Sandbox-Scarcity:CRZ

A poster advertising the benefits of the Stellar Corporate Conglomerate's presence in the Corporate Reconstruction Zone.

The Corporate Reconstruction Zone is the name for all former Sol Alliance territory gained by the Republic of Biesel, outside of Tau Ceti's gravity well. These territories were occupied after the Alliance abandoned their outer territories due to governmental collapse and the formation of a military junta. The Alliance cut these colonies' lifelines off, and only the Republic would step up to fill the void - mostly through cataloguing and subsequently selling nominal economic rights of the systems to the megacorporations belonging to the Stellar Corporate Conglomerate. Yet to most in the region, even this was still better than the months of massive societal unrest, upheaval, shortages of essential goods, and similar that followed the Alliance abdoneding these colonies.

The "Zone" started out as an area of instability and logistical chaos, though many once-Alliance colonies existed in peace compared to the adjacent Human Wildlands, and better off then they were in the immediate time following the Solarian Retreat. This is owed to two factors; the presence of the Stellar Corporate Conglomerate, and the federal authority of the Republic of Biesel backing up the planetary governments. To avoid the ire of the Conglomerate and its allies, warlords and other groups antagonistic to civilized society tended to refrain from entering these territories, though over the five years it’s been around, there were some notable exceptions; Admiral Klaudia Szalai and her Military District, prior to the restructuring of the Alliance and government control being returned to the Middle Ring, had regularly launched raids into the Reconstruction Zone.

It was a long, slow, and grueling process to restore order within the Zone, and rebuild the destruction caused by the Alliance’s retreat and the immediate aftermath. Now, five years since its establishment, the Zone has become mostly peaceful, if still heavily militarized in certain areas, such as along the Zoleth Line - a defensive line situated towards the Solarian Border. Even with situations such as that, almost all colonies have now been rebuilt and live in peace and prosperity under a Biesellite banner - through the guiding hand of the Stellar Corporate Conglomerate. Until the scarcity started to get worse. Under Ake Torvald, Biesel has begun to soft ration phoron, growing their strategic reserve again and allocating phoron where they wish. Under this soft-rationing, within the Republic as a whole, the middle and upper class citizens are often the ones who have phoron allocated to them in one way or another, never really feeling the true pain of the scarcity; however that extra pain is dumped onto the poorer citizens of the Republic. Nowhere is this clearer than in the Zone. The CRZ already received a smaller allocation than that given to planets within Tau Ceti’s gravity well, and that allocation is almost always for the rich and middle class of a colony, who are normally more pro-corporate or work in corporate jobs. While the continuously deteriorating state of many poorer neighborhoods on Biesel is bad enough, the situation is significantly worse in the CRZ, and many poorer neighborhoods have all but reverted back to 2300s levels of technology and standard of living.

Contents

Notable Locations

• Mictlan is a regional superpower within the Corporate Reconstruction Zone, once housing the central administrative headquarters of the Stellar Corporate Conglomerate and their operations within the area. After the Republic of Biesel declared the Peacekeeper Mandate in response to rising tensions on the planet, the Tau Ceti Foreign Legion and later the Tau Ceti Armed Forces entered a a guerilla war with the paramilitary insurgent group known as the Samaritans, and the political party-turned-political terrorists the Founding Movement. Roughly two years after the original declaration of the Peacekeeper Mandate, a ceasefire was settled between Mictlan and Biesel's governments and the Samaritans (following the death of the Founding Movement’s Leader), with the insurgents surrendering in exchange for Mictlan's considerable independence from all but Biesel's capital law.

• Port Antillia is a malleable colony within the Corporate Reconstruction Zone, with limitless potential for the Stellar Corporate Conglomerate. Juggling its integration into the Republic of Biesel with its own internal struggles, the volatile circumstances of the planet allow it to be the perfect playing ground for any who wishes to mould its progression. After a fierce election which saw Julien Guerrier elected as premier of the planet, Port Antillia has begun to move away from the laws of the Republic of Biesel, enacting the Reverence of Life Act that forbids cyborgification on the planet. Though Port Antillia has made strides in diplomatic relations with Tau Ceti and NanoTrasen, time will tell if Julien Guerrier's aim to make the voices of Port Antillia heard will prove effective or not.

Peacekeeper Mandate

In response to the growing number of insurrectionist, terrorist, and other groups within the corporate reconstruction zone, President Joseph Dorn announced the Peacekeeper Mandate - a declaration of martial law and deployment of the TCFL across the Zone - in mid-October 2463. This was met with immediate backlash, and for many it felt like a return to the interim period after abandonment and before joining the Republic; a time of massive civil unrest, shortages, and chaos. Considered to be the most controversial policy Dorn ever enacted, the Peacekeeper Mandate’s goal was to re-introduce order to the Zone, while keeping the CRZ part of the Republic of Biesel. They were at the time opposed by several insurrectionist groups, most notably on Mictlan, where they clashed with the Samaritans and the Founding Movement. The former was a paramilitary insurrectionist group primarily made up of ex-MDF personnel, and the latter was a former political organization that turned towards terrorism, despite the protests of its leader.

Initially meant to operate for a definite period, as the TCFL continued getting no closer to achieving its goal the Peacekeeper Mandate was altered to operate indefinitely until the unrest, terrorism, and insurrection encountered in the Zone had been quelled, and peace restored. As a result of the continued ineffectiveness of the Tau Ceti Foreign Legion, the Private Military Contracting Group was hired to support their operations. The PMCG contributed to the Peacekeeper Mandate significantly during this time, although much controversy arose in the Zone itself over allowing a private military company to assist - however these concerns would be ignored. In the mean time, the SCC had begun many massive development projects across the CRZ, only further increasing tensions as the military occupation would continue with minor skirmishes for almost six months.

In early 2464, the Peacekeeper Mandate would become drastically more violent, following the death of a protesting scholar on Mictlan. Riots erupted across the Zone, though were particularly intense on Mictlan, and the forces of both the Tau Ceti Foreign Legion and the Private Military Contracting Group found themselves desperately supporting the Mictlan Defense Force in attempting to quell the unrest. While on most other planets the situation was calmed, on Mictlan the Samaritans seized the chance to strike back in force against the Republic, and did so very effectively. These victories by the Samaritans led to the deployment of more troops to Mictlan, and inspired others, such as the Founding Movement, who began a series of terror bombings and attacks within the major cities of Mictlan.

In July 2465, after about two years of fighting on Mictlan, the continual escalation of violence culminated in the establishment of the Tau Ceti Armed Forces, to finally attempt to stomp out the insurgents and terrorists. As the new Minutemen took up the duties of the TCFL on Mictlan, the rate of terrorist attacks by the Founding Movement alongside the activity of the Samaritans only exponentially increased. The Minutemen replied to every attack the same - punitive raids against towns on the Eastern Continent - something that caused outrage in Tau Ceti when leaked. That back and forth lasted until August 10th, 2465, when at 5pm local time, two bombs left in backpacks, and a whole car full of plastic explosives detonated in Valtas Square, directly in front of the Mictlani Defense Force Headquarters. The force of the blast shattered many of the famous glass bridges of the and sent blastwaves that rattled window panes for miles around. Almost all of the dead were civilians, who happened to be there at that time, and no military members were killed; the Founding Movement would claim responsibility for the bombing, and the violence would escalate to an unthinkable level.

Immediately, significantly more forces were transferred to Mictlan to take part in a bloody crackdown and campaign of revenge against the Samaritans and Founding Movement, a decision that caused the civil unrest in Tau Ceti proper to finally boil over. With the backdrop of mass protests happening on Biesel and New Gibson, the leader of the Founding Movement Isobel Alvarez was found dead by TCAF special forces a week later, having been lynched by her compatriots for continuing to advocate for non-violence, and Operation Jakali was launched. The TCAF hoped to bring a swift conclusion to this year's long fight. However, the offensive immediately bogged down, casualties began to mount, and civil unrest in Tau Ceti could no longer be ignored. It became clear there was no way to militarily bring peace back to Mictlan.

Instead, Xiomara Salvo, Prime Minister Ladislao de Santos, and Nathan Trasen finally agreed to a peace deal, including pardons (with parole) for most Samaritans, on several conditions. Mictlan would be permitted to determine which Biesellite laws were accepted within its own territory, barring capital crimes. The deal was accepted, signed, and eventually ratified when the majority of samaritans surrendered peacefully. The Peacekeeper Mandate was deemed over, and the Armed Forces finally returned to Biesel.

Megacorporation Influence

The Stellar Corporate Conglomerate has made strides in expanding itself within the Corporate Reconstruction Zone, utilizing, even post peace deal, Mictlan as its regional headquarters within the territories. While there still exists some resistance to their presence throughout the reconstruction zone, most of the upper class population have been satiated by the lucrative deals negotiated between the planetary governments and the megacorporations. Those in the lower classes have a different interpretation, as the megacorporate deals see the benefits and wealth of being in the republic concentrated on what was already a rich class, rather than across the planet. But it’s still better than what came before, and the corporations have not gone out of their way to upset a majority of the population. Alongside development of infrastructure and increased financial assistance, more and more of the zone’s population is coming around to the idea of being part of the Republic, though there are still grumbles that the aid is concentrated too much in those already well off. But those are the people with the most political heft - and have been singing the praises of the Megacorporations for a while now. Even after thousands of small businesses across the Corporate Reconstruction Zone were cannibalized by the megacorporations, utilizing their manpower to fuel their expansion across the newly acquired territories.

In the aftermath of the departure of the Tau Ceti Armed Forces and the establishment of several new laws that limited corporate influence on Mictlan, many Conglomerate facilities have reduced their operations or returned their staff to Tau Ceti.

Exclusive Economic Zones

Exclusive Economic Zones are different from Special Economic Zones present within the Orion Spur. It is a carefully crafted agreement between the Republic of Biesel and the Stellar Corporate Conglomerate, which allows for the megacorporations to solely be relied upon regarding any economic activity within a certain area, from resource harvesting to the production of entertainment. This has been enabled through the cataloguing and subsequently selling of nominal economic rights, typically through bidding exchanges with the proceeds going to the Republic of Biesel. Notably these rights do not apply to the TCAF, who may build their military infrastructure anywhere, regardless of who controls the zone, whether it’s a fortified bunker or an orbital resupply station; however, due to the good relationship between the government and the megacorporations, this is usually done cooperatively. Where the Exclusive Economic Zone is owned by the entirety of the Stellar Corporate Conglomerate, there is a dividing up of which megacorporations operate in certain fiscal sectors, resulting in a much more competitive environment than cases where a singular megacorporation has managed to acquire titular commercial rights over a system.

A poster encouraging transfers to facilities within the CRZ.

Refugees and Asylum Seeking

Prior to the stabilization of the Human Wildlands, the Republic of Biesel was experiencing a refugee crisis. Supported by the Interstellar Aid Corps, the Republic of Biesel has created several outposts to handle the influx of asylum seekers along the borders of the Corporate Reconstruction Zone, where possible utilizing pre-existing boundary colonies. Designed to act as a holding facility for those wishing to enter the Republic of Biesel, they were infamous for their poor conditions as a result of funding issues and mismanagement. While the Interstellar Aid Corps may present itself as the bastion of hope within the depressing Orion Spur, these facilities were often viewed as contrary to popular belief.

Despite the Republic of Biesel having created the outposts, the Corps was responsible for the staffing and maintenance of those facilities. Outbreaks of disease were common, and many of the facilities were barely capable of providing enough meals to feed the refugees and asylum seekers that had been redirected to their care. However since the stabilization of the Wildlands, the refugee crisis has abated, with the number of refugees heading for Biesel at a five year low. All of the camps have since been closed down, no longer needed.

Synthetics in the CRZ

A mocking poster presented by the Samaritans against the Peacekeeper Mandate.

Following the collapse of the Solarian Alliance, and the expansion of the Republic of Biesel into its abandoned territories now recognized as the Corporate Reconstruction Zone, the lives of many were thrown into a state of turmoil and confusion, particularly synthetics that were stranded within lawless regions across the greater Orion Spur. While the Republic of Biesel has and continues to salvage a large number of synthetics that were deserted within the Corporate Reconstruction Zone, there is still an abundant amount that are considered to be living in unsafe conditions by the Interstellar Aid Corps. Those in particularly anarchic regions are often preyed upon and attacked in order to harvest their limbs and circuitry and due to restrictions instituted by their prior owners, most are incapable of harming people or property. It has resulted in those unable to flee from the assault having to endure the damage done to them without the ability to fight back, with reports of Tau Ceti Foreign Legionnaires encountering incapacitated synthetics that appear destroyed, but upon further investigation oftentimes are capable of holding a conversation with their rescuers.

Those who are recovered from the Corporate Reconstruction Zone are oftentimes funnelled into the Tau Ceti Armed Forces, an opportunity presented to them to earn their freedom. This has been somewhat successful, with most opting to undertake the opportunity after having their limitations removed by a machinist. Those that refuse the opportunity are oftentimes sold, either to the megacorporations or individuals who can afford them - usually discounted due to most having been heavily damaged during the unrest that was present following the collapse of the Solarian Alliance.

There have also been cases of odd behaviour from some simpler and more controlled synthetics. Most notably, a Hephaestus "Second Generation" Industrial Model was located within the ruins of a factory that had been burned down after rioters had broken through its blockade months prior. The Hephaestus "Second Generation" Industrial Model was discovered to be continuing its work as a supply chain operator, picking up and placing down the same charred objects that it had been doing so since the destruction of its workplace, only interrupting the process to recharge itself with the badly damaged machinery located across the burnt factory.

Most synthetics salvaged by the Republic of Biesel find themselves directed to District 14, located on the edge of Mendell City. More than likely, synthetics finding themselves within the district rely on the Trinary Perfection in order to maintain themselves - with the Church usually taking advantage of the opportunity to both offer their services and attempt to convert synthetic refugees into believers. While their numbers have increased significantly since the collapse of the Solarian Alliance, many within District 14 still choose to keep at arm's length from the Church.