Aseni Popular Republic

Cộng hòa nổi tiếng Asenia

The Aseni Popular Republic is a moderately powerful Stelsoc state located in the coreward half of the Aseni Sector. It one of the two major powers in the sector engaged in an ideological cold war against is neighbor, the Frentierist Aseni Republic of Vega, with the two powers fighting for influence over the independent worlds of the sector, and the nearby frontier. The Popular Republic and Republic of Vega formerly were united as the Aseni Sector Authority in the early days of the Long Night, but a Stelsoc Revolution in the fourth century after the Cataclysm and a failed counterrevolution rent the two states apart in a brief war before they both settled into a slightly less violent ideological conflict.

Culture

Most of the Aseni Republic's people can trace their origins back to Southeast Asia of Old Earth, and to a lesser extent to Australasia, with Vietnam in particular being given the initial grants to most of the territory of the modern Aseni Republic. Despite this, initial colonists were drawn from the entire region, which led to a relatively broad range of cultural expressions, particularly early in the process of colonization. A long process of homogenization occurred in the latter Age of Unity, however, each colony does maintain its own distinctive festivals, cuisine, and some have distinctive dialects of the Aseni language. Aseni is not a major cultural exporter, though Aseni dances have become popular within the sector.

History

The first colonial charters issued to the Minh region, which would be come a core region of the Aseni Popular Republic were issued towards the end of the Opulance, in the 8th century of the Age of Unity. These charters, issued primarily to the Vietnamese Governate would a few years to fully realize, with the first colonizations not actually occurring until nearly the end of the century. These early colonial efforts would pay off however, when the Minh system itself was fully excavated Pardian data crystals, and a handful of artifacts were discovered demonstrating that, at least in the past, sentient life other than that originating from Earth existed. This triggered massive interest in the region, and spurred a rush of people both to the Minh region, and systems coreward of it in search of more alien life, and more wealth from alien artifacts. As populations in the region grew, the need for a proper administrative capital near Minh would need to be established. The steadily industrializing and rapidly growing Aseni System was chosen, and made capital of an interstellar governorship in AU 976. Minh itself would decline steadily in population as its resources and the available Pardian relics were found and extracted. Increasingly therefore, Aseni, given official sanction by the Transolar Union's central government became the central hub for efforts to explore and settle the space coreward of the Minh region. When the Third Great Human Civil War broke out, the worlds of the Minh region largely remained neutral, quietly rejoining the galactic order when the War ended. When the shape of galactic administration was reconfigured following the TGCW, the Aseni System, with its heavy industry and enormous population was selected as the Sector Capital, and received even further investment from the Stellar League. However, economic troubles limited further colonization and investment efforts in the Minh region and the economy in the sector remained primarily within the Line Worlds. Numerous failed colonies and partially completed terraforming attempts occurred in the Minh Region during the third expansion, and although these efforts failed, the infrastructure from these programs would eventually prove to be vital in the later colonization of the region after the collapse of the Stellar League. During the Jred Scourge the Minh region remained mostly unaffected as no Jred ever penetrated into the Aseni Sector. It was however impacted by a wave of refugees fleeing the Rimward reaches and the expanding voracious Jred. After the Great Cataclysm, the Aseni Sector managed to remain mostly under control as the Sector government, reorganized into the Aseni Sector authority managed to keep, the worlds connected, if only barely during the early phases of the Long Night. This Sector authority managed to rule the sector for four centuries. However, a Stelsoc revolution, possibly supported by Yuanjing special forces resulted in the overthrow of the Sector Authority, and the establishment of a new government which itself lasted little more than a decade before the Aseni Republic of Vega broke away and initiated a conflict which only ended when the fighting fizzled out, and a new treaty was signed permanently breaking the single sector power bloc into two competing power blocs, one in Aseni, and one in Vega, with the Aseni bloc forming the new Aseni Popular Republic. Since the separation of the two Aseni States, the Aseni Popular Republic, less populous and industrialized than the Vegan Republic has been working to expand its economic base, on top of competing with its rival for the breakaway independent worlds. To that end it has partnered with friendly states hailing from the Pariah Sector, which have made major investments in Aseni, and have provided technical assistance and terraforming equipment as well as a few Jumpgate assemblies. The Popular Republic has therefore slowly started to become a more attractive location for immigrants, and some from independent worlds, particularly in the frontier have come to live there.

Demography and Population

The Aseni Popular Republic is a moderately populated state. Though its population is considerably smaller than that of its sector neighbor, it is nonetheless well populated for a state close to frontier space. Exact population count is difficult to establish, thanks to the heavy usage of foreign experts, the slow expansion of cloning facilities in Aseni space, and communications difficulties, but a reasonably accurate estimate places the population of the Republic in the low tens of billions. The overwhelming majority of the population lives in the Aseni System, particularly the capital world of Dailan. Those who colonized the worlds of the coreward reaches of the sector primarily came from Southeast Asia, especially from nations such as Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos, which had had major population booms in the Days of Unity. People of this origin continue to form the majority of the population though migrations of people from the rimward frontiers during the Jred Scourge did bring large number of immigrants into what would become the Aseni Popular Republic.

Territories

The officially claimed territory of the Aseni Popular Republic spans a total of 16 parsecs, with a little more than half of this territory, ten possessing noteworthy star systems, nine of which are inhabited. Most of these colonies are relatively small, with populations in the millions or less, and only a handful of inhabited planets or moons per star system. The more developed systems of the Republic have many smaller colonies, though there are really only two such systems within its territories. Nominally, the Popular Republic has claim over the entire Aseni Sector, and has attempted to bind more worlds within the sector to it, though it struggles with its rival, the Vegan Republic in this regard.

Military

The Aseni Popular Republic maintains a vast military, one particularly disproportionate to the size of its general population. This is primarily due to aggressive use of clones by the Aseni People's Liberation Army and People's Liberation Navy. It maintains sizable garrisons on colonies of more than ten thousand persons, and has a large offensive force. However, much of the military is fairly poorly equipped, as the industrial base in the Republic was geared towards civilian industries. In recent years however, increased production, and aid from the Republic's allies have seen the APLA and APLN modernize at a rapid pace, bringing up to parity with most other interstellar states outside the Sol Sector.

Technological Level

The Aseni Popular Republic can be considered a "mid-to-high tech" society, with a few more advanced, and a few feral worlds among its number. Four systems within Aseni territory maintain a mid to late stellar level of technical development, which represents the pinnacle of technology available to the Republic generally. Three of its inhabited colonies are of a Sub-Stellar to early Stellar level, these are substantial developments. Many of its agricultural colonies possess a very limited techbase, with an industrial, or even pre-industrial technical base, though some more advanced equipment does filter into these colonies to a limited extent.

Religion

The Aseni Popular Republic is a secular state, which generally allows citizens to practice most religions, or no religion as they see fit, so long as religious activities are not deemed to damage the good functioning and order of public society. Minor technocults have become extremely popular, and have been largely successful in maintaining their followings, particularly when Opus Dei has been making an effort to convert people in the region. Traditional religion has been steadily losing ground, both to the technocults, and areligion, but also to a handful of smaller Doomsday cults which have come from Frontier space, grown in influence in the last century.

Foreign Relations

The Aseni Popular Republic's foreign policy is practically defined by the ongoing ideological conflict with its neighbor, the Aseni Republic of Vega. The rivalry between these two states, originating the birth of both, has resulted in intense competition for influence over the independent worlds of the sector, and garnering allies outside of it. Aseni authorities have primarily made alliances with the other nearby Stelsoc, particularly the Democratic Republic of Yuanjing, who are the Republic's primary trading partner. It has made inroads into joining the 2nd Interstellar, but has not yet formally joined it. It has also made trade agreements with various nearby independent worlds, in a bid to hopefully bring them back into the fold in the future.

Laws

The Aseni Popular Republic is a relatively normal state, with laws that are, for the average citizen, fairly normal for civilized space. The Republic is generally highly restrictive of enterprise and commerce, preferring to keep most economic activity within the purview of its own planning authorities. Foreign traders are therefore subject to a greater deal of suspicion than they would otherwise expect. Despite this distrust, foreign goods are generally allowed within the territory of the Republic, though there are fairly significant restrictions on drugs, weapons, and certain cultural products. Generally political activity is limited to activity within the ruling Socialist Party of the Aseni Sector (SPAS), and affiliated organizations, though debate within the party is quite vigorous, and the rights of workers to ensure fair conditions, and ownership of their workplaces is guaranteed.

Agriculture & Industry

The Aseni Popular Republic is largely self-sufficient, with a strong balance of industrial outputs that enable it to continue supporting the population. Though its technical base is relatively backwards, particularly for state of its size it can build almost anything it needs to build. The Popular Republic has, in recent years been receiving a lot of technical assistance from the other Stelsoc states near to it, which has allowed it to start rapidly building its technical base as well as begin terraforming worlds within its territory. Generally the Popular Republic, doesn't have a significant enough surplus to not only meet its own ongoing and expansionary needs, but also export products outside its own borders, though it does produce enough food to export some, primarily to independent worlds in the sector.

Education

The Aseni Popular Republic generally maintains a basic education system for students from ages four to sixteen. The state curriculum places a strong emphasis on building literacy, experience with the sciences, maths and other basic education. Education is provided by the state, which makes use of extensive trideo broadcasts, paired with in-person teaching sessions in any community of any reasonable size. In education there is a focus on building civic pride, and loyalty to the revolution which created the Popular Republic.

Infrastructure

The Aseni Popular Republic is currently suffering from a lack of critical infrastructure, as a low priority sector, it received one of the most barebones Jumpgate networks in civilized space. Only a single lane runs from the border of the nation to its capital. Similarly, there are relatively few major shipyards and high quality starports in systems occupied by the Republic. Planetside infrastructure tends to fare a little better with at least enough development to support the primary economic activity of the colony. The Popular Republic has begun to embark on a project to improve its infrastructure, and has already allocated significant resources to the task.