Libertine Worlds Factbook [FT]

[Libertine Worlds]

QUICK LINKS
HISTORY
SENTIENTS
PLANETS
ECONOMY
MILITARY

BASIC INFO
The Confederacy of Libertine Worlds(CLW) is a group of three inhabited star systems, containing four inhabitable planets and one inhabitable moon. The government also claims semi-sovereignty over the numerous uninhabied "resource systems" near the inhabited ones.

Sentient Species:
Neanderthal(3%)
Human(39%)
Orasian(58%)

Capital World: Libertina

Capital City: Liberty City

Currency: Standard Credit

Languages: Standard English, Libertinan(local English dialect), Greater Orasian, and Lesser Orasian

National Colors: White, Yellow, and Black

National Animal: Snake

Motto: “Licentia, substantia, varietas”

[Libertine Worlds]

GOVERNMENT

The Constitution of Libertine Worlds is famous for its explicit protection of many civil liberties, free trade, and other rights. The document was written by a convention of Orasians and humans, and was heavily influenced by libertarianism and classical liberalism. The Constitution almost totally replicated human conventions in government, mostly due to the general love of human ideas concerning liberty in Orasia.

Branches/Checks and Balances:

Legislature: The legislature of Libertine Worlds is a 300 member body called the Confederate Senate. The Senators are each elected from three hundred districts comprising all inhabited sectors of Libertine Worlds divided based on population and geography every four standard years. All legislation passed in the Senate requires a 3/5ths majority, and is immediately law, but laws may be overturned that are deemed unconstitutional. The practice of "gerrymandering", or the process in which electoral district or constituency boundaries are deliberately modified for electoral advantage, is prohibited, and all Senators have strict one term limits.

Executive: The President of Senate, who presides over Senate sessions, is the head of the executive branch, and appoints a cabinet to carry out the day to day business of the national government with Senatorial approval. The President is appointed every eight years by the Senate, and must have been a former Senator to be eligible. He cannot serve more than once.

Judicial: The Judicial Branch is a bit on an anomaly in the world of government. The Supreme Court of eleven members that decides on matters of constitutionality is appointed through lottery of government licensed lawyers every eight years. All lawyers that take part in the justice system must be licensed, as such these people provide a suitable pool to randomly pick the judges from. Other national court judges are appointed by the Senate or by the Supreme Court, and lower court judges are appointed based on the specifications of regional governments.

Political Factions:
Most politicians run for offices as a civic duty, as nearly all governmental positions have term limits. This creates political divisions based more on ideology than organizing for political gain, and inspires a generally bitter division in the Senate.

Libertarians: The Libertarian Faction is the largest faction in the Senate, and is supported by Humans, Neanderthals, and Orasians, but mostly Orasians. The Libertarians originally ran the nation unopposed until the Conservative Faction arose from the religious human communities. Libertarians believe in less involvement in the lives of sentients and their economic endeavors, generally seeing the government's role as that of a "night-watchman".

Progressives: The Progressives have mostly Human support, and generally advocate the expansion of government bureaucracy to regulate the economy. As the second largest faction in the Senate, the Progressives have been able to push through some economic reforms, increase military funding, and raise taxes, but many of these changes have been struck down as unconstitutional.

Conservatives: Conservatives believe that the government should be enforcing morality on the populace. As a distant third place in the Senate, Conservative power has been waning for some time now, although it has been integral in the Progressive backed push for military expansion.

Old Guard: The Old Guard Faction is a small group of radical Orasians descended from the priest and noble castes that advocate the sovereignty of the Orip System over "human subjugation" by the Liberty System. While they haven't had a seat in the Senate for a generation, their impact in Orasia can still be felt.

[Libertine Worlds]

MILITARY
The military of the CLW, known as the Libertine Worlds Army, is a small defensive strike force. The primary duties of the Army are protecting inter-planetary trade routes within Libertine Worlds' sovereignty from pirates and protecting the nation from foreign threats. The Army is divided into specialized Legions around 3,000 men strong, and further divided based on need from there.

Statistics(all are approximate):
3,000,000 sentients strong
100,000 SN-7 Battle Tanks
20,000 Confederate Attack Subs
5000 Cygnus Gunboats
450 Guardian Class Medium Cruisers
70 BFF-1 Bulk Freighters
35 Nova Battle Cruisers
20 Kumen Class Gunships



Infantry Equipment:
The average soldier in the Army is well equipped with the weapons, armor, and tools to handle a wide range of threats to their home world. Each soldier is equipped with a plasma rifle, a plasma pistol, and concussion grenades; plus, clothing and body armor that can change pattern and color for optimal camouflage along with a full helmet that can filter noxious fumes and relay information to the soldier right on his visor. The most important component of the infantryman's arsenal, however, may be the Robotic Assistant Soldier(RAS). The RAS is a highly customizable and advanced small spherical automaton equipped with sophisticated sensor, weapons, and communications packages.
Infantryman in full suit
Robotic Assistant Soldier

Planetary Vehicles:
The SN-7 Battle Tank is a fully equipped assault vehicle suited for a variety of roles on the battlefield, and is able to go on land or sea. Capable of pounding specific targets with its pair of turret-mounted medium range blaster cannons, it is also able to fend off enemy infantry that gets too close with its lighter, anti-personnel blasters. Skimping on stream-lining in the early design process has left the SN-7 a bulky vehicle, but cheap to produce, something which has served it well during its production.
SN-7 Battle Tank

For years the seas of Libertina were vulnerable to piracy on the high seas, and military effort was focused more on staving off interplanetary war. This failing led to the creation of the vessel that is now known as the Confederate Attack Submarine. The original designers were charged with building a "Star Destroyer of the Sea," and many argue that they succeeded, though there is little similarity between the sub and its space going counterparts. The Confederate submarine is larger than most submarines and houses a greater number of passengers, though the crew needed to run either ships is comparable. With the vessel's extra room, however, comes the ability to carry commando forces. The sub only needs to surface for a short time, deploy the troops then fade back into the abyss.
Confederate Attack Sub

Starships:
The Libertine Worlds Army has a very small fleet of space faring ships, with limited FTL technology. However, a small amount of alien gunships have been bought and are currently being used to combat pirates between the Liberty and Orip systems.

The workhorse of the Army's fleet are the Cyngus Gunboats. Formally known as the Alpha-class Xg-1 Star Wing, but commonly referred to as the Assault Gunboat, this starfighter is an essential part of the Libertine World's Army. The sweeping tri-wing design is a fearful sight to pirates in the Liberty and Orip systems. Equipped with two heavy laser cannons beneath the cockpit, two ion cannons above, and a miniature nuclear warhead launcher mounted on either side, the Gunboat can adapt to any given situation; be it border control, dogfighting, or even taking on a capital ship. The heavy armor and deflector shields allow the craft to survive a lot of punishment before having to return to a shipyard or Cruiser for repairs. The inclusion of a hyperdrive motivator allows the fighter to act as an advanced guard for entry into enemy systems, and its firepower makes it a substantial threat to those who oppose it. Though not as manoeuvrable as some fighters, and more expensive as a result of the additional technology on board, the Cyngus Gunboat is quickly establishing itself as commonplace in the many Army Legions. Be it escorting diplomats, or participating in training exercises to ready for battle, the ship is a true symbol of Libertine Worlds' independence.
Cyngus Gunboat

The Guardian-class Medium Cruiser is a capital ship which is a staple of the Army. Thanks to its vast armament and docking bay, the ship can be used for anything from a picket, to a decoy, to its original purpose as a patrol craft. The Guardian became widely known for its use a patrol ship. It has since been improved drastically and undergone multiple upgrades. The Guardian is a well rounded capital ship boasting decent speed, maneuverability and hyperspeed as well as hull, shield and ionic capacity and it now serves multiple private persons who have intentions of building their own fleet.
Guardian Class Medium Cruiser

The BFF-1 Bulk Freighter is all and nothing more than what the name states. It can carry all one would ever want to have hauled. Basically the design comes down to a decent hyperdrive engine surrounded by lots of cargo containers. It acts rather sluggish at sublight speeds so a pilot with a steady yet gentle hand is a must. In fact, maintaining the full crew complement of seven is strongly advised although most ships seem to run well with just four experienced crewmen. One advantage of this type of transport is that despite its significant size, the BFF-1 has the ability to land. Besides cargo of all sorts, the manufacturers managed to make later versions acceptable for passenger transport, making room for about a hundred people. One other important attribute is the BFF-1's tractor beam. This is very handy if there's even more to haul, but it also helps multiple ships to stay in formation which is very important because these ships tend to travel in convoy. A significant flaw in the BFF-1 Bulk Freighter is the fact that it has no armament to speak of which makes it an easy target for pirates and the like. Its thick hide, boasting good deflectors and ionic shielding as well as other starships, are the only things that can make sure this ship gets the goods where it's needed.
BFF-1 Bulk Freighter

The Nova Battle Cruiser is a fascinating ship, being one of the premier naval battle ships of the galaxy. This ship is an estimated 400m in a swept back predatory design. It carries two wings that host an array of heavy battle weapons which are the vessels main attack firepower, not to mention its clearly superior deflector shields that protect the ship from any slight damage inflicted on it. The Nova Battle Cruiser does not rank well when it comes to maneuverability, but it packs a powerful punch. This warship holds a large crew of a little over two thousand passengers, and it strikes fear into the hearts of any sentient that dares to go up against this mighty warship; pirate clans, mercenaries, and smugglers have all been known to run at the arrival of the Nova warship. This ship is a threat to anything that opposes it and is more than capable to take the battle to the enemy and has earned a reputation as a formidable first strike vessel.
Nova Battle Cruiser

The Kumen Class Gunship is a Capsule Corporation manufactured ship. The Capsule Corporation provides this information:

Role: Troop Transport, Mecha Transport, Anti-GravShip, Anti-Structure, Anti-Artillery, and MedEvac.
Length: 27 meters
Height: 7.5 meters
Wingspan: 17 meters
Crew: 1 Pilot, 2 Gunners, 1 Basic AI (Complementary)
Powerplant: Chlorophusion control chamber, 2 Plasma Engines under each wing (4 total) for forward movement, 2 Heavy Plasma Engines in wingtips (4 total) for Vertical thrust, Countless Ion-Drive Reaction-Control Thrusters, a basic repulsorlift drive for assistance in landing and takeoff.
FTL Drives: None
Inertia Nullifiers: Yes
Cargo Space: 17m x 5m x 6m, or configured to carry up to 50 Troops tightly packed.
Weapons:2 EM Cannons [2kg x 80,000m/s], 6 Heavy Plasma-bolt cannons (forward-fire only, fire linked or fire alternate) for basic assault, and 4 Turret-Mounted Farad Beam Cannons for precision striking.
Defenses: A thick LiquidMetal^2 Armor, and a Xanthal Type III shield.
Atmosphere Capable: Yes. Landing Capable: Yes.
Re-Entry Capable: Yes.
Price: 250 Million

Kumen Class Gunship

[Libertine Worlds]

SENTIENTS
Neanderthals
Average Lifespan: 250
Population: 3% of Libertine Worlds
Planet of Origin: Earth
General:The Neanderthals, which almost exclusively live on the planet Kingston in the Neumann system, are descended from an extinct Terran hominid species, and were first cloned in 4553AD by the now bankrupt Genetic Sciences Corporation. The current Neanderthals are descended from the first 500,000 Neanderthals cloned. The species can speak like humans, and uses Basic English as their language, although their average intelligence is slightly below that of humans and well below the Orasians.
Cultural Overview: Neanderthals speak English, and are almost exclusively atheists or agnostics(although that wasn't the case before they discovered their genetically engineered origins). They place a high value on physical athleticism, musical talent, and hunting. Neanderthals hunt for sport using stone age tools, and many are injured in the ensuing close up brawls with wild animals.
Physical Overview: Neanderthals have a more robust build than humans and distinctive morphological features, especially of the cranium, which gradually accumulate more derived aspects, particularly in certain relatively isolated geographic regions. They are much stronger than humans; their relatively robust stature is thought to be an adaptation to the cold climate of Europe during the Pleistocene epoch. They have pale skin and brown, red, or blond hair.

Humans
Average Lifespan: 280
Population: 39% of Libertine Worlds
Planet of Origin: Earth
General:Most Humans in Libertine Worlds are descended from about 40,000 refugees from Earth, who left due to religious and political oppression. Most of them speak a dialect of English called Libertinan, although contact with the outside world has led to a semi-adoption of "standard" English in the cities and in government meetings. They are of mainly European origin, although race within the human species isn't a huge issue in the nation.
Cultural Overview: Humans speak a thick dialect of English called Libertinan although most of them do not write in the vernacular. Concerning religion, most humans are Christians or Jews, although a large minority define themselves as atheists or agnostics. Humans are diverse in their interests, but physical sports and video games are some of the most popular forms of entertainment.

Orasians
Average Lifespan: 450
Population: 58% of Libertine Worlds
Planet of Origin: Orasia
General: Orasians are the native inhabitants of the planet Orasia, and retain equal rights to humans. They mainly live in the most populated planet Orasia, are a large majority of those who live in arid Orlania. Before human contact, the Orasians lived in a pre-atomic age of little progress, and their governments were dictatorial monarchies.
Cultural Overview: Orasians, depending on their region of descent, either speak Greater Orasian or Lesser Orasian. Most Orasians are atheists, although about ten percent of them still adhere to polytheistic beliefs of old.
Physical Overview: Orasians are tall furry humanoids with compound eyes and an extremely wide range of noises they are able to vocalize. Their fur color covers the whole rainbow, and their eyes do too. Orasians have small residual claws that can come in handy as tools or even weapons in unarmed combat.
The species reproduces in a very strange manner wherein the two participants lock mouths and exchange ten to twelve small eggs, the foreign eggs are then fertilized and incubated for a period of ten to twelve weeks. After this time the eggs, clear and transparent, are regurgitated and are looked after by the adult. Once the eggs hatch the offspring are about five inches tall and grow up steadily from there.

[Libertine Worlds]

PLANETS

INHABITED PLANETS

Liberty System
Map of Liberty Star System

Libertina is home to 29 percent of the Confederacy's inhabitants, about ninety percent of which are human and the other ten percent being Orasian.
The planet was terraformed in the first days of colonization, and boasts a rugged natural beauty rivaling any planet's. The life on the planet is mainly descended from Earth's, although some exotic Orasian species have been introduced.
The capital Liberty City, the largest city in the nation, is also on Libertina. Liberty City is the center of human culture in Libertine Worlds.
Libertina

Hope, home to 9 percent of the population, is probably the most wild of all the inhabited worlds in the nation. Around sixty percent of the population is human, with forty percent being Orasian descended.
This moon, in orbit of the mineral rich gas giant Gigantor, was terraformed in 4531AD with new quick methods of terraforming. Hope's biosphere is a mix of Orasian and Earth life. The moon is generally used as a headquarters for the harnessing of Gigantor's vast resources.
Hope(moon)

Orip System
Map of Orip Star System

Orasia has a rich history reaching back thousands of years. It is the most populated planet in the nation with about fourty percent of the population living there, around eighty-eight percent of which are Orasians and twelve percent of which are humans.
Orasia is the most depleted, in regards to natural resources, of the planets, although the introduction of cheap synthetic materials with human contact has allowed a large amount of natural beauty to flourish under the tourism industry. Many old monuments to old Orasian religions, kingdoms, and wars are found across the planet. If you want to understand Orasians, their homeworld is the place to be.
Rcchtlakkk City is the most populated city on the planet, and the "Greater Rcchtlakkk Area" is home to twice as many people as Liberty City(although the area is comprised of four municipalities). The city, and planet in general, is the main business center of Libertine Worlds, and the hub of Orasian culture.
Orasia

Orlania is a hot, arid, planet with a thin atmosphere. 19 percent of the nation's population lives there, with sixty percent of the planet's population being Orasian and forty percent being human.
Orlania is has large acidic and shallow oceans, although some springs(oasis) bring water to the populace. It was terraformed about forty years after the formation of the Confederacy, although attempts at creating a more hospitable environment have failed.
The main reason for habitation on the planet is the great resources it has. The planet is filled with easy to get metals essential for industry in the nation.
Orlania

Neumann System
Map of Neumann Star System

Kingston is a very Earth-like planet in a very Sol-like system. In fact, when the planet was first claimed by the Genetic Sciences Corporation to study the evolution of non-human hominids, it was painstakingly terraformed to be as Earth-like as possible, and was place in a system with a sun very similar to Sol.
At the current time, Kingston is home to a small, almost exclusively Neanderthal, population. In fact, only three percent of the sentients in Libertine Worlds live there.
Kingston

Note 1: The Liberty and Orip Systems are located approximately 10.3 LY away from each other, and are each other's closest neighbors.
Note 2: Not all moons are shown on Maps, and distances and sizes are not to scale.

[Libertine Worlds]

HISTORY

The history of the CLW began nearly 700 years ago when a small fleet of starships, including two ships wholly dedicated to carrying terraforming equipment, began a journey away from a large core world to a little known planet to escape political and religious persecution. The 40,000 passengers, most in cryogenic preservation, traveled for seventy years to the planet. Upon arrival the sun in the system was named Liberty and the planet was named Libertina in honor of the ideals it and their journey represented.

Libertina was a world ripe for colonization, as it mirrored a young Earth. The planet had rudimentary microscopic life in its oceans, but the rest of the planet was wholly devoid of any life. Terraforming would be as simple as converting the atmosphere into oxygen and populating the planet with plant and animal specimens brought along.

The terraforming process lasted 234 years, during which time the small population lived in "bubble cities" attached to the two rather large terraforming stations on the planet's surface. Once completed, though, a land grab ensued. Nearly half of the population left the old cities to live in the wilderness and set up farms.

But as fate would have it, two years later the small starfleet built on the planet began exploring the nearby Orip system in search of readily available raw materials, but instead came upon a thriving alien civilization on the planet of Orasia. The Orasians were a omnivorous furry humanoid race with compound eyes, and a culture based upon a caste system. The planet was divided into twelve "superstates" that were ruled by various forms of oppressive dictatorships, theocracies, and monarchies. In terms of technology, the nation was stuck in a pre-industrial era, although communications technology equivalent to telegraphs were available to the government.

One smaller monarchy sent a group of delegates, including a young Prince named Rcchtlakkk, to Libertina while the other nations mostly geared up for war on the newcomers. The Prince and his envoy learned about Libertinan culture, language, but he was most intrigued by the freedom the humans enjoyed.

Once Rcchtlakkk came to power as King he created the first democratic legislature in Orasian history, known as Rcchtlakkk's Parliament. He signed treaties with Libertina, and opened up trade with Libertinan companies. The other nations, however, tightened their borders in a xenophobic rush, but Rcchtlakkk was not tolerant of his fellow nations and began a military campaign of conquest using human technology, eventually controlling an entire continent and giving all the inhabitants voting rights.

The Libertinans took this news with general awe, most of them cheering on the liberal leaning King in his efforts. In fact, many Libertinan corporations donated advanced weapons to the cause. In just a few more years, however, the rest of the entire planet declared war on Rcchtlakkk's nation and began invasion with vastly superior resources.

In the Libertinan Senate voted overwhelmingly in favor to support Rcchtlakkk against his invaders, and a large amount of humans with superior logistics and technology crushed the invaders and then moved to disestablish the horrible regimes in the rest of the nation, and it was at this time the war now known as the Orasian Liberation War began. It was quick and decisive as the serfs, slaves, and underclasses were liberated by the Libertinans and Rcchtlakkk's Armies.

After the war King Rcchtlakkk relinquished his kingship, and all of its authority, to the Parliament he had created twenty years earlier. The Parliament was the head authority of Orasia, but uprisings by separatist remnants threatened to destroy the unity. In a last ditch effort to save Orasia, the Orasian Parliament convened with the Libertinan Senate to discuss the unity of the Liberty and Orip systems. The two planets were able to come to an agreement to form a new constitution based upon liberty, heavily modeled after the Libertinan constitution.

Thus, Libertine Worlds was born. The Liberty-Orip Constitutional Convention convened a year later and created a document that has unified Libertine Worlds under one banner of freedom ever since.

[Libertine Worlds]

ECONOMY

Taxation and Regulation
The CLW has no income tax, and very little in the form of other taxation. In fact, the average citizen may never pay direct taxes. There is also very little business regulation of any kind except for that against blatant fraud, theft, and the like. There is even so little regulation that patents and copyrights weren't issued, forcing businesses to be extremely secretive regarding new technology. Although now a twenty year patent has been issued for "sufficiently innovative technology". Even corporations do not exist in the normal sense of the word, as individuals who own corporation also risk personal assets proportional to their stake in the company.

NSEconomy Link