The Intersteller Protectorate
Posted: Sat Mar 27, 2010 1:07 pm
History of the Interstellar Protectorate
The Visione
The origins of the Interstellar Protectorate are very much divorced from what was to eventually emerge. The colonists who would come to colonize Speranza were commercially motivated, organized by an Italian based organization known as the Vision Co-operative which sought recruits from across the world (although about 8,000 of those willing to cash their lots with them were Italian citizens) in the late fifth and early sixth centuries. Entrance requirements were minimal beyond payment for their sheet and age and health requirements with discounts for people with certain skills such as doctors. The ship (designated the Visione) was completed in 523 and launched on its 221 light year journey with some 34,000 settlers, arriving in orbit of their new planet in 1262
Early Colonization of Speranza
Located in orbit around the primary sun of a binary star system, Speranza was a pleasant enough planet. While somewhat colder than Terra with an average temperature of 10 degrees and having a 123.4 hour long day, the planet had a breathable atmosphere, 65% ocean coverage and two moons prime for development. The local land based flora and fauna was primitive and proved to be no major obstacle to development. The first settlement on Speranza was named Visionium, which would become the planetary capital. Planetary development proceeded more or less smoothly in the first century, despite having somewhat marginal industrial capacities and a Senatorial democratic system emerged and for the first century and a half, things proceeded quite well. By 1400, the population had grown to 500,000. Never the less, issues would arise due to decisions made early on.
The Agricultural Crisis
However, a detail of colonial development led to issues. What industrial equipment they had was set up into factories with specific jobs (ore processing, computer production, machine tool production) by the Government that were eventually turned to private ownership between 1277 and 1280, with the factory’s employees each holding shares in their factories. While many colonial powers did similar affairs, in the case of Speranza it is believed that the establishment of a private industrial sector happened too soon. Joint ownership would not last long, as several notable figures encouraged stock sales and eventually restructuring in exchange for higher wages over the next eighty years. Manufacturing became monopolized under a few powerful companies whose leaders tended to become the leading political figures. Labor Unions prevented abuses of power from being too destructive for several decades, but they would eventually be cowed into submission.
Agriculture was a different matter all-together. While the area Visionium was established (a tropical valley near a major lake) was fertile, it was not particularly well suited to highly mechanized cultivation due to its hilly nature. For the first century and a half, food was supplied by a large number of small family farms, each less than half a square kilometer in area. In 1423, Speranza Motors (the planet’s vehicle manufacturing concern) with government assistance established an agricultural settlement known as Raccolta on a stretch of Savannah some 1500 kilometers from the capital. The entire town was corporate owned baring a few government offices and services, which was deemed as being perfectly legal since there were a few mining towns in the mountains that surrounded Visionium which were owned by Speranza Mining and Metallurgy. The town eventually achieved a population of some 15,000 people with some 10,000 farmers working a vast stretch of farmland around it. All of this was owned by Speranza Motors due to land settlement claims.
What this vast corporate farm was able to do after five years was to produce more than sufficient basic foodstuffs (grain, potatoes, maize, meat and milk) for the needs of the human presence and through several shops and bulk economics, ensured that they could undersell all competition and establish a monopoly on foodstuffs. Most of the Farms in the home valley either turned to specialist markets or went bankrupt. This created some 35,000 new unemployed between 1430 and 1440, which had an adverse effect on manufacturing of consumer goods and led to a downward tread and increasing tax burden due to welfare requirements. This also put Speranza Motors in a posisition of near absolute power over the food supply while the political classes remained dominated by the corporations.
This led to social unrest and resentment against Speranza Motors or the corporations in general. There were many demonstrations and some terrorist activity among the more radical opposition, most notably a car bombing incident in 1446 which led to the imposition of martial law. Five groups of settlers decided to strike out and establish independent communities based around their specific ideologies. Dissidents were sent to mining penal camps, which only further inflamed the scenario. The assassination of several economic reform minded individuals in early 1448 led to an out and out civil war between corporate and anti-corperate forces. The war was fought by police officers and militia with few weapons more advanced than low end assault rifles, mortars and technicals. The civil war cost the lives of some 15,000 people over a period of eleven months before eventually Visionium was taken by the Rebels after the corperates had evacuated most of their loyalists and a substantial amount of industrial equipment to Raccolta. Eventually a deal was met and a new government was formed in Visionium known as the Second Speranza Republic. Despite this, much industry had been lost and the planet was now divided
The Age of Conflict
After the civil war, a period of peace began that lasted for the next fifty four years, but in that time grudges festered. The Republic of Raccolta degraded into oligarchy and crafted an ideology based around how they were the legitimate government overturned by radical rebels while the Second Republic claimed that the civil war was a justifiable retaliation against tyrants. The refugee states claimed that both sides had lost the true path in various ways and generally did not get along with each other. The first armed conflict was between Raccolta and the Second Republic, going on from 1503 to 1508. The next two centuries would be notably dominated by various small scale wars. Point defense clusters prevented easy nuclear destruction for the first century and bioweapons were never perused and a set of semi-formalized warfare emerged based around blockades and treaties. The first century was fought with tanks, infantry, close attack aircraft and warships.
Space development happened in earnest after 1575, first with lunar outposts on Speranza’s three moons and starting around 1625 around the outer planets of the Primary Star. As this happened, space militarization began. By 1650 the total system wide population was slightly less than thirty million but a space race was pursued none the less. In an effort to lay claim to the four planets of the Secondary Star of Speranza system (named Marconi), in the 1660s and 1670s colonization missions were sent out to establish military bases. Starting around 1630, space navies began to emerge to defend shipping and colonies and by 1675, warfare had largely moved offworld and was fought primarily in space with the objective of denying space to other nations. Three nations were eventually confined to Speranza, but the others continued to set up colonies and bases, including Terraforming stations on three planets (one of which orbiting Marconi).
The Great Mutiny
The constant national conflicts in the Speranza system had an effect on some of the soldiers. A small number became dissatisfied with the constant warfare which generally had at most temporary gains. At the same time, they took note of the denigrations of the nations on Speranza. Raccolta eventually became an outright plutocracy in the early 17th century; the Second Republic’s political parties eventually made connections with organized crime and internal civil conflicts leading to the Balkanization of three of the refugee states, undermining the loyalty of many older and more influential veterans and officers. These issues were kept in line through general military discipline and a loyal majority, but it would be the kindling to a coming fire.
In 1712, an economic downturn happened, about two months after the conclusion of a war. During which to save money, the Second Republic’s government re-diverted ships from supplying Port Paoletti to civilian purposes. Port Paoletti was a major naval facility that held nearly half the Second Republic’s fleet. Shipments of spare parts, luxury items and medical supplies were postponed, as was the transportation of some 1,500 wounded spacers to Speranza, which dropped the moral of those stationed there. This issue was compounded after a bomb was detonated by a spy, killing nearly a hundred spacers and wounding three hundred sixty more as well as destroying most of the base’s hydroponics facilities and food stores. This left the base with only two months worth of food under tight rationing, pleas among the general staff for shipments for additional food and to remove some of the station’s garrison was met with orders to tighten up security and activity and that arrangements were being made. In fact they were, but it took time and rescheduling.
Eventually Admiral Mario Linde, fearing his men starving to death due to beurocratic oversights ordered an out and out assault against the Union of Free Men’s colonies on Vincenzo (A moon fifth planet of the Speranza System) with nearly every ship he had. His armada poured against the meager defenses, acting without order and threatened the settlements with orbital destruction unless they immediately surrendered, accepted an occupation force and provided whatever supplies they required. As this was in direct violation of several treaties, the Second Republic mobilized the rest of its fleet to subdue the rebels. The Republic of Raccolta jumped on this opportunity and proceeded to declare war on the Second Republic to destroy its remaining navy. Likewise the Holy Alliance (a Catholic fundamentalist refugee state) declared war on the Union of Free Men to take advantage on the conflict that arose. Both Raccolta and the Holy Alliance made a note to send supplies to the Port Paoletti.
As this happened, the Garrison at Port Paoletti found themselves alone and abandoned by their nation. However, Admiral Linde proved to be a competent demagogue and managed to keep the loyalty of his men by instructing them on a militaristic philosophy. He claimed that gangsters more concerned with profits had abandoned them to starve. In response, he ordered his Armada seize control of several UFM and Second Republic bases to built up their industrial bases. Equipment received from the Holy Alliance and Raccolta allowed them to re-enforce their fleet. Several family connections led a number of Second Republic ships defect to the Paoletti fleet. As the other nations fought amongst themselves, Admiral Linde oversaw the conquest of four moons and numerous asteroid bases along with some 7 million people. The second republic and UFM eventually responded with escalation, launching land invasions of Raccoltan and Holy Alliance Territories and a few nuclear and kinetic strikes to force their rivals to the negotiating table.
Rise of the Protectorate
For the established Speranza nations, this war proved to be disastrous. In the end some Twenty one million people (out of a system wide population of approximately 120 million) were killed and six major cities were destroyed, with others left with severely damaged infrastructure. Some five million more became refugees. The Second Republic and the Union of Free Men had their space navies completely destroyed or rebelled, with the exception of the Second Republic’s Marconi Fleet, as well as all their colonies not in the Marconi System. Raccolta and the Holy Alliance suffered considerable losses in ships, manpower and Industrial facilities. It also brought about an increased economic depression and social disorder. While not complete, the war had set Speranza on a downward spiral economically, the standard of living fell as specialists and factories were lost and several radical demagogues managed to organize various terrorist attacks while crime flourished. Off of Speranza things were in general better, if still diminished from their pre-war status.
The largest Space Navy that was in the Speranza system was that of Port Paoletti, which had accumulated a fair amount of equipment to maintain their fleet. Admiral Linde found himself in the position of Military Dictator. The most notable development was the creation of a civil service organized along military lines with a strict hierarchy of ranks and command structure and did make an effort to hunt down organized crime where ever he found it for propaganda purposes, as well as gradually turning colonies to his side. Thus was born the Paoletti Protectorate. Eventually in 1715, however pressures mounted and this new nation of his made its move with protectorate fleets seizing control of occupied Second Republic colonies, gaining an additional two million people that generally had some sympathetic sections of the Population among their ranks due to family ties, sympathies towards the abandonment, hatred for Raccoltan Rule and distaste for general corruption and the level in which organized crime had managed to worm its way into politics. It also saw several notable defeats of the Raccolta’s armada, reducing its fleet to six ships, five of which were stationed around Marconi. Eventually a peace treaty was signed.
The next six years for the Protectorate saw extensive military developments. As military structuring of civilian government and administration continued, industry was shifted to production of spacecraft. The leadership of the Protectorate came to believe that war was inevitable and come what may they desired to be in a good position for negotiation. Things might have ended peacefully; there was legitimate attempts to improve relations with the various other Speranza powers by the protectorate, but several Raccoltan nationalists managed to successfully assassinate Linde on Brahe 17th 1722. This allowed a series of Radicals to seize control of the Protectorate and engage in a series of purges, arresting 15,000 people for treason, a series of intense pro-protectorate propaganda campaigns and leading to a Protectorate attack against the Raccoltan settlements on Falco (the forth planet in the Speranza system and the second most populated) on Kepler 5th, 1723.
At the battle of Falco, the combined fleets of the nations of Speranza spared off against the Protectorate and while the allied fleet inflicting heavy losses on the Protectorate Armada; they were ultimately forced to retreat. However, before they vacaded fully they launched a barrage of nuclear missiles against the settlements on Falco, despite point defense fire from the Speranza fleet, significant orbital infrastructure was destroyed and some 4.5 million people were killed. The intent was to deny the Protectorate any more industrial equipment, but ultimately it backfired. Protectorate Propaganda monopolized on this turn of events and used it to win widespread support among its population to advocate the outright destruction of the Speranza based nations. In 1724 and early 1725 the Protectorate managed to seize the remaining colonies in the Speranza System. Without the fleet to defend their colonies, the Speranzan forces set themselves to evacuating whatever they could to Marconi. Speranza Itself was assaulted on Imotep-10th, 1725 under threat of nuclear bombardment. Several cities refused to surrender after various warnings and over the next month some 3 million Speranzans were killed by the Protectorate fleet in response. Kinetic and laser bombardment as well as to neutralize the considerable ground forces. Over the next ten years, the protectorate would execute some 300,000 people on Speranza and detained 2,500,000 more as dangerous radicals, guerillas and subversives. At this point the restructuring of society along military lines would continue, although Guerilla activity would be a major problem for decades to come.
After Speranza’s fall, Marconi was left as the only independent colonized region. Orbiting between 50 and 60 trillion kilometers from the primary star, a practical invasion of the Marconi system was unfeasible for the short range craft of the protectorate’s fleet while a fairly significant naval buildup had begun in Marconi for defensive purposes. At the same time, Marconi’s population was only three million against 90 million. Neither side could attack the other with any real chance of success. As such a peace treaty was eventually struck in 1730 after half a decade of non conflict through virtue of inaccessibility, a state that would last for nearly a century. Thus was born the Speranza Protectorate.
The Birth of Martialocratism
After this treaty was signed, a civilian government was created by the protectorate’s leaders. While Linde had very little concern about politics, he did make several comments decrying the weaknesses of the Democratic system (especially in relation to developments in the Speranza system) and in any case, the established leaders desired to keep their positions of power. The result was, after much debate among the Protectorate’s powers that be the creation of the Governing Corps. The Governing Corps was an administrative hierarchy based along a military command structure, with positions ranging from low end clerks to the National High Command (national legislative body) headed by the Admiral of the Nation. The original governing corps was a miss-mash of civil servants, local administrators, military governors and the established leaders, although within 20 years the system had stabilized as a new generation of people joined the Governing Corps and ascended through the ranks. The activates of the Governing Corps were regulated by a constitution. This system (known as Martialocracy) functioned well enough for administrative purposes to endure to this day.
This way of thinking was supported by the propaganda corps, the education system and various officials. The end result was that over the next fifty years a political ideology emerged based around this way of thinking. It also began to seep into various civilian lines of thought of business organization; it became fashionable for companies to adopt military lines of thought and codes of personal conduct including uniforms and so forth. While there was some dissent, there was appreciation for stabilization and a rising standard of living brought about between 1730 and 1750 and eventually people became well adjusted to this state of affairs.
The Visione
The origins of the Interstellar Protectorate are very much divorced from what was to eventually emerge. The colonists who would come to colonize Speranza were commercially motivated, organized by an Italian based organization known as the Vision Co-operative which sought recruits from across the world (although about 8,000 of those willing to cash their lots with them were Italian citizens) in the late fifth and early sixth centuries. Entrance requirements were minimal beyond payment for their sheet and age and health requirements with discounts for people with certain skills such as doctors. The ship (designated the Visione) was completed in 523 and launched on its 221 light year journey with some 34,000 settlers, arriving in orbit of their new planet in 1262
Early Colonization of Speranza
Located in orbit around the primary sun of a binary star system, Speranza was a pleasant enough planet. While somewhat colder than Terra with an average temperature of 10 degrees and having a 123.4 hour long day, the planet had a breathable atmosphere, 65% ocean coverage and two moons prime for development. The local land based flora and fauna was primitive and proved to be no major obstacle to development. The first settlement on Speranza was named Visionium, which would become the planetary capital. Planetary development proceeded more or less smoothly in the first century, despite having somewhat marginal industrial capacities and a Senatorial democratic system emerged and for the first century and a half, things proceeded quite well. By 1400, the population had grown to 500,000. Never the less, issues would arise due to decisions made early on.
The Agricultural Crisis
However, a detail of colonial development led to issues. What industrial equipment they had was set up into factories with specific jobs (ore processing, computer production, machine tool production) by the Government that were eventually turned to private ownership between 1277 and 1280, with the factory’s employees each holding shares in their factories. While many colonial powers did similar affairs, in the case of Speranza it is believed that the establishment of a private industrial sector happened too soon. Joint ownership would not last long, as several notable figures encouraged stock sales and eventually restructuring in exchange for higher wages over the next eighty years. Manufacturing became monopolized under a few powerful companies whose leaders tended to become the leading political figures. Labor Unions prevented abuses of power from being too destructive for several decades, but they would eventually be cowed into submission.
Agriculture was a different matter all-together. While the area Visionium was established (a tropical valley near a major lake) was fertile, it was not particularly well suited to highly mechanized cultivation due to its hilly nature. For the first century and a half, food was supplied by a large number of small family farms, each less than half a square kilometer in area. In 1423, Speranza Motors (the planet’s vehicle manufacturing concern) with government assistance established an agricultural settlement known as Raccolta on a stretch of Savannah some 1500 kilometers from the capital. The entire town was corporate owned baring a few government offices and services, which was deemed as being perfectly legal since there were a few mining towns in the mountains that surrounded Visionium which were owned by Speranza Mining and Metallurgy. The town eventually achieved a population of some 15,000 people with some 10,000 farmers working a vast stretch of farmland around it. All of this was owned by Speranza Motors due to land settlement claims.
What this vast corporate farm was able to do after five years was to produce more than sufficient basic foodstuffs (grain, potatoes, maize, meat and milk) for the needs of the human presence and through several shops and bulk economics, ensured that they could undersell all competition and establish a monopoly on foodstuffs. Most of the Farms in the home valley either turned to specialist markets or went bankrupt. This created some 35,000 new unemployed between 1430 and 1440, which had an adverse effect on manufacturing of consumer goods and led to a downward tread and increasing tax burden due to welfare requirements. This also put Speranza Motors in a posisition of near absolute power over the food supply while the political classes remained dominated by the corporations.
This led to social unrest and resentment against Speranza Motors or the corporations in general. There were many demonstrations and some terrorist activity among the more radical opposition, most notably a car bombing incident in 1446 which led to the imposition of martial law. Five groups of settlers decided to strike out and establish independent communities based around their specific ideologies. Dissidents were sent to mining penal camps, which only further inflamed the scenario. The assassination of several economic reform minded individuals in early 1448 led to an out and out civil war between corporate and anti-corperate forces. The war was fought by police officers and militia with few weapons more advanced than low end assault rifles, mortars and technicals. The civil war cost the lives of some 15,000 people over a period of eleven months before eventually Visionium was taken by the Rebels after the corperates had evacuated most of their loyalists and a substantial amount of industrial equipment to Raccolta. Eventually a deal was met and a new government was formed in Visionium known as the Second Speranza Republic. Despite this, much industry had been lost and the planet was now divided
The Age of Conflict
After the civil war, a period of peace began that lasted for the next fifty four years, but in that time grudges festered. The Republic of Raccolta degraded into oligarchy and crafted an ideology based around how they were the legitimate government overturned by radical rebels while the Second Republic claimed that the civil war was a justifiable retaliation against tyrants. The refugee states claimed that both sides had lost the true path in various ways and generally did not get along with each other. The first armed conflict was between Raccolta and the Second Republic, going on from 1503 to 1508. The next two centuries would be notably dominated by various small scale wars. Point defense clusters prevented easy nuclear destruction for the first century and bioweapons were never perused and a set of semi-formalized warfare emerged based around blockades and treaties. The first century was fought with tanks, infantry, close attack aircraft and warships.
Space development happened in earnest after 1575, first with lunar outposts on Speranza’s three moons and starting around 1625 around the outer planets of the Primary Star. As this happened, space militarization began. By 1650 the total system wide population was slightly less than thirty million but a space race was pursued none the less. In an effort to lay claim to the four planets of the Secondary Star of Speranza system (named Marconi), in the 1660s and 1670s colonization missions were sent out to establish military bases. Starting around 1630, space navies began to emerge to defend shipping and colonies and by 1675, warfare had largely moved offworld and was fought primarily in space with the objective of denying space to other nations. Three nations were eventually confined to Speranza, but the others continued to set up colonies and bases, including Terraforming stations on three planets (one of which orbiting Marconi).
The Great Mutiny
The constant national conflicts in the Speranza system had an effect on some of the soldiers. A small number became dissatisfied with the constant warfare which generally had at most temporary gains. At the same time, they took note of the denigrations of the nations on Speranza. Raccolta eventually became an outright plutocracy in the early 17th century; the Second Republic’s political parties eventually made connections with organized crime and internal civil conflicts leading to the Balkanization of three of the refugee states, undermining the loyalty of many older and more influential veterans and officers. These issues were kept in line through general military discipline and a loyal majority, but it would be the kindling to a coming fire.
In 1712, an economic downturn happened, about two months after the conclusion of a war. During which to save money, the Second Republic’s government re-diverted ships from supplying Port Paoletti to civilian purposes. Port Paoletti was a major naval facility that held nearly half the Second Republic’s fleet. Shipments of spare parts, luxury items and medical supplies were postponed, as was the transportation of some 1,500 wounded spacers to Speranza, which dropped the moral of those stationed there. This issue was compounded after a bomb was detonated by a spy, killing nearly a hundred spacers and wounding three hundred sixty more as well as destroying most of the base’s hydroponics facilities and food stores. This left the base with only two months worth of food under tight rationing, pleas among the general staff for shipments for additional food and to remove some of the station’s garrison was met with orders to tighten up security and activity and that arrangements were being made. In fact they were, but it took time and rescheduling.
Eventually Admiral Mario Linde, fearing his men starving to death due to beurocratic oversights ordered an out and out assault against the Union of Free Men’s colonies on Vincenzo (A moon fifth planet of the Speranza System) with nearly every ship he had. His armada poured against the meager defenses, acting without order and threatened the settlements with orbital destruction unless they immediately surrendered, accepted an occupation force and provided whatever supplies they required. As this was in direct violation of several treaties, the Second Republic mobilized the rest of its fleet to subdue the rebels. The Republic of Raccolta jumped on this opportunity and proceeded to declare war on the Second Republic to destroy its remaining navy. Likewise the Holy Alliance (a Catholic fundamentalist refugee state) declared war on the Union of Free Men to take advantage on the conflict that arose. Both Raccolta and the Holy Alliance made a note to send supplies to the Port Paoletti.
As this happened, the Garrison at Port Paoletti found themselves alone and abandoned by their nation. However, Admiral Linde proved to be a competent demagogue and managed to keep the loyalty of his men by instructing them on a militaristic philosophy. He claimed that gangsters more concerned with profits had abandoned them to starve. In response, he ordered his Armada seize control of several UFM and Second Republic bases to built up their industrial bases. Equipment received from the Holy Alliance and Raccolta allowed them to re-enforce their fleet. Several family connections led a number of Second Republic ships defect to the Paoletti fleet. As the other nations fought amongst themselves, Admiral Linde oversaw the conquest of four moons and numerous asteroid bases along with some 7 million people. The second republic and UFM eventually responded with escalation, launching land invasions of Raccoltan and Holy Alliance Territories and a few nuclear and kinetic strikes to force their rivals to the negotiating table.
Rise of the Protectorate
For the established Speranza nations, this war proved to be disastrous. In the end some Twenty one million people (out of a system wide population of approximately 120 million) were killed and six major cities were destroyed, with others left with severely damaged infrastructure. Some five million more became refugees. The Second Republic and the Union of Free Men had their space navies completely destroyed or rebelled, with the exception of the Second Republic’s Marconi Fleet, as well as all their colonies not in the Marconi System. Raccolta and the Holy Alliance suffered considerable losses in ships, manpower and Industrial facilities. It also brought about an increased economic depression and social disorder. While not complete, the war had set Speranza on a downward spiral economically, the standard of living fell as specialists and factories were lost and several radical demagogues managed to organize various terrorist attacks while crime flourished. Off of Speranza things were in general better, if still diminished from their pre-war status.
The largest Space Navy that was in the Speranza system was that of Port Paoletti, which had accumulated a fair amount of equipment to maintain their fleet. Admiral Linde found himself in the position of Military Dictator. The most notable development was the creation of a civil service organized along military lines with a strict hierarchy of ranks and command structure and did make an effort to hunt down organized crime where ever he found it for propaganda purposes, as well as gradually turning colonies to his side. Thus was born the Paoletti Protectorate. Eventually in 1715, however pressures mounted and this new nation of his made its move with protectorate fleets seizing control of occupied Second Republic colonies, gaining an additional two million people that generally had some sympathetic sections of the Population among their ranks due to family ties, sympathies towards the abandonment, hatred for Raccoltan Rule and distaste for general corruption and the level in which organized crime had managed to worm its way into politics. It also saw several notable defeats of the Raccolta’s armada, reducing its fleet to six ships, five of which were stationed around Marconi. Eventually a peace treaty was signed.
The next six years for the Protectorate saw extensive military developments. As military structuring of civilian government and administration continued, industry was shifted to production of spacecraft. The leadership of the Protectorate came to believe that war was inevitable and come what may they desired to be in a good position for negotiation. Things might have ended peacefully; there was legitimate attempts to improve relations with the various other Speranza powers by the protectorate, but several Raccoltan nationalists managed to successfully assassinate Linde on Brahe 17th 1722. This allowed a series of Radicals to seize control of the Protectorate and engage in a series of purges, arresting 15,000 people for treason, a series of intense pro-protectorate propaganda campaigns and leading to a Protectorate attack against the Raccoltan settlements on Falco (the forth planet in the Speranza system and the second most populated) on Kepler 5th, 1723.
At the battle of Falco, the combined fleets of the nations of Speranza spared off against the Protectorate and while the allied fleet inflicting heavy losses on the Protectorate Armada; they were ultimately forced to retreat. However, before they vacaded fully they launched a barrage of nuclear missiles against the settlements on Falco, despite point defense fire from the Speranza fleet, significant orbital infrastructure was destroyed and some 4.5 million people were killed. The intent was to deny the Protectorate any more industrial equipment, but ultimately it backfired. Protectorate Propaganda monopolized on this turn of events and used it to win widespread support among its population to advocate the outright destruction of the Speranza based nations. In 1724 and early 1725 the Protectorate managed to seize the remaining colonies in the Speranza System. Without the fleet to defend their colonies, the Speranzan forces set themselves to evacuating whatever they could to Marconi. Speranza Itself was assaulted on Imotep-10th, 1725 under threat of nuclear bombardment. Several cities refused to surrender after various warnings and over the next month some 3 million Speranzans were killed by the Protectorate fleet in response. Kinetic and laser bombardment as well as to neutralize the considerable ground forces. Over the next ten years, the protectorate would execute some 300,000 people on Speranza and detained 2,500,000 more as dangerous radicals, guerillas and subversives. At this point the restructuring of society along military lines would continue, although Guerilla activity would be a major problem for decades to come.
After Speranza’s fall, Marconi was left as the only independent colonized region. Orbiting between 50 and 60 trillion kilometers from the primary star, a practical invasion of the Marconi system was unfeasible for the short range craft of the protectorate’s fleet while a fairly significant naval buildup had begun in Marconi for defensive purposes. At the same time, Marconi’s population was only three million against 90 million. Neither side could attack the other with any real chance of success. As such a peace treaty was eventually struck in 1730 after half a decade of non conflict through virtue of inaccessibility, a state that would last for nearly a century. Thus was born the Speranza Protectorate.
The Birth of Martialocratism
After this treaty was signed, a civilian government was created by the protectorate’s leaders. While Linde had very little concern about politics, he did make several comments decrying the weaknesses of the Democratic system (especially in relation to developments in the Speranza system) and in any case, the established leaders desired to keep their positions of power. The result was, after much debate among the Protectorate’s powers that be the creation of the Governing Corps. The Governing Corps was an administrative hierarchy based along a military command structure, with positions ranging from low end clerks to the National High Command (national legislative body) headed by the Admiral of the Nation. The original governing corps was a miss-mash of civil servants, local administrators, military governors and the established leaders, although within 20 years the system had stabilized as a new generation of people joined the Governing Corps and ascended through the ranks. The activates of the Governing Corps were regulated by a constitution. This system (known as Martialocracy) functioned well enough for administrative purposes to endure to this day.
This way of thinking was supported by the propaganda corps, the education system and various officials. The end result was that over the next fifty years a political ideology emerged based around this way of thinking. It also began to seep into various civilian lines of thought of business organization; it became fashionable for companies to adopt military lines of thought and codes of personal conduct including uniforms and so forth. While there was some dissent, there was appreciation for stabilization and a rising standard of living brought about between 1730 and 1750 and eventually people became well adjusted to this state of affairs.