The Republic of Patagonia

 From the Terran Coalition “Settled Planets and Interstellar Polity Database”

Vital Statistics:

Number of Planetary Bodies Governed: 2, Rocky body and satellite, numerous stations

Population: 48 Million 

System Astrography:

Stellar Body: Pacifica XII (G4V Class Star)

Planetary Bodies: In orbital order

Icarus – rocky world 0.3 AU

Patagonia – rocky world 1.1 AU

Illapa – gas giant 6.2 AU

Francesca – rocky world 6.9 AU

Isolde – rocky world 7.3 AU

Pinta – gas giant 19.7 AU

The Republic of Patagonia is a young star nation. Settled relatively recently in interstellar history, it has only established itself roughly four hundred years after the initial scouting by probes to the system. Claimed by a conglomerate of Earth and Perdican based explorers from the Terran and Perdicus systems, it was seen to be a viable endeavour with two largely equatorial continents, large icecaps and a single large, landmass in its southern hemisphere. Backers came primarily from the former United South American Nations and the Perdicus Governate, with a smattering of others. The system was properly colonized in 1309 SE and after one hundred and twelve years of atmospheric tweaking, the first unsuited humans set foot on the planet.

The First Colony Fleet was, by the standards of other ventures in the twelfth century, very small, with only 150,000 settlers in the first wave, and a further 100,000 settlers in the Second Fleet, making for an immediate colonial population (after accounting for natural growth in the interim between arrival and settlement) a mere 375,000.

While Patagonia had required only minimal planetary tweaking, the trade off was a planet very cold compared to earth standard, and a 30-degree axial tilt which caused shorter growing seasons. This gave the planet weather norms of 9-11 Degrees Celsius, and lows of -9 to -35 degrees, with temperatures lower in the higher latitudes. Consequently, anything above 15 is considered a heat wave. The weather patterns were broadly similar to the Earth region of Patagonia, something commented on by the colonial founders, which gave the planet its name proper. 

With .88g the planet was comfortable for human habitation and required no great genetic modification to the population. Coupled with a 19 hour day/night cycle and 232.3 day local year, most Terran and modified Perdican stock could thrive quite nicely. Thus, when the first proper settlements were set up in 1421 SE (or 1st Colony Year (CY) in the local calendar) the infant nation was well on its way to a comfortable existence.

Early History:

The first colonists founded the young republic on the largest central continent of Mariana. The two other continents were slowly colonized in the subsequent decades, with the other temperate continent of Valdiviana settled several years after the main colony was established, but the more Greenland like expanse of Florina near the southern pole was only inhabited one hundred and six years after the initial colonization.

However, in the early years a very real rift existed between the orbital and belt-based populations. The Belters had been the bedrock of the initial colonization efforts, as the earliest settlements hardly boasted anything beyond fifty thousand, while double that resided in space working to sustain themselves for the eventual settlement of the planet proper. A thriving system of mining, agricultural and economic centers grew up in orbit and then in the inner asteroid belt. When the planet was declared ready, over eighty percent of the initial population merely left these homes, shutting the whole system down. The twenty percent who remained dealt with a sudden, sharp economic depression.

In these early years there were very real threats of secession from these orbital groups. While not a wholly realistic goal, it did threaten the equilibrium of the delicate political balance which had been established. It was only thanks to the colonial administrator and first elected president, Dom Padros, that the nation was unified. The Constitution of CY 49 was a turning point, as it established generous subsidies for the orbital communities, guaranteed them an equal say in the established House of Representatives, and would ensure that the terrestrial based industry did not wholly eclipse the space-based industry.

While it worked for roughly a century, the Crisis of 166 CY brought matters to a head once more. By this point the colony had grown both through natural growth and a steady trickle of immigration from poorer neighboring systems, and the planetary population was at a comfortable ten million compared to an orbital/belter population of two million. By this point, the imbalance between competing interests in space and on the ground – where modern technology was making the exploitation of the planets’ resources far more practical – was creating another rift. The orbital populations were by and large self sufficient in production, largely relying on the planet for stable deliveries of foodstuffs and other goods like wood and synthetics. Meanwhile, the space-based population only provided more luxury goods and trade stuffs from other systems and Terra itself. While it was easier to obtain many rare metals and other goods in space, business interests and the more populous planetary governates had been shutting out these cheaper sources for a century.

In 166, the specter of secession loomed large once again. Tax strikes, economic hostility, and efforts to corrupt the algorithms used to process the needs of the planetary economy had become the norm in the early 60s, and now protests reached a fever pitch. The worst incident was the strike on Balboa Habitat, where the navy was required to deploy marines to quell violence against representatives of the planetary economy. 

The crisis ended in 167 with the 7th Amendment to the Colonial Constitution. It guaranteed any majority in the House must include a majority of Belter representatives, and that, beginning in 169, the economic algorithms would begin taking on preferences to ensure that the Belter economy did not stagnate and provided an adequate amount to the planet to meet their needs, including, as necessary, the right to stockpile foreign goods. While there were numerous accusations the 7th Amendment “created artificial scarcity” it was passed by a majority keen to ensure that the Belt and Patagonia did not schism formally.

The Pirate Problem

In the second century after the founding of the republic, the nation began experiencing an increasing series of incursions. The Patagonia System was peculiar in that it was located in a 15 light year region of space where the neighboring star systems were, on a galactic scale at least, very resource poor. While Patagonia itself had a rich circle of debris, slightly thinner than Sol, to draw upon, its neighbors suffered from having sparse, to no debris discs to use to boost their own economics beyond what could be obtained from local planetary bodies.

This had been, prior to 1509 SE, partially alleviated by closer systems choosing to mine the various asteroids in the system. The arrival of a new colonial venture, with the clout to back up its claim, put an end to this practice outright. In the shadows however, groups of freebooters would sneak into the system and create hasty mining operations. These were, gradually shut down as the Patagonian Navy grew, but they never stopped entirely. Matters were not helped by the privation the Belt economy found itself facing, and so high prices were established in shipments to neighboring polities. This caused resentment from the already resource poor neighbors who often tried in vain to negotiate better treaties. With the politics in Patagonia being what they were, the Belters were unlikely to side with any vote which would see a decrease in their economic activity.

In response, pirate fleets began organizing to both protect ad hoc mining operations, but also simply raid and steal ores or finished goods created or imported by the Belter population. As diplomatic attempts floundered against a wall of Belter intransience, piracy became the norm rather than the exception. Events escalated to the point where after roughly a century, acts of piracy could almost be counted by the day.

While the government in Bravos tried to deal with the problem diplomatically, it made a concentrated effort to expand the navy. The Republic had an indigenous ship building capacity, but not one which was well suited to the largescale construction of a navy. Even if it had, most terrestrial politicians were adverse to spending the billions necessary to expand the fleet or its bases. Inevitably, this was done, establishing Corchane Station as the largest refit and repair station outside the Orbital Command complex around Patagonia.

This effectively cut piracy by half but did not end it. The situation effectively went from critical to manageable. However, that still meant that roughly 2000+ Belters would lose their lives to pirate related incidents every year starting in 257 CY. This left naval matters as one of the premier political debates. Matters would come to a head in 285 CY when the largest incursion of pirates threatened to forcibly conquer a portion of the Belt from Patagonia.

A freebooter fleet consisting of mercenaries and unaccredited members of neighbouring star systems invaded with a powerful body of ships, forcibly occupying several stations in the Belt. The Patagonian Navy was caught off guard by such a powerful incursion, and initially, failed to respond. Martialling their strength, the navy under Admiral Graff Gonzales, took the battle to the freebooters at the asteroid designated P-79. In a hard-fought campaign, the bloodiest ever fought by Patagonia, the freebooter fleet was defeated, but at a heavy cost.

Though a victory, it had the odd effect of crystalizing the national political sentiment. The Belters saw it as proof that they were the most important economic asset of the system, while the planetary population were divided on whether it meant a more robust space based economic system was relevant or whether it meant that they should focus primarily on the planetary economy while writing off the more imperilled sections of the Belt economy as an economic loss. Both sides saw naval expansion as necessary, but political gridlock stopped much of the expansion proper.

However, the election of Dominic Irisarri in 292 CY and his historic budget proposals of CY 295 meant that it was decided a naval expansion was expedient. This has so far been contentious and remains a point of political controversy at time of writing.

Government:

The Republic of Patagonia is Parliamentary Republic with a bicameral system, with a democratically elected House of Representatives serving as the Congress with 608 seats, constitutionally 202 of those must represent the Belt. The upper house is the elected Senate, which has 150 members. The Congress and the Senate pass legislation but have a nebulous influence on the Executive in the form of the President and their Cabinet.

Both houses represent the various provinces on Patagonia proper, while the orbital and Belt populations are represented by districts which encompass different communities or collectives in the Belt. These are subject to the same redistricting laws as provinces on the planet which has been the source of some ire in the past.

The President is elected to a six year term and is the executive of the state. The President has broad powers, which include those over security, presiding over the selection of Supreme Court Justices, advising on the input of economic algorithms, the ability to grant pardons, grant pensions, and licenses. The President is also responsible for appointing the heads of various agencies and picking his cabinet, though party machinery plays a large role in its composition. The President also controls the setting and implementation of foreign policy.

Patagonia has a judiciary overseen by its Justice Department, whose Chief Officer is appointed by the President. The Supreme Court is the highest judicial body on Patagonia but meets exclusively in the capital at Bravos. Despite efforts to get a satellite location constructed in the Belt to ease the hearing of more far-flung cases, no effort has been made to implement such procedures.

Military:

Ever since the colony fleets arrived, a small military presence has existed in the Republic. The original military was established around six corvettes which accompanied the initial fleet and a constabulary force which had been created enroute to keep the peace on ships and then in the early settlements. This force expanded over the first century to include modern warships, a marine corps, and army. 

The navy was, originally, the highest priority of the government as the extent of the freebooter problem became clear. Within the first fifty years of the establishment of the Republic of Patagonia, the navy had expanded from the original six corvettes to a respectable force of six frigates, five destroyers and a pair of cruisers and a new series of corvettes which expanded the strike and patrol ability of the Republic within its own space. The Marine Corps was a natural outgrowth of the Navy, being used to secure stations, freebooter facilities, and police ships which were intercepted by the Navy.

The Army was a contentious establishment. The early pirate incursions convinced many that there was only the need for a navy and the Marines, and if any serious trouble ever made it to the planet, there would be no further point in resistance. The government, in light of the events of 166 CY, disagreed. Previously, all planetary defence needs were met by rotating one of four Marine regiments between different posts, backed up by special detachments of constabulary who trained in light infantry tactics. The only non marine regiment was the Presidential Guard which served as the security detail for the President and in securing important government sites around Bravos. A rapid expansion was undertaken in 175 CY, bringing the army up to a significant strength, outnumbering the Marines within a decade. Derided by some as a ‘toy force’ it was trained to repel landings and provide relief to civilian governments in emergencies. 

Considered the junior service, it has near parity in personnel size to the Marines and Navy combined, but is recruited almost exclusively from the planetary population, having less than 0.01 representation from the Belter population. 

Demographics:

The colonists were primarily of former USAN and Perdican extraction, broadly speaking one of the Four Major Settled Language Groups, with Spanish being the most common. As such, Spanish grew into the lingua franca of the colony but with Greek firm second and, peculiarly enough, a smattering of Welsh. Roughly 20,000 of the original colonists came from the Y Wladfa in South America and brought their language with them, seeing it thrive in the highlands of Valdiviana, and in some stations where the Welsh language lives on. The majority of the colonies major English-speaking populace as a third language resides in the Belt or on Mariana.

As of the last census (290 CY/1711 SE) 38,847,309 citizens of the Republic of Patagonia reside on Patagonia proper, with roughly 70% residing on the continent of Mariana, a further 21% residing on Valdiviana, and only 6% residing on the southern continent of Florina. Another 2% of the population lives on various bases and subterranean habitats on the moon orbiting Patagonia.

In the various stations and habitats of the Belt, there are 10,010,877 citizens of Patagonia. They reside on large asteroid bodies, free floating stations and habitats, and other bases around the system inhabiting a large halo of nebulously defined political blocs.

The population is 51.6% female, 49.4% male. The median age is 45, with the average lifespan being 109.