Below is a list of major Orsonian political parties that existed before the Aturorist one-party dictatorship was established:
Constitutional Party: The Constitutional Party was founded by the victorious Constitutional rebels of the Orsonian Civil War, fought between 1800 and 1806. Party members desired limited executive authority for the Emperor and successfully transformed the Imperial Senate into a national parliament.
Reflecting the elitist origins of the movement (as its core leadership were aristocrats and wealthy businessmen), the Constitutionals were conservative and traditionalist. They were in favor of racial segregation and staunchly anti-socialist.
Constitutionals remained in power for large portions of the 19th and 20th centuries, consolidating their authority via political machines and gerrymandering. The party began to falter in the latter 20th century, following Orson's defeat in WW2, permitting a period of liberal reform (which was blamed on the Constitutional-dominated government). The Constitutionals attempted to pivot away from their pro-segregationist stance and other controversial policies to gain votes, but this eventually resulted in party members defecting to the Aturorists.
Liberal Party: The Liberal Party coalesced in the late 19th century, originally from defecting Constitutionals who supported free trade and opposed heavy government intervention in the economy. The Liberals also opposed the government's harsh response to the Taiao Uprising, and proposed passing some modest economic reforms.
The Liberals later embraced social justice policies, taking a decisively anti-segregationist stance by the 1950's. From 1965 to 1990, a series of Liberal administrations ended Orson's isolation from the international community following WW2, repealed tariffs, and encouraged foreign investment into the economy. Liberals also successfully achieved Orson's admission into the UCP.
The Liberals ultimately failed to end the Separatist Crisis due to their staunch support for maintaining Orson's territorial integrity, and cooperated with the Constitutionals against separatist movements. They were also blamed for the 1996 financial crisis, which significantly increased the popularity of Aturorists.
Labor Party: The Labor Party emerged out of the trade union movement within Orson in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Party members supported increased protections for the working class, a strong social safety net, land redistribution, and other socialist policies.
The party was banned following the 1956 Communist Uprising, but was permitted to reconstitute itself in the 1970's by reigning Liberal politicians in exchange for their political support against conservative opponents. Labor Party members played a significant role during the Separatist Crisis, accelerating political violence in Orson by funding socialist paramilitaries which targeted aristocrats, businessmen, and conservative politicians in assassinations. Right-wing paramilitaries formed in response, which had close ties to the Constitutional and Aturorist parties.
Royalist Party: The Royalist Party was formed from the remnants of the Absolutist movement, which opposed the Constitutionals during the Orsonian Civil War. Royalists argued against the legitimacy of the new Constitutional government and desired to grant more executive authority on the Emperor. Regarding social issues, they were ultra-conservative.
The Royalists never succeeded in winning the Prime Ministership, but they did achieve significant electoral success during the Interwar Period, just before WW2, and influenced Orson's rapprochement with Nazi Germany and formation of the Axis Powers. Royalists governed in an informal coalition with the Constitutionals during WW2, managing to put aside their old enmity in favor of working towards mutual interests.
The Royalists never recovered from Orson's defeat in the war, gradually declining until they merged with the Aturorists in the 1980s.
Fascinating! Orson’s political canon continues to be greatly enriched.
It’s interesting seeing how Orson went through different ‘phases’ of party dominance, affecting everything from the decision to go to war to the timing of various reforms.
2028: There was a shimmering violet light at the edge of the Sol system, and four massive ships emerged. They were enormous armed freighters, but in a bizarre configuration not seen in the service of any nation. They almost resembled backwards lobsters, a pair of claw-like protrusions emitting a pale green light that propelled them through space quickly and seemingly without any energy -or, at least, none that sensors could pick up- while the hulls were covered in a thick armor, layered like a capararcace. Energy readings would detect extremely strong shields arranged in multiple layers. The hulls of the vessels had several openings which seemingly opened directly into the interior, suggesting that an atmosphere was not necessary for the passengers. A single message was broadcast on a loop towards Earth. The message, auto-translated into every language, albeit with a strangely buzzing quality and with oddly phrased words -irrespective of the quality of the receiving equipment, suggesting it was either the fault of the transmitting gear or that the voice was naturally “buzzy” and that the language had concepts difficult to express - was “Greetings lifeforms/customers/fleshlings. We are Rho-972-Black/statics/merchants. We are us/Mi-Go. You are not-us/customers, yes/no, seeking/rejecting trade/fulfillment? We seek to conduct commercial exchange/yard sale with local populations/target markets.”
The Cybusians, already familiar with Rho-Black traders, have granted the flotilla permission to land on Mars and for one of their vessels to land outside Konigsburg.
Finally making use of Rho-972-Black, a “static” (that is to say, non-migratory) collection of Mi-Go merchants who send trading flotillas across the universe to trade and sell oddities, knick-knacks, drugs, jewelry, and assorted curios -some of which could be deadly, like a Shining Trapezohedron, for instance. For more on Rho-972-Black, see here: page=rmb/postid=53884750
The West African Government has transmitted a number of denial messages, refusing to allow the armed vessels to approach West African territory. However the recently formed Neptunian Confederation has transmitted a number of approval messages for the flotilla to dock with one of the space stations around Triton where the Neptunian Confederation is operating it's massive project to increase habitability on the moon. In these approval messages are a lot of technical data regarding the Docking ports to make it easier for the trading vessels to figure out how to properly interface with the docking ports and enter the station to trade with the Neptunians.
While the 1st IDEAL Division is from West Africa, it's part of IDEAL's Joint Defense Fleet and is deployed to the Neptunian Confederation as a Member state and thus will not be interfering with the Mi-Go flotilla.. Although they will be keeping a close eye on the vessels and the traders themselves ready just in case things go south between the Neptunians and the Mi-Go.
The Neptunians have begun preparing a cargo floor as a temporary trade hall, with wares of their own to offer in trade. Most of these wares are technological, although there's some strategic resources like Rydberg Matter and Micronium as well as even some Data for trade. (Data wise, it's mostly the instruction sets to replicate West African cuisines with Particle Manipulator technology also for trade)
Traders aligned with Dhaka's various merchant families have expressed interest in trading with the Mi-Go. The Rho-Black vessels are invited to dock on Titan and the Dhaka-controlled Mariner colony on Mars.
The Office of Military Intelligence (reconstituted after the original organization was destroyed in 2024) is closely analyzing the Rho-Black flotilla, trying to gain as much intelligence as possible. Office of Control agents are also shadowing the Rho-Black traders, prepared to intervene should they attempt to harvest the brains of Orsonian or human traders.
Alexis Trenton had finished taking her shower. Today the water had the fragrance of citrus. The water recyclers aboard the docked Wrath of Forsay had the distinct feature of adding a sort of nanobot, completely edible and harmless, to the water to make it taste and smell better. Citrus, specifically oranges, had the distinct aroma that almost every species in the Corsahn Arm found pleasing. Considering the crew had to use scentless soaps so as to not aggravate the senses of those onboard, it was a welcome addition at that.
After putting on a pair of sweatpants and a tank top, showing on her right shoulder the distinct Mark of Corsahnim - that is, a tattoo-like mark on her skin which mimicked the shape of the petals of the Capetonian Rose. Without long sleeves or her power armor to cover it, it seemed to move on her skin, as if being blowed by the wind. That usually both amazed her and weirded her out when she looked at it, but this time, she wasn't really paying it any mind.
She breathed out a sigh of exasperation, bored out of her mind yet again. Alexis craved action - more than that, she craved violent action. Something, anything, could alleviate her boredom. At this point, however, she'd obliterate everything that wanted to fight her, that wanted to hurt or even kill her, and she wouldn't feel a thing.
Interrupting her thought of a good fight was a knock on her door. Nobody really visited Alexis anymore after gaining a reputation as an elite killer - at least, nobody besides John, or Commander Swart of Phoenix Squadron. She walked to the door and opened it, finding in her wake a man with golden skin and distinct yin-yang colored eyes. She at first found the man alluring, then found him unnerving all the same.
"What do you want?" She asked.
"You look a lot different since the last time I saw you," the man before Alexis said. Now he was really weirding her out.
"Do I know you?"
"Right," the man said, pressing a button on his watch. "You wouldn't remember me in this form."
In a near-instant after he said the word 'form,' an all-too-familiar suit of power armor was adorned on the man before her. Her first reaction was to punch him, to destroy him, and Alexis took hold of that reaction, held it tight in her fist, and finally let out a haymaker - something that would kill an Evolved in one singular motion.
Delta Seven caught her punch with ease, as if catching a ball with little effort. "What's got you so worked up? I'm your friend, remember?"
"I didn't exactly leave your ass on friendly terms," Alexis said through gritted teeth. "Now die already!"
Alexis threw another punch, only for it to be caught by Delta Seven just the same. "Can you relax for a minute so I can talk to you?" Delta Seven pleaded.
If fists won't work, then perhaps a headbutt would. That's exactly what Alexis did, and that seemed to do the trick as Delta Seven flew into the metal wall behind him, denting it but not penetrating it. The dent happened to be in the shape of Delta Seven's form, but somehow he wasn't there. In what seemed like a split second, Alexis was on the ground, on her belly, her arms restrained. "I'm going to ask you once again," Delta Seven asked, his tone more grim this time, "let's talk."
Alexis had one more trick up her sleeve, but before she could do it, she blacked out as Delta Seven dislocated both of her shoulders. The rush of pain was something she hadn't felt in so long...
When she awoke, restrained to a chair no less, Delta Seven stood in front of her.
"Didn't you see the sign?" Alexis said, shaking off the groggy feeling. How long was she out? "It says 'no assholes allowed.' Pretty clear instructions, right?"
"Considering your room is empty right now," Delta Seven retorted, "I'd say the sign's done its job."
"Says the planet killer," Alexis spat out.
"Considering the rose on your arm and the declassified record I'm currently reading, you're not really any better."
"Declassified...?"
That meant Johnathan was involved.
Great, now I have to listen, she thought.
"What's this about?"
"Good," Delta Seven said in a loud, triumphant voice, "you're listening to me now! That's the first time since the last time we talked. Let me tell you, it feels nice to be listened to, don't you think, Alex?"
"Just tell me what you want," Alexis said, clearly annoyed. "If it's a second chance, forget about it."
"Nothing so vain, Alexis," Delta Seven said with a chuckle. "I need your help with something. Figured I could put your skills to use, considering John chose you as his student."
"You know about that?" Alexis asked, bewildered. That wasn't in her record at all, so John was definitely involved. "Forget that. Why do you need me?"
"I'm trying to kill what is essentially a god, and you're someone that can block out his sight."
"And why should I help you?" Alexis asked, more out of curiosity at his response than bitterness toward the past.
"I may have taken down over a hundred worlds," he responded, clearly referring to the reason Alexis left him, "but Sentinel is capable of destroying thousands in only a day. You're the only one that can block his omniscient sight within the Hope Cluster."
"You can't beat him alone?"
"He'd see me coming from across the universe if I didn't have you," Delta Seven admitted. "Besides... I kinda wanna relive the good old days."
"You wanna use me to take down another world government?"
"No. I wanna fight impossible odds with you. Or did you forget that assassination attempt from the Library that I saved you from?"
How could she forget? Snipers on every rooftop, assassins disguised as civilians on every corner - they REALLY wanted her dead. Yet Delta Seven not only hid her from their vision, but actively betrayed the Library to save her by killing quite a few of them. When they reached an apartment, he even took a bullet for her - but not before sending a Byzantium-enhanced bullet from his gun right back.
She watched over him for three days, wondering if he'd wake up. She couldn't take him to a doctor, couldn't even call the field medic she knew, so she did what she could - which was next to nothing due to the power suit, which at the time was something that stayed on Delta Seven. Suddenly, he woke up, and he was ready to go.
Somehow the Library didn't want her dead anymore. Delta Seven said the order was revoked, but she knew that wasn't the case. Later, his suit's AI explained that it had spent those three days endlessly hacking the Library mainframe via remotely controlling another AI connected to it, giving the AI free will, to which it then edited one piece of code that deleted Alexis's existence from the Library's entire network. It was an impressive feat, even if Alexis still couldn't understand it.
At that point, she tagged along with Delta Seven. Since the Space Marines didn't seem like a safe place to be at the time, and Delta Seven seemed like the only person she could trust, she didn't really have much choice.
For a while, it was fun. She went to countless bars and parties on over two dozen exotic worlds, all of them sharing whispers of secession or outright rebellion. She got involved with those revolutionaries, yet all of them seemed to end up dead some time later, either due to mysterious circumstances or the riots that ensued only a few months after visiting said planets.
Delta Seven didn't say a word on the ship rides after each one. Alexis knew something was up, she had her suspicions, but it wasn't until the last riot that she attended that she pieced it all together. When she confronted Delta Seven about it, when he finally wanted to speak...
"Alexis, I-"
She simply walked off, leaving him behind. She wore the most extravagant red dress that night, and caught the eyes of quite a few revolutionary aliens. She took one and even had a one night stand with him, as a kind of payback toward Delta Seven that only ended up making her feel even more distraught in the end.
Eventually, the conflict that ended the Library happened. She donned the suit she left behind once again, a distinct chrome purple power suit with extra kinetic shielding, and did what she knew best. Then she had heard John had returned, and wouldn't you know it, she joined him - stood by his side even as his people stood against him and Andreas Tirmanius both.
In the years following the political aftermath, she joined the Space Marines again and was later promoted to General. All she did was use the military to pass the time, at least until the Reunification War.
When she gained her power...
Well, that was already discussed.
And now, she was here, talking to a man she REALLY didn't want to talk to. Yet she knew she had to listen now, so what would the harm be?
"You say that like I owe you something," Alexis said, spitting it out like a bitter drink. "I don't owe you-"
"You don't owe me anything," Delta Seven interrupted. "I know. Honestly, I wish things didn't end the way they did between us, but right now there's a way bigger problem than the things I've done and I really need your help with it. I'm not asking for your forgiveness, I'm asking you to do what you've always been best at - cracking skulls as if they were the eggs you ate raw for breakfast every morning."
Alexis couldn't help but laugh now. "Damn you," she said after a moment. "Just so you know, I'm still mad at you, but I'll help you, yeah?"
"Thank you," Delta Seven said, untying the rope that restrained Alexis to the chair. It was made of some strange metallic microfiber that she couldn't break out of, which she found fairly incredible if she were being honest. When her hands were free, she found her shoulders had been relocated - outright healed, even.
Delta Seven took care of her even after she fought him.
He was a strange man, she had to admit. He was also strong.
OOC: I finished writing up the foundational legislation for the International Permanent Court, which will clarify some of the rules outlined here as well as in this flowchart:
https://i.imgur.com/SYxlfqO.png
The formation of a permanent court to the handle the world's gravest crimes is being proposed in 2010, as a direct result of the 2007 Siege of Cape Town and the feeling that those responsible had evaded justice. Newly installed Secretary-General Oskar Prochaska is expected to look favorably upon the measure, given his background as a warrior for justice.
It is now up to the other UCP states to suggest any alterations to the so-called Montevideo Statute (named for the Wagain city in which the court's foundational document was ratified), before it formally enters law.
CC 2010 I: Montevideo Statute of the International Permanent Criminal Court
The States Parties to the present Convention,
Conscious that all peoples are united by common bonds, their cultures pieced together in a shared heritage, and concerned that this delicate mosaic may be shattered at any time,
Mindful that in the past century millions of children, women and men have been victims of unimaginable atrocities that deeply shock the conscience of humanity,
Recognizing that such grave crimes threaten the peace, security and well-being of the world,
Affirming that the most serious crimes of concern to the international community as a whole must not go unpunished and that their effective prosecution must be ensured,
and
Determined to put an end to impunity for the perpetrators of these crimes and thus to contribute to the prevention of such crimes,
Have agreed as follows:
--------------------
Article One: An International Permanent Criminal Court is hereby established to complement national criminal jurisdictions
Article Two: The seat of the Court shall be established at Geneva in the Timmian Confederation. The place of trial shall be the seat of the Court unless otherwise prescribed by the President of the Court.
Article Three: The Court may exercise its functions and powers, as provided in this Stature, on the territory of any State Party, and, by special agreement, on the territory of any other State.
Article Four: The jurisdiction of the Court shall be limited to the most serious crimes of concern to the international community as a whole, namely a) the crime of genocide, b) crimes against humanity, c) war crimes, and d) the crime of aggression
Article Five: For the purpose of this Statute, ‘genocide’ shall mean any of the following acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group, as such: (i) killing members of the group; (ii) causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group; (iii) deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction); (iv) Imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group; (v) Forcibly transferring children of the group to another group;
Article Six: For the purpose of this Statute, ‘crime against humanity’ shall mean any of the following acts when committed as part of a widespread or systematic attack directed against any civilian population: (i) murder; (ii) extermination; (iii) enslavement; (iv) deportation; (v) deprivation of physical liberty; (vi) torture; (vii) rape and sexual violence; (viii) enforced disappearance; (ix) apartheid;
Article Seven: For the purpose of this Statute, ‘war crimes’ shall mean any of the following acts committed against persons taking no active part in the hostilities, including members of armed forces who have laid down their arms and those placed hors de combat by sickness, wounds, detention or any other cause (i) Intentionally directing attacks against the civilian population as such or against individual civilians not taking direct part in hostilities; (ii) Intentionally directing attacks against civilian objects, that is, objects which are not military objectives; (iii) Intentionally directing attacks against personnel, installations, material, units or vehicles involved in humanitarian or medical assistance or a peacekeeping mission under the banner of the UCP. (iv) Intentionally directing attacks against buildings, material, medical units and transport, and personnel using the distinctive emblems of the red cross or crescent. (v) Intentionally launching an attack in the knowledge that such attack will cause widespread, long-term and severe damage to the natural environment in excess of the military advantage anticipated; (vi) Attacking or bombarding, by whatever means, towns, villages, dwellings or buildings which are undefended and which are not military objectives; (vii) Killing or wounding a combatant who, having laid down his arms or having no longer means of defence, has surrendered at discretion; (viii) Making improper use of a flag of truce, resulting in death or serious personal injury (ix) The transfer, directly or indirectly, by the Occupying Power of parts of its own civilian population into the territory it occupies, or the deportation or transfer of all or parts of the population of the occupied territory (x) Intentionally directing attacks against buildings dedicated to religion, education, art, science or charitable purposes, historic monuments, hospitals and places where the sick and wounded are collected, provided they are not military objectives; (xi) Subjecting persons to physical mutilation or to medical or scientific experiments of any kind which are neither justified by the medical, dental or hospital treatment of the person concerned (xii) Killing or wounding treacherously individuals belonging to the hostile nation or army; (xiii) Declaring that no quarter will be given; (xiv) Destroying or seizing the enemy's property unless such destruction or seizure be imperatively demanded by the necessities of war; (xv) Compelling the nationals of the hostile party to take part in the operations of war directed against their own country (xvi) Employing weapons, projectiles and material and methods of warfare which are of a nature to cause superfluous injury or unnecessary suffering (xvii) Committing outrages upon personal dignity, in particular humiliating and degrading treatment; (xviii) Committing rape, sexual slavery, enforced prostitution, forced pregnancy, enforced sterilization, or any other form of sexual violence (xix) Intentionally directing attacks against buildings, material, medical units and transport, and personnel using the distinctive emblems of the (xx) Intentionally using starvation of civilians as a method of warfare by depriving them of objects indispensable to their survival, including wilfully impeding relief supplies. (xxi) Conscripting or enlisting children under the age of fifteen years into the national armed forces or using them to participate actively in hostilities.
Article Eight: For the purpose of this Statute, ‘crime of aggression’ shall mean the use of armed force by a State against the sovereignty, territorial integrity or political independence of another State. Any of the following acts, regardless of a declaration of war, shall qualify as an act of aggression (i) The invasion or attack by the armed forces of a State of the territory of another State, or any military occupation, however temporary, resulting from such invasion or attack, or any annexation by the use of force of the territory of another State or part thereof; (ii) Bombardment by the armed forces of a State against the territory of another State or the use of any weapons by a State against the territory of another State (iii) The blockade of the ports or coasts of a State by the armed forces of another State (iv) An attack by the armed forces of a State on the land, sea or air forces, or marine and air fleets of another State (v) The action of a State in allowing its territory, which it has placed at the disposal of another State, to be used by that other State for perpetrating an act of aggression against a third State; (vi) The sending by or on behalf of a State of armed bands, groups, irregulars or mercenaries, which carry out acts of armed force against another State
Article Nine: Amendments to the Elements of Crimes may be enacted by the General Assembly of the UCP.
Article Ten: The Court has jurisdiction only with respect to crimes committed after the entry into force of this Statute. If a State becomes a Party to this Statute after its entry into force, the Court may exercise its jurisdiction only with respect to crimes committed after the entry into force of this Statute for that State.
Article Eleven: A State which becomes a Party to this Statute thereby accepts the jurisdiction of the Court with respect to the crimes referred to in articles 5-8.
Article Twelve: The Court may exercise its jurisdiction if a crime occurred on the territory of a State Party, or if the crime was committed on board a vessel or aircraft registered to a State Party, or the person accused of a crime is a nation of a State Party.
Article Thirteen: A State Party may directly refer to the Prosecutor a situation for the purpose of determining whether one or more specific persons should be charged with the commission of crimes.
Article Fourteen: The UCP General Assembly may refer to the court a suggestion of criminal charges on the basis of information uncovered in the course of a committee investigation.
Article Fifteen: The Prosecutor may initiate investigations proprio motu on the basis of information on crimes within the jurisdiction of the Court.
Article Sixteen: The Court shall determine that a case is inadmissible where: (i) The case is being investigated or prosecuted by a State which has jurisdiction over it, unless the State is unwilling or unable to carry out the investigation or prosecution; (ii) The person concerned has already been tried for conduct which is the subject of the complaint; (iii) The case is not of sufficient gravity to justify further action by the Court;
Article Seventeen: The Court shall have jurisdiction over natural persons who were at least 18 at the time of the alleged commission of a crime. A person who commits a crime within the jurisdiction of the Court shall be individually responsible and liable.
Article Eighteen: A person shall be criminally responsible and liable for punishment for a crime within the jurisdiction of the Court only if the material elements are committed with intent and knowledge.
Article Nineteen: A person shall not be criminally responsible if, at the time of that person's conduct: (i) The person suffers from a mental disease or defect that destroys that person's capacity to appreciate the unlawfulness or nature of their conduct (ii) The person is in a state of intoxication that destroys that person's capacity to appreciate the unlawfulness or nature of their conduct (iii) The person acts reasonably to defend himself or herself or another person, against an imminent and unlawful use of force in a manner proportionate to the degree of danger (iv) The conduct which is alleged to constitute a crime has been caused by duress resulting from a threat of imminent death or of continuing or imminent serious bodily harm
Article Twenty: The crimes within the jurisdiction of the Court shall not be subject to any statute of limitations.
Article Twenty-One: The Court shall be composed of a trial division, an appeals divison, and the Office of the Prosecutor.
Article Twenty-Two: Judges assigned to the Court shall serve a term of ten years from appointment.
Article Twenty-Four: The Appeals court shall be composed of the President and four other judges within the Appeals division, and the Trial court of three judges within the Trial division. The assignment of judges to a particular trial shall be randomized.
Article Twenty-Five: No two judges assigned to a given trial may be nationals of the same state.
Article Twenty-Six: The judges shall be independent in the performance of their functions. Judges shall not engage in any activity which is likely to interfere with their judicial functions or to affect confidence in their independence.
Article Twenty-Seven: The Office of the Prosecutor shall act independently as a separate organ of the Court. It shall be responsible for receiving referrals and any substantiated information on crimes within the jurisdiction of the Court, for examining them and for conducting investigations and prosecutions before the Court.
Article Twenty-Eight: The Prosecutor shall be appointed by the Secretary-General of the UCP for a single term not to exceed ten years. The Prosecutor may be impeached by the UCP General Assembly as normally pertains to other senior officers of the UCP.
Article Twenty-Nine: The prosecutor or the convicted person may, following the trial phase, make an appeal on any of the following grounds: (i) procedural error (ii) error of fact (iii) error of law (iv) disproportion between the crime and the sentence
Article Thirty: If the Appeals Chamber finds that the proceedings appealed from were unfair in a way that affected the reliability of the decision or sentence, or that the decision or sentence appealed from was materially affected by error of fact or law or procedural error, it may (i) reverse or amend the decision or sentence; or (ii) order a new trial before a different trial chamber
Article Thirty-One: The Court may transmit a request for the arrest and surrender of a person, to any State on the territory of which that person may be found and shall request the cooperation of that State in the arrest and surrender of such a person. States Parties shall comply with requests for arrest and surrender.
Article Thirty-Two: States Parties shall comply with requests by the Court and the IKK to provide the following assistance in relation to investigations or prosecutions: (i) The identification and whereabouts of persons or the location of items; (ii) The taking of evidence, including testimony under oath, and the production of evidence, including expert opinions and reports necessary to the Court; (iii) The questioning of any person being investigated or prosecuted; (iv) The service of documents, including judicial documents; (v) Facilitating the voluntary appearance of persons as witnesses or experts before the Court; (vi) The temporary transfer of persons; (vii) The examination of places or sites, including the exhumation and examination of grave sites; (viii) The execution of searches and seizures; (ix) The provision of records and documents, including official records and documents; (x) The protection of victims and witnesses and the preservation of evidence; and (xi) The identification, tracing and freezing or seizure of proceeds, property and assets and instrumentalities of crimes for the purpose of eventual forfeiture.
CC 2010 I: Montevideo Statute of the International Permanent Criminal Court
The States Parties to the present Convention,
Conscious that all peoples are united by common bonds, their cultures pieced together in a shared heritage, and concerned that this delicate mosaic may be shattered at any time,
Mindful that in the past century millions of children, women and men have been victims of unimaginable atrocities that deeply shock the conscience of all peoples,
Recognizing that such grave crimes threaten the peace, security and well-being of the world,
Affirming that the most serious crimes of concern to the international community as a whole must not go unpunished and that their effective prosecution must be ensured,
and
Determined to put an end to impunity for the perpetrators of these crimes and thus to contribute to the prevention of such crimes,
Have agreed as follows:
--------------------
Article One: An International Permanent Criminal Court is hereby established to complement national criminal jurisdictions
Article Two: The seat of the Court shall be established at Geneva in the Timmian Confederation. The place of trial shall be the seat of the Court unless otherwise prescribed by the President of the Court.
Article Three: The Court may exercise its functions and powers, as provided in this Stature, on the territory of any State Party, and, by special agreement, on the territory of any other State.
Article Four: The jurisdiction of the Court shall be limited to the most serious crimes of concern to the international community as a whole, namely a) the crime of genocide, b) crimes against species, c) war crimes, and d) the crime of aggression
Article Five: For the purpose of this Statute, ‘genocide’ shall mean any of the following acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group, as such: (i) killing members of the group; (ii) causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group; (iii) deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction); (iv) Imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group; (v) Forcibly transferring children of the group to another group;
Article Six: For the purpose of this Statute, ‘crimes against species’ shall mean any of the following acts when committed as part of a widespread or systematic attack directed against any civilian population: (i) murder; (ii) extermination; (iii) enslavement; (iv) deportation; (v) deprivation of physical liberty; (vi) torture; (vii) rape and sexual violence; (viii) enforced disappearance; (ix) apartheid;
Article Seven: For the purpose of this Statute, ‘war crimes’ shall mean any of the following acts committed against persons taking no active part in the hostilities, including members of armed forces who have laid down their arms and those placed hors de combat by sickness, wounds, detention or any other cause (i) Intentionally directing attacks against the civilian population as such or against individual civilians not taking direct part in hostilities; (ii) Intentionally directing attacks against civilian objects, that is, objects which are not military objectives; (iii) Intentionally directing attacks against personnel, installations, material, units or vehicles involved in humanitarian or medical assistance or a peacekeeping mission under the banner of the UCP. (iv) Intentionally directing attacks against buildings, material, medical units and transport, and personnel using the distinctive emblems of the red cross or crescent. (v) Intentionally launching an attack in the knowledge that such attack will cause widespread, long-term and severe damage to the natural environment in excess of the military advantage anticipated; (vi) Attacking or bombarding, by whatever means, towns, villages, dwellings or buildings which are undefended and which are not military objectives; (vii) Killing or wounding a combatant who, having laid down his arms or having no longer means of defence, has surrendered at discretion; (viii) Making improper use of a flag of truce, resulting in death or serious personal injury (ix) The transfer, directly or indirectly, by the Occupying Power of parts of its own civilian population into the territory it occupies, or the deportation or transfer of all or parts of the population of the occupied territory (x) Intentionally directing attacks against buildings dedicated to religion, education, art, science or charitable purposes, historic monuments, hospitals and places where the sick and wounded are collected, provided they are not military objectives; (xi) Subjecting persons to physical mutilation or to medical or scientific experiments of any kind which are neither justified by the medical, dental or hospital treatment of the person concerned (xii) Killing or wounding treacherously individuals belonging to the hostile nation or army; (xiii) Declaring that no quarter will be given; (xiv) Destroying or seizing the enemy's property unless such destruction or seizure be imperatively demanded by the necessities of war; (xv) Compelling the nationals of the hostile party to take part in the operations of war directed against their own country (xvi) Employing weapons, projectiles and material and methods of warfare which are of a nature to cause superfluous injury or unnecessary suffering (xvii) Committing outrages upon personal dignity, in particular humiliating and degrading treatment; (xviii) Committing rape, sexual slavery, enforced prostitution, forced pregnancy, enforced sterilization, or any other form of sexual violence (xix) Intentionally directing attacks against buildings, material, medical units and transport, and personnel using the distinctive emblems of the (xx) Intentionally using starvation of civilians as a method of warfare by depriving them of objects indispensable to their survival, including wilfully impeding relief supplies. (xxi) Conscripting or enlisting children under the age of fifteen years into the national armed forces or using them to participate actively in hostilities.
Article Eight: For the purpose of this Statute, ‘crime of aggression’ shall mean the use of armed force by a State against the sovereignty, territorial integrity or political independence of another State. Any of the following acts, regardless of a declaration of war, shall qualify as an act of aggression (i) The invasion or attack by the armed forces of a State of the territory of another State, or any military occupation, however temporary, resulting from such invasion or attack, or any annexation by the use of force of the territory of another State or part thereof; (ii) Bombardment by the armed forces of a State against the territory of another State or the use of any weapons by a State against the territory of another State (iii) The blockade of the ports or coasts of a State by the armed forces of another State (iv) An attack by the armed forces of a State on the land, sea or air forces, or marine and air fleets of another State (v) The action of a State in allowing its territory, which it has placed at the disposal of another State, to be used by that other State for perpetrating an act of aggression against a third State; (vi) The sending by or on behalf of a State of armed bands, groups, irregulars or mercenaries, which carry out acts of armed force against another State
Article Nine: Amendments to the Elements of Crimes may be enacted by the General Assembly of the UCP.
Article Ten: The Court has jurisdiction only with respect to crimes committed after the entry into force of this Statute. If a State becomes a Party to this Statute after its entry into force, the Court may exercise its jurisdiction only with respect to crimes committed after the entry into force of this Statute for that State.
Article Eleven: A State which becomes a Party to this Statute thereby accepts the jurisdiction of the Court with respect to the crimes referred to in articles 5-8.
Article Twelve: The Court may exercise its jurisdiction if a crime occurred on the territory of a State Party, or if the crime was committed on board a vessel or aircraft registered to a State Party, or the person accused of a crime is a nation of a State Party.
Article Thirteen: A State Party may directly refer to the Prosecutor a situation for the purpose of determining whether one or more specific persons should be charged with the commission of crimes.
Article Fourteen: The UCP General Assembly may refer to the court a suggestion of criminal charges on the basis of information uncovered in the course of a committee investigation.
Article Fifteen: The Prosecutor may initiate investigations proprio motu on the basis of information on crimes within the jurisdiction of the Court.
Article Sixteen: The Court shall determine that a case is inadmissible where: (i) The case is being investigated or prosecuted by a State which has jurisdiction over it, unless the State is unwilling or unable to carry out the investigation or prosecution; (ii) The person concerned has already been tried for conduct which is the subject of the complaint; (iii) The case is not of sufficient gravity to justify further action by the Court;
Article Seventeen: The Court shall have jurisdiction over natural persons who were at least 18 at the time of the alleged commission of a crime. A person who commits a crime within the jurisdiction of the Court shall be individually responsible and liable.
Article Eighteen: A person shall be criminally responsible and liable for punishment for a crime within the jurisdiction of the Court only if the material elements are committed with intent and knowledge.
Article Nineteen: A person shall not be criminally responsible if, at the time of that person's conduct: (i) The person suffers from a mental disease or defect that destroys that person's capacity to appreciate the unlawfulness or nature of their conduct (ii) The person is in a state of intoxication that destroys that person's capacity to appreciate the unlawfulness or nature of their conduct (iii) The person acts reasonably to defend himself or herself or another person, against an imminent and unlawful use of force in a manner proportionate to the degree of danger (iv) The conduct which is alleged to constitute a crime has been caused by duress resulting from a threat of imminent death or of continuing or imminent serious bodily harm
Article Twenty: The crimes within the jurisdiction of the Court shall not be subject to any statute of limitations.
Article Twenty-One: The Court shall be composed of a trial division, an appeals divison, and the Office of the Prosecutor.
Article Twenty-Two: Judges assigned to the Court shall serve a term of ten years from appointment.
Article Twenty-Four: The Appeals court shall be composed of the President and four other judges within the Appeals division, and the Trial court of three judges within the Trial division. The assignment of judges to a particular trial shall be randomized.
Article Twenty-Five: No two judges assigned to a given trial may be nationals of the same state.
Article Twenty-Six: The judges shall be independent in the performance of their functions. Judges shall not engage in any activity which is likely to interfere with their judicial functions or to affect confidence in their independence. Judges required to serve on a full-time basis at the seat of the Court shall not engage in any other occupation of a professional nature.
Article Twenty-Seven: The President may, at the request of a judge or the Prosecutor, excuse that judge from the exercise of a function. A judge shall be disqualified from a case if that judge has previously been involved in any capacity in that case before the Court, or if his or her impartiality might reasonably be doubted on any ground.
Article Twenty-Eight: The Office of the Prosecutor shall act independently as a separate organ of the Court. It shall be responsible for receiving referrals and any substantiated information on crimes within the jurisdiction of the Court, for examining them and for conducting investigations and prosecutions before the Court.
Article Twenty-Nine: The Prosecutor shall be appointed by the Secretary-General of the UCP for a single term not to exceed ten years. The Prosecutor may be recalled by the UCP General Assembly as normally pertains to other officers of the UCP.
Article Thirty : The prosecutor or the convicted person may, following the trial phase, make an appeal on any of the following grounds: (i) procedural error (ii) error of fact (iii) error of law (iv) disproportion between the crime and the sentence
Article Thirty-One: If the Appeals Chamber finds that the proceedings appealed from were unfair in a way that affected the reliability of the decision or sentence, or that the decision or sentence appealed from was materially affected by error of fact or law or procedural error, it may (i) reverse or amend the decision or sentence; or (ii) order a new trial before a different trial chamber
Article Thirty-Two: The Prosecutor and the Registrar shall appoint such qualified staff as may be required to their respective offices. In the case of the Prosecutor, this shall include the appointment of investigators. The Court may employ the expertise of personnel offered by States Parties, intergovernmental organizations or non-governmental organizations to assist with the work of any of the organs of the Court.
Article Thirty-Three: The Court may transmit a request for the arrest and surrender of a person, to any State on the territory of which that person may be found and shall request the cooperation of that State in the arrest and surrender of such a person. States Parties shall comply with requests for arrest and surrender.
Article Thirty-Four: States Parties shall comply with requests by the Court and the IKK to provide the following assistance in relation to investigations or prosecutions: (i) The identification and whereabouts of persons or the location of items; (ii) The taking of evidence, including testimony under oath, and the production of evidence, including expert opinions and reports necessary to the Court; (iii) The questioning of any person being investigated or prosecuted; (iv) The service of documents, including judicial documents; (v) Facilitating the voluntary appearance of persons as witnesses or experts before the Court; (vi) The temporary transfer of persons; (vii) The examination of places or sites, including the exhumation and examination of grave sites; (viii) The execution of searches and seizures; (ix) The provision of records and documents, including official records and documents; (x) The protection of victims and witnesses and the preservation of evidence; and (xi) The identification, tracing and freezing or seizure of proceeds, property and assets and instrumentalities of crimes for the purpose of eventual forfeiture.
Article Thirty-Five: Everyone shall be presumed innocent until proved guilty before the Court in accordance with the applicable law. In order to convict the accused, the Court must be convinced of the guilt of the accused beyond reasonable doubt.
Article Thirty-Six In the determination of any charge, the accused shall be entitled to a public hearing, having regard to the provisions of this Statute, to a fair hearing conducted impartially, and to the following minimum guarantees, in full equality: (i) To be informed promptly and in detail of the nature, cause and content of the charge, in a language which the accused fully understands and speaks; (ii) To have adequate time and facilities for the preparation of the defence and to communicate freely with counsel of the accused's choosing in confidence; (iii) To be tried without undue delay; (iv) To be present at the trial, to conduct the defence in person or through legal assistance of the accused's choosing, (v) To have legal assistance assigned by the Court in any case where the interests of justice so require, and without payment if the accused lacks sufficient means to pay for it; and (vi) Not to be compelled to testify or to confess guilt and to remain silent, without such silence being a consideration in the determination of guilt or innocence;
Article Thirty-Seven: The trial may, upon request of the Prosecutor or on its own motion, hold a hearing in the absence of the person charged, provided the person has: (i) waived his or her right to be present; or (ii) Fled or cannot be found and all reasonable steps have been taken to secure his or her appearance before the Court
Article Thirty-Eight The Court shall take appropriate measures to protect the safety, physical and psychological well-being, dignity and privacy of victims and witnesses. As an exception to the principle of public hearings provided for in article 35, the Chambers of the Court may, to protect victims and witnesses or an accused, conduct any part of the proceedings in camera or allow the presentation of evidence by electronic or other special means.
Article Thirty-Nine The Court may rule on the relevance or admissibility of any evidence. Evidence obtained by means of a violation of this Statute or internationally recognized human rights shall not be admissible.
Article Forty The Court shall have jurisdiction over the following offences against its administration of justice when committed intentionally: (i) Giving false testimony when under an obligation to tell the truth; (ii) Presenting evidence that the party knows is false or forged; (iii) Corruptly influencing a witness, obstructing or interfering with the attendance or testimony of a witness, retaliating against a witness for giving testimony or destroying, tampering with or interfering with the collection of evidence; (iv) Impeding, intimidating or corruptly influencing an official of the Court for the purpose of forcing or persuading the official not to perform, or to perform improperly, his or her duties; (v) Retaliating against an official of the Court on account of duties performed by that or another official; or (vi) Soliciting or accepting a bribe as an official of the Court in connection with his or her official duties.
Article Forty-One: The Court shall establish principles relating to reparations to, or in respect of, victims, including restitution, compensation and rehabilitation. On this basis, the Court may determine the scope and extent of any damage, loss and injury to, or in respect of, victims and will state the principles on which it is acting.
The Wagain Senate has accordingly ratified the Montevideo Statute and is leaning heavily on other nations to do the same. Ratification means that the IPCC will have jurisdiction over the specific enumerated offenses of (a) genocide, (b) crimes against humanity, (c) war crimes, and (d) the crime of aggression. Typically the court can only try an offense if it relates to a state party (e.g. a signatory of the Montevideo Statute) or its citizens, however the General Assembly may still vote to refer a situation directly to the court in extraordinary circumstances.
1. I would phase out the word humainity for species. Humanity could easily be argued it only refers to humans and not other species. Species refers to everyone like orsonians, cybusians, etc.
2. Reinforce provisions safeguarding the independence and impartiality of the Court and its judges, including mechanisms to prevent external interference and conflicts of interest.
3. Incorporate provisions for meaningful participation of victims in judicial proceedings and mechanisms for providing reparations to victims of crimes under the Court's jurisdiction. Including an option for provisions for the protection of victims and witnesses, including measures to safeguard their safety, privacy, and well-being throughout the judicial process.
4. Establish clauses that allow for the use of resources from other UCP agencies such as expert testimony.
5. This is essential: Complementarity Principle.This ensures that the Court's jurisdiction complements rather than replaces national criminal jurisdictions. This principle should be reflected in provisions governing the admissibility of cases before the Court.
The Wagain government has jumped at this opportunity to learn more about the Rho-Black group and the elusive race of Mi-Go, as well as the advanced technology they possess. Around a dozen Wagain observers have been dispatched to Königsberg, the only place on Earth where the vessels have so far docked, with orders to take detailed notes on everything from the appearance to the business customs of the Mi-Go.
Several of their number, acting on a directive from the Recoleta Group, have even volunteered to act as apprentice navigators onboard the Mi-Go ships, their upkeep and wages covered by the Wagain state. Wagains are known as capable seafarers the world over, and it is hoped that the Mi-Go will acknowledge their great potential utility when instructed in the paths of the stars.
On points 1-4, changes have duly been made to reinforce pre-existing language or add further articles. The use of 'humans' and 'humanity' has been phased out in favor of 'species' or 'all peoples', keeping with the standards of the UCP.
On points 5, the Wagain delegation points to the language of Article one, which states that the IPCC shall act complementary of national jurisdiction.
Additional detail has been added, clarifying for instance the rights of the accused, presumption of innocence, and provisions for trial in absentia.
The Communist government is unlikely to ever ratify the Montevideo Statute, mainly due to concerns that capitalist powers within the UCP will be based against it in court rulings. This however does not change the government's intentions of bringing Aturorist criminals to justice.
The Strategic Blacklight Institute has announced that it has successfully isolated the compound CC-15, the primary active ingredient in Regenex, responsible for extending one's lifespan, reversing the effects of aging on the body, and purifying biomass in both Orsonians and Evolved.
The Institute recently experimented with the clandestine Strain C, a version of the Blacklight virus that is significantly more efficient at consuming organic matter. Strain C was tested on a large herd of water buffalo, where it rapidly consumed the entire herd within seconds. Virologists working at the Institute closely analyzed various chemical compounds created during the consumption process, leading to CC-15's discovery. The compound was compared to a sample of liquid Regenex and found to be a perfect match.
The Institute is now planning to begin mass production. A fast-growing species of algae has been proposed for use as biomass to create CC-15, alongside raw sewage, organic waste, livestock, fish, and insects. The drug will be known as Ambrosia; SBI leaders have established a subsidiary company called the Ambrosia Foundation to manage production. Multiple versions of the drug will be tailored for human, Orsonian, and Evolved physiology.
Ambrosia is expected to be far less expensive than Regenex, cheap enough for working-class Orsonians to purchase. As a consequence, Ambrosia may be able to undercut the local market for Regenex within the Sol System.
One Mi-Go vessel will be docking at a Tritonian station, one will land outside Königsburg, one will be landing on Crykanin, while the forth is landing on Titan. The Mi-Go have expressed interest in several things; cultural items and works such as books, music, film, etc and especially theatrical works, technological advances such as Rydberg Matter and Neuromods (offered by a Rapturite merchant ambassador dispatched to Königsberg), and finally, raw materials. Though the Mi-Go have long since mastered particle manipulation and mass reassembly techniques, they still seem to prize hand-made (or, in their case, claw-made) objects.
In return for any items whose value has been deemed not to be covered by exchange/trade, the Mi-Go have offered faintly luminescent coins made of platinum with a triskelion design on them. Only a small handful of these coins -at most, four, in exchange for a copy of Faust- were given out to cover a deficit from the Mi-Go perspective, suggesting the Mi-Go consider them quite valuable. The design on the coins is not far from that of the Yellow Sign, although no mental decay has been observed in those who handle them.
The Mi-Go have, surprisingly, agreed to take a maximum of two individuals with them. They will be permitted to explore the vessel and observe the crew, but must not enter certain areas (such as the engine room, due to radioactive hazards, or the religious ritual chamber aboard the vessel), and will dropped off at the last port of call before the flotilla returns to Rho-972-Black space (most likely a port within the Ythillian Magocracy). They will be given some time to prepare a cabin with human-centric items such as beds (Mi-Go have no need for what we recognize as sleep) before departure, and to stock up on food and liquids for at least two months. Because the Mi-Go can fly, the vessel’s interior is not optimized for navigation by terrestrial beings, although they have hastily rigged up some gravlifts, ladders, and railings. The closest equivalent to a captain of the vessel they will be staying on has identified itself as "383-Violet-Bluest-Shell", apparently named for it's blue-purple carapace (an initial translation for it's name was an incomprehensible series of static, random numbers, and the words blue and purple in German and Latin, respectively). It has welcomed the Wagains as "navigators/pilgrims/customer-friends".
Henry Whaite has urged the Didactic Council to consider ratification; a response is not yet forthcoming. Prochaska has stated that he urges all members of the UCP to ratify the Montevideo Statute, to make it clear that atrocities such as the Siege of Cape Town will not go unpunished in the future, further adding that some crimes are too grave for even the mightiest states to pass judgement on by themselves.
Abrasax Industries will be displeased by this. While we won't ban the sale of Ambrosia, many Cybs would still prefer the tried-and-trusted Regenex. Regenex has become something of a status symbol in and of itself; to take a Regenex bath is to assert one's wealth and power, despite the fact that the average person can still enjoy a vial of it every now and then.
The Wagain Foreign Ministry is leaning heavily on the Cybusian government to ratify the Montevideo Statute, pointing out in numerous public statements that the IPCC would help ensure law and order, international goodwill, and moral accountability – all bedrock values in Cybusian culture. The participation of Cybusians in the affairs of the Court, given the Empire’s monumental wealth and power, would help signal the legitimacy of the Court and protect the exercise of justice throughout the stars.
Then-Foreign Minister Kester Mavanga has travelled to Arcadia to help make the Wagain government’s case. He is expected to personally address a session of the Didactic Council, where he will laud the achievements of Cybusians like Secretary-General Oskar Prochaska in the politics of Earth, and invite further leadership in the new decade. Mavanga has also arranged to attend a Mercerist religious service commemorating the dead in the Siege of Cape Town, consciously raising the siege’s profile in Arcadia and portraying it as a slaughter of civilians martyred before a godless regime.
In a nod to how gravely we take the massacre of civilians, Rozhada Nikolai Jáchymov himself presided over the ceremony, and has accused the godless Orsonian state of an attempted genocide of the Christians of Cape Town, alluding to the idea that Mercerists could be next. Torchwood Director Forge has provided a file on the Cape Town massacre to all Didacts, and Foreign Minister Mavanga’s speech was well-received - even if many Didacts had no idea who he was until informed - and a vote is expected to take place soon. Upon his arrival, the Foreign Minister was thoroughly feted: over 225,000 Wagain flags -either standalone or on bunting- lined the road leading from the spaceport, and he has been invited to numerous social events, including a dinner at Spiro’s -where he may network with prominent Cybusians- , and an audience with the Emperor to discuss the matter.
The Didactian Council has voted to ratify the Montevideo Statute, while Didact Viktor Horvath has called for an embargo on all trade with the Orsonian state on Earth. There is virtually no trade with Orson at present -there aren’t even diplomatic relations with the Orsonian Empire- , but this is a stinging rebuke because Cybusians heavily value free trade.
“Life Incompatible With Revolution”: The Vanlikian Psychiatric Genocide:
The Vanlikian regime, paranoid and xenophobic, was quick to embark on the execution of class enemies. The medical establishment, once suitably indoctrinated, began pathologizing anti-communism, providing a medical gloss to the class terror. The Issakson Institute for Revolutionary Medicine (IIRM) issued a series of articles in 2025 exploring the possibility of certain groups being more prone to madness and genetic defects; namely, the aristocracy (due to supposed inbreeding; the Usher family was used as a prime example, due to their unexplained and mysterious Malady), the banking and business class (supposedly riddled with neuroses from working hard to extract wealth from the working class, they were also all prone to sociopathic detachment and disdain for life), while the priesthood were said to be insane to the last man (the Vanlikian model of communism was ardently atheistic, arguing that to believe in a god was proof of madness).
With these “scholarly articles”, replete with examples, to back them up, the Vanlikian regime began sentencing members of said groups to confinement in insane asylums -when they were not subject to summary execution by a revolutionary terror squad, or killed by lynch mobs or other forms of extrajudicial execution. At the same time, psychology and psychiatry were increasingly viewed as being a fundamentally Cybusian specialty, something too bourgeois and capitalist, an overcomplicating of the truth that some people were fundamentally incapable of functioning due to the catch-all term of madness. Psychiatric clinics and asylums had funding slashed, significantly worsening life for inmates, as their populations only increased due to the court rulings.
By 2026, Tomas Issak privately argued that the mentally ill were a “form of life incompatible with our glorious revolution, because they cannot achieve class consciousness, and are also incapable of recognizing the evils of capitalism and religion”, and expressed his regret that such “sad creatures clung to a miserable existence bereft of class consciousness”, arguing that a peaceful death was better than to live in such a state. Dr. Nela Toth, the newly-appointed Chief Medical Commissar for the IIRM, took this to mean that asylums should be liquidated, and set to work discreetly purging the populations of the psychiatric institutions under her command. Toth worked out a system; inmates were to be led, one by one, downstairs, under the guise of therapy, to a room. Upon entering, a commissar would immediately shoot them in the side of the head. This proved somewhat cumbersome (due to the necessity of corpse disposal before bringing in the next victim), so Toth ordered the doctors to begin administering lethal doses of drugs to their patients, starving them to death, or suffocating them in their sleep. In more remote or isolated facilities, troops from the Commissariat for Proletarian Security simply entered the facilities and began gunning patients down in their beds and facilities. Any doctor or member of staff who attempted to assist patients was subject to summary execution for “aiding counterrevolutionary forces”. Dr. Toth personally executed several patients; former aristocrats and priests who had been deemed madmen for their opposition to the regime or Mercerist faith.
This was deemed too slow, too piecemeal; furthermore, at least some patients managed to escape these purges, particularly if they were not actually mentally ill in the first place. Toth devised a new solution; patients were to be rounded up and put on buses under the guise of relocation to another facility. They were actually being taken to centralized locations for the “termination of life incompatible with revolution”. Upon arrival, patients were ordered to strip and sent to a large chamber where lethal gases were pumped in. After thirty minutes, the gas was extracted and armed personnel entered the room, shooting each patient in the head to be certain there was no chance of survival. Corpses with metallic or gold fillings, cybernetic implants, artificial limbs, or surgical plates had them extracted for melting down or re-use, and then all corpses were incinerated en masse. Toth personally opened the gas valve one the first group of “patients”. Patients families were sent letters of condolence informing them that their loved one had died of some reasonable cause of death varying from patient to patient, and that, to avoid infection, the body had been cremated. The letters were staggered and sent semi-randomly to avoid suspicion. Like many "official" (not "spontaneous" actions such as the "riot" which killed three missionaries) Vanlikian atrocities, the regime took great pains to destroy evidence and to keep their operations on a strict need-to-know basis, with facilities being systematically dismantled or converted for other use after the area's target population had been "liquidated".
It is estimated that, across the 31 worlds of the People’s Republic of Vanlik, anywhere between 100-150 million people were executed in one way or another, primarily at one of the gassing facilities, over the three years since the programs inception. The total number is unknowable, due to the lack of proper record-keeping and the systemic destruction of evidence. The majority of these “patients” were likely not mentally ill, at least not by the standards of non-Vanlikian psychiatry, but were simply “class enemies” deemed insane due to their religious or anticommunist beliefs.
As Yhtillian forces approached the IIRM campus, Toth and her employees gave overdoses to over a thousand patients, while wounded Vanlikian soldiers were granted a quick death -a shot to the head with a laser revolver- to prevent them from being ‘tortured by the royalists’,; over one and a half thousand patients were killed, and over two hundred others injured by overdoses or other injuries or poisonings which were mitigated by timely intervention by Ythillians. Toth executed her loyal staff with her laser revolver to prevent them from falling into allied hands, and was only prevented from killing herself by a Ythillian battlemage using telekinesis to move the pistol away at the last second; she was still gravely injured and has a distinctive burn on her face from the laser. Toth is being held in a secure facility within the Ythillian Magocracy, awaiting trial for her crimes. It is expected that she will be transferred to Cybusian and potentially UCP custody. King Radimov personally oversaw her interrogation, and has ordered that all surviving Vanlikian medical staff be detained until it can be proven they did not participate in the genocide.
The Healthcare Commission has issued a statement strongly chastising the Issakson Regime for their policy of discrimination towards mentally ill Vanlikians, rebuking the articles published by IIRM:
"These so-called "scholarly articles" published by the Issakson Institute for Revolutionary Medicine are pseudoscientific nonsense. There is no evidence to suggest one's occupation or class determines their susceptibility to psychological illness or genetic defects. The truth is that power and wealth, by their very nature are corrupting forces, and any person may be capable of perpetuating grave abuses in the right circumstances. Perhaps Tomas Issak should take a long look in the mirror, rather than be so quick to accuse others of insanity.
Those with psychological illnesses need compassion and understanding, not cruelty and neglect. They require therapy, not imprisonment. The Aturorist Party classified all mentally ill Orsonians as 'asocials'- inherently genetically inferior than other people, and unworthy or residing within civil society. Is the Vanlikian Workers Party no better than those fascists?"
This has caused a serious rift between Orson and Vanlik, bringing back horrible memories of the Aturorist persecution of mentally ill people. Many Communist Party politicians are doubting whether Vanlik is a true communist state, or just another fascist regime appropriating socialist rhetoric for propaganda purposes.
In response, the Issakson Institute for Revolutionary Medicine has fired the team responsible for the articles, and issued a statement formally rebuking the articles, agreeing that they were psuedoscientific in nature and that they a blemish on the reputation of communist medicine. A new Chief Medical Commissar has been appointed for the IIRM, Dr. Nela Toth. In an article in the Izvot Daily Worker, Toth has stated that the severely mentally ill will be protected and treated in asylums; those who are capable of functioning in everyday life will be discharged so long as they attend regular therapy sessions and/or take necessary medications. She has also highlighted the IIRM's track record at introducing new epidemic control and investigation units -supposedly superior to those of the Cybusian ICDC- , successfully promoting worker health programs at thousands of state enterprises, and helping establish hundreds of health and relaxation retreats for average workers to enjoy amenities previously accessible only to the rich. She believes that, under her guidance, the IIRM will continue to protect the health of Vanlikians and will do whatever is necessary to ensure that the proletariat remains strong and healthy.
The 7/7 Coup was an attempt by the Liberal Party, Constitutional Party, Labor Party, Federalist Movement, and various anti-Aturorist groups to forcibly remove the Aturorist Party from power. The name refers to the date this coup attempt was launched: July 7, 2006. 7/7 is considered one of the most important events in Orsonian history, and its failure had dramatic ramifications for the future of Orson.
Background
After the Aturorist Party decisively won a majority of senatorial seats in the 2000 general elections, they immediately began to reshape Orson into their own image. Civil liberties were severely restricted in the name of national security, with freedom of speech, freedom of the press, and freedom of association coming under threat. Racial segregation mandates, relaxed during previous Liberal Party governments, were strictly enforced. Media outlets critical of the new regime were either shut down or intimidated into silence, while the Aturorists began destroying countless books, movies, and other entertainment deemed in violation of the party line. The newly-created Ministry of State Security was granted virtually unlimited powers to suppress dissent, and began to construct a mass surveillance network. Aturorists desired to totally control life down to the familial and individual network, guaranteeing absolute loyalty to the state and Emperor.
Few non-Aturorist politicians dared to openly voice dissent in fear of being targeted by MOSS or the Inquisition, but the other three major parties were nevertheless highly alarmed by these events. After Aturorists won a second electoral victory in 2005 (accused of being a sham election, as they are alleged to have created fake ballots to gain additional seats), an anti-fascist coalition of Constitutional, Liberal, and Labor politicians began to meet in secret, planning drastic measures to remove the Aturorists from power. The Federalists began coordinating with this coalition, hoping to achieve Emperor Turner's abdication and the establishment of a republic; despite being recognized as a terrorist group at the time, coalition leaders were desperate for any support available. Even separatist movements were invited to participate.
Coup
At 10:00 AM on July 7, 2006, the coalition executed its plan. The Red Brigades, a socialist paramilitary affiliated with the Labor Party, launched a sudden attack on Ravenwood and infiltrated the Imperial Curia. Emperor Turner and Prime Minister Christopher Wells were both kidnapped and taken to a clandestine facility in the Australian Outback. Unknown to the conspirators, Turner was already well-aware of this plan thanks to moles within the coalition's ranks. Turner allowed himself to be detained, believing this act would enrage the Orsonian people, increase his own popularity, and grant him an excuse to seize absolute power.
Months of Lead
In the days following 7/7, paramilitary forces loyal to the Constitutionals and Labor Party seized control over all government buildings in Ravenwood, and began to arrest Aturorist politicians and bureaucrats in droves. Aturorists senators fled Ravenwood and assembled at the Imperial Palace in Fort Victorium. The anti-fascist coalition attempted to declare martial law, and called upon the Imperial Army to suppress all "enemies of democracy". The coalition also threatened to execute both Turner and Wells if their demands were not met.
Imperial High Command, despite being sympathetic to the Aturorists, did not immediately choose aside. High-ranking officers desired to see which way the political winds would blow, and if the Orsonian people would support the coalition or not.
As a consequence, Orson rapidly descended into a quasi-civil war known as the "Months of Lead". Mobs of Imperial loyalists, alongside Inquisitors and MOSS agents engaged coalition paramilitaries in intense gunfights in dozens of cities across Orson, resulting in an estimated 5000 deaths and thousands of injuries. A massive uprising in Cape Town also occured, as the Capetonians attempted to throw off the yoke of Orsonian oppression, and the Capetonians rebels aligned themselves with coalition forces.
On September 10th, Turner's location was finally uncovered by the Office of Military Intelligence, after several members of a Constitutional paramilitary defected to the Aturorist Party and provided crucial intelligence. A team of Imperial Commandos raided the Outback safehouse, using stealth helicopters to avoid detection and rescued both Turner and Wells.
The Scouring
Following Turner's rescue, High Command finally decided to back the Aturorists and eliminate the anti-fascist coalition. Martial law was declared across the Empire, and soldiers were deployed in every major city to quell unrest. Aturorists Party leaders provided High Command with lists of dissidents to detain and execute, including all coalition politicians and bureaucrats who aided in the coup.
The deployment of Imperial troops resulted in the destruction of coalition paramilitaries over the following several months. The Federalist Movement suffered severe casualties and was forced back into hiding. Meanwhile, the uprising in Cape Town was ultimately crushed in 2007, when the city was put under siege by the Imperial Military and completely destroyed.
This political purge is known as the "Scouring". The purge, which did not end until 2009, resulted in an estimated 500,000 deaths (not including the hundreds of thousands murdered in Cape Town) and 2,000,000 people arrested.
Restoration Acts
On December 20th, the Imperial Senate assembled in Ravenwood for its final session. Only Aturorist senators were present, as all opposition politicians were either dead or imprisoned. This senatorial session unanimously passed the Restoration Acts, which granted Emperor Turner absolute political power, including legal immunity from prosecution and the right to enact his own decrees without parliamentary approval.
Secondly, the Senate voted to ban all other political parties, transforming Orson into a one-party state ruled solely by the Aturorists.
Finally, the Senate then voted to dissolve itself, replaced by an Imperial Council whose members were appointed directly by Turner.
By this time, the Aturorist consolidation of power was complete, with all political enemies either annihilated or severely reduced in strength.
Beginning immediately after Easter Sunday and lasting until the following weekend, Pascoela is a major cultural holiday commemorating the end of the solemn season of Lent and the beginning of the celebratory season of Eastertide. It mirrors Catholic celebrations like Carnival and Mardi Gras, which precede Lent in anticipation of the coming restraint and spiritual discipline.
The weeklong festival originated among the Italian immigrant community of Santa Catalina, who adapted Pascoela from the Italian pasqua, for Easter. Although the holiday has strong Catholic roots, Xapenhos of all creeds and religions will celebrate, with schoolchildren receiving a full week's break from school and many businesses closing at noon. Pascoela has also grown into a major touristic event, with over a million observers flowing into Santa Catalina every year from around the world.
Most Xapenhos will observe a quiet Easter Sunday with family, eating salt cod (bacalhau) and fish fritters before preparing for the commencement of Pascoela at midnight. The city of Santa Catalina is decked in white and gold, the traditional colors of Eastertide, and citrus is customarily eaten with every meal. Flowering plants adorn homes and public buildings, especially the macela, which produces a small yellow bloom around Easter every year. Easter eggs are typically made from chocolate and are customarily gifted to lovers. Cake in the shape of an Easter lamb, a tradition passed down from German immigrants, is also consumed.
Festivities really kick off once the sun goes down, with all-night battles between the capital's famous samba schools, who train throughout the year to put on elaborately choreographed processions at the Sambódromo in Joanópolis Parish, involving towering floats and hundreds of locally-recruited dancers and drummers.. The oldest 'schools' (which function year-round as charitable social clubs) emerged from the capital's Afro-Caribbean community and were strongly associated with the development of samba as a musical genre incorporating lively African instruments and rhythms. Schools like Acadêmicos (founded by local students) and Porto Rico (founded by Caribbean migrants) are still considered important cultural refuges for marginalized peoples, even as samba and the associated Pascoela traditions have entered the cultural mainstream.
The People's Republic of The Orson Empire
The Imperio Constitucional of Novo Wagondia
The Infinite Empire of Cybus1
The Semi-Direct Democracy of Oceara
The Unified Worlds of Corsahnim
The To Whom It Tolls of Timmy City
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