Krasnaya Xue
Red Snow
OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION
Intent: This planet is intended to provide background to Krasnaya Xue’s upbringing and culture, as well as to introduce a developed, habitable world with a slightly frigid environment as opposed to the usual extremes--and to provide a ‘socialist sandbox’ to experiment with the benefits and/or dysfunctions of a Selectivist society.
Image Credit: https://www.nasa.gov/centers/ames/events/2011/kepscicon-presskit.html
Canon: N/A
Links:
GENERAL INFORMATION
Planet Name: Sibakan
Demonym: Sibakantsi (Sibakanets - male singular, Sibakanka - female singular)
Region: Outer
System Name: Rosski System
System Features:
- Sun: Rosskya - A2 VI (Bluish Subdwarf)
- Planets in orbital order:
- Zhordye - Type IV Silicate (tidal locked)
- Arumannya - Type III Gas Dwarf
- Ukrai - Type I Terrestrial
- Sibakan - Type I Terrestrial
Moon: Petra
[*]Tjekka - Type III Eccentric Iron
[*]Pylsska - Type II Gas Giant
[*]Esta - Type III Ocean
[*]Litvik - Type III Carbon Dwarf
[*]Fialna - Type III Ice
Coordinates: (AL, 31)
Major Imports: Foodstuffs; Hyperbarides; Tibanna gas
Major Exports: Rhydonium; Turadium; Duralium; precious gemstones
GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION
Gravity: Slightly below standard
Climate: Sub-temperate
Primary Terrain: Grasslands; Forests; Mountains; Ocean; Tundra; Ice sheets
Major Locations:
"From the Coutnryside" by Grivetart on Deviantart.com
The capital city of Sibakan, Molchivolna rises abruptly out of the grasslands that are home to the rapidly disappearing farms. Most residents rent apartment flats, often splitting the living space with other families to reduce expenses. The high-rises surrounding the central parks and capitol buildings are architecturally appealing, mirror-like with their all-transparisteel exteriors and elegant shapes. Extending outward towards the perimeter of the city, construction takes on a more utilitarian composition, with duracrete apartment complexes and box-like factories.Molchivolna boasts a low rate of violent crime, but living conditions are mediocre. Most wealthy residents live in comfort on the upper floors of the skyscrapers.
POPULATION
Native Species: Various fauna - no intelligent species
Immigrated Species: Humans, Echani
Population: Moderately Populated
Sibakan is mostly populated in concentrated areas. The majority resides in the temperate band within 30 degrees of the equator, where the mid seasons are long enough to grow and harvest crops and the winters are not as harsh as on the tundra. The remainder of the planet's surface is more frigid and scarcely settled, with scattered pockets of civilization assembled near valuable resources or aquatic hunting zones.
Demographics: Humans make up the majority of the population, with a fair representation of Echani as well. Most races are accepted with indifference, though some from faraway systems are considered suspicious.
- 84% - Human
- 14% - Echani
- 2% - Other
Primary Languages: Sibaski (localized language), Basic
Culture:
Political feelings have ebbed and flowed over the centuries, but the people of Sibakan have consistently been subject to systems revolving around a singular figure. They view themselves more as a society rather than a sovereign nation and are very patriotic no matter the government, as they are unashamed to celebrate themselves. It is theorized that the Sibakantsi cling to powerful government infrastructure to preserve their identity as a people, which they fear could be destroyed by external forces. Their customs and celebrations are embedded with tradition, which they do not easily abandon.
Art is extremely appreciated by the public, but it is not necessarily deemed a productive form of expression and has made little progress in recent decades. The exhibitions are astonishingly beautiful but the contributors are few. Many performers are also viewed as conceited and are either highly applauded for their bombastic behavior or contradictorily derided for it. It is nearly impossible to gauge just how well any single entertainer will succeed.
Sports are not a dominant aspect of Sibakantsi life, but they certainly have their place and many show up to limmie matches or play various pickup games on the streets or ice.
Once dismal, the planetary military force has recently and dramatically increased its power and presence on Sibakan. Following the introduction of Selectivist ideals, consensus seems to be that aggression is undesirable, but there is no such thing as too much force when required.
Several religions are accepted, but none are prominent. Predominantly, most Sibakantsi are ignorant of the Force or any theological beliefs and live on tradition, superstition, and a prayer for good fortune.
GOVERNMENT & ECONOMY
Government: Socialist Republic
Affiliation: Independent
Wealth: Medium
The typical Sibakan citizen belongs to the low-middle class. There is not a great sense of wealth for the common resident. Most are frugal to a near-miserly extent, and sharing housing between families is normal. Actual middle class is a rare breed, with impoverished and extensively wealthy forming the normal extremes. It is not unusual for families to receive income in the form of remittances from emigrated relatives working on foreign Tibanna gas worlds.
Stability: High
The culture is placid for the most part, making legislation a fairly simple matter for those maintaining the higher offices. Most Sibakantsi have adjusted to the current government, preferring not to upset the status quo. On an individual level, the law tends to get in the way more than it tends to serve the average citizen. There is nothing innately hostile about the population, but a general sense of apathy is perceived about the average citizen. They tend to agree with the common values and tradition of their society even when restrictions frustrate them.
Freedom & Oppression:
The governing body is not inherently malicious, but strict regulations take their toll on economic prosperity and opportunity. Emigration is culturally frowned upon, and exit documents are difficult to obtain unless the destination world is rich in material vital to Sibakan’s economy. Immigration consists of lengthy review processes, background checks, medical examinations, political screening, and a brief period of monitoring within their establishing environment.
Imports are heavily restricted by sizeable tariffs or outright bans on foreign goods that could otherwise be obtained from local producers. Occasionally this will lead to shortages in these products.
Speech is not repressed, but certain expressed views can affect how benevolently the government bureaus will behave towards the source. Units that threaten the peace are quelled efficiently and as quietly as possible.
MILITARY & TECHNOLOGY
Military: Fortified and mobilized
The patriotic Sibakantsi are very proud of their military. The defense forces benefit the most from government funding, and the Krasnie drive yards orbiting the planet have produced a moderately sized and capable navy. Every major city has installed extensive underground facilities for the people to seek refuge within should the planet suffer attack, as well as planetary ion cannons and turbolasers to ward off orbital bombardments. Military or interior security service is highly encouraged of the youth via state-sponsored militia organizations. A comparatively large percentage of the population is considered to be active duty or enlisted reserve. Young adults from rural regions commonly participate in military drills during the winter when farming operations are dormant.
Technology: “War is the father and king of all.”
Sibakan’s culture has always been wary of looming war, and thus their innovation of military technology has indirectly influenced civilian technological development as new discoveries are made. However, not all inhabitants experience the same quality of life, and most who live outside major cities have less access to some tools that those in the Core Worlds would consider staple. Military technology tends to excel beyond what most worlds can develop. Modern civilian technology also trends ahead of the galactic curve, but its quality is usually terribly inferior. Thus, the average household contains outdated appliances that are more reliable.
HISTORICAL INFORMATION
Sibakan was discovered during an economic boon within the Tion Cluster in approximately BBY 1283. Legend has it that a business magnate had dispatched probes in hopes of finding the next Kessel. When nothing of interest to his purposes were found, the acquired images obtained by the probes were publicly released, and the Rosski system was roughly charted. Following expeditions discovered that the worlds within the system were rife with metal deposits, and mining colonies were established on them.
Sibakan was initially settled as a provision hub for these colonies, its earth fertile and water sources vast enough for farming despite the frigid winters. Its moderately chilled climate attracted Echani as well, who assimilated with the human population peacefully. Then, in BBY 1075, Sibakan gained attention for its own natural resources, especially after the first strike of precious mineral veins in the mountains. Immigrants from local systems poured in, and those who had profited from the discovery early on ascended to nobility status.
Proxy wars broke out in the mining colonies and feuds erupted amongst nobles over who had the rights to which deposits. Those with a firmer foot in their territories survived, and through a web of political marriages, a consistent royal lineage was forged. One final conflict between the three most influential cousins ended the tangled dispersion of power, and the first official monarch came to power in BBY 810. His successors would remain the governing authority for centuries to come.
Inspired by the Rebel Alliance gaining momentum in the Galactic Civil War, revolution aborted the absolute monarchical trend in ABY 4 and replaced it with a constitutional monarchy. This system was then followed up by a meritocracy in ABY 596--which failed miserably and was quickly supplanted by a more democratic system that lasted for a pair of centuries, though it oftentimes collided with the innate culture of Sibakan.
Many Sibakantsi emigrated to Bespin or Taloraan in the more recent decades to take advantage of their economy’s thirst for Tibanna gas. Their contributions to the Tibanna gas industry by far represent the most influential--and most capitalist--impact Sibakan’s descendants have in the galaxy. Yet the Sibakantsi industrialist presence on Bespin surprisingly hustled the onset of socialist agenda despite its profit-driven inclinations, with unionization movements multiplying across the ‘cloud cities’ of the gas giant and soon enough imported into Sibakan culture, which was readily accepting of the communal spirit.
Further hustled down the road towards socialism by influential natives such as Admiral Krasnaya Xue (and with many failed capitalist nations in recent galactic history to point out), The Little Black Book was eventually introduced to the world, prompting a forceful push for Selectivism. While not entirely a bloodless revolution, the promoted ‘political reformation’ was generally received with open arms. In ABY 840, the Selectivist State of Sibakan was forged.
Industry boomed initially, as did living conditions and overall welfare. Magnificent structures were erected. The military was bolstered by increased production coupled with focused importation of weapons materials. The traditional local culture was aggressively esteemed and praises rang out for the world’s acceptance of a government system that highlighted their millennia-celebrated values. A united people who congregate and work together for survival by day and retreat to ‘frivolous privacy’ by night was exactly how they had lived. They were strong together.
The honeymoon season was not to last, however, and the superior lifestyle soon declined into something less fantastic; mediocre but still substantially better off than the majority of so established societies. The raucous celebrations may not be quite as inspiring as they once were, but the people are still generally happy and the military visibly strong as ever, a significant supplier of weaponry to the Rebel Alliance’s Red Fleet. Time will tell if this pioneer Outer Rim society will thrive or flounder.
