Bretton

Τηε Βρεττονιαν Αρμεδ Φορτρεσσ Στατε
The Brettonian Armed Fortress State

Brettonian Flag
We Kill For Peace
Region	Haven
Official Languages	English, German
Capital	Brettonia
Head of State	Chancellor Gerhard Donner
Population	9,742,000,000
National Animal	Golden Eagle
GDP	J$342,928,639,044,633.69
Currency	1 Jion (J$) = $1.7644
National Anthem	March of the 603rd
Internet TLD	.btr
Calling Code	+87

Τηε Βρεττονιαν Αρμεδ Φορτρεσσ Στατε - The Brettonian Armed Fortress State is a frigid, 95% landlocked nation, peppered with illogically-large mountains and covered in snow for most of the year. Its pale, stone-faced people might see the sun for two months annually. Its government has been described as a "loathsome, omniscient octopus, whose tentacles of power have turned to stone." While the state's democracy is a sham in the finest sense of the word, those who have power show remarkable restraint. Brettonian leaders see their people as assets which may be exploited, but should not be abused. The average Brettonian citizen enjoys great personal liberties and a fairly decent standard of life. Conversely, criminals, especially pro-"real democracy" supporters (referred to as 'antipartisans' by law enforcement) are variously interred in "re-education facilities" or sold as labor slaves to private companies.

Government

As a Fortress State, the government and military are nearly indistinguishable. To the average citizen, a large, unicameral parliament rules the country, with regular elections every three years. However, this body is a pure farce; something of a pageant put on for the benefit of the population. In reality, it is simply a rubber stamp for the Chancellor and his military council, along with the appointed heads of the chief government ministries. While not quite homogeneous, it is safe to assume that anyone in a governmental position is or was in the armed forces at some point. This section will refer to the civilian-equivalent aspects of the government, as well as those not directly considered to be armed forces.

Head of State

Since the Glorious Revolution 167 years ago, the name of the army officer most often credited with being the linchpin in the operation has been lost to history. To the modern Brettonian, he is simply referred to as "Fearless Leader." In earlier years, Fearless Leader had turned out to observe the yearly anniversary of the Glorious Revolution, which in Brettonian tradition, involved a massive parade of military hardware of all shapes and sizes through Brettonia's main thoroughfare. As the years went on, Fearless Leader continued to issue public edicts and made appearances, but they became progressively fewer in number. Fearless Leader has not made an appearance in many decades, and most speculate he is no longer among the living.

Enter the Chancellor. Originally no more than a speaker for Fearless Leader, as he began disappearing into the veil of secrecy, the Chancellor continued to become a more powerful position. In addition to being the governmental leader, the Chancellor is also the commander-in-chief of the armed forces. In the past, such dual-purpose leaderships have produced less-than-spectacular results. In the case of the Brettonian Chancellor, this has not yet come to pass, mostly on account of the fact that the Chancellor himself is a General first and a politician second. Indeed, the Chancellor simultaneously possesses a special O-11 rank, which may only be given in the case of a new Chancellor rising to the position. A new Chancellor is picked via a military council, based on both his service in the forces and his political skill. It is not required for him to already have been an O-10 in a given branch of the service, but all Chancellors have been thus far.

The current occupant of the position, Chancellor Gerhard Donner, enjoys a staunch backing of the military due to his highly successful wars of expansion, which has greatly increased Brettonian foreign territory. Donner has ruled firmly, but remains popular among the citizenry at large due to his stance on personal freedoms. Happy people are productive people.

Ministry of Information

Whenever something occurs that the public and international community must know of, the Ministry of Information puts out the brightly colored posters and public news releases. Effectively, the Ministry of Information acts as the entire nation's combined Public Relations office. It is responsible for everything from recruitment posters for the armed forces to the latest batch of propaganda sent to other world leaders about this crisis and that event. The Ministry of Information is widely criticized by most other branches of government as a bunch of pompous windbags and media moguls.

Ministry of Foreign Affairs

A more refined branch that the Ministry of Information, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs deals with other national governments on a man-to-man, level-headed basis, and is mostly free of the blind nationalism of the Ministry of Information.

Ministry of Justice

Responsible for maintaining order within the homeland, the Ministry of Justice drafts, approves, and enforces law. Cases of civil matters and those unaffiliated with national security are handled by citizen juries, attorneys, and are carried out in a relatively western, modern fashion. Terrorists, antipartisans, spies, and military criminals, on the other hand, are prosecuted by the military directly; their trials are typically conducted in secret.

Capital punishment is mandated for all serious crimes committed against the government, and is also often metered out in an "eye for an eye" fashion. Public executions are quite popular, and are carried out via petitions from the local population. Common criminals are executed via the "seven cent solution" (the cost of one .45 Auto cartridge, delivered to the head), whereas high profile enemies of state, such as spies, traitors, mass murderers, etc, are done away with via a firing squad. A bullet (or several) to the head is considered to be the most humane way of dealing capital punishment.

Prisons, usually referred to as "reeducation facilities" tend to be operated by the private sector, though heavy security is provided by the government. Emphasis is placed on rehabilitating criminals to be returned to society as quickly as possible, and thus a wide variety of corrective procedures and policies are metered out rapidly. Criminals who do nothing but occupy space in a cell are a waste of funding. To this effect, convicts who are unresponsive to reeducation methods may be used as labor for both public and private sectors, or in the case of the criminally insane, executed. The exception to the rule is the enormous prison in miserably-cold Orshek, which is entirely funded and operated by the government. No criminals are kept in this facility; its inmates are all political prisoners, typically serving life sentences, who are deemed too dangerous to the system to be reeducated or used as labor.

Civil Protection

Armed with off-white AS-004H Stahlkörpe assault suits, the Ministry of Justice's Civil Protection serves as a Gendarmerie-like paramilitary force. Civil Protection is tasked with maintaining law and order, preserving peace, tracking down criminals, dissidents, antipartisans, and so forth, as well as providing security for privately-operated prisons.

It is a not-uncommon sight in cities with a large population of subversive groups for a giant six-axel truck to pull in front of a business or compound and disgorge a handful Stahlkörpes, returning from inside shortly thereafter with a dozen or so antipartisans bound with nylon plastic zip ties. The truck takes off as fast as it arrived, and the damage done to the building by the large, heavy Stahlkörpes has been repaired by the next day of business.

Although an altogether baffling sight to foreigners, it's not surprising to see a random citizen inquiring for directions to a local business to an eleven-foot-tall Stahlkörpe positioned on any given street corner.

Ministry of Transportation

While private transportation is heavily encouraged by the government (automobile manufacturers sometimes receive government stipends to keep their prices within reach for the average citizen), Bretton's incredibly massive and intricate rail network also serves as a basis for public transportation. Though its origins come from the enormous need to reliably yet cheaply move industrial supplies and military hardware, public rail transit has become a significant factor in recent decades.

Ministry of Health

The good health of the Brettonian populace is essential to its continued growth as a military and industrial power. It's no understatement to say that pollution in the Brettonian homeland is prevalent around population centers; this, among the already harsh climate, is what has sent most of the population underground. However, people yearn for open space, and the artificial skies of even the finest underground agoras are still just that: artificial. The Ministry of Health is responsible for keeping the Brettonian people healthy, even as they go about their business in its unhealthy areas. It provides basic healthcare to Brettonian citizens (though the more well off can opt out of this coverage in exchange for a lower tax rate), while private firms handle the more specialized procedures, including cryonics, organ and tissue cloning, and gene therapy.

Parliament

Comprised of exactly 850 members, the apparent Brettonian government is widely televised, conducts brutal electoral campaigns against opposing candidates, is praised and lampooned in cheap tabloid newspapers, and most importantly, is entirely irrelevant to actual Brettonian politics. After the hard won elections and victory parties, new members of the parliament meet with the Chancellor and the top military council behind closed doors, and whatever their agenda before going into politics, they emerge eager, or at least willing, to go along with the “rubber stamping” expected of them. Members are almost universally compliant in not blabbing to nosy conspiracy theorists, and those that aren’t tend to resign their positions following horrible accidents, or are assassinated by “Marxist terrorists.”

Noteworthy Government Policies

A number of Brettonian statutes are worth mentioning here, due to both the gravity of their effects and the uniqueness of their basis and enactment.

Clear Skies Policy

Enacted in November 2028 during the war with Perganum, the Clear Skies Policy states that "no foreign-owned orbital asset shall pass over Brettonian airspace to an altitude of 1,700 kilometers without prior authorization." In effect, satellites, space stations, military installations, etc, traveling in Low Earth Orbit over Brettonian airspace run the risk of being shot down unless prior authorization has been gained from the Brettonian Aerospace Defense Command. This policy was enacted in response to a nuclear attack from Perganum, instituted by a disguised communications satellite. Since then, Brettonian authorities have taken no chances in another orbital attack coming by unnoticed.

Children of the Future Policy

A spin on the old saying "Children are the future," this particular policy focuses on the "shaping," or rather, “refining” of the Brettonian gene pool. A rigorous eugenics program has been underway in Bretton since the early 2000s, focusing on weeding out genes that 'breed weakness' and enhancing those considered beneficial to society. Female Brettonian citizens undergo extensive screening processes during the various stages of pregnancy, keeping a sharp eye out for defects in the fetus. Should a flaw be detected, the fetus is aborted. Notable genetic traits that are heavily influenced are those for bone structure, resistance to disease and cold weather, longevity, fertility, metabolism, and so forth. "Aesthetic" conditioning is also common. Owing to Chancellor Donner’s expansionist foreign policy, there has been something of a population drive in recent years, pushing for a goal of eight billion Brettonians by the end of the decade. The propaganda blitz has taken up the mantle of this program as well, and most recently the Ministry of Health has begun issuing military-style medals to mothers producing four or more healthy children pursuant to the overall policy’s guidelines.

"The Three Ones" Policy

A shortened name for the "One Race, One People, One Nation" doctrine that was central to the Glorious Revolution. While something of a misnomer in and of itself, the doctrine may be best interpreted as a companion statute to the above "Children of the Future" policy. Regarded as a pseudoscience at best and state-sanctioned racism at worst, it establishes that the possession of haplogroup N is the necessary foundation of genetic superiority, thus the only suitable basis for the Brettonian citizen. As of fifty-six years prior, the Brettonian population has achieved uniform possession of haplogroup N, and both current administration and the people at large show no signs of wavering in their dedication to this 'scientific pillar' of Brettonian civilization. More alarmingly, this policy is carried out ad nauseam in all occupied territories. The ultimate fates of those not in possession of haplogroup N is unknown.

"Non-persons"

A final offshoot from "The Three Ones" policy, the Brettonian government does not officially recognize sentient non-humans as persons. These "non-persons" are considered to have equivalent rights and liberties to animals; that is to say, none whatsoever. While this presently has little bearing on daily operations in Brettonian-controlled territory, non-humans would do well to be out of any country facing a Brettonian occupation. To be precise, it does not criminalize the act of not being a human, but with no rights in any form, non-humans may variously face anything from verbal harassment to seizure of property to arbitrary murder at the hands of any Brettonian citizen. Though rare, a document known as a ‘writ of humanity’ may be issued by a provincial or higher authority, granting specific non-humans the same rights as other citizens. This procedure has been invoked in the past to enable certain “gifted” individuals, notably from Pushistymistan, to contribute to Brettonian endeavors.

Military

The armed forces are first and foremost on the Brettonian government's priority. While all citizens are required to serve a two-year term in the reserves, the active duty military is an all-volunteer outfit. Due to good pay and the great emphasis on personal defense, recruiters rarely face a failure to meet their annual quotas of enlistees. High-ranking officers carry an almost nobility-like status in society, and constitute a fair portion of the wealthy upper class.

Army

By far the largest branch of the military, the Army receives the most funding and deadliest weapons. All Brettonian citizens serving their term in the reserves do so in the Army. The Air Force is a subsidiary of the Army, as opposed to an independent branch as is practiced in many other nations.

Armor

All front-line ground combat units are classified as 'armor.' Infantry are provided with the four-meter-tall six ton AS-004H Stahlkörpe assault suit, giving the average soldier an excellent degree of protection, mobility, and firepower. While not quite as versatile as a run-of-the-mill leg infantry with a .223 assault rifle, the Brettonian soldier represents the combat capability of an entire platoon of typical troopers. Intermediate support is provided by the older A4G Partisan bipedal tank, which has been in service in some form or other for nearly thirty-six years. Finally, heavy firepower as well as sophisticated electronic warfare is given to the tremendous A7V Peacemaker multi-legged tank, which has recently become the preeminent symbol of Brettonian military power worldwide.

Homeland Defense

The Army is tasked with the upkeep of the Brettonian coastal, border, and air defense service. This includes the enormous costal artillery and missile batteries, the multi-layered HSCDEADGR threat-detection arrays, the heavily-automated gun assemblies that protect the Brettonian border, and so forth.

Air Force

Though it is a subsidiary of the Army, Air Force members still tend to consider themselves "above" those on the ground. The Air Force employs the least number of personnel in its ranks, though its per-capita spending is probably the highest. The Air Force's pride and joy is the highly-sophisticated BA-104B Arbiter II multirole bomber.

Decorum

Even the average enlisted soldier is expected to adhere to a high standard of appearance and conduct. Fortunately, Bretton's frigid climate makes this an easily accomplished and even desirable task. The standard dress attire for both formal functions and non-crewmen (e.g. Stahlkörpe operators) varies slightly depending on the season. In winter, the soldier wears a long, thick wool greatcoat, bronzed leather boots (with thick two-layer wool/cotton socks), fleece-lined bronzed leather gloves, wool shirt and pants (breeches in the case of officers) and a polyester-lined wool balaclava. All soldiers wear an outer belt over their greatcoat; officers' belts include a shoulder strap. The usage of helmets and other forms of cover varies from unit to unit. Typically, units expecting to see action in some form or another will wear helmets; otherwise, berets are quite popular. In the summers, which are milder (though temperature rarely rises above 45-55° Fahrenheit), the wool greatcoat, pants, and shirt are exchanged for thinner cotton varieties for breathability, the boots are worn with thin socks, and skin-tight unlined gloves replace the thicker fleece-lined winter models. The balaclava is usually deleted entirely, or replaced with a free-hanging microfiber cloth, worn as a mask with eye holes.

In foreign service, the uniform decorum varies widely. Units deployed in Brettonian Chechnya have an even lighter summer uniform, while those in Numonica typically wear the domestic summer uniform all year, owing to its mild, virtually static climate. Imperial Nod’s desert-like weather prompted a complete overhaul of the uniform. A short-sleeve featherweight microfiber shirt, with synthetic mesh vents along the underarms and side of torso, replaced the cotton long-sleeve versions in the domestic summer version. The pants were deleted entirely, and replaced with a pleated unbifurcated garment of tough cotton-nylon hybrid material that hangs to just below the knees. The usual boots have had their uppers shortened by three inches, and steel mesh vent holes were added on both sides. Full-finger gloves were replaced with half-finger versions, featuring an open back of hand. Most notably, the helmet has been replaced with a wide-brimmed pith helmet-lookalike, treated with a synthetic plastic to repel heat.

The easiest way to determine a soldier's rank is via the color and arrangement of his coat. Enlisted personnel’s coats are of a green color, as is their lining. They are also worn fully buttoned up to the collar. Officers wear their coats unbuttoned at the collar, as they wear ties, and folded in a double-breasted fashion. This serves the secondary purpose of displaying their coat's lining, which varies in color and material from rank to rank. O-1 through O-3's coats are still green, however, their linings are white. O-4 through O-6 have entirely white coats, both material and lining. O-7 through O-9 have white coats with a red lining. An O-10's coat is lined with fur, an implication as to their almost nobility-like status.

Navy

While it is an independent branch, the Navy's roles are rather few and far between. Due to Bretton's limited access to the ocean, and more importantly, its single deep water port, the Brettonian Navy is a much smaller force than the Army. Its primary task is to serve as something of an over glorified Coast Guard, protecting the Brettonian shores from less exotic threats. At the present, a massive overhaul of the Navy, both in ships, designation, and personnel, is underway.

Decorum

The Navy uses a similar system to the Army/Air Force, albeit its coats are of a deep blue color.

Military Intelligence

A famous General once said of the Brettonian Military Intelligence, "You couldn't find a bigger bunch of wackos, sadists, assassins, terrorists, drug addicts and maniacs if you tried." Indeed, the incredibly secretive, incredibly inclusive Military Intelligence is among the more feared organizations in Bretton as a whole. Their actions are almost fully autonomous. Since their conception, Military Intelligence has enjoyed complete freedom of movement and action from the Brettonian government, and information pertinent to their operations is classified at the lowest levels and completely nonexistent at the highest. Military Intelligence is rarely seen, and even more rarely heard. When they do appear, it is most often in numbers, and usually consists of little more than throwing a miscreant in the back of a luxury car and disappearing as fast as they had arrived.

Decorum

Owing to their exclusively down-to-business nature, Military Intelligence personnel follow a vaguely similar setup as the Army, albeit every element of their attire is black; the wool coat has been omitted in favor of a leather version, which is worn all year. A liner is worn during the winter. Some have made derisive remarks about the colors of their uniforms and hearts are one in the same. Military Intelligence officers will carry all varieties of weapons, including burst-fire handguns, ballistic knives, garrotes, and so forth. Military Intelligence members commonly carry a ‘suicide pill’ for use in unfavorable situations, both to maintain the secrecy of their knowledge, as well as to avoid the brutal reprisal of those they have wronged. The International Criminal Court’s definition of a ‘war criminal’ would not do Military Intelligence justice.

Nonconventional Ordnance/Weapons of Mass Destruction

The Brettonian Army has a massive investment in nonconventional weapons. Deterrence, it is believed, is the best strategy to go about maintaining order.

Nuclear

The atomic components consist of over 90% of stockpiled WMDs. It has been estimated that the Brettonian military possesses over four hundred eighty thousand (480,000) warheads, ranging from sub-kiloton fission bombs to be deployed by assault suit units to eighty megaton "uberdevices" which have little tactical application. Following the recent discovery of tritium synthesis, the number of Brettonian warheads in storage is rapidly increasing, as the constant need for supplies of raw uranium for fissile material is no longer a burden.

Nuclear warheads are employed in various configurations, including:

• Air to air missiles
• Air-, land- and naval-launched cruise missiles
• Surface to air missiles
• Torpedoes
• Railgun slugs
• Stahlkörpe-portable recoilless warheads
• Ballistic and non-ballistic surface-to-surface missiles (MIRV and single warhead)
• Precision and gravity (parachuted) bombs, delivered via bomber

Chemical

While far smaller in comparison to the nuclear arm, the Brettonian military preserves a fair amount of chemical weapons for use in gas attacks. The ubiquitous VX nerve agent makes up a relatively high percentage of the total chemical arsenal, though older nerve agents such as sarin, and its successor, cyclosarin, are also preserved, along with more obscure products, such as the Soviet-designed Novichok binary agent.

Biological

The Brettonian military is thought to possess a "not insignificant" stockpile of biological warfare agents, though their exact numbers are classified. Brettonian military spokesmen will "neither confirm nor deny" the presence of biological warfare agents within the armed forces.

It is known that there have been numerous clandestine trade agreements between Bretton and Raven Corps, one of the world's pre-eminent biological warfare agent producers.

All biological warfare agents, despite their official existence (or non-existence, as the case may be) are stewarded exclusively by Military Intelligence; the Army has no jurisdiction in their use.

Geography and Climate

Positioned in the atmospherically fluctuating region Haven, Bretton possesses an exceptionally frigid climate. A Kahanistani foreign diplomat, departing his aircraft onto a runway in Brettonia, once remarked “This place has a serious sun deficiency.” The relatively high altitude, especially from the impossibly tall mountains in the central and northeastern regions, exacerbates this condition. Temperatures range from highs of 45-55° Fahrenheit in the summer to lows below -30° Fahrenheit in the winter. Most of Bretton enjoys snow from mid September until late March, mountainous regions receiving it often well into April. The majority of Brettonian citizens have extraordinary pale complexions, both due to the substantial underground establishments and the near-constant cloud cover. Annual precipitation (usually snow) tends to exceed 140 inches annually in most areas.

Agriculture

Produce

Owing to the frequently inclement weather, produce that has not been genetically enhanced to function in such environments is grown via hydroponics in artificially humid underground bunkers. Some especially hardy plant species, such as the potato, have been further strengthened by gene therapy to grow even in the exceptional cold. Despite being virtually identical (indeed, the hydroponically-grown produce are superior in some aspects), produce grown on the surface has a bizarrely popular myth surrounding it, leading its prices to be significantly higher. The current size record for genetically-engineered, hydroponically-grown produce was a species of tomato nearly the size of a pig.

Livestock

The Brettonian diet is exceedingly heavy in beef. Historically, both the public and private sectors have struggled to provide the resultant meat products to feed the steak-hungry citizens. While produce was fairly easy to cultivate underground, livestock was far more difficult, and the desperate attempts at pulling it off are best left forgotten. Imports made up the bulk of meat products consumed by Brettonian citizens for many years. Recently, a rather lucrative trade deal between Bretton and Axis Nova has solved this debacle. In exchange for a company of A7V Peacemaker multi-legged tanks, Axis Nova has ceded significant amounts of its Numonican territories, which possesses a mild climate year-long, for the purpose of growing livestock. This has finally given Brettonian beef manufacturers the space and climate to conduct large-scale animal cultivation, much to the joy of retailers and consumers alike. The massive, genetically-engineered cattle (now more closely resembling elephants) are known to be quite temperamental, and given their great brawn easily capable of flipping an APC, the Numonican plains have become a prime location for international big game hunters. A highly successful chain of expensive hotels has been set up to accommodate these wayward huntsmen.

Foreign Holdings

While not strictly a 'colonial' power, the Brettonian government maintains a number of overseas assets in various forms.

Numonica

See above Livestock entry.

Chechen Republic (Brettonian Chechnya)

Following a swift regime change, the Chechen Republic has fallen under the Brettonian sphere of influence. Poised on the brink of a civil war, a Brettonian expeditionary force swiftly quelled both sides and re-established order under the Brettonian flag. A large-scale military facility, Fort Bormann, has been constructed in mountains outside the former Chechen capital. This facility serves as a base of operations for Brettonian assets in the republic, including imports and exports, national administration, a prison (re-education facility), and a substantial military garrison. Other facilities, linked by fortified wide-gauge rail lines, house regional command centers and provincial seats of authority, strategic assets (including nuclear arms and anti-orbital gun batteries), and field distribution centers. In official language, the state is now known as Brettonian Chechnya.

All-Chechen army units are now in divisional strength and have been deployed operationally over the previous year, giving testament to the effectiveness of Brettonian recruiters.

Imperial Nod

Kicked off by a misunderstanding between Brettonian envoys and Nod officers, a low-intensity conflict between Brettonian forces and those of Imperial Nod eventually culminated in a nuclear exchange. Imperial Nod was completely depopulated, with Brettonian ground troops setting up forward installations in the area sixty days after. A single facility, Fort Lorenz, has been constructed to oversee decontamination of the less-heavily-irradiated areas, while the remains of major population centers have been fenced off as "permanent dead zones" having suffered the most direct nuclear strikes. Current operations in the region are focused on the obliteration of a bizarre mineral growth, dubbed "Tiberium" by recovered Imperial Nod documents, "the greatest find since sonofusion" by Brettonian scientists and "an annoyance" by Brettonian field commanders. Due to the destruction of most of its biome, Imperial Nod has rapidly succumbed to nation-wide desertification. Recently, it has been announced that most formerly inhospitable areas (e.g. the entire country), save for its former cities and military bases, are now safe for human life. Large scale resource development facilities have begun springing up, along with the necessary infrastructure to support them. Nevertheless, less than 2% of all Brettonians live in the area, and it remains a relative “ghost country” beyond the settled locales.