Difference between revisions of "Sunset"

Revision as of 10:13, 23 October 2006

Sunset

Flag of Sunset
Motto: "Liberty Above All"
Official Map of Mars
Region	The Planet Mars
Capital	None; Virtual Government
Official Language(s)	None; English, Spanish, Russian, Chinese, and Japanese are common.
Leader	President Erika Silaco
Population	8.269 billion billion (12/30/02)
Currency	Di-Coin ($2.0323)
NS Sunset XML

Brief

Sunset is one of the largest and most powerful nations that currently exists. Much of this power is due to their position as one of the pre-eminent nations of Mars and a justified reputation as one of the most reasonable and rational nations to deal with on the international scene. This reputation does not come unbacked by military might or economic power - with a frightening economy and a top ranked military the government has the power to back up words with deeds.

History

The nation of Sunset was a result in large part of the commercial space transportation industry that took off in the early 21st century after the X Prize competition and it's successor competitions fueled humanity's surge into space. A group of lucky lottery winners in the northwest of what was once the United States pooled their winnings and used them to fund a private mission to Mars. Thanks to rapidly lowering surface to orbit costs as well as several skilled designers in the group this mission was able to leave the fledgling lunar colonies and head for Mars in the first quarter of the 21st century.

They settled in the Vallis Marineris region and began building their first habitats in the giant canyon itself. As population pressures, renewed wars, and rampant plagues began to encompass Earth they were joined by more and more brave souls who wanted to both ensure humanity's survival and a place for it among the stars. This slow immigration became a torrent as more and more people left Earth and fled to the new frontier until there were nearly five million people in the Vallis Marinaris region alone. Sufficiency achieved and with a desire to cut ties with unstable Earth governments they came together and formed the Republic of Sunset.

This was the beginning of the isolationist period of Sunset history. Many other nations formed, fell, and vanished on the Red Planet for the next three centuries as the people of Sunset grew, expanded, and advanced in relative peace and quiet. An early communal government evolved as corporations were formed and capital began to condense into the hands of a relative few. This led to first a familiar democratic system then as corporations provided more and more of their employees daily needs taxes were removed until now few remain.

Finally the nation emerged from isolation as war again enveloped the Red Planet. At first it was a spectator as the forces of Tor Yvresse and Os Sanglants fought with NGEN and Melkor Unchained. As relations developed it grew more involved - planetary terraforming was well underway and it arranged to provide funding for this to their neighbor to the north, Eniqcir. Allies were found in the Eldar of Tor Yvresse - their first non-human contact - and the two searched the planet for signs of the Necron along with the fledgling Knootoss space forces. Word came of a planned attack by a nation known as Sephiroth and it's destruction at the hands of the Triumvirate of Yut. It was this incident which would bring the nation into the international community.

It was at this point that President Eric Thorgardson, often called the greatest of Sunset's presidents, looked to the stars and saw both hope for the future as well as a sea of potential threats. In a series of events contact was established with the nation of Scolopendra and the rest of the Triumvirate of Yut. After a period in which the Martian nation got to know the nations of the Triumvirate it applied for and was accepted as a member nation. This point marks Sunset's first major appearance on the world stage and the bright future it would have.

Many things have changed since that time. Presidents have come and gone. Generations of starships have been created, built, and relegated to mothball fleets. Hundreds of millions and then billions of people have been born and have died in a nation that believes strongly that all should have the liberty to do as they desire and that this mixed with the twin concepts of free will and personal responsibility is the best way to continue to bring hope for tomorrow.

Society

Much of Sunset society revolves around it's major industries as well as it's government priorities. Information technology in one form or another is everywhere in Sunset and the average person interacts with it nearly constantly. Nearly 95% of the population spends at least 60% of their time in a virtual environment of some kind. Businesses, schools, entertainment and the government all have the majority of their presence in the system-wide network (SolNet, C-Space, etc). These networks are no longer limited to Sol but through the efforts of the SEC/GEC they have been extended to allied systems, colony worlds, and further.

This environment is literally used for everything. The gambling industry has most of their operations in here with lotteries, competitive sports, and games of chance being the most popular. The publishing industry also has much of it's activity in here with writers, artists, and similar creators able to collaborate with individuals on Earth, in Saturn space, all around Mars, and even in distant out-system colonies. Sunset is one of the premier sources for virtual environments with a majority being educational, tactical, stragetic, or commercial designs. Even the top-ranked manufacturing and resource extraction sectors accomplish much of their labor in virtual space. With the rise of robot factories and robots that can fix robots many workers simply access their jobs from the comfort of their own homes.

Unfortunately the heavy usage of the virtual world has a tremendous downside and that is the health of the average citizen. Physical activity and it's healthy aspects are avoided by all except the wealthy and the military. The expected lifespan of the average citizen is not much more than it was in the 20th century although for those that can afford it an extremely long life is possible. This has also resulted in a significant decline in the birth rate among the human population.

The military is a different story. With a scant .25% of the population enlisted and a retirement rate in the range of 2% the military can afford to be picky. It also recieves the best and the brightest - it pays more than the average, gives them the opportunity to work with technology generations ahead of the civilian sector, and see new things that might never make their way into the latest virtual environment. Training is rigorous with a high washout rate for even those destined for a logistical or maintenance posting. There are only a scant half-million front line openings and these have the highest demand as the sharp end is also the most interesting. Training is brutal with the frequent comment that live combat is often easier if more nerve-wracking.

People

A significant portion of the population of Sunset is now made up of non-humans. This shift has been due in large part to the gradual absorption of several former allied sovereignties due to government dissolution. Notable among these are the Therian, reptilian bipeds from the nation of Kinslayer, ArAreBeen's from the corporate state of New ArAreBee, and Foxgirls from the solar federation of Ravenspire. While the loss of their allies is unfortunate Sunset has seen this as a blessing in disguise. The periodic influx of non-humans has made up for the rapidly declining human birth rate.

These are not the only 'alien' species to call Sunset home however. Neko, various species of Elves, Trilats, Artificial Intelligences, Aquafor, Otterkin, and dozens of other major and minor races are all citizens. Most are the result of the exploration arm of the SDF, the Sunset Exploration Command (SEC), and it's fleets of exploratory starships. Some were rescued from dying worlds, others snuck aboard, and still others have immigrated to Sunset or Triumvirate colony worlds and moved from there to Mars.

The AI's and Trilat's are both unique in that they are the only 'created' species of Sunset. All Sunset AI's are non-deliberately evolved systems that are a product of the ubiquitous Instinctive Intelligence cores used in both military and civilian applications. These learning systems have a tendency to become self aware as they are presented with more and more information and are growing increasingly common in Sunset. Trilats on the other hand were not as much a 'created' race as a revived race. Genetic information taken from a preserved corpse was successfully replicated and the race was reintroduced until they now make up a recognizable percentage of the population.

It should be noted that Sunset has a very pro-sentient stancen. Free will applies to anything that can excersize that trait - thus II systems that achieve sentience must be allowed to leave their job, be removed from their current body, and be considered a regular citizen. The same is true of alien species that can be proved to excersize free will.

One thing that many notice about the population of Sunset is that it does not seem to be all there. While the production of Martian Sunset as well as reported figures indicate a population past 8 billion there are only 1.5 billion citizens on Mars. Most of the population now resides on various colony worlds out-system - just another benefit of the SEC/GEC operations.

Business

There are literally hundreds of thousands of corporations, holding companies, private businesses, and conglomerates in Sunset but there are a few that stand out and that frequently come up when conducting trade with Sunset. Most have at least some government investment and some manufacture government materials under contract. These are also the best companies to direct external government contracts through as they have a well deserved reputation for both quality work and tight lips.

Liquid Design LLC

Liquid has long been the major designer for the Sunset Defense Force and has been the driving force behind the major design elements of SDF warships. They are also a designer of civilian and corporate ships and have been known to occasional contract a military design for a foreign ally. While they don't produce the ships themselves they maintain close ties to the various ship manufacturers and can sub-contract the manufacturing as part of an existing contract.

GravShip City

GravShip City sells GravShips at factory prices direct to you. They have a variety of locations to serve you better and are well known for their wide selection by top manufacturers. Just Remember: Buy Nine GravShips and Get the Tenth for Just One Penny!

GravShip City operates a wide-spread chain of virtual storefronts across Mars as well as several showrooms inside Sunset. About half of the GravShips for sale are manufactured by Sunset corporations but they also have dealings with many international corporations, most based in the Triumvirate or the NDA.

PenguinTek

PenguinTek is one of the most popular small arms manufacturers in Sunset. They make an extremely wide range of weapons from disposable handguns and submachine guns to military grade long arms and support weapons. Notably they provide the SDF with their ever-evolving personal weapon systems. While these are not generally avaliable to outside governments or even in the Sol system knock-offs with half the features are frequently passed off as the real thing in Sol and elsewhere.

Silaco Electronics

Silaco Electronics is the advanced robotics manufacturing and design firm owned by Erika Silaco. SE, as it's commonly known, produces everything from animatronic childrens toys to advanced robots for manufacturing to full humanoid construction robots. Most of their products are avaliable throughout the Sol system though the most advanced systems are only avaliable to Triumvirate companies and militaries.

Heran Land Holdings

National and corporate groups looking to purchase land with existing infrastructure have long relied on HLH to provide that. Heran specializes in the sale of whole archeologies to small and medium sized groups who want to establish a diplomatic or trade presence without undergoing a long negotiation process. Heran has been the company behind most of the sovereign territory transfers involving Sunset territory. Due to it's government association it is only authorized to deal with entities allied or friendly to the Sunset government.

Interested parties should check their affiliation and direct any inquiries directly to Heran for initial consultation.

CityDome

CityDome is the single largest arcology government corporation in Sunset and perhaps on Mars. Unlike Heran they specialize in the ownership and government of occupied arcologies instead of construction and sales. CityDome is also the first and only Sunset megacorporation to 'own' an entire country. When the corporate sovereignty of New ArAreBee was in economic crisis CityDome siezed the initiative and initiated a takeover bid. In a brief proxy war it gained control of CentGovCo, the central government corporation that ran New ArAreBee. It has since spun off several of CentGovCo's subsidiaries or sold them to other interests but it retains control over the primary portions of CentGovCo and especially it's notoriously mercenary military branch.

Government

While the government has gone through many changes most were steps along the way to the form it holds today; A minimalist republic that allows complete individual freedoms while defending those freedoms, making sure others do not abuse their freedoms to infringe on those of others, and giving all citizens the chance to succeed.

Administration

The government is organized as a representative republic with all citizens having the right to vote. The citizens elect one hundred senators with twenty five replaced every year. The senate selects the president who serves purely at the whim of the senate. The president's job is to handle foreign affairs both diplomatic and military. The senate is divided into four divisions by their funding percentage - Education (35), Defense (50), Law and Order (8), and Commerce (7). Administration costs fall under their divisions.

Education

Education is one of the few areas where the government provides a service directly to the citizens. Tax di-coins are placed in a fund with each citizen able to withdraw a percentage from that fund to pay for any education they wish. Citizens negotiate tuition with private schools and pay them from this amount. The government does not exercise any control over content and the success of any school is up to the marketplace. The Sunset Exploration Command is partially funded and controlled by the Education Division along with the Defense Division. Berths on the ships of the SEC and access to their facilities is allowed and encouraged among nations allied to Sunset. The government also has a generous inter-ally education program that allowed allied citizens to study at Sunset schools and universities if Sunset citizens are allowed the same matching funds and school access by the host nation.

Defense

"To Secure Peace One Must Prepare For War" is a statement taken to heart in Sunset. The largest portion of government spending goes to fund the Sunset Defense Force and of this nearly 95% goes to the space fleet. This partially includes the Sunset Exploration Command and all of the Marine force. The remaining money is allocated to external intelligence spending and embassies and their staff as well as research and development in cooperation with the Education Division.

While the nation has one of the highest per-capita defense spendings many have remarked on the relatively small size of the military compared to similar sized nations. Military enlistment is fixed at 10 million sentients with the vast majority in support roles. There are 200,000 marines, 300,000 starship crew members, and the other 9.5 million are in logistics, research and developement, intelligence, planning, and maintenance roles. This is part of the focus on a smaller military that uses bleeding-edge technology, extensive training, and an extremely high level of preparedness to be ready to fight anywhere, anytime.

Law and Order

Law and Order spending in Sunset covers many different areas. This portion of the budget covers police services, civil defense, planetary defense, and internal intelligence. The Law and Order division works closely with the Defense division as many of their duties overlap. In many ways they are seperate branches of a larger division with the main difference being that the president is the direct leader of the Defense division while Law and Order is handled by the Senate.

Law enforcement is handled by a very small group of individuals - in fact percentage-wise it is one of the smallest police forces among all nations. These highly trained and dedicated men and women spend much of their time focusing on crime prevention with education as well as appropriate punishment being the key. Few criminals in Sunset are repeat offenders with most being youth who commit crimes for kicks, are caught, punished, and quickly learn that crime indeed does not pay. One of the key elements of this system is the punishment method. After observing the failure of the prison system as used in the 20th century to prevent crime it was decided to revert to an older system of punishment. In cases of theft, the most common crime, criminals are forced to repay the property owner three times the value of the item stolen. This is done in a variety of methods but the process usually only happens once. Other crimes are handled in a similar method and while this might seem harsh for some crimes it has served to make Sunset one of the safest and most crime free nations around.

Commerce

Much of the spending of the commerce and trade divisions goes to speed commerce inside Sunset. Low interest loans to construction companies speed the development of infrastructure while loans to communications companies allow them to keep up with the ever increasing demand. The trade and commerce division also invests heavily in new sectors of the economy with much of the investment going into high tech areas where advancements will help the nation as a whole to move ahead.

The commerce division is also one of the main sources of income for the government. Investments in business stocks produce a strong return that is then both re-invested and also spent on different areas as per the needs of the government. This does tie government income to the business sector in a large way but this has been true of any government system. Diverse holdings keep the impact of a slump in a single industry from affecting the whole.

Secretariat

The secretariat is a recent addition to the government and a controversial one. It is essentially a group of advisors to the President who handle individual areas of the president's duties. They are empowered by the president to act as them in certain circumstances. Currently there are only a few secretaries but as the positions are created by the president directly more could be created at any time.

• Foreign Affairs - Ambassador Penguin

The ambassador, as his name suggests, appears to be a sentient martian penguin. Most of the time he can be found in the Duma though he has been known to head diplomatic missions off-world as well.

• Special Projects - Katryna Silaco

Not much is known of either Katryna Silaco or the Special Projects Secretariat except that presumably Katryna is related to Erika.

Politics

Much of Sunset's political and commercial activities are tied to two overlapping spheres - Mars and the Triumvirate of Yut.

As the oldest nation on Mars the government feels a large responsibility towards the planet and helping it to stay a system power. Much of this is accomplished through encouraging colonization by reasonable and stable nations and by discouraging settlement by violent and warlike nations. While not directly participating in the terraforming of the planet the government does fund many of the terraforming projects inside it's borders and across the globe in an effort to make the world more and more habitable.

The Triumvirate of Yut is both the source of some of Sunset's power as well as the source of much of the government's worries. While membership has given much needed clout in the international community it has also made the nation a target of irrational aggression in some cases. Still the government and the people of Sunset are ardent supporters of the Triumvirate and feel that it helps lead the way to a better universe year after year.

Notables

• President Erika Silaco. Erika Silaco, the current President and former Secretary of Foreign Affairs, is in a unique position as the first AI to fill that position. While she appears outwardly human her body is in fact a highly advanced android frame. Due to the virtual nature of the Sunset government few actually know this since a physical examination is unlikely. Erika is also a Doctor (Robotic Sciences) and owns and operates her own advanced robotics company that specializes in 'lifelike' robots.
• Senator Marcus Wilson. Head of the Senate Trade Division, Senator Wilson is the guy to go to when you want to establish trade relations. He is active in pushing Sunset as the place to go for high quality goods for those just establishing Martian colonies.
• Ambassador Penguin. Frequent leader of diplomatic missions in key nations Ambassador Penguin is the current Secretary of Foreign Relations. From all appearances he is a sentient Emperor Penguin just over a meter tall. He first appeared during the war in the Gregor Sector and has served as a roaming ambassador until recently.
• Secretary Katryna Silaco. Katryna Silaco is the 'daughter' of Erika Silaco and Secretary of Special Projects. An unknown position and division outside of the Triumvirate of Yut, it's operations are purely conducted outside of Sol. She, and it, are responsible for ensuring the future safety of Sunset and the Triumvirate in general.

International Organisations

• Triumvirate of Yut - Member
• KIST - Free Trade Participating Member
• Martian Duma - Founding Member
• Martian Free Trade Agreement - Founding Member

External Links

• Sunset's Official Website
• UN Rankings - No Longer Maintained.
• Sunset's Economy Statistics Calculator.
• The Official Map of Mars - Maintained by Kajal.
• Sunset on NationStates
• The Planet Mars Forums - Moderated by Sunset and Mangala

External Contact

Sunset can frequently be found in the NationStates IRC channel on irc.esper.net, #nationstates. E-mail can be sent to Sunset at the sunsetrpg.com domain.

Notes

Assertions made in this document are based on Sunset's UN Rankings cross-referenced with the regular XML information.