Hiderid Coalition of Stars

The Grand Coalition of the Four Stars (also known as the Hiderid Coalition) is the extremely merchantile, corporatist governing body of the Hiderid and Zaalan peoples, as well as their largest polity. The Coalition consists of 17 federated cities stretching along the Damyat River on the desert planet Hakaria, as well as isolated company towns elsewhere on the planet. In addition, the Coalition administers smaller outposts on Prospect, Hestia, and Zindra , as well as several objects located along the Third Orbit.   The Coalition is overseen by the Comptroller, Naladel Delphi, who bears the unenviable task of stabilizing markets, bringing corporations to heel, and reinforcing the Damyat River Delta's land borders against a surge of smuggling runs committed by nomad gangs of outlaws and, it is rumoured, Zaalan Free Tribes raiders.  

Overview

  The Coalition sprawls along the revered Damyat River and its fertile delta, its territory surrounded by limestone hills and sand dunes on three sides, and an underexploited ocean on the fourth. Amongst the fields of wheat and barley, 17 towns of glimmering jade and pale sandstone stretch, overlooked by garish skyscrapers of daring designs, form the core of the Hiderid civilization. The river used to flood periodically, depositing silt along its banks, but construction of a dam far upstream ended this phenomenon and forced the Coalition to use fertilizers from its ample oil supplies. The River itself provides the means of transportation from all of the colony sites, usually on brightly decorated barges and hovercraft; gravcars are, of course, also used. Planes and orbital craft are used to reach isolated settlements deeper into the desert, or elsewhere on the planet; with control over the planet's local space, the Coalition puts little priority in building roads which will be swallowed by the sands anyway. The most unique form of ground transportation is the "sandworm", a large, mechanical, articulated vehicle which glides through the desert sand.   The Coalition is a land of wealth and extravagance, where free market reigns not just as an economic doctrine, but as a philosophical and moral imperative. Even lowly outposts flaunt some measure of avant-garde architecture, for to do otherwise would mean giving in to mediocrity, and to eschew the pursuit of profit. Hiderid corporations operate across the entire system, but entire company towns - and, indeed, the Coalition as a whole - are dominated by their corporate overlords.  

Core Colony

  Nowhere is the Coalition wealthiest than in its capital city, Bluereach. This is a city of spiraling towers, sprawling along the river bank against the hillsides. It is divided into two distinct wards, the upper city and an impoverished undercity built in caves below.   The upper city, Dailmay, is a grand metropolis, built predominently from pale sandstone and chiselled, ivory-toned marble. Turquoise, azure and emerald tilework breaks the monotony of the city's facades, and below the narrow balconies, specialty shops line beautifully kept paved streets, broken up by small floral courtyards and curated gardens. Rising from every district, a few skyscrapers pierce the skies, each built according to a unique design, competing for space and an iconic spot in the skyline. Holo-boards and neon signs adorn every wall, advertising a new age of prosperity to all that pass by, each advert more outrageous than the last. People affair themselves everywhere, for shops, offices and homes are not generally segregated; they walk along skyways before disappearing into some palacial subway station, presumably reappearing somewhere else in the metropolis. Dailmay is sometimes called the "garden city" as much of its land is, in fact, gardens. Whole courtyards, squares and streets are lined with overgrown palm trees, hedges, floral beds, pergolas, and marble fountains.   The avenues that cross the city are often broken up by roundabouts. Each is a garden onto itself, usually centered around a Mausoleum - the resting place of a very wealthy Hiderid, earning their way into legend. Other points of interests are luxury shops, banking Vaults and Markethalls, all heavily crowded with investors and speculators, their plazas filled with people dressed garishly, begging for the attention of important and often busy businesspeople. Many plazas feature secondary tickers measuring not time but the swings of stock markets. The headquarters of corporations doing business system-wide are all found in this metropolis, for Dailmay is where the wealthiest Coalition citizens, those who fully live the corporate lifestyle, aspire to live - a place where everything is afforded, though never really affordable. It is, naturally, the home of the Watchwings, the private security force that acts as a police service in the upper city.   Not every citizen gets to live the Dailmay life. Beneath the curated city, millions of lower-income workers resident in the vast, interconnected underground caved called the Blue City. There, the lighting is dim, inconsistent, despite the best effort of bioluminescent lichen and skylines from the city above. Water drips, infiltrated via the riverbed, and collected in grimy public taps where workers queue for their daily needs. The architecture here tells of quick and chaotic repairs; the city is lived in, but haphazard. Despite the dirt, facades remain decorated of a sort. Blue tileworks clash with hastily cut sandstone bricks or the dull grey of large columns stretching entire caves and filled with dense, modular housing. Shop fronts are painted brightly, and neon signs beckon unsuspecting visitors to spend their credits unwisely. There are cloister-gardens, however choked of light, providing a modicum of respite to the masses huddling below. Beyond the five great mechanical funnels providing the Blue City with air (for a fee, payable in tax), there is a small of oil, cheap fuel and damp that permeates every street in the Blue City, though locals get used to it fast. All metro lines and roads leading out of the Blue City cross checkpoints where the ID of workers are checked - one must buy an expensive licence to avoid those controls. Gridlock is common at most hours of the day, and so is pollution - factories do not always comply to industrial standards and leak fumes and chemicals in the narrow caves, notably across the South Cave Network, where the poorest residents live. But despite those hardships, there is a vibrant culture, a fusion of Hiderid and Zaalan traditions. Festivals are common, as are 'ten minute markets', improvised bartering ceremonies where merchants come from everywhere to sell and barter goods. The Commons - the city's main avenue - is home to black markets where the disfranchised meet to barter. In a way, the Blue City is a reflection of the upper city - but here there is no gilded tower and no polished stone, only the truth of what it takes to keep the wealth of the richest Coalition citizens flowing.  

Architecture

  Architecture across most cities and colony sites makes use of old prefabs mixed in with sandstone, marble and mithral-steel. Most buildings feature tilework, a staple of Hiderid art. Facades are utilitarian, yet flashy, even in wealthier parts of colonies; one cannot escape the flurry of advertisements at every street corner, or on PR systems. Many colonies feature modular mega-spires called Roosts, which often clash architecturally. This is no accident; taller buildings often compete for attention and their designers do all they can to make them stand out from their neighbours or the districts below. Buildings are sometimes wrapped in holoads shimmering their neon lights at night on the clear waters of the river. In rural areas, on the fringes of Coalition colonies, old rugged prefab modules from the earliest days of colonization are still used by sedentary villagers as well as roving bands of nomads.  

Population

  There are about 30 million Hiderid living in the River Delta area, and a few more millions in other Coalition holdings elsewhere on Tau Elpis - nearly 80% of all Hiderid. A non-negligible Hiderid population lives outside of Coalition territory on Hakaria, usually as nomads rejecting the corporatist values of the Coalition. In addition, 5 million Zaalans also live as Coalition citizens - an estimated 70% to 80% of the total Zaalan population. These Zaalans were once indentured, but following the Zaalan Rebellions, now enjoy the same rights as other citizens. Nevertheless, in a civilization that does not spend on economic safety nets, getting out of generational poverty is a herculean task. Much of the wealth circulates amongst the already very wealthy Hiderid, with lower-class Hiderid and even more Zaalans unable to achieve profit. Whilst a few Zaalans campaign for the Zaalan Free Tribes, many see the Armada as too radical, and instead seek to enact change from within. Every economic downturn sees the creation of more trade unions, despite the best effort of corporate interests.   Hakari and its common ancient form Pyxian Common are often used across the Coalition, as is Undercommon.  

Landmarks

 

Great Marketplace

  The Great Marketplace is a Hiderid institution, making up the vibrant heart of Coalition commerce. The streets here are lined with palaces and museums, towers with overflowing floral gardens, and some of the city's priciest Mausoleums. In the centre, the Marketplace acts as a giant stock market, where every commodity and stock is publicly traded. Performers and hawkers gather here at all hours of the day, draped in bright silks and exuberant fluffy outfits.  

Palm Court

  On the riverside of Bluereach is Palm Court, a tourist area in the upper city. Casinos, hotels and resorts line up this area of the waterfront, whilst a beach welcomes foreign visitors to take a break and soak in the sun. Most notable here is the Archon Hotel, a luxury palace built around one of the largest Mausoleums - except we do not know who owned it upon death, and thus legends state that millions of credits are contained within, waiting to be lawfully inherited.  

Bard's Roost

  This garish tower on the outskirts of the city Redrarm is a cultural institution and the home of the Talent Corporation. Here, Hiderid learn to dance, sing, perform and entertain before exporting their crafts to millions of screens across the system. The tower doubles up as a TV station and a courtroom, where some of the highest level trials are held and broadcast for the enjoyment of the entire population.  

Tritium's Folly

  The oldest colony on the moon Prospect , Tritium's Folly has recently reopened with a view to extract precious minerals from the rich mines that sprawl under the planet's surface. The Folly has attracted hundreds of thousands with the promise of quick salaries and prestige back home.  

Life & Customs

  Despite being a fusion of Hiderid and Zaalan cultures, in effect the Coalition is centered around the acquisition and generation of wealth and profit - a Hiderid ideal forced even on those born in poverty, with little chance to ever climb the economic ladder.  

Social Norms

  The key rule in Coalition culture is that status is wealth, and wealth is worship. This maxim is called the Imperative of Gold, and is followed through all spheres of Coalition life. To be somebody is to be rich; to be rich is to be somebody; to be poor is to have lost face, now but hopefully not forever. Hiderid in particular put a lot of pressure on themselves to appear wealthy and powerful, usually through the hoarding and wearing of increasingly ridiculous amounts of shiny goods, following by a dramatic sell-off celebration at opportune times. Coalition society is loud, expressive, and quirky; norms shift as society churns through socialites and influencers, often contradicting themselves, and nobody wants to be seen as having missed the latest trends. As a result, the culture is chaotic, sometimes obnoxious, and difficult to understand - but context is key. Silence might be taken as a sign of weakness or as a powerful bluff. A failed business can mean destitution and falling off the corporate ladder, or a chance at patronage and building an even bigger business. A Hiderid wearing less exuberant attiure might lose face for not being able to afford jewelry - or they might be so wealthy that minimalism becomes a statement of power in its own right. As a rule of thumb, the most successful Hiderid teach to think impulsively, act decisively, and seldom consider long-term plans. Intelligence and business acumen are measured by how correct one's quick decisions turn out to be. Advancement, however, is more a matter of luck, bribery and clever patronage.   Zaalans in the Coalition participate in this culture, albeit with less fervour, as they navigate a difficult world where their ancestral cultures merge into that of the Hiderid. Songs, dance, and festivals are an inherent part of life in Zaalan society, which fuses very well with the loud nature of Hiderid culture. Many end up giving up on the rat race and settle at the bottom of society, working several jobs to get by, though in struggling they form strong, supportive communities and often gather to recall feats of Zaalans past. Other Zaalans become engineers, miners and oil workers, and whilst their accomplishments are not honoured by the credit-addled Hiderid, they are highly respected amongst Zaalan communities. Zaalans being longer lived than Hiderid, a lucky few who can afford to save do so more quietly and patiently, spending less frivolously. At such, whilst many Hiderid strike it to the top of the Great Leaderboard and lose it all in a failed corporate merger or self-inflicted economic downturn, those few Zaalans managing to become rich endure across generations. Those Zaalans are called 'Kings of Coin', and generally run food banks and other ventures in the Blue City, even as they reap the benefits of living topside.   In the outlands, as well as on outposts beyond Hakaria, scattered communities of Hiderid and Zaalans thrive, away from the corporate mainstream. Alliances of mechanized, nomadic Hiderid clans build unsactionned townships atop small desert oases and engage in smaller-scale bartering for survival. Perhaps some see their willful rejection of Hiderid values as rebellion, yet they also play a part in society, as they are often hired by corporate interests operating outside the law beyond the borders of the Coalition, usually as under-the-table messengers, miners, or traders.  

Home & Kinship

  Hiderid families are based around kin-clans, identifyable from the garments and unique plumages of individuals. Many Zaalan families follow a similar example, albeit with more emphasis on a nuclear core. Each kin-clan tends to operate much like a small corporation; the youngest or oldest will often tend to a family store or other family venture, bringing extra credits to the table. Homes do vary dramatically; a poor Zaalan home in a stacked, modular hive-roost in the Blue City will be far less lavish than a Hiderid penthouse atop the tallest tower in Bluereach.   Interestingly, in contrast to the high degree of exuberance and social imposition tolerated in Hiderid society, public physical intimacy is heavily frowned upon. In the absence of a codified religion, sociologists speculate that this is a holdover from a time when Hiderid lived in squalid hive-cities where viral propagation was all too common.   When seeking life partners, Hiderid tend to favour a method called "love bribery". A suitor meditates in a cluttered room of their own belongings, reflecting on which single item is the best to bribe their beloved with. Should the gift be accepted, usually whilst the suitor struts and serenades, a relationship can begin, and from there a never ending spiral of mutual gift-giving, each present shinier than the last. Of course, love needs not be a factor; many Hiderid mary out of a need for advancement and patronage. Zaalans tend to rely on ancient methods of courtships that also involve poetry, song and dance - but no gift-giving. Zaalans generally value love and loyalty more than advancement, and will seldom engage in Hiderid arranged marriages.  

Politics

  The Coalition is a mercantile federation of 17 colonies and countless little outposts scattered across Tau Elpis. However, these colonies are sovereign in matters of local taxation, most laws, and even security forces. As a result, whilst the Comptroller acts as a head of state, in reality he is jugging the difficult and often contradicting priorities of keeping the state running, the markets stabilized, and corporate lobbyists happy. On the surface, the Coalition is a democracy; however, buying votes from indecisive voters or in exchange for patronage and favours is seen as acceptable. In effect, this means that powerful kin-clans and corporations dictate the political agenda and there are seldom any political upsets that are not linked to a dramatic market crash or another. Many of the functions of government are delegated to specially appointed companies and consultants.   Whilst the Coalition is generally libertarian, there are a number of trade agencies and commissions that still regulate industry and trade. They are seen as a necessary evil by most Hiderid, but often help to counter the chaotic nature of the Coalition's markets and provide a sense of general stability. Civil law is sometimes more harshly prosecuted than criminal law, making these agencies extremely powerful, if sometimes equally as corrupt as the rest of society.   Many corporates at least offshore some of their profits and workforce to avoid falling foul of regulation. It is common practice for labs and other sensitive premises to be built somewhere in the Hakarian desert, off-jurisdiction, beyond the reach of the Coalition's federal police force. Mines and oil drills almost never apply for a colonial charter. Though illegal, this practice is tolerated, partly because much of the Coalition system is corrupted to the bone, but also out of fear that the Bloodbeakers - a rumoured guild of semi-legal assassins - come for the regulatory chiefs' heads, and not just that of oppositing corporate executives. Starlyft, Inc is perhaps the largest Coalition corporation, and effectively controls a large chunk of trade across the Coalition - yet does not pay a single credit in business tax.  

Clothing

  Hiderid fashionable clothing is armour for one's status and reputation. Fashion is loud, garish, colourful - in fact, the most obnoxious, the better; it includes silks, ropes, sleek wingcoats, ornate headbands, entirely excessive amounts of jewelry, and programmable textiles. Fake plumages are a common sight, as are feather dyes. Hiderid shoes, made to fit around talons, often boast a thick platform sole. Past a certain level of power, outfits become more subtle. A very wealthy Hiderid might wear a more plain robe made of an extremely expensive material, or only a few pieces of very ornate jewelry. The subversive lack of garish attire calls attention, and the high-quality materials become a disruption - a subtle but effective display of power.   Zaalans tend to wear different styles of clothing casually and formally, usually long and flowy outfits, with baggy sarouels tucked into knee-high boots or hovering above sandals. Nevertheless, they generally display the same amount of garish materials and colourful dyes as the Hiderid.  

Economy

  The Hiderid economy is based on commerce, industry, and service. Many Hiderid banks and corporations have aggressively embedded themselves in the economies of other colonies, punching well above the weight of their alltogether modest resource base. This causes the Coalition to project soft power across the sector, but also generates friction with other colonial powers, whose laws tend to be far stricter on matters of business. As most ventures are operated outside of government control, some corporations sometimes "go rogue" by bribing regulatory agencies and ignoring local laws, causing all sorts of diplomatic issues when caught. On the extreme end of that spectrum, such an event happened in the 151st Cycle, when Hexo-Geni, Inc's appalling lack of ethics made them an enemy of most Tau Elpis states.   The Coalition's industrial sector is also quite large, and aims to provide the rest of Tau Elpis with cheaply made products. In addition, the Hiderid contribute most of the uranium and uranium-derived products used in smaller fission power plants across the system.   The Coalition's economy is not as strong as their culture would seek to project. For all its raw power, its markets are extremely volatile and susceptible to quick and dramatic downturns. Many Hiderid corporations devote a considerable amount of resources towards undermining each other, usually through the proxy of security forces. This turns away investors in search of stability over a quick credit boost and has led other colonies to lessen their dependance on Hiderid goods. In addition, the Coalition imports most of its foodstuffs as a very high cost, for few Hiderid corporations have managed to successfully compete with Boshaari or Mewei agrobusiness ventures. A few punitive tariffs could put extraordinary pressure on the Coalition. Additionally, much of Hakaria's infrastructure still relies on increasingly unreliable original Programmable Matter colony modules that have yet to be replaced.   Credits are used across the Coalition (and are the accepted exchange currency for much of Tau Elpis).  

Warfare

  The Coalition keeps a small, well-paid army to defend its holdings and business interests. In addition, cities on Hakaria maintain their own private security forces. However, the Coalition's military might is quite low, and it is a challenge for land armies to keep full reserves.   The Coalition navy is equally underdevelopped, with only a few proper warships in orbit at any given time. However, all Hiderid-registered trade vessels must carry armaments, and often travel in packs, centered around a corporate security vessel, that viciously defend themselves from pirates when necessary. Before the Jump, the Coalition relied on Mewei Domain vessels to keep the peace from intruders; such an arrangement might be difficult to envision today.  

History

 

Before the Jump

  The Hiderid emerged millenia ago on an unstable resource-poor world subject to countless disasters. The strongest communities formed around those able to amass and protect the biggest hoards - food granaries in palace economies, or oil depots during the early space age. Displays of wealth and abundance were deeply impressive, and often used to raise a city’s prestige. Violence was uncommon, and most often replaced by wars of trade, and caravaneers linked all major cities looking to sponsor their nation. Bartering and gambling became martial arts. Well into the space age, it was those who traded the best who grew to be the strongest. The first Coalition, 1800 cycles ago, was a mercantile federation peacefully forged between several of the strongest Hiderid nations and three stellar neighbours : the Seelie, the Mewei and the Zaalans. Whilst the Hiderid had the least resourceful world and the lowest population, their economy punched far above their weight and they became the purveyors of trade, services, and tourism.  

Early Days

  After the Great Jump , the Hiderid quickly adapted, founding seventeen colonies on Hakaria. A corporation called Blue Reach, Ltd rapidly rose to power - it built mines, reactors, and the jewel of Hakaria itself : Bluereach City. These early efforts laid the foundation for the creation of a unified colonial government, the Coalition, a corpocratic government dominated by Blue Reach as well as other major Hiderid kin-clans and corporate interests. With wealth and power concentrating at the top, the Coalition evolved quickly into an oligarchy masked in nominal democracy.   Hopes of finding veins of Thaumium on Hakaria never materialized. In the 10th Cycle, a petty conflict erupted with the Boshaari Council over thaumium mining rights on the faraway and nigh-unreachable planet Zindra , culminating in a brief skirmish war. Alarmed at the waste of precious Programmable Matter and seeking a slice of Zindra for themselves, the Mewei Domain brokered a deal which split Zindra into sixteen zones. Called the Compromise of Frost, it was agreed that one zone would go to the Domain as a "fee", two would go to the Boshaari, two more to the Hhrot, with the remaining eleven zones were each given to a Hiderid corporation, formally granted rights of exploitation to much of the planet to the Coalition. It would be many years before it became economically viable to reach deposits on Zindra, as whatever thaumium was available needed safekeeping for use in fusion reactors, but the legal groundwork had been laid.  

The Zaalan Rebellions

  Before the Great Jump, Hiderid were generally hostile to the arrival of Zaalan refugees on an already overcrowded Ark. Their stance changed after arrival in Tau Elpis , as the Zaalans were not given a colony world to develop, and were a perfect source of labour for a rapidly expanding Coalition. At such, many Zaalans became indentured to powerful Hiderid corporations. However, poor treatment of workers and deep inequality formented unrest in Zaalan circles. In the 19th Cycle, industrial action spearheaded by dockworker activist Hyr Bogwyn culminated in full-scale riots after Comptroller Kjrx Frkx attempted to crack down on strikers, and several colony sites were severely damaged. The Zaalan Rebellions were quelled, but not before radicals, including Bogwyn, fled Hakaria for Embassy Ark in stolen ships that would become the rump of the Zaalan Free Tribes armada later on. Despite failing to achieve their initial goal, the Rebellions did spur political reforms onward, notably amendments to the Coalition constitution guaranteeing equal rights for all sentient Ark species, including Zaalans.  

Outpost X-5

  In the 54th cycle, a strange object was discovered in the very far confines of Tau Elpis. Trapped in the orbit of Nyx, there was a strange, destroyed station of alien design, emitting anomalous readings in its space-time continuum. Captain Krax Jentrax noted "an abundance of thaumic energy emanating from a hitherto undiscovered singularity in otherwise completely blank and uninteresting coordinates - except for the wreck of alloys, perhaps enough to please one corpo boardroom for a few cycles, who knows."   Flying a little further and following the trail of debris, Jentrax stumbled upon a frozen and partially destroyed Stanford Torus, still rotating upon its axis and, in the middle of the empty ring, there was the singularity : a rip through time and space, possibly to other systems. Captain Jentrax established a small research outpost in the ruins of the station, which would become Outpost X-5, a watch-station monitoring for any further anomalous readings.   Whether Captain Jentrax managed to pass through the ring is classified to this day. But one thing is sure : the discovery of the Torus shifted Hiderid priorities, and perhaps that of the rest of the system. For the Coalition believes to this day that the station is a gateway to other worlds, and its corporations anticipate what hides beyond with both fear and cautious optimism. The outpost itself is in forbidden space, and the Coalition asked upon the neutral Mewei Domain to protect the system from any who would foolishly throw its gates wide with extreme force if necessary.  

The Hestian Rush

  The Coalition then expanded throughout the Belt, seeking a perch from which to effectively strip mine Zindra. These were a difficult times, as initial infrastructure was beginning to fail, and thaumium ore trickled at an extremely slow rate : it takes thaumium to build the dive-drives and reactors that go out in the black and bring more thaumium. As the Coalition at least partially relied on conventional fission reactors, it could spare some thaumium for the construction of new Dive Drives, which enabled it to reliably reach the Hestian Trojans sooner than other states. The subsequent Hestian Rush brought an economic miracle to the Coalition, and especially for those Hiderid conglomerates which could now economically mine the thaumium they were promised many decades prior in the Compromise of Frost. Ironically, the influx of cheap ores in large quantities from the Belt triggered a sharp economic downturn, completely rearranging the pecking order amongst Coalition corporations. However, the economy recovered, at least until the speculative bubble around the construction of new stations in Hestia burst, triggering a second downturn which had sent the Hiderid economy into predictable peaks of ups and downs ever since. By the 98th Cycle, many asteroids were being settled in the Belt and thaumium became an affordable and relatively plentiful resource across Tau Elpis. By the 128th Cycle, Hakaria's moon colonies on Prospect were re-opened.   However, several cycles of boom and bust since the times of the Hestian Rush have eroded general trust in the Credit and in the Coalition economy as a whole. Over time, the Coalition's leading role in colonizing Tau Elpis seems to have been passed on to the Boshaari Council, prompting waves of modernization and investment that are yet to pay off, whilst inequality continues to rise.