The Confederation Handbook

by Peter F. Hamilton

  Hax

  This wolf-analogue is a small (1.2m long), feral beast, a warren dweller. Its hind legs are powerful, enabling it to bound along in long leaps. Its typical litter is three pups, and it hunts in packs. The hax is not intelligent enough to be domesticated, and they often attack humans, especially during winter when food is scarce. Local hax hunts with hounds are well established, and provide farmers with sport during the winter months. Most inhabited areas have been cleared of them, but where woodland and moors provide cover they can still be a problem in even the longest-settled areas.

  Snakerat

  This rodent, with small legs and a long sinuous body, is similar to a ferret and has a mildly poisonous bite.

  8. Nyvan

  Nyvan is a terracompatible planet fifty-eight light-years from Earth. It was settled in 2134, early in the Great Dispersal, and as such was one of the last planets to receive immigrants under Govcentral’s equal ethnic representation policy. Initial development was funded entirely by Govcentral and until the Land Liberation conflict in 2257 it was referred to (by its inhabitants) as the Last Imperial Colony.

  Star System Physical Data

  The Nyvan star system has two solid planets and a single gas giant. There is one small asteroid belt (as yet uninhabited). The star is a G3 type.

  There are two solid planets.

  The gas giant is Linicus.

  Nyvan

  Physical Data

  The moon, Almore, is 3,900km in diameter, and orbits 320,000km out. The tides it produces are large, and have turned many coastlines into marshland areas.

  Nyvan’s year is 372 days long. The planet has 0.91 standard gravity. Planetary rotation is 24 hours 39 minutes. Axial inclination is 2.2°.

  Forty-one percent of the surface is land. There are seven main continents: Dayall, Kiernan, Fumiko, Mestal, Unarian, Hopeborne, and Nangkok. The climate is of a standard range, and both Mestal and Unarian extend into the polar circles. There is considerable volcanic activity on all continents. The population is 320,000,000.

  History

  As with all worlds colonized in the period before ethnic streaming was introduced (pre-New California 2163), Nyvan has a checkered past. There was a great deal of conflict between various ethnic groups crammed together in towns and cities, which on several occasions erupted from mere civil unrest into armed battles. The last major (global) conflict was the 2257 Land Liberation War, where resentment against Govcentral colonial governance policy (essentially limiting the land grants and forcing ethnic integration) and hostility between ethnic groupings compelled to live together combined into outright rebellion. Attacks on Govcentral buildings and staff resulted in a complete withdrawal of Govcentral involvement from the planet. As Nyvan had very little industrial or technological capability at that time, and certainly did not have a starship-manufacturing capacity, all contact with Earth and the rest of the colony worlds ceased for seventeen years. (The system as a whole was not isolated; the Edenists naturally maintained contact with their habitats orbiting Linicus.)

  During this time there was a massive redistribution of population, resulting in the formation of twenty-three separate nations. Each of these new nations was based around a single and separate cultural or religious ethic. Although the Govcentral administration had tried to distribute ethnic groups evenly, concentrations invariably arose, and these formed the nuclei of the emergent nations.

  Migration was a constant feature of Nyvan life for over a decade; it is estimated that over 70 percent of the population ultimately shifted in search of sanctuary. Initially this was from choice, then, as living conditions and racial violence worsened, people sought out their own kind in self-defense. In the latter few years as the nations established themselves, and very stringent (in some cases virtually fundamentalist) constitutions were written, racial expulsions, purges, and deportation became commonplace.

  The hardships of this time were appalling. No modern transport infrastructure existed. Some continental railway lines were still in use, although they were inevitably the target for partisan troops. The planes had all been conscripted and adapted to military functions. Some four-wheel-drive farm vehicles were in use, but again these proved useful for the military. People traveling either used horses or walked; even ocean-going ships were wooden-hulled, and over half of them used sails rather than technological propulsion. Given that the distances they had to travel to find a nation of their own ethnic grouping could be up to half a world away, it is not surprising that an estimated 4,000,000 died on the journey. All those who moved and survived had meanwhile lost their homes and farms, and businesses which had taken their families decades to build.

  The enmity engendered by this migration and nation-forming period was so virulent that to this day it has not abated. Several nations still do not even consider establishing diplomatic relations. After the principal phase of migrations finished in 2270, boundary skirmishes continued to be fought for another 115 years, costing another 750,000 lives.

  Today, four major nations dominate the planet: Isfahan, an Islamic republic; Tonala, a democratic republic; Nazareth, a Christian republic; and New Georgia, a federal union.

  The circumstances this world now finds itself in are not favorable—a situation which has come about entirely because of the multitude of uncooperative nations it hosts, which is almost unique in today’s Confederation where most worlds are single-state cultures. It is less developed than 90 percent of Confederation worlds, and its intrinsic nature means it is likely to remain so for the foreseeable future.

  Most telling of all, there is no record of immigration for the last two centuries, while emigration, typically 50,000 a year, is constant. As only an estimated 10 percent of the population has the financial or political ability to buy themselves a ticket off-world, and it is inevitably the most talented who leave, in doing so, by taking away the very people (middle-class professionals) most needed to accelerate the planet’s development, this further reduces the possibility of Nyvan becoming anything other than a backwater.

  Isfahan

  With a population of 50,000,000, this is an Islamic culture run entirely by the mullahs through a conclave. Theirs is not even a token democratic government, but a highly fundamentalist regime maintaining technology at early twentieth-century levels—with one exception, weapons, which are imported. Education is severely limited, and no didactic technology is allowed. The general population is not allowed to come into contact with foreigners, nor are foreign nationals allowed entry apart from company sales agents. Details on conditions outside the cities are sparse, but it is probable that rural inhabitants know little of the Confederation at large.

  All trade is conducted by state-appointed representatives; and what little foreign currency is earned is invariably spent on weapons and medical nanonic packages for senior mullahs. Isfahan has taken over the entire Nangkok continent, absorbing three other nations in the process. They regard Tonala as their principal enemy, and view that nation’s slow but sure technoindustrial growth as threatening. Of course their own culture prevents them from matching this kind of advancement; which means that Tonala, with its starships and strategic-defense platforms, will always have military superiority, although invasion and conquest of Isfahan is not a serious option.

  Isfahan refuses to acknowledge the authority of the (moderate) Confederation Islamic Congress, which in turn regards this nation’s extremist fundamentalism with considerable embarrassment.

  Nazareth

  With a population of 47,000,000, this is a pastoral-technology culture. There is in fact a Parliament, but all the political parties are orthodox Christian in persuasion, so few new laws are ever passed. Everyday life is very settled there. The nation occupies

  the central swath of the Hopeborne continent, a position which gives it an overall temperate climate. The land is very fertile, supporting a vast number of small farms.

  Again technology is kept to a minimum, with the exception of medical systems (good Chr
istians could hardly refuse aid to an injured person). Most of the money Nazareth’s agricultural exports bring in is spent on importing advanced medical supplies from the Confederation (the system’s Edenist habitats are Nazareth’s major trading partners). Although they permit free access to visitors, their own population is discouraged from foreign travel, and few would have the financial resources to do so anyway.

  A reasonable road and rail infrastructure exists, and electricity comes from a mix of geothermal, tidal, and wind sources. Industrial capacity is modest, supplying most of the nation’s needs. Little money exists for imports. The press is reasonably honest, although very parochial. There is no modern communication net, only a telephone system.

  Tonala

  With its population of 32,000,000, Tonala occupies two-thirds of the Dayall continent. Its capital is Harrisburg. Although technically a democracy, it is firmly run by the Free Union Party, which has been in power for the last 180 years. Power swings between the wings of the party, and internal maneuvering decides the leadership. This is Nyvan’s most industrially advanced nation, although its socioeconomic index is roughly equivalent to a stage-three colony planet (one developing an astronautics capability, normally reached 150 years after colonization).

  There is a vast disparity of wealth, with the top 5 percent of income earners leading extremely luxurious lives. Corruption is rife, with industrial baronies effectively in charge of the country. It is they who raise money for, and principally control, Free Union. These companies are desperate to earn foreign currency, and ensure that little restriction is placed on military exports, for which there is always a market. Although Tonala companies hardly build the most sophisticated armaments in the Confederation, there is a constant demand from semi-legal groups or various independence movements who need weapons to further their cause.

  Military development contracts, and national conscription, have ensured that Tonala possesses the most powerful armed forces on the planet, including a small strategic-defense capability.

  Two asteroids, Kotok and Pringle, were moved into low orbit by the Opia company. They are being mined for metal and minerals to supplement planetary reserves, and an astronautics industry is slowly developing along standard lines. Initial contracts are all heavily supported by the state, and collaborative ventures are being sought with major multistellar companies. A commercial starship-maintenance capability already exists. Some military ship refitting can be carried out by the industrial stations.

  New Georgia

  Having a population of only 20,000,000, this is the smallest of the “big four” nations, and is established to the south of Nazareth. It was set up by emigrants from the old USA, and has re-created a sizeable portion of its constitution. It comprises sixteen separate states, five of which are nothing more than industrial cities. It has a reasonably advanced industrial base which includes an orbiting asteroid settlement, Jesup. There is a standing army, and a small SD network.

  Planetary Government

  There is no single (UN-equivalent) agency. Instead there are political or defense alliances based around the four major nations. Only Tonala, New Georgia, and Nazareth have any interest in the Confederation. Tonala has a non-voting membership (they pay a token 1m fuseodollars per year) equivalent to a stage-one colony world, and both New Georgia and Nazareth have observer status.

  Planetary Defense

  Tonala’s navy has three frigates, bought second-hand on very favorable terms from Kulu. They are over forty years old, and require a great deal of maintenance. Their asteroid industrial stations have the capability to manufacture combat wasps.

  Tonala has a nominal defense cooperation arrangement with the Edenists. But the lack of any serious firepower and sensor networks makes any starship visiting the system vulnerable to pirate activity.

  There are few strategic-defense platforms in orbit. The networks which exist were established not so much to defend the planet from an external threat as to monitor the near-space activities of other nations and protect their own land from orbital bombardment. Most of the starships owned by “national” commercial fleets are combat capable.

  Edenist Habitats

  There are seven habitats orbiting Linicus, with a combined population of 8,000,000. Again this unusually low number reflects the dismal performance of the planet as a whole. Other (more successful) planets colonized around the same time have up to thirty habitats.

  There is only one cloudscoop, which supplies enough He3 for the system and all visiting starships. The Edenists themselves consume 25 percent of its output. Although Tonala is at last beginning to develop its technology base, and starship trade is gradually increasing, it is estimated that a second cloudscoop will not be required for at least another eighty years.

  9. The Dorados

  The Dorados is a vast, dense ring system orbiting a red dwarf star, Tunja, which includes 387 large asteroids (>40km diameter) with a near-pure metal content. Tunja is 235 light-years from Earth. There is no terracompatible planet in the system. Planetologists believe the Dorados and their associated belt are the result of a collision between a Mercury-sized planet and a very large interstellar meteor. Over 200 of the Dorados are roughly spherical, indicating that they were core magma material when the collision took place, and subsequently solidified in their current shape.

  Star System Physical Data

  The Dorados system has one gas giant planet and one asteroid belt. The star is a M4 type, a red dwarf.

  The asteroid belt orbits at a median distance of 40m km from the star.

  The gas giant is Duida.

  Dorados

  Physical Data

  In order of settlement:

  The capital is Mapire, with a population of 450,000. The total Dorados population is 1,300,000. All the settled asteroids orbit in a zone 1m km in diameter, near the inner edge of the belt.

  History

  The star system was first explored in 2579, by whom is not known exactly. Both Garissan and Omutan scout survey ships claimed they were first to discover these extraordinarily metal-rich asteroids.

  The dispute over discovery, and consequently who had settlement rights, escalated into a war which ultimately ended in the Garissa genocide, when Omuta launched a series of antimatter planetbusters at Garissa.

  Subsequently, the Confederation Assembly awarded possession and all rights connected with the Dorados to the Garissan survivors, of which there were nearly 2,000,000. Some of the survivors moved to the system; these were mostly the civil servants and other government officials, along with industrialists and financiers. They formed the administrative core of the Dorados Development Authority, and opened the system to Confederation companies wishing to exploit the tremendous wealth inherent in the asteroids.

  The DDA is the civil government for the entire system (excluding Edenists), collecting taxes from the industrial manufacturing consortiums, and mineral extraction royalties from the mining companies. After governmental costs have been met, all the remaining revenue is annually distributed on an equal-share basis to the Garissa survivors across the Confederation. In 2610 this dividend amounted to 38,000 fuseodollars per person.

  Given that their development only began thirty years ago, the progress on the Dorados so far has been exemplary. The ore is so metal-rich that it barely needs refining, allowing industrial stations to utilize it directly, eliminating the costs usually associated with building and operating refinery stations.

  It is the DDA’s stated policy to develop the Dorados system into the major supplier of astroengineering alloy in this sector of the Confederation. It is a policy acknowledged by financial analysts as easily achievable.

  A great many multistellar companies have offices and stations in the Dorados, and expansion is proceeding apace. In all respects this is a unique system, as no other freshly discovered world or star system is ever likely to advance its industrial output so quickly. And now that its viability has been successfully proved, it is attracting a great many
further companies and investors, and expansion is estimated to rise at a near exponential rate for the next century or so.

  Given that the asteroid settlements are basically company towns, and there is no terracompatible planet, it is unlikely that civil development will follow the standard pattern. The DDA has no mandate to hand over government functions to an elected Parliament at any time in the future, nor is any such action planned for. However, give that the Dorados are a Confederation system, workers are granted basic civil rights. With new generations of children continually being born in the Dorados, the question of nationality is bound to rise at some time, and this issue is likely to prove a thorny one. The Garissa survivors are unlikely to relinquish their authority (and the income derived from it), and indeed they have a valid case for continuation of this situation, given their history. But certainly second- or third-generation asteroid dwellers descended from non-Garissans will in time be able to put forward an equally valid claim for an autonomous government. The argument will not be helped by the fact that these asteroid inhabitants derive from a variety of cultural and ethnic backgrounds.