Free Republic of Sihblos

Faction; Place
Area of Operations: Sihblos
Allies: Farwatch; Rational Ascendancy
Rivals: no data
Enemies: Childstealers
See also: First Farwatch Purge; John Lincoln (Secretary of Defense)

The Free Republic is an independent nation state. It includes the following factions:

• Mother's Children, The
• New Arcadia
• New Liberty

Key Locations

• Embassy on Earth: the Republic maintains an embassy on Earth, in Arlington, Virginia, near the Pentagon. Apart from embassy security, Sihblos has no military assets on Earth, as part of their treaty with the United States.
• New Liberty: capital city.

Political Philosophy

The New Republic's constitution centers on two principles, called the Two Pillars of the Republic:

• Vigilance: Sihblos is a hostile world in an often-hostile multiverse. The persistence of normal and paranormal threats demands strength, cleverness, and steadiness. The Republic values and nurtures:
  • Excellence military science
  • Excellence in natural sciences (especially the sciences of survival, e.g., aerospace, engineering)
  • Excellence in education
• Unity: Fear itself is a threat, and living demands more than just surviving. The Republic values and nurtures:
  • Families, friendships, teams, and other positive relationships
  • Diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA)
  • Excellence in social sciences, especially sustaining communities
  • Arts and culture, especially to sustain hope and bring people together

In many ways, the Farwatch defectors of New Liberty brought the Pillar of Vigilance, while the Sihblosians brought the Pillar of Unity.

As an example of both Vigilance and Unity, all Libertonians must give several years of military service or public service when they become adults or apply for citizenship. All citizens remain lifelong members of the New Liberty militia.

As an example of Unity, most clans among the Mother's Children are communist. Each colony walker places the survival of the walker and the safety of the collective above all, and supports the military walkers through a complex system of volunteers, donations, and tithes. (An outsider might see the tithes as taxes, but the Sihblosians consecrate their walkers, and this support is part of their religion.)

The Pillars are intended to balance each other. John Lincoln and the other founders of the Republic believed that martial law was necessary to survive on Sihblos. However, long-term military rule often leads to oppression, corruption, and violations of human rights. The Republic's government is charged with keeping Vigilance and Unity in dynamic balance.

The founders designed the Republic as an experimental, militarized, techno-socialist republic.

• Experimental: the government is designed to evolve over time, in response to the challenges of surviving. It is also design to adapt to internal challenges. The constitution recognizes that interactions among Libertonians, Sihblosians, and Expats will inevitably change and challenge Unity.
• Militarized: the Republic is under permanent martial law.
• Techno: an open source network promotes high transparency "in the square" (see below), promoting equitable access and impeding corruption.
• Socialist: all resources, goods, and services "in the square" are under direct government control or strong government oversight.
• Republic: each state in the Republic retains some autonomy, especially around its local defense and commerce.

The Square

The Republic constitution distinguishes between two kinds of infrastructure and commerce:

• In the square: anything deemed essential to survival, including government, defense, food, water, shelter, sanitation, medicine, and education.
• Out of the square: anything deemed non-essential to survival, including recreation, luxury,

Any citizen can use the New Liberty open source network to see what's happening "in the square."

The term comes from a government program that hosts public dances in New Liberty to improve relations between Libertonians and Sihblosians. These dances are held "in the square," and their funding and operation are transparent. These dances remain very popular. Many couples meet at dances, so the idea of the square has layers of meaning.

There is ongoing disagreement on where some art and culture falls.

Government

The 1st General is the commander in chief of the Republic Army. They are recommended by the Army's Senior Officer Corps, and confirmed by the Parliament.

The 1st Minister is the chief executive, as chosen by the Republic Parliament. Each state sends one Member of Parliament (MP), chosen as they see fit.

The 1st Marshal is the chief justice, chosen by the vote of the Marshals Council. This is a lifetime appointment, but the few 1st Marshals so far have served between three and five years. The Council is composed exclusively of Republic citizens who have served at least 20 years in the Republic's justice system and have permanently retired. Any form of service counts, so the Council includes everyone from retired clerks and custodians to marshals and forensic scientists, as well as the former 1st Marshals.