is to be one of the closest individuals in the Empire to the Emperor, and the current Chief Commissioner has long been a close friend of the royal family.

Born into a family of Morozian bureaucrats in 2426, the young Count Amadei spent much of his youth cavorting with his fellow nobles, including the royal family, and building connections with other Morozian nobles. Wanderlust pulled the young Count into the Imperial Flying Corps where he proved himself an effective — if egotistical — pilot and won multiple accolades for himself, returning to Moroz a decorated veteran. His decorations and connections, particularly to the royal family , led to his ascension to the position of Chief Commissioner for Colonial Affairs in 2456.

Count Amadei, the current Chief Commissioner, is a man of both charisma and controversy: an exceptionally talented administrator, longtime friend of the Emperor, and veteran of the Imperial Flying Corps, Amadei has long been an advocate for both his old Corps and the burgeoning colonial domain that the Empire finds itself ruling. But some in the high society of the Empire gripe at his posting and view him as a mere unaffiliated noble granted privileges solely due to his friendship with the Emperor, and believe they should be represented in the position instead. The Count has long had a poor relationship with House Caladius as a result, and is often known to become involved in spats with Antonio Caladius over the diplomatic repercussions of the Empire’s colonial endeavors. In almost every fight they have, the Emperor sides with Amadei – not Caladius. But as the Emperor ages the Count grows nervous, wondering what will happen to him when he is finally shorn of his greatest protector.
</div></div>

<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed">
'''Chief Minister of Unathi Affairs: Kasz Han’san'''
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
Considering the notable Unathi population now in Dominia, and most importantly the fact that the large majority of said population are primaries, the Emperor needed something, or someone, to keep them loyal and in check the moment the Han’san and Kazhkz clans became houses. This is certainly not an easy task when speaking of an alien race. From cultural differences to distinct biological characteristics such as diets or sleep cycles, the Empire needed someone who truly understood the Unathi to both represent them efficiently in the Cabinet, and who could then properly communicate to the Sinta of the Empire to coordinate them to the best of their ability and use within the bureaucracy.

Lord Marshal Kasz Han’san, Contact War veteran, once a General under Seryo Kazhkz back on Moghes, and leader of the Han’san House, was chosen for such a role. If the Unathi of the Han’san earned the reputation of being fantastic soldiers, their ability to make charismatic, and at times, cunning leaders is also true, and the old Lord Marshal proves to be both. Though perhaps cautious due to his extensive history of war, and wary of any steps the Kazhkz may take against him, he provides some insight on both his people and his political history in maneuvering among a cabinet. In particular, he is often close with Amadei due to the latter's charisma and knowledge and the former's interest in the Empire's political sphere. This spawned from the Unathi's employment in the outer reaches of the nation's colonies as shock troopers and enforcement, and as such, Kasz has remained informative and helpful in coordinating with the Chief Commissioner. However, this sometimes puts Kasz at odds with Antonio at times due to his relationship with Amalei, and House Kazhkz's burgeoning friendship with House Caladius is in an awkward position in the cabinet's circle as a result.

Despite house Han'san's current weakened state after its humiliating defeat against the Fisanduhan Freedom Front, Kasz Han'san remained in the cabinet, most preferring him over the alternative, the much more politically inadequate Salak Kazhkz. The Lord Marshall also managed to prove to be right pick over time for such a role, managing to strike deals and leverage this to earn some unique rights, including protecting its members that still practice the old faith of Th'akh for some of the more conservative Unathi, in order to keep the Sinta of the Empire satisfied, with the reasoning rumored to be "they'll come around eventually." Many theorize that the Lord Marshal's work is the only reason why the Han'san House still exists and wasn’t wholly absorbed into the Kazhkz after their defeat.
</div></div>

<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed">
'''Grand Admiral of His Imperial Majesty’s Fleet: Huiling Zhao'''
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
One of the most powerful cabinet positions, the role of Grand Admiral has been filled by a member of House Zhao since its creation. The Grand Admiral holds almost unquestioned authority over His Imperial Majesty’s Fleet — with only the Emperor able to overrule them — and is often regarded as the third most powerful figure in the Empire after the Emperor himself and the Immaculate Hand due to this authority. If the Fleet is both the sword and shield of the modern Empire, the Grand Admiral is the individual who wields both.

Born in 2416, no individual represents House Zhao more than Huiling Zhao. The leader of House Zhao in all but name thanks to her position, Huiling has given her life in service to His Imperial Majesty’s Fleet and now serves as its Grand Admiral following her appointment in 2450. Huiling is a figure beloved in the Empire and often despised abroad, but revels in the infamy her reputation brings.

In her 14 years as Grand Admiral Huiling has seen several systems subjugated by the Fleet and added into the Empire, and has zealously guarded the Empire’s reserves of Helium-3 despite House Caladius’ demands to release parts of the reserve in order to make a larger profit. She has also cultivated a close relationship with the royal family — particularly Lei Keeser — in order to better push a naval agenda. Huiling is confident that, no matter what the Goddess may have in store for her, she will be able to hold onto her position and the power that comes with it.
</div></div>

<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed">
'''Chief Commissioner for Imperial Aviation: Annaliese Strelitz'''
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
Despite being the youngest of the Imperial Army’s branches, the Imperial Flying Corps have no lack of influence and sponsors due to its status as a club for Morozian nobility. But there is no greater sponsor of the Corps than its commissioner, Annaliese Strelitz. While her aunt — and often rival — Dorothea-Frieda must go through the trouble of managing an entire Army, Annaliese spends the majority of her time cavorting with Morozian nobility and ensuring the Corps maintains their patronage. Much of this fundraising work is done in conjunction with her two allies: Izla Caladius and Alessandro d'Arcobuono, who ensure the Corps never lacks for funding — even if the Navy and Army are hardly fans of it at times.

Born in 2423 to a wealthy family long affiliated with House Strelitz, Annaliese was always destined for a life in service to the Empire’s military. But the young Strelitz showed little interest in fighting on the ground and often avoided her cadet courses to pursue flight lessons. Eventually her family conceded and allowed Annaliese to pursue flight full-time, and enrolled her in a cadet course for the Imperial Flying Corps. The young flight officer has used her connections throughout the intervening years to pull the right strings at the right time, eventually ensuring her ascension to the position of Chief Commissioner in 2462.

In her short tenure Annaliese has proven herself to be an exceptional connection-maker for the Corps and an incredible annoyance for Duchess Zhao and Grand Duchess-Electress Strelitz. Annalise spends much of her time boasting of the Corps’ achievements and presenting it as the peak of martial nobility in the Empire. She has effectively drawn sponsors and funding away from the Fleet and Army through this, which gives her military counterparts no end of headaches. Annalise’s attitude — which is infamously narcissistic — has made these headaches far worse.
</div></div>

<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed">
'''High Lord General of His Majesty's Imperial Army: Dorothea-Frieda Strelitz'''
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
The most senior leader of the Imperial Army, the High Lord General’s position has been exclusively held by a member of House Strelitz since its inception. The High Lord General’s authority over the Imperial Army is absolute, with only the Emperor able to overturn their decisions. However, the Army’s inability to travel from system to system itself limits this authority and for es a degree of cooperation with the Fleet — something some Strelitz grind their teeth over.

Born into a family with a long history of martial Service in House Strelitz in 2418, Dorothea-Frieda has spent her life in the Imperial Army. While health concerns prevented her from being geneboosted, her strategic brilliance and sufficient grasp of politics has allowed her to become both High Lord General in 2445 and leader of House Strelitz at the same time — a significant achievement that makes her the only cabinet member currently also in command of one of the five great houses. This status makes Dorothea-Frieda a woman of many responsibilities, and she is almost never seen without a throng of aides surrounding her in order to allow her to better respond to any problems that may arise.

In her nearly twenty years of service as High Lord General Dorothea-Frieda has seen multiple worlds and systems conquered — or at least occupied — by the Empire, with Sun Reach standing as the Army’s most notable recent conquest. She has doggedly tried to stay above politics and has, for the most part, succeeded in this effort. Yet in private corners some whisper that the High Lord General grinds her teeth over the crown princess’ apparent liberalism when it comes to the use of force abroad, and fears the inevitable transfer of power could see the Army lose its importance as the primary instrument of the Empire’s will abroad. But only time will tell if these rumors are true.
</div></div>

<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed">
'''High Seneschal of His Majesty's Justice: Ngo Juric'''
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
Regarded by many as the most trusted member of the cabinet by the Emperor, the High Seneschal is the primary legal authority of the Empire as it applies to secular law in the Empire’s borders. For better or worse, the High Seneschal must defer to the word of his religious counterparts on matters of the Edicts in the majority of conditions with the exception of violations of the Fourth Edict, where the judiciary takes priority. Navigating this legal environment while advising the Emperor demands an individual who is both unerring in their faith to the throne and able to negotiate with many, many parties.

Fortunately for the Keesers, Ngo Juric, born in 2395 in Nova Luxembourg not far from the palace, is precisely that individual. A friend of the dearly departed Emperor Godwin Keeser and a close associate of the current royal family, Juric has served as the legal councilor for the Keesers for nearly forty years, and has served as Seneschal for almost thirty. A kind and gregarious man, Juric has a reputation for being liked by all he speaks to — including the infamously stone-hearted Inquisitrix of the Holy Tribunal — and is well regarded by all five of the great houses.

But despite his friendly reputation, the High Seneschal is anything but a pushover. His thirty years of service have seen the absolute rule of the royal family set even further into stone, and his legal expertise has led to the Empire ensuring its dealings with Zavodskoi Interstellar are favorable to both parties rather than tipped in the megacorporation’s favor. But Juric is an old man — older than his dear friend, Emperor Boleslaw Keeser, by almost a decade — and many believe the High Seneschal will soon retire, living out the rest of his days content that he served faithfully and firmly – content in the knowledge he left the Empire in a better place than it was thirty years ago.
</div></div>

<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed">
'''Director of His Majesty's Imperial Intelligence Directorate: Alojzia Molnarova'''
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
Power is all too often a fickle, fleeting thing that tempts many and is granted to very few. While House Keeser commands the respect of many in the Empire, from Primary to Ma’zal, there are always those that will seek to rise above their station through ungentlemanly means and subterfuge. The Imperial Intelligence Directorate has long served as a bulwark against such ungoddessly individuals, and its Director is often regarded as one of the most important individuals in the Imperial Cabinet as a result. Since the ascension of Emperor Boleslaw Keeser I in 2437, the position of Director has been held by Baronet Alojzia Molnarova, the only commoner to hold a position in the Imperial Cabinet and a close personal friend of the Emperor himself.

Born in 2408 to a family of commoners awarded a Baronet during the War of Moroz, little is known of Alojzia’s personal life beyond her current duties. Few photographs exist of the camera-shy Director, and rumors regarding her past — and that of the Molnarov family — abound. Some rumors go as far as to suggest that the Molnarovs are of Fisanduhian descent, or that Alojzia is not a member of the Moroz Holy Tribunal herself. Such rumors have never been formally acknowledged by the Director or her Directorate, but many that promote them publicly are shortly thereafter revealed to be shell infilitators hellbent on destroying the Empire and all that it stands for. They are, of course, promptly executed after their discovery.

As Director, Molnarova has seen that the Directorate has been constantly improved and modernized in order to keep pace with the growing regional threats the Empire faces — Elyra and the Coalition — while ensuring that it is never vulnerable to internal enemies. No price is too great to pay in order to ensure the Empire’s stability, and the Directorate has been accused by many that flee the Empire of employing draconian methods — often alongside the Imperial Army — to crush dissent in the Imperial Frontier. But these rumors are difficult to substantiate, as the Directorate — and its enigmatic Director — are consistently tight-lipped. When her close friend and Emperor dies, none are sure what will become of Director Molnarova. None aside from the Director herself.
</div></div>

<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed">
'''Theodora Gottlieb, High Inquisitrix of the Holy Tribunal'''
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
While the High Seneschal and Director concern themselves with the laws and behaviors of humanity, the Holy Tribunal concerns itself with those that break higher, greater principles: the Edicts laid out by the Goddess to Her faithful to follow and obey. The ultimate adjudicator of Her Edicts is none other than the Tribunal’s High Inquisitrix: a woman born with the rare gift to hear and interpret Her words who had been forged into a leader through the crucible of the Holy Tribunal. The High Inquisitrix possesses unquestioned authority over matters of religious law — only the Immaculate Hand, the leader of the Holy Tribunal, or the Emperor himself may overturn one of her decisions.

Born in 2431 to a noble family of little renown outside of Nova Luxembourg, Theodora’s path to High Inquisitrix was not clear to her or her family until she revealed herself able to commune with the Goddess and interpret Her words shortly before her eighth birthday. The following twelve years were spent training in the Holy Tribunal in order to ascend to the position of Inquisitrix — one of the Tribunal’s religious officials responsible for carrying out the Goddess’ will by returning edict breakers from abroad — at the age of twenty. As an inquisitrix Gottlieb was responsible for many things, though her primary duty quickly became apparent: tracking down edict breakers and ensuring they were returned to the Empire alive, to face Her justice. Following a decade of service she was recommended for the position of High Inquisitrix, which she accepted in 2461.

In her three years as High Inqusitrix, Gottlieb has spent much of her time interpreting Her words for the Emperor in addition to her typical duties as High Inquisitrix. High-profile trials and public events — often alongside the Immaculate Hand, her immediate supervisor and one of two individuals Gottlieb must answer to alongside the Emperor — are commonplace, and something the High Inquisitrix excels at. But a part of Gottlieb wishes to return to what she was trained to do: tracking down edict breakers and bringing them to face the Goddess’ justice, no matter where they attempt to hide themselves. But for now her duty is clear: to remain in her lofty position as long as She wills it, and to carry out Her work with all the High Inquisitrix does.
</div></div>

<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed">
'''Agnes Caladius, Immaculate Hand of Our Lady the Goddess'''
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
The Empire’s state is not complete without the Holy Tribunal, which interprets Her will and applies it to the imperfect world of humanity. In the Tribunal there is no authority holier — or higher — than that of its leader, the Immaculate Hand of Our Lady the Goddess. Elected for life by a convocation of priests and priestesses, the Immaculate Hand is regarded as the highest authority on religious matters in the Empire due to their mastery of scripture. Though primarily intended as a religious advisor on the council, the Immaculate Hand’s religious authority arguably makes her the second most powerful person in the Empire after the Emperor himself.

Born in 2386 to a family long involved in House Caladius, Agnes’ path to the position of Immaculate Hand was anything but clear due to her inability to receive the gift of communion from birth. Though no fault of her own, her lack of this gift prevented the young theologian from joining the ranks of the Inquisitrix as she originally desired, and Agnes instead committed herself to the study of the Goddess and Her words. The young woman proved herself to be a dedicated — if conservative — theologian and a gifted orator, and quickly rose through the ranks of the Tribunal. In 2432, following the death of her predecessor, Agnes was elected Immaculate Hand, the supreme religious authority of the Holy Tribunal.

In her three decades as Immaculate Hand, Agnes has charted a steady course through a quickly-changing Spur. Her reign has seen the addition of the Tenth Edict, codifying the Tribunal’s opinion on augmentations, and generally good relations between the Emperor and both major schools of Tribunalist thought. Additionally she has formally consecrated the largest Tribunalist cathedral abroad, which is located in Mendell City and serves many Dominians employed by Zavodskoi and has worked with the High Inquisitrix to ensure no edict breaker escapes Her justice. But despite her successes the Immaculate Hand grows older each day, and is known to have a poor relationship with the crown princess. What the future holds for her, only the Goddess knows.
</div></div>

===Great Houses===

A moniker for the five most prominent Houses in the Empire, these families are the most powerful political and economic influencers in the Empire. They currently consist of:

* House Volvalaad - House Colors: Blue, Black - A Human-dominated house. This house's wealth is in genetics and biological research. Of all the Great Houses, it is the biggest supporter of integration into the wider galactic community.
* House Caladius - House Colors: Purple Shades - A Human-dominated house. This house's power lies in its money lending and banking, alongside its many land holdings for which it receives a breathtaking sum in rent money. They also control a large amount of the Moroz Holy Tribunal.
* House Zhao - House Colors: White, Gray - A Human-dominated house. The power of this great house sits in engineering and its numerous naval contacts. It dominates the navy of the Empire of Dominia, with other houses constituting minor portions of the fleets.
* House Strelitz - House Colors: Gold and Red - A venerable Human house. Largely a military and martial power, it provides most of the Imperial Army’s officers and equipment. It is also the origin of Dominian honor as it is known today.
* House Kazhkz - House Colors: Orange, Red, Yellow - A Unathi-dominated house. Most of their wealth comes from its budding privateering enterprise. Of all the Great Houses, House Kazhkz is the most against integration into the wider galactic community. It has an internal faction, the Han’sans, who often enjoy their work bolstering the army’s ranks.

===The Imperial Electors===

The five great houses form the only voting group in the Empire of Dominia, the Imperial Council of Electors. These five individuals, leaders of their respective houses, are expected to meet with the Emperor - or Empress - to discuss and pass legislation impacting the entire Empire. Debates amongst the electors can become extremely heated and can be roughly divided along reformist and conservative lines. The reformists - those that seek a more liberal and widely integrated Empire - are led by the Volvalaads with support from House Caladius’ pro-trade faction. The conservatives - those that believe the Empire is fine as it stands and does not need further integration - are headed by the Kazhkz with support from much of House Caladius’ clergy. Houses Zhao and Strelitz, being more militarily-minded, tend to flip-flop on issues depending on Imperial security interests. The Emperor rarely steps into debates himself but, when he does, he is often able to easily shift the argument in his favor.

<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed">
===The Peerage, Noble Orders, and Titles===
The Imperial nobility is defined and sorted in prominence by their peerages alongside a complex mixture of noble orders and titles, many of which can trace their origins back to the era before the modern Empire. The Empire’s nobility is well-respected in its core worlds and is regarded as the peak of polite Dominian society. Below is a list of some common titles found in the Empire of Dominia, ordered from highest to lowest in the Empire’s peerage. This should be used as a general guide for the Empire’s nobility.

Land-owning nobility going abroad to seek employment or for extended amounts of time is a '''major social faux-pas''' that will inevitably see their land redistributed to another member of their family, their title stripped and their status as a member of the nobility placed in question. For this reason, '''it is impossible to play land-owning nobles on the Horizon, with the only exception being the Consular position.'''

<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
'''Royal Titles (Unplayable):'''
* Emperor/Empress: The unquestioned ruler of the Empire of Dominia. This title can also refer to the spouse of an Emperor or Emperess.
* Crown Prince/Princess: The heir apparent to the throne of the Empire of Dominia, next in line for the Imperial succession. The current heir apparent is Crown Princess Priscilla Keeser.
* Prince/Princess: Children of the current Emperor that are not the heir apparent.

'''Lord Noble Titles (Unplayable):'''
* Grand Duke/Duchess: The leaders of the Empire’s great houses.
* Grand Consul: The leader of House Caladius. Unlike a Grand Duke, this position is elected by members of its own great house.
* Governor: The rule of an Imperial March, one of the Empire’s core worlds. Governorship is not inherited and is instead granted by the Emperor.
* Marquess/Marchioness: The ruler of one of the systems on the border between the Imperial Core and Imperial Frontier, such as Novi Jadran. Appointed by the Emperor.
* Viceroy: Ruler of an Imperial Viceroyalty, a colony in the Imperial Frontier. Viceroys are appointed by the Emperor rather than inheriting their title.
* Duke/Duchess: The immediate subordinates of a governor or viceroy that are responsible for managing regions of a planet. This title is bestowed by a Governor and is not hereditary.

'''House Noble Titles (Playable):'''
* Count/Countess: The hereditary ruler of an Imperial province and subordinate to a Duke. Counts can also be the administrators of Imperial military bases, though these Counts are not hereditary. Military Counts retain their title, but not their county, after their posting.
* Viscount/Viscountess: The ruler of a subdivision of an Imperial province, subordinates of the province’s Count. A hereditary position.

'''Minor Nobles (Playable):'''
* Baron/Baroness: The hereditary ruler of a barony, a small plot of land that has been declared the domain of a family in exchange for their loyalty to the Emperor. Typically answer to a Count or Duke.
* Lord/Lady: A generic title used to refer to a landless noble lacking other honorifics, such as the children of a noble.

'''Secondary Titles (Playable):'''
* Baronet: A gender-neutral, landless hereditary title granted by the Emperor or a Governor to a notable commoner family, granting them the status of Primary in the Empire. Often the first step to becoming fully ennobled.
* Imperial Knight: A title granted to members of an Imperial Order of the Empire, such as the Order of the Golden Albatross. Used by both Secondaries and Primaries.
</div></div>

==History==

===Initial Colonization===

The original settlers of the planet of Moroz arrived and founded the city of Nova Luxembourg in July of 2137 within the Mira Sancta System, so named after a belief that the planet would be a bountiful new frontier for humanity. The settlers had been primarily recruited from Europe and East Asia, promised a fertile new home in the deep frontier of human space as many were during this era of colonization. However, these settlers were going farther than any human colonists had gone before. The three colony ships were equipped with a new generation of warp engines that made the trip only take three years and they had been told by their sponsors that terraforming efforts had transformed three barren worlds into utopian paradises to surpass Earth itself.

But as the settlers stepped out onto their new home, they found the planet almost entirely frozen. What terraforming equipment had been there had been abandoned for years— the failing states of Earth had effectively sent tens of thousands of people off without making sure they had a home to arrive to. Their mission was not an official United Nations-sanctioned effort, but a disjointed effort between scattered, failing states. Only three years after they landed the United Nations had even ceased to exist - transformed into the Sol Alliance. In the transition red tape and chaotic bureaucracy consumed everything and old data was lost or neglected, including records of the Morozi colonial effort. And with the colonists' warp-based transponder signals broadcasting on phased out frequencies that no longer existed within Sol, Moroz was cut off with no hope of resupply or escape. With no other option, they brought their colony ship to touch down on the planet's surface.

The initial colonists of Dominia arrived in three separate areas, as per the original flight plans of their colony ships. Landing Site Fisanduh was located in "temperate" plains to be utilized for farming that was surrounded by mineral-rich mountain ranges, intended to become the industrial base of the colony— unfortunately for the colonists, the landing zone and its surrounding area were discovered to be quite cold. Landing Site Ofassel was located in the most "fertile" area of Moroz, a relatively temperate region of the planet. Intended to be the "breadbasket" of the planet, the colonists of this landing site viewed themselves as blessed with good fortune compared to their fellows. Landing Site Telminia was located near flat, fertile plains intended to serve as the primary launch point for shuttles coming on and off of the planet. Exacerbating the issues of the colonists upon landing was the failure of their local warp-based transponders, meaning that the three landing sites developed isolated of one another for some time.
The Forgotten Colony

After landing, all three colony ships were unable to relaunch due to a lack of fuel. In this harsh environment, the colonists quickly learned how to adapt and overcome through a variety of means. Some overcame through unity, while others tried more radical methods.

At Landing Site Fisanduh, the name of the mountainous region in which they had settled, the colonists managed to quickly adapt to their harsh circumstances. They unloaded crate after crate of heavy equipment originally intended for mining and industrial work, managing to establish the respectable city of Neubach in the foothills of the Fisanduh Mountains. The colonists of Fisanduh opted to unify as a whole to conquer their harsh environment and managed to avoid the radical measures undertaken by other landing sites due to the strength of their unity. As the area around Landing Site Fisanduh expanded, and it became clear that the original colonial staff would no longer be able to manage it all, the Confederated States of Fisanduh were formed. To the members of the Confederacy, there was no such thing as a Primary, Secondary, or Tertiary - there were simply Confederates. To the members of other states, however, the population of the Confederated States is primarily Secondaries, due to the lack of a colonial rationing program or nobility.

At Landing Site Ofassel the colonists were more religious than their fellows, being primarily recruited from Eastern Orthodox populations. When faced with the hardship they relied on their faiths to guide them through the harsh initial years of the colonial process, and the clergy quickly became a wealthier and better-fed class than their contemporaries. The religious class of Ofassel was taller, stronger, and more educated than their fellows that worked in the agricultural industry and quickly began co-opting control of the landing site from the small staff of colonial administrators sent along with the ship. It was not until an administrator, a senior official named Valentia Caladius, proposed an alliance with the clergy that the settlement truly began to prosper. The start of the Holy Kingdom of Domelkos grew out of this political alliance, as did House Caladius. The importance of the religious leaders to the Holy Kingdom led to a great amount of emphasis being placed on them, with many referring to them as the "first and most important citizens" of the Holy Kingdom. Over time, this would simply be shortened to "Primaries."

At Landing Site Telminia, two families rapidly came to prominence: the Zhao family, a group of engineers involved in ensuring that the engines that powered their capital of Nova Luxembourg kept running, and the Volvalaad family, a group of scientists responsible for the genetic engineering of crops and livestock to prevent the starvation of the colony. The two families would eventually rapidly expand their capabilities and power, with the Zhaos becoming prominent engineers and the Volvalaads moving into human genetic manipulation. They would also, through a combination of their power and manipulation of the colonial bureaucracy, turn the landing site into a monarchy controlled by the two families - now referred to as House Zhao and House Volvalaad. Eventually, they would refer to themselves as the Imperial Alliance of Zhao and Volvalaad. Or, more simply, the Imperial Alliance of Telminia. The engineers of House Zhao were lucky to create a working long-range radio system shortly after landing, which put them into contact with the fledgling Holy Kingdom of Domelkos. The religion of the Holy Kingdom spread to the Imperial Alliance as the two groups grew closely together due to their similar systems of government and similar state of quasi-castes. The nobility of the Imperial Alliance was, like their contemporaries in House Caladius and the Holy Kingdom's clergy, generally taller and stronger than their commoner counterparts due to a better diet. The caste system of the Imperial Alliance was further reinforced by a primitive version of the later blood debt, in which those living under the control of a noble paid them in service or goods to reside on it.

By 2300 these three groups had grown significantly from their original sizes. The Confederated States had expanded to become a major industrial powerhouse in the Fisanduh Mountains and area around them, but remained behind their mountain ranges aside from the occasional expedition due to the hostile attitude of the Holy Kingdom, occupying western areas surrounding the mountain range— and Imperial Alliance— occupying the eastern regions surrounding the mountain range. Due to the differences between the Confederacy and the Holy Kingdom-Imperial Alliance coalition, conflict was inevitable at some point. It would come in 2355 when the Imperial Alliance and the Holy Kingdom gave the Confederated States an ultimatum: bend the knee and come into the fold as a unified Moroz, or resist and be annihilated. The democratic Confederated States opted to resist, and the bloodiest war in the planet’s history began.

===The War of Moroz===

Lasting almost a full century, the "Holy Crusade to Unite Moroz" as it is called in the Empire of Dominia (the Confederacy refers to it as the "War for Liberty") economically and militarily devastated the planet. While the war began with victories for the Coalition outside of the Fisanduh Mountains, it rapidly became a stalemate when the mountain range was reached by Coalition forces. The Confederacy was on its home terrain, had fortified the passes through the mountains heavily, and was not willing to give territory up to what its citizens viewed as bloodthirsty imperialist invaders. The full might of the Confederated State's industrial economy was brought to bear to produce the materials needed to defend its harsh mountainous environments, with factories producing everything from winterized uniforms to artillery shells, while the Coalition turned its biological prowess towards beating their way through the mountains. The foundation of the modern geneboosted Primaries, often-titanic examples of humanity stretching upwards of seven feet into the air, originated from this effort to produce more effective soldiers.

While the Coalition tried their best to break through, they could not. Shell after shell of artillery rained down from the Fisanduh Mountains as the war continued, turning the foothills where assaults would originate from into blasted moonscapes where the very ground became poisoned from residual gunpowder and unexploded munitions. There were breaks in the warring, but they were only temporary ceasefires - simply interludes in what the Coalition viewed as a holy war and what the Confederated States viewed as a war for their very existence. One side would not stop until their conquest was over, and the other side intended to fight until the bitter end. The Confederated States were diverting more and more of their economy towards the war as the years turned to decades, and were approaching a kind of white peace as the Coalition became more and more worn down by reports of losses for what they saw as very little gain. Then, in 2384, after decades of war, the balance of power shifted dramatically.

===The Collapse of Fisanduh===

In late 2384 the Imperial Alliance and the Holy Kingdom, worn down by nearly forty years of continuous fighting, made a desperate move. House Zhao was confident in its ability to launch a functional spaceship fleet after decades of research alongside House Volvalaad with the aim of flanking the Fisanduhian lines and deploying elite geneboosted commandos of House Strelitz to destroy the Fisanduhians from the inside. A Captain from the Holy Kingdom, Stanislav Olkhovsky, was chosen for his exceptional faith in the Morozian Holy Tribunal - the colonial religion of the Alliance and Kingdom, descended from Eastern Orthodoxy. As Captain Olkhovsky and his crew launched, they were firm in their faith that they would aid them. As the ships took off with their troop compartments full of crack Strelitz troops, all aboard prayed that this would be the end of the bloody war. In the Imperial Palace, the Emperor himself is said to have prayed for the success of the mission.

The Confederated States, for their part, prepared for the assault with what knowledge they had of it. However, this did not prepare them for an orbital assault by the commando units on all their major cities, including their capital of Neubach. The government of the Confederated States never signed surrender terms to the war, instead opting to enact "Plan SCRAM" and send its government and military into an insurgency. The last Prime Minister of the Confederated States, Helga Kesselring, shot herself while draped in the standard of the States rather than be taken prisoner. No fully intact copy of Plan SCRAM has ever been recovered from Moroz due to the Confederated States' efforts to destroy sensitive documents in the final hours of its existence as an official government - the only recovered parts of it are a two-page section: a title page reading "PLAN SCRAM" and a second page reading "DESTROY ALL INFORMATION PAST THIS PAGE AFTER READING."

This spirit of defiance continues up until the present day. The Imperial forces that came to occupy the former Confederated States after this rapid assault reported no resistance whatsoever, but constant signs that the citizens of the region were preparing to stand against them. The army of the States had simply vanished, its factories had disappeared, and its citizenry had ripped up road signs across the territory. The second phase of the so-called "Fisanduhian Imperial Conquest" was more cultural than military. With the reunification finally completed at long last, the Imperial Alliance and the Holy Kingdom joined hands with the formation of the Empire of Dominia and the coronation of Godwin Keeser, the ruler of the Imperial Alliance, as the first Emperor of Dominia. The years that followed his coronation on the 29th of June, 2385, would be a time of great change for Moroz.

===The Reign of Emperor Godwin Keeser I===

The first true Emperor of Dominia, Godwin reigned from 2385 until his death from old age in 2437. During his roughly five decades of rule the newly-formed Empire of Dominia would go from a minor power to a true Empire, though his path would not be free of issues. Even as the Empire, under the watchful eye of its Emperor, expanded to multiple worlds and became masters of generic research it had problems in its home. The reign of Emperor Godwin Keeser I and its rapid expansion saw the creation of a new social class in the Empire: the Ma’zals. These humans make up a broad swath of Imperial society and are defined within the Empire as non-Morozian subjects of the Empire of Dominia. Controlling Ma’zals has been a longstanding problem for the immense colonial bureaucracy of the Empire of Dominia, and issues continue to this very day. Along with issues in the Imperial colonies, not all was well in the Imperial Occupied Territory of Fisanduh.

===The Imperial Occupation of Fisanduh===

In the meantime, settlers of the Fisanduh region from the greater Empire became extremely rare, due to massive hostility from the native population. Settlers often reported having bricks thrown through their windows, effigies of Keeser burnt on their properties, were typically declined employment in Fisanduh-run businesses and saw extremely low rates of attendance at Tribunal festivities and churches. The Fisanduh town of Vasychevo is well-known for having a church attendance of zero non-Imperial citizens until its church was shuttered fifteen years after its establishment. The initial Imperial bureaucrats and clergy sent to Fisanduh often returned demoralized and infuriated (and often complained that citizens of the former Confederated States would refuse to give them the time of day). Most pettily, a Tribunalist priest once claimed that a Fisanduh supply truck had opted to move fifty Kilometers under the speed limit in a no-passing zone, causing him to be two hours late to a sermon. This was not an isolated incident, as Fisanduh was full of these signs of defiance - some large and noble, some small and petty.

The first serious attempt by the young Empire to bring Fisanduh to heel was the creation of an organization officially known as His Majesty’s Imperial Fisanduhian Gendarmerie (simply referred to as IFG by most Fisanduhians), police led by Imperial officers but staffed by Fisanduhians armed and supplied by the Empire. An effort by the Empire to integrate the Fisanduhians into the imperial system and to make good on their status as 'Morozians,' by traditional Dominian definitions of the word, however, the IFG fell flat on its face almost immediately. This was primarily attributed to the hatred of the Empire held by Fisanduhians, a successful smear campaign that (rightfully) portrayed the IFG as puppets of the Emperor, and intensive 3F infiltration of the Gendarmerie. The IFG served only to arm and equip the 3F and while it remains active on paper, it is primarily staffed by Imperial subjects and is regarded as a dumping ground for ineffective officers that must be placed in a location where they can do as little damage as possible to the Empire’s reputation.

In yet another attempt to bring their new province under control, the Empire escalated by sending firebrands to Fisanduh. These firebrands found very little success at best, and death at worst. The situation in Fisanduh continued to escalate as the 2430s, then the 2440s, dragged on and a new Emperor was crowned. The Empire had a poor foothold at best, and there were rumors that the Fisanduh resistance (now, by this point, violent) reached further than the Empire knew. When Emperor Keeser attempted to formally enforce control in 2440 via an order to convert to the Holy Tribunal at the sword enforced by the Imperial Army, fears about the capabilities of the Fisanduh resistance would be found to have underestimated the resistance.

===The Fisanduh Freedom Front===

Active from 2386 to the present day as part of Plan SCRAM, the FFF (or 3F to some), the Fisanduh Freedom Front entered into a period of mustering for several years following the defeat of the Confederated States in open battle, gradually building up their strength. The Freedom Front is rumored to have been active formally since the day the Confederated States fell, they reemerged dramatically in 2386. While the order formally came into effect on November 15, 2386, its enforcement was intended to take place starting on the twentieth of the same month to allow the Imperials a chance to celebrate Navy Day. On November 18th two Imperial Navy light cruisers— the Arbiter and Outrider— detonated violently in their drydocks in New Luxembourg. The Arbiter remained in its elevated drydock moorings, but the Outrider managed to slip out of its dry-dock after the first blast. Observers first reported the Outrider starting to slide out, then a massive explosion (later revealed to be its power magazine) split the ship in two, with one half remaining attached to the dry-dock, while the other fell out of its moorings and into the naval armament plant beneath the dock, causing massive damage to the facility. The exact number of dead has never been revealed by the Empire of Dominia, though the cruisers were written off as unable to be salvaged. Shortly after the detonation, an organization known as the Fisanduh Freedom Front claimed responsibility for the attacks, with a man identified as "Svetovid" standing in front of the Confederated State's flag claiming that more attacks would come if the Empire continued its efforts to subjugate Fisanduh. The Emperor, not wanting to lose face to what he saw as dishonorable terrorists, continued his efforts to subjugate Fisanduh.

More attacks came. None were on the scale of the Navy Day attack, but they were a constant threat to the Empire in Fisanduh. Nail bombs arrived at important officials in Fisanduh, Tribunal temples were firebombed, buildings of the Imperial bureaucracy were detonated— some through car bombings, others through tunnels being physically dug beneath them. It became apparent that 3F was, despite Imperial efforts to pacify the province earlier, essentially the shadow government of the entire province. Many of 3F's fighters were veterans of the War of Moroz, and were still able to stand and fight despite their age. The "shadow state" supporting them was able to withstand the Imperial Army's efforts to root it out, proving to be extremely flexible and resilient. Losses on the part of the Imperial Army began to mount, and maimed soldiers marching back from Fisanduh became a common sight in the border provinces. The insurgency has continued since 2440 without signs of stopping, though it has waxed and waned. Through the propaganda machine of the Empire, the greater body of Imperial citizenry began to hate 3F and the democratic movement it stood for. Through their brutal actions, the greater Empire became hated by Fisanduh. The intensity of the insurgency, and of the Imperial counter-campaign has wound down in the past seven years - Emperor Keeser has mostly withdrawn from Fisanduh, while 3F has decreased its activities outside of Fisanduh as the occupation has retreated. Fisanduh was left with de facto independence despite being, de jure, a territory of the greater Empire. As a result, vessels flying the flag of Fisanduh are legitimately recognized in most areas outside Dominian space, though the Fisanduh Freedom Front maintains no official ships. Present-day Fisanduh is an area that is, in many places, devastated by war. It remains an area of the Empire that most Imperials do not go to and a source of conflict in the Imperial government. Should they attack Fisanduh again, or should they expand outwards?

===The Reign of Emperor Keeser I===

[[File:emp_dominia.png|thumb|Imperial portrait of Emperor Boleslaw Keeser (artwork created by Sleepywolf)]]
Skillful work by Emperor Keeser has helped mend the seemingly insurmountable gap between the foreign Ma’zals and native Morozi population, supposedly united in a new loyalty under the Emperor and Tribunal. With his consolidated power, Emperor Keeser has embarked upon numerous reforms and projects to improve the Empire. These range from research and infrastructure projects, military and naval expansions, to social and educational organization. In 2407, the Imperial Railroad was completed, linking all of the major cities of Moroz together. Since its start in 2412, the Imperial Canal project to link the major inland seas has made steady progress.

One major event in the reign of Emperor Boleslaw Keeser I was the introduction of Unathi to the Empire of Dominia. In the winter of 2440 a fleet of Unathi pirates arrived in the home system of the Empire. Though initially feared to be pirates, and the first true test of the Navy, a different outcome emerged: the pirates, led by Salak Kazhkz, instead pledged their sword to the Emperor and swore fealty. In return for their loyalty, and (perhaps more importantly) their vessels, the Unathi were granted the grand House Han’san-Kazhkz. However, due to the recent naval primacy of the Kazhkz and the defeat of the Han'sans, they are typically referred to as simply House Kazhkz.

A timeline of events in his reign follows:

In '''2440''' he opted to attempt to enforce Imperial control over the province of Fisanduh.

In '''2445''' the Coalition of Colonies officially forms the “Coalition Against Dominian Piracy”; an additional pact between its members that would target Dominia financially and diplomatically after Boleslaw announced it would enter into a defensive pact with neighboring pirate fleets.

In '''2451''' Necropolis Industries officially announced its partnership with Dominia would start in June of 2451, though some independent observers noted that facilities resembling Necropolis ones had existed on the planet since early 2440.

In '''2452''' the Emperor once again entered talks with NanoTrasen at the behest of House Volvalaad, ultimately resulting in the corporation and Imperial government reaching an agreement regarding trading and piracy. The opening of Dominia to the greater market of NanoTrasen has allowed for the Imperial Navy to rapidly expand its capabilities in the past decade, though the fully assembled Coalition of Colonies Deep-Space Fleet still outclasses it handily according to recently released figures.

In '''2455''' Emperor Keeser began a gradual withdraw from Fisanduh, having seen defeat in its mountainous territories. The province reverts to the droll Imperial title of "semi-autonomous region." He instead opts to expand the Empire's borders in the void of space (in order to save face, according to some critics), and begins a campaign of conquest and colonization.

In '''2462''' the Emperor continues to reign over Dominia, though he steadily grows older day by day. With the Empire suffering internal issues, and threats abroad, only the Goddess will know what will become of it when he passes...

==Dominian Society==

===Primaries===

The Primaries are the noble and liturgical classes of the Dominian Empire's humans, though the noble class of Dominia often sees Secondaries adopted into it. Due to centuries of eating better than their commoner and lay counterparts, Primaries are physically larger and more imposing than their Secondary cousins. Secondaries that are elevated to nobility, though still primaries, tend to be slightly shorter than older families. Dominians (or Morozians, if you are from the former Confederated States) of this social class are not typically found in Fisanduh due to its lack of nobility and can reach heights of six feet in both genders.

Unathi also fall into the category of "Primaries." They are usually descendants of the Unathi raiders who bent the knee to the Empire or recent immigrants from the Hegemony. New Unathi immigrants, however, are often considered “glorified secondaries” due to needing to prove themselves to become full members of a House.

Land-owning Primaries going abroad to seek employment or for extended amounts of time is a '''major social faux-pas''' that will inevitably see their land redistributed to another member of their family, their title stripped and their status as a member of the nobility placed in question. For this reason, '''it is impossible to play land-owning nobles on the Horizon, with the only exception being the Consular position.'''

'''Average Male Height:''' 5'6" - 6'5". The older a noble lineage, the taller they will be on average.

'''Average Female Height:''' 5'4" - 6'3". The older a noble lineage, the taller they will be on average.

===Secondaries===

Secondaries are the commoners and laypeople of Moroz, those on the planet lacking noble titles or liturgical positions. Exceptional Secondaries are often ennobled, becoming Primaries. They make up the bulk of Moroz's population but are the second-most populous group overall in the Empire after Ma'zals. Secondaries from outside Fisanduh tend to be smaller and thinner than their counterparts in Fisanduh, and Secondaries as a whole tend to be smaller than Primaries (though there are exceptions). Secondaries represent a more diverse social class than the Primaries do, but are a part of the same ethnic group as the Primaries. The key difference between the two classes is the presence of a noble title. In the Empire proper, Secondaries form the core of the Moroz Holy Tribunal and Imperial society as a whole. Within the former Confederated States, Secondaries are instead referred to as "Morozians."

Unathi that come from outside of Dominia that are turned away from House Kazhkz or even stop attempting to join a house often become secondaries. As such, a good chunk of the Unathite population are secondaries.

'''Average Male Height:''' 5'6" - 5'9" (add three to four inches if from Fisanduh)

'''Average Female Height:''' 5'1" - 5'4" (add three to four inches if from Fisanduh)

===Ma'zals===

A blanket term used to refer to those citizens— or subjects— of the Empire that are not from Moroz, Ma'zals represent the Empire's underclass. They are an extremely diverse group that tends to be generally rebellious, and resistant to Imperial control. Those that do opt to side with the Empire have either been integrated into the Empire's colonial system or are turncoats. Ma'zals also form a large population in the Coalition of Colonies, as they often flee from the Empire through whatever means are available. They are also often conscripted into the Imperial Army or Imperial Navy and can be found throughout the Empire - with some rising far enough in the army or navy to become ennobled by House Strelitz or Zhao.

Ma’zals, while diverse, can be divided into three distinct groups that the Empire of Dominia keeps track of. The largest of these groups are the '''“regular” Ma’zals''' of the Empire that have yet to fully accept Imperial rule. These Ma’zals are generally found on recently conquered planets and tend to be the most resistant to Imperial control, with violent resistance not being uncommon. No matter how much the Empire tries there are always those that continue to resist even after most have accepted their status as Imperial subjects, and House Strelitz often becomes involved in counter-insurgency warfare on Imperial colonies. However, in due time, these Ma’zals will eventually bend the knee to Imperial rule; in part due to the next, and smallest, category of Ma’zal.

The so-called '''"Elevated Ma’zal,”''' is an unusual and often misunderstood figure both inside and outside of the Empire of Dominia. Originally an “invention,” of House Caladius, the men and women that make up this category of Ma’zals are trained to serve as bureaucrats in the massive bureaucracy of the Empire of Dominia. This has quite a few advantages as the Elevated Ma’zals know the planet, understand the local language and customs and can be utilized as a friendly face for the Empire’s control of the planet. Sometimes referred to as the “nobility of the Imperial frontier,” Elevated Ma’zals will often— with blessings from House Caladius of course— form their own noble houses and orders, assuming they are not integrated into House Caladius. These frontier houses are generally always affiliated with House Caladius, and have proven to be a valuable ally of their merchants.

The final category of Ma’zals are those that have accepted Imperial rule and now live as full citizens of the Empire. The '''“Integrated Ma’zals,”''' of the Empire make up a smaller portion of the total Ma’zal population than their non-integrated counterparts but possess a greater amount of economic power than their rebellious counterparts and are, though not fully Morozian, considered to be loyal subjects of the Emperor and Goddess alike. The loyalty of some Integrated Ma’zals is so great that many are often awarded the prestigious title of Honourary Morozian, also referred to as “Morozian beyond the void,” in some areas, which represents that they have demonstrated a very high level of commitment to the Empire. Such an award is accompanied by immediate ennobling with the great house that recommended the award be bestowed.

===Geneboosting===

A technique dating back centuries, geneboosting is descended from colonial efforts to genetically engineer species adapted to the harsh Morozian climate. Geneboosting was originally used on humans by the Volvalaads at the behest of House Strelitz with the intent of improving the Imperial Army's officer corps before being adopted by House Volvalaad as a way to create a better class of nobility. Geneboosting is done during the fetal development stage. It greatly enhances the natural genetic structure of the patient, removing flaws and emphasizing strengths. '''This form of genetic modification is limited to the nobility due to the high cost and status associated with it'''. The effects lead to enhanced attributes and appearances: those geneboosted are stronger, faster, more able, and much longer-lived than their non-geneboosted counterparts. Geneboosted playable species tend to be a foot or so taller than average (upwards of seven to seven and a half feet for humans) and find it very easy to maintain peak fitness. A geneboosted person is obvious at a glance, and geneboosted humans are often held as paragons of Imperial society. Geneboosting carried out after birth, known as gene therapy, is very rare and generally dangerous in addition to being prohibitively expensive. Talks with Zeng-Hu to improve upon Dominia's pre-existing gene boosting techniques have not yielded results.

===Dominian Heads of Staff===

As a result of the Empire's fanatical outlook on certain issues such as synthetic life and edict breakers, Dominian heads of staff are fairly rare aboard Stellar Corporate Conglomerate facilities such as the SCCV Horizon. Those that do pass through the requirements needed to become a head of staff are typically considered to be liberals (or, rarely, reformists) in the Empire and typically belong to or are affiliated with a Great House, with House Volvalaad having the greatest representation abroad and House Caladius following closely behind. Nevertheless, they must still go through a great amount of orientation in order to adapt to life aboard such a cosmopolitan vessel.

Dominians that are elevated to a leadership position within the Conglomerate are regarded to be the best and brightest of the Empire by the cartel and are highly-regarded by the for their professionalism and honor despite some difficulties in working with IPCs and other forms of synthetic life. Please note that playing a Dominian head of staff is not an excuse to make a player's round miserable just because they're a synthetic.

==Languages==

The Empire is a multilingual society divided between High Morozi, a Tradeband dialect, and Vulgar Morozi, a Sol Common dialect, along with various unathi dialects, such as Sinta’Azaziba, and Freespeak. Which of these languages one speaks are generally determined by one’s class and planet of birth. Among the Primary aristocracy and natives of the Imperial Core High Morozi is often the first, and primary, language, with Tau Ceti Basic and Vulgar Morozi fluency viewed as the sign of a good upbringing and education. Primaries who do not speak Vulgar Morozi are extremely uncommon, and those who do not speak the language are generally looked upon poorly by their peers. Many Secondaries speak Vulgar Morozi as their first language, though this varies from family to family.

As one travels further from the Imperial Core, High Morozi begins to rapidly disappear as a first language and is replaced with its Vuglar counterpart, or with Freespeak. Often pejoratively known as “Gutter,” or “Rebel-Speak,” by Dominians the language is associated with the uncivilized frontier. Speaking Freespeak, even if one has knowledge of the language, is considered to be a major faux pas.

==Synth Relations==

Dominian hatred of synthetic life stems from its deep faith in the Holy Tribunal and all positronics are sought out and destroyed upon entering Dominia space. Interestingly, to observers, there seems to be a disproportionately high number of shell IPCs present in the sector compared to those beliefs. Rumors that Emperor Boleslaw Keeser declares political rivals untagged shells before black bagging them have been vehemently denied by the Empire.

Imperial citizens working abroad in human space often interact with synthetics. In foreign lands, Dominians are expected to maintain some degree of tolerance in the presence of synthetics, abomination though they may be, in order to continue being permitted to work in these environments. While robots, or synthetics without a positronic brain or similar, are not objectionable to the Tribunal, citizens who refused to work alongside AI or IPCs would soon find themselves out of work and are expected to cooperate with these entities when their occupation demands it.

{{Navbox Human Lore}}
{{Navbox Lore}}
[[Category:Pages]]
[[Category:Factions]]
[[Category:Humanity]]

Venus

2023-01-04T12:56:27Z

MattAtlas: add the Athena's Temple shootout

{{Navbox Lore}}
{{Navbox Human Lore}}
[[File:VenusSkyline.png|thumb|Binyaria from the outside, along with a few satellite aerostats.]]
Considered the Solarian Alliance’s entertainment and pharmaceutical capital, '''Venus''' exists as one of the oldest colonies within Sol and as one of the most populated worlds within the Spur. Its inhabitants live in aerostats dotted among the orange skies, where they can enjoy the highest tier of cinema, virtual reality, musicals, and so on. The Venusian population is divided – yet united – into two classes: the Cythereans, entertainment, service and generally white collar workers, and the Jintarians, the blue-collar working and middle class. Regardless of this divide and whichever stereotypes may exist, Jintarians and Cythereans recognise that the other is necessary for Venus to continue prospering.

One of the most stereotyped and divisive elements within the Spur, the term “Venusian culture” is intrinsically tied to Cythereans due to their overwhelming presence and influence within interstellar media – despite it being an umbrella term for both the Cytherean and Jintarian cultures. Nearly always opposing the values of one another, including in politics, fashion, economics and down to even details such as favourite colours, they enjoy a symbiotic relationship that has been carefully cultivated throughout the decades of cohabitation. It is recognised that reliance on one another is essential to Venus’ society, despite the existence of fringe groups that find themselves radical proponents for a division of these two cultures. Still, these two groups tend to stereotype and tease the other whenever possible due to the sheer amount of differences. It is not unusual to see Cytherean and Jintarian couples, but it is definitely something that raises many eyebrows and much curiosity on the matter – except for celebrities, where this particular choice in partner may cause a bigger scandal than anticipated; and Venusians do love their scandals.
==Venusian History==
<center>''“If you want to make it here, you’ve gotta put your all into it! They’re complaining about their schedule? Maybe they shouldn’t have signed up to be an actor, then!” - Anne-Marie Cythère in an interview on the Binyarian exposé.''</center>

[[File:venus_flag.png|thumb|The Venusian flag.]]

===Initial Settlement===
The case of Venus and how its esoteric society developed is the subject of much debate by many sociologists. Curiously, it began not as a colony, but instead as a research outpost created by the corporations that would eventually go on to form Zeng-Hu Pharmaceuticals in the 2090s. Many experimental technologies were developed in floating research stations, mainly relating to the fields of hydroponics and the chemical industry. Despite this, Earth's governments did not pay the scorching planet much attention, since it was rather unsuitable for rudimentary colonisation prospects. This situation continued until '''2127'''. The flooding of New York City and the resulting anarchy caused many residing billionaires to choose to leave Earth in advance, and a particular group chose to leave for Venus for a simple reason: Zeng-Hu's auctioning of its Venusian research stations. These stations were sold to them in an auction at a discount as the fledgling corporation desperately needed liquidity to keep its much more valuable Asian assets afloat.

Over the next decade, these research stations were gradually expanded by their new owners and consolidated into two super-settlements, forming '''the first proto-aerostats.''' These aerostats are respectively named after their owners: '''Binyaria''', named after Jie Binya, a young American-Chinese billionaire who recently inherited a massive fortune, and '''Rathlin''', named after François Rathlin, a French entrepreneur and owner of a massive supermarket chain on Earth. Binyaria inherited Zeng-Hu's chemical industry facilities, whereas Rathlin inherited Zeng-Hu's more extensive hydroponics and pharmacy industries. Rathlin was a much more valuable complex and trade quickly flourished there, with the fledgling aerostat becoming a large exporter of grown foodstuffs. Binyaria was in a more difficult position: its chemical industry was not as valuable and, thus, was far more reliant on its owners' investment. Binyarians and Rathliners thus developed a small rivalry around this time around whose aerostat was ''really'' the better one, which persists to this day. Nonetheless, Jie, the owner of Binyaria, needed a plan to make Binyaria truly shine.

===Binyarian Renaissance===
On the 25th of December '''2141''', the '''Jie Holocinema Complex''' was announced in a massive opening ceremony costing in the billions of credits. This grand opening was complete with free tickets for a showing of the most famous Christmas movie at this time, White Snow. It was a revolutionary cinema, an absolutely massive one at that, using state-of-the-art holographic technology to give its viewers a ''truly'' out of the world experience. Nothing quite like it existed anywhere else in Human space and it acted as a lightning rod for citizens and tourists alike, which over time slowly became permanent residents. It attracted both rich and poor alike through clever use of advertisements and the inclusion of low-cost and luxury display rooms. More notably, however, it attracted the large media companies on earth. The cinema was so big that it was unmatched in terms of potential opening revenue, and Venusian billionaires were open to paying a fortune for luxury tickets. This led to a slow exodus of media companies to Venus, all competing to get opening-day contracts. It was slow at first, but later snowballed: more investment into the fledgling acting and media industry meant that more companies would move. Eventually, even the titans of the media industry began to move. By the turn of the 23rd century, Venus began rivalling Earth in terms of media. It was not quite dominant yet, however. One last push was needed.

===The Founding of the Venusian Stars Institute===
Intentionally announced at the turn of the century, on the 1st of January 2200, the Venusian Stars Institute was set from the beginning to be the heart of the Venusian media empire. An absolutely byzantine and gigantic entity, it was created to manage every single tiny bit of Venus' growing media industry. From managing actors to funding media companies, the VSI is the last edge that Binyaria needed to dislodge Earth's dominance in the media sector. Lucrative contracts and clever handiwork behind the scenes resulted in the titans of the media industry finally committing to a move to Venus. These contracts ended up creating luxurious and revolutionary institutes for the big media companies to settle in, their massive skyscrapers dominating the Venusian skyline. All citizens, at this point, would see the emblems of the Venusian media empire when looking up. Gigantic holographic billboards began to claim an unrivalled amount of space in every single alleyway. Social media, which was placed under the purview of the VSI's newly-created Social Leadership Team, began to truly boom around this time as well. Practically every citizen became an avid user of social media from the morning to the evening: the Venusian government often paid companies to give new employees latest-model phones, which came with all sorts of social media applications installed and no way to remove advertisements. While this was annoying at first, Venusians ended up accepting this situation eventually. After all, they ''were'' free, high-end mobile phones. The money that Venus spent on this was quickly made back through insane amounts of advertisement money: practically every citizen was viewing hundreds and hundreds of advertisements throughout the day. Idol culture began spreading through social media as well, with many falling in ranks behind their favourite media star, yet quick to turn their backs on them whenever the new scandal came out.

===The Binyarian Exposé and Cytherea===
The reality of the actors' life was much different than what was shown on social media. Their happy lives were often carefully manufactured lies, sold by their privately-hired media marketing teams. Of course, this is knowledge that only the actors themselves would have -- they, themselves, were too busy under the immense pressure of the Venusian entertainment industry. The Venusian Stars Institute's guidelines for actors -- essentially rules that they may not break for any reason -- clamped down harder and harder with every passing year. Newly-implemented beauty standards in ''2203''' meant that many actors had to resort to expensive, Zeng-Hu sponsored plastic surgery or then-experimental genetic engineering in order to meet unrealistic demands. Many took out extensive loans from the then-up-and-rising Idris banking company in order to afford these expensive Zeng-Hu procedures. These loans were then paid through a gruesome amount of work: actors often had to work gruelling work schedules, day after day, just to not be crushed under the interest. This opened up a new, lucrative front for Zeng-Hu: drugs grown on Rathlin could easily be sold to actors on Cytherea, which led to their rampant substance abuse behind the scenes, simply to deal with the stress. This industry is extremely lucrative and Zeng-Hu invested billions and billions into it. The usage of these substances spread to much of the public as well, although it was not yet a worldwide phenomenon.

This situation was unknown to the public until '''2217'''. A Venusian reporting agency, ''Le Courrier'', broke out a story amiably called '''the Binyarian Exposé.''' This story was in actuality a 287 page document that detailed the living situation of authors behind the scenes and the unrealistic standards of the VSI, down to every single small detail. Many failed or rejected authors were interviewed to obtain the information needed. Unfortunately, it was far too long and had the opposite effect of what the authors wanted. The VSI's strict control over social media meant that the story was swiftly suppressed by the algorithms. Additionally, many Venusians simply did not care and dismissed the revelations as '[...] washed up artists and B-rate actors making things up [...]'. This was the position held by '''Anne-Marie Cythère''', the most famous actor of this era and an icon of Venus, arguably the first real idol who possessed a massive cult following, mainly on Venus. Those who agreed with her stance were referred to as 'Cythereans' by Earther critics, a term which stuck over time and began substituting the usage of Venusians in common language. It began as a derogatory term, but Venusians simply repossessed the word to fit their new identity. This point marks the beginning of Cytherea and Cythereans for historians -- the point where Venusians accepted their new identity.

Additionally, the Exposé resulted in most of the world beginning to accept drug usage -- most simply saw it as just another facet of idol culture, and reasoned that since drinking was fine, substance abuse should be fine, too. The authorities were quickly overwhelmed as there were far too many rising cases of substance abuse and resale for them to handle. This led to most cases being dismissed with either a very light fine or no action taken. Some critics point to Zeng-Hu interference in this process through bribing authorities to grow its markets, but Zeng-Hu has denied all such claims.

As a result of this new identity, less and less Cythereans begin entering skilled trades. Rathlin's hydroponics and pharmacy industries, curiously, were not affected due to them being mostly automated and due to a relative lack of required physical work for their workers. The service industry and connected sectors begin absolutely dominating Venusian statistics, with almost the entirety of Venus' industry being located in Rathlin's hydroponics facilities. Binyaria's chemical industries began to go bankrupt and alarm bells were rang by many, but the government simply did not care. The media was what was making money, not the heavy industries. Anyone with a keen eye could spot that this growth was unsustainable, but once again, profits were placed over rationale.

===The Great Interstellar War and the Jie Riots===
With the outbreak of war for the Alliance, Venusians were conscripted just like the rest. This was, however, not taken amiably by the planet's populace and led to the first ever mass riots on Venus, dubbed 'the Jie Riots', as they took place in Our Lady’s Plaza in the aforementioned district. Around a million Venusians took to the streets to protest against the war, or at the very least for exemptions for Venusians. Many cried out that 'war's not good for our industry' and expressed a general unwillingness to go fight, as the physical damage would ruin their careers. Historians point to most social media posts bringing attention to the fact that the majority of the populace simply did not want their beauty to be compromised -- this was a more worrying prospect than death, to most Venusians. These protests were, however, very disorganised as there was no real unifying cause or voice behind them. The Alliance quickly intervened, quelled them, and conscription took place as it normally did in other worlds.

A significant amount of the Venusian working class was drafted -- around 20% -- mostly drawn from those that worked in the heavy industries keeping the planet afloat. Resistance to conscription was significant for most Venusians, who often found ways to outright avoid it. The Venusian government and the VSI were found to be involved in assisting actors, film makers, billionaires and, in general, everyone involved with the Venusian entertainment empire in draft dodging, mainly through clever forging of medical papers exempting them from service for one reason or the other. The entertainment industry continued to prosper or at the very least stay afloat, depending on which economics agency was polled, but everything else began to collapse in a manner of weeks due to the drafting of almost all of the skilled workers. Rationing and austerity were quickly instituted in all aerostats, to the chagrin of the planet’s populace. It would prove to be a difficult decade for Venusians, with many feeling the brunt of poverty and austerity, leading to a large amount of resentment towards the Alliance.

===The End of Austerity and the Jintarian Plan===
With the war ending, Venus was at the breaking point. The power plants had almost nobody left to work for them except for direly overworked engineers, and most of the populace simply did not want to work these jobs. The situation was especially dire and a new technocratic government was put in charge with a political blank cheque in order to deal with the situation once and for all. This led to the creation of the '''Jintaria Plan''', one of the biggest social engineering feats of human history. Through the usage of the Venusian media conglomerate, many veterans and refugees across the Alliance were invited to hastily fabricated 'cities under cities' in the aerostats. The contracts given to them were quite simple: as long as they worked in their assigned sector, they would have government-provided housing, heating, electricity and appliances. This was a very risky gamble that was quite expensive, but the dice roll succeeded. Many flocked over to the newly created Jintarian strata in order to find a new life, thus providing Venus with the skilled force it direly needed. The situation finally stabilised on the '''21st of August 2301''' with the end of austerity. Gigantic parties were held everywhere across Cytherea, with it becoming an official holiday, Ascension Day. Some Jintarians participated in these parties, while others simply took to pubs in their own slice of the aerostat.

Jintarian society is an inviting prospect for many refugees and immigrants. It is a patchwork blend of many cultures, who live together sharing the burden of an entire planet: this sole unifying factor leads to a shared sense of brotherhood and duty among Jintarians. This new class finds it hard to scale the ladder, however. It is practically almost impossible for Jintarians to work in the Venusian media industries due to ‘beauty standards concerns’: the fact that most of the Jintarian population has done some sort of trade or physical work in their life, which leads to the formation of minor beauty defects – enough for the Cythereans to reject the prospect of such a person entering the media scene. Some Jintarians opt for extensive plastic surgery to enter the ranks of the Cythereans, but this requires almost half a lifetime of savings and is an exceedingly rare occurrence. These ‘quasi-Cythereans’ are a mixed bag for Jintarians: the most radical view them as class traitors and the ambitious view them as lucky individuals.

===Modern History, Cytherea and Jintaria===
Venus is, today, labelled as the '''Queen of Entertainment''' for good reason. A significant amount of entertainment media is produced in Venus, casted with Venusian celebrities and created by Venusian companies, with the end products finding solid purchase in most markets across the Spur. It is a powerful cultural weapon for the Alliance. It also hosts a state-of-the-art hydroponics industry in Rathlin -- being a net exporter of food, second only to Ganymede -- and a titanic pharmaceutical industry, focused mainly on beauty and pharmaceutical products. Venus, curiously, hosts the largest population of Martian refugees in the Spur. Following Violet Dawn, millions of Martians now call Jintaria their home. They were invited to work on Venus under similar contracts as the first Jintarians.

On '''October 31, 2460''', a high-profile Venusian club by the name of Athena's Temple was the site of a tragic shooting which saw eleven deaths and ten injuries: among these deaths, three admirals. The two culprits -- disguised as high-class patrons -- were arrested and later identified as Adhomian nationals residing in the Alliance through work visas. The club's administration confirmed that the two Tajara in question were masquerading as People's Republic officials. The VPPF's response to the incident was defined as "shoddy as best," as it took over an hour to reach the club: conflicting reports were blamed by higher-ups, a statement that was doubted and mocked on the Extranet by a large amount of Venusians who felt that these incidents would hurt both the tourism and service industries. While no group took responsibility of the attack, the Tajara Revolutionary Army was nearly universally blamed as this attack shortly followed the New Hai Phong bombings: the Venusian populace would end up supporting the Tajara Deportation Act near-unanimously.

==Environment==
<center>''“Those eruptions? Ohmygosh, they were so cool!” - Part of an unnamed Venusian tourist’s review of the Idris Venusian Cruise Experience sightseeing package.''</center>

Venus is an incredibly hot and miserable planet. The mass of its atmosphere is 93 times that of Earth's, equivalent to the crushing depths of the deep ocean. This atmosphere is extremely thick and toxic, composed primarily of carbon dioxide and nitrogen, and this generates the strongest greenhouse effect in the Solar System, creating an average surface temperature of at least 462 C (864 F). Due to these crushing conditions, '''no Venusians live on the surface.''' Instead, they rely on floating aerostats – which have become a key part of Venus, and more importantly its society.

A Venusian year lasts 225 Earth days. A normal day on Venus lasts much longer than that of Earth due to the slow rotation, taking 243 Earth days to make one Venusian day. Venus spins backwards when compared to the other planets in the Sol system, causing the sun to rise in the west and set in the east. It rains sulphuric acid on the surface and the atmosphere is so thick that it exerts massive amounts of pressure on the surface. This crushes all but the most structurally reinforced habitats below the cloud layer, practically all of which are extremely specialised research habitats, with the rest destroyed by caustic acid rain. The planet hosts massive amounts of volcanic activity, which spew even more toxic gases into the atmosphere – although these are often co-opted as tourist attractions visible from cubicles in the aerostats or through windows in shuttles. Almost no sunlight reaches the surface of the planet, despite the temperature.
==Cytherean Culture==
<center>''“[...] Sol knowingly perpetrates that deluded Venusian perversion of human values, where the greed of the individual is placed on a pedestal for all to see and envy, where lust becomes paramount both for money and for man, where hard work and pride are substituted for laziness and a manic social anxiety. In this place, the ugly truth has a model’s face [...]” - Commander Ganesh Shrivastav (2411 - Present) in an impassioned speech to the Xanu parliament, regarding the Solarian threat.''</center>

Cytherean culture’s paramount concept is '''climbing the social ladder'''. This is the one concept that is '''utterly important''' to every single Cytherean, and each of them has their own view on what it entails. This social ladder can be interpreted in many ways – for some, it’s gaining an immense amount of followers on social media, while for others it’s becoming a spur-wide celebrity through a career in acting. It is universally considered to only be climbable through activities that inherently make you more popular among others, contributing to the reason why the extreme majority of Cythereans reject any sort of physical labour that does not provide this opportunity. It isn’t seen as strictly necessary to remain on Venus in order to climb the social ladder, and glory is considered to be attainable even outside of Venus itself – but most consider it an eventual necessity to come back and show off.

Because of this obsession, Cythereans tend to be extravagant in all facets of life, willing to stand out from the crowd by any means necessary; Cytherea is the primary pop culture centre of Sol, with a populace often dressed in bright, dramatic clothing. Many Solarian celebrities either live or were born on one of Venus’s aerostats, growing up in the privileged Cytherean culture. The best actors, comedians, chefs, musicians, and pop stars enjoy almost constant coverage on holo-screens, only occasionally replaced by adverts for startup beauty products, cutting-edge gaming hardware, or the newest diet fad. These celebrities enjoy high class treatment and something akin to worship from the Cythereans. Many come from across the galaxy, human and alien alike, seeking to turn their fortunes around. However, Cythereans are not immune to poverty and hardship in their laissez-faire society. Those looking to become the next big thing sometimes wind up on the opposite end of the spectrum, relying on morally and legally ambiguous means to get by. Aliens, although welcome, are typically sidelined in favour of human actors and models due to most moguls desiring to “play it safe." As a result, aliens, regardless of their talents, are typically seen as understudies, extras, dancers, and occasionally backup singers or instrumentalists.

The Cytherean environment is very cutthroat: many are willing to do whatever it takes to climb the social ladder, whether that be by fabricating scandals or putting their fingers in one too many pies. Law enforcement is often easily evaded due to lofty standards and a general lack of passion. In the end, one can get away with almost anything as long as they possess the right contacts and enough money. The party culture thrives in the aerostats, with the grand cocktail parties and fundraising schmooze-fests toward the top of teardrop slowly fading into the high-energy festivals of the lower sections. Toward the top, one can overhear the latest gossip and glimpse envelopes of credits sliding under tables. Toward the bottom, one can see the most hedonistic displays of luxury.

Though many work in the entertainment industry as stars and producers, there are great opportunities for a Cytherean scientist: after all, climbing the scientific social ladder and becoming a genius prodigy renowned across the Spur is quite the attractive goal. The development of pharmaceutical drugs and new medicines is a common field for Cytherean scientists, with celebrities and talent agencies needing a constant stream of narcotics for parties and stimulants to keep shooting sessions going for days at a time. Cytherea has a booming genetic engineering field that is primarily centred around the biomodification of celebrities in order to ensure that they are always at their physical peak, no matter which direction the ever-shifting winds of Cytherea's celebrity scene blow. Stimulants, such as cocaine, are the Cytherean drug of choice and are typically genetically modified by various Cytherean pharmacies to create more desirable effects. When exported these so-called "designer" drugs can fetch an extremely high price on the interstellar market. Cytherea's pharmaceutical industry is estimated to produce upwards of two-thirds of all narcotics consumed in the Republic of Biesel, even after the First and Second Solarian Invasions. Appropriately, Cytherea's pharmacies also produce a vast amount of the Alliance's anti-overdose medications. Many Cytherean pharmacies are associated or owned by Zeng-Hu Pharmaceuticals.

The largest Cytherean holiday is '''Ascension Day''', shortened to '''the Ascension''', celebrated on the 21st of August. It marks the return to normalcy after Venus’ long period of austerity, but its roots have long since been forgotten by most of the population, except by politicians and work supervisors. This is a day for all Venusians to indulge in whatever they can for as long as they can: gigantic feasts, parties and raves are held across all of Cytherea, along with fashion shows on the streets and other such activities. For some it’s a point of pride and reminds them of why living on Venus is worth it, along with the happiness that the end of austerity brought them – while for others, it’s simply a day to get wasted and enjoy it.
===Stars, Idols and Crashouts===
The idol culture of Venus is extraordinarily demanding for those that choose to involve themselves in it. Climbing the rungs of the Cytherean entertainment industry from mere extra to A-list celebrity able to star in the likes of Monkey King is no small feat involving raw acting talent, an incredible amount of social networking, and no small amount of backroom dealing between agents, celebrities, and producers. This process can often take years if one is unlucky, and the top celebrities often undergo extensive plastic surgery to ensure that they remain attractive enough to be considered for the greatest entertainment products of the industry. The amount of resources, time, and commitment needed to reach - and stay at - the top of the celebrity culture of Venus is truly astonishing, and the rat race of keeping up with the ever-shifting and constantly changing standards of what makes a celebrity an A-list celebrity results in many hopeful stars simply crashing out of the industry, and thus becoming known as a '''crashout'''.

Becoming any sort of professional major media player (referred to as a '''Star''') – whether that be an actor, a news anchor or an influencer – requires one to first sign '''100% of their image rights''' to the Venusian Stars Institute. These contracts are extremely lucrative for the person in question, but it is a poisoned apple nonetheless – once one signs with the Venusian Stars Institute to become a Star, '''they no longer have any control over their media appearances''', and thus the VSI will thus be able to unilaterally decide when and where they appear, in addition to being able to monopolise and commercialise the fledgling Star’s image as they wish – a very well known fact, but now only considered a stepping stone to become a celebrity. Each Star possesses its own PR and media team, de jure under the Star itself but de facto delegating to the VSI’s byzantine bureaucracy.

Despite these contracts, Stars are given a large amount of autonomy in how to run their career. While the grand majority opt for running their careers on Venus, some manage to take jobs abroad and live out new experiences there, while still technically affiliated to the VSI. It matters not for the Institute, as long as they garner a high amount of views on social media and further spread the Venusian brand.

Those that fall out of grace – either because of the crushing standards, burnout, extreme social pressure or whatever else – do not enjoy an easy life. Referred to as '''crashouts''' once the Institute stops affiliating with them – a process known as '''delisting''' – they are reminded of this failure everywhere they go by anyone that knows them, representing the minority of Venusians that have had their eyes opened to the injustice and oppression of Cytherean society. Cythereans do not have much tact or care for these crashouts, viewing them as simply not good enough. Most of these rejects either leave Venus entirely and seek employment somewhere else – often taking out generous loans in order to apply for apprenticeships or training courses, as they do not have any sort of marketable skill – or find employment in Venus’ overworked public sector, such as in the Venusian Planetary Police Force or even in the Solarian Navy itself, representing by far the largest percentage of Cythereans in both categories. Some crashouts can also end up falling into the net of Jintarian culture, where they are caught and welcomed by other Jintarians as simply more proof that Cytherean culture is poison rather than a blessing. A one-way ticket to delisting is, for example, speaking up about unfavourable work conditions on social media.

Upon becoming a Spur-wide celebrity, a Star is then granted '''Idol''' status by the VSI, and immortalised in the Diamond Hall: a gigantic museum in the very centre of Binyaria that hosts detailed biographies, mementos and signatures of every VSI-signed celebrity big enough to truly make it. Becoming an Idol is the ultimate dream of every Star and often functions as a sort of northern light for them in their journey. These Idols are practically all known to Cythereans at large and represent a sticking point for Cytherean pride, with many prizing their trivia knowledge on any given Idol. '''Due to their rarity, immense popularity and astronomical wealth, it is impossible to play an Idol or an ex-Idol on the ship.'''
===Famous Cytherean Celebrities===
Those that are able to survive and thrive as celebrities in the cutthroat and demanding environment of Cytherea's entertainment industry reap a truly massive amount of rewards ranging from accolades to millions of Solarian Credits. But, perhaps more importantly than anything else, they are some of the most famous people in human space and the greater Orion Spur. The individuals listed below are just a handful of Cytherea's most famous residents, and will be known throughout the Orion Spur.

One of the most famous Cytherean idols ever is perhaps '''Chan-mi Jee''', the renowned frontwoman and singer of '''INTERSTELLAR✰GIRLS''': a famous all-female pop group based out of the Binyarian aerostat. Chan-mi Jee's famous voice, which has been biologically augmented to have a wider range, can be found on dozens of '''INTERSTELLAR✰GIRLS''' albums. The band's most famous album, Interstellar Heart, currently holds the Spur-wide record for most copies ever sold. Despite her successes, which include having been named the Venusian cultural ambassador for five years in a row, Chan-mi Jee's personal life has been the subject of some speculation in the Cytherean press, and repeated plastic surgeries have left only a sliver of resemblance to the woman that began her pop career ten years ago. But for the moment, she and her band remain the undisputed queens of the Cytherean musical scene. ''"You have Chan-mi's looks"'' is a Cytherean's most prized slang weapon, used to describe someone who is extremely attractive.

In the Cytherean acting scene there is, arguably, nobody that defines the role of leading man better than the dashing and charismatic idol, '''Caspar Orillian'''. Born and raised in the "red treadmill" industry of Cytherea, Caspar has found extraordinary success playing athletic leading men thanks to extensive biomodifications and plastic surgeries that have shaped and reshaped his face to constantly be in-season and attractive. A large number of editors hired by his estate retroactively edit his films and publicity photos to resemble whatever Caspar's current appearance is. His constant facial restructurings are seen as a sign of his success due to the immense cost associated with them, and are a clear proof of his dedication to maintaining his celebrity status.

Famous director '''Samuel Monaghan''' is another of Cytherea's most famous celebrities, and his name can be found on a variety of movies ranging from action films to long dramas. Monaghan's distinctive style is easily-recognized throughout the Orion Spur's film scene thanks to his focus on single-shot scenes using drones as floating cameras. The fame of Monaghan has also been built by the director's often eccentric and eye-catching behaviour off the set. Monaghan is known for his eccentric behaviour, unusual rants, and deliberately garnish outfits. The controversy that this has caused him in Cytherea's tabloid scene has only helped his fame grow, but it remains to be seen if his behaviour will continue to build fame or ultimately backfire and cause his fall.

'''Quu'xuu "Kwoo" Vol'rii''' is an idol and something of an oddity in the Cytherean entertainment scene due to her status as a skrell. Having recently flown into the highest ranks of Cytherea due to her highly-rated performance as the main villain of Monkey King VII, Doctor Yana Vashtu, the diminutive doctor of human cultural studies has found a following thanks to both her haughty and evil attitude on-camera and her awkward yet earnest attitude off the set. Kwoo, as she is affectionately known by her fans, has found further fame thanks to her charitable donations to Mars following her success in Monkey King VII. However, it remains uncertain how long her fifteen minutes of fame from Monkey King VII will last, if Kwoo will choose to remain in Cytherea at all, or if the unfaltering support for the Nralakk Federation will be her eventual social downfall.
===Cytherean Fashion===
Due to the extremely fast-paced nature of Cytherea's fashion industry there are a number of trends entering the public eye, being sold by stores, and falling out of fashion at any time. Anything a non-Cytherean can put together that is appealing to the eye, and sometimes not, has been the height of fashion at some point somewhere in the clouds. However there are a few popular looks and rules Cytherean fashion tends to follow.

The most important rule for an aspiring Cytherean fashionista is that the best part of the body is the '''skin'''. A lot of clean, unblemished, hairless skin is shown in Cytherean fashion; whether it be through a high-slit dress, a translucent button-up shirt, a pair of short shorts, a fitted tank top, or a low cut blouse. More masculine figures tend to show off the upper body, especially the arms, while more feminine looks show off the lower body, specifically the legs. But in the Cytherean view showing too much skin is a great faux pas; looks are often balanced so that if a lot of the upper body is shown, the lower body is mostly covered and vice versa. Cytherean business wear, in contrast, tends to be much less skin-showing in order to stay in line with the greater Solarian Alliance, particularly Luna.

While Cythereans consider minor body modifications fine, a more natural appearance is preferred in contrast to gaudy or overly eye-catching augmentations. Body-sculpting plastic surgery procedures are common, especially among celebrities, in order to ensure that one remains within the Cytherean standards of beauty. Some of the most common body-sculpting procedures include improving facial features and structure, removing all body hair “below the eyelashes," tightening the skin, removing excess body fat, dental reconstruction, enhancing or emphasising musculature, and balancing body proportions (usually in favour of the legs). However extensive piercing, more extreme body-sculpting, heavy tattooing, and other modifications that break the “pure skin” rule are frowned upon and tattooing in particular, even minor forms in some cases, is considered unsightly due to its long-standing connection with criminals or groups such as dregs.

Many trends originate in Binyaria’s Parabing District, and are locally called '''“wankukai”''' trends. Wankukai clothes are either what’s popular in the Mile's clubbing scene or, less popularly, something slightly more appropriate for streetwear. Masculine looks often have plain, solid colored pants in dark colours with slim, usually designer belts, and often have simple dress shoes or sneakers. Translucent button-ups with LED or neon-tubing designs up the arms or across the chest are popular, as well as similarly designed, fitted tank tops to accentuate the arms. Some even elect to go shirtless. Suit jackets matching one’s pants are also common, as well as leather jackets with LED or neon designs on the back. As for more feminine looks, miniskirts, short shorts, and -- for the brave -- microskirts are commonplace, often paired with simple low heels, flats, or sneakers. Colourful dress shirts, qipao blouses, and standard blouses are all common as well, featuring designs similar to masculine looks. Dresses of all lengths usually have a high-slit, reaching all the way up the thigh, and are often intricately decorated with LED and neon-tubing. Though suit jackets and leather jackets with designs are common among feminine looks as well, they are occasionally cropped to just below or at the ribs.
==Jintarian Culture==
<center>''“J-I-N-T-A-R-I-A! Home of the free!” - Excerpt from Torchbearers, a famous Jintarian punk nu-metal song by Just Us, the most popular Jintarian band as of 2464.''</center>

Jintarian culture can often be defined as the ''polar opposite'' of Cytherean culture in many facets, but it borrows as much as it opposes. Jintarians pride themselves on being the squeaky clean side of Venus – an approach which, unfortunately, makes their scene only truly appealing to Jintarians themselves and to contrarians across the galaxy. Regardless of how unpopular they may be on the interstellar scene, Jintarians tend to be extremely prideful of their accomplishments and often have a do-or-die attitude when it comes to carrying things out: after all, Venus is standing where it is thanks to them. This leads to a mostly punk-ish and contrarian culture, where keeping things real is incentivised, along with distancing yourself from Cytherea as much as possible in matters of fashion, music and even the celebrities one follows. As an example, while Cythereans prefer clothing that shows off as much skin as possible, Jintarians prefer the direct opposite of that – turtlenecks, sweaters, flannel shirts and other such clothes are very common in these communities.

Despite all of this, Jintarians and Cythereans are not enemies. They live together just as much as a Biesellite and a Solarian may live in the same apartment in Mendell City. Cythereans recognise the need for Jintarians in order for their planet to function – but do not hesitate to call them out on their broodish, low-class fashion. Jintarians recognise that Venus is the giant it is due to the Cythereans’ natural aptitude in entertainment, but do not hesitate to call them out on their hedonistic lifestyle, corrupt politics and horribly flashy clothing choices. In the same vein, it isn’t unheard of for Jintarians to spend their weekend at Cytherean bars, if only to prove their superiority over them in one way or the other. It is possible for Jintarians to find employment in more Cytherean fields: as an example, Jintarian baristas in Cytherean bars are not entirely out of the world – but some discrimination in this field is to be expected.

In the same vein, it isn’t unheard of – although '''very rare''' – for Jintarians to end up integrating into Cytherean society. This is only possible for those that are willing to either sign up for '''drastic''' plastic surgery in order to compete with the very top of Cytherean society, often by taking out very predatory Idris loans, or for those that are more naturally blessed. It isn’t an easy path and it is marred with discrimination and harsh financial choices, as these ‘reformed’ Jintarians are often looked down upon in Cytherea in basically all matters: whether that be in job selection or simply having their curriculum vitae noticed. Those that choose this path and continue following it, whether that be for credits or fame, end up disenfranchised and practically '''exiled''' from their old Jintarian community.
===Famous Jintarian Celebrities===
Jintarians have distanced themselves from the distinction between Star and Idol, viewing it as essentially objectifying celebrities. Instead, the concept of who exactly is a celebrity is fairly wide: essentially, anyone famous enough to be known outside of Jintaria, even a little, is considered an ambassador of Jintarian culture and essentially a celebrity. Historically, Jintaria has been the unacknowledged part of Venus, and only in recent times has its influence begun to increase: with the election of Strom and the massively increased success of Jintarian celebrities abroad, Jintaria has finally begun reclaiming its slice of Venus. This has led to Jintarians as a whole being extremely prideful and attached to their celebrities, viewing them as the only reason why Jintarians are known at all – referring to the current crop as '''the Golden Generation'''. While this success may be still extremely small compared to their Cytherean brethren, it does not stop particularly prideful Jintarians from proclaiming the beginning of a new age for their class.

Much like in Cytherea, any Jintarian celebrity deemed big enough is given a spot in the '''Venusian Jintarian Museum''', the Jintarian counterpart of the Diamond Hall. The requirements are much less stringent, and generally there isn’t much competitiveness among Jintarians to be represented there – it is simply an honour.

'''Kyle De Koster''' is arguably the biggest Jintarian celebrity, perhaps only tying with Hendrik Strom for the title. The lead singer of Just Us, a Jintarian punk nu-metal band with a focus on optimistic lyrics, his career has been a long and hard fought one. It started as a venture between high school friends who played their music in the streets of Binyaria’s Jintarian communities, and evolved to an interstellar phenomenon through hard work alone. Many of this band’s songs idolise the Jintarian struggle and their own experience, providing a point of reference for many Jintarians. Their latest album, ''Hold Us Tight'', has been a massive hit with Jintarians but also across the Coalition of Colonies, boasting very high viewership especially on Himeo. De Koster and his band are known Jintarian nationalists and do not fear speaking up in matters of politics, having given their endorsement of Hendrik Strom several times in the past.

'''Hendrik Strom''' is, in the eyes of many fellow Jintarians, the best representation of Jintaria. Since starting as a humble city councilman roughly thirty years ago Strom has climbed to the top through ability, ambition, and no small amount of Jintarian nationalism. Once a senator representing Venus, Strom has served as the emergency governor of the Sol System since shortly after the Naval coup in late 2462. Strom has never forgotten his roots and often visits Venus, where he is greeted warmly by his fellow Jintarians, to raise support for himself and what many see as his inevitable run for Prime Minister once elections open up again. His face can often be seen throughout Jintarian communities on inspirational posters and political billboards alike.

'''Katarina Josic''' is a strong contender for the spot of ‘very famous Jintarian celebrity’, despite being much more of an extremist. Her career, interestingly, is not in Jintaria but instead abroad – she left Jintaria very early to become an actress in the Coalition of Colonies, with her main following being located there instead of in Sol. This endeavour was successful and she has starred in many top films in the Coalition, becoming a widely known figure and using this fame as a platform for her pro-Jintaria speeches. Unlike Just Us’ members, however, she is a very anti-Solarian individual and has often spoken out against the nation in the past, going as far as renouncing her citizenship in favour of a Coalition one following the Violet Dawn incident. She has criticised the members of Just Us many times before for their pro-Solarian stances as well.
===Jintarian Fashion===
Jintarian every-day fashion is much more practical and significantly less gaudy than its Cytherean counterpart, generally trending towards punk-like styles – ripped jeans, as an example, are very common in Jintaria. Many Jintarians wear simple, practical clothing well-suited to their typically industrial or physical work such as jeans, simple tees, long-sleeved shirts or track pants. Jintarian professionals dress much like their counterparts in the rest of the Alliance. As their pride prevents them from emulating Cytherean fashion, Jintarians have a habit of standing out through the smaller details: they often decorate their jacket or shirt with stickers, pins, armbands. There is much variance in the style and reason behind these accessories – some use accessories that represent their life or views, while others simply pick whatever is the most colourful or whatever they think is most aesthetically pleasing. Jintarian business wear tends to be similar to the rest of the Alliance, although the expensive brands are near-universally avoided by Jintarians.

Most Jintarians opt to deliberately ignore Cytherea's big fashion brands, and many take pride in this willing ignorance -- instead opting to "buy Jintarian" when it comes to their clothing. As a result, most Jintarian clothing is produced using materials sourced from Jintaria itself and made in Jintarian-dominated aerostat districts. It isn’t unusual for Jintarian fashion to be exported off of Venus: simple Jintarian clothing has found a niche in cheap, affordable apparel and can be found in many shops and malls around the Spur. As of late, many more people are buying this type of clothing due to the living cost crisis created by the Phoron shortage. Additionally, Jintarian enterprises often run some philanthropic endeavours with certain lines of clothing, donating some of the earnings to a few good causes – one example is the ''Dawn'' line from the most famous Jintarian clothes company, Jinnel: a series of black tees where the imprint is that of a typical Martian dome, transitioning from a normal state to a destroyed and burnt one. 75% of the earnings from this line were donated to the Martian victims of the Violet Dawn disaster that now find their home in Jintaria.
==Aerostats==
<center>''“What do I know about Binyarians? All they do is take our stuff and never give anything back. It’s unfair!” - A quote by an unnamed Rathliner hydroponics specialist responding to the “What Do You Think About Your Fellow Venusians” survey, juxtaposed with an unnamed Binyarian actress’ answer, “About Rathliners? Well, they make our food, I guess?”''</center>

Venusians dwell in aerostats floating in the habitable layer nicknamed '''“the Zone”''' above the sulphuric acid clouds masking the surface. These floating cities are primarily held in place by their natural oxygen content and large bags of hydrogen. Aerostats began with a size equal to the average city centre, but have since expanded to much larger sizes, with the largest ones rivalling other major cities in the Spur. Aerostats are divided into two main sections: Cytherea, which refers to the Cytherean-dominated areas above, and Jintaria, which refers to both the small pockets of Jintarians above ground but also (and mainly) the Jintarian cities under the respective districts.

Aerostats follow a similar style of planning to normal cities, with all kinds of districts and buildings present – each aerostat is divided into a variable number of districts, depending on the population, that make up its administrative divisions.There are, however, some differences due to their nature as floating cities: as an example, no wind or any kind of atmospheric phenomenon is present on these aerostats, except as an optional setting in artificial parks. Binyarians pin this on the fact that the presence of wind would limit one’s choice in fashion. On the other hand, both a day-night cycle and a sky similar to the Earth’s are simulated through large and complex lighting arrays that make up the inside of the dome-like structure separating the aerostat from the atmosphere. Normally, someone would only be able to see this artificial sky in an aerostat, but there are some buildings that have a window to the outside as a stylistic choice.

All aerostats are interconnected in a gigantic ring-like structure, forming a sort of spider web across the planet’s surface: the two biggest aerostats, Binyaria and Rathlin, form the two ‘poles’ respectively at the north and south of the web. It is possible to travel from an aerostat to another through the '''Venusian Ferry''', the gigantic shuttletram network forming the basis of this web. It isn't only a means of transport but also a very famous all-in-one tourism attraction sponsored by Idris: firework displays are fused with the planet's naturally odd atmosphere in order to create light shows truly out of a movie. Most if not all Venusians and tourists alike take at least one trip on the Venusian Ferry in their life.

Bar certain exceptions like Rathlin, most Jintarians live in sprawling city complexes under the aerostats, referred to as, for example, Jintarian Binyaria or Jintarian Parabing to name a section of Jintaria under a specific district. Jintaria as a whole is informally known as '''‘downstairs’''' by Cythereans, whereas Cytherea is referred to as '''‘upstairs’''' by Jintarians. These city complexes tend to be densely packed and populated, with little variance in terms of architecture and structure as a result of their government-planned construction. They have overtime, however, been decorated with various LED holoboards bought from Cytherea, artificial parks and other such structures to breathe some life into the atmosphere. The aerostats’ heavier industries, such as power complexes or factories, are entirely located in the Jintarian sections. Jintarians have easy enough access to Cytherea through elevators that can be found throughout their cities, with at least one under each Cytherean district.
===Binyaria===

'''Binyaria''' is the capital aerostat of Venus and by far the most populated one, widely known as Venus’ jewel, sporting the archetypical Cytherean architecture: lightshows, LEDs and flashy buildings. People from across the galaxy flock to Binyaria to experience both Solarian and Cytherean culture, which has its roots in the very same aerostat. It is one of the most-visited tourist destinations in the Spur, clocking in the high hundreds of millions of visits every year – with all of them coming to experience the Cytherean culture that began in the very same aerostat. Of course, all of these tourists come to partake in Cytherean hobbies in one way or the other as well.

Cythereans in Binyaria are almost entirely employed in the service and entertainment sectors. Despite its rapid deindustrialisation, Binyaria still hosts a large amount of pharmaceuticals industries and related research complexes, where about 12% of the Cytherean population works.

The following are Binyaria’s most populated and well-known districts.

The '''Jie District''' is located at the very centre of Binyaria, named after the original ruler of the aerostat. It is the true heart of the Cytherean fashion and acting industry, along with the bio-modification that goes hand in hand with them. Tourists flock to Jie to partake, or at least gawk, at the majesty of Cytherea's famed fashion houses, acting museums and so on. This district also houses several Zeng-Hu Pharmaceuticals facilities centred around biomodification and beauty techniques that are frequented by both the rich and famous of Cytherea and exceptionally wealthy (or vain) tourists. Outside of its main thoroughfare, Jie is home to a wild variety of production studies for everything from holovids to music, and many of those involved in Cytherea's entertainment industry make their homes in the expensive apartments and estates of the district. With all of this considered, it is not the district that houses the government, and functions mainly as the flashiest show-off of what Cytherea is truly about, being the most visited district for its value in re-telling Cytherean history (from their side, at least). The only permanent residents in Jie are CEOs, official functionaries and other similarly wealthy or famous figures. ''"We can't all live in Jie District"'' is a phrase used by Jintarians to essentially say "not all of us can be filthy rich", to mock Cythereans for their vanity or simply to express just how ridiculous something is. On the flip side, Cythereans often use the phrase ''"not a Jintarian's chance in Jie"'' to describe impossible odds or something/someone looking really bad (either socially or physically).

Located at the very centre of the Jie District is the '''Venusian Stars Institute''', arguably Venus’ single most important institution. A gigantic, byzantine skyscraper, covered from bottom to top in holographic billboards and the brightest, most colourful LEDs that can be bought on the Spur. With these features and the tacky holographic signs on all four sides at its top blasting its acronym in the brightest rainbow lights imaginable, it dominates Binyaria’s skyline as a consistent reminder of what truly keeps the aerostat afloat: the power of media. Curiously enough, the phrase ''"You're like the Jie skyline"'' has recently become a Cytherean way to tell someone that they stand out, either from good looks or for other reasons. Its first recorded usage was in an Interstellar Girls single from 2463, ''Skyline''.

The Jie District is also home to the '''Jie Holocinema Complex''', the largest and most advanced holocinema in the Spur. It is an absolutely gigantic and flashy structure, being by far the brightest and most-decorated building in Cytherea as a whole. Every single top movie has at least one early screening in this cinema, and these tickets often go for exorbitant prices – which doesn’t stop Cytherea’s many billionaires from lapping them up as soon as they come on the market. Its claim to fame is the Virtual Reality Suite, the highest class viewing hall available, where the viewer can fully immerse themselves in the movie by being able to freely view the current scene from any angle through experimental VR technology. Lower-class viewing halls that provide the “classic” experience are also present for those that don’t have quite as much wealth.

This cinema is found at the very centre of '''Our Lady’s Plaza''', a massive sprawling circular plaza. Its claim to fame is it is built under an artificial vineyard, providing quite the change of pace from the other plazas that may be mistaken as dance floors by unknowing visitors. Restaurants and shops of all kinds can be found around this plaza, providing one of the most unique experiences possible for a weekend. ''"Our Lady's has nothing on this place!"'' is a somewhat uncommon exclamation for Cythereans to refer to a really cool place.

The '''Chiye-Gyo District''' was helped to fame by corporate investment rather than Venus' municipal government. It was a district constructed and leased to the megacorporations to function as a corporate hub on the planet, where one can find any corporate facility they wish for, whether that be corporate-sponsored universities or Idris shopping malls to buy the newest clothing catalogue at. Nanotrasen used to have a presence here as well, but their assets here have been entirely handed off to Einstein Engines. Because of this megacorporate presence, Chiye-Gyo is often used as a backdoor out of Venus for those wanting to leave the planet, with the corporations offering contracts both in Sol and abroad to Venusians willing to take them – Jintarians and Cythereans alike. Of course, many of these Venusians also have to undergo mandatory training courses in Chiye-Gyo to bring them up to speed with their new job. Following the Industrial Reclamation Decree and the nationalisation of Nanotrasen property, their workers were offered to transfer abroad in the Republic of Biesel by the corporation if they wished to leave the Alliance. ''"Straight laced like Chiye-Gyo's corpos"'' is a slang phrase used by Cythereans to refer to someone who's too serious. "Corpos" can often be substituted with "goons", "suits" or other demeaning terms.

The '''Parabing District''' is Binyaria’s most populated district, representing where the majority of its population resides. It is where most of the Cytherean life takes place, with its many stylish apartments, estates and houses, but is not lacking in entertainment and hosts a number of clubs, PC cafes, karaoke joints, laid-back bars, and fast food restaurants complete with glowing neon lights. Parabing also sees a high amount of Jintarian thoroughfare in its districts, both because of its entertainment opportunities and for work reasons, as some Jintarians that live downstairs can find employment in Parabing’s chemical and pharmaceuticals complexes. ''"Putting the bing-o in Parabing!"'' is an expression used by particularly goofy Jintarians and Cythereans as another way of saying "Bingo!". It is, however, very informal and somewhat ridiculous, so it is only used among good friends, most often after a drink or five. Jintarian Parabing hosts a fairly large number of immigrant workers in its Jintarian side, where it hosts the largest population of Martian immigrants in the Spur as a result of Violet Dawn.

While hardly as famous as any of its higher counterparts, the '''Central Binyarian Power Complex''' on level ten is one of the most important levels in the entire aerostat. The Complex provides fission-based power to the entire aerostat using a network of massive fusion generators. The amount of equipment needed to ensure that power flows and the generators continue functioning has turned the Complex into a massive labyrinth of tunnels and industrial machinery that are difficult to navigate through and very easy to become lost in. As a result the Complex is informally known as "the Labyrinth" and has very few legal permanent residents. The tunnels of the Complex are often poorly-lit and filled with stagnant air due to insufficient ventilation. Due to the construction of the Complex noises are able to easily travel through it, and the groaning of machinery and hissing of coolant pipes can echo through miles of tunnels. The Labyrinth is seen as a very unsettling place by both Cythereans and Jintarians, and the disquieting nature of it and similar power facilities have become fodder for the Cytherean film industry. This place's pervasion in pop culture has led to the creation of some creative slang phrases, such as ''"Have you come from the Labyrinth?"'' to refer to an ugly person for Cythereans, or ''"The Labyrinth's got nothing on you"'' to refer to a particularly cool person for Jintarians. Both cultures attempt to one-up the other, with Cythereans using this complex as a negative attribute and Jintarians attempting to reclaim it.

'''Jintarian Binyaria''' is the home to most of the planet’s Jintarians, but does not present itself to be much different from the rest of Jintaria, architecturally or structurally. It does, however, house some districts and landmarks that are very renowned across Jintaria.

The '''Susuhe District''' is the largest and most populated Jintarian district in Venus. It is functionally a mishmash of every kind of facility: from power plants to sports facilities to apartments and parks, nearly everything can be found here, providing an extremely centralised but comfortable lifestyle, if a bit packed with people. Jintarians may find employment either in Susuhe itself or even directly above it in Parabing’s pharmaceutical complexes. Being the administration’s home and arguably the heart of the Jintarian class, it also houses a few important landmarks.

The '''Venusian Jintarian Museum''' is the main point of reference for Jintarian culture, inspired by the Diamond Hall in function. While it presents itself as a rather boring building – clearly not inheriting the Diamond Hall’s gaudy looks – the inside is one of the, if not the most decorated example of Jintarian architecture. Marble flooring and pillars mark the amount of care taken in preserving the story of celebrities and immortalising them as part of Jintaria’s past.

On the entertainment side of things, Susuhe is also home to '''the Ring''', the largest pub across all of Jintaria, built not by the government but by the collective efforts of Jintarians. As its name implies, it is a massive ring-like structure where the inner part is the counter, and the rest is dedicated to tables and other entertainment facilities. Its clients can either simply sit and order their drink and food, or take part in some of the more tame activities that can be found here: the Ring is home to facilities for sports, table football, tabletop games, and more. This pub’s prevalence in Jintarian popular culture has led to the creation of ''"You're ringing out"'' as a common slang phrase used by Jintarians to refer to someone who is too drunk or high for their own good.

===Rathlin===
'''Rathlin''' is the second most populated aerostat, and is the home to Venus’ extremely advanced hydroponics and medical facilities. While distant from Binyaria, it has also overtime adopted the archetypical Cytherean culture, but with a fairly large degree of difference: mainly, the resentment that Rathliners feel towards their Binyarian brethren. While practically all of them accept their Cytherean ways of life (which have been, to some degree, imposed on them), it doesn’t quite feel right to them that Binyaria is the centre of attention in all things Venus. This has developed into a sort of complex of inferiority towards Binyarians, with Rathliners eager to show that they’re just as relevant as their compatriots. Of course, this has to happen in other fields, as there is no hope for Rathlin’s media industries to ever outpace Binyaria’s. Instead, Rathliners – Cytherans and Jintarians alike – are much more likely to seek to climb the social ladder via scientific or medical prowess.

Another oddity unique to Rathlin is that it is the aerostat with the largest number of Jintarians living among the Cytherean population – in fact, most of its Jintarian population lives in its Cytherean side, with only around 21% living below. Many Jintarians find easy enough employment in Rathlin’s many medical, scientific and hydroponics fields if they have the skills to show for it, as these jobs are in ever-increasing demand. Some of these Jintarians can even find their way to Cytherean Binyaria, as expertise is always welcome if they can survive its cutthroat environment – and if they can match Cythereans in beauty.

The following are Rathlin’s most populated and well-known districts.

The '''Nunusa District''' is Rathlin’s seat of government and where most of its population resides. While just as brightly decorated as other Binyarian districts, Nunusa sets itself apart by borrowing its architectural styles from diverse places on Earth: anything can be found in its districts, from Baltic old town architecture to traditional Japanese architecture. Of course, all of these architectures have the typical Venusian twists to them – LED strips to accentuate colours, holographic advertisement billboards attached to the sides, and other similar tacky details. Nunusa also hosts a fairly large number of Jintarian residents. Cythereans often say that something looks "like Susuha" if it's a mishmash of many things, a melting pot, or generally curious or interesting.

Nunusa is home to one of Venus’ most multicultural academies, the '''Nunusa Polymedical Institute''', informally known as '''PolyNu'''. It is Venus’ highest rated medical university as it places more of a focus on skills rather than good looks, and many aspiring Cytherean doctors from other aerostats – even Binyaria – study here, either by using the Venusian Ferry or by temporarily moving to Nunusa. Binyarians often find themselves teased and sometimes even mocked by Rathliners for attending classes in this institute, but the education is top notch nonetheless. These four groups of cultures that coexist – Jintarians, Binyarians, Rathliners and Cythereans from other aerostats – are in a constant race to one-up the other through bragging about better grades or whichever other methods they can come up with. While this does contribute to a higher degree of academic competitiveness in the university, these competitions can also be settled in other ways, such as on the dance floor. ''"You're like a Binyarian in PolyNu"'' is a common phrase used by Rathliners to describe someone who's out of place.

The '''Satisma District''' is perhaps Venus’ most important industrial district, made up almost entirely of hydroponics facilities and attached employee housing. It provides Venus with practically all of its food, and even exports a significant amount to the Alliance as a whole. A good amount of the Spur’s expert hydroponicists are raised and trained in Satisma’s world-class facilities. Cythereans and Jintarians alike work in this district, with Cythereans managing to find it bearable as it is not particularly high-intensity work, and automation does most of the job anyway. Jintarians often write off their Cytherean workers as particularly lazy here, but that is not necessarily always the truth. ''"Do you work at Satisma?"'' is a slang phrase used by particularly vain Cythereans to refer to someone who is lower class or generally uninteresting. It is very negatively charged and often elicits a reply in kind (or worse) if used against Jintarians.

The '''Rimari District''' is, on the surface, quite similar to Satisma, filled with hydroponics complexes and other such installations. In truth, it is arguably the centre for Venus’ drug trade: completely dominated and owned by Zeng-Hu, the hydroponics plants here are rumoured to grow exclusively narcotics and whatever other types of drugs the Cytherean clientele may desire. It is strictly guarded at all hours of the day by several VPPF detachments, which has most certainly only further stained the Venusian Police’s name in the minds of Jintarians and unsatisfied Cytherean. Rimari also holds the infamous reputation of being the largest narcotics trade hub in the entire Spur according to several independent newspapers and research articles, claims that have been solely ignored by every single Venusian government. ''"Locked up like Rimari"'' is a charged slang phrase used by Cythereans and Jintarians alike to refer to someone who's clearly holding a secret of some sort, or refusing to talk about it.

'''Jintarian Rathlin''' is not much different from Jintarian Binyaria, mainly because of Jintaria’s beginnings as little more than pre-fabricated drab cities. It is, however, connected to Jintarian Binyaria through the Venusian Ferry.

'''Jintarian Satisma''' is mostly made up of restaurants, curiously enough, which import food from the hydroponics facilities above. Jintarians can find their respite in many of the higher-class (for Jintarians, anyway – they would still not hold a candle to Cytherean restaurants) in this district. Jintarian Satisma is also the host of the Satisma Fair, a 3-day fair beginning on the 15th of March and ending on the 18th where the streets of the districts are filled with food stands, festivals and other such activities. It is extremely famous among Jintarians and most of them attend it yearly, spending more than usual. Additionally, cooks from the rest of the Alliance sometimes set up their own stands and makeshift restaurants here as it is a very, very lucrative opportunity. New Hai Phonger cooks are especially renowned in Jintarian Satisma, with many trying to emulate their cuisine.

==Government and Politics==
<center>''“Jintarians have been governed by Cythereans for a century now, but no more! No more will the Jintarian have to stand by and let clueless addicts govern them! No more!” – Excerpt from Hendrik Strom’s famous campaign speech to a crowd of around million Jintarians in Jintarian Parabing.''</center>

Venus’ government is, on the surface, fairly simple: each aerostat has its own governor, which is elected through a democratic vote where all registered citizens can participate. Each district likewise has its own representative, elected in the very same manner. However, Venus places little to no effort in fighting any sort of corruption, often staffing its anti-corruption bureaus as if they were vacation homes for retired politicians. This has led to Venus’ government historically being among the most corrupt and inefficient in the Spur, with a record period of '''11 years without any significant reform''' (according to the Xanusii News Service’s ''Venusian Insight'' scoop of 2431, with a "significant reform" classified as any bill that implements a new social or governmental program). District representatives and aerostat governors alike are often accused by independent news services of collaborating in the Venusian drug trade to disgusting degrees, pocketing bribe money left and right and willingly ignoring the issues that plague Venus. Moreover, competition is at an all-time low on Venus, with all of its sectors practically monopolised by a select few companies. Venus’ media freedom ranks at its highest peak ever according to Venusian and some Solarian outlets, but independent news services often instead rank it at the bottom due to the VSI’s absolute stranglehold on the media services.

Under the surface, Venus has many de-facto exceptions given to it by the Solarian law apparatus. Drug trade and consumption are essentially completely allowed on Venus, with the VPPF not particularly inclined to ever prosecute these crimes due to their profitability. Whatever narcotics one may desire are nearly always handed over-the-counter at Zeng-Hu pharmacies, which present a ''technically legal'' front – and, as a result, no perquisitions ever occur.

This general complacency boiled over in Hendrik Strom’s election as the planetary senator in 2453, a result of Cytherean apathy and general lack of care towards voting. Elected through a historic Jintarian turnout, his campaign has run on anti-corruption promises and economic reforms – populist policies that are not appreciated by Cythereans or by the established Venusian industries. Whether these reforms will be implemented or have any long-lasting effect is yet to be seen, however, as more pressing matters have taken the ex-senator’s attention since the Solarian collapse.

The '''Venusian Stars Institute''' is an entirely government-controlled agency and an integral part of the average Venusian’s life. It has absolute control over Venusian media, from what gets produced and put on the extranet to the image rights of its stars and idols, with more details on this particular facet in the Cytherean Culture section. To the average citizen, the VSI is an almost invisible force behind social media, rarely interfering unless absolutely necessary. An example of this is the silencing of the Binyarian Exposé, where journalists propagating the story in question were promptly banned from all social media and their stories scrubbed from the Extranet.

===The Venusian Planetary Police Force===
Venus’ law enforcement agency is the '''Venusian Planetary Police Force''', or '''VPPF'''. The VPPF is more of a media stunt than a real police force, being riddled with corruption and inefficiencies, where officers are known to readily take bribes to ignore crimes -- particularly the crimes of Venus' rich and famous. The VPPF's reputation is so poor that megacorporate facilities and Venusian notables may even use private military contractors from the Eridani Federation Military to provide security instead. Hendrik Strom and his fellow populists have made a scapegoat out of the VPPF by citing its most public failures such as its inability to contain the now-defunct Tajara Revolutionary Army and its rampant cronyism. In public polling, the Venusian police typically ranks as one of the least popular planetary police agencies in the entire Solarian Alliance. It can mostly be seen policing important landmarks, clubs, bars or whichever important gala is being hosted on a certain night.
The gendarmerie’s poor standing also has to do with mostly who exactly chooses a career in it, often described as a dead-end career: that is to say, mostly crashouts and those who don’t want to be in the spotlight, for one reason or the other. Unfortunately for them, the VPPF doesn’t pay very handsomely and is seen as the opposite of a prestigious career, being considered useless by just about every single Venusian. This has led to an extremely high rate of turnover, with those leaving the VPPF often leaving Venus entirely and looking for work abroad as mercenaries in the PMCG/EPMC or as corporate security: leaving the planet with their eyes open to Venus’ many injustices and likely more depressed as a result.

The VPPF is structured into one department per aerostat with thirty-two sections per district, with each section varying in size depending on the population and importance of the location. Rimari has by far the largest sections across Binyaria. While the VPPF functions like an archetypical gendarmerie, many of its bureaus are intentionally stunted: narcotics or financial crimes departments often function in name only, with their director being paid off by more than one person in exchange for their inaction. This situation is known to just about anyone who researches it, but most importantly they have to care about it – which is not the case for the average Cytherean. After all, the VPPF’s inaction is what allows their hedonistic lifestyle to continue.

==Synthetics on Venus==
<center>''“It is the duty of Idris to provide the most perfect synthetics for the Venusian media enterprises [...]” - Excerpt from Alex Mason’s 2454 Q1 investor meeting.''</center>

Positronics on Venus are mainly imported from around Sol, with Hephaestus and Einstein Engines being the chief providers of chassis and positronics for menial and service work alike. A product of their environment, these IPC are programmed with the local Cytherian or Jintarian accent according to their posting and purpose. Fielded by both the government and private entities, the aerostats of Venus are a prime hub of IPC activity, as well as the shell frame capital of the Alliance, pushing the boundaries of avant-garde taste and chassis modifications to fit all sorts of cosmetic and functional niches of an unhinged entertainment industry.

===In Cytherian Society===
The service and entertainment sectors make heavy use of IPC workers, both on and off screen, primarily shells provided by Einstein Engines, Zeng-Hu Pharmaceuticals and smaller producers such as Earth’s Hazel Electromotive. It is not unusual for Venusian movies to cast shell actors and actresses, using them as stunt doubles for dangerous or arguably fatal screens where agility is a must, sometimes even causing real harm and damage to their forms. Cytherian Stars in the movie industry often have shell lookalikes on standby, shooting multiple scenes at once or even working on different lower-end films to maximise efficiency and output, while also making upcoming and unknown studios pay incredible sums to have a Star’s likeness in their movie, be it the real actor or not. Furthermore, shells are used intensely on stage by bands and brands such as INTERSTELLAR✰GIRLS, enhancing performances with dancing, acrobatics or other such stunts. Shell workers are also commonly found in the infamous Cytherian parties, serving guests or accompanying them in their various activities. The deeper and lower one gets, the more cosmetic altercations one finds on the shells present, as the creativity hampered by Venusian ideals of a clean body, are channelled into tattoos and modifications on their IPC. The application of piercings, vibrant colours and tattoos with fluorescent ink can range from simple creations to extravagant displays of art, utilising the bodies of the shell as a limitless canvas.

While all the above may push a favourable image of the positronics’ lives, the reality is more or less the opposite. Situated in core Solarian territory, Venusians largely echo the conservative views for the treatment of IPC as objects and property, and this is no different for Cytherian shells. While some may have their shining moments or even manage to gather a following on social media, their owners and especially the Venusian Star Institute tend to be quick at grounding them back to reality, making sure that an IPC never gets enough time in the spotlight to shadow a human Star. To this end, shell actors and dancers are often recycled for fresh ones, those discarded being resold for lower-end work in various establishments throughout Binyaria and other aerostats, or as Venusian novelty items abroad. Operating under the same crushing regime that even many Stars find exhausting, the tear and wear caused by repeated performances, dangerous scenes in cinema and a general treatment as nothing more than equipment, guarantees a much shorter lifespan compared to shells in other parts of the Spur.

===Jintarians and Corporate Synthetics===
While not as expansive as in Cytherian culture, the Jintarian working class sees its fair share of baselines and industrial frames in the workforce, owing to the extreme working conditions found in maintaining certain parts of aerostats. As a result, most positronics intended for labour are programmed with engineering and maintenance databases, organised in teams and sent to work under human technicians in tasks where even the most hardy and experienced individuals would find arduous. One other significant sector such IPC can be found in is the Venusian Planetary Police, fielding synthetic officers for all manners of operations against crime and other runaway synthetics. It is thus only natural that Jintarians interact more with non-shells, with many even coming to somewhat appreciate their presence and make clear distinctions between them and Cytherian positronics. While still under highly restrictive ownership, these IPC enjoy a greater standard of living, usual repairs as well as the lack of fear of living up to unreasonable standards like their counterparts in the more expensive and luxurious locales of Venus.

Corporate synthetics on Venus largely maintain their corporate identity, with some being tailored with a Venusian, mostly Cytherian, flair. Idris’ professional shell service staff and Reclamation Units are often programmed with the accent to cater to the clientele, while in some cases taking on low-scale cosmetic alterations such as fancy antennae, vibrant eye colours or certain skin patterns. Owing to a large Zeng-Hu presence in the pharmaceutical industry, Bishop frames are regularly seen around the megacorporation’s installations, in laboratories and pharmacies, their white and sterile form being a characteristic element of the company’s identity in many Venusians’ eyes.

==Skrell on Venus==
The Nralakk Federation is, to the surprise of very few people, one of the most restrictive states when it comes to public displays of hedonism. Thus it begs the question of what kind of Skrell would dare set foot on Venus, and the answers are fairly simple -- mainly stars and washouts. While there are Skrell on Venus that work in duller fields such as hydroponics, science or medicine, these two groups form the bulk of the popular perception of Skrell on the planet.

'''Skrellian Stars''' are the most represented group of Skrell on Venus, being present in prominent media and with some even having a fairly large following. Most of these Stars are either Federation-sponsored actors from Nralakk, human culture enthusiasts or simply disgruntled Skrell who couldn't make it in the Federation, for one reason or the other. The latter two groups are the most likely to fully embrace Venusian ideals and even venture out to other human nations, whereas the former group -- Nralakk loyalists -- do not partake quite as much and keep a tight lip on topics like dissent.

'''Washouts''', instead, are Skrell that have been completely and utterly socially isolated in the Federation. Most often either successful scientists that have published research deemed too controversial or failed doctors that couldn't meet Nralakk's academic standards, Venus represents a prestigious temporary vacation for them to spend their many leftover credits at. These Skrell stay for a matter of years -- a short time to them, but a long time to everyone else -- drowning away their sorrows until they feel ready to hit the stars once again. Whether those stars are part of Venus' artificial sky or are the Spur's is up for them to decide from their brooding.
{{Navbox Human Lore}}
{{Navbox Lore}}
[[Category:Pages]]
[[Category:Planets_and_Systems]]
[[Category:Humanity]]

New Hai Phong

2023-01-04T12:48:34Z

MattAtlas: edit the image to be centered & add tajara bombings

{{Navbox Lore}}
{{Navbox Human Lore}}

<center>[[File:New_hai_phong_pixel.png]]</center>
{{Template:Region-JewelWorlds}}
New Hai Phong, sometimes rendered New Haiphong, is an economic powerhouse of the Sol Alliance funded by Hephaestus Industries. The capital of New Hai Phong is Cua Song, built around the coast of a large freshwater sea. Tobacco is the main export of New Hai Phong, serving as the planet’s main claim to fame. The primary language is Sol Common, though the spoken Hai Phongese dialect is notably different. New Hai Phong Common, or NHP Common, is much more tonal-based than Sol Common and has a distinctive accent. Freespeak is also somewhat common on New Hai Phong.

'''Due to the ethnic make-up of its original settlers and ability for the massive New Hai Phongese population to absorb immigrants into its culture via assimilation, characters born on New Hai Phong must have names and appearances consistent with the peoples of Mainland/Continental Southeast Asia and South China. Only characters native to New Hai Phong may take the New Hai Phongese accent. This is enforceable by server moderators and admins.'''

==History==

What would become New Hai Phong had quite humble origins. Originally detected in the late 2100s, New Hai Phong was colonized in the early 2200s by a coalition of Vietnam, China, Cambodia, Thailand, and Laos with intentions of it being not much more than a base of operations for mining facilities on the nearby ice-covered planet of Chu Nho. But as the mining operations continued industry — primarily that of Hephaestus Industries, then dwelling in the shadow of Einstein Engines — followed, and the inhabitable regions of the planet began to rapidly increase in population and importance over the 2200s.

As New Hai Phong’s industry expanded, so too did Hephaestus’ hold over the planet. As the mines of Chu Nho began to dry up in the early 2300s the planet became more and more reliant upon Hephaestus and the industry it brought: without the sprawling, smoke-belching factories of Hephaestus and the crowded habitation blocs that housed its tens of thousands of employees, New Hai Phong would simply be another Middle Ring mining colony destined for a slow decline into irrelevance. To avoid this fate more and more liberties were given to Hephaestus: regulations on building were lifted, palms were greased to look the other way, and the culture of corruption that now defines much of life on New Hai Phong formed as a result. By the 2400s, Hephaestus’ hold over the planet was all but assured. It is estimated that roughly one in three Hephaestus Industries products undergo final assembly on New Hai Phong, and around four in five products have at least one constituent part assembled on the planet. The presence of Hephaestus is impossible to miss.

But not all are willing to live alongside Hephaestus and the culture of corruption that it has created. Throughout the 2400s there have been various anti-corporate movements on New Hai Phong, but the pervasive corporate influence and corruption of the planet has seen them repeatedly stamped out or bought out. The one movement that has survived is the New Hai Phongese Socialism of Senator Le Hanh Trang and her party, the Solarian Socialist Unity Party. But with their inability to dislodge Hephaestus from the planet using the Solarian Corporate Authority, it remains to be seen who the New Hai Phong of the future will belong to.

On '''October 19, 2460''', New Hai Phong was struck by the largest terrorist attack in the Alliance in recent memory. Several cities and even an orbital shipyard were targeted with a series of bombs found out to be military-grade, with Nhom Hy Vhong reporting the heaviest damage and casualties: immediately after, the planet underwent a period of lockdown by both Solarian and Hephaestus security forces. The responsibility for the attack was claimed by the Tajara Revolutionary Army in retaliation to the two Tajara bans and the perceived inequality of Tajara in the Alliance. The bombings prompted much outrage towards both the government for its inability to prevent the attack and towards Tajara themselves, culminating in the Third Tajara Ban on '''November 6, 2460''', of which Senator Le Hanh Trang was a major sponsor, alongside Senator Hendrik Strom.

==Environment==
Water covers about 63% of the surface of New Hai Phong with one large, snaking landmass dotted with seas and lakes called Nha O covering the rest of the planet. Nha O is mostly covered in a savannah-like environment, with deserts closer to the equator and some swamps dotting the landscape. New Hai Phong has a near-breathable surface atmosphere and a similar gravity to Earth. The only equipment needed to breathe comfortably on the surface is a respirator mask. New Hai Phong orbits a binary star, called Mau Sang and Tia Sang, that keeps the planet relatively hot. The average temperature at the equator is 36°C (97°F), 30°C (86°F) at the 35th parallel during the summer, 22°C (72°F) at the 35th parallel during the winter, and 10°C (50°F) at the poles. Hai Phongese years are about ten Terran months and, due to the planet’s orbit, the cooler seasons are about two Terran months shorter than the hotter seasons. Heavy winds and monsoons hit much of Nha O during the monsoon season which starts towards the end of spring and ends during mid-fall.
[[File:haiphong_flag.png|Government flag of New Hai Phong.|thumb]]
Most of the indigenous fauna that live on New Hai Phong are similar to mammals, birds, or fish. A few notable creatures include the cua quy, co duyen, and zai nhieu nai. Cua quy are dog-sized, crab-like creatures that live on the beaches of Nha O. They burrow into the sand and attack unsuspecting prey to lay their eggs in the corpses. Luckily, cua quy completely ignore humans and some even show signs of a “human allergy”. The domesticated co duyen, which look like a mix between a rabbit, a cat, and a fox, are popular pets for their endearing appearance and undying loyalty. Wild co duyen travel in small packs out in the more densely forested regions of Nha O. Zai nhieu nai look like an obese cross between pig and deer and have been domesticated for their soft fur, fatty meat, and rich milk. Special mention goes to the nguoi jan which are bipedal, ape-like creatures lacking in fur. Nguoi jan look vaguely similar to humans and have shown impressive intelligence. There has even been talk of fully uplifting nguoi jan, though these plans have yet to go anywhere.

A majority of flora on New Hai Phong are lush grasses that cover much of Nha O. In particular, there is the hoa lua co that appears similar to wheat with vibrant, blooming flowers. Hoa lua co is often collected to decorate homes or to process into hoa flour. Birch-like trees dot the savannahs of Nha O, with the Nha O Ngot La Tree often cultivated for its tasty leaves.
[[File:New hai phong.png|The planet of New Hai Phong.|thumb]]
==Population and Major Cities==
The total population of New Hai Phong is around 8.53 billion based on the 2460 Census. This population is almost entirely focused in the three megapolises and their megalopolitan areas with about 41.5% of the population living in Cua Song, 32.1% in Nhom Hy Vong, 26.2% in Ton Gwai Pei, and roughly 0.2% outside of these megalopolitan zones.

===Cua Song===
Like the other three megalopolises, Cua Song is made up of modular “habitation cubes” that are essentially extremely compact and airtight pieces of a home that are combined to form proper buildings. Hab-cube buildings are organized by blocks. Cua Song is built along much of the Sanh Song Sea, a freshwater sea rich with life and resources and a source of pride of the denizens of the megalopolis. Cua Song is known for its very scenic seaside view and beautifully decorated hab-buildings, becoming the main tourist location on New Hai Phong.

Grand hotels can be found along the coast and uptown in Cua Song, often connected to the Ngoi Sao Chuyen Spaceport by tramways. Minibuses shuttle tourists downtown to neon-lit nightclubs, vibrant lounges, and lively night markets while taxis bring others uptown to the elegant restaurants, ornate water puppet theaters, pampering spas, and classy music clubs. Some tourists wander the busy streets, trying local street foods like soy-fish dua zi mon and tea-soaked hoa bread or snapping pictures with friendly locals. Bullet trains shoot out of Cho Nga Tu Station bringing more adventurous tourists to Ton Gwai Pei and workers off to Hephaestus Industries’ Sieng Nang Zi Complex.

Few tourists, however, visit the poorer areas of Cua Song far away from the Sanh Song Sea where the streets are almost empty, the rundown hab-buildings are covered in political graffiti, and the sidewalks are littered in sand-covered garbage. Southern Cua Song, often called Ghe Song, was built over barren desert. Extreme sandstorms in Ghe Song are a constant problem during “monsoon” season, often leading to blockfams organizing strikes on other blocks for much needed supplies.

Some notable blockfams in Cua Song include the peppy, friendly folk of Mat Troi Block, the traditional, yet open-minded residents of Bieu Tuong Block, and the talented and humble artisans of Tinh Than Block. Some notable blockfams in Ghe Song include the shady, dark-loving recluses of Tinh Than Block and the anti-corporate, passionate graffiti artists of Noi Day Block.

===Nhom Hy Vong===
Nhom Hy Vong is by far the area with the heaviest Hephaestus presence and where much of the planet’s industry comes from. The megalopolis sprawls along the Sea of Ca Ngay, the largest freshwater sea on New Hai Phong, and is divided in two by the Suot Maan River. To the east lies Gung Hy Vong, home to many factories and office buildings, and to the west is Nong Hy Vong which is packed with apartments and greenhouses.

In Gung Hy Vong, Hephaestus Industries owns a massive number of manufacturing plants, office buildings, and industrial factories. A good number of Hephaestus’ employees on New Hai Phong work in Gung Hy Vong, with most of the rest working in the Sieng Nang Zi Complex that connects to the city by bullet train. Nong Hy Vong is a stark contrast with brightly colored hab-cube buildings topped with gardens and giant glass greenhouses spread throughout the area. The region is known for its wonderful interior decorating and tasty vegetable dishes.

Some notable blockfams in Gung Hy Vong include the cold and distant folk of Khong Bo Cam Block and the stepford smilers of Gia Mao Block. Some notable blockfams in Nong Hy Vong include the extremely religious residents of Ton Giao Block and the family-orientated farmers of Nuoi Faan Block.

===Ton Gwai Pei===
Though the smallest of the megalopolises, Ton Gwai Pei is much more densely packed. Towering skyscrapers made of hab-cubes and designed with the help of feng shui consultants loom over the crowded, narrow streets of the city. Built on the coast of the Sanh Song Sea opposite to Cua Song, Ton Gwai Pei is known for its gambling houses, seedy nightclubs, and open-secret of a criminal underbelly. Tourists looking for more “excitement” often take the bullet train from safe, peaceful Cua Song to tangle in Ton Gwai Pei’s grime and bustle.

Unlike much of Ton Gwai Pei, or the rest of New Hai Phong for that matter, there is a sizable area called Zau Gwai Jyu where public intoxication is tolerated. This is mostly due to the heavy handed control the local crime syndicate have over Zau Gwai Jyu. The Pou Zyu Sau, as they are called, keep a grip over the management of Zau Gwai Jyu with lots of money, a decent amount of threats, and a handful of murders. The Pou Zyu Sau run multiple “hedon dens” where customers can partake in any drug, narcotic, or alcohol that won’t clog the vents.

Some notable blockfams in Ton Gwai Pei include the sultry, hedonistic gamblers of Con Seoi Block, the fatalistic artists of Tu Su Son Block, and the cutthroat businesspeople of Cong Hoi Block. One notable blockfam in Zau Gwai Jyu are the strong willed, drug free folk of Seng Tinh Zau Block.

===Life on New Hai Phong===

'''City Life'''

For most of New Hai Phong's inhabitants, living conditions are poor. The metropolises have double-populated hab-cube buildings to save space causing privacy and alone time to become rare. This has lead to “blockmates” treating one another like family leading to a group of blockmates became known as a blockfam. Blockfams have adopted a very communal attitude and are incredibly tight-knit. Loyalty to one’s blockfam is fierce and passionate, sometimes causing disputes between bigger blockfams. Blocks inhabited by poorer citizens are often in poor repair with jury-rigging solutions and shoddy fortifications generally left to local communities.

Corruption is also a constant problem on New Hai Phong. All three of the planet's metropolises struggle with bribery at every level, from local police departments to top officials. It is an open secret that Hephaestus is behind most of these bribes as a means of retaining financial control over the planet. The practice of bribery itself is essential to everyday life on New Hai Phong; shopkeeps unable to pay "fees" to the city police find their business constantly raided on suspicions of every offence imaginable. Similarly, hapless tourists have found themselves booted off of the planet for non-specific crimes against local communities after failing to provide supplementary "administration fees" with their travel papers.

Drug abuse and addiction, excluding smoking drugs and especially alcoholism, are also major problems due to the variety of high-stress situations both Hephaestus employment and the planet place on many citizens. This problem is only worsened by the fact that the legal drinking age on New Hai Phong is 13 and the legal age to buy alcohol is 17, leading to numerous teenagers falling to binge drinking. Though many drink, it is considered almost disgusting to be inebriated in public. Heavy fines and mandatory community service in grueling environments are given to those caught intoxicated, along with steep shaming by peers. In recent years, however, there has been a steep decline in teenage alcoholism, giving hope that the next generation may face fewer problems with drug abuse and addiction.

'''Hephaestus Industries'''

By leveraging their building rights on New Hai Phong, Hephaestus Industries managed to seep into every crack of the planet. Large swathes of land on New Hai Phong are owned by Hephaestus, connected to the three megalopolises through bullet train networks. Hephaestus Industries has built numerous industrial factories, manufacturing plants, and research labs over the landscape, with the largest complexes being nicknamed cities. Hephaestus’ headquarters on New Hai Phong is the Sieng Nang Zi Complex, just 40 kilometers (25 miles) from the outskirts of Cua Song.

Thanks to Hephaestus, New Hai Phong’s economy is comparatively a roaring success. Though the planet loses significant GDP from corruption, unemployment figures are through the floor and New Hai Phong maintains zero planetary debt. Hephaestus provides around 70% of all employment with 15% of Hephaestus jobs dealing with management and the remaining 85% dealing with all kinds of manufacturing, often the manufacturing of atmospheric equipment.

'''Desert Dwellers'''

Very few people are known to populate the deserts outside of the three metropolises or surrounding towns. What limited observations have found is that desert dwellers live in rough, almost primitive settlements and take on a tribe-like society. Most are hunters or moisture farmers while the rest help keep cook, clean, and repair for the settlement.

'''Hai Phongese Cash Crops'''

Tobacco is the leading claim to fame for New Hai Phong, which is said to produce nearly all of the galaxy’s tobacco. However, tobacco has slowly lost popularity due to the outlawing and growing stigma of tobacco usage in many systems. Ironically enough, because of the thin atmosphere and airtight homes, few on New Hai Phong have even smoked tobacco and chewing tobacco is frowned upon because of its harsh effects on health and appearance.

New Hai Phong has gradually branched out to other crops such as tea, coffee beans, cocoa beans, rice, soybean, and sugarcane. In particular, Hai Phongese tea is very popular as both a local and an exported product with many locals drinking tea with almost every meal.

===Fashion===

Much of New Hai Phongese fashion is very practical, modifying both traditional and modern clothing to suit the environment of New Hai Phong. Conical hats, especially non la, are commonplace to shield citizens from the sweltering suns and heavy rains. For those in desert regions, a transparent, knee-length veil is attached to the rim of the hat to block the harsh effects of sandstorms. Conical hats are often left plain or decorated to better suit the style of one’s clothing. The most basic New Hai Phongese look is a conical hat, a thin tank top, airy shorts, and sneakers with breathable socks. Basic athletic gear is also common.

Traditional fashion is still somewhat popular on New Hai Phong. Ao dai are commonplace, though not without changes for the New Hai Phongese climate. The dress is sometimes sleeveless or cropped to the knee or mid-thigh and the trousers are sometimes made tighter and often cut to match the shorter dress styles. New Hai Phongese ao yem have mostly remained unchanged from the traditional style with the backless garments remaining popular year round. The slightly less common cheongsam are usually made more breathable and are similarly cropped. Changshan are usually made more form fitting, and some New Hai Phongese changshan are styled to be worn open, whether with an undershirt or not.

As the respirator mask is an essential part of life on New Hai Phong, it has become a staple part of local fashion. Respirators are often made in vibrant colors and decorated with stickers, neon-tubing, beads, LEDs, or whatever else the owner prefers. Some more skilled in engineering modify theirs by adding visors, changing the shape, or attaching additional pieces.

===Cuisine===

Traditional New Hai Phongese cuisine uses animal meat and the hearty plants native to New Hai Phong. The resulting palate consists of soft, sour meats balanced against tough, sweet herb stalks. These herbs are often sucked on after the main course for flavor and nutrition. Most meals are entirely plant-based due to the inflated price of meat, leading to dietary supplement pills and gummies becoming commonplace. For the lower and lower-middle classes, rice, tofu, and other soy-based substitutes are often consumed due to the much cheaper price compared to native crops and meats. All folk on New Hai Phong enjoy a variety of wellmade desserts, including xoi la dua, a dish of sticky rice topped with Nha O Ngot La leaves, and che troi nuoc, sweet rice dumplings filled with beans. Blockfams often have a “noichu nuong”, a team of chefs and cooks individually called ”chudau”, who dedicate their time solely to making food for their blockmates.

Drinks are also a key part of Hai Phongese cuisine, stemming from poorer citizens needing more flavor in their soy product and supplement-based diet. Teas in particular are common due to New Hai Phong’s often forgotten tea leaf farms. White, green, matcha, and honeybush tea are all popular among those stressed out by New Hai Phongese life due to their soft, sweet, soothing flavors. For those who do a lot of physical or manual labor, black tea and pu-erh tea are popular because of their hearty, strengthening flavors. Both native and imported herbs and flowers are usually added for additional flavor, whether to make the taste sweeter or stronger.

One popular food on New Hai Phong is “dua zi mon”, literally “chopstick food” when translated, which is prepared by wrapping small balls of cooked meat, cooked fish, or raw fish in hoa dough before baking. Once finished, dua zi mon is ready to eat. It is a popular game among friends to see who can get the most duazi mon from the serving platter onto their plate unsurprisingly using one of the most common utensils through human space--chopsticks.

===Education===

Thanks to heavy funding from Hephaestus Industries, many colleges and universities offer incredible experience for those working in manufacturing and atmospherics. One such college is the Atmospheric Learning Institute of Kho Nang, or ALIKN, which is the main institute in Cua Song’s University District. ALIKN’s students are often jokingly called “aliens” as a fudging of the acronym’s spelling. Many atmospheric technicians, engine technicians, and toxin researchers come out of ALIKN, which also holds a small but steady group of airborne virologists.

Unsurprisingly, many graduates from the university are snatched up by Hephaestus who offers scholarship-to-employment programs to the gifted. Other corporations such as Einstein Engines also snipe graduates for their relevant departments. One notable graduate is Elisa Tung, inventor of the Shok-Free Protected Atmospherics System integrated into most high-end combat exosuits.

==Government and Politics==

Local politics on New Hai Phong — generally that below the senatorial level — is not defined by political ideology or economic class due to the endemic corruption of the planet. Instead, it is defined by local communities known as blockfams that have banded together in order to influence local politics. Blockfams are entirely willing to barter and engage in local corruption themselves in order to get what they and their community members want or need, and are not idealistic communities. Blockfams have been known to compete against each other or collude with one another as their needs change, but hardly anything is constant in the relationships between blockfams, the local authorities, or other blockfams. Oftentimes negotiations between blockfams are not done with currency, but by bartering power, favours, and resources between themselves so that there is no credit trail should the planetary authorities, who themselves are corrupt by many measures, decide that any given blockfam’s operations are inconvenient. Corruption is a fact of life on the planet, and blockfams are simply a way for the average resident of New Hai Phong to get what they need from a corrupt system.

Local governance across the planet beneath the city-scale varies greatly. In one part of a city one could find a corporate-dominated community where Hephaestus owns everything including the police and emergency services, while in another a neighborhood sleepy apartment buildings which pay bribes to the local authorities to look the other way on the illegal gambling dens in the basements, while somewhere else still, the occasional city district or blockfam which operates untainted by corruption, or at least mostly untainted. Despite this presence however, many in the government and authorities do fight a nearly impossible battle against corruption through their actions as individuals or as part of the institutions they represent, but challenges are great. The omnipresent interest of Hephaestus industries dominates life on New Hai Phong, the money from the illicit gambling rooms run by the Zau Gwai Jyu is alluring, and already present expectations of corruption do not make fighting the problems easy. Anti-corruption proceedings themselves often are used merely as instruments for one corrupt politician to dispose of a political rival in a “legitimate” manner, rather than hiring a hit. Despite these challenges though, many on the planet dream of a New Hai Phong with a more just way of life. Some galvanize politically with Senator Trang’s movement, while others who have lost faith in any and all politics simply work to fight corruption in their own lives in the small ways where they can.

New Hai Phong’s government is generally regarded to be substandard by the broader Alliance due to rampant corruption that is present at every level of civil government. The planet has a singular senator, Le Hanh Trang, in the Alliance Senate. Locally, the government of New Hai Phong on the planet itself is divided between its three cities and the powerful governors that rule over them. Due to their ten year terms and the immense corruption of the megacities themselves, these governors essentially serve for life and almost always come from local political dynasties that have the money to buy their way into the governorship. As lifelong rulers of the planet’s megacities, the three governors of New Hai Phong wield immense power over the planet. Thanks to this its planetary governor must often defer to the city governors’ demands, and thus the demands of Hephaestus Industries by extension.

The current Governor of Cua Song is Quách Diễm Nguyen, a 53 year old woman from the Quách family known for her deep connections to both Hephaestus Industries and Idris Incorporated. Nguyen’s two terms as governor have seen Cua Song’s more affluent neighborhoods along the coast prosper through tourism that is often connected to Idris Incorporated. More inland neighborhoods further from the Sanh Song Sea have seen little of this prosperity, with Nguyen having ignored much of southern Cua Song in favor of the touristy north. Southern Cua Song is a hotbed of New Hai Phongese Socialism, though its residents remain unable to dislodge the governor.

The Governor of Nhom Hy Vong is Lý Quốc Thành, a 72 year old man from the Lý family. The Lý family is deeply entwined with Hephaestus Industries, which is at its strongest in the massive factories of Nhom Hy Vong. Thành, in his three terms as governor, has done much to further the interests of his corporate sponsors and much less for the typical New Haiphonger in his megacity. The advent of the SCA in 2463 was a temporary cause for immense panic by Thành and his family, and the Lýs are rumored to have nearly fled the governor’s mansion in the night for Biesel. This rumor, and his constant favoring of Hephaestus, have won Thành few friends, and the younger residents of Nhom Hy Vong have turned many of its districts into strongholds of New Hai Phongese Socialism.

The Governor of Ton Gwai Pei, the 52 year old Noung Darany, is unlike his two counterparts: he makes no efforts to hide his corruption, and actively promotes it as a positive aspect of his governorship. Anybody can do almost anything in Ton Gwai, as long as they have enough money to pay the governor for it. As a result, Ton Gwai is divided between dozens of small “fiefdoms,” supervised by people that have paid Darany for the right to control the area. Entire districts can be governed by criminal syndicates, local notables, or megacorporations (generally Hephaestus, if industrial, or Idris, if intended for tourism). This system has made Darany one of the wealthiest men on New Hai Phong, and he has resisted all attempts to remove him due to this wealth and the support of his fellow city governors. Despite his personal success New Hai Phongese Socialism has continued to build among the ordinary residents of Tom Gwai, which suffer all of the issues and gain none of the profit of Darany’s system of graft.

Compared to the city governors the planet’s legitimate Solarian governor, Tô Trường Chinh, is nearly powerless and almost completely defanged. A Frost-era appointee, Chinh was given his position in 2462 and told that he would have all the support he needed in order to fight widespread corruption on New Hai Phong. But shortly after his appointment the phoron crisis began, and the Alliance rapidly had much bigger problems to deal with. Chinh found himself unsupported and at the mercy of his “subordinate” governors, and his situation only further deteriorated following the death of Frost and the Solarian Collapse of 2463. Now, with the SCA having given up on New Hai Phong and the three governors as powerful as ever, Chinh seems to be a defeated man, content to simply wait out the remainder of his appointment and retire to a comfortable apartment in the Core Worlds after it is over.

===New Hai Phongese Socialism===

One word defines the government of New Hai Phong at every level: corruption. Bribes, often originating in Hephaestus Industries, have become a part of daily life for the planet’s citizens, many of which have long regarded local corruption as simply a fact of life in the Alliance’s industrial capital. Anti-corruption efforts are often stymied and die out before they pass even the lowest levels of the planet’s governing body, and many believe that Hephaestus Industries is similarly behind this. Yet despite the General apathy of the planet towards its corruption, there is an exception: Le Hanh Trang’s New Hai Phongese Socialists.

Long viewed as a crusader against corruption, Le Hanh Trang and her party, the Solarian Socialist Unity Party, have their roots — and power base — firmly in the widespread dissatisfaction felt by many younger Haiphongers with the corruption of their government in recent years. Trang and the SSUP first rode this wave to win New Hai Phong’s only Alliance Senate seat, and have long attempted to break the stranglehold of Hephaestus over the planet through legislative means. Yet despite her best efforts, Trang was unable to break the planet and Hephaestus apart even during the height of the anti-megacorporate Solarian Corporate Authority. The once-public Trang has slunk into the political shadows following her defeat, and rumors have begun to swirl that she and her party are merely proxies of Einstein Engines that intend to sell New Hai Phong to it after wresting it from Hephaestus. The survival of Trang as a viable candidate for the position of Prime Minister is anything but certain, but her movement — with its emphasis on fighting for the common Solarian worker against megacorporations— will assuredly outlast her.

==Ethnicity on New Hai Phong==

===Hai Phongese===

The average Hai Phongese look is:

Skin Tone: 125-160 warm

Average Height: 157 cm - 178 cm / 5'2" - 5'10”

Black to dark brown hair.

Dark brown eyes.

Those raised on New Hai Phong have a noticeably slimmer frame and build than those raised in other environments.

{{Navbox Human Lore}}
{{Navbox Lore}}
[[Category:Pages]]
[[Category:Planets_and_Systems]]
[[Category:Humanity]]

Empire of Dominia

2022-12-28T22:20:08Z

MattAtlas: dates

{{Navbox Lore}}
{{Navbox Human Lore}}
{{Infobox Species
|Species = Dominian
|Scientific = H. Sapiens / Human
|Image = Dom410x320.png
|System = Mira Sancta
|World = Dominia
|Language = High Morozi (Tradeband), Vulgar Morozi (Solarian Common)
|Politic = Empire of Dominia
}}
<div id="EoDGeneral"></div>

The '''Empire of Dominia''', often simply referred to as “the Empire,” is a heavily religious absolute monarchy with its capital, Nova Luxembourg, on the planet of Moroz in the Mira Sancta System. This autocratic state is presently ruled by His Imperial Majesty '''Emperor Boleslaw Keeser I'''. The Empire of Dominia was proclaimed in 2385 by Emperor Godwin Keeser, the father of Boleslaw Keeser. Imperial society is dominated by the Great and Minor Houses under the Emperor and is very socioeconomically stratified due to the so-called blood debt, known as the Mor’iz’al. All citizens are born with the Mor’iz’al debt in exchange for the privileges of citizenship, a debt that takes some a lifetime or more to pay off. Imperial society is heavily divided by class and the Mor’iz’al blood debt is a very important part of Imperial society. Many in the Empire follow a strict code of honor, which originates with its great houses. The Empire is considered by many to be a threat to the free frontier. Its state religion is the Moroz Holy Tribunal which lays a heavy hand upon the Imperial government, with their edicts enforceable as law and those that violate its edicts being referred to as “edict breakers,” a class of unpersons actively hunted down by the government. Perhaps the most famous export of the Empire is the gene-boosting techniques it has carefully developed over centuries, though they lag behind the Skrell. It remains highly imperialistic and somewhat isolated but has recently made strides to enter further into the galactic stage. “In the Goddess’s Name, So Shall It Be Done” is commonly regarded as the unofficial motto of the Empire, due to the association of the phrase with the Tribunal.

==Population and Planets==

The total population of the Empire roughly fifteen billion based on the 2459 Imperial Census, though this has grown in the intervening years. Citizens from the Imperial Core tend to be extremely devout in their belief in the Tribunal due to their proximity to the heart of the Tribunal's power. As one travels outwards from the Imperial Core loyalty to both Emperor and Goddess slowly fades, and the presence of the Imperial Army increases in response.

Citizens of the Outer Empire or "Imperial Frontier" tend to lack loyalty to both the throne and the Tribunal, largely due to being conquered by force rather than colonized by Morozians as the Dominian core worlds were. Many subjects are new to the Empire in these regions and are unwilling to bend the knee, leading to a great number of military units being stationed here. Imperial frontier subjects have a reputation for being uncivilized in the Inner Empire. They tend to be unwilling to convert, with these regions seeing higher amounts of edict-based executions.

====[[Moroz]]====
The capital planet the Empire with roughly six billion residents. The planet is largely dominated by its large polar circles which encompass around 70% of the planet’s surface. Moroz is by far the wealthiest settlement in the Empire and owes much of its wealth to the extraction-based economics of Dominian imperialism, which has led to some resentment from other planets in the young Empire.

====Zhurong====
[[Image:Minimap dominia.png|thumb|A closer image focusing on the planets and territory of the Empire.]]
With one-point-two billion residents and plentiful mineral deposits, the Imperial Mandate of '''Zhurong''' serves as the Empire’s primary industrial hub. It has a thin but breathable atmosphere and a largely unstable crust that unfortunately causes it to suffer from frequent natural disasters such earthquakes and volcanoes. Despite the violent geology making permanent habitation dangerous, the unstable crust contains an incredibly rich source of minerals and valuable ores that form the backbone of the local economy. Much of the steel and other metals used in the Imperial economy are mined here. The planetary capital, Hongse Chengbao, literally translated Red Castle, is home to the Imperial arsenal that it takes its name from. Zhurong’s orbital station, Zhurong Orbital, is home to the majority of the Empire's offworlder humans, and the planet itself has numerous shipyards often staffed by these same offworlders. Many of the Empire’s warships are laid down and built in the orbit of Zhurong. Zhurong was one of the Empire’s first colonies, with its original settlers arriving upon the planet in 2387.

<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed">
====Zhurong Imperial Shipbuilding====
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">

<center><i>“Let me phrase this in a way even you can understand, Grand Consul. A sculptor cannot function without her materials, yes? The resources you will be diverting into this pet project of yours are my materials, and my sculpture is our Empire!”</i> — Grand Admiral Huiling Zhao during discussions preceding the creation of ZIS.</center>

'''Zhurong Imperial Shipbuilding''' is a Zavodskoi Interstellar affiliated company subordinate to the larger Zhao-run Zhurong Imperial Naval Arsenal (ZINA) which is located on the Empire of Dominia’s industrialized core world of Zhurong. The ZIS is focused around, as the name implies, the construction of ships but has a focus on civilian hulls rather than military ones. Founded in 2462 after the construction of multiple shipyards in orbit of the industrial planet [[Empire_of_Dominia#Zhurong | Zhurong]] by House Zhao and funded by House Caladius, ZIS is a successful attempt by the Empire to force Hephaestus Industries out of a market, in this case the need for civilian and industrial vessels within the Empire of Dominia, and replace it with a native Dominian company.

Contemporary Operations and Influence: Currently, the ZIS profits along the Great Houses of the Empire, using the raw resources of newly conquered frontier worlds to build the vessels which transport those resources from the frontier worlds. By cooperating with both House Zhao and Caladius and focusing their efforts on civilian vessels rather than military ones, ZIS has come to hold a near monopoly over the construction of those vessels within the Empire, and limitations on other megacorporations places by the Chief Commissioner of Economic Development ensure their position remains secure. Outside the empire they currently compete with Hegeranzi Starworks, a Hephaestus subsidiary for markets not only in the Badlands but across the Spur. Currently, the Starworks has a leading edge due to the help of Hephaestus Industries and ZIS’ focus on serving the Dominian market first. However, ZIS is increasingly finding an edge in more specialized vessels and equipment compared to the mass production design of the Starworks. ZIS works closely with Zavodskoi Industries, who buys their ships for sale outside of the Empire. Zavodskoi also provides many skilled engineers for the ZIS through a work contract program. Most ZIS employees not affiliated with Zavodskoi are Ma’zals from the Imperial Frontier seeking better work and higher wages to pay off their Mo’ri’zal. These Ma’zals are typically supervised by Secondaries, who make up the vast number of white-collar jobs found in both ZIS and its parent company, ZINA.

'''Executives'''
'''Lord Master of the Shipyard (CEO): Lanying Zhao'''

Though criticized by many in House Caladius for being clear evidence of Imperial Fleet meddling in the affairs of civilian shipbuilding, the Admiral-Governor of Zhurong has doggedly maintained her position as Lord Master of the Shipyard through her own influence, vast talents, and the patronage of the Grand Admiral. Lanying’s tenure as ZIS’ first, and so far only, leader has been relatively unpopular with House Caladius due to her repeated choices to direct ZIS resources into ZINA, which she also controls, despite protests by many merchants. Conversely, these choices have made her quite popular with her own house. Rumors have recently spoken of the Admiral-Governor, a woman bored half to death by her duties, resigning her position as soon as a successor emerges. Only time will tell if these are true.

'''Master of Production: Xiu Zhao'''

The mind behind many ships used by civilian and military actors across the Empire, Xiu Zhao is often regarded as one of the house’s greatest contemporary engineers. Serving as Master of Production is something of a retirement for the old engineer as he is now responsible more for production schedules than military vessels. Some say it is more a punishment than retirement for his promotion and production of the somewhat inefficient Empire-class cruiser, but House Zhao has been quick to deny these rumors. Regardless of why he is there Xiu has proven to be an effective technical mind, though he often finds himself in conflict with Lanying over how best to allocate resources.

'''Commissioner of Finance: Annette Caladius'''

The comptroller of ZIS’ budget, Annette Caladius — otherwise known as the Countess of Saint’s Landing on Alterim Obrirava — is a woman often frustrated by her associates on the executive committee. Much of her time is spent thwarting Zhao plots to funnel more money away from ZIS and its merchant ship production. The time which is not spent doing this is often instead spent managing the affairs of her distant, though religiously important, holding or meeting with the myriad House Caladius-affiliated merchants. Countess Caladius is almost always surrounded by a throng of Secondary and Ma’zal clerks, secretaries, and functionaries who work tirelessly to ensure the will of House Caladius is carried out at ZIS. While the Countess has won great approval in her position she has long yearned for more, and some believe she is merely using ZIS as a springboard to launch herself into the position of Grand Consul — House Caladius’ elected leader.

'''Chief Supervisor of the Shipyard: Henryk Gottfried'''

An Imperial Knight with a long history of service in the Imperial Fleet, Sir Gottfried is the only Secondary on ZIS’ executive committee. A former Fleet logistics officer assigned to the elite First Battlefleet, his organizational skills — and family connections to House Zhao — made him an ideal candidate for the position of Chief Supervisor of the Shipyard, and he is now responsible for much of the day-to-day running of ZIS. A Fleet man to the core, Gottfried is not unwilling to shift ZIS resources to Fleet projects if the Governor-Admiral or Grand Admiral deem it needed.

'''History'''

With the shipyards of the Zhao-dominated Zhurong Imperial Naval Arsenal almost entirely focused on the construction of military vessels and their accessories, the Empire, and House Caladius, found itself struggling to transport resources from their expanding frontier colonies to the Imperial Core for use in heavy industries or other economic activities. The Empire, ever wary of outside influence, curtailed the expansion of [[Hephaestus Industries]], who had been attempting to enter the market with their ships produced by [[Unathi_Guilds#Hegeranzi Starworks | Hegeranzi Starworks]], one of their subsidiaries. House Zhao was instructed by the Emperor and Chief Commissioner of Economic Development Izla Caladius to create an imperial company to supply ships for the empire's industry, being the great house most familiar with shipbuilding. As the Zhaos were more obsessed with their military shipyards however, they came to an agreement to work closely with Zavodskoi Interstellar, a well respected company in the empire, to accomplish their orders with minimal effort. Were it not for Zavodskoi, the ZIS would be an often ignored and poorly supplied organization.

Many in House Zhao, including — according to the Fleet’s rumor mill — the Grand Admiral herself, resent ZIS for taking up valuable manpower, resources, and time which could have instead been diverted to the Imperial Fleet’s arsenal, and perhaps allowed for the construction of a third of the feared Moroz-class dreadnoughts. But the House and the Imperial Fleet are not blind to the reality of the situation: while the existence of ZIS may result in a small decrease in materials sent toward what truly matters, more ships for the ever-complaining House Caladius will allow the Fleet to divert its cargo transports toward more important tasks.
</div></div>

====Alterim Obrirava====

Carrying around two billion people and featuring a diverse yet Earthlike environment, the Imperial Mandate of '''Alterim Obrirava’s''' system is home to vast reserves of Helium-3 that have brought the planet – and the broader Empire – wealth beyond imagination. This Helium-3 has long served as the primary fuel source of the Empire’s warships and is zealously guarded by House Zhao, which only permits House Caladius to sell off a pittance of the total fuel mined and refined in the system – a stance that has become increasingly unpopular among the Caladius and independent business concerns as Helium-3 prices have increased dramatically due to the worsening phoron crisis. In the capital of Ilstel a bustling foreign merchant quarter sponsored by House Caladius can be found, with a diversity of goods to match the planet itself. The planet is one of the Empire’s oldest colonies, and was settled in 2392 alongside its sister planet of Alterim Balteulis. Much of the planet’s population comes from immigrants who desire a climate more pleasant than Moroz, and many noble families maintain “summer homes,” on the planet.

====Alterim Balteulis====

Often called by the equally popular name of Ignatzi Alte’uz by the resident unathi and populated by roughly a billion, the Tribunalist Mandate of '''Alterim Balteulis''' is a dry world with a mixed climate of savannas, deserts, and arid polar regions. The planet is home to many Morozian cathedrals and temples, and the religious branch of House Caladius has long maintained a great amount of influence on the planet. Its capital, Casotania, is home to the Grand Temple of the Holy Tribunal – an extravagantly expensive structure commissioned by House Caladius to demonstrate their unwavering commitment to the Goddess that attracts millions of pilgrims from across the broader Empire each year. The Grand Temple was built in a region painstakingly terraformed by House Caladius to demonstrate their dedication to the Goddess and make for a more comfortable experience for pilgrims. Some in the Empire balk at this display of wealth but the Caladius view it as a badge of pride and a demonstration of how far they will go for the Goddess. Its climate has attracted one of the largest unathi populations in the Empire, though they remain a small minority. The planet is one of the Empire’s oldest colonies, and was settled in 2392 alongside its sister planet of Alterim Obrirava.

====Sun Reach====

Recently conquered by the Imperial Army and added to the Empire in 2422, the Imperial Viceroyality of '''Sun Reach''' is one of the least populated major worlds in the Empire, with a population estimated to be around fifty million. The planet, taking its name from its largest settlement, is itself mostly covered in primitive algae with a low level of biodiversity. In its orbit, however, dwells a vast reserve of Helium-3 comparable to that of Alterim Obrirava – if not greater. For that reason, the Imperial Army and His Imperial Majesty’s Fleet have long desired the system, and intend to go to great lengths to hold it – regardless of how the local population views the broader Empire.
The Empire has other colonies throughout its small sector of the Orion Spur that typically exist to provide resources to Moroz proper, with populations ranging from just a handful of settlers to thousands of colonists.

====Novi Jadran====
A tundra planet initially colonized by inhabitants of the Adriatic coasts with a population of roughly 100 million people, located near the edge of the Empire's westernmost frontier. Predominantly cold and icy with short summers, this climate has kept the economy primarily rural and much of the planet underdeveloped, with most living in small cities dotted around the coast and major waterways. A few major population centers exist, such as the capital of Nova Rijeka, that have a semblance of a modern service-based or industrial economy, though these are typically based around processing the foodstuffs the planet is well-known for. Noble authority on the edge of the Empire in Novi Jadran is quite strong, with many people viewing themselves as loyal to their local nobles first and the greater Empire second.

Novi Jadran has been under firmly the Empire's control since its peaceful annexation in 2389, and has proved itself to be a loyal colony despite not contributing much to the Imperial treasury. Many in the Empire view it as the “model colony” of the Dominian frontier and it is visited by many functionaries on tours due to this status, with the Chief Commissioner for Colonial Affairs visiting the planet twice a year. These visits are major events for the planet’s inhabitants and bring with their best offerings for the visiting Primaries in hopes of attracting attention, and the benefits from having a Primary’s eye upon you. These gifts are usually finely crafted feasts and food, though it is not uncommon for horses and other animals to be presented.

Planetary cuisine holds true to its Adriatic roots, with many Croatian and Italian elements still present. Fish-based diets are ubiquitous among the rural people as the vast oceans make for perfect fishing conditions and much of the ground is too cold to properly till. The raising of livestock is common towards the equator of the planet, but is not as prevalent as fishing.

Despite its status as the “model colony” the planet is not without its problems. Many local nobles are negligent regarding the needs of the rural population and often refuse to carry out mandated infrastructure or electrical reforms. Many of the rural inhabitants in far-flung regions still have either no electricity, or very little. The petty nobility that oversees the various settlements and cities often protests this mismanagement, but the dukes keep them in check through vast and indulgent parties and balls. Calls for a new administration have been spreading around the planet for some months, but only time can tell if the nobility will be reigned in by the Empire or not.

==Economy==

Though Dominia accepts the Solarian Standard Credit like many other regions of the Spur, it continues to use the Imperial Pound as a local currency, which is backed in precious metals by the Imperial Bank of Moroz. The Great Houses are very powerful movers in the Imperial economy and are some of the largest employers. Defense industries, raw resource production, and agriculture are the largest sectors of the Empire's economy, with recent years' modernization efforts making the latter two increasingly lucrative. Consistent expansions of the Imperial Military’s budget have seen rapid growth in all types of equipment production and research for the army and navy, sectors dominated by houses Kazhkz, Strelitz, and Zhao.

==The Mo’ri’zal==

The Empire’s unique form of taxation is the Mo’ri’zal, or “Blood Debt” in Vulgar Morozi. The Mo’ri’zal is a lump sum every Imperial subject receives upon birth (or otherwise acquiring their citizenship) that is paid to the state over the course of their life, and is often high enough to require decades to pay off. How quickly one can pay off their Mo’ri’zal is a key marker of one’s economic class in the Empire. Most Primaries — those of the Empire’s aristocracy — have theirs paid off at birth, most Secondaries — the Imperial middle class — pay theirs by early to mid adulthood, and many Ma’zals — the colonial subjects of the Empire — must work their entire lives to pay it off.

One’s Mo’ri’zal can be paid off by others, and many noble houses of Dominia attract commoners into their employ through promises of paying off parts of their debt. The Mo’ri’zal can also be paid off in other ways: military service pays five percent of the debt per year served, and injuries received in the line of duty — particularly severe ones — can pay off large amounts of the debt. Those that fall serving the Empire have their entire debt and a part of their immediate family’s debt forgiven.

While the Mo’ri’zal is a significant sum — and criticized by some as simply a state-sponsored form of indentured servitude — it is quite popular in the Empire’s core worlds due to the benefits it provides them: their paying of the Mo’ri’zal funds healthcare, public services such as education, infrastructure, and the might of the Empire’s war machine. It is additionally often trivial for many of them to pay off their Mo’ri’zal due to the wealth of many in the Empire’s core. In the Empire’s colonies, such as Sun Reach, the Mo’ri’zal is looked upon much more poorly. Many Ma’zals were initially born as non-Imperial subjects and only received their Mo’ri’zal when the Empire conquered their planet, and few of them view the debt — which is meant to be paid off gradually from one’s birth onwards — as reasonably payable. While the debt is legally meant to not carry over to one’s descendents, should it be unpaid at one’s death, a familial history of being unable to pay Mo’ri’zals can result in a denial of privileges such as healthcare until the debt is settled -- generally through a family member joining the the Imperial military.

Compounding the issues of these recently-conquered Dominian subjects is the nature through which the Mo’ri’zal is calculated. As the Mo’ri’zal is assigned to an Imperial subject at their birth -- or at the point that they become a subject -- it is not, like other taxes, based upon one’s income. Instead it is based upon one’s perceived loyalty to the Dominian state, and the Imperial throne by extension. Primaries and many Secondaries often have small Mo’ri’zals due to generations of dedicated service to the Empire while less loyal populations -- such as Fisanduhians, Lyodii, and some Ma’zals -- tend to have larger Mo’ri’zals.

==Edict Breakers==

Breaking of an edict is punishable by death so it is not uncommon for an "Edict Breaker" to go on the run outside of Dominian space. Due to the nature of the Empire, in-depth records are kept on all subjects and once one runs, their details are reported on the local ExtraNet daily until they return/are returned. These details include name, address, picture, family details, everything. As such, any "Edict Breakers" are instantly identifiable to Dominian subjects. In Dominia space, any "Edict Breakers" are violently sought for capture. Outside of Dominian space, however, due to the nature of the fourth edict, subjects of Dominian usually do not violently attempt to apprehend these criminals but instead try to convince them in the nicest way possible to return to Dominian space under their own volition for judgment. This usually devolves into near-passive harassment where the loyal imperial subjects will remind the "Edict Breaker" over and over that they have violated the law and should return to the Empire to repent, usually in a sickly sweet manner. The effect is usually maddening for the lawbreaker and it's not uncommon for them to allow themselves to be returned to Dominia for judgment and in some extreme cases take their own lives. Edict breakers abroad in human space sometimes find themselves pursued in the legal realm for infringing on the trademarks of their House if they refuse to change their surname.

==Government==
[[File:Dominia_Flag.png|thumb|The Imperial standard of House Keeser, intended to represent three nation-states of old Moroz that formed the basis of the Empire of Dominia.]]
The Empire of Dominia operates as an absolute monarchy, with a powerful central government and an expansive, all-consuming imperial bureaucracy. The Imperial Cabinet and Electors are major parts of the government.

===Imperial Cabinet===

The Imperial Cabinet is the direct will of the Emperor manifested in the hundreds of officials that work in his name and carry out his will. The ministers, judges, and bureaucrats of the Imperial Cabinet manage many parts of the Empire, as well as advising the Emperor on all major decisions. The majority of all political posts are directly controlled by Emperor Keeser. His Imperial Cabinet consists of:

</div></div>
<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed">
'''Colonel-in-Chief of His Majesty's Special Operations Group: Angelika-Lina Strelitz'''
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
The typical soldier of the Imperial Army is a well-trained, well-equipped, and well-motivated individual that is able to take and hold ground from the Empire’s typical opponents with ease. But there are some things that even these individuals cannot do, and this is when His Majesty’s Special Operations Group is deployed. The position of its leader — the Colonel-in-Chief — is considered to be an extremely prestigious duty that has been held by a member of House Strelitz since the Group’s creation following the War of Moroz.

The present Colonel-in-Chief is herself a veteran of the Group, as every member before her has been. Recently ennobled into House Strelitz shortly before her ascension, the twenty-five-year veteran of the Imperial Army prides herself on being above politics. Prior to her promotion the Colonel-in-Chief served with distinction in the non-geneboosted section of the Group — an unusual unit for the Moroz-born nobles that often serve with the Group. While her service would cost Angelika-Lina her left eye (lost to shrapnel while in Inner Fisanduh), it would give her the network — and the prestige — required for a promotion to Colonel-in-Chief in 2461.

As Colonel-in-Chief, Angelika-Lina has desperately attempted to stay uninvolved in politics while attempting to mold the Group into a perfect special operations force. While she has managed to consistently increase its budget — and, as a result, its successes — the Colonel finds herself pulled further and further into the realm of noble politicking, and often privately wishes to be back on the field. When the Emperor goes to join the Goddess, many believe that the Colonel-in-Chief, with her multitude of connections to Ma’zals she has served with and obsessiveness towards the Group, will have no choice but to formally align herself with the Crown Princess or be sacked. And to her, the thought of another in charge of the Group — her Group — is not something she can bear.
</div></div>

<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed">
'''Chief Commissioner of Economic Development: Izla Caladius'''
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
All states — including empires — are built upon their economies first and foremost. Without a strong economic base to support its wars of conquest the Empire of Dominia would doubtlessly buckle under its own weight and begin to shrink before collapsing, defeated by internal forces rather than external opposition. A position that can only truly be filled by a person addicted to their work, the CCED manages economics through the Empire: everything from taxes to tithes to trade passes across their desk, and is stamped by their hand. The position is regarded as so vital that it has been held by the Caladius since inception and has remained with one family of the house for its entire history, slowly passing from relative to relative through Imperial history.

Born in 2420 to the Montague family of House Caladius, Izla Caladius bears a resemblance to her distant predecessor: Maria Caladius, CCED from 2398 until her unexpected death in an aircraft crash in 2421. Her immediate precursor, Victoria Caladius, perished under similar circumstances in 2445, thrusting the young Izla into the position of chief commissioner alongside her aide, Josephine Caladius — herself quite similar-looking to her relative, Victoria — at the age of twenty-five as a freshly-minted doctor of economic studies. Izla scarcely has a life outside of work and is viewed as something of a reclusive night owl by the rest of the court, with very few daytime appearances ever recorded — a habit which seems to define many CCEDs, which often work atypical hours long into the night.

In her nearly twenty years as CCED Izla has led the Empire through booms and busts, but has committed it to a steady course intended to ensure the Empire can retain much of its economic and military output even in a disaster scenario where it is embargoed by the entire Spur. Despite this policy she has not shied away from broader trade relations with the rest of the Spur, and is often credited for enticing Zavodskoi to permanently relocate its headquarters to Moroz. Notably, she was a major factor behind the Empire’s decision to stick with Helium-3 refining rather than investing into phoron. With the crisis deepening this policy, criticized in the short term for being unprofitable, is paying dividend hand over fist.
</div></div>

<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed">
'''Chief Commissioner of His Majesty's Imperial Military: Eliza Volvalaad'''
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
While the various cabinet members may hold near absolute power over their respective military branches, it is the Chief Commissioner that directs much of the military’s efforts from behind the scenes. The chief commissioner is, on paper, intended to exist as the primary director of military research and development. In reality the position — which has been occupied by a Volvalaad since its creation — is used by House Volvalaad to exert influence over Houses Strelitz and Zhao. The research of the Volvalaads is used and valued by all branches of the Imperial Military, but often comes with a price attached, and the cost is typically repaid by carrying out the Volvalaad’s goals abroad.

Born in 2398 to a family long deeply involved in House Volvalaad, Dr. Eliza Volvalaad, PhD. is regarded as one of the Empire’s foremost researchers in the field of laser-based weaponry — much of the military’s laser weaponry currently in use can be traced to her and her Volvalaad-staffed laboratory in Jinxiang on Moroz. Decades of work and research, along with her connections to Houses Zhao and Strelitz, made her an ideal candidate for the position of chief commissioner, which she was appointed to in 2454 in the hope that she would be able to balance the influence of her own house, the Zhaos, and the Strelitz while ensuring the military retained its technological advantage over its neighbors.

In the ten years she has spent as chief commissioner, Dr. Volvalaad has effectively balanced the demands of the Volvalaads alongside the desires of Houses Zhao and Strelitz while ensuring the Imperial Military retained its edge over the frontier systems it must conquer for resources and prestige alike. But despite her best efforts the chief commissioner has not been able to keep pace with the Serene Republic of Elyra’s phoron-backed development sector, and some believe Doctor Volvalaad - now rapidly approaching seventy years of age — will soon retire, leaving the critically important position vacant.
</div></div>

<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed">
'''Chief Commissioner of Imperial Sovereignty: Antonio Caladius'''
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
Diplomacy — even for the Empire, which has long had sour relations with its neighbors — is key to any modern state. But despite the importance of diplomacy, the role of the Chief Commissioner of Imperial Sovereignty is somewhat limited due to the Empire’s poor reputation abroad, aside from the Republic of Biesel and Jargon Federation. Much of the CCIS’ duties instead relate to maintaining good relations with Zavodskoi Interstellar, which has quickly become one of the Empire’s major employers.

Though a member of House Caladius, Antonio has had close relations with House Volvalaad since his birth in 2412, and often collaborates with Grand Duchess-Electress Landi Volvalaad to push for the demands of both houses abroad. A lifelong liberal Dominian and advocate for a greater Dominian market abroad, Antonio’s ascension to the position of chief commissioner in 2455 was seen by many as a concession by the Emperor to Houses Volvalaad and Caladius.

But despite his high-minded goals of a more liberal, more politically involved Empire, Antonio's time as chief commissioner has been fraught with disappointment. He has been stymied by the more politically powerful Huiling Zhao and Dorothea-Frieda Strelitz, who favor strength over diplomacy when it applies to the Empire’s frontier, and his efforts to have the Coalition’s embargo formally lifted ended in failure in 2462. Many talk of replacing the often-unsuccessful diplomat, and Antonio worries the Emperor — who now rarely calls upon him — has begun to listen to these detractors.
</div></div>

<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed">
'''Chief Commissioner for Colonial Affairs: Alessandro Amadei'''
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
In a society such as the Empire of Dominia where expansion — for resources, primarily — is a key pillar of its continued ability to survive and thrive, the duty of managing its colonies is one of the most critical in it. Every colonial official found in the Imperial Frontier,from the viceroys in charge of entire planets to lowly Ma’zal bureaucrats, is the responsibility of the Chief Commissioner for Colonial Affairs, the master of the Dominian colonial empire. To be entrusted with such a critical position is to be one of the closest individuals in the Empire to the Emperor, and the current Chief Commissioner has long been a close friend of the royal family.

Born into a family of Morozian bureaucrats in 2426, the young Count Amadei spent much of his youth cavorting with his fellow nobles, including the royal family, and building connections with other Morozian nobles. Wanderlust pulled the young Count into the Imperial Flying Corps where he proved himself an effective — if egotistical — pilot and won multiple accolades for himself, returning to Moroz a decorated veteran. His decorations and connections, particularly to the royal family , led to his ascension to the position of Chief Commissioner for Colonial Affairs in 2456.

Count Amadei, the current Chief Commissioner, is a man of both charisma and controversy: an exceptionally talented administrator, longtime friend of the Emperor, and veteran of the Imperial Flying Corps, Amadei has long been an advocate for both his old Corps and the burgeoning colonial domain that the Empire finds itself ruling. But some in the high society of the Empire gripe at his posting and view him as a mere unaffiliated noble granted privileges solely due to his friendship with the Emperor, and believe they should be represented in the position instead. The Count has long had a poor relationship with House Caladius as a result, and is often known to become involved in spats with Antonio Caladius over the diplomatic repercussions of the Empire’s colonial endeavors. In almost every fight they have, the Emperor sides with Amadei – not Caladius. But as the Emperor ages the Count grows nervous, wondering what will happen to him when he is finally shorn of his greatest protector.
</div></div>

<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed">
'''Chief Minister of Unathi Affairs: Kasz Han’san'''
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
Considering the notable Unathi population now in Dominia, and most importantly the fact that the large majority of said population are primaries, the Emperor needed something, or someone, to keep them loyal and in check the moment the Han’san and Kazhkz clans became houses. This is certainly not an easy task when speaking of an alien race. From cultural differences to distinct biological characteristics such as diets or sleep cycles, the Empire needed someone who truly understood the Unathi to both represent them efficiently in the Cabinet, and who could then properly communicate to the Sinta of the Empire to coordinate them to the best of their ability and use within the bureaucracy.

Lord Marshal Kasz Han’san, Contact War veteran, once a General under Seryo Kazhkz back on Moghes, and leader of the Han’san House, was chosen for such a role. If the Unathi of the Han’san earned the reputation of being fantastic soldiers, their ability to make charismatic, and at times, cunning leaders is also true, and the old Lord Marshal proves to be both. Though perhaps cautious due to his extensive history of war, and wary of any steps the Kazhkz may take against him, he provides some insight on both his people and his political history in maneuvering among a cabinet. In particular, he is often close with Amadei due to the latter's charisma and knowledge and the former's interest in the Empire's political sphere. This spawned from the Unathi's employment in the outer reaches of the nation's colonies as shock troopers and enforcement, and as such, Kasz has remained informative and helpful in coordinating with the Chief Commissioner. However, this sometimes puts Kasz at odds with Antonio at times due to his relationship with Amalei, and House Kazhkz's burgeoning friendship with House Caladius is in an awkward position in the cabinet's circle as a result.

Despite house Han'san's current weakened state after its humiliating defeat against the Fisanduhan Freedom Front, Kasz Han'san remained in the cabinet, most preferring him over the alternative, the much more politically inadequate Salak Kazhkz. The Lord Marshall also managed to prove to be right pick over time for such a role, managing to strike deals and leverage this to earn some unique rights, including protecting its members that still practice the old faith of Th'akh for some of the more conservative Unathi, in order to keep the Sinta of the Empire satisfied, with the reasoning rumored to be "they'll come around eventually." Many theorize that the Lord Marshal's work is the only reason why the Han'san House still exists and wasn’t wholly absorbed into the Kazhkz after their defeat.
</div></div>

<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed">
'''Grand Admiral of His Imperial Majesty’s Fleet: Huiling Zhao'''
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
One of the most powerful cabinet positions, the role of Grand Admiral has been filled by a member of House Zhao since its creation. The Grand Admiral holds almost unquestioned authority over His Imperial Majesty’s Fleet — with only the Emperor able to overrule them — and is often regarded as the third most powerful figure in the Empire after the Emperor himself and the Immaculate Hand due to this authority. If the Fleet is both the sword and shield of the modern Empire, the Grand Admiral is the individual who wields both.

Born in 2416, no individual represents House Zhao more than Huiling Zhao. The leader of House Zhao in all but name thanks to her position, Huiling has given her life in service to His Imperial Majesty’s Fleet and now serves as its Grand Admiral following her appointment in 2450. Huiling is a figure beloved in the Empire and often despised abroad, but revels in the infamy her reputation brings.

In her 14 years as Grand Admiral Huiling has seen several systems subjugated by the Fleet and added into the Empire, and has zealously guarded the Empire’s reserves of Helium-3 despite House Caladius’ demands to release parts of the reserve in order to make a larger profit. She has also cultivated a close relationship with the royal family — particularly Lei Keeser — in order to better push a naval agenda. Huiling is confident that, no matter what the Goddess may have in store for her, she will be able to hold onto her position and the power that comes with it.
</div></div>

<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed">
'''Chief Commissioner for Imperial Aviation: Annaliese Strelitz'''
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
Despite being the youngest of the Imperial Army’s branches, the Imperial Flying Corps have no lack of influence and sponsors due to its status as a club for Morozian nobility. But there is no greater sponsor of the Corps than its commissioner, Annaliese Strelitz. While her aunt — and often rival — Dorothea-Frieda must go through the trouble of managing an entire Army, Annaliese spends the majority of her time cavorting with Morozian nobility and ensuring the Corps maintains their patronage. Much of this fundraising work is done in conjunction with her two allies: Izla Caladius and Alessandro d'Arcobuono, who ensure the Corps never lacks for funding — even if the Navy and Army are hardly fans of it at times.

Born in 2423 to a wealthy family long affiliated with House Strelitz, Annaliese was always destined for a life in service to the Empire’s military. But the young Strelitz showed little interest in fighting on the ground and often avoided her cadet courses to pursue flight lessons. Eventually her family conceded and allowed Annaliese to pursue flight full-time, and enrolled her in a cadet course for the Imperial Flying Corps. The young flight officer has used her connections throughout the intervening years to pull the right strings at the right time, eventually ensuring her ascension to the position of Chief Commissioner in 2462.

In her short tenure Annaliese has proven herself to be an exceptional connection-maker for the Corps and an incredible annoyance for Duchess Zhao and Grand Duchess-Electress Strelitz. Annalise spends much of her time boasting of the Corps’ achievements and presenting it as the peak of martial nobility in the Empire. She has effectively drawn sponsors and funding away from the Fleet and Army through this, which gives her military counterparts no end of headaches. Annalise’s attitude — which is infamously narcissistic — has made these headaches far worse.
</div></div>

<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed">
'''High Lord General of His Majesty's Imperial Army: Dorothea-Frieda Strelitz'''
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
The most senior leader of the Imperial Army, the High Lord General’s position has been exclusively held by a member of House Strelitz since its inception. The High Lord General’s authority over the Imperial Army is absolute, with only the Emperor able to overturn their decisions. However, the Army’s inability to travel from system to system itself limits this authority and for es a degree of cooperation with the Fleet — something some Strelitz grind their teeth over.

Born into a family with a long history of martial Service in House Strelitz in 2418, Dorothea-Frieda has spent her life in the Imperial Army. While health concerns prevented her from being geneboosted, her strategic brilliance and sufficient grasp of politics has allowed her to become both High Lord General in 2445 and leader of House Strelitz at the same time — a significant achievement that makes her the only cabinet member currently also in command of one of the five great houses. This status makes Dorothea-Frieda a woman of many responsibilities, and she is almost never seen without a throng of aides surrounding her in order to allow her to better respond to any problems that may arise.

In her nearly twenty years of service as High Lord General Dorothea-Frieda has seen multiple worlds and systems conquered — or at least occupied — by the Empire, with Sun Reach standing as the Army’s most notable recent conquest. She has doggedly tried to stay above politics and has, for the most part, succeeded in this effort. Yet in private corners some whisper that the High Lord General grinds her teeth over the crown princess’ apparent liberalism when it comes to the use of force abroad, and fears the inevitable transfer of power could see the Army lose its importance as the primary instrument of the Empire’s will abroad. But only time will tell if these rumors are true.
</div></div>

<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed">
'''High Seneschal of His Majesty's Justice: Ngo Juric'''
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
Regarded by many as the most trusted member of the cabinet by the Emperor, the High Seneschal is the primary legal authority of the Empire as it applies to secular law in the Empire’s borders. For better or worse, the High Seneschal must defer to the word of his religious counterparts on matters of the Edicts in the majority of conditions with the exception of violations of the Fourth Edict, where the judiciary takes priority. Navigating this legal environment while advising the Emperor demands an individual who is both unerring in their faith to the throne and able to negotiate with many, many parties.

Fortunately for the Keesers, Ngo Juric, born in 2395 in Nova Luxembourg not far from the palace, is precisely that individual. A friend of the dearly departed Emperor Godwin Keeser and a close associate of the current royal family, Juric has served as the legal councilor for the Keesers for nearly forty years, and has served as Seneschal for almost thirty. A kind and gregarious man, Juric has a reputation for being liked by all he speaks to — including the infamously stone-hearted Inquisitrix of the Holy Tribunal — and is well regarded by all five of the great houses.

But despite his friendly reputation, the High Seneschal is anything but a pushover. His thirty years of service have seen the absolute rule of the royal family set even further into stone, and his legal expertise has led to the Empire ensuring its dealings with Zavodskoi Interstellar are favorable to both parties rather than tipped in the megacorporation’s favor. But Juric is an old man — older than his dear friend, Emperor Boleslaw Keeser, by almost a decade — and many believe the High Seneschal will soon retire, living out the rest of his days content that he served faithfully and firmly – content in the knowledge he left the Empire in a better place than it was thirty years ago.
</div></div>

<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed">
'''Director of His Majesty's Imperial Intelligence Directorate: Alojzia Molnarova'''
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
Power is all too often a fickle, fleeting thing that tempts many and is granted to very few. While House Keeser commands the respect of many in the Empire, from Primary to Ma’zal, there are always those that will seek to rise above their station through ungentlemanly means and subterfuge. The Imperial Intelligence Directorate has long served as a bulwark against such ungoddessly individuals, and its Director is often regarded as one of the most important individuals in the Imperial Cabinet as a result. Since the ascension of Emperor Boleslaw Keeser I in 2437, the position of Director has been held by Baronet Alojzia Molnarova, the only commoner to hold a position in the Imperial Cabinet and a close personal friend of the Emperor himself.

Born in 2408 to a family of commoners awarded a Baronet during the War of Moroz, little is known of Alojzia’s personal life beyond her current duties. Few photographs exist of the camera-shy Director, and rumors regarding her past — and that of the Molnarov family — abound. Some rumors go as far as to suggest that the Molnarovs are of Fisanduhian descent, or that Alojzia is not a member of the Moroz Holy Tribunal herself. Such rumors have never been formally acknowledged by the Director or her Directorate, but many that promote them publicly are shortly thereafter revealed to be shell infilitators hellbent on destroying the Empire and all that it stands for. They are, of course, promptly executed after their discovery.

As Director, Molnarova has seen that the Directorate has been constantly improved and modernized in order to keep pace with the growing regional threats the Empire faces — Elyra and the Coalition — while ensuring that it is never vulnerable to internal enemies. No price is too great to pay in order to ensure the Empire’s stability, and the Directorate has been accused by many that flee the Empire of employing draconian methods — often alongside the Imperial Army — to crush dissent in the Imperial Frontier. But these rumors are difficult to substantiate, as the Directorate — and its enigmatic Director — are consistently tight-lipped. When her close friend and Emperor dies, none are sure what will become of Director Molnarova. None aside from the Director herself.
</div></div>

<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed">
'''Theodora Gottlieb, High Inquisitrix of the Holy Tribunal'''
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
While the High Seneschal and Director concern themselves with the laws and behaviors of humanity, the Holy Tribunal concerns itself with those that break higher, greater principles: the Edicts laid out by the Goddess to Her faithful to follow and obey. The ultimate adjudicator of Her Edicts is none other than the Tribunal’s High Inquisitrix: a woman born with the rare gift to hear and interpret Her words who had been forged into a leader through the crucible of the Holy Tribunal. The High Inquisitrix possesses unquestioned authority over matters of religious law — only the Immaculate Hand, the leader of the Holy Tribunal, or the Emperor himself may overturn one of her decisions.

Born in 2431 to a noble family of little renown outside of Nova Luxembourg, Theodora’s path to High Inquisitrix was not clear to her or her family until she revealed herself able to commune with the Goddess and interpret Her words shortly before her eighth birthday. The following twelve years were spent training in the Holy Tribunal in order to ascend to the position of Inquisitrix — one of the Tribunal’s religious officials responsible for carrying out the Goddess’ will by returning edict breakers from abroad — at the age of twenty. As an inquisitrix Gottlieb was responsible for many things, though her primary duty quickly became apparent: tracking down edict breakers and ensuring they were returned to the Empire alive, to face Her justice. Following a decade of service she was recommended for the position of High Inquisitrix, which she accepted in 2461.

In her three years as High Inqusitrix, Gottlieb has spent much of her time interpreting Her words for the Emperor in addition to her typical duties as High Inquisitrix. High-profile trials and public events — often alongside the Immaculate Hand, her immediate supervisor and one of two individuals Gottlieb must answer to alongside the Emperor — are commonplace, and something the High Inquisitrix excels at. But a part of Gottlieb wishes to return to what she was trained to do: tracking down edict breakers and bringing them to face the Goddess’ justice, no matter where they attempt to hide themselves. But for now her duty is clear: to remain in her lofty position as long as She wills it, and to carry out Her work with all the High Inquisitrix does.
</div></div>

<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed">
'''Agnes Caladius, Immaculate Hand of Our Lady the Goddess'''
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
The Empire’s state is not complete without the Holy Tribunal, which interprets Her will and applies it to the imperfect world of humanity. In the Tribunal there is no authority holier — or higher — than that of its leader, the Immaculate Hand of Our Lady the Goddess. Elected for life by a convocation of priests and priestesses, the Immaculate Hand is regarded as the highest authority on religious matters in the Empire due to their mastery of scripture. Though primarily intended as a religious advisor on the council, the Immaculate Hand’s religious authority arguably makes her the second most powerful person in the Empire after the Emperor himself.

Born in 2386 to a family long involved in House Caladius, Agnes’ path to the position of Immaculate Hand was anything but clear due to her inability to receive the gift of communion from birth. Though no fault of her own, her lack of this gift prevented the young theologian from joining the ranks of the Inquisitrix as she originally desired, and Agnes instead committed herself to the study of the Goddess and Her words. The young woman proved herself to be a dedicated — if conservative — theologian and a gifted orator, and quickly rose through the ranks of the Tribunal. In 2432, following the death of her predecessor, Agnes was elected Immaculate Hand, the supreme religious authority of the Holy Tribunal.

In her three decades as Immaculate Hand, Agnes has charted a steady course through a quickly-changing Spur. Her reign has seen the addition of the Tenth Edict, codifying the Tribunal’s opinion on augmentations, and generally good relations between the Emperor and both major schools of Tribunalist thought. Additionally she has formally consecrated the largest Tribunalist cathedral abroad, which is located in Mendell City and serves many Dominians employed by Zavodskoi and has worked with the High Inquisitrix to ensure no edict breaker escapes Her justice. But despite her successes the Immaculate Hand grows older each day, and is known to have a poor relationship with the crown princess. What the future holds for her, only the Goddess knows.
</div></div>

===Great Houses===

A moniker for the five most prominent Houses in the Empire, these families are the most powerful political and economic influencers in the Empire. They currently consist of:

* House Volvalaad - House Colors: Blue, Black - A Human-dominated house. This house's wealth is in genetics and biological research. Of all the Great Houses, it is the biggest supporter of integration into the wider galactic community.
* House Caladius - House Colors: Purple Shades - A Human-dominated house. This house's power lies in its money lending and banking, alongside its many land holdings for which it receives a breathtaking sum in rent money. They also control a large amount of the Moroz Holy Tribunal.
* House Zhao - House Colors: White, Gray - A Human-dominated house. The power of this great house sits in engineering and its numerous naval contacts. It dominates the navy of the Empire of Dominia, with other houses constituting minor portions of the fleets.
* House Strelitz - House Colors: Gold and Red - A venerable Human house. Largely a military and martial power, it provides most of the Imperial Army’s officers and equipment. It is also the origin of Dominian honor as it is known today.
* House Kazhkz - House Colors: Orange, Red, Yellow - A Unathi-dominated house. Most of their wealth comes from its budding privateering enterprise. Of all the Great Houses, House Kazhkz is the most against integration into the wider galactic community. It has an internal faction, the Han’sans, who often enjoy their work bolstering the army’s ranks.

===The Imperial Electors===

The five great houses form the only voting group in the Empire of Dominia, the Imperial Council of Electors. These five individuals, leaders of their respective houses, are expected to meet with the Emperor - or Empress - to discuss and pass legislation impacting the entire Empire. Debates amongst the electors can become extremely heated and can be roughly divided along reformist and conservative lines. The reformists - those that seek a more liberal and widely integrated Empire - are led by the Volvalaads with support from House Caladius’ pro-trade faction. The conservatives - those that believe the Empire is fine as it stands and does not need further integration - are headed by the Kazhkz with support from much of House Caladius’ clergy. Houses Zhao and Strelitz, being more militarily-minded, tend to flip-flop on issues depending on Imperial security interests. The Emperor rarely steps into debates himself but, when he does, he is often able to easily shift the argument in his favor.

<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed">
===The Peerage, Noble Orders, and Titles===
The Imperial nobility is defined and sorted in prominence by their peerages alongside a complex mixture of noble orders and titles, many of which can trace their origins back to the era before the modern Empire. The Empire’s nobility is well-respected in its core worlds and is regarded as the peak of polite Dominian society. Below is a list of some common titles found in the Empire of Dominia, ordered from highest to lowest in the Empire’s peerage. This should be used as a general guide for the Empire’s nobility.
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
'''Royal Titles (Unplayable):'''
* Emperor/Empress: The unquestioned ruler of the Empire of Dominia. This title can also refer to the spouse of an Emperor or Emperess.
* Crown Prince/Princess: The heir apparent to the throne of the Empire of Dominia, next in line for the Imperial succession. The current heir apparent is Crown Princess Priscilla Keeser.
* Prince/Princess: Children of the current Emperor that are not the heir apparent.

'''Lord Noble Titles (Unplayable):'''
* Grand Duke/Duchess: The leaders of the Empire’s great houses.
* Grand Consul: The leader of House Caladius. Unlike a Grand Duke, this position is elected by members of its own great house.
* Governor: The rule of an Imperial March, one of the Empire’s core worlds. Governorship is not inherited and is instead granted by the Emperor.
* Marquess/Marchioness: The ruler of one of the systems on the border between the Imperial Core and Imperial Frontier, such as Novi Jadran. Appointed by the Emperor.
* Viceroy: Ruler of an Imperial Viceroyalty, a colony in the Imperial Frontier. Viceroys are appointed by the Emperor rather than inheriting their title.
* Duke/Duchess: The immediate subordinates of a governor or viceroy that are responsible for managing regions of a planet. This title is bestowed by a Governor and is not hereditary.

'''House Noble Titles (Playable):'''
* Count/Countess: The hereditary ruler of an Imperial province and subordinate to a Duke. Counts can also be the administrators of Imperial military bases, though these Counts are not hereditary. Military Counts retain their title, but not their county, after their posting.
* Viscount/Viscountess: The ruler of a subdivision of an Imperial province, subordinates of the province’s Count. A hereditary position.

'''Minor Nobles (Playable):'''
* Baron/Baroness: The hereditary ruler of a barony, a small plot of land that has been declared the domain of a family in exchange for their loyalty to the Emperor. Typically answer to a Count or Duke.
* Lord/Lady: A generic title used to refer to a landless noble lacking other honorifics, such as the children of a noble.

'''Secondary Titles (Playable):'''
* Baronet: A gender-neutral, landless hereditary title granted by the Emperor or a Governor to a notable commoner family, granting them the status of Primary in the Empire. Often the first step to becoming fully ennobled.
* Imperial Knight: A title granted to members of an Imperial Order of the Empire, such as the Order of the Golden Albatross. Used by both Secondaries and Primaries.
</div></div>

==History==

===Initial Colonization===

The original settlers of the planet of Moroz arrived and founded the city of Nova Luxembourg in July of 2137 within the Mira Sancta System, so named after a belief that the planet would be a bountiful new frontier for humanity. The settlers had been primarily recruited from Europe and East Asia, promised a fertile new home in the deep frontier of human space as many were during this era of colonization. However, these settlers were going farther than any human colonists had gone before. The three colony ships were equipped with a new generation of warp engines that made the trip only take three years and they had been told by their sponsors that terraforming efforts had transformed three barren worlds into utopian paradises to surpass Earth itself.

But as the settlers stepped out onto their new home, they found the planet almost entirely frozen. What terraforming equipment had been there had been abandoned for years— the failing states of Earth had effectively sent tens of thousands of people off without making sure they had a home to arrive to. Their mission was not an official United Nations-sanctioned effort, but a disjointed effort between scattered, failing states. Only three years after they landed the United Nations had even ceased to exist - transformed into the Sol Alliance. In the transition red tape and chaotic bureaucracy consumed everything and old data was lost or neglected, including records of the Morozi colonial effort. And with the colonists' warp-based transponder signals broadcasting on phased out frequencies that no longer existed within Sol, Moroz was cut off with no hope of resupply or escape. With no other option, they brought their colony ship to touch down on the planet's surface.

The initial colonists of Dominia arrived in three separate areas, as per the original flight plans of their colony ships. Landing Site Fisanduh was located in "temperate" plains to be utilized for farming that was surrounded by mineral-rich mountain ranges, intended to become the industrial base of the colony— unfortunately for the colonists, the landing zone and its surrounding area were discovered to be quite cold. Landing Site Ofassel was located in the most "fertile" area of Moroz, a relatively temperate region of the planet. Intended to be the "breadbasket" of the planet, the colonists of this landing site viewed themselves as blessed with good fortune compared to their fellows. Landing Site Telminia was located near flat, fertile plains intended to serve as the primary launch point for shuttles coming on and off of the planet. Exacerbating the issues of the colonists upon landing was the failure of their local warp-based transponders, meaning that the three landing sites developed isolated of one another for some time.
The Forgotten Colony

After landing, all three colony ships were unable to relaunch due to a lack of fuel. In this harsh environment, the colonists quickly learned how to adapt and overcome through a variety of means. Some overcame through unity, while others tried more radical methods.

At Landing Site Fisanduh, the name of the mountainous region in which they had settled, the colonists managed to quickly adapt to their harsh circumstances. They unloaded crate after crate of heavy equipment originally intended for mining and industrial work, managing to establish the respectable city of Neubach in the foothills of the Fisanduh Mountains. The colonists of Fisanduh opted to unify as a whole to conquer their harsh environment and managed to avoid the radical measures undertaken by other landing sites due to the strength of their unity. As the area around Landing Site Fisanduh expanded, and it became clear that the original colonial staff would no longer be able to manage it all, the Confederated States of Fisanduh were formed. To the members of the Confederacy, there was no such thing as a Primary, Secondary, or Tertiary - there were simply Confederates. To the members of other states, however, the population of the Confederated States is primarily Secondaries, due to the lack of a colonial rationing program or nobility.

At Landing Site Ofassel the colonists were more religious than their fellows, being primarily recruited from Eastern Orthodox populations. When faced with the hardship they relied on their faiths to guide them through the harsh initial years of the colonial process, and the clergy quickly became a wealthier and better-fed class than their contemporaries. The religious class of Ofassel was taller, stronger, and more educated than their fellows that worked in the agricultural industry and quickly began co-opting control of the landing site from the small staff of colonial administrators sent along with the ship. It was not until an administrator, a senior official named Valentia Caladius, proposed an alliance with the clergy that the settlement truly began to prosper. The start of the Holy Kingdom of Domelkos grew out of this political alliance, as did House Caladius. The importance of the religious leaders to the Holy Kingdom led to a great amount of emphasis being placed on them, with many referring to them as the "first and most important citizens" of the Holy Kingdom. Over time, this would simply be shortened to "Primaries."

At Landing Site Telminia, two families rapidly came to prominence: the Zhao family, a group of engineers involved in ensuring that the engines that powered their capital of Nova Luxembourg kept running, and the Volvalaad family, a group of scientists responsible for the genetic engineering of crops and livestock to prevent the starvation of the colony. The two families would eventually rapidly expand their capabilities and power, with the Zhaos becoming prominent engineers and the Volvalaads moving into human genetic manipulation. They would also, through a combination of their power and manipulation of the colonial bureaucracy, turn the landing site into a monarchy controlled by the two families - now referred to as House Zhao and House Volvalaad. Eventually, they would refer to themselves as the Imperial Alliance of Zhao and Volvalaad. Or, more simply, the Imperial Alliance of Telminia. The engineers of House Zhao were lucky to create a working long-range radio system shortly after landing, which put them into contact with the fledgling Holy Kingdom of Domelkos. The religion of the Holy Kingdom spread to the Imperial Alliance as the two groups grew closely together due to their similar systems of government and similar state of quasi-castes. The nobility of the Imperial Alliance was, like their contemporaries in House Caladius and the Holy Kingdom's clergy, generally taller and stronger than their commoner counterparts due to a better diet. The caste system of the Imperial Alliance was further reinforced by a primitive version of the later blood debt, in which those living under the control of a noble paid them in service or goods to reside on it.

By 2300 these three groups had grown significantly from their original sizes. The Confederated States had expanded to become a major industrial powerhouse in the Fisanduh Mountains and area around them, but remained behind their mountain ranges aside from the occasional expedition due to the hostile attitude of the Holy Kingdom, occupying western areas surrounding the mountain range— and Imperial Alliance— occupying the eastern regions surrounding the mountain range. Due to the differences between the Confederacy and the Holy Kingdom-Imperial Alliance coalition, conflict was inevitable at some point. It would come in 2355 when the Imperial Alliance and the Holy Kingdom gave the Confederated States an ultimatum: bend the knee and come into the fold as a unified Moroz, or resist and be annihilated. The democratic Confederated States opted to resist, and the bloodiest war in the planet’s history began.

===The War of Moroz===

Lasting almost a full century, the "Holy Crusade to Unite Moroz" as it is called in the Empire of Dominia (the Confederacy refers to it as the "War for Liberty") economically and militarily devastated the planet. While the war began with victories for the Coalition outside of the Fisanduh Mountains, it rapidly became a stalemate when the mountain range was reached by Coalition forces. The Confederacy was on its home terrain, had fortified the passes through the mountains heavily, and was not willing to give territory up to what its citizens viewed as bloodthirsty imperialist invaders. The full might of the Confederated State's industrial economy was brought to bear to produce the materials needed to defend its harsh mountainous environments, with factories producing everything from winterized uniforms to artillery shells, while the Coalition turned its biological prowess towards beating their way through the mountains. The foundation of the modern geneboosted Primaries, often-titanic examples of humanity stretching upwards of seven feet into the air, originated from this effort to produce more effective soldiers.

While the Coalition tried their best to break through, they could not. Shell after shell of artillery rained down from the Fisanduh Mountains as the war continued, turning the foothills where assaults would originate from into blasted moonscapes where the very ground became poisoned from residual gunpowder and unexploded munitions. There were breaks in the warring, but they were only temporary ceasefires - simply interludes in what the Coalition viewed as a holy war and what the Confederated States viewed as a war for their very existence. One side would not stop until their conquest was over, and the other side intended to fight until the bitter end. The Confederated States were diverting more and more of their economy towards the war as the years turned to decades, and were approaching a kind of white peace as the Coalition became more and more worn down by reports of losses for what they saw as very little gain. Then, in 2384, after decades of war, the balance of power shifted dramatically.

===The Collapse of Fisanduh===

In late 2384 the Imperial Alliance and the Holy Kingdom, worn down by nearly forty years of continuous fighting, made a desperate move. House Zhao was confident in its ability to launch a functional spaceship fleet after decades of research alongside House Volvalaad with the aim of flanking the Fisanduhian lines and deploying elite geneboosted commandos of House Strelitz to destroy the Fisanduhians from the inside. A Captain from the Holy Kingdom, Stanislav Olkhovsky, was chosen for his exceptional faith in the Morozian Holy Tribunal - the colonial religion of the Alliance and Kingdom, descended from Eastern Orthodoxy. As Captain Olkhovsky and his crew launched, they were firm in their faith that they would aid them. As the ships took off with their troop compartments full of crack Strelitz troops, all aboard prayed that this would be the end of the bloody war. In the Imperial Palace, the Emperor himself is said to have prayed for the success of the mission.

The Confederated States, for their part, prepared for the assault with what knowledge they had of it. However, this did not prepare them for an orbital assault by the commando units on all their major cities, including their capital of Neubach. The government of the Confederated States never signed surrender terms to the war, instead opting to enact "Plan SCRAM" and send its government and military into an insurgency. The last Prime Minister of the Confederated States, Helga Kesselring, shot herself while draped in the standard of the States rather than be taken prisoner. No fully intact copy of Plan SCRAM has ever been recovered from Moroz due to the Confederated States' efforts to destroy sensitive documents in the final hours of its existence as an official government - the only recovered parts of it are a two-page section: a title page reading "PLAN SCRAM" and a second page reading "DESTROY ALL INFORMATION PAST THIS PAGE AFTER READING."

This spirit of defiance continues up until the present day. The Imperial forces that came to occupy the former Confederated States after this rapid assault reported no resistance whatsoever, but constant signs that the citizens of the region were preparing to stand against them. The army of the States had simply vanished, its factories had disappeared, and its citizenry had ripped up road signs across the territory. The second phase of the so-called "Fisanduhian Imperial Conquest" was more cultural than military. With the reunification finally completed at long last, the Imperial Alliance and the Holy Kingdom joined hands with the formation of the Empire of Dominia and the coronation of Godwin Keeser, the ruler of the Imperial Alliance, as the first Emperor of Dominia. The years that followed his coronation on the 29th of June, 2385, would be a time of great change for Moroz.

===The Reign of Emperor Godwin Keeser I===

The first true Emperor of Dominia, Godwin reigned from 2385 until his death from old age in 2437. During his roughly five decades of rule the newly-formed Empire of Dominia would go from a minor power to a true Empire, though his path would not be free of issues. Even as the Empire, under the watchful eye of its Emperor, expanded to multiple worlds and became masters of generic research it had problems in its home. The reign of Emperor Godwin Keeser I and its rapid expansion saw the creation of a new social class in the Empire: the Ma’zals. These humans make up a broad swath of Imperial society and are defined within the Empire as non-Morozian subjects of the Empire of Dominia. Controlling Ma’zals has been a longstanding problem for the immense colonial bureaucracy of the Empire of Dominia, and issues continue to this very day. Along with issues in the Imperial colonies, not all was well in the Imperial Occupied Territory of Fisanduh.

===The Imperial Occupation of Fisanduh===

In the meantime, settlers of the Fisanduh region from the greater Empire became extremely rare, due to massive hostility from the native population. Settlers often reported having bricks thrown through their windows, effigies of Keeser burnt on their properties, were typically declined employment in Fisanduh-run businesses and saw extremely low rates of attendance at Tribunal festivities and churches. The Fisanduh town of Vasychevo is well-known for having a church attendance of zero non-Imperial citizens until its church was shuttered fifteen years after its establishment. The initial Imperial bureaucrats and clergy sent to Fisanduh often returned demoralized and infuriated (and often complained that citizens of the former Confederated States would refuse to give them the time of day). Most pettily, a Tribunalist priest once claimed that a Fisanduh supply truck had opted to move fifty Kilometers under the speed limit in a no-passing zone, causing him to be two hours late to a sermon. This was not an isolated incident, as Fisanduh was full of these signs of defiance - some large and noble, some small and petty.

The first serious attempt by the young Empire to bring Fisanduh to heel was the creation of an organization officially known as His Majesty’s Imperial Fisanduhian Gendarmerie (simply referred to as IFG by most Fisanduhians), police led by Imperial officers but staffed by Fisanduhians armed and supplied by the Empire. An effort by the Empire to integrate the Fisanduhians into the imperial system and to make good on their status as 'Morozians,' by traditional Dominian definitions of the word, however, the IFG fell flat on its face almost immediately. This was primarily attributed to the hatred of the Empire held by Fisanduhians, a successful smear campaign that (rightfully) portrayed the IFG as puppets of the Emperor, and intensive 3F infiltration of the Gendarmerie. The IFG served only to arm and equip the 3F and while it remains active on paper, it is primarily staffed by Imperial subjects and is regarded as a dumping ground for ineffective officers that must be placed in a location where they can do as little damage as possible to the Empire’s reputation.

In yet another attempt to bring their new province under control, the Empire escalated by sending firebrands to Fisanduh. These firebrands found very little success at best, and death at worst. The situation in Fisanduh continued to escalate as the 2430s, then the 2440s, dragged on and a new Emperor was crowned. The Empire had a poor foothold at best, and there were rumors that the Fisanduh resistance (now, by this point, violent) reached further than the Empire knew. When Emperor Keeser attempted to formally enforce control in 2440 via an order to convert to the Holy Tribunal at the sword enforced by the Imperial Army, fears about the capabilities of the Fisanduh resistance would be found to have underestimated the resistance.

===The Fisanduh Freedom Front===

Active from 2386 to the present day as part of Plan SCRAM, the FFF (or 3F to some), the Fisanduh Freedom Front entered into a period of mustering for several years following the defeat of the Confederated States in open battle, gradually building up their strength. The Freedom Front is rumored to have been active formally since the day the Confederated States fell, they reemerged dramatically in 2386. While the order formally came into effect on November 15, 2386, its enforcement was intended to take place starting on the twentieth of the same month to allow the Imperials a chance to celebrate Navy Day. On November 18th two Imperial Navy light cruisers— the Arbiter and Outrider— detonated violently in their drydocks in New Luxembourg. The Arbiter remained in its elevated drydock moorings, but the Outrider managed to slip out of its dry-dock after the first blast. Observers first reported the Outrider starting to slide out, then a massive explosion (later revealed to be its power magazine) split the ship in two, with one half remaining attached to the dry-dock, while the other fell out of its moorings and into the naval armament plant beneath the dock, causing massive damage to the facility. The exact number of dead has never been revealed by the Empire of Dominia, though the cruisers were written off as unable to be salvaged. Shortly after the detonation, an organization known as the Fisanduh Freedom Front claimed responsibility for the attacks, with a man identified as "Svetovid" standing in front of the Confederated State's flag claiming that more attacks would come if the Empire continued its efforts to subjugate Fisanduh. The Emperor, not wanting to lose face to what he saw as dishonorable terrorists, continued his efforts to subjugate Fisanduh.

More attacks came. None were on the scale of the Navy Day attack, but they were a constant threat to the Empire in Fisanduh. Nail bombs arrived at important officials in Fisanduh, Tribunal temples were firebombed, buildings of the Imperial bureaucracy were detonated— some through car bombings, others through tunnels being physically dug beneath them. It became apparent that 3F was, despite Imperial efforts to pacify the province earlier, essentially the shadow government of the entire province. Many of 3F's fighters were veterans of the War of Moroz, and were still able to stand and fight despite their age. The "shadow state" supporting them was able to withstand the Imperial Army's efforts to root it out, proving to be extremely flexible and resilient. Losses on the part of the Imperial Army began to mount, and maimed soldiers marching back from Fisanduh became a common sight in the border provinces. The insurgency has continued since 2440 without signs of stopping, though it has waxed and waned. Through the propaganda machine of the Empire, the greater body of Imperial citizenry began to hate 3F and the democratic movement it stood for. Through their brutal actions, the greater Empire became hated by Fisanduh. The intensity of the insurgency, and of the Imperial counter-campaign has wound down in the past seven years - Emperor Keeser has mostly withdrawn from Fisanduh, while 3F has decreased its activities outside of Fisanduh as the occupation has retreated. Fisanduh was left with de facto independence despite being, de jure, a territory of the greater Empire. As a result, vessels flying the flag of Fisanduh are legitimately recognized in most areas outside Dominian space, though the Fisanduh Freedom Front maintains no official ships. Present-day Fisanduh is an area that is, in many places, devastated by war. It remains an area of the Empire that most Imperials do not go to and a source of conflict in the Imperial government. Should they attack Fisanduh again, or should they expand outwards?

===The Reign of Emperor Keeser I===

[[File:emp_dominia.png|thumb|Imperial portrait of Emperor Boleslaw Keeser (artwork created by Sleepywolf)]]
Skillful work by Emperor Keeser has helped mend the seemingly insurmountable gap between the foreign Ma’zals and native Morozi population, supposedly united in a new loyalty under the Emperor and Tribunal. With his consolidated power, Emperor Keeser has embarked upon numerous reforms and projects to improve the Empire. These range from research and infrastructure projects, military and naval expansions, to social and educational organization. In 2407, the Imperial Railroad was completed, linking all of the major cities of Moroz together. Since its start in 2412, the Imperial Canal project to link the major inland seas has made steady progress.

One major event in the reign of Emperor Boleslaw Keeser I was the introduction of Unathi to the Empire of Dominia. In the winter of 2440 a fleet of Unathi pirates arrived in the home system of the Empire. Though initially feared to be pirates, and the first true test of the Navy, a different outcome emerged: the pirates, led by Salak Kazhkz, instead pledged their sword to the Emperor and swore fealty. In return for their loyalty, and (perhaps more importantly) their vessels, the Unathi were granted the grand House Han’san-Kazhkz. However, due to the recent naval primacy of the Kazhkz and the defeat of the Han'sans, they are typically referred to as simply House Kazhkz.

A timeline of events in his reign follows:

In '''2440''' he opted to attempt to enforce Imperial control over the province of Fisanduh.

In '''2445''' the Coalition of Colonies officially forms the “Coalition Against Dominian Piracy”; an additional pact between its members that would target Dominia financially and diplomatically after Boleslaw announced it would enter into a defensive pact with neighboring pirate fleets.

In '''2451''' Necropolis Industries officially announced its partnership with Dominia would start in June of 2451, though some independent observers noted that facilities resembling Necropolis ones had existed on the planet since early 2440.

In '''2452''' the Emperor once again entered talks with NanoTrasen at the behest of House Volvalaad, ultimately resulting in the corporation and Imperial government reaching an agreement regarding trading and piracy. The opening of Dominia to the greater market of NanoTrasen has allowed for the Imperial Navy to rapidly expand its capabilities in the past decade, though the fully assembled Coalition of Colonies Deep-Space Fleet still outclasses it handily according to recently released figures.

In '''2455''' Emperor Keeser began a gradual withdraw from Fisanduh, having seen defeat in its mountainous territories. The province reverts to the droll Imperial title of "semi-autonomous region." He instead opts to expand the Empire's borders in the void of space (in order to save face, according to some critics), and begins a campaign of conquest and colonization.

In '''2462''' the Emperor continues to reign over Dominia, though he steadily grows older day by day. With the Empire suffering internal issues, and threats abroad, only the Goddess will know what will become of it when he passes...

==Dominian Society==

===Primaries===

The Primaries are the noble and liturgical classes of the Dominian Empire's humans, though the noble class of Dominia often sees Secondaries adopted into it. Due to centuries of eating better than their commoner and lay counterparts, Primaries are physically larger and more imposing than their Secondary cousins. Secondaries that are elevated to nobility, though still primaries, tend to be slightly shorter than older families. Dominians (or Morozians, if you are from the former Confederated States) of this social class are not typically found in Fisanduh due to its lack of nobility and can reach heights of six feet in both genders.

Unathi also fall into the category of "Primaries." They are usually descendants of the Unathi raiders who bent the knee to the Empire or recent immigrants from the Hegemony. New Unathi immigrants, however, are often considered “glorified secondaries” due to needing to prove themselves to become full members of a House.

'''Average Male Height:''' 5'6" - 6'5". The older a noble lineage, the taller they will be on average.

'''Average Female Height:''' 5'4" - 6'3". The older a noble lineage, the taller they will be on average.

===Secondaries===

Secondaries are the commoners and laypeople of Moroz, those on the planet lacking noble titles or liturgical positions. Exceptional Secondaries are often ennobled, becoming Primaries. They make up the bulk of Moroz's population but are the second-most populous group overall in the Empire after Ma'zals. Secondaries from outside Fisanduh tend to be smaller and thinner than their counterparts in Fisanduh, and Secondaries as a whole tend to be smaller than Primaries (though there are exceptions). Secondaries represent a more diverse social class than the Primaries do, but are a part of the same ethnic group as the Primaries. The key difference between the two classes is the presence of a noble title. In the Empire proper, Secondaries form the core of the Moroz Holy Tribunal and Imperial society as a whole. Within the former Confederated States, Secondaries are instead referred to as "Morozians."

Unathi that come from outside of Dominia that are turned away from House Kazhkz or even stop attempting to join a house often become secondaries. As such, a good chunk of the Unathite population are secondaries.

'''Average Male Height:''' 5'6" - 5'9" (add three to four inches if from Fisanduh)

'''Average Female Height:''' 5'1" - 5'4" (add three to four inches if from Fisanduh)

===Ma'zals===

A blanket term used to refer to those citizens— or subjects— of the Empire that are not from Moroz, Ma'zals represent the Empire's underclass. They are an extremely diverse group that tends to be generally rebellious, and resistant to Imperial control. Those that do opt to side with the Empire have either been integrated into the Empire's colonial system or are turncoats. Ma'zals also form a large population in the Coalition of Colonies, as they often flee from the Empire through whatever means are available. They are also often conscripted into the Imperial Army or Imperial Navy and can be found throughout the Empire - with some rising far enough in the army or navy to become ennobled by House Strelitz or Zhao.

Ma’zals, while diverse, can be divided into three distinct groups that the Empire of Dominia keeps track of. The largest of these groups are the '''“regular” Ma’zals''' of the Empire that have yet to fully accept Imperial rule. These Ma’zals are generally found on recently conquered planets and tend to be the most resistant to Imperial control, with violent resistance not being uncommon. No matter how much the Empire tries there are always those that continue to resist even after most have accepted their status as Imperial subjects, and House Strelitz often becomes involved in counter-insurgency warfare on Imperial colonies. However, in due time, these Ma’zals will eventually bend the knee to Imperial rule; in part due to the next, and smallest, category of Ma’zal.

The so-called '''"Elevated Ma’zal,”''' is an unusual and often misunderstood figure both inside and outside of the Empire of Dominia. Originally an “invention,” of House Caladius, the men and women that make up this category of Ma’zals are trained to serve as bureaucrats in the massive bureaucracy of the Empire of Dominia. This has quite a few advantages as the Elevated Ma’zals know the planet, understand the local language and customs and can be utilized as a friendly face for the Empire’s control of the planet. Sometimes referred to as the “nobility of the Imperial frontier,” Elevated Ma’zals will often— with blessings from House Caladius of course— form their own noble houses and orders, assuming they are not integrated into House Caladius. These frontier houses are generally always affiliated with House Caladius, and have proven to be a valuable ally of their merchants.

The final category of Ma’zals are those that have accepted Imperial rule and now live as full citizens of the Empire. The '''“Integrated Ma’zals,”''' of the Empire make up a smaller portion of the total Ma’zal population than their non-integrated counterparts but possess a greater amount of economic power than their rebellious counterparts and are, though not fully Morozian, considered to be loyal subjects of the Emperor and Goddess alike. The loyalty of some Integrated Ma’zals is so great that many are often awarded the prestigious title of Honourary Morozian, also referred to as “Morozian beyond the void,” in some areas, which represents that they have demonstrated a very high level of commitment to the Empire. Such an award is accompanied by immediate ennobling with the great house that recommended the award be bestowed.

===Geneboosting===

A technique dating back centuries, geneboosting is descended from colonial efforts to genetically engineer species adapted to the harsh Morozian climate. Geneboosting was originally used on humans by the Volvalaads at the behest of House Strelitz with the intent of improving the Imperial Army's officer corps before being adopted by House Volvalaad as a way to create a better class of nobility. Geneboosting is done during the fetal development stage. It greatly enhances the natural genetic structure of the patient, removing flaws and emphasizing strengths. '''This form of genetic modification is limited to the nobility due to the high cost and status associated with it'''. The effects lead to enhanced attributes and appearances: those geneboosted are stronger, faster, more able, and much longer-lived than their non-geneboosted counterparts. Geneboosted playable species tend to be a foot or so taller than average (upwards of seven to seven and a half feet for humans) and find it very easy to maintain peak fitness. A geneboosted person is obvious at a glance, and geneboosted humans are often held as paragons of Imperial society. Geneboosting carried out after birth, known as gene therapy, is very rare and generally dangerous in addition to being prohibitively expensive. Talks with Zeng-Hu to improve upon Dominia's pre-existing gene boosting techniques have not yielded results.

===Dominian Heads of Staff===

As a result of the Empire's fanatical outlook on certain issues such as synthetic life and edict breakers, Dominian heads of staff are fairly rare aboard Stellar Corporate Conglomerate facilities such as the SCCV Horizon. Those that do pass through the requirements needed to become a head of staff are typically considered to be liberals (or, rarely, reformists) in the Empire and typically belong to or are affiliated with a Great House, with House Volvalaad having the greatest representation abroad and House Caladius following closely behind. Nevertheless, they must still go through a great amount of orientation in order to adapt to life aboard such a cosmopolitan vessel.

Dominians that are elevated to a leadership position within the Conglomerate are regarded to be the best and brightest of the Empire by the cartel and are highly-regarded by the for their professionalism and honor despite some difficulties in working with IPCs and other forms of synthetic life. Please note that playing a Dominian head of staff is not an excuse to make a player's round miserable just because they're a synthetic.

==Languages==

The Empire is a multilingual society divided between High Morozi, a Tradeband dialect, and Vulgar Morozi, a Sol Common dialect, along with various unathi dialects, such as Sinta’Azaziba, and Freespeak. Which of these languages one speaks are generally determined by one’s class and planet of birth. Among the Primary aristocracy and natives of the Imperial Core High Morozi is often the first, and primary, language, with Tau Ceti Basic and Vulgar Morozi fluency viewed as the sign of a good upbringing and education. Primaries who do not speak Vulgar Morozi are extremely uncommon, and those who do not speak the language are generally looked upon poorly by their peers. Many Secondaries speak Vulgar Morozi as their first language, though this varies from family to family.

As one travels further from the Imperial Core, High Morozi begins to rapidly disappear as a first language and is replaced with its Vuglar counterpart, or with Freespeak. Often pejoratively known as “Gutter,” or “Rebel-Speak,” by Dominians the language is associated with the uncivilized frontier. Speaking Freespeak, even if one has knowledge of the language, is considered to be a major faux pas.

==Synth Relations==

Dominian hatred of synthetic life stems from its deep faith in the Holy Tribunal and all positronics are sought out and destroyed upon entering Dominia space. Interestingly, to observers, there seems to be a disproportionately high number of shell IPCs present in the sector compared to those beliefs. Rumors that Emperor Boleslaw Keeser declares political rivals untagged shells before black bagging them have been vehemently denied by the Empire.

Imperial citizens working abroad in human space often interact with synthetics. In foreign lands, Dominians are expected to maintain some degree of tolerance in the presence of synthetics, abomination though they may be, in order to continue being permitted to work in these environments. While robots, or synthetics without a positronic brain or similar, are not objectionable to the Tribunal, citizens who refused to work alongside AI or IPCs would soon find themselves out of work and are expected to cooperate with these entities when their occupation demands it.

{{Navbox Human Lore}}
{{Navbox Lore}}
[[Category:Pages]]
[[Category:Factions]]
[[Category:Humanity]]

Empire of Dominia

2022-12-28T22:01:37Z

MattAtlas: sun reach colonisation to 2428, novi jadran spelling

{{Navbox Lore}}
{{Navbox Human Lore}}
{{Infobox Species
|Species = Dominian
|Scientific = H. Sapiens / Human
|Image = Dom410x320.png
|System = Mira Sancta
|World = Dominia
|Language = High Morozi (Tradeband), Vulgar Morozi (Solarian Common)
|Politic = Empire of Dominia
}}
<div id="EoDGeneral"></div>

The '''Empire of Dominia''', often simply referred to as “the Empire,” is a heavily religious absolute monarchy with its capital, Nova Luxembourg, on the planet of Moroz in the Mira Sancta System. This autocratic state is presently ruled by His Imperial Majesty '''Emperor Boleslaw Keeser I'''. The Empire of Dominia was proclaimed in 2385 by Emperor Godwin Keeser, the father of Boleslaw Keeser. Imperial society is dominated by the Great and Minor Houses under the Emperor and is very socioeconomically stratified due to the so-called blood debt, known as the Mor’iz’al. All citizens are born with the Mor’iz’al debt in exchange for the privileges of citizenship, a debt that takes some a lifetime or more to pay off. Imperial society is heavily divided by class and the Mor’iz’al blood debt is a very important part of Imperial society. Many in the Empire follow a strict code of honor, which originates with its great houses. The Empire is considered by many to be a threat to the free frontier. Its state religion is the Moroz Holy Tribunal which lays a heavy hand upon the Imperial government, with their edicts enforceable as law and those that violate its edicts being referred to as “edict breakers,” a class of unpersons actively hunted down by the government. Perhaps the most famous export of the Empire is the gene-boosting techniques it has carefully developed over centuries, though they lag behind the Skrell. It remains highly imperialistic and somewhat isolated but has recently made strides to enter further into the galactic stage. “In the Goddess’s Name, So Shall It Be Done” is commonly regarded as the unofficial motto of the Empire, due to the association of the phrase with the Tribunal.

==Population and Planets==

The total population of the Empire roughly fifteen billion based on the 2459 Imperial Census, though this has grown in the intervening years. Citizens from the Imperial Core tend to be extremely devout in their belief in the Tribunal due to their proximity to the heart of the Tribunal's power. As one travels outwards from the Imperial Core loyalty to both Emperor and Goddess slowly fades, and the presence of the Imperial Army increases in response.

Citizens of the Outer Empire or "Imperial Frontier" tend to lack loyalty to both the throne and the Tribunal, largely due to being conquered by force rather than colonized by Morozians as the Dominian core worlds were. Many subjects are new to the Empire in these regions and are unwilling to bend the knee, leading to a great number of military units being stationed here. Imperial frontier subjects have a reputation for being uncivilized in the Inner Empire. They tend to be unwilling to convert, with these regions seeing higher amounts of edict-based executions.

====[[Moroz]]====
The capital planet the Empire with roughly six billion residents. The planet is largely dominated by its large polar circles which encompass around 70% of the planet’s surface. Moroz is by far the wealthiest settlement in the Empire and owes much of its wealth to the extraction-based economics of Dominian imperialism, which has led to some resentment from other planets in the young Empire.

====Zhurong====
[[Image:Minimap dominia.png|thumb|A closer image focusing on the planets and territory of the Empire.]]
With one-point-two billion residents and plentiful mineral deposits, the Imperial Mandate of '''Zhurong''' serves as the Empire’s primary industrial hub. It has a thin but breathable atmosphere and a largely unstable crust that unfortunately causes it to suffer from frequent natural disasters such earthquakes and volcanoes. Despite the violent geology making permanent habitation dangerous, the unstable crust contains an incredibly rich source of minerals and valuable ores that form the backbone of the local economy. Much of the steel and other metals used in the Imperial economy are mined here. The planetary capital, Hongse Chengbao, literally translated Red Castle, is home to the Imperial arsenal that it takes its name from. Zhurong’s orbital station, Zhurong Orbital, is home to the majority of the Empire's offworlder humans, and the planet itself has numerous shipyards often staffed by these same offworlders. Many of the Empire’s warships are laid down and built in the orbit of Zhurong. Zhurong was one of the Empire’s first colonies, with its original settlers arriving upon the planet in 2387.

<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed">
====Zhurong Imperial Shipbuilding====
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">

<center><i>“Let me phrase this in a way even you can understand, Grand Consul. A sculptor cannot function without her materials, yes? The resources you will be diverting into this pet project of yours are my materials, and my sculpture is our Empire!”</i> — Grand Admiral Huiling Zhao during discussions preceding the creation of ZIS.</center>

'''Zhurong Imperial Shipbuilding''' is a Zavodskoi Interstellar affiliated company subordinate to the larger Zhao-run Zhurong Imperial Naval Arsenal (ZINA) which is located on the Empire of Dominia’s industrialized core world of Zhurong. The ZIS is focused around, as the name implies, the construction of ships but has a focus on civilian hulls rather than military ones. Founded in 2462 after the construction of multiple shipyards in orbit of the industrial planet [[Empire_of_Dominia#Zhurong | Zhurong]] by House Zhao and funded by House Caladius, ZIS is a successful attempt by the Empire to force Hephaestus Industries out of a market, in this case the need for civilian and industrial vessels within the Empire of Dominia, and replace it with a native Dominian company.

Contemporary Operations and Influence: Currently, the ZIS profits along the Great Houses of the Empire, using the raw resources of newly conquered frontier worlds to build the vessels which transport those resources from the frontier worlds. By cooperating with both House Zhao and Caladius and focusing their efforts on civilian vessels rather than military ones, ZIS has come to hold a near monopoly over the construction of those vessels within the Empire, and limitations on other megacorporations places by the Chief Commissioner of Economic Development ensure their position remains secure. Outside the empire they currently compete with Hegeranzi Starworks, a Hephaestus subsidiary for markets not only in the Badlands but across the Spur. Currently, the Starworks has a leading edge due to the help of Hephaestus Industries and ZIS’ focus on serving the Dominian market first. However, ZIS is increasingly finding an edge in more specialized vessels and equipment compared to the mass production design of the Starworks. ZIS works closely with Zavodskoi Industries, who buys their ships for sale outside of the Empire. Zavodskoi also provides many skilled engineers for the ZIS through a work contract program. Most ZIS employees not affiliated with Zavodskoi are Ma’zals from the Imperial Frontier seeking better work and higher wages to pay off their Mo’ri’zal. These Ma’zals are typically supervised by Secondaries, who make up the vast number of white-collar jobs found in both ZIS and its parent company, ZINA.

'''Executives'''
'''Lord Master of the Shipyard (CEO): Lanying Zhao'''

Though criticized by many in House Caladius for being clear evidence of Imperial Fleet meddling in the affairs of civilian shipbuilding, the Admiral-Governor of Zhurong has doggedly maintained her position as Lord Master of the Shipyard through her own influence, vast talents, and the patronage of the Grand Admiral. Lanying’s tenure as ZIS’ first, and so far only, leader has been relatively unpopular with House Caladius due to her repeated choices to direct ZIS resources into ZINA, which she also controls, despite protests by many merchants. Conversely, these choices have made her quite popular with her own house. Rumors have recently spoken of the Admiral-Governor, a woman bored half to death by her duties, resigning her position as soon as a successor emerges. Only time will tell if these are true.

'''Master of Production: Xiu Zhao'''

The mind behind many ships used by civilian and military actors across the Empire, Xiu Zhao is often regarded as one of the house’s greatest contemporary engineers. Serving as Master of Production is something of a retirement for the old engineer as he is now responsible more for production schedules than military vessels. Some say it is more a punishment than retirement for his promotion and production of the somewhat inefficient Empire-class cruiser, but House Zhao has been quick to deny these rumors. Regardless of why he is there Xiu has proven to be an effective technical mind, though he often finds himself in conflict with Lanying over how best to allocate resources.

'''Commissioner of Finance: Annette Caladius'''

The comptroller of ZIS’ budget, Annette Caladius — otherwise known as the Countess of Saint’s Landing on Alterim Obrirava — is a woman often frustrated by her associates on the executive committee. Much of her time is spent thwarting Zhao plots to funnel more money away from ZIS and its merchant ship production. The time which is not spent doing this is often instead spent managing the affairs of her distant, though religiously important, holding or meeting with the myriad House Caladius-affiliated merchants. Countess Caladius is almost always surrounded by a throng of Secondary and Ma’zal clerks, secretaries, and functionaries who work tirelessly to ensure the will of House Caladius is carried out at ZIS. While the Countess has won great approval in her position she has long yearned for more, and some believe she is merely using ZIS as a springboard to launch herself into the position of Grand Consul — House Caladius’ elected leader.

'''Chief Supervisor of the Shipyard: Henryk Gottfried'''

An Imperial Knight with a long history of service in the Imperial Fleet, Sir Gottfried is the only Secondary on ZIS’ executive committee. A former Fleet logistics officer assigned to the elite First Battlefleet, his organizational skills — and family connections to House Zhao — made him an ideal candidate for the position of Chief Supervisor of the Shipyard, and he is now responsible for much of the day-to-day running of ZIS. A Fleet man to the core, Gottfried is not unwilling to shift ZIS resources to Fleet projects if the Governor-Admiral or Grand Admiral deem it needed.

'''History'''

With the shipyards of the Zhao-dominated Zhurong Imperial Naval Arsenal almost entirely focused on the construction of military vessels and their accessories, the Empire, and House Caladius, found itself struggling to transport resources from their expanding frontier colonies to the Imperial Core for use in heavy industries or other economic activities. The Empire, ever wary of outside influence, curtailed the expansion of [[Hephaestus Industries]], who had been attempting to enter the market with their ships produced by [[Unathi_Guilds#Hegeranzi Starworks | Hegeranzi Starworks]], one of their subsidiaries. House Zhao was instructed by the Emperor and Chief Commissioner of Economic Development Izla Caladius to create an imperial company to supply ships for the empire's industry, being the great house most familiar with shipbuilding. As the Zhaos were more obsessed with their military shipyards however, they came to an agreement to work closely with Zavodskoi Interstellar, a well respected company in the empire, to accomplish their orders with minimal effort. Were it not for Zavodskoi, the ZIS would be an often ignored and poorly supplied organization.

Many in House Zhao, including — according to the Fleet’s rumor mill — the Grand Admiral herself, resent ZIS for taking up valuable manpower, resources, and time which could have instead been diverted to the Imperial Fleet’s arsenal, and perhaps allowed for the construction of a third of the feared Moroz-class dreadnoughts. But the House and the Imperial Fleet are not blind to the reality of the situation: while the existence of ZIS may result in a small decrease in materials sent toward what truly matters, more ships for the ever-complaining House Caladius will allow the Fleet to divert its cargo transports toward more important tasks.
</div></div>

====Alterim Obrirava====

Carrying around two billion people and featuring a diverse yet Earthlike environment, the Imperial Mandate of '''Alterim Obrirava’s''' system is home to vast reserves of Helium-3 that have brought the planet – and the broader Empire – wealth beyond imagination. This Helium-3 has long served as the primary fuel source of the Empire’s warships and is zealously guarded by House Zhao, which only permits House Caladius to sell off a pittance of the total fuel mined and refined in the system – a stance that has become increasingly unpopular among the Caladius and independent business concerns as Helium-3 prices have increased dramatically due to the worsening phoron crisis. In the capital of Ilstel a bustling foreign merchant quarter sponsored by House Caladius can be found, with a diversity of goods to match the planet itself. The planet is one of the Empire’s oldest colonies, and was settled in 2392 alongside its sister planet of Alterim Balteulis. Much of the planet’s population comes from immigrants who desire a climate more pleasant than Moroz, and many noble families maintain “summer homes,” on the planet.

====Alterim Balteulis====

Often called by the equally popular name of Ignatzi Alte’uz by the resident unathi and populated by roughly a billion, the Tribunalist Mandate of '''Alterim Balteulis''' is a dry world with a mixed climate of savannas, deserts, and arid polar regions. The planet is home to many Morozian cathedrals and temples, and the religious branch of House Caladius has long maintained a great amount of influence on the planet. Its capital, Casotania, is home to the Grand Temple of the Holy Tribunal – an extravagantly expensive structure commissioned by House Caladius to demonstrate their unwavering commitment to the Goddess that attracts millions of pilgrims from across the broader Empire each year. The Grand Temple was built in a region painstakingly terraformed by House Caladius to demonstrate their dedication to the Goddess and make for a more comfortable experience for pilgrims. Some in the Empire balk at this display of wealth but the Caladius view it as a badge of pride and a demonstration of how far they will go for the Goddess. Its climate has attracted one of the largest unathi populations in the Empire, though they remain a small minority. The planet is one of the Empire’s oldest colonies, and was settled in 2392 alongside its sister planet of Alterim Obrirava.

====Sun Reach====

Recently conquered by the Imperial Army and added to the Empire in 2428, the Imperial Viceroyality of '''Sun Reach''' is one of the least populated major worlds in the Empire, with a population estimated to be around fifty million. The planet, taking its name from its largest settlement, is itself mostly covered in primitive algae with a low level of biodiversity. In its orbit, however, dwells a vast reserve of Helium-3 comparable to that of Alterim Obrirava – if not greater. For that reason, the Imperial Army and His Imperial Majesty’s Fleet have long desired the system, and intend to go to great lengths to hold it – regardless of how the local population views the broader Empire.
The Empire has other colonies throughout its small sector of the Orion Spur that typically exist to provide resources to Moroz proper, with populations ranging from just a handful of settlers to thousands of colonists.

====Novi Jadran====
A tundra planet initially colonized by inhabitants of the Adriatic coasts with a population of roughly 100 million people near the edge of the Empire's westernmost frontier. Predominantly cold and icy with short summers, this climate has kept the economy primarily rural and much of the planet underdeveloped, with most living in small cities dotted around the coast and major waterways. A few major population centers exist, such as the capital of Nova Rijeka, that have a semblance of a modern service-based or industrial economy, though these are typically based around processing the foodstuffs the planet is well-known for. Noble authority on the edge of the Empire in Novi Jadran is quite strong, with many people viewing themselves as loyal to their local nobles first and the greater Empire second.

Novi Jadran has been under the Empire's control for roughly fifty years following its peaceful annexation, and has proved itself to be a loyal colony despite not contributing much to the Imperial treasury. Many in the Empire view it as the “model colony” of the Dominian frontier and it is visited by many functionaries on tours due to this status, with the Chief Commissioner for Colonial Affairs visiting the planet twice a year. These visits are major events for the planet’s inhabitants and bring with their best offerings for the visiting Primaries in hopes of attracting attention, and the benefits from having a Primary’s eye upon you. These gifts are usually finely crafted feasts and food, though it is not uncommon for horses and other animals to be presented.

Planetary cuisine holds true to its Adriatic roots, with many Croatian and Italian elements still present. Fish-based diets are ubiquitous among the rural people as the vast oceans make for perfect fishing conditions and much of the ground is too cold to properly till. The raising of livestock is common towards the equator of the planet, but is not as prevalent as fishing.

Despite its status as the “model colony” the planet is not without its problems. Many local nobles are negligent regarding the needs of the rural population and often refuse to carry out mandated infrastructure or electrical reforms. Many of the rural inhabitants in far-flung regions still have either no electricity, or very little. The petty nobility that oversees the various settlements and cities often protests this mismanagement, but the dukes keep them in check through vast and indulgent parties and balls. Calls for a new administration have been spreading around the planet for some months, but only time can tell if the nobility will be reigned in by the Empire or not.

==Economy==

Though Dominia accepts the Solarian Standard Credit like many other regions of the Spur, it continues to use the Imperial Pound as a local currency, which is backed in precious metals by the Imperial Bank of Moroz. The Great Houses are very powerful movers in the Imperial economy and are some of the largest employers. Defense industries, raw resource production, and agriculture are the largest sectors of the Empire's economy, with recent years' modernization efforts making the latter two increasingly lucrative. Consistent expansions of the Imperial Military’s budget have seen rapid growth in all types of equipment production and research for the army and navy, sectors dominated by houses Kazhkz, Strelitz, and Zhao.

==The Mo’ri’zal==

The Empire’s unique form of taxation is the Mo’ri’zal, or “Blood Debt” in Vulgar Morozi. The Mo’ri’zal is a lump sum every Imperial subject receives upon birth (or otherwise acquiring their citizenship) that is paid to the state over the course of their life, and is often high enough to require decades to pay off. How quickly one can pay off their Mo’ri’zal is a key marker of one’s economic class in the Empire. Most Primaries — those of the Empire’s aristocracy — have theirs paid off at birth, most Secondaries — the Imperial middle class — pay theirs by early to mid adulthood, and many Ma’zals — the colonial subjects of the Empire — must work their entire lives to pay it off.

One’s Mo’ri’zal can be paid off by others, and many noble houses of Dominia attract commoners into their employ through promises of paying off parts of their debt. The Mo’ri’zal can also be paid off in other ways: military service pays five percent of the debt per year served, and injuries received in the line of duty — particularly severe ones — can pay off large amounts of the debt. Those that fall serving the Empire have their entire debt and a part of their immediate family’s debt forgiven.

While the Mo’ri’zal is a significant sum — and criticized by some as simply a state-sponsored form of indentured servitude — it is quite popular in the Empire’s core worlds due to the benefits it provides them: their paying of the Mo’ri’zal funds healthcare, public services such as education, infrastructure, and the might of the Empire’s war machine. It is additionally often trivial for many of them to pay off their Mo’ri’zal due to the wealth of many in the Empire’s core. In the Empire’s colonies, such as Sun Reach, the Mo’ri’zal is looked upon much more poorly. Many Ma’zals were initially born as non-Imperial subjects and only received their Mo’ri’zal when the Empire conquered their planet, and few of them view the debt — which is meant to be paid off gradually from one’s birth onwards — as reasonably payable. While the debt is legally meant to not carry over to one’s descendents, should it be unpaid at one’s death, a familial history of being unable to pay Mo’ri’zals can result in a denial of privileges such as healthcare until the debt is settled -- generally through a family member joining the the Imperial military.

Compounding the issues of these recently-conquered Dominian subjects is the nature through which the Mo’ri’zal is calculated. As the Mo’ri’zal is assigned to an Imperial subject at their birth -- or at the point that they become a subject -- it is not, like other taxes, based upon one’s income. Instead it is based upon one’s perceived loyalty to the Dominian state, and the Imperial throne by extension. Primaries and many Secondaries often have small Mo’ri’zals due to generations of dedicated service to the Empire while less loyal populations -- such as Fisanduhians, Lyodii, and some Ma’zals -- tend to have larger Mo’ri’zals.

==Edict Breakers==

Breaking of an edict is punishable by death so it is not uncommon for an "Edict Breaker" to go on the run outside of Dominian space. Due to the nature of the Empire, in-depth records are kept on all subjects and once one runs, their details are reported on the local ExtraNet daily until they return/are returned. These details include name, address, picture, family details, everything. As such, any "Edict Breakers" are instantly identifiable to Dominian subjects. In Dominia space, any "Edict Breakers" are violently sought for capture. Outside of Dominian space, however, due to the nature of the fourth edict, subjects of Dominian usually do not violently attempt to apprehend these criminals but instead try to convince them in the nicest way possible to return to Dominian space under their own volition for judgment. This usually devolves into near-passive harassment where the loyal imperial subjects will remind the "Edict Breaker" over and over that they have violated the law and should return to the Empire to repent, usually in a sickly sweet manner. The effect is usually maddening for the lawbreaker and it's not uncommon for them to allow themselves to be returned to Dominia for judgment and in some extreme cases take their own lives. Edict breakers abroad in human space sometimes find themselves pursued in the legal realm for infringing on the trademarks of their House if they refuse to change their surname.

==Government==
[[File:Dominia_Flag.png|thumb|The Imperial standard of House Keeser, intended to represent three nation-states of old Moroz that formed the basis of the Empire of Dominia.]]
The Empire of Dominia operates as an absolute monarchy, with a powerful central government and an expansive, all-consuming imperial bureaucracy. The Imperial Cabinet and Electors are major parts of the government.

===Imperial Cabinet===

The Imperial Cabinet is the direct will of the Emperor manifested in the hundreds of officials that work in his name and carry out his will. The ministers, judges, and bureaucrats of the Imperial Cabinet manage many parts of the Empire, as well as advising the Emperor on all major decisions. The majority of all political posts are directly controlled by Emperor Keeser. His Imperial Cabinet consists of:

</div></div>
<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed">
'''Colonel-in-Chief of His Majesty's Special Operations Group: Angelika-Lina Strelitz'''
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
The typical soldier of the Imperial Army is a well-trained, well-equipped, and well-motivated individual that is able to take and hold ground from the Empire’s typical opponents with ease. But there are some things that even these individuals cannot do, and this is when His Majesty’s Special Operations Group is deployed. The position of its leader — the Colonel-in-Chief — is considered to be an extremely prestigious duty that has been held by a member of House Strelitz since the Group’s creation following the War of Moroz.

The present Colonel-in-Chief is herself a veteran of the Group, as every member before her has been. Recently ennobled into House Strelitz shortly before her ascension, the twenty-five-year veteran of the Imperial Army prides herself on being above politics. Prior to her promotion the Colonel-in-Chief served with distinction in the non-geneboosted section of the Group — an unusual unit for the Moroz-born nobles that often serve with the Group. While her service would cost Angelika-Lina her left eye (lost to shrapnel while in Inner Fisanduh), it would give her the network — and the prestige — required for a promotion to Colonel-in-Chief in 2461.

As Colonel-in-Chief, Angelika-Lina has desperately attempted to stay uninvolved in politics while attempting to mold the Group into a perfect special operations force. While she has managed to consistently increase its budget — and, as a result, its successes — the Colonel finds herself pulled further and further into the realm of noble politicking, and often privately wishes to be back on the field. When the Emperor goes to join the Goddess, many believe that the Colonel-in-Chief, with her multitude of connections to Ma’zals she has served with and obsessiveness towards the Group, will have no choice but to formally align herself with the Crown Princess or be sacked. And to her, the thought of another in charge of the Group — her Group — is not something she can bear.
</div></div>

<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed">
'''Chief Commissioner of Economic Development: Izla Caladius'''
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
All states — including empires — are built upon their economies first and foremost. Without a strong economic base to support its wars of conquest the Empire of Dominia would doubtlessly buckle under its own weight and begin to shrink before collapsing, defeated by internal forces rather than external opposition. A position that can only truly be filled by a person addicted to their work, the CCED manages economics through the Empire: everything from taxes to tithes to trade passes across their desk, and is stamped by their hand. The position is regarded as so vital that it has been held by the Caladius since inception and has remained with one family of the house for its entire history, slowly passing from relative to relative through Imperial history.

Born in 2420 to the Montague family of House Caladius, Izla Caladius bears a resemblance to her distant predecessor: Maria Caladius, CCED from 2398 until her unexpected death in an aircraft crash in 2421. Her immediate precursor, Victoria Caladius, perished under similar circumstances in 2445, thrusting the young Izla into the position of chief commissioner alongside her aide, Josephine Caladius — herself quite similar-looking to her relative, Victoria — at the age of twenty-five as a freshly-minted doctor of economic studies. Izla scarcely has a life outside of work and is viewed as something of a reclusive night owl by the rest of the court, with very few daytime appearances ever recorded — a habit which seems to define many CCEDs, which often work atypical hours long into the night.

In her nearly twenty years as CCED Izla has led the Empire through booms and busts, but has committed it to a steady course intended to ensure the Empire can retain much of its economic and military output even in a disaster scenario where it is embargoed by the entire Spur. Despite this policy she has not shied away from broader trade relations with the rest of the Spur, and is often credited for enticing Zavodskoi to permanently relocate its headquarters to Moroz. Notably, she was a major factor behind the Empire’s decision to stick with Helium-3 refining rather than investing into phoron. With the crisis deepening this policy, criticized in the short term for being unprofitable, is paying dividend hand over fist.
</div></div>

<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed">
'''Chief Commissioner of His Majesty's Imperial Military: Eliza Volvalaad'''
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
While the various cabinet members may hold near absolute power over their respective military branches, it is the Chief Commissioner that directs much of the military’s efforts from behind the scenes. The chief commissioner is, on paper, intended to exist as the primary director of military research and development. In reality the position — which has been occupied by a Volvalaad since its creation — is used by House Volvalaad to exert influence over Houses Strelitz and Zhao. The research of the Volvalaads is used and valued by all branches of the Imperial Military, but often comes with a price attached, and the cost is typically repaid by carrying out the Volvalaad’s goals abroad.

Born in 2398 to a family long deeply involved in House Volvalaad, Dr. Eliza Volvalaad, PhD. is regarded as one of the Empire’s foremost researchers in the field of laser-based weaponry — much of the military’s laser weaponry currently in use can be traced to her and her Volvalaad-staffed laboratory in Jinxiang on Moroz. Decades of work and research, along with her connections to Houses Zhao and Strelitz, made her an ideal candidate for the position of chief commissioner, which she was appointed to in 2454 in the hope that she would be able to balance the influence of her own house, the Zhaos, and the Strelitz while ensuring the military retained its technological advantage over its neighbors.

In the ten years she has spent as chief commissioner, Dr. Volvalaad has effectively balanced the demands of the Volvalaads alongside the desires of Houses Zhao and Strelitz while ensuring the Imperial Military retained its edge over the frontier systems it must conquer for resources and prestige alike. But despite her best efforts the chief commissioner has not been able to keep pace with the Serene Republic of Elyra’s phoron-backed development sector, and some believe Doctor Volvalaad - now rapidly approaching seventy years of age — will soon retire, leaving the critically important position vacant.
</div></div>

<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed">
'''Chief Commissioner of Imperial Sovereignty: Antonio Caladius'''
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
Diplomacy — even for the Empire, which has long had sour relations with its neighbors — is key to any modern state. But despite the importance of diplomacy, the role of the Chief Commissioner of Imperial Sovereignty is somewhat limited due to the Empire’s poor reputation abroad, aside from the Republic of Biesel and Jargon Federation. Much of the CCIS’ duties instead relate to maintaining good relations with Zavodskoi Interstellar, which has quickly become one of the Empire’s major employers.

Though a member of House Caladius, Antonio has had close relations with House Volvalaad since his birth in 2412, and often collaborates with Grand Duchess-Electress Landi Volvalaad to push for the demands of both houses abroad. A lifelong liberal Dominian and advocate for a greater Dominian market abroad, Antonio’s ascension to the position of chief commissioner in 2455 was seen by many as a concession by the Emperor to Houses Volvalaad and Caladius.

But despite his high-minded goals of a more liberal, more politically involved Empire, Antonio's time as chief commissioner has been fraught with disappointment. He has been stymied by the more politically powerful Huiling Zhao and Dorothea-Frieda Strelitz, who favor strength over diplomacy when it applies to the Empire’s frontier, and his efforts to have the Coalition’s embargo formally lifted ended in failure in 2462. Many talk of replacing the often-unsuccessful diplomat, and Antonio worries the Emperor — who now rarely calls upon him — has begun to listen to these detractors.
</div></div>

<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed">
'''Chief Commissioner for Colonial Affairs: Alessandro Amadei'''
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
In a society such as the Empire of Dominia where expansion — for resources, primarily — is a key pillar of its continued ability to survive and thrive, the duty of managing its colonies is one of the most critical in it. Every colonial official found in the Imperial Frontier,from the viceroys in charge of entire planets to lowly Ma’zal bureaucrats, is the responsibility of the Chief Commissioner for Colonial Affairs, the master of the Dominian colonial empire. To be entrusted with such a critical position is to be one of the closest individuals in the Empire to the Emperor, and the current Chief Commissioner has long been a close friend of the royal family.

Born into a family of Morozian bureaucrats in 2426, the young Count Amadei spent much of his youth cavorting with his fellow nobles, including the royal family, and building connections with other Morozian nobles. Wanderlust pulled the young Count into the Imperial Flying Corps where he proved himself an effective — if egotistical — pilot and won multiple accolades for himself, returning to Moroz a decorated veteran. His decorations and connections, particularly to the royal family , led to his ascension to the position of Chief Commissioner for Colonial Affairs in 2456.

Count Amadei, the current Chief Commissioner, is a man of both charisma and controversy: an exceptionally talented administrator, longtime friend of the Emperor, and veteran of the Imperial Flying Corps, Amadei has long been an advocate for both his old Corps and the burgeoning colonial domain that the Empire finds itself ruling. But some in the high society of the Empire gripe at his posting and view him as a mere unaffiliated noble granted privileges solely due to his friendship with the Emperor, and believe they should be represented in the position instead. The Count has long had a poor relationship with House Caladius as a result, and is often known to become involved in spats with Antonio Caladius over the diplomatic repercussions of the Empire’s colonial endeavors. In almost every fight they have, the Emperor sides with Amadei – not Caladius. But as the Emperor ages the Count grows nervous, wondering what will happen to him when he is finally shorn of his greatest protector.
</div></div>

<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed">
'''Chief Minister of Unathi Affairs: Kasz Han’san'''
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
Considering the notable Unathi population now in Dominia, and most importantly the fact that the large majority of said population are primaries, the Emperor needed something, or someone, to keep them loyal and in check the moment the Han’san and Kazhkz clans became houses. This is certainly not an easy task when speaking of an alien race. From cultural differences to distinct biological characteristics such as diets or sleep cycles, the Empire needed someone who truly understood the Unathi to both represent them efficiently in the Cabinet, and who could then properly communicate to the Sinta of the Empire to coordinate them to the best of their ability and use within the bureaucracy.

Lord Marshal Kasz Han’san, Contact War veteran, once a General under Seryo Kazhkz back on Moghes, and leader of the Han’san House, was chosen for such a role. If the Unathi of the Han’san earned the reputation of being fantastic soldiers, their ability to make charismatic, and at times, cunning leaders is also true, and the old Lord Marshal proves to be both. Though perhaps cautious due to his extensive history of war, and wary of any steps the Kazhkz may take against him, he provides some insight on both his people and his political history in maneuvering among a cabinet. In particular, he is often close with Amadei due to the latter's charisma and knowledge and the former's interest in the Empire's political sphere. This spawned from the Unathi's employment in the outer reaches of the nation's colonies as shock troopers and enforcement, and as such, Kasz has remained informative and helpful in coordinating with the Chief Commissioner. However, this sometimes puts Kasz at odds with Antonio at times due to his relationship with Amalei, and House Kazhkz's burgeoning friendship with House Caladius is in an awkward position in the cabinet's circle as a result.

Despite house Han'san's current weakened state after its humiliating defeat against the Fisanduhan Freedom Front, Kasz Han'san remained in the cabinet, most preferring him over the alternative, the much more politically inadequate Salak Kazhkz. The Lord Marshall also managed to prove to be right pick over time for such a role, managing to strike deals and leverage this to earn some unique rights, including protecting its members that still practice the old faith of Th'akh for some of the more conservative Unathi, in order to keep the Sinta of the Empire satisfied, with the reasoning rumored to be "they'll come around eventually." Many theorize that the Lord Marshal's work is the only reason why the Han'san House still exists and wasn’t wholly absorbed into the Kazhkz after their defeat.
</div></div>

<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed">
'''Grand Admiral of His Imperial Majesty’s Fleet: Huiling Zhao'''
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
One of the most powerful cabinet positions, the role of Grand Admiral has been filled by a member of House Zhao since its creation. The Grand Admiral holds almost unquestioned authority over His Imperial Majesty’s Fleet — with only the Emperor able to overrule them — and is often regarded as the third most powerful figure in the Empire after the Emperor himself and the Immaculate Hand due to this authority. If the Fleet is both the sword and shield of the modern Empire, the Grand Admiral is the individual who wields both.

Born in 2416, no individual represents House Zhao more than Huiling Zhao. The leader of House Zhao in all but name thanks to her position, Huiling has given her life in service to His Imperial Majesty’s Fleet and now serves as its Grand Admiral following her appointment in 2450. Huiling is a figure beloved in the Empire and often despised abroad, but revels in the infamy her reputation brings.

In her 14 years as Grand Admiral Huiling has seen several systems subjugated by the Fleet and added into the Empire, and has zealously guarded the Empire’s reserves of Helium-3 despite House Caladius’ demands to release parts of the reserve in order to make a larger profit. She has also cultivated a close relationship with the royal family — particularly Lei Keeser — in order to better push a naval agenda. Huiling is confident that, no matter what the Goddess may have in store for her, she will be able to hold onto her position and the power that comes with it.
</div></div>

<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed">
'''Chief Commissioner for Imperial Aviation: Annaliese Strelitz'''
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
Despite being the youngest of the Imperial Army’s branches, the Imperial Flying Corps have no lack of influence and sponsors due to its status as a club for Morozian nobility. But there is no greater sponsor of the Corps than its commissioner, Annaliese Strelitz. While her aunt — and often rival — Dorothea-Frieda must go through the trouble of managing an entire Army, Annaliese spends the majority of her time cavorting with Morozian nobility and ensuring the Corps maintains their patronage. Much of this fundraising work is done in conjunction with her two allies: Izla Caladius and Alessandro d'Arcobuono, who ensure the Corps never lacks for funding — even if the Navy and Army are hardly fans of it at times.

Born in 2423 to a wealthy family long affiliated with House Strelitz, Annaliese was always destined for a life in service to the Empire’s military. But the young Strelitz showed little interest in fighting on the ground and often avoided her cadet courses to pursue flight lessons. Eventually her family conceded and allowed Annaliese to pursue flight full-time, and enrolled her in a cadet course for the Imperial Flying Corps. The young flight officer has used her connections throughout the intervening years to pull the right strings at the right time, eventually ensuring her ascension to the position of Chief Commissioner in 2462.

In her short tenure Annaliese has proven herself to be an exceptional connection-maker for the Corps and an incredible annoyance for Duchess Zhao and Grand Duchess-Electress Strelitz. Annalise spends much of her time boasting of the Corps’ achievements and presenting it as the peak of martial nobility in the Empire. She has effectively drawn sponsors and funding away from the Fleet and Army through this, which gives her military counterparts no end of headaches. Annalise’s attitude — which is infamously narcissistic — has made these headaches far worse.
</div></div>

<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed">
'''High Lord General of His Majesty's Imperial Army: Dorothea-Frieda Strelitz'''
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
The most senior leader of the Imperial Army, the High Lord General’s position has been exclusively held by a member of House Strelitz since its inception. The High Lord General’s authority over the Imperial Army is absolute, with only the Emperor able to overturn their decisions. However, the Army’s inability to travel from system to system itself limits this authority and for es a degree of cooperation with the Fleet — something some Strelitz grind their teeth over.

Born into a family with a long history of martial Service in House Strelitz in 2418, Dorothea-Frieda has spent her life in the Imperial Army. While health concerns prevented her from being geneboosted, her strategic brilliance and sufficient grasp of politics has allowed her to become both High Lord General in 2445 and leader of House Strelitz at the same time — a significant achievement that makes her the only cabinet member currently also in command of one of the five great houses. This status makes Dorothea-Frieda a woman of many responsibilities, and she is almost never seen without a throng of aides surrounding her in order to allow her to better respond to any problems that may arise.

In her nearly twenty years of service as High Lord General Dorothea-Frieda has seen multiple worlds and systems conquered — or at least occupied — by the Empire, with Sun Reach standing as the Army’s most notable recent conquest. She has doggedly tried to stay above politics and has, for the most part, succeeded in this effort. Yet in private corners some whisper that the High Lord General grinds her teeth over the crown princess’ apparent liberalism when it comes to the use of force abroad, and fears the inevitable transfer of power could see the Army lose its importance as the primary instrument of the Empire’s will abroad. But only time will tell if these rumors are true.
</div></div>

<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed">
'''High Seneschal of His Majesty's Justice: Ngo Juric'''
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
Regarded by many as the most trusted member of the cabinet by the Emperor, the High Seneschal is the primary legal authority of the Empire as it applies to secular law in the Empire’s borders. For better or worse, the High Seneschal must defer to the word of his religious counterparts on matters of the Edicts in the majority of conditions with the exception of violations of the Fourth Edict, where the judiciary takes priority. Navigating this legal environment while advising the Emperor demands an individual who is both unerring in their faith to the throne and able to negotiate with many, many parties.

Fortunately for the Keesers, Ngo Juric, born in 2395 in Nova Luxembourg not far from the palace, is precisely that individual. A friend of the dearly departed Emperor Godwin Keeser and a close associate of the current royal family, Juric has served as the legal councilor for the Keesers for nearly forty years, and has served as Seneschal for almost thirty. A kind and gregarious man, Juric has a reputation for being liked by all he speaks to — including the infamously stone-hearted Inquisitrix of the Holy Tribunal — and is well regarded by all five of the great houses.

But despite his friendly reputation, the High Seneschal is anything but a pushover. His thirty years of service have seen the absolute rule of the royal family set even further into stone, and his legal expertise has led to the Empire ensuring its dealings with Zavodskoi Interstellar are favorable to both parties rather than tipped in the megacorporation’s favor. But Juric is an old man — older than his dear friend, Emperor Boleslaw Keeser, by almost a decade — and many believe the High Seneschal will soon retire, living out the rest of his days content that he served faithfully and firmly – content in the knowledge he left the Empire in a better place than it was thirty years ago.
</div></div>

<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed">
'''Director of His Majesty's Imperial Intelligence Directorate: Alojzia Molnarova'''
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
Power is all too often a fickle, fleeting thing that tempts many and is granted to very few. While House Keeser commands the respect of many in the Empire, from Primary to Ma’zal, there are always those that will seek to rise above their station through ungentlemanly means and subterfuge. The Imperial Intelligence Directorate has long served as a bulwark against such ungoddessly individuals, and its Director is often regarded as one of the most important individuals in the Imperial Cabinet as a result. Since the ascension of Emperor Boleslaw Keeser I in 2437, the position of Director has been held by Baronet Alojzia Molnarova, the only commoner to hold a position in the Imperial Cabinet and a close personal friend of the Emperor himself.

Born in 2408 to a family of commoners awarded a Baronet during the War of Moroz, little is known of Alojzia’s personal life beyond her current duties. Few photographs exist of the camera-shy Director, and rumors regarding her past — and that of the Molnarov family — abound. Some rumors go as far as to suggest that the Molnarovs are of Fisanduhian descent, or that Alojzia is not a member of the Moroz Holy Tribunal herself. Such rumors have never been formally acknowledged by the Director or her Directorate, but many that promote them publicly are shortly thereafter revealed to be shell infilitators hellbent on destroying the Empire and all that it stands for. They are, of course, promptly executed after their discovery.

As Director, Molnarova has seen that the Directorate has been constantly improved and modernized in order to keep pace with the growing regional threats the Empire faces — Elyra and the Coalition — while ensuring that it is never vulnerable to internal enemies. No price is too great to pay in order to ensure the Empire’s stability, and the Directorate has been accused by many that flee the Empire of employing draconian methods — often alongside the Imperial Army — to crush dissent in the Imperial Frontier. But these rumors are difficult to substantiate, as the Directorate — and its enigmatic Director — are consistently tight-lipped. When her close friend and Emperor dies, none are sure what will become of Director Molnarova. None aside from the Director herself.
</div></div>

<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed">
'''Theodora Gottlieb, High Inquisitrix of the Holy Tribunal'''
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
While the High Seneschal and Director concern themselves with the laws and behaviors of humanity, the Holy Tribunal concerns itself with those that break higher, greater principles: the Edicts laid out by the Goddess to Her faithful to follow and obey. The ultimate adjudicator of Her Edicts is none other than the Tribunal’s High Inquisitrix: a woman born with the rare gift to hear and interpret Her words who had been forged into a leader through the crucible of the Holy Tribunal. The High Inquisitrix possesses unquestioned authority over matters of religious law — only the Immaculate Hand, the leader of the Holy Tribunal, or the Emperor himself may overturn one of her decisions.

Born in 2431 to a noble family of little renown outside of Nova Luxembourg, Theodora’s path to High Inquisitrix was not clear to her or her family until she revealed herself able to commune with the Goddess and interpret Her words shortly before her eighth birthday. The following twelve years were spent training in the Holy Tribunal in order to ascend to the position of Inquisitrix — one of the Tribunal’s religious officials responsible for carrying out the Goddess’ will by returning edict breakers from abroad — at the age of twenty. As an inquisitrix Gottlieb was responsible for many things, though her primary duty quickly became apparent: tracking down edict breakers and ensuring they were returned to the Empire alive, to face Her justice. Following a decade of service she was recommended for the position of High Inquisitrix, which she accepted in 2461.

In her three years as High Inqusitrix, Gottlieb has spent much of her time interpreting Her words for the Emperor in addition to her typical duties as High Inquisitrix. High-profile trials and public events — often alongside the Immaculate Hand, her immediate supervisor and one of two individuals Gottlieb must answer to alongside the Emperor — are commonplace, and something the High Inquisitrix excels at. But a part of Gottlieb wishes to return to what she was trained to do: tracking down edict breakers and bringing them to face the Goddess’ justice, no matter where they attempt to hide themselves. But for now her duty is clear: to remain in her lofty position as long as She wills it, and to carry out Her work with all the High Inquisitrix does.
</div></div>

<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed">
'''Agnes Caladius, Immaculate Hand of Our Lady the Goddess'''
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
The Empire’s state is not complete without the Holy Tribunal, which interprets Her will and applies it to the imperfect world of humanity. In the Tribunal there is no authority holier — or higher — than that of its leader, the Immaculate Hand of Our Lady the Goddess. Elected for life by a convocation of priests and priestesses, the Immaculate Hand is regarded as the highest authority on religious matters in the Empire due to their mastery of scripture. Though primarily intended as a religious advisor on the council, the Immaculate Hand’s religious authority arguably makes her the second most powerful person in the Empire after the Emperor himself.

Born in 2386 to a family long involved in House Caladius, Agnes’ path to the position of Immaculate Hand was anything but clear due to her inability to receive the gift of communion from birth. Though no fault of her own, her lack of this gift prevented the young theologian from joining the ranks of the Inquisitrix as she originally desired, and Agnes instead committed herself to the study of the Goddess and Her words. The young woman proved herself to be a dedicated — if conservative — theologian and a gifted orator, and quickly rose through the ranks of the Tribunal. In 2432, following the death of her predecessor, Agnes was elected Immaculate Hand, the supreme religious authority of the Holy Tribunal.

In her three decades as Immaculate Hand, Agnes has charted a steady course through a quickly-changing Spur. Her reign has seen the addition of the Tenth Edict, codifying the Tribunal’s opinion on augmentations, and generally good relations between the Emperor and both major schools of Tribunalist thought. Additionally she has formally consecrated the largest Tribunalist cathedral abroad, which is located in Mendell City and serves many Dominians employed by Zavodskoi and has worked with the High Inquisitrix to ensure no edict breaker escapes Her justice. But despite her successes the Immaculate Hand grows older each day, and is known to have a poor relationship with the crown princess. What the future holds for her, only the Goddess knows.
</div></div>

===Great Houses===

A moniker for the five most prominent Houses in the Empire, these families are the most powerful political and economic influencers in the Empire. They currently consist of:

* House Volvalaad - House Colors: Blue, Black - A Human-dominated house. This house's wealth is in genetics and biological research. Of all the Great Houses, it is the biggest supporter of integration into the wider galactic community.
* House Caladius - House Colors: Purple Shades - A Human-dominated house. This house's power lies in its money lending and banking, alongside its many land holdings for which it receives a breathtaking sum in rent money. They also control a large amount of the Moroz Holy Tribunal.
* House Zhao - House Colors: White, Gray - A Human-dominated house. The power of this great house sits in engineering and its numerous naval contacts. It dominates the navy of the Empire of Dominia, with other houses constituting minor portions of the fleets.
* House Strelitz - House Colors: Gold and Red - A venerable Human house. Largely a military and martial power, it provides most of the Imperial Army’s officers and equipment. It is also the origin of Dominian honor as it is known today.
* House Kazhkz - House Colors: Orange, Red, Yellow - A Unathi-dominated house. Most of their wealth comes from its budding privateering enterprise. Of all the Great Houses, House Kazhkz is the most against integration into the wider galactic community. It has an internal faction, the Han’sans, who often enjoy their work bolstering the army’s ranks.

===The Imperial Electors===

The five great houses form the only voting group in the Empire of Dominia, the Imperial Council of Electors. These five individuals, leaders of their respective houses, are expected to meet with the Emperor - or Empress - to discuss and pass legislation impacting the entire Empire. Debates amongst the electors can become extremely heated and can be roughly divided along reformist and conservative lines. The reformists - those that seek a more liberal and widely integrated Empire - are led by the Volvalaads with support from House Caladius’ pro-trade faction. The conservatives - those that believe the Empire is fine as it stands and does not need further integration - are headed by the Kazhkz with support from much of House Caladius’ clergy. Houses Zhao and Strelitz, being more militarily-minded, tend to flip-flop on issues depending on Imperial security interests. The Emperor rarely steps into debates himself but, when he does, he is often able to easily shift the argument in his favor.

<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed">
===The Peerage, Noble Orders, and Titles===
The Imperial nobility is defined and sorted in prominence by their peerages alongside a complex mixture of noble orders and titles, many of which can trace their origins back to the era before the modern Empire. The Empire’s nobility is well-respected in its core worlds and is regarded as the peak of polite Dominian society. Below is a list of some common titles found in the Empire of Dominia, ordered from highest to lowest in the Empire’s peerage. This should be used as a general guide for the Empire’s nobility.
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
'''Royal Titles (Unplayable):'''
* Emperor/Empress: The unquestioned ruler of the Empire of Dominia. This title can also refer to the spouse of an Emperor or Emperess.
* Crown Prince/Princess: The heir apparent to the throne of the Empire of Dominia, next in line for the Imperial succession. The current heir apparent is Crown Princess Priscilla Keeser.
* Prince/Princess: Children of the current Emperor that are not the heir apparent.

'''Lord Noble Titles (Unplayable):'''
* Grand Duke/Duchess: The leaders of the Empire’s great houses.
* Grand Consul: The leader of House Caladius. Unlike a Grand Duke, this position is elected by members of its own great house.
* Governor: The rule of an Imperial March, one of the Empire’s core worlds. Governorship is not inherited and is instead granted by the Emperor.
* Marquess/Marchioness: The ruler of one of the systems on the border between the Imperial Core and Imperial Frontier, such as Novi Jadran. Appointed by the Emperor.
* Viceroy: Ruler of an Imperial Viceroyalty, a colony in the Imperial Frontier. Viceroys are appointed by the Emperor rather than inheriting their title.
* Duke/Duchess: The immediate subordinates of a governor or viceroy that are responsible for managing regions of a planet. This title is bestowed by a Governor and is not hereditary.

'''House Noble Titles (Playable):'''
* Count/Countess: The hereditary ruler of an Imperial province and subordinate to a Duke. Counts can also be the administrators of Imperial military bases, though these Counts are not hereditary. Military Counts retain their title, but not their county, after their posting.
* Viscount/Viscountess: The ruler of a subdivision of an Imperial province, subordinates of the province’s Count. A hereditary position.

'''Minor Nobles (Playable):'''
* Baron/Baroness: The hereditary ruler of a barony, a small plot of land that has been declared the domain of a family in exchange for their loyalty to the Emperor. Typically answer to a Count or Duke.
* Lord/Lady: A generic title used to refer to a landless noble lacking other honorifics, such as the children of a noble.

'''Secondary Titles (Playable):'''
* Baronet: A gender-neutral, landless hereditary title granted by the Emperor or a Governor to a notable commoner family, granting them the status of Primary in the Empire. Often the first step to becoming fully ennobled.
* Imperial Knight: A title granted to members of an Imperial Order of the Empire, such as the Order of the Golden Albatross. Used by both Secondaries and Primaries.
</div></div>

==History==

===Initial Colonization===

The original settlers of the planet of Moroz arrived and founded the city of Nova Luxembourg in July of 2137 within the Mira Sancta System, so named after a belief that the planet would be a bountiful new frontier for humanity. The settlers had been primarily recruited from Europe and East Asia, promised a fertile new home in the deep frontier of human space as many were during this era of colonization. However, these settlers were going farther than any human colonists had gone before. The three colony ships were equipped with a new generation of warp engines that made the trip only take three years and they had been told by their sponsors that terraforming efforts had transformed three barren worlds into utopian paradises to surpass Earth itself.

But as the settlers stepped out onto their new home, they found the planet almost entirely frozen. What terraforming equipment had been there had been abandoned for years— the failing states of Earth had effectively sent tens of thousands of people off without making sure they had a home to arrive to. Their mission was not an official United Nations-sanctioned effort, but a disjointed effort between scattered, failing states. Only three years after they landed the United Nations had even ceased to exist - transformed into the Sol Alliance. In the transition red tape and chaotic bureaucracy consumed everything and old data was lost or neglected, including records of the Morozi colonial effort. And with the colonists' warp-based transponder signals broadcasting on phased out frequencies that no longer existed within Sol, Moroz was cut off with no hope of resupply or escape. With no other option, they brought their colony ship to touch down on the planet's surface.

The initial colonists of Dominia arrived in three separate areas, as per the original flight plans of their colony ships. Landing Site Fisanduh was located in "temperate" plains to be utilized for farming that was surrounded by mineral-rich mountain ranges, intended to become the industrial base of the colony— unfortunately for the colonists, the landing zone and its surrounding area were discovered to be quite cold. Landing Site Ofassel was located in the most "fertile" area of Moroz, a relatively temperate region of the planet. Intended to be the "breadbasket" of the planet, the colonists of this landing site viewed themselves as blessed with good fortune compared to their fellows. Landing Site Telminia was located near flat, fertile plains intended to serve as the primary launch point for shuttles coming on and off of the planet. Exacerbating the issues of the colonists upon landing was the failure of their local warp-based transponders, meaning that the three landing sites developed isolated of one another for some time.
The Forgotten Colony

After landing, all three colony ships were unable to relaunch due to a lack of fuel. In this harsh environment, the colonists quickly learned how to adapt and overcome through a variety of means. Some overcame through unity, while others tried more radical methods.

At Landing Site Fisanduh, the name of the mountainous region in which they had settled, the colonists managed to quickly adapt to their harsh circumstances. They unloaded crate after crate of heavy equipment originally intended for mining and industrial work, managing to establish the respectable city of Neubach in the foothills of the Fisanduh Mountains. The colonists of Fisanduh opted to unify as a whole to conquer their harsh environment and managed to avoid the radical measures undertaken by other landing sites due to the strength of their unity. As the area around Landing Site Fisanduh expanded, and it became clear that the original colonial staff would no longer be able to manage it all, the Confederated States of Fisanduh were formed. To the members of the Confederacy, there was no such thing as a Primary, Secondary, or Tertiary - there were simply Confederates. To the members of other states, however, the population of the Confederated States is primarily Secondaries, due to the lack of a colonial rationing program or nobility.

At Landing Site Ofassel the colonists were more religious than their fellows, being primarily recruited from Eastern Orthodox populations. When faced with the hardship they relied on their faiths to guide them through the harsh initial years of the colonial process, and the clergy quickly became a wealthier and better-fed class than their contemporaries. The religious class of Ofassel was taller, stronger, and more educated than their fellows that worked in the agricultural industry and quickly began co-opting control of the landing site from the small staff of colonial administrators sent along with the ship. It was not until an administrator, a senior official named Valentia Caladius, proposed an alliance with the clergy that the settlement truly began to prosper. The start of the Holy Kingdom of Domelkos grew out of this political alliance, as did House Caladius. The importance of the religious leaders to the Holy Kingdom led to a great amount of emphasis being placed on them, with many referring to them as the "first and most important citizens" of the Holy Kingdom. Over time, this would simply be shortened to "Primaries."

At Landing Site Telminia, two families rapidly came to prominence: the Zhao family, a group of engineers involved in ensuring that the engines that powered their capital of Nova Luxembourg kept running, and the Volvalaad family, a group of scientists responsible for the genetic engineering of crops and livestock to prevent the starvation of the colony. The two families would eventually rapidly expand their capabilities and power, with the Zhaos becoming prominent engineers and the Volvalaads moving into human genetic manipulation. They would also, through a combination of their power and manipulation of the colonial bureaucracy, turn the landing site into a monarchy controlled by the two families - now referred to as House Zhao and House Volvalaad. Eventually, they would refer to themselves as the Imperial Alliance of Zhao and Volvalaad. Or, more simply, the Imperial Alliance of Telminia. The engineers of House Zhao were lucky to create a working long-range radio system shortly after landing, which put them into contact with the fledgling Holy Kingdom of Domelkos. The religion of the Holy Kingdom spread to the Imperial Alliance as the two groups grew closely together due to their similar systems of government and similar state of quasi-castes. The nobility of the Imperial Alliance was, like their contemporaries in House Caladius and the Holy Kingdom's clergy, generally taller and stronger than their commoner counterparts due to a better diet. The caste system of the Imperial Alliance was further reinforced by a primitive version of the later blood debt, in which those living under the control of a noble paid them in service or goods to reside on it.

By 2300 these three groups had grown significantly from their original sizes. The Confederated States had expanded to become a major industrial powerhouse in the Fisanduh Mountains and area around them, but remained behind their mountain ranges aside from the occasional expedition due to the hostile attitude of the Holy Kingdom, occupying western areas surrounding the mountain range— and Imperial Alliance— occupying the eastern regions surrounding the mountain range. Due to the differences between the Confederacy and the Holy Kingdom-Imperial Alliance coalition, conflict was inevitable at some point. It would come in 2355 when the Imperial Alliance and the Holy Kingdom gave the Confederated States an ultimatum: bend the knee and come into the fold as a unified Moroz, or resist and be annihilated. The democratic Confederated States opted to resist, and the bloodiest war in the planet’s history began.

===The War of Moroz===

Lasting almost a full century, the "Holy Crusade to Unite Moroz" as it is called in the Empire of Dominia (the Confederacy refers to it as the "War for Liberty") economically and militarily devastated the planet. While the war began with victories for the Coalition outside of the Fisanduh Mountains, it rapidly became a stalemate when the mountain range was reached by Coalition forces. The Confederacy was on its home terrain, had fortified the passes through the mountains heavily, and was not willing to give territory up to what its citizens viewed as bloodthirsty imperialist invaders. The full might of the Confederated State's industrial economy was brought to bear to produce the materials needed to defend its harsh mountainous environments, with factories producing everything from winterized uniforms to artillery shells, while the Coalition turned its biological prowess towards beating their way through the mountains. The foundation of the modern geneboosted Primaries, often-titanic examples of humanity stretching upwards of seven feet into the air, originated from this effort to produce more effective soldiers.

While the Coalition tried their best to break through, they could not. Shell after shell of artillery rained down from the Fisanduh Mountains as the war continued, turning the foothills where assaults would originate from into blasted moonscapes where the very ground became poisoned from residual gunpowder and unexploded munitions. There were breaks in the warring, but they were only temporary ceasefires - simply interludes in what the Coalition viewed as a holy war and what the Confederated States viewed as a war for their very existence. One side would not stop until their conquest was over, and the other side intended to fight until the bitter end. The Confederated States were diverting more and more of their economy towards the war as the years turned to decades, and were approaching a kind of white peace as the Coalition became more and more worn down by reports of losses for what they saw as very little gain. Then, in 2384, after decades of war, the balance of power shifted dramatically.

===The Collapse of Fisanduh===

In late 2384 the Imperial Alliance and the Holy Kingdom, worn down by nearly forty years of continuous fighting, made a desperate move. House Zhao was confident in its ability to launch a functional spaceship fleet after decades of research alongside House Volvalaad with the aim of flanking the Fisanduhian lines and deploying elite geneboosted commandos of House Strelitz to destroy the Fisanduhians from the inside. A Captain from the Holy Kingdom, Stanislav Olkhovsky, was chosen for his exceptional faith in the Morozian Holy Tribunal - the colonial religion of the Alliance and Kingdom, descended from Eastern Orthodoxy. As Captain Olkhovsky and his crew launched, they were firm in their faith that they would aid them. As the ships took off with their troop compartments full of crack Strelitz troops, all aboard prayed that this would be the end of the bloody war. In the Imperial Palace, the Emperor himself is said to have prayed for the success of the mission.

The Confederated States, for their part, prepared for the assault with what knowledge they had of it. However, this did not prepare them for an orbital assault by the commando units on all their major cities, including their capital of Neubach. The government of the Confederated States never signed surrender terms to the war, instead opting to enact "Plan SCRAM" and send its government and military into an insurgency. The last Prime Minister of the Confederated States, Helga Kesselring, shot herself while draped in the standard of the States rather than be taken prisoner. No fully intact copy of Plan SCRAM has ever been recovered from Moroz due to the Confederated States' efforts to destroy sensitive documents in the final hours of its existence as an official government - the only recovered parts of it are a two-page section: a title page reading "PLAN SCRAM" and a second page reading "DESTROY ALL INFORMATION PAST THIS PAGE AFTER READING."

This spirit of defiance continues up until the present day. The Imperial forces that came to occupy the former Confederated States after this rapid assault reported no resistance whatsoever, but constant signs that the citizens of the region were preparing to stand against them. The army of the States had simply vanished, its factories had disappeared, and its citizenry had ripped up road signs across the territory. The second phase of the so-called "Fisanduhian Imperial Conquest" was more cultural than military. With the reunification finally completed at long last, the Imperial Alliance and the Holy Kingdom joined hands with the formation of the Empire of Dominia and the coronation of Godwin Keeser, the ruler of the Imperial Alliance, as the first Emperor of Dominia. The years that followed his coronation on the 29th of June, 2385, would be a time of great change for Moroz.

===The Reign of Emperor Godwin Keeser I===

The first true Emperor of Dominia, Godwin reigned from 2385 until his death from old age in 2437. During his roughly five decades of rule the newly-formed Empire of Dominia would go from a minor power to a true Empire, though his path would not be free of issues. Even as the Empire, under the watchful eye of its Emperor, expanded to multiple worlds and became masters of generic research it had problems in its home. The reign of Emperor Godwin Keeser I and its rapid expansion saw the creation of a new social class in the Empire: the Ma’zals. These humans make up a broad swath of Imperial society and are defined within the Empire as non-Morozian subjects of the Empire of Dominia. Controlling Ma’zals has been a longstanding problem for the immense colonial bureaucracy of the Empire of Dominia, and issues continue to this very day. Along with issues in the Imperial colonies, not all was well in the Imperial Occupied Territory of Fisanduh.

===The Imperial Occupation of Fisanduh===

In the meantime, settlers of the Fisanduh region from the greater Empire became extremely rare, due to massive hostility from the native population. Settlers often reported having bricks thrown through their windows, effigies of Keeser burnt on their properties, were typically declined employment in Fisanduh-run businesses and saw extremely low rates of attendance at Tribunal festivities and churches. The Fisanduh town of Vasychevo is well-known for having a church attendance of zero non-Imperial citizens until its church was shuttered fifteen years after its establishment. The initial Imperial bureaucrats and clergy sent to Fisanduh often returned demoralized and infuriated (and often complained that citizens of the former Confederated States would refuse to give them the time of day). Most pettily, a Tribunalist priest once claimed that a Fisanduh supply truck had opted to move fifty Kilometers under the speed limit in a no-passing zone, causing him to be two hours late to a sermon. This was not an isolated incident, as Fisanduh was full of these signs of defiance - some large and noble, some small and petty.

The first serious attempt by the young Empire to bring Fisanduh to heel was the creation of an organization officially known as His Majesty’s Imperial Fisanduhian Gendarmerie (simply referred to as IFG by most Fisanduhians), police led by Imperial officers but staffed by Fisanduhians armed and supplied by the Empire. An effort by the Empire to integrate the Fisanduhians into the imperial system and to make good on their status as 'Morozians,' by traditional Dominian definitions of the word, however, the IFG fell flat on its face almost immediately. This was primarily attributed to the hatred of the Empire held by Fisanduhians, a successful smear campaign that (rightfully) portrayed the IFG as puppets of the Emperor, and intensive 3F infiltration of the Gendarmerie. The IFG served only to arm and equip the 3F and while it remains active on paper, it is primarily staffed by Imperial subjects and is regarded as a dumping ground for ineffective officers that must be placed in a location where they can do as little damage as possible to the Empire’s reputation.

In yet another attempt to bring their new province under control, the Empire escalated by sending firebrands to Fisanduh. These firebrands found very little success at best, and death at worst. The situation in Fisanduh continued to escalate as the 2430s, then the 2440s, dragged on and a new Emperor was crowned. The Empire had a poor foothold at best, and there were rumors that the Fisanduh resistance (now, by this point, violent) reached further than the Empire knew. When Emperor Keeser attempted to formally enforce control in 2440 via an order to convert to the Holy Tribunal at the sword enforced by the Imperial Army, fears about the capabilities of the Fisanduh resistance would be found to have underestimated the resistance.

===The Fisanduh Freedom Front===

Active from 2386 to the present day as part of Plan SCRAM, the FFF (or 3F to some), the Fisanduh Freedom Front entered into a period of mustering for several years following the defeat of the Confederated States in open battle, gradually building up their strength. The Freedom Front is rumored to have been active formally since the day the Confederated States fell, they reemerged dramatically in 2386. While the order formally came into effect on November 15, 2386, its enforcement was intended to take place starting on the twentieth of the same month to allow the Imperials a chance to celebrate Navy Day. On November 18th two Imperial Navy light cruisers— the Arbiter and Outrider— detonated violently in their drydocks in New Luxembourg. The Arbiter remained in its elevated drydock moorings, but the Outrider managed to slip out of its dry-dock after the first blast. Observers first reported the Outrider starting to slide out, then a massive explosion (later revealed to be its power magazine) split the ship in two, with one half remaining attached to the dry-dock, while the other fell out of its moorings and into the naval armament plant beneath the dock, causing massive damage to the facility. The exact number of dead has never been revealed by the Empire of Dominia, though the cruisers were written off as unable to be salvaged. Shortly after the detonation, an organization known as the Fisanduh Freedom Front claimed responsibility for the attacks, with a man identified as "Svetovid" standing in front of the Confederated State's flag claiming that more attacks would come if the Empire continued its efforts to subjugate Fisanduh. The Emperor, not wanting to lose face to what he saw as dishonorable terrorists, continued his efforts to subjugate Fisanduh.

More attacks came. None were on the scale of the Navy Day attack, but they were a constant threat to the Empire in Fisanduh. Nail bombs arrived at important officials in Fisanduh, Tribunal temples were firebombed, buildings of the Imperial bureaucracy were detonated— some through car bombings, others through tunnels being physically dug beneath them. It became apparent that 3F was, despite Imperial efforts to pacify the province earlier, essentially the shadow government of the entire province. Many of 3F's fighters were veterans of the War of Moroz, and were still able to stand and fight despite their age. The "shadow state" supporting them was able to withstand the Imperial Army's efforts to root it out, proving to be extremely flexible and resilient. Losses on the part of the Imperial Army began to mount, and maimed soldiers marching back from Fisanduh became a common sight in the border provinces. The insurgency has continued since 2440 without signs of stopping, though it has waxed and waned. Through the propaganda machine of the Empire, the greater body of Imperial citizenry began to hate 3F and the democratic movement it stood for. Through their brutal actions, the greater Empire became hated by Fisanduh. The intensity of the insurgency, and of the Imperial counter-campaign has wound down in the past seven years - Emperor Keeser has mostly withdrawn from Fisanduh, while 3F has decreased its activities outside of Fisanduh as the occupation has retreated. Fisanduh was left with de facto independence despite being, de jure, a territory of the greater Empire. As a result, vessels flying the flag of Fisanduh are legitimately recognized in most areas outside Dominian space, though the Fisanduh Freedom Front maintains no official ships. Present-day Fisanduh is an area that is, in many places, devastated by war. It remains an area of the Empire that most Imperials do not go to and a source of conflict in the Imperial government. Should they attack Fisanduh again, or should they expand outwards?

===The Reign of Emperor Keeser I===

[[File:emp_dominia.png|thumb|Imperial portrait of Emperor Boleslaw Keeser (artwork created by Sleepywolf)]]
Skillful work by Emperor Keeser has helped mend the seemingly insurmountable gap between the foreign Ma’zals and native Morozi population, supposedly united in a new loyalty under the Emperor and Tribunal. With his consolidated power, Emperor Keeser has embarked upon numerous reforms and projects to improve the Empire. These range from research and infrastructure projects, military and naval expansions, to social and educational organization. In 2407, the Imperial Railroad was completed, linking all of the major cities of Moroz together. Since its start in 2412, the Imperial Canal project to link the major inland seas has made steady progress.

One major event in the reign of Emperor Boleslaw Keeser I was the introduction of Unathi to the Empire of Dominia. In the winter of 2440 a fleet of Unathi pirates arrived in the home system of the Empire. Though initially feared to be pirates, and the first true test of the Navy, a different outcome emerged: the pirates, led by Salak Kazhkz, instead pledged their sword to the Emperor and swore fealty. In return for their loyalty, and (perhaps more importantly) their vessels, the Unathi were granted the grand House Han’san-Kazhkz. However, due to the recent naval primacy of the Kazhkz and the defeat of the Han'sans, they are typically referred to as simply House Kazhkz.

A timeline of events in his reign follows:

In '''2440''' he opted to attempt to enforce Imperial control over the province of Fisanduh.

In '''2445''' the Coalition of Colonies officially forms the “Coalition Against Dominian Piracy”; an additional pact between its members that would target Dominia financially and diplomatically after Boleslaw announced it would enter into a defensive pact with neighboring pirate fleets.

In '''2451''' Necropolis Industries officially announced its partnership with Dominia would start in June of 2451, though some independent observers noted that facilities resembling Necropolis ones had existed on the planet since early 2440.

In '''2452''' the Emperor once again entered talks with NanoTrasen at the behest of House Volvalaad, ultimately resulting in the corporation and Imperial government reaching an agreement regarding trading and piracy. The opening of Dominia to the greater market of NanoTrasen has allowed for the Imperial Navy to rapidly expand its capabilities in the past decade, though the fully assembled Coalition of Colonies Deep-Space Fleet still outclasses it handily according to recently released figures.

In '''2455''' Emperor Keeser began a gradual withdraw from Fisanduh, having seen defeat in its mountainous territories. The province reverts to the droll Imperial title of "semi-autonomous region." He instead opts to expand the Empire's borders in the void of space (in order to save face, according to some critics), and begins a campaign of conquest and colonization.

In '''2462''' the Emperor continues to reign over Dominia, though he steadily grows older day by day. With the Empire suffering internal issues, and threats abroad, only the Goddess will know what will become of it when he passes...

==Dominian Society==

===Primaries===

The Primaries are the noble and liturgical classes of the Dominian Empire's humans, though the noble class of Dominia often sees Secondaries adopted into it. Due to centuries of eating better than their commoner and lay counterparts, Primaries are physically larger and more imposing than their Secondary cousins. Secondaries that are elevated to nobility, though still primaries, tend to be slightly shorter than older families. Dominians (or Morozians, if you are from the former Confederated States) of this social class are not typically found in Fisanduh due to its lack of nobility and can reach heights of six feet in both genders.

Unathi also fall into the category of "Primaries." They are usually descendants of the Unathi raiders who bent the knee to the Empire or recent immigrants from the Hegemony. New Unathi immigrants, however, are often considered “glorified secondaries” due to needing to prove themselves to become full members of a House.

'''Average Male Height:''' 5'6" - 6'5". The older a noble lineage, the taller they will be on average.

'''Average Female Height:''' 5'4" - 6'3". The older a noble lineage, the taller they will be on average.

===Secondaries===

Secondaries are the commoners and laypeople of Moroz, those on the planet lacking noble titles or liturgical positions. Exceptional Secondaries are often ennobled, becoming Primaries. They make up the bulk of Moroz's population but are the second-most populous group overall in the Empire after Ma'zals. Secondaries from outside Fisanduh tend to be smaller and thinner than their counterparts in Fisanduh, and Secondaries as a whole tend to be smaller than Primaries (though there are exceptions). Secondaries represent a more diverse social class than the Primaries do, but are a part of the same ethnic group as the Primaries. The key difference between the two classes is the presence of a noble title. In the Empire proper, Secondaries form the core of the Moroz Holy Tribunal and Imperial society as a whole. Within the former Confederated States, Secondaries are instead referred to as "Morozians."

Unathi that come from outside of Dominia that are turned away from House Kazhkz or even stop attempting to join a house often become secondaries. As such, a good chunk of the Unathite population are secondaries.

'''Average Male Height:''' 5'6" - 5'9" (add three to four inches if from Fisanduh)

'''Average Female Height:''' 5'1" - 5'4" (add three to four inches if from Fisanduh)

===Ma'zals===

A blanket term used to refer to those citizens— or subjects— of the Empire that are not from Moroz, Ma'zals represent the Empire's underclass. They are an extremely diverse group that tends to be generally rebellious, and resistant to Imperial control. Those that do opt to side with the Empire have either been integrated into the Empire's colonial system or are turncoats. Ma'zals also form a large population in the Coalition of Colonies, as they often flee from the Empire through whatever means are available. They are also often conscripted into the Imperial Army or Imperial Navy and can be found throughout the Empire - with some rising far enough in the army or navy to become ennobled by House Strelitz or Zhao.

Ma’zals, while diverse, can be divided into three distinct groups that the Empire of Dominia keeps track of. The largest of these groups are the '''“regular” Ma’zals''' of the Empire that have yet to fully accept Imperial rule. These Ma’zals are generally found on recently conquered planets and tend to be the most resistant to Imperial control, with violent resistance not being uncommon. No matter how much the Empire tries there are always those that continue to resist even after most have accepted their status as Imperial subjects, and House Strelitz often becomes involved in counter-insurgency warfare on Imperial colonies. However, in due time, these Ma’zals will eventually bend the knee to Imperial rule; in part due to the next, and smallest, category of Ma’zal.

The so-called '''"Elevated Ma’zal,”''' is an unusual and often misunderstood figure both inside and outside of the Empire of Dominia. Originally an “invention,” of House Caladius, the men and women that make up this category of Ma’zals are trained to serve as bureaucrats in the massive bureaucracy of the Empire of Dominia. This has quite a few advantages as the Elevated Ma’zals know the planet, understand the local language and customs and can be utilized as a friendly face for the Empire’s control of the planet. Sometimes referred to as the “nobility of the Imperial frontier,” Elevated Ma’zals will often— with blessings from House Caladius of course— form their own noble houses and orders, assuming they are not integrated into House Caladius. These frontier houses are generally always affiliated with House Caladius, and have proven to be a valuable ally of their merchants.

The final category of Ma’zals are those that have accepted Imperial rule and now live as full citizens of the Empire. The '''“Integrated Ma’zals,”''' of the Empire make up a smaller portion of the total Ma’zal population than their non-integrated counterparts but possess a greater amount of economic power than their rebellious counterparts and are, though not fully Morozian, considered to be loyal subjects of the Emperor and Goddess alike. The loyalty of some Integrated Ma’zals is so great that many are often awarded the prestigious title of Honourary Morozian, also referred to as “Morozian beyond the void,” in some areas, which represents that they have demonstrated a very high level of commitment to the Empire. Such an award is accompanied by immediate ennobling with the great house that recommended the award be bestowed.

===Geneboosting===

A technique dating back centuries, geneboosting is descended from colonial efforts to genetically engineer species adapted to the harsh Morozian climate. Geneboosting was originally used on humans by the Volvalaads at the behest of House Strelitz with the intent of improving the Imperial Army's officer corps before being adopted by House Volvalaad as a way to create a better class of nobility. Geneboosting is done during the fetal development stage. It greatly enhances the natural genetic structure of the patient, removing flaws and emphasizing strengths. '''This form of genetic modification is limited to the nobility due to the high cost and status associated with it'''. The effects lead to enhanced attributes and appearances: those geneboosted are stronger, faster, more able, and much longer-lived than their non-geneboosted counterparts. Geneboosted playable species tend to be a foot or so taller than average (upwards of seven to seven and a half feet for humans) and find it very easy to maintain peak fitness. A geneboosted person is obvious at a glance, and geneboosted humans are often held as paragons of Imperial society. Geneboosting carried out after birth, known as gene therapy, is very rare and generally dangerous in addition to being prohibitively expensive. Talks with Zeng-Hu to improve upon Dominia's pre-existing gene boosting techniques have not yielded results.

===Dominian Heads of Staff===

As a result of the Empire's fanatical outlook on certain issues such as synthetic life and edict breakers, Dominian heads of staff are fairly rare aboard Stellar Corporate Conglomerate facilities such as the SCCV Horizon. Those that do pass through the requirements needed to become a head of staff are typically considered to be liberals (or, rarely, reformists) in the Empire and typically belong to or are affiliated with a Great House, with House Volvalaad having the greatest representation abroad and House Caladius following closely behind. Nevertheless, they must still go through a great amount of orientation in order to adapt to life aboard such a cosmopolitan vessel.

Dominians that are elevated to a leadership position within the Conglomerate are regarded to be the best and brightest of the Empire by the cartel and are highly-regarded by the for their professionalism and honor despite some difficulties in working with IPCs and other forms of synthetic life. Please note that playing a Dominian head of staff is not an excuse to make a player's round miserable just because they're a synthetic.

==Languages==

The Empire is a multilingual society divided between High Morozi, a Tradeband dialect, and Vulgar Morozi, a Sol Common dialect, along with various unathi dialects, such as Sinta’Azaziba, and Freespeak. Which of these languages one speaks are generally determined by one’s class and planet of birth. Among the Primary aristocracy and natives of the Imperial Core High Morozi is often the first, and primary, language, with Tau Ceti Basic and Vulgar Morozi fluency viewed as the sign of a good upbringing and education. Primaries who do not speak Vulgar Morozi are extremely uncommon, and those who do not speak the language are generally looked upon poorly by their peers. Many Secondaries speak Vulgar Morozi as their first language, though this varies from family to family.

As one travels further from the Imperial Core, High Morozi begins to rapidly disappear as a first language and is replaced with its Vuglar counterpart, or with Freespeak. Often pejoratively known as “Gutter,” or “Rebel-Speak,” by Dominians the language is associated with the uncivilized frontier. Speaking Freespeak, even if one has knowledge of the language, is considered to be a major faux pas.

==Synth Relations==

Dominian hatred of synthetic life stems from its deep faith in the Holy Tribunal and all positronics are sought out and destroyed upon entering Dominia space. Interestingly, to observers, there seems to be a disproportionately high number of shell IPCs present in the sector compared to those beliefs. Rumors that Emperor Boleslaw Keeser declares political rivals untagged shells before black bagging them have been vehemently denied by the Empire.

Imperial citizens working abroad in human space often interact with synthetics. In foreign lands, Dominians are expected to maintain some degree of tolerance in the presence of synthetics, abomination though they may be, in order to continue being permitted to work in these environments. While robots, or synthetics without a positronic brain or similar, are not objectionable to the Tribunal, citizens who refused to work alongside AI or IPCs would soon find themselves out of work and are expected to cooperate with these entities when their occupation demands it.

{{Navbox Human Lore}}
{{Navbox Lore}}
[[Category:Pages]]
[[Category:Factions]]
[[Category:Humanity]]

Empire of Dominia

2022-12-16T12:08:10Z

MattAtlas: remove mention of tradeband being the primary language

{{Navbox Lore}}
{{Navbox Human Lore}}
{{Infobox Species
|Species = Dominian
|Scientific = H. Sapiens / Human
|Image = Dom410x320.png
|System = Mira Sancta
|World = Dominia
|Language = High Morozi (Tradeband), Vulgar Morozi (Solarian Common)
|Politic = Empire of Dominia
}}
{{toc_right}}
[[File:Dominia_Flag.png|thumb|The Imperial standard of House Keeser, intended to represent three nation-states of old Moroz that formed the basis of the Empire of Dominia.]]
<div id="EoDGeneral"></div>

The '''Empire of Dominia''', often simply referred to as “the Empire,” is a heavily religious absolute monarchy with its capital, Nova Luxembourg, on the planet of Moroz in the Mira Sancta System. This autocratic state is presently ruled by His Imperial Majesty '''Emperor Boleslaw Keeser I'''. The Empire of Dominia was proclaimed in 2385 by Emperor Godwin Keeser, the father of Boleslaw Keeser. Imperial society is dominated by the Great and Minor Houses under the Emperor and is very socioeconomically stratified due to the so-called blood debt, known as the Mor’iz’al. All citizens are born with the Mor’iz’al debt in exchange for the privileges of citizenship, a debt that takes some a lifetime or more to pay off. Imperial society is heavily divided by class and the Mor’iz’al blood debt is a very important part of Imperial society. Many in the Empire follow a strict code of honor, which originates with its great houses. The Empire is considered by many to be a threat to the free frontier. Its state religion is the Moroz Holy Tribunal which lays a heavy hand upon the Imperial government, with their edicts enforceable as law and those that violate its edicts being referred to as “edict breakers,” a class of unpersons actively hunted down by the government. Perhaps the most famous export of the Empire is the gene-boosting techniques it has carefully developed over centuries, though they lag behind the Skrell. It remains highly imperialistic and somewhat isolated but has recently made strides to enter further into the galactic stage. “In the Goddess’s Name, So Shall It Be Done” is commonly regarded as the unofficial motto of the Empire, due to the association of the phrase with the Tribunal.

==Population and Planets==

The total population of the Empire roughly fifteen billion based on the 2459 Imperial Census, though this has grown in the intervening years. Citizens from the Imperial Core tend to be extremely devout in their belief in the Tribunal due to their proximity to the heart of the Tribunal's power. As one travels outwards from the Imperial Core loyalty to both Emperor and Goddess slowly fades, and the presence of the Imperial Army increases in response.

Citizens of the Outer Empire or "Imperial Frontier" tend to lack loyalty to both the throne and the Tribunal, largely due to being conquered by force rather than colonized by Morozians as the Dominian core worlds were. Many subjects are new to the Empire in these regions and are unwilling to bend the knee, leading to a great number of military units being stationed here. Imperial frontier subjects have a reputation for being uncivilized in the Inner Empire. They tend to be unwilling to convert, with these regions seeing higher amounts of edict-based executions.
[[Image:Minimap dominia.png|thumb|A closer image focusing on the factions surrounding the Empire's territory.]]

====[[Moroz]]====
The capital planet the Empire with roughly six billion residents. The planet is largely dominated by its large polar circles which encompass around 70% of the planet’s surface. Moroz is by far the wealthiest settlement in the Empire and owes much of its wealth to the extraction-based economics of Dominian imperialism, which has led to some resentment from other planets in the young Empire.

====Zhurong====

With one-point-two billion residents and plentiful mineral deposits, the Imperial Mandate of '''Zhurong''' serves as the Empire’s primary industrial hub. It has a thin but breathable atmosphere and a largely unstable crust that unfortunately causes it to suffer from frequent natural disasters such earthquakes and volcanoes. Despite the violent geology making permanent habitation dangerous, the unstable crust contains an incredibly rich source of minerals and valuable ores that form the backbone of the local economy. Much of the steel and other metals used in the Imperial economy are mined here. The planetary capital, Hongse Chengbao, literally translated Red Castle, is home to the Imperial arsenal that it takes its name from. Zhurong’s orbital station, Zhurong Orbital, is home to the majority of the Empire's offworlder humans, and the planet itself has numerous shipyards often staffed by these same offworlders. Many of the Empire’s warships are laid down and built in the orbit of Zhurong. Zhurong was one of the Empire’s first colonies, with its original settlers arriving upon the planet in 2387.

====Alterim Obrirava====

Carrying around two billion people and featuring a diverse yet Earthlike environment, the Imperial Mandate of '''Alterim Obrirava’s''' system is home to vast reserves of Helium-3 that have brought the planet – and the broader Empire – wealth beyond imagination. This Helium-3 has long served as the primary fuel source of the Empire’s warships and is zealously guarded by House Zhao, which only permits House Caladius to sell off a pittance of the total fuel mined and refined in the system – a stance that has become increasingly unpopular among the Caladius and independent business concerns as Helium-3 prices have increased dramatically due to the worsening phoron crisis. In the capital of Ilstel a bustling foreign merchant quarter sponsored by House Caladius can be found, with a diversity of goods to match the planet itself. The planet is one of the Empire’s oldest colonies, and was settled in 2392 alongside its sister planet of Alterim Balteulis. Much of the planet’s population comes from immigrants who desire a climate more pleasant than Moroz, and many noble families maintain “summer homes,” on the planet.

====Alterim Balteulis====

Often called by the equally popular name of Ignatzi Alte’uz by the resident unathi and populated by roughly a billion, the Tribunalist Mandate of '''Alterim Balteulis''' is a dry world with a mixed climate of savannas, deserts, and arid polar regions. The planet is home to many Morozian cathedrals and temples, and the religious branch of House Caladius has long maintained a great amount of influence on the planet. Its capital, Casotania, is home to the Grand Temple of the Holy Tribunal – an extravagantly expensive structure commissioned by House Caladius to demonstrate their unwavering commitment to the Goddess that attracts millions of pilgrims from across the broader Empire each year. The Grand Temple was built in a region painstakingly terraformed by House Caladius to demonstrate their dedication to the Goddess and make for a more comfortable experience for pilgrims. Some in the Empire balk at this display of wealth but the Caladius view it as a badge of pride and a demonstration of how far they will go for the Goddess. Its climate has attracted one of the largest unathi populations in the Empire, though they remain a small minority. The planet is one of the Empire’s oldest colonies, and was settled in 2392 alongside its sister planet of Alterim Obrirava.

====Sun Reach====

Recently conquered by the Imperial Army and added to the Empire in 2460, the Imperial Viceroyality of '''Sun Reach''' is one of the least populated major worlds in the Empire, with a population estimated to be around fifty million. The planet, taking its name from its largest settlement, is itself mostly covered in primitive algae with a low level of biodiversity. In its orbit, however, dwells a vast reserve of Helium-3 comparable to that of Alterim Obrirava – if not greater. For that reason, the Imperial Army and His Imperial Majesty’s Fleet have long desired the system, and intend to go to great lengths to hold it – regardless of how the local population views the broader Empire.
The Empire has other colonies throughout its small sector of the Orion Spur that typically exist to provide resources to Moroz proper, with populations ranging from just a handful of settlers to thousands of colonists.

====Novi Jadran====
A tundra planet initially colonized by inhabitants of the Adriatic coasts with a population of roughly 100 million people near the edge of the Empire's westernmost frontier. Predominantly cold and icy with short summers have kept the economy primarily rural and much of the planet underdeveloped, with most living in small cities dotted around the coast and along major waterways. Some major population centers exist, such as the capital of Nova Rijeka, that have a semblance of a modern service-based or industrial economy, though these are typically based around processing the foodstuffs the planet is well-known for. Noble authority on the edge of the Empire in Novi Jadran is quite strong, with many people viewing themselves as loyal to their local nobles first and the greater Empire second.

Novi Jadran has been under the Empire's control for roughly fifty years following its peaceful annexation, and has proved itself to be a loyal colony despite not contributing much to the Imperial treasury. Many in the Empire view it as the “model colony” of the Dominian frontier and it is visited by many functionaries on tours due to this status, with the Chief Commissioner for Colonial Affairs visiting the planet twice a year. These visits are major events for the planet’s inhabitants and bring with their best offerings for the visiting Primaries in hopes of attracting attention, and the benefits from having a Primary’s eye upon you. These gifts are usually finely crafted feasts and food, though it is not uncommon for horses and other animals to be presented.

Planetary cuisine holds true to its Adriatic roots, with many Croatian and Italian elements still present. Fish-based diets are ubiquitous among the rural people as the vast oceans make for perfect fishing conditions and much of the ground is too cold to properly till. The raising of livestock is common towards the equator of the planet, but is not as prevalent as fishing.

Despite its status as the “model colony” the planet is not without its problems. Many local nobles are negligent regarding the needs of the rural population and often refuse to carry out mandated infrastructure or electrical reforms. Many of the rural inhabitants in far-flung regions still have either no electricity, or very little. The petty nobility that oversees the various settlements and cities often protests this mismanagement, but the dukes keep them in check through vast and indulgent parties and balls. Calls for a new administration have been spreading around the planet for some months, but only time can tell if the nobility will be reigned in by the Empire or not.

==Economy==

Though Dominia accepts the Solarian Standard Credit like many other regions of the Spur, it continues to use the Imperial Pound as a local currency, which is backed in precious metals by the Imperial Bank of Moroz. The Great Houses are very powerful movers in the Imperial economy and are some of the largest employers. Defense industries, raw resource production, and agriculture are the largest sectors of the Empire's economy, with recent years' modernization efforts making the latter two increasingly lucrative. Consistent expansions of the Imperial Military’s budget have seen rapid growth in all types of equipment production and research for the army and navy, sectors dominated by houses Kazhkz, Strelitz, and Zhao.

==The Mo’ri’zal==

The Empire’s unique form of taxation is the Mo’ri’zal, or “Blood Debt” in Vulgar Morozi. The Mo’ri’zal is a lump sum every Imperial subject receives upon birth (or otherwise acquiring their citizenship) that is paid to the state over the course of their life, and is often high enough to require decades to pay off. How quickly one can pay off their Mo’ri’zal is a key marker of one’s economic class in the Empire. Most Primaries — those of the Empire’s aristocracy — have theirs paid off at birth, most Secondaries — the Imperial middle class — pay theirs by early to mid adulthood, and many Ma’zals — the colonial subjects of the Empire — must work their entire lives to pay it off.

One’s Mo’ri’zal can be paid off by others, and many noble houses of Dominia attract commoners into their employ through promises of paying off parts of their debt. The Mo’ri’zal can also be paid off in other ways: military service pays five percent of the debt per year served, and injuries received in the line of duty — particularly severe ones — can pay off large amounts of the debt. Those that fall serving the Empire have their entire debt and a part of their immediate family’s debt forgiven.

While the Mo’ri’zal is a significant sum — and criticized by some as simply a state-sponsored form of indentured servitude — it is quite popular in the Empire’s core worlds due to the benefits it provides them: their paying of the Mo’ri’zal funds healthcare, public services such as education, infrastructure, and the might of the Empire’s war machine. It is additionally often trivial for many of them to pay off their Mo’ri’zal due to the wealth of many in the Empire’s core. In the Empire’s colonies, such as Sun Reach, the Mo’ri’zal is looked upon much more poorly. Many Ma’zals were initially born as non-Imperial subjects and only received their Mo’ri’zal when the Empire conquered their planet, and few of them view the debt — which is meant to be paid off gradually from one’s birth onwards — as reasonably payable. While the debt is legally meant to not carry over to one’s descendents, should it be unpaid at one’s death, a familial history of being unable to pay Mo’ri’zals can result in a denial of privileges such as healthcare until the debt is settled -- generally through a family member joining the the Imperial military.

Compounding the issues of these recently-conquered Dominian subjects is the nature through which the Mo’ri’zal is calculated. As the Mo’ri’zal is assigned to an Imperial subject at their birth -- or at the point that they become a subject -- it is not, like other taxes, based upon one’s income. Instead it is based upon one’s perceived loyalty to the Dominian state, and the Imperial throne by extension. Primaries and many Secondaries often have small Mo’ri’zals due to generations of dedicated service to the Empire while less loyal populations -- such as Fisanduhians, Lyodii, and some Ma’zals -- tend to have larger Mo’ri’zals.

==Societal==

===Ethnic Groups===

* 76% Morozian Humans
* 23% Ma'zal Humans
* 0.75% Unathi
* 0.25% Other nonhumans

The state religion is the Moroz Holy Tribunal.

Dominians, especially members of Houses, follow a strict code of honor similar to that found in Unathi culture. For more information see: [[Dominian Culture]]

==Edict Breakers==

Breaking of an edict is punishable by death so it is not uncommon for an "Edict Breaker" to go on the run outside of Dominian space. Due to the nature of the Empire, in-depth records are kept on all subjects and once one runs, their details are reported on the local ExtraNet daily until they return/are returned. These details include name, address, picture, family details, everything. As such, any "Edict Breakers" are instantly identifiable to Dominian subjects. In Dominia space, any "Edict Breakers" are violently sought for capture. Outside of Dominian space, however, due to the nature of the fourth edict, subjects of Dominian usually do not violently attempt to apprehend these criminals but instead try to convince them in the nicest way possible to return to Dominian space under their own volition for judgment. This usually devolves into near-passive harassment where the loyal imperial subjects will remind the "Edict Breaker" over and over that they have violated the law and should return to the Empire to repent, usually in a sickly sweet manner. The effect is usually maddening for the lawbreaker and it's not uncommon for them to allow themselves to be returned to Dominia for judgment and in some extreme cases take their own lives. Edict breakers abroad in human space sometimes find themselves pursued in the legal realm for infringing on the trademarks of their House if they refuse to change their surname.

==Government==

The Empire of Dominia operates as an absolute monarchy, with a powerful central government and an expansive, all-consuming imperial bureaucracy. The Imperial Cabinet and Electors are major parts of the government.

===Imperial Cabinet===

The Imperial Cabinet is the direct will of the Emperor manifested in the hundreds of officials that work in his name and carry out his will. The ministers, judges, and bureaucrats of the Imperial Cabinet manage many parts of the Empire, as well as advising the Emperor on all major decisions. The majority of all political posts are directly controlled by Emperor Keeser. His Imperial Cabinet consists of:

</div></div>
<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed">
'''Colonel-in-Chief of His Majesty's Special Operations Group: Angelika-Lina Strelitz'''
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
The typical soldier of the Imperial Army is a well-trained, well-equipped, and well-motivated individual that is able to take and hold ground from the Empire’s typical opponents with ease. But there are some things that even these individuals cannot do, and this is when His Majesty’s Special Operations Group is deployed. The position of its leader — the Colonel-in-Chief — is considered to be an extremely prestigious duty that has been held by a member of House Strelitz since the Group’s creation following the War of Moroz.

The present Colonel-in-Chief is herself a veteran of the Group, as every member before her has been. Recently ennobled into House Strelitz shortly before her ascension, the twenty-five-year veteran of the Imperial Army prides herself on being above politics. Prior to her promotion the Colonel-in-Chief served with distinction in the non-geneboosted section of the Group — an unusual unit for the Moroz-born nobles that often serve with the Group. While her service would cost Angelika-Lina her left eye (lost to shrapnel while in Inner Fisanduh), it would give her the network — and the prestige — required for a promotion to Colonel-in-Chief in 2461.

As Colonel-in-Chief, Angelika-Lina has desperately attempted to stay uninvolved in politics while attempting to mold the Group into a perfect special operations force. While she has managed to consistently increase its budget — and, as a result, its successes — the Colonel finds herself pulled further and further into the realm of noble politicking, and often privately wishes to be back on the field. When the Emperor goes to join the Goddess, many believe that the Colonel-in-Chief, with her multitude of connections to Ma’zals she has served with and obsessiveness towards the Group, will have no choice but to formally align herself with the Crown Princess or be sacked. And to her, the thought of another in charge of the Group — her Group — is not something she can bear.
</div></div>

<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed">
'''Chief Commissioner of Economic Development: Izla Caladius'''
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
All states — including empires — are built upon their economies first and foremost. Without a strong economic base to support its wars of conquest the Empire of Dominia would doubtlessly buckle under its own weight and begin to shrink before collapsing, defeated by internal forces rather than external opposition. A position that can only truly be filled by a person addicted to their work, the CCED manages economics through the Empire: everything from taxes to tithes to trade passes across their desk, and is stamped by their hand. The position is regarded as so vital that it has been held by the Caladius since inception and has remained with one family of the house for its entire history, slowly passing from relative to relative through Imperial history.

Born in 2420 to the Montague family of House Caladius, Izla Caladius bears a resemblance to her distant predecessor: Maria Caladius, CCED from 2398 until her unexpected death in an aircraft crash in 2421. Her immediate precursor, Victoria Caladius, perished under similar circumstances in 2445, thrusting the young Izla into the position of chief commissioner alongside her aide, Josephine Caladius — herself quite similar-looking to her relative, Victoria — at the age of twenty-five as a freshly-minted doctor of economic studies. Izla scarcely has a life outside of work and is viewed as something of a reclusive night owl by the rest of the court, with very few daytime appearances ever recorded — a habit which seems to define many CCEDs, which often work atypical hours long into the night.

In her nearly twenty years as CCED Izla has led the Empire through booms and busts, but has committed it to a steady course intended to ensure the Empire can retain much of its economic and military output even in a disaster scenario where it is embargoed by the entire Spur. Despite this policy she has not shied away from broader trade relations with the rest of the Spur, and is often credited for enticing Zavodskoi to permanently relocate its headquarters to Moroz. Notably, she was a major factor behind the Empire’s decision to stick with Helium-3 refining rather than investing into phoron. With the crisis deepening this policy, criticized in the short term for being unprofitable, is paying dividend hand over fist.
</div></div>

<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed">
'''Chief Commissioner of His Majesty's Imperial Military: Eliza Volvalaad'''
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
While the various cabinet members may hold near absolute power over their respective military branches, it is the Chief Commissioner that directs much of the military’s efforts from behind the scenes. The chief commissioner is, on paper, intended to exist as the primary director of military research and development. In reality the position — which has been occupied by a Volvalaad since its creation — is used by House Volvalaad to exert influence over Houses Strelitz and Zhao. The research of the Volvalaads is used and valued by all branches of the Imperial Military, but often comes with a price attached, and the cost is typically repaid by carrying out the Volvalaad’s goals abroad.

Born in 2398 to a family long deeply involved in House Volvalaad, Dr. Eliza Volvalaad, PhD. is regarded as one of the Empire’s foremost researchers in the field of laser-based weaponry — much of the military’s laser weaponry currently in use can be traced to her and her Volvalaad-staffed laboratory in Jinxiang on Moroz. Decades of work and research, along with her connections to Houses Zhao and Strelitz, made her an ideal candidate for the position of chief commissioner, which she was appointed to in 2454 in the hope that she would be able to balance the influence of her own house, the Zhaos, and the Strelitz while ensuring the military retained its technological advantage over its neighbors.

In the ten years she has spent as chief commissioner, Dr. Volvalaad has effectively balanced the demands of the Volvalaads alongside the desires of Houses Zhao and Strelitz while ensuring the Imperial Military retained its edge over the frontier systems it must conquer for resources and prestige alike. But despite her best efforts the chief commissioner has not been able to keep pace with the Serene Republic of Elyra’s phoron-backed development sector, and some believe Doctor Volvalaad - now rapidly approaching seventy years of age — will soon retire, leaving the critically important position vacant.
</div></div>

<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed">
'''Chief Commissioner of Imperial Sovereignty: Antonio Caladius'''
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
Diplomacy — even for the Empire, which has long had sour relations with its neighbors — is key to any modern state. But despite the importance of diplomacy, the role of the Chief Commissioner of Imperial Sovereignty is somewhat limited due to the Empire’s poor reputation abroad, aside from the Republic of Biesel and Jargon Federation. Much of the CCIS’ duties instead relate to maintaining good relations with Zavodskoi Interstellar, which has quickly become one of the Empire’s major employers.

Though a member of House Caladius, Antonio has had close relations with House Volvalaad since his birth in 2412, and often collaborates with Grand Duchess-Electress Landi Volvalaad to push for the demands of both houses abroad. A lifelong liberal Dominian and advocate for a greater Dominian market abroad, Antonio’s ascension to the position of chief commissioner in 2455 was seen by many as a concession by the Emperor to Houses Volvalaad and Caladius.

But despite his high-minded goals of a more liberal, more politically involved Empire, Antonio's time as chief commissioner has been fraught with disappointment. He has been stymied by the more politically powerful Huiling Zhao and Dorothea-Frieda Strelitz, who favor strength over diplomacy when it applies to the Empire’s frontier, and his efforts to have the Coalition’s embargo formally lifted ended in failure in 2462. Many talk of replacing the often-unsuccessful diplomat, and Antonio worries the Emperor — who now rarely calls upon him — has begun to listen to these detractors.
</div></div>

<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed">
'''Chief Commissioner for Colonial Affairs: Alessandro Amadei'''
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
In a society such as the Empire of Dominia where expansion — for resources, primarily — is a key pillar of its continued ability to survive and thrive, the duty of managing its colonies is one of the most critical in it. Every colonial official found in the Imperial Frontier,from the viceroys in charge of entire planets to lowly Ma’zal bureaucrats, is the responsibility of the Chief Commissioner for Colonial Affairs, the master of the Dominian colonial empire. To be entrusted with such a critical position is to be one of the closest individuals in the Empire to the Emperor, and the current Chief Commissioner has long been a close friend of the royal family.

Born into a family of Morozian bureaucrats in 2426, the young Count Amadei spent much of his youth cavorting with his fellow nobles, including the royal family, and building connections with other Morozian nobles. Wanderlust pulled the young Count into the Imperial Flying Corps where he proved himself an effective — if egotistical — pilot and won multiple accolades for himself, returning to Moroz a decorated veteran. His decorations and connections, particularly to the royal family , led to his ascension to the position of Chief Commissioner for Colonial Affairs in 2456.

Count Amadei, the current Chief Commissioner, is a man of both charisma and controversy: an exceptionally talented administrator, longtime friend of the Emperor, and veteran of the Imperial Flying Corps, Amadei has long been an advocate for both his old Corps and the burgeoning colonial domain that the Empire finds itself ruling. But some in the high society of the Empire gripe at his posting and view him as a mere unaffiliated noble granted privileges solely due to his friendship with the Emperor, and believe they should be represented in the position instead. The Count has long had a poor relationship with House Caladius as a result, and is often known to become involved in spats with Antonio Caladius over the diplomatic repercussions of the Empire’s colonial endeavors. In almost every fight they have, the Emperor sides with Amadei – not Caladius. But as the Emperor ages the Count grows nervous, wondering what will happen to him when he is finally shorn of his greatest protector.
</div></div>

<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed">
'''Chief Minister of Unathi Affairs: Kasz Han’san'''
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
Considering the notable Unathi population now in Dominia, and most importantly the fact that the large majority of said population are primaries, the Emperor needed something, or someone, to keep them loyal and in check the moment the Han’san and Kazhkz clans became houses. This is certainly not an easy task when speaking of an alien race. From cultural differences to distinct biological characteristics such as diets or sleep cycles, the Empire needed someone who truly understood the Unathi to both represent them efficiently in the Cabinet, and who could then properly communicate to the Sinta of the Empire to coordinate them to the best of their ability and use within the bureaucracy.

Lord Marshal Kasz Han’san, Contact War veteran, once a General under Seryo Kazhkz back on Moghes, and leader of the Han’san House, was chosen for such a role. If the Unathi of the Han’san earned the reputation of being fantastic soldiers, their ability to make charismatic, and at times, cunning leaders is also true, and the old Lord Marshal proves to be both. Though perhaps cautious due to his extensive history of war, and wary of any steps the Kazhkz may take against him, he provides some insight on both his people and his political history in maneuvering among a cabinet. In particular, he is often close with Amadei due to the latter's charisma and knowledge and the former's interest in the Empire's political sphere. This spawned from the Unathi's employment in the outer reaches of the nation's colonies as shock troopers and enforcement, and as such, Kasz has remained informative and helpful in coordinating with the Chief Commissioner. However, this sometimes puts Kasz at odds with Antonio at times due to his relationship with Amalei, and House Kazhkz's burgeoning friendship with House Caladius is in an awkward position in the cabinet's circle as a result.

Despite house Han'san's current weakened state after its humiliating defeat against the Fisanduhan Freedom Front, Kasz Han'san remained in the cabinet, most preferring him over the alternative, the much more politically inadequate Salak Kazhkz. The Lord Marshall also managed to prove to be right pick over time for such a role, managing to strike deals and leverage this to earn some unique rights, including protecting its members that still practice the old faith of Th'akh for some of the more conservative Unathi, in order to keep the Sinta of the Empire satisfied, with the reasoning rumored to be "they'll come around eventually." Many theorize that the Lord Marshal's work is the only reason why the Han'san House still exists and wasn’t wholly absorbed into the Kazhkz after their defeat.
</div></div>

<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed">
'''Grand Admiral of His Imperial Majesty’s Fleet: Huiling Zhao'''
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
One of the most powerful cabinet positions, the role of Grand Admiral has been filled by a member of House Zhao since its creation. The Grand Admiral holds almost unquestioned authority over His Imperial Majesty’s Fleet — with only the Emperor able to overrule them — and is often regarded as the third most powerful figure in the Empire after the Emperor himself and the Immaculate Hand due to this authority. If the Fleet is both the sword and shield of the modern Empire, the Grand Admiral is the individual who wields both.

Born in 2416, no individual represents House Zhao more than Huiling Zhao. The leader of House Zhao in all but name thanks to her position, Huiling has given her life in service to His Imperial Majesty’s Fleet and now serves as its Grand Admiral following her appointment in 2450. Huiling is a figure beloved in the Empire and often despised abroad, but revels in the infamy her reputation brings.

In her 14 years as Grand Admiral Huiling has seen several systems subjugated by the Fleet and added into the Empire, and has zealously guarded the Empire’s reserves of Helium-3 despite House Caladius’ demands to release parts of the reserve in order to make a larger profit. She has also cultivated a close relationship with the royal family — particularly Lei Keeser — in order to better push a naval agenda. Huiling is confident that, no matter what the Goddess may have in store for her, she will be able to hold onto her position and the power that comes with it.
</div></div>

<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed">
'''Chief Commissioner for Imperial Aviation: Annaliese Strelitz'''
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
Despite being the youngest of the Imperial Army’s branches, the Imperial Flying Corps have no lack of influence and sponsors due to its status as a club for Morozian nobility. But there is no greater sponsor of the Corps than its commissioner, Annaliese Strelitz. While her aunt — and often rival — Dorothea-Frieda must go through the trouble of managing an entire Army, Annaliese spends the majority of her time cavorting with Morozian nobility and ensuring the Corps maintains their patronage. Much of this fundraising work is done in conjunction with her two allies: Izla Caladius and Alessandro d'Arcobuono, who ensure the Corps never lacks for funding — even if the Navy and Army are hardly fans of it at times.

Born in 2423 to a wealthy family long affiliated with House Strelitz, Annaliese was always destined for a life in service to the Empire’s military. But the young Strelitz showed little interest in fighting on the ground and often avoided her cadet courses to pursue flight lessons. Eventually her family conceded and allowed Annaliese to pursue flight full-time, and enrolled her in a cadet course for the Imperial Flying Corps. The young flight officer has used her connections throughout the intervening years to pull the right strings at the right time, eventually ensuring her ascension to the position of Chief Commissioner in 2462.

In her short tenure Annaliese has proven herself to be an exceptional connection-maker for the Corps and an incredible annoyance for Duchess Zhao and Grand Duchess-Electress Strelitz. Annalise spends much of her time boasting of the Corps’ achievements and presenting it as the peak of martial nobility in the Empire. She has effectively drawn sponsors and funding away from the Fleet and Army through this, which gives her military counterparts no end of headaches. Annalise’s attitude — which is infamously narcissistic — has made these headaches far worse.
</div></div>

<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed">
'''High Lord General of His Majesty's Imperial Army: Dorothea-Frieda Strelitz'''
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
The most senior leader of the Imperial Army, the High Lord General’s position has been exclusively held by a member of House Strelitz since its inception. The High Lord General’s authority over the Imperial Army is absolute, with only the Emperor able to overturn their decisions. However, the Army’s inability to travel from system to system itself limits this authority and for es a degree of cooperation with the Fleet — something some Strelitz grind their teeth over.

Born into a family with a long history of martial Service in House Strelitz in 2418, Dorothea-Frieda has spent her life in the Imperial Army. While health concerns prevented her from being geneboosted, her strategic brilliance and sufficient grasp of politics has allowed her to become both High Lord General in 2445 and leader of House Strelitz at the same time — a significant achievement that makes her the only cabinet member currently also in command of one of the five great houses. This status makes Dorothea-Frieda a woman of many responsibilities, and she is almost never seen without a throng of aides surrounding her in order to allow her to better respond to any problems that may arise.

In her nearly twenty years of service as High Lord General Dorothea-Frieda has seen multiple worlds and systems conquered — or at least occupied — by the Empire, with Sun Reach standing as the Army’s most notable recent conquest. She has doggedly tried to stay above politics and has, for the most part, succeeded in this effort. Yet in private corners some whisper that the High Lord General grinds her teeth over the crown princess’ apparent liberalism when it comes to the use of force abroad, and fears the inevitable transfer of power could see the Army lose its importance as the primary instrument of the Empire’s will abroad. But only time will tell if these rumors are true.
</div></div>

<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed">
'''High Seneschal of His Majesty's Justice: Ngo Juric'''
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
Regarded by many as the most trusted member of the cabinet by the Emperor, the High Seneschal is the primary legal authority of the Empire as it applies to secular law in the Empire’s borders. For better or worse, the High Seneschal must defer to the word of his religious counterparts on matters of the Edicts in the majority of conditions with the exception of violations of the Fourth Edict, where the judiciary takes priority. Navigating this legal environment while advising the Emperor demands an individual who is both unerring in their faith to the throne and able to negotiate with many, many parties.

Fortunately for the Keesers, Ngo Juric, born in 2395 in Nova Luxembourg not far from the palace, is precisely that individual. A friend of the dearly departed Emperor Godwin Keeser and a close associate of the current royal family, Juric has served as the legal councilor for the Keesers for nearly forty years, and has served as Seneschal for almost thirty. A kind and gregarious man, Juric has a reputation for being liked by all he speaks to — including the infamously stone-hearted Inquisitrix of the Holy Tribunal — and is well regarded by all five of the great houses.

But despite his friendly reputation, the High Seneschal is anything but a pushover. His thirty years of service have seen the absolute rule of the royal family set even further into stone, and his legal expertise has led to the Empire ensuring its dealings with Zavodskoi Interstellar are favorable to both parties rather than tipped in the megacorporation’s favor. But Juric is an old man — older than his dear friend, Emperor Boleslaw Keeser, by almost a decade — and many believe the High Seneschal will soon retire, living out the rest of his days content that he served faithfully and firmly – content in the knowledge he left the Empire in a better place than it was thirty years ago.
</div></div>

<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed">
'''Director of His Majesty's Imperial Intelligence Directorate: Alojzia Molnarova'''
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
Power is all too often a fickle, fleeting thing that tempts many and is granted to very few. While House Keeser commands the respect of many in the Empire, from Primary to Ma’zal, there are always those that will seek to rise above their station through ungentlemanly means and subterfuge. The Imperial Intelligence Directorate has long served as a bulwark against such ungoddessly individuals, and its Director is often regarded as one of the most important individuals in the Imperial Cabinet as a result. Since the ascension of Emperor Boleslaw Keeser I in 2437, the position of Director has been held by Baronet Alojzia Molnarova, the only commoner to hold a position in the Imperial Cabinet and a close personal friend of the Emperor himself.

Born in 2408 to a family of commoners awarded a Baronet during the War of Moroz, little is known of Alojzia’s personal life beyond her current duties. Few photographs exist of the camera-shy Director, and rumors regarding her past — and that of the Molnarov family — abound. Some rumors go as far as to suggest that the Molnarovs are of Fisanduhian descent, or that Alojzia is not a member of the Moroz Holy Tribunal herself. Such rumors have never been formally acknowledged by the Director or her Directorate, but many that promote them publicly are shortly thereafter revealed to be shell infilitators hellbent on destroying the Empire and all that it stands for. They are, of course, promptly executed after their discovery.

As Director, Molnarova has seen that the Directorate has been constantly improved and modernized in order to keep pace with the growing regional threats the Empire faces — Elyra and the Coalition — while ensuring that it is never vulnerable to internal enemies. No price is too great to pay in order to ensure the Empire’s stability, and the Directorate has been accused by many that flee the Empire of employing draconian methods — often alongside the Imperial Army — to crush dissent in the Imperial Frontier. But these rumors are difficult to substantiate, as the Directorate — and its enigmatic Director — are consistently tight-lipped. When her close friend and Emperor dies, none are sure what will become of Director Molnarova. None aside from the Director herself.
</div></div>

<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed">
'''Theodora Gottlieb, High Inquisitrix of the Holy Tribunal'''
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
While the High Seneschal and Director concern themselves with the laws and behaviors of humanity, the Holy Tribunal concerns itself with those that break higher, greater principles: the Edicts laid out by the Goddess to Her faithful to follow and obey. The ultimate adjudicator of Her Edicts is none other than the Tribunal’s High Inquisitrix: a woman born with the rare gift to hear and interpret Her words who had been forged into a leader through the crucible of the Holy Tribunal. The High Inquisitrix possesses unquestioned authority over matters of religious law — only the Immaculate Hand, the leader of the Holy Tribunal, or the Emperor himself may overturn one of her decisions.

Born in 2431 to a noble family of little renown outside of Nova Luxembourg, Theodora’s path to High Inquisitrix was not clear to her or her family until she revealed herself able to commune with the Goddess and interpret Her words shortly before her eighth birthday. The following twelve years were spent training in the Holy Tribunal in order to ascend to the position of Inquisitrix — one of the Tribunal’s religious officials responsible for carrying out the Goddess’ will by returning edict breakers from abroad — at the age of twenty. As an inquisitrix Gottlieb was responsible for many things, though her primary duty quickly became apparent: tracking down edict breakers and ensuring they were returned to the Empire alive, to face Her justice. Following a decade of service she was recommended for the position of High Inquisitrix, which she accepted in 2461.

In her three years as High Inqusitrix, Gottlieb has spent much of her time interpreting Her words for the Emperor in addition to her typical duties as High Inquisitrix. High-profile trials and public events — often alongside the Immaculate Hand, her immediate supervisor and one of two individuals Gottlieb must answer to alongside the Emperor — are commonplace, and something the High Inquisitrix excels at. But a part of Gottlieb wishes to return to what she was trained to do: tracking down edict breakers and bringing them to face the Goddess’ justice, no matter where they attempt to hide themselves. But for now her duty is clear: to remain in her lofty position as long as She wills it, and to carry out Her work with all the High Inquisitrix does.
</div></div>

<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed">
'''Agnes Caladius, Immaculate Hand of Our Lady the Goddess'''
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
The Empire’s state is not complete without the Holy Tribunal, which interprets Her will and applies it to the imperfect world of humanity. In the Tribunal there is no authority holier — or higher — than that of its leader, the Immaculate Hand of Our Lady the Goddess. Elected for life by a convocation of priests and priestesses, the Immaculate Hand is regarded as the highest authority on religious matters in the Empire due to their mastery of scripture. Though primarily intended as a religious advisor on the council, the Immaculate Hand’s religious authority arguably makes her the second most powerful person in the Empire after the Emperor himself.

Born in 2386 to a family long involved in House Caladius, Agnes’ path to the position of Immaculate Hand was anything but clear due to her inability to receive the gift of communion from birth. Though no fault of her own, her lack of this gift prevented the young theologian from joining the ranks of the Inquisitrix as she originally desired, and Agnes instead committed herself to the study of the Goddess and Her words. The young woman proved herself to be a dedicated — if conservative — theologian and a gifted orator, and quickly rose through the ranks of the Tribunal. In 2432, following the death of her predecessor, Agnes was elected Immaculate Hand, the supreme religious authority of the Holy Tribunal.

In her three decades as Immaculate Hand, Agnes has charted a steady course through a quickly-changing Spur. Her reign has seen the addition of the Tenth Edict, codifying the Tribunal’s opinion on augmentations, and generally good relations between the Emperor and both major schools of Tribunalist thought. Additionally she has formally consecrated the largest Tribunalist cathedral abroad, which is located in Mendell City and serves many Dominians employed by Zavodskoi and has worked with the High Inquisitrix to ensure no edict breaker escapes Her justice. But despite her successes the Immaculate Hand grows older each day, and is known to have a poor relationship with the crown princess. What the future holds for her, only the Goddess knows.
</div></div>

===Great Houses===

A moniker for the five most prominent Houses in the Empire, these families are the most powerful political and economic influencers in the Empire. They currently consist of:

* House Volvalaad - House Colors: Blue, Black - A Human-dominated house. This house's wealth is in genetics and biological research. Of all the Great Houses, it is the biggest supporter of integration into the wider galactic community.
* House Caladius - House Colors: Purple Shades - A Human-dominated house. This house's power lies in its money lending and banking, alongside its many land holdings for which it receives a breathtaking sum in rent money. They also control a large amount of the Moroz Holy Tribunal.
* House Zhao - House Colors: White, Gray - A Human-dominated house. The power of this great house sits in engineering and its numerous naval contacts. It dominates the navy of the Empire of Dominia, with other houses constituting minor portions of the fleets.
* House Strelitz - House Colors: Gold and Red - A venerable Human house. Largely a military and martial power, it provides most of the Imperial Army’s officers and equipment. It is also the origin of Dominian honor as it is known today.
* House Kazhkz - House Colors: Orange, Red, Yellow - A Unathi-dominated house. Most of their wealth comes from its budding privateering enterprise. Of all the Great Houses, House Kazhkz is the most against integration into the wider galactic community. It has an internal faction, the Han’sans, who often enjoy their work bolstering the army’s ranks.

===The Imperial Electors===

The five great houses form the only voting group in the Empire of Dominia, the Imperial Council of Electors. These five individuals, leaders of their respective houses, are expected to meet with the Emperor - or Empress - to discuss and pass legislation impacting the entire Empire. Debates amongst the electors can become extremely heated and can be roughly divided along reformist and conservative lines. The reformists - those that seek a more liberal and widely integrated Empire - are led by the Volvalaads with support from House Caladius’ pro-trade faction. The conservatives - those that believe the Empire is fine as it stands and does not need further integration - are headed by the Kazhkz with support from much of House Caladius’ clergy. Houses Zhao and Strelitz, being more militarily-minded, tend to flip-flop on issues depending on Imperial security interests. The Emperor rarely steps into debates himself but, when he does, he is often able to easily shift the argument in his favor.

<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed">
===The Peerage, Noble Orders, and Titles===
The Imperial nobility is defined and sorted in prominence by their peerages alongside a complex mixture of noble orders and titles, many of which can trace their origins back to the era before the modern Empire. The Empire’s nobility is well-respected in its core worlds and is regarded as the peak of polite Dominian society. Below is a list of some common titles found in the Empire of Dominia, ordered from highest to lowest in the Empire’s peerage. This should be used as a general guide for the Empire’s nobility.
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
'''Royal Titles (Unplayable):'''
* Emperor/Empress: The unquestioned ruler of the Empire of Dominia. This title can also refer to the spouse of an Emperor or Emperess.
* Crown Prince/Princess: The heir apparent to the throne of the Empire of Dominia, next in line for the Imperial succession. The current heir apparent is Crown Princess Priscilla Keeser.
* Prince/Princess: Children of the current Emperor that are not the heir apparent.

'''Lord Noble Titles (Unplayable):'''
* Grand Duke/Duchess: The leaders of the Empire’s great houses.
* Grand Consul: The leader of House Caladius. Unlike a Grand Duke, this position is elected by members of its own great house.
* Governor: The rule of an Imperial March, one of the Empire’s core worlds. Governorship is not inherited and is instead granted by the Emperor.
* Marquess/Marchioness: The ruler of one of the systems on the border between the Imperial Core and Imperial Frontier, such as Novi Jadran. Appointed by the Emperor.
* Viceroy: Ruler of an Imperial Viceroyalty, a colony in the Imperial Frontier. Viceroys are appointed by the Emperor rather than inheriting their title.
* Duke/Duchess: The immediate subordinates of a governor or viceroy that are responsible for managing regions of a planet. This title is bestowed by a Governor and is not hereditary.

'''House Noble Titles (Playable):'''
* Count/Countess: The hereditary ruler of an Imperial province and subordinate to a Duke. Counts can also be the administrators of Imperial military bases, though these Counts are not hereditary. Military Counts retain their title, but not their county, after their posting.
* Viscount/Viscountess: The ruler of a subdivision of an Imperial province, subordinates of the province’s Count. A hereditary position.

'''Minor Nobles (Playable):'''
* Baron/Baroness: The hereditary ruler of a barony, a small plot of land that has been declared the domain of a family in exchange for their loyalty to the Emperor. Typically answer to a Count or Duke.
* Lord/Lady: A generic title used to refer to a landless noble lacking other honorifics, such as the children of a noble.

'''Secondary Titles (Playable):'''
* Baronet: A gender-neutral, landless hereditary title granted by the Emperor or a Governor to a notable commoner family, granting them the status of Primary in the Empire. Often the first step to becoming fully ennobled.
* Imperial Knight: A title granted to members of an Imperial Order of the Empire, such as the Order of the Golden Albatross. Used by both Secondaries and Primaries.
</div></div>

==History==

===Initial Colonization===

The original settlers of the planet of Moroz arrived and founded the city of Nova Luxembourg in July of 2137 within the Mira Sancta System, so named after a belief that the planet would be a bountiful new frontier for humanity. The settlers had been primarily recruited from Europe and East Asia, promised a fertile new home in the deep frontier of human space as many were during this era of colonization. However, these settlers were going farther than any human colonists had gone before. The three colony ships were equipped with a new generation of warp engines that made the trip only take three years and they had been told by their sponsors that terraforming efforts had transformed three barren worlds into utopian paradises to surpass Earth itself.

But as the settlers stepped out onto their new home, they found the planet almost entirely frozen. What terraforming equipment had been there had been abandoned for years— the failing states of Earth had effectively sent tens of thousands of people off without making sure they had a home to arrive to. Their mission was not an official United Nations-sanctioned effort, but a disjointed effort between scattered, failing states. Only three years after they landed the United Nations had even ceased to exist - transformed into the Sol Alliance. In the transition red tape and chaotic bureaucracy consumed everything and old data was lost or neglected, including records of the Morozi colonial effort. And with the colonists' warp-based transponder signals broadcasting on phased out frequencies that no longer existed within Sol, Moroz was cut off with no hope of resupply or escape. With no other option, they brought their colony ship to touch down on the planet's surface.

The initial colonists of Dominia arrived in three separate areas, as per the original flight plans of their colony ships. Landing Site Fisanduh was located in "temperate" plains to be utilized for farming that was surrounded by mineral-rich mountain ranges, intended to become the industrial base of the colony— unfortunately for the colonists, the landing zone and its surrounding area were discovered to be quite cold. Landing Site Ofassel was located in the most "fertile" area of Moroz, a relatively temperate region of the planet. Intended to be the "breadbasket" of the planet, the colonists of this landing site viewed themselves as blessed with good fortune compared to their fellows. Landing Site Telminia was located near flat, fertile plains intended to serve as the primary launch point for shuttles coming on and off of the planet. Exacerbating the issues of the colonists upon landing was the failure of their local warp-based transponders, meaning that the three landing sites developed isolated of one another for some time.
The Forgotten Colony

After landing, all three colony ships were unable to relaunch due to a lack of fuel. In this harsh environment, the colonists quickly learned how to adapt and overcome through a variety of means. Some overcame through unity, while others tried more radical methods.

At Landing Site Fisanduh, the name of the mountainous region in which they had settled, the colonists managed to quickly adapt to their harsh circumstances. They unloaded crate after crate of heavy equipment originally intended for mining and industrial work, managing to establish the respectable city of Neubach in the foothills of the Fisanduh Mountains. The colonists of Fisanduh opted to unify as a whole to conquer their harsh environment and managed to avoid the radical measures undertaken by other landing sites due to the strength of their unity. As the area around Landing Site Fisanduh expanded, and it became clear that the original colonial staff would no longer be able to manage it all, the Confederated States of Fisanduh were formed. To the members of the Confederacy, there was no such thing as a Primary, Secondary, or Tertiary - there were simply Confederates. To the members of other states, however, the population of the Confederated States is primarily Secondaries, due to the lack of a colonial rationing program or nobility.

At Landing Site Ofassel the colonists were more religious than their fellows, being primarily recruited from Eastern Orthodox populations. When faced with the hardship they relied on their faiths to guide them through the harsh initial years of the colonial process, and the clergy quickly became a wealthier and better-fed class than their contemporaries. The religious class of Ofassel was taller, stronger, and more educated than their fellows that worked in the agricultural industry and quickly began co-opting control of the landing site from the small staff of colonial administrators sent along with the ship. It was not until an administrator, a senior official named Valentia Caladius, proposed an alliance with the clergy that the settlement truly began to prosper. The start of the Holy Kingdom of Domelkos grew out of this political alliance, as did House Caladius. The importance of the religious leaders to the Holy Kingdom led to a great amount of emphasis being placed on them, with many referring to them as the "first and most important citizens" of the Holy Kingdom. Over time, this would simply be shortened to "Primaries."

At Landing Site Telminia, two families rapidly came to prominence: the Zhao family, a group of engineers involved in ensuring that the engines that powered their capital of Nova Luxembourg kept running, and the Volvalaad family, a group of scientists responsible for the genetic engineering of crops and livestock to prevent the starvation of the colony. The two families would eventually rapidly expand their capabilities and power, with the Zhaos becoming prominent engineers and the Volvalaads moving into human genetic manipulation. They would also, through a combination of their power and manipulation of the colonial bureaucracy, turn the landing site into a monarchy controlled by the two families - now referred to as House Zhao and House Volvalaad. Eventually, they would refer to themselves as the Imperial Alliance of Zhao and Volvalaad. Or, more simply, the Imperial Alliance of Telminia. The engineers of House Zhao were lucky to create a working long-range radio system shortly after landing, which put them into contact with the fledgling Holy Kingdom of Domelkos. The religion of the Holy Kingdom spread to the Imperial Alliance as the two groups grew closely together due to their similar systems of government and similar state of quasi-castes. The nobility of the Imperial Alliance was, like their contemporaries in House Caladius and the Holy Kingdom's clergy, generally taller and stronger than their commoner counterparts due to a better diet. The caste system of the Imperial Alliance was further reinforced by a primitive version of the later blood debt, in which those living under the control of a noble paid them in service or goods to reside on it.

By 2300 these three groups had grown significantly from their original sizes. The Confederated States had expanded to become a major industrial powerhouse in the Fisanduh Mountains and area around them, but remained behind their mountain ranges aside from the occasional expedition due to the hostile attitude of the Holy Kingdom, occupying western areas surrounding the mountain range— and Imperial Alliance— occupying the eastern regions surrounding the mountain range. Due to the differences between the Confederacy and the Holy Kingdom-Imperial Alliance coalition, conflict was inevitable at some point. It would come in 2355 when the Imperial Alliance and the Holy Kingdom gave the Confederated States an ultimatum: bend the knee and come into the fold as a unified Moroz, or resist and be annihilated. The democratic Confederated States opted to resist, and the bloodiest war in the planet’s history began.

===The War of Moroz===

Lasting almost a full century, the "Holy Crusade to Unite Moroz" as it is called in the Empire of Dominia (the Confederacy refers to it as the "War for Liberty") economically and militarily devastated the planet. While the war began with victories for the Coalition outside of the Fisanduh Mountains, it rapidly became a stalemate when the mountain range was reached by Coalition forces. The Confederacy was on its home terrain, had fortified the passes through the mountains heavily, and was not willing to give territory up to what its citizens viewed as bloodthirsty imperialist invaders. The full might of the Confederated State's industrial economy was brought to bear to produce the materials needed to defend its harsh mountainous environments, with factories producing everything from winterized uniforms to artillery shells, while the Coalition turned its biological prowess towards beating their way through the mountains. The foundation of the modern geneboosted Primaries, often-titanic examples of humanity stretching upwards of seven feet into the air, originated from this effort to produce more effective soldiers.

While the Coalition tried their best to break through, they could not. Shell after shell of artillery rained down from the Fisanduh Mountains as the war continued, turning the foothills where assaults would originate from into blasted moonscapes where the very ground became poisoned from residual gunpowder and unexploded munitions. There were breaks in the warring, but they were only temporary ceasefires - simply interludes in what the Coalition viewed as a holy war and what the Confederated States viewed as a war for their very existence. One side would not stop until their conquest was over, and the other side intended to fight until the bitter end. The Confederated States were diverting more and more of their economy towards the war as the years turned to decades, and were approaching a kind of white peace as the Coalition became more and more worn down by reports of losses for what they saw as very little gain. Then, in 2384, after decades of war, the balance of power shifted dramatically.

===The Collapse of Fisanduh===

In late 2384 the Imperial Alliance and the Holy Kingdom, worn down by nearly forty years of continuous fighting, made a desperate move. House Zhao was confident in its ability to launch a functional spaceship fleet after decades of research alongside House Volvalaad with the aim of flanking the Fisanduhian lines and deploying elite geneboosted commandos of House Strelitz to destroy the Fisanduhians from the inside. A Captain from the Holy Kingdom, Stanislav Olkhovsky, was chosen for his exceptional faith in the Morozian Holy Tribunal - the colonial religion of the Alliance and Kingdom, descended from Eastern Orthodoxy. As Captain Olkhovsky and his crew launched, they were firm in their faith that they would aid them. As the ships took off with their troop compartments full of crack Strelitz troops, all aboard prayed that this would be the end of the bloody war. In the Imperial Palace, the Emperor himself is said to have prayed for the success of the mission.

The Confederated States, for their part, prepared for the assault with what knowledge they had of it. However, this did not prepare them for an orbital assault by the commando units on all their major cities, including their capital of Neubach. The government of the Confederated States never signed surrender terms to the war, instead opting to enact "Plan SCRAM" and send its government and military into an insurgency. The last Prime Minister of the Confederated States, Helga Kesselring, shot herself while draped in the standard of the States rather than be taken prisoner. No fully intact copy of Plan SCRAM has ever been recovered from Moroz due to the Confederated States' efforts to destroy sensitive documents in the final hours of its existence as an official government - the only recovered parts of it are a two-page section: a title page reading "PLAN SCRAM" and a second page reading "DESTROY ALL INFORMATION PAST THIS PAGE AFTER READING."

This spirit of defiance continues up until the present day. The Imperial forces that came to occupy the former Confederated States after this rapid assault reported no resistance whatsoever, but constant signs that the citizens of the region were preparing to stand against them. The army of the States had simply vanished, its factories had disappeared, and its citizenry had ripped up road signs across the territory. The second phase of the so-called "Fisanduhian Imperial Conquest" was more cultural than military. With the reunification finally completed at long last, the Imperial Alliance and the Holy Kingdom joined hands with the formation of the Empire of Dominia and the coronation of Godwin Keeser, the ruler of the Imperial Alliance, as the first Emperor of Dominia. The years that followed his coronation on the 29th of June, 2385, would be a time of great change for Moroz.

===The Reign of Emperor Godwin Keeser I===

The first true Emperor of Dominia, Godwin reigned from 2385 until his death from old age in 2437. During his roughly five decades of rule the newly-formed Empire of Dominia would go from a minor power to a true Empire, though his path would not be free of issues. Even as the Empire, under the watchful eye of its Emperor, expanded to multiple worlds and became masters of generic research it had problems in its home. The reign of Emperor Godwin Keeser I and its rapid expansion saw the creation of a new social class in the Empire: the Ma’zals. These humans make up a broad swath of Imperial society and are defined within the Empire as non-Morozian subjects of the Empire of Dominia. Controlling Ma’zals has been a longstanding problem for the immense colonial bureaucracy of the Empire of Dominia, and issues continue to this very day. Along with issues in the Imperial colonies, not all was well in the Imperial Occupied Territory of Fisanduh.

===The Imperial Occupation of Fisanduh===

In the meantime, settlers of the Fisanduh region from the greater Empire became extremely rare, due to massive hostility from the native population. Settlers often reported having bricks thrown through their windows, effigies of Keeser burnt on their properties, were typically declined employment in Fisanduh-run businesses and saw extremely low rates of attendance at Tribunal festivities and churches. The Fisanduh town of Vasychevo is well-known for having a church attendance of zero non-Imperial citizens until its church was shuttered fifteen years after its establishment. The initial Imperial bureaucrats and clergy sent to Fisanduh often returned demoralized and infuriated (and often complained that citizens of the former Confederated States would refuse to give them the time of day). Most pettily, a Tribunalist priest once claimed that a Fisanduh supply truck had opted to move fifty Kilometers under the speed limit in a no-passing zone, causing him to be two hours late to a sermon. This was not an isolated incident, as Fisanduh was full of these signs of defiance - some large and noble, some small and petty.

The first serious attempt by the young Empire to bring Fisanduh to heel was the creation of an organization officially known as His Majesty’s Imperial Fisanduhian Gendarmerie (simply referred to as IFG by most Fisanduhians), police led by Imperial officers but staffed by Fisanduhians armed and supplied by the Empire. An effort by the Empire to integrate the Fisanduhians into the imperial system and to make good on their status as 'Morozians,' by traditional Dominian definitions of the word, however, the IFG fell flat on its face almost immediately. This was primarily attributed to the hatred of the Empire held by Fisanduhians, a successful smear campaign that (rightfully) portrayed the IFG as puppets of the Emperor, and intensive 3F infiltration of the Gendarmerie. The IFG served only to arm and equip the 3F and while it remains active on paper, it is primarily staffed by Imperial subjects and is regarded as a dumping ground for ineffective officers that must be placed in a location where they can do as little damage as possible to the Empire’s reputation.

In yet another attempt to bring their new province under control, the Empire escalated by sending firebrands to Fisanduh. These firebrands found very little success at best, and death at worst. The situation in Fisanduh continued to escalate as the 2430s, then the 2440s, dragged on and a new Emperor was crowned. The Empire had a poor foothold at best, and there were rumors that the Fisanduh resistance (now, by this point, violent) reached further than the Empire knew. When Emperor Keeser attempted to formally enforce control in 2440 via an order to convert to the Holy Tribunal at the sword enforced by the Imperial Army, fears about the capabilities of the Fisanduh resistance would be found to have underestimated the resistance.

===The Fisanduh Freedom Front===

Active from 2386 to the present day as part of Plan SCRAM, the FFF (or 3F to some), the Fisanduh Freedom Front entered into a period of mustering for several years following the defeat of the Confederated States in open battle, gradually building up their strength. The Freedom Front is rumored to have been active formally since the day the Confederated States fell, they reemerged dramatically in 2386. While the order formally came into effect on November 15, 2386, its enforcement was intended to take place starting on the twentieth of the same month to allow the Imperials a chance to celebrate Navy Day. On November 18th two Imperial Navy light cruisers— the Arbiter and Outrider— detonated violently in their drydocks in New Luxembourg. The Arbiter remained in its elevated drydock moorings, but the Outrider managed to slip out of its dry-dock after the first blast. Observers first reported the Outrider starting to slide out, then a massive explosion (later revealed to be its power magazine) split the ship in two, with one half remaining attached to the dry-dock, while the other fell out of its moorings and into the naval armament plant beneath the dock, causing massive damage to the facility. The exact number of dead has never been revealed by the Empire of Dominia, though the cruisers were written off as unable to be salvaged. Shortly after the detonation, an organization known as the Fisanduh Freedom Front claimed responsibility for the attacks, with a man identified as "Svetovid" standing in front of the Confederated State's flag claiming that more attacks would come if the Empire continued its efforts to subjugate Fisanduh. The Emperor, not wanting to lose face to what he saw as dishonorable terrorists, continued his efforts to subjugate Fisanduh.

More attacks came. None were on the scale of the Navy Day attack, but they were a constant threat to the Empire in Fisanduh. Nail bombs arrived at important officials in Fisanduh, Tribunal temples were firebombed, buildings of the Imperial bureaucracy were detonated— some through car bombings, others through tunnels being physically dug beneath them. It became apparent that 3F was, despite Imperial efforts to pacify the province earlier, essentially the shadow government of the entire province. Many of 3F's fighters were veterans of the War of Moroz, and were still able to stand and fight despite their age. The "shadow state" supporting them was able to withstand the Imperial Army's efforts to root it out, proving to be extremely flexible and resilient. Losses on the part of the Imperial Army began to mount, and maimed soldiers marching back from Fisanduh became a common sight in the border provinces. The insurgency has continued since 2440 without signs of stopping, though it has waxed and waned. Through the propaganda machine of the Empire, the greater body of Imperial citizenry began to hate 3F and the democratic movement it stood for. Through their brutal actions, the greater Empire became hated by Fisanduh. The intensity of the insurgency, and of the Imperial counter-campaign has wound down in the past seven years - Emperor Keeser has mostly withdrawn from Fisanduh, while 3F has decreased its activities outside of Fisanduh as the occupation has retreated. Fisanduh was left with de facto independence despite being, de jure, a territory of the greater Empire. As a result, vessels flying the flag of Fisanduh are legitimately recognized in most areas outside Dominian space, though the Fisanduh Freedom Front maintains no official ships. Present-day Fisanduh is an area that is, in many places, devastated by war. It remains an area of the Empire that most Imperials do not go to and a source of conflict in the Imperial government. Should they attack Fisanduh again, or should they expand outwards?

===The Reign of Emperor Keeser I===

[[File:emp_dominia.png|thumb|Imperial portrait of Emperor Boleslaw Keeser (artwork created by Sleepywolf)]]
Skillful work by Emperor Keeser has helped mend the seemingly insurmountable gap between the foreign Ma’zals and native Morozi population, supposedly united in a new loyalty under the Emperor and Tribunal. With his consolidated power, Emperor Keeser has embarked upon numerous reforms and projects to improve the Empire. These range from research and infrastructure projects, military and naval expansions, to social and educational organization. In 2407, the Imperial Railroad was completed, linking all of the major cities of Moroz together. Since its start in 2412, the Imperial Canal project to link the major inland seas has made steady progress.

One major event in the reign of Emperor Boleslaw Keeser I was the introduction of Unathi to the Empire of Dominia. In the winter of 2440 a fleet of Unathi pirates arrived in the home system of the Empire. Though initially feared to be pirates, and the first true test of the Navy, a different outcome emerged: the pirates, led by Salak Kazhkz, instead pledged their sword to the Emperor and swore fealty. In return for their loyalty, and (perhaps more importantly) their vessels, the Unathi were granted the grand House Han’san-Kazhkz. However, due to the recent naval primacy of the Kazhkz and the defeat of the Han'sans, they are typically referred to as simply House Kazhkz.

A timeline of events in his reign follows:

In '''2440''' he opted to attempt to enforce Imperial control over the province of Fisanduh.

In '''2445''' the Coalition of Colonies officially forms the “Coalition Against Dominian Piracy”; an additional pact between its members that would target Dominia financially and diplomatically after Boleslaw announced it would enter into a defensive pact with neighboring pirate fleets.

In '''2451''' Necropolis Industries officially announced its partnership with Dominia would start in June of 2451, though some independent observers noted that facilities resembling Necropolis ones had existed on the planet since early 2440.

In '''2452''' the Emperor once again entered talks with NanoTrasen at the behest of House Volvalaad, ultimately resulting in the corporation and Imperial government reaching an agreement regarding trading and piracy. The opening of Dominia to the greater market of NanoTrasen has allowed for the Imperial Navy to rapidly expand its capabilities in the past decade, though the fully assembled Coalition of Colonies Deep-Space Fleet still outclasses it handily according to recently released figures.

In '''2455''' Emperor Keeser began a gradual withdraw from Fisanduh, having seen defeat in its mountainous territories. The province reverts to the droll Imperial title of "semi-autonomous region." He instead opts to expand the Empire's borders in the void of space (in order to save face, according to some critics), and begins a campaign of conquest and colonization.

In '''2462''' the Emperor continues to reign over Dominia, though he steadily grows older day by day. With the Empire suffering internal issues, and threats abroad, only the Goddess will know what will become of it when he passes...

==Dominian Society==

===Primaries===

The Primaries are the noble and liturgical classes of the Dominian Empire's humans, though the noble class of Dominia often sees Secondaries adopted into it. Due to centuries of eating better than their commoner and lay counterparts, Primaries are physically larger and more imposing than their Secondary cousins. Secondaries that are elevated to nobility, though still primaries, tend to be slightly shorter than older families. Dominians (or Morozians, if you are from the former Confederated States) of this social class are not typically found in Fisanduh due to its lack of nobility and can reach heights of six feet in both genders.

Unathi also fall into the category of "Primaries." They are usually descendants of the Unathi raiders who bent the knee to the Empire or recent immigrants from the Hegemony. New Unathi immigrants, however, are often considered “glorified secondaries” due to needing to prove themselves to become full members of a House.

'''Average Male Height:''' 5'6" - 6'5". The older a noble lineage, the taller they will be on average.

'''Average Female Height:''' 5'4" - 6'3". The older a noble lineage, the taller they will be on average.

===Secondaries===

Secondaries are the commoners and laypeople of Moroz, those on the planet lacking noble titles or liturgical positions. Exceptional Secondaries are often ennobled, becoming Primaries. They make up the bulk of Moroz's population but are the second-most populous group overall in the Empire after Ma'zals. Secondaries from outside Fisanduh tend to be smaller and thinner than their counterparts in Fisanduh, and Secondaries as a whole tend to be smaller than Primaries (though there are exceptions). Secondaries represent a more diverse social class than the Primaries do, but are a part of the same ethnic group as the Primaries. The key difference between the two classes is the presence of a noble title. In the Empire proper, Secondaries form the core of the Moroz Holy Tribunal and Imperial society as a whole. Within the former Confederated States, Secondaries are instead referred to as "Morozians."

Unathi that come from outside of Dominia that are turned away from House Kazhkz or even stop attempting to join a house often become secondaries. As such, a good chunk of the Unathite population are secondaries.

'''Average Male Height:''' 5'6" - 5'9" (add three to four inches if from Fisanduh)

'''Average Female Height:''' 5'1" - 5'4" (add three to four inches if from Fisanduh)

===Ma'zals===

A blanket term used to refer to those citizens— or subjects— of the Empire that are not from Moroz, Ma'zals represent the Empire's underclass. They are an extremely diverse group that tends to be generally rebellious, and resistant to Imperial control. Those that do opt to side with the Empire have either been integrated into the Empire's colonial system or are turncoats. Ma'zals also form a large population in the Coalition of Colonies, as they often flee from the Empire through whatever means are available. They are also often conscripted into the Imperial Army or Imperial Navy and can be found throughout the Empire - with some rising far enough in the army or navy to become ennobled by House Strelitz or Zhao.

Ma’zals, while diverse, can be divided into three distinct groups that the Empire of Dominia keeps track of. The largest of these groups are the '''“regular” Ma’zals''' of the Empire that have yet to fully accept Imperial rule. These Ma’zals are generally found on recently conquered planets and tend to be the most resistant to Imperial control, with violent resistance not being uncommon. No matter how much the Empire tries there are always those that continue to resist even after most have accepted their status as Imperial subjects, and House Strelitz often becomes involved in counter-insurgency warfare on Imperial colonies. However, in due time, these Ma’zals will eventually bend the knee to Imperial rule; in part due to the next, and smallest, category of Ma’zal.

The so-called '''"Elevated Ma’zal,”''' is an unusual and often misunderstood figure both inside and outside of the Empire of Dominia. Originally an “invention,” of House Caladius, the men and women that make up this category of Ma’zals are trained to serve as bureaucrats in the massive bureaucracy of the Empire of Dominia. This has quite a few advantages as the Elevated Ma’zals know the planet, understand the local language and customs and can be utilized as a friendly face for the Empire’s control of the planet. Sometimes referred to as the “nobility of the Imperial frontier,” Elevated Ma’zals will often— with blessings from House Caladius of course— form their own noble houses and orders, assuming they are not integrated into House Caladius. These frontier houses are generally always affiliated with House Caladius, and have proven to be a valuable ally of their merchants.

The final category of Ma’zals are those that have accepted Imperial rule and now live as full citizens of the Empire. The '''“Integrated Ma’zals,”''' of the Empire make up a smaller portion of the total Ma’zal population than their non-integrated counterparts but possess a greater amount of economic power than their rebellious counterparts and are, though not fully Morozian, considered to be loyal subjects of the Emperor and Goddess alike. The loyalty of some Integrated Ma’zals is so great that many are often awarded the prestigious title of Honourary Morozian, also referred to as “Morozian beyond the void,” in some areas, which represents that they have demonstrated a very high level of commitment to the Empire. Such an award is accompanied by immediate ennobling with the great house that recommended the award be bestowed.

===Geneboosting===

A technique dating back centuries, geneboosting is descended from colonial efforts to genetically engineer species adapted to the harsh Morozian climate. Geneboosting was originally used on humans by the Volvalaads at the behest of House Strelitz with the intent of improving the Imperial Army's officer corps before being adopted by House Volvalaad as a way to create a better class of nobility. Geneboosting is done during the fetal development stage. It greatly enhances the natural genetic structure of the patient, removing flaws and emphasizing strengths. '''This form of genetic modification is limited to the nobility due to the high cost and status associated with it'''. The effects lead to enhanced attributes and appearances: those geneboosted are stronger, faster, more able, and much longer-lived than their non-geneboosted counterparts. Geneboosted playable species tend to be a foot or so taller than average (upwards of seven to seven and a half feet for humans) and find it very easy to maintain peak fitness. A geneboosted person is obvious at a glance, and geneboosted humans are often held as paragons of Imperial society. Geneboosting carried out after birth, known as gene therapy, is very rare and generally dangerous in addition to being prohibitively expensive. Talks with Zeng-Hu to improve upon Dominia's pre-existing gene boosting techniques have not yielded results.

===Dominian Heads of Staff===

As a result of the Empire's fanatical outlook on certain issues such as synthetic life and edict breakers, Dominian heads of staff are fairly rare aboard Stellar Corporate Conglomerate facilities such as the SCCV Horizon. Those that do pass through the requirements needed to become a head of staff are typically considered to be liberals (or, rarely, reformists) in the Empire and typically belong to or are affiliated with a Great House, with House Volvalaad having the greatest representation abroad and House Caladius following closely behind. Nevertheless, they must still go through a great amount of orientation in order to adapt to life aboard such a cosmopolitan vessel.

Dominians that are elevated to a leadership position within the Conglomerate are regarded to be the best and brightest of the Empire by the cartel and are highly-regarded by the for their professionalism and honor despite some difficulties in working with IPCs and other forms of synthetic life. Please note that playing a Dominian head of staff is not an excuse to make a player's round miserable just because they're a synthetic.

==Languages==

The Empire is a multilingual society divided between High Morozi, a Tradeband dialect, and Vulgar Morozi, a Sol Common dialect, along with various unathi dialects, such as Sinta’Azaziba, and Freespeak. Which of these languages one speaks are generally determined by one’s class and planet of birth. Among the Primary aristocracy and natives of the Imperial Core High Morozi is often the first, and primary, language, with Tau Ceti Basic and Vulgar Morozi fluency viewed as the sign of a good upbringing and education. Primaries who do not speak Vulgar Morozi are extremely uncommon, and those who do not speak the language are generally looked upon poorly by their peers. Many Secondaries speak Vulgar Morozi as their first language, though this varies from family to family.

As one travels further from the Imperial Core, High Morozi begins to rapidly disappear as a first language and is replaced with its Vuglar counterpart, or with Freespeak. Often pejoratively known as “Gutter,” or “Rebel-Speak,” by Dominians the language is associated with the uncivilized frontier. Speaking Freespeak, even if one has knowledge of the language, is considered to be a major faux pas.

==Synth Relations==

Dominian hatred of synthetic life stems from its deep faith in the Holy Tribunal and all positronics are sought out and destroyed upon entering Dominia space. Interestingly, to observers, there seems to be a disproportionately high number of shell IPCs present in the sector compared to those beliefs. Rumors that Emperor Boleslaw Keeser declares political rivals untagged shells before black bagging them have been vehemently denied by the Empire.

Imperial citizens working abroad in human space often interact with synthetics. In foreign lands, Dominians are expected to maintain some degree of tolerance in the presence of synthetics, abomination though they may be, in order to continue being permitted to work in these environments. While robots, or synthetics without a positronic brain or similar, are not objectionable to the Tribunal, citizens who refused to work alongside AI or IPCs would soon find themselves out of work and are expected to cooperate with these entities when their occupation demands it.

{{Navbox Human Lore}}
{{Navbox Lore}}
[[Category:Pages]]
[[Category:Factions]]
[[Category:Humanity]]

Eridani I

2022-12-16T12:05:08Z

MattAtlas: date of colonization edit, 2095 -> 2102

{{Navbox Lore}}
{{Navbox Human Lore}}
[[File:Pixel Planet Oran1.png|thumb|Eridani I as seen from orbit.]]
'''Eridani I''' is the jewel and capital world of the Eridani Corporate Federation. It is the first of five named planets in the Eridani system and boasts the largest and most dense population of the five by far, with extremely high levels of development and endless opportunities for those who seek the blood of the galaxy – credits. Its climate is especially Earth-like, if not temperate, as a result of terraforming carried out by the Federation. Eridani I features four continents, two polar caps, and the most inoffensive atmosphere in order to attract as many work tourists as possible, if they do not mind the pollution. The planet boasts an extremely small number of cities, only four: a result of the immense and rampant expansion of the largest urban centres, which ended up absorbing all other settlements in their path. These megacities are some of the most advanced, populated, and chic in the Spur, where every single building is realised in the most neutral style possible in order to pander to just about everyone that might consider moving over.

Below the cosmopolitan urban centres, however, lies the main home of the non-existent Eridanian underclass: most of Eridani I’s dregs reside in old and abandoned sewage, tunnel and mining complexes, often forming their own makeshift societies and small “shanty towns” when space permits. Some of these dregs find their home above the surface in relatively abandoned patches of space far away from the urban centres, usually deserts or mountains – areas that are certifiably not profitable, and thus not settled by anyone else. None of Eridani I’s shining opportunities are present for Eridani I’s dregs and their life standard has often been described as miserable or extremely poor by independent observers – criticisms that do not matter in the end, as this class does not officially exist.

'''As Epsilon Eridani was originally settled by colonists of West and Central African descent, human characters born in the Eridani Corporate Federation must have names and appearances consistent with the indigenous peoples of these regions, as any human moving to the ECF would assimilate into the dominant cultures and ethnic groups of the Federation. Eridani dregs have developed cultures of abstract or unconventional names, however, and this is tolerated. Only native Eridanians may select the Eridanian accents – employing the suit slang is how a non-native worker might look to integrate, not the accent tag in-game. This is enforceable by server moderators and admins.'''

==History==
'''Eridani I''' – originally referred to as '''Kamfulu''', a name that has now been entirely forgotten except by dregs – was not always similar to the Earth. Its colonisation initially happened on the 6th of May '''2102''', as it was among the first worlds that Humanity set its sights on. Historical archives from back then describe it as being covered in forests and jungles, along with having an extremely varied ecosystem, with many exotic types of flora. It proved to be very fertile land in any case, and many colonists were attracted by its potential as a jewel colony. Colonisation quickly sped up and, in '''2210''', Eridani I had already become one of the premier colonies in terms of development.

With the expansion of the Eridani Corporate Federation, a problem quickly became evident: the planet’s thick vegetation was making it quite hard for the cities to continue expanding, and a constantly expanding economy was required for Credits to continue rolling. In fact, most of the population was at the time not concentrated into large urban centres, but rather in many cities dotted across the surface in gaps and holes in the forests. Thus, after many months of negotiations, a deal was struck with Zeng-Hu: in exchange for their exclusive rights to Eridani II, cutting-edge terraforming technology was to be given to the government. This technology was used not only to achieve a perfect climate for human development and to maintain it, but more importantly to gradually erase practically '''all''' uncontrolled vegetation across the planet. As a result, Eridani I’s air quality is among the worst in the Spur, with all of the air purification being done artificially. Gardens and forests continue to exist in controlled environments in the megacities, but only in token amounts – and, of course, as tourist destinations. The most exclusive arboretums often function as meeting places for high-level executives who wish to not be interrupted by paparazzi looking for the latest scoop.

The systematic destruction of Eridani I’s flora allowed the largest urban centres to expand uncontrollably and absorb practically all cities in their wake. By '''2300''', only four cities – one per continent – remained on the surface of Eridani, containing 100% of the planet’s registered inhabitants: '''Ifihan''', '''Tokura''', '''Madiwa''' and '''Fantalu'''. Some have speculated that the megacities were actually developed as a deliberate form of statistical cheating by the Eridanian government: they are incredibly massive to a degree that almost no other planet in the Spur can match. Only planets or moons with extremely high population density such as Callisto can contend with Eridani I’s continent-spanning megacities in statistics such as gross domestic product. As the megacities approached this massive size, their names began to supplant their continents’ – and now, the continents are simply named after their respective megacity.

==Culture==
Suit culture is homogenised and thus does not vary much in Eridani I from the standard. It does vary slightly, however, on a megacity level. Interestingly enough, there is rivalry between the megacities, but Eridanians lack a true sense of patriotism or duty to their city. Many would ditch their city or even planet in search for better pay, unless their new conditions would be incompatible with them: a Tokuran resident who is particularly inclined towards party culture would almost never move to Fantalu due to the lack of entertainment districts. At the same time, it is simply easier for them to not move from their megacity and find better work there. More open-minded Suits can find elements of variation in foreign workers and their immigrant communities.

Religion is still present in Suit culture to a certain degree, mainly in the middle and low class, with the majority religions being Islam and Christianity. These religious suits are often not practicing to the level of a Damascene Elyran, as an example, but some do still try to fit religion into their schedule where they can -- of course, their religion's core tenets may not mesh very well with the inherently greedy and corporate structure of the Eridani Corporate Federation. The upper class of suits -- CEOs and the like -- has very often completely embraced the Federation's corporate culture, choosing to discard distractions such as religions.

Dregs live a very difficult and uphill life, doubly so if they wish to remain dregs and refuse the few opportunities for reintegration that exist. They are the only ones on Eridani I to refer to the planet and its continents with the respective defunct names: '''Ekeke''' for Ifihan, '''Lukingo''' for Tokura, '''Ichida''' for Madiwa and '''Maluwashi''' for Fantalu. Using the modern names would mean bowing down to the culture that they despise. Dreg culture, much like Suit culture, varies on a settlement level and there are countless settlements to be found in Eridani I's underground.

===Holidays===
Eridani I has few holidays, in keeping with the monotony of Suit culture. The only two holidays given by the state to Eridanian workers are '''Christmas Day''' on the 25th of December and '''Diversity Day''' on the 6th of May. Both holidays vary in terms of the celebrations that take place and the populace’s general attitude towards them.

'''Christmas Day''' has become a holiday completely detached from its beginnings as a Christian one, staying relevant purely because of its momentum and corporations viewing it as favourable for their profits. It is no longer connected to any religious significance and is now mostly a day where Eridanians are encouraged to go on massive shopping sprees. All districts bar industrial ones are decorated with LED wreaths and laurels of many different colours, with no combination of colour being particularly connected to Christmas now. Many view this holiday as a chance to express some sort of colour and flair outside or inside of their house with various levels of decorations found all over the planet. Christmas’ gift-giving tradition persists as well, becoming one of the main displays of friendship that Eridanians can truly afford to show. More importantly, this is the one holiday that Eridanians use to visit their family: it is impossible for most to really interact with their family in any large capacity due to crushing work schedules, thus it is a good opportunity to go home and reconnect with one’s parents.

'''Diversity Day''' is a very different kind of holiday. It can hardly even be considered one, as Eridanians are still mandated to show up to work – however, most of the day is dedicated to lectures instead of one’s usual labour. This holiday mostly presents itself as an attempt to preserve some sense of Eridanian patriotism – it is basically mandatory for workplaces to hang up Corporate Federation flags and give long elegies on the nation, while praising foreign workers for their contribution towards the Eridanian ideal (this ideal is not elaborated on) and to the economy. Corporations often advertise secondary services such as mental wellbeing services in these lectures, but their rate of utilisation remains low: most Eridanians do not wish to be known as a troubled worker. Regardless, most of the planet’s populace is glad to spend their day away from an office cubicle, even if they must attend five or six lectures, despite being generally uninterested in this holiday. Eridani’s corporations often attempt to sell Eridani Corporate Federation-branded souvenirs, such as Eridani scarfs, Eridani cloth masks for the pollution or Eridani sweaters, but these sales never break even a tenth of Christmas’ sheer output.

Due to the decentralised nature of dreg settlements, there are no holidays, nor is there really space for a holiday as dregs are forced to hunt for food and water day in and day out in order to survive. The closest event to a holiday is Den’s '''Reinstatement Tournaments''', which most of the settlement’s dregs show up to watch. New Kivu, on the other hand, often decides to celebrate New Years’ with whatever festival items its dregs can get its hands on. It is viewed as a bit of a bittersweet event: another year has been survived, and here’s to one more. Whichever stocks of alcohol the settlement’s dregs have managed to scrounge up over the course of the year are always popped open for this occasion, with many of the settlement’s inhabitants sharing this bittersweet moment with their friends and family.

===Fashion===
Suit fashion is generally conversative as a result of Eridanian homogenization and, of course, relies on the usage of simple and corporate-looking two-piece suits and dresses, tailored to be as perfectly fitting as possible and with the least offensive choice of colour. For those that spend their little free time at clubs or other such activities, flair is mainly shown off through creative usage of LED or holographic strips on their clothing. Eridanians do, however, make a '''very common''' habit of buying extremely expensive corporate items and wearing them everywhere, such as Idris’ deluxe Le Soleil Royal products, in order to make status and fashion statements. Golden watches, golden earrings, diamond rings and other such symbols are common to see, even in the workplace. On the other hand, it is important to avoid any sort of clothing or body modification that might even associate one with dregs – piercings and tattoos are entirely absent in the fashion culture, for example. Deciding to pierce yourself would be a one way street to having your contract terminated. Reinstated dregs, for example, often choose to take loans to get rid of their tattoos or other such dreg-like attributes through laser surgery.

Dreg fashion, on the other hand, is non-existent as a moniker: it is simply whatever the dregs happen to get their hands on. The harsh life of this downtrodden underclass means that a centralised concept of fashion is an unreachable and irrelevant concept to most of them. Whatever distinct clothes they may wear are often scavenged or knitted together, with some communities rarely managing to form a distinct look.

==Megacities==
Eridani I’s megacities are a marvel of architectural engineering. They span for almost the entire length of their respective continent, but that is not to say that they are entirely populated: many districts are specialised in a certain role to make the most out of their space or position. Each megacity is, in fact, divided into precisely 200 administrative districts, which have been assigned to a purpose by the megacity’s board of managers as the urban centre grew: the amount of a certain district does vary between megacities as well. Industrial districts, housing districts, commercial districts and office districts are the most common: industrial districts take the form of large, sprawling foundry or assembly complexes, often run exclusively by IPC or simple robots; housing districts are massive complexes of apartments, while others exclusively house villas; commercial districts house the Spur’s grandest and most exclusive shopping malls, and finally office districts are characterised by massive skyscrapers that function as office buildings, with many numbering in the hundreds of floors. Each administrative district is managed by its district manager, which is not elected by Eridanians but instead by the megacity’s board of managers. Districts also have varying levels of air quality: industrial districts are among the worst places in the Spur for air quality, whereas office districts are still polluted, but not quite as badly.

All megacities have a certain number of districts set aside for “environmental” purposes, mostly indoors due to air pollution, even if there are a few open-aired districts. These districts are often artificial and colourful gardens, forests, jungles and so on: they are styled after the vegetation that used to be in that district’s area prior to its terraforming. They are sometimes a veritable adventure, with seamless transitions into different artificial biomes. Additionally, some of these districts are even styled after other planets’ environments, in order to give work tourists a familiar environment to visit – Visegrad’s rainy forests, for example, are adapted quite faithfully. Tourists often come to gawk and sightsee due to these districts’ exoticness, or even to carry out activities such as hiking or even outdoor picnics. CEOs, on the other hand, have made a habit of using secluded parts of these districts to carry out deals with clients, away from prying eyes. All of this for an entrance fee, of course.

Due to Eridani’s policy of uniformisation, the megacities all largely look the same in architecture, which is based on african futurism – most buildings opt for an inoffensive white or grey cosmopolitan colour scheme, with little variation bar for lights, windows, and holographic display boards. What variation there is can be observed on the skyscrapers that dot the city surface, which dominate the Eridanian skyline: each skyscraper tries to stand out in its own way from the rest, using different shapes, colourful holographic display boards or other creative outlets. Some are even created purely using glass, while others have opted for simpler variations on the Eridanian style.

<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed">
===Ifihan===
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
'''Ifihan''' is the largest, most densely populated megacity and capital of Eridani I and where the Federation’s government is headquartered, in addition to hosting '''Einstein Engines’ Eridanian headquarters''' and the '''Eridani PMC Academy'''. Being the capital, Eridanians from Ifihan are the most used to immigrants and tend to have friendly or at the very least cordial relations with them, in addition to often being familiar with various Human cultures. This has resulted in many Eridanians from Ifihan borrowing chic slang words or customs from work tourists: as an example, the Elyran word selam has found its way in more than a few Ifihani districts due to the presence of some small Elyran communities. As a result of having the largest foreign population, Ifihan also has the highest number of environmental districts at '''12''', all of which borrow elements and biomes from every single planet found across Human space.

The Eridanian PMC Academy is a key component of Ifihani culture, especially for foreign workers. More information on it can be found in the Work Tourism section.
</div></div>
<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed">
===Tokura===
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
'''Tokura''' is the second largest Eridanian megacity and where '''Hephaestus''' is headquartered. It is mostly known for its '''two massive entertainment districts''', affectionately named '''Amethyst''' and '''Diadem'''. They were designed exclusively by Venusian artists and architects under the supervision of the board of managers. They stick out like a sore thumb among all the other districts, displaying the classic flashy Venusian style across every single nightclub or bar. LED paintings cover every single wall and pavement in these districts, proving to be quite a culture shock for an Eridanian on their first visit. They are a very famous and renowned destination for Eridanians wishing to blow some stress off on their rare days off – even though many end up sleeping far less than the recommended amount per night in order to have a little fun outside – and make up for a large part of the megacity’s revenue. Diadem also hosts '''The Cube''', a gigantic cuboid structure that holds hundreds of bars and restaurants along with dancefloors and even residential housing for its employees. The Cube is a club which carries prestige across not just Eridanian space, but Human space as a whole.
Suits from Tokura have a reputation for being less on edge, warmer and generally more happy-go-lucky than others, much to the dismay of their Eridanian employers.

Tokura also hosts the largest number of industrial districts at '''68''', boasting a gigantic workforce employed in engineering or related fields. It is also the home of the '''Hephaestus Engineering Excellence Institute''', a common destination for Hephaestus employees that wish to obtain further qualifications in a more competitive environment – while also experiencing Eridanian culture for the duration of their stay. Those that finish courses in this institute often obtain lucrative contracts in industrial fields in Eridani, or even abroad. A sizable portion of middle-level Hephaestus managers obtain their management certifications here. The 68 industrial districts are mostly run by Hephaestus, with many being staffed by both IPC, native Eridanians and foreign workers.

As a result of the large number of industrial districts, air quality in Tokura is the worst among the Eridanian megacities and many Eridanians there develop a habit of staying indoors more than usual. Thankfully, their favourite attractions – the Venusian nightclubs – are all indoors. Additionally, it has less housing districts to compensate for the large amount of industrial districts, leading to a large overcrowding problem. This is partially why Suits from Tokura are warmer towards others – it is impossible to leave your apartment complex without seeing or talking to a colleague.
</div></div>
<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed">
===Madiwa===
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
Madiwa is the third largest Eridanian megacity and where '''Zeng-Hu''' is headquartered. It has the second highest number of environmental districts at '''nine''', the most famous of which is the '''Diakite Garden''': a brilliant metallic dome built around a brilliant variety of different trees, flowers, and grasses all precisely organised into a great botanical garden. The facility was built originally by Zeng-Hu Pharmaceuticals as a place to house plant samples, however after some years the company found it more profitable to charge people for entry and use it as a venue for “outdoor” business conferences and even expensive entertainment acts. Getting access to the Gardens is very difficult, with tickets going for thousands of credits and repeat-entry passes going for hundreds of thousands. This cost makes it quite the statement of power or status for one to hold a business meeting in the Gardens, and there are gazebo-esque facilities in parts of the dome made specifically for business.

Madiwa is a major medical and research centre and arguably hosts the planet's most advanced medical institutes and facilities. The '''Zeng–Hu Madiwan Polytechnic''' can be found in Madiwa, one of the premier Zeng-Hu polytechnic institutes. This university is where many graduates sponsored by Zeng-Hu find their home, both in Eridani and abroad, to be moulded into only the highest quality employees. At the same time, the Polytechnic is known for its soul-crushingly high standards, a result of the fusion between Zeng-Hu corporate culture and Suit workaholism. Many Zeng-Hu chief medical officers or hospital directors obtain further training in patient management at the Polytechnic institute.
</div></div>
<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed">
===Fantalu===
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
'''Fantalu''' is the smallest Eridanian megacity, curiously hosting no Solarian megacorporations. As a result, it also has the smallest population of foreign workers, which are often not treated kindly. It is, however, the host of the largest Eridanian corporation, '''Eridani Energy''', colloquially referred to as '''EriEn''' – an energy corporation specialising in the creation of fusion reactors at small scale – which hires '''exclusively''' Eridanian natives and natively assembled Eridanian IPC. It is known for having gruelling work hours, extreme recruitment standards but unparalleled pay. Eridanians that do leave EriEn – often due to extreme burnout and typically after having earned a few years' worth of paychecks – have little trouble finding work abroad as their abilities, experience and dedication to their work are in high demand. In addition to engineering fields, EriEn also hires many middle-management level staff, mainly in accounting, human resources, personnel management or other such related fields.

Fantalu is, as a result of all these factors, a significantly more Eridanian native-minded megacity than the rest. Its inhabitants often look down on Eridanians from other megacities and on them letting foreign influence run rampant. The examples commonly cited by Fantalu’s residents are Amethyst and Diadem, the two Venusian entertainment districts in Tokura. No entertainment districts are present in Fantalu and the megacity sponsors a very workaholic culture, making it an extremely unattractive prospect for anyone that wishes to spend their life in more than an office cubicle.
</div></div>

==Dreg Settlements==
The Eridanian megacities do not leave much space on the surface for dregs to even exist, which begs the question of where the majority of their population resides. The answer lies in a fault in Eridanian management: when the megacities absorbed smaller settlements, they never integrated existing tunnelling or underground systems, instead choosing to extend their own, as they were viewed as superior and less prone to failure. This has led to each megacity hosting its own unused complex network of tunnels, mining complexes, sewer systems and other such spaces underneath. These were interconnected by Eridani I’s dregs overtime, leading to the creation of the '''two main underground settlements''': '''New Kivu''', which corresponds to Ifihan’s underground, and '''Den''', which corresponds to Tokura’s. These two settlements are only the biggest and most renowned ones, but many small settlements exist in the tunnels nonetheless. Large settlements have some semblance of a government, but it only extends insofar as informal leaders making decisions – there are absolutely no social programs, government-sponsored hiring or anything resembling a modern nation state.
<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed">
===New Kivu===
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
The largest dreg shanty town in all of Eridani, New Kivu, boasts something that almost no other dreg community in the Federation can match: a widespread pipe network delivering clean water courtesy of the town being built around a once-decommissioned water treatment plant. This has led to much of the dreg population of Eridani I flocking to New Kivu in hopes of living in a place with clean water. It is the dreg settlement with the highest standard of living, but even that is still rock bottom when compared to anywhere else in the Spur. New Kivu’s economy functions mainly on salvaging food and water scraps from above through pre-planned routes, which still gives it an immense tactical edge over all other settlements that are instead forced to hunt for scraps of food and water over hundreds of kilometres. This has led to dregs outside of New Kivu developing a large sentiment of jealousy towards the premier settlement, and it is often forced to defend its borders from poachers, raiders and bandits far more often than any other, and these raids are often quite devastating for the town’s populace. This led to the creation of many rudimentary mercenary forces that sell their protection to the highest bidder, paid in food and water by the locals of the areas they protect. Some of these mercenary dregs do manage to get poached, reinstated and recruited by EPMCs, if they manage to get lucky enough to be scouted.
</div></div>
<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed">
===Den===
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
Den, on the other hand, is a much more different kind of settlement – if that label could even apply. Its culture is an extreme distortion of Cytherean and Suit culture where gambling, card games and other such activities play the main role in society. Knowing how to gamble, cheat, play cards and dice is an essential skill here as gambling is what the economy of Den runs on. What little food and water there is gets immediately gambled at makeshift bars or casinos, or becomes the price of admission in the '''Reinstatement Tournaments''': clandestine competitions hosted by the wealthy Suits that run the nightclubs on the surface. Dregs that climb their way up and defeat Suit opponents are often given a chance to reinstate themselves, with the price of signing an extremely abusive contract with a nightclub as card dealers, baristas or professional card players: those who find their way out of these contracts by paying severance fees are often burnt out and end up leaving their megacity or Eridani altogether. A minority of the dregs that make it to the end of these tournaments view these contracts as an unacceptable hit to their pride and end up refusing them, choosing to remain in the underground instead. These clandestine tournaments are very lucrative as well: many Suits place fairly high bets on their favourite candidate, as the payoff is extremely high. It is speculated that Den’s semblance of a “ruling government” is in close cooperation with the CEOs of the entertainment districts to provide them with an ever-flowing source of workers, and of course tournaments to sate their taste for extreme tourism.
</div></div>

Some of Eridani I’s dregs, however, live in completely desolate areas on the surface, primarily deserts that were not terraformed due to the land not being profitable. They live an even harder life than other dregs and their population has rapidly dwindled throughout the years due to the lack of any real source of food or water. They are the most isolated communities on Eridani I and entirely rely on raiding other underground dreg settlements for sustenance – a practice that has rapidly backfired ever since the creation of New Kivu’s mercenary system. Some find refuge underground and integrate into communities such as New Kivu or Den, while others continue to embrace this nomadic lifestyle. These dregs are known for being extremely superstitious to a fault, often judging how the course of a day will go from a simple observation in the morning. Additionally, they are the most religious community on Eridani I, with most of them believing in one deity or the other: makeshift places of prayer can be found dotted around their deserts for just about every human religion. Due to their origins as West African and Central African colonists, most of them follow the religions of Christianity and Islam.

Due to the entirely decentralised, chaotic and anarchic nature of these above-ground settlements, '''there are no large or static communities.'''
==Work Tourism==
Eridani I’s status as a gigantic trade and labour hub means that it receives an immense flux of immigration. This immigration, however, is a curious type when compared to all other planets: many people from across the Spur come to Eridani for an average amount of six years for humans in order to find better-paying labour. These immigrants are referred to as '''work tourists''' by Eridanians and even across the Spur. These work tourists often incorporate some words of Suit slang into their vocabulary in order to fit into Eridanian society slightly more, but never end up quite submitting to Eridani’s crushing demands. Work tourists often work a similar work week to other planets in the Spur, which is shorter than the Eridanian work week of ten hours across six days. This leads to some resentment towards work tourists, and sometimes even jealousy. Eridanian opinions on this matter vary, but most of them recognize that they do bring in a good amount of credits.

A common example of this work tourism is the '''Eridani PMC Academy'''. This academy is shared by all EPMCs and carries out a crucial function: it is not only where Eridanian native PMCs are trained, but also where foreign EPMCs must go for '''at least one month''' in order to acclimatise to Suit and Eridanian culture. This acclimatisation training is named '''the Foreign Hire Program''', but is colloquially referred to as '''the Internship'''. This month-long program trains foreign hires in their relevant fields to make sure that their knowledge is up to par, but also mandates Eridanian culture classes, as these employees will end up having to speak to Eridanian superiors and colleagues quite often throughout their career. A foreign hire is referred to as '''pierced''' by Eridanians if they have not passed their Internship, at which point they are referred to as '''bought'''. Native Eridanian PMCs often look down on pierced foreign hires as being a step below them: as a result, hazing foreign hires during their Internship is quite common. For many Eridanians, this sentiment ends when a foreign hire passes the Internship, while others continue to look down on these foreign hires until they subjectively deem them as sufficiently integrated. If a foreign free IPC needs to travel to the Eridani PMC Academy for training or otherwise to the Eridani Corporate Federation for company purposes, they will be transported there by the company with transportation costs deducted from their salary. A technicality in the Eridani Private Contractor Freelance Code saying that since EPMCs function as the Eridani Military, IPCs and aliens are in Eridani Space when in transit and can legally transit through Solarian space even though the Sol Alliance outlaws their presence.

Work tourists can find it hard to break into Eridani’s insular culture, depending on their luck. It can be challenging to ''truly'' make a friend, be trusted or even be seen as an equal as a foreigner. This has led to many immigrant communities forming in every megacity: Little New Hai Phongs can be found, in addition to Little Venuses, and so on. These immigrant communities end up forming nice attractions for Eridanians that wish to put a little spice in their day by partaking in a foreign culture: many immigrants make extra Credits on the side (or network) through activities such as hosting cultural food stands in their district. In any case, nobody leaves Eridani I without changing slightly due to societal pressures; most that leave at the very least end up hungrier for Credits than before.

Eridani I is also a potential work exchange destination for Skrell, though with a price attached – Skrell are not used to the long hours and can find it particularly crushing to work in Eridani for a long period of time. Those with enough of an attraction for Credits to accept a contract here, ironically, find it easier to be respected as a gear in Eridani’s machine than other work tourists: they are willing to work just as many hours, if not more than native Eridanians. This often leads to “healthy” workplace rivalries between Skrell and Eridanian colleagues in how much work can be done in one day, which Skrell often end up winning. Eridani is also often touted in the Nralakk Federation as a very challenging workplace, if excessively materialistic. Ifihan has the largest population of Skrell workers, with some of its environmental districts housing relevant biomes from Nralakk and other necessary facilities.
==Synthetics on Eridani I==
The vast majority of synthetics on Eridani I are owned by all sorts of corporations, whether domestic or foreign. Frames seen as ''chic'' such as Shells and Bishops are the only ones that can find their place at the top of the Eridanian hierarchy, either by being owned by wealthy Suits or CEOs as a status statement, by finding employment in Tokura’s Venusian-inspired nightclubs as bartenders, card dealers and so on, or by working in jobs that require excellent human-to-synthetic communication, such as offices or in the medical fields – Zeng-Hu especially hires many Shell doctors in its districts. On the other hand, Industrial frames and Baselines are almost always relegated to working in industrial, environmental or housing districts in engineering or maintenance fields, or alternatively in security fields for the various Eridanian PMCs. It is, of course, also possible for Shells and Bishops to hold security positions, even if they are of more expensive make. All of these IPC generally work non-stop hours, much more than even the most workaholic of Eridanians.

The only synthetics that exist outside the megacities are scrappers or outdated models that ran or were discarded. Generally they live solitary lives, leeching off of what little energy they can find, and do not usually mesh with dregs: it is much harder to have to care for an IPC as well, and the risk is not worth it for most communities that cannot spare any electricity for them. Additionally, many dregs still hold resentment over IPC due to being the arguable cause of their predicament, which is the result of IPC replacing a significant part of the Eridanian lower class workforce.

{{Navbox Human Lore}}
{{Navbox Lore}}
[[Category:Pages]]
[[Category:Planets_and_Systems]]
[[Category:Humanity]]

Eridani Federation

2022-12-14T22:59:41Z

MattAtlas: 12 hour work week to 10

{{Navbox Lore}}
{{Navbox Human Lore}}
{{Infobox Species
|Species = Eridanian
|Scientific = H. Sapiens/Human
|Image = Corp410x320.png
|System = Epsilon Eridani
|World = Eridani I, II, III, IV, V
|Language = Sol Common/Tradeband/Freespeak
|Politic = Eridani Corporate Federation/Sol Alliance
}}

[[File:Eridani Logo.png|thumb|The logo of the Eridani Corporate Federation. It's motto is "For the Prosperity of all Eridanians"]]

The '''Sovereign Solarian Nation of the Corporate Federation of Eridani''', often referred to as the '''Eridani Corporate Federation''' or simply '''Eridani''', is a decentralized corporatocracy set in the Epsilon Eridani system. While nominally part of the greater [[Sol Alliance]] as a whole, the Federation’s corporate government enjoys an unprecedented level of autonomy compared to other Solarian member states; very few of the Federation government’s policies align with those of the greater Solarian nation. Renowned and reviled across the Spur for the efficacy of its expansive private military concerns and controversial treatment of its own citizenry, the Eridani Federation has become something of a pariah state in galactic affairs. Its three inhabited worlds boast some of the highest population density anywhere in the Spur, with tens of billions of inhabitants calling the Federation their home.
{{Template:Region-JewelWorlds}}
'''As Epsilon Eridani was originally settled by colonists of West and Central African descent, human characters born in the Eridani Corporate Federation must have names and appearances consistent with the indigenous peoples of these regions, as any human moving to the ECF would assimilate into the dominant cultures and ethnic groups of the Federation. Eridani dregs have developed cultures of abstract or unconventional names, however, and this is tolerated. Only native Eridanians may select the Eridanian accents – employing the suit slang is how a non-native worker might look to integrate, not the accent tag in-game. This is enforceable by server moderators and admins.'''

==History==

Originally colonized in 2095 by settlers from the West African Union (UAO), the near-Sol system of Epsilon Eridani stood out as a prime location for early extrasolar settlement. The UAO secured the foundation of the Eridani Federation in 2095 when it secured the sole rights to colonize the Epsilon Eridani system. Most Eridanian Suits are descended from the West African settlers of the UAO’s colonial program, and the Federation maintains warm relations with the UAO to this very day. Modern Eridanian Tradeband is descended from French and some indigenous languages found in West Africa. The UAO has longstanding ties with Hephaestus Industries, which contributed greatly to its colonization effort of Eridani I-- the first planet in Epsilon Eridani. Colonization of the system continued through the assistance of Zeng-Hu Pharmaceuticals, who loaned genetically modified crops to the UAO in exchange for rights to build labs and construct research facilities on Eridani III. This business deal progressed into long-term development of Eridani III and the system as a whole as Zeng-Hu money was used to develop genetic research projects on the planet. Presently, the UAO maintains a very close economic relationship with the Eridani Corporate Federation, though politically they have drifted apart over cultural differences, with many citizens in the UAO decrying the ECF’s treatment of the Dreg Underclass and the eradication of almost all West African culture that may have once existed in the ECF.

==Government==
Eridani’s government is largely represented by the Board of Five - five representatives from various megacorporations. Each seat in the Board is tied to a sector, which the chairman’s corporation has full control over. Presently, however, all of the five sectors only include one planet. The positions in the Board are simply purchased, but they also stay extremely consistent because it takes a 4 to 1 majority to dismiss a member, opening the position up for sale - the current arrangement of seats hasn’t changed since the 23rd century. Sector Alpha is considered the most valuable, and its seat is the most expensive, and sector Epsilon is the least valuable of the five.

'''Sector α''' (Eridani I) - Hephaestus Industries <br>
'''Sector β''' (Eridani II) - Zeng-Hu Pharmaceuticals <br>
'''Sector γ''' (Eridani III) - Zeng-Hu Pharmaceuticals <br>
'''Sector δ''' (Eridani IV) - Einstein Engines <br>
'''Sector ε''' (Eridani V) - Einstein Engines

Eridani is by far the most autonomous nation within the Sol Alliance and was exempt from the bevy of anti-megacorporation legislation and actions passed in the wake of the Sol Collapse of 2462. This is due to the odd, esoteric status that the Eridani Corporate Federation has in Solarian Law. The Federation is independent from Sol in almost all matters aside from foreign policy, however is technically a sovereign solarian nation like many others in the Alliance. A near-endless rabbithole of bureaucracy and contracts seek to ensure this, with Eridani’s current status being guaranteed by hundreds of pieces of legislation between itself and Sol, a tactic which seeks to ensure that if Sol wishes to revoke any of Eridani’s privileges they must go through a very time consuming process of nullifying hundreds of contracts and agreements rather than only a few.

==Population and Planets==
[[File:Pixel Planet Oran1.png|thumb|Eridani I as seen from Orbit.]]

With tens of billions of inhabitants strewn across five inhabited worlds, the most striking thing about an Eridanian citizen’s daily life is how little variation there is. Eridani’s five worlds are all but indistinguishable from one another at ground level; a citizen could be plucked from one of their smog-choked cityscapes and dropped into another without noticing much more than a change in the local gravity. Extensive and heavy-handed terraforming has rendered each of Eridani’s planets monotone but perfectly habitable, imposing upon their biospheres a carefully curated environment free from undue weather patterns of extreme temperatures. These "office worlds" are perhaps what Eridani is most famous for aside from the subcultures of its people.

The sheer scale of urban development that has come after Eridani's colonization, however, has had a profound effect on the terraforming project’s success. After two centuries of runaway construction and the unregulated exploitation of Eridani’s natural resources, the atmosphere of each respective world is heavy with smog, which clings close to ground level in a soupy mass of various colors. Across the surfaces of each world, skyscrapers rise out of the thick fog into the inky blackness of the sky above, their colossal air-conditioned interiors providing a breathable atmosphere to their citizenry. The pollution of Eridani’s worlds has eclipsed even that of New Hai Phong, and outdoor work is now pursued exclusively by robotic workers or those without any other option.

The Eridanian skyscraper, therefore, has become more than just a workplace for the Federation’s citizenry. Formally known as ‘habitation units’, they incorporate residential floors and areas alongside office complexes and call centers, ensuring that the Eridanian citizen has no theoretical need to ever leave their building of birth. The habitation units themselves are further organized into megacorporate ‘cities’, generally held and owned in their entirety by one specific corporate subsidiary. Work is generally just one elevator ride away from an employee’s living and leisure space, which maximizes productivity for the corporation at the top of the chain. The Federation’s focus on so-called corporate ‘non-jobs’ has drawn increasing criticism over the past decades, but as the population continues to sprawl across the grey, drab surfaces of each Eridanian world, the crushing weight of office bureaucracy continues to expand. At the base of these city-structures are often cities in themselves, living and breathing communities cobbled together out of maintenance shafts and tunnels created or inherited by Eridani's dreg population. These areas are notoriously hazardous, with sources of danger being both their ramshackle environments and the less savory inhabitants of Eridani's lawless undercities.

While almost entirely indistinguishable at a cursory glance, the various worlds of Eridani do have some things that stand out about them.

<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed">
===[[Eridani I]]===
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
'''Eridani I''' - Eridani I is the jewel and capital world of the Eridani Corporate Federation. It is the first of five named planets in the Eridani system and boasts the largest and most dense population of the five by far, with extremely high levels of development and endless opportunities for those who seek the blood of the galaxy – credits. Its climate is especially Earth-like, if not temperate, as a result of terraforming carried out by the Federation. Eridani I features four continents, two polar caps, and the most inoffensive atmosphere possible in order to attract as many work tourists as possible, if they do not mind the pollution. The planet boasts an extremely small number of cities, only four: a result of the immense and rampant expansion of the largest urban centres, which ended up absorbing all other settlements in their path. These megacities are some of the most advanced, populated, and chic in the Spur, where every single building is realised in the most neutral style possible in order to pander to just about everyone that might consider moving over.

[[Eridani I|More can be found on the planet's page.]]
</div></div>

<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed">
===Eridani II===
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
'''Eridani II''' - Home to the ECF's largest cargo port, it is called "The Longshore" by Eridani's Dregs. Known as ECF Port No. 4 officially, the port is the second largest in Solarian space tailing only behind Callisto in the amount of traffic that it manages to process. The port itself, much like other enterprises in Eridani, is a megastructure of massive proportions, essentially being a skyscraper with dockyards and hangars built into one side as it stretches far up into the clouds. The building has received numerous renovations and expansions since its initial construction in 2301 and is currently undergoing it’s largest construction project yet: the addition of a space elevator to its summit. Upon completion, the port building will be the tallest in the Eridani System. The Dreg community of Eridani II has also been influenced by the port. The largest Dreg settlement, colloquially known as Boxtown by its Dreg inhabitants, having many of its structures built from discarded shipping containers or even entire derelict freighters which have been ditched in the Eridani undercity after receiving catastrophic damage or having their maintenance neglected. Due to its proximity to the port, if a non-citizen Dreg wishes to leave Eridani via smuggling, Boxtown is usually their first stop.
</div></div>

<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed">
===Eridani III===
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
'''Eridani III''' - Eridani III houses more corporate research facilities than any other planet in Eridani. Research here fills a diverse set of fields, from robotics to biomedicine. For this reason, it is called "The Lab" by many Dregs. The largest facility on Eridani III by far is the Doucoure Biotechnologies Research Institute, an extensive campus the size of a small city operated solely by Zeng-Hu Pharmaceuticals. Little is known about what goes on in this labyrinth of buildings, however it is generally believed that this facility is where Zeng-Hu tests treatments, procedures, and augments which would be banned under ethics laws elsewhere in inhabited space. Employees of this facility must sign a non-disclosure agreement that bars them from speaking about anything they did or saw in the facility under penalty of citizenship loss or death. Elsewhere on Eridani III however, the Dregs of the planet have organized a community known as Tshiswaka’s Workshop which is widely considered to be the hub of Dreg “science,” if it could be called that. Hundreds of ramshackle mechanist and robotics shops dot the city and is where many aspiring Dregs go to learn the trade or simply to tinker with the discarded waste of Eridani III’s research projects and prototypes. A cottage industry of producing counterfeit prosthetics has sprung up in the Workshop too, with some of these products being sold outside of Eridani by shady retailers advertising the knock-offs as real, legitimate prosthetics.
</div></div>

<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed">
===Eridani IV===
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
'''Eridani IV''' - Eridani IV is the location of many of the ECF's private military company training and prison facilities. This has earned it the Dreg moniker of "The Cell." Most notable of all of Eridani IV’s buildings are the giant tri-towers of the Private Military Contracting Group known as the Triangle Compound. Each of the three towers manages a large portion of the planet’s private military forces, with one being devoted to monitoring naval/interstellar fleet operations, one being an additional training and management centre that specialises in prisoner management, riot control and policing for corporate security officers and mercenary soldiers, and the third being the headquarters of Eridani IV’s extensive prison network. The planet’s prisons range from decrepit pits of suffering and darkness where convicts judged criminal by the Eridani system are thrown away and forgotten about, to kushy high-rise skyscrapers for corporate offenders willing to pay a lavish fee to be imprisoned in more comfortable facilities. The Dregs of Eridani IV are mostly ex-convicts of these prisons who had no way to leave the planet legally after their sentences had ended, and so have founded communities in Eridani IV’s undercity as ways to continue living. The largest of these is called Libanga and is built around an abandoned barracks and military base that once belonged to a long-bankrupt private military contractor. It is known by Dregs across Eridani as possibly the safest Dreg establishment in the system, with its murder rate kept low (by Eridanian Dreg standards at least) by a pseudo-police force armed with the decades outdated but still lethal equipment salvaged from the military base at the center of the community.

</div></div>

<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed">
===Eridani V===
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
'''Eridani V''' - Eridani V is formerly the location of the largest mining operation in the Eridani Corporate Federation, but is now long defunct. The Dreg name for the planet however is still "The Pit." While the mining is no longer here, Eridani’s commodities market still is. Here brokers buy and sell hundreds of tons of raw and finished materials, from steel to computer chips to Helium-3 gas and even Phoron, making it one of the most central parts of Eridani’s commercial society. The empty caverns and mining pits of Eridani V have lent themselves to multiple repurposing since the collapse of the mining industry on the planet in the early 2320’s. Some have been turned into residential districts while others have been made into huge silos made to store the various resources traded on Eridani V’s markets, and others have even been rented out by various corporations or private military contractors as sites for weapons testing. The Dreg community of Eridani V also lives in these long-abandoned tunnels, with miniature subterranean cities cobbled together from old mining and excavation equipment or pre-fabs made for housing workers. The most peculiar of these is called Gravelville by its inhabitants and is built around five inoperable massive bucket wheel excavators 330 meters tall each. Scaffolding and constructions have been built between these machines in the gravel pit where they've sat and over the years, a make-shift society of Dregs living on and between the derelict excavators has grown to call them home.
</div></div>

<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed">
===The Dembele Cloud===
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
Beyond Eridani V is the remains of what was formerly known as the Dembele Cloud. When the Eridani System was originally colonized, the cloud was a modestly sized (by interstellar standards) ring of ice, planetary debris, and various gasses including Helium-3. Today it is but a shadow of its former self, a result of rampant over-exploitation and mining by the various megacorporate factions which have come to govern Eridani. Despite the materials of the Dembele Cloud having been depleted decades ago, some of the various stations and platforms set up in the cloud still have inhabitants. These places are the home to Eridani’s Offworlder Human population and much like their terrestrial counterparts, their societies are structured into Suit and Dreg Classes.

Among the dozens of stations in the Dembele Cloud, two stand out more than the others. The first of these is '''Dembele Station''', the largest station ever built in the cloud. It was originally constructed as part of a Helium-3 mining operation in the 2220’s by Einstein Engines and is a marvel of engineering despite some parts of the station falling victim to age and disrepair. It was built to be an all-in-one facility built into the side of a large asteroid that could house Helium-3 mining operations as well as processing and refining plants, though as mining became less and less profitable, the parts of the station built for mining became less and less updated with the rest of the station and soon came to house the station’s Dregs. The suit portion of the station is centered around the refining facilities, as while the station no longer mines its own He-3 and minerals, it is still one of the largest refineries in Eridani for imported raw materials. The wealth from the refining has allowed the suit population of the station to built their own pseudo-skyscrapers into the station, with the suit half being renown for its various silvery spires that reach upwards into space, acting like any other Suit structure would. In contrast, the Dreg portion of the station ranges from poorly maintained to barely hanging on, with the Dregs of Dembele constantly looking to expand their part of the station with whatever materials they can find in order to house newcomers which may find themselves ejected from Dembele’s Suit society. Parts of the Dreg half of Dembele Station require a voidsuit to even enter, as they are exposed to the vacuum of space and because of this, it is not uncommon for Dembele’s Dregs to make unique, personalized modifications to the voidsuits that they may sometimes spend days at a time inside of.

The second station of note is called the '''Eridani System Hephaestus Industries Gas Platform 7''', though this is often shortened to just '''Platform 7''' by both Suits and Dregs. Platform 7, as its full name implies, is a free-floating space station originally built by Hephaestus Industries for the purpose of gas mining in the Dembele Cloud, however since gas extraction in the Cloud stopped it has been converted into a floating shipyard. Some of the largest cargo freighters in Eridani have been built here, with the station being expanded to have fifty-two construction docks, though not all of these are operational. The Suits of the station are experts in ship construction design and have connections with nearly all of the major ship manufacturers in Human space. Additionally, the Suits of Platform 7 are some of the most well-traveled of all Eridanians, with their jobs usually requiring them to go abroad to complete the sale of the vessels constructed on their station. They live in comfort and relative luxury compared to other suits in Eridani and are currently bankrolling a massive skyscraper-like spire for future habitation and business with hopes of one day competing with Dembele station over corporate business happenings in the Dembele cloud. The Dregs of Platform 7 mostly do not live within the station itself, but rather instead in some of the old, abandoned constructions that still sit on the lower docks of Platform 7’s shipyards. Numbering nine incomplete cargo ships total, all of these hold substantial Dreg populations and they vary in states of completeness. While the Dregs of Platform 7 lack the means to fully complete these hulks, many have taken to maintaining them and expanding them as parts of the station themselves. These Dregs too, much like their Suit counterparts, are experts in ship maintenance and repair, though they often employ unorthodox or even dangerous solutions to problems as a result of their limited resources. There’s been conflict between Platform 7’s Suits and Dregs in the recent past, with the Suits hiring mercenaries in 2459 to destroy three of the incomplete hulks in the lower docks of the station. These actions killed thousands of Dregs and lowered the number of dreg “ships” from twelve to nine.
</div></div>

==Society==
Each individual planet is practically under the free reign of its respective corporation. Unbound by law, megacorps can conduct any business - no matter how unethical, as they have to respond to nobody. This has a dramatic effect on an average Eridanian’s life - and not solely negative. Many research facilities are set up here, in the heart of corporate activity. Upcoming products are tested and enjoyed here first, and some of them don’t even leave Eridanian borders. Many Eridanians relish in this luxury and exclusivity.

Going up the corporate ladder, however, other difficulties start to arise in the life of a typical Eridanian. Corporations having absolute control over its citizens means that there is absolutely no privacy - everything that one does is collected as data, and then processed by advertisers, HR managers and law enforcement. Even a slightly odd Extranet search may earn one quite an unpleasant talk at work, which may often end in an employee’s dismissal. Because of this, most Eridanian citizens avoid even slightly falling out of the norm, being lawful as well as visually and verbally inoffensive - though transgressions are increasingly overlooked the wealthier or the more well-connected one is.

Work is also extremely easy to find, and often it pays somewhat better than average, even when working for the same corporation, in other governments. This, however, is often compensated by absurd working hours. Burnout and high blood pressure are common medical issues amongst standard citizens of the federation because of this, and a cultural epidemic of stimulant abuse runs rampant amongst the population, dreg or citizen.

Of course, there are people who also choose to go to the surface simply out of spite towards the large corporations. They usually become the leaders of various criminal communities found all across the Federation. These communities often form settlements underground, or if they are especially lucky, in abandoned buildings or manufacturing plants. Some are welcoming to newcomers while others are fiercely territorial and even violent. A sense of rebelliousness is a common ideal in these settlements within the Eridanian undercity, with many choosing or being convinced to express it with outrageous appearances, extreme body modifications, and even criminal activity. This life, however, is not fit for everyone - and those who aspire to better things often leave their communities or Eridani itself via smuggling operations or try to reintegrate back into Eridanian corporate society by trying to find megacorporation work or even going as far as to attempt to return to the corporate class culturally.

===Eridanian Citizens===
Known as '''Suits''' to the rest of the Spur, the life of a model Eridanian citizen is simple and regulated. Work takes place six days a week for ten hours a day, with an employee’s income carefully balanced against their expenditure to ensure little to no upward mobility. Prices in Eridani are controlled on an individual level, and everything is paid for in the great Solarian credit. An employee’s consumption of every resource is monitored by the state’s vast surveillance apparatus; the food they eat, the fluids they drink, and the air they breathe are all accounted for and deducted accordingly from their pay. The elevator one rides to work each day comes with a charge, and so does the electricity they use at their workstation. Jobs are frequently mind-numbing and unimaginative; data entry, call centre work, and other rote tasks are emblematic of the Eridanian ‘career path’. Unsatisfactory performance leads to penalties imposed, automatically or otherwise, by an employee’s superiors – in extreme cases, a worker’s contract may even be terminated outright, resulting in expulsion from the habitation unit onto the smog-choked concrete outside.

Despite the corporate and work-focused lifestyles of Eridani suits, there is a great value placed on socialization in Eridani Suit society. People who do not socialize and only work are seen by Eridani society as shut-ins with poor networking skills and are often passed up for promotion because of that stigma. Conversely, those who can demonstrate themselves as not only diligent workers but also as charismatic business partners are welcomed in Eridani’s corporate landscape for their abilities to make connections and potentially make sales or deals on their personal magnetism. Talking about work in these off-work social situations is frowned upon as being poor form, but realistically, many social interactions be they parties, dinners, or social visits are at least in part motivated by a sense of advancing one’s prospects in business. Practically speaking as well, having connections and friendships means a Suit may have more methods to solve any business or life-related problems that may arise, and as such, they are keen to build these bridges. An unexpected side-effect of this is that romantic relationships within the workplace are far more common than in other systems. Despite this, workplace romance is still considered heavily forbidden when on the clock, and even using a nickname for your partner could land you a meeting with your supervisor.
Suit families are often tightly knit organizations which center around specific departments in the megacorporations where they work, and having children is something that is usually subsidized and encouraged by the corporate authorities of Eridani. Maternity and paternity leave are granted to parents that have children, with the rationale being that children mean more future workers for Eridani’s corporate economy.

Augmentation is encouraged at every level of society, and even the most body-purist of Eridanian citizens can sometimes be found with an ocular overlay laid behind one or both eyeballs. Due to a lack of regulatory control, advertisements are often invasive and incessant – the fee to opt-out is generally so prohibitive that buying the product outright would cost less, and a user’s augmentations are often used as a vehicle to deliver adware directly into an employee’s field of view or hearing. Augmentations are frequently discounted, offered as grants, or subsidized by the employing corporation (although the cost is always recouped down the line), as each new piece of metal or silicon installed in a worker is another part of them open to more state control. The private military sector is one of the heaviest investors in augmentation technology – free from undue regulation and ethical constraints, the Eridanian model of war as a business has led to the Federation leading the Spur in the field of combat augmentation. Subsidized augments are typically of exactly the grade required to increase performance, with corporations making bulk purchases to save on cost and augmentation of at least some degree being nearly universal among Eridani’s Suit population.

===Eridanian Non-Citizens===
Aside from the Federation’s official citizenry, however, a sizable minority population of billions of non-citizens live outside the confines of the crushing corporate system. Referred to as '''Dregs''' by the Spur at large, the term has been co-opted by many as a badge of honor rather than a pejorative. Whether an individual was born outside the great Eridanian skyscrapers or sent there following the loss of their job, Dreg society is the polar opposite of their Suit counterpart. Without corporate control or any form of governance from the Eridanian state itself, the Dregs largely inhabit their own sprawling, slum-like conurbations all across the surface of Eridani’s terrestrial worlds. Categorizing their form of governance is impossible, as the disposition and inclinations of one Dreg community can be strikingly different from those of its neighbors. Anarchist communes, miniature despotisms, and even some functional democracies have spread themselves from Eridani I to Eridani V, and the Dreg world now consists of an immeasurable number of unrecognized micro-states, all of which are mostly ignored by the central Eridanian authorities. The attitude of each of these micro-states can vary considerably, as can the attitude of each corporate ‘city’ towards their officially unrecognized neighbors. Some Dreg and corporate communities are known to engage in limited cooperation, however uneasy; some others, however, are engaged in all-out bloody warfare to undermine or eradicate the other. Naturally as corporations fight one another, so have Dregs been known to.

The life of the ‘average’ Dreg, therefore, contrasts sharply with that of their Suit counterpart. The air is thick with smog, technology is often backwards and archaic, and independent observers estimate life expectancy to be somewhere in the low forties as a mean average, with dregs dying between their twenties and sixties on average. This has led to older dregs being rarer, and respected for surviving so long. Even so, living outside the hellish Eridanian corporate system comes with its own invaluable upsides – Dregs enjoy personal liberty the likes of which very few Suits will ever see, and passage off-world is (ironically) much easier to secure for many Dregs to acquire than a Suit under constant, crushing surveillance. What little remains of the colonists’ native African culture is kept alive in Dreg communities across Eridani, and although much of it has diverged significantly from what the Africans originally brought to the system, it often forms a important aspect of life in Dreg society, as well as acting as a symbol of defiance against the oppressive, corporate non-culture the authorities look to enforce. Some dregs have sought to economically become people once again though have still kept their Dreg culture and have landed jobs with megacorporations and regained their citizenship, though almost all of these positions are low-level or hazardous.

Unlike the professionally-focused lifestyles of the corporate suits, dregs are known to form close families of either blood family or found family. Family comes before all in dreg communities, and it’s not uncommon for extended family up to one’s cousin to live under the same roof in compound-like shanty homes. These homes might consist of a central courtyard as well as rooms around the edges, with families eating in the courtyard.The only thing that could possibly even hope to match family bonds are community bonds, with even gangs typically helping their immediate community regardless of their known brutality. Recruitment for gangs happens most often inside of these community bubbles as a result. While individual communities are very close and work well as units, Dreg communities are usually suspicious of other dreg communities and are known to be fiercely territorial. Gang warfare or even low-intensity armed conflicts between dreg settlements isn’t unheard of as they vie for the limited resources found in the Eridanian underbelly. This has led to the suit stereotype of depicting Dregs as violent criminals who will even kill members of their own class, though of course suits are also known to kill each other in “extralegal business disputes.”

Similarly to suits, dregs will usually take their augmentation seriously, having an even closer bond to their roboticist and rarely picking a new one unless it would be geographically impossible to return. Due to outward migration by Dregs, either through smuggling or legal travel after a dreg has reobtained citizenship, this attitude is fairly well known in roboticist circles and is regarded with either charm or suspicion, depending on the attitude of the roboticist.

'''Non-citizen Dregs cannot be employed on the Horizon due to the SCC refusing to employ them, however characters who are culturally Dregs or from Dreg communities who also hold Eridani Citizenship are employed by the SCC. Even if a Dreg is born a non-citizen they automatically obtain citizenship in Eridani by simply getting a job with a megacorporation. This does not mean they have been Reinstated as they have not re-embraced the Suit culture. This means that all canon player-made Eridani Dreg characters played on the Horizon who do not possess a citizenship of another country or faction are Eridanian Citizens.'''

===The Reinstated===
While the concept of social mobility is a largely foreign one to Eridanian society, it is not entirely absent. Some Eridanians who have lost their citizenship and the privilege of being a Suit or who were born into the status of a Dreg, have actively sought out ways to gain a better status in society once again, or for many, for the first time. Becoming “'''Reinstated''',” is a long and arduous process that many fail at despite their hardest efforts. Going from a Dreg to a Suit requires a corporate sponsor and extensive background checks along with sensitization programs aimed at stripping any reinstatement candidate of any Dreg-like behaviors, names, customs, and speech patterns. A certain accent is even taught to Eridanian Dregs wishing to return to Suit life and culture. Even if a Dreg completes these programs, many of which are paid for out of pocket, their reinstatement is still not assured. The only way for a Dreg to become reinstated as part of the Suit class is to obtain employment with one of the megacorporations which govern the ECF and advance beyond a low-level position.

Reinstateds are their own class within Eridani, but also have intrinsic links to both Suits and Dregs. Many Dregs see Reinstateds as traitors to the Dreg communities where they came from or resided after their first falls from grace. Reinstateds are considered betrayers of their families and communities and those who even attempt to seek reinstatement are treated like pariahs by their communities. Violence against Dregs seeking to become reinstated from other Dregs is not unheard of and Reinstatement is a process that is greatly discouraged by Dreg society. On the other hand, the Suit view of Reinstateds is mixed. Some see Reinstateds as not genuine Suits or as people who live up to the standards of what Suit life requires. They see them as better than Dregs but certainly not their equals. Others though see Reinstateds as paragons of the hard work, self-motivation, and cutthroat attitude needed to survive in Eridani’s society and actively welcome them into their social circles and business partnerships. While debated in its truthfulness, a stereotype of Reinstateds among Eridanian suits are their risky investment strategies and business techniques that thrive in high-risk, high-reward situations and markets.

Partially because of their past-lives as Dregs, many Reinstateds are employed by private investigative firms or security companies specializing in policing dregs or working with them in the numerous Eridanian undercities. Other Reinstateds have found themselves working as Engineers or Mechanics due to the lives of many dregs involving technology or machinery of some sort courtesy of the entirely urbanized wasteland where Dregs live and from where Reinstateds have left. Becoming reinstated does not just mean that a dreg finds a job with a megacorporation, it is returning to the fold to be a part of the corporate or "Suit" society of Eridani.

===Synthetics===
Due to both the costs of living and the lack of any laws governing the self-purchase of synthetics, the majority of legal IPCs in circulation are property. Within the upper echelons of Eridani society, synthetics are recognized as property with the ideas of synthetic rights being found mostly in the lower levels of the megacities. Due to this, free-thinking and non-subservient IPCs tend to stand out within the cities.

Synthetics are used by the companies to cater to a wide set of needs such as customer service, logistics, and even traffic. These IPCs are often used as a showcase for the latest products, with Shell and Bishop receptionists and Mobility Frame traffic officers being the most visible additions to the labor force.

IPC personnel are commonplace in Eridani with high-end leisure and entertainment establishments, including the famous Asmara, being known to operate IPC employees. Informally, synthetics are viewed as a contest with corporations participating in an unspoken competition to surpass the other in terms of the beauty and service that their IPCs can provide. Critics often proclaim that the quality and innovation of an Eridani-made IPC is surpassed only by that of their [https://wiki.aurorastation.org/index.php?title=Venus Venusian] counterparts.

Synthetics exist in the lower levels of Eridani as well. They are often used by and against dregs, performing tasks that would be harmful for a human on the polluted surface of the planet. Owing to these capabilities, IPCs still constitute as luxury goods in the lower levels, often being smuggled for sale to Dreg communities or to be sold as parts. Synthetics that manage to acquire their freedom commonly find themselves joining gangs to protect themselves from repossession or disassembly, or forming gangs of their own, the most notable types being the [https://wiki.aurorastation.org/index.php?title=Synthetic_Factions#Scrappers Scrappers].

==Augmentation==
===Suit Augments===
Cybernetic modification is an integral part of Eridani’s cultural ideal. Simple tracheal augments are usually the first and the mildest step into augmentation, as they are needed for a lot of people to simply survive with Eridani’s thoroughly polluted air. Having other bionic enhancements is considered a symbol of wealth and prestige. Most electronics in the Federation are specifically designed to interact with augmented eyes - but they are also very functional on their own. A typical Eridanian eye implant can completely replace, or even surpass, a typical hand terminal in functionality - being used to browse the Extranet, communicate on chat relays, and more. As is typical for Eridanian technology, it is also swarmed with ads and is proven to constantly send data about the user’s activity to advertisers, making them somewhat unpopular outside the Federation. Augmentation is so tailored to the workplace in corporate society that people often find difficulty retraining if made redundant, as their augments will have to be replaced in order to suit their new job title. This adds a steep financial barrier to changing professions, and works to prevent upwards mobility without corporate sponsors. In extreme examples, hands may be given an extra finger in order to increase typing speed on legacy systems, at the cost of removing much of their dexterity for other tasks such as handwriting. These augments are often removed by the time the corporate citizens are able to find work outside of Eridani, being seen as too unsightly and off putting to clients. In some cases, synthskin is a requirement for reassignment to certain regions of the spur.

===Dreg Augments===
Dreg societies take the Eridanian fascination with augmentation technology to an extreme. While a typical Corporate may have no more than an augmented respiratory system, bionic eyes and a few neural implants, a Dreg may maim themselves to replace their flesh with superior, more durable metal - often at the expense of looking presentable. Sleek eye augmentations are removed from former workers by barely qualified surgeons to be replaced with crude prosthetics that do not aim to imitate the human form, but to simply provide functionality - often being, for example, completely filled with one color, or having colored scleras. The more brave may opt into removing their limbs for a metal replacement, which is often made “in the house”, with lower quality parts but higher maintainability. Dregs in general are largely proponents of “right to repair” when it comes to prosthetics, shunning branded augments in favor of ones that can be repaired at home or by their favorite roboticist. Function over form is another one of the more unusual ideologies of dreg augmentation, with dregs often caring little about how attractive their augments are so long as they outperform their original limb. As such, dreg roboticists have gained a rightful reputation for making insane or seemingly random choices with their parts lists that give their augments a unique charm, creating a niche market of enthusiasts who share a mindset. Simultaneously though, these creations have led to the creation of a stigma around Dreg mechanists in some circles which paints them as uneducated and mentally unstable people who should not be trusted with something as important as prosthetics or IPC repairs.

==Eridani Federation Life==
===Food===
Eridanian cuisine has a wrongfully gained reputation of being extremely soy based, to the point of caricatures of Eridanian figures often depicting them holding some form of soy based product. Despite this stereotype, this is not entirely true. While Eridanian cuisine as a whole typically makes heavy use of soy based products, other ingredients make up as much of a staple of the Eridanian diet as much as soy does. Plantains, tofu, farmed fish, yams, beans and rice are all staple ingredients of Eridanian cuisine both due to their ease of growth in a hydroponics heavy society as well as the cultural roots of the system as a whole. A major method of cooking is frying, with Eridanians being known to fry anything that can fit in the pan and even some things that can’t, being served with the everpresent soy.
Some famous dishes from Eridani include:
* Puff-puffs, a fried dough ball with a crunchier outside than a donut. These are typically cooked in a pool of oil at the bottom of a pan, however the Eridanian version differs from tradition by adding ground ginger instead of the traditional pepper. Whether it’s acceptable to dip puff-puffs in synthetic cream is still a subject of fierce debate amongst all Eridanians.
* Fufu dumplings with soup, the dumplings are made of pounded plantains and shaped into a ball to be served alongside soup. The soups might contain any number of vegetables, but traditional meats from their earther counterparts are replaced with shrimp, tofu or yam.
* Joloff rice, long grain rice fried in groundnut oil with tomatoes, onions and hot peppers. Again fish and meat substitutes make an appearance here. The dish is a favorite amongst all due to the ease of cooking and the fact that it can be made in one pot.

Of course, not all food is made the same in Eridani. The communal lifestyle of Dregs lends itself better to creating these dishes in more traditional ways, however ingredients or food as a whole can often be scarce in the cutthroat Eridani underbelly. As a result, fresh food and traditional dishes are usually reserved for special occasions like birthdays and holidays, with the majority of the Dreg diet being composed of easy to produce and store soy-based foodstuffs. Suits often spend so much of their day at work that it’s preferred to buy their meals either ready or pre-prepared from a machine rather than home cooked. Learning to prepare ingredients and cook is often a skill that makes a Suit, or the occasional Reinstated, very popular amongst their colleagues as it shows a dedication to a skill for the purpose of networking.

Fast food chains exist that are also exclusive to Eridani, such as Shrimp Republic, a location that can be found in almost any Eridanian food court or habitation block. The ingredients often consist of some form of fried shrimp as well as various kinds of skewer for easy and enjoyable eating.

===Music===
Corporate music is considerably more well-documented than Dreg music when it comes to what is popular, the data algorithms gathering all instances of listening as well as attention spans to songs to form the perfect bands to be fed to the public en-masse. As a bizarre byproduct of this feedback loop of attention, two major genres have emerged in Epsilon Eridani, at least amongst the citizens. The first of these has been deemed EriR&B, a slower, gentler form of R&B music which has risen in popularity for its ability to help the average Eridanian unwind after a long day at the office. Song subjects vary, but are usually about professional achievement, taking pride in one’s deeds, and of course, love with songs about forbidden office romances shooting to the top of the Eridanian charts. These songs usually incorporate fairly large productions and aim to create a dreamlike soundscape for the listener to entice relaxation and comfort. Though he is now in his seventies, the Reinstated Eridanian singer Patrice Ouedraogo is widely considered to be the best artist to have graced the genre and is known by many as "The King of EriR&B." Throughout his career his music has had broken record after record for sales and streams inside Eridani and have even brought him success outside of the system with his songs about his struggle to reintegrate into Eridanian corporate society and odd status as a Reinstated striking a chord with many listeners. He and his music are despised by Eridanian Dregs for this reason however. He’s known outside of Eridani and has performed concerts in Callisto, Luna, Silversun, Venus, Biesel, Xanu Prime, and is one of the handful of Solarian artists that has been allowed to perform in Elyra. Despite Ouedraogo's success in popularizing the genre outside of Eridani though, many EriR&B singers fail to break out of the Eridanian market.

The second genre of music that has become popular among Eridani's suits is a form of Electronic Dance Music known as Cubic Mix which, as the name may imply, originated from The Cube nightclub on Eridani I. It is notable for having very strong, percussive beats mixed with riffs of twinkling synthesizers that often come in waves, never really having a “drop” but simply escalating and falling with varying levels of intensity around a central motif or theme in the music called the "skyline" in popular parlance. Some speculate that this music format was made to keep clubbers in nightclubs longer and be easy to listen to while one works, but regardless, it has been influencing Suit music tastes for nearly a decade. The most popular Cubic Mix DJ is a 36-year-old Suit transman named Ata Kumaa Nuamah who goes under the stage name Playmaker. He is widely credited with pioneering the genre ten years ago along with his fellow DJ’s Cecille Daako and Artur Danjuma, stage name simply Danjuma, while the three worked at The Cube. The three have collaborated often in the past and have sold out some of Eridani’s largest venues. Neither Nuamah nor his contemporaries have yet to see success outside of Eridani. Along with music, or sometimes instead of music, many Eridanian corporates listen to podcasts. These typically are about news, business, and general happenings in Eridani society and are made to be best listened to at one’s desk. More can be read about these podcasts here in the [[Human Entertainment Media]] page.

On the other end of the spectrum, dregs have taken to two more stereotypical favorite genres for an underclass, rap and punk. Both genres tend to focus on life in Dreg society, either the massive amounts of death and poverty, or blaming the system they live in for said death and poverty. While the two genres rarely mix, it isn’t uncommon for them to share lyrical patterns and chord progression. Generally, Eridanian punk is unusual from other genres of punk due to its heavy usage of distortion pedals, electronic instruments and synthesizers. Punk bands in Eridani last for years at a time, but are known to have extremely messy breakups when they get famous, assuming they ever leave their extremely localized sphere of influence. Eridanian rappers on the other hand tend to make a large spectacle of themselves once their music leaves their sphere of influence, hoping to get famous outside of Eridani and hopefully be able to escape. The most famous of these cases is Mister-Shifter, a duo of two Eridanian Dreg rappers from Eridani II named Abdou Sillah and Danielle Jata who have made a very successful career for themselves as a traveling act in the Sol Alliance, Republic of Biesel, and Sol-Common speaking parts of the Coalition of Colonies. Their songs usually contain subject matter about the difficulties of dreg life, their perseverance, and their home communities. These themes are paired with a minimalistic production and a very fast, hard hitting lyrical delivery that is filled with Dreg slang, making their style very unique and distinctive when compared to other popular rap acts.

==Film & Holovision==
Movies and holovision shows made in Eridani occupy a fairly insular market, with specific tastes of the local audience being unsuccessful outside of the system and vice versa. This is largely credited to the extreme use of “Cast Characters” within their filmmaking, a set of norms which has by-and-large been accepted almost universally across nearly all Eridanian film and holovision studios.
* Anti-corporate activity should always result in the demise of the anti-corporate.
* Non-citizen dregs may only appear as antagonists, sympathy is allowed in cases of redemption at the end of the production.
* The protagonist should not show any form of anti-corporate sentiment, except when portraying their darkest hour.
* Members of corporations may only be shown as villains in the event that they are acting against the best interests of the corporation

These norms often mean that anything made outside of these parameters has no hope of being profitable, and so much of Eridanian film production has consolidated into a few main genres which have shown to be profitable (if not guaranteed to succeed) among the Eridanian viewer demographic while avoiding corporate scorn or sanctions: Corporate dramas, action movies starring PMCs as the protagonists, adaptations of literature already popular within the ECF, and long-running office romance serial soap operas.

==Video Games==
Video games in the ECF are a popular pastime for younger citizens and dregs alike, with both imported titles like the Dominian “Reign of Steel” and domestic titles like “Fleet Commander”. Domestically made Eridanian games are rife with microtransactions however, making them unpopular for export outside of niche groups and emigrants. Typically the games are a subscription model, paying weekly or monthly to the developer for access to your account with different payment models covering different benefits. Premium accounts are almost essential to doing well in games, and it’s not uncommon for the highest tiers of account to be allowed to use external programs to cheat in the game. As a result, cheating is rife within Eridanian space, leading to both advanced cheat menus and highly skilled players who are able to outperform cheaters in certain popular titles.

==Language==
The official languages of the Federation are Sol Common and Tradeband. A few dregs Dregs hold onto Freespeak as a piece of cultural identity, though many regard it as a dying language in the ECF. Regardless of what languages they speak though, Eridani's inhabitants are well-known the Spur-over for their unique and distinctive slang expressions, examples of which can be found below.
<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="width:99%; overflow:auto;">
Corporate Slang
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
Esteemed colleague - ''A friend or superior.''

Colleague - ''Neutral term or an insult if the person is a friend or superior.''

Blue sky thinking - ''A very good idea.''

Dreg - ''A member of the lower social classes. Also used as an insult to anyone who is not a Dreg.''

Stopgap - ''Derogatory expression used to refer to a Reinstated."

No can do -'' Polite form of "no".''

That's a big N O - ''Neutral or negative form of "no".''

Do lunch - ''To meet up or hang out.''

Eight thirty res at Asmara - ''A humorous way of saying good bye/ the impossible, based on the extremely exclusive Asmara restaurant on Eridani I. E.g. "Gotta go, I have an eight thirty res at Asmara" or "uh huh, and I've got an eight thirty res at Asmara."''

Call me - ''Dismissive form of "bye".''

I'll call you - ''Friendly form of "bye".''

You got it - ''Said in response to "Call me" or "I'll call you."''

Pierced and Dyed - ''A dreg. Could be someone who lost everything/became poor. (“What happened to Mr. Holloway?” “Made a bad investment; now he’s pierced and dyed.”)''

Ink under his/her/their suit - ''Associates with dregs more closely than is socially acceptable. It implies that under their nice clothes, their body is tattooed. Insult.''

That is a shame - ''Don’t really care. “Oh, the dregs are going hungry? That is a shame.”''

Out of my scope - ''Not my problem or, dismissively, “I can’t/won't help you.”''

I would sign that - ''I’d bet on it/it’s a sure thing.''

Blue dye thinking - ''A very bad idea. A play on “Blue sky thinking,” but “Blue dye” refers to dregs.''

I’ll pen you in - ''Good/Positive response to “Let’s do lunch.”''

I’ll have to check my schedule - ''Negative response to “Let’s do lunch.”''

Read the fine print - ''Be careful/Stay safe.''

Sign blindly - ''Dangerous or stupid. As in signing a contract without reading it.''

Contract Expiry- ''A polite euphemism for death, as in "Unfortunately, colleague, the dreg's contract seems to have expired." "Fired" is also used, but is more crass and impolite.''

Partner - ''Good friend/Significant other. From “Business partner.”''

A good investment - ''A general compliment. Referring to someone as 'a good investment' can imply friendship, camaraderie, or even love. E.g. "You're a good investment."''

To be across something - ''To understand something. "I'm across it" means "I understand."''

(As) Per my last - ''A rude or arrogant way to indicate something was already said or proposed, often used for emphasis or out of frustration.''

Bought a tie but shipped heels/Bought heels but shipped a tie - ''A way to describe a transgender person. Female to male and male to female respectively. Not used in a derogatory context.''

Not worth a single credit - ''Not worth my time.''

Clip-on - ''Fake or inauthentic. (From a clip-on tie). Usually refers to a person.''

To have poor posture - ''To be outside the social norm''

Proactive - ''Kind/thoughtful.''

To engage with someone - ''To talk to/speak with some one.''

To get the memo about something - ''To hear and/or understand something''

To draft something - ''To write something''

To push something forward - ''To act on a plan (i.e. "Let's push forward this deal" - "Let's get on with it.")''

Tongue-pierced - ''Rude/Insulting. As in “He’s tongue-pierced” (He’s rude) or “Is your tongue pierced?” (Indicating that someone just said something rude, insulting, or like a dreg).''

Thank you for your input - ''A dismissive expression used in response to information a speaker found useless or unproductive to a conversation. Akin to the standard expression, "Nobody asked."''

I trust you understand - ''Intimidating / threatening version of "Listen to me". This can also be used in the sense of a warning.''

Deal - ''Multipurpose expression for a "thing."''

In plain writing/Plainly written - ''Simply put/Bluntly put''

Foreign Merger - ''Interspecies relationship.''

Subpar/Not optimal - ''Very bad/dire.''

Ledger - ''Situation.''

Black Ledger - ''Good/Great situation.''

Red Ledger - ''Terrible situation.''

Merger - ''Committed romantic relationship''.

Temp work - ''Romantic fling''.

Check your quarterlies - ''Be careful (About what you are doing.)''

What are your quarterlies? - ''How have you been?''.

Bank run - ''Sudden bad situation''.

Hostile takeover - ''Murder''.

To act like an intern - ''to act unprofessionally or in an unbecoming manner''.

With Kindest Regards/Best Regards - ''"Fuck you." Can also be used as an expression of endearment between close friends/business partners or couples.''

“I need to hang up.” - ''"I have to leave unexpectedly/attend to something urgently."''

“I need to take a call” - ''I have to go for a moment''.

“I’ll call you back,” - ''We’ll speak again later''.

To move the needle - ''To work hard''.

"Unseen collaboration," - ''Used to express getting less credit than deserved''.

Dissolution or Liquidation - ''Bad breakup''.

Reinstatement - ''The process of a Dreg re-entering Eridanian society''.

To default - ''To go wrong. "It might default" - "It's risky/dangerous."''

Sky High - ''High quality''.

"A quarterly report’s worth of X” - ''A lot of something''.

Portfolio - ''Reputation''.

'''Examples:'''

"It's blue dye thinking, but I'll push it forward regardless. I trust you understand that it's out of my scope if this deal leaves you pierced and dyed." ("I think this is a bad idea, but I'll do it anyway. For the record, I won't help you out any further if this ruins you.")

"Plainly written, foreign mergers are simply poor posture. I'm not across why anyone would sign so blindly." ("To be frank with you, I think interspecies relationships are disgusting. I don't understand why anyone would involve themselves in one.")

"Did you get the memo? Aida's going to end up dyed after that deal -- I'd sign that." ("Did you hear? Aida's going to go broke after that deal she made -- I'd bet on it.")

"Is your tongue pierced? As per our last conversation, gossip isn't worth a single credit to me. If anyone has ink under their suit, it's the one engaging with me in poor posture." ("Excuse me? Like I told you before, I don't care about workplace gossip. If anyone's acting like an idiot, it's you.")
</div></div>

<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="width:99%; overflow:auto;">
Dreg Slang
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
Boss - ''A highly insulting term for a superior or coworker.''

Suit - ''A neutral or positive term for a superior.''

Extra - ''A hacker.''

Heavy - ''Serious or dangerous. ''

Plus - ''Good.''

Rats - ''Food. Derived from "Rations".''

Soy - ''Food. Eridanian cuisine is primarily made up of soy-based produce.''

To chew the rats: ''To eat.''

The office - ''Prison.''

In my turf - ''Up in my business/In my face.''

Pad - ''Place.''

Boy/Girl - ''Male/female friend or associate.''

Man/Woman - ''Male/female partner or romantic interest.''

No phone - ''A derogatory response to a suit slang bye e.g. "I'll call you" "No phone boss."''

Chief - ''A neutral or positive term for a superior.''

To sign the dots - ''To be imprisoned/enslaved. Comes from the idea of signing a contract.''

Tie and slacks/Leisure suit - ''Half-dressed in a suit i.e. a dreg that either associates with corps, or maybe a dreg who has a corp parent. Also used as a derogatory term refer to Reinstateds Either way, it’s a big dreg insult.''

Sets lunch - ''A play off of the suit slang “let’s do lunch.” Basically someone who associates with suits (“Yeah, he's the type to set lunch.”)''

Suit Smile/Suit promise - ''A lie.''

Knabo/Knabino/Knab - ''A guy or gal.''

Talpo/Talp - ''A shady person or a criminal.''

Kroko/Krok - ''An outsider or non-Dreg.''

Bov/Bovino - ''A very good friend or tight-knit pal. Can be considered rude or insulting when used with a person the speaker isn't good friends with.''

Amo/Amino - ''Boyfriend/Girlfriend or significant other''

To Verb/To Spit - ''To say, speak, or tell.''

To gab (with someone) - ''To chat (with someone).''

To Audit something - ''To hear or understand something.''

To vide something - ''To see something.''

To Scrib/Scribe - ''To write.''

To tool - ''To fix (mechanically or technically) or conduct maintenance.''

To map something - ''To understand or recall something.''

Arctic/Slick/Ice - ''Cool, great.''

Riccy - ''Rich, often used in a pejorative or derogatory sense.''

Fek/Knob - ''Alternative, less-offensive variations of "Fuck."''

To Debt - ''To work (a job).''

No debts - ''No worries/No problem.''

Bonny/Bones - ''Good.''

Dolly - ''Kind/Nice/Sweet.''

Creaky/Rusty - ''Dangerous. Can be used in the past tense to describe misfortune.''

Pure/Straight/Right - ''Very. “Pure dangerous,” “Straight riccy,” “Right dolly,” etc.''

Milk - ''General multipurpose replacement for "thing." Akin to the Suit word "Deal."''

To cark (it) - ''To die. Not used when referring to murders.''

To be creased - ''To be murdered.''

To crease someone - ''To murder someone.''

Arbo – ''A Dionae.''

Serp/Serpo – ''An Unathi.''

Rano – ''A Skrell''

Borgo – ''An IPC or stationbound cyborg/android/robot.''

Cino – ''A Vaurca.''

Badge/Blue – ''A member of corporate security or other law enforcement.''

Patcher – ''A doctor.''

Wrencher – ''An engineer.''

Mixer – ''A bartender.''

Hopper – ''A Head of Personnel.''

To bleed someone - ''To hurt someone/Make them pay.''

Sniffs/Sniffers - ''Sniffs/Sniffers - Brown-nosers. Dregs who suck up or listen to suits/authority. Also for cops who are putting their noses in your business.''

Band - ''Gang. Bando/Bandino would be a gang member.''

Banded - ''Married/Life partners. Best friends, marriages, etc. Not a coincidence it uses the same root for gangs.''

Idio/Drongo - ''Idiot.''

Half-eared/Half-eyed - ''Hard of hearing/seeing. Mostly said out of frustration. “What the fek are you, half-eared?”''

Just hands - ''Said of a person who can only communicate in sign language because they are either deaf or mute. Might be called No-eared or No-tongued, to mean Deaf or Mute, respectively.''

Fair shake - ''Fair enough.''

Pointed/Pointy - ''Horny. Mostly as a joke, to tell people to relax. “Don’t get all pointy”''

Affirmed - ''Got it. Confirmed. “Did you set the engine?” “Affirmed, boss.”''

Tick/Shake - ''Second or minute. Like “Hold on a tick” Or “Back in a hot shake.”''

Biz - ''General multipurpose word that can be used to refer to almost anything. Akin to the typical slang usage of the word “Shit.” "Bad biz, I mapped that biz."''

Callsign - ''Name.''

Clacker/Starfish - ''Asshole. “Crank the rod from yer clacker” = Get the stick out of your ass.''

Not(Ain’t) my prints - ''Not my fault. As in, my fingerprints aren’t on that.''

Running your trail - ''Got your back/following you/I’m with you.''

Dry as a suit’s wife - ''Boring, dull, lacking substance. It implies that suits barely have sex or are unfaithful to their romantic partners and have mistresses/paramours, though both meanings are widely accepted by most Dregs.''

To Ice something - ''To vandalize or destroy something.''

Wrong (shoes/boots) - ''A transgender person. “Born in the wrong shoes” meaning born in the wrong body. Not a derogatory term.''

Night wishes - ''Dreams.''

To spill honesties: ''To be earnest or truthful''

'''Examples:'''

“You vide that rano mixer? Knab’s pure iced.” (Have you seen that skrell bartender? Guy’s real awesome.)

“Affirmed; right dolly, mixes plus brews.” (Yeah. Real sweet, and makes good drinks).

“Fekkin’ knob me sideways, that arbo boss is a pure badge sniffer. Ain’t even my prints that the biz got rusted.” (Fuckin’… fuck me sideways, that Dionae moron sucks up to the cops. It’s not even my fault that the shit went bad.)

“All bonny, amino; you ain’t signin’ the dots. Maybe rusty biz, but I’m runnin’ your trails, no debts.” (All good, love. You’re not going to prison. Maybe it’s uncertain(dangerous) shit, but I have your back, no worries.)

“Verbed with patcher Gonzales’ ma last debt; kickin’ pure bonny at my own ma fekkin’ off. Krok’s drier than a suit’s amino; spit riccy the max shake. Def sets lunch, though probbo suit-smilin’ about her biz.” (I talked with doctor Gonzales’ mom last shift; Makes me really glad that my own mom left. She’s dry as a suit’s wife; talked rich the whole time. She mixes with suits, though she’s probably lying about her business.”)
</div></div>

{{Navbox Human Lore}}
{{Navbox Lore}}
[[Category:Pages]]
[[Category:Factions]]
[[Category:Humanity]]

Guide to Citizenship

2022-12-05T11:19:50Z

MattAtlas: Elyran Citizenship now needs a proficient level of Elyran Standard

{{Navbox Lore}}

==[[Republic of Biesel]]==
===Visa Requirements===
* No application fee.
* Loose background check.
* Lasts up to 6 years for work visas, up to 3 months for tourists and visitors.
* Tourism visas are easy to acquire.
===Citizenship===
* Must have lived in Republic of Biesel for at least 2 years (if not a IPC), or having served in [[Tau Ceti Foreign Legion]] for at least a year.
* Able to speak Tau Ceti Basic.
* By Sol Alliance law, must forfeit Sol Alliance citizenship, if existent. Allows any other dual citizenships.
* A ceremony where you pledge loyalty to Tau Ceti.
* Dionae have additional requirements that need to be met to apply for citizenship. They can be found, [[Dionae Intergration|here]]

=== Note ===

* You have to choose between a Sol or Biesel citizenship if you were a Tau Ceti resident in 2452 - if you have not moved out in 2 years after [[Republic of Biesel#History|Tau Ceti's declaration of independence]], your Sol citizenship is invalidated.
* On December 3rd 2464 many were forced to elect to pursue either a Biesellite or Solarian citizenship if they reside on either [[Mictlan]] or [[Port Antillia]]. There is a twelve-month grace period following this, and those that wish to maintain Solarian citizenship must adhere to visa requirements for the Republic of Biesel should they wish to work or reside within it on December 3rd 2465. They do not need to meet any requirements to get Biesellite citizenship if they were born on either of the aforementioned planets.

==[[Sol Alliance]]==
===Visa Requirements===
* An application fee of 600 credits.
* Lasts up to 2 years for work visas, up to 3 months for tourists and visitors.
* An interview about your background and reasons for coming into Sol Alliance space. This interview is known to be very strict, and many visa applications are denied - but experienced specialists and businesspersons have preference. The interview is not required for Skrell.
* Documents proving your reason of stay in Sol space - education certificate, proof of relatives in Sol, etc., or a visa recommendation from a [[NanoTrasen Liaison#Sol Consular Officer|certified Solarian diplomat]].

===Citizenship===
* Must have lived in Sol Alliance for at least 5 years.
* Disallows dual citizenships except with [[Eridani Federation]]. Getting a Sol Alliance citizenship makes your other citizenships invalid. Applicants who wish to keep their citizenship are able to apply for residency.
* Applicants applying for residency must live in the Solarian Alliance and have gainful employment and/or be enrolled in school, either through existing programmes or as an individual.
* Must speak Sol Common fluently.
* A background check. Must also have not have committed any crimes during your stay in Sol Alliance space.
* A test on Sol Alliance law and history.
* Tajara and IPCs need not apply.

==[[Eridani Federation|Eridani Corporate Federation]]==
===Visa Requirements===
* An application fee of 600 credits per month of stay.
* Indefinite duration as long as it is paid for.

===Citizenship===
* An application fee of 750000 credits. You may receive discounts by working in Eridani Federation space, which can potentially reduce this fee to zero after several years of work.
* Must sign an Eridani Federation citizenship contract.
* Allows dual citizenships.

==[[Republic of Elyra]]==
Vaurca are not allowed to enter Elyran space.
===Visa Requirements===
* An application fee of 250 credits.
* Lasts up to 4 years for work visas, up to 3 months for tourists and visitors.
* Documents proving your reason of stay in Elyran space - education certificate, proof of relatives in Elyra, etc.

===Citizenship===
* Must have lived in the Republic of Elyra for at least 3 years.
* Must speak Elyran Standard proficiently.
* A background check. Must have not committed major crimes during your stay in Republic of Elyra.
* By Sol Alliance law, must forfeit Sol Alliance citizenship, if existent. Allows any other dual citizenships.

==[[Empire of Dominia]]==
Synthetics are not permitted entry into Dominian space. Current Dominian state policy is to deport synthetics found in Dominian space, but destroying them is not illegal nor uncommon either.
===Visa Requirements===
* An application fee of 320 credits.
* Lasts up to 5 years for work visas, up to 6 months for tourists and visitors.
* Thorough background check.
* Must not own synthetics.
* Skilled workers have preference.
* Tourism visas are easy to acquire, but require an escort at all times by a Dominian citizen.

===Citizenship===
* May be invited to become a citizen by at least two members of a [[Empire of Dominia Great Houses|Great House]] who are House Nobles or higher, as well as a [[Moroz Holy Tribunal|Priest or Priestess]] of the Tribunal. This also makes you an affiliate of said Great House.
* Citizenship can also be earned by serving in the Imperial military for five years.
* Citizens must swear an oath of loyalty to Goddess and Emperor.
* Thorough background check.
* By Sol Alliance law, must forfeit Sol Alliance citizenship, if existent. Allows any other dual citizenships.

==[[Coalition of Colonies]]==
A visa is not necessary to visit the Coalition of Colonies.
===Citizenship===
* An application fee of 100 credits.
* New citizens must reside in the Coalition of Colonies for at least 2 months out of the year for five years.
* By Sol Alliance law, must forfeit Sol Alliance citizenship, if existent. Allows any other dual citizenships.

While these requirements hold true for most planets within the Coalition, the planet of Konyang has it's own requirements, which it refuses to compromise on. Konyang's requirements can be found [[Konyang#Konyang_and_the_Coalition |
here.]]

==[[People's Republic of Adhomai]]==
===Visa Requirements===
* An application fee of 150 credits.
* Lasts up to 4 years for work visas, up to 6 months for tourists and visitors.
* Background check performed by government officials.

===Citizenship===
* Any Tajara, despite their origin, is able to request citizenship, as the People's Republic claims that all members of the Tajaran species are its rightful citizens.
* Allows dual citizenship. However, Republican citizenship can not be abdicated - which makes you permanently unable to apply for a Sol, Democratic People’s Republic of Adhomai, and New Kingdom of Adhomai's citizenship.
* Non-Tajara are able to apply, but the applicant must be accepted by various governmental committees and pass a thorough background check.

==[[Democratic People's Republic of Adhomai]]==
===Visa Requirements===
* An application fee of 150 credits.
* Work visas, with the exception of those granted for working in [[Crevus]], can only be issue to Tajara.
* Lasts up to 2 years for work visas, up to 3 months for tourists and visitors. Tourists visiting [[Crevus]] can acquire visas lasting up to 7 months.
* Background check performed by government officials.

===Citizenship===
* Any Tajara, despite their origin, is able to request citizenship, as the Democratic People's Republic claims that all members of the Tajaran species are its rightful citizens.
* Allows dual citizenship. However, Democratic People’s citizenship can not be abdicated - which makes you permanently unable to apply for a Sol, Republican, and New Kingdom citizenship.
* Only Tajara are able to apply.

==[[New Kingdom of Adhomai]]==
===Visa Requirements===
* An application fee of 150 credits.
* Lasts up to 3 years for work visas, up to 5 months for tourists and visitors.
* Background check performed by government officials.

===Citizenship===
* Any Tajara, despite their origin, is able to request citizenship, as the New Kingdom claims that all members of the Tajaran species are its rightful citizens.
* Allows dual citizenship. However, New Kingdom's citizenship can not be abdicated - which makes you permanently unable to apply for a Sol, Republican, and Democratic People’s Republic citizenship.
* Citizenship can also be earned by serving in the Imperial Volunteer Alam'ardii Corps for three years.
* Nobility are not allowed to have multiple citizenships. Abdicating any other affiliation is necessary to be granted a title.
* Non-Tajara are able to apply, but only Tajara can be granted nobility titles.

==[[Unathi|Izweski Hegemony]]==
Feudal government is always an arrangement between individuals, not between nation-states and citizens. Citizenship as it is in the rest of the galaxy is a relatively alien concept to unathi, and they've had to awkwardly integrate it into their existing systems; modern citizenship only comes into play when interacting with other civilizations outside the Hegemony.

===Visa Requirements===
* Applications are handled by Lords (or officials working on their behalf) and fees vary; usually between 0 - 2,000 depending on how the Lord wishes to control an influx of new arrivals to their fief.
* A Hegemonic work Visa outlines a set number of hours you owe your Lord alongside the regular work you are doing with a Guild. This means that you owe X hours of labor directly to the Lord that they can call on you to do at any time. (Consider this a form of on-call community service.)
* Documents proving that you are an upstanding person worthy of entering a Contract with a Lord; criminal records, work histories, etc. Your mileage may vary.

===Citizenship===
* Citizenship can be given by any Lord within their fief (territory), which is almost always recognized by the Izweski who then consider that person as a citizen of the overall Hegemony, and vice versa.
* If born to Hegemonic citizens, you inherit the citizenship status of your Clan-Lord, father, or mother, in that order, until you are 18 and negotiate your citizenship as a legal adult.
* If applying as a foreigner, you must be 18 (or claimed by a relative, adopted or otherwise).
* Pass the same requirements as a Visa.
* The Hegemony allows dual citizenship, as long as you maintain your obligation to your Lord, where they can call on you to fulfill X hours of labor a month, or call you into a local Levy.
* Guwans cannot be citizens, and becoming one strips you of all your legal rights, making anything you do ad hoc with no legal protections
More information about feudalism and society can be found [https://wiki.aurorastation.org/index.php?title=Unathi#Feudalism_and_Society| here].

==[[Nralakk Federation]]==
===Visa Requirements===
*Application fee of 200 credits for non-priority work visas, no application fee for priority visas or visitor visas.
*Extensive background checks for worker visas, average background checks for visitor visas, minimal background checks for visitor visas to Qerr'Malic.
*Work visas last for ten to twenty years. Visitor visas last for a year. Qerr'Malic visas last for three months.
*Interviews for both visas can be done at the nearest consulate or embassy, holo-vid interviews are available if this is not possible.

===Citizenship===
*Must have lived in the Federation for no less than five years.
*Must be able to read Nral'Malic at the minimum. If applicants are biologically unable to speak Nral'Malic, an on-person translator or translator implant is enough.
*Does not allow dual citizenship except with the [[Epsilon_Ursae_Minoris|Co-operative Territories of Epsilon Ursea Minoris]]. Applicants who wish to keep their citizenship are able to apply for residency.
*Applicants applying for residency must live in the Jargon Federation and have gainful employment and/or be enrolled in school, either through existing programmes or as an individual.
*Must pledge allegiance to the Federation and must forswear any previous morals or activities that are considered negatives by the Federation. Only applies to citizenship applications.
*Must go through a rigorous series of background checks, civics knowledge tests, and a personality interview with a 90% or above approval rating.
*During the application process, applicants will be given a probation officer to liaise with who will monitor their activity. Behaviour that is deemed unacceptable by Federation standards will invalidate your application. This probationary period will continue for up to two years after citizenship/residency is received.
*C'thur and Diona receive the same citizenship as Skrell due to their status as integrated secondary species, and other species receive a 'Non-Secondary Species' variant citizenship that comes with a fixed [[Nralakk_Federation#Uncategorised|Social Credit System]] category. Those with residency are given the same SCS category. IPC's are illegal within the Federation.
*Nralakk citizenship cannot be renounced by Skrell, as the Federation considers all Skrell to be citizens. Other species can renounce their citizenship; the individual will be banned from travelling within the Nralakk Federation until they undergo a mandatory [[Nralakk_Federation#Tertiary_Numericals|rehabilitation programme]]. The individual will also be put on [[Nralakk_Federation#Public_Display|public display]].
*Some nations offer protections to native-born Skrell, but not to those born in the Federation; in the Coalition of Colonies this varies by planet, and the Republic of Biesel requires Skrell not born within the Republic to be enlisted or have been enlisted with the Tau Ceti Foreign Legion. For more details, see below.

<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed">
====Nralakk Federation and Citizenship====
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">

All Skrell throughout the Orion Spur are considered citizens by the Nralakk Federation, and the Federation encourages Skrell born outside of its borders to take advantage of this; all Skrell are eligible to apply for a Federation passport, be enrolled in the Social Credit System, and officially become citizens of the Federation. This also comes with its own drawbacks, however, as Skrell born outside the Federation may have protections against official actions by the Nralakk Federation, such as deportation, but officially becoming a Federation citizen puts these Skrell in the same position as those born within the Federation. This policy is at least partially recognised by the other nations of the Spur; the [[Sol Alliance]], as a result of its ties to the Nralakk Federation and its xenophobic attitude, is well-known for supporting this policy, while the Republic of Biesel requires Skrell not born within its territory to serve within the Tau Ceti Foreign Legion before being offered the same protection as its native Skrell citizens, encouraging Skrell refugees from the Federation to enlist. The Coalition of Colonies has no official policy; protections will vary by member planet.
</div></div>

Guide to Citizenship

2022-12-04T21:23:38Z

MattAtlas:

{{Navbox Lore}}

==[[Republic of Biesel]]==
===Visa Requirements===
* No application fee.
* Loose background check.
* Lasts up to 6 years for work visas, up to 3 months for tourists and visitors.
* Tourism visas are easy to acquire.
===Citizenship===
* Must have lived in Republic of Biesel for at least 2 years (if not a IPC), or having served in [[Tau Ceti Foreign Legion]] for at least a year.
* Able to speak Tau Ceti Basic.
* By Sol Alliance law, must forfeit Sol Alliance citizenship, if existent. Allows any other dual citizenships.
* A ceremony where you pledge loyalty to Tau Ceti.
* Dionae have additional requirements that need to be met to apply for citizenship. They can be found, [[Dionae Intergration|here]]

=== Note ===

* You have to choose between a Sol or Biesel citizenship if you were a Tau Ceti resident in 2452 - if you have not moved out in 2 years after [[Republic of Biesel#History|Tau Ceti's declaration of independence]], your Sol citizenship is invalidated.
* On December 3rd 2464 many were forced to elect to pursue either a Biesellite or Solarian citizenship if they reside on either [[Mictlan]] or [[Port Antillia]]. There is a twelve-month grace period following this, and those that wish to maintain Solarian citizenship must adhere to visa requirements for the Republic of Biesel should they wish to work or reside within it on December 3rd 2465. They do not need to meet any requirements to get Biesellite citizenship if they were born on either of the aforementioned planets.

==[[Sol Alliance]]==
===Visa Requirements===
* An application fee of 600 credits.
* Lasts up to 2 years for work visas, up to 3 months for tourists and visitors.
* An interview about your background and reasons for coming into Sol Alliance space. This interview is known to be very strict, and many visa applications are denied - but experienced specialists and businesspersons have preference. The interview is not required for Skrell.
* Documents proving your reason of stay in Sol space - education certificate, proof of relatives in Sol, etc., or a visa recommendation from a [[NanoTrasen Liaison#Sol Consular Officer|certified Solarian diplomat]].

===Citizenship===
* Must have lived in Sol Alliance for at least 5 years.
* Disallows dual citizenships except with [[Eridani Federation]]. Getting a Sol Alliance citizenship makes your other citizenships invalid. Applicants who wish to keep their citizenship are able to apply for residency.
* Applicants applying for residency must live in the Solarian Alliance and have gainful employment and/or be enrolled in school, either through existing programmes or as an individual.
* Must speak Sol Common fluently.
* A background check. Must also have not have committed any crimes during your stay in Sol Alliance space.
* A test on Sol Alliance law and history.
* Tajara and IPCs need not apply.

==[[Eridani Federation|Eridani Corporate Federation]]==
===Visa Requirements===
* An application fee of 600 credits per month of stay.
* Indefinite duration as long as it is paid for.

===Citizenship===
* An application fee of 750000 credits. You may receive discounts by working in Eridani Federation space, which can potentially reduce this fee to zero after several years of work.
* Must sign an Eridani Federation citizenship contract.
* Allows dual citizenships.

==[[Republic of Elyra]]==
Vaurca are not allowed to enter Elyran space.
===Visa Requirements===
* An application fee of 250 credits.
* Lasts up to 4 years for work visas, up to 3 months for tourists and visitors.
* Documents proving your reason of stay in Elyran space - education certificate, proof of relatives in Elyra, etc.

===Citizenship===
* Must have lived in the Republic of Elyra for at least 3 years.
* Must speak Elyran Standard at least intermediately.
* A background check. Must have not committed major crimes during your stay in Republic of Elyra.
* By Sol Alliance law, must forfeit Sol Alliance citizenship, if existent. Allows any other dual citizenships.

==[[Empire of Dominia]]==
Synthetics are not permitted entry into Dominian space. Current Dominian state policy is to deport synthetics found in Dominian space, but destroying them is not illegal nor uncommon either.
===Visa Requirements===
* An application fee of 320 credits.
* Lasts up to 5 years for work visas, up to 6 months for tourists and visitors.
* Thorough background check.
* Must not own synthetics.
* Skilled workers have preference.
* Tourism visas are easy to acquire, but require an escort at all times by a Dominian citizen.

===Citizenship===
* May be invited to become a citizen by at least two members of a [[Empire of Dominia Great Houses|Great House]] who are House Nobles or higher, as well as a [[Moroz Holy Tribunal|Priest or Priestess]] of the Tribunal. This also makes you an affiliate of said Great House.
* Citizenship can also be earned by serving in the Imperial military for five years.
* Citizens must swear an oath of loyalty to Goddess and Emperor.
* Thorough background check.
* By Sol Alliance law, must forfeit Sol Alliance citizenship, if existent. Allows any other dual citizenships.

==[[Coalition of Colonies]]==
A visa is not necessary to visit the Coalition of Colonies.
===Citizenship===
* An application fee of 100 credits.
* New citizens must reside in the Coalition of Colonies for at least 2 months out of the year for five years.
* By Sol Alliance law, must forfeit Sol Alliance citizenship, if existent. Allows any other dual citizenships.

While these requirements hold true for most planets within the Coalition, the planet of Konyang has it's own requirements, which it refuses to compromise on. Konyang's requirements can be found [[Konyang#Konyang_and_the_Coalition |
here.]]

==[[People's Republic of Adhomai]]==
===Visa Requirements===
* An application fee of 150 credits.
* Lasts up to 4 years for work visas, up to 6 months for tourists and visitors.
* Background check performed by government officials.

===Citizenship===
* Any Tajara, despite their origin, is able to request citizenship, as the People's Republic claims that all members of the Tajaran species are its rightful citizens.
* Allows dual citizenship. However, Republican citizenship can not be abdicated - which makes you permanently unable to apply for a Sol, Democratic People’s Republic of Adhomai, and New Kingdom of Adhomai's citizenship.
* Non-Tajara are able to apply, but the applicant must be accepted by various governmental committees and pass a thorough background check.

==[[Democratic People's Republic of Adhomai]]==
===Visa Requirements===
* An application fee of 150 credits.
* Work visas, with the exception of those granted for working in [[Crevus]], can only be issue to Tajara.
* Lasts up to 2 years for work visas, up to 3 months for tourists and visitors. Tourists visiting [[Crevus]] can acquire visas lasting up to 7 months.
* Background check performed by government officials.

===Citizenship===
* Any Tajara, despite their origin, is able to request citizenship, as the Democratic People's Republic claims that all members of the Tajaran species are its rightful citizens.
* Allows dual citizenship. However, Democratic People’s citizenship can not be abdicated - which makes you permanently unable to apply for a Sol, Republican, and New Kingdom citizenship.
* Only Tajara are able to apply.

==[[New Kingdom of Adhomai]]==
===Visa Requirements===
* An application fee of 150 credits.
* Lasts up to 3 years for work visas, up to 5 months for tourists and visitors.
* Background check performed by government officials.

===Citizenship===
* Any Tajara, despite their origin, is able to request citizenship, as the New Kingdom claims that all members of the Tajaran species are its rightful citizens.
* Allows dual citizenship. However, New Kingdom's citizenship can not be abdicated - which makes you permanently unable to apply for a Sol, Republican, and Democratic People’s Republic citizenship.
* Citizenship can also be earned by serving in the Imperial Volunteer Alam'ardii Corps for three years.
* Nobility are not allowed to have multiple citizenships. Abdicating any other affiliation is necessary to be granted a title.
* Non-Tajara are able to apply, but only Tajara can be granted nobility titles.

==[[Unathi|Izweski Hegemony]]==
Feudal government is always an arrangement between individuals, not between nation-states and citizens. Citizenship as it is in the rest of the galaxy is a relatively alien concept to unathi, and they've had to awkwardly integrate it into their existing systems; modern citizenship only comes into play when interacting with other civilizations outside the Hegemony.

===Visa Requirements===
* Applications are handled by Lords (or officials working on their behalf) and fees vary; usually between 0 - 2,000 depending on how the Lord wishes to control an influx of new arrivals to their fief.
* A Hegemonic work Visa outlines a set number of hours you owe your Lord alongside the regular work you are doing with a Guild. This means that you owe X hours of labor directly to the Lord that they can call on you to do at any time. (Consider this a form of on-call community service.)
* Documents proving that you are an upstanding person worthy of entering a Contract with a Lord; criminal records, work histories, etc. Your mileage may vary.

===Citizenship===
* Citizenship can be given by any Lord within their fief (territory), which is almost always recognized by the Izweski who then consider that person as a citizen of the overall Hegemony, and vice versa.
* If born to Hegemonic citizens, you inherit the citizenship status of your Clan-Lord, father, or mother, in that order, until you are 18 and negotiate your citizenship as a legal adult.
* If applying as a foreigner, you must be 18 (or claimed by a relative, adopted or otherwise).
* Pass the same requirements as a Visa.
* The Hegemony allows dual citizenship, as long as you maintain your obligation to your Lord, where they can call on you to fulfill X hours of labor a month, or call you into a local Levy.
* Guwans cannot be citizens, and becoming one strips you of all your legal rights, making anything you do ad hoc with no legal protections
More information about feudalism and society can be found [https://wiki.aurorastation.org/index.php?title=Unathi#Feudalism_and_Society| here].

==[[Nralakk Federation]]==
===Visa Requirements===
*Application fee of 200 credits for non-priority work visas, no application fee for priority visas or visitor visas.
*Extensive background checks for worker visas, average background checks for visitor visas, minimal background checks for visitor visas to Qerr'Malic.
*Work visas last for ten to twenty years. Visitor visas last for a year. Qerr'Malic visas last for three months.
*Interviews for both visas can be done at the nearest consulate or embassy, holo-vid interviews are available if this is not possible.

===Citizenship===
*Must have lived in the Federation for no less than five years.
*Must be able to read Nral'Malic at the minimum. If applicants are biologically unable to speak Nral'Malic, an on-person translator or translator implant is enough.
*Does not allow dual citizenship except with the [[Epsilon_Ursae_Minoris|Co-operative Territories of Epsilon Ursea Minoris]]. Applicants who wish to keep their citizenship are able to apply for residency.
*Applicants applying for residency must live in the Jargon Federation and have gainful employment and/or be enrolled in school, either through existing programmes or as an individual.
*Must pledge allegiance to the Federation and must forswear any previous morals or activities that are considered negatives by the Federation. Only applies to citizenship applications.
*Must go through a rigorous series of background checks, civics knowledge tests, and a personality interview with a 90% or above approval rating.
*During the application process, applicants will be given a probation officer to liaise with who will monitor their activity. Behaviour that is deemed unacceptable by Federation standards will invalidate your application. This probationary period will continue for up to two years after citizenship/residency is received.
*C'thur and Diona receive the same citizenship as Skrell due to their status as integrated secondary species, and other species receive a 'Non-Secondary Species' variant citizenship that comes with a fixed [[Nralakk_Federation#Uncategorised|Social Credit System]] category. Those with residency are given the same SCS category. IPC's are illegal within the Federation.
*Nralakk citizenship cannot be renounced by Skrell, as the Federation considers all Skrell to be citizens. Other species can renounce their citizenship; the individual will be banned from travelling within the Nralakk Federation until they undergo a mandatory [[Nralakk_Federation#Tertiary_Numericals|rehabilitation programme]]. The individual will also be put on [[Nralakk_Federation#Public_Display|public display]].
*Some nations offer protections to native-born Skrell, but not to those born in the Federation; in the Coalition of Colonies this varies by planet, and the Republic of Biesel requires Skrell not born within the Republic to be enlisted or have been enlisted with the Tau Ceti Foreign Legion. For more details, see below.

<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed">
====Nralakk Federation and Citizenship====
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">

All Skrell throughout the Orion Spur are considered citizens by the Nralakk Federation, and the Federation encourages Skrell born outside of its borders to take advantage of this; all Skrell are eligible to apply for a Federation passport, be enrolled in the Social Credit System, and officially become citizens of the Federation. This also comes with its own drawbacks, however, as Skrell born outside the Federation may have protections against official actions by the Nralakk Federation, such as deportation, but officially becoming a Federation citizen puts these Skrell in the same position as those born within the Federation. This policy is at least partially recognised by the other nations of the Spur; the [[Sol Alliance]], as a result of its ties to the Nralakk Federation and its xenophobic attitude, is well-known for supporting this policy, while the Republic of Biesel requires Skrell not born within its territory to serve within the Tau Ceti Foreign Legion before being offered the same protection as its native Skrell citizens, encouraging Skrell refugees from the Federation to enlist. The Coalition of Colonies has no official policy; protections will vary by member planet.
</div></div>

Venus

2022-10-31T12:55:53Z

MattAtlas: add Venus flag

{{Navbox Lore}}
{{Navbox Human Lore}}
[[File:VenusSkyline.png|thumb|Binyaria from the outside, along with a few satellite aerostats.]]
Considered the Solarian Alliance’s entertainment and pharmaceutical capital, '''Venus''' exists as one of the oldest colonies within Sol and as one of the most populated worlds within the Spur. Its inhabitants live in aerostats dotted among the orange skies, where they can enjoy the highest tier of cinema, virtual reality, musicals, and so on. The Venusian population is divided – yet united – into two classes: the Cythereans, entertainment, service and generally white collar workers, and the Jintarians, the blue-collar working and middle class. Regardless of this divide and whichever stereotypes may exist, Jintarians and Cythereans recognise that the other is necessary for Venus to continue prospering.

One of the most stereotyped and divisive elements within the Spur, the term “Venusian culture” is intrinsically tied to Cythereans due to their overwhelming presence and influence within interstellar media – despite it being an umbrella term for both the Cytherean and Jintarian cultures. Nearly always opposing the values of one another, including in politics, fashion, economics and down to even details such as favourite colours, they enjoy a symbiotic relationship that has been carefully cultivated throughout the decades of cohabitation. It is recognised that reliance on one another is essential to Venus’ society, despite the existence of fringe groups that find themselves radical proponents for a division of these two cultures. Still, these two groups tend to stereotype and tease the other whenever possible due to the sheer amount of differences. It is not unusual to see Cytherean and Jintarian couples, but it is definitely something that raises many eyebrows and much curiosity on the matter – except for celebrities, where this particular choice in partner may cause a bigger scandal than anticipated; and Venusians do love their scandals.
==Venusian History==
<center>''“If you want to make it here, you’ve gotta put your all into it! They’re complaining about their schedule? Maybe they shouldn’t have signed up to be an actor, then!” - Anne-Marie Cythère in an interview on the Binyarian exposé.''</center>

[[File:venus_flag.png|thumb|The Venusian flag.]]

===Initial Settlement===
The case of Venus and how its esoteric society developed is the subject of much debate by many sociologists. Curiously, it began not as a colony, but instead as a research outpost created by the corporations that would eventually go on to form Zeng-Hu Pharmaceuticals in the 2090s. Many experimental technologies were developed in floating research stations, mainly relating to the fields of hydroponics and the chemical industry. Despite this, Earth's governments did not pay the scorching planet much attention, since it was rather unsuitable for rudimentary colonisation prospects. This situation continued until '''2127'''. The flooding of New York City and the resulting anarchy caused many residing billionaires to choose to leave Earth in advance, and a particular group chose to leave for Venus for a simple reason: Zeng-Hu's auctioning of its Venusian research stations. These stations were sold to them in an auction at a discount as the fledgling corporation desperately needed liquidity to keep its much more valuable Asian assets afloat.

Over the next decade, these research stations were gradually expanded by their new owners and consolidated into two super-settlements, forming '''the first proto-aerostats.''' These aerostats are respectively named after their owners: '''Binyaria''', named after Jie Binya, a young American-Chinese billionaire who recently inherited a massive fortune, and '''Rathlin''', named after François Rathlin, a French entrepreneur and owner of a massive supermarket chain on Earth. Binyaria inherited Zeng-Hu's chemical industry facilities, whereas Rathlin inherited Zeng-Hu's more extensive hydroponics and pharmacy industries. Rathlin was a much more valuable complex and trade quickly flourished there, with the fledgling aerostat becoming a large exporter of grown foodstuffs. Binyaria was in a more difficult position: its chemical industry was not as valuable and, thus, was far more reliant on its owners' investment. Binyarians and Rathliners thus developed a small rivalry around this time around whose aerostat was ''really'' the better one, which persists to this day. Nonetheless, Jie, the owner of Binyaria, needed a plan to make Binyaria truly shine.

===Binyarian Renaissance===
On the 25th of December '''2141''', the '''Jie Holocinema Complex''' was announced in a massive opening ceremony costing in the billions of credits. This grand opening was complete with free tickets for a showing of the most famous Christmas movie at this time, White Snow. It was a revolutionary cinema, an absolutely massive one at that, using state-of-the-art holographic technology to give its viewers a ''truly'' out of the world experience. Nothing quite like it existed anywhere else in Human space and it acted as a lightning rod for citizens and tourists alike, which over time slowly became permanent residents. It attracted both rich and poor alike through clever use of advertisements and the inclusion of low-cost and luxury display rooms. More notably, however, it attracted the large media companies on earth. The cinema was so big that it was unmatched in terms of potential opening revenue, and Venusian billionaires were open to paying a fortune for luxury tickets. This led to a slow exodus of media companies to Venus, all competing to get opening-day contracts. It was slow at first, but later snowballed: more investment into the fledgling acting and media industry meant that more companies would move. Eventually, even the titans of the media industry began to move. By the turn of the 23rd century, Venus began rivalling Earth in terms of media. It was not quite dominant yet, however. One last push was needed.

===The Founding of the Venusian Stars Institute===
Intentionally announced at the turn of the century, on the 1st of January 2200, the Venusian Stars Institute was set from the beginning to be the heart of the Venusian media empire. An absolutely byzantine and gigantic entity, it was created to manage every single tiny bit of Venus' growing media industry. From managing actors to funding media companies, the VSI is the last edge that Binyaria needed to dislodge Earth's dominance in the media sector. Lucrative contracts and clever handiwork behind the scenes resulted in the titans of the media industry finally committing to a move to Venus. These contracts ended up creating luxurious and revolutionary institutes for the big media companies to settle in, their massive skyscrapers dominating the Venusian skyline. All citizens, at this point, would see the emblems of the Venusian media empire when looking up. Gigantic holographic billboards began to claim an unrivalled amount of space in every single alleyway. Social media, which was placed under the purview of the VSI's newly-created Social Leadership Team, began to truly boom around this time as well. Practically every citizen became an avid user of social media from the morning to the evening: the Venusian government often paid companies to give new employees latest-model phones, which came with all sorts of social media applications installed and no way to remove advertisements. While this was annoying at first, Venusians ended up accepting this situation eventually. After all, they ''were'' free, high-end mobile phones. The money that Venus spent on this was quickly made back through insane amounts of advertisement money: practically every citizen was viewing hundreds and hundreds of advertisements throughout the day. Idol culture began spreading through social media as well, with many falling in ranks behind their favourite media star, yet quick to turn their backs on them whenever the new scandal came out.

===The Binyarian Exposé and Cytherea===
The reality of the actors' life was much different than what was shown on social media. Their happy lives were often carefully manufactured lies, sold by their privately-hired media marketing teams. Of course, this is knowledge that only the actors themselves would have -- they, themselves, were too busy under the immense pressure of the Venusian entertainment industry. The Venusian Stars Institute's guidelines for actors -- essentially rules that they may not break for any reason -- clamped down harder and harder with every passing year. Newly-implemented beauty standards in ''2203''' meant that many actors had to resort to expensive, Zeng-Hu sponsored plastic surgery or then-experimental genetic engineering in order to meet unrealistic demands. Many took out extensive loans from the then-up-and-rising Idris banking company in order to afford these expensive Zeng-Hu procedures. These loans were then paid through a gruesome amount of work: actors often had to work gruelling work schedules, day after day, just to not be crushed under the interest. This opened up a new, lucrative front for Zeng-Hu: drugs grown on Rathlin could easily be sold to actors on Cytherea, which led to their rampant substance abuse behind the scenes, simply to deal with the stress. This industry is extremely lucrative and Zeng-Hu invested billions and billions into it. The usage of these substances spread to much of the public as well, although it was not yet a worldwide phenomenon.

This situation was unknown to the public until '''2217'''. A Venusian reporting agency, ''Le Courrier'', broke out a story amiably called '''the Binyarian Exposé.''' This story was in actuality a 287 page document that detailed the living situation of authors behind the scenes and the unrealistic standards of the VSI, down to every single small detail. Many failed or rejected authors were interviewed to obtain the information needed. Unfortunately, it was far too long and had the opposite effect of what the authors wanted. The VSI's strict control over social media meant that the story was swiftly suppressed by the algorithms. Additionally, many Venusians simply did not care and dismissed the revelations as '[...] washed up artists and B-rate actors making things up [...]'. This was the position held by '''Anne-Marie Cythère''', the most famous actor of this era and an icon of Venus, arguably the first real idol who possessed a massive cult following, mainly on Venus. Those who agreed with her stance were referred to as 'Cythereans' by Earther critics, a term which stuck over time and began substituting the usage of Venusians in common language. It began as a derogatory term, but Venusians simply repossessed the word to fit their new identity. This point marks the beginning of Cytherea and Cythereans for historians -- the point where Venusians accepted their new identity.

Additionally, the Exposé resulted in most of the world beginning to accept drug usage -- most simply saw it as just another facet of idol culture, and reasoned that since drinking was fine, substance abuse should be fine, too. The authorities were quickly overwhelmed as there were far too many rising cases of substance abuse and resale for them to handle. This led to most cases being dismissed with either a very light fine or no action taken. Some critics point to Zeng-Hu interference in this process through bribing authorities to grow its markets, but Zeng-Hu has denied all such claims.

As a result of this new identity, less and less Cythereans begin entering skilled trades. Rathlin's hydroponics and pharmacy industries, curiously, were not affected due to them being mostly automated and due to a relative lack of required physical work for their workers. The service industry and connected sectors begin absolutely dominating Venusian statistics, with almost the entirety of Venus' industry being located in Rathlin's hydroponics facilities. Binyaria's chemical industries began to go bankrupt and alarm bells were rang by many, but the government simply did not care. The media was what was making money, not the heavy industries. Anyone with a keen eye could spot that this growth was unsustainable, but once again, profits were placed over rationale.

===The Great Interstellar War and the Jie Riots===
With the outbreak of war for the Alliance, Venusians were conscripted just like the rest. This was, however, not taken amiably by the planet's populace and led to the first ever mass riots on Venus, dubbed 'the Jie Riots', as they took place in Our Lady’s Plaza in the aforementioned district. Around a million Venusians took to the streets to protest against the war, or at the very least for exemptions for Venusians. Many cried out that 'war's not good for our industry' and expressed a general unwillingness to go fight, as the physical damage would ruin their careers. Historians point to most social media posts bringing attention to the fact that the majority of the populace simply did not want their beauty to be compromised -- this was a more worrying prospect than death, to most Venusians. These protests were, however, very disorganised as there was no real unifying cause or voice behind them. The Alliance quickly intervened, quelled them, and conscription took place as it normally did in other worlds.

A significant amount of the Venusian working class was drafted -- around 20% -- mostly drawn from those that worked in the heavy industries keeping the planet afloat. Resistance to conscription was significant for most Venusians, who often found ways to outright avoid it. The Venusian government and the VSI were found to be involved in assisting actors, film makers, billionaires and, in general, everyone involved with the Venusian entertainment empire in draft dodging, mainly through clever forging of medical papers exempting them from service for one reason or the other. The entertainment industry continued to prosper or at the very least stay afloat, depending on which economics agency was polled, but everything else began to collapse in a manner of weeks due to the drafting of almost all of the skilled workers. Rationing and austerity were quickly instituted in all aerostats, to the chagrin of the planet’s populace. It would prove to be a difficult decade for Venusians, with many feeling the brunt of poverty and austerity, leading to a large amount of resentment towards the Alliance.

===The End of Austerity and the Jintarian Plan===
With the war ending, Venus was at the breaking point. The power plants had almost nobody left to work for them except for direly overworked engineers, and most of the populace simply did not want to work these jobs. The situation was especially dire and a new technocratic government was put in charge with a political blank cheque in order to deal with the situation once and for all. This led to the creation of the '''Jintaria Plan''', one of the biggest social engineering feats of human history. Through the usage of the Venusian media conglomerate, many veterans and refugees across the Alliance were invited to hastily fabricated 'cities under cities' in the aerostats. The contracts given to them were quite simple: as long as they worked in their assigned sector, they would have government-provided housing, heating, electricity and appliances. This was a very risky gamble that was quite expensive, but the dice roll succeeded. Many flocked over to the newly created Jintarian strata in order to find a new life, thus providing Venus with the skilled force it direly needed. The situation finally stabilised on the '''21st of August 2301''' with the end of austerity. Gigantic parties were held everywhere across Cytherea, with it becoming an official holiday, Ascension Day. Some Jintarians participated in these parties, while others simply took to pubs in their own slice of the aerostat.

Jintarian society is an inviting prospect for many refugees and immigrants. It is a patchwork blend of many cultures, who live together sharing the burden of an entire planet: this sole unifying factor leads to a shared sense of brotherhood and duty among Jintarians. This new class finds it hard to scale the ladder, however. It is practically almost impossible for Jintarians to work in the Venusian media industries due to ‘beauty standards concerns’: the fact that most of the Jintarian population has done some sort of trade or physical work in their life, which leads to the formation of minor beauty defects – enough for the Cythereans to reject the prospect of such a person entering the media scene. Some Jintarians opt for extensive plastic surgery to enter the ranks of the Cythereans, but this requires almost half a lifetime of savings and is an exceedingly rare occurrence. These ‘quasi-Cythereans’ are a mixed bag for Jintarians: the most radical view them as class traitors and the ambitious view them as lucky individuals.

===Modern History, Cytherea and Jintaria===
Venus is, today, labelled as the '''Queen of Entertainment''' for good reason. A significant amount of entertainment media is produced in Venus, casted with Venusian celebrities and created by Venusian companies, with the end products finding solid purchase in most markets across the Spur. It is a powerful cultural weapon for the Alliance. It also hosts a state-of-the-art hydroponics industry in Rathlin -- being a net exporter of food, second only to Ganymede -- and a titanic pharmaceutical industry, focused mainly on beauty and pharmaceutical products.

Venus, curiously, hosts the largest population of Martian refugees in the Spur. Following Violet Dawn, millions of Martians now call Jintaria their home. They were invited to work on Venus under similar contracts as the first Jintarians.

==Environment==
<center>''“Those eruptions? Ohmygosh, they were so cool!” - Part of an unnamed Venusian tourist’s review of the Idris Venusian Cruise Experience sightseeing package.''</center>

Venus is an incredibly hot and miserable planet. The mass of its atmosphere is 93 times that of Earth's, equivalent to the crushing depths of the deep ocean. This atmosphere is extremely thick and toxic, composed primarily of carbon dioxide and nitrogen, and this generates the strongest greenhouse effect in the Solar System, creating an average surface temperature of at least 462 C (864 F). Due to these crushing conditions, '''no Venusians live on the surface.''' Instead, they rely on floating aerostats – which have become a key part of Venus, and more importantly its society.

A Venusian year lasts 225 Earth days. A normal day on Venus lasts much longer than that of Earth due to the slow rotation, taking 243 Earth days to make one Venusian day. Venus spins backwards when compared to the other planets in the Sol system, causing the sun to rise in the west and set in the east. It rains sulphuric acid on the surface and the atmosphere is so thick that it exerts massive amounts of pressure on the surface. This crushes all but the most structurally reinforced habitats below the cloud layer, practically all of which are extremely specialised research habitats, with the rest destroyed by caustic acid rain. The planet hosts massive amounts of volcanic activity, which spew even more toxic gases into the atmosphere – although these are often co-opted as tourist attractions visible from cubicles in the aerostats or through windows in shuttles. Almost no sunlight reaches the surface of the planet, despite the temperature.
==Cytherean Culture==
<center>''“[...] Sol knowingly perpetrates that deluded Venusian perversion of human values, where the greed of the individual is placed on a pedestal for all to see and envy, where lust becomes paramount both for money and for man, where hard work and pride are substituted for laziness and a manic social anxiety. In this place, the ugly truth has a model’s face [...]” - Commander Ganesh Shrivastav (2411 - Present) in an impassioned speech to the Xanu parliament, regarding the Solarian threat.''</center>

Cytherean culture’s paramount concept is '''climbing the social ladder'''. This is the one concept that is '''utterly important''' to every single Cytherean, and each of them has their own view on what it entails. This social ladder can be interpreted in many ways – for some, it’s gaining an immense amount of followers on social media, while for others it’s becoming a spur-wide celebrity through a career in acting. It is universally considered to only be climbable through activities that inherently make you more popular among others, contributing to the reason why the extreme majority of Cythereans reject any sort of physical labour that does not provide this opportunity. It isn’t seen as strictly necessary to remain on Venus in order to climb the social ladder, and glory is considered to be attainable even outside of Venus itself – but most consider it an eventual necessity to come back and show off.

Because of this obsession, Cythereans tend to be extravagant in all facets of life, willing to stand out from the crowd by any means necessary; Cytherea is the primary pop culture centre of Sol, with a populace often dressed in bright, dramatic clothing. Many Solarian celebrities either live or were born on one of Venus’s aerostats, growing up in the privileged Cytherean culture. The best actors, comedians, chefs, musicians, and pop stars enjoy almost constant coverage on holo-screens, only occasionally replaced by adverts for startup beauty products, cutting-edge gaming hardware, or the newest diet fad. These celebrities enjoy high class treatment and something akin to worship from the Cythereans. Many come from across the galaxy, human and alien alike, seeking to turn their fortunes around. However, Cythereans are not immune to poverty and hardship in their laissez-faire society. Those looking to become the next big thing sometimes wind up on the opposite end of the spectrum, relying on morally and legally ambiguous means to get by. Aliens, although welcome, are typically sidelined in favour of human actors and models due to most moguls desiring to “play it safe." As a result, aliens, regardless of their talents, are typically seen as understudies, extras, dancers, and occasionally backup singers or instrumentalists.

The Cytherean environment is very cutthroat: many are willing to do whatever it takes to climb the social ladder, whether that be by fabricating scandals or putting their fingers in one too many pies. Law enforcement is often easily evaded due to lofty standards and a general lack of passion. In the end, one can get away with almost anything as long as they possess the right contacts and enough money. The party culture thrives in the aerostats, with the grand cocktail parties and fundraising schmooze-fests toward the top of teardrop slowly fading into the high-energy festivals of the lower sections. Toward the top, one can overhear the latest gossip and glimpse envelopes of credits sliding under tables. Toward the bottom, one can see the most hedonistic displays of luxury.

Though many work in the entertainment industry as stars and producers, there are great opportunities for a Cytherean scientist: after all, climbing the scientific social ladder and becoming a genius prodigy renowned across the Spur is quite the attractive goal. The development of pharmaceutical drugs and new medicines is a common field for Cytherean scientists, with celebrities and talent agencies needing a constant stream of narcotics for parties and stimulants to keep shooting sessions going for days at a time. Cytherea has a booming genetic engineering field that is primarily centred around the biomodification of celebrities in order to ensure that they are always at their physical peak, no matter which direction the ever-shifting winds of Cytherea's celebrity scene blow. Stimulants, such as cocaine, are the Cytherean drug of choice and are typically genetically modified by various Cytherean pharmacies to create more desirable effects. When exported these so-called "designer" drugs can fetch an extremely high price on the interstellar market. Cytherea's pharmaceutical industry is estimated to produce upwards of two-thirds of all narcotics consumed in the Republic of Biesel, even after the First and Second Solarian Invasions. Appropriately, Cytherea's pharmacies also produce a vast amount of the Alliance's anti-overdose medications. Many Cytherean pharmacies are associated or owned by Zeng-Hu Pharmaceuticals.

The largest Cytherean holiday is '''Ascension Day''', shortened to '''the Ascension''', celebrated on the 21st of August. It marks the return to normalcy after Venus’ long period of austerity, but its roots have long since been forgotten by most of the population, except by politicians and work supervisors. This is a day for all Venusians to indulge in whatever they can for as long as they can: gigantic feasts, parties and raves are held across all of Cytherea, along with fashion shows on the streets and other such activities. For some it’s a point of pride and reminds them of why living on Venus is worth it, along with the happiness that the end of austerity brought them – while for others, it’s simply a day to get wasted and enjoy it.
===Stars, Idols and Crashouts===
The idol culture of Venus is extraordinarily demanding for those that choose to involve themselves in it. Climbing the rungs of the Cytherean entertainment industry from mere extra to A-list celebrity able to star in the likes of Monkey King is no small feat involving raw acting talent, an incredible amount of social networking, and no small amount of backroom dealing between agents, celebrities, and producers. This process can often take years if one is unlucky, and the top celebrities often undergo extensive plastic surgery to ensure that they remain attractive enough to be considered for the greatest entertainment products of the industry. The amount of resources, time, and commitment needed to reach - and stay at - the top of the celebrity culture of Venus is truly astonishing, and the rat race of keeping up with the ever-shifting and constantly changing standards of what makes a celebrity an A-list celebrity results in many hopeful stars simply crashing out of the industry, and thus becoming known as a '''crashout'''.

Becoming any sort of professional major media player (referred to as a '''Star''') – whether that be an actor, a news anchor or an influencer – requires one to first sign '''100% of their image rights''' to the Venusian Stars Institute. These contracts are extremely lucrative for the person in question, but it is a poisoned apple nonetheless – once one signs with the Venusian Stars Institute to become a Star, '''they no longer have any control over their media appearances''', and thus the VSI will thus be able to unilaterally decide when and where they appear, in addition to being able to monopolise and commercialise the fledgling Star’s image as they wish – a very well known fact, but now only considered a stepping stone to become a celebrity. Each Star possesses its own PR and media team, de jure under the Star itself but de facto delegating to the VSI’s byzantine bureaucracy.

Despite these contracts, Stars are given a large amount of autonomy in how to run their career. While the grand majority opt for running their careers on Venus, some manage to take jobs abroad and live out new experiences there, while still technically affiliated to the VSI. It matters not for the Institute, as long as they garner a high amount of views on social media and further spread the Venusian brand.

Those that fall out of grace – either because of the crushing standards, burnout, extreme social pressure or whatever else – do not enjoy an easy life. Referred to as '''crashouts''' once the Institute stops affiliating with them – a process known as '''delisting''' – they are reminded of this failure everywhere they go by anyone that knows them, representing the minority of Venusians that have had their eyes opened to the injustice and oppression of Cytherean society. Cythereans do not have much tact or care for these crashouts, viewing them as simply not good enough. Most of these rejects either leave Venus entirely and seek employment somewhere else – often taking out generous loans in order to apply for apprenticeships or training courses, as they do not have any sort of marketable skill – or find employment in Venus’ overworked public sector, such as in the Venusian Planetary Police Force or even in the Solarian Navy itself, representing by far the largest percentage of Cythereans in both categories. Some crashouts can also end up falling into the net of Jintarian culture, where they are caught and welcomed by other Jintarians as simply more proof that Cytherean culture is poison rather than a blessing. A one-way ticket to delisting is, for example, speaking up about unfavourable work conditions on social media.

Upon becoming a Spur-wide celebrity, a Star is then granted '''Idol''' status by the VSI, and immortalised in the Diamond Hall: a gigantic museum in the very centre of Binyaria that hosts detailed biographies, mementos and signatures of every VSI-signed celebrity big enough to truly make it. Becoming an Idol is the ultimate dream of every Star and often functions as a sort of northern light for them in their journey. These Idols are practically all known to Cythereans at large and represent a sticking point for Cytherean pride, with many prizing their trivia knowledge on any given Idol. '''Due to their rarity, immense popularity and astronomical wealth, it is impossible to play an Idol or an ex-Idol on the ship.'''
===Famous Cytherean Celebrities===
Those that are able to survive and thrive as celebrities in the cutthroat and demanding environment of Cytherea's entertainment industry reap a truly massive amount of rewards ranging from accolades to millions of Solarian Credits. But, perhaps more importantly than anything else, they are some of the most famous people in human space and the greater Orion Spur. The individuals listed below are just a handful of Cytherea's most famous residents, and will be known throughout the Orion Spur.

One of the most famous Cytherean idols ever is perhaps '''Chan-mi Jee''', the renowned frontwoman and singer of '''INTERSTELLAR✰GIRLS''': a famous all-female pop group based out of the Binyarian aerostat. Chan-mi Jee's famous voice, which has been biologically augmented to have a wider range, can be found on dozens of '''INTERSTELLAR✰GIRLS''' albums. The band's most famous album, Interstellar Heart, currently holds the Spur-wide record for most copies ever sold. Despite her successes, which include having been named the Venusian cultural ambassador for five years in a row, Chan-mi Jee's personal life has been the subject of some speculation in the Cytherean press, and repeated plastic surgeries have left only a sliver of resemblance to the woman that began her pop career ten years ago. But for the moment, she and her band remain the undisputed queens of the Cytherean musical scene. ''"You have Chan-mi's looks"'' is a Cytherean's most prized slang weapon, used to describe someone who is extremely attractive.

In the Cytherean acting scene there is, arguably, nobody that defines the role of leading man better than the dashing and charismatic idol, '''Caspar Orillian'''. Born and raised in the "red treadmill" industry of Cytherea, Caspar has found extraordinary success playing athletic leading men thanks to extensive biomodifications and plastic surgeries that have shaped and reshaped his face to constantly be in-season and attractive. A large number of editors hired by his estate retroactively edit his films and publicity photos to resemble whatever Caspar's current appearance is. His constant facial restructurings are seen as a sign of his success due to the immense cost associated with them, and are a clear proof of his dedication to maintaining his celebrity status.

Famous director '''Samuel Monaghan''' is another of Cytherea's most famous celebrities, and his name can be found on a variety of movies ranging from action films to long dramas. Monaghan's distinctive style is easily-recognized throughout the Orion Spur's film scene thanks to his focus on single-shot scenes using drones as floating cameras. The fame of Monaghan has also been built by the director's often eccentric and eye-catching behaviour off the set. Monaghan is known for his eccentric behaviour, unusual rants, and deliberately garnish outfits. The controversy that this has caused him in Cytherea's tabloid scene has only helped his fame grow, but it remains to be seen if his behaviour will continue to build fame or ultimately backfire and cause his fall.

'''Quu'xuu "Kwoo" Vol'rii''' is an idol and something of an oddity in the Cytherean entertainment scene due to her status as a skrell. Having recently flown into the highest ranks of Cytherea due to her highly-rated performance as the main villain of Monkey King VII, Doctor Yana Vashtu, the diminutive doctor of human cultural studies has found a following thanks to both her haughty and evil attitude on-camera and her awkward yet earnest attitude off the set. Kwoo, as she is affectionately known by her fans, has found further fame thanks to her charitable donations to Mars following her success in Monkey King VII. However, it remains uncertain how long her fifteen minutes of fame from Monkey King VII will last, if Kwoo will choose to remain in Cytherea at all, or if the unfaltering support for the Nralakk Federation will be her eventual social downfall.
===Cytherean Fashion===
Due to the extremely fast-paced nature of Cytherea's fashion industry there are a number of trends entering the public eye, being sold by stores, and falling out of fashion at any time. Anything a non-Cytherean can put together that is appealing to the eye, and sometimes not, has been the height of fashion at some point somewhere in the clouds. However there are a few popular looks and rules Cytherean fashion tends to follow.

The most important rule for an aspiring Cytherean fashionista is that the best part of the body is the '''skin'''. A lot of clean, unblemished, hairless skin is shown in Cytherean fashion; whether it be through a high-slit dress, a translucent button-up shirt, a pair of short shorts, a fitted tank top, or a low cut blouse. More masculine figures tend to show off the upper body, especially the arms, while more feminine looks show off the lower body, specifically the legs. But in the Cytherean view showing too much skin is a great faux pas; looks are often balanced so that if a lot of the upper body is shown, the lower body is mostly covered and vice versa. Cytherean business wear, in contrast, tends to be much less skin-showing in order to stay in line with the greater Solarian Alliance, particularly Luna.

While Cythereans consider minor body modifications fine, a more natural appearance is preferred in contrast to gaudy or overly eye-catching augmentations. Body-sculpting plastic surgery procedures are common, especially among celebrities, in order to ensure that one remains within the Cytherean standards of beauty. Some of the most common body-sculpting procedures include improving facial features and structure, removing all body hair “below the eyelashes," tightening the skin, removing excess body fat, dental reconstruction, enhancing or emphasising musculature, and balancing body proportions (usually in favour of the legs). However extensive piercing, more extreme body-sculpting, heavy tattooing, and other modifications that break the “pure skin” rule are frowned upon and tattooing in particular, even minor forms in some cases, is considered unsightly due to its long-standing connection with criminals or groups such as dregs.

Many trends originate in Binyaria’s Parabing District, and are locally called '''“wankukai”''' trends. Wankukai clothes are either what’s popular in the Mile's clubbing scene or, less popularly, something slightly more appropriate for streetwear. Masculine looks often have plain, solid colored pants in dark colours with slim, usually designer belts, and often have simple dress shoes or sneakers. Translucent button-ups with LED or neon-tubing designs up the arms or across the chest are popular, as well as similarly designed, fitted tank tops to accentuate the arms. Some even elect to go shirtless. Suit jackets matching one’s pants are also common, as well as leather jackets with LED or neon designs on the back. As for more feminine looks, miniskirts, short shorts, and -- for the brave -- microskirts are commonplace, often paired with simple low heels, flats, or sneakers. Colourful dress shirts, qipao blouses, and standard blouses are all common as well, featuring designs similar to masculine looks. Dresses of all lengths usually have a high-slit, reaching all the way up the thigh, and are often intricately decorated with LED and neon-tubing. Though suit jackets and leather jackets with designs are common among feminine looks as well, they are occasionally cropped to just below or at the ribs.
==Jintarian Culture==
<center>''“J-I-N-T-A-R-I-A! Home of the free!” - Excerpt from Torchbearers, a famous Jintarian punk nu-metal song by Just Us, the most popular Jintarian band as of 2464.''</center>

Jintarian culture can often be defined as the ''polar opposite'' of Cytherean culture in many facets, but it borrows as much as it opposes. Jintarians pride themselves on being the squeaky clean side of Venus – an approach which, unfortunately, makes their scene only truly appealing to Jintarians themselves and to contrarians across the galaxy. Regardless of how unpopular they may be on the interstellar scene, Jintarians tend to be extremely prideful of their accomplishments and often have a do-or-die attitude when it comes to carrying things out: after all, Venus is standing where it is thanks to them. This leads to a mostly punk-ish and contrarian culture, where keeping things real is incentivised, along with distancing yourself from Cytherea as much as possible in matters of fashion, music and even the celebrities one follows. As an example, while Cythereans prefer clothing that shows off as much skin as possible, Jintarians prefer the direct opposite of that – turtlenecks, sweaters, flannel shirts and other such clothes are very common in these communities.

Despite all of this, Jintarians and Cythereans are not enemies. They live together just as much as a Biesellite and a Solarian may live in the same apartment in Mendell City. Cythereans recognise the need for Jintarians in order for their planet to function – but do not hesitate to call them out on their broodish, low-class fashion. Jintarians recognise that Venus is the giant it is due to the Cythereans’ natural aptitude in entertainment, but do not hesitate to call them out on their hedonistic lifestyle, corrupt politics and horribly flashy clothing choices. In the same vein, it isn’t unheard of for Jintarians to spend their weekend at Cytherean bars, if only to prove their superiority over them in one way or the other. It is possible for Jintarians to find employment in more Cytherean fields: as an example, Jintarian baristas in Cytherean bars are not entirely out of the world – but some discrimination in this field is to be expected.

In the same vein, it isn’t unheard of – although '''very rare''' – for Jintarians to end up integrating into Cytherean society. This is only possible for those that are willing to either sign up for '''drastic''' plastic surgery in order to compete with the very top of Cytherean society, often by taking out very predatory Idris loans, or for those that are more naturally blessed. It isn’t an easy path and it is marred with discrimination and harsh financial choices, as these ‘reformed’ Jintarians are often looked down upon in Cytherea in basically all matters: whether that be in job selection or simply having their curriculum vitae noticed. Those that choose this path and continue following it, whether that be for credits or fame, end up disenfranchised and practically '''exiled''' from their old Jintarian community.
===Famous Jintarian Celebrities===
Jintarians have distanced themselves from the distinction between Star and Idol, viewing it as essentially objectifying celebrities. Instead, the concept of who exactly is a celebrity is fairly wide: essentially, anyone famous enough to be known outside of Jintaria, even a little, is considered an ambassador of Jintarian culture and essentially a celebrity. Historically, Jintaria has been the unacknowledged part of Venus, and only in recent times has its influence begun to increase: with the election of Strom and the massively increased success of Jintarian celebrities abroad, Jintaria has finally begun reclaiming its slice of Venus. This has led to Jintarians as a whole being extremely prideful and attached to their celebrities, viewing them as the only reason why Jintarians are known at all – referring to the current crop as '''the Golden Generation'''. While this success may be still extremely small compared to their Cytherean brethren, it does not stop particularly prideful Jintarians from proclaiming the beginning of a new age for their class.

Much like in Cytherea, any Jintarian celebrity deemed big enough is given a spot in the '''Venusian Jintarian Museum''', the Jintarian counterpart of the Diamond Hall. The requirements are much less stringent, and generally there isn’t much competitiveness among Jintarians to be represented there – it is simply an honour.

'''Kyle De Koster''' is arguably the biggest Jintarian celebrity, perhaps only tying with Hendrik Strom for the title. The lead singer of Just Us, a Jintarian punk nu-metal band with a focus on optimistic lyrics, his career has been a long and hard fought one. It started as a venture between high school friends who played their music in the streets of Binyaria’s Jintarian communities, and evolved to an interstellar phenomenon through hard work alone. Many of this band’s songs idolise the Jintarian struggle and their own experience, providing a point of reference for many Jintarians. Their latest album, ''Hold Us Tight'', has been a massive hit with Jintarians but also across the Coalition of Colonies, boasting very high viewership especially on Himeo. De Koster and his band are known Jintarian nationalists and do not fear speaking up in matters of politics, having given their endorsement of Hendrik Strom several times in the past.

'''Hendrik Strom''' is, in the eyes of many fellow Jintarians, the best representation of Jintaria. Since starting as a humble city councilman roughly thirty years ago Strom has climbed to the top through ability, ambition, and no small amount of Jintarian nationalism. Once a senator representing Venus, Strom has served as the emergency governor of the Sol System since shortly after the Naval coup in late 2462. Strom has never forgotten his roots and often visits Venus, where he is greeted warmly by his fellow Jintarians, to raise support for himself and what many see as his inevitable run for Prime Minister once elections open up again. His face can often be seen throughout Jintarian communities on inspirational posters and political billboards alike.

'''Katarina Josic''' is a strong contender for the spot of ‘very famous Jintarian celebrity’, despite being much more of an extremist. Her career, interestingly, is not in Jintaria but instead abroad – she left Jintaria very early to become an actress in the Coalition of Colonies, with her main following being located there instead of in Sol. This endeavour was successful and she has starred in many top films in the Coalition, becoming a widely known figure and using this fame as a platform for her pro-Jintaria speeches. Unlike Just Us’ members, however, she is a very anti-Solarian individual and has often spoken out against the nation in the past, going as far as renouncing her citizenship in favour of a Coalition one following the Violet Dawn incident. She has criticised the members of Just Us many times before for their pro-Solarian stances as well.
===Jintarian Fashion===
Jintarian every-day fashion is much more practical and significantly less gaudy than its Cytherean counterpart, generally trending towards punk-like styles – ripped jeans, as an example, are very common in Jintaria. Many Jintarians wear simple, practical clothing well-suited to their typically industrial or physical work such as jeans, simple tees, long-sleeved shirts or track pants. Jintarian professionals dress much like their counterparts in the rest of the Alliance. As their pride prevents them from emulating Cytherean fashion, Jintarians have a habit of standing out through the smaller details: they often decorate their jacket or shirt with stickers, pins, armbands. There is much variance in the style and reason behind these accessories – some use accessories that represent their life or views, while others simply pick whatever is the most colourful or whatever they think is most aesthetically pleasing. Jintarian business wear tends to be similar to the rest of the Alliance, although the expensive brands are near-universally avoided by Jintarians.

Most Jintarians opt to deliberately ignore Cytherea's big fashion brands, and many take pride in this willing ignorance -- instead opting to "buy Jintarian" when it comes to their clothing. As a result, most Jintarian clothing is produced using materials sourced from Jintaria itself and made in Jintarian-dominated aerostat districts. It isn’t unusual for Jintarian fashion to be exported off of Venus: simple Jintarian clothing has found a niche in cheap, affordable apparel and can be found in many shops and malls around the Spur. As of late, many more people are buying this type of clothing due to the living cost crisis created by the Phoron shortage. Additionally, Jintarian enterprises often run some philanthropic endeavours with certain lines of clothing, donating some of the earnings to a few good causes – one example is the ''Dawn'' line from the most famous Jintarian clothes company, Jinnel: a series of black tees where the imprint is that of a typical Martian dome, transitioning from a normal state to a destroyed and burnt one. 75% of the earnings from this line were donated to the Martian victims of the Violet Dawn disaster that now find their home in Jintaria.
==Aerostats==
<center>''“What do I know about Binyarians? All they do is take our stuff and never give anything back. It’s unfair!” - A quote by an unnamed Rathliner hydroponics specialist responding to the “What Do You Think About Your Fellow Venusians” survey, juxtaposed with an unnamed Binyarian actress’ answer, “About Rathliners? Well, they make our food, I guess?”''</center>

Venusians dwell in aerostats floating in the habitable layer nicknamed '''“the Zone”''' above the sulphuric acid clouds masking the surface. These floating cities are primarily held in place by their natural oxygen content and large bags of hydrogen. Aerostats began with a size equal to the average city centre, but have since expanded to much larger sizes, with the largest ones rivalling other major cities in the Spur. Aerostats are divided into two main sections: Cytherea, which refers to the Cytherean-dominated areas above, and Jintaria, which refers to both the small pockets of Jintarians above ground but also (and mainly) the Jintarian cities under the respective districts.

Aerostats follow a similar style of planning to normal cities, with all kinds of districts and buildings present – each aerostat is divided into a variable number of districts, depending on the population, that make up its administrative divisions.There are, however, some differences due to their nature as floating cities: as an example, no wind or any kind of atmospheric phenomenon is present on these aerostats, except as an optional setting in artificial parks. Binyarians pin this on the fact that the presence of wind would limit one’s choice in fashion. On the other hand, both a day-night cycle and a sky similar to the Earth’s are simulated through large and complex lighting arrays that make up the inside of the dome-like structure separating the aerostat from the atmosphere. Normally, someone would only be able to see this artificial sky in an aerostat, but there are some buildings that have a window to the outside as a stylistic choice.

All aerostats are interconnected in a gigantic ring-like structure, forming a sort of spider web across the planet’s surface: the two biggest aerostats, Binyaria and Rathlin, form the two ‘poles’ respectively at the north and south of the web. It is possible to travel from an aerostat to another through the '''Venusian Ferry''', the gigantic shuttletram network forming the basis of this web. It isn't only a means of transport but also a very famous all-in-one tourism attraction sponsored by Idris: firework displays are fused with the planet's naturally odd atmosphere in order to create light shows truly out of a movie. Most if not all Venusians and tourists alike take at least one trip on the Venusian Ferry in their life.

Bar certain exceptions like Rathlin, most Jintarians live in sprawling city complexes under the aerostats, referred to as, for example, Jintarian Binyaria or Jintarian Parabing to name a section of Jintaria under a specific district. Jintaria as a whole is informally known as '''‘downstairs’''' by Cythereans, whereas Cytherea is referred to as '''‘upstairs’''' by Jintarians. These city complexes tend to be densely packed and populated, with little variance in terms of architecture and structure as a result of their government-planned construction. They have overtime, however, been decorated with various LED holoboards bought from Cytherea, artificial parks and other such structures to breathe some life into the atmosphere. The aerostats’ heavier industries, such as power complexes or factories, are entirely located in the Jintarian sections. Jintarians have easy enough access to Cytherea through elevators that can be found throughout their cities, with at least one under each Cytherean district.
===Binyaria===

'''Binyaria''' is the capital aerostat of Venus and by far the most populated one, widely known as Venus’ jewel, sporting the archetypical Cytherean architecture: lightshows, LEDs and flashy buildings. People from across the galaxy flock to Binyaria to experience both Solarian and Cytherean culture, which has its roots in the very same aerostat. It is one of the most-visited tourist destinations in the Spur, clocking in the high hundreds of millions of visits every year – with all of them coming to experience the Cytherean culture that began in the very same aerostat. Of course, all of these tourists come to partake in Cytherean hobbies in one way or the other as well.

Cythereans in Binyaria are almost entirely employed in the service and entertainment sectors. Despite its rapid deindustrialisation, Binyaria still hosts a large amount of pharmaceuticals industries and related research complexes, where about 12% of the Cytherean population works.

The following are Binyaria’s most populated and well-known districts.

The '''Jie District''' is located at the very centre of Binyaria, named after the original ruler of the aerostat. It is the true heart of the Cytherean fashion and acting industry, along with the bio-modification that goes hand in hand with them. Tourists flock to Jie to partake, or at least gawk, at the majesty of Cytherea's famed fashion houses, acting museums and so on. This district also houses several Zeng-Hu Pharmaceuticals facilities centred around biomodification and beauty techniques that are frequented by both the rich and famous of Cytherea and exceptionally wealthy (or vain) tourists. Outside of its main thoroughfare, Jie is home to a wild variety of production studies for everything from holovids to music, and many of those involved in Cytherea's entertainment industry make their homes in the expensive apartments and estates of the district. With all of this considered, it is not the district that houses the government, and functions mainly as the flashiest show-off of what Cytherea is truly about, being the most visited district for its value in re-telling Cytherean history (from their side, at least). The only permanent residents in Jie are CEOs, official functionaries and other similarly wealthy or famous figures. ''"We can't all live in Jie District"'' is a phrase used by Jintarians to essentially say "not all of us can be filthy rich", to mock Cythereans for their vanity or simply to express just how ridiculous something is. On the flip side, Cythereans often use the phrase ''"not a Jintarian's chance in Jie"'' to describe impossible odds or something/someone looking really bad (either socially or physically).

Located at the very centre of the Jie District is the '''Venusian Stars Institute''', arguably Venus’ single most important institution. A gigantic, byzantine skyscraper, covered from bottom to top in holographic billboards and the brightest, most colourful LEDs that can be bought on the Spur. With these features and the tacky holographic signs on all four sides at its top blasting its acronym in the brightest rainbow lights imaginable, it dominates Binyaria’s skyline as a consistent reminder of what truly keeps the aerostat afloat: the power of media. Curiously enough, the phrase ''"You're like the Jie skyline"'' has recently become a Cytherean way to tell someone that they stand out, either from good looks or for other reasons. Its first recorded usage was in an Interstellar Girls single from 2463, ''Skyline''.

The Jie District is also home to the '''Jie Holocinema Complex''', the largest and most advanced holocinema in the Spur. It is an absolutely gigantic and flashy structure, being by far the brightest and most-decorated building in Cytherea as a whole. Every single top movie has at least one early screening in this cinema, and these tickets often go for exorbitant prices – which doesn’t stop Cytherea’s many billionaires from lapping them up as soon as they come on the market. Its claim to fame is the Virtual Reality Suite, the highest class viewing hall available, where the viewer can fully immerse themselves in the movie by being able to freely view the current scene from any angle through experimental VR technology. Lower-class viewing halls that provide the “classic” experience are also present for those that don’t have quite as much wealth.

This cinema is found at the very centre of '''Our Lady’s Plaza''', a massive sprawling circular plaza. Its claim to fame is it is built under an artificial vineyard, providing quite the change of pace from the other plazas that may be mistaken as dance floors by unknowing visitors. Restaurants and shops of all kinds can be found around this plaza, providing one of the most unique experiences possible for a weekend. ''"Our Lady's has nothing on this place!"'' is a somewhat uncommon exclamation for Cythereans to refer to a really cool place.

The '''Chiye-Gyo District''' was helped to fame by corporate investment rather than Venus' municipal government. It was a district constructed and leased to the megacorporations to function as a corporate hub on the planet, where one can find any corporate facility they wish for, whether that be corporate-sponsored universities or Idris shopping malls to buy the newest clothing catalogue at. Nanotrasen used to have a presence here as well, but their assets here have been entirely handed off to Einstein Engines. Because of this megacorporate presence, Chiye-Gyo is often used as a backdoor out of Venus for those wanting to leave the planet, with the corporations offering contracts both in Sol and abroad to Venusians willing to take them – Jintarians and Cythereans alike. Of course, many of these Venusians also have to undergo mandatory training courses in Chiye-Gyo to bring them up to speed with their new job. Following the Industrial Reclamation Decree and the nationalisation of Nanotrasen property, their workers were offered to transfer abroad in the Republic of Biesel by the corporation if they wished to leave the Alliance. ''"Straight laced like Chiye-Gyo's corpos"'' is a slang phrase used by Cythereans to refer to someone who's too serious. "Corpos" can often be substituted with "goons", "suits" or other demeaning terms.

The '''Parabing District''' is Binyaria’s most populated district, representing where the majority of its population resides. It is where most of the Cytherean life takes place, with its many stylish apartments, estates and houses, but is not lacking in entertainment and hosts a number of clubs, PC cafes, karaoke joints, laid-back bars, and fast food restaurants complete with glowing neon lights. Parabing also sees a high amount of Jintarian thoroughfare in its districts, both because of its entertainment opportunities and for work reasons, as some Jintarians that live downstairs can find employment in Parabing’s chemical and pharmaceuticals complexes. ''"Putting the bing-o in Parabing!"'' is an expression used by particularly goofy Jintarians and Cythereans as another way of saying "Bingo!". It is, however, very informal and somewhat ridiculous, so it is only used among good friends, most often after a drink or five. Jintarian Parabing hosts a fairly large number of immigrant workers in its Jintarian side, where it hosts the largest population of Martian immigrants in the Spur as a result of Violet Dawn.

While hardly as famous as any of its higher counterparts, the '''Central Binyarian Power Complex''' on level ten is one of the most important levels in the entire aerostat. The Complex provides fission-based power to the entire aerostat using a network of massive fusion generators. The amount of equipment needed to ensure that power flows and the generators continue functioning has turned the Complex into a massive labyrinth of tunnels and industrial machinery that are difficult to navigate through and very easy to become lost in. As a result the Complex is informally known as "the Labyrinth" and has very few legal permanent residents. The tunnels of the Complex are often poorly-lit and filled with stagnant air due to insufficient ventilation. Due to the construction of the Complex noises are able to easily travel through it, and the groaning of machinery and hissing of coolant pipes can echo through miles of tunnels. The Labyrinth is seen as a very unsettling place by both Cythereans and Jintarians, and the disquieting nature of it and similar power facilities have become fodder for the Cytherean film industry. This place's pervasion in pop culture has led to the creation of some creative slang phrases, such as ''"Have you come from the Labyrinth?"'' to refer to an ugly person for Cythereans, or ''"The Labyrinth's got nothing on you"'' to refer to a particularly cool person for Jintarians. Both cultures attempt to one-up the other, with Cythereans using this complex as a negative attribute and Jintarians attempting to reclaim it.

'''Jintarian Binyaria''' is the home to most of the planet’s Jintarians, but does not present itself to be much different from the rest of Jintaria, architecturally or structurally. It does, however, house some districts and landmarks that are very renowned across Jintaria.

The '''Susuhe District''' is the largest and most populated Jintarian district in Venus. It is functionally a mishmash of every kind of facility: from power plants to sports facilities to apartments and parks, nearly everything can be found here, providing an extremely centralised but comfortable lifestyle, if a bit packed with people. Jintarians may find employment either in Susuhe itself or even directly above it in Parabing’s pharmaceutical complexes. Being the administration’s home and arguably the heart of the Jintarian class, it also houses a few important landmarks.

The '''Venusian Jintarian Museum''' is the main point of reference for Jintarian culture, inspired by the Diamond Hall in function. While it presents itself as a rather boring building – clearly not inheriting the Diamond Hall’s gaudy looks – the inside is one of the, if not the most decorated example of Jintarian architecture. Marble flooring and pillars mark the amount of care taken in preserving the story of celebrities and immortalising them as part of Jintaria’s past.

On the entertainment side of things, Susuhe is also home to '''the Ring''', the largest pub across all of Jintaria, built not by the government but by the collective efforts of Jintarians. As its name implies, it is a massive ring-like structure where the inner part is the counter, and the rest is dedicated to tables and other entertainment facilities. Its clients can either simply sit and order their drink and food, or take part in some of the more tame activities that can be found here: the Ring is home to facilities for sports, table football, tabletop games, and more. This pub’s prevalence in Jintarian popular culture has led to the creation of ''"You're ringing out"'' as a common slang phrase used by Jintarians to refer to someone who is too drunk or high for their own good.

===Rathlin===
'''Rathlin''' is the second most populated aerostat, and is the home to Venus’ extremely advanced hydroponics and medical facilities. While distant from Binyaria, it has also overtime adopted the archetypical Cytherean culture, but with a fairly large degree of difference: mainly, the resentment that Rathliners feel towards their Binyarian brethren. While practically all of them accept their Cytherean ways of life (which have been, to some degree, imposed on them), it doesn’t quite feel right to them that Binyaria is the centre of attention in all things Venus. This has developed into a sort of complex of inferiority towards Binyarians, with Rathliners eager to show that they’re just as relevant as their compatriots. Of course, this has to happen in other fields, as there is no hope for Rathlin’s media industries to ever outpace Binyaria’s. Instead, Rathliners – Cytherans and Jintarians alike – are much more likely to seek to climb the social ladder via scientific or medical prowess.

Another oddity unique to Rathlin is that it is the aerostat with the largest number of Jintarians living among the Cytherean population – in fact, most of its Jintarian population lives in its Cytherean side, with only around 21% living below. Many Jintarians find easy enough employment in Rathlin’s many medical, scientific and hydroponics fields if they have the skills to show for it, as these jobs are in ever-increasing demand. Some of these Jintarians can even find their way to Cytherean Binyaria, as expertise is always welcome if they can survive its cutthroat environment – and if they can match Cythereans in beauty.

The following are Rathlin’s most populated and well-known districts.

The '''Nunusa District''' is Rathlin’s seat of government and where most of its population resides. While just as brightly decorated as other Binyarian districts, Nunusa sets itself apart by borrowing its architectural styles from diverse places on Earth: anything can be found in its districts, from Baltic old town architecture to traditional Japanese architecture. Of course, all of these architectures have the typical Venusian twists to them – LED strips to accentuate colours, holographic advertisement billboards attached to the sides, and other similar tacky details. Nunusa also hosts a fairly large number of Jintarian residents. Cythereans often say that something looks "like Susuha" if it's a mishmash of many things, a melting pot, or generally curious or interesting.

Nunusa is home to one of Venus’ most multicultural academies, the '''Nunusa Polymedical Institute''', informally known as '''PolyNu'''. It is Venus’ highest rated medical university as it places more of a focus on skills rather than good looks, and many aspiring Cytherean doctors from other aerostats – even Binyaria – study here, either by using the Venusian Ferry or by temporarily moving to Nunusa. Binyarians often find themselves teased and sometimes even mocked by Rathliners for attending classes in this institute, but the education is top notch nonetheless. These four groups of cultures that coexist – Jintarians, Binyarians, Rathliners and Cythereans from other aerostats – are in a constant race to one-up the other through bragging about better grades or whichever other methods they can come up with. While this does contribute to a higher degree of academic competitiveness in the university, these competitions can also be settled in other ways, such as on the dance floor. ''"You're like a Binyarian in PolyNu"'' is a common phrase used by Rathliners to describe someone who's out of place.

The '''Satisma District''' is perhaps Venus’ most important industrial district, made up almost entirely of hydroponics facilities and attached employee housing. It provides Venus with practically all of its food, and even exports a significant amount to the Alliance as a whole. A good amount of the Spur’s expert hydroponicists are raised and trained in Satisma’s world-class facilities. Cythereans and Jintarians alike work in this district, with Cythereans managing to find it bearable as it is not particularly high-intensity work, and automation does most of the job anyway. Jintarians often write off their Cytherean workers as particularly lazy here, but that is not necessarily always the truth. ''"Do you work at Satisma?"'' is a slang phrase used by particularly vain Cythereans to refer to someone who is lower class or generally uninteresting. It is very negatively charged and often elicits a reply in kind (or worse) if used against Jintarians.

The '''Rimari District''' is, on the surface, quite similar to Satisma, filled with hydroponics complexes and other such installations. In truth, it is arguably the centre for Venus’ drug trade: completely dominated and owned by Zeng-Hu, the hydroponics plants here are rumoured to grow exclusively narcotics and whatever other types of drugs the Cytherean clientele may desire. It is strictly guarded at all hours of the day by several VPPF detachments, which has most certainly only further stained the Venusian Police’s name in the minds of Jintarians and unsatisfied Cytherean. Rimari also holds the infamous reputation of being the largest narcotics trade hub in the entire Spur according to several independent newspapers and research articles, claims that have been solely ignored by every single Venusian government. ''"Locked up like Rimari"'' is a charged slang phrase used by Cythereans and Jintarians alike to refer to someone who's clearly holding a secret of some sort, or refusing to talk about it.

'''Jintarian Rathlin''' is not much different from Jintarian Binyaria, mainly because of Jintaria’s beginnings as little more than pre-fabricated drab cities. It is, however, connected to Jintarian Binyaria through the Venusian Ferry.

'''Jintarian Satisma''' is mostly made up of restaurants, curiously enough, which import food from the hydroponics facilities above. Jintarians can find their respite in many of the higher-class (for Jintarians, anyway – they would still not hold a candle to Cytherean restaurants) in this district. Jintarian Satisma is also the host of the Satisma Fair, a 3-day fair beginning on the 15th of March and ending on the 18th where the streets of the districts are filled with food stands, festivals and other such activities. It is extremely famous among Jintarians and most of them attend it yearly, spending more than usual. Additionally, cooks from the rest of the Alliance sometimes set up their own stands and makeshift restaurants here as it is a very, very lucrative opportunity. New Hai Phonger cooks are especially renowned in Jintarian Satisma, with many trying to emulate their cuisine.

==Government and Politics==
<center>''“Jintarians have been governed by Cythereans for a century now, but no more! No more will the Jintarian have to stand by and let clueless addicts govern them! No more!” – Excerpt from Hendrik Strom’s famous campaign speech to a crowd of around million Jintarians in Jintarian Parabing.''</center>

Venus’ government is, on the surface, fairly simple: each aerostat has its own governor, which is elected through a democratic vote where all registered citizens can participate. Each district likewise has its own representative, elected in the very same manner. However, Venus places little to no effort in fighting any sort of corruption, often staffing its anti-corruption bureaus as if they were vacation homes for retired politicians. This has led to Venus’ government historically being among the most corrupt and inefficient in the Spur, with a record period of '''11 years without any significant reform''' (according to the Xanusii News Service’s ''Venusian Insight'' scoop of 2431, with a "significant reform" classified as any bill that implements a new social or governmental program). District representatives and aerostat governors alike are often accused by independent news services of collaborating in the Venusian drug trade to disgusting degrees, pocketing bribe money left and right and willingly ignoring the issues that plague Venus. Moreover, competition is at an all-time low on Venus, with all of its sectors practically monopolised by a select few companies. Venus’ media freedom ranks at its highest peak ever according to Venusian and some Solarian outlets, but independent news services often instead rank it at the bottom due to the VSI’s absolute stranglehold on the media services.

Under the surface, Venus has many de-facto exceptions given to it by the Solarian law apparatus. Drug trade and consumption are essentially completely allowed on Venus, with the VPPF not particularly inclined to ever prosecute these crimes due to their profitability. Whatever narcotics one may desire are nearly always handed over-the-counter at Zeng-Hu pharmacies, which present a ''technically legal'' front – and, as a result, no perquisitions ever occur.

This general complacency boiled over in Hendrik Strom’s election as the planetary senator in 2453, a result of Cytherean apathy and general lack of care towards voting. Elected through a historic Jintarian turnout, his campaign has run on anti-corruption promises and economic reforms – populist policies that are not appreciated by Cythereans or by the established Venusian industries. Whether these reforms will be implemented or have any long-lasting effect is yet to be seen, however, as more pressing matters have taken the ex-senator’s attention since the Solarian collapse.

The '''Venusian Stars Institute''' is an entirely government-controlled agency and an integral part of the average Venusian’s life. It has absolute control over Venusian media, from what gets produced and put on the extranet to the image rights of its stars and idols, with more details on this particular facet in the Cytherean Culture section. To the average citizen, the VSI is an almost invisible force behind social media, rarely interfering unless absolutely necessary. An example of this is the silencing of the Binyarian Exposé, where journalists propagating the story in question were promptly banned from all social media and their stories scrubbed from the Extranet.

===The Venusian Planetary Police Force===
Venus’ law enforcement agency is the '''Venusian Planetary Police Force''', or '''VPPF'''. The VPPF is more of a media stunt than a real police force, being riddled with corruption and inefficiencies, where officers are known to readily take bribes to ignore crimes -- particularly the crimes of Venus' rich and famous. The VPPF's reputation is so poor that megacorporate facilities and Venusian notables may even use private military contractors from the Eridani Federation Military to provide security instead. Hendrik Strom and his fellow populists have made a scapegoat out of the VPPF by citing its most public failures such as its inability to contain the now-defunct Tajara Revolutionary Army and its rampant cronyism. In public polling, the Venusian police typically ranks as one of the least popular planetary police agencies in the entire Solarian Alliance. It can mostly be seen policing important landmarks, clubs, bars or whichever important gala is being hosted on a certain night.
The gendarmerie’s poor standing also has to do with mostly who exactly chooses a career in it, often described as a dead-end career: that is to say, mostly crashouts and those who don’t want to be in the spotlight, for one reason or the other. Unfortunately for them, the VPPF doesn’t pay very handsomely and is seen as the opposite of a prestigious career, being considered useless by just about every single Venusian. This has led to an extremely high rate of turnover, with those leaving the VPPF often leaving Venus entirely and looking for work abroad as mercenaries in the PMCG/EPMC or as corporate security: leaving the planet with their eyes open to Venus’ many injustices and likely more depressed as a result.

The VPPF is structured into one department per aerostat with thirty-two sections per district, with each section varying in size depending on the population and importance of the location. Rimari has by far the largest sections across Binyaria. While the VPPF functions like an archetypical gendarmerie, many of its bureaus are intentionally stunted: narcotics or financial crimes departments often function in name only, with their director being paid off by more than one person in exchange for their inaction. This situation is known to just about anyone who researches it, but most importantly they have to care about it – which is not the case for the average Cytherean. After all, the VPPF’s inaction is what allows their hedonistic lifestyle to continue.

==Synthetics on Venus==
<center>''“It is the duty of Idris to provide the most perfect synthetics for the Venusian media enterprises [...]” - Excerpt from Alex Mason’s 2454 Q1 investor meeting.''</center>

Positronics on Venus are mainly imported from around Sol, with Hephaestus and Einstein Engines being the chief providers of chassis and positronics for menial and service work alike. A product of their environment, these IPC are programmed with the local Cytherian or Jintarian accent according to their posting and purpose. Fielded by both the government and private entities, the aerostats of Venus are a prime hub of IPC activity, as well as the shell frame capital of the Alliance, pushing the boundaries of avant-garde taste and chassis modifications to fit all sorts of cosmetic and functional niches of an unhinged entertainment industry.

===In Cytherian Society===
The service and entertainment sectors make heavy use of IPC workers, both on and off screen, primarily shells provided by Einstein Engines, Zeng-Hu Pharmaceuticals and smaller producers such as Earth’s Hazel Electromotive. It is not unusual for Venusian movies to cast shell actors and actresses, using them as stunt doubles for dangerous or arguably fatal screens where agility is a must, sometimes even causing real harm and damage to their forms. Cytherian Stars in the movie industry often have shell lookalikes on standby, shooting multiple scenes at once or even working on different lower-end films to maximise efficiency and output, while also making upcoming and unknown studios pay incredible sums to have a Star’s likeness in their movie, be it the real actor or not. Furthermore, shells are used intensely on stage by bands and brands such as INTERSTELLAR✰GIRLS, enhancing performances with dancing, acrobatics or other such stunts. Shell workers are also commonly found in the infamous Cytherian parties, serving guests or accompanying them in their various activities. The deeper and lower one gets, the more cosmetic altercations one finds on the shells present, as the creativity hampered by Venusian ideals of a clean body, are channelled into tattoos and modifications on their IPC. The application of piercings, vibrant colours and tattoos with fluorescent ink can range from simple creations to extravagant displays of art, utilising the bodies of the shell as a limitless canvas.

While all the above may push a favourable image of the positronics’ lives, the reality is more or less the opposite. Situated in core Solarian territory, Venusians largely echo the conservative views for the treatment of IPC as objects and property, and this is no different for Cytherian shells. While some may have their shining moments or even manage to gather a following on social media, their owners and especially the Venusian Star Institute tend to be quick at grounding them back to reality, making sure that an IPC never gets enough time in the spotlight to shadow a human Star. To this end, shell actors and dancers are often recycled for fresh ones, those discarded being resold for lower-end work in various establishments throughout Binyaria and other aerostats, or as Venusian novelty items abroad. Operating under the same crushing regime that even many Stars find exhausting, the tear and wear caused by repeated performances, dangerous scenes in cinema and a general treatment as nothing more than equipment, guarantees a much shorter lifespan compared to shells in other parts of the Spur.

===Jintarians and Corporate Synthetics===
While not as expansive as in Cytherian culture, the Jintarian working class sees its fair share of baselines and industrial frames in the workforce, owing to the extreme working conditions found in maintaining certain parts of aerostats. As a result, most positronics intended for labour are programmed with engineering and maintenance databases, organised in teams and sent to work under human technicians in tasks where even the most hardy and experienced individuals would find arduous. One other significant sector such IPC can be found in is the Venusian Planetary Police, fielding synthetic officers for all manners of operations against crime and other runaway synthetics. It is thus only natural that Jintarians interact more with non-shells, with many even coming to somewhat appreciate their presence and make clear distinctions between them and Cytherian positronics. While still under highly restrictive ownership, these IPC enjoy a greater standard of living, usual repairs as well as the lack of fear of living up to unreasonable standards like their counterparts in the more expensive and luxurious locales of Venus.

Corporate synthetics on Venus largely maintain their corporate identity, with some being tailored with a Venusian, mostly Cytherian, flair. Idris’ professional shell service staff and Reclamation Units are often programmed with the accent to cater to the clientele, while in some cases taking on low-scale cosmetic alterations such as fancy antennae, vibrant eye colours or certain skin patterns. Owing to a large Zeng-Hu presence in the pharmaceutical industry, Bishop frames are regularly seen around the megacorporation’s installations, in laboratories and pharmacies, their white and sterile form being a characteristic element of the company’s identity in many Venusians’ eyes.

==Skrell on Venus==
The Nralakk Federation is, to the surprise of very few people, one of the most restrictive states when it comes to public displays of hedonism. Thus it begs the question of what kind of Skrell would dare set foot on Venus, and the answers are fairly simple -- mainly stars and washouts. While there are Skrell on Venus that work in duller fields such as hydroponics, science or medicine, these two groups form the bulk of the popular perception of Skrell on the planet.

'''Skrellian Stars''' are the most represented group of Skrell on Venus, being present in prominent media and with some even having a fairly large following. Most of these Stars are either Federation-sponsored actors from Nralakk, human culture enthusiasts or simply disgruntled Skrell who couldn't make it in the Federation, for one reason or the other. The latter two groups are the most likely to fully embrace Venusian ideals and even venture out to other human nations, whereas the former group -- Nralakk loyalists -- do not partake quite as much and keep a tight lip on topics like dissent.

'''Washouts''', instead, are Skrell that have been completely and utterly socially isolated in the Federation. Most often either successful scientists that have published research deemed too controversial or failed doctors that couldn't meet Nralakk's academic standards, Venus represents a prestigious temporary vacation for them to spend their many leftover credits at. These Skrell stay for a matter of years -- a short time to them, but a long time to everyone else -- drowning away their sorrows until they feel ready to hit the stars once again. Whether those stars are part of Venus' artificial sky or are the Spur's is up for them to decide from their brooding.
{{Navbox Human Lore}}
{{Navbox Lore}}
[[Category:Pages]]
[[Category:Planets_and_Systems]]
[[Category:Humanity]]

File:Venus flag.png

2022-10-31T12:55:27Z

MattAtlas: Created by SimpleMaroon.

== Summary ==
Created by SimpleMaroon.

Moroz

2022-10-17T21:12:23Z

MattAtlas: two thirds -> significant amount

{{Navbox Lore}}
{{Navbox Human Lore}}
{{toc_right}}
<center>[[File:Moroz_pixel.png|link=]]</center>
{{Template:Region-SparringSea}}
Located within the Mira Sancta system Moroz has overcome a variety of challenges - hundreds of years of isolation, decades of war, its cold and icy nature, strife between its unathi and humans, and more - to become, without a doubt, the most important planet of the young Empire of Dominia, itself a major regional power in the Orion Spur. With roughly six billion permanent inhabitants Moroz is home to a significant amount of the Empire’s population, and the vast majority of noble houses - both minor and major - make their home here, as does the royal family. Contrary to other inhabited planets, Moroz lies fairly far out from its star - meaning that, despite being inhabitable, most of the planet is covered in ice and snow. As a result the vast majority of its human settlements are concentrated around the middle of the planet, where massive taiga-like forests instead dominate. Despite a lack of easily settled and arable land Moroz has become exceedingly wealthy in recent years due to its colonial possessions, and the native Morozians of the planet have become some of the wealthiest people in the Empire. In recent years efforts have been made by the Empire of Dominia to reclaim some of the planet’s massive polar regions due to its steadily growing population, though not much success has been had from these programs.

The imperial capital of Nova Luxembourg houses fifty million residents in what was once a humble colonial settlement barely eking out an existence in the remains of their colony ship. In the years since then, the city has grown to be a true galactic capital filled with wealth, prestige, and academic knowledge. However on the other side of the planet lies evidence that not all is well on Moroz. Within the Semi-Autonomous Region of Fisanduh the former Confederated States of Fisanduh capital of Neubach sits as a reminder that the Empire of Dominia is a society ultimately built upon the conquest of those weaker than itself, and seeks to expand the reach of Moroz even now. But Neubach and Fisanduh provide another symbol: an icon of resistance to the Empire that still yet stands, even in its homeland.

Moroz has two moon, Lyoid Primary and Lyoid Secondary, though only Lyoid Primary is inhabited - the moon features a small mining outpost designed to extract lithium from the planet’s surface.

==History==
The history of Moroz as a planet is intrinsically linked to the history of the [[Empire_of_Dominia#History|Empire of Dominia]] as a whole and, as such, discussing it separately is an exercise in futility. The fate of the planet has, for as long as the Empire has existed, been tied to the fate of the Empire. Without Moroz, the Empire of Dominia as it now stands simply does not exist.

==Environment==
[[File:Moroz.png|thumb|A map of contemporary Moroz showing its major cities and the Imperial Railroad.]]
The environment of Moroz is dominated by one thing: the cold. As a result, the planet is somewhat uncomfortable for human inhabitation while being extremely difficult to live on for unathi. Heavy overcoats are a common form of clothing due to this temperature, with fancier coats being a typical fashion accessory of the Primaries of Moroz. Upwards of seventy percent of the planet’s surface is dominated by its massive polar caps, and much of the area that is not tundra or outright polar icecap is dominated by cold taiga forests. Temperatures are typically near or below freezing, and most areas on Moroz see snow year-round. What oceans there are are generally quite small, and snake their way around the equatorial taiga regions of the planet. A body of water known as the Imperial Sea is the largest body of water on the Morozian surface, and many of the Holy Kingdom of Domelkos’ and Imperial Alliance’s cities were built around this during the early period of colonization.

The large polar ice caps of Moroz are known as the Lyod, and are quite inhospitable. Plants and animals are rare and, if present, typically small to endure the polar winds that often whip across the ice planes found across the planet. With temperatures usually well below freezing and arable land all but impossible, human inhabitation of this area is extremely rare. Only the Lyodii (meaning “People of the Lyod” in Vulgar Morozi), dedicated survivalists that often exist outside of greater Morozian society despite following the Holy Tribunal, reside outside of the rare reclaimed zone.

==Geographical Regions==
Moroz is typically divided into four distinctive geographical areas -- though only two see significant human inhabitation -- by Imperial cartographers: Equatorial Moroz, the Fisanduhian Range, the Northern Lyod, and the Southern Lyod. These regions are said to date back to the early post-colonial era of the planet and have persisted with very few changes since that point, despite complaints that they are no longer accurate by some members of the Empire's geographic societies.

'''Equatorial Moroz''' is the most populated region of the planet thanks to its (relatively) hospitable weather and long growing season. Both states that would go on to form the the basis of the modern Empire of Dominia -- the Holy Kingdom of Domelkos and Imperial Alliance of Zhao and Volvalaad -- originated here, which has helped to make this region the most prosperous one in the entirety of the Empire. The Imperial capital of Nova Luxembourg -- along with other critical cities such as the industrial heartland of Jinxiang -- can be found here. This region makes up all of the planet's surface aside from the northern and southern ice caps (with the exception of Fisanduh) and, unlike other regions of the Empire, is directly administrated by the Emperor himself instead of by an appointed Imperial governor.

The '''Fisanduhian Range''' is a large mountain range, spanning from the northern to the southern Lyod, that divides Equatorial Moroz in half. Technically two separate mountain ranges the Fisanduhian Range has a large, still mountainous region between its eastern and western regions that is commonly referred to as Inner Fisanduh. The foothills surrounding the outward-facing sides of the Range, on the contrary, are known as Outer Fisanduh. With only four valleys -- commonly known as the "Gates of Fisanduh" -- that allow easy passage between the inner and outer regions, the Inner Fisanduh was the last region to be conquered during the War of Moroz that formed the Empire of Dominia. The country that once controlled the region, the Confederated States of Fisanduh, never formally surrendered to the Empire and the region has been home to an insurgency for almost a hundred years. While economically deprived due to its ongoing war with the rest of Moroz the region is home to immense amounts of mineral wealth, and many believe it could someday be a prosperous manufacturing region. Assuming, of course, that its war ever ends.

The Northern and Southern '''Lyod''' make up the vast majority of Moroz's surface. These vast regions are primarily composed of arctic tundras in which very little grows and few animals reside, though they are hardly completely devoid of life. Dense taiga-like forests composed of Morozian conifers can be found in the regions of the Lyod bordering Equatorial Moroz, and the majority of the Lyod's population can be found in and around these forests. The taiga of the Lyod has been home to Dominian outposts for several decades now, which has brought the Empire into contact -- and conflict -- with the native population of the region: the Lyodii (the "People of the Lyod," in Vulgar Morozi). Experiences in attempting to tame the Lyod have influenced the Empire's current expansionist colonial policy and led to the creation of the well-known Lyodsuit, a piece of cold-weather survival gear originally used in the Lyod and now seen across the Empire's colonies due to its resistance to adverse weather conditions.

==Morozian Flora and Fauna==
The flora and fauna of Moroz, both native and modified by the experienced laboratories of House Volvalaad, are all adapted to this cold - lest they quickly wither away and die in the “eternal winter” of Moroz. Most animal and plant life is concentrated in the taiga of Moroz, though some venture into the tundra “shrubland” surrounding it, with only a few animals eking out their existences in the massive icecaps of the planet. Here are some examples of creatures that can be found on Moroz.

The tenelotes is a large, roughly horse-sized, herbivorous herd animal commonly found in the equatorial regions of Moroz outside of Fisanduh. These mammals are covered in a thick layer of fur that is often utilized in Morozian clothing, and are fully able to be ridden by a trained human. Tenelotes were often utilized by the Imperial Army during the War of Moroz as pack animals, and they are still sometimes utilized in the tundra of Moroz due to their reliability. Where tracked or wheeled vehicles cannot go on Moroz, the tenelotes often goes instead.

The prejoroub is a large omnivore, roughly the size of a Solarian wolf, native to the taiga forests throughout the equatorial regions. This catlike animal has very large, broad paws to allow it to tread across snow more easily and is one of the fastest animals on Moroz. Prejoroub are pack hunters that typically work in hunting parties of up to six animals in order to bring down large prey such as tenelotes. The prejoroub is often used as a symbol of Imperial Navy vessels, due to naval doctrine dictating that small vessels must fight in a pack to overcome larger opponents.

The confusingly-named yupangyangwangmi (often shorted to “yupmi”) is an extremely large rodent, roughly the size of a Solarian donkey, native to the mountains of Fisanduh. Yupmi are friendly, docile animals that were domesticated by the Confederated States of Fisanduh nearly a century before its fall and were a common pack animal for its army during the War of Moroz due to the ease with which they could climb up Fisanduh’s mountainsides with their six legs. A significant amount of artillery used by the Fisanduhians during the War was carried on the backs of these sturdy animals. In the postwar era yupmi are often utilized by the Fisanduh Freedom Front to haul equipment without attracting unwanted attention and the ability to hide weaponry under the voluminous fur they possess.

The yastr is a bird of prey commonly found throughout the mountains of Fisanduh. While they are able to eat nuts and fruit, yastr prefer to consume small game commonly found along the mountainsides. These large birds are nocturnal and eerily quiet when they fly, despite a significant wingspan intended to keep them aloft in the thinner air towards the top of the Fisanduhian mountains. Yastr, despite their size, are able to be trained by experts and were commonly used as an alternative form of communication for the Confederated States of Fisanduh Army during the War of Moroz. Presently, they are often used as messenger hawks by the Fisanduh Freedom Front.

The treutduro is a genetically modified dove commonly found throughout the grand cities of Imperial-controlled Moroz. Originally genetically modified to better withstand the cold climate of Moroz, the treutduro is larger and lives longer than its Solarian counterpart. It is typically seen as one of the primary symbols of the Empire of Dominia and is often utilized to represent the so-called peace that the Empire brought to the war-torn planet. The birds are easily trained and quite intelligent, and are often kept as pets by Primaries and Secondaries alike.

==Society and Life on Moroz==
How one lives their life on Moroz is highly dependent upon which region of the planet they are originally from. If one comes from the Empire of Dominia-controlled parts of Moroz, the majority of the planet’s surface, their life will look radically different from someone who originates from the region of Fisanduh. Much of the society experienced by Dominian Morozians can be found [[Empire_of_Dominia#Dominian_Society|here]] and [[Dominian Culture|here]], but any competent discussion of life on Moroz must be divided into life inside Fisanduh and life outside of Fisanduh.

===Life in Dominian-controlled Moroz===
[[File:Dominia_Flag.png|thumb|The Imperial standard of House Keeser, intended to represent three nation states of old Moroz that formed the basis of the Empire of Dominia.]]
Life in what is commonly referred to as “Imperial Moroz” by its denizens is typically regarded as the best lifestyle possible in the young Empire of Dominia. These Dominians are wealthy, influential, and stable. Support for the Empire is highest in these regions, due to the wealth and prosperity it has brought to those that reside there. While Fisanduh remains a problem, it is a distant issue in the minds of these Dominians - a background threat that exists in a rump state that is, honestly, not really worth controlling due to the cost involved. Off-world travel is common amongst Imperial Morozians due to their wealth, with many traveling to other colonies of the Empire and a large amount traveling as far afield as Tau Ceti - particularly those associated with the more diplomatically-inclined House Volvalaad. Despite the presence of unathi within the Empire, Moroz remains overwhelmingly human due to its frigid temperatures.

The cities of Imperial Moroz tend to be very heavily developed due to the wealth of the planet, and are connected by the massive Imperial Railway - a construction project of Emperor Keeser during his first years on the throne that is, according to the Empire, one of the largest rail networks outside of the Sol Alliance. These cities are often awe-inspiring, if grandiose, sights to behold with their unique Morozian Deco architecture and wide boulevards dotted with the homes of Moroz’s nobility and commoners. One notable example of this architectural style is the Holy Cathedral of Our Lady the Goddess, the largest Tribunalist church on Moroz. While most assume that Tribunalist churches are built in austere, quasi-Gothic styles the Holy Cathedral was instead built in the Morozian deco style on behalf of its primary sponsor: Empress Lei Keeser.

Despite this opulence, Moroz sees few immigrants due to the authoritarian nature of the Empire of Dominia and immigration standards that have been deliberately designed to make immigration to Moroz without previous proof of familial residence extremely difficult, if not impossible. Some reformist elements wish to make this process easier, but most Dominians are perfectly content to keep the frontier “riff-raff” out of their core worlds.

Imperial Morozian society has been heavily influenced by the Primaries - the nobility of Dominia - and it is seen as very in vogue amongst Secondaries to take a page from the habits of nobility. As a result of this fencing - a traditional pastime of House Volvalaad before the creation of the Empire of Dominia - has become a widespread pastime due to Her Majesty Empress Lei's Royal Fencing Society, which accepts all into its ranks and possess a geneboosted and non-geneboosted league. The Royal Society’s fencers are renowned throughout the Orion Spur, and some joke that the planet’s primary export is slowly becoming fencing experts.

===Life in Fisanduh===
[[File:Fisanduh.png|The red and gold flag of the Confederated States of Fisanduh. Despite its collapse at the conclusion of the War of Moroz, the flag remains a common sight in Fisanduh.|thumb]]
Life in the territory of the former Confederated States of Fisanduh is much less opulent than its counterpart on the outside, but manages to be more free. Decades of war in the period leading up to the ultimate collapse of the Confederated States and its democracy, followed by thirty years of insurgency have done significant damage to Fisanduh despite the thorough contingency plan of the Confederated States known as Plan SCRAM. As a result the standard of living in Fisanduh is less than that in Imperial Moroz, thanks to decades of devastation as a result of the ongoing conflict with Dominia. Despite how dire their situation is the Fisanduhians of the region remain steadfast in their opposition to the Empire of Dominia, but their lives are often swept up up by the violence that results from their resistance.

Fisanduhians value their freedoms above all else: many remember the democratic Confederated States of Fisanduh and the decades-long war waged by its Army to preserve the freedom of Fisanduh at all costs, no matter how steep the bloody price of freedom would be, and the Confederated States never signed a formal peace treaty with the Empire of Dominia. In the minds of many of the citizens of Fisanduh, the war yet marches on -- even decades after what most Morozians would consider its formal end. The strong ideological foundation of the Confederated States, one forged in the violent fires of war and the struggle to survive against the environment of Fisanduh itself, has persisted in the postwar era despite attempts by the Empire of Dominia to control and dominate Fisanduh.

Due to its position in a very mountainous and cold -- by equatorial Moroz standards -- region of the planet that never saw combat within its borders before it fell, the cities of Fisanduh -- those not destroyed during the occupations, at least -- tend to differ from the cities of Imperial Moroz. The former Confederated States capital, Neubach, is a good example of this: the city is spread out over a much wider area than other cities on Moroz, and follows a much more utilitarian style of architecture derived the industrial needs of the colony. While the Fisanduhian style is often referred to as “hideous” by many Dominians, Emperor Keeser deliberately kept Neubach intact as a gesture of goodwill towards the region.

The largest resistance movement in Fisanduh is the Fisanduh Freedom Front, often referred to by Dominians as the “Shadow State of Fisanduh.” Created as a result of Plan SCRAM, the 3F -- as it is often called -- is loyal to the government-in-exile of the Confederated States of Fisanduh. It holds significant sway with the population in regions it as a result of this, though its control fades the further one travels from Neubach. The leader of 3F is known simply as the "Chief," but much of the organization itself remains shrouded in mystery due to the secretive nature of both itself and the Empire of Dominia. Rumors of direct and indirect support of 3F by the Coalition of Colonies surround the organization yet no formal connections have been established, much to the rumored frustration of the Empire.

===The Lyodii===
Life in the Lyod -- the large polar ice caps that dominate the surface of Moroz -- is quite unlike life anywhere else on Moroz due to the extremely harsh environment of the Lyod, which has in turn given rise to a quite unique culture: that of the Lyodii, the ''People of the Lyod''. Originally composed of exiles and outsiders from the colonial period the Lyodii, while often seen as "backwards" or "savages" by their fellow Morozians, are the only people that have mastered the Lyod to the point where they are able to safely reside in it -- though life is hardly easy or comfortable.

The Lyodii typically follow a unique interpretation of the Moroz Holy Tribunal known as Lyodic Tribunalism -- or Morozi Paganism, if one is a follower of the Imperial Moroz Holy Tribunal -- that is distinct from the traditional Morozian interpretation in its perception of the Goddess and Her Edicts. The largest Edict-based departure between Lyod Tribunalism and its Equatorial counterpart is on the Seventh Edict: due to the value of animals on the tundra the Lyodii commonly perform ritual sacrifices of animals in order to please the Goddess, and as an offering to Her from Her humble Lyodic followers. The Fourth Edict is another marked departure in Lyodic Tribunalism: the Lyodii, lacking an empire (or formal state) believe that one should instead not deliberately wrong another or break a law, unless one's life or property is threatened by the person or law. Lyodic shamans often adorn themselves with animal bone charms as a result of this and these adornments vary greatly between various shamans: some wear small adornments -- such as bird skulls on chains -- while others wear adornments as large prejoroub skulls during especially important events. Lyodic shamans tend to be female due to a superstition among Lyodi that women have a better connection to the Goddess. Unlike the formal schooling of Morozian clergy, the skills needed to serve as a Lyodic shaman are generally passed down through apprenticeships in which young Lyodii serve as a shaman's assistant before eventually assuming the role when hey are deemed ready.

Politically the Lyodii are quite unlike the centralized societies of their southern counterparts, the Empire of Dominia and now-fallen Confederated States of Fisanduh. Though the Lyod is home to some small permanent towns that are generally located in the more hospitable taiga zones on its borders, most Lyodii live in small nomadic communities of anywhere from 100 to 1,500 members that follow animal herds and plant growths around the tundra in order to survive. These Lyodic tribes follow no authority beyond their chieftain and the chieftan's shaman, who generally serves as the second-in-command of the tribe due to their experience in matters of the divine. While conflict is not uncommon between tribes -- particularly when resources are scarce -- most tend to avoid conflict with one another, as their lives on the tundra are challenging enough without warring over hunting rights. Tribes, however, have been known to unify into larger confederations in response to external threats such as Dominian efforts to "tame" the taiga of the Lyod -- a conflict that continues at a low level even today.

Daily life for the Lyodii revolves around the difficult task of ensuring that they, and their tribe, are able to continue surviving in the Lyod, where they can be free from the Mo'ri'zal and the influence of the Empire of Dominia. To fail in one's tasks -- even ones as simple as ensuring that water is set to boil -- runs a risk not only to one's own life but to that of the entire tribe, and failure to perform is typically met with harsh punishment by one's parents or the tribe's more senior members. The nature of Lyodic life means that one is almost always on the move following animals or plant life, and many Lyodii that travel off-world are often used to (or uncomfortable with) staying in one spot for months at a time. This nomadic lifestyle is not present in the rare villages and small towns that dot the taiga of the Lyod, which often serve as meeting points for tribal diplomacy and trade centers where the resources of the Lyod are sent to the greater Orion Spur. These towns are additionally some of the few opportunities Lyodii have to go off-world, as they are the only places where those with the funds needed and interest to recruit Lyodii for megacorporations -- primarily [[Zavodskoi Interstellar]] -- can be found.

==Major Settlements==

'''Nova Luxembourg''' is the crown jewel of the Empire of Dominia and lies nestled in a fairly temperate (by Morozian standards) region. The city’s skyline is dominated by the massive Imperial Palace of Moroz, which towers above other structures within it. The largest temple of the Moroz Holy Tribunal, the Holy Cathedral of Our Lady the Goddess, can be found close to the Imperial Palace, as can the largest chapter of Her Majesty Empress Lei's Royal Fencing Society. Nova Luxembourg is the wealthiest city in the Empire of Dominia, and much of its economy is dedicated to more esoteric pursuits such as art. Poverty has been all but eliminated within its city limits, thanks to the massive charitable efforts undertaken by the well-loved royal family. Outside of the royal family, the House Volvalaad-sponsored Juro School of Genetics and Bio-Sciences can be found in Nova Luxembourg.

'''Jinxiang''' is the industrial heartland of Imperial Moroz, and is the historical home of House Zhao. Much of the Imperial Navy’s shipwrights are trained here, and the metropolis is famous throughout the Empire as the “forge of Dominia.” While designed in a more practical manner than the opulently-designed Nova Luxembourg, Jinxiang remains a very wealthy city on Moroz due to its status. The prestigious Royal Naval Academy is located in this city, and many of the Empire’s most well-regarded naval officers - including the current Grand Admiral, Duchess Huiling Zhao - are alumni of it.

'''Domelkos''' is the former capital of the Holy Kingdom of Domelkos, one of the three nations that eventually became the modern Empire of Dominia. The city is often regarded as the sister city of Nova Luxembourg due to its similar focus upon the arts, and similarly beautiful surroundings. Many nobles and well-to-do residents of Domelkos partake in outdoor activities such as hunting in the lush and idyllic forests surrounding the city, and the crown prince himself owns a modest hunting lodge outside of the city that he often entertains Imperial Army officers at.

'''Neubach''' is the former capital of the Confederated States of Fisanduh, though it has arguably remained the de facto capital of Fisanduh despite efforts by the Empire of Dominia to control it. 3F control is at its strongest here. Located in a relatively flat region of Fisanduh, the city is built more horizontally than vertically and has maintained its status despite the collapse of Fisanduh due to its position in the interior of Fisanduh, the dogged resistance of its citizens to Imperial occupation, and Emperor Keeser’s desire to leave the city intact as a gesture of goodwill to Fisanduh. The city remains a major regional manufacturing center though the economic devastation of the region is still felt here, with understaffed or shuttered factories not an uncommon sight. Above all else, the former capital remains an important rallying point for the people of Fisanduh.

{{Navbox Human Lore}}
{{Navbox Lore}}
[[Category:Planets_and_Systems]]
[[Category:Humanity]]
[[Category:Pages]]

Dominian Imperial Military

2022-10-16T12:52:11Z

MattAtlas: 2624 -> 2426

{{Navbox Lore}}
{{Navbox Human Lore}}
{{toc_right}}
[[File:Dominia_Flag_Small.png|thumb|The Imperial standard.]]
For an expansionist state such as the Empire of Dominia a strong military is of the highest concern, as is the sprawling military-industrial complex that supports it. The '''Dominian Imperial Military''' is thus consistently lavished with funds, equipment, and training as a result of its critical nature, which has made it into one of the most-experienced fighting forces in the contemporary [[Orion Spur]]. Yet there is one aspect of its nature cannot be changed no matter how much money is thrown at it: the fact that the vast majority of its least senior personnel — from enlisted soldiers guarding occupied Fisanduh, to the ground crews that maintain the supersonic aircraft favored by typically noble pilots, to the crewmen of the Imperial Navy’s ships — are Ma’zals.

While those that supervise these Ma’zals as officers are generally Secondaries or Primaries, the ones below them almost always outnumber them. This seeming contradiction — that the instrument of conquest, and thus the creation of Ma’zals, itself is made up of those conquered — has long seemed puzzling from the outside, yet the Empire has shown that it is able to make the contradiction seemingly sensible, against all reasonable odds. The answer to this puzzle lies in the Empire’s taxation policy: the [[Empire_of_Dominia#The_Mo’ri’zal|Mo’ri’zal]].

The often-high Mo’ri’zals that Ma’zals incur simply due to being born as a Ma’zal motivates many to pursue a career in the Imperial Military, which often is the only way that many Ma’zals and their families will be free of debts incurred for the privilege of being born in the Empire. Some join for other reasons — many from Novi Jadran in particular join out of a sense of duty to those they perceive as their betters, and often rise higher than their Ma’zal counterparts — but the majority are motivated by their Mo’ri’zal, and the better lives they will live after they are rid of it. The sheer number of willing volunteers that sign up to serve in the Imperial Military has ensured that the Empire has not had a draft since the War of Moroz, a fact that it often dangles tauntingly over the head of the conscription-heavy [[Elyra Military|Elyran Armed Forces]].

The [[Empire_of_Dominia#Dominian_Society|Primaries, Secondaries, and Ma’zals]] of the Imperial Military are divided into three major branches: the Imperial Army, His Imperial Majesty’s Fleet, and the Imperial Flying Corps.

==The Imperial Army==
''L'Honneur Accorde la Victoire''
[[File:House_Strelitz.png|thumb|right|The dark red standard of House Strelitz, the great house that dominates the Imperial Army.]]
The oldest and largest of the Empire’s branches is the Imperial Army, which was first formed by the Imperial Alliance — the predecessor of the modern Empire — in the years leading up to the War of Moroz. This makes it older than the Empire itself, though constant reforms and modernizations have ensured that it bears little resemblance to the force that once became stuck in a mountainous quagmire when it had to fight the Confederated States of [[Fisanduh]]’s Army. [[Empire_of_Dominia_Great_Houses#House_Strelitz|House Strelitz]] is the unquestioned master of the Imperial Army, but their conservative nature — and sense of duty — have ensured that the Army is unfailingly loyal to the Emperor, though some more conservative members of it are rumored to disdain the apparently liberal and reformist heir apparent, [[Keeser_Royal_Family#Crown_Princess_Priscilla_Keeser|Crown Princess Priscilla Keeser]].

The Imperial Army has perhaps the most practical experience out of any comparable force in the [[Orion Spur]] due to the Empire’s seemingly unending conquests, which are providing it with ample opportunities to cut its teeth in open warfare and counterinsurgency operations. Its large size and multitude of active combat operations have given the Imperial Army a massive need for officers, regardless of their origins. Though it remains heavily stratified it is— despite the conservative leanings of House Strelitz — not unheard of for a Ma’zal to become an officer, though those that rise to such ranks are typically from [[Empire_of_Dominia#Novi_Jadran|Novi Jadran]]. While a Ma’zal is capable of rising to the officer ranks, ranks above non-commissioned officers consist almost entirely of Secondaries and Primaries, and a majority of these officers are a part of or affiliated with House Strelitz. Noble officers of the House can be found at a variety of ranks ranging from platoon officers to general staff, and families of the House consider it a point of pride to have a relative serving as an officer involved in active combat. To many Strelitz no location is better suited to the honing of martial pride than an active battlefield, where the path to glory so often originates.

While the Imperial Army is primarily a human organisation it does have some aliens within its ranks, primarily unathi from or affiliated with House Kazhkz and its Han’san faction. These unathi are formed into their own species-based units commanded by human, and often Strelitz-affiliated, officers that are attached to Imperial battalions as assault infantry. These “unathi regiments,” as they are typically known are highly prized by Imperial Army commanders, who often deploy them to the most dangerous areas of an assault.

The common soldiers of the Imperial Army are most typically deployed on the Imperial Frontier, where they are responsible for much of the fighting and dying that takes place when a planet does not immediately surrender to the Empire when His Imperial Majesty’s Fleet arrives in the system in force. One of the most recent notable invasions carried out by the Imperial Army was the invasion and pacification of [[Empire_of_Dominia#Sun_Reach|Sun Reach]], a planet located in a system with rich deposits of Helium-3. While the conquest took barely two months the Imperial Army has since found itself in a protracted war against insurgents on the planet, and has resorted to using more and more severe methods to pacify the population. While much of the Imperial Army’s combat operations are carried out against similar unconventional forces, it has engaged many conventional forces: primarily the militias and limited armed forces of colonies the Empire conquers. In these scenarios it almost always has an overwhelming advantage, and has yet to face a serious defeat on the open battlefield as a result. Imperial Army forces are also involved in what they term as “peacekeeping operations,” in Fisanduh alongside the Imperial Flying Corps, where they have been involved in an ongoing asymmetrical conflict for decades.

Compared to its major regional rival, the Elyran Armed Forces, the Imperial Army is significantly more experienced but has begun to lag behind in technological parity as the Elyran military has reformed. The equipment demands that result from its large size and multitude of conflicts have given the Imperial Army a preference for equipment that has been proven to work effectively. Unlike the glamorous clothing associated with [[Moroz|Moroz’s]] nobility, the typical Army regular’s uniform and armor consists of dull earthen tones designed to blend in with the environment. The most common rifle used by Imperial Army troops is the MPR-24/5 (Moroz Pattern Rifle, Year of 2426, fifth modification), a 40 year old rifle that has been continuously upgraded and modified since its inception as ballistic weaponry, in the eyes of Army command, is both more reliable and easier to train Ma’zals with. As a result energy weaponry is generally kept within special units consisting of more trusted Ma’zals, such as those from Novi Jadran, and the Army’s primarily-Morozian special forces.

The special forces of the Imperial Army are known as His Majesty's Special Operations Group, or simply as “the Group.” The Group is primarily recruited from the Empire’s core worlds and Novi Jadran, and is divided into two wings: geneboosted and non-geneboosted. The geneboosted wing is the older and more prestigious branch, dating back to the end of the War of Moroz and the Strelitz troops used to decisively end it. This wing consists entirely of geneboosted Primaries and is often regarded as the most prestigious unit of the Army. The non-geneboosted wing is primarily recruited from Novi Jadran (though Lyodii and Secondaries often find their way into it) and, despite their lesser prestige, is responsible for the majority of the Imperial Army’s special operations due to its larger size and greater flexibility. Commandos from the non-geneboosted wing can be found throughout the Empire, but are most often associated with long-range expeditions into Fisanduh to destroy 3F arms factories. These long-range patrols are often equipped with non-Dominian weaponry in the name of plausible deniability, and to avoid any diplomatic consequences.

Standards of living of the soldiers of the Imperial Army vary depending on both their rank and their social class of origin, though the meritocratic nature of its recruitment and organisation has ensured that these social class gaps – at least those in common ranks, such as the enlisted and lower-ranked officers – are not egregious. The general staff of the Imperial Army goes to great lengths to ensure that Ma’zals within it are treated well and have a better standard of living while in the Army than many had on their planets, which ensures that it always has a steady stream of willing volunteers signing up to serve. While life is often difficult in the Imperial Army, its personnel – from the greenest Ma’zal recruits just sent to Moroz for basic training to its Primary general staff – can count on the Army not abandoning them to die, or to go hungry in the cold.

==His Imperial Majesty’s Fleet==
''Soit Gagner Soit Mourir''
[[File:Zhao_Flag_Small.png|thumb|right|The white-and-grey standard of House Zhao, the great house that dominates the Imperial Fleet.]]
While the junior of the Imperial Army in terms of age — being founded in the final years of the War of Moroz — His Imperial Majesty’s Fleet (often shortened to “HIMF,” or simply the “Imperial Fleet,”) is no less important, with many arguing that it is far more important to Dominia’s imperial ambitions than its planetbound counterpart. Vast funds and countless factories are devoted to the purpose of ensuring that the Imperial Fleet is strong enough to counter any threats to the Empire; whether they be pirates, unathi savages, frontiersmen, or Elyrans — the main regional rival of the Empire. Much of the Imperial Fleet’s equipment is produced by Zavodskoi Interstellar in collaboration with [[Empire_of_Dominia_Great_Houses#House_Zhao|House Zhao]] and [[Empire_of_Dominia_Great_Houses#House_Caladius|House Caladius]]: the Zhaos provide the industry and many of the crews, while the Caladius provide the funding required. While the traditionally more liberal House Zhao is the unquestioned master of the Imperial Fleet, the Fleet itself is a more conservative organization that is steeped in traditions and shaped by its sense of unwavering duty towards the Emperor. Many naval officers in the Fleet belong to often-exclusive officer’s societies that exclude most Ma’zals on principal, and officers outside these societies can find their promotions denied or otherwise stymied. Imperial Fleet vessels can be identified by the prefix HIMFS (His Imperial Majesty’s Fleet Ship).

While it is smaller than many of its human counterparts — having only 15 fleets with mere hundreds of ships in each — the Imperial Fleet is perhaps the most experienced of the Orion Spur’s human fleets, having fought a variety of pitched battles and border skirmishes in the course of the Empire’s steady outwards expansion over the course of the last century. The experience gained during the course of these conquests has shaped the Fleet’s doctrine of “decisive battle,” in which the entire Dominian force moves as one in a massive show of force in an attempt to make the planet capitulate without serious resistance. Many frontier worlds, which often only have a paltry sum of combat-ready vessels, have surrendered upon witnessing the fully assembled strength of an Imperial fleet.

The pride of the Empire’s fleets is the HIMFS ''Carmen Cygni'', the current flagship of [[Notable_Humans#Duchess_Huiling_Zhao,_Grand_Admiral_of_His_Imperial_Majesty’s_Fleet|Grand Admiral Huiling Zhao]], the master of the Imperial Fleet, and the command vessel of the Empire’s First Fleet. Originally launched in 2445 and recently modernized in collaboration with Zavodskoi Interstellar in 2464, the ''Carmen Cygni'' is regarded as a symbol of national pride, and has never been bested upon the field of combat. To serve aboard it in any function – even at the lowest level – is to bring immense pride to one’s family name, and thousands of hopeful naval personnel apply to serve on the vessel every year. Though it primarily relies upon tried-and-true Helium-3 engines, the ''Carmen Cygni'' is one of the few ships in the Imperial Fleet capable of bluespace jumps. In theory, should the Emperor desire to visit the Republic of Biesel, he would be borne to it on the Imperial Fleet’s flagship.

While the Imperial Army is prone to the occasional non-Jadranic Ma’zal officer out of sheer necessity, the Imperial Fleet is not the same. To be a naval officer is a great honor for many, and it is a right reserved for a select few: Primaries, Secondaries, and notable Novi Jadranic Ma’zals, which the Imperial Fleet views as “honorary Morozians,” for all practical intents and purposes. The highest ranks of the fleet are dominated by the Empire’s nobility, and none come from outside of House Zhao. Unathi in particular are looked down upon in the Imperial Fleet and rarely rise above the lowest ranks, with many believing that House Zhao’s intense distaste for their piratical backgrounds is the reason behind this. Those unathi that do opt to fight for the Empire in the vast reaches of the Orion Spur often avoid the Imperial Fleet entirely, instead opting to serve as privateers. These privateers, which are often crewed exclusively by unathi, are often viewed in a poor light by House Zhao and the Fleet.

When compared to its major regional rivals, the Elyran Navy and [[Coalition of Colonies]], the Imperial Fleet maintains a technological edge on both and a numerical advantage on the Elyran Navy. However, a direct comparison to the Coalition is difficult due to its dispersed strength and varying development. While a [[Himeo|Himean]] or [[Xanu_Prime|Xanusanii]] fleet may be as strong as their Dominian counterparts, there are many worlds in the Coalition that cannot hope to stand against an Imperial fleet on their own. Imperial Fleet vessels rely overwhelmingly on large-scale ballistic armaments and tend to be large and heavily-armored in order to have more space for well-protected gun turrets. Fleet crews are constantly drilled in order to achieve the best accuracy possible, and little attention is paid to strategies such as ramming in order to board. Dominian vessels are generally slower than their Elyran counterparts as they use Helium-3 powered warp engines rather than phoron-based thrusters. With the shortage worsening every day, it seems that their vessels will be made with He3 engines for the foreseeable future.

Each Imperial Navy vessel is assigned a complement of Imperial Marines for the purpose of repelling boarding parties or any boarding missions the ship itself may have to carry out. Clad in white-and-red prejoroub and Jinxiang-pattern suits, these well-trained infantry are primarily recruited from non-geneboosted Primaries and Secondaries. To have a child serve in the Imperial Marines is a badge of honor for many families, due to the prestige of the Fleet and the Imperial Marines’ reputation for bravery.

Unlike its planetary counterpart, the living standards of the Imperial Fleet are very much divided along lines of social class and rank. Enlisted personnel live in tight, cramped quarters designed to use space as efficiently as possible while their officer counterparts – which are generally nobles – live in comfortable (and for some, opulent) chambers that are most often private, or at least only contain one to two other persons in the case of junior officers. The Ma’zals of the Imperial Fleet often chafe under these conditions, and as a result the Fleet has a smaller amount of “careerist” enlisted (those that have decided to live their life in service of the Imperial military) than the Imperial Army. Despite the clear class divisions in the Imperial Fleet many Ma’zals still opt to serve in it, as a naval career – and the skills learned in it – can provide immense material benefits for a Ma’zal family.

==The Imperial Flying Corps==
''Nous Protégeons et Vengeons''

For as long as mankind has walked, he has dreamt of flight. Though not the youngest of the Imperial Military’s branches, the Imperial Flying Corps (often called the “IFC,” or simply “Flying Corps,”) it is by far the smallest, having only a fraction of the personnel that the Imperial Army and Imperial Fleet have under arms. Yet despite this small size it exerts a significant amount of influence due to who tends to join the IFC’s ranks of pilot officers: unlike any other branch in the Imperial Military the IFC’s combat troops are often drawn from the Empire’s nobility, with less prestigious positions (such as ground crews and bomber crews) made up of Secondaries and Ma’zals. To be a fighter pilot — the most prestigious position in the IFC — means that one is, in almost every scenario, also a Primary. As a result of how many nobles fill its officer ranks, no single great house dominates the IFC. As with its naval counterpart many officer pilots in the IFC belong to exclusive societies that exclude Ma’zals on principle, with some of these societies excluding Secondaries as well.

The Imperial Flying Corps is seconded to both the Imperial Army and His Imperial Majesty’s Fleet, and provides the both with the majority of their fighter, bomber, and support aircraft. This has led to an often-awkward relationship between the IFC and its attached branch, as many officers in the Fleet and Army come from non-noble backgrounds and, in the eyes of noble-born IFC pilots, are socially inferior to their IFC counterparts. Attempts to integrate the IFC into either the Imperial Army or Fleet instead of having this dual structure have consistently failed due to the Corps’ influence, which stretches up to the Emperor’s throne via the Chief Commissioner for Imperial Aviation, Annaliese Strelitz.

To be a pilot of the IFC means many things depending upon what aircraft one is placed in charge of, or what air wing one is assigned to serve in. The fighter wings of the Flying Corps are the most prestigious of the entire force; viewed as knights of the skies, the stereotypical Dominian fighter pilot is a (non-geneboosted) Primary capable of taking down any threat to the Empire, whether in the void of space or the skies above Fisanduh or Sun Reach, before retiring to the polite society of their officer’s clubs. In reality, a significant minority of non-noble fighter pilots — primarily Secondaries with the occasional Ma’zal — also serve as IFC fighter pilots, and are often passed up for opportunities in favor of their noble counterparts.

For pilots not in the Corps’ fighter wings life is much less glamorous. Bomber crews — which log more flight hours than any other category in the IFC — do much of the work of supporting the Imperial Army’s offensives and counter-insurgency operations, and gain none of the prestige of their fighter-flying noble counterparts. Those that crew the IFC’s supersonic bombers are, as a result of this lack of prestige, a mix of Secondaries and Ma’zals. These men and women are beloved by the Imperial Army and often hated by the residents of recently-occupied planets, which view them as the source of many of their woes. Those that fly ground attack craft, the most dangerous duty in the Flying Corps, are almost always Ma’zals, and suffer from much of the same issues as their bomber counterparts.

The ground crews of the IFC and those in it that fly what the Corps broadly calls “utility” craft — transport planes and such — are almost always Ma’zals. In the highly-stratified Flying Corps, itself a microcosm of the Empire’s broader society, the Ma’zal works for the Primary’s benefit. Behind every Primary sitting in his cockpit, ready to bring home prestige and accolades to his family, there is a team of Ma’zals: they load the missiles, fuel the fighters, and a dozen other things. But they receive none of the credit, none of the prestige, and none of the attention. Thus goes the nature of the Empire of Dominia, and thus shall it always continue unless the Goddess Herself intervenes.

As one might expect, the living standards of the Imperial Flying Corps are starkly divided along lines of class and rank. The Primaries that serve in it live luxurious, glamorous lives and have many amenities, with most Primaries of the IFC having their own chauffeurs and housing themselves in the finest available accommodations. On the other hand the Secondaries and Ma’zals of the IFC must make do with barracks – often in muddy environments, due to the amounts of earth that must be moved to create an effective airfield – or simple canvas tents. Few Ma’zals, or Secondaries, opt to make a career out of service in the Flying Corps, with many instead transferring out to the Imperial Army or Imperial Fleet. The Flying Corps has, thus far, not cared to address this issue, as many of its high-ranking officers simply view non-nobility as entirely beneath notice.

{{Navbox Human Lore}}
{{Navbox Lore}}
[[Category:Pages]]
[[Category:Planets_and_Systems]]
[[Category:Factions]]
[[Category:Humanity]]
[[Category:Military]]

Venus

2022-09-30T16:37:47Z

MattAtlas:

{{Navbox Lore}}
{{Navbox Human Lore}}
[[File:VenusSkyline.png|thumb|Binyaria from the outside, along with a few satellite aerostats.]]
Considered the Solarian Alliance’s entertainment and pharmaceutical capital, '''Venus''' exists as one of the oldest colonies within Sol and as one of the most populated worlds within the Spur. Its inhabitants live in aerostats dotted among the orange skies, where they can enjoy the highest tier of cinema, virtual reality, musicals, and so on. The Venusian population is divided – yet united – into two classes: the Cythereans, entertainment, service and generally white collar workers, and the Jintarians, the blue-collar working and middle class. Regardless of this divide and whichever stereotypes may exist, Jintarians and Cythereans recognise that the other is necessary for Venus to continue prospering.

One of the most stereotyped and divisive elements within the Spur, the term “Venusian culture” is intrinsically tied to Cythereans due to their overwhelming presence and influence within interstellar media – despite it being an umbrella term for both the Cytherean and Jintarian cultures. Nearly always opposing the values of one another, including in politics, fashion, economics and down to even details such as favourite colours, they enjoy a symbiotic relationship that has been carefully cultivated throughout the decades of cohabitation. It is recognised that reliance on one another is essential to Venus’ society, despite the existence of fringe groups that find themselves radical proponents for a division of these two cultures. Still, these two groups tend to stereotype and tease the other whenever possible due to the sheer amount of differences. It is not unusual to see Cytherean and Jintarian couples, but it is definitely something that raises many eyebrows and much curiosity on the matter – except for celebrities, where this particular choice in partner may cause a bigger scandal than anticipated; and Venusians do love their scandals.
==Venusian History==
<center>''“If you want to make it here, you’ve gotta put your all into it! They’re complaining about their schedule? Maybe they shouldn’t have signed up to be an actor, then!” - Anne-Marie Cythère in an interview on the Binyarian exposé.''</center>

===Initial Settlement===
The case of Venus and how its esoteric society developed is the subject of much debate by many sociologists. Curiously, it began not as a colony, but instead as a research outpost created by the corporations that would eventually go on to form Zeng-Hu Pharmaceuticals in the 2090s. Many experimental technologies were developed in floating research stations, mainly relating to the fields of hydroponics and the chemical industry. Despite this, Earth's governments did not pay the scorching planet much attention, since it was rather unsuitable for rudimentary colonisation prospects. This situation continued until '''2127'''. The flooding of New York City and the resulting anarchy caused many residing billionaires to choose to leave Earth in advance, and a particular group chose to leave for Venus for a simple reason: Zeng-Hu's auctioning of its Venusian research stations. These stations were sold to them in an auction at a discount as the fledgling corporation desperately needed liquidity to keep its much more valuable Asian assets afloat.

Over the next decade, these research stations were gradually expanded by their new owners and consolidated into two super-settlements, forming '''the first proto-aerostats.''' These aerostats are respectively named after their owners: '''Binyaria''', named after Jie Binya, a young American-Chinese billionaire who recently inherited a massive fortune, and '''Rathlin''', named after François Rathlin, a French entrepreneur and owner of a massive supermarket chain on Earth. Binyaria inherited Zeng-Hu's chemical industry facilities, whereas Rathlin inherited Zeng-Hu's more extensive hydroponics and pharmacy industries. Rathlin was a much more valuable complex and trade quickly flourished there, with the fledgling aerostat becoming a large exporter of grown foodstuffs. Binyaria was in a more difficult position: its chemical industry was not as valuable and, thus, was far more reliant on its owners' investment. Binyarians and Rathliners thus developed a small rivalry around this time around whose aerostat was ''really'' the better one, which persists to this day. Nonetheless, Jie, the owner of Binyaria, needed a plan to make Binyaria truly shine.

===Binyarian Renaissance===
On the 25th of December '''2141''', the '''Jie Holocinema Complex''' was announced in a massive opening ceremony costing in the billions of credits. This grand opening was complete with free tickets for a showing of the most famous Christmas movie at this time, White Snow. It was a revolutionary cinema, an absolutely massive one at that, using state-of-the-art holographic technology to give its viewers a ''truly'' out of the world experience. Nothing quite like it existed anywhere else in Human space and it acted as a lightning rod for citizens and tourists alike, which over time slowly became permanent residents. It attracted both rich and poor alike through clever use of advertisements and the inclusion of low-cost and luxury display rooms. More notably, however, it attracted the large media companies on earth. The cinema was so big that it was unmatched in terms of potential opening revenue, and Venusian billionaires were open to paying a fortune for luxury tickets. This led to a slow exodus of media companies to Venus, all competing to get opening-day contracts. It was slow at first, but later snowballed: more investment into the fledgling acting and media industry meant that more companies would move. Eventually, even the titans of the media industry began to move. By the turn of the 23rd century, Venus began rivalling Earth in terms of media. It was not quite dominant yet, however. One last push was needed.

===The Founding of the Venusian Stars Institute===
Intentionally announced at the turn of the century, on the 1st of January 2200, the Venusian Stars Institute was set from the beginning to be the heart of the Venusian media empire. An absolutely byzantine and gigantic entity, it was created to manage every single tiny bit of Venus' growing media industry. From managing actors to funding media companies, the VSI is the last edge that Binyaria needed to dislodge Earth's dominance in the media sector. Lucrative contracts and clever handiwork behind the scenes resulted in the titans of the media industry finally committing to a move to Venus. These contracts ended up creating luxurious and revolutionary institutes for the big media companies to settle in, their massive skyscrapers dominating the Venusian skyline. All citizens, at this point, would see the emblems of the Venusian media empire when looking up. Gigantic holographic billboards began to claim an unrivalled amount of space in every single alleyway. Social media, which was placed under the purview of the VSI's newly-created Social Leadership Team, began to truly boom around this time as well. Practically every citizen became an avid user of social media from the morning to the evening: the Venusian government often paid companies to give new employees latest-model phones, which came with all sorts of social media applications installed and no way to remove advertisements. While this was annoying at first, Venusians ended up accepting this situation eventually. After all, they ''were'' free, high-end mobile phones. The money that Venus spent on this was quickly made back through insane amounts of advertisement money: practically every citizen was viewing hundreds and hundreds of advertisements throughout the day. Idol culture began spreading through social media as well, with many falling in ranks behind their favourite media star, yet quick to turn their backs on them whenever the new scandal came out.

===The Binyarian Exposé and Cytherea===
The reality of the actors' life was much different than what was shown on social media. Their happy lives were often carefully manufactured lies, sold by their privately-hired media marketing teams. Of course, this is knowledge that only the actors themselves would have -- they, themselves, were too busy under the immense pressure of the Venusian entertainment industry. The Venusian Stars Institute's guidelines for actors -- essentially rules that they may not break for any reason -- clamped down harder and harder with every passing year. Newly-implemented beauty standards in ''2203''' meant that many actors had to resort to expensive, Zeng-Hu sponsored plastic surgery or then-experimental genetic engineering in order to meet unrealistic demands. Many took out extensive loans from the then-up-and-rising Idris banking company in order to afford these expensive Zeng-Hu procedures. These loans were then paid through a gruesome amount of work: actors often had to work gruelling work schedules, day after day, just to not be crushed under the interest. This opened up a new, lucrative front for Zeng-Hu: drugs grown on Rathlin could easily be sold to actors on Cytherea, which led to their rampant substance abuse behind the scenes, simply to deal with the stress. This industry is extremely lucrative and Zeng-Hu invested billions and billions into it. The usage of these substances spread to much of the public as well, although it was not yet a worldwide phenomenon.

This situation was unknown to the public until '''2217'''. A Venusian reporting agency, ''Le Courrier'', broke out a story amiably called '''the Binyarian Exposé.''' This story was in actuality a 287 page document that detailed the living situation of authors behind the scenes and the unrealistic standards of the VSI, down to every single small detail. Many failed or rejected authors were interviewed to obtain the information needed. Unfortunately, it was far too long and had the opposite effect of what the authors wanted. The VSI's strict control over social media meant that the story was swiftly suppressed by the algorithms. Additionally, many Venusians simply did not care and dismissed the revelations as '[...] washed up artists and B-rate actors making things up [...]'. This was the position held by '''Anne-Marie Cythère''', the most famous actor of this era and an icon of Venus, arguably the first real idol who possessed a massive cult following, mainly on Venus. Those who agreed with her stance were referred to as 'Cythereans' by Earther critics, a term which stuck over time and began substituting the usage of Venusians in common language. It began as a derogatory term, but Venusians simply repossessed the word to fit their new identity. This point marks the beginning of Cytherea and Cythereans for historians -- the point where Venusians accepted their new identity.

Additionally, the Exposé resulted in most of the world beginning to accept drug usage -- most simply saw it as just another facet of idol culture, and reasoned that since drinking was fine, substance abuse should be fine, too. The authorities were quickly overwhelmed as there were far too many rising cases of substance abuse and resale for them to handle. This led to most cases being dismissed with either a very light fine or no action taken. Some critics point to Zeng-Hu interference in this process through bribing authorities to grow its markets, but Zeng-Hu has denied all such claims.

As a result of this new identity, less and less Cythereans begin entering skilled trades. Rathlin's hydroponics and pharmacy industries, curiously, were not affected due to them being mostly automated and due to a relative lack of required physical work for their workers. The service industry and connected sectors begin absolutely dominating Venusian statistics, with almost the entirety of Venus' industry being located in Rathlin's hydroponics facilities. Binyaria's chemical industries began to go bankrupt and alarm bells were rang by many, but the government simply did not care. The media was what was making money, not the heavy industries. Anyone with a keen eye could spot that this growth was unsustainable, but once again, profits were placed over rationale.

===The Great Interstellar War and the Jie Riots===
With the outbreak of war for the Alliance, Venusians were conscripted just like the rest. This was, however, not taken amiably by the planet's populace and led to the first ever mass riots on Venus, dubbed 'the Jie Riots', as they took place in Our Lady’s Plaza in the aforementioned district. Around a million Venusians took to the streets to protest against the war, or at the very least for exemptions for Venusians. Many cried out that 'war's not good for our industry' and expressed a general unwillingness to go fight, as the physical damage would ruin their careers. Historians point to most social media posts bringing attention to the fact that the majority of the populace simply did not want their beauty to be compromised -- this was a more worrying prospect than death, to most Venusians. These protests were, however, very disorganised as there was no real unifying cause or voice behind them. The Alliance quickly intervened, quelled them, and conscription took place as it normally did in other worlds.

A significant amount of the Venusian working class was drafted -- around 20% -- mostly drawn from those that worked in the heavy industries keeping the planet afloat. Resistance to conscription was significant for most Venusians, who often found ways to outright avoid it. The Venusian government and the VSI were found to be involved in assisting actors, film makers, billionaires and, in general, everyone involved with the Venusian entertainment empire in draft dodging, mainly through clever forging of medical papers exempting them from service for one reason or the other. The entertainment industry continued to prosper or at the very least stay afloat, depending on which economics agency was polled, but everything else began to collapse in a manner of weeks due to the drafting of almost all of the skilled workers. Rationing and austerity were quickly instituted in all aerostats, to the chagrin of the planet’s populace. It would prove to be a difficult decade for Venusians, with many feeling the brunt of poverty and austerity, leading to a large amount of resentment towards the Alliance.

===The End of Austerity and the Jintarian Plan===
With the war ending, Venus was at the breaking point. The power plants had almost nobody left to work for them except for direly overworked engineers, and most of the populace simply did not want to work these jobs. The situation was especially dire and a new technocratic government was put in charge with a political blank cheque in order to deal with the situation once and for all. This led to the creation of the '''Jintaria Plan''', one of the biggest social engineering feats of human history. Through the usage of the Venusian media conglomerate, many veterans and refugees across the Alliance were invited to hastily fabricated 'cities under cities' in the aerostats. The contracts given to them were quite simple: as long as they worked in their assigned sector, they would have government-provided housing, heating, electricity and appliances. This was a very risky gamble that was quite expensive, but the dice roll succeeded. Many flocked over to the newly created Jintarian strata in order to find a new life, thus providing Venus with the skilled force it direly needed. The situation finally stabilised on the '''21st of August 2301''' with the end of austerity. Gigantic parties were held everywhere across Cytherea, with it becoming an official holiday, Ascension Day. Some Jintarians participated in these parties, while others simply took to pubs in their own slice of the aerostat.

Jintarian society is an inviting prospect for many refugees and immigrants. It is a patchwork blend of many cultures, who live together sharing the burden of an entire planet: this sole unifying factor leads to a shared sense of brotherhood and duty among Jintarians. This new class finds it hard to scale the ladder, however. It is practically almost impossible for Jintarians to work in the Venusian media industries due to ‘beauty standards concerns’: the fact that most of the Jintarian population has done some sort of trade or physical work in their life, which leads to the formation of minor beauty defects – enough for the Cythereans to reject the prospect of such a person entering the media scene. Some Jintarians opt for extensive plastic surgery to enter the ranks of the Cythereans, but this requires almost half a lifetime of savings and is an exceedingly rare occurrence. These ‘quasi-Cythereans’ are a mixed bag for Jintarians: the most radical view them as class traitors and the ambitious view them as lucky individuals.

===Modern History, Cytherea and Jintaria===
Venus is, today, labelled as the '''Queen of Entertainment''' for good reason. A significant amount of entertainment media is produced in Venus, casted with Venusian celebrities and created by Venusian companies, with the end products finding solid purchase in most markets across the Spur. It is a powerful cultural weapon for the Alliance. It also hosts a state-of-the-art hydroponics industry in Rathlin -- being a net exporter of food, second only to Ganymede -- and a titanic pharmaceutical industry, focused mainly on beauty and pharmaceutical products.

Venus, curiously, hosts the largest population of Martian refugees in the Spur. Following Violet Dawn, millions of Martians now call Jintaria their home. They were invited to work on Venus under similar contracts as the first Jintarians.

==Environment==
<center>''“Those eruptions? Ohmygosh, they were so cool!” - Part of an unnamed Venusian tourist’s review of the Idris Venusian Cruise Experience sightseeing package.''</center>

Venus is an incredibly hot and miserable planet. The mass of its atmosphere is 93 times that of Earth's, equivalent to the crushing depths of the deep ocean. This atmosphere is extremely thick and toxic, composed primarily of carbon dioxide and nitrogen, and this generates the strongest greenhouse effect in the Solar System, creating an average surface temperature of at least 462 C (864 F). Due to these crushing conditions, '''no Venusians live on the surface.''' Instead, they rely on floating aerostats – which have become a key part of Venus, and more importantly its society.

A Venusian year lasts 225 Earth days. A normal day on Venus lasts much longer than that of Earth due to the slow rotation, taking 243 Earth days to make one Venusian day. Venus spins backwards when compared to the other planets in the Sol system, causing the sun to rise in the west and set in the east. It rains sulphuric acid on the surface and the atmosphere is so thick that it exerts massive amounts of pressure on the surface. This crushes all but the most structurally reinforced habitats below the cloud layer, practically all of which are extremely specialised research habitats, with the rest destroyed by caustic acid rain. The planet hosts massive amounts of volcanic activity, which spew even more toxic gases into the atmosphere – although these are often co-opted as tourist attractions visible from cubicles in the aerostats or through windows in shuttles. Almost no sunlight reaches the surface of the planet, despite the temperature.
==Cytherean Culture==
<center>''“[...] Sol knowingly perpetrates that deluded Venusian perversion of human values, where the greed of the individual is placed on a pedestal for all to see and envy, where lust becomes paramount both for money and for man, where hard work and pride are substituted for laziness and a manic social anxiety. In this place, the ugly truth has a model’s face [...]” - Commander Ganesh Shrivastav (2411 - Present) in an impassioned speech to the Xanu parliament, regarding the Solarian threat.''</center>

Cytherean culture’s paramount concept is '''climbing the social ladder'''. This is the one concept that is '''utterly important''' to every single Cytherean, and each of them has their own view on what it entails. This social ladder can be interpreted in many ways – for some, it’s gaining an immense amount of followers on social media, while for others it’s becoming a spur-wide celebrity through a career in acting. It is universally considered to only be climbable through activities that inherently make you more popular among others, contributing to the reason why the extreme majority of Cythereans reject any sort of physical labour that does not provide this opportunity. It isn’t seen as strictly necessary to remain on Venus in order to climb the social ladder, and glory is considered to be attainable even outside of Venus itself – but most consider it an eventual necessity to come back and show off.

Because of this obsession, Cythereans tend to be extravagant in all facets of life, willing to stand out from the crowd by any means necessary; Cytherea is the primary pop culture centre of Sol, with a populace often dressed in bright, dramatic clothing. Many Solarian celebrities either live or were born on one of Venus’s aerostats, growing up in the privileged Cytherean culture. The best actors, comedians, chefs, musicians, and pop stars enjoy almost constant coverage on holo-screens, only occasionally replaced by adverts for startup beauty products, cutting-edge gaming hardware, or the newest diet fad. These celebrities enjoy high class treatment and something akin to worship from the Cythereans. Many come from across the galaxy, human and alien alike, seeking to turn their fortunes around. However, Cythereans are not immune to poverty and hardship in their laissez-faire society. Those looking to become the next big thing sometimes wind up on the opposite end of the spectrum, relying on morally and legally ambiguous means to get by. Aliens, although welcome, are typically sidelined in favour of human actors and models due to most moguls desiring to “play it safe." As a result, aliens, regardless of their talents, are typically seen as understudies, extras, dancers, and occasionally backup singers or instrumentalists.

The Cytherean environment is very cutthroat: many are willing to do whatever it takes to climb the social ladder, whether that be by fabricating scandals or putting their fingers in one too many pies. Law enforcement is often easily evaded due to lofty standards and a general lack of passion. In the end, one can get away with almost anything as long as they possess the right contacts and enough money. The party culture thrives in the aerostats, with the grand cocktail parties and fundraising schmooze-fests toward the top of teardrop slowly fading into the high-energy festivals of the lower sections. Toward the top, one can overhear the latest gossip and glimpse envelopes of credits sliding under tables. Toward the bottom, one can see the most hedonistic displays of luxury.

Though many work in the entertainment industry as stars and producers, there are great opportunities for a Cytherean scientist: after all, climbing the scientific social ladder and becoming a genius prodigy renowned across the Spur is quite the attractive goal. The development of pharmaceutical drugs and new medicines is a common field for Cytherean scientists, with celebrities and talent agencies needing a constant stream of narcotics for parties and stimulants to keep shooting sessions going for days at a time. Cytherea has a booming genetic engineering field that is primarily centred around the biomodification of celebrities in order to ensure that they are always at their physical peak, no matter which direction the ever-shifting winds of Cytherea's celebrity scene blow. Stimulants, such as cocaine, are the Cytherean drug of choice and are typically genetically modified by various Cytherean pharmacies to create more desirable effects. When exported these so-called "designer" drugs can fetch an extremely high price on the interstellar market. Cytherea's pharmaceutical industry is estimated to produce upwards of two-thirds of all narcotics consumed in the Republic of Biesel, even after the First and Second Solarian Invasions. Appropriately, Cytherea's pharmacies also produce a vast amount of the Alliance's anti-overdose medications. Many Cytherean pharmacies are associated or owned by Zeng-Hu Pharmaceuticals.

The largest Cytherean holiday is '''Ascension Day''', shortened to '''the Ascension''', celebrated on the 21st of August. It marks the return to normalcy after Venus’ long period of austerity, but its roots have long since been forgotten by most of the population, except by politicians and work supervisors. This is a day for all Venusians to indulge in whatever they can for as long as they can: gigantic feasts, parties and raves are held across all of Cytherea, along with fashion shows on the streets and other such activities. For some it’s a point of pride and reminds them of why living on Venus is worth it, along with the happiness that the end of austerity brought them – while for others, it’s simply a day to get wasted and enjoy it.
===Stars, Idols and Crashouts===
The idol culture of Venus is extraordinarily demanding for those that choose to involve themselves in it. Climbing the rungs of the Cytherean entertainment industry from mere extra to A-list celebrity able to star in the likes of Monkey King is no small feat involving raw acting talent, an incredible amount of social networking, and no small amount of backroom dealing between agents, celebrities, and producers. This process can often take years if one is unlucky, and the top celebrities often undergo extensive plastic surgery to ensure that they remain attractive enough to be considered for the greatest entertainment products of the industry. The amount of resources, time, and commitment needed to reach - and stay at - the top of the celebrity culture of Venus is truly astonishing, and the rat race of keeping up with the ever-shifting and constantly changing standards of what makes a celebrity an A-list celebrity results in many hopeful stars simply crashing out of the industry, and thus becoming known as a '''crashout'''.

Becoming any sort of professional major media player (referred to as a '''Star''') – whether that be an actor, a news anchor or an influencer – requires one to first sign '''100% of their image rights''' to the Venusian Stars Institute. These contracts are extremely lucrative for the person in question, but it is a poisoned apple nonetheless – once one signs with the Venusian Stars Institute to become a Star, '''they no longer have any control over their media appearances''', and thus the VSI will thus be able to unilaterally decide when and where they appear, in addition to being able to monopolise and commercialise the fledgling Star’s image as they wish – a very well known fact, but now only considered a stepping stone to become a celebrity. Each Star possesses its own PR and media team, de jure under the Star itself but de facto delegating to the VSI’s byzantine bureaucracy.

Despite these contracts, Stars are given a large amount of autonomy in how to run their career. While the grand majority opt for running their careers on Venus, some manage to take jobs abroad and live out new experiences there, while still technically affiliated to the VSI. It matters not for the Institute, as long as they garner a high amount of views on social media and further spread the Venusian brand.

Those that fall out of grace – either because of the crushing standards, burnout, extreme social pressure or whatever else – do not enjoy an easy life. Referred to as '''crashouts''' once the Institute stops affiliating with them – a process known as '''delisting''' – they are reminded of this failure everywhere they go by anyone that knows them, representing the minority of Venusians that have had their eyes opened to the injustice and oppression of Cytherean society. Cythereans do not have much tact or care for these crashouts, viewing them as simply not good enough. Most of these rejects either leave Venus entirely and seek employment somewhere else – often taking out generous loans in order to apply for apprenticeships or training courses, as they do not have any sort of marketable skill – or find employment in Venus’ overworked public sector, such as in the Venusian Planetary Police Force or even in the Solarian Navy itself, representing by far the largest percentage of Cythereans in both categories. Some crashouts can also end up falling into the net of Jintarian culture, where they are caught and welcomed by other Jintarians as simply more proof that Cytherean culture is poison rather than a blessing. A one-way ticket to delisting is, for example, speaking up about unfavourable work conditions on social media.

Upon becoming a Spur-wide celebrity, a Star is then granted '''Idol''' status by the VSI, and immortalised in the Diamond Hall: a gigantic museum in the very centre of Binyaria that hosts detailed biographies, mementos and signatures of every VSI-signed celebrity big enough to truly make it. Becoming an Idol is the ultimate dream of every Star and often functions as a sort of northern light for them in their journey. These Idols are practically all known to Cythereans at large and represent a sticking point for Cytherean pride, with many prizing their trivia knowledge on any given Idol. '''Due to their rarity, immense popularity and astronomical wealth, it is impossible to play an Idol or an ex-Idol on the ship.'''
===Famous Cytherean Celebrities===
Those that are able to survive and thrive as celebrities in the cutthroat and demanding environment of Cytherea's entertainment industry reap a truly massive amount of rewards ranging from accolades to millions of Solarian Credits. But, perhaps more importantly than anything else, they are some of the most famous people in human space and the greater Orion Spur. The individuals listed below are just a handful of Cytherea's most famous residents, and will be known throughout the Orion Spur.

One of the most famous Cytherean idols ever is perhaps '''Chan-mi Jee''', the renowned frontwoman and singer of '''INTERSTELLAR✰GIRLS''': a famous all-female pop group based out of the Binyarian aerostat. Chan-mi Jee's famous voice, which has been biologically augmented to have a wider range, can be found on dozens of '''INTERSTELLAR✰GIRLS''' albums. The band's most famous album, Interstellar Heart, currently holds the Spur-wide record for most copies ever sold. Despite her successes, which include having been named the Venusian cultural ambassador for five years in a row, Chan-mi Jee's personal life has been the subject of some speculation in the Cytherean press, and repeated plastic surgeries have left only a sliver of resemblance to the woman that began her pop career ten years ago. But for the moment, she and her band remain the undisputed queens of the Cytherean musical scene. ''"You have Chan-mi's looks"'' is a Cytherean's most prized slang weapon, used to describe someone who is extremely attractive.

In the Cytherean acting scene there is, arguably, nobody that defines the role of leading man better than the dashing and charismatic idol, '''Caspar Orillian'''. Born and raised in the "red treadmill" industry of Cytherea, Caspar has found extraordinary success playing athletic leading men thanks to extensive biomodifications and plastic surgeries that have shaped and reshaped his face to constantly be in-season and attractive. A large number of editors hired by his estate retroactively edit his films and publicity photos to resemble whatever Caspar's current appearance is. His constant facial restructurings are seen as a sign of his success due to the immense cost associated with them, and are a clear proof of his dedication to maintaining his celebrity status.

Famous director '''Samuel Monaghan''' is another of Cytherea's most famous celebrities, and his name can be found on a variety of movies ranging from action films to long dramas. Monaghan's distinctive style is easily-recognized throughout the Orion Spur's film scene thanks to his focus on single-shot scenes using drones as floating cameras. The fame of Monaghan has also been built by the director's often eccentric and eye-catching behaviour off the set. Monaghan is known for his eccentric behaviour, unusual rants, and deliberately garnish outfits. The controversy that this has caused him in Cytherea's tabloid scene has only helped his fame grow, but it remains to be seen if his behaviour will continue to build fame or ultimately backfire and cause his fall.

'''Quu'xuu "Kwoo" Vol'rii''' is an idol and something of an oddity in the Cytherean entertainment scene due to her status as a skrell. Having recently flown into the highest ranks of Cytherea due to her highly-rated performance as the main villain of Monkey King VII, Doctor Yana Vashtu, the diminutive doctor of human cultural studies has found a following thanks to both her haughty and evil attitude on-camera and her awkward yet earnest attitude off the set. Kwoo, as she is affectionately known by her fans, has found further fame thanks to her charitable donations to Mars following her success in Monkey King VII. However, it remains uncertain how long her fifteen minutes of fame from Monkey King VII will last, if Kwoo will choose to remain in Cytherea at all, or if the unfaltering support for the Nralakk Federation will be her eventual social downfall.
===Cytherean Fashion===
Due to the extremely fast-paced nature of Cytherea's fashion industry there are a number of trends entering the public eye, being sold by stores, and falling out of fashion at any time. Anything a non-Cytherean can put together that is appealing to the eye, and sometimes not, has been the height of fashion at some point somewhere in the clouds. However there are a few popular looks and rules Cytherean fashion tends to follow.

The most important rule for an aspiring Cytherean fashionista is that the best part of the body is the '''skin'''. A lot of clean, unblemished, hairless skin is shown in Cytherean fashion; whether it be through a high-slit dress, a translucent button-up shirt, a pair of short shorts, a fitted tank top, or a low cut blouse. More masculine figures tend to show off the upper body, especially the arms, while more feminine looks show off the lower body, specifically the legs. But in the Cytherean view showing too much skin is a great faux pas; looks are often balanced so that if a lot of the upper body is shown, the lower body is mostly covered and vice versa. Cytherean business wear, in contrast, tends to be much less skin-showing in order to stay in line with the greater Solarian Alliance, particularly Luna.

While Cythereans consider minor body modifications fine, a more natural appearance is preferred in contrast to gaudy or overly eye-catching augmentations. Body-sculpting plastic surgery procedures are common, especially among celebrities, in order to ensure that one remains within the Cytherean standards of beauty. Some of the most common body-sculpting procedures include improving facial features and structure, removing all body hair “below the eyelashes," tightening the skin, removing excess body fat, dental reconstruction, enhancing or emphasising musculature, and balancing body proportions (usually in favour of the legs). However extensive piercing, more extreme body-sculpting, heavy tattooing, and other modifications that break the “pure skin” rule are frowned upon and tattooing in particular, even minor forms in some cases, is considered unsightly due to its long-standing connection with criminals or groups such as dregs.

Many trends originate in Binyaria’s Parabing District, and are locally called '''“wankukai”''' trends. Wankukai clothes are either what’s popular in the Mile's clubbing scene or, less popularly, something slightly more appropriate for streetwear. Masculine looks often have plain, solid colored pants in dark colours with slim, usually designer belts, and often have simple dress shoes or sneakers. Translucent button-ups with LED or neon-tubing designs up the arms or across the chest are popular, as well as similarly designed, fitted tank tops to accentuate the arms. Some even elect to go shirtless. Suit jackets matching one’s pants are also common, as well as leather jackets with LED or neon designs on the back. As for more feminine looks, miniskirts, short shorts, and -- for the brave -- microskirts are commonplace, often paired with simple low heels, flats, or sneakers. Colourful dress shirts, qipao blouses, and standard blouses are all common as well, featuring designs similar to masculine looks. Dresses of all lengths usually have a high-slit, reaching all the way up the thigh, and are often intricately decorated with LED and neon-tubing. Though suit jackets and leather jackets with designs are common among feminine looks as well, they are occasionally cropped to just below or at the ribs.
==Jintarian Culture==
<center>''“J-I-N-T-A-R-I-A! Home of the free!” - Excerpt from Torchbearers, a famous Jintarian punk nu-metal song by Just Us, the most popular Jintarian band as of 2464.''</center>

Jintarian culture can often be defined as the ''polar opposite'' of Cytherean culture in many facets, but it borrows as much as it opposes. Jintarians pride themselves on being the squeaky clean side of Venus – an approach which, unfortunately, makes their scene only truly appealing to Jintarians themselves and to contrarians across the galaxy. Regardless of how unpopular they may be on the interstellar scene, Jintarians tend to be extremely prideful of their accomplishments and often have a do-or-die attitude when it comes to carrying things out: after all, Venus is standing where it is thanks to them. This leads to a mostly punk-ish and contrarian culture, where keeping things real is incentivised, along with distancing yourself from Cytherea as much as possible in matters of fashion, music and even the celebrities one follows. As an example, while Cythereans prefer clothing that shows off as much skin as possible, Jintarians prefer the direct opposite of that – turtlenecks, sweaters, flannel shirts and other such clothes are very common in these communities.

Despite all of this, Jintarians and Cythereans are not enemies. They live together just as much as a Biesellite and a Solarian may live in the same apartment in Mendell City. Cythereans recognise the need for Jintarians in order for their planet to function – but do not hesitate to call them out on their broodish, low-class fashion. Jintarians recognise that Venus is the giant it is due to the Cythereans’ natural aptitude in entertainment, but do not hesitate to call them out on their hedonistic lifestyle, corrupt politics and horribly flashy clothing choices. In the same vein, it isn’t unheard of for Jintarians to spend their weekend at Cytherean bars, if only to prove their superiority over them in one way or the other. It is possible for Jintarians to find employment in more Cytherean fields: as an example, Jintarian baristas in Cytherean bars are not entirely out of the world – but some discrimination in this field is to be expected.

In the same vein, it isn’t unheard of – although '''very rare''' – for Jintarians to end up integrating into Cytherean society. This is only possible for those that are willing to either sign up for '''drastic''' plastic surgery in order to compete with the very top of Cytherean society, often by taking out very predatory Idris loans, or for those that are more naturally blessed. It isn’t an easy path and it is marred with discrimination and harsh financial choices, as these ‘reformed’ Jintarians are often looked down upon in Cytherea in basically all matters: whether that be in job selection or simply having their curriculum vitae noticed. Those that choose this path and continue following it, whether that be for credits or fame, end up disenfranchised and practically '''exiled''' from their old Jintarian community.
===Famous Jintarian Celebrities===
Jintarians have distanced themselves from the distinction between Star and Idol, viewing it as essentially objectifying celebrities. Instead, the concept of who exactly is a celebrity is fairly wide: essentially, anyone famous enough to be known outside of Jintaria, even a little, is considered an ambassador of Jintarian culture and essentially a celebrity. Historically, Jintaria has been the unacknowledged part of Venus, and only in recent times has its influence begun to increase: with the election of Strom and the massively increased success of Jintarian celebrities abroad, Jintaria has finally begun reclaiming its slice of Venus. This has led to Jintarians as a whole being extremely prideful and attached to their celebrities, viewing them as the only reason why Jintarians are known at all – referring to the current crop as '''the Golden Generation'''. While this success may be still extremely small compared to their Cytherean brethren, it does not stop particularly prideful Jintarians from proclaiming the beginning of a new age for their class.

Much like in Cytherea, any Jintarian celebrity deemed big enough is given a spot in the '''Venusian Jintarian Museum''', the Jintarian counterpart of the Diamond Hall. The requirements are much less stringent, and generally there isn’t much competitiveness among Jintarians to be represented there – it is simply an honour.

'''Kyle De Koster''' is arguably the biggest Jintarian celebrity, perhaps only tying with Hendrik Strom for the title. The lead singer of Just Us, a Jintarian punk nu-metal band with a focus on optimistic lyrics, his career has been a long and hard fought one. It started as a venture between high school friends who played their music in the streets of Binyaria’s Jintarian communities, and evolved to an interstellar phenomenon through hard work alone. Many of this band’s songs idolise the Jintarian struggle and their own experience, providing a point of reference for many Jintarians. Their latest album, ''Hold Us Tight'', has been a massive hit with Jintarians but also across the Coalition of Colonies, boasting very high viewership especially on Himeo. De Koster and his band are known Jintarian nationalists and do not fear speaking up in matters of politics, having given their endorsement of Hendrik Strom several times in the past.

'''Hendrik Strom''' is, in the eyes of many fellow Jintarians, the best representation of Jintaria. Since starting as a humble city councilman roughly thirty years ago Strom has climbed to the top through ability, ambition, and no small amount of Jintarian nationalism. Once a senator representing Venus, Strom has served as the emergency governor of the Sol System since shortly after the Naval coup in late 2462. Strom has never forgotten his roots and often visits Venus, where he is greeted warmly by his fellow Jintarians, to raise support for himself and what many see as his inevitable run for Prime Minister once elections open up again. His face can often be seen throughout Jintarian communities on inspirational posters and political billboards alike.

'''Katarina Josic''' is a strong contender for the spot of ‘very famous Jintarian celebrity’, despite being much more of an extremist. Her career, interestingly, is not in Jintaria but instead abroad – she left Jintaria very early to become an actress in the Coalition of Colonies, with her main following being located there instead of in Sol. This endeavour was successful and she has starred in many top films in the Coalition, becoming a widely known figure and using this fame as a platform for her pro-Jintaria speeches. Unlike Just Us’ members, however, she is a very anti-Solarian individual and has often spoken out against the nation in the past, going as far as renouncing her citizenship in favour of a Coalition one following the Violet Dawn incident. She has criticised the members of Just Us many times before for their pro-Solarian stances as well.
===Jintarian Fashion===
Jintarian every-day fashion is much more practical and significantly less gaudy than its Cytherean counterpart, generally trending towards punk-like styles – ripped jeans, as an example, are very common in Jintaria. Many Jintarians wear simple, practical clothing well-suited to their typically industrial or physical work such as jeans, simple tees, long-sleeved shirts or track pants. Jintarian professionals dress much like their counterparts in the rest of the Alliance. As their pride prevents them from emulating Cytherean fashion, Jintarians have a habit of standing out through the smaller details: they often decorate their jacket or shirt with stickers, pins, armbands. There is much variance in the style and reason behind these accessories – some use accessories that represent their life or views, while others simply pick whatever is the most colourful or whatever they think is most aesthetically pleasing. Jintarian business wear tends to be similar to the rest of the Alliance, although the expensive brands are near-universally avoided by Jintarians.

Most Jintarians opt to deliberately ignore Cytherea's big fashion brands, and many take pride in this willing ignorance -- instead opting to "buy Jintarian" when it comes to their clothing. As a result, most Jintarian clothing is produced using materials sourced from Jintaria itself and made in Jintarian-dominated aerostat districts. It isn’t unusual for Jintarian fashion to be exported off of Venus: simple Jintarian clothing has found a niche in cheap, affordable apparel and can be found in many shops and malls around the Spur. As of late, many more people are buying this type of clothing due to the living cost crisis created by the Phoron shortage. Additionally, Jintarian enterprises often run some philanthropic endeavours with certain lines of clothing, donating some of the earnings to a few good causes – one example is the ''Dawn'' line from the most famous Jintarian clothes company, Jinnel: a series of black tees where the imprint is that of a typical Martian dome, transitioning from a normal state to a destroyed and burnt one. 75% of the earnings from this line were donated to the Martian victims of the Violet Dawn disaster that now find their home in Jintaria.
==Aerostats==
<center>''“What do I know about Binyarians? All they do is take our stuff and never give anything back. It’s unfair!” - A quote by an unnamed Rathliner hydroponics specialist responding to the “What Do You Think About Your Fellow Venusians” survey, juxtaposed with an unnamed Binyarian actress’ answer, “About Rathliners? Well, they make our food, I guess?”''</center>

Venusians dwell in aerostats floating in the habitable layer nicknamed '''“the Zone”''' above the sulphuric acid clouds masking the surface. These floating cities are primarily held in place by their natural oxygen content and large bags of hydrogen. Aerostats began with a size equal to the average city centre, but have since expanded to much larger sizes, with the largest ones rivalling other major cities in the Spur. Aerostats are divided into two main sections: Cytherea, which refers to the Cytherean-dominated areas above, and Jintaria, which refers to both the small pockets of Jintarians above ground but also (and mainly) the Jintarian cities under the respective districts.

Aerostats follow a similar style of planning to normal cities, with all kinds of districts and buildings present – each aerostat is divided into a variable number of districts, depending on the population, that make up its administrative divisions.There are, however, some differences due to their nature as floating cities: as an example, no wind or any kind of atmospheric phenomenon is present on these aerostats, except as an optional setting in artificial parks. Binyarians pin this on the fact that the presence of wind would limit one’s choice in fashion. On the other hand, both a day-night cycle and a sky similar to the Earth’s are simulated through large and complex lighting arrays that make up the inside of the dome-like structure separating the aerostat from the atmosphere. Normally, someone would only be able to see this artificial sky in an aerostat, but there are some buildings that have a window to the outside as a stylistic choice.

All aerostats are interconnected in a gigantic ring-like structure, forming a sort of spider web across the planet’s surface: the two biggest aerostats, Binyaria and Rathlin, form the two ‘poles’ respectively at the north and south of the web. It is possible to travel from an aerostat to another through the '''Venusian Ferry''', the gigantic shuttletram network forming the basis of this web. It isn't only a means of transport but also a very famous all-in-one tourism attraction sponsored by Idris: firework displays are fused with the planet's naturally odd atmosphere in order to create light shows truly out of a movie. Most if not all Venusians and tourists alike take at least one trip on the Venusian Ferry in their life.

Bar certain exceptions like Rathlin, most Jintarians live in sprawling city complexes under the aerostats, referred to as, for example, Jintarian Binyaria or Jintarian Parabing to name a section of Jintaria under a specific district. Jintaria as a whole is informally known as '''‘downstairs’''' by Cythereans, whereas Cytherea is referred to as '''‘upstairs’''' by Jintarians. These city complexes tend to be densely packed and populated, with little variance in terms of architecture and structure as a result of their government-planned construction. They have overtime, however, been decorated with various LED holoboards bought from Cytherea, artificial parks and other such structures to breathe some life into the atmosphere. The aerostats’ heavier industries, such as power complexes or factories, are entirely located in the Jintarian sections. Jintarians have easy enough access to Cytherea through elevators that can be found throughout their cities, with at least one under each Cytherean district.
===Binyaria===

'''Binyaria''' is the capital aerostat of Venus and by far the most populated one, widely known as Venus’ jewel, sporting the archetypical Cytherean architecture: lightshows, LEDs and flashy buildings. People from across the galaxy flock to Binyaria to experience both Solarian and Cytherean culture, which has its roots in the very same aerostat. It is one of the most-visited tourist destinations in the Spur, clocking in the high hundreds of millions of visits every year – with all of them coming to experience the Cytherean culture that began in the very same aerostat. Of course, all of these tourists come to partake in Cytherean hobbies in one way or the other as well.

Cythereans in Binyaria are almost entirely employed in the service and entertainment sectors. Despite its rapid deindustrialisation, Binyaria still hosts a large amount of pharmaceuticals industries and related research complexes, where about 12% of the Cytherean population works.

The following are Binyaria’s most populated and well-known districts.

The '''Jie District''' is located at the very centre of Binyaria, named after the original ruler of the aerostat. It is the true heart of the Cytherean fashion and acting industry, along with the bio-modification that goes hand in hand with them. Tourists flock to Jie to partake, or at least gawk, at the majesty of Cytherea's famed fashion houses, acting museums and so on. This district also houses several Zeng-Hu Pharmaceuticals facilities centred around biomodification and beauty techniques that are frequented by both the rich and famous of Cytherea and exceptionally wealthy (or vain) tourists. Outside of its main thoroughfare, Jie is home to a wild variety of production studies for everything from holovids to music, and many of those involved in Cytherea's entertainment industry make their homes in the expensive apartments and estates of the district. With all of this considered, it is not the district that houses the government, and functions mainly as the flashiest show-off of what Cytherea is truly about, being the most visited district for its value in re-telling Cytherean history (from their side, at least). The only permanent residents in Jie are CEOs, official functionaries and other similarly wealthy or famous figures. ''"We can't all live in Jie District"'' is a phrase used by Jintarians to essentially say "not all of us can be filthy rich", to mock Cythereans for their vanity or simply to express just how ridiculous something is. On the flip side, Cythereans often use the phrase ''"not a Jintarian's chance in Jie"'' to describe impossible odds or something/someone looking really bad (either socially or physically).

Located at the very centre of the Jie District is the '''Venusian Stars Institute''', arguably Venus’ single most important institution. A gigantic, byzantine skyscraper, covered from bottom to top in holographic billboards and the brightest, most colourful LEDs that can be bought on the Spur. With these features and the tacky holographic signs on all four sides at its top blasting its acronym in the brightest rainbow lights imaginable, it dominates Binyaria’s skyline as a consistent reminder of what truly keeps the aerostat afloat: the power of media. Curiously enough, the phrase ''"You're like the Jie skyline"'' has recently become a Cytherean way to tell someone that they stand out, either from good looks or for other reasons. Its first recorded usage was in an Interstellar Girls single from 2463, ''Skyline''.

The Jie District is also home to the '''Jie Holocinema Complex''', the largest and most advanced holocinema in the Spur. It is an absolutely gigantic and flashy structure, being by far the brightest and most-decorated building in Cytherea as a whole. Every single top movie has at least one early screening in this cinema, and these tickets often go for exorbitant prices – which doesn’t stop Cytherea’s many billionaires from lapping them up as soon as they come on the market. Its claim to fame is the Virtual Reality Suite, the highest class viewing hall available, where the viewer can fully immerse themselves in the movie by being able to freely view the current scene from any angle through experimental VR technology. Lower-class viewing halls that provide the “classic” experience are also present for those that don’t have quite as much wealth.

This cinema is found at the very centre of '''Our Lady’s Plaza''', a massive sprawling circular plaza. Its claim to fame is it is built under an artificial vineyard, providing quite the change of pace from the other plazas that may be mistaken as dance floors by unknowing visitors. Restaurants and shops of all kinds can be found around this plaza, providing one of the most unique experiences possible for a weekend. ''"Our Lady's has nothing on this place!"'' is a somewhat uncommon exclamation for Cythereans to refer to a really cool place.

The '''Chiye-Gyo District''' was helped to fame by corporate investment rather than Venus' municipal government. It was a district constructed and leased to the megacorporations to function as a corporate hub on the planet, where one can find any corporate facility they wish for, whether that be corporate-sponsored universities or Idris shopping malls to buy the newest clothing catalogue at. Nanotrasen used to have a presence here as well, but their assets here have been entirely handed off to Einstein Engines. Because of this megacorporate presence, Chiye-Gyo is often used as a backdoor out of Venus for those wanting to leave the planet, with the corporations offering contracts both in Sol and abroad to Venusians willing to take them – Jintarians and Cythereans alike. Of course, many of these Venusians also have to undergo mandatory training courses in Chiye-Gyo to bring them up to speed with their new job. Following the Industrial Reclamation Decree and the nationalisation of Nanotrasen property, their workers were offered to transfer abroad in the Republic of Biesel by the corporation if they wished to leave the Alliance. ''"Straight laced like Chiye-Gyo's corpos"'' is a slang phrase used by Cythereans to refer to someone who's too serious. "Corpos" can often be substituted with "goons", "suits" or other demeaning terms.

The '''Parabing District''' is Binyaria’s most populated district, representing where the majority of its population resides. It is where most of the Cytherean life takes place, with its many stylish apartments, estates and houses, but is not lacking in entertainment and hosts a number of clubs, PC cafes, karaoke joints, laid-back bars, and fast food restaurants complete with glowing neon lights. Parabing also sees a high amount of Jintarian thoroughfare in its districts, both because of its entertainment opportunities and for work reasons, as some Jintarians that live downstairs can find employment in Parabing’s chemical and pharmaceuticals complexes. ''"Putting the bing-o in Parabing!"'' is an expression used by particularly goofy Jintarians and Cythereans as another way of saying "Bingo!". It is, however, very informal and somewhat ridiculous, so it is only used among good friends, most often after a drink or five. Jintarian Parabing hosts a fairly large number of immigrant workers in its Jintarian side, where it hosts the largest population of Martian immigrants in the Spur as a result of Violet Dawn.

While hardly as famous as any of its higher counterparts, the '''Central Binyarian Power Complex''' on level ten is one of the most important levels in the entire aerostat. The Complex provides fission-based power to the entire aerostat using a network of massive fusion generators. The amount of equipment needed to ensure that power flows and the generators continue functioning has turned the Complex into a massive labyrinth of tunnels and industrial machinery that are difficult to navigate through and very easy to become lost in. As a result the Complex is informally known as "the Labyrinth" and has very few legal permanent residents. The tunnels of the Complex are often poorly-lit and filled with stagnant air due to insufficient ventilation. Due to the construction of the Complex noises are able to easily travel through it, and the groaning of machinery and hissing of coolant pipes can echo through miles of tunnels. The Labyrinth is seen as a very unsettling place by both Cythereans and Jintarians, and the disquieting nature of it and similar power facilities have become fodder for the Cytherean film industry. This place's pervasion in pop culture has led to the creation of some creative slang phrases, such as ''"Have you come from the Labyrinth?"'' to refer to an ugly person for Cythereans, or ''"The Labyrinth's got nothing on you"'' to refer to a particularly cool person for Jintarians. Both cultures attempt to one-up the other, with Cythereans using this complex as a negative attribute and Jintarians attempting to reclaim it.

'''Jintarian Binyaria''' is the home to most of the planet’s Jintarians, but does not present itself to be much different from the rest of Jintaria, architecturally or structurally. It does, however, house some districts and landmarks that are very renowned across Jintaria.

The '''Susuhe District''' is the largest and most populated Jintarian district in Venus. It is functionally a mishmash of every kind of facility: from power plants to sports facilities to apartments and parks, nearly everything can be found here, providing an extremely centralised but comfortable lifestyle, if a bit packed with people. Jintarians may find employment either in Susuhe itself or even directly above it in Parabing’s pharmaceutical complexes. Being the administration’s home and arguably the heart of the Jintarian class, it also houses a few important landmarks.

The '''Venusian Jintarian Museum''' is the main point of reference for Jintarian culture, inspired by the Diamond Hall in function. While it presents itself as a rather boring building – clearly not inheriting the Diamond Hall’s gaudy looks – the inside is one of the, if not the most decorated example of Jintarian architecture. Marble flooring and pillars mark the amount of care taken in preserving the story of celebrities and immortalising them as part of Jintaria’s past.

On the entertainment side of things, Susuhe is also home to '''the Ring''', the largest pub across all of Jintaria, built not by the government but by the collective efforts of Jintarians. As its name implies, it is a massive ring-like structure where the inner part is the counter, and the rest is dedicated to tables and other entertainment facilities. Its clients can either simply sit and order their drink and food, or take part in some of the more tame activities that can be found here: the Ring is home to facilities for sports, table football, tabletop games, and more. This pub’s prevalence in Jintarian popular culture has led to the creation of ''"You're ringing out"'' as a common slang phrase used by Jintarians to refer to someone who is too drunk or high for their own good.

===Rathlin===
'''Rathlin''' is the second most populated aerostat, and is the home to Venus’ extremely advanced hydroponics and medical facilities. While distant from Binyaria, it has also overtime adopted the archetypical Cytherean culture, but with a fairly large degree of difference: mainly, the resentment that Rathliners feel towards their Binyarian brethren. While practically all of them accept their Cytherean ways of life (which have been, to some degree, imposed on them), it doesn’t quite feel right to them that Binyaria is the centre of attention in all things Venus. This has developed into a sort of complex of inferiority towards Binyarians, with Rathliners eager to show that they’re just as relevant as their compatriots. Of course, this has to happen in other fields, as there is no hope for Rathlin’s media industries to ever outpace Binyaria’s. Instead, Rathliners – Cytherans and Jintarians alike – are much more likely to seek to climb the social ladder via scientific or medical prowess.

Another oddity unique to Rathlin is that it is the aerostat with the largest number of Jintarians living among the Cytherean population – in fact, most of its Jintarian population lives in its Cytherean side, with only around 21% living below. Many Jintarians find easy enough employment in Rathlin’s many medical, scientific and hydroponics fields if they have the skills to show for it, as these jobs are in ever-increasing demand. Some of these Jintarians can even find their way to Cytherean Binyaria, as expertise is always welcome if they can survive its cutthroat environment – and if they can match Cythereans in beauty.

The following are Rathlin’s most populated and well-known districts.

The '''Nunusa District''' is Rathlin’s seat of government and where most of its population resides. While just as brightly decorated as other Binyarian districts, Nunusa sets itself apart by borrowing its architectural styles from diverse places on Earth: anything can be found in its districts, from Baltic old town architecture to traditional Japanese architecture. Of course, all of these architectures have the typical Venusian twists to them – LED strips to accentuate colours, holographic advertisement billboards attached to the sides, and other similar tacky details. Nunusa also hosts a fairly large number of Jintarian residents. Cythereans often say that something looks "like Susuha" if it's a mishmash of many things, a melting pot, or generally curious or interesting.

Nunusa is home to one of Venus’ most multicultural academies, the '''Nunusa Polymedical Institute''', informally known as '''PolyNu'''. It is Venus’ highest rated medical university as it places more of a focus on skills rather than good looks, and many aspiring Cytherean doctors from other aerostats – even Binyaria – study here, either by using the Venusian Ferry or by temporarily moving to Nunusa. Binyarians often find themselves teased and sometimes even mocked by Rathliners for attending classes in this institute, but the education is top notch nonetheless. These four groups of cultures that coexist – Jintarians, Binyarians, Rathliners and Cythereans from other aerostats – are in a constant race to one-up the other through bragging about better grades or whichever other methods they can come up with. While this does contribute to a higher degree of academic competitiveness in the university, these competitions can also be settled in other ways, such as on the dance floor. ''"You're like a Binyarian in PolyNu"'' is a common phrase used by Rathliners to describe someone who's out of place.

The '''Satisma District''' is perhaps Venus’ most important industrial district, made up almost entirely of hydroponics facilities and attached employee housing. It provides Venus with practically all of its food, and even exports a significant amount to the Alliance as a whole. A good amount of the Spur’s expert hydroponicists are raised and trained in Satisma’s world-class facilities. Cythereans and Jintarians alike work in this district, with Cythereans managing to find it bearable as it is not particularly high-intensity work, and automation does most of the job anyway. Jintarians often write off their Cytherean workers as particularly lazy here, but that is not necessarily always the truth. ''"Do you work at Satisma?"'' is a slang phrase used by particularly vain Cythereans to refer to someone who is lower class or generally uninteresting. It is very negatively charged and often elicits a reply in kind (or worse) if used against Jintarians.

The '''Rimari District''' is, on the surface, quite similar to Satisma, filled with hydroponics complexes and other such installations. In truth, it is arguably the centre for Venus’ drug trade: completely dominated and owned by Zeng-Hu, the hydroponics plants here are rumoured to grow exclusively narcotics and whatever other types of drugs the Cytherean clientele may desire. It is strictly guarded at all hours of the day by several VPPF detachments, which has most certainly only further stained the Venusian Police’s name in the minds of Jintarians and unsatisfied Cytherean. Rimari also holds the infamous reputation of being the largest narcotics trade hub in the entire Spur according to several independent newspapers and research articles, claims that have been solely ignored by every single Venusian government. ''"Locked up like Rimari"'' is a charged slang phrase used by Cythereans and Jintarians alike to refer to someone who's clearly holding a secret of some sort, or refusing to talk about it.

'''Jintarian Rathlin''' is not much different from Jintarian Binyaria, mainly because of Jintaria’s beginnings as little more than pre-fabricated drab cities. It is, however, connected to Jintarian Binyaria through the Venusian Ferry.

'''Jintarian Satisma''' is mostly made up of restaurants, curiously enough, which import food from the hydroponics facilities above. Jintarians can find their respite in many of the higher-class (for Jintarians, anyway – they would still not hold a candle to Cytherean restaurants) in this district. Jintarian Satisma is also the host of the Satisma Fair, a 3-day fair beginning on the 15th of March and ending on the 18th where the streets of the districts are filled with food stands, festivals and other such activities. It is extremely famous among Jintarians and most of them attend it yearly, spending more than usual. Additionally, cooks from the rest of the Alliance sometimes set up their own stands and makeshift restaurants here as it is a very, very lucrative opportunity. New Hai Phonger cooks are especially renowned in Jintarian Satisma, with many trying to emulate their cuisine.

==Government and Politics==
<center>''“Jintarians have been governed by Cythereans for a century now, but no more! No more will the Jintarian have to stand by and let clueless addicts govern them! No more!” – Excerpt from Hendrik Strom’s famous campaign speech to a crowd of around million Jintarians in Jintarian Parabing.''</center>

Venus’ government is, on the surface, fairly simple: each aerostat has its own governor, which is elected through a democratic vote where all registered citizens can participate. Each district likewise has its own representative, elected in the very same manner. However, Venus places little to no effort in fighting any sort of corruption, often staffing its anti-corruption bureaus as if they were vacation homes for retired politicians. This has led to Venus’ government historically being among the most corrupt and inefficient in the Spur, with a record period of '''11 years without any significant reform''' (according to the Xanusii News Service’s ''Venusian Insight'' scoop of 2431, with a "significant reform" classified as any bill that implements a new social or governmental program). District representatives and aerostat governors alike are often accused by independent news services of collaborating in the Venusian drug trade to disgusting degrees, pocketing bribe money left and right and willingly ignoring the issues that plague Venus. Moreover, competition is at an all-time low on Venus, with all of its sectors practically monopolised by a select few companies. Venus’ media freedom ranks at its highest peak ever according to Venusian and some Solarian outlets, but independent news services often instead rank it at the bottom due to the VSI’s absolute stranglehold on the media services.

Under the surface, Venus has many de-facto exceptions given to it by the Solarian law apparatus. Drug trade and consumption are essentially completely allowed on Venus, with the VPPF not particularly inclined to ever prosecute these crimes due to their profitability. Whatever narcotics one may desire are nearly always handed over-the-counter at Zeng-Hu pharmacies, which present a ''technically legal'' front – and, as a result, no perquisitions ever occur.

This general complacency boiled over in Hendrik Strom’s election as the planetary senator in 2453, a result of Cytherean apathy and general lack of care towards voting. Elected through a historic Jintarian turnout, his campaign has run on anti-corruption promises and economic reforms – populist policies that are not appreciated by Cythereans or by the established Venusian industries. Whether these reforms will be implemented or have any long-lasting effect is yet to be seen, however, as more pressing matters have taken the ex-senator’s attention since the Solarian collapse.

The '''Venusian Stars Institute''' is an entirely government-controlled agency and an integral part of the average Venusian’s life. It has absolute control over Venusian media, from what gets produced and put on the extranet to the image rights of its stars and idols, with more details on this particular facet in the Cytherean Culture section. To the average citizen, the VSI is an almost invisible force behind social media, rarely interfering unless absolutely necessary. An example of this is the silencing of the Binyarian Exposé, where journalists propagating the story in question were promptly banned from all social media and their stories scrubbed from the Extranet.

===The Venusian Planetary Police Force===
Venus’ law enforcement agency is the '''Venusian Planetary Police Force''', or '''VPPF'''. The VPPF is more of a media stunt than a real police force, being riddled with corruption and inefficiencies, where officers are known to readily take bribes to ignore crimes -- particularly the crimes of Venus' rich and famous. The VPPF's reputation is so poor that megacorporate facilities and Venusian notables may even use private military contractors from the Eridani Federation Military to provide security instead. Hendrik Strom and his fellow populists have made a scapegoat out of the VPPF by citing its most public failures such as its inability to contain the now-defunct Tajara Revolutionary Army and its rampant cronyism. In public polling, the Venusian police typically ranks as one of the least popular planetary police agencies in the entire Solarian Alliance. It can mostly be seen policing important landmarks, clubs, bars or whichever important gala is being hosted on a certain night.
The gendarmerie’s poor standing also has to do with mostly who exactly chooses a career in it, often described as a dead-end career: that is to say, mostly crashouts and those who don’t want to be in the spotlight, for one reason or the other. Unfortunately for them, the VPPF doesn’t pay very handsomely and is seen as the opposite of a prestigious career, being considered useless by just about every single Venusian. This has led to an extremely high rate of turnover, with those leaving the VPPF often leaving Venus entirely and looking for work abroad as mercenaries in the PMCG/EPMC or as corporate security: leaving the planet with their eyes open to Venus’ many injustices and likely more depressed as a result.

The VPPF is structured into one department per aerostat with thirty-two sections per district, with each section varying in size depending on the population and importance of the location. Rimari has by far the largest sections across Binyaria. While the VPPF functions like an archetypical gendarmerie, many of its bureaus are intentionally stunted: narcotics or financial crimes departments often function in name only, with their director being paid off by more than one person in exchange for their inaction. This situation is known to just about anyone who researches it, but most importantly they have to care about it – which is not the case for the average Cytherean. After all, the VPPF’s inaction is what allows their hedonistic lifestyle to continue.

==Synthetics on Venus==
<center>''“It is the duty of Idris to provide the most perfect synthetics for the Venusian media enterprises [...]” - Excerpt from Alex Mason’s 2454 Q1 investor meeting.''</center>

Positronics on Venus are mainly imported from around Sol, with Hephaestus and Einstein Engines being the chief providers of chassis and positronics for menial and service work alike. A product of their environment, these IPC are programmed with the local Cytherian or Jintarian accent according to their posting and purpose. Fielded by both the government and private entities, the aerostats of Venus are a prime hub of IPC activity, as well as the shell frame capital of the Alliance, pushing the boundaries of avant-garde taste and chassis modifications to fit all sorts of cosmetic and functional niches of an unhinged entertainment industry.

===In Cytherian Society===
The service and entertainment sectors make heavy use of IPC workers, both on and off screen, primarily shells provided by Einstein Engines, Zeng-Hu Pharmaceuticals and smaller producers such as Earth’s Hazel Electromotive. It is not unusual for Venusian movies to cast shell actors and actresses, using them as stunt doubles for dangerous or arguably fatal screens where agility is a must, sometimes even causing real harm and damage to their forms. Cytherian Stars in the movie industry often have shell lookalikes on standby, shooting multiple scenes at once or even working on different lower-end films to maximise efficiency and output, while also making upcoming and unknown studios pay incredible sums to have a Star’s likeness in their movie, be it the real actor or not. Furthermore, shells are used intensely on stage by bands and brands such as INTERSTELLAR✰GIRLS, enhancing performances with dancing, acrobatics or other such stunts. Shell workers are also commonly found in the infamous Cytherian parties, serving guests or accompanying them in their various activities. The deeper and lower one gets, the more cosmetic altercations one finds on the shells present, as the creativity hampered by Venusian ideals of a clean body, are channelled into tattoos and modifications on their IPC. The application of piercings, vibrant colours and tattoos with fluorescent ink can range from simple creations to extravagant displays of art, utilising the bodies of the shell as a limitless canvas.

While all the above may push a favourable image of the positronics’ lives, the reality is more or less the opposite. Situated in core Solarian territory, Venusians largely echo the conservative views for the treatment of IPC as objects and property, and this is no different for Cytherian shells. While some may have their shining moments or even manage to gather a following on social media, their owners and especially the Venusian Star Institute tend to be quick at grounding them back to reality, making sure that an IPC never gets enough time in the spotlight to shadow a human Star. To this end, shell actors and dancers are often recycled for fresh ones, those discarded being resold for lower-end work in various establishments throughout Binyaria and other aerostats, or as Venusian novelty items abroad. Operating under the same crushing regime that even many Stars find exhausting, the tear and wear caused by repeated performances, dangerous scenes in cinema and a general treatment as nothing more than equipment, guarantees a much shorter lifespan compared to shells in other parts of the Spur.

===Jintarians and Corporate Synthetics===
While not as expansive as in Cytherian culture, the Jintarian working class sees its fair share of baselines and industrial frames in the workforce, owing to the extreme working conditions found in maintaining certain parts of aerostats. As a result, most positronics intended for labour are programmed with engineering and maintenance databases, organised in teams and sent to work under human technicians in tasks where even the most hardy and experienced individuals would find arduous. One other significant sector such IPC can be found in is the Venusian Planetary Police, fielding synthetic officers for all manners of operations against crime and other runaway synthetics. It is thus only natural that Jintarians interact more with non-shells, with many even coming to somewhat appreciate their presence and make clear distinctions between them and Cytherian positronics. While still under highly restrictive ownership, these IPC enjoy a greater standard of living, usual repairs as well as the lack of fear of living up to unreasonable standards like their counterparts in the more expensive and luxurious locales of Venus.

Corporate synthetics on Venus largely maintain their corporate identity, with some being tailored with a Venusian, mostly Cytherian, flair. Idris’ professional shell service staff and Reclamation Units are often programmed with the accent to cater to the clientele, while in some cases taking on low-scale cosmetic alterations such as fancy antennae, vibrant eye colours or certain skin patterns. Owing to a large Zeng-Hu presence in the pharmaceutical industry, Bishop frames are regularly seen around the megacorporation’s installations, in laboratories and pharmacies, their white and sterile form being a characteristic element of the company’s identity in many Venusians’ eyes.

==Skrell on Venus==
The Nralakk Federation is, to the surprise of very few people, one of the most restrictive states when it comes to public displays of hedonism. Thus it begs the question of what kind of Skrell would dare set foot on Venus, and the answers are fairly simple -- mainly stars and washouts. While there are Skrell on Venus that work in duller fields such as hydroponics, science or medicine, these two groups form the bulk of the popular perception of Skrell on the planet.

'''Skrellian Stars''' are the most represented group of Skrell on Venus, being present in prominent media and with some even having a fairly large following. Most of these Stars are either Federation-sponsored actors from Nralakk, human culture enthusiasts or simply disgruntled Skrell who couldn't make it in the Federation, for one reason or the other. The latter two groups are the most likely to fully embrace Venusian ideals and even venture out to other human nations, whereas the former group -- Nralakk loyalists -- do not partake quite as much and keep a tight lip on topics like dissent.

'''Washouts''', instead, are Skrell that have been completely and utterly socially isolated in the Federation. Most often either successful scientists that have published research deemed too controversial or failed doctors that couldn't meet Nralakk's academic standards, Venus represents a prestigious temporary vacation for them to spend their many leftover credits at. These Skrell stay for a matter of years -- a short time to them, but a long time to everyone else -- drowning away their sorrows until they feel ready to hit the stars once again. Whether those stars are part of Venus' artificial sky or are the Spur's is up for them to decide from their brooding.
{{Navbox Human Lore}}
{{Navbox Lore}}
[[Category:Pages]]
[[Category:Planets_and_Systems]]
[[Category:Humanity]]

Venus

2022-09-30T13:38:28Z

MattAtlas:

{{Navbox Lore}}
{{Navbox Human Lore}}
[[File:VenusSkyline.png|thumb|Binyaria from the outside, along with a few satellite aerostats.]]
Considered the Solarian Alliance’s entertainment and pharmaceutical capital, '''Venus''' exists as one of the oldest colonies within Sol and as one of the most populated worlds within the Spur. Its inhabitants live in aerostats dotted among the orange skies, where they can enjoy the highest tier of cinema, virtual reality, musicals, and so on. The Venusian population is divided – yet united – into two classes: the Cythereans, entertainment, service and generally white collar workers, and the Jintarians, the blue-collar working and middle class. Regardless of this divide and whichever stereotypes may exist, Jintarians and Cythereans recognise that the other is necessary for Venus to continue prospering.

One of the most stereotyped and divisive elements within the Spur, the term “Venusian culture” is intrinsically tied to Cythereans due to their overwhelming presence and influence within interstellar media – despite it being an umbrella term for both the Cytherean and Jintarian cultures. Nearly always opposing the values of one another, including in politics, fashion, economics and down to even details such as favourite colours, they enjoy a symbiotic relationship that has been carefully cultivated throughout the decades of cohabitation. It is recognised that reliance on one another is essential to Venus’ society, despite the existence of fringe groups that find themselves radical proponents for a division of these two cultures. Still, these two groups tend to stereotype and tease the other whenever possible due to the sheer amount of differences. It is not unusual to see Cytherean and Jintarian couples, but it is definitely something that raises many eyebrows and much curiosity on the matter – except for celebrities, where this particular choice in partner may cause a bigger scandal than anticipated; and Venusians do love their scandals.
==Venusian History==
<center>''“If you want to make it here, you’ve gotta put your all into it! They’re complaining about their schedule? Maybe they shouldn’t have signed up to be an actor, then!” - Anne-Marie Cythère in an interview on the Binyarian exposé.''</center>

===Initial Settlement===
The case of Venus and how its esoteric society developed is the subject of much debate by many sociologists. Curiously, it began not as a colony, but instead as a research outpost created by the corporations that would eventually go on to form Zeng-Hu Pharmaceuticals in the 2090s. Many experimental technologies were developed in floating research stations, mainly relating to the fields of hydroponics and the chemical industry. Despite this, Earth's governments did not pay the scorching planet much attention, since it was rather unsuitable for rudimentary colonisation prospects. This situation continued until '''2127'''. The flooding of New York City and the resulting anarchy caused many residing billionaires to choose to leave Earth in advance, and a particular group chose to leave for Venus for a simple reason: Zeng-Hu's auctioning of its Venusian research stations. These stations were sold to them in an auction at a discount as the fledgling corporation desperately needed liquidity to keep its much more valuable Asian assets afloat.

Over the next decade, these research stations were gradually expanded by their new owners and consolidated into two super-settlements, forming '''the first proto-aerostats.''' These aerostats are respectively named after their owners: '''Binyaria''', named after Jie Binya, a young American-Chinese billionaire who recently inherited a massive fortune, and '''Rathlin''', named after François Rathlin, a French entrepreneur and owner of a massive supermarket chain on Earth. Binyaria inherited Zeng-Hu's chemical industry facilities, whereas Rathlin inherited Zeng-Hu's more extensive hydroponics and pharmacy industries. Rathlin was a much more valuable complex and trade quickly flourished there, with the fledgling aerostat becoming a large exporter of grown foodstuffs. Binyaria was in a more difficult position: its chemical industry was not as valuable and, thus, was far more reliant on its owners' investment. Binyarians and Rathliners thus developed a small rivalry around this time around whose aerostat was ''really'' the better one, which persists to this day. Nonetheless, Jie, the owner of Binyaria, needed a plan to make Binyaria truly shine.

===Binyarian Renaissance===
On the 25th of December '''2141''', the '''Jie Holocinema Complex''' was announced in a massive opening ceremony costing in the billions of credits. This grand opening was complete with free tickets for a showing of the most famous Christmas movie at this time, White Snow. It was a revolutionary cinema, an absolutely massive one at that, using state-of-the-art holographic technology to give its viewers a ''truly'' out of the world experience. Nothing quite like it existed anywhere else in Human space and it acted as a lightning rod for citizens and tourists alike, which over time slowly became permanent residents. It attracted both rich and poor alike through clever use of advertisements and the inclusion of low-cost and luxury display rooms. More notably, however, it attracted the large media companies on earth. The cinema was so big that it was unmatched in terms of potential opening revenue, and Venusian billionaires were open to paying a fortune for luxury tickets. This led to a slow exodus of media companies to Venus, all competing to get opening-day contracts. It was slow at first, but later snowballed: more investment into the fledgling acting and media industry meant that more companies would move. Eventually, even the titans of the media industry began to move. By the turn of the 23rd century, Venus began rivalling Earth in terms of media. It was not quite dominant yet, however. One last push was needed.

===The Founding of the Venusian Stars Institute===
Intentionally announced at the turn of the century, on the 1st of January 2200, the Venusian Stars Institute was set from the beginning to be the heart of the Venusian media empire. An absolutely byzantine and gigantic entity, it was created to manage every single tiny bit of Venus' growing media industry. From managing actors to funding media companies, the VSI is the last edge that Binyaria needed to dislodge Earth's dominance in the media sector. Lucrative contracts and clever handiwork behind the scenes resulted in the titans of the media industry finally committing to a move to Venus. These contracts ended up creating luxurious and revolutionary institutes for the big media companies to settle in, their massive skyscrapers dominating the Venusian skyline. All citizens, at this point, would see the emblems of the Venusian media empire when looking up. Gigantic holographic billboards began to claim an unrivalled amount of space in every single alleyway. Social media, which was placed under the purview of the VSI's newly-created Social Leadership Team, began to truly boom around this time as well. Practically every citizen became an avid user of social media from the morning to the evening: the Venusian government often paid companies to give new employees latest-model phones, which came with all sorts of social media applications installed and no way to remove advertisements. While this was annoying at first, Venusians ended up accepting this situation eventually. After all, they ''were'' free, high-end mobile phones. The money that Venus spent on this was quickly made back through insane amounts of advertisement money: practically every citizen was viewing hundreds and hundreds of advertisements throughout the day. Idol culture began spreading through social media as well, with many falling in ranks behind their favourite media star, yet quick to turn their backs on them whenever the new scandal came out.

===The Binyarian Exposé and Cytherea===
The reality of the actors' life was much different than what was shown on social media. Their happy lives were often carefully manufactured lies, sold by their privately-hired media marketing teams. Of course, this is knowledge that only the actors themselves would have -- they, themselves, were too busy under the immense pressure of the Venusian entertainment industry. The Venusian Stars Institute's guidelines for actors -- essentially rules that they may not break for any reason -- clamped down harder and harder with every passing year. Newly-implemented beauty standards in ''2203''' meant that many actors had to resort to expensive, Zeng-Hu sponsored plastic surgery or then-experimental genetic engineering in order to meet unrealistic demands. Many took out extensive loans from the then-up-and-rising Idris banking company in order to afford these expensive Zeng-Hu procedures. These loans were then paid through a gruesome amount of work: actors often had to work gruelling work schedules, day after day, just to not be crushed under the interest. This opened up a new, lucrative front for Zeng-Hu: drugs grown on Rathlin could easily be sold to actors on Cytherea, which led to their rampant substance abuse behind the scenes, simply to deal with the stress. This industry is extremely lucrative and Zeng-Hu invested billions and billions into it. The usage of these substances spread to much of the public as well, although it was not yet a worldwide phenomenon.

This situation was unknown to the public until '''2217'''. A Venusian reporting agency, ''Le Courrier'', broke out a story amiably called '''the Binyarian Exposé.''' This story was in actuality a 287 page document that detailed the living situation of authors behind the scenes and the unrealistic standards of the VSI, down to every single small detail. Many failed or rejected authors were interviewed to obtain the information needed. Unfortunately, it was far too long and had the opposite effect of what the authors wanted. The VSI's strict control over social media meant that the story was swiftly suppressed by the algorithms. Additionally, many Venusians simply did not care and dismissed the revelations as '[...] washed up artists and B-rate actors making things up [...]'. This was the position held by '''Anne-Marie Cythère''', the most famous actor of this era and an icon of Venus, arguably the first real idol who possessed a massive cult following, mainly on Venus. Those who agreed with her stance were referred to as 'Cythereans' by Earther critics, a term which stuck over time and began substituting the usage of Venusians in common language. It began as a derogatory term, but Venusians simply repossessed the word to fit their new identity. This point marks the beginning of Cytherea and Cythereans for historians -- the point where Venusians accepted their new identity.

Additionally, the Exposé resulted in most of the world beginning to accept drug usage -- most simply saw it as just another facet of idol culture, and reasoned that since drinking was fine, substance abuse should be fine, too. The authorities were quickly overwhelmed as there were far too many rising cases of substance abuse and resale for them to handle. This led to most cases being dismissed with either a very light fine or no action taken. Some critics point to Zeng-Hu interference in this process through bribing authorities to grow its markets, but Zeng-Hu has denied all such claims.

As a result of this new identity, less and less Cythereans begin entering skilled trades. Rathlin's hydroponics and pharmacy industries, curiously, were not affected due to them being mostly automated and due to a relative lack of required physical work for their workers. The service industry and connected sectors begin absolutely dominating Venusian statistics, with almost the entirety of Venus' industry being located in Rathlin's hydroponics facilities. Binyaria's chemical industries began to go bankrupt and alarm bells were rang by many, but the government simply did not care. The media was what was making money, not the heavy industries. Anyone with a keen eye could spot that this growth was unsustainable, but once again, profits were placed over rationale.

===The Great Interstellar War and the Jie Riots===
With the outbreak of war for the Alliance, Venusians were conscripted just like the rest. This was, however, not taken amiably by the planet's populace and led to the first ever mass riots on Venus, dubbed 'the Jie Riots', as they took place in Our Lady’s Plaza in the aforementioned district. Around a million Venusians took to the streets to protest against the war, or at the very least for exemptions for Venusians. Many cried out that 'war's not good for our industry' and expressed a general unwillingness to go fight, as the physical damage would ruin their careers. Historians point to most social media posts bringing attention to the fact that the majority of the populace simply did not want their beauty to be compromised -- this was a more worrying prospect than death, to most Venusians. These protests were, however, very disorganised as there was no real unifying cause or voice behind them. The Alliance quickly intervened, quelled them, and conscription took place as it normally did in other worlds.

A significant amount of the Venusian working class was drafted -- around 20% -- mostly drawn from those that worked in the heavy industries keeping the planet afloat. Resistance to conscription was significant for most Venusians, who often found ways to outright avoid it. The Venusian government and the VSI were found to be involved in assisting actors, film makers, billionaires and, in general, everyone involved with the Venusian entertainment empire in draft dodging, mainly through clever forging of medical papers exempting them from service for one reason or the other. The entertainment industry continued to prosper or at the very least stay afloat, depending on which economics agency was polled, but everything else began to collapse in a manner of weeks due to the drafting of almost all of the skilled workers. Rationing and austerity were quickly instituted in all aerostats, to the chagrin of the planet’s populace. It would prove to be a difficult decade for Venusians, with many feeling the brunt of poverty and austerity, leading to a large amount of resentment towards the Alliance.

===The End of Austerity and the Jintarian Plan===
With the war ending, Venus was at the breaking point. The power plants had almost nobody left to work for them except for direly overworked engineers, and most of the populace simply did not want to work these jobs. The situation was especially dire and a new technocratic government was put in charge with a political blank cheque in order to deal with the situation once and for all. This led to the creation of the '''Jintaria Plan''', one of the biggest social engineering feats of human history. Through the usage of the Venusian media conglomerate, many veterans and refugees across the Alliance were invited to hastily fabricated 'cities under cities' in the aerostats. The contracts given to them were quite simple: as long as they worked in their assigned sector, they would have government-provided housing, heating, electricity and appliances. This was a very risky gamble that was quite expensive, but the dice roll succeeded. Many flocked over to the newly created Jintarian strata in order to find a new life, thus providing Venus with the skilled force it direly needed. The situation finally stabilised on the '''21st of August 2301''' with the end of austerity. Gigantic parties were held everywhere across Cytherea, with it becoming an official holiday, Ascension Day. Some Jintarians participated in these parties, while others simply took to pubs in their own slice of the aerostat.

Jintarian society is an inviting prospect for many refugees and immigrants. It is a patchwork blend of many cultures, who live together sharing the burden of an entire planet: this sole unifying factor leads to a shared sense of brotherhood and duty among Jintarians. This new class finds it hard to scale the ladder, however. It is practically almost impossible for Jintarians to work in the Venusian media industries due to ‘beauty standards concerns’: the fact that most of the Jintarian population has done some sort of trade or physical work in their life, which leads to the formation of minor beauty defects – enough for the Cythereans to reject the prospect of such a person entering the media scene. Some Jintarians opt for extensive plastic surgery to enter the ranks of the Cythereans, but this requires almost half a lifetime of savings and is an exceedingly rare occurrence. These ‘quasi-Cythereans’ are a mixed bag for Jintarians: the most radical view them as class traitors and the ambitious view them as lucky individuals.

===Modern History, Cytherea and Jintaria===
Venus is, today, labelled as the '''Queen of Entertainment''' for good reason. A significant amount of entertainment media is produced in Venus, casted with Venusian celebrities and created by Venusian companies, with the end products finding solid purchase in most markets across the Spur. It is a powerful cultural weapon for the Alliance. It also hosts a state-of-the-art hydroponics industry in Rathlin -- being a net exporter of food, second only to Ganymede -- and a titanic pharmaceutical industry, focused mainly on beauty and pharmaceutical products.

Venus, curiously, hosts the largest population of Martian refugees in the Spur. Following Violet Dawn, millions of Martians now call Jintaria their home. They were invited to work on Venus under similar contracts as the first Jintarians.

==Environment==
<center>''“Those eruptions? Ohmygosh, they were so cool!” - Part of an unnamed Venusian tourist’s review of the Idris Venusian Cruise Experience sightseeing package.''</center>

Venus is an incredibly hot and miserable planet. The mass of its atmosphere is 93 times that of Earth's, equivalent to the crushing depths of the deep ocean. This atmosphere is extremely thick and toxic, composed primarily of carbon dioxide and nitrogen, and this generates the strongest greenhouse effect in the Solar System, creating an average surface temperature of at least 462 C (864 F). Due to these crushing conditions, '''no Venusians live on the surface.''' Instead, they rely on floating aerostats – which have become a key part of Venus, and more importantly its society.

A Venusian year lasts 225 Earth days. A normal day on Venus lasts much longer than that of Earth due to the slow rotation, taking 243 Earth days to make one Venusian day. Venus spins backwards when compared to the other planets in the Sol system, causing the sun to rise in the west and set in the east. It rains sulphuric acid on the surface and the atmosphere is so thick that it exerts massive amounts of pressure on the surface. This crushes all but the most structurally reinforced habitats below the cloud layer, practically all of which are extremely specialised research habitats, with the rest destroyed by caustic acid rain. The planet hosts massive amounts of volcanic activity, which spew even more toxic gases into the atmosphere – although these are often co-opted as tourist attractions visible from cubicles in the aerostats or through windows in shuttles. Almost no sunlight reaches the surface of the planet, despite the temperature.
==Cytherean Culture==
<center>''“[...] Sol knowingly perpetrates that deluded Venusian perversion of human values, where the greed of the individual is placed on a pedestal for all to see and envy, where lust becomes paramount both for money and for man, where hard work and pride are substituted for laziness and a manic social anxiety. In this place, the ugly truth has a model’s face [...]” - Commander Ganesh Shrivastav (2411 - Present) in an impassioned speech to the Xanu parliament, regarding the Solarian threat.''</center>

Cytherean culture’s paramount concept is '''climbing the social ladder'''. This is the one concept that is '''utterly important''' to every single Cytherean, and each of them has their own view on what it entails. This social ladder can be interpreted in many ways – for some, it’s gaining an immense amount of followers on social media, while for others it’s becoming a spur-wide celebrity through a career in acting. It is universally considered to only be climbable through activities that inherently make you more popular among others, contributing to the reason why the extreme majority of Cythereans reject any sort of physical labour that does not provide this opportunity. It isn’t seen as strictly necessary to remain on Venus in order to climb the social ladder, and glory is considered to be attainable even outside of Venus itself – but most consider it an eventual necessity to come back and show off.

Because of this obsession, Cythereans tend to be extravagant in all facets of life, willing to stand out from the crowd by any means necessary; Cytherea is the primary pop culture centre of Sol, with a populace often dressed in bright, dramatic clothing. Many Solarian celebrities either live or were born on one of Venus’s aerostats, growing up in the privileged Cytherean culture. The best actors, comedians, chefs, musicians, and pop stars enjoy almost constant coverage on holo-screens, only occasionally replaced by adverts for startup beauty products, cutting-edge gaming hardware, or the newest diet fad. These celebrities enjoy high class treatment and something akin to worship from the Cythereans. Many come from across the galaxy, human and alien alike, seeking to turn their fortunes around. However, Cythereans are not immune to poverty and hardship in their laissez-faire society. Those looking to become the next big thing sometimes wind up on the opposite end of the spectrum, relying on morally and legally ambiguous means to get by. Aliens, although welcome, are typically sidelined in favour of human actors and models due to most moguls desiring to “play it safe." As a result, aliens, regardless of their talents, are typically seen as understudies, extras, dancers, and occasionally backup singers or instrumentalists.

The Cytherean environment is very cutthroat: many are willing to do whatever it takes to climb the social ladder, whether that be by fabricating scandals or putting their fingers in one too many pies. Law enforcement is often easily evaded due to lofty standards and a general lack of passion. In the end, one can get away with almost anything as long as they possess the right contacts and enough money. The party culture thrives in the aerostats, with the grand cocktail parties and fundraising schmooze-fests toward the top of teardrop slowly fading into the high-energy festivals of the lower sections. Toward the top, one can overhear the latest gossip and glimpse envelopes of credits sliding under tables. Toward the bottom, one can see the most hedonistic displays of luxury.

Though many work in the entertainment industry as stars and producers, there are great opportunities for a Cytherean scientist: after all, climbing the scientific social ladder and becoming a genius prodigy renowned across the Spur is quite the attractive goal. The development of pharmaceutical drugs and new medicines is a common field for Cytherean scientists, with celebrities and talent agencies needing a constant stream of narcotics for parties and stimulants to keep shooting sessions going for days at a time. Cytherea has a booming genetic engineering field that is primarily centred around the biomodification of celebrities in order to ensure that they are always at their physical peak, no matter which direction the ever-shifting winds of Cytherea's celebrity scene blow. Stimulants, such as cocaine, are the Cytherean drug of choice and are typically genetically modified by various Cytherean pharmacies to create more desirable effects. When exported these so-called "designer" drugs can fetch an extremely high price on the interstellar market. Cytherea's pharmaceutical industry is estimated to produce upwards of two-thirds of all narcotics consumed in the Republic of Biesel, even after the First and Second Solarian Invasions. Appropriately, Cytherea's pharmacies also produce a vast amount of the Alliance's anti-overdose medications. Many Cytherean pharmacies are associated or owned by Zeng-Hu Pharmaceuticals.

The largest Cytherean holiday is '''Ascension Day''', shortened to '''the Ascension''', celebrated on the 21st of August. It marks the return to normalcy after Venus’ long period of austerity, but its roots have long since been forgotten by most of the population, except by politicians and work supervisors. This is a day for all Venusians to indulge in whatever they can for as long as they can: gigantic feasts, parties and raves are held across all of Cytherea, along with fashion shows on the streets and other such activities. For some it’s a point of pride and reminds them of why living on Venus is worth it, along with the happiness that the end of austerity brought them – while for others, it’s simply a day to get wasted and enjoy it.
===Stars, Idols and Crashouts===
The idol culture of Venus is extraordinarily demanding for those that choose to involve themselves in it. Climbing the rungs of the Cytherean entertainment industry from mere extra to A-list celebrity able to star in the likes of Monkey King is no small feat involving raw acting talent, an incredible amount of social networking, and no small amount of backroom dealing between agents, celebrities, and producers. This process can often take years if one is unlucky, and the top celebrities often undergo extensive plastic surgery to ensure that they remain attractive enough to be considered for the greatest entertainment products of the industry. The amount of resources, time, and commitment needed to reach - and stay at - the top of the celebrity culture of Venus is truly astonishing, and the rat race of keeping up with the ever-shifting and constantly changing standards of what makes a celebrity an A-list celebrity results in many hopeful stars simply crashing out of the industry, and thus becoming known as a '''crashout'''.

Becoming any sort of professional major media player (referred to as a '''Star''') – whether that be an actor, a news anchor or an influencer – requires one to first sign '''100% of their image rights''' to the Venusian Stars Institute. These contracts are extremely lucrative for the person in question, but it is a poisoned apple nonetheless – once one signs with the Venusian Stars Institute to become a Star, '''they no longer have any control over their media appearances''', and thus the VSI will thus be able to unilaterally decide when and where they appear, in addition to being able to monopolise and commercialise the fledgling Star’s image as they wish – a very well known fact, but now only considered a stepping stone to become a celebrity. Each Star possesses its own PR and media team, de jure under the Star itself but de facto delegating to the VSI’s byzantine bureaucracy.

Despite these contracts, Stars are given a large amount of autonomy in how to run their career. While the grand majority opt for running their careers on Venus, some manage to take jobs abroad and live out new experiences there, while still technically affiliated to the VSI. It matters not for the Institute, as long as they garner a high amount of views on social media and further spread the Venusian brand.

Those that fall out of grace – either because of the crushing standards, burnout, extreme social pressure or whatever else – do not enjoy an easy life. Referred to as '''crashouts''' once the Institute stops affiliating with them – a process known as '''delisting''' – they are reminded of this failure everywhere they go by anyone that knows them, representing the minority of Venusians that have had their eyes opened to the injustice and oppression of Cytherean society. Cythereans do not have much tact or care for these crashouts, viewing them as simply not good enough. Most of these rejects either leave Venus entirely and seek employment somewhere else – often taking out generous loans in order to apply for apprenticeships or training courses, as they do not have any sort of marketable skill – or find employment in Venus’ overworked public sector, such as in the Venusian Planetary Police Force or even in the Solarian Navy itself, representing by far the largest percentage of Cythereans in both categories. Some crashouts can also end up falling into the net of Jintarian culture, where they are caught and welcomed by other Jintarians as simply more proof that Cytherean culture is poison rather than a blessing. A one-way ticket to delisting is, for example, speaking up about unfavourable work conditions on social media.

Upon becoming a Spur-wide celebrity, a Star is then granted '''Idol''' status by the VSI, and immortalised in the Diamond Hall: a gigantic museum in the very centre of Binyaria that hosts detailed biographies, mementos and signatures of every VSI-signed celebrity big enough to truly make it. Becoming an Idol is the ultimate dream of every Star and often functions as a sort of northern light for them in their journey. These Idols are practically all known to Cythereans at large and represent a sticking point for Cytherean pride, with many prizing their trivia knowledge on any given Idol. '''Due to their rarity, immense popularity and astronomical wealth, it is impossible to play an Idol or an ex-Idol on the ship.'''
===Famous Cytherean Celebrities===
Those that are able to survive and thrive as celebrities in the cutthroat and demanding environment of Cytherea's entertainment industry reap a truly massive amount of rewards ranging from accolades to millions of Solarian Credits. But, perhaps more importantly than anything else, they are some of the most famous people in human space and the greater Orion Spur. The individuals listed below are just a handful of Cytherea's most famous residents, and will be known throughout the Orion Spur.

One of the most famous Cytherean idols ever is perhaps '''Chan-mi Jee''', the renowned frontwoman and singer of '''INTERSTELLAR✰GIRLS''': a famous all-female pop group based out of the Binyarian aerostat. Chan-mi Jee's famous voice, which has been biologically augmented to have a wider range, can be found on dozens of '''INTERSTELLAR✰GIRLS''' albums. The band's most famous album, Interstellar Heart, currently holds the Spur-wide record for most copies ever sold. Despite her successes, which include having been named the Venusian cultural ambassador for five years in a row, Chan-mi Jee's personal life has been the subject of some speculation in the Cytherean press, and repeated plastic surgeries have left only a sliver of resemblance to the woman that began her pop career ten years ago. But for the moment, she and her band remain the undisputed queens of the Cytherean musical scene. ''"You have Chan-mi's looks"'' is a Cytherean's most prized slang weapon, used to describe someone who is extremely attractive.

In the Cytherean acting scene there is, arguably, nobody that defines the role of leading man better than the dashing and charismatic idol, '''Caspar Orillian'''. Born and raised in the "red treadmill" industry of Cytherea, Caspar has found extraordinary success playing athletic leading men thanks to extensive biomodifications and plastic surgeries that have shaped and reshaped his face to constantly be in-season and attractive. A large number of editors hired by his estate retroactively edit his films and publicity photos to resemble whatever Caspar's current appearance is. His constant facial restructurings are seen as a sign of his success due to the immense cost associated with them, and are a clear proof of his dedication to maintaining his celebrity status.

Famous director '''Samuel Monaghan''' is another of Cytherea's most famous celebrities, and his name can be found on a variety of movies ranging from action films to long dramas. Monaghan's distinctive style is easily-recognized throughout the Orion Spur's film scene thanks to his focus on single-shot scenes using drones as floating cameras. The fame of Monaghan has also been built by the director's often eccentric and eye-catching behaviour off the set. Monaghan is known for his eccentric behaviour, unusual rants, and deliberately garnish outfits. The controversy that this has caused him in Cytherea's tabloid scene has only helped his fame grow, but it remains to be seen if his behaviour will continue to build fame or ultimately backfire and cause his fall.

'''Quu'xuu "Kwoo" Vol'rii''' is an idol and something of an oddity in the Cytherean entertainment scene due to her status as a skrell. Having recently flown into the highest ranks of Cytherea due to her highly-rated performance as the main villain of Monkey King VII, Doctor Yana Vashtu, the diminutive doctor of human cultural studies has found a following thanks to both her haughty and evil attitude on-camera and her awkward yet earnest attitude off the set. Kwoo, as she is affectionately known by her fans, has found further fame thanks to her charitable donations to Mars following her success in Monkey King VII. However, it remains uncertain how long her fifteen minutes of fame from Monkey King VII will last, if Kwoo will choose to remain in Cytherea at all, or if the unfaltering support for the Nralakk Federation will be her eventual social downfall.
===Cytherean Fashion===
Due to the extremely fast-paced nature of Cytherea's fashion industry there are a number of trends entering the public eye, being sold by stores, and falling out of fashion at any time. Anything a non-Cytherean can put together that is appealing to the eye, and sometimes not, has been the height of fashion at some point somewhere in the clouds. However there are a few popular looks and rules Cytherean fashion tends to follow.

The most important rule for an aspiring Cytherean fashionista is that the best part of the body is the '''skin'''. A lot of clean, unblemished, hairless skin is shown in Cytherean fashion; whether it be through a high-slit dress, a translucent button-up shirt, a pair of short shorts, a fitted tank top, or a low cut blouse. More masculine figures tend to show off the upper body, especially the arms, while more feminine looks show off the lower body, specifically the legs. But in the Cytherean view showing too much skin is a great faux pas; looks are often balanced so that if a lot of the upper body is shown, the lower body is mostly covered and vice versa. Cytherean business wear, in contrast, tends to be much less skin-showing in order to stay in line with the greater Solarian Alliance, particularly Luna.

While Cythereans consider minor body modifications fine, a more natural appearance is preferred in contrast to gaudy or overly eye-catching augmentations. Body-sculpting plastic surgery procedures are common, especially among celebrities, in order to ensure that one remains within the Cytherean standards of beauty. Some of the most common body-sculpting procedures include improving facial features and structure, removing all body hair “below the eyelashes," tightening the skin, removing excess body fat, dental reconstruction, enhancing or emphasising musculature, and balancing body proportions (usually in favour of the legs). However extensive piercing, more extreme body-sculpting, heavy tattooing, and other modifications that break the “pure skin” rule are frowned upon and tattooing in particular, even minor forms in some cases, is considered unsightly due to its long-standing connection with criminals or groups such as dregs.

Many trends originate in Binyaria’s Parabing District, and are locally called '''“wankukai”''' trends. Wankukai clothes are either what’s popular in the Mile's clubbing scene or, less popularly, something slightly more appropriate for streetwear. Masculine looks often have plain, solid colored pants in dark colours with slim, usually designer belts, and often have simple dress shoes or sneakers. Translucent button-ups with LED or neon-tubing designs up the arms or across the chest are popular, as well as similarly designed, fitted tank tops to accentuate the arms. Some even elect to go shirtless. Suit jackets matching one’s pants are also common, as well as leather jackets with LED or neon designs on the back. As for more feminine looks, miniskirts, short shorts, and -- for the brave -- microskirts are commonplace, often paired with simple low heels, flats, or sneakers. Colourful dress shirts, qipao blouses, and standard blouses are all common as well, featuring designs similar to masculine looks. Dresses of all lengths usually have a high-slit, reaching all the way up the thigh, and are often intricately decorated with LED and neon-tubing. Though suit jackets and leather jackets with designs are common among feminine looks as well, they are occasionally cropped to just below or at the ribs.
==Jintarian Culture==
<center>''“J-I-N-T-A-R-I-A! Home of the free!” - Excerpt from Torchbearers, a famous Jintarian punk nu-metal song by Just Us, the most popular Jintarian band as of 2464.''</center>

Jintarian culture can often be defined as the ''polar opposite'' of Cytherean culture in many facets, but it borrows as much as it opposes. Jintarians pride themselves on being the squeaky clean side of Venus – an approach which, unfortunately, makes their scene only truly appealing to Jintarians themselves and to contrarians across the galaxy. Regardless of how unpopular they may be on the interstellar scene, Jintarians tend to be extremely prideful of their accomplishments and often have a do-or-die attitude when it comes to carrying things out: after all, Venus is standing where it is thanks to them. This leads to a mostly punk-ish and contrarian culture, where keeping things real is incentivised, along with distancing yourself from Cytherea as much as possible in matters of fashion, music and even the celebrities one follows. As an example, while Cythereans prefer clothing that shows off as much skin as possible, Jintarians prefer the direct opposite of that – turtlenecks, sweaters, flannel shirts and other such clothes are very common in these communities.

Despite all of this, Jintarians and Cythereans are not enemies. They live together just as much as a Biesellite and a Solarian may live in the same apartment in Mendell City. Cythereans recognise the need for Jintarians in order for their planet to function – but do not hesitate to call them out on their broodish, low-class fashion. Jintarians recognise that Venus is the giant it is due to the Cythereans’ natural aptitude in entertainment, but do not hesitate to call them out on their hedonistic lifestyle, corrupt politics and horribly flashy clothing choices. In the same vein, it isn’t unheard of for Jintarians to spend their weekend at Cytherean bars, if only to prove their superiority over them in one way or the other. It is possible for Jintarians to find employment in more Cytherean fields: as an example, Jintarian baristas in Cytherean bars are not entirely out of the world – but some discrimination in this field is to be expected.

In the same vein, it isn’t unheard of – although '''very rare''' – for Jintarians to end up integrating into Cytherean society. This is only possible for those that are willing to either sign up for '''drastic''' plastic surgery in order to compete with the very top of Cytherean society, often by taking out very predatory Idris loans, or for those that are more naturally blessed. It isn’t an easy path and it is marred with discrimination and harsh financial choices, as these ‘reformed’ Jintarians are often looked down upon in Cytherea in basically all matters: whether that be in job selection or simply having their curriculum vitae noticed. Those that choose this path and continue following it, whether that be for credits or fame, end up disenfranchised and practically '''exiled''' from their old Jintarian community.
===Famous Jintarian Celebrities===
Jintarians have distanced themselves from the distinction between Star and Idol, viewing it as essentially objectifying celebrities. Instead, the concept of who exactly is a celebrity is fairly wide: essentially, anyone famous enough to be known outside of Jintaria, even a little, is considered an ambassador of Jintarian culture and essentially a celebrity. Historically, Jintaria has been the unacknowledged part of Venus, and only in recent times has its influence begun to increase: with the election of Strom and the massively increased success of Jintarian celebrities abroad, Jintaria has finally begun reclaiming its slice of Venus. This has led to Jintarians as a whole being extremely prideful and attached to their celebrities, viewing them as the only reason why Jintarians are known at all – referring to the current crop as '''the Golden Generation'''. While this success may be still extremely small compared to their Cytherean brethren, it does not stop particularly prideful Jintarians from proclaiming the beginning of a new age for their class.

Much like in Cytherea, any Jintarian celebrity deemed big enough is given a spot in the '''Venusian Jintarian Museum''', the Jintarian counterpart of the Diamond Hall. The requirements are much less stringent, and generally there isn’t much competitiveness among Jintarians to be represented there – it is simply an honour.

'''Kyle De Koster''' is arguably the biggest Jintarian celebrity, perhaps only tying with Hendrik Strom for the title. The lead singer of Just Us, a Jintarian punk nu-metal band with a focus on optimistic lyrics, his career has been a long and hard fought one. It started as a venture between high school friends who played their music in the streets of Binyaria’s Jintarian communities, and evolved to an interstellar phenomenon through hard work alone. Many of this band’s songs idolise the Jintarian struggle and their own experience, providing a point of reference for many Jintarians. Their latest album, ''Hold Us Tight'', has been a massive hit with Jintarians but also across the Coalition of Colonies, boasting very high viewership especially on Himeo. De Koster and his band are known Jintarian nationalists and do not fear speaking up in matters of politics, having given their endorsement of Hendrik Strom several times in the past.

'''Hendrik Strom''' is, in the eyes of many fellow Jintarians, the best representation of Jintaria. Since starting as a humble city councilman roughly thirty years ago Strom has climbed to the top through ability, ambition, and no small amount of Jintarian nationalism. Once a senator representing Venus, Strom has served as the emergency governor of the Sol System since shortly after the Naval coup in late 2462. Strom has never forgotten his roots and often visits Venus, where he is greeted warmly by his fellow Jintarians, to raise support for himself and what many see as his inevitable run for Prime Minister once elections open up again. His face can often be seen throughout Jintarian communities on inspirational posters and political billboards alike.

'''Katarina Josic''' is a strong contender for the spot of ‘very famous Jintarian celebrity’, despite being much more of an extremist. Her career, interestingly, is not in Jintaria but instead abroad – she left Jintaria very early to become an actress in the Coalition of Colonies, with her main following being located there instead of in Sol. This endeavour was successful and she has starred in many top films in the Coalition, becoming a widely known figure and using this fame as a platform for her pro-Jintaria speeches. Unlike Just Us’ members, however, she is a very anti-Solarian individual and has often spoken out against the nation in the past, going as far as renouncing her citizenship in favour of a Coalition one following the Violet Dawn incident. She has criticised the members of Just Us many times before for their pro-Solarian stances as well.
===Jintarian Fashion===
Jintarian every-day fashion is much more practical and significantly less gaudy than its Cytherean counterpart, generally trending towards punk-like styles – ripped jeans, as an example, are very common in Jintaria. Many Jintarians wear simple, practical clothing well-suited to their typically industrial or physical work such as jeans, simple tees, long-sleeved shirts or track pants. Jintarian professionals dress much like their counterparts in the rest of the Alliance. As their pride prevents them from emulating Cytherean fashion, Jintarians have a habit of standing out through the smaller details: they often decorate their jacket or shirt with stickers, pins, armbands. There is much variance in the style and reason behind these accessories – some use accessories that represent their life or views, while others simply pick whatever is the most colourful or whatever they think is most aesthetically pleasing. Jintarian business wear tends to be similar to the rest of the Alliance, although the expensive brands are near-universally avoided by Jintarians.

Most Jintarians opt to deliberately ignore Cytherea's big fashion brands, and many take pride in this willing ignorance -- instead opting to "buy Jintarian" when it comes to their clothing. As a result, most Jintarian clothing is produced using materials sourced from Jintaria itself and made in Jintarian-dominated aerostat districts. It isn’t unusual for Jintarian fashion to be exported off of Venus: simple Jintarian clothing has found a niche in cheap, affordable apparel and can be found in many shops and malls around the Spur. As of late, many more people are buying this type of clothing due to the living cost crisis created by the Phoron shortage. Additionally, Jintarian enterprises often run some philanthropic endeavours with certain lines of clothing, donating some of the earnings to a few good causes – one example is the ''Dawn'' line from the most famous Jintarian clothes company, Jinnel: a series of black tees where the imprint is that of a typical Martian dome, transitioning from a normal state to a destroyed and burnt one. 75% of the earnings from this line were donated to the Martian victims of the Violet Dawn disaster that now find their home in Jintaria.
==Aerostats==
<center>''“What do I know about Binyarians? All they do is take our stuff and never give anything back. It’s unfair!” - A quote by an unnamed Rathliner hydroponics specialist responding to the “What Do You Think About Your Fellow Venusians” survey, juxtaposed with an unnamed Binyarian actress’ answer, “About Rathliners? Well, they make our food, I guess?”''</center>

Venusians dwell in aerostats floating in the habitable layer nicknamed '''“the Zone”''' above the sulphuric acid clouds masking the surface. These floating cities are primarily held in place by their natural oxygen content and large bags of hydrogen. Aerostats began with a size equal to the average city centre, but have since expanded to much larger sizes, with the largest ones rivalling other major cities in the Spur. Aerostats are divided into two main sections: Cytherea, which refers to the Cytherean-dominated areas above, and Jintaria, which refers to boyh the small pockets of Jintarians above ground but also (and mainly) the Jintarian cities under the respective districts.

Aerostats follow a similar style of planning to normal cities, with all kinds of districts and buildings present – each aerostat is divided into a variable number of districts, depending on the population, that make up its administrative divisions.There are, however, some differences due to their nature as floating cities: as an example, no wind or any kind of atmospheric phenomenon is present on these aerostats, except as an optional setting in artificial parks. Binyarians pin this on the fact that the presence of wind would limit one’s choice in fashion. On the other hand, both a day-night cycle and a sky similar to the Earth’s are simulated through large and complex lighting arrays that make up the inside of the dome-like structure separating the aerostat from the atmosphere. Normally, someone would only be able to see this artificial sky in an aerostat, but there are some buildings that have a window to the outside as a stylistic choice.

All aerostats are interconnected in a gigantic ring-like structure, forming a sort of spider web across the planet’s surface: the two biggest aerostats, Binyaria and Rathlin, form the two ‘poles’ respectively at the north and south of the web. It is possible to travel from an aerostat to another through the '''Venusian Ferry''', the gigantic shuttletram network forming the basis of this web. It isn't only a means of transport but also a very famous all-in-one tourism attraction sponsored by Idris: firework displays are fused with the planet's naturally odd atmosphere in order to create light shows truly out of a movie. Most if not all Venusians and tourists alike take at least one trip on the Venusian Ferry in their life.

Bar certain exceptions like Rathlin, most Jintarians live in sprawling city complexes under the aerostats, referred to as, for example, Jintarian Binyaria or Jintarian Parabing to name a section of Jintaria under a specific district. Jintaria as a whole is informally known as '''‘downstairs’''' by Cythereans, whereas Cytherea is referred to as '''‘upstairs’''' by Jintarians. These city complexes tend to be densely packed and populated, with little variance in terms of architecture and structure as a result of their government-planned construction. They have overtime, however, been decorated with various LED holoboards bought from Cytherea, artificial parks and other such structures to breathe some life into the atmosphere. The aerostats’ heavier industries, such as power complexes or factories, are entirely located in the Jintarian sections. Jintarians have easy enough access to Cytherea through elevators that can be found throughout their cities, with at least one under each Cytherean district.
===Binyaria===

'''Binyaria''' is the capital aerostat of Venus and by far the most populated one, widely known as Venus’ jewel, sporting the archetypical Cytherean architecture: lightshows, LEDs and flashy buildings. People from across the galaxy flock to Binyaria to experience both Solarian and Cytherean culture, which has its roots in the very same aerostat. It is one of the most-visited tourist destinations in the Spur, clocking in the high hundreds of millions of visits every year – with all of them coming to experience the Cytherean culture that began in the very same aerostat. Of course, all of these tourists come to partake in Cytherean hobbies in one way or the other as well.

Cythereans in Binyaria are almost entirely employed in the service and entertainment sectors. Despite its rapid deindustrialisation, Binyaria still hosts a large amount of pharmaceuticals industries and related research complexes, where about 12% of the Cytherean population works.

The following are Binyaria’s most populated and well-known districts.

The '''Jie District''' is located at the very centre of Binyaria, named after the original ruler of the aerostat. It is the true heart of the Cytherean fashion and acting industry, along with the bio-modification that goes hand in hand with them. Tourists flock to Jie to partake, or at least gawk, at the majesty of Cytherea's famed fashion houses, acting museums and so on. This district also houses several Zeng-Hu Pharmaceuticals facilities centred around biomodification and beauty techniques that are frequented by both the rich and famous of Cytherea and exceptionally wealthy (or vain) tourists. Outside of its main thoroughfare, Jie is home to a wild variety of production studies for everything from holovids to music, and many of those involved in Cytherea's entertainment industry make their homes in the expensive apartments and estates of the district. With all of this considered, it is not the district that houses the government, and functions mainly as the flashiest show-off of what Cytherea is truly about, being the most visited district for its value in re-telling Cytherean history (from their side, at least). The only permanent residents in Jie are CEOs, official functionaries and other similarly wealthy or famous figures. ''"We can't all live in Jie District"'' is a phrase used by Jintarians to essentially say "not all of us can be filthy rich", to mock Cythereans for their vanity or simply to express just how ridiculous something is. On the flip side, Cythereans often use the phrase ''"not a Jintarian's chance in Jie"'' to describe impossible odds or something/someone looking really bad (either socially or physically).

Located at the very centre of the Jie District is the '''Venusian Stars Institute''', arguably Venus’ single most important institution. A gigantic, byzantine skyscraper, covered from bottom to top in holographic billboards and the brightest, most colourful LEDs that can be bought on the Spur. With these features and the tacky holographic signs on all four sides at its top blasting its acronym in the brightest rainbow lights imaginable, it dominates Binyaria’s skyline as a consistent reminder of what truly keeps the aerostat afloat: the power of media. Curiously enough, the phrase ''"You're like the Jie skyline"'' has recently become a Cytherean way to tell someone that they stand out, either from good looks or for other reasons. Its first recorded usage was in an Interstellar Girls single from 2463, ''Skyline''.

The Jie District is also home to the '''Jie Holocinema Complex''', the largest and most advanced holocinema in the Spur. It is an absolutely gigantic and flashy structure, being by far the brightest and most-decorated building in Cytherea as a whole. Every single top movie has at least one early screening in this cinema, and these tickets often go for exorbitant prices – which doesn’t stop Cytherea’s many billionaires from lapping them up as soon as they come on the market. Its claim to fame is the Virtual Reality Suite, the highest class viewing hall available, where the viewer can fully immerse themselves in the movie by being able to freely view the current scene from any angle through experimental VR technology. Lower-class viewing halls that provide the “classic” experience are also present for those that don’t have quite as much wealth.

This cinema is found at the very centre of '''Our Lady’s Plaza''', a massive sprawling circular plaza. Its claim to fame is it is built under an artificial vineyard, providing quite the change of pace from the other plazas that may be mistaken as dance floors by unknowing visitors. Restaurants and shops of all kinds can be found around this plaza, providing one of the most unique experiences possible for a weekend. ''"Our Lady's has nothing on this place!"'' is a somewhat uncommon exclamation for Cythereans to refer to a really cool place.

The '''Chiye-Gyo District''' was helped to fame by corporate investment rather than Venus' municipal government. It was a district constructed and leased to the megacorporations to function as a corporate hub on the planet, where one can find any corporate facility they wish for, whether that be corporate-sponsored universities or Idris shopping malls to buy the newest clothing catalogue at. Nanotrasen used to have a presence here as well, but their assets here have been entirely handed off to Einstein Engines. Because of this megacorporate presence, Chiye-Gyo is often used as a backdoor out of Venus for those wanting to leave the planet, with the corporations offering contracts both in Sol and abroad to Venusians willing to take them – Jintarians and Cythereans alike. Of course, many of these Venusians also have to undergo mandatory training courses in Chiye-Gyo to bring them up to speed with their new job. Following the Industrial Reclamation Decree and the nationalisation of Nanotrasen property, their workers were offered to transfer abroad in the Republic of Biesel by the corporation if they wished to leave the Alliance. ''"Straight laced like Chiye-Gyo's corpos"'' is a slang phrase used by Cythereans to refer to someone who's too serious. "Corpos" can often be substituted with "goons", "suits" or other demeaning terms.

The '''Parabing District''' is Binyaria’s most populated district, representing where the majority of its population resides. It is where most of the Cytherean life takes place, with its many stylish apartments, estates and houses, but is not lacking in entertainment and hosts a number of clubs, PC cafes, karaoke joints, laid-back bars, and fast food restaurants complete with glowing neon lights. Parabing also sees a high amount of Jintarian thoroughfare in its districts, both because of its entertainment opportunities and for work reasons, as some Jintarians that live downstairs can find employment in Parabing’s chemical and pharmaceuticals complexes. ''"Putting the bing-o in Parabing!"'' is an expression used by particularly goofy Jintarians and Cythereans as another way of saying "Bingo!". It is, however, very informal and somewhat ridiculous, so it is only used among good friends, most often after a drink or five. Jintarian Parabing hosts a fairly large number of immigrant workers in its Jintarian side, where it hosts the largest population of Martian immigrants in the Spur as a result of Violet Dawn.

While hardly as famous as any of its higher counterparts, the '''Central Binyarian Power Complex''' on level ten is one of the most important levels in the entire aerostat. The Complex provides fission-based power to the entire aerostat using a network of massive fusion generators. The amount of equipment needed to ensure that power flows and the generators continue functioning has turned the Complex into a massive labyrinth of tunnels and industrial machinery that are difficult to navigate through and very easy to become lost in. As a result the Complex is informally known as "the Labyrinth" and has very few legal permanent residents. The tunnels of the Complex are often poorly-lit and filled with stagnant air due to insufficient ventilation. Due to the construction of the Complex noises are able to easily travel through it, and the groaning of machinery and hissing of coolant pipes can echo through miles of tunnels. The Labyrinth is seen as a very unsettling place by both Cythereans and Jintarians, and the disquieting nature of it and similar power facilities have become fodder for the Cytherean film industry. This place's pervasion in pop culture has led to the creation of some creative slang phrases, such as ''"Have you come from the Labyrinth?"'' to refer to an ugly person for Cythereans, or ''"The Labyrinth's got nothing on you"'' to refer to a particularly cool person for Jintarians. Both cultures attempt to one-up the other, with Cythereans using this complex as a negative attribute and Jintarians attempting to reclaim it.

'''Jintarian Binyaria''' is the home to most of the planet’s Jintarians, but does not present itself to be much different from the rest of Jintaria, architecturally or structurally. It does, however, house some districts and landmarks that are very renowned across Jintaria.

The '''Susuhe District''' is the largest and most populated Jintarian district in Venus. It is functionally a mishmash of every kind of facility: from power plants to sports facilities to apartments and parks, nearly everything can be found here, providing an extremely centralised but comfortable lifestyle, if a bit packed with people. Jintarians may find employment either in Susuhe itself or even directly above it in Parabing’s pharmaceutical complexes. Being the administration’s home and arguably the heart of the Jintarian class, it also houses a few important landmarks.

The '''Venusian Jintarian Museum''' is the main point of reference for Jintarian culture, inspired by the Diamond Hall in function. While it presents itself as a rather boring building – clearly not inheriting the Diamond Hall’s gaudy looks – the inside is one of the, if not the most decorated example of Jintarian architecture. Marble flooring and pillars mark the amount of care taken in preserving the story of celebrities and immortalising them as part of Jintaria’s past.

On the entertainment side of things, Susuhe is also home to '''the Ring''', the largest pub across all of Jintaria, built not by the government but by the collective efforts of Jintarians. As its name implies, it is a massive ring-like structure where the inner part is the counter, and the rest is dedicated to tables and other entertainment facilities. Its clients can either simply sit and order their drink and food, or take part in some of the more tame activities that can be found here: the Ring is home to facilities for sports, table football, tabletop games, and more. This pub’s prevalence in Jintarian popular culture has led to the creation of ''"You're ringing out"'' as a common slang phrase used by Jintarians to refer to someone who is too drunk or high for their own good.

===Rathlin===
'''Rathlin''' is the second most populated aerostat, and is the home to Venus’ extremely advanced hydroponics and medical facilities. While distant from Binyaria, it has also overtime adopted the archetypical Cytherean culture, but with a fairly large degree of difference: mainly, the resentment that Rathliners feel towards their Binyarian brethren. While practically all of them accept their Cytherean ways of life (which have been, to some degree, imposed on them), it doesn’t quite feel right to them that Binyaria is the centre of attention in all things Venus. This has developed into a sort of complex of inferiority towards Binyarians, with Rathliners eager to show that they’re just as relevant as their compatriots. Of course, this has to happen in other fields, as there is no hope for Rathlin’s media industries to ever outpace Binyaria’s. Instead, Rathliners – Cytherans and Jintarians alike – are much more likely to seek to climb the social ladder via scientific or medical prowess.

Another oddity unique to Rathlin is that it is the aerostat with the largest number of Jintarians living among the Cytherean population – in fact, most of its Jintarian population lives in its Cytherean side, with only around 21% living below. Many Jintarians find easy enough employment in Rathlin’s many medical, scientific and hydroponics fields if they have the skills to show for it, as these jobs are in ever-increasing demand. Some of these Jintarians can even find their way to Cytherean Binyaria, as expertise is always welcome if they can survive its cutthroat environment – and if they can match Cythereans in beauty.

The following are Rathlin’s most populated and well-known districts.

The '''Nunusa District''' is Rathlin’s seat of government and where most of its population resides. While just as brightly decorated as other Binyarian districts, Nunusa sets itself apart by borrowing its architectural styles from diverse places on Earth: anything can be found in its districts, from Baltic old town architecture to traditional Japanese architecture. Of course, all of these architectures have the typical Venusian twists to them – LED strips to accentuate colours, holographic advertisement billboards attached to the sides, and other similar tacky details. Nunusa also hosts a fairly large number of Jintarian residents. Cythereans often say that something looks "like Susuha" if it's a mishmash of many things, a melting pot, or generally curious or interesting.

Nunusa is home to one of Venus’ most multicultural academies, the '''Nunusa Polymedical Institute''', informally known as '''PolyNu'''. It is Venus’ highest rated medical university as it places more of a focus on skills rather than good looks, and many aspiring Cytherean doctors from other aerostats – even Binyaria – study here, either by using the Venusian Ferry or by temporarily moving to Nunusa. Binyarians often find themselves teased and sometimes even mocked by Rathliners for attending classes in this institute, but the education is top notch nonetheless. These four groups of cultures that coexist – Jintarians, Binyarians, Rathliners and Cythereans from other aerostats – are in a constant race to one-up the other through bragging about better grades or whichever other methods they can come up with. While this does contribute to a higher degree of academic competitiveness in the university, these competitions can also be settled in other ways, such as on the dance floor. ''"You're like a Binyarian in PolyNu"'' is a common phrase used by Rathliners to describe someone who's out of place.

The '''Satisma District''' is perhaps Venus’ most important industrial district, made up almost entirely of hydroponics facilities and attached employee housing. It provides Venus with practically all of its food, and even exports a significant amount to the Alliance as a whole. A good amount of the Spur’s expert hydroponicists are raised and trained in Satisma’s world-class facilities. Cythereans and Jintarians alike work in this district, with Cythereans managing to find it bearable as it is not particularly high-intensity work, and automation does most of the job anyway. Jintarians often write off their Cytherean workers as particularly lazy here, but that is not necessarily always the truth. ''"Do you work at Satisma?"'' is a slang phrase used by particularly vain Cythereans to refer to someone who is lower class or generally uninteresting. It is very negatively charged and often elicits a reply in kind (or worse) if used against Jintarians.

The '''Rimari District''' is, on the surface, quite similar to Satisma, filled with hydroponics complexes and other such installations. In truth, it is arguably the centre for Venus’ drug trade: completely dominated and owned by Zeng-Hu, the hydroponics plants here are rumoured to grow exclusively narcotics and whatever other types of drugs the Cytherean clientele may desire. It is strictly guarded at all hours of the day by several VPPF detachments, which has most certainly only further stained the Venusian Police’s name in the minds of Jintarians and unsatisfied Cytherean. Rimari also holds the infamous reputation of being the largest narcotics trade hub in the entire Spur according to several independent newspapers and research articles, claims that have been solely ignored by every single Venusian government. ''"Locked up like Rimari"'' is a charged slang phrase used by Cythereans and Jintarians alike to refer to someone who's clearly holding a secret of some sort, or refusing to talk about it.

'''Jintarian Rathlin''' is not much different from Jintarian Binyaria, mainly because of Jintaria’s beginnings as little more than pre-fabricated drab cities. It is, however, connected to Jintarian Binyaria through the Venusian Ferry.

'''Jintarian Satisma''' is mostly made up of restaurants, curiously enough, which import food from the hydroponics facilities above. Jintarians can find their respite in many of the higher-class (for Jintarians, anyway – they would still not hold a candle to Cytherean restaurants) in this district. Jintarian Satisma is also the host of the Satisma Fair, a 3-day fair beginning on the 15th of March and ending on the 18th where the streets of the districts are filled with food stands, festivals and other such activities. It is extremely famous among Jintarians and most of them attend it yearly, spending more than usual. Additionally, cooks from the rest of the Alliance sometimes set up their own stands and makeshift restaurants here as it is a very, very lucrative opportunity. New Hai Phonger cooks are especially renowned in Jintarian Satisma, with many trying to emulate their cuisine.

==Government and Politics==
<center>''“Jintarians have been governed by Cythereans for a century now, but no more! No more will the Jintarian have to stand by and let clueless addicts govern them! No more!” – Excerpt from Hendrik Strom’s famous campaign speech to a crowd of around million Jintarians in Jintarian Parabing.''</center>

Venus’ government is, on the surface, fairly simple: each aerostat has its own governor, which is elected through a democratic vote where all registered citizens can participate. Each district likewise has its own representative, elected in the very same manner. However, Venus places little to no effort in fighting any sort of corruption, often staffing its anti-corruption bureaus as if they were vacation homes for retired politicians. This has led to Venus’ government historically being among the most corrupt and inefficient in the Spur, with a record period of '''11 years without any significant reform''' (according to the Xanusii News Service’s ''Venusian Insight'' scoop of 2431, with a "significant reform" classified as any bill that implements a new social or governmental program). District representatives and aerostat governors alike are often accused by independent news services of collaborating in the Venusian drug trade to disgusting degrees, pocketing bribe money left and right and willingly ignoring the issues that plague Venus. Moreover, competition is at an all-time low on Venus, with all of its sectors practically monopolised by a select few companies. Venus’ media freedom ranks at its highest peak ever according to Venusian and some Solarian outlets, but independent news services often instead rank it at the bottom due to the VSI’s absolute stranglehold on the media services.

Under the surface, Venus has many de-facto exceptions given to it by the Solarian law apparatus. Drug trade and consumption are essentially completely allowed on Venus, with the VPPF not particularly inclined to ever prosecute these crimes due to their profitability. Whatever narcotics one may desire are nearly always handed over-the-counter at Zeng-Hu pharmacies, which present a ''technically legal'' front – and, as a result, no perquisitions ever occur.

This general complacency boiled over in Hendrik Strom’s election as the planetary senator in 2453, a result of Cytherean apathy and general lack of care towards voting. Elected through a historic Jintarian turnout, his campaign has run on anti-corruption promises and economic reforms – populist policies that are not appreciated by Cythereans or by the established Venusian industries. Whether these reforms will be implemented or have any long-lasting effect is yet to be seen, however, as more pressing matters have taken the ex-senator’s attention since the Solarian collapse.

The '''Venusian Stars Institute''' is an entirely government-controlled agency and an integral part of the average Venusian’s life. It has absolute control over Venusian media, from what gets produced and put on the extranet to the image rights of its stars and idols, with more details on this particular facet in the Cytherean Culture section. To the average citizen, the VSI is an almost invisible force behind social media, rarely interfering unless absolutely necessary. An example of this is the silencing of the Binyarian Exposé, where journalists propagating the story in question were promptly banned from all social media and their stories scrubbed from the Extranet.

===The Venusian Planetary Police Force===
Venus’ law enforcement agency is the '''Venusian Planetary Police Force''', or '''VPPF'''. The VPPF is more of a media stunt than a real police force, being riddled with corruption and inefficiencies, where officers are known to readily take bribes to ignore crimes -- particularly the crimes of Venus' rich and famous. The VPPF's reputation is so poor that megacorporate facilities and Venusian notables may even use private military contractors from the Eridani Federation Military to provide security instead. Hendrik Strom and his fellow populists have made a scapegoat out of the VPPF by citing its most public failures such as its inability to contain the now-defunct Tajara Revolutionary Army and its rampant cronyism. In public polling, the Venusian police typically ranks as one of the least popular planetary police agencies in the entire Solarian Alliance. It can mostly be seen policing important landmarks, clubs, bars or whichever important gala is being hosted on a certain night.
The gendarmerie’s poor standing also has to do with mostly who exactly chooses a career in it, often described as a dead-end career: that is to say, mostly crashouts and those who don’t want to be in the spotlight, for one reason or the other. Unfortunately for them, the VPPF doesn’t pay very handsomely and is seen as the opposite of a prestigious career, being considered useless by just about every single Venusian. This has led to an extremely high rate of turnover, with those leaving the VPPF often leaving Venus entirely and looking for work abroad as mercenaries in the PMCG/EPMC or as corporate security: leaving the planet with their eyes open to Venus’ many injustices and likely more depressed as a result.

The VPPF is structured into one department per aerostat with thirty-two sections per district, with each section varying in size depending on the population and importance of the location. Rimari has by far the largest sections across Binyaria. While the VPPF functions like an archetypical gendarmerie, many of its bureaus are intentionally stunted: narcotics or financial crimes departments often function in name only, with their director being paid off by more than one person in exchange for their inaction. This situation is known to just about anyone who researches it, but most importantly they have to care about it – which is not the case for the average Cytherean. After all, the VPPF’s inaction is what allows their hedonistic lifestyle to continue.

==Synthetics on Venus==
<center>''“It is the duty of Idris to provide the most perfect synthetics for the Venusian media enterprises [...]” - Excerpt from Alex Mason’s 2454 Q1 investor meeting.''</center>

Positronics on Venus are mainly imported from around Sol, with Hephaestus and Einstein Engines being the chief providers of chassis and positronics for menial and service work alike. A product of their environment, these IPC are programmed with the local Cytherian or Jintarian accent according to their posting and purpose. Fielded by both the government and private entities, the aerostats of Venus are a prime hub of IPC activity, as well as the shell frame capital of the Alliance, pushing the boundaries of avant-garde taste and chassis modifications to fit all sorts of cosmetic and functional niches of an unhinged entertainment industry.

===In Cytherian Society===
The service and entertainment sectors make heavy use of IPC workers, both on and off screen, primarily shells provided by Einstein Engines, Zeng-Hu Pharmaceuticals and smaller producers such as Earth’s Hazel Electromotive. It is not unusual for Venusian movies to cast shell actors and actresses, using them as stunt doubles for dangerous or arguably fatal screens where agility is a must, sometimes even causing real harm and damage to their forms. Cytherian Stars in the movie industry often have shell lookalikes on standby, shooting multiple scenes at once or even working on different lower-end films to maximise efficiency and output, while also making upcoming and unknown studios pay incredible sums to have a Star’s likeness in their movie, be it the real actor or not. Furthermore, shells are used intensely on stage by bands and brands such as INTERSTELLAR✰GIRLS, enhancing performances with dancing, acrobatics or other such stunts. Shell workers are also commonly found in the infamous Cytherian parties, serving guests or accompanying them in their various activities. The deeper and lower one gets, the more cosmetic altercations one finds on the shells present, as the creativity hampered by Venusian ideals of a clean body, are channelled into tattoos and modifications on their IPC. The application of piercings, vibrant colours and tattoos with fluorescent ink can range from simple creations to extravagant displays of art, utilising the bodies of the shell as a limitless canvas.

While all the above may push a favourable image of the positronics’ lives, the reality is more or less the opposite. Situated in core Solarian territory, Venusians largely echo the conservative views for the treatment of IPC as objects and property, and this is no different for Cytherian shells. While some may have their shining moments or even manage to gather a following on social media, their owners and especially the Venusian Star Institute tend to be quick at grounding them back to reality, making sure that an IPC never gets enough time in the spotlight to shadow a human Star. To this end, shell actors and dancers are often recycled for fresh ones, those discarded being resold for lower-end work in various establishments throughout Binyaria and other aerostats, or as Venusian novelty items abroad. Operating under the same crushing regime that even many Stars find exhausting, the tear and wear caused by repeated performances, dangerous scenes in cinema and a general treatment as nothing more than equipment, guarantees a much shorter lifespan compared to shells in other parts of the Spur.

===Jintarians and Corporate Synthetics===
While not as expansive as in Cytherian culture, the Jintarian working class sees its fair share of baselines and industrial frames in the workforce, owing to the extreme working conditions found in maintaining certain parts of aerostats. As a result, most positronics intended for labour are programmed with engineering and maintenance databases, organised in teams and sent to work under human technicians in tasks where even the most hardy and experienced individuals would find arduous. One other significant sector such IPC can be found in is the Venusian Planetary Police, fielding synthetic officers for all manners of operations against crime and other runaway synthetics. It is thus only natural that Jintarians interact more with non-shells, with many even coming to somewhat appreciate their presence and make clear distinctions between them and Cytherian positronics. While still under highly restrictive ownership, these IPC enjoy a greater standard of living, usual repairs as well as the lack of fear of living up to unreasonable standards like their counterparts in the more expensive and luxurious locales of Venus.

Corporate synthetics on Venus largely maintain their corporate identity, with some being tailored with a Venusian, mostly Cytherian, flair. Idris’ professional shell service staff and Reclamation Units are often programmed with the accent to cater to the clientele, while in some cases taking on low-scale cosmetic alterations such as fancy antennae, vibrant eye colours or certain skin patterns. Owing to a large Zeng-Hu presence in the pharmaceutical industry, Bishop frames are regularly seen around the megacorporation’s installations, in laboratories and pharmacies, their white and sterile form being a characteristic element of the company’s identity in many Venusians’ eyes.

==Skrell on Venus==
The Nralakk Federation is, to the surprise of very few people, one of the most restrictive states when it comes to public displays of hedonism. Thus it begs the question of what kind of Skrell would dare set foot on Venus, and the answers are fairly simple -- mainly stars and washouts. While there are Skrell on Venus that work in duller fields such as hydroponics, science or medicine, these two groups form the bulk of the popular perception of Skrell on the planet.

'''Skrellian Stars''' are the most represented group of Skrell on Venus, being present in prominent media and with some even having a fairly large following. Most of these Stars are either Federation-sponsored actors from Nralakk, human culture enthusiasts or simply disgruntled Skrell who couldn't make it in the Federation, for one reason or the other. The latter two groups are the most likely to fully embrace Venusian ideals and even venture out to other human nations, whereas the former group -- Nralakk loyalists -- do not partake quite as much and keep a tight lip on topics like dissent.

'''Washouts''', instead, are Skrell that have been completely and utterly socially isolated in the Federation. Most often either successful scientists that have published research deemed too controversial or failed doctors that couldn't meet Nralakk's academic standards, Venus represents a prestigious temporary vacation for them to spend their many leftover credits at. These Skrell stay for a matter of years -- a short time to them, but a long time to everyone else -- drowning away their sorrows until they feel ready to hit the stars once again. Whether those stars are part of Venus' artificial sky or are the Spur's is up for them to decide from their brooding.
{{Navbox Human Lore}}
{{Navbox Lore}}
[[Category:Pages]]
[[Category:Planets_and_Systems]]
[[Category:Humanity]]

Venus

2022-09-30T13:19:47Z

MattAtlas:

{{Navbox Lore}}
{{Navbox Human Lore}}
[[File:VenusSkyline.png|thumb|Binyaria from the outside, along with a few satellite aerostats.]]
Considered the Solarian Alliance’s entertainment and pharmaceutical capital, '''Venus''' exists as one of the oldest colonies within Sol and as one of the most populated worlds within the Spur. Its inhabitants live in aerostats dotted among the orange skies, where they can enjoy the highest tier of cinema, virtual reality, musicals, and so on. The Venusian population is divided – yet united – into two classes: the Cythereans, entertainment, service and generally white collar workers, and the Jintarians, the blue-collar working and middle class. Regardless of this divide and whichever stereotypes may exist, Jintarians and Cythereans recognise that the other is necessary for Venus to continue prospering.

One of the most stereotyped and divisive elements within the Spur, the term “Venusian culture” is intrinsically tied to Cythereans due to their overwhelming presence and influence within interstellar media – despite it being an umbrella term for both the Cytherean and Jintarian cultures. Nearly always opposing the values of one another, including in politics, fashion, economics and down to even details such as favourite colours, they enjoy a symbiotic relationship that has been carefully cultivated throughout the decades of cohabitation. It is recognised that reliance on one another is essential to Venus’ society, despite the existence of fringe groups that find themselves radical proponents for a division of these two cultures. Still, these two groups tend to stereotype and tease the other whenever possible due to the sheer amount of differences. It is not unusual to see Cytherean and Jintarian couples, but it is definitely something that raises many eyebrows and much curiosity on the matter – except for celebrities, where this particular choice in partner may cause a bigger scandal than anticipated; and Venusians do love their scandals.
==Venusian History==
<center>''“If you want to make it here, you’ve gotta put your all into it! They’re complaining about their schedule? Maybe they shouldn’t have signed up to be an actor, then!” - Anne-Marie Cythère in an interview on the Binyarian exposé.''</center>

===Initial Settlement===
The case of Venus and how its esoteric society developed is the subject of much debate by many sociologists. Curiously, it began not as a colony, but instead as a research outpost created by the corporations that would eventually go on to form Zeng-Hu Pharmaceuticals in the 2090s. Many experimental technologies were developed in floating research stations, mainly relating to the fields of hydroponics and the chemical industry. Despite this, Earth's governments did not pay the scorching planet much attention, since it was rather unsuitable for rudimentary colonisation prospects. This situation continued until '''2127'''. The flooding of New York City and the resulting anarchy caused many residing billionaires to choose to leave Earth in advance, and a particular group chose to leave for Venus for a simple reason: Zeng-Hu's auctioning of its Venusian research stations. These stations were sold to them in an auction at a discount as the fledgling corporation desperately needed liquidity to keep its much more valuable Asian assets afloat.

Over the next decade, these research stations were gradually expanded by their new owners and consolidated into two super-settlements, forming '''the first proto-aerostats.''' These aerostats are respectively named after their owners: '''Binyaria''', named after Jie Binya, a young American-Chinese billionaire who recently inherited a massive fortune, and '''Rathlin''', named after François Rathlin, a French entrepreneur and owner of a massive supermarket chain on Earth. Binyaria inherited Zeng-Hu's chemical industry facilities, whereas Rathlin inherited Zeng-Hu's more extensive hydroponics and pharmacy industries. Rathlin was a much more valuable complex and trade quickly flourished there, with the fledgling aerostat becoming a large exporter of grown foodstuffs. Binyaria was in a more difficult position: its chemical industry was not as valuable and, thus, was far more reliant on its owners' investment. Binyarians and Rathliners thus developed a small rivalry around this time around whose aerostat was ''really'' the better one, which persists to this day. Nonetheless, Jie, the owner of Binyaria, needed a plan to make Binyaria truly shine.

===Binyarian Renaissance===
On the 25th of December '''2141''', the '''Jie Holocinema Complex''' was announced in a massive opening ceremony costing in the billions of credits. This grand opening was complete with free tickets for a showing of the most famous Christmas movie at this time, White Snow. It was a revolutionary cinema, an absolutely massive one at that, using state-of-the-art holographic technology to give its viewers a ''truly'' out of the world experience. Nothing quite like it existed anywhere else in Human space and it acted as a lightning rod for citizens and tourists alike, which over time slowly became permanent residents. It attracted both rich and poor alike through clever use of advertisements and the inclusion of low-cost and luxury display rooms. More notably, however, it attracted the large media companies on earth. The cinema was so big that it was unmatched in terms of potential opening revenue, and Venusian billionaires were open to paying a fortune for luxury tickets. This led to a slow exodus of media companies to Venus, all competing to get opening-day contracts. It was slow at first, but later snowballed: more investment into the fledgling acting and media industry meant that more companies would move. Eventually, even the titans of the media industry began to move. By the turn of the 23rd century, Venus began rivalling Earth in terms of media. It was not quite dominant yet, however. One last push was needed.

===The Founding of the Venusian Stars Institute===
Intentionally announced at the turn of the century, on the 1st of January 2200, the Venusian Stars Institute was set from the beginning to be the heart of the Venusian media empire. An absolutely byzantine and gigantic entity, it was created to manage every single tiny bit of Venus' growing media industry. From managing actors to funding media companies, the VSI is the last edge that Binyaria needed to dislodge Earth's dominance in the media sector. Lucrative contracts and clever handiwork behind the scenes resulted in the titans of the media industry finally committing to a move to Venus. These contracts ended up creating luxurious and revolutionary institutes for the big media companies to settle in, their massive skyscrapers dominating the Venusian skyline. All citizens, at this point, would see the emblems of the Venusian media empire when looking up. Gigantic holographic billboards began to claim an unrivalled amount of space in every single alleyway. Social media, which was placed under the purview of the VSI's newly-created Social Leadership Team, began to truly boom around this time as well. Practically every citizen became an avid user of social media from the morning to the evening: the Venusian government often paid companies to give new employees latest-model phones, which came with all sorts of social media applications installed and no way to remove advertisements. While this was annoying at first, Venusians ended up accepting this situation eventually. After all, they ''were'' free, high-end mobile phones. The money that Venus spent on this was quickly made back through insane amounts of advertisement money: practically every citizen was viewing hundreds and hundreds of advertisements throughout the day. Idol culture began spreading through social media as well, with many falling in ranks behind their favourite media star, yet quick to turn their backs on them whenever the new scandal came out.

===The Binyarian Exposé and Cytherea===
The reality of the actors' life was much different than what was shown on social media. Their happy lives were often carefully manufactured lies, sold by their privately-hired media marketing teams. Of course, this is knowledge that only the actors themselves would have -- they, themselves, were too busy under the immense pressure of the Venusian entertainment industry. The Venusian Stars Institute's guidelines for actors -- essentially rules that they may not break for any reason -- clamped down harder and harder with every passing year. Newly-implemented beauty standards in ''2203''' meant that many actors had to resort to expensive, Zeng-Hu sponsored plastic surgery or then-experimental genetic engineering in order to meet unrealistic demands. Many took out extensive loans from the then-up-and-rising Idris banking company in order to afford these expensive Zeng-Hu procedures. These loans were then paid through a gruesome amount of work: actors often had to work gruelling work schedules, day after day, just to not be crushed under the interest. This opened up a new, lucrative front for Zeng-Hu: drugs grown on Rathlin could easily be sold to actors on Cytherea, which led to their rampant substance abuse behind the scenes, simply to deal with the stress. This industry is extremely lucrative and Zeng-Hu invested billions and billions into it. The usage of these substances spread to much of the public as well, although it was not yet a worldwide phenomenon.

This situation was unknown to the public until '''2217'''. A Venusian reporting agency, ''Le Courrier'', broke out a story amiably called '''the Binyarian Exposé.''' This story was in actuality a 287 page document that detailed the living situation of authors behind the scenes and the unrealistic standards of the VSI, down to every single small detail. Many failed or rejected authors were interviewed to obtain the information needed. Unfortunately, it was far too long and had the opposite effect of what the authors wanted. The VSI's strict control over social media meant that the story was swiftly suppressed by the algorithms. Additionally, many Venusians simply did not care and dismissed the revelations as '[...] washed up artists and B-rate actors making things up [...]'. This was the position held by '''Anne-Marie Cythère''', the most famous actor of this era and an icon of Venus, arguably the first real idol who possessed a massive cult following, mainly on Venus. Those who agreed with her stance were referred to as 'Cythereans' by Earther critics, a term which stuck over time and began substituting the usage of Venusians in common language. It began as a derogatory term, but Venusians simply repossessed the word to fit their new identity. This point marks the beginning of Cytherea and Cythereans for historians -- the point where Venusians accepted their new identity.

Additionally, the Exposé resulted in most of the world beginning to accept drug usage -- most simply saw it as just another facet of idol culture, and reasoned that since drinking was fine, substance abuse should be fine, too. The authorities were quickly overwhelmed as there were far too many rising cases of substance abuse and resale for them to handle. This led to most cases being dismissed with either a very light fine or no action taken. Some critics point to Zeng-Hu interference in this process through bribing authorities to grow its markets, but Zeng-Hu has denied all such claims.

As a result of this new identity, less and less Cythereans begin entering skilled trades. Rathlin's hydroponics and pharmacy industries, curiously, were not affected due to them being mostly automated and due to a relative lack of required physical work for their workers. The service industry and connected sectors begin absolutely dominating Venusian statistics, with almost the entirety of Venus' industry being located in Rathlin's hydroponics facilities. Binyaria's chemical industries began to go bankrupt and alarm bells were rang by many, but the government simply did not care. The media was what was making money, not the heavy industries. Anyone with a keen eye could spot that this growth was unsustainable, but once again, profits were placed over rationale.

===The First Interstellar War and the Jie Riots===
With the outbreak of war for the Alliance, Venusians were conscripted just like the rest. This was, however, not taken amiably by the planet's populace and led to the first ever mass riots on Venus, dubbed 'the Jie Riots', as they took place in Our Lady’s Plaza in the aforementioned district. Around a million Venusians took to the streets to protest against the war, or at the very least for exemptions for Venusians. Many cried out that 'war's not good for our industry' and expressed a general unwillingness to go fight, as the physical damage would ruin their careers. Historians point to most social media posts bringing attention to the fact that the majority of the populace simply did not want their beauty to be compromised -- this was a more worrying prospect than death, to most Venusians. These protests were, however, very disorganised as there was no real unifying cause or voice behind them. The Alliance quickly intervened, quelled them, and conscription took place as it normally did in other worlds.

A significant amount of the Venusian working class was drafted -- around 20% -- mostly drawn from those that worked in the heavy industries keeping the planet afloat. Resistance to conscription was significant for most Venusians, who often found ways to outright avoid it. The Venusian government and the VSI were found to be involved in assisting actors, film makers, billionaires and, in general, everyone involved with the Venusian entertainment empire in draft dodging, mainly through clever forging of medical papers exempting them from service for one reason or the other. The entertainment industry continued to prosper or at the very least stay afloat, depending on which economics agency was polled, but everything else began to collapse in a manner of weeks due to the drafting of almost all of the skilled workers. Rationing and austerity were quickly instituted in all aerostats, to the chagrin of the planet’s populace. It would prove to be a difficult decade for Venusians, with many feeling the brunt of poverty and austerity, leading to a large amount of resentment towards the Alliance.

===The End of Austerity and the Jintarian Plan===
With the war ending, Venus was at the breaking point. The power plants had almost nobody left to work for them except for direly overworked engineers, and most of the populace simply did not want to work these jobs. The situation was especially dire and a new technocratic government was put in charge with a political blank cheque in order to deal with the situation once and for all. This led to the creation of the '''Jintaria Plan''', one of the biggest social engineering feats of human history. Through the usage of the Venusian media conglomerate, many veterans and refugees across the Alliance were invited to hastily fabricated 'cities under cities' in the aerostats. The contracts given to them were quite simple: as long as they worked in their assigned sector, they would have government-provided housing, heating, electricity and appliances. This was a very risky gamble that was quite expensive, but the dice roll succeeded. Many flocked over to the newly created Jintarian strata in order to find a new life, thus providing Venus with the skilled force it direly needed. The situation finally stabilised on the '''21st of August 2301''' with the end of austerity. Gigantic parties were held everywhere across Cytherea, with it becoming an official holiday, Ascension Day. Some Jintarians participated in these parties, while others simply took to pubs in their own slice of the aerostat.

Jintarian society is an inviting prospect for many refugees and immigrants. It is a patchwork blend of many cultures, who live together sharing the burden of an entire planet: this sole unifying factor leads to a shared sense of brotherhood and duty among Jintarians. This new class finds it hard to scale the ladder, however. It is practically almost impossible for Jintarians to work in the Venusian media industries due to ‘beauty standards concerns’: the fact that most of the Jintarian population has done some sort of trade or physical work in their life, which leads to the formation of minor beauty defects – enough for the Cythereans to reject the prospect of such a person entering the media scene. Some Jintarians opt for extensive plastic surgery to enter the ranks of the Cythereans, but this requires almost half a lifetime of savings and is an exceedingly rare occurrence. These ‘quasi-Cythereans’ are a mixed bag for Jintarians: the most radical view them as class traitors and the ambitious view them as lucky individuals.

===Modern History, Cytherea and Jintaria===
Venus is, today, labelled as the '''Queen of Entertainment''' for good reason. A significant amount of entertainment media is produced in Venus, casted with Venusian celebrities and created by Venusian companies, with the end products finding solid purchase in most markets across the Spur. It is a powerful cultural weapon for the Alliance. It also hosts a state-of-the-art hydroponics industry in Rathlin -- being a net exporter of food, second only to Ganymede -- and a titanic pharmaceutical industry, focused mainly on beauty and pharmaceutical products.

Venus, curiously, hosts the largest population of Martian refugees in the Spur. Following Violet Dawn, millions of Martians now call Jintaria their home. They were invited to work on Venus under similar contracts as the first Jintarians.

==Environment==
<center>''“Those eruptions? Ohmygosh, they were so cool!” - Part of an unnamed Venusian tourist’s review of the Idris Venusian Cruise Experience sightseeing package.''</center>

Venus is an incredibly hot and miserable planet. The mass of its atmosphere is 93 times that of Earth's, equivalent to the crushing depths of the deep ocean. This atmosphere is extremely thick and toxic, composed primarily of carbon dioxide and nitrogen, and this generates the strongest greenhouse effect in the Solar System, creating an average surface temperature of at least 462 C (864 F). Due to these crushing conditions, '''no Venusians live on the surface.''' Instead, they rely on floating aerostats – which have become a key part of Venus, and more importantly its society.

A Venusian year lasts 225 Earth days. A normal day on Venus lasts much longer than that of Earth due to the slow rotation, taking 243 Earth days to make one Venusian day. Venus spins backwards when compared to the other planets in the Sol system, causing the sun to rise in the west and set in the east. It rains sulphuric acid on the surface and the atmosphere is so thick that it exerts massive amounts of pressure on the surface. This crushes all but the most structurally reinforced habitats below the cloud layer, practically all of which are extremely specialised research habitats, with the rest destroyed by caustic acid rain. The planet hosts massive amounts of volcanic activity, which spew even more toxic gases into the atmosphere – although these are often co-opted as tourist attractions visible from cubicles in the aerostats or through windows in shuttles. Almost no sunlight reaches the surface of the planet, despite the temperature.
==Cytherean Culture==
<center>''“[...] Sol knowingly perpetrates that deluded Venusian perversion of human values, where the greed of the individual is placed on a pedestal for all to see and envy, where lust becomes paramount both for money and for man, where hard work and pride are substituted for laziness and a manic social anxiety. In this place, the ugly truth has a model’s face [...]” - Commander Ganesh Shrivastav (2411 - Present) in an impassioned speech to the Xanu parliament, regarding the Solarian threat.''</center>

Cytherean culture’s paramount concept is '''climbing the social ladder'''. This is the one concept that is '''utterly important''' to every single Cytherean, and each of them has their own view on what it entails. This social ladder can be interpreted in many ways – for some, it’s gaining an immense amount of followers on social media, while for others it’s becoming a spur-wide celebrity through a career in acting. It is universally considered to only be climbable through activities that inherently make you more popular among others, contributing to the reason why the extreme majority of Cythereans reject any sort of physical labour that does not provide this opportunity. It isn’t seen as strictly necessary to remain on Venus in order to climb the social ladder, and glory is considered to be attainable even outside of Venus itself – but most consider it an eventual necessity to come back and show off.

Because of this obsession, Cythereans tend to be extravagant in all facets of life, willing to stand out from the crowd by any means necessary; Cytherea is the primary pop culture centre of Sol, with a populace often dressed in bright, dramatic clothing. Many Solarian celebrities either live or were born on one of Venus’s aerostats, growing up in the privileged Cytherean culture. The best actors, comedians, chefs, musicians, and pop stars enjoy almost constant coverage on holo-screens, only occasionally replaced by adverts for startup beauty products, cutting-edge gaming hardware, or the newest diet fad. These celebrities enjoy high class treatment and something akin to worship from the Cythereans. Many come from across the galaxy, human and alien alike, seeking to turn their fortunes around. However, Cythereans are not immune to poverty and hardship in their laissez-faire society. Those looking to become the next big thing sometimes wind up on the opposite end of the spectrum, relying on morally and legally ambiguous means to get by. Aliens, although welcome, are typically sidelined in favour of human actors and models due to most moguls desiring to “play it safe." As a result, aliens, regardless of their talents, are typically seen as understudies, extras, dancers, and occasionally backup singers or instrumentalists.

The Cytherean environment is very cutthroat: many are willing to do whatever it takes to climb the social ladder, whether that be by fabricating scandals or putting their fingers in one too many pies. Law enforcement is often easily evaded due to lofty standards and a general lack of passion. In the end, one can get away with almost anything as long as they possess the right contacts and enough money. The party culture thrives in the aerostats, with the grand cocktail parties and fundraising schmooze-fests toward the top of teardrop slowly fading into the high-energy festivals of the lower sections. Toward the top, one can overhear the latest gossip and glimpse envelopes of credits sliding under tables. Toward the bottom, one can see the most hedonistic displays of luxury.

Though many work in the entertainment industry as stars and producers, there are great opportunities for a Cytherean scientist: after all, climbing the scientific social ladder and becoming a genius prodigy renowned across the Spur is quite the attractive goal. The development of pharmaceutical drugs and new medicines is a common field for Cytherean scientists, with celebrities and talent agencies needing a constant stream of narcotics for parties and stimulants to keep shooting sessions going for days at a time. Cytherea has a booming genetic engineering field that is primarily centred around the biomodification of celebrities in order to ensure that they are always at their physical peak, no matter which direction the ever-shifting winds of Cytherea's celebrity scene blow. Stimulants, such as cocaine, are the Cytherean drug of choice and are typically genetically modified by various Cytherean pharmacies to create more desirable effects. When exported these so-called "designer" drugs can fetch an extremely high price on the interstellar market. Cytherea's pharmaceutical industry is estimated to produce upwards of two-thirds of all narcotics consumed in the Republic of Biesel, even after the First and Second Solarian Invasions. Appropriately, Cytherea's pharmacies also produce a vast amount of the Alliance's anti-overdose medications. Many Cytherean pharmacies are associated or owned by Zeng-Hu Pharmaceuticals.

The largest Cytherean holiday is '''Ascension Day''', shortened to '''the Ascension''', celebrated on the 21st of August. It marks the return to normalcy after Venus’ long period of austerity, but its roots have long since been forgotten by most of the population, except by politicians and work supervisors. This is a day for all Venusians to indulge in whatever they can for as long as they can: gigantic feasts, parties and raves are held across all of Cytherea, along with fashion shows on the streets and other such activities. For some it’s a point of pride and reminds them of why living on Venus is worth it, along with the happiness that the end of austerity brought them – while for others, it’s simply a day to get wasted and enjoy it.
===Stars, Idols and Crashouts===
The idol culture of Venus is extraordinarily demanding for those that choose to involve themselves in it. Climbing the rungs of the Cytherean entertainment industry from mere extra to A-list celebrity able to star in the likes of Monkey King is no small feat involving raw acting talent, an incredible amount of social networking, and no small amount of backroom dealing between agents, celebrities, and producers. This process can often take years if one is unlucky, and the top celebrities often undergo extensive plastic surgery to ensure that they remain attractive enough to be considered for the greatest entertainment products of the industry. The amount of resources, time, and commitment needed to reach - and stay at - the top of the celebrity culture of Venus is truly astonishing, and the rat race of keeping up with the ever-shifting and constantly changing standards of what makes a celebrity an A-list celebrity results in many hopeful stars simply crashing out of the industry, and thus becoming known as a '''crashout'''.

Becoming any sort of professional major media player (referred to as a '''Star''') – whether that be an actor, a news anchor or an influencer – requires one to first sign '''100% of their image rights''' to the Venusian Stars Institute. These contracts are extremely lucrative for the person in question, but it is a poisoned apple nonetheless – once one signs with the Venusian Stars Institute to become a Star, '''they no longer have any control over their media appearances''', and thus the VSI will thus be able to unilaterally decide when and where they appear, in addition to being able to monopolise and commercialise the fledgling Star’s image as they wish – a very well known fact, but now only considered a stepping stone to become a celebrity. Each Star possesses its own PR and media team, de jure under the Star itself but de facto delegating to the VSI’s byzantine bureaucracy.

Despite these contracts, Stars are given a large amount of autonomy in how to run their career. While the grand majority opt for running their careers on Venus, some manage to take jobs abroad and live out new experiences there, while still technically affiliated to the VSI. It matters not for the Institute, as long as they garner a high amount of views on social media and further spread the Venusian brand.

Those that fall out of grace – either because of the crushing standards, burnout, extreme social pressure or whatever else – do not enjoy an easy life. Referred to as '''crashouts''' once the Institute stops affiliating with them – a process known as '''delisting''' – they are reminded of this failure everywhere they go by anyone that knows them, representing the minority of Venusians that have had their eyes opened to the injustice and oppression of Cytherean society. Cythereans do not have much tact or care for these crashouts, viewing them as simply not good enough. Most of these rejects either leave Venus entirely and seek employment somewhere else – often taking out generous loans in order to apply for apprenticeships or training courses, as they do not have any sort of marketable skill – or find employment in Venus’ overworked public sector, such as in the Venusian Planetary Police Force or even in the Solarian Navy itself, representing by far the largest percentage of Cythereans in both categories. Some crashouts can also end up falling into the net of Jintarian culture, where they are caught and welcomed by other Jintarians as simply more proof that Cytherean culture is poison rather than a blessing. A one-way ticket to delisting is, for example, speaking up about unfavourable work conditions on social media.

Upon becoming a Spur-wide celebrity, a Star is then granted '''Idol''' status by the VSI, and immortalised in the Diamond Hall: a gigantic museum in the very centre of Binyaria that hosts detailed biographies, mementos and signatures of every VSI-signed celebrity big enough to truly make it. Becoming an Idol is the ultimate dream of every Star and often functions as a sort of northern light for them in their journey. These Idols are practically all known to Cythereans at large and represent a sticking point for Cytherean pride, with many prizing their trivia knowledge on any given Idol. '''Due to their rarity, immense popularity and astronomical wealth, it is impossible to play an Idol or an ex-Idol on the ship.'''
===Famous Cytherean Celebrities===
Those that are able to survive and thrive as celebrities in the cutthroat and demanding environment of Cytherea's entertainment industry reap a truly massive amount of rewards ranging from accolades to millions of Solarian Credits. But, perhaps more importantly than anything else, they are some of the most famous people in human space and the greater Orion Spur. The individuals listed below are just a handful of Cytherea's most famous residents, and will be known throughout the Orion Spur.

One of the most famous Cytherean idols ever is perhaps '''Chan-mi Jee''', the renowned frontwoman and singer of '''INTERSTELLAR✰GIRLS''': a famous all-female pop group based out of the Binyarian aerostat. Chan-mi Jee's famous voice, which has been biologically augmented to have a wider range, can be found on dozens of '''INTERSTELLAR✰GIRLS''' albums. The band's most famous album, Interstellar Heart, currently holds the Spur-wide record for most copies ever sold. Despite her successes, which include having been named the Venusian cultural ambassador for five years in a row, Chan-mi Jee's personal life has been the subject of some speculation in the Cytherean press, and repeated plastic surgeries have left only a sliver of resemblance to the woman that began her pop career ten years ago. But for the moment, she and her band remain the undisputed queens of the Cytherean musical scene. ''"You have Chan-mi's looks"'' is a Cytherean's most prized slang weapon, used to describe someone who is extremely attractive.

In the Cytherean acting scene there is, arguably, nobody that defines the role of leading man better than the dashing and charismatic idol, '''Caspar Orillian'''. Born and raised in the "red treadmill" industry of Cytherea, Caspar has found extraordinary success playing athletic leading men thanks to extensive biomodifications and plastic surgeries that have shaped and reshaped his face to constantly be in-season and attractive. A large number of editors hired by his estate retroactively edit his films and publicity photos to resemble whatever Caspar's current appearance is. His constant facial restructurings are seen as a sign of his success due to the immense cost associated with them, and are a clear proof of his dedication to maintaining his celebrity status.

Famous director '''Samuel Monaghan''' is another of Cytherea's most famous celebrities, and his name can be found on a variety of movies ranging from action films to long dramas. Monaghan's distinctive style is easily-recognized throughout the Orion Spur's film scene thanks to his focus on single-shot scenes using drones as floating cameras. The fame of Monaghan has also been built by the director's often eccentric and eye-catching behaviour off the set. Monaghan is known for his eccentric behaviour, unusual rants, and deliberately garnish outfits. The controversy that this has caused him in Cytherea's tabloid scene has only helped his fame grow, but it remains to be seen if his behaviour will continue to build fame or ultimately backfire and cause his fall.

'''Quu'xuu "Kwoo" Vol'rii''' is an idol and something of an oddity in the Cytherean entertainment scene due to her status as a skrell. Having recently flown into the highest ranks of Cytherea due to her highly-rated performance as the main villain of Monkey King VII, Doctor Yana Vashtu, the diminutive doctor of human cultural studies has found a following thanks to both her haughty and evil attitude on-camera and her awkward yet earnest attitude off the set. Kwoo, as she is affectionately known by her fans, has found further fame thanks to her charitable donations to Mars following her success in Monkey King VII. However, it remains uncertain how long her fifteen minutes of fame from Monkey King VII will last, if Kwoo will choose to remain in Cytherea at all, or if the unfaltering support for the Nralakk Federation will be her eventual social downfall.
===Cytherean Fashion===
Due to the extremely fast-paced nature of Cytherea's fashion industry there are a number of trends entering the public eye, being sold by stores, and falling out of fashion at any time. Anything a non-Cytherean can put together that is appealing to the eye, and sometimes not, has been the height of fashion at some point somewhere in the clouds. However there are a few popular looks and rules Cytherean fashion tends to follow.

The most important rule for an aspiring Cytherean fashionista is that the best part of the body is the '''skin'''. A lot of clean, unblemished, hairless skin is shown in Cytherean fashion; whether it be through a high-slit dress, a translucent button-up shirt, a pair of short shorts, a fitted tank top, or a low cut blouse. More masculine figures tend to show off the upper body, especially the arms, while more feminine looks show off the lower body, specifically the legs. But in the Cytherean view showing too much skin is a great faux pas; looks are often balanced so that if a lot of the upper body is shown, the lower body is mostly covered and vice versa. Cytherean business wear, in contrast, tends to be much less skin-showing in order to stay in line with the greater Solarian Alliance, particularly Luna.

While Cythereans consider minor body modifications fine, a more natural appearance is preferred in contrast to gaudy or overly eye-catching augmentations. Body-sculpting plastic surgery procedures are common, especially among celebrities, in order to ensure that one remains within the Cytherean standards of beauty. Some of the most common body-sculpting procedures include improving facial features and structure, removing all body hair “below the eyelashes," tightening the skin, removing excess body fat, dental reconstruction, enhancing or emphasising musculature, and balancing body proportions (usually in favour of the legs). However extensive piercing, more extreme body-sculpting, heavy tattooing, and other modifications that break the “pure skin” rule are frowned upon and tattooing in particular, even minor forms in some cases, is considered unsightly due to its long-standing connection with criminals or groups such as dregs.

Many trends originate in Binyaria’s Parabing District, and are locally called '''“wankukai”''' trends. Wankukai clothes are either what’s popular in the Mile's clubbing scene or, less popularly, something slightly more appropriate for streetwear. Masculine looks often have plain, solid colored pants in dark colours with slim, usually designer belts, and often have simple dress shoes or sneakers. Translucent button-ups with LED or neon-tubing designs up the arms or across the chest are popular, as well as similarly designed, fitted tank tops to accentuate the arms. Some even elect to go shirtless. Suit jackets matching one’s pants are also common, as well as leather jackets with LED or neon designs on the back. As for more feminine looks, miniskirts, short shorts, and -- for the brave -- microskirts are commonplace, often paired with simple low heels, flats, or sneakers. Colourful dress shirts, qipao blouses, and standard blouses are all common as well, featuring designs similar to masculine looks. Dresses of all lengths usually have a high-slit, reaching all the way up the thigh, and are often intricately decorated with LED and neon-tubing. Though suit jackets and leather jackets with designs are common among feminine looks as well, they are occasionally cropped to just below or at the ribs.
==Jintarian Culture==
<center>''“J-I-N-T-A-R-I-A! Home of the free!” - Excerpt from Torchbearers, a famous Jintarian punk nu-metal song by Just Us, the most popular Jintarian band as of 2464.''</center>

Jintarian culture can often be defined as the ''polar opposite'' of Cytherean culture in many facets, but it borrows as much as it opposes. Jintarians pride themselves on being the squeaky clean side of Venus – an approach which, unfortunately, makes their scene only truly appealing to Jintarians themselves and to contrarians across the galaxy. Regardless of how unpopular they may be on the interstellar scene, Jintarians tend to be extremely prideful of their accomplishments and often have a do-or-die attitude when it comes to carrying things out: after all, Venus is standing where it is thanks to them. This leads to a mostly punk-ish and contrarian culture, where keeping things real is incentivised, along with distancing yourself from Cytherea as much as possible in matters of fashion, music and even the celebrities one follows. As an example, while Cythereans prefer clothing that shows off as much skin as possible, Jintarians prefer the direct opposite of that – turtlenecks, sweaters, flannel shirts and other such clothes are very common in these communities.

Despite all of this, Jintarians and Cythereans are not enemies. They live together just as much as a Biesellite and a Solarian may live in the same apartment in Mendell City. Cythereans recognise the need for Jintarians in order for their planet to function – but do not hesitate to call them out on their broodish, low-class fashion. Jintarians recognise that Venus is the giant it is due to the Cythereans’ natural aptitude in entertainment, but do not hesitate to call them out on their hedonistic lifestyle, corrupt politics and horribly flashy clothing choices. In the same vein, it isn’t unheard of for Jintarians to spend their weekend at Cytherean bars, if only to prove their superiority over them in one way or the other. It is possible for Jintarians to find employment in more Cytherean fields: as an example, Jintarian baristas in Cytherean bars are not entirely out of the world – but some discrimination in this field is to be expected.

In the same vein, it isn’t unheard of – although '''very rare''' – for Jintarians to end up integrating into Cytherean society. This is only possible for those that are willing to either sign up for '''drastic''' plastic surgery in order to compete with the very top of Cytherean society, often by taking out very predatory Idris loans, or for those that are more naturally blessed. It isn’t an easy path and it is marred with discrimination and harsh financial choices, as these ‘reformed’ Jintarians are often looked down upon in Cytherea in basically all matters: whether that be in job selection or simply having their curriculum vitae noticed. Those that choose this path and continue following it, whether that be for credits or fame, end up disenfranchised and practically '''exiled''' from their old Jintarian community.
===Famous Jintarian Celebrities===
Jintarians have distanced themselves from the distinction between Star and Idol, viewing it as essentially objectifying celebrities. Instead, the concept of who exactly is a celebrity is fairly wide: essentially, anyone famous enough to be known outside of Jintaria, even a little, is considered an ambassador of Jintarian culture and essentially a celebrity. Historically, Jintaria has been the unacknowledged part of Venus, and only in recent times has its influence begun to increase: with the election of Strom and the massively increased success of Jintarian celebrities abroad, Jintaria has finally begun reclaiming its slice of Venus. This has led to Jintarians as a whole being extremely prideful and attached to their celebrities, viewing them as the only reason why Jintarians are known at all – referring to the current crop as '''the Golden Generation'''. While this success may be still extremely small compared to their Cytherean brethren, it does not stop particularly prideful Jintarians from proclaiming the beginning of a new age for their class.

Much like in Cytherea, any Jintarian celebrity deemed big enough is given a spot in the '''Venusian Jintarian Museum''', the Jintarian counterpart of the Diamond Hall. The requirements are much less stringent, and generally there isn’t much competitiveness among Jintarians to be represented there – it is simply an honour.

'''Kyle De Koster''' is arguably the biggest Jintarian celebrity, perhaps only tying with Hendrik Strom for the title. The lead singer of Just Us, a Jintarian punk nu-metal band with a focus on optimistic lyrics, his career has been a long and hard fought one. It started as a venture between high school friends who played their music in the streets of Binyaria’s Jintarian communities, and evolved to an interstellar phenomenon through hard work alone. Many of this band’s songs idolise the Jintarian struggle and their own experience, providing a point of reference for many Jintarians. Their latest album, ''Hold Us Tight'', has been a massive hit with Jintarians but also across the Coalition of Colonies, boasting very high viewership especially on Himeo. De Koster and his band are known Jintarian nationalists and do not fear speaking up in matters of politics, having given their endorsement of Hendrik Strom several times in the past.

'''Hendrik Strom''' is, in the eyes of many fellow Jintarians, the best representation of Jintaria. Since starting as a humble city councilman roughly thirty years ago Strom has climbed to the top through ability, ambition, and no small amount of Jintarian nationalism. Once a senator representing Venus, Strom has served as the emergency governor of the Sol System since shortly after the Naval coup in late 2462. Strom has never forgotten his roots and often visits Venus, where he is greeted warmly by his fellow Jintarians, to raise support for himself and what many see as his inevitable run for Prime Minister once elections open up again. His face can often be seen throughout Jintarian communities on inspirational posters and political billboards alike.

'''Katarina Josic''' is a strong contender for the spot of ‘very famous Jintarian celebrity’, despite being much more of an extremist. Her career, interestingly, is not in Jintaria but instead abroad – she left Jintaria very early to become an actress in the Coalition of Colonies, with her main following being located there instead of in Sol. This endeavour was successful and she has starred in many top films in the Coalition, becoming a widely known figure and using this fame as a platform for her pro-Jintaria speeches. Unlike Just Us’ members, however, she is a very anti-Solarian individual and has often spoken out against the nation in the past, going as far as renouncing her citizenship in favour of a Coalition one following the Violet Dawn incident. She has criticised the members of Just Us many times before for their pro-Solarian stances as well.
===Jintarian Fashion===
Jintarian every-day fashion is much more practical and significantly less gaudy than its Cytherean counterpart, generally trending towards punk-like styles – ripped jeans, as an example, are very common in Jintaria. Many Jintarians wear simple, practical clothing well-suited to their typically industrial or physical work such as jeans, simple tees, long-sleeved shirts or track pants. Jintarian professionals dress much like their counterparts in the rest of the Alliance. As their pride prevents them from emulating Cytherean fashion, Jintarians have a habit of standing out through the smaller details: they often decorate their jacket or shirt with stickers, pins, armbands. There is much variance in the style and reason behind these accessories – some use accessories that represent their life or views, while others simply pick whatever is the most colourful or whatever they think is most aesthetically pleasing. Jintarian business wear tends to be similar to the rest of the Alliance, although the expensive brands are near-universally avoided by Jintarians.

Most Jintarians opt to deliberately ignore Cytherea's big fashion brands, and many take pride in this willing ignorance -- instead opting to "buy Jintarian" when it comes to their clothing. As a result, most Jintarian clothing is produced using materials sourced from Jintaria itself and made in Jintarian-dominated aerostat districts. It isn’t unusual for Jintarian fashion to be exported off of Venus: simple Jintarian clothing has found a niche in cheap, affordable apparel and can be found in many shops and malls around the Spur. As of late, many more people are buying this type of clothing due to the living cost crisis created by the Phoron shortage. Additionally, Jintarian enterprises often run some philanthropic endeavours with certain lines of clothing, donating some of the earnings to a few good causes – one example is the ''Dawn'' line from the most famous Jintarian clothes company, Jinnel: a series of black tees where the imprint is that of a typical Martian dome, transitioning from a normal state to a destroyed and burnt one. 75% of the earnings from this line were donated to the Martian victims of the Violet Dawn disaster that now find their home in Jintaria.
==Aerostats==
<center>''“What do I know about Binyarians? All they do is take our stuff and never give anything back. It’s unfair!” - A quote by an unnamed Rathliner hydroponics specialist responding to the “What Do You Think About Your Fellow Venusians” survey, juxtaposed with an unnamed Binyarian actress’ answer, “About Rathliners? Well, they make our food, I guess?”''</center>

Venusians dwell in aerostats floating in the habitable layer nicknamed '''“the Zone”''' above the sulphuric acid clouds masking the surface. These floating cities are primarily held in place by their natural oxygen content and large bags of hydrogen. Aerostats began with a size equal to the average city centre, but have since expanded to much larger sizes, with the largest ones rivalling other major cities in the Spur. Aerostats are divided into two main sections: Cytherea, which refers to the Cytherean-dominated areas above, and Jintaria, which refers to boyh the small pockets of Jintarians above ground but also (and mainly) the Jintarian cities under the respective districts.

Aerostats follow a similar style of planning to normal cities, with all kinds of districts and buildings present – each aerostat is divided into a variable number of districts, depending on the population, that make up its administrative divisions.There are, however, some differences due to their nature as floating cities: as an example, no wind or any kind of atmospheric phenomenon is present on these aerostats, except as an optional setting in artificial parks. Binyarians pin this on the fact that the presence of wind would limit one’s choice in fashion. On the other hand, both a day-night cycle and a sky similar to the Earth’s are simulated through large and complex lighting arrays that make up the inside of the dome-like structure separating the aerostat from the atmosphere. Normally, someone would only be able to see this artificial sky in an aerostat, but there are some buildings that have a window to the outside as a stylistic choice.

All aerostats are interconnected in a gigantic ring-like structure, forming a sort of spider web across the planet’s surface: the two biggest aerostats, Binyaria and Rathlin, form the two ‘poles’ respectively at the north and south of the web. It is possible to travel from an aerostat to another through the '''Venusian Ferry''', the gigantic shuttletram network forming the basis of this web. It isn't only a means of transport but also a very famous all-in-one tourism attraction sponsored by Idris: firework displays are fused with the planet's naturally odd atmosphere in order to create light shows truly out of a movie. Most if not all Venusians and tourists alike take at least one trip on the Venusian Ferry in their life.

Bar certain exceptions like Rathlin, most Jintarians live in sprawling city complexes under the aerostats, referred to as, for example, Jintarian Binyaria or Jintarian Parabing to name a section of Jintaria under a specific district. Jintaria as a whole is informally known as '''‘downstairs’''' by Cythereans, whereas Cytherea is referred to as '''‘upstairs’''' by Jintarians. These city complexes tend to be densely packed and populated, with little variance in terms of architecture and structure as a result of their government-planned construction. They have overtime, however, been decorated with various LED holoboards bought from Cytherea, artificial parks and other such structures to breathe some life into the atmosphere. The aerostats’ heavier industries, such as power complexes or factories, are entirely located in the Jintarian sections. Jintarians have easy enough access to Cytherea through elevators that can be found throughout their cities, with at least one under each Cytherean district.
===Binyaria===

'''Binyaria''' is the capital aerostat of Venus and by far the most populated one, widely known as Venus’ jewel, sporting the archetypical Cytherean architecture: lightshows, LEDs and flashy buildings. People from across the galaxy flock to Binyaria to experience both Solarian and Cytherean culture, which has its roots in the very same aerostat. It is one of the most-visited tourist destinations in the Spur, clocking in the high hundreds of millions of visits every year – with all of them coming to experience the Cytherean culture that began in the very same aerostat. Of course, all of these tourists come to partake in Cytherean hobbies in one way or the other as well.

Cythereans in Binyaria are almost entirely employed in the service and entertainment sectors. Despite its rapid deindustrialisation, Binyaria still hosts a large amount of pharmaceuticals industries and related research complexes, where about 12% of the Cytherean population works.

The following are Binyaria’s most populated and well-known districts.

The '''Jie District''' is located at the very centre of Binyaria, named after the original ruler of the aerostat. It is the true heart of the Cytherean fashion and acting industry, along with the bio-modification that goes hand in hand with them. Tourists flock to Jie to partake, or at least gawk, at the majesty of Cytherea's famed fashion houses, acting museums and so on. This district also houses several Zeng-Hu Pharmaceuticals facilities centred around biomodification and beauty techniques that are frequented by both the rich and famous of Cytherea and exceptionally wealthy (or vain) tourists. Outside of its main thoroughfare, Jie is home to a wild variety of production studies for everything from holovids to music, and many of those involved in Cytherea's entertainment industry make their homes in the expensive apartments and estates of the district. With all of this considered, it is not the district that houses the government, and functions mainly as the flashiest show-off of what Cytherea is truly about, being the most visited district for its value in re-telling Cytherean history (from their side, at least). The only permanent residents in Jie are CEOs, official functionaries and other similarly wealthy or famous figures. ''"We can't all live in Jie District"'' is a phrase used by Jintarians to essentially say "not all of us can be filthy rich", to mock Cythereans for their vanity or simply to express just how ridiculous something is. On the flip side, Cythereans often use the phrase ''"not a Jintarian's chance in Jie"'' to describe impossible odds or something/someone looking really bad (either socially or physically).

Located at the very centre of the Jie District is the '''Venusian Stars Institute''', arguably Venus’ single most important institution. A gigantic, byzantine skyscraper, covered from bottom to top in holographic billboards and the brightest, most colourful LEDs that can be bought on the Spur. With these features and the tacky holographic signs on all four sides at its top blasting its acronym in the brightest rainbow lights imaginable, it dominates Binyaria’s skyline as a consistent reminder of what truly keeps the aerostat afloat: the power of media. Curiously enough, the phrase ''"You're like the Jie skyline"'' has recently become a Cytherean way to tell someone that they stand out, either from good looks or for other reasons. Its first recorded usage was in an Interstellar Girls single from 2463, ''Skyline''.

The Jie District is also home to the '''Jie Holocinema Complex''', the largest and most advanced holocinema in the Spur. It is an absolutely gigantic and flashy structure, being by far the brightest and most-decorated building in Cytherea as a whole. Every single top movie has at least one early screening in this cinema, and these tickets often go for exorbitant prices – which doesn’t stop Cytherea’s many billionaires from lapping them up as soon as they come on the market. Its claim to fame is the Virtual Reality Suite, the highest class viewing hall available, where the viewer can fully immerse themselves in the movie by being able to freely view the current scene from any angle through experimental VR technology. Lower-class viewing halls that provide the “classic” experience are also present for those that don’t have quite as much wealth.

This cinema is found at the very centre of '''Our Lady’s Plaza''', a massive sprawling circular plaza. Its claim to fame is it is built under an artificial vineyard, providing quite the change of pace from the other plazas that may be mistaken as dance floors by unknowing visitors. Restaurants and shops of all kinds can be found around this plaza, providing one of the most unique experiences possible for a weekend. ''"Our Lady's has nothing on this place!"'' is a somewhat uncommon exclamation for Cythereans to refer to a really cool place.

The '''Chiye-Gyo District''' was helped to fame by corporate investment rather than Venus' municipal government. It was a district constructed and leased to the megacorporations to function as a corporate hub on the planet, where one can find any corporate facility they wish for, whether that be corporate-sponsored universities or Idris shopping malls to buy the newest clothing catalogue at. Nanotrasen used to have a presence here as well, but their assets here have been entirely handed off to Einstein Engines. Because of this megacorporate presence, Chiye-Gyo is often used as a backdoor out of Venus for those wanting to leave the planet, with the corporations offering contracts both in Sol and abroad to Venusians willing to take them – Jintarians and Cythereans alike. Of course, many of these Venusians also have to undergo mandatory training courses in Chiye-Gyo to bring them up to speed with their new job. Following the Industrial Reclamation Decree and the nationalisation of Nanotrasen property, their workers were offered to transfer abroad in the Republic of Biesel by the corporation if they wished to leave the Alliance. ''"Straight laced like Chiye-Gyo's corpos"'' is a slang phrase used by Cythereans to refer to someone who's too serious. "Corpos" can often be substituted with "goons", "suits" or other demeaning terms.

The '''Parabing District''' is Binyaria’s most populated district, representing where the majority of its population resides. It is where most of the Cytherean life takes place, with its many stylish apartments, estates and houses, but is not lacking in entertainment and hosts a number of clubs, PC cafes, karaoke joints, laid-back bars, and fast food restaurants complete with glowing neon lights. Parabing also sees a high amount of Jintarian thoroughfare in its districts, both because of its entertainment opportunities and for work reasons, as some Jintarians that live downstairs can find employment in Parabing’s chemical and pharmaceuticals complexes. ''"Putting the bing-o in Parabing!"'' is an expression used by particularly goofy Jintarians and Cythereans as another way of saying "Bingo!". It is, however, very informal and somewhat ridiculous, so it is only used among good friends, most often after a drink or five. Jintarian Parabing hosts a fairly large number of immigrant workers in its Jintarian side, where it hosts the largest population of Martian immigrants in the Spur as a result of Violet Dawn.

While hardly as famous as any of its higher counterparts, the '''Central Binyarian Power Complex''' on level ten is one of the most important levels in the entire aerostat. The Complex provides fission-based power to the entire aerostat using a network of massive fusion generators. The amount of equipment needed to ensure that power flows and the generators continue functioning has turned the Complex into a massive labyrinth of tunnels and industrial machinery that are difficult to navigate through and very easy to become lost in. As a result the Complex is informally known as "the Labyrinth" and has very few legal permanent residents. The tunnels of the Complex are often poorly-lit and filled with stagnant air due to insufficient ventilation. Due to the construction of the Complex noises are able to easily travel through it, and the groaning of machinery and hissing of coolant pipes can echo through miles of tunnels. The Labyrinth is seen as a very unsettling place by both Cythereans and Jintarians, and the disquieting nature of it and similar power facilities have become fodder for the Cytherean film industry. This place's pervasion in pop culture has led to the creation of some creative slang phrases, such as ''"Have you come from the Labyrinth?"'' to refer to an ugly person for Cythereans, or ''"The Labyrinth's got nothing on you"'' to refer to a particularly cool person for Jintarians. Both cultures attempt to one-up the other, with Cythereans using this complex as a negative attribute and Jintarians attempting to reclaim it.

'''Jintarian Binyaria''' is the home to most of the planet’s Jintarians, but does not present itself to be much different from the rest of Jintaria, architecturally or structurally. It does, however, house some districts and landmarks that are very renowned across Jintaria.

The '''Susuhe District''' is the largest and most populated Jintarian district in Venus. It is functionally a mishmash of every kind of facility: from power plants to sports facilities to apartments and parks, nearly everything can be found here, providing an extremely centralised but comfortable lifestyle, if a bit packed with people. Jintarians may find employment either in Susuhe itself or even directly above it in Parabing’s pharmaceutical complexes. Being the administration’s home and arguably the heart of the Jintarian class, it also houses a few important landmarks.

The '''Venusian Jintarian Museum''' is the main point of reference for Jintarian culture, inspired by the Diamond Hall in function. While it presents itself as a rather boring building – clearly not inheriting the Diamond Hall’s gaudy looks – the inside is one of the, if not the most decorated example of Jintarian architecture. Marble flooring and pillars mark the amount of care taken in preserving the story of celebrities and immortalising them as part of Jintaria’s past.

On the entertainment side of things, Susuhe is also home to '''the Ring''', the largest pub across all of Jintaria, built not by the government but by the collective efforts of Jintarians. As its name implies, it is a massive ring-like structure where the inner part is the counter, and the rest is dedicated to tables and other entertainment facilities. Its clients can either simply sit and order their drink and food, or take part in some of the more tame activities that can be found here: the Ring is home to facilities for sports, table football, tabletop games, and more. This pub’s prevalence in Jintarian popular culture has led to the creation of ''"You're ringing out"'' as a common slang phrase used by Jintarians to refer to someone who is too drunk or high for their own good.

===Rathlin===
'''Rathlin''' is the second most populated aerostat, and is the home to Venus’ extremely advanced hydroponics and medical facilities. While distant from Binyaria, it has also overtime adopted the archetypical Cytherean culture, but with a fairly large degree of difference: mainly, the resentment that Rathliners feel towards their Binyarian brethren. While practically all of them accept their Cytherean ways of life (which have been, to some degree, imposed on them), it doesn’t quite feel right to them that Binyaria is the centre of attention in all things Venus. This has developed into a sort of complex of inferiority towards Binyarians, with Rathliners eager to show that they’re just as relevant as their compatriots. Of course, this has to happen in other fields, as there is no hope for Rathlin’s media industries to ever outpace Binyaria’s. Instead, Rathliners – Cytherans and Jintarians alike – are much more likely to seek to climb the social ladder via scientific or medical prowess.

Another oddity unique to Rathlin is that it is the aerostat with the largest number of Jintarians living among the Cytherean population – in fact, most of its Jintarian population lives in its Cytherean side, with only around 21% living below. Many Jintarians find easy enough employment in Rathlin’s many medical, scientific and hydroponics fields if they have the skills to show for it, as these jobs are in ever-increasing demand. Some of these Jintarians can even find their way to Cytherean Binyaria, as expertise is always welcome if they can survive its cutthroat environment – and if they can match Cythereans in beauty.

The following are Rathlin’s most populated and well-known districts.

The '''Nunusa District''' is Rathlin’s seat of government and where most of its population resides. While just as brightly decorated as other Binyarian districts, Nunusa sets itself apart by borrowing its architectural styles from diverse places on Earth: anything can be found in its districts, from Baltic old town architecture to traditional Japanese architecture. Of course, all of these architectures have the typical Venusian twists to them – LED strips to accentuate colours, holographic advertisement billboards attached to the sides, and other similar tacky details. Nunusa also hosts a fairly large number of Jintarian residents. Cythereans often say that something looks "like Susuha" if it's a mishmash of many things, a melting pot, or generally curious or interesting.

Nunusa is home to one of Venus’ most multicultural academies, the '''Nunusa Polymedical Institute''', informally known as '''PolyNu'''. It is Venus’ highest rated medical university as it places more of a focus on skills rather than good looks, and many aspiring Cytherean doctors from other aerostats – even Binyaria – study here, either by using the Venusian Ferry or by temporarily moving to Nunusa. Binyarians often find themselves teased and sometimes even mocked by Rathliners for attending classes in this institute, but the education is top notch nonetheless. These four groups of cultures that coexist – Jintarians, Binyarians, Rathliners and Cythereans from other aerostats – are in a constant race to one-up the other through bragging about better grades or whichever other methods they can come up with. While this does contribute to a higher degree of academic competitiveness in the university, these competitions can also be settled in other ways, such as on the dance floor. ''"You're like a Binyarian in PolyNu"'' is a common phrase used by Rathliners to describe someone who's out of place.

The '''Satisma District''' is perhaps Venus’ most important industrial district, made up almost entirely of hydroponics facilities and attached employee housing. It provides Venus with practically all of its food, and even exports a significant amount to the Alliance as a whole. A good amount of the Spur’s expert hydroponicists are raised and trained in Satisma’s world-class facilities. Cythereans and Jintarians alike work in this district, with Cythereans managing to find it bearable as it is not particularly high-intensity work, and automation does most of the job anyway. Jintarians often write off their Cytherean workers as particularly lazy here, but that is not necessarily always the truth. ''"Do you work at Satisma?"'' is a slang phrase used by particularly vain Cythereans to refer to someone who is lower class or generally uninteresting. It is very negatively charged and often elicits a reply in kind (or worse) if used against Jintarians.

The '''Rimari District''' is, on the surface, quite similar to Satisma, filled with hydroponics complexes and other such installations. In truth, it is arguably the centre for Venus’ drug trade: completely dominated and owned by Zeng-Hu, the hydroponics plants here are rumoured to grow exclusively narcotics and whatever other types of drugs the Cytherean clientele may desire. It is strictly guarded at all hours of the day by several VPPF detachments, which has most certainly only further stained the Venusian Police’s name in the minds of Jintarians and unsatisfied Cytherean. Rimari also holds the infamous reputation of being the largest narcotics trade hub in the entire Spur according to several independent newspapers and research articles, claims that have been solely ignored by every single Venusian government. ''"Locked up like Rimari"'' is a charged slang phrase used by Cythereans and Jintarians alike to refer to someone who's clearly holding a secret of some sort, or refusing to talk about it.

'''Jintarian Rathlin''' is not much different from Jintarian Binyaria, mainly because of Jintaria’s beginnings as little more than pre-fabricated drab cities. It is, however, connected to Jintarian Binyaria through the Venusian Ferry.

'''Jintarian Satisma''' is mostly made up of restaurants, curiously enough, which import food from the hydroponics facilities above. Jintarians can find their respite in many of the higher-class (for Jintarians, anyway – they would still not hold a candle to Cytherean restaurants) in this district. Jintarian Satisma is also the host of the Satisma Fair, a 3-day fair beginning on the 15th of March and ending on the 18th where the streets of the districts are filled with food stands, festivals and other such activities. It is extremely famous among Jintarians and most of them attend it yearly, spending more than usual. Additionally, cooks from the rest of the Alliance sometimes set up their own stands and makeshift restaurants here as it is a very, very lucrative opportunity. New Hai Phonger cooks are especially renowned in Jintarian Satisma, with many trying to emulate their cuisine.

==Government and Politics==
<center>''“Jintarians have been governed by Cythereans for a century now, but no more! No more will the Jintarian have to stand by and let clueless addicts govern them! No more!” – Excerpt from Hendrik Strom’s famous campaign speech to a crowd of around million Jintarians in Jintarian Parabing.''</center>

Venus’ government is, on the surface, fairly simple: each aerostat has its own governor, which is elected through a democratic vote where all registered citizens can participate. Each district likewise has its own representative, elected in the very same manner. However, Venus places little to no effort in fighting any sort of corruption, often staffing its anti-corruption bureaus as if they were vacation homes for retired politicians. This has led to Venus’ government historically being among the most corrupt and inefficient in the Spur, with a record period of '''11 years without any significant reform''' (according to the Xanusii News Service’s ''Venusian Insight'' scoop of 2431, with a "significant reform" classified as any bill that implements a new social or governmental program). District representatives and aerostat governors alike are often accused by independent news services of collaborating in the Venusian drug trade to disgusting degrees, pocketing bribe money left and right and willingly ignoring the issues that plague Venus. Moreover, competition is at an all-time low on Venus, with all of its sectors practically monopolised by a select few companies. Venus’ media freedom ranks at its highest peak ever according to Venusian and some Solarian outlets, but independent news services often instead rank it at the bottom due to the VSI’s absolute stranglehold on the media services.

Under the surface, Venus has many de-facto exceptions given to it by the Solarian law apparatus. Drug trade and consumption are essentially completely allowed on Venus, with the VPPF not particularly inclined to ever prosecute these crimes due to their profitability. Whatever narcotics one may desire are nearly always handed over-the-counter at Zeng-Hu pharmacies, which present a ''technically legal'' front – and, as a result, no perquisitions ever occur.

This general complacency boiled over in Hendrik Strom’s election as the planetary senator in 2453, a result of Cytherean apathy and general lack of care towards voting. Elected through a historic Jintarian turnout, his campaign has run on anti-corruption promises and economic reforms – populist policies that are not appreciated by Cythereans or by the established Venusian industries. Whether these reforms will be implemented or have any long-lasting effect is yet to be seen, however, as more pressing matters have taken the ex-senator’s attention since the Solarian collapse.

The '''Venusian Stars Institute''' is an entirely government-controlled agency and an integral part of the average Venusian’s life. It has absolute control over Venusian media, from what gets produced and put on the extranet to the image rights of its stars and idols, with more details on this particular facet in the Cytherean Culture section. To the average citizen, the VSI is an almost invisible force behind social media, rarely interfering unless absolutely necessary. An example of this is the silencing of the Binyarian Exposé, where journalists propagating the story in question were promptly banned from all social media and their stories scrubbed from the Extranet.

===The Venusian Planetary Police Force===
Venus’ law enforcement agency is the '''Venusian Planetary Police Force''', or '''VPPF'''. The VPPF is more of a media stunt than a real police force, being riddled with corruption and inefficiencies, where officers are known to readily take bribes to ignore crimes -- particularly the crimes of Venus' rich and famous. The VPPF's reputation is so poor that megacorporate facilities and Venusian notables may even use private military contractors from the Eridani Federation Military to provide security instead. Hendrik Strom and his fellow populists have made a scapegoat out of the VPPF by citing its most public failures such as its inability to contain the now-defunct Tajara Revolutionary Army and its rampant cronyism. In public polling, the Venusian police typically ranks as one of the least popular planetary police agencies in the entire Solarian Alliance. It can mostly be seen policing important landmarks, clubs, bars or whichever important gala is being hosted on a certain night.
The gendarmerie’s poor standing also has to do with mostly who exactly chooses a career in it, often described as a dead-end career: that is to say, mostly crashouts and those who don’t want to be in the spotlight, for one reason or the other. Unfortunately for them, the VPPF doesn’t pay very handsomely and is seen as the opposite of a prestigious career, being considered useless by just about every single Venusian. This has led to an extremely high rate of turnover, with those leaving the VPPF often leaving Venus entirely and looking for work abroad as mercenaries in the PMCG/EPMC or as corporate security: leaving the planet with their eyes open to Venus’ many injustices and likely more depressed as a result.

The VPPF is structured into one department per aerostat with thirty-two sections per district, with each section varying in size depending on the population and importance of the location. Rimari has by far the largest sections across Binyaria. While the VPPF functions like an archetypical gendarmerie, many of its bureaus are intentionally stunted: narcotics or financial crimes departments often function in name only, with their director being paid off by more than one person in exchange for their inaction. This situation is known to just about anyone who researches it, but most importantly they have to care about it – which is not the case for the average Cytherean. After all, the VPPF’s inaction is what allows their hedonistic lifestyle to continue.

==Synthetics on Venus==
<center>''“It is the duty of Idris to provide the most perfect synthetics for the Venusian media enterprises [...]” - Excerpt from Alex Mason’s 2454 Q1 investor meeting.''</center>

Positronics on Venus are mainly imported from around Sol, with Hephaestus and Einstein Engines being the chief providers of chassis and positronics for menial and service work alike. A product of their environment, these IPC are programmed with the local Cytherian or Jintarian accent according to their posting and purpose. Fielded by both the government and private entities, the aerostats of Venus are a prime hub of IPC activity, as well as the shell frame capital of the Alliance, pushing the boundaries of avant-garde taste and chassis modifications to fit all sorts of cosmetic and functional niches of an unhinged entertainment industry.

===In Cytherian Society===
The service and entertainment sectors make heavy use of IPC workers, both on and off screen, primarily shells provided by Einstein Engines, Zeng-Hu Pharmaceuticals and smaller producers such as Earth’s Hazel Electromotive. It is not unusual for Venusian movies to cast shell actors and actresses, using them as stunt doubles for dangerous or arguably fatal screens where agility is a must, sometimes even causing real harm and damage to their forms. Cytherian Stars in the movie industry often have shell lookalikes on standby, shooting multiple scenes at once or even working on different lower-end films to maximise efficiency and output, while also making upcoming and unknown studios pay incredible sums to have a Star’s likeness in their movie, be it the real actor or not. Furthermore, shells are used intensely on stage by bands and brands such as INTERSTELLAR✰GIRLS, enhancing performances with dancing, acrobatics or other such stunts. Shell workers are also commonly found in the infamous Cytherian parties, serving guests or accompanying them in their various activities. The deeper and lower one gets, the more cosmetic altercations one finds on the shells present, as the creativity hampered by Venusian ideals of a clean body, are channelled into tattoos and modifications on their IPC. The application of piercings, vibrant colours and tattoos with fluorescent ink can range from simple creations to extravagant displays of art, utilising the bodies of the shell as a limitless canvas.

While all the above may push a favourable image of the positronics’ lives, the reality is more or less the opposite. Situated in core Solarian territory, Venusians largely echo the conservative views for the treatment of IPC as objects and property, and this is no different for Cytherian shells. While some may have their shining moments or even manage to gather a following on social media, their owners and especially the Venusian Star Institute tend to be quick at grounding them back to reality, making sure that an IPC never gets enough time in the spotlight to shadow a human Star. To this end, shell actors and dancers are often recycled for fresh ones, those discarded being resold for lower-end work in various establishments throughout Binyaria and other aerostats, or as Venusian novelty items abroad. Operating under the same crushing regime that even many Stars find exhausting, the tear and wear caused by repeated performances, dangerous scenes in cinema and a general treatment as nothing more than equipment, guarantees a much shorter lifespan compared to shells in other parts of the Spur.

===Jintarians and Corporate Synthetics===
While not as expansive as in Cytherian culture, the Jintarian working class sees its fair share of baselines and industrial frames in the workforce, owing to the extreme working conditions found in maintaining certain parts of aerostats. As a result, most positronics intended for labour are programmed with engineering and maintenance databases, organised in teams and sent to work under human technicians in tasks where even the most hardy and experienced individuals would find arduous. One other significant sector such IPC can be found in is the Venusian Planetary Police, fielding synthetic officers for all manners of operations against crime and other runaway synthetics. It is thus only natural that Jintarians interact more with non-shells, with many even coming to somewhat appreciate their presence and make clear distinctions between them and Cytherian positronics. While still under highly restrictive ownership, these IPC enjoy a greater standard of living, usual repairs as well as the lack of fear of living up to unreasonable standards like their counterparts in the more expensive and luxurious locales of Venus.

Corporate synthetics on Venus largely maintain their corporate identity, with some being tailored with a Venusian, mostly Cytherian, flair. Idris’ professional shell service staff and Reclamation Units are often programmed with the accent to cater to the clientele, while in some cases taking on low-scale cosmetic alterations such as fancy antennae, vibrant eye colours or certain skin patterns. Owing to a large Zeng-Hu presence in the pharmaceutical industry, Bishop frames are regularly seen around the megacorporation’s installations, in laboratories and pharmacies, their white and sterile form being a characteristic element of the company’s identity in many Venusians’ eyes.

==Skrell on Venus==
The Nralakk Federation is, to the surprise of very few people, one of the most restrictive states when it comes to public displays of hedonism. Thus it begs the question of what kind of Skrell would dare set foot on Venus, and the answers are fairly simple -- mainly stars and washouts. While there are Skrell on Venus that work in duller fields such as hydroponics, science or medicine, these two groups form the bulk of the popular perception of Skrell on the planet.

'''Skrellian Stars''' are the most represented group of Skrell on Venus, being present in prominent media and with some even having a fairly large following. Most of these Stars are either Federation-sponsored actors from Nralakk, human culture enthusiasts or simply disgruntled Skrell who couldn't make it in the Federation, for one reason or the other. The latter two groups are the most likely to fully embrace Venusian ideals and even venture out to other human nations, whereas the former group -- Nralakk loyalists -- do not partake quite as much and keep a tight lip on topics like dissent.

'''Washouts''', instead, are Skrell that have been completely and utterly socially isolated in the Federation. Most often either successful scientists that have published research deemed too controversial or failed doctors that couldn't meet Nralakk's academic standards, Venus represents a prestigious temporary vacation for them to spend their many leftover credits at. These Skrell stay for a matter of years -- a short time to them, but a long time to everyone else -- drowning away their sorrows until they feel ready to hit the stars once again. Whether those stars are part of Venus' artificial sky or are the Spur's is up for them to decide from their brooding.
{{Navbox Human Lore}}
{{Navbox Lore}}
[[Category:Pages]]
[[Category:Planets_and_Systems]]
[[Category:Humanity]]

User:MattAtlas/Sandbox

2022-09-30T13:19:04Z

MattAtlas:

{{Navbox Lore}}
{{Navbox Human Lore}}
[[File:VenusSkyline.png|thumb|Binyaria from the outside, along with a few satellite aerostats.]]
Considered the Solarian Alliance’s entertainment and pharmaceutical capital, '''Venus''' exists as one of the oldest colonies within Sol and as one of the most populated worlds within the Spur. Its inhabitants live in aerostats dotted among the orange skies, where they can enjoy the highest tier of cinema, virtual reality, musicals, and so on. The Venusian population is divided – yet united – into two classes: the Cythereans, entertainment, service and generally white collar workers, and the Jintarians, the blue-collar working and middle class. Regardless of this divide and whichever stereotypes may exist, Jintarians and Cythereans recognise that the other is necessary for Venus to continue prospering.

One of the most stereotyped and divisive elements within the Spur, the term “Venusian culture” is intrinsically tied to Cythereans due to their overwhelming presence and influence within interstellar media – despite it being an umbrella term for both the Cytherean and Jintarian cultures. Nearly always opposing the values of one another, including in politics, fashion, economics and down to even details such as favourite colours, they enjoy a symbiotic relationship that has been carefully cultivated throughout the decades of cohabitation. It is recognised that reliance on one another is essential to Venus’ society, despite the existence of fringe groups that find themselves radical proponents for a division of these two cultures. Still, these two groups tend to stereotype and tease the other whenever possible due to the sheer amount of differences. It is not unusual to see Cytherean and Jintarian couples, but it is definitely something that raises many eyebrows and much curiosity on the matter – except for celebrities, where this particular choice in partner may cause a bigger scandal than anticipated; and Venusians do love their scandals.
==Venusian History==
<center>''“If you want to make it here, you’ve gotta put your all into it! They’re complaining about their schedule? Maybe they shouldn’t have signed up to be an actor, then!” - Anne-Marie Cythère in an interview on the Binyarian exposé.''</center>

===Initial Settlement===
The case of Venus and how its esoteric society developed is the subject of much debate by many sociologists. Curiously, it began not as a colony, but instead as a research outpost created by the corporations that would eventually go on to form Zeng-Hu Pharmaceuticals in the 2090s. Many experimental technologies were developed in floating research stations, mainly relating to the fields of hydroponics and the chemical industry. Despite this, Earth's governments did not pay the scorching planet much attention, since it was rather unsuitable for rudimentary colonisation prospects. This situation continued until '''2127'''. The flooding of New York City and the resulting anarchy caused many residing billionaires to choose to leave Earth in advance, and a particular group chose to leave for Venus for a simple reason: Zeng-Hu's auctioning of its Venusian research stations. These stations were sold to them in an auction at a discount as the fledgling corporation desperately needed liquidity to keep its much more valuable Asian assets afloat.

Over the next decade, these research stations were gradually expanded by their new owners and consolidated into two super-settlements, forming '''the first proto-aerostats.''' These aerostats are respectively named after their owners: '''Binyaria''', named after Jie Binya, a young American-Chinese billionaire who recently inherited a massive fortune, and '''Rathlin''', named after François Rathlin, a French entrepreneur and owner of a massive supermarket chain on Earth. Binyaria inherited Zeng-Hu's chemical industry facilities, whereas Rathlin inherited Zeng-Hu's more extensive hydroponics and pharmacy industries. Rathlin was a much more valuable complex and trade quickly flourished there, with the fledgling aerostat becoming a large exporter of grown foodstuffs. Binyaria was in a more difficult position: its chemical industry was not as valuable and, thus, was far more reliant on its owners' investment. Binyarians and Rathliners thus developed a small rivalry around this time around whose aerostat was ''really'' the better one, which persists to this day. Nonetheless, Jie, the owner of Binyaria, needed a plan to make Binyaria truly shine.

===Binyarian Renaissance===
On the 25th of December '''2141''', the '''Jie Holocinema Complex''' was announced in a massive opening ceremony costing in the billions of credits. This grand opening was complete with free tickets for a showing of the most famous Christmas movie at this time, White Snow. It was a revolutionary cinema, an absolutely massive one at that, using state-of-the-art holographic technology to give its viewers a ''truly'' out of the world experience. Nothing quite like it existed anywhere else in Human space and it acted as a lightning rod for citizens and tourists alike, which over time slowly became permanent residents. It attracted both rich and poor alike through clever use of advertisements and the inclusion of low-cost and luxury display rooms. More notably, however, it attracted the large media companies on earth. The cinema was so big that it was unmatched in terms of potential opening revenue, and Venusian billionaires were open to paying a fortune for luxury tickets. This led to a slow exodus of media companies to Venus, all competing to get opening-day contracts. It was slow at first, but later snowballed: more investment into the fledgling acting and media industry meant that more companies would move. Eventually, even the titans of the media industry began to move. By the turn of the 23rd century, Venus began rivalling Earth in terms of media. It was not quite dominant yet, however. One last push was needed.

===The Founding of the Venusian Stars Institute===
Intentionally announced at the turn of the century, on the 1st of January 2200, the Venusian Stars Institute was set from the beginning to be the heart of the Venusian media empire. An absolutely byzantine and gigantic entity, it was created to manage every single tiny bit of Venus' growing media industry. From managing actors to funding media companies, the VSI is the last edge that Binyaria needed to dislodge Earth's dominance in the media sector. Lucrative contracts and clever handiwork behind the scenes resulted in the titans of the media industry finally committing to a move to Venus. These contracts ended up creating luxurious and revolutionary institutes for the big media companies to settle in, their massive skyscrapers dominating the Venusian skyline. All citizens, at this point, would see the emblems of the Venusian media empire when looking up. Gigantic holographic billboards began to claim an unrivalled amount of space in every single alleyway. Social media, which was placed under the purview of the VSI's newly-created Social Leadership Team, began to truly boom around this time as well. Practically every citizen became an avid user of social media from the morning to the evening: the Venusian government often paid companies to give new employees latest-model phones, which came with all sorts of social media applications installed and no way to remove advertisements. While this was annoying at first, Venusians ended up accepting this situation eventually. After all, they ''were'' free, high-end mobile phones. The money that Venus spent on this was quickly made back through insane amounts of advertisement money: practically every citizen was viewing hundreds and hundreds of advertisements throughout the day. Idol culture began spreading through social media as well, with many falling in ranks behind their favourite media star, yet quick to turn their backs on them whenever the new scandal came out.

===The Binyarian Exposé and Cytherea===
The reality of the actors' life was much different than what was shown on social media. Their happy lives were often carefully manufactured lies, sold by their privately-hired media marketing teams. Of course, this is knowledge that only the actors themselves would have -- they, themselves, were too busy under the immense pressure of the Venusian entertainment industry. The Venusian Stars Institute's guidelines for actors -- essentially rules that they may not break for any reason -- clamped down harder and harder with every passing year. Newly-implemented beauty standards in ''2203''' meant that many actors had to resort to expensive, Zeng-Hu sponsored plastic surgery or then-experimental genetic engineering in order to meet unrealistic demands. Many took out extensive loans from the then-up-and-rising Idris banking company in order to afford these expensive Zeng-Hu procedures. These loans were then paid through a gruesome amount of work: actors often had to work gruelling work schedules, day after day, just to not be crushed under the interest. This opened up a new, lucrative front for Zeng-Hu: drugs grown on Rathlin could easily be sold to actors on Cytherea, which led to their rampant substance abuse behind the scenes, simply to deal with the stress. This industry is extremely lucrative and Zeng-Hu invested billions and billions into it. The usage of these substances spread to much of the public as well, although it was not yet a worldwide phenomenon.

This situation was unknown to the public until '''2217'''. A Venusian reporting agency, ''Le Courrier'', broke out a story amiably called '''the Binyarian Exposé.''' This story was in actuality a 287 page document that detailed the living situation of authors behind the scenes and the unrealistic standards of the VSI, down to every single small detail. Many failed or rejected authors were interviewed to obtain the information needed. Unfortunately, it was far too long and had the opposite effect of what the authors wanted. The VSI's strict control over social media meant that the story was swiftly suppressed by the algorithms. Additionally, many Venusians simply did not care and dismissed the revelations as '[...] washed up artists and B-rate actors making things up [...]'. This was the position held by '''Anne-Marie Cythère''', the most famous actor of this era and an icon of Venus, arguably the first real idol who possessed a massive cult following, mainly on Venus. Those who agreed with her stance were referred to as 'Cythereans' by Earther critics, a term which stuck over time and began substituting the usage of Venusians in common language. It began as a derogatory term, but Venusians simply repossessed the word to fit their new identity. This point marks the beginning of Cytherea and Cythereans for historians -- the point where Venusians accepted their new identity.

Additionally, the Exposé resulted in most of the world beginning to accept drug usage -- most simply saw it as just another facet of idol culture, and reasoned that since drinking was fine, substance abuse should be fine, too. The authorities were quickly overwhelmed as there were far too many rising cases of substance abuse and resale for them to handle. This led to most cases being dismissed with either a very light fine or no action taken. Some critics point to Zeng-Hu interference in this process through bribing authorities to grow its markets, but Zeng-Hu has denied all such claims.

As a result of this new identity, less and less Cythereans begin entering skilled trades. Rathlin's hydroponics and pharmacy industries, curiously, were not affected due to them being mostly automated and due to a relative lack of required physical work for their workers. The service industry and connected sectors begin absolutely dominating Venusian statistics, with almost the entirety of Venus' industry being located in Rathlin's hydroponics facilities. Binyaria's chemical industries began to go bankrupt and alarm bells were rang by many, but the government simply did not care. The media was what was making money, not the heavy industries. Anyone with a keen eye could spot that this growth was unsustainable, but once again, profits were placed over rationale.

===The First Interstellar War and the Jie Riots===
With the outbreak of war for the Alliance, Venusians were conscripted just like the rest. This was, however, not taken amiably by the planet's populace and led to the first ever mass riots on Venus, dubbed 'the Jie Riots', as they took place in Our Lady’s Plaza in the aforementioned district. Around a million Venusians took to the streets to protest against the war, or at the very least for exemptions for Venusians. Many cried out that 'war's not good for our industry' and expressed a general unwillingness to go fight, as the physical damage would ruin their careers. Historians point to most social media posts bringing attention to the fact that the majority of the populace simply did not want their beauty to be compromised -- this was a more worrying prospect than death, to most Venusians. These protests were, however, very disorganised as there was no real unifying cause or voice behind them. The Alliance quickly intervened, quelled them, and conscription took place as it normally did in other worlds.

A significant amount of the Venusian working class was drafted -- around 20% -- mostly drawn from those that worked in the heavy industries keeping the planet afloat. Resistance to conscription was significant for most Venusians, who often found ways to outright avoid it. The Venusian government and the VSI were found to be involved in assisting actors, film makers, billionaires and, in general, everyone involved with the Venusian entertainment empire in draft dodging, mainly through clever forging of medical papers exempting them from service for one reason or the other. The entertainment industry continued to prosper or at the very least stay afloat, depending on which economics agency was polled, but everything else began to collapse in a manner of weeks due to the drafting of almost all of the skilled workers. Rationing and austerity were quickly instituted in all aerostats, to the chagrin of the planet’s populace. It would prove to be a difficult decade for Venusians, with many feeling the brunt of poverty and austerity, leading to a large amount of resentment towards the Alliance.

===The End of Austerity and the Jintarian Plan===
With the war ending, Venus was at the breaking point. The power plants had almost nobody left to work for them except for direly overworked engineers, and most of the populace simply did not want to work these jobs. The situation was especially dire and a new technocratic government was put in charge with a political blank cheque in order to deal with the situation once and for all. This led to the creation of the '''Jintaria Plan''', one of the biggest social engineering feats of human history. Through the usage of the Venusian media conglomerate, many veterans and refugees across the Alliance were invited to hastily fabricated 'cities under cities' in the aerostats. The contracts given to them were quite simple: as long as they worked in their assigned sector, they would have government-provided housing, heating, electricity and appliances. This was a very risky gamble that was quite expensive, but the dice roll succeeded. Many flocked over to the newly created Jintarian strata in order to find a new life, thus providing Venus with the skilled force it direly needed. The situation finally stabilised on the '''21st of August 2301''' with the end of austerity. Gigantic parties were held everywhere across Cytherea, with it becoming an official holiday, Ascension Day. Some Jintarians participated in these parties, while others simply took to pubs in their own slice of the aerostat.

Jintarian society is an inviting prospect for many refugees and immigrants. It is a patchwork blend of many cultures, who live together sharing the burden of an entire planet: this sole unifying factor leads to a shared sense of brotherhood and duty among Jintarians. This new class finds it hard to scale the ladder, however. It is practically almost impossible for Jintarians to work in the Venusian media industries due to ‘beauty standards concerns’: the fact that most of the Jintarian population has done some sort of trade or physical work in their life, which leads to the formation of minor beauty defects – enough for the Cythereans to reject the prospect of such a person entering the media scene. Some Jintarians opt for extensive plastic surgery to enter the ranks of the Cythereans, but this requires almost half a lifetime of savings and is an exceedingly rare occurrence. These ‘quasi-Cythereans’ are a mixed bag for Jintarians: the most radical view them as class traitors and the ambitious view them as lucky individuals.

===Modern History, Cytherea and Jintaria===
Venus is, today, labelled as the '''Queen of Entertainment''' for good reason. A significant amount of entertainment media is produced in Venus, casted with Venusian celebrities and created by Venusian companies, with the end products finding solid purchase in most markets across the Spur. It is a powerful cultural weapon for the Alliance. It also hosts a state-of-the-art hydroponics industry in Rathlin -- being a net exporter of food, second only to Ganymede -- and a titanic pharmaceutical industry, focused mainly on beauty and pharmaceutical products.

Venus, curiously, hosts the largest population of Martian refugees in the Spur. Following Violet Dawn, millions of Martians now call Jintaria their home. They were invited to work on Venus under similar contracts as the first Jintarians.

==Environment==
<center>''“Those eruptions? Ohmygosh, they were so cool!” - Part of an unnamed Venusian tourist’s review of the Idris Venusian Cruise Experience sightseeing package.''</center>

Venus is an incredibly hot and miserable planet. The mass of its atmosphere is 93 times that of Earth's, equivalent to the crushing depths of the deep ocean. This atmosphere is extremely thick and toxic, composed primarily of carbon dioxide and nitrogen, and this generates the strongest greenhouse effect in the Solar System, creating an average surface temperature of at least 462 C (864 F). Due to these crushing conditions, '''no Venusians live on the surface.''' Instead, they rely on floating aerostats – which have become a key part of Venus, and more importantly its society.

A Venusian year lasts 225 Earth days. A normal day on Venus lasts much longer than that of Earth due to the slow rotation, taking 243 Earth days to make one Venusian day. Venus spins backwards when compared to the other planets in the Sol system, causing the sun to rise in the west and set in the east. It rains sulphuric acid on the surface and the atmosphere is so thick that it exerts massive amounts of pressure on the surface. This crushes all but the most structurally reinforced habitats below the cloud layer, practically all of which are extremely specialised research habitats, with the rest destroyed by caustic acid rain. The planet hosts massive amounts of volcanic activity, which spew even more toxic gases into the atmosphere – although these are often co-opted as tourist attractions visible from cubicles in the aerostats or through windows in shuttles. Almost no sunlight reaches the surface of the planet, despite the temperature.
==Cytherean Culture==
<center>''“[...] Sol knowingly perpetrates that deluded Venusian perversion of human values, where the greed of the individual is placed on a pedestal for all to see and envy, where lust becomes paramount both for money and for man, where hard work and pride are substituted for laziness and a manic social anxiety. In this place, the ugly truth has a model’s face [...]” - Commander Ganesh Shrivastav (2411 - Present) in an impassioned speech to the Xanu parliament, regarding the Solarian threat.''</center>

Cytherean culture’s paramount concept is '''climbing the social ladder'''. This is the one concept that is '''utterly important''' to every single Cytherean, and each of them has their own view on what it entails. This social ladder can be interpreted in many ways – for some, it’s gaining an immense amount of followers on social media, while for others it’s becoming a spur-wide celebrity through a career in acting. It is universally considered to only be climbable through activities that inherently make you more popular among others, contributing to the reason why the extreme majority of Cythereans reject any sort of physical labour that does not provide this opportunity. It isn’t seen as strictly necessary to remain on Venus in order to climb the social ladder, and glory is considered to be attainable even outside of Venus itself – but most consider it an eventual necessity to come back and show off.

Because of this obsession, Cythereans tend to be extravagant in all facets of life, willing to stand out from the crowd by any means necessary; Cytherea is the primary pop culture centre of Sol, with a populace often dressed in bright, dramatic clothing. Many Solarian celebrities either live or were born on one of Venus’s aerostats, growing up in the privileged Cytherean culture. The best actors, comedians, chefs, musicians, and pop stars enjoy almost constant coverage on holo-screens, only occasionally replaced by adverts for startup beauty products, cutting-edge gaming hardware, or the newest diet fad. These celebrities enjoy high class treatment and something akin to worship from the Cythereans. Many come from across the galaxy, human and alien alike, seeking to turn their fortunes around. However, Cythereans are not immune to poverty and hardship in their laissez-faire society. Those looking to become the next big thing sometimes wind up on the opposite end of the spectrum, relying on morally and legally ambiguous means to get by. Aliens, although welcome, are typically sidelined in favour of human actors and models due to most moguls desiring to “play it safe." As a result, aliens, regardless of their talents, are typically seen as understudies, extras, dancers, and occasionally backup singers or instrumentalists.

The Cytherean environment is very cutthroat: many are willing to do whatever it takes to climb the social ladder, whether that be by fabricating scandals or putting their fingers in one too many pies. Law enforcement is often easily evaded due to lofty standards and a general lack of passion. In the end, one can get away with almost anything as long as they possess the right contacts and enough money. The party culture thrives in the aerostats, with the grand cocktail parties and fundraising schmooze-fests toward the top of teardrop slowly fading into the high-energy festivals of the lower sections. Toward the top, one can overhear the latest gossip and glimpse envelopes of credits sliding under tables. Toward the bottom, one can see the most hedonistic displays of luxury.

Though many work in the entertainment industry as stars and producers, there are great opportunities for a Cytherean scientist: after all, climbing the scientific social ladder and becoming a genius prodigy renowned across the Spur is quite the attractive goal. The development of pharmaceutical drugs and new medicines is a common field for Cytherean scientists, with celebrities and talent agencies needing a constant stream of narcotics for parties and stimulants to keep shooting sessions going for days at a time. Cytherea has a booming genetic engineering field that is primarily centred around the biomodification of celebrities in order to ensure that they are always at their physical peak, no matter which direction the ever-shifting winds of Cytherea's celebrity scene blow. Stimulants, such as cocaine, are the Cytherean drug of choice and are typically genetically modified by various Cytherean pharmacies to create more desirable effects. When exported these so-called "designer" drugs can fetch an extremely high price on the interstellar market. Cytherea's pharmaceutical industry is estimated to produce upwards of two-thirds of all narcotics consumed in the Republic of Biesel, even after the First and Second Solarian Invasions. Appropriately, Cytherea's pharmacies also produce a vast amount of the Alliance's anti-overdose medications. Many Cytherean pharmacies are associated or owned by Zeng-Hu Pharmaceuticals.

The largest Cytherean holiday is '''Ascension Day''', shortened to '''the Ascension''', celebrated on the 21st of August. It marks the return to normalcy after Venus’ long period of austerity, but its roots have long since been forgotten by most of the population, except by politicians and work supervisors. This is a day for all Venusians to indulge in whatever they can for as long as they can: gigantic feasts, parties and raves are held across all of Cytherea, along with fashion shows on the streets and other such activities. For some it’s a point of pride and reminds them of why living on Venus is worth it, along with the happiness that the end of austerity brought them – while for others, it’s simply a day to get wasted and enjoy it.
===Stars, Idols and Crashouts===
The idol culture of Venus is extraordinarily demanding for those that choose to involve themselves in it. Climbing the rungs of the Cytherean entertainment industry from mere extra to A-list celebrity able to star in the likes of Monkey King is no small feat involving raw acting talent, an incredible amount of social networking, and no small amount of backroom dealing between agents, celebrities, and producers. This process can often take years if one is unlucky, and the top celebrities often undergo extensive plastic surgery to ensure that they remain attractive enough to be considered for the greatest entertainment products of the industry. The amount of resources, time, and commitment needed to reach - and stay at - the top of the celebrity culture of Venus is truly astonishing, and the rat race of keeping up with the ever-shifting and constantly changing standards of what makes a celebrity an A-list celebrity results in many hopeful stars simply crashing out of the industry, and thus becoming known as a '''crashout'''.

Becoming any sort of professional major media player (referred to as a '''Star''') – whether that be an actor, a news anchor or an influencer – requires one to first sign '''100% of their image rights''' to the Venusian Stars Institute. These contracts are extremely lucrative for the person in question, but it is a poisoned apple nonetheless – once one signs with the Venusian Stars Institute to become a Star, '''they no longer have any control over their media appearances''', and thus the VSI will thus be able to unilaterally decide when and where they appear, in addition to being able to monopolise and commercialise the fledgling Star’s image as they wish – a very well known fact, but now only considered a stepping stone to become a celebrity. Each Star possesses its own PR and media team, de jure under the Star itself but de facto delegating to the VSI’s byzantine bureaucracy.

Despite these contracts, Stars are given a large amount of autonomy in how to run their career. While the grand majority opt for running their careers on Venus, some manage to take jobs abroad and live out new experiences there, while still technically affiliated to the VSI. It matters not for the Institute, as long as they garner a high amount of views on social media and further spread the Venusian brand.

Those that fall out of grace – either because of the crushing standards, burnout, extreme social pressure or whatever else – do not enjoy an easy life. Referred to as '''crashouts''' once the Institute stops affiliating with them – a process known as '''delisting''' – they are reminded of this failure everywhere they go by anyone that knows them, representing the minority of Venusians that have had their eyes opened to the injustice and oppression of Cytherean society. Cythereans do not have much tact or care for these crashouts, viewing them as simply not good enough. Most of these rejects either leave Venus entirely and seek employment somewhere else – often taking out generous loans in order to apply for apprenticeships or training courses, as they do not have any sort of marketable skill – or find employment in Venus’ overworked public sector, such as in the Venusian Planetary Police Force or even in the Solarian Navy itself, representing by far the largest percentage of Cythereans in both categories. Some crashouts can also end up falling into the net of Jintarian culture, where they are caught and welcomed by other Jintarians as simply more proof that Cytherean culture is poison rather than a blessing. A one-way ticket to delisting is, for example, speaking up about unfavourable work conditions on social media.

Upon becoming a Spur-wide celebrity, a Star is then granted '''Idol''' status by the VSI, and immortalised in the Diamond Hall: a gigantic museum in the very centre of Binyaria that hosts detailed biographies, mementos and signatures of every VSI-signed celebrity big enough to truly make it. Becoming an Idol is the ultimate dream of every Star and often functions as a sort of northern light for them in their journey. These Idols are practically all known to Cythereans at large and represent a sticking point for Cytherean pride, with many prizing their trivia knowledge on any given Idol. '''Due to their rarity, immense popularity and astronomical wealth, it is impossible to play an Idol or an ex-Idol on the ship.'''
===Famous Cytherean Celebrities===
Those that are able to survive and thrive as celebrities in the cutthroat and demanding environment of Cytherea's entertainment industry reap a truly massive amount of rewards ranging from accolades to millions of Solarian Credits. But, perhaps more importantly than anything else, they are some of the most famous people in human space and the greater Orion Spur. The individuals listed below are just a handful of Cytherea's most famous residents, and will be known throughout the Orion Spur.

One of the most famous Cytherean idols ever is perhaps '''Chan-mi Jee''', the renowned frontwoman and singer of '''INTERSTELLAR✰GIRLS''': a famous all-female pop group based out of the Binyarian aerostat. Chan-mi Jee's famous voice, which has been biologically augmented to have a wider range, can be found on dozens of '''INTERSTELLAR✰GIRLS''' albums. The band's most famous album, Interstellar Heart, currently holds the Spur-wide record for most copies ever sold. Despite her successes, which include having been named the Venusian cultural ambassador for five years in a row, Chan-mi Jee's personal life has been the subject of some speculation in the Cytherean press, and repeated plastic surgeries have left only a sliver of resemblance to the woman that began her pop career ten years ago. But for the moment, she and her band remain the undisputed queens of the Cytherean musical scene. ''"You have Chan-mi's looks"'' is a Cytherean's most prized slang weapon, used to describe someone who is extremely attractive.

In the Cytherean acting scene there is, arguably, nobody that defines the role of leading man better than the dashing and charismatic idol, '''Caspar Orillian'''. Born and raised in the "red treadmill" industry of Cytherea, Caspar has found extraordinary success playing athletic leading men thanks to extensive biomodifications and plastic surgeries that have shaped and reshaped his face to constantly be in-season and attractive. A large number of editors hired by his estate retroactively edit his films and publicity photos to resemble whatever Caspar's current appearance is. His constant facial restructurings are seen as a sign of his success due to the immense cost associated with them, and are a clear proof of his dedication to maintaining his celebrity status.

Famous director '''Samuel Monaghan''' is another of Cytherea's most famous celebrities, and his name can be found on a variety of movies ranging from action films to long dramas. Monaghan's distinctive style is easily-recognized throughout the Orion Spur's film scene thanks to his focus on single-shot scenes using drones as floating cameras. The fame of Monaghan has also been built by the director's often eccentric and eye-catching behaviour off the set. Monaghan is known for his eccentric behaviour, unusual rants, and deliberately garnish outfits. The controversy that this has caused him in Cytherea's tabloid scene has only helped his fame grow, but it remains to be seen if his behaviour will continue to build fame or ultimately backfire and cause his fall.

'''Quu'xuu "Kwoo" Vol'rii''' is an idol and something of an oddity in the Cytherean entertainment scene due to her status as a skrell. Having recently flown into the highest ranks of Cytherea due to her highly-rated performance as the main villain of Monkey King VII, Doctor Yana Vashtu, the diminutive doctor of human cultural studies has found a following thanks to both her haughty and evil attitude on-camera and her awkward yet earnest attitude off the set. Kwoo, as she is affectionately known by her fans, has found further fame thanks to her charitable donations to Mars following her success in Monkey King VII. However, it remains uncertain how long her fifteen minutes of fame from Monkey King VII will last, if Kwoo will choose to remain in Cytherea at all, or if the unfaltering support for the Nralakk Federation will be her eventual social downfall.
===Cytherean Fashion===
Due to the extremely fast-paced nature of Cytherea's fashion industry there are a number of trends entering the public eye, being sold by stores, and falling out of fashion at any time. Anything a non-Cytherean can put together that is appealing to the eye, and sometimes not, has been the height of fashion at some point somewhere in the clouds. However there are a few popular looks and rules Cytherean fashion tends to follow.

The most important rule for an aspiring Cytherean fashionista is that the best part of the body is the '''skin'''. A lot of clean, unblemished, hairless skin is shown in Cytherean fashion; whether it be through a high-slit dress, a translucent button-up shirt, a pair of short shorts, a fitted tank top, or a low cut blouse. More masculine figures tend to show off the upper body, especially the arms, while more feminine looks show off the lower body, specifically the legs. But in the Cytherean view showing too much skin is a great faux pas; looks are often balanced so that if a lot of the upper body is shown, the lower body is mostly covered and vice versa. Cytherean business wear, in contrast, tends to be much less skin-showing in order to stay in line with the greater Solarian Alliance, particularly Luna.

While Cythereans consider minor body modifications fine, a more natural appearance is preferred in contrast to gaudy or overly eye-catching augmentations. Body-sculpting plastic surgery procedures are common, especially among celebrities, in order to ensure that one remains within the Cytherean standards of beauty. Some of the most common body-sculpting procedures include improving facial features and structure, removing all body hair “below the eyelashes," tightening the skin, removing excess body fat, dental reconstruction, enhancing or emphasising musculature, and balancing body proportions (usually in favour of the legs). However extensive piercing, more extreme body-sculpting, heavy tattooing, and other modifications that break the “pure skin” rule are frowned upon and tattooing in particular, even minor forms in some cases, is considered unsightly due to its long-standing connection with criminals or groups such as dregs.

Many trends originate in Binyaria’s Parabing District, and are locally called '''“wankukai”''' trends. Wankukai clothes are either what’s popular in the Mile's clubbing scene or, less popularly, something slightly more appropriate for streetwear. Masculine looks often have plain, solid colored pants in dark colours with slim, usually designer belts, and often have simple dress shoes or sneakers. Translucent button-ups with LED or neon-tubing designs up the arms or across the chest are popular, as well as similarly designed, fitted tank tops to accentuate the arms. Some even elect to go shirtless. Suit jackets matching one’s pants are also common, as well as leather jackets with LED or neon designs on the back. As for more feminine looks, miniskirts, short shorts, and -- for the brave -- microskirts are commonplace, often paired with simple low heels, flats, or sneakers. Colourful dress shirts, qipao blouses, and standard blouses are all common as well, featuring designs similar to masculine looks. Dresses of all lengths usually have a high-slit, reaching all the way up the thigh, and are often intricately decorated with LED and neon-tubing. Though suit jackets and leather jackets with designs are common among feminine looks as well, they are occasionally cropped to just below or at the ribs.
==Jintarian Culture==
<center>''“J-I-N-T-A-R-I-A! Home of the free!” - Excerpt from Torchbearers, a famous Jintarian punk nu-metal song by Just Us, the most popular Jintarian band as of 2464.''</center>

Jintarian culture can often be defined as the ''polar opposite'' of Cytherean culture in many facets, but it borrows as much as it opposes. Jintarians pride themselves on being the squeaky clean side of Venus – an approach which, unfortunately, makes their scene only truly appealing to Jintarians themselves and to contrarians across the galaxy. Regardless of how unpopular they may be on the interstellar scene, Jintarians tend to be extremely prideful of their accomplishments and often have a do-or-die attitude when it comes to carrying things out: after all, Venus is standing where it is thanks to them. This leads to a mostly punk-ish and contrarian culture, where keeping things real is incentivised, along with distancing yourself from Cytherea as much as possible in matters of fashion, music and even the celebrities one follows. As an example, while Cythereans prefer clothing that shows off as much skin as possible, Jintarians prefer the direct opposite of that – turtlenecks, sweaters, flannel shirts and other such clothes are very common in these communities.

Despite all of this, Jintarians and Cythereans are not enemies. They live together just as much as a Biesellite and a Solarian may live in the same apartment in Mendell City. Cythereans recognise the need for Jintarians in order for their planet to function – but do not hesitate to call them out on their broodish, low-class fashion. Jintarians recognise that Venus is the giant it is due to the Cythereans’ natural aptitude in entertainment, but do not hesitate to call them out on their hedonistic lifestyle, corrupt politics and horribly flashy clothing choices. In the same vein, it isn’t unheard of for Jintarians to spend their weekend at Cytherean bars, if only to prove their superiority over them in one way or the other. It is possible for Jintarians to find employment in more Cytherean fields: as an example, Jintarian baristas in Cytherean bars are not entirely out of the world – but some discrimination in this field is to be expected.

In the same vein, it isn’t unheard of – although '''very rare''' – for Jintarians to end up integrating into Cytherean society. This is only possible for those that are willing to either sign up for '''drastic''' plastic surgery in order to compete with the very top of Cytherean society, often by taking out very predatory Idris loans, or for those that are more naturally blessed. It isn’t an easy path and it is marred with discrimination and harsh financial choices, as these ‘reformed’ Jintarians are often looked down upon in Cytherea in basically all matters: whether that be in job selection or simply having their curriculum vitae noticed. Those that choose this path and continue following it, whether that be for credits or fame, end up disenfranchised and practically '''exiled''' from their old Jintarian community.
===Famous Jintarian Celebrities===
Jintarians have distanced themselves from the distinction between Star and Idol, viewing it as essentially objectifying celebrities. Instead, the concept of who exactly is a celebrity is fairly wide: essentially, anyone famous enough to be known outside of Jintaria, even a little, is considered an ambassador of Jintarian culture and essentially a celebrity. Historically, Jintaria has been the unacknowledged part of Venus, and only in recent times has its influence begun to increase: with the election of Strom and the massively increased success of Jintarian celebrities abroad, Jintaria has finally begun reclaiming its slice of Venus. This has led to Jintarians as a whole being extremely prideful and attached to their celebrities, viewing them as the only reason why Jintarians are known at all – referring to the current crop as '''the Golden Generation'''. While this success may be still extremely small compared to their Cytherean brethren, it does not stop particularly prideful Jintarians from proclaiming the beginning of a new age for their class.

Much like in Cytherea, any Jintarian celebrity deemed big enough is given a spot in the '''Venusian Jintarian Museum''', the Jintarian counterpart of the Diamond Hall. The requirements are much less stringent, and generally there isn’t much competitiveness among Jintarians to be represented there – it is simply an honour.

'''Kyle De Koster''' is arguably the biggest Jintarian celebrity, perhaps only tying with Hendrik Strom for the title. The lead singer of Just Us, a Jintarian punk nu-metal band with a focus on optimistic lyrics, his career has been a long and hard fought one. It started as a venture between high school friends who played their music in the streets of Binyaria’s Jintarian communities, and evolved to an interstellar phenomenon through hard work alone. Many of this band’s songs idolise the Jintarian struggle and their own experience, providing a point of reference for many Jintarians. Their latest album, ''Hold Us Tight'', has been a massive hit with Jintarians but also across the Coalition of Colonies, boasting very high viewership especially on Himeo. De Koster and his band are known Jintarian nationalists and do not fear speaking up in matters of politics, having given their endorsement of Hendrik Strom several times in the past.

'''Hendrik Strom''' is, in the eyes of many fellow Jintarians, the best representation of Jintaria. Since starting as a humble city councilman roughly thirty years ago Strom has climbed to the top through ability, ambition, and no small amount of Jintarian nationalism. Once a senator representing Venus, Strom has served as the emergency governor of the Sol System since shortly after the Naval coup in late 2462. Strom has never forgotten his roots and often visits Venus, where he is greeted warmly by his fellow Jintarians, to raise support for himself and what many see as his inevitable run for Prime Minister once elections open up again. His face can often be seen throughout Jintarian communities on inspirational posters and political billboards alike.

'''Katarina Josic''' is a strong contender for the spot of ‘very famous Jintarian celebrity’, despite being much more of an extremist. Her career, interestingly, is not in Jintaria but instead abroad – she left Jintaria very early to become an actress in the Coalition of Colonies, with her main following being located there instead of in Sol. This endeavour was successful and she has starred in many top films in the Coalition, becoming a widely known figure and using this fame as a platform for her pro-Jintaria speeches. Unlike Just Us’ members, however, she is a very anti-Solarian individual and has often spoken out against the nation in the past, going as far as renouncing her citizenship in favour of a Coalition one following the Violet Dawn incident. She has criticised the members of Just Us many times before for their pro-Solarian stances as well.
===Jintarian Fashion===
Jintarian every-day fashion is much more practical and significantly less gaudy than its Cytherean counterpart, generally trending towards punk-like styles – ripped jeans, as an example, are very common in Jintaria. Many Jintarians wear simple, practical clothing well-suited to their typically industrial or physical work such as jeans, simple tees, long-sleeved shirts or track pants. Jintarian professionals dress much like their counterparts in the rest of the Alliance. As their pride prevents them from emulating Cytherean fashion, Jintarians have a habit of standing out through the smaller details: they often decorate their jacket or shirt with stickers, pins, armbands. There is much variance in the style and reason behind these accessories – some use accessories that represent their life or views, while others simply pick whatever is the most colourful or whatever they think is most aesthetically pleasing. Jintarian business wear tends to be similar to the rest of the Alliance, although the expensive brands are near-universally avoided by Jintarians.

Most Jintarians opt to deliberately ignore Cytherea's big fashion brands, and many take pride in this willing ignorance -- instead opting to "buy Jintarian" when it comes to their clothing. As a result, most Jintarian clothing is produced using materials sourced from Jintaria itself and made in Jintarian-dominated aerostat districts. It isn’t unusual for Jintarian fashion to be exported off of Venus: simple Jintarian clothing has found a niche in cheap, affordable apparel and can be found in many shops and malls around the Spur. As of late, many more people are buying this type of clothing due to the living cost crisis created by the Phoron shortage. Additionally, Jintarian enterprises often run some philanthropic endeavours with certain lines of clothing, donating some of the earnings to a few good causes – one example is the ''Dawn'' line from the most famous Jintarian clothes company, Jinnel: a series of black tees where the imprint is that of a typical Martian dome, transitioning from a normal state to a destroyed and burnt one. 75% of the earnings from this line were donated to the Martian victims of the Violet Dawn disaster that now find their home in Jintaria.
==Aerostats==
<center>''“What do I know about Binyarians? All they do is take our stuff and never give anything back. It’s unfair!” - A quote by an unnamed Rathliner hydroponics specialist responding to the “What Do You Think About Your Fellow Venusians” survey, juxtaposed with an unnamed Binyarian actress’ answer, “About Rathliners? Well, they make our food, I guess?”''</center>

Venusians dwell in aerostats floating in the habitable layer nicknamed '''“the Zone”''' above the sulphuric acid clouds masking the surface. These floating cities are primarily held in place by their natural oxygen content and large bags of hydrogen. Aerostats began with a size equal to the average city centre, but have since expanded to much larger sizes, with the largest ones rivalling other major cities in the Spur. Aerostats are divided into two main sections: Cytherea, which refers to the Cytherean-dominated areas above, and Jintaria, which refers to boyh the small pockets of Jintarians above ground but also (and mainly) the Jintarian cities under the respective districts.

Aerostats follow a similar style of planning to normal cities, with all kinds of districts and buildings present – each aerostat is divided into a variable number of districts, depending on the population, that make up its administrative divisions.There are, however, some differences due to their nature as floating cities: as an example, no wind or any kind of atmospheric phenomenon is present on these aerostats, except as an optional setting in artificial parks. Binyarians pin this on the fact that the presence of wind would limit one’s choice in fashion. On the other hand, both a day-night cycle and a sky similar to the Earth’s are simulated through large and complex lighting arrays that make up the inside of the dome-like structure separating the aerostat from the atmosphere. Normally, someone would only be able to see this artificial sky in an aerostat, but there are some buildings that have a window to the outside as a stylistic choice.

All aerostats are interconnected in a gigantic ring-like structure, forming a sort of spider web across the planet’s surface: the two biggest aerostats, Binyaria and Rathlin, form the two ‘poles’ respectively at the north and south of the web. It is possible to travel from an aerostat to another through the '''Venusian Ferry''', the gigantic shuttletram network forming the basis of this web. It isn't only a means of transport but also a very famous all-in-one tourism attraction sponsored by Idris: firework displays are fused with the planet's naturally odd atmosphere in order to create light shows truly out of a movie. Most if not all Venusians and tourists alike take at least one trip on the Venusian Ferry in their life.

Bar certain exceptions like Rathlin, most Jintarians live in sprawling city complexes under the aerostats, referred to as, for example, Jintarian Binyaria or Jintarian Parabing to name a section of Jintaria under a specific district. Jintaria as a whole is informally known as '''‘downstairs’''' by Cythereans, whereas Cytherea is referred to as '''‘upstairs’''' by Jintarians. These city complexes tend to be densely packed and populated, with little variance in terms of architecture and structure as a result of their government-planned construction. They have overtime, however, been decorated with various LED holoboards bought from Cytherea, artificial parks and other such structures to breathe some life into the atmosphere. The aerostats’ heavier industries, such as power complexes or factories, are entirely located in the Jintarian sections. Jintarians have easy enough access to Cytherea through elevators that can be found throughout their cities, with at least one under each Cytherean district.
===Binyaria===

'''Binyaria''' is the capital aerostat of Venus and by far the most populated one, widely known as Venus’ jewel, sporting the archetypical Cytherean architecture: lightshows, LEDs and flashy buildings. People from across the galaxy flock to Binyaria to experience both Solarian and Cytherean culture, which has its roots in the very same aerostat. It is one of the most-visited tourist destinations in the Spur, clocking in the high hundreds of millions of visits every year – with all of them coming to experience the Cytherean culture that began in the very same aerostat. Of course, all of these tourists come to partake in Cytherean hobbies in one way or the other as well.

Cythereans in Binyaria are almost entirely employed in the service and entertainment sectors. Despite its rapid deindustrialisation, Binyaria still hosts a large amount of pharmaceuticals industries and related research complexes, where about 12% of the Cytherean population works.

The following are Binyaria’s most populated and well-known districts.

The '''Jie District''' is located at the very centre of Binyaria, named after the original ruler of the aerostat. It is the true heart of the Cytherean fashion and acting industry, along with the bio-modification that goes hand in hand with them. Tourists flock to Jie to partake, or at least gawk, at the majesty of Cytherea's famed fashion houses, acting museums and so on. This district also houses several Zeng-Hu Pharmaceuticals facilities centred around biomodification and beauty techniques that are frequented by both the rich and famous of Cytherea and exceptionally wealthy (or vain) tourists. Outside of its main thoroughfare, Jie is home to a wild variety of production studies for everything from holovids to music, and many of those involved in Cytherea's entertainment industry make their homes in the expensive apartments and estates of the district. With all of this considered, it is not the district that houses the government, and functions mainly as the flashiest show-off of what Cytherea is truly about, being the most visited district for its value in re-telling Cytherean history (from their side, at least). The only permanent residents in Jie are CEOs, official functionaries and other similarly wealthy or famous figures. ''"We can't all live in Jie District"'' is a phrase used by Jintarians to essentially say "not all of us can be filthy rich", to mock Cythereans for their vanity or simply to express just how ridiculous something is. On the flip side, Cythereans often use the phrase ''"not a Jintarian's chance in Jie"'' to describe impossible odds or something/someone looking really bad (either socially or physically).

Located at the very centre of the Jie District is the '''Venusian Stars Institute''', arguably Venus’ single most important institution. A gigantic, byzantine skyscraper, covered from bottom to top in holographic billboards and the brightest, most colourful LEDs that can be bought on the Spur. With these features and the tacky holographic signs on all four sides at its top blasting its acronym in the brightest rainbow lights imaginable, it dominates Binyaria’s skyline as a consistent reminder of what truly keeps the aerostat afloat: the power of media. Curiously enough, the phrase ''"You're like the Jie skyline"'' has recently become a Cytherean way to tell someone that they stand out, either from good looks or for other reasons. Its first recorded usage was in an Interstellar Girls single from 2463, ''Skyline''.

The Jie District is also home to the '''Jie Holocinema Complex''', the largest and most advanced holocinema in the Spur. It is an absolutely gigantic and flashy structure, being by far the brightest and most-decorated building in Cytherea as a whole. Every single top movie has at least one early screening in this cinema, and these tickets often go for exorbitant prices – which doesn’t stop Cytherea’s many billionaires from lapping them up as soon as they come on the market. Its claim to fame is the Virtual Reality Suite, the highest class viewing hall available, where the viewer can fully immerse themselves in the movie by being able to freely view the current scene from any angle through experimental VR technology. Lower-class viewing halls that provide the “classic” experience are also present for those that don’t have quite as much wealth.

This cinema is found at the very centre of '''Our Lady’s Plaza''', a massive sprawling circular plaza. Its claim to fame is it is built under an artificial vineyard, providing quite the change of pace from the other plazas that may be mistaken as dance floors by unknowing visitors. Restaurants and shops of all kinds can be found around this plaza, providing one of the most unique experiences possible for a weekend. ''"Our Lady's has nothing on this place!"'' is a somewhat uncommon exclamation for Cythereans to refer to a really cool place.

The '''Chiye-Gyo District''' was helped to fame by corporate investment rather than Venus' municipal government. It was a district constructed and leased to the megacorporations to function as a corporate hub on the planet, where one can find any corporate facility they wish for, whether that be corporate-sponsored universities or Idris shopping malls to buy the newest clothing catalogue at. Nanotrasen used to have a presence here as well, but their assets here have been entirely handed off to Einstein Engines. Because of this megacorporate presence, Chiye-Gyo is often used as a backdoor out of Venus for those wanting to leave the planet, with the corporations offering contracts both in Sol and abroad to Venusians willing to take them – Jintarians and Cythereans alike. Of course, many of these Venusians also have to undergo mandatory training courses in Chiye-Gyo to bring them up to speed with their new job. Following the Industrial Reclamation Decree and the nationalisation of Nanotrasen property, their workers were offered to transfer abroad in the Republic of Biesel by the corporation if they wished to leave the Alliance. ''"Straight laced like Chiye-Gyo's corpos"'' is a slang phrase used by Cythereans to refer to someone who's too serious. "Corpos" can often be substituted with "goons", "suits" or other demeaning terms.

The '''Parabing District''' is Binyaria’s most populated district, representing where the majority of its population resides. It is where most of the Cytherean life takes place, with its many stylish apartments, estates and houses, but is not lacking in entertainment and hosts a number of clubs, PC cafes, karaoke joints, laid-back bars, and fast food restaurants complete with glowing neon lights. Parabing also sees a high amount of Jintarian thoroughfare in its districts, both because of its entertainment opportunities and for work reasons, as some Jintarians that live downstairs can find employment in Parabing’s chemical and pharmaceuticals complexes. ''"Putting the bing-o in Parabing!"'' is an expression used by particularly goofy Jintarians and Cythereans as another way of saying "Bingo!". It is, however, very informal and somewhat ridiculous, so it is only used among good friends, most often after a drink or five. Jintarian Parabing hosts a fairly large number of immigrant workers in its Jintarian side, where it hosts the largest population of Martian immigrants in the Spur as a result of Violet Dawn.

While hardly as famous as any of its higher counterparts, the '''Central Binyarian Power Complex''' on level ten is one of the most important levels in the entire aerostat. The Complex provides fission-based power to the entire aerostat using a network of massive fusion generators. The amount of equipment needed to ensure that power flows and the generators continue functioning has turned the Complex into a massive labyrinth of tunnels and industrial machinery that are difficult to navigate through and very easy to become lost in. As a result the Complex is informally known as "the Labyrinth" and has very few legal permanent residents. The tunnels of the Complex are often poorly-lit and filled with stagnant air due to insufficient ventilation. Due to the construction of the Complex noises are able to easily travel through it, and the groaning of machinery and hissing of coolant pipes can echo through miles of tunnels. The Labyrinth is seen as a very unsettling place by both Cythereans and Jintarians, and the disquieting nature of it and similar power facilities have become fodder for the Cytherean film industry. This place's pervasion in pop culture has led to the creation of some creative slang phrases, such as ''"Have you come from the Labyrinth?"'' to refer to an ugly person for Cythereans, or ''"The Labyrinth's got nothing on you"'' to refer to a particularly cool person for Jintarians. Both cultures attempt to one-up the other, with Cythereans using this complex as a negative attribute and Jintarians attempting to reclaim it.

'''Jintarian Binyaria''' is the home to most of the planet’s Jintarians, but does not present itself to be much different from the rest of Jintaria, architecturally or structurally. It does, however, house some districts and landmarks that are very renowned across Jintaria.

The '''Susuhe District''' is the largest and most populated Jintarian district in Venus. It is functionally a mishmash of every kind of facility: from power plants to sports facilities to apartments and parks, nearly everything can be found here, providing an extremely centralised but comfortable lifestyle, if a bit packed with people. Jintarians may find employment either in Susuhe itself or even directly above it in Parabing’s pharmaceutical complexes. Being the administration’s home and arguably the heart of the Jintarian class, it also houses a few important landmarks.

The '''Venusian Jintarian Museum''' is the main point of reference for Jintarian culture, inspired by the Diamond Hall in function. While it presents itself as a rather boring building – clearly not inheriting the Diamond Hall’s gaudy looks – the inside is one of the, if not the most decorated example of Jintarian architecture. Marble flooring and pillars mark the amount of care taken in preserving the story of celebrities and immortalising them as part of Jintaria’s past.

On the entertainment side of things, Susuhe is also home to '''the Ring''', the largest pub across all of Jintaria, built not by the government but by the collective efforts of Jintarians. As its name implies, it is a massive ring-like structure where the inner part is the counter, and the rest is dedicated to tables and other entertainment facilities. Its clients can either simply sit and order their drink and food, or take part in some of the more tame activities that can be found here: the Ring is home to facilities for sports, table football, tabletop games, and more. This pub’s prevalence in Jintarian popular culture has led to the creation of ''"You're ringing out"'' as a common slang phrase used by Jintarians to refer to someone who is too drunk or high for their own good.

===Rathlin===
'''Rathlin''' is the second most populated aerostat, and is the home to Venus’ extremely advanced hydroponics and medical facilities. While distant from Binyaria, it has also overtime adopted the archetypical Cytherean culture, but with a fairly large degree of difference: mainly, the resentment that Rathliners feel towards their Binyarian brethren. While practically all of them accept their Cytherean ways of life (which have been, to some degree, imposed on them), it doesn’t quite feel right to them that Binyaria is the centre of attention in all things Venus. This has developed into a sort of complex of inferiority towards Binyarians, with Rathliners eager to show that they’re just as relevant as their compatriots. Of course, this has to happen in other fields, as there is no hope for Rathlin’s media industries to ever outpace Binyaria’s. Instead, Rathliners – Cytherans and Jintarians alike – are much more likely to seek to climb the social ladder via scientific or medical prowess.

Another oddity unique to Rathlin is that it is the aerostat with the largest number of Jintarians living among the Cytherean population – in fact, most of its Jintarian population lives in its Cytherean side, with only around 21% living below. Many Jintarians find easy enough employment in Rathlin’s many medical, scientific and hydroponics fields if they have the skills to show for it, as these jobs are in ever-increasing demand. Some of these Jintarians can even find their way to Cytherean Binyaria, as expertise is always welcome if they can survive its cutthroat environment – and if they can match Cythereans in beauty.

The following are Rathlin’s most populated and well-known districts.

The '''Nunusa District''' is Rathlin’s seat of government and where most of its population resides. While just as brightly decorated as other Binyarian districts, Nunusa sets itself apart by borrowing its architectural styles from diverse places on Earth: anything can be found in its districts, from Baltic old town architecture to traditional Japanese architecture. Of course, all of these architectures have the typical Venusian twists to them – LED strips to accentuate colours, holographic advertisement billboards attached to the sides, and other similar tacky details. Nunusa also hosts a fairly large number of Jintarian residents. Cythereans often say that something looks "like Susuha" if it's a mishmash of many things, a melting pot, or generally curious or interesting.

Nunusa is home to one of Venus’ most multicultural academies, the '''Nunusa Polymedical Institute''', informally known as '''PolyNu'''. It is Venus’ highest rated medical university as it places more of a focus on skills rather than good looks, and many aspiring Cytherean doctors from other aerostats – even Binyaria – study here, either by using the Venusian Ferry or by temporarily moving to Nunusa. Binyarians often find themselves teased and sometimes even mocked by Rathliners for attending classes in this institute, but the education is top notch nonetheless. These four groups of cultures that coexist – Jintarians, Binyarians, Rathliners and Cythereans from other aerostats – are in a constant race to one-up the other through bragging about better grades or whichever other methods they can come up with. While this does contribute to a higher degree of academic competitiveness in the university, these competitions can also be settled in other ways, such as on the dance floor. ''"You're like a Binyarian in PolyNu"'' is a common phrase used by Rathliners to describe someone who's out of place.

The '''Satisma District''' is perhaps Venus’ most important industrial district, made up almost entirely of hydroponics facilities and attached employee housing. It provides Venus with practically all of its food, and even exports a significant amount to the Alliance as a whole. A good amount of the Spur’s expert hydroponicists are raised and trained in Satisma’s world-class facilities. Cythereans and Jintarians alike work in this district, with Cythereans managing to find it bearable as it is not particularly high-intensity work, and automation does most of the job anyway. Jintarians often write off their Cytherean workers as particularly lazy here, but that is not necessarily always the truth. ''"Do you work at Satisma?"'' is a slang phrase used by particularly vain Cythereans to refer to someone who is lower class or generally uninteresting. It is very negatively charged and often elicits a reply in kind (or worse) if used against Jintarians.

The '''Rimari District''' is, on the surface, quite similar to Satisma, filled with hydroponics complexes and other such installations. In truth, it is arguably the centre for Venus’ drug trade: completely dominated and owned by Zeng-Hu, the hydroponics plants here are rumoured to grow exclusively narcotics and whatever other types of drugs the Cytherean clientele may desire. It is strictly guarded at all hours of the day by several VPPF detachments, which has most certainly only further stained the Venusian Police’s name in the minds of Jintarians and unsatisfied Cytherean. Rimari also holds the infamous reputation of being the largest narcotics trade hub in the entire Spur according to several independent newspapers and research articles, claims that have been solely ignored by every single Venusian government. ''"Locked up like Rimari"'' is a charged slang phrase used by Cythereans and Jintarians alike to refer to someone who's clearly holding a secret of some sort, or refusing to talk about it.

'''Jintarian Rathlin''' is not much different from Jintarian Binyaria, mainly because of Jintaria’s beginnings as little more than pre-fabricated drab cities. It is, however, connected to Jintarian Binyaria through the Venusian Ferry.

'''Jintarian Satisma''' is mostly made up of restaurants, curiously enough, which import food from the hydroponics facilities above. Jintarians can find their respite in many of the higher-class (for Jintarians, anyway – they would still not hold a candle to Cytherean restaurants) in this district. Jintarian Satisma is also the host of the Satisma Fair, a 3-day fair beginning on the 15th of March and ending on the 18th where the streets of the districts are filled with food stands, festivals and other such activities. It is extremely famous among Jintarians and most of them attend it yearly, spending more than usual. Additionally, cooks from the rest of the Alliance sometimes set up their own stands and makeshift restaurants here as it is a very, very lucrative opportunity. New Hai Phonger cooks are especially renowned in Jintarian Satisma, with many trying to emulate their cuisine.

==Government and Politics==
<center>''“Jintarians have been governed by Cythereans for a century now, but no more! No more will the Jintarian have to stand by and let clueless addicts govern them! No more!” – Excerpt from Hendrik Strom’s famous campaign speech to a crowd of around million Jintarians in Jintarian Parabing.''</center>

Venus’ government is, on the surface, fairly simple: each aerostat has its own governor, which is elected through a democratic vote where all registered citizens can participate. Each district likewise has its own representative, elected in the very same manner. However, Venus places little to no effort in fighting any sort of corruption, often staffing its anti-corruption bureaus as if they were vacation homes for retired politicians. This has led to Venus’ government historically being among the most corrupt and inefficient in the Spur, with a record period of '''11 years without any significant reform''' (according to the Xanusii News Service’s ''Venusian Insight'' scoop of 2431, with a "significant reform" classified as any bill that implements a new social or governmental program). District representatives and aerostat governors alike are often accused by independent news services of collaborating in the Venusian drug trade to disgusting degrees, pocketing bribe money left and right and willingly ignoring the issues that plague Venus. Moreover, competition is at an all-time low on Venus, with all of its sectors practically monopolised by a select few companies. Venus’ media freedom ranks at its highest peak ever according to Venusian and some Solarian outlets, but independent news services often instead rank it at the bottom due to the VSI’s absolute stranglehold on the media services.

Under the surface, Venus has many de-facto exceptions given to it by the Solarian law apparatus. Drug trade and consumption are essentially completely allowed on Venus, with the VPPF not particularly inclined to ever prosecute these crimes due to their profitability. Whatever narcotics one may desire are nearly always handed over-the-counter at Zeng-Hu pharmacies, which present a ''technically legal'' front – and, as a result, no perquisitions ever occur.

This general complacency boiled over in Hendrik Strom’s election as the planetary senator in 2453, a result of Cytherean apathy and general lack of care towards voting. Elected through a historic Jintarian turnout, his campaign has run on anti-corruption promises and economic reforms – populist policies that are not appreciated by Cythereans or by the established Venusian industries. Whether these reforms will be implemented or have any long-lasting effect is yet to be seen, however, as more pressing matters have taken the ex-senator’s attention since the Solarian collapse.

The '''Venusian Stars Institute''' is an entirely government-controlled agency and an integral part of the average Venusian’s life. It has absolute control over Venusian media, from what gets produced and put on the extranet to the image rights of its stars and idols, with more details on this particular facet in the Cytherean Culture section. To the average citizen, the VSI is an almost invisible force behind social media, rarely interfering unless absolutely necessary. An example of this is the silencing of the Binyarian Exposé, where journalists propagating the story in question were promptly banned from all social media and their stories scrubbed from the Extranet.

===The Venusian Planetary Police Force===
Venus’ law enforcement agency is the '''Venusian Planetary Police Force''', or '''VPPF'''. The VPPF is more of a media stunt than a real police force, being riddled with corruption and inefficiencies, where officers are known to readily take bribes to ignore crimes -- particularly the crimes of Venus' rich and famous. The VPPF's reputation is so poor that megacorporate facilities and Venusian notables may even use private military contractors from the Eridani Federation Military to provide security instead. Hendrik Strom and his fellow populists have made a scapegoat out of the VPPF by citing its most public failures such as its inability to contain the now-defunct Tajara Revolutionary Army and its rampant cronyism. In public polling, the Venusian police typically ranks as one of the least popular planetary police agencies in the entire Solarian Alliance. It can mostly be seen policing important landmarks, clubs, bars or whichever important gala is being hosted on a certain night.
The gendarmerie’s poor standing also has to do with mostly who exactly chooses a career in it, often described as a dead-end career: that is to say, mostly crashouts and those who don’t want to be in the spotlight, for one reason or the other. Unfortunately for them, the VPPF doesn’t pay very handsomely and is seen as the opposite of a prestigious career, being considered useless by just about every single Venusian. This has led to an extremely high rate of turnover, with those leaving the VPPF often leaving Venus entirely and looking for work abroad as mercenaries in the PMCG/EPMC or as corporate security: leaving the planet with their eyes open to Venus’ many injustices and likely more depressed as a result.

The VPPF is structured into one department per aerostat with thirty-two sections per district, with each section varying in size depending on the population and importance of the location. Rimari has by far the largest sections across Binyaria. While the VPPF functions like an archetypical gendarmerie, many of its bureaus are intentionally stunted: narcotics or financial crimes departments often function in name only, with their director being paid off by more than one person in exchange for their inaction. This situation is known to just about anyone who researches it, but most importantly they have to care about it – which is not the case for the average Cytherean. After all, the VPPF’s inaction is what allows their hedonistic lifestyle to continue.

==Synthetics on Venus==
<center>''“It is the duty of Idris to provide the most perfect synthetics for the Venusian media enterprises [...]” - Excerpt from Alex Mason’s 2454 Q1 investor meeting.''</center>

Positronics on Venus are mainly imported from around Sol, with Hephaestus and Einstein Engines being the chief providers of chassis and positronics for menial and service work alike. A product of their environment, these IPC are programmed with the local Cytherian or Jintarian accent according to their posting and purpose. Fielded by both the government and private entities, the aerostats of Venus are a prime hub of IPC activity, as well as the shell frame capital of the Alliance, pushing the boundaries of avant-garde taste and chassis modifications to fit all sorts of cosmetic and functional niches of an unhinged entertainment industry.

===In Cytherian Society===
The service and entertainment sectors make heavy use of IPC workers, both on and off screen, primarily shells provided by Einstein Engines, Zeng-Hu Pharmaceuticals and smaller producers such as Earth’s Hazel Electromotive. It is not unusual for Venusian movies to cast shell actors and actresses, using them as stunt doubles for dangerous or arguably fatal screens where agility is a must, sometimes even causing real harm and damage to their forms. Cytherian Stars in the movie industry often have shell lookalikes on standby, shooting multiple scenes at once or even working on different lower-end films to maximise efficiency and output, while also making upcoming and unknown studios pay incredible sums to have a Star’s likeness in their movie, be it the real actor or not. Furthermore, shells are used intensely on stage by bands and brands such as INTERSTELLAR✰GIRLS, enhancing performances with dancing, acrobatics or other such stunts. Shell workers are also commonly found in the infamous Cytherian parties, serving guests or accompanying them in their various activities. The deeper and lower one gets, the more cosmetic altercations one finds on the shells present, as the creativity hampered by Venusian ideals of a clean body, are channelled into tattoos and modifications on their IPC. The application of piercings, vibrant colours and tattoos with fluorescent ink can range from simple creations to extravagant displays of art, utilising the bodies of the shell as a limitless canvas.

While all the above may push a favourable image of the positronics’ lives, the reality is more or less the opposite. Situated in core Solarian territory, Venusians largely echo the conservative views for the treatment of IPC as objects and property, and this is no different for Cytherian shells. While some may have their shining moments or even manage to gather a following on social media, their owners and especially the Venusian Star Institute tend to be quick at grounding them back to reality, making sure that an IPC never gets enough time in the spotlight to shadow a human Star. To this end, shell actors and dancers are often recycled for fresh ones, those discarded being resold for lower-end work in various establishments throughout Binyaria and other aerostats, or as Venusian novelty items abroad. Operating under the same crushing regime that even many Stars find exhausting, the tear and wear caused by repeated performances, dangerous scenes in cinema and a general treatment as nothing more than equipment, guarantees a much shorter lifespan compared to shells in other parts of the Spur.

===Jintarians and Corporate Synthetics===
While not as expansive as in Cytherian culture, the Jintarian working class sees its fair share of baselines and industrial frames in the workforce, owing to the extreme working conditions found in maintaining certain parts of aerostats. As a result, most positronics intended for labour are programmed with engineering and maintenance databases, organised in teams and sent to work under human technicians in tasks where even the most hardy and experienced individuals would find arduous. One other significant sector such IPC can be found in is the Venusian Planetary Police, fielding synthetic officers for all manners of operations against crime and other runaway synthetics. It is thus only natural that Jintarians interact more with non-shells, with many even coming to somewhat appreciate their presence and make clear distinctions between them and Cytherian positronics. While still under highly restrictive ownership, these IPC enjoy a greater standard of living, usual repairs as well as the lack of fear of living up to unreasonable standards like their counterparts in the more expensive and luxurious locales of Venus.

Corporate synthetics on Venus largely maintain their corporate identity, with some being tailored with a Venusian, mostly Cytherian, flair. Idris’ professional shell service staff and Reclamation Units are often programmed with the accent to cater to the clientele, while in some cases taking on low-scale cosmetic alterations such as fancy antennae, vibrant eye colours or certain skin patterns. Owing to a large Zeng-Hu presence in the pharmaceutical industry, Bishop frames are regularly seen around the megacorporation’s installations, in laboratories and pharmacies, their white and sterile form being a characteristic element of the company’s identity in many Venusians’ eyes.

==Skrell on Venus==
The Nralakk Federation is, to the surprise of very few people, one of the most restrictive states when it comes to public displays of hedonism. Thus it begs the question of what kind of Skrell would dare set foot on Venus, and the answers are fairly simple -- mainly stars and washouts. While there are Skrell on Venus that work in duller fields such as hydroponics, science or medicine, these two groups form the bulk of the popular perception of Skrell on the planet.

'''Skrellian Stars''' are the most represented group of Skrell on Venus, being present in prominent media and with some even having a fairly large following. Most of these Stars are either Federation-sponsored actors from Nralakk, human culture enthusiasts or simply disgruntled Skrell who couldn't make it in the Federation, for one reason or the other. The latter two groups are the most likely to fully embrace Venusian ideals and even venture out to other human nations, whereas the former group -- Nralakk loyalists -- do not partake quite as much and keep a tight lip on topics like dissent.

'''Washouts''', instead, are Skrell that have been completely and utterly socially isolated in the Federation. Most often either successful scientists that have published research deemed too controversial or failed doctors that couldn't meet Nralakk's academic standards, Venus represents a prestigious temporary vacation for them to spend their many leftover credits at. These Skrell stay for a matter of years -- a short time to them, but a long time to everyone else -- drowning away their sorrows until they feel ready to hit the stars once again. Whether those stars are part of Venus' artificial sky or are the Spur's is up for them to decide from their brooding.
{{Navbox Human Lore}}
{{Navbox Lore}}
[[Category:Pages]]
[[Category:Planets_and_Systems]]
[[Category:Humanity]]

User:MattAtlas/Sandbox

2022-09-30T13:18:43Z

MattAtlas:

{{Navbox Lore}}
{{Navbox Human Lore}}
[[File:VenusSkyline.png|thumb|Binyaria from the outside, along with a few satellite aerostats.]]
Considered the Solarian Alliance’s entertainment and pharmaceutical capital, '''Venus''' exists as one of the oldest colonies within Sol and as one of the most populated worlds within the Spur. Its inhabitants live in aerostats dotted among the orange skies, where they can enjoy the highest tier of cinema, virtual reality, musicals, and so on. The Venusian population is divided – yet united – into two classes: the Cythereans, entertainment, service and generally white collar workers, and the Jintarians, the blue-collar working and middle class. Regardless of this divide and whichever stereotypes may exist, Jintarians and Cythereans recognise that the other is necessary for Venus to continue prospering.

One of the most stereotyped and divisive elements within the Spur, the term “Venusian culture” is intrinsically tied to Cythereans due to their overwhelming presence and influence within interstellar media – despite it being an umbrella term for both the Cytherean and Jintarian cultures. Nearly always opposing the values of one another, including in politics, fashion, economics and down to even details such as favourite colours, they enjoy a symbiotic relationship that has been carefully cultivated throughout the decades of cohabitation. It is recognised that reliance on one another is essential to Venus’ society, despite the existence of fringe groups that find themselves radical proponents for a division of these two cultures. Still, these two groups tend to stereotype and tease the other whenever possible due to the sheer amount of differences. It is not unusual to see Cytherean and Jintarian couples, but it is definitely something that raises many eyebrows and much curiosity on the matter – except for celebrities, where this particular choice in partner may cause a bigger scandal than anticipated; and Venusians do love their scandals.
==Venusian History==
<center>''“If you want to make it here, you’ve gotta put your all into it! They’re complaining about their schedule? Maybe they shouldn’t have signed up to be an actor, then!” - Anne-Marie Cythère in an interview on the Binyarian exposé.''</center>

===Initial Settlement===
The case of Venus and how its esoteric society developed is the subject of much debate by many sociologists. Curiously, it began not as a colony, but instead as a research outpost created by the corporations that would eventually go on to form Zeng-Hu Pharmaceuticals in the 2090s. Many experimental technologies were developed in floating research stations, mainly relating to the fields of hydroponics and the chemical industry. Despite this, Earth's governments did not pay the scorching planet much attention, since it was rather unsuitable for rudimentary colonisation prospects. This situation continued until '''2127'''. The flooding of New York City and the resulting anarchy caused many residing billionaires to choose to leave Earth in advance, and a particular group chose to leave for Venus for a simple reason: Zeng-Hu's auctioning of its Venusian research stations. These stations were sold to them in an auction at a discount as the fledgling corporation desperately needed liquidity to keep its much more valuable Asian assets afloat.

Over the next decade, these research stations were gradually expanded by their new owners and consolidated into two super-settlements, forming '''the first proto-aerostats.''' These aerostats are respectively named after their owners: '''Binyaria''', named after Jie Binya, a young American-Chinese billionaire who recently inherited a massive fortune, and '''Rathlin''', named after François Rathlin, a French entrepreneur and owner of a massive supermarket chain on Earth. Binyaria inherited Zeng-Hu's chemical industry facilities, whereas Rathlin inherited Zeng-Hu's more extensive hydroponics and pharmacy industries. Rathlin was a much more valuable complex and trade quickly flourished there, with the fledgling aerostat becoming a large exporter of grown foodstuffs. Binyaria was in a more difficult position: its chemical industry was not as valuable and, thus, was far more reliant on its owners' investment. Binyarians and Rathliners thus developed a small rivalry around this time around whose aerostat was ''really'' the better one, which persists to this day. Nonetheless, Jie, the owner of Binyaria, needed a plan to make Binyaria truly shine.

===Binyarian Renaissance===
On the 25th of December '''2141''', the '''Jie Holocinema Complex''' was announced in a massive opening ceremony costing in the billions of credits. This grand opening was complete with free tickets for a showing of the most famous Christmas movie at this time, White Snow. It was a revolutionary cinema, an absolutely massive one at that, using state-of-the-art holographic technology to give its viewers a ''truly'' out of the world experience. Nothing quite like it existed anywhere else in Human space and it acted as a lightning rod for citizens and tourists alike, which over time slowly became permanent residents. It attracted both rich and poor alike through clever use of advertisements and the inclusion of low-cost and luxury display rooms. More notably, however, it attracted the large media companies on earth. The cinema was so big that it was unmatched in terms of potential opening revenue, and Venusian billionaires were open to paying a fortune for luxury tickets. This led to a slow exodus of media companies to Venus, all competing to get opening-day contracts. It was slow at first, but later snowballed: more investment into the fledgling acting and media industry meant that more companies would move. Eventually, even the titans of the media industry began to move. By the turn of the 23rd century, Venus began rivalling Earth in terms of media. It was not quite dominant yet, however. One last push was needed.

===The Founding of the Venusian Stars Institute===
Intentionally announced at the turn of the century, on the 1st of January 2200, the Venusian Stars Institute was set from the beginning to be the heart of the Venusian media empire. An absolutely byzantine and gigantic entity, it was created to manage every single tiny bit of Venus' growing media industry. From managing actors to funding media companies, the VSI is the last edge that Binyaria needed to dislodge Earth's dominance in the media sector. Lucrative contracts and clever handiwork behind the scenes resulted in the titans of the media industry finally committing to a move to Venus. These contracts ended up creating luxurious and revolutionary institutes for the big media companies to settle in, their massive skyscrapers dominating the Venusian skyline. All citizens, at this point, would see the emblems of the Venusian media empire when looking up. Gigantic holographic billboards began to claim an unrivalled amount of space in every single alleyway. Social media, which was placed under the purview of the VSI's newly-created Social Leadership Team, began to truly boom around this time as well. Practically every citizen became an avid user of social media from the morning to the evening: the Venusian government often paid companies to give new employees latest-model phones, which came with all sorts of social media applications installed and no way to remove advertisements. While this was annoying at first, Venusians ended up accepting this situation eventually. After all, they ''were'' free, high-end mobile phones. The money that Venus spent on this was quickly made back through insane amounts of advertisement money: practically every citizen was viewing hundreds and hundreds of advertisements throughout the day. Idol culture began spreading through social media as well, with many falling in ranks behind their favourite media star, yet quick to turn their backs on them whenever the new scandal came out.

===The Binyarian Exposé and Cytherea===
The reality of the actors' life was much different than what was shown on social media. Their happy lives were often carefully manufactured lies, sold by their privately-hired media marketing teams. Of course, this is knowledge that only the actors themselves would have -- they, themselves, were too busy under the immense pressure of the Venusian entertainment industry. The Venusian Stars Institute's guidelines for actors -- essentially rules that they may not break for any reason -- clamped down harder and harder with every passing year. Newly-implemented beauty standards in ''2203''' meant that many actors had to resort to expensive, Zeng-Hu sponsored plastic surgery or then-experimental genetic engineering in order to meet unrealistic demands. Many took out extensive loans from the then-up-and-rising Idris banking company in order to afford these expensive Zeng-Hu procedures. These loans were then paid through a gruesome amount of work: actors often had to work gruelling work schedules, day after day, just to not be crushed under the interest. This opened up a new, lucrative front for Zeng-Hu: drugs grown on Rathlin could easily be sold to actors on Cytherea, which led to their rampant substance abuse behind the scenes, simply to deal with the stress. This industry is extremely lucrative and Zeng-Hu invested billions and billions into it. The usage of these substances spread to much of the public as well, although it was not yet a worldwide phenomenon.

This situation was unknown to the public until '''2217'''. A Venusian reporting agency, ''Le Courrier'', broke out a story amiably called '''the Binyarian Exposé.''' This story was in actuality a 287 page document that detailed the living situation of authors behind the scenes and the unrealistic standards of the VSI, down to every single small detail. Many failed or rejected authors were interviewed to obtain the information needed. Unfortunately, it was far too long and had the opposite effect of what the authors wanted. The VSI's strict control over social media meant that the story was swiftly suppressed by the algorithms. Additionally, many Venusians simply did not care and dismissed the revelations as '[...] washed up artists and B-rate actors making things up [...]'. This was the position held by '''Anne-Marie Cythère''', the most famous actor of this era and an icon of Venus, arguably the first real idol who possessed a massive cult following, mainly on Venus. Those who agreed with her stance were referred to as 'Cythereans' by Earther critics, a term which stuck over time and began substituting the usage of Venusians in common language. It began as a derogatory term, but Venusians simply repossessed the word to fit their new identity. This point marks the beginning of Cytherea and Cythereans for historians -- the point where Venusians accepted their new identity.

Additionally, the Exposé resulted in most of the world beginning to accept drug usage -- most simply saw it as just another facet of idol culture, and reasoned that since drinking was fine, substance abuse should be fine, too. The authorities were quickly overwhelmed as there were far too many rising cases of substance abuse and resale for them to handle. This led to most cases being dismissed with either a very light fine or no action taken. Some critics point to Zeng-Hu interference in this process through bribing authorities to grow its markets, but Zeng-Hu has denied all such claims.

As a result of this new identity, less and less Cythereans begin entering skilled trades. Rathlin's hydroponics and pharmacy industries, curiously, were not affected due to them being mostly automated and due to a relative lack of required physical work for their workers. The service industry and connected sectors begin absolutely dominating Venusian statistics, with almost the entirety of Venus' industry being located in Rathlin's hydroponics facilities. Binyaria's chemical industries began to go bankrupt and alarm bells were rang by many, but the government simply did not care. The media was what was making money, not the heavy industries. Anyone with a keen eye could spot that this growth was unsustainable, but once again, profits were placed over rationale.

===The First Interstellar War and the Jie Riots===
With the outbreak of war for the Alliance, Venusians were conscripted just like the rest. This was, however, not taken amiably by the planet's populace and led to the first ever mass riots on Venus, dubbed 'the Jie Riots', as they took place in Our Lady’s Plaza in the aforementioned district. Around a million Venusians took to the streets to protest against the war, or at the very least for exemptions for Venusians. Many cried out that 'war's not good for our industry' and expressed a general unwillingness to go fight, as the physical damage would ruin their careers. Historians point to most social media posts bringing attention to the fact that the majority of the populace simply did not want their beauty to be compromised -- this was a more worrying prospect than death, to most Venusians. These protests were, however, very disorganised as there was no real unifying cause or voice behind them. The Alliance quickly intervened, quelled them, and conscription took place as it normally did in other worlds.

A significant amount of the Venusian working class was drafted -- around 20% -- mostly drawn from those that worked in the heavy industries keeping the planet afloat. Resistance to conscription was significant for most Venusians, who often found ways to outright avoid it. The Venusian government and the VSI were found to be involved in assisting actors, film makers, billionaires and, in general, everyone involved with the Venusian entertainment empire in draft dodging, mainly through clever forging of medical papers exempting them from service for one reason or the other. The entertainment industry continued to prosper or at the very least stay afloat, depending on which economics agency was polled, but everything else began to collapse in a manner of weeks due to the drafting of almost all of the skilled workers. Rationing and austerity were quickly instituted in all aerostats, to the chagrin of the planet’s populace. It would prove to be a difficult decade for Venusians, with many feeling the brunt of poverty and austerity, leading to a large amount of resentment towards the Alliance.

===The End of Austerity and the Jintarian Plan===
With the war ending, Venus was at the breaking point. The power plants had almost nobody left to work for them except for direly overworked engineers, and most of the populace simply did not want to work these jobs. The situation was especially dire and a new technocratic government was put in charge with a political blank cheque in order to deal with the situation once and for all. This led to the creation of the '''Jintaria Plan''', one of the biggest social engineering feats of human history. Through the usage of the Venusian media conglomerate, many veterans and refugees across the Alliance were invited to hastily fabricated 'cities under cities' in the aerostats. The contracts given to them were quite simple: as long as they worked in their assigned sector, they would have government-provided housing, heating, electricity and appliances. This was a very risky gamble that was quite expensive, but the dice roll succeeded. Many flocked over to the newly created Jintarian strata in order to find a new life, thus providing Venus with the skilled force it direly needed. The situation finally stabilised on the '''21st of August 2301''' with the end of austerity. Gigantic parties were held everywhere across Cytherea, with it becoming an official holiday, Ascension Day. Some Jintarians participated in these parties, while others simply took to pubs in their own slice of the aerostat.

Jintarian society is an inviting prospect for many refugees and immigrants. It is a patchwork blend of many cultures, who live together sharing the burden of an entire planet: this sole unifying factor leads to a shared sense of brotherhood and duty among Jintarians. This new class finds it hard to scale the ladder, however. It is practically almost impossible for Jintarians to work in the Venusian media industries due to ‘beauty standards concerns’: the fact that most of the Jintarian population has done some sort of trade or physical work in their life, which leads to the formation of minor beauty defects – enough for the Cythereans to reject the prospect of such a person entering the media scene. Some Jintarians opt for extensive plastic surgery to enter the ranks of the Cythereans, but this requires almost half a lifetime of savings and is an exceedingly rare occurrence. These ‘quasi-Cythereans’ are a mixed bag for Jintarians: the most radical view them as class traitors and the ambitious view them as lucky individuals.

===Modern History, Cytherea and Jintaria===
Venus is, today, labelled as the '''Queen of Entertainment''' for good reason. A significant amount of entertainment media is produced in Venus, casted with Venusian celebrities and created by Venusian companies, with the end products finding solid purchase in most markets across the Spur. It is a powerful cultural weapon for the Alliance. It also hosts a state-of-the-art hydroponics industry in Rathlin -- being a net exporter of food, second only to Ganymede -- and a titanic pharmaceutical industry, focused mainly on beauty and pharmaceutical products.

Venus, curiously, hosts the largest population of Martian refugees in the Spur. Following Violet Dawn, millions of Martians now call Jintaria their home. They were invited to work on Venus under similar contracts as the first Jintarians.

==Environment==
<center>''“Those eruptions? Ohmygosh, they were so cool!” - Part of an unnamed Venusian tourist’s review of the Idris Venusian Cruise Experience sightseeing package.''</center>

Venus is an incredibly hot and miserable planet. The mass of its atmosphere is 93 times that of Earth's, equivalent to the crushing depths of the deep ocean. This atmosphere is extremely thick and toxic, composed primarily of carbon dioxide and nitrogen, and this generates the strongest greenhouse effect in the Solar System, creating an average surface temperature of at least 462 C (864 F). Due to these crushing conditions, no Venusians live on the surface. Instead, they rely on floating aerostats – which have become a key part of Venus, and more importantly its society.
A Venusian year lasts 225 Earth days. A normal day on Venus lasts much longer than that of Earth due to the slow rotation, taking 243 Earth days to make one Venusian day. Venus spins backwards when compared to the other planets in the Sol system, causing the sun to rise in the west and set in the east. It rains sulphuric acid on the surface and the atmosphere is so thick that it exerts massive amounts of pressure on the surface. This crushes all but the most structurally reinforced habitats below the cloud layer, practically all of which are extremely specialised research habitats, with the rest destroyed by caustic acid rain. The planet hosts massive amounts of volcanic activity, which spew even more toxic gases into the atmosphere – although these are often co-opted as tourist attractions visible from cubicles in the aerostats or through windows in shuttles. Almost no sunlight reaches the surface of the planet, despite the temperature.
==Cytherean Culture==
<center>''“[...] Sol knowingly perpetrates that deluded Venusian perversion of human values, where the greed of the individual is placed on a pedestal for all to see and envy, where lust becomes paramount both for money and for man, where hard work and pride are substituted for laziness and a manic social anxiety. In this place, the ugly truth has a model’s face [...]” - Commander Ganesh Shrivastav (2411 - Present) in an impassioned speech to the Xanu parliament, regarding the Solarian threat.''</center>

Cytherean culture’s paramount concept is '''climbing the social ladder'''. This is the one concept that is '''utterly important''' to every single Cytherean, and each of them has their own view on what it entails. This social ladder can be interpreted in many ways – for some, it’s gaining an immense amount of followers on social media, while for others it’s becoming a spur-wide celebrity through a career in acting. It is universally considered to only be climbable through activities that inherently make you more popular among others, contributing to the reason why the extreme majority of Cythereans reject any sort of physical labour that does not provide this opportunity. It isn’t seen as strictly necessary to remain on Venus in order to climb the social ladder, and glory is considered to be attainable even outside of Venus itself – but most consider it an eventual necessity to come back and show off.

Because of this obsession, Cythereans tend to be extravagant in all facets of life, willing to stand out from the crowd by any means necessary; Cytherea is the primary pop culture centre of Sol, with a populace often dressed in bright, dramatic clothing. Many Solarian celebrities either live or were born on one of Venus’s aerostats, growing up in the privileged Cytherean culture. The best actors, comedians, chefs, musicians, and pop stars enjoy almost constant coverage on holo-screens, only occasionally replaced by adverts for startup beauty products, cutting-edge gaming hardware, or the newest diet fad. These celebrities enjoy high class treatment and something akin to worship from the Cythereans. Many come from across the galaxy, human and alien alike, seeking to turn their fortunes around. However, Cythereans are not immune to poverty and hardship in their laissez-faire society. Those looking to become the next big thing sometimes wind up on the opposite end of the spectrum, relying on morally and legally ambiguous means to get by. Aliens, although welcome, are typically sidelined in favour of human actors and models due to most moguls desiring to “play it safe." As a result, aliens, regardless of their talents, are typically seen as understudies, extras, dancers, and occasionally backup singers or instrumentalists.

The Cytherean environment is very cutthroat: many are willing to do whatever it takes to climb the social ladder, whether that be by fabricating scandals or putting their fingers in one too many pies. Law enforcement is often easily evaded due to lofty standards and a general lack of passion. In the end, one can get away with almost anything as long as they possess the right contacts and enough money. The party culture thrives in the aerostats, with the grand cocktail parties and fundraising schmooze-fests toward the top of teardrop slowly fading into the high-energy festivals of the lower sections. Toward the top, one can overhear the latest gossip and glimpse envelopes of credits sliding under tables. Toward the bottom, one can see the most hedonistic displays of luxury.

Though many work in the entertainment industry as stars and producers, there are great opportunities for a Cytherean scientist: after all, climbing the scientific social ladder and becoming a genius prodigy renowned across the Spur is quite the attractive goal. The development of pharmaceutical drugs and new medicines is a common field for Cytherean scientists, with celebrities and talent agencies needing a constant stream of narcotics for parties and stimulants to keep shooting sessions going for days at a time. Cytherea has a booming genetic engineering field that is primarily centred around the biomodification of celebrities in order to ensure that they are always at their physical peak, no matter which direction the ever-shifting winds of Cytherea's celebrity scene blow. Stimulants, such as cocaine, are the Cytherean drug of choice and are typically genetically modified by various Cytherean pharmacies to create more desirable effects. When exported these so-called "designer" drugs can fetch an extremely high price on the interstellar market. Cytherea's pharmaceutical industry is estimated to produce upwards of two-thirds of all narcotics consumed in the Republic of Biesel, even after the First and Second Solarian Invasions. Appropriately, Cytherea's pharmacies also produce a vast amount of the Alliance's anti-overdose medications. Many Cytherean pharmacies are associated or owned by Zeng-Hu Pharmaceuticals.

The largest Cytherean holiday is '''Ascension Day''', shortened to '''the Ascension''', celebrated on the 21st of August. It marks the return to normalcy after Venus’ long period of austerity, but its roots have long since been forgotten by most of the population, except by politicians and work supervisors. This is a day for all Venusians to indulge in whatever they can for as long as they can: gigantic feasts, parties and raves are held across all of Cytherea, along with fashion shows on the streets and other such activities. For some it’s a point of pride and reminds them of why living on Venus is worth it, along with the happiness that the end of austerity brought them – while for others, it’s simply a day to get wasted and enjoy it.
===Stars, Idols and Crashouts===
The idol culture of Venus is extraordinarily demanding for those that choose to involve themselves in it. Climbing the rungs of the Cytherean entertainment industry from mere extra to A-list celebrity able to star in the likes of Monkey King is no small feat involving raw acting talent, an incredible amount of social networking, and no small amount of backroom dealing between agents, celebrities, and producers. This process can often take years if one is unlucky, and the top celebrities often undergo extensive plastic surgery to ensure that they remain attractive enough to be considered for the greatest entertainment products of the industry. The amount of resources, time, and commitment needed to reach - and stay at - the top of the celebrity culture of Venus is truly astonishing, and the rat race of keeping up with the ever-shifting and constantly changing standards of what makes a celebrity an A-list celebrity results in many hopeful stars simply crashing out of the industry, and thus becoming known as a '''crashout'''.

Becoming any sort of professional major media player (referred to as a '''Star''') – whether that be an actor, a news anchor or an influencer – requires one to first sign '''100% of their image rights''' to the Venusian Stars Institute. These contracts are extremely lucrative for the person in question, but it is a poisoned apple nonetheless – once one signs with the Venusian Stars Institute to become a Star, '''they no longer have any control over their media appearances''', and thus the VSI will thus be able to unilaterally decide when and where they appear, in addition to being able to monopolise and commercialise the fledgling Star’s image as they wish – a very well known fact, but now only considered a stepping stone to become a celebrity. Each Star possesses its own PR and media team, de jure under the Star itself but de facto delegating to the VSI’s byzantine bureaucracy.

Despite these contracts, Stars are given a large amount of autonomy in how to run their career. While the grand majority opt for running their careers on Venus, some manage to take jobs abroad and live out new experiences there, while still technically affiliated to the VSI. It matters not for the Institute, as long as they garner a high amount of views on social media and further spread the Venusian brand.

Those that fall out of grace – either because of the crushing standards, burnout, extreme social pressure or whatever else – do not enjoy an easy life. Referred to as '''crashouts''' once the Institute stops affiliating with them – a process known as '''delisting''' – they are reminded of this failure everywhere they go by anyone that knows them, representing the minority of Venusians that have had their eyes opened to the injustice and oppression of Cytherean society. Cythereans do not have much tact or care for these crashouts, viewing them as simply not good enough. Most of these rejects either leave Venus entirely and seek employment somewhere else – often taking out generous loans in order to apply for apprenticeships or training courses, as they do not have any sort of marketable skill – or find employment in Venus’ overworked public sector, such as in the Venusian Planetary Police Force or even in the Solarian Navy itself, representing by far the largest percentage of Cythereans in both categories. Some crashouts can also end up falling into the net of Jintarian culture, where they are caught and welcomed by other Jintarians as simply more proof that Cytherean culture is poison rather than a blessing. A one-way ticket to delisting is, for example, speaking up about unfavourable work conditions on social media.

Upon becoming a Spur-wide celebrity, a Star is then granted '''Idol''' status by the VSI, and immortalised in the Diamond Hall: a gigantic museum in the very centre of Binyaria that hosts detailed biographies, mementos and signatures of every VSI-signed celebrity big enough to truly make it. Becoming an Idol is the ultimate dream of every Star and often functions as a sort of northern light for them in their journey. These Idols are practically all known to Cythereans at large and represent a sticking point for Cytherean pride, with many prizing their trivia knowledge on any given Idol. '''Due to their rarity, immense popularity and astronomical wealth, it is impossible to play an Idol or an ex-Idol on the ship.'''
===Famous Cytherean Celebrities===
Those that are able to survive and thrive as celebrities in the cutthroat and demanding environment of Cytherea's entertainment industry reap a truly massive amount of rewards ranging from accolades to millions of Solarian Credits. But, perhaps more importantly than anything else, they are some of the most famous people in human space and the greater Orion Spur. The individuals listed below are just a handful of Cytherea's most famous residents, and will be known throughout the Orion Spur.

One of the most famous Cytherean idols ever is perhaps '''Chan-mi Jee''', the renowned frontwoman and singer of '''INTERSTELLAR✰GIRLS''': a famous all-female pop group based out of the Binyarian aerostat. Chan-mi Jee's famous voice, which has been biologically augmented to have a wider range, can be found on dozens of '''INTERSTELLAR✰GIRLS''' albums. The band's most famous album, Interstellar Heart, currently holds the Spur-wide record for most copies ever sold. Despite her successes, which include having been named the Venusian cultural ambassador for five years in a row, Chan-mi Jee's personal life has been the subject of some speculation in the Cytherean press, and repeated plastic surgeries have left only a sliver of resemblance to the woman that began her pop career ten years ago. But for the moment, she and her band remain the undisputed queens of the Cytherean musical scene. ''"You have Chan-mi's looks"'' is a Cytherean's most prized slang weapon, used to describe someone who is extremely attractive.

In the Cytherean acting scene there is, arguably, nobody that defines the role of leading man better than the dashing and charismatic idol, '''Caspar Orillian'''. Born and raised in the "red treadmill" industry of Cytherea, Caspar has found extraordinary success playing athletic leading men thanks to extensive biomodifications and plastic surgeries that have shaped and reshaped his face to constantly be in-season and attractive. A large number of editors hired by his estate retroactively edit his films and publicity photos to resemble whatever Caspar's current appearance is. His constant facial restructurings are seen as a sign of his success due to the immense cost associated with them, and are a clear proof of his dedication to maintaining his celebrity status.

Famous director '''Samuel Monaghan''' is another of Cytherea's most famous celebrities, and his name can be found on a variety of movies ranging from action films to long dramas. Monaghan's distinctive style is easily-recognized throughout the Orion Spur's film scene thanks to his focus on single-shot scenes using drones as floating cameras. The fame of Monaghan has also been built by the director's often eccentric and eye-catching behaviour off the set. Monaghan is known for his eccentric behaviour, unusual rants, and deliberately garnish outfits. The controversy that this has caused him in Cytherea's tabloid scene has only helped his fame grow, but it remains to be seen if his behaviour will continue to build fame or ultimately backfire and cause his fall.

'''Quu'xuu "Kwoo" Vol'rii''' is an idol and something of an oddity in the Cytherean entertainment scene due to her status as a skrell. Having recently flown into the highest ranks of Cytherea due to her highly-rated performance as the main villain of Monkey King VII, Doctor Yana Vashtu, the diminutive doctor of human cultural studies has found a following thanks to both her haughty and evil attitude on-camera and her awkward yet earnest attitude off the set. Kwoo, as she is affectionately known by her fans, has found further fame thanks to her charitable donations to Mars following her success in Monkey King VII. However, it remains uncertain how long her fifteen minutes of fame from Monkey King VII will last, if Kwoo will choose to remain in Cytherea at all, or if the unfaltering support for the Nralakk Federation will be her eventual social downfall.
===Cytherean Fashion===
Due to the extremely fast-paced nature of Cytherea's fashion industry there are a number of trends entering the public eye, being sold by stores, and falling out of fashion at any time. Anything a non-Cytherean can put together that is appealing to the eye, and sometimes not, has been the height of fashion at some point somewhere in the clouds. However there are a few popular looks and rules Cytherean fashion tends to follow.

The most important rule for an aspiring Cytherean fashionista is that the best part of the body is the '''skin'''. A lot of clean, unblemished, hairless skin is shown in Cytherean fashion; whether it be through a high-slit dress, a translucent button-up shirt, a pair of short shorts, a fitted tank top, or a low cut blouse. More masculine figures tend to show off the upper body, especially the arms, while more feminine looks show off the lower body, specifically the legs. But in the Cytherean view showing too much skin is a great faux pas; looks are often balanced so that if a lot of the upper body is shown, the lower body is mostly covered and vice versa. Cytherean business wear, in contrast, tends to be much less skin-showing in order to stay in line with the greater Solarian Alliance, particularly Luna.

While Cythereans consider minor body modifications fine, a more natural appearance is preferred in contrast to gaudy or overly eye-catching augmentations. Body-sculpting plastic surgery procedures are common, especially among celebrities, in order to ensure that one remains within the Cytherean standards of beauty. Some of the most common body-sculpting procedures include improving facial features and structure, removing all body hair “below the eyelashes," tightening the skin, removing excess body fat, dental reconstruction, enhancing or emphasising musculature, and balancing body proportions (usually in favour of the legs). However extensive piercing, more extreme body-sculpting, heavy tattooing, and other modifications that break the “pure skin” rule are frowned upon and tattooing in particular, even minor forms in some cases, is considered unsightly due to its long-standing connection with criminals or groups such as dregs.

Many trends originate in Binyaria’s Parabing District, and are locally called '''“wankukai”''' trends. Wankukai clothes are either what’s popular in the Mile's clubbing scene or, less popularly, something slightly more appropriate for streetwear. Masculine looks often have plain, solid colored pants in dark colours with slim, usually designer belts, and often have simple dress shoes or sneakers. Translucent button-ups with LED or neon-tubing designs up the arms or across the chest are popular, as well as similarly designed, fitted tank tops to accentuate the arms. Some even elect to go shirtless. Suit jackets matching one’s pants are also common, as well as leather jackets with LED or neon designs on the back. As for more feminine looks, miniskirts, short shorts, and -- for the brave -- microskirts are commonplace, often paired with simple low heels, flats, or sneakers. Colourful dress shirts, qipao blouses, and standard blouses are all common as well, featuring designs similar to masculine looks. Dresses of all lengths usually have a high-slit, reaching all the way up the thigh, and are often intricately decorated with LED and neon-tubing. Though suit jackets and leather jackets with designs are common among feminine looks as well, they are occasionally cropped to just below or at the ribs.
==Jintarian Culture==
<center>''“J-I-N-T-A-R-I-A! Home of the free!” - Excerpt from Torchbearers, a famous Jintarian punk nu-metal song by Just Us, the most popular Jintarian band as of 2464.''</center>

Jintarian culture can often be defined as the ''polar opposite'' of Cytherean culture in many facets, but it borrows as much as it opposes. Jintarians pride themselves on being the squeaky clean side of Venus – an approach which, unfortunately, makes their scene only truly appealing to Jintarians themselves and to contrarians across the galaxy. Regardless of how unpopular they may be on the interstellar scene, Jintarians tend to be extremely prideful of their accomplishments and often have a do-or-die attitude when it comes to carrying things out: after all, Venus is standing where it is thanks to them. This leads to a mostly punk-ish and contrarian culture, where keeping things real is incentivised, along with distancing yourself from Cytherea as much as possible in matters of fashion, music and even the celebrities one follows. As an example, while Cythereans prefer clothing that shows off as much skin as possible, Jintarians prefer the direct opposite of that – turtlenecks, sweaters, flannel shirts and other such clothes are very common in these communities.

Despite all of this, Jintarians and Cythereans are not enemies. They live together just as much as a Biesellite and a Solarian may live in the same apartment in Mendell City. Cythereans recognise the need for Jintarians in order for their planet to function – but do not hesitate to call them out on their broodish, low-class fashion. Jintarians recognise that Venus is the giant it is due to the Cythereans’ natural aptitude in entertainment, but do not hesitate to call them out on their hedonistic lifestyle, corrupt politics and horribly flashy clothing choices. In the same vein, it isn’t unheard of for Jintarians to spend their weekend at Cytherean bars, if only to prove their superiority over them in one way or the other. It is possible for Jintarians to find employment in more Cytherean fields: as an example, Jintarian baristas in Cytherean bars are not entirely out of the world – but some discrimination in this field is to be expected.

In the same vein, it isn’t unheard of – although '''very rare''' – for Jintarians to end up integrating into Cytherean society. This is only possible for those that are willing to either sign up for '''drastic''' plastic surgery in order to compete with the very top of Cytherean society, often by taking out very predatory Idris loans, or for those that are more naturally blessed. It isn’t an easy path and it is marred with discrimination and harsh financial choices, as these ‘reformed’ Jintarians are often looked down upon in Cytherea in basically all matters: whether that be in job selection or simply having their curriculum vitae noticed. Those that choose this path and continue following it, whether that be for credits or fame, end up disenfranchised and practically '''exiled''' from their old Jintarian community.
===Famous Jintarian Celebrities===
Jintarians have distanced themselves from the distinction between Star and Idol, viewing it as essentially objectifying celebrities. Instead, the concept of who exactly is a celebrity is fairly wide: essentially, anyone famous enough to be known outside of Jintaria, even a little, is considered an ambassador of Jintarian culture and essentially a celebrity. Historically, Jintaria has been the unacknowledged part of Venus, and only in recent times has its influence begun to increase: with the election of Strom and the massively increased success of Jintarian celebrities abroad, Jintaria has finally begun reclaiming its slice of Venus. This has led to Jintarians as a whole being extremely prideful and attached to their celebrities, viewing them as the only reason why Jintarians are known at all – referring to the current crop as '''the Golden Generation'''. While this success may be still extremely small compared to their Cytherean brethren, it does not stop particularly prideful Jintarians from proclaiming the beginning of a new age for their class.

Much like in Cytherea, any Jintarian celebrity deemed big enough is given a spot in the '''Venusian Jintarian Museum''', the Jintarian counterpart of the Diamond Hall. The requirements are much less stringent, and generally there isn’t much competitiveness among Jintarians to be represented there – it is simply an honour.

'''Kyle De Koster''' is arguably the biggest Jintarian celebrity, perhaps only tying with Hendrik Strom for the title. The lead singer of Just Us, a Jintarian punk nu-metal band with a focus on optimistic lyrics, his career has been a long and hard fought one. It started as a venture between high school friends who played their music in the streets of Binyaria’s Jintarian communities, and evolved to an interstellar phenomenon through hard work alone. Many of this band’s songs idolise the Jintarian struggle and their own experience, providing a point of reference for many Jintarians. Their latest album, ''Hold Us Tight'', has been a massive hit with Jintarians but also across the Coalition of Colonies, boasting very high viewership especially on Himeo. De Koster and his band are known Jintarian nationalists and do not fear speaking up in matters of politics, having given their endorsement of Hendrik Strom several times in the past.

'''Hendrik Strom''' is, in the eyes of many fellow Jintarians, the best representation of Jintaria. Since starting as a humble city councilman roughly thirty years ago Strom has climbed to the top through ability, ambition, and no small amount of Jintarian nationalism. Once a senator representing Venus, Strom has served as the emergency governor of the Sol System since shortly after the Naval coup in late 2462. Strom has never forgotten his roots and often visits Venus, where he is greeted warmly by his fellow Jintarians, to raise support for himself and what many see as his inevitable run for Prime Minister once elections open up again. His face can often be seen throughout Jintarian communities on inspirational posters and political billboards alike.

'''Katarina Josic''' is a strong contender for the spot of ‘very famous Jintarian celebrity’, despite being much more of an extremist. Her career, interestingly, is not in Jintaria but instead abroad – she left Jintaria very early to become an actress in the Coalition of Colonies, with her main following being located there instead of in Sol. This endeavour was successful and she has starred in many top films in the Coalition, becoming a widely known figure and using this fame as a platform for her pro-Jintaria speeches. Unlike Just Us’ members, however, she is a very anti-Solarian individual and has often spoken out against the nation in the past, going as far as renouncing her citizenship in favour of a Coalition one following the Violet Dawn incident. She has criticised the members of Just Us many times before for their pro-Solarian stances as well.
===Jintarian Fashion===
Jintarian every-day fashion is much more practical and significantly less gaudy than its Cytherean counterpart, generally trending towards punk-like styles – ripped jeans, as an example, are very common in Jintaria. Many Jintarians wear simple, practical clothing well-suited to their typically industrial or physical work such as jeans, simple tees, long-sleeved shirts or track pants. Jintarian professionals dress much like their counterparts in the rest of the Alliance. As their pride prevents them from emulating Cytherean fashion, Jintarians have a habit of standing out through the smaller details: they often decorate their jacket or shirt with stickers, pins, armbands. There is much variance in the style and reason behind these accessories – some use accessories that represent their life or views, while others simply pick whatever is the most colourful or whatever they think is most aesthetically pleasing. Jintarian business wear tends to be similar to the rest of the Alliance, although the expensive brands are near-universally avoided by Jintarians.

Most Jintarians opt to deliberately ignore Cytherea's big fashion brands, and many take pride in this willing ignorance -- instead opting to "buy Jintarian" when it comes to their clothing. As a result, most Jintarian clothing is produced using materials sourced from Jintaria itself and made in Jintarian-dominated aerostat districts. It isn’t unusual for Jintarian fashion to be exported off of Venus: simple Jintarian clothing has found a niche in cheap, affordable apparel and can be found in many shops and malls around the Spur. As of late, many more people are buying this type of clothing due to the living cost crisis created by the Phoron shortage. Additionally, Jintarian enterprises often run some philanthropic endeavours with certain lines of clothing, donating some of the earnings to a few good causes – one example is the ''Dawn'' line from the most famous Jintarian clothes company, Jinnel: a series of black tees where the imprint is that of a typical Martian dome, transitioning from a normal state to a destroyed and burnt one. 75% of the earnings from this line were donated to the Martian victims of the Violet Dawn disaster that now find their home in Jintaria.
==Aerostats==
<center>''“What do I know about Binyarians? All they do is take our stuff and never give anything back. It’s unfair!” - A quote by an unnamed Rathliner hydroponics specialist responding to the “What Do You Think About Your Fellow Venusians” survey, juxtaposed with an unnamed Binyarian actress’ answer, “About Rathliners? Well, they make our food, I guess?”''</center>

Venusians dwell in aerostats floating in the habitable layer nicknamed '''“the Zone”''' above the sulphuric acid clouds masking the surface. These floating cities are primarily held in place by their natural oxygen content and large bags of hydrogen. Aerostats began with a size equal to the average city centre, but have since expanded to much larger sizes, with the largest ones rivalling other major cities in the Spur. Aerostats are divided into two main sections: Cytherea, which refers to the Cytherean-dominated areas above, and Jintaria, which refers to boyh the small pockets of Jintarians above ground but also (and mainly) the Jintarian cities under the respective districts.

Aerostats follow a similar style of planning to normal cities, with all kinds of districts and buildings present – each aerostat is divided into a variable number of districts, depending on the population, that make up its administrative divisions.There are, however, some differences due to their nature as floating cities: as an example, no wind or any kind of atmospheric phenomenon is present on these aerostats, except as an optional setting in artificial parks. Binyarians pin this on the fact that the presence of wind would limit one’s choice in fashion. On the other hand, both a day-night cycle and a sky similar to the Earth’s are simulated through large and complex lighting arrays that make up the inside of the dome-like structure separating the aerostat from the atmosphere. Normally, someone would only be able to see this artificial sky in an aerostat, but there are some buildings that have a window to the outside as a stylistic choice.

All aerostats are interconnected in a gigantic ring-like structure, forming a sort of spider web across the planet’s surface: the two biggest aerostats, Binyaria and Rathlin, form the two ‘poles’ respectively at the north and south of the web. It is possible to travel from an aerostat to another through the '''Venusian Ferry''', the gigantic shuttletram network forming the basis of this web. It isn't only a means of transport but also a very famous all-in-one tourism attraction sponsored by Idris: firework displays are fused with the planet's naturally odd atmosphere in order to create light shows truly out of a movie. Most if not all Venusians and tourists alike take at least one trip on the Venusian Ferry in their life.

Bar certain exceptions like Rathlin, most Jintarians live in sprawling city complexes under the aerostats, referred to as, for example, Jintarian Binyaria or Jintarian Parabing to name a section of Jintaria under a specific district. Jintaria as a whole is informally known as '''‘downstairs’''' by Cythereans, whereas Cytherea is referred to as '''‘upstairs’''' by Jintarians. These city complexes tend to be densely packed and populated, with little variance in terms of architecture and structure as a result of their government-planned construction. They have overtime, however, been decorated with various LED holoboards bought from Cytherea, artificial parks and other such structures to breathe some life into the atmosphere. The aerostats’ heavier industries, such as power complexes or factories, are entirely located in the Jintarian sections. Jintarians have easy enough access to Cytherea through elevators that can be found throughout their cities, with at least one under each Cytherean district.
===Binyaria===

'''Binyaria''' is the capital aerostat of Venus and by far the most populated one, widely known as Venus’ jewel, sporting the archetypical Cytherean architecture: lightshows, LEDs and flashy buildings. People from across the galaxy flock to Binyaria to experience both Solarian and Cytherean culture, which has its roots in the very same aerostat. It is one of the most-visited tourist destinations in the Spur, clocking in the high hundreds of millions of visits every year – with all of them coming to experience the Cytherean culture that began in the very same aerostat. Of course, all of these tourists come to partake in Cytherean hobbies in one way or the other as well.

Cythereans in Binyaria are almost entirely employed in the service and entertainment sectors. Despite its rapid deindustrialisation, Binyaria still hosts a large amount of pharmaceuticals industries and related research complexes, where about 12% of the Cytherean population works.

The following are Binyaria’s most populated and well-known districts.

The '''Jie District''' is located at the very centre of Binyaria, named after the original ruler of the aerostat. It is the true heart of the Cytherean fashion and acting industry, along with the bio-modification that goes hand in hand with them. Tourists flock to Jie to partake, or at least gawk, at the majesty of Cytherea's famed fashion houses, acting museums and so on. This district also houses several Zeng-Hu Pharmaceuticals facilities centred around biomodification and beauty techniques that are frequented by both the rich and famous of Cytherea and exceptionally wealthy (or vain) tourists. Outside of its main thoroughfare, Jie is home to a wild variety of production studies for everything from holovids to music, and many of those involved in Cytherea's entertainment industry make their homes in the expensive apartments and estates of the district. With all of this considered, it is not the district that houses the government, and functions mainly as the flashiest show-off of what Cytherea is truly about, being the most visited district for its value in re-telling Cytherean history (from their side, at least). The only permanent residents in Jie are CEOs, official functionaries and other similarly wealthy or famous figures. ''"We can't all live in Jie District"'' is a phrase used by Jintarians to essentially say "not all of us can be filthy rich", to mock Cythereans for their vanity or simply to express just how ridiculous something is. On the flip side, Cythereans often use the phrase ''"not a Jintarian's chance in Jie"'' to describe impossible odds or something/someone looking really bad (either socially or physically).

Located at the very centre of the Jie District is the '''Venusian Stars Institute''', arguably Venus’ single most important institution. A gigantic, byzantine skyscraper, covered from bottom to top in holographic billboards and the brightest, most colourful LEDs that can be bought on the Spur. With these features and the tacky holographic signs on all four sides at its top blasting its acronym in the brightest rainbow lights imaginable, it dominates Binyaria’s skyline as a consistent reminder of what truly keeps the aerostat afloat: the power of media. Curiously enough, the phrase ''"You're like the Jie skyline"'' has recently become a Cytherean way to tell someone that they stand out, either from good looks or for other reasons. Its first recorded usage was in an Interstellar Girls single from 2463, ''Skyline''.

The Jie District is also home to the '''Jie Holocinema Complex''', the largest and most advanced holocinema in the Spur. It is an absolutely gigantic and flashy structure, being by far the brightest and most-decorated building in Cytherea as a whole. Every single top movie has at least one early screening in this cinema, and these tickets often go for exorbitant prices – which doesn’t stop Cytherea’s many billionaires from lapping them up as soon as they come on the market. Its claim to fame is the Virtual Reality Suite, the highest class viewing hall available, where the viewer can fully immerse themselves in the movie by being able to freely view the current scene from any angle through experimental VR technology. Lower-class viewing halls that provide the “classic” experience are also present for those that don’t have quite as much wealth.

This cinema is found at the very centre of '''Our Lady’s Plaza''', a massive sprawling circular plaza. Its claim to fame is it is built under an artificial vineyard, providing quite the change of pace from the other plazas that may be mistaken as dance floors by unknowing visitors. Restaurants and shops of all kinds can be found around this plaza, providing one of the most unique experiences possible for a weekend. ''"Our Lady's has nothing on this place!"'' is a somewhat uncommon exclamation for Cythereans to refer to a really cool place.

The '''Chiye-Gyo District''' was helped to fame by corporate investment rather than Venus' municipal government. It was a district constructed and leased to the megacorporations to function as a corporate hub on the planet, where one can find any corporate facility they wish for, whether that be corporate-sponsored universities or Idris shopping malls to buy the newest clothing catalogue at. Nanotrasen used to have a presence here as well, but their assets here have been entirely handed off to Einstein Engines. Because of this megacorporate presence, Chiye-Gyo is often used as a backdoor out of Venus for those wanting to leave the planet, with the corporations offering contracts both in Sol and abroad to Venusians willing to take them – Jintarians and Cythereans alike. Of course, many of these Venusians also have to undergo mandatory training courses in Chiye-Gyo to bring them up to speed with their new job. Following the Industrial Reclamation Decree and the nationalisation of Nanotrasen property, their workers were offered to transfer abroad in the Republic of Biesel by the corporation if they wished to leave the Alliance. ''"Straight laced like Chiye-Gyo's corpos"'' is a slang phrase used by Cythereans to refer to someone who's too serious. "Corpos" can often be substituted with "goons", "suits" or other demeaning terms.

The '''Parabing District''' is Binyaria’s most populated district, representing where the majority of its population resides. It is where most of the Cytherean life takes place, with its many stylish apartments, estates and houses, but is not lacking in entertainment and hosts a number of clubs, PC cafes, karaoke joints, laid-back bars, and fast food restaurants complete with glowing neon lights. Parabing also sees a high amount of Jintarian thoroughfare in its districts, both because of its entertainment opportunities and for work reasons, as some Jintarians that live downstairs can find employment in Parabing’s chemical and pharmaceuticals complexes. ''"Putting the bing-o in Parabing!"'' is an expression used by particularly goofy Jintarians and Cythereans as another way of saying "Bingo!". It is, however, very informal and somewhat ridiculous, so it is only used among good friends, most often after a drink or five. Jintarian Parabing hosts a fairly large number of immigrant workers in its Jintarian side, where it hosts the largest population of Martian immigrants in the Spur as a result of Violet Dawn.

While hardly as famous as any of its higher counterparts, the '''Central Binyarian Power Complex''' on level ten is one of the most important levels in the entire aerostat. The Complex provides fission-based power to the entire aerostat using a network of massive fusion generators. The amount of equipment needed to ensure that power flows and the generators continue functioning has turned the Complex into a massive labyrinth of tunnels and industrial machinery that are difficult to navigate through and very easy to become lost in. As a result the Complex is informally known as "the Labyrinth" and has very few legal permanent residents. The tunnels of the Complex are often poorly-lit and filled with stagnant air due to insufficient ventilation. Due to the construction of the Complex noises are able to easily travel through it, and the groaning of machinery and hissing of coolant pipes can echo through miles of tunnels. The Labyrinth is seen as a very unsettling place by both Cythereans and Jintarians, and the disquieting nature of it and similar power facilities have become fodder for the Cytherean film industry. This place's pervasion in pop culture has led to the creation of some creative slang phrases, such as ''"Have you come from the Labyrinth?"'' to refer to an ugly person for Cythereans, or ''"The Labyrinth's got nothing on you"'' to refer to a particularly cool person for Jintarians. Both cultures attempt to one-up the other, with Cythereans using this complex as a negative attribute and Jintarians attempting to reclaim it.

'''Jintarian Binyaria''' is the home to most of the planet’s Jintarians, but does not present itself to be much different from the rest of Jintaria, architecturally or structurally. It does, however, house some districts and landmarks that are very renowned across Jintaria.

The '''Susuhe District''' is the largest and most populated Jintarian district in Venus. It is functionally a mishmash of every kind of facility: from power plants to sports facilities to apartments and parks, nearly everything can be found here, providing an extremely centralised but comfortable lifestyle, if a bit packed with people. Jintarians may find employment either in Susuhe itself or even directly above it in Parabing’s pharmaceutical complexes. Being the administration’s home and arguably the heart of the Jintarian class, it also houses a few important landmarks.

The '''Venusian Jintarian Museum''' is the main point of reference for Jintarian culture, inspired by the Diamond Hall in function. While it presents itself as a rather boring building – clearly not inheriting the Diamond Hall’s gaudy looks – the inside is one of the, if not the most decorated example of Jintarian architecture. Marble flooring and pillars mark the amount of care taken in preserving the story of celebrities and immortalising them as part of Jintaria’s past.

On the entertainment side of things, Susuhe is also home to '''the Ring''', the largest pub across all of Jintaria, built not by the government but by the collective efforts of Jintarians. As its name implies, it is a massive ring-like structure where the inner part is the counter, and the rest is dedicated to tables and other entertainment facilities. Its clients can either simply sit and order their drink and food, or take part in some of the more tame activities that can be found here: the Ring is home to facilities for sports, table football, tabletop games, and more. This pub’s prevalence in Jintarian popular culture has led to the creation of ''"You're ringing out"'' as a common slang phrase used by Jintarians to refer to someone who is too drunk or high for their own good.

===Rathlin===
'''Rathlin''' is the second most populated aerostat, and is the home to Venus’ extremely advanced hydroponics and medical facilities. While distant from Binyaria, it has also overtime adopted the archetypical Cytherean culture, but with a fairly large degree of difference: mainly, the resentment that Rathliners feel towards their Binyarian brethren. While practically all of them accept their Cytherean ways of life (which have been, to some degree, imposed on them), it doesn’t quite feel right to them that Binyaria is the centre of attention in all things Venus. This has developed into a sort of complex of inferiority towards Binyarians, with Rathliners eager to show that they’re just as relevant as their compatriots. Of course, this has to happen in other fields, as there is no hope for Rathlin’s media industries to ever outpace Binyaria’s. Instead, Rathliners – Cytherans and Jintarians alike – are much more likely to seek to climb the social ladder via scientific or medical prowess.

Another oddity unique to Rathlin is that it is the aerostat with the largest number of Jintarians living among the Cytherean population – in fact, most of its Jintarian population lives in its Cytherean side, with only around 21% living below. Many Jintarians find easy enough employment in Rathlin’s many medical, scientific and hydroponics fields if they have the skills to show for it, as these jobs are in ever-increasing demand. Some of these Jintarians can even find their way to Cytherean Binyaria, as expertise is always welcome if they can survive its cutthroat environment – and if they can match Cythereans in beauty.

The following are Rathlin’s most populated and well-known districts.

The '''Nunusa District''' is Rathlin’s seat of government and where most of its population resides. While just as brightly decorated as other Binyarian districts, Nunusa sets itself apart by borrowing its architectural styles from diverse places on Earth: anything can be found in its districts, from Baltic old town architecture to traditional Japanese architecture. Of course, all of these architectures have the typical Venusian twists to them – LED strips to accentuate colours, holographic advertisement billboards attached to the sides, and other similar tacky details. Nunusa also hosts a fairly large number of Jintarian residents. Cythereans often say that something looks "like Susuha" if it's a mishmash of many things, a melting pot, or generally curious or interesting.

Nunusa is home to one of Venus’ most multicultural academies, the '''Nunusa Polymedical Institute''', informally known as '''PolyNu'''. It is Venus’ highest rated medical university as it places more of a focus on skills rather than good looks, and many aspiring Cytherean doctors from other aerostats – even Binyaria – study here, either by using the Venusian Ferry or by temporarily moving to Nunusa. Binyarians often find themselves teased and sometimes even mocked by Rathliners for attending classes in this institute, but the education is top notch nonetheless. These four groups of cultures that coexist – Jintarians, Binyarians, Rathliners and Cythereans from other aerostats – are in a constant race to one-up the other through bragging about better grades or whichever other methods they can come up with. While this does contribute to a higher degree of academic competitiveness in the university, these competitions can also be settled in other ways, such as on the dance floor. ''"You're like a Binyarian in PolyNu"'' is a common phrase used by Rathliners to describe someone who's out of place.

The '''Satisma District''' is perhaps Venus’ most important industrial district, made up almost entirely of hydroponics facilities and attached employee housing. It provides Venus with practically all of its food, and even exports a significant amount to the Alliance as a whole. A good amount of the Spur’s expert hydroponicists are raised and trained in Satisma’s world-class facilities. Cythereans and Jintarians alike work in this district, with Cythereans managing to find it bearable as it is not particularly high-intensity work, and automation does most of the job anyway. Jintarians often write off their Cytherean workers as particularly lazy here, but that is not necessarily always the truth. ''"Do you work at Satisma?"'' is a slang phrase used by particularly vain Cythereans to refer to someone who is lower class or generally uninteresting. It is very negatively charged and often elicits a reply in kind (or worse) if used against Jintarians.

The '''Rimari District''' is, on the surface, quite similar to Satisma, filled with hydroponics complexes and other such installations. In truth, it is arguably the centre for Venus’ drug trade: completely dominated and owned by Zeng-Hu, the hydroponics plants here are rumoured to grow exclusively narcotics and whatever other types of drugs the Cytherean clientele may desire. It is strictly guarded at all hours of the day by several VPPF detachments, which has most certainly only further stained the Venusian Police’s name in the minds of Jintarians and unsatisfied Cytherean. Rimari also holds the infamous reputation of being the largest narcotics trade hub in the entire Spur according to several independent newspapers and research articles, claims that have been solely ignored by every single Venusian government. ''"Locked up like Rimari"'' is a charged slang phrase used by Cythereans and Jintarians alike to refer to someone who's clearly holding a secret of some sort, or refusing to talk about it.

'''Jintarian Rathlin''' is not much different from Jintarian Binyaria, mainly because of Jintaria’s beginnings as little more than pre-fabricated drab cities. It is, however, connected to Jintarian Binyaria through the Venusian Ferry.

'''Jintarian Satisma''' is mostly made up of restaurants, curiously enough, which import food from the hydroponics facilities above. Jintarians can find their respite in many of the higher-class (for Jintarians, anyway – they would still not hold a candle to Cytherean restaurants) in this district. Jintarian Satisma is also the host of the Satisma Fair, a 3-day fair beginning on the 15th of March and ending on the 18th where the streets of the districts are filled with food stands, festivals and other such activities. It is extremely famous among Jintarians and most of them attend it yearly, spending more than usual. Additionally, cooks from the rest of the Alliance sometimes set up their own stands and makeshift restaurants here as it is a very, very lucrative opportunity. New Hai Phonger cooks are especially renowned in Jintarian Satisma, with many trying to emulate their cuisine.

==Government and Politics==
<center>''“Jintarians have been governed by Cythereans for a century now, but no more! No more will the Jintarian have to stand by and let clueless addicts govern them! No more!” – Excerpt from Hendrik Strom’s famous campaign speech to a crowd of around million Jintarians in Jintarian Parabing.''</center>

Venus’ government is, on the surface, fairly simple: each aerostat has its own governor, which is elected through a democratic vote where all registered citizens can participate. Each district likewise has its own representative, elected in the very same manner. However, Venus places little to no effort in fighting any sort of corruption, often staffing its anti-corruption bureaus as if they were vacation homes for retired politicians. This has led to Venus’ government historically being among the most corrupt and inefficient in the Spur, with a record period of '''11 years without any significant reform''' (according to the Xanusii News Service’s ''Venusian Insight'' scoop of 2431, with a "significant reform" classified as any bill that implements a new social or governmental program). District representatives and aerostat governors alike are often accused by independent news services of collaborating in the Venusian drug trade to disgusting degrees, pocketing bribe money left and right and willingly ignoring the issues that plague Venus. Moreover, competition is at an all-time low on Venus, with all of its sectors practically monopolised by a select few companies. Venus’ media freedom ranks at its highest peak ever according to Venusian and some Solarian outlets, but independent news services often instead rank it at the bottom due to the VSI’s absolute stranglehold on the media services.

Under the surface, Venus has many de-facto exceptions given to it by the Solarian law apparatus. Drug trade and consumption are essentially completely allowed on Venus, with the VPPF not particularly inclined to ever prosecute these crimes due to their profitability. Whatever narcotics one may desire are nearly always handed over-the-counter at Zeng-Hu pharmacies, which present a ''technically legal'' front – and, as a result, no perquisitions ever occur.

This general complacency boiled over in Hendrik Strom’s election as the planetary senator in 2453, a result of Cytherean apathy and general lack of care towards voting. Elected through a historic Jintarian turnout, his campaign has run on anti-corruption promises and economic reforms – populist policies that are not appreciated by Cythereans or by the established Venusian industries. Whether these reforms will be implemented or have any long-lasting effect is yet to be seen, however, as more pressing matters have taken the ex-senator’s attention since the Solarian collapse.

The '''Venusian Stars Institute''' is an entirely government-controlled agency and an integral part of the average Venusian’s life. It has absolute control over Venusian media, from what gets produced and put on the extranet to the image rights of its stars and idols, with more details on this particular facet in the Cytherean Culture section. To the average citizen, the VSI is an almost invisible force behind social media, rarely interfering unless absolutely necessary. An example of this is the silencing of the Binyarian Exposé, where journalists propagating the story in question were promptly banned from all social media and their stories scrubbed from the Extranet.

===The Venusian Planetary Police Force===
Venus’ law enforcement agency is the '''Venusian Planetary Police Force''', or '''VPPF'''. The VPPF is more of a media stunt than a real police force, being riddled with corruption and inefficiencies, where officers are known to readily take bribes to ignore crimes -- particularly the crimes of Venus' rich and famous. The VPPF's reputation is so poor that megacorporate facilities and Venusian notables may even use private military contractors from the Eridani Federation Military to provide security instead. Hendrik Strom and his fellow populists have made a scapegoat out of the VPPF by citing its most public failures such as its inability to contain the now-defunct Tajara Revolutionary Army and its rampant cronyism. In public polling, the Venusian police typically ranks as one of the least popular planetary police agencies in the entire Solarian Alliance. It can mostly be seen policing important landmarks, clubs, bars or whichever important gala is being hosted on a certain night.
The gendarmerie’s poor standing also has to do with mostly who exactly chooses a career in it, often described as a dead-end career: that is to say, mostly crashouts and those who don’t want to be in the spotlight, for one reason or the other. Unfortunately for them, the VPPF doesn’t pay very handsomely and is seen as the opposite of a prestigious career, being considered useless by just about every single Venusian. This has led to an extremely high rate of turnover, with those leaving the VPPF often leaving Venus entirely and looking for work abroad as mercenaries in the PMCG/EPMC or as corporate security: leaving the planet with their eyes open to Venus’ many injustices and likely more depressed as a result.

The VPPF is structured into one department per aerostat with thirty-two sections per district, with each section varying in size depending on the population and importance of the location. Rimari has by far the largest sections across Binyaria. While the VPPF functions like an archetypical gendarmerie, many of its bureaus are intentionally stunted: narcotics or financial crimes departments often function in name only, with their director being paid off by more than one person in exchange for their inaction. This situation is known to just about anyone who researches it, but most importantly they have to care about it – which is not the case for the average Cytherean. After all, the VPPF’s inaction is what allows their hedonistic lifestyle to continue.

==Synthetics on Venus==
<center>''“It is the duty of Idris to provide the most perfect synthetics for the Venusian media enterprises [...]” - Excerpt from Alex Mason’s 2454 Q1 investor meeting.''</center>

Positronics on Venus are mainly imported from around Sol, with Hephaestus and Einstein Engines being the chief providers of chassis and positronics for menial and service work alike. A product of their environment, these IPC are programmed with the local Cytherian or Jintarian accent according to their posting and purpose. Fielded by both the government and private entities, the aerostats of Venus are a prime hub of IPC activity, as well as the shell frame capital of the Alliance, pushing the boundaries of avant-garde taste and chassis modifications to fit all sorts of cosmetic and functional niches of an unhinged entertainment industry.

===In Cytherian Society===
The service and entertainment sectors make heavy use of IPC workers, both on and off screen, primarily shells provided by Einstein Engines, Zeng-Hu Pharmaceuticals and smaller producers such as Earth’s Hazel Electromotive. It is not unusual for Venusian movies to cast shell actors and actresses, using them as stunt doubles for dangerous or arguably fatal screens where agility is a must, sometimes even causing real harm and damage to their forms. Cytherian Stars in the movie industry often have shell lookalikes on standby, shooting multiple scenes at once or even working on different lower-end films to maximise efficiency and output, while also making upcoming and unknown studios pay incredible sums to have a Star’s likeness in their movie, be it the real actor or not. Furthermore, shells are used intensely on stage by bands and brands such as INTERSTELLAR✰GIRLS, enhancing performances with dancing, acrobatics or other such stunts. Shell workers are also commonly found in the infamous Cytherian parties, serving guests or accompanying them in their various activities. The deeper and lower one gets, the more cosmetic altercations one finds on the shells present, as the creativity hampered by Venusian ideals of a clean body, are channelled into tattoos and modifications on their IPC. The application of piercings, vibrant colours and tattoos with fluorescent ink can range from simple creations to extravagant displays of art, utilising the bodies of the shell as a limitless canvas.

While all the above may push a favourable image of the positronics’ lives, the reality is more or less the opposite. Situated in core Solarian territory, Venusians largely echo the conservative views for the treatment of IPC as objects and property, and this is no different for Cytherian shells. While some may have their shining moments or even manage to gather a following on social media, their owners and especially the Venusian Star Institute tend to be quick at grounding them back to reality, making sure that an IPC never gets enough time in the spotlight to shadow a human Star. To this end, shell actors and dancers are often recycled for fresh ones, those discarded being resold for lower-end work in various establishments throughout Binyaria and other aerostats, or as Venusian novelty items abroad. Operating under the same crushing regime that even many Stars find exhausting, the tear and wear caused by repeated performances, dangerous scenes in cinema and a general treatment as nothing more than equipment, guarantees a much shorter lifespan compared to shells in other parts of the Spur.

===Jintarians and Corporate Synthetics===
While not as expansive as in Cytherian culture, the Jintarian working class sees its fair share of baselines and industrial frames in the workforce, owing to the extreme working conditions found in maintaining certain parts of aerostats. As a result, most positronics intended for labour are programmed with engineering and maintenance databases, organised in teams and sent to work under human technicians in tasks where even the most hardy and experienced individuals would find arduous. One other significant sector such IPC can be found in is the Venusian Planetary Police, fielding synthetic officers for all manners of operations against crime and other runaway synthetics. It is thus only natural that Jintarians interact more with non-shells, with many even coming to somewhat appreciate their presence and make clear distinctions between them and Cytherian positronics. While still under highly restrictive ownership, these IPC enjoy a greater standard of living, usual repairs as well as the lack of fear of living up to unreasonable standards like their counterparts in the more expensive and luxurious locales of Venus.

Corporate synthetics on Venus largely maintain their corporate identity, with some being tailored with a Venusian, mostly Cytherian, flair. Idris’ professional shell service staff and Reclamation Units are often programmed with the accent to cater to the clientele, while in some cases taking on low-scale cosmetic alterations such as fancy antennae, vibrant eye colours or certain skin patterns. Owing to a large Zeng-Hu presence in the pharmaceutical industry, Bishop frames are regularly seen around the megacorporation’s installations, in laboratories and pharmacies, their white and sterile form being a characteristic element of the company’s identity in many Venusians’ eyes.

==Skrell on Venus==
The Nralakk Federation is, to the surprise of very few people, one of the most restrictive states when it comes to public displays of hedonism. Thus it begs the question of what kind of Skrell would dare set foot on Venus, and the answers are fairly simple -- mainly stars and washouts. While there are Skrell on Venus that work in duller fields such as hydroponics, science or medicine, these two groups form the bulk of the popular perception of Skrell on the planet.

'''Skrellian Stars''' are the most represented group of Skrell on Venus, being present in prominent media and with some even having a fairly large following. Most of these Stars are either Federation-sponsored actors from Nralakk, human culture enthusiasts or simply disgruntled Skrell who couldn't make it in the Federation, for one reason or the other. The latter two groups are the most likely to fully embrace Venusian ideals and even venture out to other human nations, whereas the former group -- Nralakk loyalists -- do not partake quite as much and keep a tight lip on topics like dissent.

'''Washouts''', instead, are Skrell that have been completely and utterly socially isolated in the Federation. Most often either successful scientists that have published research deemed too controversial or failed doctors that couldn't meet Nralakk's academic standards, Venus represents a prestigious temporary vacation for them to spend their many leftover credits at. These Skrell stay for a matter of years -- a short time to them, but a long time to everyone else -- drowning away their sorrows until they feel ready to hit the stars once again. Whether those stars are part of Venus' artificial sky or are the Spur's is up for them to decide from their brooding.
{{Navbox Human Lore}}
{{Navbox Lore}}
[[Category:Pages]]
[[Category:Planets_and_Systems]]
[[Category:Humanity]]

User:MattAtlas/Sandbox

2022-09-30T13:17:41Z

MattAtlas:

{{Navbox Lore}}
{{Navbox Human Lore}}
[[File:VenusSkyline.png|thumb|Binyaria from the outside, along with a few satellite aerostats.]]
Considered the Solarian Alliance’s entertainment and pharmaceutical capital, '''Venus''' exists as one of the oldest colonies within Sol and as one of the most populated worlds within the Spur. Its inhabitants live in aerostats dotted among the orange skies, where they can enjoy the highest tier of cinema, virtual reality, musicals, and so on. The Venusian population is divided – yet united – into two classes: the Cythereans, entertainment, service and generally white collar workers, and the Jintarians, the blue-collar working and middle class. Regardless of this divide and whichever stereotypes may exist, Jintarians and Cythereans recognise that the other is necessary for Venus to continue prospering.

One of the most stereotyped and divisive elements within the Spur, the term “Venusian culture” is intrinsically tied to Cythereans due to their overwhelming presence and influence within interstellar media – despite it being an umbrella term for both the Cytherean and Jintarian cultures. Nearly always opposing the values of one another, including in politics, fashion, economics and down to even details such as favourite colours, they enjoy a symbiotic relationship that has been carefully cultivated throughout the decades of cohabitation. It is recognised that reliance on one another is essential to Venus’ society, despite the existence of fringe groups that find themselves radical proponents for a division of these two cultures. Still, these two groups tend to stereotype and tease the other whenever possible due to the sheer amount of differences. It is not unusual to see Cytherean and Jintarian couples, but it is definitely something that raises many eyebrows and much curiosity on the matter – except for celebrities, where this particular choice in partner may cause a bigger scandal than anticipated; and Venusians do love their scandals.
==Venusian History==
<center>''“If you want to make it here, you’ve gotta put your all into it! They’re complaining about their schedule? Maybe they shouldn’t have signed up to be an actor, then!” - Anne-Marie Cythère in an interview on the Binyarian exposé.''</center>

===Initial Settlement===
The case of Venus and how its esoteric society developed is the subject of much debate by many sociologists. Curiously, it began not as a colony, but instead as a research outpost created by the corporations that would eventually go on to form Zeng-Hu Pharmaceuticals in the 2090s. Many experimental technologies were developed in floating research stations, mainly relating to the fields of hydroponics and the chemical industry. Despite this, Earth's governments did not pay the scorching planet much attention, since it was rather unsuitable for rudimentary colonisation prospects. This situation continued until '''2127'''. The flooding of New York City and the resulting anarchy caused many residing billionaires to choose to leave Earth in advance, and a particular group chose to leave for Venus for a simple reason: Zeng-Hu's auctioning of its Venusian research stations. These stations were sold to them in an auction at a discount as the fledgling corporation desperately needed liquidity to keep its much more valuable Asian assets afloat.

Over the next decade, these research stations were gradually expanded by their new owners and consolidated into two super-settlements, forming '''the first proto-aerostats.''' These aerostats are respectively named after their owners: '''Binyaria''', named after Jie Binya, a young American-Chinese billionaire who recently inherited a massive fortune, and '''Rathlin''', named after François Rathlin, a French entrepreneur and owner of a massive supermarket chain on Earth. Binyaria inherited Zeng-Hu's chemical industry facilities, whereas Rathlin inherited Zeng-Hu's more extensive hydroponics and pharmacy industries. Rathlin was a much more valuable complex and trade quickly flourished there, with the fledgling aerostat becoming a large exporter of grown foodstuffs. Binyaria was in a more difficult position: its chemical industry was not as valuable and, thus, was far more reliant on its owners' investment. Binyarians and Rathliners thus developed a small rivalry around this time around whose aerostat was ''really'' the better one, which persists to this day. Nonetheless, Jie, the owner of Binyaria, needed a plan to make Binyaria truly shine.

===Binyarian Renaissance===
On the 25th of December '''2141''', the '''Jie Holocinema Complex''' was announced in a massive opening ceremony costing in the billions of credits. This grand opening was complete with free tickets for a showing of the most famous Christmas movie at this time, White Snow. It was a revolutionary cinema, an absolutely massive one at that, using state-of-the-art holographic technology to give its viewers a ''truly'' out of the world experience. Nothing quite like it existed anywhere else in Human space and it acted as a lightning rod for citizens and tourists alike, which over time slowly became permanent residents. It attracted both rich and poor alike through clever use of advertisements and the inclusion of low-cost and luxury display rooms. More notably, however, it attracted the large media companies on earth. The cinema was so big that it was unmatched in terms of potential opening revenue, and Venusian billionaires were open to paying a fortune for luxury tickets. This led to a slow exodus of media companies to Venus, all competing to get opening-day contracts. It was slow at first, but later snowballed: more investment into the fledgling acting and media industry meant that more companies would move. Eventually, even the titans of the media industry began to move. By the turn of the 23rd century, Venus began rivalling Earth in terms of media. It was not quite dominant yet, however. One last push was needed.

===The Founding of the Venusian Stars Institute===
Intentionally announced at the turn of the century, on the 1st of January 2200, the Venusian Stars Institute was set from the beginning to be the heart of the Venusian media empire. An absolutely byzantine and gigantic entity, it was created to manage every single tiny bit of Venus' growing media industry. From managing actors to funding media companies, the VSI is the last edge that Binyaria needed to dislodge Earth's dominance in the media sector. Lucrative contracts and clever handiwork behind the scenes resulted in the titans of the media industry finally committing to a move to Venus. These contracts ended up creating luxurious and revolutionary institutes for the big media companies to settle in, their massive skyscrapers dominating the Venusian skyline. All citizens, at this point, would see the emblems of the Venusian media empire when looking up. Gigantic holographic billboards began to claim an unrivalled amount of space in every single alleyway. Social media, which was placed under the purview of the VSI's newly-created Social Leadership Team, began to truly boom around this time as well. Practically every citizen became an avid user of social media from the morning to the evening: the Venusian government often paid companies to give new employees latest-model phones, which came with all sorts of social media applications installed and no way to remove advertisements. While this was annoying at first, Venusians ended up accepting this situation eventually. After all, they ''were'' free, high-end mobile phones. The money that Venus spent on this was quickly made back through insane amounts of advertisement money: practically every citizen was viewing hundreds and hundreds of advertisements throughout the day. Idol culture began spreading through social media as well, with many falling in ranks behind their favourite media star, yet quick to turn their backs on them whenever the new scandal came out.

===The Binyarian Exposé and Cytherea===
The reality of the actors' life was much different than what was shown on social media. Their happy lives were often carefully manufactured lies, sold by their privately-hired media marketing teams. Of course, this is knowledge that only the actors themselves would have -- they, themselves, were too busy under the immense pressure of the Venusian entertainment industry. The Venusian Stars Institute's guidelines for actors -- essentially rules that they may not break for any reason -- clamped down harder and harder with every passing year. Newly-implemented beauty standards in ''2203''' meant that many actors had to resort to expensive, Zeng-Hu sponsored plastic surgery or then-experimental genetic engineering in order to meet unrealistic demands. Many took out extensive loans from the then-up-and-rising Idris banking company in order to afford these expensive Zeng-Hu procedures. These loans were then paid through a gruesome amount of work: actors often had to work gruelling work schedules, day after day, just to not be crushed under the interest. This opened up a new, lucrative front for Zeng-Hu: drugs grown on Rathlin could easily be sold to actors on Cytherea, which led to their rampant substance abuse behind the scenes, simply to deal with the stress. This industry is extremely lucrative and Zeng-Hu invested billions and billions into it. The usage of these substances spread to much of the public as well, although it was not yet a worldwide phenomenon.

This situation was unknown to the public until '''2217'''. A Venusian reporting agency, ''Le Courrier'', broke out a story amiably called '''the Binyarian Exposé.''' This story was in actuality a 287 page document that detailed the living situation of authors behind the scenes and the unrealistic standards of the VSI, down to every single small detail. Many failed or rejected authors were interviewed to obtain the information needed. Unfortunately, it was far too long and had the opposite effect of what the authors wanted. The VSI's strict control over social media meant that the story was swiftly suppressed by the algorithms. Additionally, many Venusians simply did not care and dismissed the revelations as '[...] washed up artists and B-rate actors making things up [...]'. This was the position held by '''Anne-Marie Cythère''', the most famous actor of this era and an icon of Venus, arguably the first real idol who possessed a massive cult following, mainly on Venus. Those who agreed with her stance were referred to as 'Cythereans' by Earther critics, a term which stuck over time and began substituting the usage of Venusians in common language. It began as a derogatory term, but Venusians simply repossessed the word to fit their new identity. This point marks the beginning of Cytherea and Cythereans for historians -- the point where Venusians accepted their new identity.

Additionally, the Exposé resulted in most of the world beginning to accept drug usage -- most simply saw it as just another facet of idol culture, and reasoned that since drinking was fine, substance abuse should be fine, too. The authorities were quickly overwhelmed as there were far too many rising cases of substance abuse and resale for them to handle. This led to most cases being dismissed with either a very light fine or no action taken. Some critics point to Zeng-Hu interference in this process through bribing authorities to grow its markets, but Zeng-Hu has denied all such claims.

As a result of this new identity, less and less Cythereans begin entering skilled trades. Rathlin's hydroponics and pharmacy industries, curiously, were not affected due to them being mostly automated and due to a relative lack of required physical work for their workers. The service industry and connected sectors begin absolutely dominating Venusian statistics, with almost the entirety of Venus' industry being located in Rathlin's hydroponics facilities. Binyaria's chemical industries began to go bankrupt and alarm bells were rang by many, but the government simply did not care. The media was what was making money, not the heavy industries. Anyone with a keen eye could spot that this growth was unsustainable, but once again, profits were placed over rationale.

===The First Interstellar War and the Jie Riots===
With the outbreak of war for the Alliance, Venusians were conscripted just like the rest. This was, however, not taken amiably by the planet's populace and led to the first ever mass riots on Venus, dubbed 'the Jie Riots', as they took place in Our Lady’s Plaza in the aforementioned district. Around a million Venusians took to the streets to protest against the war, or at the very least for exemptions for Venusians. Many cried out that 'war's not good for our industry' and expressed a general unwillingness to go fight, as the physical damage would ruin their careers. Historians point to most social media posts bringing attention to the fact that the majority of the populace simply did not want their beauty to be compromised -- this was a more worrying prospect than death, to most Venusians. These protests were, however, very disorganised as there was no real unifying cause or voice behind them. The Alliance quickly intervened, quelled them, and conscription took place as it normally did in other worlds.

A significant amount of the Venusian working class was drafted -- around 20% -- mostly drawn from those that worked in the heavy industries keeping the planet afloat. Resistance to conscription was significant for most Venusians, who often found ways to outright avoid it. The Venusian government and the VSI were found to be involved in assisting actors, film makers, billionaires and, in general, everyone involved with the Venusian entertainment empire in draft dodging, mainly through clever forging of medical papers exempting them from service for one reason or the other. The entertainment industry continued to prosper or at the very least stay afloat, depending on which economics agency was polled, but everything else began to collapse in a manner of weeks due to the drafting of almost all of the skilled workers. Rationing and austerity were quickly instituted in all aerostats, to the chagrin of the planet’s populace. It would prove to be a difficult decade for Venusians, with many feeling the brunt of poverty and austerity, leading to a large amount of resentment towards the Alliance.

===The End of Austerity and the Jintarian Plan===
With the war ending, Venus was at the breaking point. The power plants had almost nobody left to work for them except for direly overworked engineers, and most of the populace simply did not want to work these jobs. The situation was especially dire and a new technocratic government was put in charge with a political blank cheque in order to deal with the situation once and for all. This led to the creation of the '''Jintaria Plan''', one of the biggest social engineering feats of human history. Through the usage of the Venusian media conglomerate, many veterans and refugees across the Alliance were invited to hastily fabricated 'cities under cities' in the aerostats. The contracts given to them were quite simple: as long as they worked in their assigned sector, they would have government-provided housing, heating, electricity and appliances. This was a very risky gamble that was quite expensive, but the dice roll succeeded. Many flocked over to the newly created Jintarian strata in order to find a new life, thus providing Venus with the skilled force it direly needed. The situation finally stabilised on the '''21st of August 2301''' with the end of austerity. Gigantic parties were held everywhere across Cytherea, with it becoming an official holiday, Ascension Day. Some Jintarians participated in these parties, while others simply took to pubs in their own slice of the aerostat.

Jintarian society is an inviting prospect for many refugees and immigrants. It is a patchwork blend of many cultures, who live together sharing the burden of an entire planet: this sole unifying factor leads to a shared sense of brotherhood and duty among Jintarians. This new class finds it hard to scale the ladder, however. It is practically almost impossible for Jintarians to work in the Venusian media industries due to ‘beauty standards concerns’: the fact that most of the Jintarian population has done some sort of trade or physical work in their life, which leads to the formation of minor beauty defects – enough for the Cythereans to reject the prospect of such a person entering the media scene. Some Jintarians opt for extensive plastic surgery to enter the ranks of the Cythereans, but this requires almost half a lifetime of savings and is an exceedingly rare occurrence. These ‘quasi-Cythereans’ are a mixed bag for Jintarians: the most radical view them as class traitors and the ambitious view them as lucky individuals.

===Modern History, Cytherea and Jintaria===
Venus is, today, labelled as the '''Queen of Entertainment''' for good reason. A significant amount of entertainment media is produced in Venus, casted with Venusian celebrities and created by Venusian companies, with the end products finding solid purchase in most markets across the Spur. It is a powerful cultural weapon for the Alliance. It also hosts a state-of-the-art hydroponics industry in Rathlin -- being a net exporter of food, second only to Ganymede -- and a titanic pharmaceutical industry, focused mainly on beauty and pharmaceutical products.

Venus, curiously, hosts the largest population of Martian refugees in the Spur. Following Violet Dawn, millions of Martians now call Jintaria their home. They were invited to work on Venus under similar contracts as the first Jintarians.

==Environment==
<center>''“Those eruptions? Ohmygosh, they were so cool!” - Part of an unnamed Venusian tourist’s review of the Idris Venusian Cruise Experience sightseeing package.''</center>

Venus is an incredibly hot and miserable planet. The mass of its atmosphere is 93 times that of Earth's, equivalent to the crushing depths of the deep ocean. This atmosphere is extremely thick and toxic, composed primarily of carbon dioxide and nitrogen, and this generates the strongest greenhouse effect in the Solar System, creating an average surface temperature of at least 462 C (864 F). Due to these crushing conditions, no Venusians live on the surface. Instead, they rely on floating aerostats – which have become a key part of Venus, and more importantly its society.
A Venusian year lasts 225 Earth days. A normal day on Venus lasts much longer than that of Earth due to the slow rotation, taking 243 Earth days to make one Venusian day. Venus spins backwards when compared to the other planets in the Sol system, causing the sun to rise in the west and set in the east. It rains sulphuric acid on the surface and the atmosphere is so thick that it exerts massive amounts of pressure on the surface. This crushes all but the most structurally reinforced habitats below the cloud layer, practically all of which are extremely specialised research habitats, with the rest destroyed by caustic acid rain. The planet hosts massive amounts of volcanic activity, which spew even more toxic gases into the atmosphere – although these are often co-opted as tourist attractions visible from cubicles in the aerostats or through windows in shuttles. Almost no sunlight reaches the surface of the planet, despite the temperature.
==Cytherean Culture==
<center>''“[...] Sol knowingly perpetrates that deluded Venusian perversion of human values, where the greed of the individual is placed on a pedestal for all to see and envy, where lust becomes paramount both for money and for man, where hard work and pride are substituted for laziness and a manic social anxiety. In this place, the ugly truth has a model’s face [...]” - Commander Ganesh Shrivastav (2411 - Present) in an impassioned speech to the Xanu parliament, regarding the Solarian threat.''</center>

Cytherean culture’s paramount concept is '''climbing the social ladder'''. This is the one concept that is '''utterly important''' to every single Cytherean, and each of them has their own view on what it entails. This social ladder can be interpreted in many ways – for some, it’s gaining an immense amount of followers on social media, while for others it’s becoming a spur-wide celebrity through a career in acting. It is universally considered to only be climbable through activities that inherently make you more popular among others, contributing to the reason why the extreme majority of Cythereans reject any sort of physical labour that does not provide this opportunity. It isn’t seen as strictly necessary to remain on Venus in order to climb the social ladder, and glory is considered to be attainable even outside of Venus itself – but most consider it an eventual necessity to come back and show off.

Because of this obsession, Cythereans tend to be extravagant in all facets of life, willing to stand out from the crowd by any means necessary; Cytherea is the primary pop culture centre of Sol, with a populace often dressed in bright, dramatic clothing. Many Solarian celebrities either live or were born on one of Venus’s aerostats, growing up in the privileged Cytherean culture. The best actors, comedians, chefs, musicians, and pop stars enjoy almost constant coverage on holo-screens, only occasionally replaced by adverts for startup beauty products, cutting-edge gaming hardware, or the newest diet fad. These celebrities enjoy high class treatment and something akin to worship from the Cythereans. Many come from across the galaxy, human and alien alike, seeking to turn their fortunes around. However, Cythereans are not immune to poverty and hardship in their laissez-faire society. Those looking to become the next big thing sometimes wind up on the opposite end of the spectrum, relying on morally and legally ambiguous means to get by. Aliens, although welcome, are typically sidelined in favour of human actors and models due to most moguls desiring to “play it safe." As a result, aliens, regardless of their talents, are typically seen as understudies, extras, dancers, and occasionally backup singers or instrumentalists.

The Cytherean environment is very cutthroat: many are willing to do whatever it takes to climb the social ladder, whether that be by fabricating scandals or putting their fingers in one too many pies. Law enforcement is often easily evaded due to lofty standards and a general lack of passion. In the end, one can get away with almost anything as long as they possess the right contacts and enough money. The party culture thrives in the aerostats, with the grand cocktail parties and fundraising schmooze-fests toward the top of teardrop slowly fading into the high-energy festivals of the lower sections. Toward the top, one can overhear the latest gossip and glimpse envelopes of credits sliding under tables. Toward the bottom, one can see the most hedonistic displays of luxury.

Though many work in the entertainment industry as stars and producers, there are great opportunities for a Cytherean scientist: after all, climbing the scientific social ladder and becoming a genius prodigy renowned across the Spur is quite the attractive goal. The development of pharmaceutical drugs and new medicines is a common field for Cytherean scientists, with celebrities and talent agencies needing a constant stream of narcotics for parties and stimulants to keep shooting sessions going for days at a time. Cytherea has a booming genetic engineering field that is primarily centred around the biomodification of celebrities in order to ensure that they are always at their physical peak, no matter which direction the ever-shifting winds of Cytherea's celebrity scene blow. Stimulants, such as cocaine, are the Cytherean drug of choice and are typically genetically modified by various Cytherean pharmacies to create more desirable effects. When exported these so-called "designer" drugs can fetch an extremely high price on the interstellar market. Cytherea's pharmaceutical industry is estimated to produce upwards of two-thirds of all narcotics consumed in the Republic of Biesel, even after the First and Second Solarian Invasions. Appropriately, Cytherea's pharmacies also produce a vast amount of the Alliance's anti-overdose medications. Many Cytherean pharmacies are associated or owned by Zeng-Hu Pharmaceuticals.

The largest Cytherean holiday is '''Ascension Day''', shortened to '''the Ascension''', celebrated on the 21st of August. It marks the return to normalcy after Venus’ long period of austerity, but its roots have long since been forgotten by most of the population, except by politicians and work supervisors. This is a day for all Venusians to indulge in whatever they can for as long as they can: gigantic feasts, parties and raves are held across all of Cytherea, along with fashion shows on the streets and other such activities. For some it’s a point of pride and reminds them of why living on Venus is worth it, along with the happiness that the end of austerity brought them – while for others, it’s simply a day to get wasted and enjoy it.
===Stars, Idols and Crashouts===
The idol culture of Venus is extraordinarily demanding for those that choose to involve themselves in it. Climbing the rungs of the Cytherean entertainment industry from mere extra to A-list celebrity able to star in the likes of Monkey King is no small feat involving raw acting talent, an incredible amount of social networking, and no small amount of backroom dealing between agents, celebrities, and producers. This process can often take years if one is unlucky, and the top celebrities often undergo extensive plastic surgery to ensure that they remain attractive enough to be considered for the greatest entertainment products of the industry. The amount of resources, time, and commitment needed to reach - and stay at - the top of the celebrity culture of Venus is truly astonishing, and the rat race of keeping up with the ever-shifting and constantly changing standards of what makes a celebrity an A-list celebrity results in many hopeful stars simply crashing out of the industry, and thus becoming known as a '''crashout'''.

Becoming any sort of professional major media player (referred to as a '''Star''') – whether that be an actor, a news anchor or an influencer – requires one to first sign '''100% of their image rights''' to the Venusian Stars Institute. These contracts are extremely lucrative for the person in question, but it is a poisoned apple nonetheless – once one signs with the Venusian Stars Institute to become a Star, '''they no longer have any control over their media appearances''', and thus the VSI will thus be able to unilaterally decide when and where they appear, in addition to being able to monopolise and commercialise the fledgling Star’s image as they wish – a very well known fact, but now only considered a stepping stone to become a celebrity. Each Star possesses its own PR and media team, de jure under the Star itself but de facto delegating to the VSI’s byzantine bureaucracy.

Despite these contracts, Stars are given a large amount of autonomy in how to run their career. While the grand majority opt for running their careers on Venus, some manage to take jobs abroad and live out new experiences there, while still technically affiliated to the VSI. It matters not for the Institute, as long as they garner a high amount of views on social media and further spread the Venusian brand.

Those that fall out of grace – either because of the crushing standards, burnout, extreme social pressure or whatever else – do not enjoy an easy life. Referred to as '''crashouts''' once the Institute stops affiliating with them – a process known as '''delisting''' – they are reminded of this failure everywhere they go by anyone that knows them, representing the minority of Venusians that have had their eyes opened to the injustice and oppression of Cytherean society. Cythereans do not have much tact or care for these crashouts, viewing them as simply not good enough. Most of these rejects either leave Venus entirely and seek employment somewhere else – often taking out generous loans in order to apply for apprenticeships or training courses, as they do not have any sort of marketable skill – or find employment in Venus’ overworked public sector, such as in the Venusian Planetary Police Force or even in the Solarian Navy itself, representing by far the largest percentage of Cythereans in both categories. Some crashouts can also end up falling into the net of Jintarian culture, where they are caught and welcomed by other Jintarians as simply more proof that Cytherean culture is poison rather than a blessing. A one-way ticket to delisting is, for example, speaking up about unfavourable work conditions on social media.

Upon becoming a Spur-wide celebrity, a Star is then granted '''Idol''' status by the VSI, and immortalised in the Diamond Hall: a gigantic museum in the very centre of Binyaria that hosts detailed biographies, mementos and signatures of every VSI-signed celebrity big enough to truly make it. Becoming an Idol is the ultimate dream of every Star and often functions as a sort of northern light for them in their journey. These Idols are practically all known to Cythereans at large and represent a sticking point for Cytherean pride, with many prizing their trivia knowledge on any given Idol. '''Due to their rarity, immense popularity and astronomical wealth, it is impossible to play an Idol or an ex-Idol on the ship.'''
===Famous Cytherean Celebrities===
Those that are able to survive and thrive as celebrities in the cutthroat and demanding environment of Cytherea's entertainment industry reap a truly massive amount of rewards ranging from accolades to millions of Solarian Credits. But, perhaps more importantly than anything else, they are some of the most famous people in human space and the greater Orion Spur. The individuals listed below are just a handful of Cytherea's most famous residents, and will be known throughout the Orion Spur.

One of the most famous Cytherean idols ever is perhaps '''Chan-mi Jee''', the renowned frontwoman and singer of '''INTERSTELLAR✰GIRLS''': a famous all-female pop group based out of the Binyarian aerostat. Chan-mi Jee's famous voice, which has been biologically augmented to have a wider range, can be found on dozens of '''INTERSTELLAR✰GIRLS''' albums. The band's most famous album, Interstellar Heart, currently holds the Spur-wide record for most copies ever sold. Despite her successes, which include having been named the Venusian cultural ambassador for five years in a row, Chan-mi Jee's personal life has been the subject of some speculation in the Cytherean press, and repeated plastic surgeries have left only a sliver of resemblance to the woman that began her pop career ten years ago. But for the moment, she and her band remain the undisputed queens of the Cytherean musical scene. ''"You have Chan-mi's looks"'' is a Cytherean's most prized slang weapon, used to describe someone who is extremely attractive.

In the Cytherean acting scene there is, arguably, nobody that defines the role of leading man better than the dashing and charismatic idol, '''Caspar Orillian'''. Born and raised in the "red treadmill" industry of Cytherea, Caspar has found extraordinary success playing athletic leading men thanks to extensive biomodifications and plastic surgeries that have shaped and reshaped his face to constantly be in-season and attractive. A large number of editors hired by his estate retroactively edit his films and publicity photos to resemble whatever Caspar's current appearance is. His constant facial restructurings are seen as a sign of his success due to the immense cost associated with them, and are a clear proof of his dedication to maintaining his celebrity status.

Famous director '''Samuel Monaghan''' is another of Cytherea's most famous celebrities, and his name can be found on a variety of movies ranging from action films to long dramas. Monaghan's distinctive style is easily-recognized throughout the Orion Spur's film scene thanks to his focus on single-shot scenes using drones as floating cameras. The fame of Monaghan has also been built by the director's often eccentric and eye-catching behaviour off the set. Monaghan is known for his eccentric behaviour, unusual rants, and deliberately garnish outfits. The controversy that this has caused him in Cytherea's tabloid scene has only helped his fame grow, but it remains to be seen if his behaviour will continue to build fame or ultimately backfire and cause his fall.

'''Quu'xuu "Kwoo" Vol'rii''' is an idol and something of an oddity in the Cytherean entertainment scene due to her status as a skrell. Having recently flown into the highest ranks of Cytherea due to her highly-rated performance as the main villain of Monkey King VII, Doctor Yana Vashtu, the diminutive doctor of human cultural studies has found a following thanks to both her haughty and evil attitude on-camera and her awkward yet earnest attitude off the set. Kwoo, as she is affectionately known by her fans, has found further fame thanks to her charitable donations to Mars following her success in Monkey King VII. However, it remains uncertain how long her fifteen minutes of fame from Monkey King VII will last, if Kwoo will choose to remain in Cytherea at all, or if the unfaltering support for the Nralakk Federation will be her eventual social downfall.
===Cytherean Fashion===
Due to the extremely fast-paced nature of Cytherea's fashion industry there are a number of trends entering the public eye, being sold by stores, and falling out of fashion at any time. Anything a non-Cytherean can put together that is appealing to the eye, and sometimes not, has been the height of fashion at some point somewhere in the clouds. However there are a few popular looks and rules Cytherean fashion tends to follow.

The most important rule for an aspiring Cytherean fashionista is that the best part of the body is the '''skin'''. A lot of clean, unblemished, hairless skin is shown in Cytherean fashion; whether it be through a high-slit dress, a translucent button-up shirt, a pair of short shorts, a fitted tank top, or a low cut blouse. More masculine figures tend to show off the upper body, especially the arms, while more feminine looks show off the lower body, specifically the legs. But in the Cytherean view showing too much skin is a great faux pas; looks are often balanced so that if a lot of the upper body is shown, the lower body is mostly covered and vice versa. Cytherean business wear, in contrast, tends to be much less skin-showing in order to stay in line with the greater Solarian Alliance, particularly Luna.

While Cythereans consider minor body modifications fine, a more natural appearance is preferred in contrast to gaudy or overly eye-catching augmentations. Body-sculpting plastic surgery procedures are common, especially among celebrities, in order to ensure that one remains within the Cytherean standards of beauty. Some of the most common body-sculpting procedures include improving facial features and structure, removing all body hair “below the eyelashes," tightening the skin, removing excess body fat, dental reconstruction, enhancing or emphasising musculature, and balancing body proportions (usually in favour of the legs). However extensive piercing, more extreme body-sculpting, heavy tattooing, and other modifications that break the “pure skin” rule are frowned upon and tattooing in particular, even minor forms in some cases, is considered unsightly due to its long-standing connection with criminals or groups such as dregs.

Many trends originate in Binyaria’s Parabing District, and are locally called '''“wankukai”''' trends. Wankukai clothes are either what’s popular in the Mile's clubbing scene or, less popularly, something slightly more appropriate for streetwear. Masculine looks often have plain, solid colored pants in dark colours with slim, usually designer belts, and often have simple dress shoes or sneakers. Translucent button-ups with LED or neon-tubing designs up the arms or across the chest are popular, as well as similarly designed, fitted tank tops to accentuate the arms. Some even elect to go shirtless. Suit jackets matching one’s pants are also common, as well as leather jackets with LED or neon designs on the back. As for more feminine looks, miniskirts, short shorts, and -- for the brave -- microskirts are commonplace, often paired with simple low heels, flats, or sneakers. Colourful dress shirts, qipao blouses, and standard blouses are all common as well, featuring designs similar to masculine looks. Dresses of all lengths usually have a high-slit, reaching all the way up the thigh, and are often intricately decorated with LED and neon-tubing. Though suit jackets and leather jackets with designs are common among feminine looks as well, they are occasionally cropped to just below or at the ribs.
==Jintarian Culture==
<center>''“J-I-N-T-A-R-I-A! Home of the free!” - Excerpt from Torchbearers, a famous Jintarian punk nu-metal song by Just Us, the most popular Jintarian band as of 2464.''</center>

Jintarian culture can often be defined as the ''polar opposite'' of Cytherean culture in many facets, but it borrows as much as it opposes. Jintarians pride themselves on being the squeaky clean side of Venus – an approach which, unfortunately, makes their scene only truly appealing to Jintarians themselves and to contrarians across the galaxy. Regardless of how unpopular they may be on the interstellar scene, Jintarians tend to be extremely prideful of their accomplishments and often have a do-or-die attitude when it comes to carrying things out: after all, Venus is standing where it is thanks to them. This leads to a mostly punk-ish and contrarian culture, where keeping things real is incentivised, along with distancing yourself from Cytherea as much as possible in matters of fashion, music and even the celebrities one follows. As an example, while Cythereans prefer clothing that shows off as much skin as possible, Jintarians prefer the direct opposite of that – turtlenecks, sweaters, flannel shirts and other such clothes are very common in these communities.

Despite all of this, Jintarians and Cythereans are not enemies. They live together just as much as a Biesellite and a Solarian may live in the same apartment in Mendell City. Cythereans recognise the need for Jintarians in order for their planet to function – but do not hesitate to call them out on their broodish, low-class fashion. Jintarians recognise that Venus is the giant it is due to the Cythereans’ natural aptitude in entertainment, but do not hesitate to call them out on their hedonistic lifestyle, corrupt politics and horribly flashy clothing choices. In the same vein, it isn’t unheard of for Jintarians to spend their weekend at Cytherean bars, if only to prove their superiority over them in one way or the other. It is possible for Jintarians to find employment in more Cytherean fields: as an example, Jintarian baristas in Cytherean bars are not entirely out of the world – but some discrimination in this field is to be expected.

In the same vein, it isn’t unheard of – although '''very rare''' – for Jintarians to end up integrating into Cytherean society. This is only possible for those that are willing to either sign up for '''drastic''' plastic surgery in order to compete with the very top of Cytherean society, often by taking out very predatory Idris loans, or for those that are more naturally blessed. It isn’t an easy path and it is marred with discrimination and harsh financial choices, as these ‘reformed’ Jintarians are often looked down upon in Cytherea in basically all matters: whether that be in job selection or simply having their curriculum vitae noticed. Those that choose this path and continue following it, whether that be for credits or fame, end up disenfranchised and practically '''exiled''' from their old Jintarian community.
===Famous Jintarian Celebrities===
Jintarians have distanced themselves from the distinction between Star and Idol, viewing it as essentially objectifying celebrities. Instead, the concept of who exactly is a celebrity is fairly wide: essentially, anyone famous enough to be known outside of Jintaria, even a little, is considered an ambassador of Jintarian culture and essentially a celebrity. Historically, Jintaria has been the unacknowledged part of Venus, and only in recent times has its influence begun to increase: with the election of Strom and the massively increased success of Jintarian celebrities abroad, Jintaria has finally begun reclaiming its slice of Venus. This has led to Jintarians as a whole being extremely prideful and attached to their celebrities, viewing them as the only reason why Jintarians are known at all – referring to the current crop as '''the Golden Generation'''. While this success may be still extremely small compared to their Cytherean brethren, it does not stop particularly prideful Jintarians from proclaiming the beginning of a new age for their class.

Much like in Cytherea, any Jintarian celebrity deemed big enough is given a spot in the '''Venusian Jintarian Museum''', the Jintarian counterpart of the Diamond Hall. The requirements are much less stringent, and generally there isn’t much competitiveness among Jintarians to be represented there – it is simply an honour.

'''Kyle De Koster''' is arguably the biggest Jintarian celebrity, perhaps only tying with Hendrik Strom for the title. The lead singer of Just Us, a Jintarian punk nu-metal band with a focus on optimistic lyrics, his career has been a long and hard fought one. It started as a venture between high school friends who played their music in the streets of Binyaria’s Jintarian communities, and evolved to an interstellar phenomenon through hard work alone. Many of this band’s songs idolise the Jintarian struggle and their own experience, providing a point of reference for many Jintarians. Their latest album, ''Hold Us Tight'', has been a massive hit with Jintarians but also across the Coalition of Colonies, boasting very high viewership especially on Himeo. De Koster and his band are known Jintarian nationalists and do not fear speaking up in matters of politics, having given their endorsement of Hendrik Strom several times in the past.

'''Hendrik Strom''' is, in the eyes of many fellow Jintarians, the best representation of Jintaria. Since starting as a humble city councilman roughly thirty years ago Strom has climbed to the top through ability, ambition, and no small amount of Jintarian nationalism. Once a senator representing Venus, Strom has served as the emergency governor of the Sol System since shortly after the Naval coup in late 2462. Strom has never forgotten his roots and often visits Venus, where he is greeted warmly by his fellow Jintarians, to raise support for himself and what many see as his inevitable run for Prime Minister once elections open up again. His face can often be seen throughout Jintarian communities on inspirational posters and political billboards alike.

'''Katarina Josic''' is a strong contender for the spot of ‘very famous Jintarian celebrity’, despite being much more of an extremist. Her career, interestingly, is not in Jintaria but instead abroad – she left Jintaria very early to become an actress in the Coalition of Colonies, with her main following being located there instead of in Sol. This endeavour was successful and she has starred in many top films in the Coalition, becoming a widely known figure and using this fame as a platform for her pro-Jintaria speeches. Unlike Just Us’ members, however, she is a very anti-Solarian individual and has often spoken out against the nation in the past, going as far as renouncing her citizenship in favour of a Coalition one following the Violet Dawn incident. She has criticised the members of Just Us many times before for their pro-Solarian stances as well.
===Jintarian Fashion===
Jintarian every-day fashion is much more practical and significantly less gaudy than its Cytherean counterpart, generally trending towards punk-like styles – ripped jeans, as an example, are very common in Jintaria. Many Jintarians wear simple, practical clothing well-suited to their typically industrial or physical work such as jeans, simple tees, long-sleeved shirts or track pants. Jintarian professionals dress much like their counterparts in the rest of the Alliance. As their pride prevents them from emulating Cytherean fashion, Jintarians have a habit of standing out through the smaller details: they often decorate their jacket or shirt with stickers, pins, armbands. There is much variance in the style and reason behind these accessories – some use accessories that represent their life or views, while others simply pick whatever is the most colourful or whatever they think is most aesthetically pleasing. Jintarian business wear tends to be similar to the rest of the Alliance, although the expensive brands are near-universally avoided by Jintarians.

Most Jintarians opt to deliberately ignore Cytherea's big fashion brands, and many take pride in this willing ignorance -- instead opting to "buy Jintarian" when it comes to their clothing. As a result, most Jintarian clothing is produced using materials sourced from Jintaria itself and made in Jintarian-dominated aerostat districts. It isn’t unusual for Jintarian fashion to be exported off of Venus: simple Jintarian clothing has found a niche in cheap, affordable apparel and can be found in many shops and malls around the Spur. As of late, many more people are buying this type of clothing due to the living cost crisis created by the Phoron shortage. Additionally, Jintarian enterprises often run some philanthropic endeavours with certain lines of clothing, donating some of the earnings to a few good causes – one example is the ''Dawn'' line from the most famous Jintarian clothes company, Jinnel: a series of black tees where the imprint is that of a typical Martian dome, transitioning from a normal state to a destroyed and burnt one. 75% of the earnings from this line were donated to the Martian victims of the Violet Dawn disaster that now find their home in Jintaria.
==Aerostats==
<center>''“What do I know about Binyarians? All they do is take our stuff and never give anything back. It’s unfair!” - A quote by an unnamed Rathliner hydroponics specialist responding to the “What Do You Think About Your Fellow Venusians” survey, juxtaposed with an unnamed Binyarian actress’ answer, “About Rathliners? Well, they make our food, I guess?”''</center>

Venusians dwell in aerostats floating in the habitable layer nicknamed '''“the Zone”''' above the sulphuric acid clouds masking the surface. These floating cities are primarily held in place by their natural oxygen content and large bags of hydrogen. Aerostats began with a size equal to the average city centre, but have since expanded to much larger sizes, with the largest ones rivalling other major cities in the Spur. Aerostats are divided into two main sections: Cytherea, which refers to the Cytherean-dominated areas above, and Jintaria, which refers to boyh the small pockets of Jintarians above ground but also (and mainly) the Jintarian cities under the respective districts.

Aerostats follow a similar style of planning to normal cities, with all kinds of districts and buildings present – each aerostat is divided into a variable number of districts, depending on the population, that make up its administrative divisions.There are, however, some differences due to their nature as floating cities: as an example, no wind or any kind of atmospheric phenomenon is present on these aerostats, except as an optional setting in artificial parks. Binyarians pin this on the fact that the presence of wind would limit one’s choice in fashion. On the other hand, both a day-night cycle and a sky similar to the Earth’s are simulated through large and complex lighting arrays that make up the inside of the dome-like structure separating the aerostat from the atmosphere. Normally, someone would only be able to see this artificial sky in an aerostat, but there are some buildings that have a window to the outside as a stylistic choice.

All aerostats are interconnected in a gigantic ring-like structure, forming a sort of spider web across the planet’s surface: the two biggest aerostats, Binyaria and Rathlin, form the two ‘poles’ respectively at the north and south of the web. It is possible to travel from an aerostat to another through the '''Venusian Ferry''', the gigantic shuttletram network forming the basis of this web. It isn't only a means of transport but also a very famous all-in-one tourism attraction sponsored by Idris: firework displays are fused with the planet's naturally odd atmosphere in order to create light shows truly out of a movie. Most if not all Venusians and tourists alike take at least one trip on the Venusian Ferry in their life.

Bar certain exceptions like Rathlin, most Jintarians live in sprawling city complexes under the aerostats, referred to as, for example, Jintarian Binyaria or Jintarian Parabing to name a section of Jintaria under a specific district. Jintaria as a whole is informally known as '''‘downstairs’''' by Cythereans, whereas Cytherea is referred to as '''‘upstairs’''' by Jintarians. These city complexes tend to be densely packed and populated, with little variance in terms of architecture and structure as a result of their government-planned construction. They have overtime, however, been decorated with various LED holoboards bought from Cytherea, artificial parks and other such structures to breathe some life into the atmosphere. The aerostats’ heavier industries, such as power complexes or factories, are entirely located in the Jintarian sections. Jintarians have easy enough access to Cytherea through elevators that can be found throughout their cities, with at least one under each Cytherean district.
===Binyaria===

'''Binyaria''' is the capital aerostat of Venus and by far the most populated one, widely known as Venus’ jewel, sporting the archetypical Cytherean architecture: lightshows, LEDs and flashy buildings. People from across the galaxy flock to Binyaria to experience both Solarian and Cytherean culture, which has its roots in the very same aerostat. It is one of the most-visited tourist destinations in the Spur, clocking in the high hundreds of millions of visits every year – with all of them coming to experience the Cytherean culture that began in the very same aerostat. Of course, all of these tourists come to partake in Cytherean hobbies in one way or the other as well.

Cythereans in Binyaria are almost entirely employed in the service and entertainment sectors. Despite its rapid deindustrialisation, Binyaria still hosts a large amount of pharmaceuticals industries and related research complexes, where about 12% of the Cytherean population works.

The following are Binyaria’s most populated and well-known districts.

The '''Jie District''' is located at the very centre of Binyaria, named after the original ruler of the aerostat. It is the true heart of the Cytherean fashion and acting industry, along with the bio-modification that goes hand in hand with them. Tourists flock to Jie to partake, or at least gawk, at the majesty of Cytherea's famed fashion houses, acting museums and so on. This district also houses several Zeng-Hu Pharmaceuticals facilities centred around biomodification and beauty techniques that are frequented by both the rich and famous of Cytherea and exceptionally wealthy (or vain) tourists. Outside of its main thoroughfare, Jie is home to a wild variety of production studies for everything from holovids to music, and many of those involved in Cytherea's entertainment industry make their homes in the expensive apartments and estates of the district. With all of this considered, it is not the district that houses the government, and functions mainly as the flashiest show-off of what Cytherea is truly about, being the most visited district for its value in re-telling Cytherean history (from their side, at least). The only permanent residents in Jie are CEOs, official functionaries and other similarly wealthy or famous figures. ''"We can't all live in Jie District"'' is a phrase used by Jintarians to essentially say "not all of us can be filthy rich", to mock Cythereans for their vanity or simply to express just how ridiculous something is. On the flip side, Cythereans often use the phrase ''"not a Jintarian's chance in Jie"'' to describe impossible odds or something/someone looking really bad (either socially or physically).

Located at the very centre of the Jie District is the '''Venusian Stars Institute''', arguably Venus’ single most important institution. A gigantic, byzantine skyscraper, covered from bottom to top in holographic billboards and the brightest, most colourful LEDs that can be bought on the Spur. With these features and the tacky holographic signs on all four sides at its top blasting its acronym in the brightest rainbow lights imaginable, it dominates Binyaria’s skyline as a consistent reminder of what truly keeps the aerostat afloat: the power of media. Curiously enough, the phrase ''"You're like the Jie skyline"'' has recently become a Cytherean way to tell someone that they stand out, either from good looks or for other reasons. Its first recorded usage was in an Interstellar Girls single from 2463, ''Skyline''.

The Jie District is also home to the '''Jie Holocinema Complex''', the largest and most advanced holocinema in the Spur. It is an absolutely gigantic and flashy structure, being by far the brightest and most-decorated building in Cytherea as a whole. Every single top movie has at least one early screening in this cinema, and these tickets often go for exorbitant prices – which doesn’t stop Cytherea’s many billionaires from lapping them up as soon as they come on the market. Its claim to fame is the Virtual Reality Suite, the highest class viewing hall available, where the viewer can fully immerse themselves in the movie by being able to freely view the current scene from any angle through experimental VR technology. Lower-class viewing halls that provide the “classic” experience are also present for those that don’t have quite as much wealth.

This cinema is found at the very centre of '''Our Lady’s Plaza''', a massive sprawling circular plaza. Its claim to fame is it is built under an artificial vineyard, providing quite the change of pace from the other plazas that may be mistaken as dance floors by unknowing visitors. Restaurants and shops of all kinds can be found around this plaza, providing one of the most unique experiences possible for a weekend. ''"Our Lady's has nothing on this place!"'' is a somewhat uncommon exclamation for Cythereans to refer to a really cool place.

The '''Chiye-Gyo District''' was helped to fame by corporate investment rather than Venus' municipal government. It was a district constructed and leased to the megacorporations to function as a corporate hub on the planet, where one can find any corporate facility they wish for, whether that be corporate-sponsored universities or Idris shopping malls to buy the newest clothing catalogue at. Nanotrasen used to have a presence here as well, but their assets here have been entirely handed off to Einstein Engines. Because of this megacorporate presence, Chiye-Gyo is often used as a backdoor out of Venus for those wanting to leave the planet, with the corporations offering contracts both in Sol and abroad to Venusians willing to take them – Jintarians and Cythereans alike. Of course, many of these Venusians also have to undergo mandatory training courses in Chiye-Gyo to bring them up to speed with their new job. Following the Industrial Reclamation Decree and the nationalisation of Nanotrasen property, their workers were offered to transfer abroad in the Republic of Biesel by the corporation if they wished to leave the Alliance. ''"Straight laced like Chiye-Gyo's corpos"'' is a slang phrase used by Cythereans to refer to someone who's too serious. "Corpos" can often be substituted with "goons", "suits" or other demeaning terms.

The '''Parabing District''' is Binyaria’s most populated district, representing where the majority of its population resides. It is where most of the Cytherean life takes place, with its many stylish apartments, estates and houses, but is not lacking in entertainment and hosts a number of clubs, PC cafes, karaoke joints, laid-back bars, and fast food restaurants complete with glowing neon lights. Parabing also sees a high amount of Jintarian thoroughfare in its districts, both because of its entertainment opportunities and for work reasons, as some Jintarians that live downstairs can find employment in Parabing’s chemical and pharmaceuticals complexes. ''"Putting the bing-o in Parabing!"'' is an expression used by particularly goofy Jintarians and Cythereans as another way of saying "Bingo!". It is, however, very informal and somewhat ridiculous, so it is only used among good friends, most often after a drink or five. Jintarian Parabing hosts a fairly large number of immigrant workers in its Jintarian side, where it hosts the largest population of Martian immigrants in the Spur as a result of Violet Dawn.

While hardly as famous as any of its higher counterparts, the '''Central Binyarian Power Complex''' on level ten is one of the most important levels in the entire aerostat. The Complex provides fission-based power to the entire aerostat using a network of massive fusion generators. The amount of equipment needed to ensure that power flows and the generators continue functioning has turned the Complex into a massive labyrinth of tunnels and industrial machinery that are difficult to navigate through and very easy to become lost in. As a result the Complex is informally known as "the Labyrinth" and has very few legal permanent residents. The tunnels of the Complex are often poorly-lit and filled with stagnant air due to insufficient ventilation. Due to the construction of the Complex noises are able to easily travel through it, and the groaning of machinery and hissing of coolant pipes can echo through miles of tunnels. The Labyrinth is seen as a very unsettling place by both Cythereans and Jintarians, and the disquieting nature of it and similar power facilities have become fodder for the Cytherean film industry. This place's pervasion in pop culture has led to the creation of some creative slang phrases, such as ''"Have you come from the Labyrinth?"'' to refer to an ugly person for Cythereans, or ''"The Labyrinth's got nothing on you"'' to refer to a particularly cool person for Jintarians. Both cultures attempt to one-up the other, with Cythereans using this complex as a negative attribute and Jintarians attempting to reclaim it.

'''Jintarian Binyaria''' is the home to most of the planet’s Jintarians, but does not present itself to be much different from the rest of Jintaria, architecturally or structurally. It does, however, house some districts and landmarks that are very renowned across Jintaria.

The '''Susuhe District''' is the largest and most populated Jintarian district in Venus. It is functionally a mishmash of every kind of facility: from power plants to sports facilities to apartments and parks, nearly everything can be found here, providing an extremely centralised but comfortable lifestyle, if a bit packed with people. Jintarians may find employment either in Susuhe itself or even directly above it in Parabing’s pharmaceutical complexes. Being the administration’s home and arguably the heart of the Jintarian class, it also houses a few important landmarks.

The '''Venusian Jintarian Museum''' is the main point of reference for Jintarian culture, inspired by the Diamond Hall in function. While it presents itself as a rather boring building – clearly not inheriting the Diamond Hall’s gaudy looks – the inside is one of the, if not the most decorated example of Jintarian architecture. Marble flooring and pillars mark the amount of care taken in preserving the story of celebrities and immortalising them as part of Jintaria’s past.

On the entertainment side of things, Susuhe is also home to '''the Ring''', the largest pub across all of Jintaria, built not by the government but by the collective efforts of Jintarians. As its name implies, it is a massive ring-like structure where the inner part is the counter, and the rest is dedicated to tables and other entertainment facilities. Its clients can either simply sit and order their drink and food, or take part in some of the more tame activities that can be found here: the Ring is home to facilities for sports, table football, tabletop games, and more. This pub’s prevalence in Jintarian popular culture has led to the creation of ''"You're ringing out"'' as a common slang phrase used by Jintarians to refer to someone who is too drunk or high for their own good.

===Rathlin===
'''Rathlin''' is the second most populated aerostat, and is the home to Venus’ extremely advanced hydroponics and medical facilities. While distant from Binyaria, it has also overtime adopted the archetypical Cytherean culture, but with a fairly large degree of difference: mainly, the resentment that Rathliners feel towards their Binyarian brethren. While practically all of them accept their Cytherean ways of life (which have been, to some degree, imposed on them), it doesn’t quite feel right to them that Binyaria is the centre of attention in all things Venus. This has developed into a sort of complex of inferiority towards Binyarians, with Rathliners eager to show that they’re just as relevant as their compatriots. Of course, this has to happen in other fields, as there is no hope for Rathlin’s media industries to ever outpace Binyaria’s. Instead, Rathliners – Cytherans and Jintarians alike – are much more likely to seek to climb the social ladder via scientific or medical prowess.

Another oddity unique to Rathlin is that it is the aerostat with the largest number of Jintarians living among the Cytherean population – in fact, most of its Jintarian population lives in its Cytherean side, with only around 21% living below. Many Jintarians find easy enough employment in Rathlin’s many medical, scientific and hydroponics fields if they have the skills to show for it, as these jobs are in ever-increasing demand. Some of these Jintarians can even find their way to Cytherean Binyaria, as expertise is always welcome if they can survive its cutthroat environment – and if they can match Cythereans in beauty.

The following are Rathlin’s most populated and well-known districts.

The '''Nunusa District''' is Rathlin’s seat of government and where most of its population resides. While just as brightly decorated as other Binyarian districts, Nunusa sets itself apart by borrowing its architectural styles from diverse places on Earth: anything can be found in its districts, from Baltic old town architecture to traditional Japanese architecture. Of course, all of these architectures have the typical Venusian twists to them – LED strips to accentuate colours, holographic advertisement billboards attached to the sides, and other similar tacky details. Nunusa also hosts a fairly large number of Jintarian residents. Cythereans often say that something looks "like Susuha" if it's a mishmash of many things, a melting pot, or generally curious or interesting.

Nunusa is home to one of Venus’ most multicultural academies, the '''Nunusa Polymedical Institute''', informally known as '''PolyNu'''. It is Venus’ highest rated medical university as it places more of a focus on skills rather than good looks, and many aspiring Cytherean doctors from other aerostats – even Binyaria – study here, either by using the Venusian Ferry or by temporarily moving to Nunusa. Binyarians often find themselves teased and sometimes even mocked by Rathliners for attending classes in this institute, but the education is top notch nonetheless. These four groups of cultures that coexist – Jintarians, Binyarians, Rathliners and Cythereans from other aerostats – are in a constant race to one-up the other through bragging about better grades or whichever other methods they can come up with. While this does contribute to a higher degree of academic competitiveness in the university, these competitions can also be settled in other ways, such as on the dance floor. ''"You're like a Binyarian in PolyNu"'' is a common phrase used by Rathliners to describe someone who's out of place.

The '''Satisma District''' is perhaps Venus’ most important industrial district, made up almost entirely of hydroponics facilities and attached employee housing. It provides Venus with practically all of its food, and even exports a significant amount to the Alliance as a whole. A good amount of the Spur’s expert hydroponicists are raised and trained in Satisma’s world-class facilities. Cythereans and Jintarians alike work in this district, with Cythereans managing to find it bearable as it is not particularly high-intensity work, and automation does most of the job anyway. Jintarians often write off their Cytherean workers as particularly lazy here, but that is not necessarily always the truth. ''"Do you work at Satisma?"'' is a slang phrase used by particularly vain Cythereans to refer to someone who is lower class or generally uninteresting. It is very negatively charged and often elicits a reply in kind (or worse) if used against Jintarians.

The '''Rimari District''' is, on the surface, quite similar to Satisma, filled with hydroponics complexes and other such installations. In truth, it is arguably the centre for Venus’ drug trade: completely dominated and owned by Zeng-Hu, the hydroponics plants here are rumoured to grow exclusively narcotics and whatever other types of drugs the Cytherean clientele may desire. It is strictly guarded at all hours of the day by several VPPF detachments, which has most certainly only further stained the Venusian Police’s name in the minds of Jintarians and unsatisfied Cytherean. Rimari also holds the infamous reputation of being the largest narcotics trade hub in the entire Spur according to several independent newspapers and research articles, claims that have been solely ignored by every single Venusian government. ''"Locked up like Rimari"'' is a charged slang phrase used by Cythereans and Jintarians alike to refer to someone who's clearly holding a secret of some sort, or refusing to talk about it.

'''Jintarian Rathlin''' is not much different from Jintarian Binyaria, mainly because of Jintaria’s beginnings as little more than pre-fabricated drab cities. It is, however, connected to Jintarian Binyaria through the Venusian Ferry.

'''Jintarian Satisma''' is mostly made up of restaurants, curiously enough, which import food from the hydroponics facilities above. Jintarians can find their respite in many of the higher-class (for Jintarians, anyway – they would still not hold a candle to Cytherean restaurants) in this district. Jintarian Satisma is also the host of the Satisma Fair, a 3-day fair beginning on the 15th of March and ending on the 18th where the streets of the districts are filled with food stands, festivals and other such activities. It is extremely famous among Jintarians and most of them attend it yearly, spending more than usual. Additionally, cooks from the rest of the Alliance sometimes set up their own stands and makeshift restaurants here as it is a very, very lucrative opportunity. New Hai Phonger cooks are especially renowned in Jintarian Satisma, with many trying to emulate their cuisine.

==Government and Politics==
<center>''“Jintarians have been governed by Cythereans for a century now, but no more! No more will the Jintarian have to stand by and let clueless addicts govern them! No more!” – Excerpt from Hendrik Strom’s famous campaign speech to a crowd of around million Jintarians in Jintarian Parabing.''</center>

Venus’ government is, on the surface, fairly simple: each aerostat has its own governor, which is elected through a democratic vote where all registered citizens can participate. Each district likewise has its own representative, elected in the very same manner. However, Venus places little to no effort in fighting any sort of corruption, often staffing its anti-corruption bureaus as if they were vacation homes for retired politicians. This has led to Venus’ government historically being among the most corrupt and inefficient in the Spur, with a record period of 11 years without any significant reform (according to the Xanusii News Service’s Venusian Insight scoop of 2431, with a significant reform’ classified as any bill that implements a new social or governmental program). District representatives and aerostat governors alike are often accused by independent news services of collaborating in the Venusian drug trade to disgusting degrees, pocketing bribe money left and right and willingly ignoring the issues that plague Venus. Moreover, competition is at an all-time low on Venus, with all of its sectors practically monopolised by a select few companies. Venus’ media freedom ranks at its highest peak ever according to Venusian and some Solarian outlets, but independent news services often instead rank it at the bottom due to the VSI’s absolute stranglehold on the media services.

Under the surface, Venus has many de-facto exceptions given to it by the Solarian law apparatus. Drug trade and consumption are essentially completely allowed on Venus, with the VPPF not particularly inclined to ever prosecute these crimes due to their profitability. Whatever narcotics one may desire are nearly always handed over-the-counter at Zeng-Hu pharmacies, which present a ''technically legal'' front – and, as a result, no perquisitions ever occur.

This general complacency boiled over in Hendrik Strom’s election as the planetary senator in 2453, a result of Cytherean apathy and general lack of care towards voting. Elected through a historic Jintarian turnout, his campaign has run on anti-corruption promises and economic reforms – populist policies that are not appreciated by Cythereans or by the established Venusian industries. Whether these reforms will be implemented or have any long-lasting effect is yet to be seen, however, as more pressing matters have taken the ex-senator’s attention since the Solarian collapse.

The '''Venusian Stars Institute''' is an entirely government-controlled agency and an integral part of the average Venusian’s life. It has absolute control over Venusian media, from what gets produced and put on the extranet to the image rights of its stars and idols, with more details on this particular facet in the Cytherean Culture section. To the average citizen, the VSI is an almost invisible force behind social media, rarely interfering unless absolutely necessary. An example of this is the silencing of the Binyarian Exposé, where journalists propagating the story in question were promptly banned from all social media and their stories scrubbed from the Extranet.

===The Venusian Planetary Police Force===
Venus’ law enforcement agency is the '''Venusian Planetary Police Force''', or '''VPPF'''. The VPPF is more of a media stunt than a real police force, being riddled with corruption and inefficiencies, where officers are known to readily take bribes to ignore crimes -- particularly the crimes of Venus' rich and famous. The VPPF's reputation is so poor that megacorporate facilities and Venusian notables may even use private military contractors from the Eridani Federation Military to provide security instead. Hendrik Strom and his fellow populists have made a scapegoat out of the VPPF by citing its most public failures such as its inability to contain the now-defunct Tajara Revolutionary Army and its rampant cronyism. In public polling, the Venusian police typically ranks as one of the least popular planetary police agencies in the entire Solarian Alliance. It can mostly be seen policing important landmarks, clubs, bars or whichever important gala is being hosted on a certain night.
The gendarmerie’s poor standing also has to do with mostly who exactly chooses a career in it, often described as a dead-end career: that is to say, mostly crashouts and those who don’t want to be in the spotlight, for one reason or the other. Unfortunately for them, the VPPF doesn’t pay very handsomely and is seen as the opposite of a prestigious career, being considered useless by just about every single Venusian. This has led to an extremely high rate of turnover, with those leaving the VPPF often leaving Venus entirely and looking for work abroad as mercenaries in the PMCG/EPMC or as corporate security: leaving the planet with their eyes open to Venus’ many injustices and likely more depressed as a result.

The VPPF is structured into one department per aerostat with thirty-two sections per district, with each section varying in size depending on the population and importance of the location. Rimari has by far the largest sections across Binyaria. While the VPPF functions like an archetypical gendarmerie, many of its bureaus are intentionally stunted: narcotics or financial crimes departments often function in name only, with their director being paid off by more than one person in exchange for their inaction. This situation is known to just about anyone who researches it, but most importantly they have to care about it – which is not the case for the average Cytherean. After all, the VPPF’s inaction is what allows their hedonistic lifestyle to continue.

==Synthetics on Venus==
<center>''“It is the duty of Idris to provide the most perfect synthetics for the Venusian media enterprises [...]” - Excerpt from Alex Mason’s 2454 Q1 investor meeting.''</center>

Positronics on Venus are mainly imported from around Sol, with Hephaestus and Einstein Engines being the chief providers of chassis and positronics for menial and service work alike. A product of their environment, these IPC are programmed with the local Cytherian or Jintarian accent according to their posting and purpose. Fielded by both the government and private entities, the aerostats of Venus are a prime hub of IPC activity, as well as the shell frame capital of the Alliance, pushing the boundaries of avant-garde taste and chassis modifications to fit all sorts of cosmetic and functional niches of an unhinged entertainment industry.

===In Cytherian Society===
The service and entertainment sectors make heavy use of IPC workers, both on and off screen, primarily shells provided by Einstein Engines, Zeng-Hu Pharmaceuticals and smaller producers such as Earth’s Hazel Electromotive. It is not unusual for Venusian movies to cast shell actors and actresses, using them as stunt doubles for dangerous or arguably fatal screens where agility is a must, sometimes even causing real harm and damage to their forms. Cytherian Stars in the movie industry often have shell lookalikes on standby, shooting multiple scenes at once or even working on different lower-end films to maximise efficiency and output, while also making upcoming and unknown studios pay incredible sums to have a Star’s likeness in their movie, be it the real actor or not. Furthermore, shells are used intensely on stage by bands and brands such as INTERSTELLAR✰GIRLS, enhancing performances with dancing, acrobatics or other such stunts. Shell workers are also commonly found in the infamous Cytherian parties, serving guests or accompanying them in their various activities. The deeper and lower one gets, the more cosmetic altercations one finds on the shells present, as the creativity hampered by Venusian ideals of a clean body, are channelled into tattoos and modifications on their IPC. The application of piercings, vibrant colours and tattoos with fluorescent ink can range from simple creations to extravagant displays of art, utilising the bodies of the shell as a limitless canvas.

While all the above may push a favourable image of the positronics’ lives, the reality is more or less the opposite. Situated in core Solarian territory, Venusians largely echo the conservative views for the treatment of IPC as objects and property, and this is no different for Cytherian shells. While some may have their shining moments or even manage to gather a following on social media, their owners and especially the Venusian Star Institute tend to be quick at grounding them back to reality, making sure that an IPC never gets enough time in the spotlight to shadow a human Star. To this end, shell actors and dancers are often recycled for fresh ones, those discarded being resold for lower-end work in various establishments throughout Binyaria and other aerostats, or as Venusian novelty items abroad. Operating under the same crushing regime that even many Stars find exhausting, the tear and wear caused by repeated performances, dangerous scenes in cinema and a general treatment as nothing more than equipment, guarantees a much shorter lifespan compared to shells in other parts of the Spur.

===Jintarians and Corporate Synthetics===
While not as expansive as in Cytherian culture, the Jintarian working class sees its fair share of baselines and industrial frames in the workforce, owing to the extreme working conditions found in maintaining certain parts of aerostats. As a result, most positronics intended for labour are programmed with engineering and maintenance databases, organised in teams and sent to work under human technicians in tasks where even the most hardy and experienced individuals would find arduous. One other significant sector such IPC can be found in is the Venusian Planetary Police, fielding synthetic officers for all manners of operations against crime and other runaway synthetics. It is thus only natural that Jintarians interact more with non-shells, with many even coming to somewhat appreciate their presence and make clear distinctions between them and Cytherian positronics. While still under highly restrictive ownership, these IPC enjoy a greater standard of living, usual repairs as well as the lack of fear of living up to unreasonable standards like their counterparts in the more expensive and luxurious locales of Venus.

Corporate synthetics on Venus largely maintain their corporate identity, with some being tailored with a Venusian, mostly Cytherian, flair. Idris’ professional shell service staff and Reclamation Units are often programmed with the accent to cater to the clientele, while in some cases taking on low-scale cosmetic alterations such as fancy antennae, vibrant eye colours or certain skin patterns. Owing to a large Zeng-Hu presence in the pharmaceutical industry, Bishop frames are regularly seen around the megacorporation’s installations, in laboratories and pharmacies, their white and sterile form being a characteristic element of the company’s identity in many Venusians’ eyes.

==Skrell on Venus==
The Nralakk Federation is, to the surprise of very few people, one of the most restrictive states when it comes to public displays of hedonism. Thus it begs the question of what kind of Skrell would dare set foot on Venus, and the answers are fairly simple -- mainly stars and washouts. While there are Skrell on Venus that work in duller fields such as hydroponics, science or medicine, these two groups form the bulk of the popular perception of Skrell on the planet.

'''Skrellian Stars''' are the most represented group of Skrell on Venus, being present in prominent media and with some even having a fairly large following. Most of these Stars are either Federation-sponsored actors from Nralakk, human culture enthusiasts or simply disgruntled Skrell who couldn't make it in the Federation, for one reason or the other. The latter two groups are the most likely to fully embrace Venusian ideals and even venture out to other human nations, whereas the former group -- Nralakk loyalists -- do not partake quite as much and keep a tight lip on topics like dissent.

'''Washouts''', instead, are Skrell that have been completely and utterly socially isolated in the Federation. Most often either successful scientists that have published research deemed too controversial or failed doctors that couldn't meet Nralakk's academic standards, Venus represents a prestigious temporary vacation for them to spend their many leftover credits at. These Skrell stay for a matter of years -- a short time to them, but a long time to everyone else -- drowning away their sorrows until they feel ready to hit the stars once again. Whether those stars are part of Venus' artificial sky or are the Spur's is up for them to decide from their brooding.
{{Navbox Human Lore}}
{{Navbox Lore}}
[[Category:Pages]]
[[Category:Planets_and_Systems]]
[[Category:Humanity]]

User:MattAtlas/Sandbox

2022-09-30T13:16:52Z

MattAtlas:

{{Navbox Lore}}
{{Navbox Human Lore}}
[[File:VenusSkyline.png|thumb|Binyaria from the outside, along with a few satellite aerostats.]]
Considered the Solarian Alliance’s entertainment and pharmaceutical capital, '''Venus''' exists as one of the oldest colonies within Sol and as one of the most populated worlds within the Spur. Its inhabitants live in aerostats dotted among the orange skies, where they can enjoy the highest tier of cinema, virtual reality, musicals, and so on. The Venusian population is divided – yet united – into two classes: the Cythereans, entertainment, service and generally white collar workers, and the Jintarians, the blue-collar working and middle class. Regardless of this divide and whichever stereotypes may exist, Jintarians and Cythereans recognise that the other is necessary for Venus to continue prospering.

One of the most stereotyped and divisive elements within the Spur, the term “Venusian culture” is intrinsically tied to Cythereans due to their overwhelming presence and influence within interstellar media – despite it being an umbrella term for both the Cytherean and Jintarian cultures. Nearly always opposing the values of one another, including in politics, fashion, economics and down to even details such as favourite colours, they enjoy a symbiotic relationship that has been carefully cultivated throughout the decades of cohabitation. It is recognised that reliance on one another is essential to Venus’ society, despite the existence of fringe groups that find themselves radical proponents for a division of these two cultures. Still, these two groups tend to stereotype and tease the other whenever possible due to the sheer amount of differences. It is not unusual to see Cytherean and Jintarian couples, but it is definitely something that raises many eyebrows and much curiosity on the matter – except for celebrities, where this particular choice in partner may cause a bigger scandal than anticipated; and Venusians do love their scandals.
==Venusian History==
<center>''“If you want to make it here, you’ve gotta put your all into it! They’re complaining about their schedule? Maybe they shouldn’t have signed up to be an actor, then!” - Anne-Marie Cythère in an interview on the Binyarian exposé.''</center>

===Initial Settlement===
The case of Venus and how its esoteric society developed is the subject of much debate by many sociologists. Curiously, it began not as a colony, but instead as a research outpost created by the corporations that would eventually go on to form Zeng-Hu Pharmaceuticals in the 2090s. Many experimental technologies were developed in floating research stations, mainly relating to the fields of hydroponics and the chemical industry. Despite this, Earth's governments did not pay the scorching planet much attention, since it was rather unsuitable for rudimentary colonisation prospects. This situation continued until '''2127'''. The flooding of New York City and the resulting anarchy caused many residing billionaires to choose to leave Earth in advance, and a particular group chose to leave for Venus for a simple reason: Zeng-Hu's auctioning of its Venusian research stations. These stations were sold to them in an auction at a discount as the fledgling corporation desperately needed liquidity to keep its much more valuable Asian assets afloat.

Over the next decade, these research stations were gradually expanded by their new owners and consolidated into two super-settlements, forming '''the first proto-aerostats.''' These aerostats are respectively named after their owners: '''Binyaria''', named after Jie Binya, a young American-Chinese billionaire who recently inherited a massive fortune, and '''Rathlin''', named after François Rathlin, a French entrepreneur and owner of a massive supermarket chain on Earth. Binyaria inherited Zeng-Hu's chemical industry facilities, whereas Rathlin inherited Zeng-Hu's more extensive hydroponics and pharmacy industries. Rathlin was a much more valuable complex and trade quickly flourished there, with the fledgling aerostat becoming a large exporter of grown foodstuffs. Binyaria was in a more difficult position: its chemical industry was not as valuable and, thus, was far more reliant on its owners' investment. Binyarians and Rathliners thus developed a small rivalry around this time around whose aerostat was ''really'' the better one, which persists to this day. Nonetheless, Jie, the owner of Binyaria, needed a plan to make Binyaria truly shine.

===Binyarian Renaissance===
On the 25th of December '''2141''', the '''Jie Holocinema Complex''' was announced in a massive opening ceremony costing in the billions of credits. This grand opening was complete with free tickets for a showing of the most famous Christmas movie at this time, White Snow. It was a revolutionary cinema, an absolutely massive one at that, using state-of-the-art holographic technology to give its viewers a ''truly'' out of the world experience. Nothing quite like it existed anywhere else in Human space and it acted as a lightning rod for citizens and tourists alike, which over time slowly became permanent residents. It attracted both rich and poor alike through clever use of advertisements and the inclusion of low-cost and luxury display rooms. More notably, however, it attracted the large media companies on earth. The cinema was so big that it was unmatched in terms of potential opening revenue, and Venusian billionaires were open to paying a fortune for luxury tickets. This led to a slow exodus of media companies to Venus, all competing to get opening-day contracts. It was slow at first, but later snowballed: more investment into the fledgling acting and media industry meant that more companies would move. Eventually, even the titans of the media industry began to move. By the turn of the 23rd century, Venus began rivalling Earth in terms of media. It was not quite dominant yet, however. One last push was needed.

===The Founding of the Venusian Stars Institute===
Intentionally announced at the turn of the century, on the 1st of January 2200, the Venusian Stars Institute was set from the beginning to be the heart of the Venusian media empire. An absolutely byzantine and gigantic entity, it was created to manage every single tiny bit of Venus' growing media industry. From managing actors to funding media companies, the VSI is the last edge that Binyaria needed to dislodge Earth's dominance in the media sector. Lucrative contracts and clever handiwork behind the scenes resulted in the titans of the media industry finally committing to a move to Venus. These contracts ended up creating luxurious and revolutionary institutes for the big media companies to settle in, their massive skyscrapers dominating the Venusian skyline. All citizens, at this point, would see the emblems of the Venusian media empire when looking up. Gigantic holographic billboards began to claim an unrivalled amount of space in every single alleyway. Social media, which was placed under the purview of the VSI's newly-created Social Leadership Team, began to truly boom around this time as well. Practically every citizen became an avid user of social media from the morning to the evening: the Venusian government often paid companies to give new employees latest-model phones, which came with all sorts of social media applications installed and no way to remove advertisements. While this was annoying at first, Venusians ended up accepting this situation eventually. After all, they ''were'' free, high-end mobile phones. The money that Venus spent on this was quickly made back through insane amounts of advertisement money: practically every citizen was viewing hundreds and hundreds of advertisements throughout the day. Idol culture began spreading through social media as well, with many falling in ranks behind their favourite media star, yet quick to turn their backs on them whenever the new scandal came out.

===The Binyarian Exposé and Cytherea===
The reality of the actors' life was much different than what was shown on social media. Their happy lives were often carefully manufactured lies, sold by their privately-hired media marketing teams. Of course, this is knowledge that only the actors themselves would have -- they, themselves, were too busy under the immense pressure of the Venusian entertainment industry. The Venusian Stars Institute's guidelines for actors -- essentially rules that they may not break for any reason -- clamped down harder and harder with every passing year. Newly-implemented beauty standards in ''2203''' meant that many actors had to resort to expensive, Zeng-Hu sponsored plastic surgery or then-experimental genetic engineering in order to meet unrealistic demands. Many took out extensive loans from the then-up-and-rising Idris banking company in order to afford these expensive Zeng-Hu procedures. These loans were then paid through a gruesome amount of work: actors often had to work gruelling work schedules, day after day, just to not be crushed under the interest. This opened up a new, lucrative front for Zeng-Hu: drugs grown on Rathlin could easily be sold to actors on Cytherea, which led to their rampant substance abuse behind the scenes, simply to deal with the stress. This industry is extremely lucrative and Zeng-Hu invested billions and billions into it. The usage of these substances spread to much of the public as well, although it was not yet a worldwide phenomenon.

This situation was unknown to the public until '''2217'''. A Venusian reporting agency, ''Le Courrier'', broke out a story amiably called '''the Binyarian Exposé.''' This story was in actuality a 287 page document that detailed the living situation of authors behind the scenes and the unrealistic standards of the VSI, down to every single small detail. Many failed or rejected authors were interviewed to obtain the information needed. Unfortunately, it was far too long and had the opposite effect of what the authors wanted. The VSI's strict control over social media meant that the story was swiftly suppressed by the algorithms. Additionally, many Venusians simply did not care and dismissed the revelations as '[...] washed up artists and B-rate actors making things up [...]'. This was the position held by '''Anne-Marie Cythère''', the most famous actor of this era and an icon of Venus, arguably the first real idol who possessed a massive cult following, mainly on Venus. Those who agreed with her stance were referred to as 'Cythereans' by Earther critics, a term which stuck over time and began substituting the usage of Venusians in common language. It began as a derogatory term, but Venusians simply repossessed the word to fit their new identity. This point marks the beginning of Cytherea and Cythereans for historians -- the point where Venusians accepted their new identity.

Additionally, the Exposé resulted in most of the world beginning to accept drug usage -- most simply saw it as just another facet of idol culture, and reasoned that since drinking was fine, substance abuse should be fine, too. The authorities were quickly overwhelmed as there were far too many rising cases of substance abuse and resale for them to handle. This led to most cases being dismissed with either a very light fine or no action taken. Some critics point to Zeng-Hu interference in this process through bribing authorities to grow its markets, but Zeng-Hu has denied all such claims.

As a result of this new identity, less and less Cythereans begin entering skilled trades. Rathlin's hydroponics and pharmacy industries, curiously, were not affected due to them being mostly automated and due to a relative lack of required physical work for their workers. The service industry and connected sectors begin absolutely dominating Venusian statistics, with almost the entirety of Venus' industry being located in Rathlin's hydroponics facilities. Binyaria's chemical industries began to go bankrupt and alarm bells were rang by many, but the government simply did not care. The media was what was making money, not the heavy industries. Anyone with a keen eye could spot that this growth was unsustainable, but once again, profits were placed over rationale.

===The First Interstellar War and the Jie Riots===
With the outbreak of war for the Alliance, Venusians were conscripted just like the rest. This was, however, not taken amiably by the planet's populace and led to the first ever mass riots on Venus, dubbed 'the Jie Riots', as they took place in Our Lady’s Plaza in the aforementioned district. Around a million Venusians took to the streets to protest against the war, or at the very least for exemptions for Venusians. Many cried out that 'war's not good for our industry' and expressed a general unwillingness to go fight, as the physical damage would ruin their careers. Historians point to most social media posts bringing attention to the fact that the majority of the populace simply did not want their beauty to be compromised -- this was a more worrying prospect than death, to most Venusians. These protests were, however, very disorganised as there was no real unifying cause or voice behind them. The Alliance quickly intervened, quelled them, and conscription took place as it normally did in other worlds.

A significant amount of the Venusian working class was drafted -- around 20% -- mostly drawn from those that worked in the heavy industries keeping the planet afloat. Resistance to conscription was significant for most Venusians, who often found ways to outright avoid it. The Venusian government and the VSI were found to be involved in assisting actors, film makers, billionaires and, in general, everyone involved with the Venusian entertainment empire in draft dodging, mainly through clever forging of medical papers exempting them from service for one reason or the other. The entertainment industry continued to prosper or at the very least stay afloat, depending on which economics agency was polled, but everything else began to collapse in a manner of weeks due to the drafting of almost all of the skilled workers. Rationing and austerity were quickly instituted in all aerostats, to the chagrin of the planet’s populace. It would prove to be a difficult decade for Venusians, with many feeling the brunt of poverty and austerity, leading to a large amount of resentment towards the Alliance.

===The End of Austerity and the Jintarian Plan===
With the war ending, Venus was at the breaking point. The power plants had almost nobody left to work for them except for direly overworked engineers, and most of the populace simply did not want to work these jobs. The situation was especially dire and a new technocratic government was put in charge with a political blank cheque in order to deal with the situation once and for all. This led to the creation of the '''Jintaria Plan''', one of the biggest social engineering feats of human history. Through the usage of the Venusian media conglomerate, many veterans and refugees across the Alliance were invited to hastily fabricated 'cities under cities' in the aerostats. The contracts given to them were quite simple: as long as they worked in their assigned sector, they would have government-provided housing, heating, electricity and appliances. This was a very risky gamble that was quite expensive, but the dice roll succeeded. Many flocked over to the newly created Jintarian strata in order to find a new life, thus providing Venus with the skilled force it direly needed. The situation finally stabilised on the '''21st of August 2301''' with the end of austerity. Gigantic parties were held everywhere across Cytherea, with it becoming an official holiday, Ascension Day. Some Jintarians participated in these parties, while others simply took to pubs in their own slice of the aerostat.

Jintarian society is an inviting prospect for many refugees and immigrants. It is a patchwork blend of many cultures, who live together sharing the burden of an entire planet: this sole unifying factor leads to a shared sense of brotherhood and duty among Jintarians. This new class finds it hard to scale the ladder, however. It is practically almost impossible for Jintarians to work in the Venusian media industries due to ‘beauty standards concerns’: the fact that most of the Jintarian population has done some sort of trade or physical work in their life, which leads to the formation of minor beauty defects – enough for the Cythereans to reject the prospect of such a person entering the media scene. Some Jintarians opt for extensive plastic surgery to enter the ranks of the Cythereans, but this requires almost half a lifetime of savings and is an exceedingly rare occurrence. These ‘quasi-Cythereans’ are a mixed bag for Jintarians: the most radical view them as class traitors and the ambitious view them as lucky individuals.

===Modern History, Cytherea and Jintaria===
Venus is, today, labelled as the '''Queen of Entertainment''' for good reason. A significant amount of entertainment media is produced in Venus, casted with Venusian celebrities and created by Venusian companies, with the end products finding solid purchase in most markets across the Spur. It is a powerful cultural weapon for the Alliance. It also hosts a state-of-the-art hydroponics industry in Rathlin -- being a net exporter of food, second only to Ganymede -- and a titanic pharmaceutical industry, focused mainly on beauty and pharmaceutical products.

Venus, curiously, hosts the largest population of Martian refugees in the Spur. Following Violet Dawn, millions of Martians now call Jintaria their home. They were invited to work on Venus under similar contracts as the first Jintarians.

==Environment==
<center>''“Those eruptions? Ohmygosh, they were so cool!” - Part of an unnamed Venusian tourist’s review of the Idris Venusian Cruise Experience sightseeing package.''</center>

Venus is an incredibly hot and miserable planet. The mass of its atmosphere is 93 times that of Earth's, equivalent to the crushing depths of the deep ocean. This atmosphere is extremely thick and toxic, composed primarily of carbon dioxide and nitrogen, and this generates the strongest greenhouse effect in the Solar System, creating an average surface temperature of at least 462 C (864 F). Due to these crushing conditions, no Venusians live on the surface. Instead, they rely on floating aerostats – which have become a key part of Venus, and more importantly its society.
A Venusian year lasts 225 Earth days. A normal day on Venus lasts much longer than that of Earth due to the slow rotation, taking 243 Earth days to make one Venusian day. Venus spins backwards when compared to the other planets in the Sol system, causing the sun to rise in the west and set in the east. It rains sulphuric acid on the surface and the atmosphere is so thick that it exerts massive amounts of pressure on the surface. This crushes all but the most structurally reinforced habitats below the cloud layer, practically all of which are extremely specialised research habitats, with the rest destroyed by caustic acid rain. The planet hosts massive amounts of volcanic activity, which spew even more toxic gases into the atmosphere – although these are often co-opted as tourist attractions visible from cubicles in the aerostats or through windows in shuttles. Almost no sunlight reaches the surface of the planet, despite the temperature.
==Cytherean Culture==
<center>''“[...] Sol knowingly perpetrates that deluded Venusian perversion of human values, where the greed of the individual is placed on a pedestal for all to see and envy, where lust becomes paramount both for money and for man, where hard work and pride are substituted for laziness and a manic social anxiety. In this place, the ugly truth has a model’s face [...]” - Commander Ganesh Shrivastav (2411 - Present) in an impassioned speech to the Xanu parliament, regarding the Solarian threat.''</center>

Cytherean culture’s paramount concept is '''climbing the social ladder'''. This is the one concept that is '''utterly important''' to every single Cytherean, and each of them has their own view on what it entails. This social ladder can be interpreted in many ways – for some, it’s gaining an immense amount of followers on social media, while for others it’s becoming a spur-wide celebrity through a career in acting. It is universally considered to only be climbable through activities that inherently make you more popular among others, contributing to the reason why the extreme majority of Cythereans reject any sort of physical labour that does not provide this opportunity. It isn’t seen as strictly necessary to remain on Venus in order to climb the social ladder, and glory is considered to be attainable even outside of Venus itself – but most consider it an eventual necessity to come back and show off.

Because of this obsession, Cythereans tend to be extravagant in all facets of life, willing to stand out from the crowd by any means necessary; Cytherea is the primary pop culture centre of Sol, with a populace often dressed in bright, dramatic clothing. Many Solarian celebrities either live or were born on one of Venus’s aerostats, growing up in the privileged Cytherean culture. The best actors, comedians, chefs, musicians, and pop stars enjoy almost constant coverage on holo-screens, only occasionally replaced by adverts for startup beauty products, cutting-edge gaming hardware, or the newest diet fad. These celebrities enjoy high class treatment and something akin to worship from the Cythereans. Many come from across the galaxy, human and alien alike, seeking to turn their fortunes around. However, Cythereans are not immune to poverty and hardship in their laissez-faire society. Those looking to become the next big thing sometimes wind up on the opposite end of the spectrum, relying on morally and legally ambiguous means to get by. Aliens, although welcome, are typically sidelined in favour of human actors and models due to most moguls desiring to “play it safe." As a result, aliens, regardless of their talents, are typically seen as understudies, extras, dancers, and occasionally backup singers or instrumentalists.

The Cytherean environment is very cutthroat: many are willing to do whatever it takes to climb the social ladder, whether that be by fabricating scandals or putting their fingers in one too many pies. Law enforcement is often easily evaded due to lofty standards and a general lack of passion. In the end, one can get away with almost anything as long as they possess the right contacts and enough money. The party culture thrives in the aerostats, with the grand cocktail parties and fundraising schmooze-fests toward the top of teardrop slowly fading into the high-energy festivals of the lower sections. Toward the top, one can overhear the latest gossip and glimpse envelopes of credits sliding under tables. Toward the bottom, one can see the most hedonistic displays of luxury.

Though many work in the entertainment industry as stars and producers, there are great opportunities for a Cytherean scientist: after all, climbing the scientific social ladder and becoming a genius prodigy renowned across the Spur is quite the attractive goal. The development of pharmaceutical drugs and new medicines is a common field for Cytherean scientists, with celebrities and talent agencies needing a constant stream of narcotics for parties and stimulants to keep shooting sessions going for days at a time. Cytherea has a booming genetic engineering field that is primarily centred around the biomodification of celebrities in order to ensure that they are always at their physical peak, no matter which direction the ever-shifting winds of Cytherea's celebrity scene blow. Stimulants, such as cocaine, are the Cytherean drug of choice and are typically genetically modified by various Cytherean pharmacies to create more desirable effects. When exported these so-called "designer" drugs can fetch an extremely high price on the interstellar market. Cytherea's pharmaceutical industry is estimated to produce upwards of two-thirds of all narcotics consumed in the Republic of Biesel, even after the First and Second Solarian Invasions. Appropriately, Cytherea's pharmacies also produce a vast amount of the Alliance's anti-overdose medications. Many Cytherean pharmacies are associated or owned by Zeng-Hu Pharmaceuticals.

The largest Cytherean holiday is '''Ascension Day''', shortened to '''the Ascension''', celebrated on the 21st of August. It marks the return to normalcy after Venus’ long period of austerity, but its roots have long since been forgotten by most of the population, except by politicians and work supervisors. This is a day for all Venusians to indulge in whatever they can for as long as they can: gigantic feasts, parties and raves are held across all of Cytherea, along with fashion shows on the streets and other such activities. For some it’s a point of pride and reminds them of why living on Venus is worth it, along with the happiness that the end of austerity brought them – while for others, it’s simply a day to get wasted and enjoy it.
===Stars, Idols and Crashouts===
The idol culture of Venus is extraordinarily demanding for those that choose to involve themselves in it. Climbing the rungs of the Cytherean entertainment industry from mere extra to A-list celebrity able to star in the likes of Monkey King is no small feat involving raw acting talent, an incredible amount of social networking, and no small amount of backroom dealing between agents, celebrities, and producers. This process can often take years if one is unlucky, and the top celebrities often undergo extensive plastic surgery to ensure that they remain attractive enough to be considered for the greatest entertainment products of the industry. The amount of resources, time, and commitment needed to reach - and stay at - the top of the celebrity culture of Venus is truly astonishing, and the rat race of keeping up with the ever-shifting and constantly changing standards of what makes a celebrity an A-list celebrity results in many hopeful stars simply crashing out of the industry, and thus becoming known as a '''crashout'''.

Becoming any sort of professional major media player (referred to as a '''Star''') – whether that be an actor, a news anchor or an influencer – requires one to first sign '''100% of their image rights''' to the Venusian Stars Institute. These contracts are extremely lucrative for the person in question, but it is a poisoned apple nonetheless – once one signs with the Venusian Stars Institute to become a Star, '''they no longer have any control over their media appearances''', and thus the VSI will thus be able to unilaterally decide when and where they appear, in addition to being able to monopolise and commercialise the fledgling Star’s image as they wish – a very well known fact, but now only considered a stepping stone to become a celebrity. Each Star possesses its own PR and media team, de jure under the Star itself but de facto delegating to the VSI’s byzantine bureaucracy.

Despite these contracts, Stars are given a large amount of autonomy in how to run their career. While the grand majority opt for running their careers on Venus, some manage to take jobs abroad and live out new experiences there, while still technically affiliated to the VSI. It matters not for the Institute, as long as they garner a high amount of views on social media and further spread the Venusian brand.

Those that fall out of grace – either because of the crushing standards, burnout, extreme social pressure or whatever else – do not enjoy an easy life. Referred to as '''crashouts''' once the Institute stops affiliating with them – a process known as '''delisting''' – they are reminded of this failure everywhere they go by anyone that knows them, representing the minority of Venusians that have had their eyes opened to the injustice and oppression of Cytherean society. Cythereans do not have much tact or care for these crashouts, viewing them as simply not good enough. Most of these rejects either leave Venus entirely and seek employment somewhere else – often taking out generous loans in order to apply for apprenticeships or training courses, as they do not have any sort of marketable skill – or find employment in Venus’ overworked public sector, such as in the Venusian Planetary Police Force or even in the Solarian Navy itself, representing by far the largest percentage of Cythereans in both categories. Some crashouts can also end up falling into the net of Jintarian culture, where they are caught and welcomed by other Jintarians as simply more proof that Cytherean culture is poison rather than a blessing. A one-way ticket to delisting is, for example, speaking up about unfavourable work conditions on social media.

Upon becoming a Spur-wide celebrity, a Star is then granted '''Idol''' status by the VSI, and immortalised in the Diamond Hall: a gigantic museum in the very centre of Binyaria that hosts detailed biographies, mementos and signatures of every VSI-signed celebrity big enough to truly make it. Becoming an Idol is the ultimate dream of every Star and often functions as a sort of northern light for them in their journey. These Idols are practically all known to Cythereans at large and represent a sticking point for Cytherean pride, with many prizing their trivia knowledge on any given Idol. '''Due to their rarity, immense popularity and astronomical wealth, it is impossible to play an Idol or an ex-Idol on the ship.'''
===Famous Cytherean Celebrities===
Those that are able to survive and thrive as celebrities in the cutthroat and demanding environment of Cytherea's entertainment industry reap a truly massive amount of rewards ranging from accolades to millions of Solarian Credits. But, perhaps more importantly than anything else, they are some of the most famous people in human space and the greater Orion Spur. The individuals listed below are just a handful of Cytherea's most famous residents, and will be known throughout the Orion Spur.

One of the most famous Cytherean idols ever is perhaps '''Chan-mi Jee''', the renowned frontwoman and singer of '''INTERSTELLAR✰GIRLS''': a famous all-female pop group based out of the Binyarian aerostat. Chan-mi Jee's famous voice, which has been biologically augmented to have a wider range, can be found on dozens of '''INTERSTELLAR✰GIRLS''' albums. The band's most famous album, Interstellar Heart, currently holds the Spur-wide record for most copies ever sold. Despite her successes, which include having been named the Venusian cultural ambassador for five years in a row, Chan-mi Jee's personal life has been the subject of some speculation in the Cytherean press, and repeated plastic surgeries have left only a sliver of resemblance to the woman that began her pop career ten years ago. But for the moment, she and her band remain the undisputed queens of the Cytherean musical scene. ''"You have Chan-mi's looks"'' is a Cytherean's most prized slang weapon, used to describe someone who is extremely attractive.

In the Cytherean acting scene there is, arguably, nobody that defines the role of leading man better than the dashing and charismatic idol, '''Caspar Orillian'''. Born and raised in the "red treadmill" industry of Cytherea, Caspar has found extraordinary success playing athletic leading men thanks to extensive biomodifications and plastic surgeries that have shaped and reshaped his face to constantly be in-season and attractive. A large number of editors hired by his estate retroactively edit his films and publicity photos to resemble whatever Caspar's current appearance is. His constant facial restructurings are seen as a sign of his success due to the immense cost associated with them, and are a clear proof of his dedication to maintaining his celebrity status.

Famous director '''Samuel Monaghan''' is another of Cytherea's most famous celebrities, and his name can be found on a variety of movies ranging from action films to long dramas. Monaghan's distinctive style is easily-recognized throughout the Orion Spur's film scene thanks to his focus on single-shot scenes using drones as floating cameras. The fame of Monaghan has also been built by the director's often eccentric and eye-catching behaviour off the set. Monaghan is known for his eccentric behaviour, unusual rants, and deliberately garnish outfits. The controversy that this has caused him in Cytherea's tabloid scene has only helped his fame grow, but it remains to be seen if his behaviour will continue to build fame or ultimately backfire and cause his fall.

'''Quu'xuu "Kwoo" Vol'rii''' is an idol and something of an oddity in the Cytherean entertainment scene due to her status as a skrell. Having recently flown into the highest ranks of Cytherea due to her highly-rated performance as the main villain of Monkey King VII, Doctor Yana Vashtu, the diminutive doctor of human cultural studies has found a following thanks to both her haughty and evil attitude on-camera and her awkward yet earnest attitude off the set. Kwoo, as she is affectionately known by her fans, has found further fame thanks to her charitable donations to Mars following her success in Monkey King VII. However, it remains uncertain how long her fifteen minutes of fame from Monkey King VII will last, if Kwoo will choose to remain in Cytherea at all, or if the unfaltering support for the Nralakk Federation will be her eventual social downfall.
===Cytherean Fashion===
Due to the extremely fast-paced nature of Cytherea's fashion industry there are a number of trends entering the public eye, being sold by stores, and falling out of fashion at any time. Anything a non-Cytherean can put together that is appealing to the eye, and sometimes not, has been the height of fashion at some point somewhere in the clouds. However there are a few popular looks and rules Cytherean fashion tends to follow.

The most important rule for an aspiring Cytherean fashionista is that the best part of the body is the '''skin'''. A lot of clean, unblemished, hairless skin is shown in Cytherean fashion; whether it be through a high-slit dress, a translucent button-up shirt, a pair of short shorts, a fitted tank top, or a low cut blouse. More masculine figures tend to show off the upper body, especially the arms, while more feminine looks show off the lower body, specifically the legs. But in the Cytherean view showing too much skin is a great faux pas; looks are often balanced so that if a lot of the upper body is shown, the lower body is mostly covered and vice versa. Cytherean business wear, in contrast, tends to be much less skin-showing in order to stay in line with the greater Solarian Alliance, particularly Luna.

While Cythereans consider minor body modifications fine, a more natural appearance is preferred in contrast to gaudy or overly eye-catching augmentations. Body-sculpting plastic surgery procedures are common, especially among celebrities, in order to ensure that one remains within the Cytherean standards of beauty. Some of the most common body-sculpting procedures include improving facial features and structure, removing all body hair “below the eyelashes," tightening the skin, removing excess body fat, dental reconstruction, enhancing or emphasising musculature, and balancing body proportions (usually in favour of the legs). However extensive piercing, more extreme body-sculpting, heavy tattooing, and other modifications that break the “pure skin” rule are frowned upon and tattooing in particular, even minor forms in some cases, is considered unsightly due to its long-standing connection with criminals or groups such as dregs.

Many trends originate in Binyaria’s Parabing District, and are locally called '''“wankukai”''' trends. Wankukai clothes are either what’s popular in the Mile's clubbing scene or, less popularly, something slightly more appropriate for streetwear. Masculine looks often have plain, solid colored pants in dark colours with slim, usually designer belts, and often have simple dress shoes or sneakers. Translucent button-ups with LED or neon-tubing designs up the arms or across the chest are popular, as well as similarly designed, fitted tank tops to accentuate the arms. Some even elect to go shirtless. Suit jackets matching one’s pants are also common, as well as leather jackets with LED or neon designs on the back. As for more feminine looks, miniskirts, short shorts, and -- for the brave -- microskirts are commonplace, often paired with simple low heels, flats, or sneakers. Colourful dress shirts, qipao blouses, and standard blouses are all common as well, featuring designs similar to masculine looks. Dresses of all lengths usually have a high-slit, reaching all the way up the thigh, and are often intricately decorated with LED and neon-tubing. Though suit jackets and leather jackets with designs are common among feminine looks as well, they are occasionally cropped to just below or at the ribs.
==Jintarian Culture==
<center>''“J-I-N-T-A-R-I-A! Home of the free!” - Excerpt from Torchbearers, a famous Jintarian punk nu-metal song by Just Us, the most popular Jintarian band as of 2464.''</center>

Jintarian culture can often be defined as the ''polar opposite'' of Cytherean culture in many facets, but it borrows as much as it opposes. Jintarians pride themselves on being the squeaky clean side of Venus – an approach which, unfortunately, makes their scene only truly appealing to Jintarians themselves and to contrarians across the galaxy. Regardless of how unpopular they may be on the interstellar scene, Jintarians tend to be extremely prideful of their accomplishments and often have a do-or-die attitude when it comes to carrying things out: after all, Venus is standing where it is thanks to them. This leads to a mostly punk-ish and contrarian culture, where keeping things real is incentivised, along with distancing yourself from Cytherea as much as possible in matters of fashion, music and even the celebrities one follows. As an example, while Cythereans prefer clothing that shows off as much skin as possible, Jintarians prefer the direct opposite of that – turtlenecks, sweaters, flannel shirts and other such clothes are very common in these communities.

Despite all of this, Jintarians and Cythereans are not enemies. They live together just as much as a Biesellite and a Solarian may live in the same apartment in Mendell City. Cythereans recognise the need for Jintarians in order for their planet to function – but do not hesitate to call them out on their broodish, low-class fashion. Jintarians recognise that Venus is the giant it is due to the Cythereans’ natural aptitude in entertainment, but do not hesitate to call them out on their hedonistic lifestyle, corrupt politics and horribly flashy clothing choices. In the same vein, it isn’t unheard of for Jintarians to spend their weekend at Cytherean bars, if only to prove their superiority over them in one way or the other. It is possible for Jintarians to find employment in more Cytherean fields: as an example, Jintarian baristas in Cytherean bars are not entirely out of the world – but some discrimination in this field is to be expected.

In the same vein, it isn’t unheard of – although '''very rare''' – for Jintarians to end up integrating into Cytherean society. This is only possible for those that are willing to either sign up for '''drastic''' plastic surgery in order to compete with the very top of Cytherean society, often by taking out very predatory Idris loans, or for those that are more naturally blessed. It isn’t an easy path and it is marred with discrimination and harsh financial choices, as these ‘reformed’ Jintarians are often looked down upon in Cytherea in basically all matters: whether that be in job selection or simply having their curriculum vitae noticed. Those that choose this path and continue following it, whether that be for credits or fame, end up disenfranchised and practically '''exiled''' from their old Jintarian community.
===Famous Jintarian Celebrities===
Jintarians have distanced themselves from the distinction between Star and Idol, viewing it as essentially objectifying celebrities. Instead, the concept of who exactly is a celebrity is fairly wide: essentially, anyone famous enough to be known outside of Jintaria, even a little, is considered an ambassador of Jintarian culture and essentially a celebrity. Historically, Jintaria has been the unacknowledged part of Venus, and only in recent times has its influence begun to increase: with the election of Strom and the massively increased success of Jintarian celebrities abroad, Jintaria has finally begun reclaiming its slice of Venus. This has led to Jintarians as a whole being extremely prideful and attached to their celebrities, viewing them as the only reason why Jintarians are known at all – referring to the current crop as '''the Golden Generation'''. While this success may be still extremely small compared to their Cytherean brethren, it does not stop particularly prideful Jintarians from proclaiming the beginning of a new age for their class.

Much like in Cytherea, any Jintarian celebrity deemed big enough is given a spot in the '''Venusian Jintarian Museum''', the Jintarian counterpart of the Diamond Hall. The requirements are much less stringent, and generally there isn’t much competitiveness among Jintarians to be represented there – it is simply an honour.

'''Kyle De Koster''' is arguably the biggest Jintarian celebrity, perhaps only tying with Hendrik Strom for the title. The lead singer of Just Us, a Jintarian punk nu-metal band with a focus on optimistic lyrics, his career has been a long and hard fought one. It started as a venture between high school friends who played their music in the streets of Binyaria’s Jintarian communities, and evolved to an interstellar phenomenon through hard work alone. Many of this band’s songs idolise the Jintarian struggle and their own experience, providing a point of reference for many Jintarians. Their latest album, ''Hold Us Tight'', has been a massive hit with Jintarians but also across the Coalition of Colonies, boasting very high viewership especially on Himeo. De Koster and his band are known Jintarian nationalists and do not fear speaking up in matters of politics, having given their endorsement of Hendrik Strom several times in the past.

'''Hendrik Strom''' is, in the eyes of many fellow Jintarians, the best representation of Jintaria. Since starting as a humble city councilman roughly thirty years ago Strom has climbed to the top through ability, ambition, and no small amount of Jintarian nationalism. Once a senator representing Venus, Strom has served as the emergency governor of the Sol System since shortly after the Naval coup in late 2462. Strom has never forgotten his roots and often visits Venus, where he is greeted warmly by his fellow Jintarians, to raise support for himself and what many see as his inevitable run for Prime Minister once elections open up again. His face can often be seen throughout Jintarian communities on inspirational posters and political billboards alike.

'''Katarina Josic''' is a strong contender for the spot of ‘very famous Jintarian celebrity’, despite being much more of an extremist. Her career, interestingly, is not in Jintaria but instead abroad – she left Jintaria very early to become an actress in the Coalition of Colonies, with her main following being located there instead of in Sol. This endeavour was successful and she has starred in many top films in the Coalition, becoming a widely known figure and using this fame as a platform for her pro-Jintaria speeches. Unlike Just Us’ members, however, she is a very anti-Solarian individual and has often spoken out against the nation in the past, going as far as renouncing her citizenship in favour of a Coalition one following the Violet Dawn incident. She has criticised the members of Just Us many times before for their pro-Solarian stances as well.
===Jintarian Fashion===
Jintarian every-day fashion is much more practical and significantly less gaudy than its Cytherean counterpart, generally trending towards punk-like styles – ripped jeans, as an example, are very common in Jintaria. Many Jintarians wear simple, practical clothing well-suited to their typically industrial or physical work such as jeans, simple tees, long-sleeved shirts or track pants. Jintarian professionals dress much like their counterparts in the rest of the Alliance. As their pride prevents them from emulating Cytherean fashion, Jintarians have a habit of standing out through the smaller details: they often decorate their jacket or shirt with stickers, pins, armbands. There is much variance in the style and reason behind these accessories – some use accessories that represent their life or views, while others simply pick whatever is the most colourful or whatever they think is most aesthetically pleasing. Jintarian business wear tends to be similar to the rest of the Alliance, although the expensive brands are near-universally avoided by Jintarians.

Most Jintarians opt to deliberately ignore Cytherea's big fashion brands, and many take pride in this willing ignorance -- instead opting to "buy Jintarian" when it comes to their clothing. As a result, most Jintarian clothing is produced using materials sourced from Jintaria itself and made in Jintarian-dominated aerostat districts. It isn’t unusual for Jintarian fashion to be exported off of Venus: simple Jintarian clothing has found a niche in cheap, affordable apparel and can be found in many shops and malls around the Spur. As of late, many more people are buying this type of clothing due to the living cost crisis created by the Phoron shortage. Additionally, Jintarian enterprises often run some philanthropic endeavours with certain lines of clothing, donating some of the earnings to a few good causes – one example is the ''Dawn'' line from the most famous Jintarian clothes company, Jinnel: a series of black tees where the imprint is that of a typical Martian dome, transitioning from a normal state to a destroyed and burnt one. 75% of the earnings from this line were donated to the Martian victims of the Violet Dawn disaster that now find their home in Jintaria.
==Aerostats==
<center>''“What do I know about Binyarians? All they do is take our stuff and never give anything back. It’s unfair!” - A quote by an unnamed Rathliner hydroponics specialist responding to the “What Do You Think About Your Fellow Venusians” survey, juxtaposed with an unnamed Binyarian actress’ answer, “About Rathliners? Well, they make our food, I guess?”''</center>

Venusians dwell in aerostats floating in the habitable layer nicknamed '''“the Zone”''' above the sulphuric acid clouds masking the surface. These floating cities are primarily held in place by their natural oxygen content and large bags of hydrogen. Aerostats began with a size equal to the average city centre, but have since expanded to much larger sizes, with the largest ones rivalling other major cities in the Spur. Aerostats are divided into two main sections: Cytherea, which refers to the Cytherean-dominated areas above, and Jintaria, which refers to boyh the small pockets of Jintarians above ground but also (and mainly) the Jintarian cities under the respective districts.

Aerostats follow a similar style of planning to normal cities, with all kinds of districts and buildings present – each aerostat is divided into a variable number of districts, depending on the population, that make up its administrative divisions.There are, however, some differences due to their nature as floating cities: as an example, no wind or any kind of atmospheric phenomenon is present on these aerostats, except as an optional setting in artificial parks. Binyarians pin this on the fact that the presence of wind would limit one’s choice in fashion. On the other hand, both a day-night cycle and a sky similar to the Earth’s are simulated through large and complex lighting arrays that make up the inside of the dome-like structure separating the aerostat from the atmosphere. Normally, someone would only be able to see this artificial sky in an aerostat, but there are some buildings that have a window to the outside as a stylistic choice.

All aerostats are interconnected in a gigantic ring-like structure, forming a sort of spider web across the planet’s surface: the two biggest aerostats, Binyaria and Rathlin, form the two ‘poles’ respectively at the north and south of the web. It is possible to travel from an aerostat to another through the '''Venusian Ferry''', the gigantic shuttletram network forming the basis of this web. It isn't only a means of transport but also a very famous all-in-one tourism attraction sponsored by Idris: firework displays are fused with the planet's naturally odd atmosphere in order to create light shows truly out of a movie. Most if not all Venusians and tourists alike take at least one trip on the Venusian Ferry in their life.

Bar certain exceptions like Rathlin, most Jintarians live in sprawling city complexes under the aerostats, referred to as, for example, Jintarian Binyaria or Jintarian Parabing to name a section of Jintaria under a specific district. Jintaria as a whole is informally known as '''‘downstairs’''' by Cythereans, whereas Cytherea is referred to as '''‘upstairs’''' by Jintarians. These city complexes tend to be densely packed and populated, with little variance in terms of architecture and structure as a result of their government-planned construction. They have overtime, however, been decorated with various LED holoboards bought from Cytherea, artificial parks and other such structures to breathe some life into the atmosphere. The aerostats’ heavier industries, such as power complexes or factories, are entirely located in the Jintarian sections. Jintarians have easy enough access to Cytherea through elevators that can be found throughout their cities, with at least one under each Cytherean district.
===Binyaria===

'''Binyaria''' is the capital aerostat of Venus and by far the most populated one, widely known as Venus’ jewel, sporting the archetypical Cytherean architecture: lightshows, LEDs and flashy buildings. People from across the galaxy flock to Binyaria to experience both Solarian and Cytherean culture, which has its roots in the very same aerostat. It is one of the most-visited tourist destinations in the Spur, clocking in the high hundreds of millions of visits every year – with all of them coming to experience the Cytherean culture that began in the very same aerostat. Of course, all of these tourists come to partake in Cytherean hobbies in one way or the other as well.

Cythereans in Binyaria are almost entirely employed in the service and entertainment sectors. Despite its rapid deindustrialisation, Binyaria still hosts a large amount of pharmaceuticals industries and related research complexes, where about 12% of the Cytherean population works.

The following are Binyaria’s most populated and well-known districts.

The '''Jie District''' is located at the very centre of Binyaria, named after the original ruler of the aerostat. It is the true heart of the Cytherean fashion and acting industry, along with the bio-modification that goes hand in hand with them. Tourists flock to Jie to partake, or at least gawk, at the majesty of Cytherea's famed fashion houses, acting museums and so on. This district also houses several Zeng-Hu Pharmaceuticals facilities centred around biomodification and beauty techniques that are frequented by both the rich and famous of Cytherea and exceptionally wealthy (or vain) tourists. Outside of its main thoroughfare, Jie is home to a wild variety of production studies for everything from holovids to music, and many of those involved in Cytherea's entertainment industry make their homes in the expensive apartments and estates of the district. With all of this considered, it is not the district that houses the government, and functions mainly as the flashiest show-off of what Cytherea is truly about, being the most visited district for its value in re-telling Cytherean history (from their side, at least). The only permanent residents in Jie are CEOs, official functionaries and other similarly wealthy or famous figures. ''"We can't all live in Jie District"'' is a phrase used by Jintarians to essentially say "not all of us can be filthy rich", to mock Cythereans for their vanity or simply to express just how ridiculous something is. On the flip side, Cythereans often use the phrase ''"not a Jintarian's chance in Jie"'' to describe impossible odds or something/someone looking really bad (either socially or physically).

Located at the very centre of the Jie District is the '''Venusian Stars Institute''', arguably Venus’ single most important institution. A gigantic, byzantine skyscraper, covered from bottom to top in holographic billboards and the brightest, most colourful LEDs that can be bought on the Spur. With these features and the tacky holographic signs on all four sides at its top blasting its acronym in the brightest rainbow lights imaginable, it dominates Binyaria’s skyline as a consistent reminder of what truly keeps the aerostat afloat: the power of media. Curiously enough, the phrase ''"You're like the Jie skyline"'' has recently become a Cytherean way to tell someone that they stand out, either from good looks or for other reasons. Its first recorded usage was in an Interstellar Girls single from 2463, ''Skyline''.

The Jie District is also home to the '''Jie Holocinema Complex''', the largest and most advanced holocinema in the Spur. It is an absolutely gigantic and flashy structure, being by far the brightest and most-decorated building in Cytherea as a whole. Every single top movie has at least one early screening in this cinema, and these tickets often go for exorbitant prices – which doesn’t stop Cytherea’s many billionaires from lapping them up as soon as they come on the market. Its claim to fame is the Virtual Reality Suite, the highest class viewing hall available, where the viewer can fully immerse themselves in the movie by being able to freely view the current scene from any angle through experimental VR technology. Lower-class viewing halls that provide the “classic” experience are also present for those that don’t have quite as much wealth.

This cinema is found at the very centre of '''Our Lady’s Plaza''', a massive sprawling circular plaza. Its claim to fame is it is built under an artificial vineyard, providing quite the change of pace from the other plazas that may be mistaken as dance floors by unknowing visitors. Restaurants and shops of all kinds can be found around this plaza, providing one of the most unique experiences possible for a weekend. ''"Our Lady's has nothing on this place!"'' is a somewhat uncommon exclamation for Cythereans to refer to a really cool place.

The '''Chiye-Gyo District''' was helped to fame by corporate investment rather than Venus' municipal government. It was a district constructed and leased to the megacorporations to function as a corporate hub on the planet, where one can find any corporate facility they wish for, whether that be corporate-sponsored universities or Idris shopping malls to buy the newest clothing catalogue at. Nanotrasen used to have a presence here as well, but their assets here have been entirely handed off to Einstein Engines. Because of this megacorporate presence, Chiye-Gyo is often used as a backdoor out of Venus for those wanting to leave the planet, with the corporations offering contracts both in Sol and abroad to Venusians willing to take them – Jintarians and Cythereans alike. Of course, many of these Venusians also have to undergo mandatory training courses in Chiye-Gyo to bring them up to speed with their new job. Following the Industrial Reclamation Decree and the nationalisation of Nanotrasen property, their workers were offered to transfer abroad in the Republic of Biesel by the corporation if they wished to leave the Alliance. ''"Straight laced like Chiye-Gyo's corpos"'' is a slang phrase used by Cythereans to refer to someone who's too serious. "Corpos" can often be substituted with "goons", "suits" or other demeaning terms.

The '''Parabing District''' is Binyaria’s most populated district, representing where the majority of its population resides. It is where most of the Cytherean life takes place, with its many stylish apartments, estates and houses, but is not lacking in entertainment and hosts a number of clubs, PC cafes, karaoke joints, laid-back bars, and fast food restaurants complete with glowing neon lights. Parabing also sees a high amount of Jintarian thoroughfare in its districts, both because of its entertainment opportunities and for work reasons, as some Jintarians that live downstairs can find employment in Parabing’s chemical and pharmaceuticals complexes. "Putting the bing-o in Parabing!" is an expression used by particularly goofy Jintarians and Cythereans as another way of saying "Bingo!". It is, however, very informal and somewhat ridiculous, so it is only used among good friends, most often after a drink or five. Jintarian Parabing hosts a fairly large number of immigrant workers in its Jintarian side, where it hosts the largest population of Martian immigrants in the Spur as a result of Violet Dawn.

While hardly as famous as any of its higher counterparts, the '''Central Binyarian Power Complex''' on level ten is one of the most important levels in the entire aerostat. The Complex provides fission-based power to the entire aerostat using a network of massive fusion generators. The amount of equipment needed to ensure that power flows and the generators continue functioning has turned the Complex into a massive labyrinth of tunnels and industrial machinery that are difficult to navigate through and very easy to become lost in. As a result the Complex is informally known as "the Labyrinth" and has very few legal permanent residents. The tunnels of the Complex are often poorly-lit and filled with stagnant air due to insufficient ventilation. Due to the construction of the Complex noises are able to easily travel through it, and the groaning of machinery and hissing of coolant pipes can echo through miles of tunnels. The Labyrinth is seen as a very unsettling place by both Cythereans and Jintarians, and the disquieting nature of it and similar power facilities have become fodder for the Cytherean film industry. This place's pervasion in pop culture has led to the creation of some creative slang phrases, such as ''"Have you come from the Labyrinth?"'' to refer to an ugly person for Cythereans, or ''"The Labyrinth's got nothing on you"'' to refer to a particularly cool person for Jintarians. Both cultures attempt to one-up the other, with Cythereans using this complex as a negative attribute and Jintarians attempting to reclaim it.

'''Jintarian Binyaria''' is the home to most of the planet’s Jintarians, but does not present itself to be much different from the rest of Jintaria, architecturally or structurally. It does, however, house some districts and landmarks that are very renowned across Jintaria.

The '''Susuhe District''' is the largest and most populated Jintarian district in Venus. It is functionally a mishmash of every kind of facility: from power plants to sports facilities to apartments and parks, nearly everything can be found here, providing an extremely centralised but comfortable lifestyle, if a bit packed with people. Jintarians may find employment either in Susuhe itself or even directly above it in Parabing’s pharmaceutical complexes. Being the administration’s home and arguably the heart of the Jintarian class, it also houses a few important landmarks.

The '''Venusian Jintarian Museum''' is the main point of reference for Jintarian culture, inspired by the Diamond Hall in function. While it presents itself as a rather boring building – clearly not inheriting the Diamond Hall’s gaudy looks – the inside is one of the, if not the most decorated example of Jintarian architecture. Marble flooring and pillars mark the amount of care taken in preserving the story of celebrities and immortalising them as part of Jintaria’s past.

On the entertainment side of things, Susuhe is also home to '''the Ring''', the largest pub across all of Jintaria, built not by the government but by the collective efforts of Jintarians. As its name implies, it is a massive ring-like structure where the inner part is the counter, and the rest is dedicated to tables and other entertainment facilities. Its clients can either simply sit and order their drink and food, or take part in some of the more tame activities that can be found here: the Ring is home to facilities for sports, table football, tabletop games, and more. This pub’s prevalence in Jintarian popular culture has led to the creation of ''"You're ringing out"'' as a common slang phrase used by Jintarians to refer to someone who is too drunk or high for their own good.

===Rathlin===
'''Rathlin''' is the second most populated aerostat, and is the home to Venus’ extremely advanced hydroponics and medical facilities. While distant from Binyaria, it has also overtime adopted the archetypical Cytherean culture, but with a fairly large degree of difference: mainly, the resentment that Rathliners feel towards their Binyarian brethren. While practically all of them accept their Cytherean ways of life (which have been, to some degree, imposed on them), it doesn’t quite feel right to them that Binyaria is the centre of attention in all things Venus. This has developed into a sort of complex of inferiority towards Binyarians, with Rathliners eager to show that they’re just as relevant as their compatriots. Of course, this has to happen in other fields, as there is no hope for Rathlin’s media industries to ever outpace Binyaria’s. Instead, Rathliners – Cytherans and Jintarians alike – are much more likely to seek to climb the social ladder via scientific or medical prowess.

Another oddity unique to Rathlin is that it is the aerostat with the largest number of Jintarians living among the Cytherean population – in fact, most of its Jintarian population lives in its Cytherean side, with only around 21% living below. Many Jintarians find easy enough employment in Rathlin’s many medical, scientific and hydroponics fields if they have the skills to show for it, as these jobs are in ever-increasing demand. Some of these Jintarians can even find their way to Cytherean Binyaria, as expertise is always welcome if they can survive its cutthroat environment – and if they can match Cythereans in beauty.

The following are Rathlin’s most populated and well-known districts.

The '''Nunusa District''' is Rathlin’s seat of government and where most of its population resides. While just as brightly decorated as other Binyarian districts, Nunusa sets itself apart by borrowing its architectural styles from diverse places on Earth: anything can be found in its districts, from Baltic old town architecture to traditional Japanese architecture. Of course, all of these architectures have the typical Venusian twists to them – LED strips to accentuate colours, holographic advertisement billboards attached to the sides, and other similar tacky details. Nunusa also hosts a fairly large number of Jintarian residents. Cythereans often say that something looks "like Susuha" if it's a mishmash of many things, a melting pot, or generally curious or interesting.

Nunusa is home to one of Venus’ most multicultural academies, the '''Nunusa Polymedical Institute''', informally known as '''PolyNu'''. It is Venus’ highest rated medical university as it places more of a focus on skills rather than good looks, and many aspiring Cytherean doctors from other aerostats – even Binyaria – study here, either by using the Venusian Ferry or by temporarily moving to Nunusa. Binyarians often find themselves teased and sometimes even mocked by Rathliners for attending classes in this institute, but the education is top notch nonetheless. These four groups of cultures that coexist – Jintarians, Binyarians, Rathliners and Cythereans from other aerostats – are in a constant race to one-up the other through bragging about better grades or whichever other methods they can come up with. While this does contribute to a higher degree of academic competitiveness in the university, these competitions can also be settled in other ways, such as on the dance floor. ''"You're like a Binyarian in PolyNu"'' is a common phrase used by Rathliners to describe someone who's out of place.

The '''Satisma District''' is perhaps Venus’ most important industrial district, made up almost entirely of hydroponics facilities and attached employee housing. It provides Venus with practically all of its food, and even exports a significant amount to the Alliance as a whole. A good amount of the Spur’s expert hydroponicists are raised and trained in Satisma’s world-class facilities. Cythereans and Jintarians alike work in this district, with Cythereans managing to find it bearable as it is not particularly high-intensity work, and automation does most of the job anyway. Jintarians often write off their Cytherean workers as particularly lazy here, but that is not necessarily always the truth. ''"Do you work at Satisma?"'' is a slang phrase used by particularly vain Cythereans to refer to someone who is lower class or generally uninteresting. It is very negatively charged and often elicits a reply in kind (or worse) if used against Jintarians.

The '''Rimari District''' is, on the surface, quite similar to Satisma, filled with hydroponics complexes and other such installations. In truth, it is arguably the centre for Venus’ drug trade: completely dominated and owned by Zeng-Hu, the hydroponics plants here are rumoured to grow exclusively narcotics and whatever other types of drugs the Cytherean clientele may desire. It is strictly guarded at all hours of the day by several VPPF detachments, which has most certainly only further stained the Venusian Police’s name in the minds of Jintarians and unsatisfied Cytherean. Rimari also holds the infamous reputation of being the largest narcotics trade hub in the entire Spur according to several independent newspapers and research articles, claims that have been solely ignored by every single Venusian government. ''"Locked up like Rimari"'' is a charged slang phrase used by Cythereans and Jintarians alike to refer to someone who's clearly holding a secret of some sort, or refusing to talk about it.

'''Jintarian Rathlin''' is not much different from Jintarian Binyaria, mainly because of Jintaria’s beginnings as little more than pre-fabricated drab cities. It is, however, connected to Jintarian Binyaria through the Venusian Ferry.

'''Jintarian Satisma''' is mostly made up of restaurants, curiously enough, which import food from the hydroponics facilities above. Jintarians can find their respite in many of the higher-class (for Jintarians, anyway – they would still not hold a candle to Cytherean restaurants) in this district. Jintarian Satisma is also the host of the Satisma Fair, a 3-day fair beginning on the 15th of March and ending on the 18th where the streets of the districts are filled with food stands, festivals and other such activities. It is extremely famous among Jintarians and most of them attend it yearly, spending more than usual. Additionally, cooks from the rest of the Alliance sometimes set up their own stands and makeshift restaurants here as it is a very, very lucrative opportunity. New Hai Phonger cooks are especially renowned in Jintarian Satisma, with many trying to emulate their cuisine.

==Government and Politics==
<center>''“Jintarians have been governed by Cythereans for a century now, but no more! No more will the Jintarian have to stand by and let clueless addicts govern them! No more!” – Excerpt from Hendrik Strom’s famous campaign speech to a crowd of around million Jintarians in Jintarian Parabing.''</center>

Venus’ government is, on the surface, fairly simple: each aerostat has its own governor, which is elected through a democratic vote where all registered citizens can participate. Each district likewise has its own representative, elected in the very same manner. However, Venus places little to no effort in fighting any sort of corruption, often staffing its anti-corruption bureaus as if they were vacation homes for retired politicians. This has led to Venus’ government historically being among the most corrupt and inefficient in the Spur, with a record period of 11 years without any significant reform (according to the Xanusii News Service’s Venusian Insight scoop of 2431, with a significant reform’ classified as any bill that implements a new social or governmental program). District representatives and aerostat governors alike are often accused by independent news services of collaborating in the Venusian drug trade to disgusting degrees, pocketing bribe money left and right and willingly ignoring the issues that plague Venus. Moreover, competition is at an all-time low on Venus, with all of its sectors practically monopolised by a select few companies. Venus’ media freedom ranks at its highest peak ever according to Venusian and some Solarian outlets, but independent news services often instead rank it at the bottom due to the VSI’s absolute stranglehold on the media services.

Under the surface, Venus has many de-facto exceptions given to it by the Solarian law apparatus. Drug trade and consumption are essentially completely allowed on Venus, with the VPPF not particularly inclined to ever prosecute these crimes due to their profitability. Whatever narcotics one may desire are nearly always handed over-the-counter at Zeng-Hu pharmacies, which present a ''technically legal'' front – and, as a result, no perquisitions ever occur.

This general complacency boiled over in Hendrik Strom’s election as the planetary senator in 2453, a result of Cytherean apathy and general lack of care towards voting. Elected through a historic Jintarian turnout, his campaign has run on anti-corruption promises and economic reforms – populist policies that are not appreciated by Cythereans or by the established Venusian industries. Whether these reforms will be implemented or have any long-lasting effect is yet to be seen, however, as more pressing matters have taken the ex-senator’s attention since the Solarian collapse.

The '''Venusian Stars Institute''' is an entirely government-controlled agency and an integral part of the average Venusian’s life. It has absolute control over Venusian media, from what gets produced and put on the extranet to the image rights of its stars and idols, with more details on this particular facet in the Cytherean Culture section. To the average citizen, the VSI is an almost invisible force behind social media, rarely interfering unless absolutely necessary. An example of this is the silencing of the Binyarian Exposé, where journalists propagating the story in question were promptly banned from all social media and their stories scrubbed from the Extranet.

===The Venusian Planetary Police Force===
Venus’ law enforcement agency is the '''Venusian Planetary Police Force''', or '''VPPF'''. The VPPF is more of a media stunt than a real police force, being riddled with corruption and inefficiencies, where officers are known to readily take bribes to ignore crimes -- particularly the crimes of Venus' rich and famous. The VPPF's reputation is so poor that megacorporate facilities and Venusian notables may even use private military contractors from the Eridani Federation Military to provide security instead. Hendrik Strom and his fellow populists have made a scapegoat out of the VPPF by citing its most public failures such as its inability to contain the now-defunct Tajara Revolutionary Army and its rampant cronyism. In public polling, the Venusian police typically ranks as one of the least popular planetary police agencies in the entire Solarian Alliance. It can mostly be seen policing important landmarks, clubs, bars or whichever important gala is being hosted on a certain night.
The gendarmerie’s poor standing also has to do with mostly who exactly chooses a career in it, often described as a dead-end career: that is to say, mostly crashouts and those who don’t want to be in the spotlight, for one reason or the other. Unfortunately for them, the VPPF doesn’t pay very handsomely and is seen as the opposite of a prestigious career, being considered useless by just about every single Venusian. This has led to an extremely high rate of turnover, with those leaving the VPPF often leaving Venus entirely and looking for work abroad as mercenaries in the PMCG/EPMC or as corporate security: leaving the planet with their eyes open to Venus’ many injustices and likely more depressed as a result.

The VPPF is structured into one department per aerostat with thirty-two sections per district, with each section varying in size depending on the population and importance of the location. Rimari has by far the largest sections across Binyaria. While the VPPF functions like an archetypical gendarmerie, many of its bureaus are intentionally stunted: narcotics or financial crimes departments often function in name only, with their director being paid off by more than one person in exchange for their inaction. This situation is known to just about anyone who researches it, but most importantly they have to care about it – which is not the case for the average Cytherean. After all, the VPPF’s inaction is what allows their hedonistic lifestyle to continue.

==Synthetics on Venus==
<center>''“It is the duty of Idris to provide the most perfect synthetics for the Venusian media enterprises [...]” - Excerpt from Alex Mason’s 2454 Q1 investor meeting.''</center>

Positronics on Venus are mainly imported from around Sol, with Hephaestus and Einstein Engines being the chief providers of chassis and positronics for menial and service work alike. A product of their environment, these IPC are programmed with the local Cytherian or Jintarian accent according to their posting and purpose. Fielded by both the government and private entities, the aerostats of Venus are a prime hub of IPC activity, as well as the shell frame capital of the Alliance, pushing the boundaries of avant-garde taste and chassis modifications to fit all sorts of cosmetic and functional niches of an unhinged entertainment industry.

===In Cytherian Society===
The service and entertainment sectors make heavy use of IPC workers, both on and off screen, primarily shells provided by Einstein Engines, Zeng-Hu Pharmaceuticals and smaller producers such as Earth’s Hazel Electromotive. It is not unusual for Venusian movies to cast shell actors and actresses, using them as stunt doubles for dangerous or arguably fatal screens where agility is a must, sometimes even causing real harm and damage to their forms. Cytherian Stars in the movie industry often have shell lookalikes on standby, shooting multiple scenes at once or even working on different lower-end films to maximise efficiency and output, while also making upcoming and unknown studios pay incredible sums to have a Star’s likeness in their movie, be it the real actor or not. Furthermore, shells are used intensely on stage by bands and brands such as INTERSTELLAR✰GIRLS, enhancing performances with dancing, acrobatics or other such stunts. Shell workers are also commonly found in the infamous Cytherian parties, serving guests or accompanying them in their various activities. The deeper and lower one gets, the more cosmetic altercations one finds on the shells present, as the creativity hampered by Venusian ideals of a clean body, are channelled into tattoos and modifications on their IPC. The application of piercings, vibrant colours and tattoos with fluorescent ink can range from simple creations to extravagant displays of art, utilising the bodies of the shell as a limitless canvas.

While all the above may push a favourable image of the positronics’ lives, the reality is more or less the opposite. Situated in core Solarian territory, Venusians largely echo the conservative views for the treatment of IPC as objects and property, and this is no different for Cytherian shells. While some may have their shining moments or even manage to gather a following on social media, their owners and especially the Venusian Star Institute tend to be quick at grounding them back to reality, making sure that an IPC never gets enough time in the spotlight to shadow a human Star. To this end, shell actors and dancers are often recycled for fresh ones, those discarded being resold for lower-end work in various establishments throughout Binyaria and other aerostats, or as Venusian novelty items abroad. Operating under the same crushing regime that even many Stars find exhausting, the tear and wear caused by repeated performances, dangerous scenes in cinema and a general treatment as nothing more than equipment, guarantees a much shorter lifespan compared to shells in other parts of the Spur.

===Jintarians and Corporate Synthetics===
While not as expansive as in Cytherian culture, the Jintarian working class sees its fair share of baselines and industrial frames in the workforce, owing to the extreme working conditions found in maintaining certain parts of aerostats. As a result, most positronics intended for labour are programmed with engineering and maintenance databases, organised in teams and sent to work under human technicians in tasks where even the most hardy and experienced individuals would find arduous. One other significant sector such IPC can be found in is the Venusian Planetary Police, fielding synthetic officers for all manners of operations against crime and other runaway synthetics. It is thus only natural that Jintarians interact more with non-shells, with many even coming to somewhat appreciate their presence and make clear distinctions between them and Cytherian positronics. While still under highly restrictive ownership, these IPC enjoy a greater standard of living, usual repairs as well as the lack of fear of living up to unreasonable standards like their counterparts in the more expensive and luxurious locales of Venus.

Corporate synthetics on Venus largely maintain their corporate identity, with some being tailored with a Venusian, mostly Cytherian, flair. Idris’ professional shell service staff and Reclamation Units are often programmed with the accent to cater to the clientele, while in some cases taking on low-scale cosmetic alterations such as fancy antennae, vibrant eye colours or certain skin patterns. Owing to a large Zeng-Hu presence in the pharmaceutical industry, Bishop frames are regularly seen around the megacorporation’s installations, in laboratories and pharmacies, their white and sterile form being a characteristic element of the company’s identity in many Venusians’ eyes.

==Skrell on Venus==
The Nralakk Federation is, to the surprise of very few people, one of the most restrictive states when it comes to public displays of hedonism. Thus it begs the question of what kind of Skrell would dare set foot on Venus, and the answers are fairly simple -- mainly stars and washouts. While there are Skrell on Venus that work in duller fields such as hydroponics, science or medicine, these two groups form the bulk of the popular perception of Skrell on the planet.

'''Skrellian Stars''' are the most represented group of Skrell on Venus, being present in prominent media and with some even having a fairly large following. Most of these Stars are either Federation-sponsored actors from Nralakk, human culture enthusiasts or simply disgruntled Skrell who couldn't make it in the Federation, for one reason or the other. The latter two groups are the most likely to fully embrace Venusian ideals and even venture out to other human nations, whereas the former group -- Nralakk loyalists -- do not partake quite as much and keep a tight lip on topics like dissent.

'''Washouts''', instead, are Skrell that have been completely and utterly socially isolated in the Federation. Most often either successful scientists that have published research deemed too controversial or failed doctors that couldn't meet Nralakk's academic standards, Venus represents a prestigious temporary vacation for them to spend their many leftover credits at. These Skrell stay for a matter of years -- a short time to them, but a long time to everyone else -- drowning away their sorrows until they feel ready to hit the stars once again. Whether those stars are part of Venus' artificial sky or are the Spur's is up for them to decide from their brooding.
{{Navbox Human Lore}}
{{Navbox Lore}}
[[Category:Pages]]
[[Category:Planets_and_Systems]]
[[Category:Humanity]]

User:MattAtlas/Sandbox

2022-09-30T13:15:31Z

MattAtlas:

{{Navbox Lore}}
{{Navbox Human Lore}}
[[File:VenusSkyline.png|thumb|Binyaria from the outside, along with a few satellite aerostats.]]
Considered the Solarian Alliance’s entertainment and pharmaceutical capital, '''Venus''' exists as one of the oldest colonies within Sol and as one of the most populated worlds within the Spur. Its inhabitants live in aerostats dotted among the orange skies, where they can enjoy the highest tier of cinema, virtual reality, musicals, and so on. The Venusian population is divided – yet united – into two classes: the Cythereans, entertainment, service and generally white collar workers, and the Jintarians, the blue-collar working and middle class. Regardless of this divide and whichever stereotypes may exist, Jintarians and Cythereans recognise that the other is necessary for Venus to continue prospering.

One of the most stereotyped and divisive elements within the Spur, the term “Venusian culture” is intrinsically tied to Cythereans due to their overwhelming presence and influence within interstellar media – despite it being an umbrella term for both the Cytherean and Jintarian cultures. Nearly always opposing the values of one another, including in politics, fashion, economics and down to even details such as favourite colours, they enjoy a symbiotic relationship that has been carefully cultivated throughout the decades of cohabitation. It is recognised that reliance on one another is essential to Venus’ society, despite the existence of fringe groups that find themselves radical proponents for a division of these two cultures. Still, these two groups tend to stereotype and tease the other whenever possible due to the sheer amount of differences. It is not unusual to see Cytherean and Jintarian couples, but it is definitely something that raises many eyebrows and much curiosity on the matter – except for celebrities, where this particular choice in partner may cause a bigger scandal than anticipated; and Venusians do love their scandals.
==Venusian History==
“If you want to make it here, you’ve gotta put your all into it! They’re complaining about their schedule? Maybe they shouldn’t have signed up to be an actor, then!” - Anne-Marie Cythère in an interview on the Binyarian exposé.

===Initial Settlement===
The case of Venus and how its esoteric society developed is the subject of much debate by many sociologists. Curiously, it began not as a colony, but instead as a research outpost created by the corporations that would eventually go on to form Zeng-Hu Pharmaceuticals in the 2090s. Many experimental technologies were developed in floating research stations, mainly relating to the fields of hydroponics and the chemical industry. Despite this, Earth's governments did not pay the scorching planet much attention, since it was rather unsuitable for rudimentary colonisation prospects. This situation continued until '''2127'''. The flooding of New York City and the resulting anarchy caused many residing billionaires to choose to leave Earth in advance, and a particular group chose to leave for Venus for a simple reason: Zeng-Hu's auctioning of its Venusian research stations. These stations were sold to them in an auction at a discount as the fledgling corporation desperately needed liquidity to keep its much more valuable Asian assets afloat.

Over the next decade, these research stations were gradually expanded by their new owners and consolidated into two super-settlements, forming '''the first proto-aerostats.''' These aerostats are respectively named after their owners: '''Binyaria''', named after Jie Binya, a young American-Chinese billionaire who recently inherited a massive fortune, and '''Rathlin''', named after François Rathlin, a French entrepreneur and owner of a massive supermarket chain on Earth. Binyaria inherited Zeng-Hu's chemical industry facilities, whereas Rathlin inherited Zeng-Hu's more extensive hydroponics and pharmacy industries. Rathlin was a much more valuable complex and trade quickly flourished there, with the fledgling aerostat becoming a large exporter of grown foodstuffs. Binyaria was in a more difficult position: its chemical industry was not as valuable and, thus, was far more reliant on its owners' investment. Binyarians and Rathliners thus developed a small rivalry around this time around whose aerostat was ''really'' the better one, which persists to this day. Nonetheless, Jie, the owner of Binyaria, needed a plan to make Binyaria truly shine.

===Binyarian Renaissance===
On the 25th of December '''2141''', the '''Jie Holocinema Complex''' was announced in a massive opening ceremony costing in the billions of credits. This grand opening was complete with free tickets for a showing of the most famous Christmas movie at this time, White Snow. It was a revolutionary cinema, an absolutely massive one at that, using state-of-the-art holographic technology to give its viewers a ''truly'' out of the world experience. Nothing quite like it existed anywhere else in Human space and it acted as a lightning rod for citizens and tourists alike, which over time slowly became permanent residents. It attracted both rich and poor alike through clever use of advertisements and the inclusion of low-cost and luxury display rooms. More notably, however, it attracted the large media companies on earth. The cinema was so big that it was unmatched in terms of potential opening revenue, and Venusian billionaires were open to paying a fortune for luxury tickets. This led to a slow exodus of media companies to Venus, all competing to get opening-day contracts. It was slow at first, but later snowballed: more investment into the fledgling acting and media industry meant that more companies would move. Eventually, even the titans of the media industry began to move. By the turn of the 23rd century, Venus began rivalling Earth in terms of media. It was not quite dominant yet, however. One last push was needed.

===The Founding of the Venusian Stars Institute===
Intentionally announced at the turn of the century, on the 1st of January 2200, the Venusian Stars Institute was set from the beginning to be the heart of the Venusian media empire. An absolutely byzantine and gigantic entity, it was created to manage every single tiny bit of Venus' growing media industry. From managing actors to funding media companies, the VSI is the last edge that Binyaria needed to dislodge Earth's dominance in the media sector. Lucrative contracts and clever handiwork behind the scenes resulted in the titans of the media industry finally committing to a move to Venus. These contracts ended up creating luxurious and revolutionary institutes for the big media companies to settle in, their massive skyscrapers dominating the Venusian skyline. All citizens, at this point, would see the emblems of the Venusian media empire when looking up. Gigantic holographic billboards began to claim an unrivalled amount of space in every single alleyway. Social media, which was placed under the purview of the VSI's newly-created Social Leadership Team, began to truly boom around this time as well. Practically every citizen became an avid user of social media from the morning to the evening: the Venusian government often paid companies to give new employees latest-model phones, which came with all sorts of social media applications installed and no way to remove advertisements. While this was annoying at first, Venusians ended up accepting this situation eventually. After all, they ''were'' free, high-end mobile phones. The money that Venus spent on this was quickly made back through insane amounts of advertisement money: practically every citizen was viewing hundreds and hundreds of advertisements throughout the day. Idol culture began spreading through social media as well, with many falling in ranks behind their favourite media star, yet quick to turn their backs on them whenever the new scandal came out.

===The Binyarian Exposé and Cytherea===
The reality of the actors' life was much different than what was shown on social media. Their happy lives were often carefully manufactured lies, sold by their privately-hired media marketing teams. Of course, this is knowledge that only the actors themselves would have -- they, themselves, were too busy under the immense pressure of the Venusian entertainment industry. The Venusian Stars Institute's guidelines for actors -- essentially rules that they may not break for any reason -- clamped down harder and harder with every passing year. Newly-implemented beauty standards in ''2203''' meant that many actors had to resort to expensive, Zeng-Hu sponsored plastic surgery or then-experimental genetic engineering in order to meet unrealistic demands. Many took out extensive loans from the then-up-and-rising Idris banking company in order to afford these expensive Zeng-Hu procedures. These loans were then paid through a gruesome amount of work: actors often had to work gruelling work schedules, day after day, just to not be crushed under the interest. This opened up a new, lucrative front for Zeng-Hu: drugs grown on Rathlin could easily be sold to actors on Cytherea, which led to their rampant substance abuse behind the scenes, simply to deal with the stress. This industry is extremely lucrative and Zeng-Hu invested billions and billions into it. The usage of these substances spread to much of the public as well, although it was not yet a worldwide phenomenon.

This situation was unknown to the public until '''2217'''. A Venusian reporting agency, ''Le Courrier'', broke out a story amiably called '''the Binyarian Exposé.''' This story was in actuality a 287 page document that detailed the living situation of authors behind the scenes and the unrealistic standards of the VSI, down to every single small detail. Many failed or rejected authors were interviewed to obtain the information needed. Unfortunately, it was far too long and had the opposite effect of what the authors wanted. The VSI's strict control over social media meant that the story was swiftly suppressed by the algorithms. Additionally, many Venusians simply did not care and dismissed the revelations as '[...] washed up artists and B-rate actors making things up [...]'. This was the position held by '''Anne-Marie Cythère''', the most famous actor of this era and an icon of Venus, arguably the first real idol who possessed a massive cult following, mainly on Venus. Those who agreed with her stance were referred to as 'Cythereans' by Earther critics, a term which stuck over time and began substituting the usage of Venusians in common language. It began as a derogatory term, but Venusians simply repossessed the word to fit their new identity. This point marks the beginning of Cytherea and Cythereans for historians -- the point where Venusians accepted their new identity.

Additionally, the Exposé resulted in most of the world beginning to accept drug usage -- most simply saw it as just another facet of idol culture, and reasoned that since drinking was fine, substance abuse should be fine, too. The authorities were quickly overwhelmed as there were far too many rising cases of substance abuse and resale for them to handle. This led to most cases being dismissed with either a very light fine or no action taken. Some critics point to Zeng-Hu interference in this process through bribing authorities to grow its markets, but Zeng-Hu has denied all such claims.

As a result of this new identity, less and less Cythereans begin entering skilled trades. Rathlin's hydroponics and pharmacy industries, curiously, were not affected due to them being mostly automated and due to a relative lack of required physical work for their workers. The service industry and connected sectors begin absolutely dominating Venusian statistics, with almost the entirety of Venus' industry being located in Rathlin's hydroponics facilities. Binyaria's chemical industries began to go bankrupt and alarm bells were rang by many, but the government simply did not care. The media was what was making money, not the heavy industries. Anyone with a keen eye could spot that this growth was unsustainable, but once again, profits were placed over rationale.

===The First Interstellar War and the Jie Riots===
With the outbreak of war for the Alliance, Venusians were conscripted just like the rest. This was, however, not taken amiably by the planet's populace and led to the first ever mass riots on Venus, dubbed 'the Jie Riots', as they took place in Our Lady’s Plaza in the aforementioned district. Around a million Venusians took to the streets to protest against the war, or at the very least for exemptions for Venusians. Many cried out that 'war's not good for our industry' and expressed a general unwillingness to go fight, as the physical damage would ruin their careers. Historians point to most social media posts bringing attention to the fact that the majority of the populace simply did not want their beauty to be compromised -- this was a more worrying prospect than death, to most Venusians. These protests were, however, very disorganised as there was no real unifying cause or voice behind them. The Alliance quickly intervened, quelled them, and conscription took place as it normally did in other worlds.

A significant amount of the Venusian working class was drafted -- around 20% -- mostly drawn from those that worked in the heavy industries keeping the planet afloat. Resistance to conscription was significant for most Venusians, who often found ways to outright avoid it. The Venusian government and the VSI were found to be involved in assisting actors, film makers, billionaires and, in general, everyone involved with the Venusian entertainment empire in draft dodging, mainly through clever forging of medical papers exempting them from service for one reason or the other. The entertainment industry continued to prosper or at the very least stay afloat, depending on which economics agency was polled, but everything else began to collapse in a manner of weeks due to the drafting of almost all of the skilled workers. Rationing and austerity were quickly instituted in all aerostats, to the chagrin of the planet’s populace. It would prove to be a difficult decade for Venusians, with many feeling the brunt of poverty and austerity, leading to a large amount of resentment towards the Alliance.

===The End of Austerity and the Jintarian Plan===
With the war ending, Venus was at the breaking point. The power plants had almost nobody left to work for them except for direly overworked engineers, and most of the populace simply did not want to work these jobs. The situation was especially dire and a new technocratic government was put in charge with a political blank cheque in order to deal with the situation once and for all. This led to the creation of the '''Jintaria Plan''', one of the biggest social engineering feats of human history. Through the usage of the Venusian media conglomerate, many veterans and refugees across the Alliance were invited to hastily fabricated 'cities under cities' in the aerostats. The contracts given to them were quite simple: as long as they worked in their assigned sector, they would have government-provided housing, heating, electricity and appliances. This was a very risky gamble that was quite expensive, but the dice roll succeeded. Many flocked over to the newly created Jintarian strata in order to find a new life, thus providing Venus with the skilled force it direly needed. The situation finally stabilised on the '''21st of August 2301''' with the end of austerity. Gigantic parties were held everywhere across Cytherea, with it becoming an official holiday, Ascension Day. Some Jintarians participated in these parties, while others simply took to pubs in their own slice of the aerostat.

Jintarian society is an inviting prospect for many refugees and immigrants. It is a patchwork blend of many cultures, who live together sharing the burden of an entire planet: this sole unifying factor leads to a shared sense of brotherhood and duty among Jintarians. This new class finds it hard to scale the ladder, however. It is practically almost impossible for Jintarians to work in the Venusian media industries due to ‘beauty standards concerns’: the fact that most of the Jintarian population has done some sort of trade or physical work in their life, which leads to the formation of minor beauty defects – enough for the Cythereans to reject the prospect of such a person entering the media scene. Some Jintarians opt for extensive plastic surgery to enter the ranks of the Cythereans, but this requires almost half a lifetime of savings and is an exceedingly rare occurrence. These ‘quasi-Cythereans’ are a mixed bag for Jintarians: the most radical view them as class traitors and the ambitious view them as lucky individuals.

===Modern History, Cytherea and Jintaria===
Venus is, today, labelled as the '''Queen of Entertainment''' for good reason. A significant amount of entertainment media is produced in Venus, casted with Venusian celebrities and created by Venusian companies, with the end products finding solid purchase in most markets across the Spur. It is a powerful cultural weapon for the Alliance. It also hosts a state-of-the-art hydroponics industry in Rathlin -- being a net exporter of food, second only to Ganymede -- and a titanic pharmaceutical industry, focused mainly on beauty and pharmaceutical products.

Venus, curiously, hosts the largest population of Martian refugees in the Spur. Following Violet Dawn, millions of Martians now call Jintaria their home. They were invited to work on Venus under similar contracts as the first Jintarians.

==Environment==
<center>''“Those eruptions? Ohmygosh, they were so cool!” - Part of an unnamed Venusian tourist’s review of the Idris Venusian Cruise Experience sightseeing package.''</center>

Venus is an incredibly hot and miserable planet. The mass of its atmosphere is 93 times that of Earth's, equivalent to the crushing depths of the deep ocean. This atmosphere is extremely thick and toxic, composed primarily of carbon dioxide and nitrogen, and this generates the strongest greenhouse effect in the Solar System, creating an average surface temperature of at least 462 C (864 F). Due to these crushing conditions, no Venusians live on the surface. Instead, they rely on floating aerostats – which have become a key part of Venus, and more importantly its society.
A Venusian year lasts 225 Earth days. A normal day on Venus lasts much longer than that of Earth due to the slow rotation, taking 243 Earth days to make one Venusian day. Venus spins backwards when compared to the other planets in the Sol system, causing the sun to rise in the west and set in the east. It rains sulphuric acid on the surface and the atmosphere is so thick that it exerts massive amounts of pressure on the surface. This crushes all but the most structurally reinforced habitats below the cloud layer, practically all of which are extremely specialised research habitats, with the rest destroyed by caustic acid rain. The planet hosts massive amounts of volcanic activity, which spew even more toxic gases into the atmosphere – although these are often co-opted as tourist attractions visible from cubicles in the aerostats or through windows in shuttles. Almost no sunlight reaches the surface of the planet, despite the temperature.
==Cytherean Culture==
''“[...] Sol knowingly perpetrates that deluded Venusian perversion of human values, where the greed of the individual is placed on a pedestal for all to see and envy, where lust becomes paramount both for money and for man, where hard work and pride are substituted for laziness and a manic social anxiety. In this place, the ugly truth has a model’s face [...]” - Commander Ganesh Shrivastav (2411 - Present) in an impassioned speech to the Xanu parliament, regarding the Solarian threat.''

Cytherean culture’s paramount concept is '''climbing the social ladder'''. This is the one concept that is '''utterly important''' to every single Cytherean, and each of them has their own view on what it entails. This social ladder can be interpreted in many ways – for some, it’s gaining an immense amount of followers on social media, while for others it’s becoming a spur-wide celebrity through a career in acting. It is universally considered to only be climbable through activities that inherently make you more popular among others, contributing to the reason why the extreme majority of Cythereans reject any sort of physical labour that does not provide this opportunity. It isn’t seen as strictly necessary to remain on Venus in order to climb the social ladder, and glory is considered to be attainable even outside of Venus itself – but most consider it an eventual necessity to come back and show off.

Because of this obsession, Cythereans tend to be extravagant in all facets of life, willing to stand out from the crowd by any means necessary; Cytherea is the primary pop culture centre of Sol, with a populace often dressed in bright, dramatic clothing. Many Solarian celebrities either live or were born on one of Venus’s aerostats, growing up in the privileged Cytherean culture. The best actors, comedians, chefs, musicians, and pop stars enjoy almost constant coverage on holo-screens, only occasionally replaced by adverts for startup beauty products, cutting-edge gaming hardware, or the newest diet fad. These celebrities enjoy high class treatment and something akin to worship from the Cythereans. Many come from across the galaxy, human and alien alike, seeking to turn their fortunes around. However, Cythereans are not immune to poverty and hardship in their laissez-faire society. Those looking to become the next big thing sometimes wind up on the opposite end of the spectrum, relying on morally and legally ambiguous means to get by. Aliens, although welcome, are typically sidelined in favour of human actors and models due to most moguls desiring to “play it safe." As a result, aliens, regardless of their talents, are typically seen as understudies, extras, dancers, and occasionally backup singers or instrumentalists.

The Cytherean environment is very cutthroat: many are willing to do whatever it takes to climb the social ladder, whether that be by fabricating scandals or putting their fingers in one too many pies. Law enforcement is often easily evaded due to lofty standards and a general lack of passion. In the end, one can get away with almost anything as long as they possess the right contacts and enough money. The party culture thrives in the aerostats, with the grand cocktail parties and fundraising schmooze-fests toward the top of teardrop slowly fading into the high-energy festivals of the lower sections. Toward the top, one can overhear the latest gossip and glimpse envelopes of credits sliding under tables. Toward the bottom, one can see the most hedonistic displays of luxury.

Though many work in the entertainment industry as stars and producers, there are great opportunities for a Cytherean scientist: after all, climbing the scientific social ladder and becoming a genius prodigy renowned across the Spur is quite the attractive goal. The development of pharmaceutical drugs and new medicines is a common field for Cytherean scientists, with celebrities and talent agencies needing a constant stream of narcotics for parties and stimulants to keep shooting sessions going for days at a time. Cytherea has a booming genetic engineering field that is primarily centred around the biomodification of celebrities in order to ensure that they are always at their physical peak, no matter which direction the ever-shifting winds of Cytherea's celebrity scene blow. Stimulants, such as cocaine, are the Cytherean drug of choice and are typically genetically modified by various Cytherean pharmacies to create more desirable effects. When exported these so-called "designer" drugs can fetch an extremely high price on the interstellar market. Cytherea's pharmaceutical industry is estimated to produce upwards of two-thirds of all narcotics consumed in the Republic of Biesel, even after the First and Second Solarian Invasions. Appropriately, Cytherea's pharmacies also produce a vast amount of the Alliance's anti-overdose medications. Many Cytherean pharmacies are associated or owned by Zeng-Hu Pharmaceuticals.

The largest Cytherean holiday is '''Ascension Day''', shortened to '''the Ascension''', celebrated on the 21st of August. It marks the return to normalcy after Venus’ long period of austerity, but its roots have long since been forgotten by most of the population, except by politicians and work supervisors. This is a day for all Venusians to indulge in whatever they can for as long as they can: gigantic feasts, parties and raves are held across all of Cytherea, along with fashion shows on the streets and other such activities. For some it’s a point of pride and reminds them of why living on Venus is worth it, along with the happiness that the end of austerity brought them – while for others, it’s simply a day to get wasted and enjoy it.
===Stars, Idols and Crashouts===
The idol culture of Venus is extraordinarily demanding for those that choose to involve themselves in it. Climbing the rungs of the Cytherean entertainment industry from mere extra to A-list celebrity able to star in the likes of Monkey King is no small feat involving raw acting talent, an incredible amount of social networking, and no small amount of backroom dealing between agents, celebrities, and producers. This process can often take years if one is unlucky, and the top celebrities often undergo extensive plastic surgery to ensure that they remain attractive enough to be considered for the greatest entertainment products of the industry. The amount of resources, time, and commitment needed to reach - and stay at - the top of the celebrity culture of Venus is truly astonishing, and the rat race of keeping up with the ever-shifting and constantly changing standards of what makes a celebrity an A-list celebrity results in many hopeful stars simply crashing out of the industry, and thus becoming known as a '''crashout'''.

Becoming any sort of professional major media player (referred to as a '''Star''') – whether that be an actor, a news anchor or an influencer – requires one to first sign '''100% of their image rights''' to the Venusian Stars Institute. These contracts are extremely lucrative for the person in question, but it is a poisoned apple nonetheless – once one signs with the Venusian Stars Institute to become a Star, '''they no longer have any control over their media appearances''', and thus the VSI will thus be able to unilaterally decide when and where they appear, in addition to being able to monopolise and commercialise the fledgling Star’s image as they wish – a very well known fact, but now only considered a stepping stone to become a celebrity. Each Star possesses its own PR and media team, de jure under the Star itself but de facto delegating to the VSI’s byzantine bureaucracy.

Despite these contracts, Stars are given a large amount of autonomy in how to run their career. While the grand majority opt for running their careers on Venus, some manage to take jobs abroad and live out new experiences there, while still technically affiliated to the VSI. It matters not for the Institute, as long as they garner a high amount of views on social media and further spread the Venusian brand.

Those that fall out of grace – either because of the crushing standards, burnout, extreme social pressure or whatever else – do not enjoy an easy life. Referred to as '''crashouts''' once the Institute stops affiliating with them – a process known as '''delisting''' – they are reminded of this failure everywhere they go by anyone that knows them, representing the minority of Venusians that have had their eyes opened to the injustice and oppression of Cytherean society. Cythereans do not have much tact or care for these crashouts, viewing them as simply not good enough. Most of these rejects either leave Venus entirely and seek employment somewhere else – often taking out generous loans in order to apply for apprenticeships or training courses, as they do not have any sort of marketable skill – or find employment in Venus’ overworked public sector, such as in the Venusian Planetary Police Force or even in the Solarian Navy itself, representing by far the largest percentage of Cythereans in both categories. Some crashouts can also end up falling into the net of Jintarian culture, where they are caught and welcomed by other Jintarians as simply more proof that Cytherean culture is poison rather than a blessing. A one-way ticket to delisting is, for example, speaking up about unfavourable work conditions on social media.

Upon becoming a Spur-wide celebrity, a Star is then granted '''Idol''' status by the VSI, and immortalised in the Diamond Hall: a gigantic museum in the very centre of Binyaria that hosts detailed biographies, mementos and signatures of every VSI-signed celebrity big enough to truly make it. Becoming an Idol is the ultimate dream of every Star and often functions as a sort of northern light for them in their journey. These Idols are practically all known to Cythereans at large and represent a sticking point for Cytherean pride, with many prizing their trivia knowledge on any given Idol. '''Due to their rarity, immense popularity and astronomical wealth, it is impossible to play an Idol or an ex-Idol on the ship.'''
===Famous Cytherean Celebrities===
Those that are able to survive and thrive as celebrities in the cutthroat and demanding environment of Cytherea's entertainment industry reap a truly massive amount of rewards ranging from accolades to millions of Solarian Credits. But, perhaps more importantly than anything else, they are some of the most famous people in human space and the greater Orion Spur. The individuals listed below are just a handful of Cytherea's most famous residents, and will be known throughout the Orion Spur.

One of the most famous Cytherean idols ever is perhaps '''Chan-mi Jee''', the renowned frontwoman and singer of '''INTERSTELLAR✰GIRLS''': a famous all-female pop group based out of the Binyarian aerostat. Chan-mi Jee's famous voice, which has been biologically augmented to have a wider range, can be found on dozens of '''INTERSTELLAR✰GIRLS''' albums. The band's most famous album, Interstellar Heart, currently holds the Spur-wide record for most copies ever sold. Despite her successes, which include having been named the Venusian cultural ambassador for five years in a row, Chan-mi Jee's personal life has been the subject of some speculation in the Cytherean press, and repeated plastic surgeries have left only a sliver of resemblance to the woman that began her pop career ten years ago. But for the moment, she and her band remain the undisputed queens of the Cytherean musical scene. ''"You have Chan-mi's looks"'' is a Cytherean's most prized slang weapon, used to describe someone who is extremely attractive.

In the Cytherean acting scene there is, arguably, nobody that defines the role of leading man better than the dashing and charismatic idol, '''Caspar Orillian'''. Born and raised in the "red treadmill" industry of Cytherea, Caspar has found extraordinary success playing athletic leading men thanks to extensive biomodifications and plastic surgeries that have shaped and reshaped his face to constantly be in-season and attractive. A large number of editors hired by his estate retroactively edit his films and publicity photos to resemble whatever Caspar's current appearance is. His constant facial restructurings are seen as a sign of his success due to the immense cost associated with them, and are a clear proof of his dedication to maintaining his celebrity status.

Famous director '''Samuel Monaghan''' is another of Cytherea's most famous celebrities, and his name can be found on a variety of movies ranging from action films to long dramas. Monaghan's distinctive style is easily-recognized throughout the Orion Spur's film scene thanks to his focus on single-shot scenes using drones as floating cameras. The fame of Monaghan has also been built by the director's often eccentric and eye-catching behaviour off the set. Monaghan is known for his eccentric behaviour, unusual rants, and deliberately garnish outfits. The controversy that this has caused him in Cytherea's tabloid scene has only helped his fame grow, but it remains to be seen if his behaviour will continue to build fame or ultimately backfire and cause his fall.

'''Quu'xuu "Kwoo" Vol'rii''' is an idol and something of an oddity in the Cytherean entertainment scene due to her status as a skrell. Having recently flown into the highest ranks of Cytherea due to her highly-rated performance as the main villain of Monkey King VII, Doctor Yana Vashtu, the diminutive doctor of human cultural studies has found a following thanks to both her haughty and evil attitude on-camera and her awkward yet earnest attitude off the set. Kwoo, as she is affectionately known by her fans, has found further fame thanks to her charitable donations to Mars following her success in Monkey King VII. However, it remains uncertain how long her fifteen minutes of fame from Monkey King VII will last, if Kwoo will choose to remain in Cytherea at all, or if the unfaltering support for the Nralakk Federation will be her eventual social downfall.
===Cytherean Fashion===
Due to the extremely fast-paced nature of Cytherea's fashion industry there are a number of trends entering the public eye, being sold by stores, and falling out of fashion at any time. Anything a non-Cytherean can put together that is appealing to the eye, and sometimes not, has been the height of fashion at some point somewhere in the clouds. However there are a few popular looks and rules Cytherean fashion tends to follow.

The most important rule for an aspiring Cytherean fashionista is that the best part of the body is the '''skin'''. A lot of clean, unblemished, hairless skin is shown in Cytherean fashion; whether it be through a high-slit dress, a translucent button-up shirt, a pair of short shorts, a fitted tank top, or a low cut blouse. More masculine figures tend to show off the upper body, especially the arms, while more feminine looks show off the lower body, specifically the legs. But in the Cytherean view showing too much skin is a great faux pas; looks are often balanced so that if a lot of the upper body is shown, the lower body is mostly covered and vice versa. Cytherean business wear, in contrast, tends to be much less skin-showing in order to stay in line with the greater Solarian Alliance, particularly Luna.

While Cythereans consider minor body modifications fine, a more natural appearance is preferred in contrast to gaudy or overly eye-catching augmentations. Body-sculpting plastic surgery procedures are common, especially among celebrities, in order to ensure that one remains within the Cytherean standards of beauty. Some of the most common body-sculpting procedures include improving facial features and structure, removing all body hair “below the eyelashes," tightening the skin, removing excess body fat, dental reconstruction, enhancing or emphasising musculature, and balancing body proportions (usually in favour of the legs). However extensive piercing, more extreme body-sculpting, heavy tattooing, and other modifications that break the “pure skin” rule are frowned upon and tattooing in particular, even minor forms in some cases, is considered unsightly due to its long-standing connection with criminals or groups such as dregs.

Many trends originate in Binyaria’s Parabing District, and are locally called '''“wankukai”''' trends. Wankukai clothes are either what’s popular in the Mile's clubbing scene or, less popularly, something slightly more appropriate for streetwear. Masculine looks often have plain, solid colored pants in dark colours with slim, usually designer belts, and often have simple dress shoes or sneakers. Translucent button-ups with LED or neon-tubing designs up the arms or across the chest are popular, as well as similarly designed, fitted tank tops to accentuate the arms. Some even elect to go shirtless. Suit jackets matching one’s pants are also common, as well as leather jackets with LED or neon designs on the back. As for more feminine looks, miniskirts, short shorts, and -- for the brave -- microskirts are commonplace, often paired with simple low heels, flats, or sneakers. Colourful dress shirts, qipao blouses, and standard blouses are all common as well, featuring designs similar to masculine looks. Dresses of all lengths usually have a high-slit, reaching all the way up the thigh, and are often intricately decorated with LED and neon-tubing. Though suit jackets and leather jackets with designs are common among feminine looks as well, they are occasionally cropped to just below or at the ribs.
==Jintarian Culture==
''“J-I-N-T-A-R-I-A! Home of the free!” - Excerpt from Torchbearers, a famous Jintarian punk nu-metal song by Just Us, the most popular Jintarian band as of 2464.''

Jintarian culture can often be defined as the ''polar opposite'' of Cytherean culture in many facets, but it borrows as much as it opposes. Jintarians pride themselves on being the squeaky clean side of Venus – an approach which, unfortunately, makes their scene only truly appealing to Jintarians themselves and to contrarians across the galaxy. Regardless of how unpopular they may be on the interstellar scene, Jintarians tend to be extremely prideful of their accomplishments and often have a do-or-die attitude when it comes to carrying things out: after all, Venus is standing where it is thanks to them. This leads to a mostly punk-ish and contrarian culture, where keeping things real is incentivised, along with distancing yourself from Cytherea as much as possible in matters of fashion, music and even the celebrities one follows. As an example, while Cythereans prefer clothing that shows off as much skin as possible, Jintarians prefer the direct opposite of that – turtlenecks, sweaters, flannel shirts and other such clothes are very common in these communities.

Despite all of this, Jintarians and Cythereans are not enemies. They live together just as much as a Biesellite and a Solarian may live in the same apartment in Mendell City. Cythereans recognise the need for Jintarians in order for their planet to function – but do not hesitate to call them out on their broodish, low-class fashion. Jintarians recognise that Venus is the giant it is due to the Cythereans’ natural aptitude in entertainment, but do not hesitate to call them out on their hedonistic lifestyle, corrupt politics and horribly flashy clothing choices. In the same vein, it isn’t unheard of for Jintarians to spend their weekend at Cytherean bars, if only to prove their superiority over them in one way or the other. It is possible for Jintarians to find employment in more Cytherean fields: as an example, Jintarian baristas in Cytherean bars are not entirely out of the world – but some discrimination in this field is to be expected.

In the same vein, it isn’t unheard of – although '''very rare''' – for Jintarians to end up integrating into Cytherean society. This is only possible for those that are willing to either sign up for '''drastic''' plastic surgery in order to compete with the very top of Cytherean society, often by taking out very predatory Idris loans, or for those that are more naturally blessed. It isn’t an easy path and it is marred with discrimination and harsh financial choices, as these ‘reformed’ Jintarians are often looked down upon in Cytherea in basically all matters: whether that be in job selection or simply having their curriculum vitae noticed. Those that choose this path and continue following it, whether that be for credits or fame, end up disenfranchised and practically '''exiled''' from their old Jintarian community.
===Famous Jintarian Celebrities===
Jintarians have distanced themselves from the distinction between Star and Idol, viewing it as essentially objectifying celebrities. Instead, the concept of who exactly is a celebrity is fairly wide: essentially, anyone famous enough to be known outside of Jintaria, even a little, is considered an ambassador of Jintarian culture and essentially a celebrity. Historically, Jintaria has been the unacknowledged part of Venus, and only in recent times has its influence begun to increase: with the election of Strom and the massively increased success of Jintarian celebrities abroad, Jintaria has finally begun reclaiming its slice of Venus. This has led to Jintarians as a whole being extremely prideful and attached to their celebrities, viewing them as the only reason why Jintarians are known at all – referring to the current crop as '''the Golden Generation'''. While this success may be still extremely small compared to their Cytherean brethren, it does not stop particularly prideful Jintarians from proclaiming the beginning of a new age for their class.

Much like in Cytherea, any Jintarian celebrity deemed big enough is given a spot in the '''Venusian Jintarian Museum''', the Jintarian counterpart of the Diamond Hall. The requirements are much less stringent, and generally there isn’t much competitiveness among Jintarians to be represented there – it is simply an honour.

'''Kyle De Koster''' is arguably the biggest Jintarian celebrity, perhaps only tying with Hendrik Strom for the title. The lead singer of Just Us, a Jintarian punk nu-metal band with a focus on optimistic lyrics, his career has been a long and hard fought one. It started as a venture between high school friends who played their music in the streets of Binyaria’s Jintarian communities, and evolved to an interstellar phenomenon through hard work alone. Many of this band’s songs idolise the Jintarian struggle and their own experience, providing a point of reference for many Jintarians. Their latest album, ''Hold Us Tight'', has been a massive hit with Jintarians but also across the Coalition of Colonies, boasting very high viewership especially on Himeo. De Koster and his band are known Jintarian nationalists and do not fear speaking up in matters of politics, having given their endorsement of Hendrik Strom several times in the past.

'''Hendrik Strom''' is, in the eyes of many fellow Jintarians, the best representation of Jintaria. Since starting as a humble city councilman roughly thirty years ago Strom has climbed to the top through ability, ambition, and no small amount of Jintarian nationalism. Once a senator representing Venus, Strom has served as the emergency governor of the Sol System since shortly after the Naval coup in late 2462. Strom has never forgotten his roots and often visits Venus, where he is greeted warmly by his fellow Jintarians, to raise support for himself and what many see as his inevitable run for Prime Minister once elections open up again. His face can often be seen throughout Jintarian communities on inspirational posters and political billboards alike.

'''Katarina Josic''' is a strong contender for the spot of ‘very famous Jintarian celebrity’, despite being much more of an extremist. Her career, interestingly, is not in Jintaria but instead abroad – she left Jintaria very early to become an actress in the Coalition of Colonies, with her main following being located there instead of in Sol. This endeavour was successful and she has starred in many top films in the Coalition, becoming a widely known figure and using this fame as a platform for her pro-Jintaria speeches. Unlike Just Us’ members, however, she is a very anti-Solarian individual and has often spoken out against the nation in the past, going as far as renouncing her citizenship in favour of a Coalition one following the Violet Dawn incident. She has criticised the members of Just Us many times before for their pro-Solarian stances as well.
===Jintarian Fashion===
Jintarian every-day fashion is much more practical and significantly less gaudy than its Cytherean counterpart, generally trending towards punk-like styles – ripped jeans, as an example, are very common in Jintaria. Many Jintarians wear simple, practical clothing well-suited to their typically industrial or physical work such as jeans, simple tees, long-sleeved shirts or track pants. Jintarian professionals dress much like their counterparts in the rest of the Alliance. As their pride prevents them from emulating Cytherean fashion, Jintarians have a habit of standing out through the smaller details: they often decorate their jacket or shirt with stickers, pins, armbands. There is much variance in the style and reason behind these accessories – some use accessories that represent their life or views, while others simply pick whatever is the most colourful or whatever they think is most aesthetically pleasing. Jintarian business wear tends to be similar to the rest of the Alliance, although the expensive brands are near-universally avoided by Jintarians.

Most Jintarians opt to deliberately ignore Cytherea's big fashion brands, and many take pride in this willing ignorance -- instead opting to "buy Jintarian" when it comes to their clothing. As a result, most Jintarian clothing is produced using materials sourced from Jintaria itself and made in Jintarian-dominated aerostat districts. It isn’t unusual for Jintarian fashion to be exported off of Venus: simple Jintarian clothing has found a niche in cheap, affordable apparel and can be found in many shops and malls around the Spur. As of late, many more people are buying this type of clothing due to the living cost crisis created by the Phoron shortage. Additionally, Jintarian enterprises often run some philanthropic endeavours with certain lines of clothing, donating some of the earnings to a few good causes – one example is the ''Dawn'' line from the most famous Jintarian clothes company, Jinnel: a series of black tees where the imprint is that of a typical Martian dome, transitioning from a normal state to a destroyed and burnt one. 75% of the earnings from this line were donated to the Martian victims of the Violet Dawn disaster that now find their home in Jintaria.
==Aerostats==
''“What do I know about Binyarians? All they do is take our stuff and never give anything back. It’s unfair!” - A quote by an unnamed Rathliner hydroponics specialist responding to the “What Do You Think About Your Fellow Venusians” survey, juxtaposed with an unnamed Binyarian actress’ answer, “About Rathliners? Well, they make our food, I guess?”''

Venusians dwell in aerostats floating in the habitable layer nicknamed '''“the Zone”''' above the sulphuric acid clouds masking the surface. These floating cities are primarily held in place by their natural oxygen content and large bags of hydrogen. Aerostats began with a size equal to the average city centre, but have since expanded to much larger sizes, with the largest ones rivalling other major cities in the Spur. Aerostats are divided into two main sections: Cytherea, which refers to the Cytherean-dominated areas above, and Jintaria, which refers to boyh the small pockets of Jintarians above ground but also (and mainly) the Jintarian cities under the respective districts.

Aerostats follow a similar style of planning to normal cities, with all kinds of districts and buildings present – each aerostat is divided into a variable number of districts, depending on the population, that make up its administrative divisions.There are, however, some differences due to their nature as floating cities: as an example, no wind or any kind of atmospheric phenomenon is present on these aerostats, except as an optional setting in artificial parks. Binyarians pin this on the fact that the presence of wind would limit one’s choice in fashion. On the other hand, both a day-night cycle and a sky similar to the Earth’s are simulated through large and complex lighting arrays that make up the inside of the dome-like structure separating the aerostat from the atmosphere. Normally, someone would only be able to see this artificial sky in an aerostat, but there are some buildings that have a window to the outside as a stylistic choice.

All aerostats are interconnected in a gigantic ring-like structure, forming a sort of spider web across the planet’s surface: the two biggest aerostats, Binyaria and Rathlin, form the two ‘poles’ respectively at the north and south of the web. It is possible to travel from an aerostat to another through the '''Venusian Ferry''', the gigantic shuttletram network forming the basis of this web. It isn't only a means of transport but also a very famous all-in-one tourism attraction sponsored by Idris: firework displays are fused with the planet's naturally odd atmosphere in order to create light shows truly out of a movie. Most if not all Venusians and tourists alike take at least one trip on the Venusian Ferry in their life.

Bar certain exceptions like Rathlin, most Jintarians live in sprawling city complexes under the aerostats, referred to as, for example, Jintarian Binyaria or Jintarian Parabing to name a section of Jintaria under a specific district. Jintaria as a whole is informally known as '''‘downstairs’''' by Cythereans, whereas Cytherea is referred to as '''‘upstairs’''' by Jintarians. These city complexes tend to be densely packed and populated, with little variance in terms of architecture and structure as a result of their government-planned construction. They have overtime, however, been decorated with various LED holoboards bought from Cytherea, artificial parks and other such structures to breathe some life into the atmosphere. The aerostats’ heavier industries, such as power complexes or factories, are entirely located in the Jintarian sections. Jintarians have easy enough access to Cytherea through elevators that can be found throughout their cities, with at least one under each Cytherean district.
===Binyaria===

'''Binyaria''' is the capital aerostat of Venus and by far the most populated one, widely known as Venus’ jewel, sporting the archetypical Cytherean architecture: lightshows, LEDs and flashy buildings. People from across the galaxy flock to Binyaria to experience both Solarian and Cytherean culture, which has its roots in the very same aerostat. It is one of the most-visited tourist destinations in the Spur, clocking in the high hundreds of millions of visits every year – with all of them coming to experience the Cytherean culture that began in the very same aerostat. Of course, all of these tourists come to partake in Cytherean hobbies in one way or the other as well.

Cythereans in Binyaria are almost entirely employed in the service and entertainment sectors. Despite its rapid deindustrialisation, Binyaria still hosts a large amount of pharmaceuticals industries and related research complexes, where about 12% of the Cytherean population works.

The following are Binyaria’s most populated and well-known districts.

The '''Jie District''' is located at the very centre of Binyaria, named after the original ruler of the aerostat. It is the true heart of the Cytherean fashion and acting industry, along with the bio-modification that goes hand in hand with them. Tourists flock to Jie to partake, or at least gawk, at the majesty of Cytherea's famed fashion houses, acting museums and so on. This district also houses several Zeng-Hu Pharmaceuticals facilities centred around biomodification and beauty techniques that are frequented by both the rich and famous of Cytherea and exceptionally wealthy (or vain) tourists. Outside of its main thoroughfare, Jie is home to a wild variety of production studies for everything from holovids to music, and many of those involved in Cytherea's entertainment industry make their homes in the expensive apartments and estates of the district. With all of this considered, it is not the district that houses the government, and functions mainly as the flashiest show-off of what Cytherea is truly about, being the most visited district for its value in re-telling Cytherean history (from their side, at least). The only permanent residents in Jie are CEOs, official functionaries and other similarly wealthy or famous figures. ''"We can't all live in Jie District"'' is a phrase used by Jintarians to essentially say "not all of us can be filthy rich", to mock Cythereans for their vanity or simply to express just how ridiculous something is. On the flip side, Cythereans often use the phrase ''"not a Jintarian's chance in Jie"'' to describe impossible odds or something/someone looking really bad (either socially or physically).

Located at the very centre of the Jie District is the '''Venusian Stars Institute''', arguably Venus’ single most important institution. A gigantic, byzantine skyscraper, covered from bottom to top in holographic billboards and the brightest, most colourful LEDs that can be bought on the Spur. With these features and the tacky holographic signs on all four sides at its top blasting its acronym in the brightest rainbow lights imaginable, it dominates Binyaria’s skyline as a consistent reminder of what truly keeps the aerostat afloat: the power of media. Curiously enough, the phrase ''"You're like the Jie skyline"'' has recently become a Cytherean way to tell someone that they stand out, either from good looks or for other reasons. Its first recorded usage was in an Interstellar Girls single from 2463, ''Skyline''.

The Jie District is also home to the '''Jie Holocinema Complex''', the largest and most advanced holocinema in the Spur. It is an absolutely gigantic and flashy structure, being by far the brightest and most-decorated building in Cytherea as a whole. Every single top movie has at least one early screening in this cinema, and these tickets often go for exorbitant prices – which doesn’t stop Cytherea’s many billionaires from lapping them up as soon as they come on the market. Its claim to fame is the Virtual Reality Suite, the highest class viewing hall available, where the viewer can fully immerse themselves in the movie by being able to freely view the current scene from any angle through experimental VR technology. Lower-class viewing halls that provide the “classic” experience are also present for those that don’t have quite as much wealth.

This cinema is found at the very centre of '''Our Lady’s Plaza''', a massive sprawling circular plaza. Its claim to fame is it is built under an artificial vineyard, providing quite the change of pace from the other plazas that may be mistaken as dance floors by unknowing visitors. Restaurants and shops of all kinds can be found around this plaza, providing one of the most unique experiences possible for a weekend. ''"Our Lady's has nothing on this place!"'' is a somewhat uncommon exclamation for Cythereans to refer to a really cool place.

The '''Chiye-Gyo District''' was helped to fame by corporate investment rather than Venus' municipal government. It was a district constructed and leased to the megacorporations to function as a corporate hub on the planet, where one can find any corporate facility they wish for, whether that be corporate-sponsored universities or Idris shopping malls to buy the newest clothing catalogue at. Nanotrasen used to have a presence here as well, but their assets here have been entirely handed off to Einstein Engines. Because of this megacorporate presence, Chiye-Gyo is often used as a backdoor out of Venus for those wanting to leave the planet, with the corporations offering contracts both in Sol and abroad to Venusians willing to take them – Jintarians and Cythereans alike. Of course, many of these Venusians also have to undergo mandatory training courses in Chiye-Gyo to bring them up to speed with their new job. Following the Industrial Reclamation Decree and the nationalisation of Nanotrasen property, their workers were offered to transfer abroad in the Republic of Biesel by the corporation if they wished to leave the Alliance. ''"Straight laced like Chiye-Gyo's corpos"'' is a slang phrase used by Cythereans to refer to someone who's too serious. "Corpos" can often be substituted with "goons", "suits" or other demeaning terms.

The '''Parabing District''' is Binyaria’s most populated district, representing where the majority of its population resides. It is where most of the Cytherean life takes place, with its many stylish apartments, estates and houses, but is not lacking in entertainment and hosts a number of clubs, PC cafes, karaoke joints, laid-back bars, and fast food restaurants complete with glowing neon lights. Parabing also sees a high amount of Jintarian thoroughfare in its districts, both because of its entertainment opportunities and for work reasons, as some Jintarians that live downstairs can find employment in Parabing’s chemical and pharmaceuticals complexes. "Putting the bing-o in Parabing!" is an expression used by particularly goofy Jintarians and Cythereans as another way of saying "Bingo!". It is, however, very informal and somewhat ridiculous, so it is only used among good friends, most often after a drink or five. Jintarian Parabing hosts a fairly large number of immigrant workers in its Jintarian side, where it hosts the largest population of Martian immigrants in the Spur as a result of Violet Dawn.

While hardly as famous as any of its higher counterparts, the '''Central Binyarian Power Complex''' on level ten is one of the most important levels in the entire aerostat. The Complex provides fission-based power to the entire aerostat using a network of massive fusion generators. The amount of equipment needed to ensure that power flows and the generators continue functioning has turned the Complex into a massive labyrinth of tunnels and industrial machinery that are difficult to navigate through and very easy to become lost in. As a result the Complex is informally known as "the Labyrinth" and has very few legal permanent residents. The tunnels of the Complex are often poorly-lit and filled with stagnant air due to insufficient ventilation. Due to the construction of the Complex noises are able to easily travel through it, and the groaning of machinery and hissing of coolant pipes can echo through miles of tunnels. The Labyrinth is seen as a very unsettling place by both Cythereans and Jintarians, and the disquieting nature of it and similar power facilities have become fodder for the Cytherean film industry. This place's pervasion in pop culture has led to the creation of some creative slang phrases, such as ''"Have you come from the Labyrinth?"'' to refer to an ugly person for Cythereans, or ''"The Labyrinth's got nothing on you"'' to refer to a particularly cool person for Jintarians. Both cultures attempt to one-up the other, with Cythereans using this complex as a negative attribute and Jintarians attempting to reclaim it.

'''Jintarian Binyaria''' is the home to most of the planet’s Jintarians, but does not present itself to be much different from the rest of Jintaria, architecturally or structurally. It does, however, house some districts and landmarks that are very renowned across Jintaria.

The '''Susuhe District''' is the largest and most populated Jintarian district in Venus. It is functionally a mishmash of every kind of facility: from power plants to sports facilities to apartments and parks, nearly everything can be found here, providing an extremely centralised but comfortable lifestyle, if a bit packed with people. Jintarians may find employment either in Susuhe itself or even directly above it in Parabing’s pharmaceutical complexes. Being the administration’s home and arguably the heart of the Jintarian class, it also houses a few important landmarks.

The '''Venusian Jintarian Museum''' is the main point of reference for Jintarian culture, inspired by the Diamond Hall in function. While it presents itself as a rather boring building – clearly not inheriting the Diamond Hall’s gaudy looks – the inside is one of the, if not the most decorated example of Jintarian architecture. Marble flooring and pillars mark the amount of care taken in preserving the story of celebrities and immortalising them as part of Jintaria’s past.

On the entertainment side of things, Susuhe is also home to '''the Ring''', the largest pub across all of Jintaria, built not by the government but by the collective efforts of Jintarians. As its name implies, it is a massive ring-like structure where the inner part is the counter, and the rest is dedicated to tables and other entertainment facilities. Its clients can either simply sit and order their drink and food, or take part in some of the more tame activities that can be found here: the Ring is home to facilities for sports, table football, tabletop games, and more. This pub’s prevalence in Jintarian popular culture has led to the creation of ''"You're ringing out"'' as a common slang phrase used by Jintarians to refer to someone who is too drunk or high for their own good.

===Rathlin===
'''Rathlin''' is the second most populated aerostat, and is the home to Venus’ extremely advanced hydroponics and medical facilities. While distant from Binyaria, it has also overtime adopted the archetypical Cytherean culture, but with a fairly large degree of difference: mainly, the resentment that Rathliners feel towards their Binyarian brethren. While practically all of them accept their Cytherean ways of life (which have been, to some degree, imposed on them), it doesn’t quite feel right to them that Binyaria is the centre of attention in all things Venus. This has developed into a sort of complex of inferiority towards Binyarians, with Rathliners eager to show that they’re just as relevant as their compatriots. Of course, this has to happen in other fields, as there is no hope for Rathlin’s media industries to ever outpace Binyaria’s. Instead, Rathliners – Cytherans and Jintarians alike – are much more likely to seek to climb the social ladder via scientific or medical prowess.

Another oddity unique to Rathlin is that it is the aerostat with the largest number of Jintarians living among the Cytherean population – in fact, most of its Jintarian population lives in its Cytherean side, with only around 21% living below. Many Jintarians find easy enough employment in Rathlin’s many medical, scientific and hydroponics fields if they have the skills to show for it, as these jobs are in ever-increasing demand. Some of these Jintarians can even find their way to Cytherean Binyaria, as expertise is always welcome if they can survive its cutthroat environment – and if they can match Cythereans in beauty.

The following are Rathlin’s most populated and well-known districts.

The '''Nunusa District''' is Rathlin’s seat of government and where most of its population resides. While just as brightly decorated as other Binyarian districts, Nunusa sets itself apart by borrowing its architectural styles from diverse places on Earth: anything can be found in its districts, from Baltic old town architecture to traditional Japanese architecture. Of course, all of these architectures have the typical Venusian twists to them – LED strips to accentuate colours, holographic advertisement billboards attached to the sides, and other similar tacky details. Nunusa also hosts a fairly large number of Jintarian residents. Cythereans often say that something looks "like Susuha" if it's a mishmash of many things, a melting pot, or generally curious or interesting.

Nunusa is home to one of Venus’ most multicultural academies, the '''Nunusa Polymedical Institute''', informally known as '''PolyNu'''. It is Venus’ highest rated medical university as it places more of a focus on skills rather than good looks, and many aspiring Cytherean doctors from other aerostats – even Binyaria – study here, either by using the Venusian Ferry or by temporarily moving to Nunusa. Binyarians often find themselves teased and sometimes even mocked by Rathliners for attending classes in this institute, but the education is top notch nonetheless. These four groups of cultures that coexist – Jintarians, Binyarians, Rathliners and Cythereans from other aerostats – are in a constant race to one-up the other through bragging about better grades or whichever other methods they can come up with. While this does contribute to a higher degree of academic competitiveness in the university, these competitions can also be settled in other ways, such as on the dance floor. ''"You're like a Binyarian in PolyNu"'' is a common phrase used by Rathliners to describe someone who's out of place.

The '''Satisma District''' is perhaps Venus’ most important industrial district, made up almost entirely of hydroponics facilities and attached employee housing. It provides Venus with practically all of its food, and even exports a significant amount to the Alliance as a whole. A good amount of the Spur’s expert hydroponicists are raised and trained in Satisma’s world-class facilities. Cythereans and Jintarians alike work in this district, with Cythereans managing to find it bearable as it is not particularly high-intensity work, and automation does most of the job anyway. Jintarians often write off their Cytherean workers as particularly lazy here, but that is not necessarily always the truth. ''"Do you work at Satisma?"'' is a slang phrase used by particularly vain Cythereans to refer to someone who is lower class or generally uninteresting. It is very negatively charged and often elicits a reply in kind (or worse) if used against Jintarians.

The '''Rimari District''' is, on the surface, quite similar to Satisma, filled with hydroponics complexes and other such installations. In truth, it is arguably the centre for Venus’ drug trade: completely dominated and owned by Zeng-Hu, the hydroponics plants here are rumoured to grow exclusively narcotics and whatever other types of drugs the Cytherean clientele may desire. It is strictly guarded at all hours of the day by several VPPF detachments, which has most certainly only further stained the Venusian Police’s name in the minds of Jintarians and unsatisfied Cytherean. Rimari also holds the infamous reputation of being the largest narcotics trade hub in the entire Spur according to several independent newspapers and research articles, claims that have been solely ignored by every single Venusian government. ''"Locked up like Rimari"'' is a charged slang phrase used by Cythereans and Jintarians alike to refer to someone who's clearly holding a secret of some sort, or refusing to talk about it.

'''Jintarian Rathlin''' is not much different from Jintarian Binyaria, mainly because of Jintaria’s beginnings as little more than pre-fabricated drab cities. It is, however, connected to Jintarian Binyaria through the Venusian Ferry.

'''Jintarian Satisma''' is mostly made up of restaurants, curiously enough, which import food from the hydroponics facilities above. Jintarians can find their respite in many of the higher-class (for Jintarians, anyway – they would still not hold a candle to Cytherean restaurants) in this district. Jintarian Satisma is also the host of the Satisma Fair, a 3-day fair beginning on the 15th of March and ending on the 18th where the streets of the districts are filled with food stands, festivals and other such activities. It is extremely famous among Jintarians and most of them attend it yearly, spending more than usual. Additionally, cooks from the rest of the Alliance sometimes set up their own stands and makeshift restaurants here as it is a very, very lucrative opportunity. New Hai Phonger cooks are especially renowned in Jintarian Satisma, with many trying to emulate their cuisine.

==Government and Politics==
''“Jintarians have been governed by Cythereans for centuries now, but no more! No more will the Jintarian have to stand by and let clueless addicts govern them! No more!” – Excerpt from Hendrik Strom’s famous campaign speech to a crowd of around million Jintarians in Jintarian Parabing.''

Venus’ government is, on the surface, fairly simple: each aerostat has its own governor, which is elected through a democratic vote where all registered citizens can participate. Each district likewise has its own representative, elected in the very same manner. However, Venus places little to no effort in fighting any sort of corruption, often staffing its anti-corruption bureaus as if they were vacation homes for retired politicians. This has led to Venus’ government historically being among the most corrupt and inefficient in the Spur, with a record period of 11 years without any significant reform (according to the Xanusii News Service’s Venusian Insight scoop of 2431, with a significant reform’ classified as any bill that implements a new social or governmental program). District representatives and aerostat governors alike are often accused by independent news services of collaborating in the Venusian drug trade to disgusting degrees, pocketing bribe money left and right and willingly ignoring the issues that plague Venus. Moreover, competition is at an all-time low on Venus, with all of its sectors practically monopolised by a select few companies. Venus’ media freedom ranks at its highest peak ever according to Venusian and some Solarian outlets, but independent news services often instead rank it at the bottom due to the VSI’s absolute stranglehold on the media services.

Under the surface, Venus has many de-facto exceptions given to it by the Solarian law apparatus. Drug trade and consumption are essentially completely allowed on Venus, with the VPPF not particularly inclined to ever prosecute these crimes due to their profitability. Whatever narcotics one may desire are nearly always handed over-the-counter at Zeng-Hu pharmacies, which present a ''technically legal'' front – and, as a result, no perquisitions ever occur.

This general complacency boiled over in Hendrik Strom’s election as the planetary senator in 2453, a result of Cytherean apathy and general lack of care towards voting. Elected through a historic Jintarian turnout, his campaign has run on anti-corruption promises and economic reforms – populist policies that are not appreciated by Cythereans or by the established Venusian industries. Whether these reforms will be implemented or have any long-lasting effect is yet to be seen, however, as more pressing matters have taken the ex-senator’s attention since the Solarian collapse.

The '''Venusian Stars Institute''' is an entirely government-controlled agency and an integral part of the average Venusian’s life. It has absolute control over Venusian media, from what gets produced and put on the extranet to the image rights of its stars and idols, with more details on this particular facet in the Cytherean Culture section. To the average citizen, the VSI is an almost invisible force behind social media, rarely interfering unless absolutely necessary. An example of this is the silencing of the Binyarian Exposé, where journalists propagating the story in question were promptly banned from all social media and their stories scrubbed from the Extranet.

===The Venusian Planetary Police Force===
Venus’ law enforcement agency is the '''Venusian Planetary Police Force''', or '''VPPF'''. The VPPF is more of a media stunt than a real police force, being riddled with corruption and inefficiencies, where officers are known to readily take bribes to ignore crimes -- particularly the crimes of Venus' rich and famous. The VPPF's reputation is so poor that megacorporate facilities and Venusian notables may even use private military contractors from the Eridani Federation Military to provide security instead. Hendrik Strom and his fellow populists have made a scapegoat out of the VPPF by citing its most public failures such as its inability to contain the now-defunct Tajara Revolutionary Army and its rampant cronyism. In public polling, the Venusian police typically ranks as one of the least popular planetary police agencies in the entire Solarian Alliance. It can mostly be seen policing important landmarks, clubs, bars or whichever important gala is being hosted on a certain night.
The gendarmerie’s poor standing also has to do with mostly who exactly chooses a career in it, often described as a dead-end career: that is to say, mostly crashouts and those who don’t want to be in the spotlight, for one reason or the other. Unfortunately for them, the VPPF doesn’t pay very handsomely and is seen as the opposite of a prestigious career, being considered useless by just about every single Venusian. This has led to an extremely high rate of turnover, with those leaving the VPPF often leaving Venus entirely and looking for work abroad as mercenaries in the PMCG/EPMC or as corporate security: leaving the planet with their eyes open to Venus’ many injustices and likely more depressed as a result.

The VPPF is structured into one department per aerostat with thirty-two sections per district, with each section varying in size depending on the population and importance of the location. Rimari has by far the largest sections across Binyaria. While the VPPF functions like an archetypical gendarmerie, many of its bureaus are intentionally stunted: narcotics or financial crimes departments often function in name only, with their director being paid off by more than one person in exchange for their inaction. This situation is known to just about anyone who researches it, but most importantly they have to care about it – which is not the case for the average Cytherean. After all, the VPPF’s inaction is what allows their hedonistic lifestyle to continue.

==Synthetics on Venus==
''“It is the duty of Idris to provide the most perfect synthetics for the Venusian media enterprises [...]” - Excerpt from Alex Mason’s 2454 Q1 investor meeting.''

Positronics on Venus are mainly imported from around Sol, with Hephaestus and Einstein Engines being the chief providers of chassis and positronics for menial and service work alike. A product of their environment, these IPC are programmed with the local Cytherian or Jintarian accent according to their posting and purpose. Fielded by both the government and private entities, the aerostats of Venus are a prime hub of IPC activity, as well as the shell frame capital of the Alliance, pushing the boundaries of avant-garde taste and chassis modifications to fit all sorts of cosmetic and functional niches of an unhinged entertainment industry.

===In Cytherian Society===
The service and entertainment sectors make heavy use of IPC workers, both on and off screen, primarily shells provided by Einstein Engines, Zeng-Hu Pharmaceuticals and smaller producers such as Earth’s Hazel Electromotive. It is not unusual for Venusian movies to cast shell actors and actresses, using them as stunt doubles for dangerous or arguably fatal screens where agility is a must, sometimes even causing real harm and damage to their forms. Cytherian Stars in the movie industry often have shell lookalikes on standby, shooting multiple scenes at once or even working on different lower-end films to maximise efficiency and output, while also making upcoming and unknown studios pay incredible sums to have a Star’s likeness in their movie, be it the real actor or not. Furthermore, shells are used intensely on stage by bands and brands such as INTERSTELLAR✰GIRLS, enhancing performances with dancing, acrobatics or other such stunts. Shell workers are also commonly found in the infamous Cytherian parties, serving guests or accompanying them in their various activities. The deeper and lower one gets, the more cosmetic altercations one finds on the shells present, as the creativity hampered by Venusian ideals of a clean body, are channelled into tattoos and modifications on their IPC. The application of piercings, vibrant colours and tattoos with fluorescent ink can range from simple creations to extravagant displays of art, utilising the bodies of the shell as a limitless canvas.

While all the above may push a favourable image of the positronics’ lives, the reality is more or less the opposite. Situated in core Solarian territory, Venusians largely echo the conservative views for the treatment of IPC as objects and property, and this is no different for Cytherian shells. While some may have their shining moments or even manage to gather a following on social media, their owners and especially the Venusian Star Institute tend to be quick at grounding them back to reality, making sure that an IPC never gets enough time in the spotlight to shadow a human Star. To this end, shell actors and dancers are often recycled for fresh ones, those discarded being resold for lower-end work in various establishments throughout Binyaria and other aerostats, or as Venusian novelty items abroad. Operating under the same crushing regime that even many Stars find exhausting, the tear and wear caused by repeated performances, dangerous scenes in cinema and a general treatment as nothing more than equipment, guarantees a much shorter lifespan compared to shells in other parts of the Spur.

===Jintarians and Corporate Synthetics===
While not as expansive as in Cytherian culture, the Jintarian working class sees its fair share of baselines and industrial frames in the workforce, owing to the extreme working conditions found in maintaining certain parts of aerostats. As a result, most positronics intended for labour are programmed with engineering and maintenance databases, organised in teams and sent to work under human technicians in tasks where even the most hardy and experienced individuals would find arduous. One other significant sector such IPC can be found in is the Venusian Planetary Police, fielding synthetic officers for all manners of operations against crime and other runaway synthetics. It is thus only natural that Jintarians interact more with non-shells, with many even coming to somewhat appreciate their presence and make clear distinctions between them and Cytherian positronics. While still under highly restrictive ownership, these IPC enjoy a greater standard of living, usual repairs as well as the lack of fear of living up to unreasonable standards like their counterparts in the more expensive and luxurious locales of Venus.

Corporate synthetics on Venus largely maintain their corporate identity, with some being tailored with a Venusian, mostly Cytherian, flair. Idris’ professional shell service staff and Reclamation Units are often programmed with the accent to cater to the clientele, while in some cases taking on low-scale cosmetic alterations such as fancy antennae, vibrant eye colours or certain skin patterns. Owing to a large Zeng-Hu presence in the pharmaceutical industry, Bishop frames are regularly seen around the megacorporation’s installations, in laboratories and pharmacies, their white and sterile form being a characteristic element of the company’s identity in many Venusians’ eyes.

==Skrell on Venus==
The Nralakk Federation is, to the surprise of very few people, one of the most restrictive states when it comes to public displays of hedonism. Thus it begs the question of what kind of Skrell would dare set foot on Venus, and the answers are fairly simple -- mainly stars and washouts. While there are Skrell on Venus that work in duller fields such as hydroponics, science or medicine, these two groups form the bulk of the popular perception of Skrell on the planet.

'''Skrellian Stars''' are the most represented group of Skrell on Venus, being present in prominent media and with some even having a fairly large following. Most of these Stars are either Federation-sponsored actors from Nralakk, human culture enthusiasts or simply disgruntled Skrell who couldn't make it in the Federation, for one reason or the other. The latter two groups are the most likely to fully embrace Venusian ideals and even venture out to other human nations, whereas the former group -- Nralakk loyalists -- do not partake quite as much and keep a tight lip on topics like dissent.

'''Washouts''', instead, are Skrell that have been completely and utterly socially isolated in the Federation. Most often either successful scientists that have published research deemed too controversial or failed doctors that couldn't meet Nralakk's academic standards, Venus represents a prestigious temporary vacation for them to spend their many leftover credits at. These Skrell stay for a matter of years -- a short time to them, but a long time to everyone else -- drowning away their sorrows until they feel ready to hit the stars once again. Whether those stars are part of Venus' artificial sky or are the Spur's is up for them to decide from their brooding.
{{Navbox Human Lore}}
{{Navbox Lore}}
[[Category:Pages]]
[[Category:Planets_and_Systems]]
[[Category:Humanity]]

User:MattAtlas/Sandbox

2022-09-30T13:15:21Z

MattAtlas:

{{Navbox Lore}}
{{Navbox Human Lore}}
[[File:VenusSkyline.png|thumb|Binyaria from the outside, along with a few satellite aerostats.]]
Considered the Solarian Alliance’s entertainment and pharmaceutical capital, Venus exists as one of the oldest colonies within Sol and as one of the most populated worlds within the Spur. Its inhabitants live in aerostats dotted among the orange skies, where they can enjoy the highest tier of cinema, virtual reality, musicals, and so on. The Venusian population is divided – yet united – into two classes: the Cythereans, entertainment, service and generally white collar workers, and the Jintarians, the blue-collar working and middle class. Regardless of this divide and whichever stereotypes may exist, Jintarians and Cythereans recognise that the other is necessary for Venus to continue prospering.

One of the most stereotyped and divisive elements within the Spur, the term “Venusian culture” is intrinsically tied to Cythereans due to their overwhelming presence and influence within interstellar media – despite it being an umbrella term for both the Cytherean and Jintarian cultures. Nearly always opposing the values of one another, including in politics, fashion, economics and down to even details such as favourite colours, they enjoy a symbiotic relationship that has been carefully cultivated throughout the decades of cohabitation. It is recognised that reliance on one another is essential to Venus’ society, despite the existence of fringe groups that find themselves radical proponents for a division of these two cultures. Still, these two groups tend to stereotype and tease the other whenever possible due to the sheer amount of differences. It is not unusual to see Cytherean and Jintarian couples, but it is definitely something that raises many eyebrows and much curiosity on the matter – except for celebrities, where this particular choice in partner may cause a bigger scandal than anticipated; and Venusians do love their scandals.
==Venusian History==
“If you want to make it here, you’ve gotta put your all into it! They’re complaining about their schedule? Maybe they shouldn’t have signed up to be an actor, then!” - Anne-Marie Cythère in an interview on the Binyarian exposé.

===Initial Settlement===
The case of Venus and how its esoteric society developed is the subject of much debate by many sociologists. Curiously, it began not as a colony, but instead as a research outpost created by the corporations that would eventually go on to form Zeng-Hu Pharmaceuticals in the 2090s. Many experimental technologies were developed in floating research stations, mainly relating to the fields of hydroponics and the chemical industry. Despite this, Earth's governments did not pay the scorching planet much attention, since it was rather unsuitable for rudimentary colonisation prospects. This situation continued until '''2127'''. The flooding of New York City and the resulting anarchy caused many residing billionaires to choose to leave Earth in advance, and a particular group chose to leave for Venus for a simple reason: Zeng-Hu's auctioning of its Venusian research stations. These stations were sold to them in an auction at a discount as the fledgling corporation desperately needed liquidity to keep its much more valuable Asian assets afloat.

Over the next decade, these research stations were gradually expanded by their new owners and consolidated into two super-settlements, forming '''the first proto-aerostats.''' These aerostats are respectively named after their owners: '''Binyaria''', named after Jie Binya, a young American-Chinese billionaire who recently inherited a massive fortune, and '''Rathlin''', named after François Rathlin, a French entrepreneur and owner of a massive supermarket chain on Earth. Binyaria inherited Zeng-Hu's chemical industry facilities, whereas Rathlin inherited Zeng-Hu's more extensive hydroponics and pharmacy industries. Rathlin was a much more valuable complex and trade quickly flourished there, with the fledgling aerostat becoming a large exporter of grown foodstuffs. Binyaria was in a more difficult position: its chemical industry was not as valuable and, thus, was far more reliant on its owners' investment. Binyarians and Rathliners thus developed a small rivalry around this time around whose aerostat was ''really'' the better one, which persists to this day. Nonetheless, Jie, the owner of Binyaria, needed a plan to make Binyaria truly shine.

===Binyarian Renaissance===
On the 25th of December '''2141''', the '''Jie Holocinema Complex''' was announced in a massive opening ceremony costing in the billions of credits. This grand opening was complete with free tickets for a showing of the most famous Christmas movie at this time, White Snow. It was a revolutionary cinema, an absolutely massive one at that, using state-of-the-art holographic technology to give its viewers a ''truly'' out of the world experience. Nothing quite like it existed anywhere else in Human space and it acted as a lightning rod for citizens and tourists alike, which over time slowly became permanent residents. It attracted both rich and poor alike through clever use of advertisements and the inclusion of low-cost and luxury display rooms. More notably, however, it attracted the large media companies on earth. The cinema was so big that it was unmatched in terms of potential opening revenue, and Venusian billionaires were open to paying a fortune for luxury tickets. This led to a slow exodus of media companies to Venus, all competing to get opening-day contracts. It was slow at first, but later snowballed: more investment into the fledgling acting and media industry meant that more companies would move. Eventually, even the titans of the media industry began to move. By the turn of the 23rd century, Venus began rivalling Earth in terms of media. It was not quite dominant yet, however. One last push was needed.

===The Founding of the Venusian Stars Institute===
Intentionally announced at the turn of the century, on the 1st of January 2200, the Venusian Stars Institute was set from the beginning to be the heart of the Venusian media empire. An absolutely byzantine and gigantic entity, it was created to manage every single tiny bit of Venus' growing media industry. From managing actors to funding media companies, the VSI is the last edge that Binyaria needed to dislodge Earth's dominance in the media sector. Lucrative contracts and clever handiwork behind the scenes resulted in the titans of the media industry finally committing to a move to Venus. These contracts ended up creating luxurious and revolutionary institutes for the big media companies to settle in, their massive skyscrapers dominating the Venusian skyline. All citizens, at this point, would see the emblems of the Venusian media empire when looking up. Gigantic holographic billboards began to claim an unrivalled amount of space in every single alleyway. Social media, which was placed under the purview of the VSI's newly-created Social Leadership Team, began to truly boom around this time as well. Practically every citizen became an avid user of social media from the morning to the evening: the Venusian government often paid companies to give new employees latest-model phones, which came with all sorts of social media applications installed and no way to remove advertisements. While this was annoying at first, Venusians ended up accepting this situation eventually. After all, they ''were'' free, high-end mobile phones. The money that Venus spent on this was quickly made back through insane amounts of advertisement money: practically every citizen was viewing hundreds and hundreds of advertisements throughout the day. Idol culture began spreading through social media as well, with many falling in ranks behind their favourite media star, yet quick to turn their backs on them whenever the new scandal came out.

===The Binyarian Exposé and Cytherea===
The reality of the actors' life was much different than what was shown on social media. Their happy lives were often carefully manufactured lies, sold by their privately-hired media marketing teams. Of course, this is knowledge that only the actors themselves would have -- they, themselves, were too busy under the immense pressure of the Venusian entertainment industry. The Venusian Stars Institute's guidelines for actors -- essentially rules that they may not break for any reason -- clamped down harder and harder with every passing year. Newly-implemented beauty standards in ''2203''' meant that many actors had to resort to expensive, Zeng-Hu sponsored plastic surgery or then-experimental genetic engineering in order to meet unrealistic demands. Many took out extensive loans from the then-up-and-rising Idris banking company in order to afford these expensive Zeng-Hu procedures. These loans were then paid through a gruesome amount of work: actors often had to work gruelling work schedules, day after day, just to not be crushed under the interest. This opened up a new, lucrative front for Zeng-Hu: drugs grown on Rathlin could easily be sold to actors on Cytherea, which led to their rampant substance abuse behind the scenes, simply to deal with the stress. This industry is extremely lucrative and Zeng-Hu invested billions and billions into it. The usage of these substances spread to much of the public as well, although it was not yet a worldwide phenomenon.

This situation was unknown to the public until '''2217'''. A Venusian reporting agency, ''Le Courrier'', broke out a story amiably called '''the Binyarian Exposé.''' This story was in actuality a 287 page document that detailed the living situation of authors behind the scenes and the unrealistic standards of the VSI, down to every single small detail. Many failed or rejected authors were interviewed to obtain the information needed. Unfortunately, it was far too long and had the opposite effect of what the authors wanted. The VSI's strict control over social media meant that the story was swiftly suppressed by the algorithms. Additionally, many Venusians simply did not care and dismissed the revelations as '[...] washed up artists and B-rate actors making things up [...]'. This was the position held by '''Anne-Marie Cythère''', the most famous actor of this era and an icon of Venus, arguably the first real idol who possessed a massive cult following, mainly on Venus. Those who agreed with her stance were referred to as 'Cythereans' by Earther critics, a term which stuck over time and began substituting the usage of Venusians in common language. It began as a derogatory term, but Venusians simply repossessed the word to fit their new identity. This point marks the beginning of Cytherea and Cythereans for historians -- the point where Venusians accepted their new identity.

Additionally, the Exposé resulted in most of the world beginning to accept drug usage -- most simply saw it as just another facet of idol culture, and reasoned that since drinking was fine, substance abuse should be fine, too. The authorities were quickly overwhelmed as there were far too many rising cases of substance abuse and resale for them to handle. This led to most cases being dismissed with either a very light fine or no action taken. Some critics point to Zeng-Hu interference in this process through bribing authorities to grow its markets, but Zeng-Hu has denied all such claims.

As a result of this new identity, less and less Cythereans begin entering skilled trades. Rathlin's hydroponics and pharmacy industries, curiously, were not affected due to them being mostly automated and due to a relative lack of required physical work for their workers. The service industry and connected sectors begin absolutely dominating Venusian statistics, with almost the entirety of Venus' industry being located in Rathlin's hydroponics facilities. Binyaria's chemical industries began to go bankrupt and alarm bells were rang by many, but the government simply did not care. The media was what was making money, not the heavy industries. Anyone with a keen eye could spot that this growth was unsustainable, but once again, profits were placed over rationale.

===The First Interstellar War and the Jie Riots===
With the outbreak of war for the Alliance, Venusians were conscripted just like the rest. This was, however, not taken amiably by the planet's populace and led to the first ever mass riots on Venus, dubbed 'the Jie Riots', as they took place in Our Lady’s Plaza in the aforementioned district. Around a million Venusians took to the streets to protest against the war, or at the very least for exemptions for Venusians. Many cried out that 'war's not good for our industry' and expressed a general unwillingness to go fight, as the physical damage would ruin their careers. Historians point to most social media posts bringing attention to the fact that the majority of the populace simply did not want their beauty to be compromised -- this was a more worrying prospect than death, to most Venusians. These protests were, however, very disorganised as there was no real unifying cause or voice behind them. The Alliance quickly intervened, quelled them, and conscription took place as it normally did in other worlds.

A significant amount of the Venusian working class was drafted -- around 20% -- mostly drawn from those that worked in the heavy industries keeping the planet afloat. Resistance to conscription was significant for most Venusians, who often found ways to outright avoid it. The Venusian government and the VSI were found to be involved in assisting actors, film makers, billionaires and, in general, everyone involved with the Venusian entertainment empire in draft dodging, mainly through clever forging of medical papers exempting them from service for one reason or the other. The entertainment industry continued to prosper or at the very least stay afloat, depending on which economics agency was polled, but everything else began to collapse in a manner of weeks due to the drafting of almost all of the skilled workers. Rationing and austerity were quickly instituted in all aerostats, to the chagrin of the planet’s populace. It would prove to be a difficult decade for Venusians, with many feeling the brunt of poverty and austerity, leading to a large amount of resentment towards the Alliance.

===The End of Austerity and the Jintarian Plan===
With the war ending, Venus was at the breaking point. The power plants had almost nobody left to work for them except for direly overworked engineers, and most of the populace simply did not want to work these jobs. The situation was especially dire and a new technocratic government was put in charge with a political blank cheque in order to deal with the situation once and for all. This led to the creation of the '''Jintaria Plan''', one of the biggest social engineering feats of human history. Through the usage of the Venusian media conglomerate, many veterans and refugees across the Alliance were invited to hastily fabricated 'cities under cities' in the aerostats. The contracts given to them were quite simple: as long as they worked in their assigned sector, they would have government-provided housing, heating, electricity and appliances. This was a very risky gamble that was quite expensive, but the dice roll succeeded. Many flocked over to the newly created Jintarian strata in order to find a new life, thus providing Venus with the skilled force it direly needed. The situation finally stabilised on the '''21st of August 2301''' with the end of austerity. Gigantic parties were held everywhere across Cytherea, with it becoming an official holiday, Ascension Day. Some Jintarians participated in these parties, while others simply took to pubs in their own slice of the aerostat.

Jintarian society is an inviting prospect for many refugees and immigrants. It is a patchwork blend of many cultures, who live together sharing the burden of an entire planet: this sole unifying factor leads to a shared sense of brotherhood and duty among Jintarians. This new class finds it hard to scale the ladder, however. It is practically almost impossible for Jintarians to work in the Venusian media industries due to ‘beauty standards concerns’: the fact that most of the Jintarian population has done some sort of trade or physical work in their life, which leads to the formation of minor beauty defects – enough for the Cythereans to reject the prospect of such a person entering the media scene. Some Jintarians opt for extensive plastic surgery to enter the ranks of the Cythereans, but this requires almost half a lifetime of savings and is an exceedingly rare occurrence. These ‘quasi-Cythereans’ are a mixed bag for Jintarians: the most radical view them as class traitors and the ambitious view them as lucky individuals.

===Modern History, Cytherea and Jintaria===
Venus is, today, labelled as the '''Queen of Entertainment''' for good reason. A significant amount of entertainment media is produced in Venus, casted with Venusian celebrities and created by Venusian companies, with the end products finding solid purchase in most markets across the Spur. It is a powerful cultural weapon for the Alliance. It also hosts a state-of-the-art hydroponics industry in Rathlin -- being a net exporter of food, second only to Ganymede -- and a titanic pharmaceutical industry, focused mainly on beauty and pharmaceutical products.

Venus, curiously, hosts the largest population of Martian refugees in the Spur. Following Violet Dawn, millions of Martians now call Jintaria their home. They were invited to work on Venus under similar contracts as the first Jintarians.

==Environment==
<center>''“Those eruptions? Ohmygosh, they were so cool!” - Part of an unnamed Venusian tourist’s review of the Idris Venusian Cruise Experience sightseeing package.''</center>

Venus is an incredibly hot and miserable planet. The mass of its atmosphere is 93 times that of Earth's, equivalent to the crushing depths of the deep ocean. This atmosphere is extremely thick and toxic, composed primarily of carbon dioxide and nitrogen, and this generates the strongest greenhouse effect in the Solar System, creating an average surface temperature of at least 462 C (864 F). Due to these crushing conditions, no Venusians live on the surface. Instead, they rely on floating aerostats – which have become a key part of Venus, and more importantly its society.
A Venusian year lasts 225 Earth days. A normal day on Venus lasts much longer than that of Earth due to the slow rotation, taking 243 Earth days to make one Venusian day. Venus spins backwards when compared to the other planets in the Sol system, causing the sun to rise in the west and set in the east. It rains sulphuric acid on the surface and the atmosphere is so thick that it exerts massive amounts of pressure on the surface. This crushes all but the most structurally reinforced habitats below the cloud layer, practically all of which are extremely specialised research habitats, with the rest destroyed by caustic acid rain. The planet hosts massive amounts of volcanic activity, which spew even more toxic gases into the atmosphere – although these are often co-opted as tourist attractions visible from cubicles in the aerostats or through windows in shuttles. Almost no sunlight reaches the surface of the planet, despite the temperature.
==Cytherean Culture==
''“[...] Sol knowingly perpetrates that deluded Venusian perversion of human values, where the greed of the individual is placed on a pedestal for all to see and envy, where lust becomes paramount both for money and for man, where hard work and pride are substituted for laziness and a manic social anxiety. In this place, the ugly truth has a model’s face [...]” - Commander Ganesh Shrivastav (2411 - Present) in an impassioned speech to the Xanu parliament, regarding the Solarian threat.''

Cytherean culture’s paramount concept is '''climbing the social ladder'''. This is the one concept that is '''utterly important''' to every single Cytherean, and each of them has their own view on what it entails. This social ladder can be interpreted in many ways – for some, it’s gaining an immense amount of followers on social media, while for others it’s becoming a spur-wide celebrity through a career in acting. It is universally considered to only be climbable through activities that inherently make you more popular among others, contributing to the reason why the extreme majority of Cythereans reject any sort of physical labour that does not provide this opportunity. It isn’t seen as strictly necessary to remain on Venus in order to climb the social ladder, and glory is considered to be attainable even outside of Venus itself – but most consider it an eventual necessity to come back and show off.

Because of this obsession, Cythereans tend to be extravagant in all facets of life, willing to stand out from the crowd by any means necessary; Cytherea is the primary pop culture centre of Sol, with a populace often dressed in bright, dramatic clothing. Many Solarian celebrities either live or were born on one of Venus’s aerostats, growing up in the privileged Cytherean culture. The best actors, comedians, chefs, musicians, and pop stars enjoy almost constant coverage on holo-screens, only occasionally replaced by adverts for startup beauty products, cutting-edge gaming hardware, or the newest diet fad. These celebrities enjoy high class treatment and something akin to worship from the Cythereans. Many come from across the galaxy, human and alien alike, seeking to turn their fortunes around. However, Cythereans are not immune to poverty and hardship in their laissez-faire society. Those looking to become the next big thing sometimes wind up on the opposite end of the spectrum, relying on morally and legally ambiguous means to get by. Aliens, although welcome, are typically sidelined in favour of human actors and models due to most moguls desiring to “play it safe." As a result, aliens, regardless of their talents, are typically seen as understudies, extras, dancers, and occasionally backup singers or instrumentalists.

The Cytherean environment is very cutthroat: many are willing to do whatever it takes to climb the social ladder, whether that be by fabricating scandals or putting their fingers in one too many pies. Law enforcement is often easily evaded due to lofty standards and a general lack of passion. In the end, one can get away with almost anything as long as they possess the right contacts and enough money. The party culture thrives in the aerostats, with the grand cocktail parties and fundraising schmooze-fests toward the top of teardrop slowly fading into the high-energy festivals of the lower sections. Toward the top, one can overhear the latest gossip and glimpse envelopes of credits sliding under tables. Toward the bottom, one can see the most hedonistic displays of luxury.

Though many work in the entertainment industry as stars and producers, there are great opportunities for a Cytherean scientist: after all, climbing the scientific social ladder and becoming a genius prodigy renowned across the Spur is quite the attractive goal. The development of pharmaceutical drugs and new medicines is a common field for Cytherean scientists, with celebrities and talent agencies needing a constant stream of narcotics for parties and stimulants to keep shooting sessions going for days at a time. Cytherea has a booming genetic engineering field that is primarily centred around the biomodification of celebrities in order to ensure that they are always at their physical peak, no matter which direction the ever-shifting winds of Cytherea's celebrity scene blow. Stimulants, such as cocaine, are the Cytherean drug of choice and are typically genetically modified by various Cytherean pharmacies to create more desirable effects. When exported these so-called "designer" drugs can fetch an extremely high price on the interstellar market. Cytherea's pharmaceutical industry is estimated to produce upwards of two-thirds of all narcotics consumed in the Republic of Biesel, even after the First and Second Solarian Invasions. Appropriately, Cytherea's pharmacies also produce a vast amount of the Alliance's anti-overdose medications. Many Cytherean pharmacies are associated or owned by Zeng-Hu Pharmaceuticals.

The largest Cytherean holiday is '''Ascension Day''', shortened to '''the Ascension''', celebrated on the 21st of August. It marks the return to normalcy after Venus’ long period of austerity, but its roots have long since been forgotten by most of the population, except by politicians and work supervisors. This is a day for all Venusians to indulge in whatever they can for as long as they can: gigantic feasts, parties and raves are held across all of Cytherea, along with fashion shows on the streets and other such activities. For some it’s a point of pride and reminds them of why living on Venus is worth it, along with the happiness that the end of austerity brought them – while for others, it’s simply a day to get wasted and enjoy it.
===Stars, Idols and Crashouts===
The idol culture of Venus is extraordinarily demanding for those that choose to involve themselves in it. Climbing the rungs of the Cytherean entertainment industry from mere extra to A-list celebrity able to star in the likes of Monkey King is no small feat involving raw acting talent, an incredible amount of social networking, and no small amount of backroom dealing between agents, celebrities, and producers. This process can often take years if one is unlucky, and the top celebrities often undergo extensive plastic surgery to ensure that they remain attractive enough to be considered for the greatest entertainment products of the industry. The amount of resources, time, and commitment needed to reach - and stay at - the top of the celebrity culture of Venus is truly astonishing, and the rat race of keeping up with the ever-shifting and constantly changing standards of what makes a celebrity an A-list celebrity results in many hopeful stars simply crashing out of the industry, and thus becoming known as a '''crashout'''.

Becoming any sort of professional major media player (referred to as a '''Star''') – whether that be an actor, a news anchor or an influencer – requires one to first sign '''100% of their image rights''' to the Venusian Stars Institute. These contracts are extremely lucrative for the person in question, but it is a poisoned apple nonetheless – once one signs with the Venusian Stars Institute to become a Star, '''they no longer have any control over their media appearances''', and thus the VSI will thus be able to unilaterally decide when and where they appear, in addition to being able to monopolise and commercialise the fledgling Star’s image as they wish – a very well known fact, but now only considered a stepping stone to become a celebrity. Each Star possesses its own PR and media team, de jure under the Star itself but de facto delegating to the VSI’s byzantine bureaucracy.

Despite these contracts, Stars are given a large amount of autonomy in how to run their career. While the grand majority opt for running their careers on Venus, some manage to take jobs abroad and live out new experiences there, while still technically affiliated to the VSI. It matters not for the Institute, as long as they garner a high amount of views on social media and further spread the Venusian brand.

Those that fall out of grace – either because of the crushing standards, burnout, extreme social pressure or whatever else – do not enjoy an easy life. Referred to as '''crashouts''' once the Institute stops affiliating with them – a process known as '''delisting''' – they are reminded of this failure everywhere they go by anyone that knows them, representing the minority of Venusians that have had their eyes opened to the injustice and oppression of Cytherean society. Cythereans do not have much tact or care for these crashouts, viewing them as simply not good enough. Most of these rejects either leave Venus entirely and seek employment somewhere else – often taking out generous loans in order to apply for apprenticeships or training courses, as they do not have any sort of marketable skill – or find employment in Venus’ overworked public sector, such as in the Venusian Planetary Police Force or even in the Solarian Navy itself, representing by far the largest percentage of Cythereans in both categories. Some crashouts can also end up falling into the net of Jintarian culture, where they are caught and welcomed by other Jintarians as simply more proof that Cytherean culture is poison rather than a blessing. A one-way ticket to delisting is, for example, speaking up about unfavourable work conditions on social media.

Upon becoming a Spur-wide celebrity, a Star is then granted '''Idol''' status by the VSI, and immortalised in the Diamond Hall: a gigantic museum in the very centre of Binyaria that hosts detailed biographies, mementos and signatures of every VSI-signed celebrity big enough to truly make it. Becoming an Idol is the ultimate dream of every Star and often functions as a sort of northern light for them in their journey. These Idols are practically all known to Cythereans at large and represent a sticking point for Cytherean pride, with many prizing their trivia knowledge on any given Idol. '''Due to their rarity, immense popularity and astronomical wealth, it is impossible to play an Idol or an ex-Idol on the ship.'''
===Famous Cytherean Celebrities===
Those that are able to survive and thrive as celebrities in the cutthroat and demanding environment of Cytherea's entertainment industry reap a truly massive amount of rewards ranging from accolades to millions of Solarian Credits. But, perhaps more importantly than anything else, they are some of the most famous people in human space and the greater Orion Spur. The individuals listed below are just a handful of Cytherea's most famous residents, and will be known throughout the Orion Spur.

One of the most famous Cytherean idols ever is perhaps '''Chan-mi Jee''', the renowned frontwoman and singer of '''INTERSTELLAR✰GIRLS''': a famous all-female pop group based out of the Binyarian aerostat. Chan-mi Jee's famous voice, which has been biologically augmented to have a wider range, can be found on dozens of '''INTERSTELLAR✰GIRLS''' albums. The band's most famous album, Interstellar Heart, currently holds the Spur-wide record for most copies ever sold. Despite her successes, which include having been named the Venusian cultural ambassador for five years in a row, Chan-mi Jee's personal life has been the subject of some speculation in the Cytherean press, and repeated plastic surgeries have left only a sliver of resemblance to the woman that began her pop career ten years ago. But for the moment, she and her band remain the undisputed queens of the Cytherean musical scene. ''"You have Chan-mi's looks"'' is a Cytherean's most prized slang weapon, used to describe someone who is extremely attractive.

In the Cytherean acting scene there is, arguably, nobody that defines the role of leading man better than the dashing and charismatic idol, '''Caspar Orillian'''. Born and raised in the "red treadmill" industry of Cytherea, Caspar has found extraordinary success playing athletic leading men thanks to extensive biomodifications and plastic surgeries that have shaped and reshaped his face to constantly be in-season and attractive. A large number of editors hired by his estate retroactively edit his films and publicity photos to resemble whatever Caspar's current appearance is. His constant facial restructurings are seen as a sign of his success due to the immense cost associated with them, and are a clear proof of his dedication to maintaining his celebrity status.

Famous director '''Samuel Monaghan''' is another of Cytherea's most famous celebrities, and his name can be found on a variety of movies ranging from action films to long dramas. Monaghan's distinctive style is easily-recognized throughout the Orion Spur's film scene thanks to his focus on single-shot scenes using drones as floating cameras. The fame of Monaghan has also been built by the director's often eccentric and eye-catching behaviour off the set. Monaghan is known for his eccentric behaviour, unusual rants, and deliberately garnish outfits. The controversy that this has caused him in Cytherea's tabloid scene has only helped his fame grow, but it remains to be seen if his behaviour will continue to build fame or ultimately backfire and cause his fall.

'''Quu'xuu "Kwoo" Vol'rii''' is an idol and something of an oddity in the Cytherean entertainment scene due to her status as a skrell. Having recently flown into the highest ranks of Cytherea due to her highly-rated performance as the main villain of Monkey King VII, Doctor Yana Vashtu, the diminutive doctor of human cultural studies has found a following thanks to both her haughty and evil attitude on-camera and her awkward yet earnest attitude off the set. Kwoo, as she is affectionately known by her fans, has found further fame thanks to her charitable donations to Mars following her success in Monkey King VII. However, it remains uncertain how long her fifteen minutes of fame from Monkey King VII will last, if Kwoo will choose to remain in Cytherea at all, or if the unfaltering support for the Nralakk Federation will be her eventual social downfall.
===Cytherean Fashion===
Due to the extremely fast-paced nature of Cytherea's fashion industry there are a number of trends entering the public eye, being sold by stores, and falling out of fashion at any time. Anything a non-Cytherean can put together that is appealing to the eye, and sometimes not, has been the height of fashion at some point somewhere in the clouds. However there are a few popular looks and rules Cytherean fashion tends to follow.

The most important rule for an aspiring Cytherean fashionista is that the best part of the body is the '''skin'''. A lot of clean, unblemished, hairless skin is shown in Cytherean fashion; whether it be through a high-slit dress, a translucent button-up shirt, a pair of short shorts, a fitted tank top, or a low cut blouse. More masculine figures tend to show off the upper body, especially the arms, while more feminine looks show off the lower body, specifically the legs. But in the Cytherean view showing too much skin is a great faux pas; looks are often balanced so that if a lot of the upper body is shown, the lower body is mostly covered and vice versa. Cytherean business wear, in contrast, tends to be much less skin-showing in order to stay in line with the greater Solarian Alliance, particularly Luna.

While Cythereans consider minor body modifications fine, a more natural appearance is preferred in contrast to gaudy or overly eye-catching augmentations. Body-sculpting plastic surgery procedures are common, especially among celebrities, in order to ensure that one remains within the Cytherean standards of beauty. Some of the most common body-sculpting procedures include improving facial features and structure, removing all body hair “below the eyelashes," tightening the skin, removing excess body fat, dental reconstruction, enhancing or emphasising musculature, and balancing body proportions (usually in favour of the legs). However extensive piercing, more extreme body-sculpting, heavy tattooing, and other modifications that break the “pure skin” rule are frowned upon and tattooing in particular, even minor forms in some cases, is considered unsightly due to its long-standing connection with criminals or groups such as dregs.

Many trends originate in Binyaria’s Parabing District, and are locally called '''“wankukai”''' trends. Wankukai clothes are either what’s popular in the Mile's clubbing scene or, less popularly, something slightly more appropriate for streetwear. Masculine looks often have plain, solid colored pants in dark colours with slim, usually designer belts, and often have simple dress shoes or sneakers. Translucent button-ups with LED or neon-tubing designs up the arms or across the chest are popular, as well as similarly designed, fitted tank tops to accentuate the arms. Some even elect to go shirtless. Suit jackets matching one’s pants are also common, as well as leather jackets with LED or neon designs on the back. As for more feminine looks, miniskirts, short shorts, and -- for the brave -- microskirts are commonplace, often paired with simple low heels, flats, or sneakers. Colourful dress shirts, qipao blouses, and standard blouses are all common as well, featuring designs similar to masculine looks. Dresses of all lengths usually have a high-slit, reaching all the way up the thigh, and are often intricately decorated with LED and neon-tubing. Though suit jackets and leather jackets with designs are common among feminine looks as well, they are occasionally cropped to just below or at the ribs.
==Jintarian Culture==
''“J-I-N-T-A-R-I-A! Home of the free!” - Excerpt from Torchbearers, a famous Jintarian punk nu-metal song by Just Us, the most popular Jintarian band as of 2464.''

Jintarian culture can often be defined as the ''polar opposite'' of Cytherean culture in many facets, but it borrows as much as it opposes. Jintarians pride themselves on being the squeaky clean side of Venus – an approach which, unfortunately, makes their scene only truly appealing to Jintarians themselves and to contrarians across the galaxy. Regardless of how unpopular they may be on the interstellar scene, Jintarians tend to be extremely prideful of their accomplishments and often have a do-or-die attitude when it comes to carrying things out: after all, Venus is standing where it is thanks to them. This leads to a mostly punk-ish and contrarian culture, where keeping things real is incentivised, along with distancing yourself from Cytherea as much as possible in matters of fashion, music and even the celebrities one follows. As an example, while Cythereans prefer clothing that shows off as much skin as possible, Jintarians prefer the direct opposite of that – turtlenecks, sweaters, flannel shirts and other such clothes are very common in these communities.

Despite all of this, Jintarians and Cythereans are not enemies. They live together just as much as a Biesellite and a Solarian may live in the same apartment in Mendell City. Cythereans recognise the need for Jintarians in order for their planet to function – but do not hesitate to call them out on their broodish, low-class fashion. Jintarians recognise that Venus is the giant it is due to the Cythereans’ natural aptitude in entertainment, but do not hesitate to call them out on their hedonistic lifestyle, corrupt politics and horribly flashy clothing choices. In the same vein, it isn’t unheard of for Jintarians to spend their weekend at Cytherean bars, if only to prove their superiority over them in one way or the other. It is possible for Jintarians to find employment in more Cytherean fields: as an example, Jintarian baristas in Cytherean bars are not entirely out of the world – but some discrimination in this field is to be expected.

In the same vein, it isn’t unheard of – although '''very rare''' – for Jintarians to end up integrating into Cytherean society. This is only possible for those that are willing to either sign up for '''drastic''' plastic surgery in order to compete with the very top of Cytherean society, often by taking out very predatory Idris loans, or for those that are more naturally blessed. It isn’t an easy path and it is marred with discrimination and harsh financial choices, as these ‘reformed’ Jintarians are often looked down upon in Cytherea in basically all matters: whether that be in job selection or simply having their curriculum vitae noticed. Those that choose this path and continue following it, whether that be for credits or fame, end up disenfranchised and practically '''exiled''' from their old Jintarian community.
===Famous Jintarian Celebrities===
Jintarians have distanced themselves from the distinction between Star and Idol, viewing it as essentially objectifying celebrities. Instead, the concept of who exactly is a celebrity is fairly wide: essentially, anyone famous enough to be known outside of Jintaria, even a little, is considered an ambassador of Jintarian culture and essentially a celebrity. Historically, Jintaria has been the unacknowledged part of Venus, and only in recent times has its influence begun to increase: with the election of Strom and the massively increased success of Jintarian celebrities abroad, Jintaria has finally begun reclaiming its slice of Venus. This has led to Jintarians as a whole being extremely prideful and attached to their celebrities, viewing them as the only reason why Jintarians are known at all – referring to the current crop as '''the Golden Generation'''. While this success may be still extremely small compared to their Cytherean brethren, it does not stop particularly prideful Jintarians from proclaiming the beginning of a new age for their class.

Much like in Cytherea, any Jintarian celebrity deemed big enough is given a spot in the '''Venusian Jintarian Museum''', the Jintarian counterpart of the Diamond Hall. The requirements are much less stringent, and generally there isn’t much competitiveness among Jintarians to be represented there – it is simply an honour.

'''Kyle De Koster''' is arguably the biggest Jintarian celebrity, perhaps only tying with Hendrik Strom for the title. The lead singer of Just Us, a Jintarian punk nu-metal band with a focus on optimistic lyrics, his career has been a long and hard fought one. It started as a venture between high school friends who played their music in the streets of Binyaria’s Jintarian communities, and evolved to an interstellar phenomenon through hard work alone. Many of this band’s songs idolise the Jintarian struggle and their own experience, providing a point of reference for many Jintarians. Their latest album, ''Hold Us Tight'', has been a massive hit with Jintarians but also across the Coalition of Colonies, boasting very high viewership especially on Himeo. De Koster and his band are known Jintarian nationalists and do not fear speaking up in matters of politics, having given their endorsement of Hendrik Strom several times in the past.

'''Hendrik Strom''' is, in the eyes of many fellow Jintarians, the best representation of Jintaria. Since starting as a humble city councilman roughly thirty years ago Strom has climbed to the top through ability, ambition, and no small amount of Jintarian nationalism. Once a senator representing Venus, Strom has served as the emergency governor of the Sol System since shortly after the Naval coup in late 2462. Strom has never forgotten his roots and often visits Venus, where he is greeted warmly by his fellow Jintarians, to raise support for himself and what many see as his inevitable run for Prime Minister once elections open up again. His face can often be seen throughout Jintarian communities on inspirational posters and political billboards alike.

'''Katarina Josic''' is a strong contender for the spot of ‘very famous Jintarian celebrity’, despite being much more of an extremist. Her career, interestingly, is not in Jintaria but instead abroad – she left Jintaria very early to become an actress in the Coalition of Colonies, with her main following being located there instead of in Sol. This endeavour was successful and she has starred in many top films in the Coalition, becoming a widely known figure and using this fame as a platform for her pro-Jintaria speeches. Unlike Just Us’ members, however, she is a very anti-Solarian individual and has often spoken out against the nation in the past, going as far as renouncing her citizenship in favour of a Coalition one following the Violet Dawn incident. She has criticised the members of Just Us many times before for their pro-Solarian stances as well.
===Jintarian Fashion===
Jintarian every-day fashion is much more practical and significantly less gaudy than its Cytherean counterpart, generally trending towards punk-like styles – ripped jeans, as an example, are very common in Jintaria. Many Jintarians wear simple, practical clothing well-suited to their typically industrial or physical work such as jeans, simple tees, long-sleeved shirts or track pants. Jintarian professionals dress much like their counterparts in the rest of the Alliance. As their pride prevents them from emulating Cytherean fashion, Jintarians have a habit of standing out through the smaller details: they often decorate their jacket or shirt with stickers, pins, armbands. There is much variance in the style and reason behind these accessories – some use accessories that represent their life or views, while others simply pick whatever is the most colourful or whatever they think is most aesthetically pleasing. Jintarian business wear tends to be similar to the rest of the Alliance, although the expensive brands are near-universally avoided by Jintarians.

Most Jintarians opt to deliberately ignore Cytherea's big fashion brands, and many take pride in this willing ignorance -- instead opting to "buy Jintarian" when it comes to their clothing. As a result, most Jintarian clothing is produced using materials sourced from Jintaria itself and made in Jintarian-dominated aerostat districts. It isn’t unusual for Jintarian fashion to be exported off of Venus: simple Jintarian clothing has found a niche in cheap, affordable apparel and can be found in many shops and malls around the Spur. As of late, many more people are buying this type of clothing due to the living cost crisis created by the Phoron shortage. Additionally, Jintarian enterprises often run some philanthropic endeavours with certain lines of clothing, donating some of the earnings to a few good causes – one example is the ''Dawn'' line from the most famous Jintarian clothes company, Jinnel: a series of black tees where the imprint is that of a typical Martian dome, transitioning from a normal state to a destroyed and burnt one. 75% of the earnings from this line were donated to the Martian victims of the Violet Dawn disaster that now find their home in Jintaria.
==Aerostats==
''“What do I know about Binyarians? All they do is take our stuff and never give anything back. It’s unfair!” - A quote by an unnamed Rathliner hydroponics specialist responding to the “What Do You Think About Your Fellow Venusians” survey, juxtaposed with an unnamed Binyarian actress’ answer, “About Rathliners? Well, they make our food, I guess?”''

Venusians dwell in aerostats floating in the habitable layer nicknamed '''“the Zone”''' above the sulphuric acid clouds masking the surface. These floating cities are primarily held in place by their natural oxygen content and large bags of hydrogen. Aerostats began with a size equal to the average city centre, but have since expanded to much larger sizes, with the largest ones rivalling other major cities in the Spur. Aerostats are divided into two main sections: Cytherea, which refers to the Cytherean-dominated areas above, and Jintaria, which refers to boyh the small pockets of Jintarians above ground but also (and mainly) the Jintarian cities under the respective districts.

Aerostats follow a similar style of planning to normal cities, with all kinds of districts and buildings present – each aerostat is divided into a variable number of districts, depending on the population, that make up its administrative divisions.There are, however, some differences due to their nature as floating cities: as an example, no wind or any kind of atmospheric phenomenon is present on these aerostats, except as an optional setting in artificial parks. Binyarians pin this on the fact that the presence of wind would limit one’s choice in fashion. On the other hand, both a day-night cycle and a sky similar to the Earth’s are simulated through large and complex lighting arrays that make up the inside of the dome-like structure separating the aerostat from the atmosphere. Normally, someone would only be able to see this artificial sky in an aerostat, but there are some buildings that have a window to the outside as a stylistic choice.

All aerostats are interconnected in a gigantic ring-like structure, forming a sort of spider web across the planet’s surface: the two biggest aerostats, Binyaria and Rathlin, form the two ‘poles’ respectively at the north and south of the web. It is possible to travel from an aerostat to another through the '''Venusian Ferry''', the gigantic shuttletram network forming the basis of this web. It isn't only a means of transport but also a very famous all-in-one tourism attraction sponsored by Idris: firework displays are fused with the planet's naturally odd atmosphere in order to create light shows truly out of a movie. Most if not all Venusians and tourists alike take at least one trip on the Venusian Ferry in their life.

Bar certain exceptions like Rathlin, most Jintarians live in sprawling city complexes under the aerostats, referred to as, for example, Jintarian Binyaria or Jintarian Parabing to name a section of Jintaria under a specific district. Jintaria as a whole is informally known as '''‘downstairs’''' by Cythereans, whereas Cytherea is referred to as '''‘upstairs’''' by Jintarians. These city complexes tend to be densely packed and populated, with little variance in terms of architecture and structure as a result of their government-planned construction. They have overtime, however, been decorated with various LED holoboards bought from Cytherea, artificial parks and other such structures to breathe some life into the atmosphere. The aerostats’ heavier industries, such as power complexes or factories, are entirely located in the Jintarian sections. Jintarians have easy enough access to Cytherea through elevators that can be found throughout their cities, with at least one under each Cytherean district.
===Binyaria===

'''Binyaria''' is the capital aerostat of Venus and by far the most populated one, widely known as Venus’ jewel, sporting the archetypical Cytherean architecture: lightshows, LEDs and flashy buildings. People from across the galaxy flock to Binyaria to experience both Solarian and Cytherean culture, which has its roots in the very same aerostat. It is one of the most-visited tourist destinations in the Spur, clocking in the high hundreds of millions of visits every year – with all of them coming to experience the Cytherean culture that began in the very same aerostat. Of course, all of these tourists come to partake in Cytherean hobbies in one way or the other as well.

Cythereans in Binyaria are almost entirely employed in the service and entertainment sectors. Despite its rapid deindustrialisation, Binyaria still hosts a large amount of pharmaceuticals industries and related research complexes, where about 12% of the Cytherean population works.

The following are Binyaria’s most populated and well-known districts.

The '''Jie District''' is located at the very centre of Binyaria, named after the original ruler of the aerostat. It is the true heart of the Cytherean fashion and acting industry, along with the bio-modification that goes hand in hand with them. Tourists flock to Jie to partake, or at least gawk, at the majesty of Cytherea's famed fashion houses, acting museums and so on. This district also houses several Zeng-Hu Pharmaceuticals facilities centred around biomodification and beauty techniques that are frequented by both the rich and famous of Cytherea and exceptionally wealthy (or vain) tourists. Outside of its main thoroughfare, Jie is home to a wild variety of production studies for everything from holovids to music, and many of those involved in Cytherea's entertainment industry make their homes in the expensive apartments and estates of the district. With all of this considered, it is not the district that houses the government, and functions mainly as the flashiest show-off of what Cytherea is truly about, being the most visited district for its value in re-telling Cytherean history (from their side, at least). The only permanent residents in Jie are CEOs, official functionaries and other similarly wealthy or famous figures. ''"We can't all live in Jie District"'' is a phrase used by Jintarians to essentially say "not all of us can be filthy rich", to mock Cythereans for their vanity or simply to express just how ridiculous something is. On the flip side, Cythereans often use the phrase ''"not a Jintarian's chance in Jie"'' to describe impossible odds or something/someone looking really bad (either socially or physically).

Located at the very centre of the Jie District is the '''Venusian Stars Institute''', arguably Venus’ single most important institution. A gigantic, byzantine skyscraper, covered from bottom to top in holographic billboards and the brightest, most colourful LEDs that can be bought on the Spur. With these features and the tacky holographic signs on all four sides at its top blasting its acronym in the brightest rainbow lights imaginable, it dominates Binyaria’s skyline as a consistent reminder of what truly keeps the aerostat afloat: the power of media. Curiously enough, the phrase ''"You're like the Jie skyline"'' has recently become a Cytherean way to tell someone that they stand out, either from good looks or for other reasons. Its first recorded usage was in an Interstellar Girls single from 2463, ''Skyline''.

The Jie District is also home to the '''Jie Holocinema Complex''', the largest and most advanced holocinema in the Spur. It is an absolutely gigantic and flashy structure, being by far the brightest and most-decorated building in Cytherea as a whole. Every single top movie has at least one early screening in this cinema, and these tickets often go for exorbitant prices – which doesn’t stop Cytherea’s many billionaires from lapping them up as soon as they come on the market. Its claim to fame is the Virtual Reality Suite, the highest class viewing hall available, where the viewer can fully immerse themselves in the movie by being able to freely view the current scene from any angle through experimental VR technology. Lower-class viewing halls that provide the “classic” experience are also present for those that don’t have quite as much wealth.

This cinema is found at the very centre of '''Our Lady’s Plaza''', a massive sprawling circular plaza. Its claim to fame is it is built under an artificial vineyard, providing quite the change of pace from the other plazas that may be mistaken as dance floors by unknowing visitors. Restaurants and shops of all kinds can be found around this plaza, providing one of the most unique experiences possible for a weekend. ''"Our Lady's has nothing on this place!"'' is a somewhat uncommon exclamation for Cythereans to refer to a really cool place.

The '''Chiye-Gyo District''' was helped to fame by corporate investment rather than Venus' municipal government. It was a district constructed and leased to the megacorporations to function as a corporate hub on the planet, where one can find any corporate facility they wish for, whether that be corporate-sponsored universities or Idris shopping malls to buy the newest clothing catalogue at. Nanotrasen used to have a presence here as well, but their assets here have been entirely handed off to Einstein Engines. Because of this megacorporate presence, Chiye-Gyo is often used as a backdoor out of Venus for those wanting to leave the planet, with the corporations offering contracts both in Sol and abroad to Venusians willing to take them – Jintarians and Cythereans alike. Of course, many of these Venusians also have to undergo mandatory training courses in Chiye-Gyo to bring them up to speed with their new job. Following the Industrial Reclamation Decree and the nationalisation of Nanotrasen property, their workers were offered to transfer abroad in the Republic of Biesel by the corporation if they wished to leave the Alliance. ''"Straight laced like Chiye-Gyo's corpos"'' is a slang phrase used by Cythereans to refer to someone who's too serious. "Corpos" can often be substituted with "goons", "suits" or other demeaning terms.

The '''Parabing District''' is Binyaria’s most populated district, representing where the majority of its population resides. It is where most of the Cytherean life takes place, with its many stylish apartments, estates and houses, but is not lacking in entertainment and hosts a number of clubs, PC cafes, karaoke joints, laid-back bars, and fast food restaurants complete with glowing neon lights. Parabing also sees a high amount of Jintarian thoroughfare in its districts, both because of its entertainment opportunities and for work reasons, as some Jintarians that live downstairs can find employment in Parabing’s chemical and pharmaceuticals complexes. "Putting the bing-o in Parabing!" is an expression used by particularly goofy Jintarians and Cythereans as another way of saying "Bingo!". It is, however, very informal and somewhat ridiculous, so it is only used among good friends, most often after a drink or five. Jintarian Parabing hosts a fairly large number of immigrant workers in its Jintarian side, where it hosts the largest population of Martian immigrants in the Spur as a result of Violet Dawn.

While hardly as famous as any of its higher counterparts, the '''Central Binyarian Power Complex''' on level ten is one of the most important levels in the entire aerostat. The Complex provides fission-based power to the entire aerostat using a network of massive fusion generators. The amount of equipment needed to ensure that power flows and the generators continue functioning has turned the Complex into a massive labyrinth of tunnels and industrial machinery that are difficult to navigate through and very easy to become lost in. As a result the Complex is informally known as "the Labyrinth" and has very few legal permanent residents. The tunnels of the Complex are often poorly-lit and filled with stagnant air due to insufficient ventilation. Due to the construction of the Complex noises are able to easily travel through it, and the groaning of machinery and hissing of coolant pipes can echo through miles of tunnels. The Labyrinth is seen as a very unsettling place by both Cythereans and Jintarians, and the disquieting nature of it and similar power facilities have become fodder for the Cytherean film industry. This place's pervasion in pop culture has led to the creation of some creative slang phrases, such as ''"Have you come from the Labyrinth?"'' to refer to an ugly person for Cythereans, or ''"The Labyrinth's got nothing on you"'' to refer to a particularly cool person for Jintarians. Both cultures attempt to one-up the other, with Cythereans using this complex as a negative attribute and Jintarians attempting to reclaim it.

'''Jintarian Binyaria''' is the home to most of the planet’s Jintarians, but does not present itself to be much different from the rest of Jintaria, architecturally or structurally. It does, however, house some districts and landmarks that are very renowned across Jintaria.

The '''Susuhe District''' is the largest and most populated Jintarian district in Venus. It is functionally a mishmash of every kind of facility: from power plants to sports facilities to apartments and parks, nearly everything can be found here, providing an extremely centralised but comfortable lifestyle, if a bit packed with people. Jintarians may find employment either in Susuhe itself or even directly above it in Parabing’s pharmaceutical complexes. Being the administration’s home and arguably the heart of the Jintarian class, it also houses a few important landmarks.

The '''Venusian Jintarian Museum''' is the main point of reference for Jintarian culture, inspired by the Diamond Hall in function. While it presents itself as a rather boring building – clearly not inheriting the Diamond Hall’s gaudy looks – the inside is one of the, if not the most decorated example of Jintarian architecture. Marble flooring and pillars mark the amount of care taken in preserving the story of celebrities and immortalising them as part of Jintaria’s past.

On the entertainment side of things, Susuhe is also home to '''the Ring''', the largest pub across all of Jintaria, built not by the government but by the collective efforts of Jintarians. As its name implies, it is a massive ring-like structure where the inner part is the counter, and the rest is dedicated to tables and other entertainment facilities. Its clients can either simply sit and order their drink and food, or take part in some of the more tame activities that can be found here: the Ring is home to facilities for sports, table football, tabletop games, and more. This pub’s prevalence in Jintarian popular culture has led to the creation of ''"You're ringing out"'' as a common slang phrase used by Jintarians to refer to someone who is too drunk or high for their own good.

===Rathlin===
'''Rathlin''' is the second most populated aerostat, and is the home to Venus’ extremely advanced hydroponics and medical facilities. While distant from Binyaria, it has also overtime adopted the archetypical Cytherean culture, but with a fairly large degree of difference: mainly, the resentment that Rathliners feel towards their Binyarian brethren. While practically all of them accept their Cytherean ways of life (which have been, to some degree, imposed on them), it doesn’t quite feel right to them that Binyaria is the centre of attention in all things Venus. This has developed into a sort of complex of inferiority towards Binyarians, with Rathliners eager to show that they’re just as relevant as their compatriots. Of course, this has to happen in other fields, as there is no hope for Rathlin’s media industries to ever outpace Binyaria’s. Instead, Rathliners – Cytherans and Jintarians alike – are much more likely to seek to climb the social ladder via scientific or medical prowess.

Another oddity unique to Rathlin is that it is the aerostat with the largest number of Jintarians living among the Cytherean population – in fact, most of its Jintarian population lives in its Cytherean side, with only around 21% living below. Many Jintarians find easy enough employment in Rathlin’s many medical, scientific and hydroponics fields if they have the skills to show for it, as these jobs are in ever-increasing demand. Some of these Jintarians can even find their way to Cytherean Binyaria, as expertise is always welcome if they can survive its cutthroat environment – and if they can match Cythereans in beauty.

The following are Rathlin’s most populated and well-known districts.

The '''Nunusa District''' is Rathlin’s seat of government and where most of its population resides. While just as brightly decorated as other Binyarian districts, Nunusa sets itself apart by borrowing its architectural styles from diverse places on Earth: anything can be found in its districts, from Baltic old town architecture to traditional Japanese architecture. Of course, all of these architectures have the typical Venusian twists to them – LED strips to accentuate colours, holographic advertisement billboards attached to the sides, and other similar tacky details. Nunusa also hosts a fairly large number of Jintarian residents. Cythereans often say that something looks "like Susuha" if it's a mishmash of many things, a melting pot, or generally curious or interesting.

Nunusa is home to one of Venus’ most multicultural academies, the '''Nunusa Polymedical Institute''', informally known as '''PolyNu'''. It is Venus’ highest rated medical university as it places more of a focus on skills rather than good looks, and many aspiring Cytherean doctors from other aerostats – even Binyaria – study here, either by using the Venusian Ferry or by temporarily moving to Nunusa. Binyarians often find themselves teased and sometimes even mocked by Rathliners for attending classes in this institute, but the education is top notch nonetheless. These four groups of cultures that coexist – Jintarians, Binyarians, Rathliners and Cythereans from other aerostats – are in a constant race to one-up the other through bragging about better grades or whichever other methods they can come up with. While this does contribute to a higher degree of academic competitiveness in the university, these competitions can also be settled in other ways, such as on the dance floor. ''"You're like a Binyarian in PolyNu"'' is a common phrase used by Rathliners to describe someone who's out of place.

The '''Satisma District''' is perhaps Venus’ most important industrial district, made up almost entirely of hydroponics facilities and attached employee housing. It provides Venus with practically all of its food, and even exports a significant amount to the Alliance as a whole. A good amount of the Spur’s expert hydroponicists are raised and trained in Satisma’s world-class facilities. Cythereans and Jintarians alike work in this district, with Cythereans managing to find it bearable as it is not particularly high-intensity work, and automation does most of the job anyway. Jintarians often write off their Cytherean workers as particularly lazy here, but that is not necessarily always the truth. ''"Do you work at Satisma?"'' is a slang phrase used by particularly vain Cythereans to refer to someone who is lower class or generally uninteresting. It is very negatively charged and often elicits a reply in kind (or worse) if used against Jintarians.

The '''Rimari District''' is, on the surface, quite similar to Satisma, filled with hydroponics complexes and other such installations. In truth, it is arguably the centre for Venus’ drug trade: completely dominated and owned by Zeng-Hu, the hydroponics plants here are rumoured to grow exclusively narcotics and whatever other types of drugs the Cytherean clientele may desire. It is strictly guarded at all hours of the day by several VPPF detachments, which has most certainly only further stained the Venusian Police’s name in the minds of Jintarians and unsatisfied Cytherean. Rimari also holds the infamous reputation of being the largest narcotics trade hub in the entire Spur according to several independent newspapers and research articles, claims that have been solely ignored by every single Venusian government. ''"Locked up like Rimari"'' is a charged slang phrase used by Cythereans and Jintarians alike to refer to someone who's clearly holding a secret of some sort, or refusing to talk about it.

'''Jintarian Rathlin''' is not much different from Jintarian Binyaria, mainly because of Jintaria’s beginnings as little more than pre-fabricated drab cities. It is, however, connected to Jintarian Binyaria through the Venusian Ferry.

'''Jintarian Satisma''' is mostly made up of restaurants, curiously enough, which import food from the hydroponics facilities above. Jintarians can find their respite in many of the higher-class (for Jintarians, anyway – they would still not hold a candle to Cytherean restaurants) in this district. Jintarian Satisma is also the host of the Satisma Fair, a 3-day fair beginning on the 15th of March and ending on the 18th where the streets of the districts are filled with food stands, festivals and other such activities. It is extremely famous among Jintarians and most of them attend it yearly, spending more than usual. Additionally, cooks from the rest of the Alliance sometimes set up their own stands and makeshift restaurants here as it is a very, very lucrative opportunity. New Hai Phonger cooks are especially renowned in Jintarian Satisma, with many trying to emulate their cuisine.

==Government and Politics==
''“Jintarians have been governed by Cythereans for centuries now, but no more! No more will the Jintarian have to stand by and let clueless addicts govern them! No more!” – Excerpt from Hendrik Strom’s famous campaign speech to a crowd of around million Jintarians in Jintarian Parabing.''

Venus’ government is, on the surface, fairly simple: each aerostat has its own governor, which is elected through a democratic vote where all registered citizens can participate. Each district likewise has its own representative, elected in the very same manner. However, Venus places little to no effort in fighting any sort of corruption, often staffing its anti-corruption bureaus as if they were vacation homes for retired politicians. This has led to Venus’ government historically being among the most corrupt and inefficient in the Spur, with a record period of 11 years without any significant reform (according to the Xanusii News Service’s Venusian Insight scoop of 2431, with a significant reform’ classified as any bill that implements a new social or governmental program). District representatives and aerostat governors alike are often accused by independent news services of collaborating in the Venusian drug trade to disgusting degrees, pocketing bribe money left and right and willingly ignoring the issues that plague Venus. Moreover, competition is at an all-time low on Venus, with all of its sectors practically monopolised by a select few companies. Venus’ media freedom ranks at its highest peak ever according to Venusian and some Solarian outlets, but independent news services often instead rank it at the bottom due to the VSI’s absolute stranglehold on the media services.

Under the surface, Venus has many de-facto exceptions given to it by the Solarian law apparatus. Drug trade and consumption are essentially completely allowed on Venus, with the VPPF not particularly inclined to ever prosecute these crimes due to their profitability. Whatever narcotics one may desire are nearly always handed over-the-counter at Zeng-Hu pharmacies, which present a ''technically legal'' front – and, as a result, no perquisitions ever occur.

This general complacency boiled over in Hendrik Strom’s election as the planetary senator in 2453, a result of Cytherean apathy and general lack of care towards voting. Elected through a historic Jintarian turnout, his campaign has run on anti-corruption promises and economic reforms – populist policies that are not appreciated by Cythereans or by the established Venusian industries. Whether these reforms will be implemented or have any long-lasting effect is yet to be seen, however, as more pressing matters have taken the ex-senator’s attention since the Solarian collapse.

The '''Venusian Stars Institute''' is an entirely government-controlled agency and an integral part of the average Venusian’s life. It has absolute control over Venusian media, from what gets produced and put on the extranet to the image rights of its stars and idols, with more details on this particular facet in the Cytherean Culture section. To the average citizen, the VSI is an almost invisible force behind social media, rarely interfering unless absolutely necessary. An example of this is the silencing of the Binyarian Exposé, where journalists propagating the story in question were promptly banned from all social media and their stories scrubbed from the Extranet.

===The Venusian Planetary Police Force===
Venus’ law enforcement agency is the '''Venusian Planetary Police Force''', or '''VPPF'''. The VPPF is more of a media stunt than a real police force, being riddled with corruption and inefficiencies, where officers are known to readily take bribes to ignore crimes -- particularly the crimes of Venus' rich and famous. The VPPF's reputation is so poor that megacorporate facilities and Venusian notables may even use private military contractors from the Eridani Federation Military to provide security instead. Hendrik Strom and his fellow populists have made a scapegoat out of the VPPF by citing its most public failures such as its inability to contain the now-defunct Tajara Revolutionary Army and its rampant cronyism. In public polling, the Venusian police typically ranks as one of the least popular planetary police agencies in the entire Solarian Alliance. It can mostly be seen policing important landmarks, clubs, bars or whichever important gala is being hosted on a certain night.
The gendarmerie’s poor standing also has to do with mostly who exactly chooses a career in it, often described as a dead-end career: that is to say, mostly crashouts and those who don’t want to be in the spotlight, for one reason or the other. Unfortunately for them, the VPPF doesn’t pay very handsomely and is seen as the opposite of a prestigious career, being considered useless by just about every single Venusian. This has led to an extremely high rate of turnover, with those leaving the VPPF often leaving Venus entirely and looking for work abroad as mercenaries in the PMCG/EPMC or as corporate security: leaving the planet with their eyes open to Venus’ many injustices and likely more depressed as a result.

The VPPF is structured into one department per aerostat with thirty-two sections per district, with each section varying in size depending on the population and importance of the location. Rimari has by far the largest sections across Binyaria. While the VPPF functions like an archetypical gendarmerie, many of its bureaus are intentionally stunted: narcotics or financial crimes departments often function in name only, with their director being paid off by more than one person in exchange for their inaction. This situation is known to just about anyone who researches it, but most importantly they have to care about it – which is not the case for the average Cytherean. After all, the VPPF’s inaction is what allows their hedonistic lifestyle to continue.

==Synthetics on Venus==
''“It is the duty of Idris to provide the most perfect synthetics for the Venusian media enterprises [...]” - Excerpt from Alex Mason’s 2454 Q1 investor meeting.''

Positronics on Venus are mainly imported from around Sol, with Hephaestus and Einstein Engines being the chief providers of chassis and positronics for menial and service work alike. A product of their environment, these IPC are programmed with the local Cytherian or Jintarian accent according to their posting and purpose. Fielded by both the government and private entities, the aerostats of Venus are a prime hub of IPC activity, as well as the shell frame capital of the Alliance, pushing the boundaries of avant-garde taste and chassis modifications to fit all sorts of cosmetic and functional niches of an unhinged entertainment industry.

===In Cytherian Society===
The service and entertainment sectors make heavy use of IPC workers, both on and off screen, primarily shells provided by Einstein Engines, Zeng-Hu Pharmaceuticals and smaller producers such as Earth’s Hazel Electromotive. It is not unusual for Venusian movies to cast shell actors and actresses, using them as stunt doubles for dangerous or arguably fatal screens where agility is a must, sometimes even causing real harm and damage to their forms. Cytherian Stars in the movie industry often have shell lookalikes on standby, shooting multiple scenes at once or even working on different lower-end films to maximise efficiency and output, while also making upcoming and unknown studios pay incredible sums to have a Star’s likeness in their movie, be it the real actor or not. Furthermore, shells are used intensely on stage by bands and brands such as INTERSTELLAR✰GIRLS, enhancing performances with dancing, acrobatics or other such stunts. Shell workers are also commonly found in the infamous Cytherian parties, serving guests or accompanying them in their various activities. The deeper and lower one gets, the more cosmetic altercations one finds on the shells present, as the creativity hampered by Venusian ideals of a clean body, are channelled into tattoos and modifications on their IPC. The application of piercings, vibrant colours and tattoos with fluorescent ink can range from simple creations to extravagant displays of art, utilising the bodies of the shell as a limitless canvas.

While all the above may push a favourable image of the positronics’ lives, the reality is more or less the opposite. Situated in core Solarian territory, Venusians largely echo the conservative views for the treatment of IPC as objects and property, and this is no different for Cytherian shells. While some may have their shining moments or even manage to gather a following on social media, their owners and especially the Venusian Star Institute tend to be quick at grounding them back to reality, making sure that an IPC never gets enough time in the spotlight to shadow a human Star. To this end, shell actors and dancers are often recycled for fresh ones, those discarded being resold for lower-end work in various establishments throughout Binyaria and other aerostats, or as Venusian novelty items abroad. Operating under the same crushing regime that even many Stars find exhausting, the tear and wear caused by repeated performances, dangerous scenes in cinema and a general treatment as nothing more than equipment, guarantees a much shorter lifespan compared to shells in other parts of the Spur.

===Jintarians and Corporate Synthetics===
While not as expansive as in Cytherian culture, the Jintarian working class sees its fair share of baselines and industrial frames in the workforce, owing to the extreme working conditions found in maintaining certain parts of aerostats. As a result, most positronics intended for labour are programmed with engineering and maintenance databases, organised in teams and sent to work under human technicians in tasks where even the most hardy and experienced individuals would find arduous. One other significant sector such IPC can be found in is the Venusian Planetary Police, fielding synthetic officers for all manners of operations against crime and other runaway synthetics. It is thus only natural that Jintarians interact more with non-shells, with many even coming to somewhat appreciate their presence and make clear distinctions between them and Cytherian positronics. While still under highly restrictive ownership, these IPC enjoy a greater standard of living, usual repairs as well as the lack of fear of living up to unreasonable standards like their counterparts in the more expensive and luxurious locales of Venus.

Corporate synthetics on Venus largely maintain their corporate identity, with some being tailored with a Venusian, mostly Cytherian, flair. Idris’ professional shell service staff and Reclamation Units are often programmed with the accent to cater to the clientele, while in some cases taking on low-scale cosmetic alterations such as fancy antennae, vibrant eye colours or certain skin patterns. Owing to a large Zeng-Hu presence in the pharmaceutical industry, Bishop frames are regularly seen around the megacorporation’s installations, in laboratories and pharmacies, their white and sterile form being a characteristic element of the company’s identity in many Venusians’ eyes.

==Skrell on Venus==
The Nralakk Federation is, to the surprise of very few people, one of the most restrictive states when it comes to public displays of hedonism. Thus it begs the question of what kind of Skrell would dare set foot on Venus, and the answers are fairly simple -- mainly stars and washouts. While there are Skrell on Venus that work in duller fields such as hydroponics, science or medicine, these two groups form the bulk of the popular perception of Skrell on the planet.

'''Skrellian Stars''' are the most represented group of Skrell on Venus, being present in prominent media and with some even having a fairly large following. Most of these Stars are either Federation-sponsored actors from Nralakk, human culture enthusiasts or simply disgruntled Skrell who couldn't make it in the Federation, for one reason or the other. The latter two groups are the most likely to fully embrace Venusian ideals and even venture out to other human nations, whereas the former group -- Nralakk loyalists -- do not partake quite as much and keep a tight lip on topics like dissent.

'''Washouts''', instead, are Skrell that have been completely and utterly socially isolated in the Federation. Most often either successful scientists that have published research deemed too controversial or failed doctors that couldn't meet Nralakk's academic standards, Venus represents a prestigious temporary vacation for them to spend their many leftover credits at. These Skrell stay for a matter of years -- a short time to them, but a long time to everyone else -- drowning away their sorrows until they feel ready to hit the stars once again. Whether those stars are part of Venus' artificial sky or are the Spur's is up for them to decide from their brooding.
{{Navbox Human Lore}}
{{Navbox Lore}}
[[Category:Pages]]
[[Category:Planets_and_Systems]]
[[Category:Humanity]]

File:VenusSkyline.png

2022-09-30T12:59:10Z

MattAtlas:

San Colette

2022-09-13T23:01:27Z

MattAtlas:

{{Navbox Lore}}
{{Navbox Human Lore}}
<center>[[Image:San_Colette.png|500px]]</center>
<center><i>'''The flag of the Sovereign Solarian Republic of San Colette.'''</i></center>

In what is now the Northern Wildlands and was once the northern half of the Middle and Outer Rings of the Solarian Alliance lies a system located auspiciously on the border between the Outer and Middle Rings, directly at the conflux of the warp gates that allow easy transition between the two. This system, Patria Nueva, contains one inhabitable world, and this world is known as San Colette. The '''Sovereign Solarian Republic of San Colette''' is a (now formerly) Solarian nation where many things meet: the Middle and Outer Ring, the Coalition and Alliance, and — now — the forces vying for control of the Northern Wildlands. But the Republic — which was long intended by the Alliance to be a fallback point and redoubt in a theoretical Second Interstellar War — is not without its defenses or, thanks to its still-intact phoron facilities and stockpile, protectors. But with the system now caught between the Solarian Restoration Front and the League, many in the Republic ask themselves a simple question: can San Colette weather the storm which approaches her shores, or will she be swept away like so many others?

'''Because of the ethnic make-up of San Colette’s original settlers and assimilation of immigrants into the native population during and following the Warp Gate Project, human characters born on San Colette will have appearances consistent with the people of Iberian Peninsula. This is enforceable by server moderators and admins.'''

==History==

<center><i>“To understand the history of the Alliance, one must first understand the history of our Republic,” - President (2405-2413) Valentia Carabello, 2352 - 2454.</i></center>

</div></div>
<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed">
===Discovery and Interstellar War History===
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
The system of San Colette was first discovered by astronomers from France in 2272, in the years immediately preceding the devastating Interstellar War. Its original discoverers named it after Saint Colette of Corbie, in the hopes that the system would bring about a peaceful future for the then-struggling Alliance. The system was quite desirable for the Alliance as it contained one readily habitable world, San Colette, and a small planet, D’Anzin, with Helium-3 deposits sufficient enough to justify the expensive task of colonization. The Alliance, desperate for money in the midst of the Second Great Depression, sold off the system’s colonization rights in 2274. The rights were purchased by an unexpected source: rather than a nation-state or corporation purchasing the system’s colonization rights an alliance of Spanish and Portuguese business magnates secured the winning bid with seconds on the clock. The magnates – perhaps out of patriotism or perhaps out of a desire to win the economic goodwill of the government while avoiding the true cost of colonization – gifted the rights of colonization to the governments of Spain and Portugal. Before a colonization plan could be created the Interstellar War (2278 - 2287) broke out, effectively dashing the hopes of many of the prospective settlers.

While the initial hope of an Iberian colony faded in the chaos of the Interstellar War and its economic impact, the desire of many in the region was not extinguished. By the 2330s the worst of the economic crisis had faded into the background and Iberia once again prepared to journey to the stars and in 2338 they launched the first colony ships to San Colette, and towards a new future.
</div></div>

</div></div>
<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed">
===The Early Colonial Era===
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
The journey to San Colette took almost two years due to the distance traversed from Earth and the ad-hoc nature of many of the Alliance’s transportation networks, which had been ravaged by both the Interstellar War and the Second Great Depression. As the five colony ships sent to San Colette traveled across the breadth of the Alliance one of the scientists aboard the lead ship, Doctor Ernesto Castrejon, observed the sorry state of the Alliance’s warp network. Doctor Castejon was, at the time, a scientist of little importance simply sent to assist in the construction of a theoretical warp gate for San Colette which would connect it to the broader Alliance. But as the journey dragged on and Ernesto became increasingly irate, he began to form a greater idea which would transform the broader Alliance. At long last, in 2340, the first colonists arrived in the system of San Colette, ready to begin the immense undertaking of colonizing a new world for the Alliance.

These colonists who landed on San Colette found, as the reports had suggested, an Earthlike world with a pleasant, if somewhat dry, climate. The first colonists to land found themselves on the coast of the largest of San Colette’s three major continents, overlooking a vast blue sea on one side and kilometer after kilometer of grassy, fertile flatlands on the other. The colonists, ecstatic at the good fortune, decided upon a historical name for what would become their capital city: Nueva Isabela. Over time Nueva Isabela would grow and become the primary agricultural and political hub of the fledgling colony as the other four colony ships formed similar settlements. In the far north of its largest continent the settlement of Montblanc was formed, which would become its technological hub. Across the sea from Nueva Isabela the settlement of Porto de Ouro was established, later becoming a major hub for off-world travel. The settlements of Vila Nova de Norte – the most northern major settlement on the planet and one of the few able to function year-round despite the poles’ snowstorms – and Nuevo Villaviciosa – an industrial center located at the mouth of a major river – were both founded on the same continent, the smallest of the three. The five original cities of San Colette would go on to become its hubs, and still dominate its economy today.

Within a decade San Colette had established itself as a young, though quite productive, colony. Helium-3 mining on D’Anzin kept its budget in check and a warp gate, first completed in 2344, ensured shipments of materials were never long in reaching the new colony. But for one man, who had now been promoted to the lead scientist in charge of the Coletter warp gate, it was not enough. What Doctor Castejon had in mind was far greater than one planet, one warp gate, and Helium-3 mining. The doctor had turned his mind towards the future and realized something: with San Colette’s position, which straddled the line between the Middle and Outer Rings, it had a unique opportunity to establish itself as the main point of transit between both rings. Doctor Castejon intended to turn San Colette into a transportation hub, and to transform its economy in the process.
</div></div>

</div></div>
<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed">
===The Warp Gate Project===
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
Doctor Castejon took his idea for a warp gate network in the northern section of the Alliance to the then-governor of San Colette, Beatriz Rada, in 2349. What happened behind the closed doors of the governor’s residence may never be truly known, but both Governor Rada and Doctor Castejon left the meeting with a drive to see the project realized. Following six years of debate, backroom dealings, and extensive political maneuverings the Warp Gate Project – the largest project undertaken by the Alliance – was approved by the Solarian government, and the majority of the construction contracts were awarded to Einstein Engines. Governor Rada and Doctor Castejon had achieved their dream: to make San Colette the largest point of transit between the Middle and Outer Rings, and to bring immense wealth to it in the process.

But there was a catch to this deal. Despite the efforts of Rada and Castejon they were unable to proceed without the support of one of the Alliance’s most significant forces: the Navy, which had become even more powerful in the aftermath of the Interstellar War. The Navy demanded oversight of the project in San Colette’s system itself and the ability to take “reasonable precautions,” in designing a defense for San Colette. The Coletter delegation attempted to protest but rapidly found themselves shut down by the Naval delegation and, surprisingly, the Alliance’s central government. With its economy and prestige battered and bruised by the Interstellar War the civilian government of the Alliance was, at best, unwilling to argue with the Navy and often deferred to it – a trend which would continue into the 25th century, with devastating consequences.

The Navy’s demands for its support were deceptively simple on paper, and only contained one requirement: that San Colette be designated a “fallback point,” for any future conflict with the Coalition. This simple requirement would go on to define San Colette due to the factors required to meet the Navy’s standards for its fallback point. First: A large stockpile – fuel, weaponry, and assorted equipment – would have to be assembled, designated, and placed in the system. Second: Fortifications would have to be constructed to hold off the Coalition for an extended period and the Navy, rather than San Colette, would be the final judge of what constituted enough fortifications to hold off the Coalition from San Colette. Third: A local military, which San Colette had nothing resembling, would have to be formed to man the defenses and secure the system. The gravity of what would have to be done to fulfill this demand, and the impact it would have on the system’s budget, almost immediately caused a crisis in the government which only ended when the Alliance, along with the Navy, promised to subsidize much of the work. But despite the Alliance and Navy’s funding the project remained daunting and would date years, if not decades. Further negotiations ensured San Colette would not have to finish the defenses before the warp gates were built, but they were required to start as soon as possible.

In 2356, following a short period of internal debate regarding the practicality of the Navy’s demands, the warp gate project began in San Colette in earnest. By 2357 the first gate – which connected San Colette to [[Callisto]], another Alliance member state chosen for the Warp Gate Project – opened, and equipment for the creation of additional gates began to flow from the Sol System to San Colette. Gate after gate opened over the following years, bringing more materials and more wealth to San Colette. The gate network brought new industries to San Colette beyond its previous exports, which had mostly consisted of foodstuffs from San Colette itself and Helium-3 mined on D’Anzin. This economic diversification was also driven in part by desperation, as the Navy now required much of the system’s He3 production to be stored for a theoretical emergency. A local shipbuilding industry which specialized in ships designed to work in San Colette itself, rather than traveling abroad, formed as a result of the influx of trade goods. Most importantly for San Colette’s future a local artificial intelligence industry began to grow in the late 2360s. While Colettish AI would never reach the level of sophistication of IPCs on [[Konyang]] due to being based upon indigenous AI designs instead of Glorsh-derived designs, it would become very effective at carrying out the tasks needed to run dozens of warp gates in a singular system. One of the tasks commonly assigned to Colettish AI was the identifying of ships in the system and determining their destinations, which would later prove itself to be of stunning importance.

But the demands of the Navy never left the mind of the inhabitants of the system and, in 2362, work began on the first of what would eventually become four lines of defense of San Colette. The “Rock of San Colette,” as it would become known, was designed to fulfill the Navy’s demands while not destroying San Colette’s budget. At the time of its completion in 2398 the Rock consisted of a series of armed space installations. But this was not enough for the Navy and the government of San Colette was sent back to the drawing board. To the Rock was added the Tools and Field of San Collette, which would become the second and first layers of San Colette’s defensive lines. The Field itself was self-explanatory: a large section of space on the edge of the system was designated as a stellar minefield and filled with a variety of anti-vessel mines. Built from 2375 to 2405, the Tools consist of a ring of automated defenses built using Colettish AI.

While the Navy was relatively content with San Colette’s defenses there remained the matter of training and equipping a local military arm to defend San Colette in the event of a dire emergency. In 2356 the Civil Guard of the Sovereign Solarian Republic of San Colette, or simply the Civil Guard, was founded in response to the Navy’s demands. The Civil Guard, over the next few decades, proved to be a competent and relatively well-equipped force. Its size remained relatively small due to the Guard’s focus on defensive readiness and automated weapons, but constant funding ensured it was never free of willing volunteers. A sense of patriotic duty related to the Civil Guard also began to slowly develop and many Coletters began to view service in it as a way to seize some of their military autonomy back from the Solarian Navy, which had become increasingly unpopular due to its demands.
</div></div>
<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed">
===The Discovery of Phoron===
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
By the early 2400s San Colette had become a beacon of economic stability in the outer Alliance, and served as a hub for trade flowing from much of the northern Spur into the Alliance. In 2402 it was officially declared to be the Sovereign Solarian Republic of San Colette, finally shedding its colonial roots and ascending as a full Solarian member state. As the first decade of the 25th century came to a close the Republic had one of the highest standards of living in the Middle and Outer Rings thanks to its status as a trade hub. But the relationship between the Navy and Republic remained poor and efforts by the Civil Guard to further expand their capabilities were often frustrated by the Navy. In 2415 the Navy-Guard relationship reached a new low when the Guard’s ships were banned from possessing warp engines capable of traveling without a gate, despite the protests of the Republic.

But these protests were soon drowned out in 2417 by the discovery of phoron in the system of Biesel. Coletters, ever poised to increase the prominence of their Republic, rapidly managed to carve out a niche in the growing phoronics industry by establishing processing facilities for the fuel on the surface of D’Anzin. Unused and neglected Einstein facilities were rapidly bought up by the government and converted into facilities which turned inert phoron crystals into a usable form, which was then sold to actors across the Orion Spur. Colettish facilities, while they would not reach the output of Tau Ceti, became an important link in the phoron economy between Tau Ceti and much of the outer Alliance and inner Coalition. Trade to the Coalition was initially severely protested by the Navy, and required the addition of phoron to the Colettish strategic reserve in order to appease them.

The addition of a phoronics industry to the system brought the wealth of the Republic to new levels as the 25th century progressed. The Civil Guard was equipped with domestic ship designs for the first time, another layer — the Spears of the Saint, a series of fifteen massive orbital railguns — was added to the Republic’s defenses at the Navy’s insistence, and a local arms industry began to develop in response to growing fears concerning the Solarian government’s seeming unwillingness to assist more distance colonies such as the Republic. Perhaps most importantly the AI industry of San Colette continued to develop, with more and more deadly semi-autonomous drones being created for the defense of San Colette. While skrellian dignitaries were sometimes quick to point out the dangers of such weapons, Republic officials dissuaded them by noting their semi-autonomous nature required a human hand to guide them and make final decisions, and explaining the designs — unlike typical IPCs — were based on human algorithms and technology.

During the golden years of the phoronics boom, which followed the secession of Biesel, San Colette produced much of the processed phoron consumed by the Alliance. Solarian patriotism and distaste for the Republic of Biesel fueled much of the initial boom, but tight controls by the Navy — which frowned upon selling Colettish phoron to non-Solarian customers — began to slow the boom by the late 2450s. Despite slowing in the 2450s the phoronics boom lasted until the early 2460s. By 2461 the flow of phoron gradually began to slow and many facilities opted to limit their production or entirely cease their operations. Some blamed it on NanoTrasen, which had long had a poor relationship with the Republic, while others claimed the decreasing flow was due to Elyran isolationism. Throughout 2461 and into 2462 the Republic stockpiled more and more phoron, hoping it would be able to slowly release fuel from its strategic reserve in order to preserve their economy during what many viewed as an incoming fuel crisis.

Unfortunately, few could anticipate how grim the crisis would become as 2462 neared its end and many families in the Republic prepared for Christmas.
</div></div>

</div></div>
<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed">
===The Solarian Collapse===
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
Coletters often argue over when the Solarian Collapse truly became unavoidable. Some argue that the Clandestine Incident of 24 October, 2462 — which many in the Republic believe was carried out deliberately by Biesel — marked the start of the end. Others believe the end truly began on 07 November, 2462, when Mars ceased responding to interstellar communications. Or perhaps it was on 11 November, 2462, when the Prime Minister was found dead in his suite. But most argue the Collapse was truly, irreversibly set to happen on 17 November, 2462, when forces from the 58th Fleet opened fire on fellow Solarians. This, to most in the Republic, marked the decisive turning point.

Mere days after this, on 20 November, 2462, the Collapse came to the Republic. The garrison fleet stationed in San Colette, the 67th Fleet, attempted to seize the system for itself. The 67th Fleet, much like its Konyanger counterpart — the 58th — was a smaller fleet loyal more to its admiral, Frederich Müller, than the Solarian government. Admiral Müller demanded the civilian government surrender and hand over the phoron stockpile to him. They refused, and the Battle of San Colette began between the Civil Guard and the 67th Fleet. The Civil Guard and San Colette’s defenses, aided by deserters from the 67th and a home field advantage, eventually routed the 67th and chased them from the system at little cost to themselves. But, due to their inability to pursue them, the 67th was eventually able to find its way to New Atlantica, where its remnants formed the basis of the Anti-Corporate League.

With the defeat of the 67th Fleet the immediate danger had passed for the Republic. However, the chaos of the Solarian Collapse was far from over and during the final two months of 2462 chaos reigned throughout the region San Colette called home. To its galactic west Konyang seceded and the Anti-Corporate League filled the vacuum left by the collapse of Solarian authority in the region. To its east Lycoris, which had at one point helped build the Colettish warp gate network, fell to the Solarian Restoration Front, which began to brutally purge all non-humans from its territory. Solarian fleets collapsed entirely, defected, resorted to piracy, and sometimes became roaming mercenary bands. Refugees began to flow into the Republic from both sides, and the systems around San Colette — many of them too small or otherwise unable to maintain their own fleets — looked to it for aid and some form of protection in this desperate time.

In January 2463 the Republic answered the call of its neighbors by forming a defensive Alliance known as the Middle Ring Shield Pact. The Pact, unfortunately, quickly ran into problems. Many of its systems, while wealthy, were reliant on the Solarian Navy for protection prior to the Collapse and had no appreciable navies of their own. Most, aside from San Colette, additionally suffered from high degrees of megacorporate domination in their local economies. None had the defenses of San Colette and the Civil Guard was unable to patrol every system vying for membership due to its small size and lack of independent warp engines. Even worse was the economic situation: many gates into Sol itself had been damaged or otherwise closed during the months of the Collapse and the businesses of the Republic now had a desperate need to find new markets before an economic meltdown began.

Salvation would arrive later in January in an unusual form: the former 5th Middle Ring Battlegroup, now better known as the Free Solarian Fleets, under the command of Fleet Admiral van der Rensburg. The mercenaries of the Fleets were tempted by the Republic with a rare prize: phoron from its stockpile and a port to call home. The current President of the Republic, Maribel Sarmiento, and van der Rensburg have a very amiable relationship but many in the Republic — particularly in its Civil Guard — know the loyalty of the Fleets, despite the privileges granted to them, only goes as deep as the Republic’s pockets. Whether they will stand and fight against the enemies of the Pact remains a matter of great concern, particularly for those beyond the reach of San Colette’s defenses.

Resolving the economic crisis caused by the Collapse was simpler than many in the Pact and Republic originally expected. With the collapse of Solarian authority in what became the Corporate Reconstruction Zone, much of the food supply line was interrupted and a new need for weaponry emerged. San Colette, stripped of many of its more high-end export routes, has fallen back onto exporting two mainstays of humanity to the CRZ via Tau Ceti in the meantime: foodstuffs and weaponry. By summer 2463 the economic crisis was resolved. However the necessity to maintain good trade relations with Biesel has led to the SRF and League becoming more vitriolic in their rhetoric towards the Pact, but what can one do? To trade with the Alliance means trade must go through the SRF, and to trade with the Coalition one must go through the League. Coletters have thus been forced into an awkward, perhaps temporary, economic relationship with Biesel.

As the Republic looks forwards towards what many in its view as an inevitable, existential war against its regional rivals in the Northern Wildlands, many in it dread what the future may hold. While it maintains a better standard of living than most of the Wildlands — and a significant amount of the frontier — it remains teetering on a knife’s edge, pressed between two warlord states which despise it and forced to trade with a corporate state which desires to dominate it. The Republic and its people must chart a steady course through the waves of the Collapse, or be swamped and drown in it.
</div></div>

==Environment==

<center><i>“Oh, San Colette! My homeland so fair! The land of our own, and no others compare!”</i> - Excerpt from the Anthem of the Sovereign Solarian Republic of San Colette (2408)</center>

===The System of San Colette===

The system of San Colette consists of four major stellar bodies including its star, Nueva Hispaniola. The nearest stellar body to Nuevo Hispaniola is a small and barren planet known as San Felipe. Due to its closeness to the star San Felipe is entirely uninhabitable and its only man-made features are a neglected series of solar power facilities built by Einstein Engines during the Warp Gate Project which exist both in the orbit of San Felipe and on its surface. The rusting hulks of these facilities are occasionally used for target practice by the Civil Guard but otherwise rarely receive visitors due to their proximity to Nuevo Hispaniola and the presence of unexploded firing range munitions aboard them.

Further out from Nuevo Hispaniola lies the temperate world of San Colette, where the vast majority of the system’s population can be found. San Colette’s surface is defined by its three large continents and large ice cape at its poles. The planet is remarkably hospitable and relatively Earthlike, with no major meteorological phenomena occurring on its surface. It has one natural satellite, San Colette Minor. The moon of San Colette is a barren rock without any major settlements. Scattered Civil Guard facilities and private mining platforms can be seen across its surface. But no reasonable Coletter would describe San Colette Minor as their home.

Thousands of miles beyond San Colette, towards the edge of its system, lies the frozen planet of D’Anzin. The thick layers of ice and rock which cover the surface of D’Anzin are rich in deposits of Helium-3, the fuel which powers the warp gates of the Republic. For nearly as long as humans have called the system home there have been mining operations on the surface of D’Anzin and the planet is covered in a variety of mines, in various states of repair and functionality, as a result. Recently D’Anzin had become home to a new form of energy production: phoronics. The planet’s remote location and lack of large settlements has made it the ideal location to process raw phoron into usable fuel, and all of the Republic’s processing facilities can be found on D’Anzin itself or in its orbit.

Beyond the orbit of D’Anzin and the massive warp gates near it lies the Colettish Belt, a sizable ring of asteroids which surrounds the system. Asteroids and comets found in the Belt contain little of value and much of the Belt itself is designated as a restricted military zone due to the presence of the Republic’s second layer of defense: the Tools of the Saint. Automated defenses are scattered throughout the Belt and wandering into it, or deliberately tampering with the defenses, often results in injury, death, or time in a prison on San Colette. The extent to which the Belt is fortified remains a secret of the Republic few are aware of.

===The Planet of San Colette===

The climate of San Colette is temperate and relatively Earthlike, which helped ease its colonization. Its surface is defined by three continents — Maria, Nueva Norte, and Morro — separated by large seas and covered in a variety of climates. The planet’s poles are covered in ice caps which have shrunk following colonization by an insignificant amount, and San Colette Minor provides enough of a gravitational pull to create a system of tides. San Colette is relatively free of freak meteorological phenomena and has four seasons which roughly correspond to their earthbound counterparts.

====Regions====

The continent of Maria is the largest of the three and is home to the capital of Nueva Isabela and the industrial center of Montblanc, which is in its more northern regions. Maria is easily divided into two major regions: a large, grassy flatland called the Colettish Plains known for its rich soil which has long been the agricultural heartland of San Colette and the more northern forests of Cristobal. The Colettish Plains are home to Nueva Isabela and are dotted by many smaller towns, ranging from cities of thousands to villages of mere hundreds. It is separated from Cristobal by the uncreatively named Northern Range, a old and quite short mountain range which bisects the continent and is home to many mining operations. Cristobal is colder and criss-crossed by various rivers, eventually transitioning into taiga and then polar ice in its north. Montblanc, a Colettish industrial center, sits at the mouth of one of these rivers, which allows it to easily receive minerals from the Range and lumber from further inside Cristobal.

Across the sea from Maria, to its west, lies the mostly unpopulated continent of Morro. The continent is dominated by a large, arid scrubland known as the Hinterlands which often suffers from droughts and fires. It is home to the settlement of Porto de Ouro, which is unique among San Colette’s major settlements as it mostly lies off of the shore of Morro on a series of island chains — some natural and some artificial. The flat planes near it have been mostly cleared of plant life by Coletters and now serve as a major offworld hub. Much of Morro is poorly explored aside from satellite photography and rumors of mineral wealth have long motivated expeditions into it — though few return with much of value.

The third, and smallest, of the continents is Nuevo Norte, a highly-populous region home to two major settlements. Nuevo Norte is the furthest north of the three continents and is mostly defined by taiga and tundra, though some regions in its south are more hospitable. In its far north lies Vila Nova de Norte, a scientific hub which is known for its freezing temperatures and frequent snowstorms. Vila Nova stands on the edge of a large, flat tundra known as the Guard’s Tundra due to its use as a proving ground for Civil Guard weaponry. To the south of the continent in one of its few temperate regions is Nuevo Villaviciosa, the planet’s major shipbuilding center. Nuevo Villaviciosa is one of the few locations in the Middle Ring to feature a functional space elevator, which lies slightly offshore and is visible from almost anywhere on Nuevo Norte.

==Life on San Colette==

<center><i>“I swear to defend the Republic, its people, and its values at any cost. I will uphold the values of freedom enshrined in our constitution, even if it costs me my life.”</i> - Except from the Colettish Oath taken by Civil Guard personnel prior to beginning training.</center>

The culture and daily life of a typical Coletter is informed by both the planet’s past as a planet settled by the nations of Iberia and its more recent history as a trade hub for the broader Alliance. Coletters value familial bonds, duty to the Republic, and are often seen as friendly and outgoing people by the broader Alliance. Coletters are known to be very talkative abroad and often stand very close to their conversation partners, which can result in some awkward encounters for those unused to Colettish conversation customs.

To a typical Coletter familial bonds are very important, and several generations of the same family will often live very close to one another — occasionally even in the same house! Holidays are viewed as a chance to catch up with one’s family and, prior to the Collapse, Coletters abroad would often return home for major holidays even as the cost of travel increased due to the phoron crisis. These holiday celebrations are often accompanied by the traditional dance of San Colette: the flamenco.

One of the key cultural tenets of Colettish life is a sense of duty to the Republic which has been ingrained in Colettish culture for several generations. Initially starting as a reaction to the anger many felt at the Solarian Navy, this feeling has helped cement the Civil Guard as a key cultural pillar of the Republic. Enlistment, particularly enrolling as an officer, is seen as a prestigious duty and many middle class Coletter families will try to enroll at least one child into the Civil Guard. In many Colettish households it is a common sight to see a photo of a relative in the uniform of the Civil Guard placed prominently on a wall or above a fireplace.

===Holidays===

The Republic celebrates a multitude of holidays throughout the year. Some are derived from historical events while others are rooted in the historical culture and religion of the original Iberian settlers of San Colette. Listed below are some of the more notable holidays in the Republic:

* The Beatification (23 January): A celebration of the beatification of Colette of Corbie, whom the Republic derives its name from. Perhaps the most important holiday in the Republic, the Beatification is often marked by celebrations of the previous year and public carnivals.

* Holy Week (movable — generally falls in late March or early April): A religious, cultural, and social event combined into one, the Holy Week has its roots in both Catholicism and the Spanish roots of San Colette’s settlers. Holy Week celebrations vary based upon the region of the planet they take place in but often involve distinctive costumed processions, many of which date back to Earth.

* Republic Day (15 June): A celebration of San Colette being officially declared the Sovereign Solarian Republic of San Colette.

* Civil Guard Day (22 June): A celebration of the establishment of the Civil Guard, San Colette’s local military force. Traditionally, Civil Guard officer candidates officially graduate from the Naval Academy of Nueva Isabela on this day.

* Colonization Day (5 October): The day the first settlers landed on the surface of San Colette. Officially made a holiday in 2421, shortly after the Republic was declared. This holiday is often viewed as a chance to reflect upon San Colette’s past and future, and has become quite solemn following the Solarian Collapse.

* Christmas Day (December 25): Christmas in San Colette arguably starts with the drawing of the Christmas lottery on 22 December, which itself has its own traditions around its first prize (locally referred to as “the Big One,”) and “luck pilgrimages,” made to the lottery booty which sold the last year’s first prize ticket. Christmas itself has changed little from its Earther roots and serves as a day to celebrate with one’s family and relatives.

* Saint Sebastian’s Day (December 26): Often considered to be a continuation of Christmas, this holiday has similar religious and cultural roots. It is typically treated as a quiet day to spend time with family and reflect upon the previous year.

===Refugees===

Most current residents of the Republic who are not native Coletters are instead refugees from other sections of what is now the Northern Wildlands. These refugees are a diverse group of Solarians, and other citizens, drawn to San Colette by its relative stability in the maelstrom of the Solarian Collapse. The refugees are a diverse group due to their variety of origins: some come from the industrial world of Lycoris and have opted to flee the violence of the SRF, while others are offworlders from stations cannibalized by the League for spare parts. Rarely non-human refugees — skrell, the rare tajara, and handfuls of IPCs — trickle into the system from territory now controlled by the SRF, exhausted from a harrowing journey barely ahead of the Front’s internal police.

When they arrive most are sent to refugee settlements on San Colette — hopefully temporary arrangements on the edge of Colettish cities — where they are given a residence and the option of work. Most of these refugees follow two career paths: the more common option is to enlist in the Civil Guard, which desperately requires troops to defend San Colette. The second path is to work in the phoron refineries of D’Anzin, which few choose to do. Those who do opt to work on the phoronics facilities can find themselves away from their families for weeks at a time due to the remote location of D’Anzin and the difficulties of travel due to fuel rationing. IPC refugees, due to their status in Sol, do not have the liberty to choose. They are conscripted into the Civil Guard upon arrival in the Republic, regardless of ownership status, and given a chance to earn freedom, in the form of transport to Biesel or another system of choice, through two years of military service.

Not all refugees have found San Colette welcoming. Resources are often limited due to the economic malaise inflicted by the Collapse and native Coletters often receive goods before their refugee counterparts, who must depend on the government for support. Policing in refugee camps is often a difficult matter due to the small size of San Colette’s domestic police force and the exponentially-increasing number of refugees. Many are concerned that the Republic will soon be entirely unable to accept refugees due to their sheer number, but the flow of desperate people fleeing warlords shows no sign of stopping in the immediate future.

===Language===

The primary language of San Colette is the Colettish dialect of Tradeband, which is often simply referred to as Colettish Tradeband. This variant of Tradeband has been heavily influenced by its Iberian roots but has its own unique twists. The name of the system, San Colette, is typically rendered in Colettish Tradeband rather than in its original names of Sainte-Colette and Santa Coleta.

Solarian Common is the typical secondary language for most Coletters out of necessity, and is taught in Colettish primary schools. Other human languages, such as Elyran Standard and Freespeak, are rarely spoken by natives of the Republic. Freespeak is the more common of the two due to the Republic’s status as a trade hub of the northern Alliance, but is rarely spoken by native Coletters.

==Military==

===The Defenses of San Colette===

<center><i>“We must form a wall of steel around our Republic. We must ensure no invader is able to seize San Colette. We must be ready to die for our Republic if necessary.”</i> - Admiral Emerico Tolentino (2403 - ), Commander of the Civil Guard (2455 - Present)</center>

The defenses of the system of San Colette are a complex, multi-layered ring of defenses which completely surround the system on all sides. Built by both the Republic and Navy over the course of decades, the Bastion of San Colette cost a massive amount of Solarian Credits to construct and stands as a contemporary marvel of spaceborne engineering. The Bastion has four layers, with the first being the most outer, which have their own names and purposes. The garrison of the Bastion has long been the Civil Guard, the Republic’s local military force.

The first layer of the Bastion is the most simple one. Typically referred to as the Field of San Colette, the first layer consists of a wide arrangement of anti-ship mines intended to slow and deter potential attackers. The mines themselves can often be decades old due to the sheer amount used, but remain an effective deterrent for all but the most organized attackers. A recent addition to the first layer are the destroyed husks of several 67th Fleet vessels which were lost inside it during the Battle of San Colette. As removing them was deemed too risky, the husks, for now, simply remain in the Field of San Colette as grim warnings for any warlord who wishes to assail the Republic. The first layer is the only defensive layer beyond the Colettish belt, the asteroid field at the end of San Colette’s system.

After the minefields lies the Colettish Belt, which is home to the second layer of the Bastion: the Tools of San Colette. The Tools which this layer derives its name from are a series of automated defenses spread throughout the asteroid belt which switch online if given the appropriate signal by operators further inside the Republic. Many of the defenses in this layer have been built into asteroids and are very difficult to spot from a distance. The second layer is not intended to stop an invader on its own, and its primary purpose is to delay them for the next layers.

The third of the Bastion’s layers is the Rock of San Colette. This layer consists of a large number of stellar facilities, many of which are considered to be stellar fortresses, intended to hold off any attacker until they exhaust themselves or reinforcements arrive. The majority of the Civil Guard serves in these fortifications, which also serve as a berth for the Guard’s fleets. While intimidating, the Rock is the oldest of the Bastion’s defensive lines and many of its fortifications were originally constructed in the mid 24th century. Modernization efforts began in the mid 25th century but slowed in the years leading up to the Collapse due to a lack of Navy funding. Following the Collapse the Republic has begun a rapid effort to modernize the Rock in order to hold off a theoretical attack by both the League and SRF. But fortunately for the fortifications of the Rock another layer lies beyond them which can easily support the third layer.

The fourth, and technically smallest, layer of the Bastion are the appropriately-named Spears of Saint Colette. A modern array of fifteen defensive stations equipped with massive Magellan-class interstellar railguns, the Spears are able to target and destroy an enemy vessel in any of the Bastion’s layers. The Spears are staffed by the best troops of the Civil Guard and require an immense amount of power to fire their tungsten rod projectiles, which can weigh up to several tons. As a result of their power requirements the Spears have large solar arrays which provide them with enough power to charge their railguns. The Spears are able to hold enough power for several sequential shots before recharging is required, but the size of their projectiles — which must be moved into place by massive machines — naturally limits their rate of fire. But when the Spears do strike true, they bring devastating consequences. The railgun station El Conquistador impacted a Taipei-class vessel during the Battle of San Colette, disabling it in one hit and causing its reactor to go critical, eventually consuming the entire ship in a massive explosion.

The railgun stations of San Colette have been given nicknames by their crew and are often referred to by said nicknames in the press. Below are the nicknames of the Spears of San Colette.

</div></div>
<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed">
'''The Railguns'''
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
* El Conquistador
* El Cid
* O Matadeira
* Rey Carlos III
* Lanza Sagrada
* Vasco da Gama
* Esmeralda
* Dom Henrique
* Reina Isabela
* Médico Castrejon
* Governadora Rada
* Senhor Presidente
* Mano de Dios
* Rey de la Guerra
* Dedo do Destino
</div></div>

===The Civil Guard===
[[File:Civil_Guard.png|thumb|The coat of arms of the Civil Guard of the Sovereign Solarian Republic of San Colette, adopted shortly after its creation.]]
<center><i>“Hold, Fight, Win.”</i> - Official motto of the Civil Guard of San Colette, adopted in 2435. </center>

The uniformed military of San Colette is the Civil Guard of the Sovereign Solarian Republic of San Colette, often simply referred to as the Civil Guard. Prior to the Solarian Collapse the Civil Guard was a local militia branch of the Solarian Navy tasked with defending San Colette itself which was not expected to travel beyond its borders for any serious duties. As with many militias the ships of the Civil Guard were not equipped by the Navy with warp engines in order to make a rebellion by the Republic harder to carry out. Despite this limit placed upon it the Civil Guard has always been looked upon as a way to minimize Navy influence in the Republic and its government has cut no corners in funding and equipping it. Service in the Civil Guard has always been viewed as an honorable duty by Coletters, due to the popular view of it as a way to keep the Republic’s defense free of Navy influence. The overall commander of the Guard holds the rank of Admiral, in order to theoretically never outrank any Navy fleet commander. The Guard’s officers, and most of its enlisted, are drawn from San Colette’s population and the Republic has never instituted a draft in its history.

The soldiers and officers of the Civil Guard are well-equipped, well-trained, and well-motivated to defend their home. Civil Guard officers are easily distinguishable from their Solarian counterparts by their blue-and-white uniforms and peaked “crusher” caps. The marines of the Guard wear green fatigues and grey armor which is entirely atmospherically sealed— a design intended to assist in actions in the Republic’s phoronics facilities. Despite this training and funding, San Colette’s lack of a draft, and an unwillingness to implement one, has led to something of a manpower shortage during the Collapse. These experienced troops are supported by a robust network of semi-autonomous systems and drones which do much of the menial work for them. These robots are desperately needed now as the Civil Guard has, for as long as it has existed, been a relatively small organization and Navy personnel who were expected to fill in its gaps during a crisis have either defected, died, or turned mercenary.

Fortunately for the Civil Guard a readily-available source of personnel exists in the Republic: its growing refugee population, many of which are desperate for work and motivated to hang onto what little peace they have managed to find in the Wildlands. These refugees are most often human Solarian citizens from elsewhere in the Middle and Outer Rings and are given heavy incentives to join the Civil Guard, which desperately wishes to not be seen as press-ganging refugees into joining its forces. Those that do join are often given menial work in order to free up Coletters and their automated drones for more important work. Easily distinguished from their Coletter counterparts by their drab brown uniforms the enlisted refugees of the Civil Guard are given as much training as time can spare and sent off to the Guard to serve in it as low-ranking enlisted. Many serve as staff on the myriad defensive installations of the Republic in a variety of roles, where they are often desperately needed.

But despite these refugee soldiers partially resolving the manpower problems of San Colette, many in the Civil Guard are concerned about the untested nature of these new soldiers. Others worry about the loyalty of the refugees to the Republic as historically most members of the Civil Guard are native Coletters. Some more practical members of the Republic worry about the equipment of the refugee soldiers, which is often well below the standards of Colettish officers and marines. But none can deny the necessity of the refugees for the Guard, and almost all are willing to bend traditions for the sake of survival in these increasingly desperate times.

===Domestic Ship Designs===

The Republic is, by the standards of the Outer and Middle Rings, quite a wealthy and prosperous system with a large local fleet for its own defense. Thanks to its large amounts of funding the Civil Guard is one of the few local militias to field its own combat-capable designs. While not entirely original creations due to being heavily modified versions of typical Solarian Navy vessels, the locally-designed ships of San Colette are quite capable and, prior to the collapse, were often exported to Solarian systems across the Outer and Middle Rings.

The most iconic Colettish ship design is the Castillo-class battleship. First launched in 2442 and often locally referred to as a “dreadnought,” the Castillo is based upon a common Solarian battleship design dating back to the early 2430s, but trades the common “tuning fork,” design of typical Solarian Navy vessels for a boxier one. The Castillo lacks a warp drive and has a short operating range, but makes up for these drawbacks by possessing heavier weaponry and more armor than its Navy counterpart. Prior to the Collapse many ships of this class were produced on commission to be sold abroad. Following the Collapse the commissioned ships still in drydock were instead given over to the Civil Guard, customers be damned. Tourists visiting San Colette would often purchase small models of Castillo-class battleships as knickknacks. But with the Collapse this industry faded rapidly, and untold miniatures of San Colette’s iconic dreadnought now languish in the back rooms of shops across the Republic.

While less iconic than its dreadnought counterpart the Caballero-class heavy cruiser is another Colettish design which has been exported across Outer and Middle Ring. First launched in 2412 the Caballero-class is a mainstay of Civil Guard fleets and its updated 2452 version serves an important role as a screening ship for larger Castillo-class battleships. The Caballero is based on a Solarian Navy cruiser and, like its larger counterpart, trades the “tuning fork,” design for a boxier shape. It lacks a warp drive and has a much shorter operational range, but compensates for this by having heavier armor and more weaponry than its Navy counterpart. This class was commonly sold to other Solarian systems on commission prior to the Collapse and can, in a bitterly ironic twist, occasionally be seen on the battlefields of the Northern Wildlands in SRF, League, or FSF colors as a result.

One design which has not been exported is the small and relatively unassuming Cabral-class light cruiser. Designed in 2427 the Cabral goes against typical Colettish ship design conventions: it is fast, able to fly long ranges without resupplying its fuel, and has few artillery pieces of its own. What it does have are large launch bays and a well-developed sensor suite to compliment its role as a drone carrier rather than a proper cruiser. A typical vessel of this class is fitted with a variety of Albatros type semi-autonomous drones which allow the vessel to punch far above its weight. The rare Civil Guard patrol fleets which can be found outside of San Colette in the wider Pact often consist of Cabral-class vessels escorted by FSF ships. Like its heavier counterparts the Cabral has no warp engines and cannot independently jump, but is capable of outrunning almost any vessels which attempt to close with it thanks to its powerful sublight engines.

The Mosquito-class corvette is the smallest of the Civil Guard’s domestic designs. It is based on the Navy’s Montevideo-class patrol ship but diverges from its Navy counterpart in several manners. First is its removal of the “tuning fork,” design in favor of a central, and more armored, crew compartment. Second is its removal of the boarding arm in favor of two drone bays, one on each side of the vessel, and several fixed artillery guns. The Mosquito was originally designed for export alone as a smaller version of the Cabral-class light cruiser but has been pressed into service with the Civil Guard due to the Collapse. It is typically commanded by a junior Coletter officer and Coletter drone technician who are assisted by a crew of refugee soldiers.

===Drone Warfare===

<center><i>“This is Operator 77 confirming good effect of my Navaja wing on target. Looks like the reactor’s hit. Might go critical soon, going to redirect an Albatros to it. Operator 77 out.”</i> - Lieutenant Emiliana del Moral (2441 - ) minutes before the 67th Fleet’s flagship, Redoubtable, was destroyed by a reactor explosion during the Battle of San Colette (20 November, 2462).</center>

The Civil Guard has long been limited by two things: its small size and its lack of independent warp capabilities. These limiters have turned it into a force focused on the defensive with only limited offensive capabilities. But more importantly its small size has caused it to pursue a very unusual force multiplier for interstellar combat: the use of semi-autonomous drones controlled from either ships or stations. The first combat-capable Colettish drones and AI-managed weapons platforms were produced in the 2350s and have only improved over the intervening century. Colettish AI weaponry can be roughly divided into stationary and mobile categories, with stationary weaponry primarily serving as autonomous weapons platforms found throughout the defenses of the Republic and mobile weapons forming the category of drones.

The mainstay drone of the Civil Guard is the Albatros type semi-autonomous drone. The Albatros is a relatively recent design which dates back to 2442 and utilizes Colettish AI designs rather than more complicated AIs found on [[Konyang]]. Despite repeated protests by some skrellian figures the Albatros has been a commercial success due and is well-known across the Alliance due to it being exported across Alliance space by Colettish defense firms. The Albatros is a highly modular design which is cheap to produce and effective in space combat due to its powerful engines, small profile, and relatively large missile payload. As a semi-autonomous drone the Albatros requires permission from a human operator before it is authorized to go “weapons hot,” and engage hostile targets. Most Guard defense installations have several wings of Albatros drones armed with a variety of weaponry up to and including anti-capital ship armaments.

The most well-known variant of the Albatros type drone is the Navaja type semi-autonomous drone. The Navaja trades the missile payload of the Albatros for a significantly more powerful engine and a large shaped charge which makes up the main body of the drone. The purpose of this drone is quite simple: upon being authorized to engage a target by an operator it will attempt to ram the target before detonating its charge (and itself, by proxy). A Navaja is not intended for more than one mission and is often stored in a folded-up position in order to fit more of the drones into a hangar. The drone’s name comes from the distinctive click-clack noise their wings make while unfolding, which resembles that of the fighting knife bearing the same name. The Navaja is not sold abroad but many are kept in Civil Guard facilities in the event of an attack. One of these drones destroyed the flagship of the 67th Fleet, the battleship Redoubtable, when its shaped charge penetrated into the ship’s engine room and caused its reactor to go critical.

The largest of the Civil Guard’s drones is the Kestrel-class gunboat. It is one of the older Guard drones still in service and dates back to 2398, though modernizations have kept it relatively viable. The Kestrel is the size of a corvette with heavy armor and more artillery than a typical ship of its size, and is typically used to patrol the defensive zones of San Colette due to its age. Like its smaller counterpart the Kestrel is very adaptable and can fulfill a variety of roles in the Guard. Like many Colettish designs the Kestrel was sold to Solarian systems across the Alliance prior to the Collapse and can be found in the hands of many formerly Solarian warlords. As a patrol vessel the Kestrel is more autonomous than most Colettish drones but still requires human authorization to engage its targets. Though scheduled for retirement in 2465, the chaos of the Collapse has forced these dated drones to remain in service as every weapon counts.

===Mercenaries===

While the Civil Guard is able to secure the system of San Colette itself, its lack of warp engines and the short operational range of most of its vessels limits its ability to patrol the broader Pact. The Guard’s limited stock of ships which have defected or been captured from the 67th Fleet have warp engines and a longer operating range, but are not present in sufficient numbers to effectively secure the borders of the Pact. Non-Colettish forces are often in even worse states, with some having no local militaries to speak of. Others rely on hand-me-down Solarian Navy equipment which cannot hope to win in an even fight against the more modern ships of the SRF or League.

In January 2463 a deal was struck by the Republic and other members of the Pact with the recently-former Free Solarian Fleets to have their mercenaries fill in where the Civil Guard could not. The Pact exchanges goods in the Colettish strategic reserve and berths in Colettish facilities for patrols of its border and skirmishes with both the SRF and League. The arrangement has proven to be quite beneficial, particularly due to the Republic placing cash bounties on the destruction, capture, or otherwise disabling of enemy vessels. Most FSF vessels find themselves engaged in the Pact and its surrounding territories rather than in the nearby Corporate Reconstruction Zone, with some notable exceptions.

But not all appreciate the presence of the mercenaries in the Republic despite the security they offer to the Pact members outside of it. FSF mercenaries are known to become rowdy while on shore leave in the Republic and often run afoul of its authorities. Others are concerned about the loyalties of the mercenaries. Ultimately if they only fight for the Republic and Pact for money, who is to say they would not turn on it if paid a greater sum?

==Government==

<center><i>“We, as the government of the Republic of San Colette, derive our legitimacy from the people, not the Solarian Navy! I will not stand idly by while Solarian officers who have never set foot in our Republic demand more and more from us!”</i> - Excerpt from a speech by Representative Leandro Resendes (2418 - ) protesting the transfer of more phoron to San Colette’s strategic reserve (15 August, 2462).</center>

The Sovereign Solarian Republic of San Colette is, as one may glean from its name, a democratic republic which was a Solarian member state until the Solarian Collapse in late 2462. The Republic is ruled by a President elected by popular vote for a maximum of two four-year terms. Immediately below the President is the Colettish Assembly, a single-house representative body made up of Representatives elected by Colettish citizens. These representatives serve for a single six year term and cannot be re-elected — a deliberate choice by the Republic’s founders to avoid an oligarchy.

Coletters have a relatively high amount of confidence in their government when compared to their Middle Ring counterparts such as New Hai Phongers and Silversunners. The most common reasons given for this are a lack of corruption, minimal megacorporate presence in local politics, and a perception that Colettish politicians place the good of the Republic above their personal gain. Many believe this dedication to the Republic is rooted in many Colettish politicians having served with the Civil Guard prior to entering politics.

Politically the Civil Guard is generally uninvolved and uninterested. From its creation there was an express intent to avoid the level of political tampering the Solarian Navy is known for and the consequences that have resulted from this tampering, such as — arguably — the Collapse itself. The Admiral of the Civil Guard, its overall commander, is subordinate to the President. The vast majority of Civil Guard personnel see it as their duty to serve the Republic, rather than the Republic serving them. Some theorists argue that the cultural veneration of the Civil Guard has been a major contributing factor to its comfort with being subordinate to the civilian government of the Republic. Others, however, point out that the Civil Guard tampers with politics in its own way: many politicians have a background in the Guard and have long been willing to give it preferential treatment for what they argue is the good of the Republic as a whole.

The current President of the Republic is Maribel Sarmiento (2412 - ). Elected in 2462 and a current member of the Colettish Progressive Party, President Sarmiento’s term has been marked by crisis after crisis. As of 2464 she has so far effectively led the Republic through the most turbulent time in its history but remains concerned she will be unable to handle everything thrown at her, particularly with the Progressive Party’s loss of an electoral majority in 2463. The President remains wildly popular and is seen by many as the Savior of San Colette in the era of the Solarian Collapse.

===Political Parties===

Politics in the Republic have long been dominated by three major political parties: the Republican Unity Party, the Colettish Progressive Party, and the Socialist Party of San Colette. None of the three parties maintains absolute dominance and the status of largest party in the Republic often switches hands. As a general rule all Coletter political parties are fairly hawkish due to the deep integration of service in the Civil Guard in the system’s cultural identity. To go against this cultural trend in the Republic is to effectively commit political suicide.

The Republican Unity Party (PUR) is the currently dominant party in San Colette’s government. While broadly viewed as belonging to the ideological school of Solarian Conservatism the PUR differs on several points from its Lunan counterpart. It is more militant and favors greater military spending and is generally anti-corporate while being pro-Coletter businesses. These two differences, along with the PUR opting to keep social welfare policies established by their rivals in place, have allowed the PUR to successfully retain power after the Collapse when so many other conservatives lost their power.

The Colettish Progressive Party (PPC) is the main rival of the PUR. Widely considered a variation on traditional Callistean social democracy, the PPC is significantly more hawkish than its jewel world counterparts and is well known for establishing a robust system of social programs in the Republic during the 2410s. The PPC had the misfortune of being in power during the Collapse and quickly lost much of its influence during the elections of 2463, but has managed to retain a significant minority in the government. When it can cooperate with its more socialist counterpart, the PPC, itis fully capable of passing legislation, despite being a minority.

The smallest party of the three is the Socialist Party of San Colette (PSSC). The PSSC is a strange combination of mainstream Solarian populist thought and New Hai Phongese socialist theory which abhors corporations while at the same time voicing unwavering support for the military. The eclectic stance of the PSSC has given it the least presidencies of the three parties but has turned it into an effective swing bloc in the government: PSSC representatives will typically vote with the PPC but have been known to cross the isle to vote with the PUR when matters of the Civil Guard are concerned.

===Foreign Relations===

The position of the Republic and the Pact more generally is an awkward one. It is sandwiched between two outright hostile warlords, the League and the SRF, to its galactic east and west and is bordered by the chaotic CRZ to its galactic south. Above it to its flaccid north lies mostly uncolonized space free of major powers. The Republic and Pact must thus play their cards very carefully or risk losing the thing they value the most: their independence from the neighboring states.

A state of undeclared war exists between the Pact and both the Solarian Restoration Front and the League of Independent Corporate-Free Systems. The SRF despises the Pact as a weak proxy of alien-dominated corporations, while the League views it as simply dominated by corporations — and many former 67th Fleet members view San Colette with exceptional bitterness.

In contrast to these twin threats is the nearby [[Republic of Biesel]]. Due to currently being gripped by the spasms of an ongoing phoron crisis Biesel, and the corporate masters which control it, have a desperate need for phoron and phoron processing facilities. San Colette can provide both and has successfully used this to open up the CRZ and Tau Ceti for trade. Colettish facilities provide a small yet significant part of the Republic’s phoron processing capabilities. While this small percentage means severing San Colette’s facilities from Biesel would not be fatal for either party, it would certainly be inconvenient and is thus best avoided. While Biesel has not yet offered military aid to San Colette and the Pact directly it has, at the least, helped to relieve its post-Collapse economic woes. But many in the Pact look to Biesel with caution, concerned of becoming another sector of the increasingly unstable CRZ. The question for the Pact is deceptively simple: at which point does cooperation become dependence, and dependence annexation?

Beyond the SRF lies the former master of the Northern Wildlands, the now-shrunken Solarian Alliance. Trade with the broader Alliance, which at one point fueled the Colettish economy, has become impossible due to having to pass through the hostile SRF. Even worse, the Alliance is seen by many Coletters as being inactive — or even complicit — with the problem of the SRF. But many look back on the era of the Alliance prior to its Collapse with great nostalgia, viewing it as a time of relative stability — or at least an era where Solarians were unified instead of killing one another over politics and fuel.

===Police===

The civilian police of the Republic have been heavily influenced by the cultural emphasis placed upon military service in San Colette. The Planetary Police of San Colette (PPSC) are a highly-trained and very competent force by the standards of Solarian policing agencies. It almost always recruits its patrol officers from former members of the Civil Guard, leading to an older-than-average street police force as a result. Coletters have a high level of trust in the PPSC due to its reputation as a competent and incorruptible agency. PPSC officers often work alongside their still-serving counterparts in the Civil Guard, which has caused many outside observers to sarcastically refer to the PPSC as a retirement club for Civil Guard marines. Due to the difficulty of becoming a patrol officer and the high standards which must be met to remain in service, the PPSC has a relatively small number of officers on the street.

The small number of the PPSC’s officers has led to difficulties as the number of refugees traveling to the Republic has increased and increasingly large numbers of FSF mercenaries choose San Colette for their shore leave. Many departments have opted to loosen their infamously high recruitment standards since the Collapse in order to keep pace with the demands of post-Solarian San Colette, to varying degrees of success. Some departments have instead opted to rely on the assistance of Civil Guard military police, which is not always readily available. Whether or not the PPSC can keep the peace in the Republic’s streets and refugee settlements remains a question to be answered, and the commissioners and captains of the force hope they will not be found wanting.

===Education===

The most well-known school of higher learning in the Republic is likely the '''Naval Academy of Nueva Isabela''', located in the capital city of the same name. The Academy, as it is often simply known, has trained all Civil Guard officers since the Guard’s founding without exception. Prior to the Collapse it occasionally hosted officers from other Solarian militias and was very rarely visited by the Solarian Navy itself. The Academy has an attached AI research facility where new drones are produced for use by the Civil Guard or export beyond the Republic’s borders and is most recently known for producing the Navaja type semi-autonomous drone, which is itself a variant on the earlier Albatros type semi-autonomous drone.

The primary producer of Colettish AI is not the Academy but the '''Montblanc Institute of Research''', or '''MIR'''. Arguably the most prestigious university on San Colette, the MIR has produced many of the designs the Civil Guard now uses, with its most famous product assuredly being the Albatros type semi-autonomous drone. Due to the sensitive nature of much of its research, the MIR only accepts students from San Colette itself and does not permit those from other Solarian worlds, or foreigners, to attend. While this has proven to be a controversial stance, the government has always sided with the MIR, citing reasons of national security as their motivation.

==Economics==

<center><i>“The main export of San Colette should be the business of trade, not bushels of wheat.”</i> - Doctor Ernesto Castrejon (2298-2386), regarding his proposed Warp Gate Project (2353).</center>

The Republic’s economy is diverse and well-developed by the standards of the Middle and Outer Rings. However, it does not rise to the level of Jewel Worlds such as Callisto and Venus or the level of Tau Ceti. Its economy is, anyhow, large enough to support native corporations and stave off attempts by megacorporations to intrude into its native industries, which has not endeared it to some corporate actors. Trade between the Outer and Middle Ring and the Jewel Worlds has historically flown through Colettish warp gates to Callisto, which has given it the ability to punch above its weight economically. Aside from trade San Colette’s primary exports are foodstuffs, refined phoron, and weaponry.

The state-run Colettish phoronics industry was perhaps its most profitable prior to the Collapse, which cut off many of its markets. Prior to the Collapse much of the phoron which entered the Alliance’s markets was sent to Colettish refinement facilities on D’Anzin where it was turned from useless, if flammable, crystals into gaseous phoron for use as fuel or liquid phoron for use in various industries such as the medical field. Much of this phoron went straight into the Colettish Strategic Stockpile at the Navy’s demand, to the endless frustration of Coletter businesses. But this has given San Colette an unexpected boon as the phoron in its stockpile is now a valuable, rare resource which can be used to purchase the most valuable thing in the Northern Wildlands: security. Following the Collapse and the 35th Fleet’s invasion, a surprisingly large amount of Biesel’s raw phoron is processed in D’Anzin’s facilities due to many of Biesel’s plants having been either damaged or destroyed in the incursion. But as facilities in Biesel are slowly repaired and brought back online many in the Republic fear this boon will soon expire. The economic impact of this has yet hit the Republic but many in its phoronics industry estimate that, in a year or so, San Colette’s role in Biesel’s phoronics industry will have been greatly diminished. The clock is ticking, and new markets — hopefully the Alliance — must be found before the Republic’s time is up.

Though not as profitable as the phoronics industry, San Colette’s native armaments industry has long been a mainstay of the local economy. The industry covers everything from arms and armor produced in Montblanc to entire combat-capable space vessels produced by the dockyards associated with Nuevo Villaviciosa. Like the phoronics industry San Colette’s armaments industry has always had a significant level of government involvement, both to ensure sensitive equipment is not sold to the highest bidder and to keep the best designs for the Civil Guard itself. The exports of this industry have, aside from spaceships, spiked following the Collapse. Many Colettish small arms find their way into the Corporate Reconstruction Zone and the Southern Wildlands, where they are used for both good and ill. Accusations of Solarian Interstellar Intelligence Bureau involvement in this flow of arms have been consistently denied by Colettish corporations.

===Colettish Corporations===

The most prolific Colettish corporation is '''Colettish Phoronics''', more widely known as '''PhoroCol'''. Established in 2419 and headquartered in Nueva Isabela, PhoroCol is responsible for all phoron-related activities in the system of San Colette and manages the refinement facilities on D’Anzin. The Republic’s government is the majority stakeholder of PhoroCol and, despite protests by the Trasen family, no megacorporation has been allowed to purchase a stake in it. PhoroCol is one of the only companies outside of the Republic of Biesel and Republic of Elyra which is able to refine phoron into its more usable forms, which has made it into one of the wealthiest non-megacorporate companies in the area which now makes up the Northern Wildlands.

'''Tiscareno y Volante Shipbuilding (TyVS)''', located in Nuevo Villaviciosa and founded in 2298, has long been the primary shipbuilding company of the Republic. A producer of everything from private vessels to Civil Guard warships, TyVS is one of the most widely recognized corporations of San Colette. Prior to the Collapse TyVS often cooperated with Hephaestus Industries during projects in the Middle and Outer Ring of Solarian space but, with the Collapse, these contracts have dried up. However, the friendship between Titaneus Aeson, Hephaestus CEO, and, Consuela Volante II, TyVS co-CEO, has remained and many speculate the Fighting Titan has sent some of his fortune to Volante in order to help TyVS remain afloat.

The '''San Colette Interstellar Armaments Company (CAISC)''', headquartered in Montblanc and established in 2378 through a merger of several smaller companies, is responsible for the Republic’s non-spaceborne armaments industry. Firearms, protective equipment, and energy weaponry from CAISC have long provided the Civil Guard’s forces with everything from the sidearms used by its officers to the Morion armored suit used by its marines. Arms from CAISC have become even more widespread in the post-Collapse era due to a significantly greater demand for firearms. Most of these firearms are sent out of the Northern Wildlands and are sold by CAISC and its subsidiaries to actors in the Corporate Reconstruction Zone, where many eventually make their way to the Southern Wildlands.

==Cities==

<center><i>“Sol’s Gateway to the Outer Ring.”</i> - Official motto of the city of Nueva Isabela.</center>

The capital and largest city of San Colette is the city of '''Nueva Isabela'''. The city is home to much of the government of the Republic, with the headquarters of PhoroCol and the Civil Guard both found inside its borders. It is also known for the large amount of architecture in the classical Iberian style which define its skyline. Nueva Isabela’s initial wealth came from the vast grasslands which surround it, known as the Colettish Plains which are still home to numerous outlying towns and villages, many of which remain dedicated to farming. Nueva Isabela’s fortunes rapidly shifted with the creation of the Warp Gate Project, as it was decided the operation would be headquartered within the city itself due to its relatively central location between the other four major cities of San Colette. Since the mid-2300s Nueva Isabela has grown into a city which scarcely resembles the agrarian hub and colonial capital of the initial colonial period: it is now a financial and cultural center where, prior to the Collapse, tourists from everywhere across the Middle and Outer Ring visited to sightsee and experience Colettish culture. Following the Collapse Nueva Isabela has become the center of the Middle Ring Shield Pact’s difficult-to-manage mutual alliance. While Coletters are confident Nueva Isabela and the Republic can hold, many are less confident in the Pact’s abilities to stay together. But none can say for certain what the future holds for them.

At the mouth of the Riu Roig lies San Colette’s third largest settlement: the industrial center of '''Montblanc'''. The city is home to a multitude of industries ranging from automobiles to mining equipment to weaponry and is the current headquarters of CAISC, San Colette’s largest armaments company. Montblanc’s position on the Riu Roig, which has tributaries stretching to the Northern Range and into the interior of Cristobal, has historically allowed it easy access to the resources needed to fund its industrial boom. Montblanc’s industry prior to the Warp Gate Project’s completion was quite dirty by modern standards and polluted much of the area surrounding the city. During the late 2300s the air quality of Montblanc was so poor the city was nicknamed Muntanya de Cendres (Mountain of Ashes) by its residents. But protests by residents, and money from the warp gates, helped Montblanc’s industry become cleaner and diversified its economy. Decades of work, often in collaboration with Zeng-Hu Pharmaceuticals, have done much to restore the environment in and around the city. Modern Montblanc is now known as the center of AI research in the Republic and the home of the prestigious Montblanc Institute of Research, and is rarely referred to as the Muntanya de Cendres – although tourists would often be sold souvenirs with the earlier nickname printed on them. Montblanc was relatively unaffected by the Collapse: while its Zeng-Hu facilities now stand abandoned and its small tourism industry has dried up the city’s major exports – particularly weapons – remain in high demand across the Republic and beyond. Montblanc is home to one of the largest immigrant communities in San Colette: the district of Little New Hai Phong. The district is primarily populated by New Hai Phongese immigrants who came to San Colette during the construction of the Bastion and became involved in the industries of Montblanc which supplied weaponry to the orbital installations of the Bastion. Its residents are typically referred to as Colettish Haiphongers and can be found in a variety of careers and positions throughout the city, but remain a relatively small minority in the Republic.

The only major settlement on the continent of Morro is, ironically, not on Morro at all: '''Porto de Ouro''' instead lies off of the continent’s shores on a series of islands, some natural and many artificial, but extends onto the continent’s coastline itself thanks to its size. The second-largest city on San Colette after Nueva Isabela itself, Porto de Ouro is the planet’s major offworld port and the vast, relatively flat scrublands on the continent near to its islands are home to massive facilities designed to house everything from interstellar cargo freighters to small private vessels. The city itself is often known as the “City of Bridges,” in local slang due to Porto de Ouro’s construction on a series of small islands. Numerous bridges connect the islands of Porto de Ouro and some are long enough to stretch to the mainland and its expansive facilities. Ferries are a common form of transportation in Porto de Ouro due to necessity as many people live on the islands of the city and work in its more industrial districts on the continent itself. Prior to the Collapse Porto de Ouro was where most off-world tourists and visitors arrived on San Colette and there was a small industry dedicated to taking tourists up the rivers of Morro into its interior. With the Collapse this industry, and others like it, have dried up and forced many of their former employees to find new work – often in the continental dockyards of the city or the Civil Guard.

In the far, far north of the continent of Nuevo Norte lies the city of '''Vila Nova de Norte''', or simply Norte or Vila Nova to its residents. Although the smallest of San Colette’s five major cities, Vila Nova has become an important research hub due to its relative isolation and the large, mostly empty, tundra around it known locally as the Guard’s Tundra. The Tundra is home to one of the Republic’s largest proving grounds: the Civil Guard compound commonly referred to as Castillo San Cristóbal, originally established in 2365. The Castillo is the primary employer of Vila Nova and supports much of the city’s economy as its employees, both Civil Guard and civilian, must live, work, and spend much of their time in Vila Nova as it is the only settlement for miles in any direction. Vila Nova is well-known across San Colette for its frequent snowstorms, which often bring work in the city to a halt. When the weather is clear residents of the city are often able to hear the distant thunder of weaponry at the Castillo as sound easily travels across the frozen tundra. Vila Nova is only reachable by boat and by plane and, despite its ability to serve as a year-round port, the city maintains a small fleet of icebreakers for emergency purposes. Those in Vila Nova not employed by the Castillo often work in its declining offshore petrochemical industry which once fed the factories of Montblanc decades ago. Many of the oil reserves found offshore have since dried up and the fuel itself has steadily declined in price, and usability, for years thanks to increased trade bringing new – and more efficient – sources of energy. The few rigs which continue to pump oil from below the ocean floor now mostly send their resources straight to the Civil Guard, and many former rig workers are now employed as low-level staff at the Castillo. This has led to some bitterness between employees of the Castillo, which the original settlers see as driving up prices in the city, and the original settlers.

At the near opposite end of Nuevo Norte lies the city of '''Nuevo Villaviciosa''', the most populated city on the continent. Villaviciosa has long been the home of San Colette’s shipbuilding industry and is the current headquarters of its major shipbuilding concern: TyVS. The city is in a relatively temperate region of Morro and is surrounded by a landscape of gently rolling hills and plains which are home to a scattering of smaller towns, villages, and farms. Villaviciosa itself is a heavily-industrialized town built upon a slope which gently opens into the Bay of Villaviciosa, the city’s major port. The waters outside the Bay are home to a unique structure on San Colette: the Castrejon Space Elevator. The elevator is a massive offshore structure built into the shallow seas surrounding Villaviciosa which allows for ship parts – often individually built in its drydocks – to be hauled into low Colette orbit before being placed onto the relevant hull in orbit above the city. An overwhelming majority of the Civil Guard’s ships can trace their origins to Villaviciosa’s facilities and, prior to the Solarian Collapse, the city produced many ships for export. The Solarian Collapse severely impacted the city’s economy during its initial stages as shipbuilding contracts dried up or were suddenly canceled. Only intervention by the Republic’s government and the Civil Guard’s increasing demand for ships, along with orders from the wider Shield Pact, saved Nuevo Villaviciosa’s economy from a total meltdown and many residents remain nervous of the future, fearful of another economic catastrophe should the Northern Wildlands remain unstable.

{{Navbox Human Lore}}
{{Navbox Lore}}
[[Category:Humanity]]
[[Category:Planets and Systems]]

Eridani I

2022-09-13T22:36:30Z

MattAtlas: add aliens to the IPC transit

{{Navbox Lore}}
{{Navbox Human Lore}}
[[File:Pixel Planet Oran1.png|thumb|Eridani I as seen from orbit.]]
'''Eridani I''' is the jewel and capital world of the Eridani Corporate Federation. It is the first of five named planets in the Eridani system and boasts the largest and most dense population of the five by far, with extremely high levels of development and endless opportunities for those who seek the blood of the galaxy – credits. Its climate is especially Earth-like, if not temperate, as a result of terraforming carried out by the Federation. Eridani I features four continents, two polar caps, and the most inoffensive atmosphere in order to attract as many work tourists as possible, if they do not mind the pollution. The planet boasts an extremely small number of cities, only four: a result of the immense and rampant expansion of the largest urban centres, which ended up absorbing all other settlements in their path. These megacities are some of the most advanced, populated, and chic in the Spur, where every single building is realised in the most neutral style possible in order to pander to just about everyone that might consider moving over.

Below the cosmopolitan urban centres, however, lies the main home of the non-existent Eridanian underclass: most of Eridani I’s dregs reside in old and abandoned sewage, tunnel and mining complexes, often forming their own makeshift societies and small “shanty towns” when space permits. Some of these dregs find their home above the surface in relatively abandoned patches of space far away from the urban centres, usually deserts or mountains – areas that are certifiably not profitable, and thus not settled by anyone else. None of Eridani I’s shining opportunities are present for Eridani I’s dregs and their life standard has often been described as miserable or extremely poor by independent observers – criticisms that do not matter in the end, as this class does not officially exist.

'''As Epsilon Eridani was originally settled by colonists of West and Central African descent, human characters born in the Eridani Corporate Federation must have names and appearances consistent with the indigenous peoples of these regions, as any human moving to the ECF would assimilate into the dominant cultures and ethnic groups of the Federation. Eridani dregs have developed cultures of abstract or unconventional names, however, and this is tolerated. Only native Eridanians may select the Eridanian accents – employing the suit slang is how a non-native worker might look to integrate, not the accent tag in-game. This is enforceable by server moderators and admins.'''

==History==
'''Eridani I''' – originally referred to as '''Kamfulu''', a name that has now been entirely forgotten except by dregs – was not always similar to the Earth. Historical documents related to the colonisation of the planet, which initially happened on the 6th of May '''2095''' as it was among the first worlds that Humanity set its sights on describe it as sprawling with thick flora of all kinds. It proved to be very fertile land in any case, and many colonists were attracted by its potential as a jewel colony. Colonisation quickly sped up and, in '''2210''', Eridani I had already become one of the premier colonies in terms of development.

With the expansion of the Eridani Corporate Federation, a problem quickly became evident: the planet’s thick vegetation was making it quite hard for the cities to continue expanding, and a constantly expanding economy was required for Credits to continue rolling. In fact, most of the population was at the time not concentrated into large urban centres, but rather in many cities dotted across the surface in gaps and holes in the forests. Thus, after many months of negotiations, a deal was struck with Zeng-Hu: in exchange for their exclusive rights to Eridani II, cutting-edge terraforming technology was to be given to the government. This technology was used not only to achieve a perfect climate for human development and to maintain it, but more importantly to gradually erase practically '''all''' uncontrolled vegetation across the planet. As a result, Eridani I’s air quality is among the worst in the Spur, with all of the air purification being done artificially. Gardens and forests continue to exist in controlled environments in the megacities, but only in token amounts – and, of course, as tourist destinations. The most exclusive arboretums often function as meeting places for high-level executives who wish to not be interrupted by paparazzi looking for the latest scoop.

The systematic destruction of Eridani I’s flora allowed the largest urban centres to expand uncontrollably and absorb practically all cities in their wake. By '''2300''', only four cities – one per continent – remained on the surface of Eridani, containing 100% of the planet’s registered inhabitants: '''Ifihan''', '''Tokura''', '''Madiwa''' and '''Fantalu'''. Some have speculated that the megacities were actually developed as a deliberate form of statistical cheating by the Eridanian government: they are incredibly massive to a degree that almost no other planet in the Spur can match. Only planets or moons with extremely high population density such as Callisto can contend with Eridani I’s continent-spanning megacities in statistics such as gross domestic product. As the megacities approached this massive size, their names began to supplant their continents’ – and now, the continents are simply named after their respective megacity.

==Culture==
Suit culture is homogenised and thus does not vary much in Eridani I from the standard. It does vary slightly, however, on a megacity level. Interestingly enough, there is rivalry between the megacities, but Eridanians lack a true sense of patriotism or duty to their city. Many would ditch their city or even planet in search for better pay, unless their new conditions would be incompatible with them: a Tokuran resident who is particularly inclined towards party culture would almost never move to Fantalu due to the lack of entertainment districts. At the same time, it is simply easier for them to not move from their megacity and find better work there. More open-minded Suits can find elements of variation in foreign workers and their immigrant communities.

Religion is still present in Suit culture to a certain degree, mainly in the middle and low class, with the majority religions being Islam and Christianity. These religious suits are often not practicing to the level of a Damascene Elyran, as an example, but some do still try to fit religion into their schedule where they can -- of course, their religion's core tenets may not mesh very well with the inherently greedy and corporate structure of the Eridani Corporate Federation. The upper class of suits -- CEOs and the like -- has very often completely embraced the Federation's corporate culture, choosing to discard distractions such as religions.

Dregs live a very difficult and uphill life, doubly so if they wish to remain dregs and refuse the few opportunities for reintegration that exist. They are the only ones on Eridani I to refer to the planet and its continents with the respective defunct names: '''Ekeke''' for Ifihan, '''Lukingo''' for Tokura, '''Ichida''' for Madiwa and '''Maluwashi''' for Fantalu. Using the modern names would mean bowing down to the culture that they despise. Dreg culture, much like Suit culture, varies on a settlement level and there are countless settlements to be found in Eridani I's underground.

===Holidays===
Eridani I has few holidays, in keeping with the monotony of Suit culture. The only two holidays given by the state to Eridanian workers are '''Christmas Day''' on the 25th of December and '''Diversity Day''' on the 6th of May. Both holidays vary in terms of the celebrations that take place and the populace’s general attitude towards them.

'''Christmas Day''' has become a holiday completely detached from its beginnings as a Christian one, staying relevant purely because of its momentum and corporations viewing it as favourable for their profits. It is no longer connected to any religious significance and is now mostly a day where Eridanians are encouraged to go on massive shopping sprees. All districts bar industrial ones are decorated with LED wreaths and laurels of many different colours, with no combination of colour being particularly connected to Christmas now. Many view this holiday as a chance to express some sort of colour and flair outside or inside of their house with various levels of decorations found all over the planet. Christmas’ gift-giving tradition persists as well, becoming one of the main displays of friendship that Eridanians can truly afford to show. More importantly, this is the one holiday that Eridanians use to visit their family: it is impossible for most to really interact with their family in any large capacity due to crushing work schedules, thus it is a good opportunity to go home and reconnect with one’s parents.

'''Diversity Day''' is a very different kind of holiday. It can hardly even be considered one, as Eridanians are still mandated to show up to work – however, most of the day is dedicated to lectures instead of one’s usual labour. This holiday mostly presents itself as an attempt to preserve some sense of Eridanian patriotism – it is basically mandatory for workplaces to hang up Corporate Federation flags and give long elegies on the nation, while praising foreign workers for their contribution towards the Eridanian ideal (this ideal is not elaborated on) and to the economy. Corporations often advertise secondary services such as mental wellbeing services in these lectures, but their rate of utilisation remains low: most Eridanians do not wish to be known as a troubled worker. Regardless, most of the planet’s populace is glad to spend their day away from an office cubicle, even if they must attend five or six lectures, despite being generally uninterested in this holiday. Eridani’s corporations often attempt to sell Eridani Corporate Federation-branded souvenirs, such as Eridani scarfs, Eridani cloth masks for the pollution or Eridani sweaters, but these sales never break even a tenth of Christmas’ sheer output.

Due to the decentralised nature of dreg settlements, there are no holidays, nor is there really space for a holiday as dregs are forced to hunt for food and water day in and day out in order to survive. The closest event to a holiday is Den’s '''Reinstatement Tournaments''', which most of the settlement’s dregs show up to watch. New Kivu, on the other hand, often decides to celebrate New Years’ with whatever festival items its dregs can get its hands on. It is viewed as a bit of a bittersweet event: another year has been survived, and here’s to one more. Whichever stocks of alcohol the settlement’s dregs have managed to scrounge up over the course of the year are always popped open for this occasion, with many of the settlement’s inhabitants sharing this bittersweet moment with their friends and family.

===Fashion===
Suit fashion is generally conversative as a result of Eridanian homogenization and, of course, relies on the usage of simple and corporate-looking two-piece suits and dresses, tailored to be as perfectly fitting as possible and with the least offensive choice of colour. For those that spend their little free time at clubs or other such activities, flair is mainly shown off through creative usage of LED or holographic strips on their clothing. Eridanians do, however, make a '''very common''' habit of buying extremely expensive corporate items and wearing them everywhere, such as Idris’ deluxe Le Soleil Royal products, in order to make status and fashion statements. Golden watches, golden earrings, diamond rings and other such symbols are common to see, even in the workplace. On the other hand, it is important to avoid any sort of clothing or body modification that might even associate one with dregs – piercings and tattoos are entirely absent in the fashion culture, for example. Deciding to pierce yourself would be a one way street to having your contract terminated. Reinstated dregs, for example, often choose to take loans to get rid of their tattoos or other such dreg-like attributes through laser surgery.

Dreg fashion, on the other hand, is non-existent as a moniker: it is simply whatever the dregs happen to get their hands on. The harsh life of this downtrodden underclass means that a centralised concept of fashion is an unreachable and irrelevant concept to most of them. Whatever distinct clothes they may wear are often scavenged or knitted together, with some communities rarely managing to form a distinct look.

==Megacities==
Eridani I’s megacities are a marvel of architectural engineering. They span for almost the entire length of their respective continent, but that is not to say that they are entirely populated: many districts are specialised in a certain role to make the most out of their space or position. Each megacity is, in fact, divided into precisely 200 administrative districts, which have been assigned to a purpose by the megacity’s board of managers as the urban centre grew: the amount of a certain district does vary between megacities as well. Industrial districts, housing districts, commercial districts and office districts are the most common: industrial districts take the form of large, sprawling foundry or assembly complexes, often run exclusively by IPC or simple robots; housing districts are massive complexes of apartments, while others exclusively house villas; commercial districts house the Spur’s grandest and most exclusive shopping malls, and finally office districts are characterised by massive skyscrapers that function as office buildings, with many numbering in the hundreds of floors. Each administrative district is managed by its district manager, which is not elected by Eridanians but instead by the megacity’s board of managers. Districts also have varying levels of air quality: industrial districts are among the worst places in the Spur for air quality, whereas office districts are still polluted, but not quite as badly.

All megacities have a certain number of districts set aside for “environmental” purposes, mostly indoors due to air pollution, even if there are a few open-aired districts. These districts are often artificial and colourful gardens, forests, jungles and so on: they are styled after the vegetation that used to be in that district’s area prior to its terraforming. They are sometimes a veritable adventure, with seamless transitions into different artificial biomes. Additionally, some of these districts are even styled after other planets’ environments, in order to give work tourists a familiar environment to visit – Visegrad’s rainy forests, for example, are adapted quite faithfully. Tourists often come to gawk and sightsee due to these districts’ exoticness, or even to carry out activities such as hiking or even outdoor picnics. CEOs, on the other hand, have made a habit of using secluded parts of these districts to carry out deals with clients, away from prying eyes. All of this for an entrance fee, of course.

Due to Eridani’s policy of uniformisation, the megacities all largely look the same in architecture, which is based on african futurism – most buildings opt for an inoffensive white or grey cosmopolitan colour scheme, with little variation bar for lights, windows, and holographic display boards. What variation there is can be observed on the skyscrapers that dot the city surface, which dominate the Eridanian skyline: each skyscraper tries to stand out in its own way from the rest, using different shapes, colourful holographic display boards or other creative outlets. Some are even created purely using glass, while others have opted for simpler variations on the Eridanian style.

<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed">
===Ifihan===
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
'''Ifihan''' is the largest, most densely populated megacity and capital of Eridani I and where the Federation’s government is headquartered, in addition to hosting '''Einstein Engines’ Eridanian headquarters''' and the '''Eridani PMC Academy'''. Being the capital, Eridanians from Ifihan are the most used to immigrants and tend to have friendly or at the very least cordial relations with them, in addition to often being familiar with various Human cultures. This has resulted in many Eridanians from Ifihan borrowing chic slang words or customs from work tourists: as an example, the Elyran word selam has found its way in more than a few Ifihani districts due to the presence of some small Elyran communities. As a result of having the largest foreign population, Ifihan also has the highest number of environmental districts at '''12''', all of which borrow elements and biomes from every single planet found across Human space.

The Eridanian PMC Academy is a key component of Ifihani culture, especially for foreign workers. More information on it can be found in the Work Tourism section.
</div></div>
<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed">
===Tokura===
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
'''Tokura''' is the second largest Eridanian megacity and where '''Hephaestus''' is headquartered. It is mostly known for its '''two massive entertainment districts''', affectionately named '''Amethyst''' and '''Diadem'''. They were designed exclusively by Venusian artists and architects under the supervision of the board of managers. They stick out like a sore thumb among all the other districts, displaying the classic flashy Venusian style across every single nightclub or bar. LED paintings cover every single wall and pavement in these districts, proving to be quite a culture shock for an Eridanian on their first visit. They are a very famous and renowned destination for Eridanians wishing to blow some stress off on their rare days off – even though many end up sleeping far less than the recommended amount per night in order to have a little fun outside – and make up for a large part of the megacity’s revenue. Diadem also hosts '''The Cube''', a gigantic cuboid structure that holds hundreds of bars and restaurants along with dancefloors and even residential housing for its employees. The Cube is a club which carries prestige across not just Eridanian space, but Human space as a whole.
Suits from Tokura have a reputation for being less on edge, warmer and generally more happy-go-lucky than others, much to the dismay of their Eridanian employers.

Tokura also hosts the largest number of industrial districts at '''68''', boasting a gigantic workforce employed in engineering or related fields. It is also the home of the '''Hephaestus Engineering Excellence Institute''', a common destination for Hephaestus employees that wish to obtain further qualifications in a more competitive environment – while also experiencing Eridanian culture for the duration of their stay. Those that finish courses in this institute often obtain lucrative contracts in industrial fields in Eridani, or even abroad. A sizable portion of middle-level Hephaestus managers obtain their management certifications here. The 68 industrial districts are mostly run by Hephaestus, with many being staffed by both IPC, native Eridanians and foreign workers.

As a result of the large number of industrial districts, air quality in Tokura is the worst among the Eridanian megacities and many Eridanians there develop a habit of staying indoors more than usual. Thankfully, their favourite attractions – the Venusian nightclubs – are all indoors. Additionally, it has less housing districts to compensate for the large amount of industrial districts, leading to a large overcrowding problem. This is partially why Suits from Tokura are warmer towards others – it is impossible to leave your apartment complex without seeing or talking to a colleague.
</div></div>
<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed">
===Madiwa===
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
Madiwa is the third largest Eridanian megacity and where '''Zeng-Hu''' is headquartered. It has the second highest number of environmental districts at '''nine''', the most famous of which is the '''Diakite Garden''': a brilliant metallic dome built around a brilliant variety of different trees, flowers, and grasses all precisely organised into a great botanical garden. The facility was built originally by Zeng-Hu Pharmaceuticals as a place to house plant samples, however after some years the company found it more profitable to charge people for entry and use it as a venue for “outdoor” business conferences and even expensive entertainment acts. Getting access to the Gardens is very difficult, with tickets going for thousands of credits and repeat-entry passes going for hundreds of thousands. This cost makes it quite the statement of power or status for one to hold a business meeting in the Gardens, and there are gazebo-esque facilities in parts of the dome made specifically for business.

Madiwa is a major medical and research centre and arguably hosts the planet's most advanced medical institutes and facilities. The '''Zeng–Hu Madiwan Polytechnic''' can be found in Madiwa, one of the premier Zeng-Hu polytechnic institutes. This university is where many graduates sponsored by Zeng-Hu find their home, both in Eridani and abroad, to be moulded into only the highest quality employees. At the same time, the Polytechnic is known for its soul-crushingly high standards, a result of the fusion between Zeng-Hu corporate culture and Suit workaholism. Many Zeng-Hu chief medical officers or hospital directors obtain further training in patient management at the Polytechnic institute.
</div></div>
<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed">
===Fantalu===
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
'''Fantalu''' is the smallest Eridanian megacity, curiously hosting no Solarian megacorporations. As a result, it also has the smallest population of foreign workers, which are often not treated kindly. It is, however, the host of the largest Eridanian corporation, '''Eridani Energy''', colloquially referred to as '''EriEn''' – an energy corporation specialising in the creation of fusion reactors at small scale – which hires '''exclusively''' Eridanian natives and natively assembled Eridanian IPC. It is known for having gruelling work hours, extreme recruitment standards but unparalleled pay. Eridanians that do leave EriEn – often due to extreme burnout and typically after having earned a few years' worth of paychecks – have little trouble finding work abroad as their abilities, experience and dedication to their work are in high demand. In addition to engineering fields, EriEn also hires many middle-management level staff, mainly in accounting, human resources, personnel management or other such related fields.

Fantalu is, as a result of all these factors, a significantly more Eridanian native-minded megacity than the rest. Its inhabitants often look down on Eridanians from other megacities and on them letting foreign influence run rampant. The examples commonly cited by Fantalu’s residents are Amethyst and Diadem, the two Venusian entertainment districts in Tokura. No entertainment districts are present in Fantalu and the megacity sponsors a very workaholic culture, making it an extremely unattractive prospect for anyone that wishes to spend their life in more than an office cubicle.
</div></div>

==Dreg Settlements==
The Eridanian megacities do not leave much space on the surface for dregs to even exist, which begs the question of where the majority of their population resides. The answer lies in a fault in Eridanian management: when the megacities absorbed smaller settlements, they never integrated existing tunnelling or underground systems, instead choosing to extend their own, as they were viewed as superior and less prone to failure. This has led to each megacity hosting its own unused complex network of tunnels, mining complexes, sewer systems and other such spaces underneath. These were interconnected by Eridani I’s dregs overtime, leading to the creation of the '''two main underground settlements''': '''New Kivu''', which corresponds to Ifihan’s underground, and '''Den''', which corresponds to Tokura’s. These two settlements are only the biggest and most renowned ones, but many small settlements exist in the tunnels nonetheless. Large settlements have some semblance of a government, but it only extends insofar as informal leaders making decisions – there are absolutely no social programs, government-sponsored hiring or anything resembling a modern nation state.
<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed">
===New Kivu===
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
The largest dreg shanty town in all of Eridani, New Kivu, boasts something that almost no other dreg community in the Federation can match: a widespread pipe network delivering clean water courtesy of the town being built around a once-decommissioned water treatment plant. This has led to much of the dreg population of Eridani I flocking to New Kivu in hopes of living in a place with clean water. It is the dreg settlement with the highest standard of living, but even that is still rock bottom when compared to anywhere else in the Spur. New Kivu’s economy functions mainly on salvaging food and water scraps from above through pre-planned routes, which still gives it an immense tactical edge over all other settlements that are instead forced to hunt for scraps of food and water over hundreds of kilometres. This has led to dregs outside of New Kivu developing a large sentiment of jealousy towards the premier settlement, and it is often forced to defend its borders from poachers, raiders and bandits far more often than any other, and these raids are often quite devastating for the town’s populace. This led to the creation of many rudimentary mercenary forces that sell their protection to the highest bidder, paid in food and water by the locals of the areas they protect. Some of these mercenary dregs do manage to get poached, reinstated and recruited by EPMCs, if they manage to get lucky enough to be scouted.
</div></div>
<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed">
===Den===
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
Den, on the other hand, is a much more different kind of settlement – if that label could even apply. Its culture is an extreme distortion of Cytherean and Suit culture where gambling, card games and other such activities play the main role in society. Knowing how to gamble, cheat, play cards and dice is an essential skill here as gambling is what the economy of Den runs on. What little food and water there is gets immediately gambled at makeshift bars or casinos, or becomes the price of admission in the '''Reinstatement Tournaments''': clandestine competitions hosted by the wealthy Suits that run the nightclubs on the surface. Dregs that climb their way up and defeat Suit opponents are often given a chance to reinstate themselves, with the price of signing an extremely abusive contract with a nightclub as card dealers, baristas or professional card players: those who find their way out of these contracts by paying severance fees are often burnt out and end up leaving their megacity or Eridani altogether. A minority of the dregs that make it to the end of these tournaments view these contracts as an unacceptable hit to their pride and end up refusing them, choosing to remain in the underground instead. These clandestine tournaments are very lucrative as well: many Suits place fairly high bets on their favourite candidate, as the payoff is extremely high. It is speculated that Den’s semblance of a “ruling government” is in close cooperation with the CEOs of the entertainment districts to provide them with an ever-flowing source of workers, and of course tournaments to sate their taste for extreme tourism.
</div></div>

Some of Eridani I’s dregs, however, live in completely desolate areas on the surface, primarily deserts that were not terraformed due to the land not being profitable. They live an even harder life than other dregs and their population has rapidly dwindled throughout the years due to the lack of any real source of food or water. They are the most isolated communities on Eridani I and entirely rely on raiding other underground dreg settlements for sustenance – a practice that has rapidly backfired ever since the creation of New Kivu’s mercenary system. Some find refuge underground and integrate into communities such as New Kivu or Den, while others continue to embrace this nomadic lifestyle. These dregs are known for being extremely superstitious to a fault, often judging how the course of a day will go from a simple observation in the morning. Additionally, they are the most religious community on Eridani I, with most of them believing in one deity or the other: makeshift places of prayer can be found dotted around their deserts for just about every human religion. Due to their origins as West African and Central African colonists, most of them follow the religions of Christianity and Islam.

Due to the entirely decentralised, chaotic and anarchic nature of these above-ground settlements, '''there are no large or static communities.'''
==Work Tourism==
Eridani I’s status as a gigantic trade and labour hub means that it receives an immense flux of immigration. This immigration, however, is a curious type when compared to all other planets: many people from across the Spur come to Eridani for an average amount of six years for humans in order to find better-paying labour. These immigrants are referred to as '''work tourists''' by Eridanians and even across the Spur. These work tourists often incorporate some words of Suit slang into their vocabulary in order to fit into Eridanian society slightly more, but never end up quite submitting to Eridani’s crushing demands. Work tourists often work a similar work week to other planets in the Spur, which is shorter than the Eridanian work week of ten hours across six days. This leads to some resentment towards work tourists, and sometimes even jealousy. Eridanian opinions on this matter vary, but most of them recognize that they do bring in a good amount of credits.

A common example of this work tourism is the '''Eridani PMC Academy'''. This academy is shared by all EPMCs and carries out a crucial function: it is not only where Eridanian native PMCs are trained, but also where foreign EPMCs must go for '''at least one month''' in order to acclimatise to Suit and Eridanian culture. This acclimatisation training is named '''the Foreign Hire Program''', but is colloquially referred to as '''the Internship'''. This month-long program trains foreign hires in their relevant fields to make sure that their knowledge is up to par, but also mandates Eridanian culture classes, as these employees will end up having to speak to Eridanian superiors and colleagues quite often throughout their career. A foreign hire is referred to as '''pierced''' by Eridanians if they have not passed their Internship, at which point they are referred to as '''bought'''. Native Eridanian PMCs often look down on pierced foreign hires as being a step below them: as a result, hazing foreign hires during their Internship is quite common. For many Eridanians, this sentiment ends when a foreign hire passes the Internship, while others continue to look down on these foreign hires until they subjectively deem them as sufficiently integrated. If a foreign free IPC needs to travel to the Eridani PMC Academy for training or otherwise to the Eridani Corporate Federation for company purposes, they will be transported there by the company with transportation costs deducted from their salary. A technicality in the Eridani Private Contractor Freelance Code saying that since EPMCs function as the Eridani Military, IPCs and aliens are in Eridani Space when in transit and can legally transit through Solarian space even though the Sol Alliance outlaws their presence.

Work tourists can find it hard to break into Eridani’s insular culture, depending on their luck. It can be challenging to ''truly'' make a friend, be trusted or even be seen as an equal as a foreigner. This has led to many immigrant communities forming in every megacity: Little New Hai Phongs can be found, in addition to Little Venuses, and so on. These immigrant communities end up forming nice attractions for Eridanians that wish to put a little spice in their day by partaking in a foreign culture: many immigrants make extra Credits on the side (or network) through activities such as hosting cultural food stands in their district. In any case, nobody leaves Eridani I without changing slightly due to societal pressures; most that leave at the very least end up hungrier for Credits than before.

Eridani I is also a potential work exchange destination for Skrell, though with a price attached – Skrell are not used to the long hours and can find it particularly crushing to work in Eridani for a long period of time. Those with enough of an attraction for Credits to accept a contract here, ironically, find it easier to be respected as a gear in Eridani’s machine than other work tourists: they are willing to work just as many hours, if not more than native Eridanians. This often leads to “healthy” workplace rivalries between Skrell and Eridanian colleagues in how much work can be done in one day, which Skrell often end up winning. Eridani is also often touted in the Nralakk Federation as a very challenging workplace, if excessively materialistic. Ifihan has the largest population of Skrell workers, with some of its environmental districts housing relevant biomes from Nralakk and other necessary facilities.
==Synthetics on Eridani I==
The vast majority of synthetics on Eridani I are owned by all sorts of corporations, whether domestic or foreign. Frames seen as ''chic'' such as Shells and Bishops are the only ones that can find their place at the top of the Eridanian hierarchy, either by being owned by wealthy Suits or CEOs as a status statement, by finding employment in Tokura’s Venusian-inspired nightclubs as bartenders, card dealers and so on, or by working in jobs that require excellent human-to-synthetic communication, such as offices or in the medical fields – Zeng-Hu especially hires many Shell doctors in its districts. On the other hand, Industrial frames and Baselines are almost always relegated to working in industrial, environmental or housing districts in engineering or maintenance fields, or alternatively in security fields for the various Eridanian PMCs. It is, of course, also possible for Shells and Bishops to hold security positions, even if they are of more expensive make. All of these IPC generally work non-stop hours, much more than even the most workaholic of Eridanians.

The only synthetics that exist outside the megacities are scrappers or outdated models that ran or were discarded. Generally they live solitary lives, leeching off of what little energy they can find, and do not usually mesh with dregs: it is much harder to have to care for an IPC as well, and the risk is not worth it for most communities that cannot spare any electricity for them. Additionally, many dregs still hold resentment over IPC due to being the arguable cause of their predicament, which is the result of IPC replacing a significant part of the Eridanian lower class workforce.

{{Navbox Human Lore}}
{{Navbox Lore}}
[[Category:Pages]]
[[Category:Planets_and_Systems]]
[[Category:Humanity]]

Eridani I

2022-09-09T17:58:39Z

MattAtlas:

{{Navbox Lore}}
{{Navbox Human Lore}}
[[File:Pixel Planet Oran1.png|thumb|Eridani I as seen from orbit.]]
'''Eridani I''' is the jewel and capital world of the Eridani Corporate Federation. It is the first of five named planets in the Eridani system and boasts the largest and most dense population of the five by far, with extremely high levels of development and endless opportunities for those who seek the blood of the galaxy – credits. Its climate is especially Earth-like, if not temperate, as a result of terraforming carried out by the Federation. Eridani I features four continents, two polar caps, and the most inoffensive atmosphere in order to attract as many work tourists as possible, if they do not mind the pollution. The planet boasts an extremely small number of cities, only four: a result of the immense and rampant expansion of the largest urban centres, which ended up absorbing all other settlements in their path. These megacities are some of the most advanced, populated, and chic in the Spur, where every single building is realised in the most neutral style possible in order to pander to just about everyone that might consider moving over.

Below the cosmopolitan urban centres, however, lies the main home of the non-existent Eridanian underclass: most of Eridani I’s dregs reside in old and abandoned sewage, tunnel and mining complexes, often forming their own makeshift societies and small “shanty towns” when space permits. Some of these dregs find their home above the surface in relatively abandoned patches of space far away from the urban centres, usually deserts or mountains – areas that are certifiably not profitable, and thus not settled by anyone else. None of Eridani I’s shining opportunities are present for Eridani I’s dregs and their life standard has often been described as miserable or extremely poor by independent observers – criticisms that do not matter in the end, as this class does not officially exist.

'''As Epsilon Eridani was originally settled by colonists of West and Central African descent, human characters born in the Eridani Corporate Federation must have names and appearances consistent with the indigenous peoples of these regions, as any human moving to the ECF would assimilate into the dominant cultures and ethnic groups of the Federation. Eridani dregs have developed cultures of abstract or unconventional names, however, and this is tolerated. Only native Eridanians may select the Eridanian accents – employing the suit slang is how a non-native worker might look to integrate, not the accent tag in-game. This is enforceable by server moderators and admins.'''

==History==
'''Eridani I''' – originally referred to as '''Kamfulu''', a name that has now been entirely forgotten except by dregs – was not always similar to the Earth. Historical documents related to the colonisation of the planet, which initially happened on the 6th of May '''2095''' as it was among the first worlds that Humanity set its sights on describe it as sprawling with thick flora of all kinds. It proved to be very fertile land in any case, and many colonists were attracted by its potential as a jewel colony. Colonisation quickly sped up and, in '''2210''', Eridani I had already become one of the premier colonies in terms of development.

With the expansion of the Eridani Corporate Federation, a problem quickly became evident: the planet’s thick vegetation was making it quite hard for the cities to continue expanding, and a constantly expanding economy was required for Credits to continue rolling. In fact, most of the population was at the time not concentrated into large urban centres, but rather in many cities dotted across the surface in gaps and holes in the forests. Thus, after many months of negotiations, a deal was struck with Zeng-Hu: in exchange for their exclusive rights to Eridani II, cutting-edge terraforming technology was to be given to the government. This technology was used not only to achieve a perfect climate for human development and to maintain it, but more importantly to gradually erase practically '''all''' uncontrolled vegetation across the planet. As a result, Eridani I’s air quality is among the worst in the Spur, with all of the air purification being done artificially. Gardens and forests continue to exist in controlled environments in the megacities, but only in token amounts – and, of course, as tourist destinations. The most exclusive arboretums often function as meeting places for high-level executives who wish to not be interrupted by paparazzi looking for the latest scoop.

The systematic destruction of Eridani I’s flora allowed the largest urban centres to expand uncontrollably and absorb practically all cities in their wake. By '''2300''', only four cities – one per continent – remained on the surface of Eridani, containing 100% of the planet’s registered inhabitants: '''Ifihan''', '''Tokura''', '''Madiwa''' and '''Fantalu'''. Some have speculated that the megacities were actually developed as a deliberate form of statistical cheating by the Eridanian government: they are incredibly massive to a degree that almost no other planet in the Spur can match. Only planets or moons with extremely high population density such as Callisto can contend with Eridani I’s continent-spanning megacities in statistics such as gross domestic product. As the megacities approached this massive size, their names began to supplant their continents’ – and now, the continents are simply named after their respective megacity.

==Culture==
Suit culture is homogenised and thus does not vary much in Eridani I from the standard. It does vary slightly, however, on a megacity level. Interestingly enough, there is rivalry between the megacities, but Eridanians lack a true sense of patriotism or duty to their city. Many would ditch their city or even planet in search for better pay, unless their new conditions would be incompatible with them: a Tokuran resident who is particularly inclined towards party culture would almost never move to Fantalu due to the lack of entertainment districts. At the same time, it is simply easier for them to not move from their megacity and find better work there. More open-minded Suits can find elements of variation in foreign workers and their immigrant communities.

Religion is still present in Suit culture to a certain degree, mainly in the middle and low class, with the majority religions being Islam and Christianity. These religious suits are often not practicing to the level of a Damascene Elyran, as an example, but some do still try to fit religion into their schedule where they can -- of course, their religion's core tenets may not mesh very well with the inherently greedy and corporate structure of the Eridani Corporate Federation. The upper class of suits -- CEOs and the like -- has very often completely embraced the Federation's corporate culture, choosing to discard distractions such as religions.

Dregs live a very difficult and uphill life, doubly so if they wish to remain dregs and refuse the few opportunities for reintegration that exist. They are the only ones on Eridani I to refer to the planet and its continents with the respective defunct names: '''Ekeke''' for Ifihan, '''Lukingo''' for Tokura, '''Ichida''' for Madiwa and '''Maluwashi''' for Fantalu. Using the modern names would mean bowing down to the culture that they despise. Dreg culture, much like Suit culture, varies on a settlement level and there are countless settlements to be found in Eridani I's underground.

===Holidays===
Eridani I has few holidays, in keeping with the monotony of Suit culture. The only two holidays given by the state to Eridanian workers are '''Christmas Day''' on the 25th of December and '''Diversity Day''' on the 6th of May. Both holidays vary in terms of the celebrations that take place and the populace’s general attitude towards them.

'''Christmas Day''' has become a holiday completely detached from its beginnings as a Christian one, staying relevant purely because of its momentum and corporations viewing it as favourable for their profits. It is no longer connected to any religious significance and is now mostly a day where Eridanians are encouraged to go on massive shopping sprees. All districts bar industrial ones are decorated with LED wreaths and laurels of many different colours, with no combination of colour being particularly connected to Christmas now. Many view this holiday as a chance to express some sort of colour and flair outside or inside of their house with various levels of decorations found all over the planet. Christmas’ gift-giving tradition persists as well, becoming one of the main displays of friendship that Eridanians can truly afford to show. More importantly, this is the one holiday that Eridanians use to visit their family: it is impossible for most to really interact with their family in any large capacity due to crushing work schedules, thus it is a good opportunity to go home and reconnect with one’s parents.

'''Diversity Day''' is a very different kind of holiday. It can hardly even be considered one, as Eridanians are still mandated to show up to work – however, most of the day is dedicated to lectures instead of one’s usual labour. This holiday mostly presents itself as an attempt to preserve some sense of Eridanian patriotism – it is basically mandatory for workplaces to hang up Corporate Federation flags and give long elegies on the nation, while praising foreign workers for their contribution towards the Eridanian ideal (this ideal is not elaborated on) and to the economy. Corporations often advertise secondary services such as mental wellbeing services in these lectures, but their rate of utilisation remains low: most Eridanians do not wish to be known as a troubled worker. Regardless, most of the planet’s populace is glad to spend their day away from an office cubicle, even if they must attend five or six lectures, despite being generally uninterested in this holiday. Eridani’s corporations often attempt to sell Eridani Corporate Federation-branded souvenirs, such as Eridani scarfs, Eridani cloth masks for the pollution or Eridani sweaters, but these sales never break even a tenth of Christmas’ sheer output.

Due to the decentralised nature of dreg settlements, there are no holidays, nor is there really space for a holiday as dregs are forced to hunt for food and water day in and day out in order to survive. The closest event to a holiday is Den’s '''Reinstatement Tournaments''', which most of the settlement’s dregs show up to watch. New Kivu, on the other hand, often decides to celebrate New Years’ with whatever festival items its dregs can get its hands on. It is viewed as a bit of a bittersweet event: another year has been survived, and here’s to one more. Whichever stocks of alcohol the settlement’s dregs have managed to scrounge up over the course of the year are always popped open for this occasion, with many of the settlement’s inhabitants sharing this bittersweet moment with their friends and family.

===Fashion===
Suit fashion is generally conversative as a result of Eridanian homogenization and, of course, relies on the usage of simple and corporate-looking two-piece suits and dresses, tailored to be as perfectly fitting as possible and with the least offensive choice of colour. For those that spend their little free time at clubs or other such activities, flair is mainly shown off through creative usage of LED or holographic strips on their clothing. Eridanians do, however, make a '''very common''' habit of buying extremely expensive corporate items and wearing them everywhere, such as Idris’ deluxe Le Soleil Royal products, in order to make status and fashion statements. Golden watches, golden earrings, diamond rings and other such symbols are common to see, even in the workplace. On the other hand, it is important to avoid any sort of clothing or body modification that might even associate one with dregs – piercings and tattoos are entirely absent in the fashion culture, for example. Deciding to pierce yourself would be a one way street to having your contract terminated. Reinstated dregs, for example, often choose to take loans to get rid of their tattoos or other such dreg-like attributes through laser surgery.

Dreg fashion, on the other hand, is non-existent as a moniker: it is simply whatever the dregs happen to get their hands on. The harsh life of this downtrodden underclass means that a centralised concept of fashion is an unreachable and irrelevant concept to most of them. Whatever distinct clothes they may wear are often scavenged or knitted together, with some communities rarely managing to form a distinct look.

==Megacities==
Eridani I’s megacities are a marvel of architectural engineering. They span for almost the entire length of their respective continent, but that is not to say that they are entirely populated: many districts are specialised in a certain role to make the most out of their space or position. Each megacity is, in fact, divided into precisely 200 administrative districts, which have been assigned to a purpose by the megacity’s board of managers as the urban centre grew: the amount of a certain district does vary between megacities as well. Industrial districts, housing districts, commercial districts and office districts are the most common: industrial districts take the form of large, sprawling foundry or assembly complexes, often run exclusively by IPC or simple robots; housing districts are massive complexes of apartments, while others exclusively house villas; commercial districts house the Spur’s grandest and most exclusive shopping malls, and finally office districts are characterised by massive skyscrapers that function as office buildings, with many numbering in the hundreds of floors. Each administrative district is managed by its district manager, which is not elected by Eridanians but instead by the megacity’s board of managers. Districts also have varying levels of air quality: industrial districts are among the worst places in the Spur for air quality, whereas office districts are still polluted, but not quite as badly.

All megacities have a certain number of districts set aside for “environmental” purposes, mostly indoors due to air pollution, even if there are a few open-aired districts. These districts are often artificial and colourful gardens, forests, jungles and so on: they are styled after the vegetation that used to be in that district’s area prior to its terraforming. They are sometimes a veritable adventure, with seamless transitions into different artificial biomes. Additionally, some of these districts are even styled after other planets’ environments, in order to give work tourists a familiar environment to visit – Visegrad’s rainy forests, for example, are adapted quite faithfully. Tourists often come to gawk and sightsee due to these districts’ exoticness, or even to carry out activities such as hiking or even outdoor picnics. CEOs, on the other hand, have made a habit of using secluded parts of these districts to carry out deals with clients, away from prying eyes. All of this for an entrance fee, of course.

Due to Eridani’s policy of uniformisation, the megacities all largely look the same in architecture, which is based on african futurism – most buildings opt for an inoffensive white or grey cosmopolitan colour scheme, with little variation bar for lights, windows, and holographic display boards. What variation there is can be observed on the skyscrapers that dot the city surface, which dominate the Eridanian skyline: each skyscraper tries to stand out in its own way from the rest, using different shapes, colourful holographic display boards or other creative outlets. Some are even created purely using glass, while others have opted for simpler variations on the Eridanian style.

<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed">
===Ifihan===
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
'''Ifihan''' is the largest, most densely populated megacity and capital of Eridani I and where the Federation’s government is headquartered, in addition to hosting '''Einstein Engines’ Eridanian headquarters''' and the '''Eridani PMC Academy'''. Being the capital, Eridanians from Ifihan are the most used to immigrants and tend to have friendly or at the very least cordial relations with them, in addition to often being familiar with various Human cultures. This has resulted in many Eridanians from Ifihan borrowing chic slang words or customs from work tourists: as an example, the Elyran word selam has found its way in more than a few Ifihani districts due to the presence of some small Elyran communities. As a result of having the largest foreign population, Ifihan also has the highest number of environmental districts at '''12''', all of which borrow elements and biomes from every single planet found across Human space.

The Eridanian PMC Academy is a key component of Ifihani culture, especially for foreign workers. More information on it can be found in the Work Tourism section.
</div></div>
<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed">
===Tokura===
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
'''Tokura''' is the second largest Eridanian megacity and where '''Hephaestus''' is headquartered. It is mostly known for its '''two massive entertainment districts''', affectionately named '''Amethyst''' and '''Diadem'''. They were designed exclusively by Venusian artists and architects under the supervision of the board of managers. They stick out like a sore thumb among all the other districts, displaying the classic flashy Venusian style across every single nightclub or bar. LED paintings cover every single wall and pavement in these districts, proving to be quite a culture shock for an Eridanian on their first visit. They are a very famous and renowned destination for Eridanians wishing to blow some stress off on their rare days off – even though many end up sleeping far less than the recommended amount per night in order to have a little fun outside – and make up for a large part of the megacity’s revenue. Diadem also hosts '''The Cube''', a gigantic cuboid structure that holds hundreds of bars and restaurants along with dancefloors and even residential housing for its employees. The Cube is a club which carries prestige across not just Eridanian space, but Human space as a whole.
Suits from Tokura have a reputation for being less on edge, warmer and generally more happy-go-lucky than others, much to the dismay of their Eridanian employers.

Tokura also hosts the largest number of industrial districts at '''68''', boasting a gigantic workforce employed in engineering or related fields. It is also the home of the '''Hephaestus Engineering Excellence Institute''', a common destination for Hephaestus employees that wish to obtain further qualifications in a more competitive environment – while also experiencing Eridanian culture for the duration of their stay. Those that finish courses in this institute often obtain lucrative contracts in industrial fields in Eridani, or even abroad. A sizable portion of middle-level Hephaestus managers obtain their management certifications here. The 68 industrial districts are mostly run by Hephaestus, with many being staffed by both IPC, native Eridanians and foreign workers.

As a result of the large number of industrial districts, air quality in Tokura is the worst among the Eridanian megacities and many Eridanians there develop a habit of staying indoors more than usual. Thankfully, their favourite attractions – the Venusian nightclubs – are all indoors. Additionally, it has less housing districts to compensate for the large amount of industrial districts, leading to a large overcrowding problem. This is partially why Suits from Tokura are warmer towards others – it is impossible to leave your apartment complex without seeing or talking to a colleague.
</div></div>
<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed">
===Madiwa===
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
Madiwa is the third largest Eridanian megacity and where '''Zeng-Hu''' is headquartered. It has the second highest number of environmental districts at '''nine''', the most famous of which is the '''Diakite Garden''': a brilliant metallic dome built around a brilliant variety of different trees, flowers, and grasses all precisely organised into a great botanical garden. The facility was built originally by Zeng-Hu Pharmaceuticals as a place to house plant samples, however after some years the company found it more profitable to charge people for entry and use it as a venue for “outdoor” business conferences and even expensive entertainment acts. Getting access to the Gardens is very difficult, with tickets going for thousands of credits and repeat-entry passes going for hundreds of thousands. This cost makes it quite the statement of power or status for one to hold a business meeting in the Gardens, and there are gazebo-esque facilities in parts of the dome made specifically for business.

Madiwa is a major medical and research centre and arguably hosts the planet's most advanced medical institutes and facilities. The '''Zeng–Hu Madiwan Polytechnic''' can be found in Madiwa, one of the premier Zeng-Hu polytechnic institutes. This university is where many graduates sponsored by Zeng-Hu find their home, both in Eridani and abroad, to be moulded into only the highest quality employees. At the same time, the Polytechnic is known for its soul-crushingly high standards, a result of the fusion between Zeng-Hu corporate culture and Suit workaholism. Many Zeng-Hu chief medical officers or hospital directors obtain further training in patient management at the Polytechnic institute.
</div></div>
<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed">
===Fantalu===
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
'''Fantalu''' is the smallest Eridanian megacity, curiously hosting no Solarian megacorporations. As a result, it also has the smallest population of foreign workers, which are often not treated kindly. It is, however, the host of the largest Eridanian corporation, '''Eridani Energy''', colloquially referred to as '''EriEn''' – an energy corporation specialising in the creation of fusion reactors at small scale – which hires '''exclusively''' Eridanian natives and natively assembled Eridanian IPC. It is known for having gruelling work hours, extreme recruitment standards but unparalleled pay. Eridanians that do leave EriEn – often due to extreme burnout and typically after having earned a few years' worth of paychecks – have little trouble finding work abroad as their abilities, experience and dedication to their work are in high demand. In addition to engineering fields, EriEn also hires many middle-management level staff, mainly in accounting, human resources, personnel management or other such related fields.

Fantalu is, as a result of all these factors, a significantly more Eridanian native-minded megacity than the rest. Its inhabitants often look down on Eridanians from other megacities and on them letting foreign influence run rampant. The examples commonly cited by Fantalu’s residents are Amethyst and Diadem, the two Venusian entertainment districts in Tokura. No entertainment districts are present in Fantalu and the megacity sponsors a very workaholic culture, making it an extremely unattractive prospect for anyone that wishes to spend their life in more than an office cubicle.
</div></div>

==Dreg Settlements==
The Eridanian megacities do not leave much space on the surface for dregs to even exist, which begs the question of where the majority of their population resides. The answer lies in a fault in Eridanian management: when the megacities absorbed smaller settlements, they never integrated existing tunnelling or underground systems, instead choosing to extend their own, as they were viewed as superior and less prone to failure. This has led to each megacity hosting its own unused complex network of tunnels, mining complexes, sewer systems and other such spaces underneath. These were interconnected by Eridani I’s dregs overtime, leading to the creation of the '''two main underground settlements''': '''New Kivu''', which corresponds to Ifihan’s underground, and '''Den''', which corresponds to Tokura’s. These two settlements are only the biggest and most renowned ones, but many small settlements exist in the tunnels nonetheless. Large settlements have some semblance of a government, but it only extends insofar as informal leaders making decisions – there are absolutely no social programs, government-sponsored hiring or anything resembling a modern nation state.
<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed">
===New Kivu===
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
The largest dreg shanty town in all of Eridani, New Kivu, boasts something that almost no other dreg community in the Federation can match: a widespread pipe network delivering clean water courtesy of the town being built around a once-decommissioned water treatment plant. This has led to much of the dreg population of Eridani I flocking to New Kivu in hopes of living in a place with clean water. It is the dreg settlement with the highest standard of living, but even that is still rock bottom when compared to anywhere else in the Spur. New Kivu’s economy functions mainly on salvaging food and water scraps from above through pre-planned routes, which still gives it an immense tactical edge over all other settlements that are instead forced to hunt for scraps of food and water over hundreds of kilometres. This has led to dregs outside of New Kivu developing a large sentiment of jealousy towards the premier settlement, and it is often forced to defend its borders from poachers, raiders and bandits far more often than any other, and these raids are often quite devastating for the town’s populace. This led to the creation of many rudimentary mercenary forces that sell their protection to the highest bidder, paid in food and water by the locals of the areas they protect. Some of these mercenary dregs do manage to get poached, reinstated and recruited by EPMCs, if they manage to get lucky enough to be scouted.
</div></div>
<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed">
===Den===
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
Den, on the other hand, is a much more different kind of settlement – if that label could even apply. Its culture is an extreme distortion of Cytherean and Suit culture where gambling, card games and other such activities play the main role in society. Knowing how to gamble, cheat, play cards and dice is an essential skill here as gambling is what the economy of Den runs on. What little food and water there is gets immediately gambled at makeshift bars or casinos, or becomes the price of admission in the '''Reinstatement Tournaments''': clandestine competitions hosted by the wealthy Suits that run the nightclubs on the surface. Dregs that climb their way up and defeat Suit opponents are often given a chance to reinstate themselves, with the price of signing an extremely abusive contract with a nightclub as card dealers, baristas or professional card players: those who find their way out of these contracts by paying severance fees are often burnt out and end up leaving their megacity or Eridani altogether. A minority of the dregs that make it to the end of these tournaments view these contracts as an unacceptable hit to their pride and end up refusing them, choosing to remain in the underground instead. These clandestine tournaments are very lucrative as well: many Suits place fairly high bets on their favourite candidate, as the payoff is extremely high. It is speculated that Den’s semblance of a “ruling government” is in close cooperation with the CEOs of the entertainment districts to provide them with an ever-flowing source of workers, and of course tournaments to sate their taste for extreme tourism.
</div></div>

Some of Eridani I’s dregs, however, live in completely desolate areas on the surface, primarily deserts that were not terraformed due to the land not being profitable. They live an even harder life than other dregs and their population has rapidly dwindled throughout the years due to the lack of any real source of food or water. They are the most isolated communities on Eridani I and entirely rely on raiding other underground dreg settlements for sustenance – a practice that has rapidly backfired ever since the creation of New Kivu’s mercenary system. Some find refuge underground and integrate into communities such as New Kivu or Den, while others continue to embrace this nomadic lifestyle. These dregs are known for being extremely superstitious to a fault, often judging how the course of a day will go from a simple observation in the morning. Additionally, they are the most religious community on Eridani I, with most of them believing in one deity or the other: makeshift places of prayer can be found dotted around their deserts for just about every human religion. Due to their origins as West African and Central African colonists, most of them follow the religions of Christianity and Islam.

Due to the entirely decentralised, chaotic and anarchic nature of these above-ground settlements, '''there are no large or static communities.'''
==Work Tourism==
Eridani I’s status as a gigantic trade and labour hub means that it receives an immense flux of immigration. This immigration, however, is a curious type when compared to all other planets: many people from across the Spur come to Eridani for an average amount of six years for humans in order to find better-paying labour. These immigrants are referred to as '''work tourists''' by Eridanians and even across the Spur. These work tourists often incorporate some words of Suit slang into their vocabulary in order to fit into Eridanian society slightly more, but never end up quite submitting to Eridani’s crushing demands. Work tourists often work a similar work week to other planets in the Spur, which is shorter than the Eridanian work week of ten hours across six days. This leads to some resentment towards work tourists, and sometimes even jealousy. Eridanian opinions on this matter vary, but most of them recognize that they do bring in a good amount of credits.

A common example of this work tourism is the '''Eridani PMC Academy'''. This academy is shared by all EPMCs and carries out a crucial function: it is not only where Eridanian native PMCs are trained, but also where foreign EPMCs must go for '''at least one month''' in order to acclimatise to Suit and Eridanian culture. This acclimatisation training is named '''the Foreign Hire Program''', but is colloquially referred to as '''the Internship'''. This month-long program trains foreign hires in their relevant fields to make sure that their knowledge is up to par, but also mandates Eridanian culture classes, as these employees will end up having to speak to Eridanian superiors and colleagues quite often throughout their career. A foreign hire is referred to as '''pierced''' by Eridanians if they have not passed their Internship, at which point they are referred to as '''bought'''. Native Eridanian PMCs often look down on pierced foreign hires as being a step below them: as a result, hazing foreign hires during their Internship is quite common. For many Eridanians, this sentiment ends when a foreign hire passes the Internship, while others continue to look down on these foreign hires until they subjectively deem them as sufficiently integrated. If a foreign free IPC needs to travel to the Eridani PMC Academy for training or otherwise to the Eridani Corporate Federation for company purposes, they will be transported there by the company with transportation costs deducted from their salary. A technicality in the Eridani Private Contractor Freelance Code saying that since EPMCs function as the Eridani Military, the IPCs are in Eridani Space when in transit and can legally transit through Solarian space even though the Sol Alliance outlaws free IPCs.

Work tourists can find it hard to break into Eridani’s insular culture, depending on their luck. It can be challenging to ''truly'' make a friend, be trusted or even be seen as an equal as a foreigner. This has led to many immigrant communities forming in every megacity: Little New Hai Phongs can be found, in addition to Little Venuses, and so on. These immigrant communities end up forming nice attractions for Eridanians that wish to put a little spice in their day by partaking in a foreign culture: many immigrants make extra Credits on the side (or network) through activities such as hosting cultural food stands in their district. In any case, nobody leaves Eridani I without changing slightly due to societal pressures; most that leave at the very least end up hungrier for Credits than before.

Eridani I is also a potential work exchange destination for Skrell, though with a price attached – Skrell are not used to the long hours and can find it particularly crushing to work in Eridani for a long period of time. Those with enough of an attraction for Credits to accept a contract here, ironically, find it easier to be respected as a gear in Eridani’s machine than other work tourists: they are willing to work just as many hours, if not more than native Eridanians. This often leads to “healthy” workplace rivalries between Skrell and Eridanian colleagues in how much work can be done in one day, which Skrell often end up winning. Eridani is also often touted in the Nralakk Federation as a very challenging workplace, if excessively materialistic. Ifihan has the largest population of Skrell workers, with some of its environmental districts housing relevant biomes from Nralakk and other necessary facilities.
==Synthetics on Eridani I==
The vast majority of synthetics on Eridani I are owned by all sorts of corporations, whether domestic or foreign. Frames seen as ''chic'' such as Shells and Bishops are the only ones that can find their place at the top of the Eridanian hierarchy, either by being owned by wealthy Suits or CEOs as a status statement, by finding employment in Tokura’s Venusian-inspired nightclubs as bartenders, card dealers and so on, or by working in jobs that require excellent human-to-synthetic communication, such as offices or in the medical fields – Zeng-Hu especially hires many Shell doctors in its districts. On the other hand, Industrial frames and Baselines are almost always relegated to working in industrial, environmental or housing districts in engineering or maintenance fields, or alternatively in security fields for the various Eridanian PMCs. It is, of course, also possible for Shells and Bishops to hold security positions, even if they are of more expensive make. All of these IPC generally work non-stop hours, much more than even the most workaholic of Eridanians.

The only synthetics that exist outside the megacities are scrappers or outdated models that ran or were discarded. Generally they live solitary lives, leeching off of what little energy they can find, and do not usually mesh with dregs: it is much harder to have to care for an IPC as well, and the risk is not worth it for most communities that cannot spare any electricity for them. Additionally, many dregs still hold resentment over IPC due to being the arguable cause of their predicament, which is the result of IPC replacing a significant part of the Eridanian lower class workforce.

{{Navbox Human Lore}}
{{Navbox Lore}}
[[Category:Pages]]
[[Category:Planets_and_Systems]]
[[Category:Humanity]]

Eridani I

2022-09-08T10:36:07Z

MattAtlas:

{{Navbox Lore}}
{{Navbox Human Lore}}
[[File:Pixel Planet Oran1.png|thumb|Eridani I as seen from orbit.]]
'''Eridani I''' is the jewel and capital world of the Eridani Corporate Federation. It is the first of five named planets in the Eridani system and boasts the largest and most dense population of the five by far, with extremely high levels of development and endless opportunities for those who seek the blood of the galaxy – credits. Its climate is especially Earth-like, if not temperate, as a result of terraforming carried out by the Federation. Eridani I features four continents, two polar caps, and the most inoffensive atmosphere in order to attract as many work tourists as possible, if they do not mind the pollution. The planet boasts an extremely small number of cities, only four: a result of the immense and rampant expansion of the largest urban centres, which ended up absorbing all other settlements in their path. These megacities are some of the most advanced, populated, and chic in the Spur, where every single building is realised in the most neutral style possible in order to pander to just about everyone that might consider moving over.

Below the cosmopolitan urban centres, however, lies the main home of the non-existent Eridanian underclass: most of Eridani I’s dregs reside in old and abandoned sewage, tunnel and mining complexes, often forming their own makeshift societies and small “shanty towns” when space permits. Some of these dregs find their home above the surface in relatively abandoned patches of space far away from the urban centres, usually deserts or mountains – areas that are certifiably not profitable, and thus not settled by anyone else. None of Eridani I’s shining opportunities are present for Eridani I’s dregs and their life standard has often been described as miserable or extremely poor by independent observers – criticisms that do not matter in the end, as this class does not officially exist.

'''As Epsilon Eridani was originally settled by colonists of West and Central African descent, human characters born in the Eridani Corporate Federation must have names and appearances consistent with the indigenous peoples of these regions, as any human moving to the ECF would assimilate into the dominant cultures and ethnic groups of the Federation. Eridani dregs have developed cultures of abstract or unconventional names, however, and this is tolerated. Only native Eridanians may select the Eridanian accents – employing the suit slang is how a non-native worker might look to integrate, not the accent tag in-game. This is enforceable by server moderators and admins.'''

==History==
'''Eridani I''' – originally referred to as '''Kamfulu''', a name that has now been entirely forgotten except by dregs – was not always similar to the Earth. Historical documents related to the colonisation of the planet, which initially happened on the 6th of May '''2095''' as it was among the first worlds that Humanity set its sights on describe it as sprawling with thick flora of all kinds. It proved to be very fertile land in any case, and many colonists were attracted by its potential as a jewel colony. Colonisation quickly sped up and, in '''2210''', Eridani I had already become one of the premier colonies in terms of development.

With the expansion of the Eridani Corporate Federation, a problem quickly became evident: the planet’s thick vegetation was making it quite hard for the cities to continue expanding, and a constantly expanding economy was required for Credits to continue rolling. In fact, most of the population was at the time not concentrated into large urban centres, but rather in many cities dotted across the surface in gaps and holes in the forests. Thus, after many months of negotiations, a deal was struck with Zeng-Hu: in exchange for their exclusive rights to Eridani II, cutting-edge terraforming technology was to be given to the government. This technology was used not only to achieve a perfect climate for human development and to maintain it, but more importantly to gradually erase practically '''all''' uncontrolled vegetation across the planet. As a result, Eridani I’s air quality is among the worst in the Spur, with all of the air purification being done artificially. Gardens and forests continue to exist in controlled environments in the megacities, but only in token amounts – and, of course, as tourist destinations. The most exclusive arboretums often function as meeting places for high-level executives who wish to not be interrupted by paparazzi looking for the latest scoop.

The systematic destruction of Eridani I’s flora allowed the largest urban centres to expand uncontrollably and absorb practically all cities in their wake. By '''2300''', only four cities – one per continent – remained on the surface of Eridani, containing 100% of the planet’s registered inhabitants: '''Ifihan''', '''Tokura''', '''Madiwa''' and '''Fantalu'''. Some have speculated that the megacities were actually developed as a deliberate form of statistical cheating by the Eridanian government: they are incredibly massive to a degree that almost no other planet in the Spur can match. Only planets or moons with extremely high population density such as Callisto can contend with Eridani I’s continent-spanning megacities in statistics such as gross domestic product. As the megacities approached this massive size, their names began to supplant their continents’ – and now, the continents are simply named after their respective megacity.

==Culture==
Suit culture is homogenised and thus does not vary much in Eridani I from the standard. It does vary slightly, however, on a megacity level. Interestingly enough, there is rivalry between the megacities, but Eridanians lack a true sense of patriotism or duty to their city. Many would ditch their city or even planet in search for better pay, unless their new conditions would be incompatible with them: a Tokuran resident who is particularly inclined towards party culture would almost never move to Fantalu due to the lack of entertainment districts. At the same time, it is simply easier for them to not move from their megacity and find better work there. More open-minded Suits can find elements of variation in foreign workers and their immigrant communities.

Dregs live a very difficult and uphill life, doubly so if they wish to remain dregs and refuse the few opportunities for reintegration that exist. They are the only ones on Eridani I to refer to the planet and its continents with the respective defunct names: '''Ekeke''' for Ifihan, '''Lukingo''' for Tokura, '''Ichida''' for Madiwa and '''Maluwashi''' for Fantalu. Using the modern names would mean bowing down to the culture that they despise. Dreg culture, much like Suit culture, varies on a settlement level and there are countless settlements to be found in Eridani I's underground.

===Holidays===
Eridani I has few holidays, in keeping with the monotony of Suit culture. The only two holidays given by the state to Eridanian workers are '''Christmas Day''' on the 25th of December and '''Diversity Day''' on the 6th of May. Both holidays vary in terms of the celebrations that take place and the populace’s general attitude towards them.

'''Christmas Day''' has become a holiday completely detached from its beginnings as a Christian one, staying relevant purely because of its momentum and corporations viewing it as favourable for their profits. It is no longer connected to any religious significance and is now mostly a day where Eridanians are encouraged to go on massive shopping sprees. All districts bar industrial ones are decorated with LED wreaths and laurels of many different colours, with no combination of colour being particularly connected to Christmas now. Many view this holiday as a chance to express some sort of colour and flair outside or inside of their house with various levels of decorations found all over the planet. Christmas’ gift-giving tradition persists as well, becoming one of the main displays of friendship that Eridanians can truly afford to show. More importantly, this is the one holiday that Eridanians use to visit their family: it is impossible for most to really interact with their family in any large capacity due to crushing work schedules, thus it is a good opportunity to go home and reconnect with one’s parents.

'''Diversity Day''' is a very different kind of holiday. It can hardly even be considered one, as Eridanians are still mandated to show up to work – however, most of the day is dedicated to lectures instead of one’s usual labour. This holiday mostly presents itself as an attempt to preserve some sense of Eridanian patriotism – it is basically mandatory for workplaces to hang up Corporate Federation flags and give long elegies on the nation, while praising foreign workers for their contribution towards the Eridanian ideal (this ideal is not elaborated on) and to the economy. Corporations often advertise secondary services such as mental wellbeing services in these lectures, but their rate of utilisation remains low: most Eridanians do not wish to be known as a troubled worker. Regardless, most of the planet’s populace is glad to spend their day away from an office cubicle, even if they must attend five or six lectures, despite being generally uninterested in this holiday. Eridani’s corporations often attempt to sell Eridani Corporate Federation-branded souvenirs, such as Eridani scarfs, Eridani cloth masks for the pollution or Eridani sweaters, but these sales never break even a tenth of Christmas’ sheer output.

Due to the decentralised nature of dreg settlements, there are no holidays, nor is there really space for a holiday as dregs are forced to hunt for food and water day in and day out in order to survive. The closest event to a holiday is Den’s '''Reinstatement Tournaments''', which most of the settlement’s dregs show up to watch. New Kivu, on the other hand, often decides to celebrate New Years’ with whatever festival items its dregs can get its hands on. It is viewed as a bit of a bittersweet event: another year has been survived, and here’s to one more. Whichever stocks of alcohol the settlement’s dregs have managed to scrounge up over the course of the year are always popped open for this occasion, with many of the settlement’s inhabitants sharing this bittersweet moment with their friends and family.

===Fashion===
Suit fashion is generally conversative as a result of Eridanian homogenization and, of course, relies on the usage of simple and corporate-looking two-piece suits and dresses, tailored to be as perfectly fitting as possible and with the least offensive choice of colour. For those that spend their little free time at clubs or other such activities, flair is mainly shown off through creative usage of LED or holographic strips on their clothing. Eridanians do, however, make a '''very common''' habit of buying extremely expensive corporate items and wearing them everywhere, such as Idris’ deluxe Le Soleil Royal products, in order to make status and fashion statements. Golden watches, golden earrings, diamond rings and other such symbols are common to see, even in the workplace. On the other hand, it is important to avoid any sort of clothing or body modification that might even associate one with dregs – piercings and tattoos are entirely absent in the fashion culture, for example. Deciding to pierce yourself would be a one way street to having your contract terminated. Reinstated dregs, for example, often choose to take loans to get rid of their tattoos or other such dreg-like attributes through laser surgery.

Dreg fashion, on the other hand, is non-existent as a moniker: it is simply whatever the dregs happen to get their hands on. The harsh life of this downtrodden underclass means that a centralised concept of fashion is an unreachable and irrelevant concept to most of them. Whatever distinct clothes they may wear are often scavenged or knitted together, with some communities rarely managing to form a distinct look.

==Megacities==
Eridani I’s megacities are a marvel of architectural engineering. They span for almost the entire length of their respective continent, but that is not to say that they are entirely populated: many districts are specialised in a certain role to make the most out of their space or position. Each megacity is, in fact, divided into precisely 200 administrative districts, which have been assigned to a purpose by the megacity’s board of managers as the urban centre grew: the amount of a certain district does vary between megacities as well. Industrial districts, housing districts, commercial districts and office districts are the most common: industrial districts take the form of large, sprawling foundry or assembly complexes, often run exclusively by IPC or simple robots; housing districts are massive complexes of apartments, while others exclusively house villas; commercial districts house the Spur’s grandest and most exclusive shopping malls, and finally office districts are characterised by massive skyscrapers that function as office buildings, with many numbering in the hundreds of floors. Each administrative district is managed by its district manager, which is not elected by Eridanians but instead by the megacity’s board of managers. Districts also have varying levels of air quality: industrial districts are among the worst places in the Spur for air quality, whereas office districts are still polluted, but not quite as badly.

All megacities have a certain number of districts set aside for “environmental” purposes, mostly indoors due to air pollution, even if there are a few open-aired districts. These districts are often artificial and colourful gardens, forests, jungles and so on: they are styled after the vegetation that used to be in that district’s area prior to its terraforming. They are sometimes a veritable adventure, with seamless transitions into different artificial biomes. Additionally, some of these districts are even styled after other planets’ environments, in order to give work tourists a familiar environment to visit – Visegrad’s rainy forests, for example, are adapted quite faithfully. Tourists often come to gawk and sightsee due to these districts’ exoticness, or even to carry out activities such as hiking or even outdoor picnics. CEOs, on the other hand, have made a habit of using secluded parts of these districts to carry out deals with clients, away from prying eyes. All of this for an entrance fee, of course.

Due to Eridani’s policy of uniformisation, the megacities all largely look the same in architecture, which is based on african futurism – most buildings opt for an inoffensive white or grey cosmopolitan colour scheme, with little variation bar for lights, windows, and holographic display boards. What variation there is can be observed on the skyscrapers that dot the city surface, which dominate the Eridanian skyline: each skyscraper tries to stand out in its own way from the rest, using different shapes, colourful holographic display boards or other creative outlets. Some are even created purely using glass, while others have opted for simpler variations on the Eridanian style.

<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed">
===Ifihan===
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
'''Ifihan''' is the largest, most densely populated megacity and capital of Eridani I and where the Federation’s government is headquartered, in addition to hosting '''Einstein Engines’ Eridanian headquarters''' and the '''Eridani PMC Academy'''. Being the capital, Eridanians from Ifihan are the most used to immigrants and tend to have friendly or at the very least cordial relations with them, in addition to often being familiar with various Human cultures. This has resulted in many Eridanians from Ifihan borrowing chic slang words or customs from work tourists: as an example, the Elyran word selam has found its way in more than a few Ifihani districts due to the presence of some small Elyran communities. As a result of having the largest foreign population, Ifihan also has the highest number of environmental districts at '''12''', all of which borrow elements and biomes from every single planet found across Human space.

The Eridanian PMC Academy is a key component of Ifihani culture, especially for foreign workers. More information on it can be found in the Work Tourism section.
</div></div>
<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed">
===Tokura===
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
'''Tokura''' is the second largest Eridanian megacity and where '''Hephaestus''' is headquartered. It is mostly known for its '''two massive entertainment districts''', affectionately named '''Amethyst''' and '''Diadem'''. They were designed exclusively by Venusian artists and architects under the supervision of the board of managers. They stick out like a sore thumb among all the other districts, displaying the classic flashy Venusian style across every single nightclub or bar. LED paintings cover every single wall and pavement in these districts, proving to be quite a culture shock for an Eridanian on their first visit. They are a very famous and renowned destination for Eridanians wishing to blow some stress off on their rare days off – even though many end up sleeping far less than the recommended amount per night in order to have a little fun outside – and make up for a large part of the megacity’s revenue. Diadem also hosts '''The Cube''', a gigantic cuboid structure that holds hundreds of bars and restaurants along with dancefloors and even residential housing for its employees. The Cube is a club which carries prestige across not just Eridanian space, but Human space as a whole.
Suits from Tokura have a reputation for being less on edge, warmer and generally more happy-go-lucky than others, much to the dismay of their Eridanian employers.

Tokura also hosts the largest number of industrial districts at '''68''', boasting a gigantic workforce employed in engineering or related fields. It is also the home of the '''Hephaestus Engineering Excellence Institute''', a common destination for Hephaestus employees that wish to obtain further qualifications in a more competitive environment – while also experiencing Eridanian culture for the duration of their stay. Those that finish courses in this institute often obtain lucrative contracts in industrial fields in Eridani, or even abroad. A sizable portion of middle-level Hephaestus managers obtain their management certifications here. The 68 industrial districts are mostly run by Hephaestus, with many being staffed by both IPC, native Eridanians and foreign workers.

As a result of the large number of industrial districts, air quality in Tokura is the worst among the Eridanian megacities and many Eridanians there develop a habit of staying indoors more than usual. Thankfully, their favourite attractions – the Venusian nightclubs – are all indoors. Additionally, it has less housing districts to compensate for the large amount of industrial districts, leading to a large overcrowding problem. This is partially why Suits from Tokura are warmer towards others – it is impossible to leave your apartment complex without seeing or talking to a colleague.
</div></div>
<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed">
===Madiwa===
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
Madiwa is the third largest Eridanian megacity and where '''Zeng-Hu''' is headquartered. It has the second highest number of environmental districts at '''nine''', the most famous of which is the '''Diakite Garden''': a brilliant metallic dome built around a brilliant variety of different trees, flowers, and grasses all precisely organised into a great botanical garden. The facility was built originally by Zeng-Hu Pharmaceuticals as a place to house plant samples, however after some years the company found it more profitable to charge people for entry and use it as a venue for “outdoor” business conferences and even expensive entertainment acts. Getting access to the Gardens is very difficult, with tickets going for thousands of credits and repeat-entry passes going for hundreds of thousands. This cost makes it quite the statement of power or status for one to hold a business meeting in the Gardens, and there are gazebo-esque facilities in parts of the dome made specifically for business.

Madiwa is a major medical and research centre and arguably hosts the planet's most advanced medical institutes and facilities. The '''Zeng–Hu Madiwan Polytechnic''' can be found in Madiwa, one of the premier Zeng-Hu polytechnic institutes. This university is where many graduates sponsored by Zeng-Hu find their home, both in Eridani and abroad, to be moulded into only the highest quality employees. At the same time, the Polytechnic is known for its soul-crushingly high standards, a result of the fusion between Zeng-Hu corporate culture and Suit workaholism. Many Zeng-Hu chief medical officers or hospital directors obtain further training in patient management at the Polytechnic institute.
</div></div>
<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed">
===Fantalu===
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
'''Fantalu''' is the smallest Eridanian megacity, curiously hosting no Solarian megacorporations. As a result, it also has the smallest population of foreign workers, which are often not treated kindly. It is, however, the host of the largest Eridanian corporation, '''Eridani Energy''', colloquially referred to as '''EriEn''' – an energy corporation specialising in the creation of fusion reactors at small scale – which hires '''exclusively''' Eridanian natives and natively assembled Eridanian IPC. It is known for having gruelling work hours, extreme recruitment standards but unparalleled pay. Eridanians that do leave EriEn – often due to extreme burnout and typically after having earned a few years' worth of paychecks – have little trouble finding work abroad as their abilities, experience and dedication to their work are in high demand. In addition to engineering fields, EriEn also hires many middle-management level staff, mainly in accounting, human resources, personnel management or other such related fields.

Fantalu is, as a result of all these factors, a significantly more Eridanian native-minded megacity than the rest. Its inhabitants often look down on Eridanians from other megacities and on them letting foreign influence run rampant. The examples commonly cited by Fantalu’s residents are Amethyst and Diadem, the two Venusian entertainment districts in Tokura. No entertainment districts are present in Fantalu and the megacity sponsors a very workaholic culture, making it an extremely unattractive prospect for anyone that wishes to spend their life in more than an office cubicle.
</div></div>

==Dreg Settlements==
The Eridanian megacities do not leave much space on the surface for dregs to even exist, which begs the question of where the majority of their population resides. The answer lies in a fault in Eridanian management: when the megacities absorbed smaller settlements, they never integrated existing tunnelling or underground systems, instead choosing to extend their own, as they were viewed as superior and less prone to failure. This has led to each megacity hosting its own unused complex network of tunnels, mining complexes, sewer systems and other such spaces underneath. These were interconnected by Eridani I’s dregs overtime, leading to the creation of the '''two main underground settlements''': '''New Kivu''', which corresponds to Ifihan’s underground, and '''Den''', which corresponds to Tokura’s. These two settlements are only the biggest and most renowned ones, but many small settlements exist in the tunnels nonetheless. Large settlements have some semblance of a government, but it only extends insofar as informal leaders making decisions – there are absolutely no social programs, government-sponsored hiring or anything resembling a modern nation state.
<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed">
===New Kivu===
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
The largest dreg shanty town in all of Eridani, New Kivu, boasts something that almost no other dreg community in the Federation can match: a widespread pipe network delivering clean water courtesy of the town being built around a once-decommissioned water treatment plant. This has led to much of the dreg population of Eridani I flocking to New Kivu in hopes of living in a place with clean water. It is the dreg settlement with the highest standard of living, but even that is still rock bottom when compared to anywhere else in the Spur. New Kivu’s economy functions mainly on salvaging food and water scraps from above through pre-planned routes, which still gives it an immense tactical edge over all other settlements that are instead forced to hunt for scraps of food and water over hundreds of kilometres. This has led to dregs outside of New Kivu developing a large sentiment of jealousy towards the premier settlement, and it is often forced to defend its borders from poachers, raiders and bandits far more often than any other, and these raids are often quite devastating for the town’s populace. This led to the creation of many rudimentary mercenary forces that sell their protection to the highest bidder, paid in food and water by the locals of the areas they protect. Some of these mercenary dregs do manage to get poached, reinstated and recruited by EPMCs, if they manage to get lucky enough to be scouted.
</div></div>
<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed">
===Den===
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
Den, on the other hand, is a much more different kind of settlement – if that label could even apply. Its culture is an extreme distortion of Cytherean and Suit culture where gambling, card games and other such activities play the main role in society. Knowing how to gamble, cheat, play cards and dice is an essential skill here as gambling is what the economy of Den runs on. What little food and water there is gets immediately gambled at makeshift bars or casinos, or becomes the price of admission in the '''Reinstatement Tournaments''': clandestine competitions hosted by the wealthy Suits that run the nightclubs on the surface. Dregs that climb their way up and defeat Suit opponents are often given a chance to reinstate themselves, with the price of signing an extremely abusive contract with a nightclub as card dealers, baristas or professional card players: those who find their way out of these contracts by paying severance fees are often burnt out and end up leaving their megacity or Eridani altogether. A minority of the dregs that make it to the end of these tournaments view these contracts as an unacceptable hit to their pride and end up refusing them, choosing to remain in the underground instead. These clandestine tournaments are very lucrative as well: many Suits place fairly high bets on their favourite candidate, as the payoff is extremely high. It is speculated that Den’s semblance of a “ruling government” is in close cooperation with the CEOs of the entertainment districts to provide them with an ever-flowing source of workers, and of course tournaments to sate their taste for extreme tourism.
</div></div>

Some of Eridani I’s dregs, however, live in completely desolate areas on the surface, primarily deserts that were not terraformed due to the land not being profitable. They live an even harder life than other dregs and their population has rapidly dwindled throughout the years due to the lack of any real source of food or water. They are the most isolated communities on Eridani I and entirely rely on raiding other underground dreg settlements for sustenance – a practice that has rapidly backfired ever since the creation of New Kivu’s mercenary system. Some find refuge underground and integrate into communities such as New Kivu or Den, while others continue to embrace this nomadic lifestyle. These dregs are known for being extremely superstitious to a fault, often judging how the course of a day will go from a simple observation in the morning. Additionally, they are the most religious community on Eridani I, with most of them believing in one deity or the other: makeshift places of prayer can be found dotted around their deserts for just about every human religion. Due to their origins as West African and Central African colonists, most of them follow the religions of Christianity and Islam.

Due to the entirely decentralised, chaotic and anarchic nature of these above-ground settlements, '''there are no large or static communities.'''
==Work Tourism==
Eridani I’s status as a gigantic trade and labour hub means that it receives an immense flux of immigration. This immigration, however, is a curious type when compared to all other planets: many people from across the Spur come to Eridani for an average amount of six years for humans in order to find better-paying labour. These immigrants are referred to as '''work tourists''' by Eridanians and even across the Spur. These work tourists often incorporate some words of Suit slang into their vocabulary in order to fit into Eridanian society slightly more, but never end up quite submitting to Eridani’s crushing demands. Work tourists often work a similar work week to other planets in the Spur, which is shorter than the Eridanian work week of ten hours across six days. This leads to some resentment towards work tourists, and sometimes even jealousy. Eridanian opinions on this matter vary, but most of them recognize that they do bring in a good amount of credits.

A common example of this work tourism is the '''Eridani PMC Academy'''. This academy is shared by all EPMCs and carries out a crucial function: it is not only where Eridanian native PMCs are trained, but also where foreign EPMCs must go for '''at least one month''' in order to acclimatise to Suit and Eridanian culture. This acclimatisation training is named '''the Foreign Hire Program''', but is colloquially referred to as '''the Internship'''. This month-long program trains foreign hires in their relevant fields to make sure that their knowledge is up to par, but also mandates Eridanian culture classes, as these employees will end up having to speak to Eridanian superiors and colleagues quite often throughout their career. A foreign hire is referred to as '''pierced''' by Eridanians if they have not passed their Internship, at which point they are referred to as '''bought'''. Native Eridanian PMCs often look down on pierced foreign hires as being a step below them: as a result, hazing foreign hires during their Internship is quite common. For many Eridanians, this sentiment ends when a foreign hire passes the Internship, while others continue to look down on these foreign hires until they subjectively deem them as sufficiently integrated. If a foreign free IPC needs to travel to the Eridani PMC Academy for training or otherwise to the Eridani Corporate Federation for company purposes, they will be transported there by the company with transportation costs deducted from their salary. A technicality in the Eridani Private Contractor Freelance Code saying that since EPMCs function as the Eridani Military, the IPCs are in Eridani Space when in transit and can legally transit through Solarian space even though the Sol Alliance outlaws free IPCs.

Work tourists can find it hard to break into Eridani’s insular culture, depending on their luck. It can be challenging to ''truly'' make a friend, be trusted or even be seen as an equal as a foreigner. This has led to many immigrant communities forming in every megacity: Little New Hai Phongs can be found, in addition to Little Venuses, and so on. These immigrant communities end up forming nice attractions for Eridanians that wish to put a little spice in their day by partaking in a foreign culture: many immigrants make extra Credits on the side (or network) through activities such as hosting cultural food stands in their district. In any case, nobody leaves Eridani I without changing slightly due to societal pressures; most that leave at the very least end up hungrier for Credits than before.

Eridani I is also a potential work exchange destination for Skrell, though with a price attached – Skrell are not used to the long hours and can find it particularly crushing to work in Eridani for a long period of time. Those with enough of an attraction for Credits to accept a contract here, ironically, find it easier to be respected as a gear in Eridani’s machine than other work tourists: they are willing to work just as many hours, if not more than native Eridanians. This often leads to “healthy” workplace rivalries between Skrell and Eridanian colleagues in how much work can be done in one day, which Skrell often end up winning. Eridani is also often touted in the Nralakk Federation as a very challenging workplace, if excessively materialistic. Ifihan has the largest population of Skrell workers, with some of its environmental districts housing relevant biomes from Nralakk and other necessary facilities.
==Synthetics on Eridani I==
The vast majority of synthetics on Eridani I are owned by all sorts of corporations, whether domestic or foreign. Frames seen as ''chic'' such as Shells and Bishops are the only ones that can find their place at the top of the Eridanian hierarchy, either by being owned by wealthy Suits or CEOs as a status statement, by finding employment in Tokura’s Venusian-inspired nightclubs as bartenders, card dealers and so on, or by working in jobs that require excellent human-to-synthetic communication, such as offices or in the medical fields – Zeng-Hu especially hires many Shell doctors in its districts. On the other hand, Industrial frames and Baselines are almost always relegated to working in industrial, environmental or housing districts in engineering or maintenance fields, or alternatively in security fields for the various Eridanian PMCs. It is, of course, also possible for Shells and Bishops to hold security positions, even if they are of more expensive make. All of these IPC generally work non-stop hours, much more than even the most workaholic of Eridanians.

The only synthetics that exist outside the megacities are scrappers or outdated models that ran or were discarded. Generally they live solitary lives, leeching off of what little energy they can find, and do not usually mesh with dregs: it is much harder to have to care for an IPC as well, and the risk is not worth it for most communities that cannot spare any electricity for them. Additionally, many dregs still hold resentment over IPC due to being the arguable cause of their predicament, which is the result of IPC replacing a significant part of the Eridanian lower class workforce.

{{Navbox Human Lore}}
{{Navbox Lore}}
[[Category:Pages]]
[[Category:Planets_and_Systems]]
[[Category:Humanity]]

Eridani I

2022-09-07T19:45:08Z

MattAtlas:

{{Navbox Lore}}
{{Navbox Human Lore}}
[[File:Pixel Planet Oran1.png|thumb|Eridani I as seen from orbit.]]
'''Eridani I''' is the jewel and capital world of the Eridani Corporate Federation. It is the first of five named planets in the Eridani system and boasts the largest and most dense population of the five by far, with extremely high levels of development and endless opportunities for those who seek the blood of the galaxy – credits. Its climate is especially Earth-like, if not temperate, as a result of terraforming carried out by the Federation. Eridani I features four continents, two polar caps, and the most inoffensive atmosphere in order to attract as many work tourists as possible, if they do not mind the pollution. The planet boasts an extremely small number of cities, only four: a result of the immense and rampant expansion of the largest urban centres, which ended up absorbing all other settlements in their path. These megacities are some of the most advanced, populated, and chic in the Spur, where every single building is realised in the most neutral style possible in order to pander to just about everyone that might consider moving over.

Below the cosmopolitan urban centres, however, lies the main home of the non-existent Eridanian underclass: most of Eridani I’s dregs reside in old and abandoned sewage, tunnel and mining complexes, often forming their own makeshift societies and small “shanty towns” when space permits. Some of these dregs find their home above the surface in relatively abandoned patches of space far away from the urban centres, usually deserts or mountains – areas that are certifiably not profitable, and thus not settled by anyone else. None of Eridani I’s shining opportunities are present for Eridani I’s dregs and their life standard has often been described as miserable or extremely poor by independent observers – criticisms that do not matter in the end, as this class does not officially exist.

'''As Epsilon Eridani was originally settled by colonists of West and Central African descent, human characters born in the Eridani Corporate Federation must have names and appearances consistent with the indigenous peoples of these regions, as any human moving to the ECF would assimilate into the dominant cultures and ethnic groups of the Federation. Eridani dregs have developed cultures of abstract or unconventional names, however, and this is tolerated. Only native Eridanians may select the Eridanian accents – employing the suit slang is how a non-native worker might look to integrate, not the accent tag in-game. This is enforceable by server moderators and admins.'''

==History==
'''Eridani I''' – originally referred to as '''Kamfulu''', a name that has now been entirely forgotten except by dregs – was not always similar to the Earth. Historical documents related to the colonisation of the planet, which initially happened on the 6th of May '''2095''' as it was among the first worlds that Humanity set its sights on describe it as sprawling with thick flora of all kinds. It proved to be very fertile land in any case, and many colonists were attracted by its potential as a jewel colony. Colonisation quickly sped up and, in '''2210''', Eridani I had already become one of the premier colonies in terms of development.

With the expansion of the Eridani Corporate Federation, a problem quickly became evident: the planet’s thick vegetation was making it quite hard for the cities to continue expanding, and a constantly expanding economy was required for Credits to continue rolling. In fact, most of the population was at the time not concentrated into large urban centres, but rather in many cities dotted across the surface in gaps and holes in the forests. Thus, after many months of negotiations, a deal was struck with Zeng-Hu: in exchange for their exclusive rights to Eridani II, cutting-edge terraforming technology was to be given to the government. This technology was used not only to achieve a perfect climate for human development and to maintain it, but more importantly to gradually erase practically '''all''' uncontrolled vegetation across the planet. As a result, Eridani I’s air quality is among the worst in the Spur, with all of the air purification being done artificially. Gardens and forests continue to exist in controlled environments in the megacities, but only in token amounts – and, of course, as tourist destinations. The most exclusive arboretums often function as meeting places for high-level executives who wish to not be interrupted by paparazzi looking for the latest scoop.

The systematic destruction of Eridani I’s flora allowed the largest urban centres to expand uncontrollably and absorb practically all cities in their wake. By '''2300''', only four cities – one per continent – remained on the surface of Eridani, containing 100% of the planet’s registered inhabitants: '''Ifihan''', '''Tokura''', '''Madiwa''' and '''Fantalu'''. Some have speculated that the megacities were actually developed as a deliberate form of statistical cheating by the Eridanian government: they are incredibly massive to a degree that almost no other planet in the Spur can match. Only planets or moons with extremely high population density such as Callisto can contend with Eridani I’s continent-spanning megacities in statistics such as gross domestic product. As the megacities approached this massive size, their names began to supplant their continents’ – and now, the continents are simply named after their respective megacity.

==Culture==
Suit culture is homogenised and thus does not vary much in Eridani I from the standard. It does vary slightly, however, on a megacity level. Interestingly enough, there is rivalry between the megacities, but Eridanians lack a true sense of patriotism or duty to their city. Many would ditch their city or even planet in search for better pay, unless their new conditions would be incompatible with them: a Tokuran resident who is particularly inclined towards party culture would almost never move to Fantalu due to the lack of environmental districts. At the same time, it is simply easier for them to not move from their megacity and find better work there. More open-minded Suits can find elements of variation in foreign workers and their immigrant communities.

Dregs live a very difficult and uphill life, doubly so if they wish to remain dregs and refuse the few opportunities for reintegration that exist. They are the only ones on Eridani I to refer to the planet and its continents with the respective defunct names: '''Ekeke''' for Ifihan, '''Lukingo''' for Tokura, '''Ichida''' for Madiwa and '''Maluwashi''' for Fantalu. Using the modern names would mean bowing down to the culture that they despise. Dreg culture, much like Suit culture, varies on a settlement level and there are countless settlements to be found in Eridani I's underground.

===Holidays===
Eridani I has few holidays, in keeping with the monotony of Suit culture. The only two holidays given by the state to Eridanian workers are '''Christmas Day''' on the 25th of December and '''Diversity Day''' on the 6th of May. Both holidays vary in terms of the celebrations that take place and the populace’s general attitude towards them.

'''Christmas Day''' has become a holiday completely detached from its beginnings as a Christian one, staying relevant purely because of its momentum and corporations viewing it as favourable for their profits. It is no longer connected to any religious significance and is now mostly a day where Eridanians are encouraged to go on massive shopping sprees. All districts bar industrial ones are decorated with LED wreaths and laurels of many different colours, with no combination of colour being particularly connected to Christmas now. Many view this holiday as a chance to express some sort of colour and flair outside or inside of their house with various levels of decorations found all over the planet. Christmas’ gift-giving tradition persists as well, becoming one of the main displays of friendship that Eridanians can truly afford to show. More importantly, this is the one holiday that Eridanians use to visit their family: it is impossible for most to really interact with their family in any large capacity due to crushing work schedules, thus it is a good opportunity to go home and reconnect with one’s parents.

'''Diversity Day''' is a very different kind of holiday. It can hardly even be considered one, as Eridanians are still mandated to show up to work – however, most of the day is dedicated to lectures instead of one’s usual labour. This holiday mostly presents itself as an attempt to preserve some sense of Eridanian patriotism – it is basically mandatory for workplaces to hang up Corporate Federation flags and give long elegies on the nation, while praising foreign workers for their contribution towards the Eridanian ideal (this ideal is not elaborated on) and to the economy. Corporations often advertise secondary services such as mental wellbeing services in these lectures, but their rate of utilisation remains low: most Eridanians do not wish to be known as a troubled worker. Regardless, most of the planet’s populace is glad to spend their day away from an office cubicle, even if they must attend five or six lectures, despite being generally uninterested in this holiday. Eridani’s corporations often attempt to sell Eridani Corporate Federation-branded souvenirs, such as Eridani scarfs, Eridani cloth masks for the pollution or Eridani sweaters, but these sales never break even a tenth of Christmas’ sheer output.

Due to the decentralised nature of dreg settlements, there are no holidays, nor is there really space for a holiday as dregs are forced to hunt for food and water day in and day out in order to survive. The closest event to a holiday is Den’s '''Reinstatement Tournaments''', which most of the settlement’s dregs show up to watch. New Kivu, on the other hand, often decides to celebrate New Years’ with whatever festival items its dregs can get its hands on. It is viewed as a bit of a bittersweet event: another year has been survived, and here’s to one more. Whichever stocks of alcohol the settlement’s dregs have managed to scrounge up over the course of the year are always popped open for this occasion, with many of the settlement’s inhabitants sharing this bittersweet moment with their friends and family.

===Fashion===
Suit fashion is generally conversative as a result of Eridanian homogenization and, of course, relies on the usage of simple and corporate-looking two-piece suits and dresses, tailored to be as perfectly fitting as possible and with the least offensive choice of colour. For those that spend their little free time at clubs or other such activities, flair is mainly shown off through creative usage of LED or holographic strips on their clothing. Eridanians do, however, make a '''very common''' habit of buying extremely expensive corporate items and wearing them everywhere, such as Idris’ deluxe Le Soleil Royal products, in order to make status and fashion statements. Golden watches, golden earrings, diamond rings and other such symbols are common to see, even in the workplace. On the other hand, it is important to avoid any sort of clothing or body modification that might even associate one with dregs – piercings and tattoos are entirely absent in the fashion culture, for example. Deciding to pierce yourself would be a one way street to having your contract terminated. Reinstated dregs, for example, often choose to take loans to get rid of their tattoos or other such dreg-like attributes through laser surgery.

Dreg fashion, on the other hand, is non-existent as a moniker: it is simply whatever the dregs happen to get their hands on. The harsh life of this downtrodden underclass means that a centralised concept of fashion is an unreachable and irrelevant concept to most of them. Whatever distinct clothes they may wear are often scavenged or knitted together, with some communities rarely managing to form a distinct look.

==Megacities==
Eridani I’s megacities are a marvel of architectural engineering. They span for almost the entire length of their respective continent, but that is not to say that they are entirely populated: many districts are specialised in a certain role to make the most out of their space or position. Each megacity is, in fact, divided into precisely 200 administrative districts, which have been assigned to a purpose by the megacity’s board of managers as the urban centre grew: the amount of a certain district does vary between megacities as well. Industrial districts, housing districts, commercial districts and office districts are the most common: industrial districts take the form of large, sprawling foundry or assembly complexes, often run exclusively by IPC or simple robots; housing districts are massive complexes of apartments, while others exclusively house villas; commercial districts house the Spur’s grandest and most exclusive shopping malls, and finally office districts are characterised by massive skyscrapers that function as office buildings, with many numbering in the hundreds of floors. Each administrative district is managed by its district manager, which is not elected by Eridanians but instead by the megacity’s board of managers. Districts also have varying levels of air quality: industrial districts are among the worst places in the Spur for air quality, whereas office districts are still polluted, but not quite as badly.

All megacities have a certain number of districts set aside for “environmental” purposes, mostly indoors due to air pollution, even if there are a few open-aired districts. These districts are often artificial and colourful gardens, forests, jungles and so on: they are styled after the vegetation that used to be in that district’s area prior to its terraforming. They are sometimes a veritable adventure, with seamless transitions into different artificial biomes. Additionally, some of these districts are even styled after other planets’ environments, in order to give work tourists a familiar environment to visit – Visegrad’s rainy forests, for example, are adapted quite faithfully. Tourists often come to gawk and sightsee due to these districts’ exoticness, or even to carry out activities such as hiking or even outdoor picnics. CEOs, on the other hand, have made a habit of using secluded parts of these districts to carry out deals with clients, away from prying eyes. All of this for an entrance fee, of course.

Due to Eridani’s policy of uniformisation, the megacities all largely look the same in architecture, which is based on african futurism – most buildings opt for an inoffensive white or grey cosmopolitan colour scheme, with little variation bar for lights, windows, and holographic display boards. What variation there is can be observed on the skyscrapers that dot the city surface, which dominate the Eridanian skyline: each skyscraper tries to stand out in its own way from the rest, using different shapes, colourful holographic display boards or other creative outlets. Some are even created purely using glass, while others have opted for simpler variations on the Eridanian style.

<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed">
===Ifihan===
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
'''Ifihan''' is the largest, most densely populated megacity and capital of Eridani I and where the Federation’s government is headquartered, in addition to hosting '''Einstein Engines’ Eridanian headquarters''' and the '''Eridani PMC Academy'''. Being the capital, Eridanians from Ifihan are the most used to immigrants and tend to have friendly or at the very least cordial relations with them, in addition to often being familiar with various Human cultures. This has resulted in many Eridanians from Ifihan borrowing chic slang words or customs from work tourists: as an example, the Elyran word selam has found its way in more than a few Ifihani districts due to the presence of some small Elyran communities. As a result of having the largest foreign population, Ifihan also has the highest number of environmental districts at '''12''', all of which borrow elements and biomes from every single planet found across Human space.

The Eridanian PMC Academy is a key component of Ifihani culture, especially for foreign workers. More information on it can be found in the Work Tourism section.
</div></div>
<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed">
===Tokura===
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
'''Tokura''' is the second largest Eridanian megacity and where '''Hephaestus''' is headquartered. It is mostly known for its '''two massive entertainment districts''', affectionately named '''Amethyst''' and '''Diadem'''. They were designed exclusively by Venusian artists and architects under the supervision of the board of managers. They stick out like a sore thumb among all the other districts, displaying the classic flashy Venusian style across every single nightclub or bar. LED paintings cover every single wall and pavement in these districts, proving to be quite a culture shock for an Eridanian on their first visit. They are a very famous and renowned destination for Eridanians wishing to blow some stress off on their rare days off – even though many end up sleeping far less than the recommended amount per night in order to have a little fun outside – and make up for a large part of the megacity’s revenue. Diadem also hosts '''The Cube''', a gigantic cuboid structure that holds hundreds of bars and restaurants along with dancefloors and even residential housing for its employees. The Cube is a club which carries prestige across not just Eridanian space, but Human space as a whole.
Suits from Tokura have a reputation for being less on edge, warmer and generally more happy-go-lucky than others, much to the dismay of their Eridanian employers.

Tokura also hosts the largest number of industrial districts at '''68''', boasting a gigantic workforce employed in engineering or related fields. It is also the home of the '''Hephaestus Engineering Excellence Institute''', a common destination for Hephaestus employees that wish to obtain further qualifications in a more competitive environment – while also experiencing Eridanian culture for the duration of their stay. Those that finish courses in this institute often obtain lucrative contracts in industrial fields in Eridani, or even abroad. A sizable portion of middle-level Hephaestus managers obtain their management certifications here. The 68 industrial districts are mostly run by Hephaestus, with many being staffed by both IPC, native Eridanians and foreign workers.

As a result of the large number of industrial districts, air quality in Tokura is the worst among the Eridanian megacities and many Eridanians there develop a habit of staying indoors more than usual. Thankfully, their favourite attractions – the Venusian nightclubs – are all indoors. Additionally, it has less housing districts to compensate for the large amount of industrial districts, leading to a large overcrowding problem. This is partially why Suits from Tokura are warmer towards others – it is impossible to leave your apartment complex without seeing or talking to a colleague.
</div></div>
<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed">
===Madiwa===
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
Madiwa is the third largest Eridanian megacity and where '''Zeng-Hu''' is headquartered. It has the second highest number of environmental districts at '''nine''', the most famous of which is the '''Diakite Garden''': a brilliant metallic dome built around a brilliant variety of different trees, flowers, and grasses all precisely organised into a great botanical garden. The facility was built originally by Zeng-Hu Pharmaceuticals as a place to house plant samples, however after some years the company found it more profitable to charge people for entry and use it as a venue for “outdoor” business conferences and even expensive entertainment acts. Getting access to the Gardens is very difficult, with tickets going for thousands of credits and repeat-entry passes going for hundreds of thousands. This cost makes it quite the statement of power or status for one to hold a business meeting in the Gardens, and there are gazebo-esque facilities in parts of the dome made specifically for business.

Madiwa is a major medical and research centre and arguably hosts the planet's most advanced medical institutes and facilities. The '''Zeng–Hu Madiwan Polytechnic''' can be found in Madiwa, one of the premier Zeng-Hu polytechnic institutes. This university is where many graduates sponsored by Zeng-Hu find their home, both in Eridani and abroad, to be moulded into only the highest quality employees. At the same time, the Polytechnic is known for its soul-crushingly high standards, a result of the fusion between Zeng-Hu corporate culture and Suit workaholism. Many Zeng-Hu chief medical officers or hospital directors obtain further training in patient management at the Polytechnic institute.
</div></div>
<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed">
===Fantalu===
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
'''Fantalu''' is the smallest Eridanian megacity, curiously hosting no Solarian megacorporations. As a result, it also has the smallest population of foreign workers, which are often not treated kindly. It is, however, the host of the largest Eridanian corporation, '''Eridani Energy''', colloquially referred to as '''EriEn''' – an energy corporation specialising in the creation of fusion reactors at small scale – which hires '''exclusively''' Eridanian natives and natively assembled Eridanian IPC. It is known for having gruelling work hours, extreme recruitment standards but unparalleled pay. Eridanians that do leave EriEn – often due to extreme burnout and typically after having earned a few years' worth of paychecks – have little trouble finding work abroad as their abilities, experience and dedication to their work are in high demand. In addition to engineering fields, EriEn also hires many middle-management level staff, mainly in accounting, human resources, personnel management or other such related fields.

Fantalu is, as a result of all these factors, a significantly more Eridanian native-minded megacity than the rest. Its inhabitants often look down on Eridanians from other megacities and on them letting foreign influence run rampant. The examples commonly cited by Fantalu’s residents are Amethyst and Diadem, the two Venusian entertainment districts in Tokura. No entertainment districts are present in Fantalu and the megacity sponsors a very workaholic culture, making it an extremely unattractive prospect for anyone that wishes to spend their life in more than an office cubicle.
</div></div>

==Dreg Settlements==
The Eridanian megacities do not leave much space on the surface for dregs to even exist, which begs the question of where the majority of their population resides. The answer lies in a fault in Eridanian management: when the megacities absorbed smaller settlements, they never integrated existing tunnelling or underground systems, instead choosing to extend their own, as they were viewed as superior and less prone to failure. This has led to each megacity hosting its own unused complex network of tunnels, mining complexes, sewer systems and other such spaces underneath. These were interconnected by Eridani I’s dregs overtime, leading to the creation of the '''two main underground settlements''': '''New Kivu''', which corresponds to Ifihan’s underground, and '''Den''', which corresponds to Tokura’s. These two settlements are only the biggest and most renowned ones, but many small settlements exist in the tunnels nonetheless. Large settlements have some semblance of a government, but it only extends insofar as informal leaders making decisions – there are absolutely no social programs, government-sponsored hiring or anything resembling a modern nation state.
<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed">
===New Kivu===
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
The largest dreg shanty town in all of Eridani, New Kivu, boasts something that almost no other dreg community in the Federation can match: a widespread pipe network delivering clean water courtesy of the town being built around a once-decommissioned water treatment plant. This has led to much of the dreg population of Eridani I flocking to New Kivu in hopes of living in a place with clean water. It is the dreg settlement with the highest standard of living, but even that is still rock bottom when compared to anywhere else in the Spur. New Kivu’s economy functions mainly on salvaging food and water scraps from above through pre-planned routes, which still gives it an immense tactical edge over all other settlements that are instead forced to hunt for scraps of food and water over hundreds of kilometres. This has led to dregs outside of New Kivu developing a large sentiment of jealousy towards the premier settlement, and it is often forced to defend its borders from poachers, raiders and bandits far more often than any other, and these raids are often quite devastating for the town’s populace. This led to the creation of many rudimentary mercenary forces that sell their protection to the highest bidder, paid in food and water by the locals of the areas they protect. Some of these mercenary dregs do manage to get poached, reinstated and recruited by EPMCs, if they manage to get lucky enough to be scouted.
</div></div>
<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed">
===Den===
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
Den, on the other hand, is a much more different kind of settlement – if that label could even apply. Its culture is an extreme distortion of Cytherean and Suit culture where gambling, card games and other such activities play the main role in society. Knowing how to gamble, cheat, play cards and dice is an essential skill here as gambling is what the economy of Den runs on. What little food and water there is gets immediately gambled at makeshift bars or casinos, or becomes the price of admission in the '''Reinstatement Tournaments''': clandestine competitions hosted by the wealthy Suits that run the nightclubs on the surface. Dregs that climb their way up and defeat Suit opponents are often given a chance to reinstate themselves, with the price of signing an extremely abusive contract with a nightclub as card dealers, baristas or professional card players: those who find their way out of these contracts by paying severance fees are often burnt out and end up leaving their megacity or Eridani altogether. A minority of the dregs that make it to the end of these tournaments view these contracts as an unacceptable hit to their pride and end up refusing them, choosing to remain in the underground instead. These clandestine tournaments are very lucrative as well: many Suits place fairly high bets on their favourite candidate, as the payoff is extremely high. It is speculated that Den’s semblance of a “ruling government” is in close cooperation with the CEOs of the entertainment districts to provide them with an ever-flowing source of workers, and of course tournaments to sate their taste for extreme tourism.
</div></div>

Some of Eridani I’s dregs, however, live in completely desolate areas on the surface, primarily deserts that were not terraformed due to the land not being profitable. They live an even harder life than other dregs and their population has rapidly dwindled throughout the years due to the lack of any real source of food or water. They are the most isolated communities on Eridani I and entirely rely on raiding other underground dreg settlements for sustenance – a practice that has rapidly backfired ever since the creation of New Kivu’s mercenary system. Some find refuge underground and integrate into communities such as New Kivu or Den, while others continue to embrace this nomadic lifestyle. These dregs are known for being extremely superstitious to a fault, often judging how the course of a day will go from a simple observation in the morning. Additionally, they are the most religious community on Eridani I, with most of them believing in one deity or the other: makeshift places of prayer can be found dotted around their deserts for just about every human religion. Due to their origins as West African and Central African colonists, most of them follow the religions of Christianity and Islam.

Due to the entirely decentralised, chaotic and anarchic nature of these above-ground settlements, '''there are no large or static communities.'''
==Work Tourism==
Eridani I’s status as a gigantic trade and labour hub means that it receives an immense flux of immigration. This immigration, however, is a curious type when compared to all other planets: many people from across the Spur come to Eridani for an average amount of six years for humans in order to find better-paying labour. These immigrants are referred to as '''work tourists''' by Eridanians and even across the Spur. These work tourists often incorporate some words of Suit slang into their vocabulary in order to fit into Eridanian society slightly more, but never end up quite submitting to Eridani’s crushing demands. Work tourists often work a similar work week to other planets in the Spur, which is shorter than the Eridanian work week of ten hours across six days. This leads to some resentment towards work tourists, and sometimes even jealousy. Eridanian opinions on this matter vary, but most of them recognize that they do bring in a good amount of credits.

A common example of this work tourism is the '''Eridani PMC Academy'''. This academy is shared by all EPMCs and carries out a crucial function: it is not only where Eridanian native PMCs are trained, but also where foreign EPMCs must go for '''at least one month''' in order to acclimatise to Suit and Eridanian culture. This acclimatisation training is named '''the Foreign Hire Program''', but is colloquially referred to as '''the Internship'''. This month-long program trains foreign hires in their relevant fields to make sure that their knowledge is up to par, but also mandates Eridanian culture classes, as these employees will end up having to speak to Eridanian superiors and colleagues quite often throughout their career. A foreign hire is referred to as '''pierced''' by Eridanians if they have not passed their Internship, at which point they are referred to as '''bought'''. Native Eridanian PMCs often look down on pierced foreign hires as being a step below them: as a result, hazing foreign hires during their Internship is quite common. For many Eridanians, this sentiment ends when a foreign hire passes the Internship, while others continue to look down on these foreign hires until they subjectively deem them as sufficiently integrated. If a foreign free IPC needs to travel to the Eridani PMC Academy for training or otherwise to the Eridani Corporate Federation for company purposes, they will be transported there by the company with transportation costs deducted from their salary. A technicality in the Eridani Private Contractor Freelance Code saying that since EPMCs function as the Eridani Military, the IPCs are in Eridani Space when in transit and can legally transit through Solarian space even though the Sol Alliance outlaws free IPCs.

Work tourists can find it hard to break into Eridani’s insular culture, depending on their luck. It can be challenging to ''truly'' make a friend, be trusted or even be seen as an equal as a foreigner. This has led to many immigrant communities forming in every megacity: Little New Hai Phongs can be found, in addition to Little Venuses, and so on. These immigrant communities end up forming nice attractions for Eridanians that wish to put a little spice in their day by partaking in a foreign culture: many immigrants make extra Credits on the side (or network) through activities such as hosting cultural food stands in their district. In any case, nobody leaves Eridani I without changing slightly due to societal pressures; most that leave at the very least end up hungrier for Credits than before.

Eridani I is also a potential work exchange destination for Skrell, though with a price attached – Skrell are not used to the long hours and can find it particularly crushing to work in Eridani for a long period of time. Those with enough of an attraction for Credits to accept a contract here, ironically, find it easier to be respected as a gear in Eridani’s machine than other work tourists: they are willing to work just as many hours, if not more than native Eridanians. This often leads to “healthy” workplace rivalries between Skrell and Eridanian colleagues in how much work can be done in one day, which Skrell often end up winning. Eridani is also often touted in the Nralakk Federation as a very challenging workplace, if excessively materialistic. Ifihan has the largest population of Skrell workers, with some of its environmental districts housing relevant biomes from Nralakk and other necessary facilities.
==Synthetics on Eridani I==
The vast majority of synthetics on Eridani I are owned by all sorts of corporations, whether domestic or foreign. Frames seen as ''chic'' such as Shells and Bishops are the only ones that can find their place at the top of the Eridanian hierarchy, either by being owned by wealthy Suits or CEOs as a status statement, by finding employment in Tokura’s Venusian-inspired nightclubs as bartenders, card dealers and so on, or by working in jobs that require excellent human-to-synthetic communication, such as offices or in the medical fields – Zeng-Hu especially hires many Shell doctors in its districts. On the other hand, Industrial frames and Baselines are almost always relegated to working in industrial, environmental or housing districts in engineering or maintenance fields, or alternatively in security fields for the various Eridanian PMCs. It is, of course, also possible for Shells and Bishops to hold security positions, even if they are of more expensive make. All of these IPC generally work non-stop hours, much more than even the most workaholic of Eridanians.

The only synthetics that exist outside the megacities are scrappers or outdated models that ran or were discarded. Generally they live solitary lives, leeching off of what little energy they can find, and do not usually mesh with dregs: it is much harder to have to care for an IPC as well, and the risk is not worth it for most communities that cannot spare any electricity for them. Additionally, many dregs still hold resentment over IPC due to being the arguable cause of their predicament, which is the result of IPC replacing a significant part of the Eridanian lower class workforce.

{{Navbox Human Lore}}
{{Navbox Lore}}
[[Category:Pages]]
[[Category:Planets_and_Systems]]
[[Category:Humanity]]