Polaris
Nation | Polaris |
---|---|
Planet | None (Space Station) |
Government | Anarcho-capitalist |
Motto | "The lodestar of progress." |
National color(s) | None |
Population | Approx. 2,100 |
Demographics | Unknown (Is known to have an unusually large cyborg and centurion population.) |
Location | Orbit around the sun, somewhere between Disparatus and Earth |
Primary Languages | Universal |
Founded | 16 June 2274 |
Capital | N/A |
Owner | Isabel |
Overview
Polaris is a large space station located somewhere between Disparatus and Earth that, due to a series of unusual events, managed to establish itself as its own nation. It has no official form of government, and values the ideas of scientific progress and individualism above all else. Surprisingly, it's still in one piece.
Being a space station, all climate and day/night cycles are artificial, and the systems in charge of keeping it stable are kept under heavy guard.
In recent years, Polaris has been working on becoming more self-sufficient by turning a portion of the station into a working ecosystem, allowing for farms and parks. However, the station is still heavily dependent on trade from Disparatus to keep resources in supply. A trade ship is sent out about once every two years to resupply.
Polaris still uses credits for currency, though it's known to have a bit more emphasis on bartering than most planet-bound countries. People of Polaris tend to be quite willing to trade goods and services for other goods and services.
Government
Polaris has no official form of government. Instead, it relies on smaller corporations, businesses, and groups to keep itself running. However, Adrienne Lapointe is seen as the property owner of the station itself, and is considered to have a certain level of power over it. While she cannot pass laws, she's acknowledged to have the authority to throw people out if she sees fit, and is occasionally consulted if the populace has something they think should be changed about the station as a whole. Despite this, she generally stays out of leadership affairs, and prefers to use her position for the sake of celebrity, rather than power.
Religion
Polaris has no official religion. While there's no official count on who believes in what, agnostics, atheists, and secular deists are a pretty distinct majority.
One or two cults have come into public awareness recently, though little is known about them beyond their presence.
Military
As it has no official form of government, Polaris has no official military. Also, as a space station, its people consider themselves as being at rather low risk of invasion.
There are a few mercenary groups who have trained themselves to be able to fight off small aggressive forces, however, as well as a prominent police organization.
Thus far, there have been few violent threats to the Polaris community, putting aside the occasional riot, and a small uprising by a fringe group. All were dealt with, though the reported low casualty counts from the larger disputes have come into question.
History
In the mid-2200s of Disparatus, The Arenan Alliance's rapidly advancing space program had managed to catch the public eye. While most other countries had achieved space flight much earlier, the idea was quickly downsized and eventually ditched entirely by their governments after they decided that it was impractical and too expensive to follow further up on. With the Arenan Alliance's sudden pursuit of space flight however, over 400 years after other nations had given up on it, civilian interest in space and the potential they felt was held within it resparked, driving other countries to reconsider exploration of the great beyond.
Not being the sort to be outshone by other countries, the United Provinces was the first and most enthusiastic in jumping back on the bandwagon. In 2259, they announced construction of a massive space station, promising the world that the station would one day be large enough to sustain an entire community, even if disaster were to strike Disparatus itself. It was planned to be the most advanced piece of technology ever seen to date, and a flashy one at that.
In the end, it was claimed to be more than the UP could actually afford. After years of replanning and broken promises to the populace, funding tanked, and the station was left without nearly enough resources to complete it, halfway through its production. Unable to pick themselves up after such a massive failure, the UPSA canceled the project altogether, and was quickly reforgotten.
That is, by everyone but the rich, influential, and highly eccentric Adrienne Lapointe. Being the only daughter of the late Maurice Lapointe, founder of the massive computer company Pointe Systems, she had only recently become the heir to his entire fortune and industry. Despite her father's long tried attempts to ingrain her heart into the company, he never quite succeeded. While he managed to raise her into an enthusiastic love of technology and machines, she was never quite drawn to the world of practical business. Instead, her eyes were purely set on the world of innovation and progress, looking forward to a rapidly approaching future of science fictional proportions. When she heard about the unfinished station, she immediately realized that she had the money and manpower to take the project over.
Willing to go along with just about anything by the time Adrienne approached them, the remaining fraction of the UPSA still attached to the project accepted the offer without question.
The space station, now named Polaris, was finally completed in 2274 and, before the first official trip was scheduled, Adrienne declared it its own independent country, and opened its doors to anyone who wished to leave the planet. Before the rest of Disparatus could interfere with her crazy plan, she had managed to gather nearly a thousand followers, and within less than a month, successfully shipped them all off to her new nation.
Within the following 50 years, the station grew and thrived, becoming a lawless, but surprisingly stable community focused on progress and creativity above all else.
The rest of Disparatus has opted to pretend it doesn't exist.