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); Republic Marshals

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

• Expats
• 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 and Societal Culture

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 designed 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.

Sihblosian culture is a mix of native practices and Libertonian/expat influences, with an emphasis on personal freedom, The Pillars, and the Square.

Cultural Lore

Nearpine needle tea is the number one tea on Sihblos, being native and also full of vitamins and minerals in an environment where fresh fruit is rare.

'Oasises' by geothermal vents are highly prized and guarded in their locations, as it is easy to exploit them by overharvesting; some disrespectful outsiders have done this. These areas are often sources of rare fresh greens, vegetables, and fruits for those without access to the hydroponics of a walker, and if by water, even elusive fish and seafood. They attract wildlife for miles and serve as a scientist's dream.

Most of the sugar on Sihblos is derived from tree sap instead of sugarcane. Offworld sugar is very expensive.

The actual 'dirt' of Sihblos is usually miles beneath the ice; where it comes closer to the surface is usually marked by locals for use, being very important even if frozen or a small amount. Most Sihblosian trees have adapted their root systems to draw nutrients from the ice if needed.

Mushrooms and fungi are often used as vegetable replacements, being much much hardier than their more typical garden counterparts and able to grow on trees and rocks instead of in the ground. These are often foraged to add to the food stores of walkers, villages, and homesteads.

Pickles and ferments have honorable places in the Sihblosian diet, given the need to preserve food, especially more delicate things that can't withstand freezing without losing important nutrients. Kimchi and other expat recipes like it were adopted with glee.

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, and premium versions of goods and services in the square.

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 public squares (indoors, of course). The 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

• Parliament
  • The Republic Parliament is the most powerful branch.
  • It is a single legislature.
  • Each state sends one Member of Parliament (MP), chosen as they see fit. MPs are citizen legislators. Parliament sessions are typically limited to 45 days, twice per year.
  • A primary duty of the legislative branch is balancing Vigilance and Unity over time, through updating the laws and amending the constitution.
  • Balancing also includes periodically passing a budget, which must be approved by the 1st General.
  • Each clan of the Mother's Children has a Member of Parliament, representing the residents of their flotilla. That includes any clanfolx currently serving on military walkers.
• Army
  • The 1st General is the commander in chief of the Republic Army. They are nominated by the Army's Senior Officer Corps and confirmed by the Parliament.
• Executive Branch
  • The 1st Minister is the chief executive. The primary duty of the executive branch is managing everything in the square. The 1st Minister is an MP chosen by the Parliament.
• Judicial Branch
  • The 1st Marshal is the chief justice, chosen through an open 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 twenty years in the Republic's justice system in good standing, and who have now permanently retired. (This directly reflects the Sihblosian value of respecting elders.) 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.
  • Until recently, the Republic was too young to record twenty years of service, so Parliament appointed members to the Marshals Council based on a mix of service before founding and after. However, enough time has passed since founding that Parliament's power to appoint has expired. Thus, the Council is a mix of appointees and "true twenty" members, and the balance will continue to tip towards the latter.
  • The Republic Marshals are the primary operatives of the Judicial Branch.

Flag

The colors have meaning:

• Black is the dark past of slavery by the Reavers. This also includes the Years of Ravening Winter (1189-1340): the 150 years after the Great Freeze, when the Sihblosians struggled to survive.
• White is the Great Freeze and the eight centuries since. It is the present endless winter.
• Blue is faith in a better future. It is the oceans turned liquid again. It is blue sky, instead of the frequent clouds and storms.
• The two sides of the green pyramid are the twin pillars of the Republic: Vigilance and Unity. The sides are also the two peoples made one: the Sihblosians and the Expats. The pyramid extends from the past to the future: the Sihblosians endured the Reavers and the Great Freeze, and they will endure to see Sihblos green again.