Introduction

The Archipelago was officially formed in 2142. The first Venusian colony, Beacon, was officially commissioned in 2132 and wasn’t completed until 2142. 

Beacon was originally constructed by the Beacon Foundation which was founded by Grant Walker in 2119. Grant Walker was a wealthy businessman who made his fortune by investing in the early development of asteroid mining and through military contracting. He founded Beacon to create a free society on Venus. Walker died in 2138 and left his foundation in the care of Natalie Vo. Vo was a controversial figure in the foundation but she led the completion of Beacon and went on to found more than a dozen follow-up city colonies. She was the one responsible for transforming the Beacon Foundation into the Common Market Association of Venus, better known as the Archipelago. 

As of 2300, the Archipelago is one of the most powerful and wealthy political entities in the entire solar system. 

There however are problems facing the Archipelago, piracy conducted by other Venusian powers is a drag on the economy, the conquest of Earth by the Olympians has led to an influx of immigrants, Olympian control over Earth has provided economic drag as well due to uncertainty of interplanetary trade and Olympian regulations. 

Geography

Venus has an incredibly hostile atmosphere, but all human colonies have been able to mitigate this by situating themselves in the cloud layer. The cities of the Archipelago float at about 50km above the surface in one of the major jet streams. The Archipelago is located in the northernmost jetstream. 

The cities require a 25km radius around them free of other cities or large-scale habitats. The space can be occupied by industrial facilities such as storage facilities or manufacturing facilities. It can also be occupied by small scale habitats. 

The airspace occupied by the Archipelago is roughly shaped like a triangle. In the middle part there are five down the central median, translating to 250km. The two leading sides are nine cities long, 450km. The rear is 750km long and features the cities as staggered. The airspace controlled by the cities directly is approximately 100,000km. There is an additional 100km Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) surrounding the Archipelago formation. 

Map of the Archipelago

People and Society

150 million people call the Archipelago home. The society is a demographically diverse one. English is used as the common language, though there are many other languages commonly used throughout the Archipelago. 

The average population growth rate has been nearly 6%. This is an astounding rate of growth, and it is mostly fueled by immigration. The Archipelago has also engaged in a number of pro-natalist policies. 

Government

The government is set up as a republic with a very strong federalist philosophy. The government has been compared to a free-trade zone tied to a mutual defense pact. 

The transformation from The Beacon Foundation into the Archipelago happened between 2159 and 2181. The construction of the four sister cities forced the Beacon Foundation to expand its original plans and create a new unified government to manage the growing colony cities. This was initially set up as a common marketplace for the four sister cities and Beacon to operate in. Laws were created, as well as courts to settle disputes between cities. An inter-city police agency was also set up. This agency would eventually transform into the Gendarmerie, which is a part of the Internal Defense Force. 

Over the next 22 years, the government was slowly assembled by Vo. She created the executive committee and assigned herself to chair it. Her critics claimed that she was obsessed with power and was anti-democratic. 

Citizenship is organized voting via tokens, each citizen is granted one non-transferable token. There are a number of special transferable voting tokens, which exist in a limited supply and cannot be created or copied. Regular non-transferable tokens go towards electing one class of proxies and the special transferable tokens go to electing a second class. Citizenship is obtained through a point-based system and can be rescinded under certain circumstances; people found guilty of murder have their citizenship revoked, for example. Points are based on educational and professional achievement, military service, testing or could be purchased outright. 

Each citizen is allowed to choose a proxy, and they can change their proxy once a year. Each proxy votes on behalf of the citizens they represent. Proxies represent between 10,000 and 50,000 citizens. Only proxies are allowed to debate and discuss legislation in the Grand Council. Citizens can break with their proxies and vote directly on any piece of legislation, if desired.

For holders of the special tokens, they can elect proxies or vote directly on matters. Special token holders and their proxies cannot introduce legislation and they don’t have a forum for debate. They can only vote for or against legislation after the Grand Council has approved it.

All proxies can vote in the Grand Council. The Grand Council is convened to vote for members of the Executive Committee, to propose laws for approval by the Executive Committee and make political appointments. 

The Executive Committee, informally known as the triumvirate, consists of three members, the Chairman, the Vice-Chairman and the Chairman-Emeritus. Elections are held once a year for the Vice-Chairman. After one year in the role, the Vice-Chairman becomes the Chairman and then after one year in the role of Chairman becomes the Chairman-Emeritus. The Chairman is the main executive and the one who has the power to make appointments, approve or reject laws and is in effect the leader of the government. The Vice-Chairman is in a secondary position and has few direct powers, they are only granted power if the Chairman is not able to perform. The Chairman-Emeritus also has few direct powers, but often oversees matters of state, the Chairman-Emeritus is in effect the head of state. 

The Chairman is responsible for creating and executing a strategy for the government. The Chairman is also responsible for appointing leaders of the different departments of the government. 

Selection of the Vice-Chairman is done once a year, the Grand Council is convened and the select committee is formed. The select committee is responsible for selecting a group of twelve candidates, the select committee is allowed to choose any citizen who either is or has been a member of the Grand Council in good standing, is over the age of 35 and has not served on the Executive Committee during the previous three years for presentation. The candidates are presented to the Grand Council for vetting and four are selected to be brought before the public. All citizens have the chance to vote for one of the four candidates. Voting is done by ranking the four candidates, or they choose to reject the presented candidates. If no candidate is chosen, then the process is started from the beginning. 

There is no limit to the number of times an individual may serve as Chairman, but after serving three years on the Executive Committee, they are not allowed to be selected for at least three years. 

The primary goal of the federal government is to provide security for the people and the cities of the Archipelago. It also ensures that each citizen and resident have certain rights which will be protected. 

Some social services are provided by local governments, others are provided by the Pillar Networks.

There are notably two classifications of people, citizen and resident. Residents do not have voting privileges and some social services may be different. There are a variety of ways to become a citizen. The most common is through military or civil service or through testing. There are some exceptions granted to wealthy or older immigrants if they provide significant charitable donations or perform community service.

Pillar Networks

The Pillar Networks are a voluntary form of government subordinate to the unifying Archipelago government. There are hundreds of Pillar Networks in the Archipelago and several extend beyond Venus and have adherents on other planets. 

The Pillar Networks provide a variety of social services for a cost to the members. Different Pillar Networks have different governing philosophies. Some are more communitarian in nature while others are more laissez-faire. Some are rooted in older philosophies and religions, while others are purely economic unions. It is not unusual for some people to belong to multiple Pillar Networks. 

Pillar Networks are also heavily involved in the government, they function similar to political parties. The larger Pillar Networks own large chunks of tradable voting shares for the Grand Council and thus have a great deal of influence over the Archipelago.

There are some people who are not part of any Pillar Networks. These individuals still receive the benefits of either residency or citizenship, but they don’t have any of the benefits of belonging to a Pillar Network.

Justice System

Crime Insurance

The Archipelago provides a baseline insurance against crime for all citizens, residents and visitors to its airspace. For citizens, that insurance extends to the rest of Venus, but not for residents. The fees for this insurance are part of the fee structure that the Archipelago charges for all the people who enter its airspace.

Pillar Networks provide a second level of more substantive insurance, and private companies can also provide that second level as well for people who don’t choose to join a Pillar Network. 

For those who are unable to pay for crime insurance, there are a number of charitable organizations set up to assist. The Archipelago also provides a very low level of insurance for free for use by the destitute. This insurance covers the reward of the bounty, but not the cost of lost property or bodily harm.

The insurance is used to pay for damages that occur in the course of criminal activity as well as the fees for the policing organizations that are used in the course of recovering any stolen property and apprehending the criminal responsible. 

Policing Organizations

Public Policing

There are a few Archipelago run policing organizations. These have to compete with private organizations and are only paid through the bounty system or through security deals they make with clients. Even though they are owned by the government, they don’t receive special favor. 

There are certain Pillar Networks that advocate for a more robust and centralized version of the policing agencies. The agencies themselves help drive these efforts through lobbying. They, of course, wish to drive out competition and hold a monopoly on the policing industry.

Some cities run their own police forces, but many don’t. They prefer to contract it out to private agencies.

The Archipelago does run some policing services outside of the competitive bounty system. Those tend to be focused around defense and national security, however. 

Private Policing

There are a number of different private policing companies. They operate at different levels and scales. Many find specializations and niches that become profitable. There are, of course, several large diversified organizations as well. They are paid through the bounty system and through contracts with clients for security and protection. 

Private policing and military agencies need to be issued a letter of marque to be officially recognized by the Archipelago. The purpose of the letter of marque is to ensure that the private policing agency is operating responsibly and does not become a threat to the public, either through incompetence or maliciousness. 

They compete directly with publicly owned police forces and among each other. 

The Bounty System

After a crime occurs, a bounty is set up by the Joint Investigation Service (JIS). The bounty is pooled from the individual insurance payments from the victims, a set payment from the Archipelago or individual city (if applicable), and if any private entity wishes to add to it privately. 

The bounty is then held in trust as part of a smart contract and a Decentralized Autonomous Organization (DAO) is set up. The DAO is created especially for the capture of the perpetrator of the crime. The actual perpetrator does not need to be known for the DAO to be established. 

There are multiple classes of bounties, a red contract is for the arrest of a suspect, a blue contract is for a criminal investigation, a yellow contract is for finding a missing person and a black contract is for an unidentified dead body. 

Anybody can apply for a token to participate in the DAO, these tokens are rewarded to nearly all registered public and private policing entities. Private individuals who are not employed as police can apply and are occasionally issued limited tokens, these are usually granted to victims or members of the press. The private agencies need to have been issued letters of marque by the Archipelago to prevent bad actors from signing on and possibly causing misdirection or discovering confidential information about the case. Likewise, private individuals need to be vetted beforehand and the DAO would have to agree whether to grant access, and their access is strictly limited to observer status. There have been rare cases in which criminals were unintentionally granted tokens and gained information about the investigation from the DAO.

All participants have access to evidence gathered and can participate in discussions. Participants can also contribute evidence they gathered. If a participant contributes bad evidence, either in bad faith, to throw off competitors or by mistake, it will negatively affect their reputational score and cause their contributions to be valued less or be thrown out of the DAO. In some cases, their letter of marque could be revoked. 

The conditions of the smart contract determine when the DAO is closed, this is usually when the perpetrator is apprehended. Some contracts have a second phase for conviction built in as well. It is possible for two payouts to happen in that case, first when a suspect is arrested and then when that suspect is convicted. 

In cases that go unresolved for a long period, cold cases, the funds may be distributed to victims in lieu of capturing the criminal. The members of the DAO must agree that the case is no longer solvable and liquidate the trust. There may also be a time limit built into the contract itself, usually dependent on the severity of the crime and the statute of limitations. The DAO members are not entitled to any of the funds, however, regardless of what they spent on the case. These are fairly rare, but it does happen. If the perpetrator of the cold case is found they are still subject punishment as per the law.

After the case is closed, all the evidence is judged by an arbitrator and it is determined how much each piece of evidence and action taken helped in the capture or conviction of the criminal. The participants are then awarded fairly for their participation. This also encourages participants to share information in a timely fashion. If they sit on vital information, they can potentially end up with nothing if another participant submits that information before them.

If an outsider contributes information or helps in the capture of the criminal, then they are entitled to a piece of the bounty proportional to their contribution. 

If there are disputes between members of the DAO, either over the reward or some other issue, they must settle it through arbitration. 

There are, however, some shortcomings to the bounty system, notably if the reward is not large enough to compensate the policing companies for their time and effort, then the crime may go unpunished. This can be especially tricky in cases where it’s uncertain that a crime has occurred or not. Usually, in these cases, it falls to public policing organizations. 

Court System

Criminal Court

All citizens and residents of the Archipelago are entitled to a fair trial. The trail takes place in a court of law. It is presided over by a judge and a jury determines guilt. The JIS gathers all the evidence collected by the DAO and works with prosecutors to convict the suspect. 

Civil Court

The Archipelago maintains a court system for civil disputes, such as contract disputes or lawsuits. 

Punishment

After a criminal has been caught, tried and found guilty, it is time for punishment. The primary goals of punishment in the Archipelago are restitution to the victims and rehabilitation. The criminal will be held financially responsible for the insurance payout to the victim and for the costs of the investigation. If they are unable to pay, then their wages will be garnered. 

If they are found to be a threat to society, if they are left free, then they are removed from society and kept in a special facility where they can work under supervision. For some, this can be for the rest of their lives. There are some people who are beyond the help of rehabilitation.

For those with few skills, psychological problems or drug/alcohol addictions, rehabilitation is offered. These people are kept isolated in special facilities where they are treated or where they can learn new skills. As they gain new skills or they are treated for their problems, they will be reintegrated back into society. In the Archipelago, it is considered best for people to be useful to society rather than locked away and acting as a drain of resources. 

Economy

The Archipelago is the largest economy on Venus and one of the largest in the solar system. It is a very highly developed economy with many large and mid-sized corporations. There are many industries that thrive within the Archipelago, finance, manufacturing, medicine, etc. Many asteroid mining and hydrogen harvesting companies have their headquarters in the Archipelago. 

The principal exports are intellectual property, cybernetics and nano-ware. It exports raw materials and manufactured goods to other Venusian governments and IP to off world consumers. 

Imports include raw goods from Mars, Mercury, the Asteroid belt and the outer planets. There are many elements which are imported to Venus, notably heavy and rare Earth elements, metals and hydrogen for nuclear fusion. 

Energy

There are a variety of energy sources used on Venus. The most common energy source is nuclear fusion. Hydrogen is imported from Mercury and the outer planets. 

Wind and solar also provide energy for individual aero-stats. Most aero-stats are pushed by the wind and use very little energy to adjust themselves.

Ambient heat from the Venusian atmosphere and solar power are also used as energy sources.

Transportation

The most common form of transportation between cities is aircraft. There are a variety of different types of aircraft used. Many people own personal aircraft and use them regularly. Cities have their own extensive transportation networks. There are a variety of monorails, light rails, walkways, bicycles, and personal automobiles in the cities. 

There are also space planes which can transport people to and from Venusian orbit.

Military

There are three main branches of the military; Space Command, Sky Command and Mobile Command. 

Space Command 

Space Command is in charge of all military matters external to Venus’s atmosphere. Space Command consists of two principal components; White Fleet and Gold Fleet. White Fleet is a fleet of spaceships capable of independent travel to the outer planets and back. This fleet was designed to keep Venus’s extra-planetary interests secure. Gold fleet stays in orbit around Venus and is a defensive force for Venus.

Sky Command 

Sky Command is in charge of all military matters in Venus’s atmosphere. It is charged with anti-piracy operations, defending Archipelago airspace and participating in military engagements against other Venusian political entities.

Sky Command is split into two parts. The first is the Interior Defense Force, which is also known as the Gendarmerie, the second is the External Defense Force. The Internal Defense Force operates entirely within the airspace claimed by the Archipelago. It is broken into several divisions, including internal policing and investigative services, border security and a coastguard. The External Defense Force is a forward operating military force and is focused on defending the Archipelago against foreign enemies. Both organizations have intelligence services attached which correspond to domestic and foreign intelligence. 

Mobile Command 

Mobile Command consists of special forces designed to be inserted into any hostile situation, whether it is on Venus or off planet. 

There are also many private military organizations which are employed by the Archipelago. One of the most important is Providence. Providence is one of the major anti-piracy contractors on Venus. It is also of note that the son of the founder and CEO Michael Knight is heavily involved with the Venusian government and has strong ties to the New Destiny faction. 

Transnational Issues

There are many problems involving piracy on Venus. As the growth of Venus’s population has continued, there have been many difficulties for people to find employment. There are also a number of failed states outside of the Archipelago. Most notably, the Merovingian Kingdom is the largest political entity supporting piracy on Venus. Tensions between the Archipelago and the Merovingian Kingdom are high.

The Olympian rule on Earth has been a continual thorn in the Archipelago’s side as well. The Archipelago rejects the main tenets of the Olympian manifesto. Venus is also suspicious of Earth’s designs on the asteroid belt and control of interplanetary trade. The development of the White Fleet has been a reaction to the conquest of Earth and the development of the Olympian fleet in the asteroid belt.