The Confederation Handbook

by Peter F. Hamilton

  There also occur insurrections on stage-one colony worlds, which fall outside the usual law-enforcement officer remit, allowing the development-company governor to hire professional soldiers to quell the situation. Between such actions, mercenaries are usually employed by the same development companies to act as marshals on stage-one worlds, their specializations making them ideal for the kind of independent tracking necessary at the frontiers of new planets.

  Like cosmoniks, this group relies on extensive biomechanical augmentation to achieve their profession’s requirements. There is no standardization when it comes to boosting the human form for combat; mercenaries range from fast scouts to what are essentially biological tanks. Most mercenaries start with simple bone strengthening and muscle amplification through either replacement or additional artificial tissue grafts. Sensor enhancement is also a prerequisite, with implants wired directly into neural nanonics. Weapon implants are not so common: boosted mercenaries tend to modify their limbs to accept plug-ins or to improve normal handling characteristics.

  Exowombs

  Perfected in 2065 so that couples with fertility problems could have children, they were almost immediately adopted by wealthy women to avoid the physical strains of childbirth and the limitations it temporarily placed on their lifestyle. Exowombs played an important role during the divergence of Adamism and Edenism, and still remain important to the expansion of both cultures.

  Their first large-scale use was by the Edenists following Eden’s declaration of independence in 2090, when they were employed to increase the populations of Eden and Pallas with germ plasma bought from Earth. This breeding program saw the start of comprehensive geneering for Edenists, improving everyone on an equal basis. It was also an opportunity to give every future Edenist an affinity gene.

  They are not widely used on Earth in 2600, although Adamists began utilizing the technology after the onset of interstellar colonization. Exowombs are employed quite extensively by Adamists during the mid-term stage of a planet’s colonization. This is when the purely agrarian phase is being left behind and they are moving towards full industrialization, always a time of large expansion and raised horizons. Families of these eras can have typically eight to twelve children without placing repeated childbearing stress on the mother.

  Asteroid dwellers and starship crew-members tend to deposit large quantities of germ plasm in storage once they reach adolescence. Radiation exposure during flight is still a problem—certainly accidental exposure—and exowombs give them the opportunity to have “normal” families despite the hazards of their jobs.

  Education

  On all advanced worlds and asteroid settlements this consists almost entirely of didactic laser memory imprints: subject matter is loaded directly into the brain, the rate being varied according to an individual’s ability to absorb it. School for Adamist children consists of a weekly didactic memory-absorption assessment, and then the imprint of a new memory. This leaves children with considerable time on their hands, creating a large industry of day clubs to keep them occupied through organized games and events, and helping to develop their social skills. Basic education is completed at around age sixteen, after which brighter children, nominally 70 percent, have the opportunity to go on to universities, which employ a combination of didactic imprints and traditional tutorial sessions or research projects aimed at developing students’ intellects and analytical abilities. For the remainder there are job-related specialization imprint courses, where appropriate, e.g. maintenance and machine operation, which the average citizen will continue to take throughout their working life.

  Governments

  There are as many variations of government as there are colonies. The Confederation embraces almost every ideology and religious society possible, from interactive democracies to absolute dictatorships, religious orthodoxies, monarchies, company fiefdoms, anti-tech pastoral and anarchies, rich and poor. This variety is a source of some perplexity and bemusement to Edenists (and presumably to the Tyrathca and Kiint). However, the vast majority of Adamist governments are democratic republics along the original Western European and North American mold.

  Religion

  Adamists still follow the major religious beliefs of Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Shintoism, as well as every minor orthodoxy. On Confederation worlds, types of faith vary in accordance with the ethnic origin of the population. After the unrest experienced on the initial multiethnic colonies, subsequent colonies (post-2130) tended to derive their population from just one ethnic or religious group, thus giving the majority of Confederation planets a single religion, and adherence to it is often an immigration requirement. Sacred cities and shrines such as the Vatican, Mecca, Amaterasu, and Mt. Abu remain the centers of their respective faiths.

  Christian evangelical movements and Islamic fundamentalism have declined to negligible proportions; both of these religions have mellowed considerably since the twentieth century, especially among their followers on Earth, and there is even speculation on an eventual total unity, although this must still be several centuries distant.

  Of more immediate concern to current religious leaders is the declining numbers of the faithful. The impact of a technological society on the tenets of basic faith has never let up. At the start of the twenty-seventh century, less than 5 percent of the population now attends regular worship. Ironically, on Earth, the most technology-intensive planet in the Confederation, the massive population base supported by the arcologies means that this same 5 percent gives the major religions there a larger following than at any time since the early twentieth century.

  The Christian Unification of 2044 means that all Christians now have access to the confessional, priests are both male and female, and celibacy is no longer practiced, while contraception is actually endorsed, especially on Earth.

  Cult religions continue to flourish, although these tend to center around their own founder, and diminish after that founder’s death unless an even more charismatic successor can be found.

  Colonization

  Adamists have colonized 861 terracompatible planets, and an average of five new planets are opened up for colonization each year. Settlement rights belong to the discoverer (provided the discovery is filed with the Confederation to establish a legal claim), although most scoutships are owned by either institutions or governments. Establishing a colony is not a cheap proposition, and requires considerable financial backing which few individuals can provide. Thus, independently owned scoutships usually sell on the settlement rights to institutions. The criteria for establishing a settlement are as follows.

  Biological clearance

  This entails proving that native organisms do not harbor a bacteriological threat. Given the efficiency of today’s Adamist immunology systems, it would have to be a highly potent xenoc bacteria or virus which could pose a threat to human life. Only seven newly discovered planets have been disqualified on these grounds in the last hundred years. The existence of native vegetation which has human-compatible protein structure is also a big plus factor in favor of settlement, especially if the species then proves popular, and even more so if the planetary climate is unique (see Norfolk, page 162 ). Clearance certification is given by the Confederation assessment board, which reviews the results of the ecological analysis team which the owner of the new settlement rights needs to provide. The Confederation does not undertake any analysis work itself.

  It is not legally necessary to have Confederation certification before opening a planet to settlement; however, because of the board’s impartiality this certificate is a guarantee of safety, and only the most foolhardy of colonists would attempt to settle a planet when certification has not been applied for.

  Indigenous sentient species

  These are an automatic disqualification for settlement. In the case of a xenoc species which had not yet achieved an industrial-level civilization, further contact is prohibited by the Confederation Assembly in order to prevent cultural conta
mination. So far only one pre-industrial species has been found: the Jiciro. Confederation Navy monitor satellites have been placed in their star system to monitor compliance with the no-contact law, while universities sponsored by the Assembly maintain a discreet watch on the Jiciro civilization via stealthed low-orbit observation satellites.

  Contact with xenocs is automatically permitted when they have a spacefaring technology, although precisely what capability must be demonstrated is subject to debate. A life-support capsule launched into orbit with a chemical rocket is not usually deemed sufficient, whereas regular interplanetary flights are. Discovery of Confederation monitoring systems would also be a valid means of proving technological maturity. The only exception to this rule so far have been the Kiint, who are simply not interested in space travel but whose social and cultural maturity obviously exceeds both Adamist and Edenist levels.

  Resources

  The mining of planetary mineral resources, with its subsequent environmental contamination, is no longer practiced, thanks to the perfection of cost-effective asteroid mineral-extraction techniques. However, this does mean that a star system must have sufficient asteroids in convenient orbits before the establishment of a technological- and industrial-based colony can be considered. Planets in a star system without an asteroid ring are usually settled by groups searching only for a pastoral existence. There is no legal prohibition against developing planetary surface mining if this pastoral life is rejected at a later date. But disaffected colonists searching for a more technologically advanced culture tend to emigrate to a world with a culture they

  find more acceptable than farming and base-line manufacturing.

  Gas giants

  Because of the cost involved in importing He3 to a system which does not have a gas giant, any asteroid settlements in such a system will suffer economic penalties in comparison to settlements in other systems where He3 is mined, and therefore cheaper (see Edenist Economy, page 39, for the two-tier price system). Therefore a gas giant which can be mined for He3 has become a prerequisite in establishing a (non-pastoral) colony, unless there are exceptional extenuating circumstances. Any institution attempting to set up a system-wide colonization project (apart from the Kulu Kingdom principalities) has to have Edenist cooperation, although this is granted in virtually all cases, provided the founders (normally a development company) can successfully demonstrate the project’s viability. Edenists will not help founders who devise a deliberately oppressive constitution.

  Constitutions

  These are written by the founding group, who may incorporate any doctrine they wish (see Gas giants, above, for Edenist censure). However, as nearly all colonies are now founded by financial concerns, constitutions are designed to encourage industry and commerce in order to pay off the original investment. This tends to negate any restrictive or oppressive charter which would inhibit wealth creation, and of course it has to provide enough incentives—such as free land and low-interest loans—to attract colonists.

  Usually the founding institution will form the initial government, which will gradually abrogate its control to the population as the investment is paid off. A timescale for this is often written into the constitution, typically seventy to a hundred years. Even when the institution itself relinquishes political control, it will invariably remain the largest single corporate entity in the star system, and so will continue to generate a return on its investment. It is therefore in the institution’s own interest to create a properly working economy.

  Asteroid Settlements

  Zero-gee industrial stations form an integral part of any star system’s technoeconomy. Planets and asteroid settlements need each other in order to trade and enhance their economies, therefore any attempt to colonize a planet with an industrial-based society must also include the establishment of asteroid settlements within the star system.

  Asteroid settlements retain a degree of independence from the planetary government, but when full industrialization is achieved a system-wide congress is usually formed to cover defense, criminal extradition, currency regulations, mutual economic policy, transport regulations, etc. (the Edenist habitat will not form part of the congress). It is usually this congress which sends a representative to sit in the Confederation Assembly on Avon, and to speak for the whole star system.

  Asteroid settlements use a mix of fusion and solar power, depending on location. They always try to be self-sufficient in food production, using protein vats and hydroponics. The cavern chamber biosphere is usually planted with fruit trees and edible vegetation. Like Edenist habitats, the asteroid settlements provide a healthy market for imported food.

  There are two types of—or locations for—asteroid settlements.

  High orbit

  Typically in orbit 100,000km above the terracompatible planet, these are asteroids with a high metallic content, and have been maneuvered into their orbit by a series of controlled nuclear explosions. They average 30–40km in diameter, and in their first stages provide nothing but raw metal for the planetary industries. The number of asteroids thus captured is in direct proportion to the planet’s population, and a newly founded colony will only have one orbiting asteroid for probably the first hundred years. After that, as industrial capacity expands, more asteroids will be captured to feed it. A rough guide to how long a planet has been industrialized is the number of asteroids in its orbit.

  Regarding the method of settlement, to begin with a central habitation chamber will be hollowed out of the rock and the whole asteroid given a rotation to provide gravity. Hydrocarbons are then processed to provide a habitable biosphere within the chamber. Because of the cost of shipping in the necessary chemicals, scoutships will always try and locate a metallic asteroid with a smear of hydrocarbons, usually left over from a past collision with a carbonaceous chondritic asteroid.

  As the population of an asteroid increases, and the metal ore reserves decline, so the asteroid turns to manufacturing as its principal economic activity. In turn it will start to import raw material, facilitating the capture of new asteroids.

  The population of a mature asteroid settlement can reach 100,000, though it rarely exceeds this. Politically, the high-orbit asteroids are nearly always under the control of the planetary government. Certainly this is the case to start with; but as the star system economy develops, companies may well fund their own capture missions and mining settlements.

  Free settlements

  These can be sited anywhere in the star system, though investors prefer asteroids close enough to the sun to use solar-power arrays, eliminating He3 costs. Asteroids with large and varied mineral reserves are sought, because of the disparate material requirements of the industrial stations they serve. High-technology zero-gee products are the only exports from these settlements, so they are usually founded several decades after the first batch of colonists arrive on a planet, when a market for their goods is beginning to materialize. Like the mining asteroids in planetary orbit, the habitation chamber is hollowed out of the asteroid itself, providing the inhabitants with several kilometers of rock as protection from cosmic radiation and attacks from mercenary starships. That population is usually around 100,000, although the larger asteroids, containing several habitation chambers, can carry populations as high as 250,000.

  In parallel with the institutions that found planetary development, it is companies which finance the construction of asteroid settlements, and their control is never entirely relinquished. All asteroid settlements are essentially company towns. The major (and rare) exception to this is when the star system is being developed by an ideological or religious concern, in which case they will also pay for their own asteroid settlements.

  Defense

  Attack by mercenary starships is a very real threat for asteroid settlements and planets alike, and all governments fear an assault by a political rival using antimatter. As a consequence, any industrial planet has to devote a healthy percentage of its gross domestic product to building and mai
ntaining a strategic-defense network. Earth’s O’Neill Halo defenses are widely regarded as impregnable by any fleet another Confederation world could throw at it.

  In combination with the SD network, the major line of defense for any world is its designated emergence zones. As a general rule, starships are not allowed to emerge within 100,000km of an inhabited planet. They are required to jump into the emergence zone, and request flight clearance from the local traffic control authority before approaching their destination, giving naval ships time to perform an inspection when deemed necessary. The SD platforms will shoot at any starship violating this restriction, which is automatically assumed to be on a hostile strike mission.

  In wealthy star systems, with a large interplanetary (non-FTL drive) spaceship fleet shipping products between asteroid settlements and the inhabited planet, navy ships are on regular patrol to prevent acts of piracy by starships who can immediately jump out-system as soon as the looted cargo has been taken on board. It is this kind of piracy which forms the vast majority of deep-space crime and, given the lack of supralight communications, is the most successful. With the maneuverability of mercenary ships (see Starships, page 57 ), even a two-minute response time is often inadequate. Apart from voidhawks, few navy starships could jump to the aid of a ship under attack within a quarter of an hour.