Enterprise Earth History (an except)
Been working on a History of Earth between 2020-2150 since May in hopes it would be included in The Enterprise Sourcebook that didn't happen, but I did finish it, so I want some of it to get out before I move on to other projects in force and before it is removed from my harddrive on to disk. As you well all tell there is alot from lug, a little FASA, and even B5!
Unity At Last
2100 - 2150
As Earth became more and more stabilized the governments of Earth turned there attention back to matters of international relations and now intergalactic ones as well. By 2090 what had been several very loose trade and defense associations among many nations had grown into several effective central government's which were recognized by the new United Nations, which itself had reorganized to take in the new reality of affairs, in 2082. While most of these new "super" regional governments sought cooperation, some of the old passions and mistrust lingered on.
It was in some ways inevitable as the super states of Earth recovered from the devastation of the 21st century they would returned to their old ways. Even though cooperation in such things as Project Renewal was commonplace they found other areas to create tensions with, such as intergalactic trade and colonization. In some ways the dawn of the 22nd century seemed to promise as much conflict as the dawn of the 17th century had as the various powers sought to gain new colonies and exploit new areas of raw materials. The New United Nations had attempted to prevent this when in 2085 it declared that all future Earth colonies would be considered UN mandates and not property of any one state and subject to some UN supervision in their creation, founding and running. This arrangement worked for just about under 20 years as each national state seemed to compete in a friendly race to organize, build and run as many new settlements as possible. This was until the race for Mars began in 2102.
Mars had not, as of yet, been touched by human exploration, even though a semi-permanent observation laboratory had been placed into Martian orbit by the UN in 2087. The Russia Federation, the North American Compact, and the European Hegemony were the three main contenders for setting up the first Martian colony and each made several efforts to do so before the UN Security Council and the newly established UN Intergalactic Colonial office. Each quickly become "feed up" with the long process to get going and they all decided relatively at the same time to ignore the UN, and soon after all three had made separate landings on Mars in 2103. Within five years all three landing sites had grown into moderately successful settlement's beneath habitable "bio-domes" engaged in extensive underground mining, tunneling and moderate agricultural development.
However, Russian mining consortiums were very jealous of the more successful mining operations of the North American Compact's large settlement. Soon the Compact's miners were finding efforts to sabotage their equipment and agents attempting to stir up worker discontent. In 2105 the North American Compact officially went to the UN to protest the Russian mining companies moves which it said were being sanctioned by the Russian government to gain all of the Martian colony. The UN turned a deaf ear to the complaints since they had been left out of the colonies founding in the first place, declaring it an illegal settlement and out its jurisdiction. As events began to escalate with riots, strikes and the eventual deployment of Compact ground troops to Mars in 2107 the Martian colonist themselves began to feel like pawns in somebody else’s game and what some later termed a Martian national conscience was born.
Meanwhile Earth starship construction had resulted in several embryonic merchant fleets being created by each of the new super states. These fleets kept trade contacts with the new colonies flowing as raw materials where sent to Earth to fuel its rebirth and new manufactured goods were sent to the new colonies to meet their needs. This marked a change in the basic relationship between Earth and her colonies. In addition trade with Vulcan, Alpha Centauri, Kaferians and others opened new trade routes for the exchange of both manufactured and luxury goods. However each nation jostled with the other for better deals with the various intergalactic governments, eventually agreements which overlapped in various rights and duties emerged and created tensions between the nations.
The Vulcans and the Centuari slowly grew weary of dealing with the various competing Earth governments and became concerned as the Earth merchant captains grew more and more hostile towards each other and arrogant to and demanding of port officials when arriving. But they did little before 2107 save for continuing to push for some form of a United Earth government to make dealing with them a little easier. The situation came to a head in the spring of 2107 when a South American merchantmen making for a Centuari port was fired upon by a European Hegemony merchantmen so that it could be the first to reach the same port and have first bids on the goods to be transported. This was enough for the Vulcans and Centauri, they were not about to be dragged into Earths internal affairs over a trade dispute and by the end of the year they imposed an embargo on all Earth trade, cutting off most of the more important cultural and scientific exchanges. Soon with the Kaferians in tow they demanded that the UN get its act together and some form of a single united Earth government body be formed before they would deal with Earth again.
Of course Humans being Humans they responded as countless generations had before them in such situations with talk of war and of forcibly opening the closed ports to Earth ships. The fact that Earth at that time did not even posses a force capable of destroying one single asteroid, let alone opening no less then several hundred alien ports by force, did not seem to stop such moves in the early months of the crisis. Soon after the Vulcans and others imposed there embargo the newly established Earth colonies also imposed an embargo on Earth demanding the UN form a new united Earth government. In 2109 the UN faced with what seemed to be hostile acts from intergalactic interlopers especially now with Human colonies siding with them ordered the establishment of a Solar Fleet which was to be made up of ships and crews from all over Earth to defend its merchantmen no matter of what nationality. Despite the fact of these warlike preparations something else happen: humans did begin to think of unifying at last.
the factions (Jacksonians)
This isn’t mean to be an indictment or social commentary on any modern political party, but a listing of the two major dominant forces vying for position on Earth in the 2150’s, plus all the sectarian splinters. The GM’s can give the regional sections the appropriate name, but the core philosophies should probably still be there.
The Jacksonians: This philosophy was developed out of American Jacksonian diplomatic philosophy and has remained essentially the same through out it’s adherent countries, with minor variations in thought due to regional differences. It’s basic tenants can be summarized as follows:
1) THE STATE IS NOT YOUR FRIEND: This has evolved out of the American inherent distrust of untrammeled federal power. But was enhanced by Russian and Chinese flirtation with centralized state run economies that ended in disasters for various reasons before WWIII. An inherent suspicion of large, centralized governments, plus skepticism of foreign and domestic do-gooding on behalf of the state (because of the chance of being bitten by ingrates), makes for a hard sell of global government to the Jacksonians, because they’ve all seen how horribly bad large governments can go wrong.
2) POPULISM: The concept of Rule By The People has spread from the western hemisphere into Russia and China after a particularly bloody overthrow of corrupt autocratic states that had formed from the ashes of WWIII. The United Islamic Republic instituted Representative Democracy after the rulership of Khan Noonian Singh crumbled with his defeat (Khan had been quite thorough in exterminating local holy figures, followers, and anyone else who he considered a threat to his rule), leaving a far more educated populace sick of authoritarian rule. Representative Government is considered a necessary evil that has to be tolerated, as governments breed corruption the way ponds breed mosquitoes. That being said, it is not corruption that bothers Jacksonians, but perversion of the intent of government which will get them up in arms. The government is directly responsible to the people, and anything that detects from that is immediately suspect and needs to be checked at every step.
3) SELF-RELIANCE: While the individual may be helped during hard times by friends and family, the individual is expected to make their way through honest work. Laziness and not working through inherited wealth is viewed with suspicion. Being viewed with not earning your keep is a deep insult to Jacksonian honor and a good way to start a fight.
4) HONOR: Jacksonians have a highly refined sense of honor that is actually fairly easy going, but will arise when insulted, and fights with words or weapons will occur. One is entitled to, and demands, the appropriate respect: recognition of rights and just claims, acknowledgment of one’s personal dignity. Respect is due age, as well and deference should be shown to ones elders.
5) EQUALITY: The second principle of the code is equality. Among those members of the folk community who do pull their weight, there is an absolute equality of dignity and right. No one has a right to tell the self-reliant Jacksonian what to say, do or think. Any infringement on equality will be met with defiance and resistance. Male or female, the Jacksonian is, and insists on remaining, independent of church, state, social hierarchy, political parties and labor unions. Jacksonians may choose to accept the authority of a leader or movement or faith, but will never yield to an imposed authority.
6) INDIVIDIUALISM: The third principle is individualism. The Jacksonian does not just have the right to self-fulfillment—he or she has a duty to seek it. In Jacksonian philosophy, everyone must find his or her way: each individual must choose a faith, or no faith, and code of conduct based on conscience and reason.
7) FINANCIAL ESPIRIT: A principle which some find irksome, but is often considered the fourth part of Jacksonian honor it the ability to spend money freely on what the Jacksonian wants, not just on what is proper. While some people deride this as the source of ‘crass consumerism’, the general response from the Jacksonian is, “So, what’s your point? It’s MY money. I earned it. I’ll do with it as I damned well please.” Easy credit and loose banking laws area hallmark of Jacksonian societies. With all the problems they entail.
8) MARTIAL VALUES: The various societies that Jacksonianism has taken root in have evolved out of the brutal remains of WWIII martial law societies and are individuals from these societies are more likely to solve personal quarrels with deadly violence. They are also usually the first to sign up when the call by nation state or planet for soldiers and defenders, and tend to hold pacifists in contempt.
9) COMMUNITY: Jacksonians tend to draw a hard-line between those who accept community values in general, and those who do not. Those who commit capital crimes (Rape, Premeditated Murder, molestation of a child, etc.), are deserving of very little mercy and can be justly killed by the victim’s family, colleagues, or by society at large With or without the formalities of law. Jacksonians will also defend the usage of deadly force to defend family and home, and will not hold the defendant responsible in most, if not all cases.
Jacksonian sects will be the next entry...as soon as I get some rest. But hope this is helpful
