Commonwealth Front of Arcadian Science

The Commonwealth Front of Arcadian Science is the oldest and largest of the three major Isolationist factions of Arcadia, and classes itself as a democratic meritocracy which focuses on scientific endeavours and the improvement of society and life on the planet. It was founded on 11th January 2458 after two years of chaos and violence in the wake of The Collapse, which had shattered the various settlements into factions. 'The Commonwealth', as it is now more commonly known, was instrumental in bringing together the settlements of the Kiliomengi Plains and forming a new co-operative society, which has its origins in the first Earth Empire expeditionary crews sent to Arcadia. It is governed from its capital of Endeavour in the northern plains, approximately 50 miles south of the Anapteros Forest, and borders the territories of The Northern Alliance, the Arcadian Explorer's Union (AEU), the Earth Empire Exodists (E/E/E), and The Southern Alliance.

Structure

The Chief Scientist

The Commonwealth was the first faction to write a charter extolling a democratic meritocracy as the ideal way to govern, with a Chief Scientist voted into power every five years by all citizens over the age of 18 (16 for Vasgarth). Normally, candidates are well-established and experienced scientists - leaders in their field of study - that put themselves forwards for consideration by the electorate. As the role is demanding and leaves little time for personal studies, the candidate is expected to be devoted to and passionate about leadership and carving out a safe, prosperous path for the Commonwealth; anything less will earn them the contempt of the citizens and early dismissal from the position, which is generally achieved by the Advisory Council holding a vote of no confidence and at least three-quarters of the councillors voting to remove the Chief Scientist from power. This is an extremely rare occurrence, however; it has only happened twice over the CFAS's almost 200 year history. There are no limits to the number of times a Chief Scientist can run for the position, but most choose to run only a few times (a tenure of 5-10 years) before continuing with their studies. The role typically consists of green-lighting new construction projects, approving new expeditions and the allocation of funds, inter-faction diplomacy, and meeting with the Advisory Council to decide on what research the faction should be focusing on.

The Advisory Council

Every Chief Scientist has an Advisory Council, which are the heads of each faction department (Security, Infrastructure, Agriculture, etc.) which act as the voice of their department and raise concerns they may have to the Chief Scientist. Each councillor may also provide the Chief Scientist with advice on matters they have more extensive knowledge in, to aid them in making a decision that requires a touch of experience in the subject that the Chief Scientist may not possess. Although the councillors can advise, they do not have the power to make final decisions, however. This does not necessarily mean that the Advisory Council is toothless; generally, a consensus is found in meetings the Chief Scientist holds with their councillors, and it is considered extremely disrespectful to ignore the Council's wishes and run roughshod over any decisions everyone has agreed to. In the past, this has lead to votes of no confidence by the Advisory Council, who have the power to call for one if a sufficient number of councillors are not happy with how the Chief Scientist is governing. Unlike The Northern Alliance, who adopted a similar governing practice after splitting from the Commonwealth, the Chief Scientist is unable to decide who the Head of each faction department will be. This decision is made internally by the department itself, with the current department Head either nominating a successor or, in cases where this is not possible, allowing the department's Vice-head to take temporary power until a vote can be cast on who will take the position. Normally, the successor is almost always the Vice-head, who rises to the position of councillor upon their predecessor's retirement.

Faction Departments

Every Commonwealth citizen belongs to a faction department that they work for. A department is led by a Head of Department and their second-in-command, the Vice-head of Department, who manage the day-to-day running of the department and look out for the interests of their workers. There are six departments known as 'primaries', which account for the most important aspects of the faction's running, and whose Heads sit on the Advisory Council. These are:

Department of Commonwealth Agriculture and Rationing | Manages the faction's agricultural output, from its fields to its hydroponics facilities, as well as ensures the fair distribution of food to the populace.
Department of Commonwealth Infrastructure | Deals with the engineering and maintenance of the faction's infrastructure, from roads to waste management, and housing construction to power supply.
Department of Commonwealth Research and Development | Responsible for managing the activities of the numerous research departments and developing necessary items out of scientific research, such as medicine and vaccines. They also organise the curriculum for the education of young citizens.
Department of Commonwealth Security | Manages the CSF (Commonwealth Security Force), which is effectively the faction's military and police force, and deals with the enforcement of laws and protection of citizens.
Department of Commonwealth Technology | Deals with the acquisition, development, and preservation of any technology the faction uses, especially that in the areas of communications, computer systems, and medical equipment.
Department of Commonwealth Trade and Transport | Monitors inter-faction trade and the bartering system in general, setting guidelines for the material value of goods. It also manages the faction's fleet of vehicles used for the transport of personnel and trade items.

The other departments, known as 'secondaries', are numerous and generally fall under one of the six primaries. For example, the Department of Herpetology comes under the Department of Commonwealth Research and Development as it is a scientific group responsible for the research of reptiles. The Heads of these departments do not sit on the Advisory Council, although they can pass along their concerns to the Head of their primary department for the attention of the Chief Scientist.

Culture

As a faction, the Commonwealth is almost entirely Isolationist-leaning, with a small minority of citizens being more closely aligned with Eco-Isolationism or quasi-Eco-Isolationism, the latter of which is by far more common, as most prefer to care for the environment but not to the same extreme that traditional Eco-Isolationists do. Due to the CFAS being the oldest post-Collapse faction, it is a widely-accepted fact that they founded the core tenets of Isolationism, or more accurately, were guided to do so by Dr. Katerina Dietrich, one of the Commonwealth's founders and its first elected leader. Dietrich had grown exasperated with intrusive Earth Empire political oversight into her and her colleague's work, which she believed hindered their goal of learning more about Arcadia. Post-Collapse, she gathered like-minded scientists to begin forming the Commonwealth and laid down the bare-bones of The Isolationist Charter, a document that among other things, outlined a clear, important mandate:

'Arcadia is our home now, and we must make the most of our situation by learning as much as possible about it, for the sake of our survival and that of future generations. We need no oversight from an Empire with an agenda. Without them, we are free to make the world we want: one born of science, not money.'

The people of the Commonwealth very much take this sentiment to heart, and in the absence of the Earth Empire, are loathe to be subject to the demands and policies of other factions. They are a freedom-loving people with a great deal of pride in their history and what they have built, believing themselves to be forward-thinkers who were able to rise above the chaos of The Collapse and bring some semblance of order to the planet. For the most part, their belief is not wholly misplaced; Arcadia did start to become more peaceable and settled after the Commonwealth formed and began to institute trade with other scattered groups. However, their poor handling of those with Exodist-leanings in the early years led to more conflict over time; the formation of The Red Network is largely attributed to the Commonwealth being too soft on Exodists that were hostile and violent. Certainly, the maxim 'with great power, comes great responsibility', applies in this circumstance, with it being widely believed that the Commonwealth avoided its duties when they were the only power on Arcadia capable of undertaking them. Even to this day, the Commonwealth refuses to outright shun most Exodist factions and their people (with the exception of The Red Network), and maintain polite but tentative relations with the E/E/E. Although Exodists tend not to live among Commonwealth citizens, they are not considered as much of a threat as they would be in Alliance or Union societies, and so Exodists commonly visit CFAS settlements to trade. The general tolerance of the Commonwealth citizens earns them plenty of friends, but their reluctance to acquiesce to outside authority can make them difficult to deal with in a work or diplomatic setting.

Territories

The Commonwealth Heartland

The heart of CFAS territory are its settlements scattered across the Kiliomengi Plains, where it has an extensive road network connecting them to each other. This region is considered to be a safe area to travel, and prosperous due to flourishing trade with neighbouring factions that were open to having their settlements connected to those of the Commonwealth. It includes the settlements and outposts of:

Endeavour | Capital

The Anapteros Enclaves

As The Northern Alliance broke away from the Commonwealth and established its own independent union of settlements, there are those within the regions of the Anapteros Forest that stayed loyal and under the jurisdiction of the CFAS. These enclaves, that are often remote and difficult to get to, are mostly research outposts focused on investigating the north's diverse array of biomes and supporting expedition teams out in the field. The people here have learned to be self-reliant and get on well with The Northern Alliance; travel to and from the heartlands in the south is long and dangerous, with most relying on transportation via the sea or the vast river network. This territory includes the settlements and outposts of:

Yuick | Small Settlement and Supply/Passenger Harbour
Longsands | Harbour Outpost

Military

The Commonwealth Security Force (CSF)

In the absence of any 'military' in the truest sense of the word, the Commonwealth relies, like most other factions on the planet, on an armed police force that act as enforcers of the law and protectors of the Commonwealth's interests.

Foreign Relations

The CFAS aligns itself most closely with fellow Isolationist factions, especially the AEU (Arcadian Explorer's Union), The Northern Alliance, and The Southern Alliance, which it has extensive trade agreements with. Other minor factions, such as USK (United Settlements of Kilaru), The Longacre Collective, and the AMC (Affiliated Miner's Combine) are traded with on occasion, with the Commonwealth guaranteeing the safety of the AMC in particular against Exodist attacks; a security detail is permanently stationed near their mining operations, much to the Combine's grudging gratitude. Unusually for most Isolationist factions, the Commonwealth also has somewhat decent relations with the E/E/E (Earth Empire Exodists), the largest Exodist faction on Arcadia. Although there are no official trade agreements between them, or any kind of real co-operation at all for that matter, both factions maintain diplomatic ties. The CFAS tends to take a hands-off and distant approach to dealing with Exodists in general, but they allow E/E/E citizens and their allies to trade at Commonwealth settlements, which is by far more accommodating than most Isolationist factions are with them. The only source of current tension between the Commonwealth and the E/E/E are the suspected links the latter faction has with The Red Network, even if the E/E/E officially recognises them as a terrorist group.

Asking Questions; Seeking Answers

Founding Date

11th January 2458

Type

Geopolitical, Technocracy

Alternative Names

The Commonwealth

Founders

Dr. Katerina Dietrich

Government System

Meritocracy

Power Structure

Unitary state

Economic System

Barter system

Gazetteer

The Anapteros Forest
The Kiliomengi Plains

Legislative Body

Chief Scientist and Advisory Council

Executive Body

CSF (Commonwealth Security Force)

Location

New Lakonia

Related Ranks & Titles

Chief Scientist

Related Professions

Expedition Leader

Controlled Territories

Neighboring Nations

Notable Members

Related Ethnicities

Isolationists

-PLEASE NOTE: This archive entry is still a work in progress and some of the information within may be missing or incomplete. Only verified information is permitted to be entered into the archive. Thank you for your understanding.-
:VI-0679 'Alexandria': (CFAS Archiving Virtual Intelligence)

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