The Nikolovsk System
Introduction
Both a blessing and a curse to the people, the Nikolovsk System is symbolic of the character of modern Russia. The frozen hellscape of Ledyanoy Shar proves deadly to the unprepared miners on its surface, but its bountiful mineral deposits make it a literal goldmine for the empire. Floating in the aether, one can visit the stunning Bolshoi Aetherplex, a veritable pleasure palace designed to keep the working class happy enough to continue work, all the while ensuring they leave with their pockets empty. The garish facade also hides underlying corporate intrigue, as the competition between Russian capitalists has turned deadly. Yet from the far reaches of the system, some whisper of long exiled foes, watching, waiting for their moment to return.
History
Espionage in the Sciences
The Russian Empire stands today as one of the most technologically advanced nations in the world, even though it historically lagged behind the other great powers in the adoption and implementation of new technologies. Although the modernization efforts of Peter and Catherine alike brought great changes to Tsarist Russia, the true success of Russia's technological leaps comes from its remarkable espionage program. The Russian Empire's modern espionage program first began in force with the establishment of the Okhrana under Konstantin I. Although originally intended to curtail the power and influence of the noble houses, the Okhrana’s role in subterfuge progressed away from the aristocracy and instead to the lower classes and foreign adversaries under Tsar Paul II. Over time, even as the power of the tsar weakened, the influence of the Okhrana itself grew.
This transformation culminated in a plan in the late 1860s by Leontiy Dubbekt for a mass infiltration effort in the United States to probe for potential scientific breakthroughs. Dubbekt’s plan involved sending a number of Russian Okhrana officials to elite foreign Universities to pose as students, in an effort to learn more about American advancements in physics, biology, and chemistry. After extensive language training and the forging of a number of American documents, Dubbekt prepared eight operatives to infiltrate top schools across the USA. The mission was put forth in August of 1870 with each operative arriving in America with forged documents, and then train hopping their way to their respective targets.
Among the spies was a young Georgy Sudeykin, who would later quickly rise the ranks in the Okhrana in large part due to his achievements in the U.S. When he arrived in America, he found himself posing as an incoming student at the Yale University physics department. Although he initially had little knowledge of the subject matter, he was an adept spy and a quick learner. In the first couple of years, the operatives only managed to catch hushed whispers among chief staff about a top-secret program called the “Hidalgo Project”, which many professors had felt snubbed not to receive an invitation to work on.
Sudeykin’s efforts bore fruit in 1874, as he heard rumors of Professor Hubert Anson Newton’s untimely sabbatical to Illinois to research axial precession. Suspecting his potential involvement in an aethernautics project, Sudeykin followed him to the small city of Rockford, Illinois. There he discovered a heavily guarded military institution in the forest, where a number of prominent scientists frequented. This was the hub of the Hidalgo Project, where the Americans would later construct the world's first jump gate. After sending a message to St. Petersburg and his colleagues with his discovery, he and his co-conspirators met in Rockford to devise a plan to infiltrate the Hidalgo Project. Posing as janitors, scientists, and security guards, Sudeykin and his team disclosed the existence of jump lanes to chief scientists back in St. Petersburg.Over the next two years of espionage, they leaked many of the blueprints of the Jefferson Gate, well before newspapers began reporting on its construction.
The Nikolovsk Gate’s Construction and the Okhotsk Techno-Union
Although Tsar Paul II was deeply interested in the construction of the Nikolovsk Gate in 1876, he was severely lacking in funds to contribute to the project as he was occupied with the restructuring of the Russian military in preparation for the invasion of the Raj. In order to continue the project, Paul II sought investments from outside the many Boyar families who he was already struggling to keep control of. To achieve this, Tsar Paul II founded the Okhotsk Techno-Union (OTU), which was formed by a small number of wealthy businessmen and scientists from outside the aristocracy. In order to save face in the eyes of the boyars, he sold his shares of the company to fund the gate, with the intention of repurchasing his control in the company after the gate was a success. In exchange for funding for the construction of the gate and its maintenance, the OTU would be granted tolling rights which were set at a very meager fixed rate for the use of the Nikolovsk Gate. Furthermore, the OTU would be barred from any business in the aether colonies established after the gate’s construction, which granted them authority only in matters of maintenance on the gate and its adjoining aetherports. This arrangement was intended by the Tsar and his economic advisors to ultimately cause the gate to bleed money from the OTU as the tolling rate was set at an unreasonably low number, so the cost of maintenance would inevitably lead the OTU to have to sell the gate back to the Tsar. Unfortunately for the Tsar, the OTU would benefit quite well from this arrangement due to the audacious manipulation of their contract.
Sudeykin returned to Moscow triumphant in 1876, after the grand unveiling of the world's first jump gate. By this point, Russian scientists and engineers had already begun the preliminary construction on their own gate, though their progress stalled due to the need to translate and reassemble the fragmented information the spies had given them over the last few years. To the shock of most of the world, the Russians completed their gate in December of 1879, almost entirely copying the design of the Jefferson Gate. This created an international scandal, but would ultimately push the Russians to the absolute forefront of aethernautic technology. In 1895, one of the chief engineers on the Nikolovsk Gate Konstantin Eduardovich Tsiolkovsky revolutionized aether technology with his Tsiolkovsky’s Ladder which would become implicated in aetherports across the globe. Although the Russians’ initial entrance into the Aether Race began through their ill-gotten gains, The Russian Empire would prove itself as an innovator and global leader in the global race for aether colonization.
After the grand opening of the Nikolovsk Gate on December 31st, 1879, the OTU chartered Russia's first expedition into the Aether to scout for the Tsar's newest colonial holding. Due to the intel received from the Americans, the company expedition brought materials to construct a return gate with them on their expedition making the return trip possible. The company kept the details of the return gate's construction secret from the Tsar and his inner circle, as they intended to build far more than just a simple gate for re-entry. The public grew increasingly concerned with the delay in the opening of the return point, but by June of 1883, the return party arrived and announced to the Russian government the grand opening of the exclusive Bolshoi Aetherplex.
No one anticipated the Okhotsk Techno-Union to build a luxury center on the aether-ports connecting the gate to the Nikolovsk system, but ultimately the funds generated from the Aetherplex would propel the OTU into being one of the richest corporations on Earth today. The Bolshoi Aetherplex would provide a luxurious experience to any who were set to travel through the gate to Russia’s holdings beyond. Furthermore, it quickly became the center for Russian arts and culture amongst the elite. The Aetherplex itself gets its name from the famous Bolshoi Theater which burned with the rest of Moscow in 1831 at the behest of Tsar Konstantin I following the invasion of Russia by Poland. Under the iron fist of Konstantine, the theater was never reestablished, as the arts were suppressed under his rule. Many of the early investors of the OTU had fond memories of the theater from their youth, and as a result wished to reshape it in the aether. From the perspective of the OTU investors, the structure was meant to showcase the burgeoning fine arts that began to reemerge at the start of Paul II’s reign. The Bolshoi Aetherplex’s design was originally meant to work as a concert hall, ballet, and hotel catering to the rich and powerful. It was ostentatious in its decor, and was designed like an opulent hedge maze. The main showcase of the Bolshoi Aetherplex is its spacious lobby and walkways whose grand glass design showcases the beauty of the aether system and the beautiful rays emitted from its red giant Ursa Prime.
The Tsar was furious when the Aetherplex opened in 1884, but could do little to stop its operation as it fell under the “maintenance” clause of the OTU’s agreement with the Tsar. When criticized by the Tsar and the Boyars alike, the OTU argued that they merely wished to make the staging point for colonial expeditions as comfortable an experience as possible, at a cost of course. The initial controversy died down after the OTU hosted its grand opening performance of Pyotr Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake in honor of the Tsar’s generous donations to the Aetherplex’s construction. This showing did much to legitimize the newly founded entertainment center as the nobles and Tsar alike were blown away by the beauty of the station and its showcase of the greatest talents in Russia. As a result, the Bolshoi Aetherplex quickly legitimized itself as the hub for the fine arts in Russia, which would help it stay afloat during the tumultuous years of aether exploration following its construction.
Disappointment and Discovery
In addition to being perturbed by the Faustian bargain he signed with the Okhotsk Techno-Union, Tsar Paul II was further dismayed by what was on the other side of the Nikolovsk Gate. The Nikolovsk Solar System was far less promising than that discovered by the Merchant expedition in the United States. Instead of being greeted by the prosperous lands of Concord Minor, the Russians who first arrived were blinded by the red giant Ursa Prime, and the cool, almost omnipresent light it emits. After about nine months of sending probes and expeditionary missions, Russian explorers came to a horrible realization; the closest celestial body to the Nikolovsk Gate was barely inside the habitable zone. A further issue stemmed from the fact that the six planets that orbited Ursa Prime were too far away for conventional propulsion to reach in a timely matter. Russians were left only with the strange celestial body closest to the gate which they had jokingly named Ledyanoy Shar (Ice Ball), before realizing it was their only prospect for colonization.
Ledyanoy Shar was not much bigger than Mercury, sitting at a diameter of about 5211 kilometers. The initial assessment of Ledyanoy Shar was largely ignored, as it proved extremely difficult to get a probe onto the planet. This was due to the celestial body's dazzling ring system, which frequently caused asteroids to rain down onto the planet's surface. As the prospects of finding another planet grew slimmer, Russian aether scientists became fascinated by Ledyanoy Shar’s curious composition. Given the size of the planet, it has an exceptionally sized ring system, despite it also being very young on a planetary scale, with most of the asteroids being only a few thousand years old.To the joy of aethernauts, scientists, businessmen, and theTsar,it was discovered that Ledyanoy Shar likely had a breathable, albeit thin atmosphere, with a liquid ocean somewhere under the thick ice and snow that covered the planet. This discovery baffled scientists, who believed such a thing impossible due to the strange composition of the planet, as there was no discernable plant life on the surface to produce oxygen. This seemingly impossible atmosphere prompted an expeditionary colonial group to attempt to settle the planet in 1885.
While the exploratory team failed to establish a habitable colony, largely due to sub-zero temperatures across the planet's surface, they did discover something extraordinary. Within the asteroid-riddled topography of Ledyanoy Shar, they discovered an extensive cave system stretching throughout the planet. Inside they found a warm water ocean along with life. Although there was rudimentary life forms in the ocean, little to no sunlight could reach these ecosystems buried underground, calling into question how these species evolved under the ice. Furthermore, the lack of plant life to produce oxygen continued to baffle scientists. The explorers did manage to find an edible mold species that grew in abundance on the cave walls. They named it “pukhlyy grib,” for its bulbous appearance. They soon discovered that it was easy to brew alcohol with this mold as well, which kept the explorers happy despite the extreme conditions they survived in the initial months of their exploration. More importantly, they discovered that the asteroids that periodically rained down on the planet were comprised mostly of precious metals like gold and silver. Once the explorers reported their findings, the Russian government rejoiced. What seemed at first to be a devastating loss for the Tsar and the OTU turned out to be a literal gold mine.
Failures in Colonization
The news of the potential wealth of the Nikolovsk Solar System was heartening to the Tsar and the boyars, at a time with a myriad of military failures and national embarrassment. Tsar Paul II’s campaigns against the British Raj proved fruitless and costly. He spent the last few years of his reign dumping large sums of his own personal wealth into the project in hopes of getting a permanent colony set up on Ledyanoy Shar. From the initial expeditionary reports of gold and precious metals, the colonial world seemed a sure way to refill the coffers of the treasury. In actuality, the heavy investments in the Tsar's later life only worked to further destabilize the nation.
To the dismay of the Tsar, the charting of the planet and its many cave systems became quite tiring for the cohort of scientists and engineers who were working to establish a colony on the planet. This project proved irksome for many reasons, chief among them the irregular rain of asteroids onto the planet's surface. This random bombardment of the very minerals the Russians sought to mine constantly changed the topography of the planet's icy surface. The size and frequency of these meteor strikes were deemed completely unpredictable, as the planet’s ring system was too large and dense to calculate where celestial objects would fall. Some scientists considered constructing large beacons on the surface to help navigate the evolving landscape, but sub-zero temperatures and hostile atmospheric anomalies made construction on the surface out of the question. In addition, the construction of these kinds of pylons would likely be frequently damaged by the irregular rain of meteors making maintenance a logistical nightmare.
This left only colonization of the cave systems underneath the surface possible, but this idea too was fraught with issues. It would be exceedingly difficult to locate a settlement underground, making travel back and forth from the aether difficult. In addition, there was no guarantee that there would be enough material deposited near a settlement to make it worth the investment to create a colony. On top of these issues, Ledyanoy Shar was prone to many earthquakes, landslides, and avalanches from the large debris striking its surface. As a result, cave-ins posed a serious risk to any settlement established underground, making a permanent settlement a risky prospect. Navigation and charting of the cave networks would also likely be impossible due to this perpetual shift in the planet's crust. Alexander Karpinsky, a world-famous geologist working on the colonization project at the time, remarked that “the behavior of the planet's crust and its composition defy nearly every principle we take for granted on Earth, and it is geology's greatest mystery and its greatest curse”.
The scientists working on the colonization project also found that reaching the planet's surface consistently would be very difficult for any would-be colonists. Navigating the planet's rings to then reach the surface all while dodging the asteroids proved extremely difficult for the aethernaut teams deployed to explore the surface of the planet in search of a habitable zone. Of the thirty expeditions in the first seven years of the gates opening, only 8 successfully landed on the planet. This made the initial exploratory group's success more of a miracle than what was once believed. Some proposed the construction of aetherstations in the orbit of the planet. This idea also proved impossible, as the abnormally large rings reached out to the end of the planet's gravity well, meaning any man-made structure in orbit would also be bombarded by debris.
The difficulty of colonizing the harsh planet put a great strain on the Tsar funds. Paul II was desperate though, and poured money into aethernautics, even funding the construction of Tsiolkovsky’s Ladder in hopes it could expedite the extraction of resources once mining began in earnest. Unfortunately, the project would not be completed until after the Tsar's death. Ironically, even once the first ladder was constructed to the earthside aetherport, a connection between the Bolshoi Aetherplex and Ledyanoy Shar would be impossible, due to the bombardment of asteroids on the structure. Russia revolutionized travel between colonial worlds and Earth with this invention, but it did little to connect them with their own colonial planet.
After Tsar Paul II's death, colonization efforts slowed considerably, but were not fully abandoned by Nicholas II. Unlike his predecessor however, the ever-indecisive Nicholas did not wish to further embroil the crown in the affairs of the aether, and he stopped funding the project. He still encouraged the boyars to contribute to the project for the sake of the nation. A few aristocrats threw money into the project, but little innovation came. The project as a whole was put on the back burner by 1905, due to political strife. Despite the failure to colonize Ledyanoy Shar, the Bolshoi Aetherplex became a popular destination for the upper class, including the Tsar and his family due to the novelty of an event center in the aether. The popularity of the theater made the Okhotsk Techno-Union a significant amount of money, and allowed them to stay afloat so to speak, despite the little funding of aethernautic exploration. Their operations continued to the present day, with the brief exception of the occupation of the Bolshoi Aetherplex by the Red Army as they retreated into the aether.
Corporatization
After the Communist uprising was suppressed, Russia began to stabilize, and the now autonomous Boyar families began investing heavily in Ostend Company subsidiaries. Many of these newfound capitalists among the Boyars found the idea of reinvesting in the aether colony project more appealing. With the seat of the Tsar empty, and little in the way of government authority, nothing was stopping these families from using their serfs to claim new territory in the aether.
Reinvestment in aether exploration was spearheaded by the wealthy Okhotsk Techno-Union who began investing in several newfound Ostend subsidiaries in hopes of expanding the aethership manufacturing industry. Slowly Russia transformed, and by 1932 these subsidiaries were bought out from under the Ostend Company, aligning themselves instead with their Boyar benefactors. The Okhotsk Techno-Union capitalized on this new arrangement quickly, with the construction of corporate offices for each of the corporations in the Bolshoi Aetherplex specifically catered to the needs of each of the corporate partners. The OTU had invested heavily in the aether industry, and was more than willing to sell a huge fleet of aether ships it had been stockpiling to any company that wished to establish a branch at their theater. This triggered a literal gold rush, as investors and Boyars alike began speculating on the colony market, with each establishing offices. Although each of these corporations was at each other's throats competitively, the OTU and their theater began acting as a mediator and safe zone of what would inevitably be the bloodbath of colonial mining. The gathering of so many corporate officials and their workers made the Bolshoi Aetherplex a perfect place for corporate espionage, which in turn made the aether station remain true to its legacy of deception.
As construction began on the Bolshoi Aetherplex corporate offices, the OTU also began to transform the aether station purpose to be more suitable to the huge swaths of miners that would occupy it. Massive expansion projects began to provide housing, food, and entertainment for the future colonial workers. In an effort to extract wealth from these future occupants, the OTU maintained the luxury aesthetic in these newly constructed decks. To appeal to the lower classes, the OTU transformed a large part of the aetherplex to hold a massive casino where workers could gamble what little wealth their corporate lords gave them. The upper decks would remain mostly the same, but with the addition of more offices and corporate housing for the Russian elites who would be staying there. The concerts, ballets, and theater performances that the Bolshoi Aetherplex was famous for continued, though at a smaller scale as affairs of colonial business became the primary concern of the OTU.
With so much money riding on the colonial projects' success from the most powerful corporations in Russia, the issues posed by geologists and physicists of the late 1800s were mostly ignored. The Boyars instead choose to send waves of expeditionary forces with mining equipment to strike out a fortune for the company on the dangerous planet. This recklessness in the first years of settlement saw only a fraction of the bloodshed and horror that the miners on Ledyanoy Shar would see.
Life aboard the Bolshoi Aetherplex
The promise of profit was too much for the various factions in Russia after its decline into a fractured corporatist state. By 1934, nearly every major corporation in Russia had established some kind of foothold in the off-world mining industry, with the promise of riches. Each corporate faction approached mining on Ledyanoy Shar differently, as there was no clear best way to extract the resources; however, each corporation abided in maintaining the neutral ground of the Bolshoi Aetherplex, as risking angering the OTU could mean the expulsion of a company’s mining rights. The OTU themselves continued to not invest in their own mining project, in keeping with their agreement with Tsar Paul II. However, in acting as a mediator and host to the wealthiest companies in Russia, the Okhotsk Techno-Union secured itself as one of the most powerful factions in the Empire. They remained aloof on the subject of the vacant seat of the tsardom, intent instead on dominating the aethernautics industry and maintaining their luxury Aetherplex.
Everyday life in the Bolshoi Aetherplex was leaps ahead of nearly anywhere in Russia proper in terms of quality of life. The OTU catered to every need of both noble and serf alike, for a price of course. In truth, the accommodations of the nobility, and the corporate elite remained separate from the working class aboard the aether station, but in terms of accommodations the class divide seemed less clear in theAetherplex. In fact, in some ways life aboard was better for those with less wealth. Boyars, bureaucrats, and corporate representatives all stayed among the upper decks, sectioned into their own zones designated as their corporate property. There was always a sense of anxiety among the upper class aboard the station, as one never knew if the competition was watching.
In contrast, serfs and other workers mingled freely on the lower decks regardless of their company status. After all, from the corporation's perspective the fear of corporate espionage was low among the uneducated and uninterested. The life of the average serf back in Russia was one of toil and suffering, mostly characterized by menial labor in service to their lord. Similarly, the few among the lower class who weren't serfs in Russia were forced to work in dangerous corporate factories, and were afforded a very low quality of life. Most serfs had never been off their farms before being shipped into aether space, much less to a casino. Life at the Aetherplex was paradise for the poor in Russia, at least until their first deployment onto Ledyanoy Shar.
The luxury and freedom afforded to the lower class aboard the Bolshoi Aetherplex provided little comfort to the miners who returned from their perilous missions, as the horrors of Ledyanoy Shar were too much for many to bear. These “vyzhivshiye” encompass their class of people aboard the aether station. They are easily recognizable aboard the theater for the dead look in their eyes and their purple teeth, a byproduct of prolonged consumption of pukhlyy grib morret. This mold wine is the drink of choice for miners on Ledyanoy Shar, as the mold itself is often the only provisions one can get their hands on on the barren planet. The swathes of people first arriving aboard the Bolshoi Aetherplex are told by OTU staff to avoid the vyzhivshiye and enjoy their stay before their deployment. Many heed the warning, as the vyzhivshiye’s brooding attitude and propensity for violence seem out of place in such a luxurious theater. Despite this distance, the presence of these survivors is more than enough to rightfully make future miners worry about their task.
Life on Ledyanoy Shar
Being a miner for a Russian mining corporation on Ledyanoy Shar can only be described as hell. On the long dreaded departure day, miners onboard the Bolshoi Aetherplex report to their corporate hangers to be equipped for their upcoming mission. Although the specifics of the equipment given to the miners vary from company to company, to the shock of the miners nearly all of them were issued weapons and ammunition in addition to their mining supplies. The most common weapon issued was the Winchester M1895, a laughably outdated weapon, but a miner’s only defense against the horrors of Ledyanoy Shar. After miners were issued their gear they were marched into cramped transport ships piloted by elite corporate aethernauts. Although this journey is much safer than it was in the early days of exploration due to advances in aethernautics and better pilots, the corporations still lose an average of 5% of transports in a round trip.
In the early years of corporate mining, miners were dropped onto the arctic plains and left mostly to their own devices. To survive the harsh sub-zero temperatures mining teams scramble to locate a cave system to shelter in on their first day, with many perishing from frostbite and hypothermia before finding or digging out proper shelter. From their caves, the miners wait sometimes for weeks for an asteroid to touch down to begin extraction. The cramped quarters and lack of food lead many to venture out into the wastes in search of better accommodations, from which few would return. In the event that the miners did come across an asteroid, they would radio back for a transport shuttle to return the materials to the surface. The death rates from 1932-1934 among miners were staggering, and many corporations began adjusting their strategy in hopes of returning a better profit.
Today, instead of being dropped on the planet to hide in caves, miners arrive on aether ships that land on the massive Chernayazvezda Ice Crawlers(CIC). These colossal vehicles act as landing pads for the fleets of aether craft shipping people and minerals on and off the planet. Each is loaded with all-terrain vehicles known as kharkovchanka to explore the icy tundra and mining drills which are used to mine into the caves for shelter and mold cultivation. Due to their colossal size, these crawlers are exceptionally slow, and vulnerable to attack from corporate rivals. To combat this, each is heavily armed with a smaller fleet of kharkovchanka patrolling around it as it slowly traverses the snowy tundra.
From these great crawlers, the miners go on expeditionary trips in search of fallen debris to extract. They return resources to their base of operation for storage until a transport ship can ship the minerals off-world. As the competition for miners became more fierce amongst the corporations, many companies began arming their miners, and strapping weapons to their all-terrain vehicles to protect company assets. Miners are ordered to shoot to kill, and are punished severely by corporate enforcers if they hesitate to eliminate their companies' competitors. It is rare for miners today to freeze or starve to death on Ledyanoy Shar, as they are instead far more likely to die in combat. With different companies commingling socially on the Bolshoi Aetherplex, miners often tragically find themselves firing at their former friends.
The only reprieve from the nightmares experienced by those serving on Ledyanoy Shar is from their radio sets. Miners tune in to listen to the various performances and comedy shows broadcasted from the theater. It is said that amongst these radio broadcasts, there is a specific frequency that constantly broadcasts propaganda from the remnants of the Bolsheviks. Despite the best efforts of the corporate enforcers to discourage their men from listening to these broadcasts, confiscation of the radios is an impossibility on the icy tundra, as they are a necessary component of the coordination between units.
Despite the horrors of the proxy wars fought by the miners, companies operating on Ledyanoy Shar make record profits. The original explorers were correct in their assessment of the debris left behind by the asteroid. Nearly every rock that impacts the surface contains a large quantity of precious metals. What was missed in the initial surveys of the planet however, was that very rarely the meteors that hit the planet will be remnants of an ancient alien civilization. These fragments are especially precious to corporations, and their extraction is said to be in part the cause for the rapid development in technology in Russia, despite its fractured political system.
Owning Organization
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