Free Tajaran Council

Free Tajaran Council
Free Council FTC
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Capital Planet: Capital City	Himeo Dorshafen
Language(s):	Siik'maas
Species:	Tajara
Religion:	S'rendarr and Messa (Unofficial) Ma'ta'ke Pantheon (Unofficial)
Demonym:	Adhomian Himean
Government Head of State	Democratic Commune No Head of State
Legislature	Free Council
Established:	2430
Part Of:	Coalition of Colonies

Overview

The Free Tajaran Council is the largest Tajaran community in Himeo. Its origins can be traced back to the First Revolution-era revolutionaries that fled Adhomai. Built upon radical principles of equality and communal democracy, the Free Tajaran Council remained relatively isolated from the rest of the Tajaran community until the start of the Adhomian Cold War.

History

The Free Tajaran Council began as a rebel faction in the Duchy of Shungsta during the First Revolution. Born among the oppressed peasants and factory workers, the movement advocated for the total abolishment of the existing governments in favor of local democratic councils. The Free Council became a serious contender for power in Northern Ras'nrr after Volin Kar'etrink - a young Hharar worker known to be a firebrand - was elected its leader. Drawing inspiration from the rebels of Zatushka and S'rendul, Volin organized the Council into a mobile force of guerillas fighters; cars and carriages were used to move infantry and artillery in and out of battle. The Free Council clashed with both rebel and loyalist groups during the revolution.

Due to its innate hostility to all other Adhomian Civil War factions, the Free Tajaran Council was unable to secure any significant territory outside of Northern Ras'nrr. The Council's forces were quickly defeated by the Hadiist forces when they invaded the region in 2427. Volin then gathered the survivors and fled to Crevus. Due to the Council's inexperience with galactic affairs, the Tajara were unable to figure a way off of the planet by themselves. This impasse was solved by the intervention of Nanotrasen, who helped them hire ships to leave Adhomai. Regardless of their political beliefs, this interaction left a positive impression of the megacorporation on the Council. The Tajara traveled through the Coalition of Colonies territory until they reached the System XZP-098 in 2430.

The Free Council decided to settle on Himeo because of its government and weather. Posing as refugees from the ongoing Civil War, they were given asylum and a degree of autonomy to govern themselves. Staying loyal to its ideals, the Council organized itself into a democratic commune built around the direct participation of its members in all public matters. Through the cooperation with Himeo, the Free Council prospered and grew in numbers.

Despite all the prosperity, the Free Tajara Council does not consider Himeo its home. The dream of creating a free Adhomai was never abandoned. When the time arises, Volin and his followers secretly plan to return to their homeworld and topple down the Adhomian regimes. They prepare their plot deep in the tunnels: weapons are brought and secretly stored; militias train daily for the inevitable conflict; plans to assassinate leaders, sabotage factories, and sow discord are voted on. Thanks to a deep paranoia and isolation from the wide Tajaran community, the Council's plans are still unknown to the public. Officially, the Council renounces the original intentions of their revolutionary past.

The Free Tajara Council now faces an existential crisis. Unable to truly compete with the Tajaran nations, many of its members doubt Volin's plans. The younger generations - most of which were born outside of Adhomai - have conflicted views towards the prospect of returning to a place they have never been to. The Old Guard stubbornly clings to its revolutionary dream. Some believe that their limited operations in Himeo are enough, while others agree that they should seek allies in other places. Whispers about abandoning the plan and settling definitively in Himeo are also becoming increasingly common.

Volin Kar'etrink is very old; little time is left for him in this world. The Free Tajaran Council now stands at the crossroads: a choice must be made concerning the future. In their struggle to influence the Tajara, the Tajaran nations have taken notice of the sizable community in Himeo. The Council is now a battleground for another proxy war between the Adhomian nations. Almost all factions within the community are currently backed up by one of the Tajaran countries in an attempt to secure their support.

Culture and Society

The culture of the Council traces its history back to the Northern Rasn’rr lands of Shungsta. This way of life has been heavily influenced by the Council’s ideology, past isolation from Adhomai, and the current situation on Himeo. A great emphasis is put on the collective and the survival of the society above the individual. Himean Tajara will usually have an aversion to strict chains of command, preferring to make decisions based on common consensus instead of relying on a leader. Diligence and modesty are considered virtues that every Tajara should strive for. While not necessarily xenophobic, the Free Council Tajara are highly suspicious of outsiders and will take more time to establish bonds with people from outside of their communities.

Since the Council’s fleeing of Adhomai for safer lands, the culture of the off-world community has shifted and warped. Many human concepts have begun to take hold in the younger generation within the Council. This has come to be a source of friction between younger and older generations. Many of the older Tajara, made up primarily of those who fled Adhomai with Kar’etrink, only approve of Tajaran ideas for the Tajaran people. The idea of humanizing threatens both the plan of the Council, and degrades Tajara as just another puppet of human influence. Younger generations, being more acclimated to Human culture and presence on Himeo, typically have little qualms navigating both worlds. It is a well understood idea that they are Tajaran and Council members first, but they view refusal to incorporate Human concepts unnecessarily stymies growth, especially when it would progress the Council closer to its ideals. The cultural debate extends to many aspects of life including marriage, homosexuality, and other such topics. The most visible debate, language, has resulted in the Council split. Older Tajara demand the use of “proper” Siik’maas, whereas many younger Tajara have begun using Freespeak commonly, even going as far as speaking “Free’Siik” within the Council.

The quality of life for a Tajara within the Free Council is slightly below that of Himeo. Basic goods such as food, water, and housing are guaranteed to any Tajara within the Council. This law, called the “Provisions of Life”, provides every Tajara a stipend of essential goods regardless of age or employment status. In the early years of the Council, a system of stamps was utilized for the distribution of goods. However, as more products were introduced into the Council and as Free Council Tajara began to venture into the Credit-based economies of Himeo and the wider spur, a need for a Credits based system was increasingly realized. Now, wages for every job are determined collectively in individual workplace meetings. Often, these wages are barely high enough to give a Tajara access to luxuries. Excess business profit is temporarily held to be redistributed based on Council votes. Through this, the Council is capable of focusing funds on larger economic purchases, such as equipment that would otherwise be too expensive, or to distribute across the population. Many within the Council still find this system worse than the previous system of stamps, and claim it goes against the ideals set out by Kar’etrinkism.

With the help of Himeo, the Free Council was able to establish schools and freely educate its population, creating a steady supply of well-trained technicians, miners, and engineers. Without the trappings of Adhomian prejudice, the Zhan-Khazan were able to receive the same education as any other ethnicity. Many Free Council Tajara find further experience within Himeo's many universities, or travel to the wider Spur. In recent times, partnerships with the People's Polytechnic Partnership of Himeo have led to a rapidly increasing number of Tajaran students across the planet.

The Free Council family is large and multi-generational. A great societal emphasis on growing the family, and by extension the Council, has resulted in a boom in child births since the group first arrived on Himeo. With space limitations, many families choose to remain in the same home, with young adults only leaving their family for work opportunities outside of the Council or when the home is unable to sustain the family. Despite the great cultural emphasis on the collective, the family unit expects respect to family elders. Each family handles decision making in separate ways, with some embracing the collective decision making of the Council and others still utilizing a top-down process found in traditional Northern Ras’nrr family values.

Due to the Council’s ideological fight, it has declared a total abandonment of the caste system, going further to vow to dismantle it. In addition to the staunch stance against centralization, the Council has no official means of tracking one’s gender, sexuality, etc. As such, Tajara are capable of deciding their identity independently. The Council itself lacks the means to provide a Tajara the medical assistance needed, however many transgender Tajara opt to source medical assistance from nearby Dorshafen.

Unlike other Adhomian nations, the Council has had the closest contact with Human concepts of homosexuality. Without an institutionalized system for marriage, there is nothing inherently preventing same-sex relationships, however cultural views remain divided along generational lines. Many older Tajara find the concept a humanization and disregard it as a corruption. Relationships across ethnicities have become increasingly common, even despite certain lingering prejudices among older Tajara. Those outspoken against these relationships find themselves accused of supporting the old caste system by the younger generation.

Speaking about the Free Council's plan of returning to Adhomai to outsiders is taboo. Anyone found breaking this prohibition will usually be dealt with violently.

Religion

Religion is a lesser emphasized aspect of life within the Council. The demographics of worshipers of the [[S'rendarr and Messa|Twin Suns] or the Ma’ta’ke pantheon are relatively even, with a slight majority to the latter. A notable trend with the younger generation has been a shift away from religiousness, a trend that has been used to explain the immorality of younger Tajara or to call for fears of humanization by the Himeans. Interestingly, religious iconography has become a more common motif for Council Tajara. Signage of the Ma’ta’ke Gods or Twin Suns are incorporated into clothing, rare pieces of jewellery, and the walls and signs of the Foundling District despite the lessened role of these religions in everyday life.

The Twin Suns worship took a hard hit during the flight of the Council off Adhomai. The only remnants of the Parivara within the Council were two Sons of Dawn. As such, the worship within the fledgling nation had taken a sharp departure from what is seen on Adhomai to this day. While the clergy has rebounded, it remains a small group of mostly Priests of S’rendarr. Hymns and services have been eschewed for seminars and small group services that largely abandon the emphasis on the Parivara as a whole. These differences in practices have come to a head following the end of the 2nd Revolution. Due to the Council’s immense distrust of outsiders, clergy from Adhomai or elsewhere have been barred from entry despite the Parivara’s protests. The few members present in the FTC are Council citizens who travelled to Adhomai to be ordained.

The remnants of Ma’ta’ke priests felt a hard blow in leaving the traditional lands of their pantheon. Old rites and worship were lost in favor of oration and theater, oftentimes becoming showrunners for local shows. These stories almost always revolved around ancient tales of the pantheon and their exploits. Younger priests have even begun curating new stories with motifs and inspiration taken from the Foundling district itself. The pieces of Ma’ta’ke priest regalia and other religious items are heavily valued by the Tajara, and great care is taken in maintaining them.

Cuisine

Cuisine within the Council has become notable for its fusion of human and Adhomian cuisine. Blizzard Ears remain a staple crop, even after the explosion in Adhomian imports. Human dishes have become common. Following the re-introduction of Adhomian ingredients, many families have chosen to make these human dishes with a blend of Adhomian and human ingredients rather than return to traditional recipes.

Sheltered Blizzard: A lager beer made from Blizzard’s ears within the Free Council. The drink has become one of the best-known exports of the Council in recent times, often being compared to Earthmover amongst those frequenting Himean bars. The original recipe originates from two former farmers who joined the Council during the revolution and is considered a staple product of the Council. A multitude of variations have been made over the years; however, they are relegated to seasonal production.

Music

Those in the Council place great emphasis on song and theater as a means of passing on and preserving tradition, history, and ideals. Many instruments were brought to Himeo when the Council had fled Adhomai, and are still in use to play folk songs both new and old. Many of these instruments are family heirlooms displayed proudly in a home.

Within schools, every child is offered the choice of an instrument, theater, or choir. Songs and plays are rarely human made with a few exceptions. A popular industry with artists and songwriters is the arrangement of traditional songs to utilize human instruments that have become more prevalent in the Council’s schools. This has created some dissent from the older generation who often see these new arrangements as ruining the folk nature of the songs and damaging the meaning.

Human music has grown in popularity among younger Tajara within the Council due to the contact with Himeo and its culture. Adhomian music and music of District 6 has had little traction in the Council due to a lack of connection with the themes of many songs, many of which revolve around Adhomai, the war, and similar topics that had little direct impact on those within the Council.

Literature

Despite high literacy rates, books are still seen with suspicion due to their relationship with the pre-revolution nobility in Adhomai. However, technical manuals are prized because of their practical use. Himean reference texts are frequently translated to Siik'maas by the Council's teachers.

Economy

The Free Council uses the Biesel Standard Credit (电/CR) as its sole currency. Formerly used resource stamps remain in circulation, and are equivalent to 5 credits. However, these stamps are useless beyond Council borders, and are slowly being removed from circulation. Many stamps have become collectors items. Inconsistencies, one-off prints, and other such notable parts of old resources stamps beg a high price to many.

Despite the small size and youth of the Council, it features an advanced industrial and agricultural economy. This is in large part due to the assistance from Himeo. Many large syndicates offer reduced prices on old equipment to the Council in exchange for Credits or contracts for produced goods. This equipment, while old by Himean standards, is typically on-par or better than those found on Adhomai. It is by these means that the Council manages to produce a large quantity of food and products for its growing population, although not enough to completely forgo the need for import goods from Himeo and beyond.

A growing number of the Council workforce have been finding work outside of the Council or Himean syndicates with the megacorporations of the Spur. Unlike their neighbor, the Council has far less stigma placed on working for the corporations, including that of Hephaestus. The largest diaspora of off-world Free Council Tajara is the mining workforce trained within the Council. Due to dwindling ores and resources on Himeo itself, especially within the former quarry the Council resides in, many Free Council miners are forced to retrain or find work off-world with the Himean mining syndicates or megacorporations.

Due to the size of the Free Council, domestic healthcare is very limited. Families typically have a local doctor and clinic that provide the basic healthcare needs of the community. However, it is common for Free Council clinics to outsource patients to hospitals within Dorshafen for surgeries and critical care needs. This comes at a cost which, while lower than typical prices found across the spur, often causes issues. The First Himean Healthcare Union has proposed on many occasions to subsume all Free Council clinics and to become the sole provider of healthcare within the district, however this has met great pushback.

Foundling District

Most of the Free Council's population lives in a neighborhood of Dorshafen known as the Foundling District. Once part of an abandoned Hephaestus Industries quarry, the district was transformed into a sprawling system of tunnels and living chambers by the Tajara. While the architecture follows the Himean style, internal decoration and furniture are distinct Tajaran. The Foundling District is home to the Council Committee Hall, a spacious chamber where important decisions are discussed and voted by the population.

Housing within the Foundling District is a growing issue. Due to the limited space within the Foundling District, most homes are cramped and feature multiple families. It is very common to find up to three generations of family members living together. Communal kitchens, living rooms, and other such amenities can have as many as 3 families sharing the space. Those seeking personal living space for one or two Tajara often must leave the district for an apartment within Dorshafen proper, a costly venture for most.

Government

The Free Tajaran Council is a direct democracy-based commune. Political decisions, distribution of resources, assignment of jobs, and punishments are decided in votes where the entire population is invited to take part. Due to the nature of direct voting at a mass scale, groups of Tajara will form voting blocs, wherein their individual vote is transferred to an elected bloc representative. Voting blocs form and dissolve frequently with very few continuing past a single vote.

A vote within the Council follows the same general process: A request for vote is filed by a citizen or group. After processing the date is set for a vote. On the day of the vote itself, those present may argue their stance before the verbal vote commences. Bloc representatives often hold the most sway thanks to the backing of bloc members, although their position is tenuous without protections from removal. After all votes are counted, the results are delivered to the Council hall to be officiated, then to the rest of the council through its newspapers.

There have been discussions of modernizing to a digital voting system, something which has gained much support in the younger generation while being lambasted by older Tajara as an affront to tradition. An underground extranet forum called “FREE/TC/.HIMEO” has been established by hackers in the younger generation to help those away from Himeo keep in touch with changes to the Council.

The bureaucracy of the Council is the sole responsibility of the Presidia. The Presidia is one of two elected “officials” within the Free Council, however it does not wield any official powers. Its sole duties are to process voting requests, schedule all Council votes, collect casted votes, and officiate the results. Due to the Presidia’s position as the manager of the vote, they are unable to request or cast their own vote. Failure to properly fulfill the duties of the position, such as neglecting vote requests or attempting to falsify vote results, is considered a crime and enforceable by the Free Guard. Oftentimes, assistants and secretaries are assigned to the Presidia to assist in the growing workload of the Council.

The Free Council’s other elected official is a representative chosen quinquennial to represent its interests before the Himean Government. Since they arrived in Himeo, Volin Kar'etrink has always been chosen. While it does not grant any special powers, the Representative position holds plenty of influence and can easily sway debates to their side.

Law

The laws of the Council are organized by the Presidia into the Council Measures and Codes. This document is viewable to the public in the Council antechamber. The vast majority of laws are mundane and affect the economic sectors of the nation. However, the laws of the Council are additionally used to enforce ideological and cultural beliefs, something which has spurred on great debate in the Council chamber between the younger and older generations as cultural values shift over time. Additionally, while Himean law does not apply within the Council’s borders, the Free Guard often assists Himean law enforcement if a potential criminal crosses the borders of each nation. Despite this, Himeo does not do the same for Council law.

All of the Free Council's industry and agriculture are collectively owned. Attempts to create private ventures are shut down by the Free Guard. The direction and internal organization of a business or workplace is decided by the workers. This results in a wide variety of work experiences across the Council. Free Council Tajara are permitted to find work outside of the Council. A sizeable population of workers have, in recent times, elected to find work with the Syndicates of Himeo or with the megacorporations of the Spur.

The Free Tajaran Council is a member of the Coalition of Colonies, a status which was achieved following an arduous series of debates and votes. However, the Council included various stipulations when submitting a request to join the Coalition. The most important of these stipulations is the matter of citizenship. Much like the Republic of Konyang, the Free Council maintains its own passport and citizenship standards separate from that of the Coalition. As the Council shares the XZP-0987 system with Himeo, it shares a representative to the Coalition’s House of Observers. This representative is always Himean due to both the size of Himeo’s population and the relative indifference of the Council.

Citizenship within the Free Council is guaranteed for all Tajara born to two Free Council parents. In theory, non-Council Tajara are capable of requesting citizenship, which is subject to a Council vote, however this has never been performed and, due to the immense distrust of outsiders within the Council, is effectively impossible. To receive a Free Council passport, both the parents and the individual must request a council vote. This vote has become something of a formality over time. Council citizenship may not be abdicated, however dual citizenship is permitted, especially with nearby Himeo.

Adhomian Free Guard

Law enforcement and defense are handled by the local militia, known as the Adhomian Free Guard. Each guardsman is elected into their position and can be similarly voted out. The Adhomian Free Guard organizes itself based on seniority for the purpose of training, with senior guardsmen training those junior guardsmen. No other hierarchy is enforced or maintained within the Free Guard, with each guardsman holding the same rank and power as any other. However, in times of need, a guardsman may be temporarily elevated into a leadership position by a simple majority Free Guard vote. Due to its ad hoc nature, the Adhomian Free Guard’s equipment is a mix of whatever they could get their hands on, most commonly second-hand Himean equipment. This extends to their investigative tools as well.

The Free Guard are authorized to arrest any Tajara suspected of committing a crime regardless of evidence. Upon arrest, a detainee is brought to one of few Free Guard posts across the Foundling District. There, a Free Guard meeting is immediately called wherein the arresting guardsmen justify the cause for arrest, after which the meeting votes on whether the detainee remains imprisoned and a trial be scheduled. Trials are held like any other Council vote, where the entirety of the Free Council is encouraged to participate and vote. The arresting guardsman is required to justify their arrest and present any evidence found post-arrest, such as testimony or forensic data. The accused may select another Council member to aid in their defense alongside their own evidence and testimony. Hearings may last anywhere from a handful of hours to multiple days depending on the evidence and the arguments made. This vote must result in a supermajority to convict.

Ideology

The ideology of the Free Council is known as Kar'etrinkism. Its opponents first coined the term; its adherents later adopted it to honor the old revolutionary. Kar'etrinkism advocates for the violent overthrow of the Adhomian governments in favor of the establishment of local communes ruled through direct democracy. The ideology claims that all of Tajara's woes are caused by the authoritarian states that have always existed in history. While unable to gain any foothold in Adhomai, Kar'etrinkism has been implemented with moderate success in the Free Council's areas. However, the ideology is undergoing a crisis as it has been unable to make any real progress towards liberating Adhomai.

Factions

The crisis of faith brought by failures of the Free Council in enacting their plan of returning to Adhomai has created political divisions within the commune. These factions are currently engaged in a power struggle to decide the community's future. In their search for allies, these coalitions have aligned themselves with the Adhomian powers.

Revolutionary Old Guard

Composed of veterans from the First Revolution and Volin's loyalists, the Revolutionary Old Guard believes that the current status quo should be maintained. The Free Council must stick to its allies in Himeo and stay clear from outside influence. The time to reconquer Adhomai will eventually come. The Revolutionary Old Guard was once the majority; since the start of the cold war, they quickly lost ground to the other factions.

New Tajaran Assembly

A gathering of Volin's opposers and younger Tajara that wish to end the Council's isolation in pursuit of new allies. The New Tajaran Assembly still wishes to continue with the plan of eventually returning to Adhomai, but believes that the isolation has only hindered their efforts. Recruiting new members and gathering external support is the only way to become stronger than the governments that control the homeworld. Members of the factions are usually the ones leaving Himeo to explore the rest of the Spur. This faction is backed up by the Liberation Army.

Himean Front

Made up of disillusioned Tajara, the Himean Front wants to abandon the plan of returning to wage war on Adhomai. For them, staying in Himeo is the best course of action; the Free Council will never be able to match the Adhomian powers. They are also opposed to any kind of isolation and seek to further the Council's relationship with the Tajaran nations. This faction is currently supported by the Democratic People's Republic of Adhomai's civilian government.

Adhomian Bloc

Composed of extremist elements, the Adhomian Bloc is the smallest but most radical faction. It considers the plan of returning to Adhomai and the Kar'etrinkism as total failures. Inspired by Himeo and the Tajaran nations, the bloc seeks to reform the direct democracy into a representative democracy guided by an elected council. This clique is in favor of further integration with the Adhomian powers. They are currently sponsored by the People's Republic of Adhomai.