Dostoyevsky

From Acw

The second moon of New Ukraine located in the Chimera System. Initially claimed by the USSR as part of their expansion into the New Ukraine system, it has since become the galaxy's first non-aligned extra-terrestrial nation.

History

Grand Plans Shelved

When Russia claimed the planet that would become New Ukraine by moving the Alexander Nevsky to the Chimera System in 2149, it by default claimed the planet's two moons. Tolstoy was initially thought to be rich in useful mineral deposits, and it seemed useful to have bases in-system from which to conduct terraforming, so construction of two Kursk-class factory ships, one for each moon, commenced in the Mars shipyards in 2150.

The short run of Kursk-class ships were designed to achieve planetfall and be rebuilt as factories for the construction of habitats on planetary bodies deemed unsuitable for terraforming. Consisting of a factory module and a crew module, the crew module would detach and guide the factory to the moon's surface via radio control. A series of setbacks in the construction of the complex factory segments of the ships, combined with changes of direction in the program that resulted in the original plans for Arcology Housings beign replaced with plans for a smaller network of interconnected habitats, delayed the ships. The urgent need for warships for the First Extrasolar Fleet meant that the ship bound for Dostoyevsky was temporarily shelved until after the Battle of New Ukraine in 2152 had won the planet for the USSR. With a base being completed on Tolstoy in 2156 and the discovery that that moon's mineral deposits were considerably smaller then previously thought, the Russian fleet saw no reason to continue the Kursk program, and mothballed the second ship in its Mars drydock.

The Dostoyevsky Committee

However, in 2193 the USSR was approached by a conglomerate of independently wealthy citizens from several terrestrial nations wanting to separate themselves from the poisonous political environment on Earth. Calling themselves the "Dostoyevsky Commmittee". Talks with the USSR were fruitful, resulting in the Committe's agreement to fully fund the final stages of the Dostoyevsky Kursk ship. Furthermore, they would be allowed to take possession of the moon, and provided they operated no military spacecraft and the government remained friendly to the USSR (read: remained socialist), they could count on inviolability guaranteed by the Russian First Extrasolar Fleet. The Dostoyevsky Comittee agreed and by 2210 the first payments were made toward the ship's completion. In its orbital drydock, it was christened the Fyodor.

However, the Russian shipbuilding program that was still feeding their extrasolar forces meant that the Mars shipyards, where the Fyodor would be completed, could still not continue. It was not until the late 2210s, when the program wound down and the gargantuan fleet was large enough to be split into two smaller fleets, that construction of the Fyodor could recommence. It left Mars orbit in 2219 for its first sub-Krasnikov test flights, and the Committee began negotiations for a civilian jump to Chimera in 2221.

Raptoria

In the chaos that followed the Destruction of Earth, the infamous pirate Lucius Drake sought refuge in Spookrock's spaceport. During his stay on the moon, he gradually managed to bring a number of the Circle around to his way of thinking - that Dostoyevsky coudl only survive in this post-Earth universe by building a fleet, and that he, Drake, was the man to command it. Drake's legendary charisma served him well; before long he had the Circle bending to his whim. Over the next five years, seemingly on a whim, he agitated to bring two refugee religious organisations - the Church of the Rapture and the Grail Seekers - to Dostoyevsky. As the churches became established on the moon, Drake gradually bound them and the Circle together into one organisation. By the end of the Chaos, he had cemented his control over the panet now known as Raptoria.

Politics

Predominantly a liberal socialist model with a ruling board of 13 people (officially called The Circle, it is also called The Coven by it's critics) picked from the various industry academic sectors that must face re-election every 5 years.

The 13 Elected Circle Positons

• Speaker of The Circle
• Chief Magistrate
• Chief Surgeon
• Chief Economic Officer
• Chief Agriculture Officer
• Chief Industrial Officer
• Chief Information Officer
• Chief Education Officer

Geography

Military

There is a general militia and 2 years military service is mandatory for everyone (unless physically exempted by the Chief Surgeon of the Circle).

The Circle has it's own law enforcement organisation headed by the Chief Magistrate of the Circle. The Magistrates are a combination of police and lawyer. Empowered to enforce the law, they also oversee the justice process through to acquittal/punishment.

Economy

Dostoyevsky's chief export is financial and informational security. Like Switzerland in the 20th Century "Spook Rock" will (for a price) provide completly anonymous data banking as well as more traditional financial services.

Demographics

Culture

Due to it's location and it's neutral status with regards to the major powers, Dostoyevsky has has become the popular place for the various powers' espionage experts to gather to trade information.

The culture is largely forgiving of anything not directly ruled against in the charter which serves as both constitution and code of laws. This is not to say that it is a lawless or easy going planet.