Corporate Reconstruction Zone

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 territories 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 their governmental collapse and the formation of a military junta. The Alliance cut these colonies' lifelines, leaving the Republic to fill the void 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 abandoning these colonies.

The "Zone" started out as an area of instability and logistical chaos, though many once-Alliance colonies existed in comparative peace to the adjacent Human Wildlands, and were better off than 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 the planetary governments. To avoid the ire of the Conglomerate and its allies, warlords and other unlawful groups refrained from entering these territories, though there were some notable exceptions over the five years : 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 and rebuild within the Zone after 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 Zone colonies have now been rebuilt, and live in peace and prosperity under a Biesellite banner through the guiding hand of the Stellar Corporate Conglomerate. With the phoron scarcity worsening, Ake Torvald’s presidency has begun to ration phoron, growing their strategic reserve, and allocating phoron where they wish. Under this soft-rationing within the Republic, the middle and upper class citizens are often granted preferential allocation of phoron, 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, usually reserved for the colonies’ rich and middle class, who were typically 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, with many poorer neighborhoods having 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 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 the governments of Mictlan, Biesel, 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 allows it to be the perfect playground 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, which 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 extremist 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 of 2463. This was met with immediate backlash, being perceived as a return to the period of martial law and unrest after being abandoned by the Solarian Alliance. Considered to be the most controversial policy Dorn ever enacted, the Peacekeeper Mandate’s goal was to re-introduce order to the Zone, intending to keep the Corporate Reconstruction Zone’s colonies part of the Republic of Biesel. Peacekeepers were opposed by several insurrectionist groups across the Republic, and clashed with the Samaritans and the Founding Movement. The Samaritans were a paramilitary insurrectionist group primarily made up of ex-MDF personnel, and the Founding Movement being a militaristic splinter group from the political party of the same name, much to their leader’s dismay.

Initially meant to operate for a definite period, the TCFL floundered in achieving the goals of the Peacekeeper Mandate, and was expanded to operate indefinitely until the unrest, terrorism, and insurrection had been quelled. 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, although much controversy arose in the Zone itself over allowing a private military company to assist—however these concerns would be ignored. In the meantime, the SCC had begun many massive development projects across the CRZ, only further increasing tensions as the military occupation continued with minor skirmishes for almost six months.

In early 2464, the Peacekeeper Mandate became drastically more violent following the death of a protesting scholar on Mictlan. Riots erupted across the Zone and became particularly intense on Mictlan, with the forces of both the Tau Ceti Foreign Legion and the Private Military Contracting Group desperately supporting the Mictlan Defense Force in attempting to quell the unrest. Despite other Zone planets being quelled, the Samaritans seized the chance to strike back in force against the Republic, redoubling their efforts on Mictlan. These victories by the Samaritans led to both the deployment of more troops to Mictlan, and inspired the Founding Movement and other insurgent groups to begin a series of terror bombings and attacks within Mictlan’s major cities.

In July 2465, after nearly two years of fighting on Mictlan, the continued violence culminated in the establishment of the Tau Ceti Armed Forces in an attempt to stomp out the insurgent groups. As the new Minutemen replaced the TCFL presence on Mictlan, attacks by the Founding Movement and the Samaritans only increased. The Minutemen retaliated with “equal” force—punitive raids against towns on the Eastern Continent—which caused outrage in Tau Ceti when leaked. Further conflict continued until August 10th, 2465, when at 17:00, two satchel charges, and an entire car rigged of plastic explosives detonated in Valtas Square in front of the Mictlani Defense Force Headquarters. The force of the blast shattered many of the famous glass bridges in the area, and caused shockwaves that rattled window panes for kilometers. All of the casualties from the bombing were local civilians, and with the Founding Movement claiming responsibility for the bombing, violence only continued to escalate afterwards.

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’s hopes of a swift conclusion to the yearlong fighting were quickly dashed. As the the offensive was immediately bogged down, with mounting casualties and untenable civil unrest in Tau Ceti. There would be no easy military victory to bring peace back to Mictlan.

Instead, Xiomara Salvo, Prime Minister Ladislao de Santos, and Nathan Trasen 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 Tau Ceti Armed Forces finally withdrew to Biesel.

Megacorporation Influence

The Stellar Corporate Conglomerate has made strides in expanding its influence within the Corporate Reconstruction Zone, utilizing, even post-peace deal, Mictlan as its regional headquarters within the territories. While resistance still exists to their presence throughout the reconstruction zone, most of Mictlan’s upper class has been satiated by the lucrative deals negotiated between the planetary governments and the megacorporations. The lower classes still hold the corporate presence with resentment, seeing the deals and prosperity as only benefitting the upper classes. Despite this, many accept it as being 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 some resent that the aid is still concentrated too much in those already well off. The politically powerful, however, praise the presence of the megacorporations all the same, even after thousands of small businesses across the Corporate Reconstruction Zone were cannibalized by the megacorporations to utilize 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 a different category from Special Economic Zones present within the Orion Spur. EEZs are carefully crafted agreements between the Republic of Biesel and the Stellar Corporate Conglomerate, which allow megacorporations to solely be relied upon regarding any economic activity within a certain area, from resource harvesting to the entertainment industry. 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 regardless of who controls the zone, ranging from fortified bunkers to orbital resupply stations. 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, these zones are divided in which megacorporations operate in certain fiscal sectors, resulting in a much more competitive environment compared to zones where a singular megacorporation has managed to acquire sole 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 created several outposts to handle the influx of asylum seekers along the borders of the Corporate Reconstruction Zone, and utilized pre-existing boundary colonies where possible. Designed to act as a holding facility for those wishing to enter the Republic of Biesel, these facilities 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 Orion Spur, these facilities were often viewed as contrary to popular belief.

Despite the Republic of Biesel having created the outposts, the IAC was responsible for the staffing and maintenance of those facilities. Outbreaks of disease were common, and many of the facilities struggled to provide 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 what would become the Corporate Reconstruction Zone, the resulting chaos led to a breakdown of most systems, particularly affecting synthetics that were stranded within lawless regions across the greater Orion Spur. While the Republic of Biesel 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 preyed upon to harvest their limbs and circuitry and due to restrictions instituted by their prior owners, being incapable of harming people or property. These coded restrictions resulted in being 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 were capable of holding a conversation with their rescuers.

Synthetics who are recovered from the Corporate Reconstruction Zone are usually funnelled into the Tau Ceti Armed Forces, an opportunity presented to them to earn their freedom. This has seen some success, with most opting to undertake the opportunity after having their limitations removed by a machinist. Those that refuse the opportunity are often sold to megacorporations or individuals who can afford them—usually discounted due to most having been heavily damaged during the unrest post-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 industrial IPC 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.