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Year 2200
In the year 2220, the Commonality was preparing for its first election since it took its ideals to space. After some heated debates in the People's Supreme Assembly, it was decided that Tiom, the former planet of the Alignment, would be allowed to vote. Time has passed and in 10 standard years, the former subjects of the tyrannic Alignment were familiar with the inner working of workers' councils and self-organization at the work place. Moreover, although kept away from the preying eyes of the public and the press, dissent has been crushed by the security apparatus of the Commonality: the People's Commissariat for the Protection of the People, the intelligence apparatus of the Commonality, has multiplied black ops to keep the Jusstkan in check. As such, with the most dangerous rebels either death or captured, worker's democracy could be extended to Tiom, which would be able to send deputies to the People's Supreme Assembly for the first time in history. What was happening in black sites built in the most unhospitable parts of Tiom was necessary for the good of the people.

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However, another, unexpected evolution would attract the attention of the Commonality's establishment. Apparently, there has been some movements from the most libertarian fringes of society. New colonies were after all the occasion for new ideas to develop and flourish, but what was thought to be some weird and secluded phenomenon soon erupted in protests and public demonstration of the most peculiar kind. Most worrying was the eruption of this phenomenon on Tiom, where the overthrow of the tyrannic Alignment regime was giving way for an artistic and philosophical Renaissance. So when entrepreneurial Quakador libertarian philosophers started to give speeches, the result was the rise of the Manifesti.

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Rapidly, the Commissariat for the Protection of the People (CPP) started cataloguing the participants to these peculiar demonstrations. It was rapidly determined that this "Manifesti" movement is leaderless, and has rapidly grown out of the grasp of the Quakador philosophers who inspired it. The rapidity of this emergence has raised some questions about the potential backers of this movement, but nothing emerged from the investigations. It was clearly a grassroot movement, which was happening right when Tiom was about to elect its first representatives in decades.

What to do with these colourful people? Debates raged at the highest levels and a consensus was soon formed: the Office of the Mokaï considered that these reckless people, who were advocating frivolous activities and deserting their work place, were the pinnacle of moral decadence and of the work ethics cherished by the Commonality. This wasn't a republic of reckless spirits and lazy idiots, but a proud worker's community that has been tested and triumphed against both imperialistic projects and the harsh environment of Opyrra. As such, despite the hesitancy of the army and of the People's Supreme Assembly, orders were given to the CPP to crackdown on these delirious elements.

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Meanwhile, the Manifesti were not the only concern of the Commonality during this election year. On the Gaia world of Zernia, a monument was to be built in the memory of the Reaper of Zernia, the one Quakador who led the revolution against the Empire and led the Quakador to their new homes. Even decades after his death, he remained a somewhat controversial figure: many praised him for the flourishing of the early settlements on Opyrra and for his "firm but just" rule, while as many demonized him as a tyrant and as someone who turned into the very thing he sought to battle. To not alienate any part of the electorate, the Office of the Mokaï remained surprisingly quiet on the question, declaring that this was a matter that had to be resolved by the workers' council back on Zernia.

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As if this election year wasn't marked enough by controversies, interesting development were happening on the colony of Fira. In a departure from the representative workers' council of the Commonality, the people there decided on a more individualistic take on democracy. Instead of delegating to their workers' council representative the matter of day-to-day governance, technology would be used to regularly consult the population on all matters of governance, whether as trivial as a new monument or as important as fiscal policy. Back on Opyrra, the Mokaï Yurulek was in disarray: although the constitution didn't forbid such arrangement, he received information that this "direct democracy" was the result of shenanigans from his rival, General Tibakh, who was slowly imposing himself as a major figure of the libertarian elements of the Commonality. In this respect, it was feared that Fira was now "locked" electorally speaking.

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To add to the confusion, the Commonality's deep space watch system detected a fleet of vessels in a neighbouring system that has yet to be claimed. The fleet was rapidly dispatched near the border in case of any hostile intention, while the CPP was hard at work to try identifying to whom this fleet was owned.

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The Mokaï wasn't worried, however. The People's Supreme Assembly has been hard at work to allocate funds to the spatial force, which was now counting two fleets of fine workmanship, courtesy of the industrial cooperatives of the Commonality. If any imperialistic power was out there, the Commonality would be able to put up a fight.
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In this rapidly evolving situation, the Quakadors and Jusstkan were finally called to the polls in this blessed year of 2200. Tibakh's allies were expected to put in a good fight against the Mokaï Yurulek, who wasn't about to give up his office so easily....
 
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This AAR looks interesting! Subscribed!

I appreciated the details about the imperial faith of the Quakadors! Do they have any other deities or maybe angels to represent the other stars?

Did any of the faiths before Quirkizm survive in any form? Did any of them influence Dergochism? Did they have holy texts, and, if so, did those texts survive, or were the followers of Quirkizm people who destroyed knowledge? Are the "old rights" that the Commonality follows faiths or just half-remembered ideas?

Did the Reaper of Zernia have a plan for when the main state inevitably found their new settlement? His successor made plans for that, but did he have a plan? If not, why not?

Are you playing with Distant Origin? Is there any way that the relationship between the Commonality and their... fellow Quakadors is represented in the game?

How does the Commonality keep the votes of the former Imperialists from being too influential if they have a system of universal suffrage?

Congrats on your first colony!

How are the Okzaïs chosen? Is there an organized religion similar (but diametrically opposed) to Quirkizm among the exiles?

The United Jusstkan Alignment wasn't a great civilization to have a first contact with. Will this experience create a general fear of aliens among the Quakadors?

Congrats on defeating the Alignment!

Those Gaia worlds are ideal spots for new colonies.

You should probably threadmark your chapters or at least create a Table of Contents. It would make navigation easier.
Hey, welcome to this AAR, take a seat and a drink and enjoy reaping some imperialists ;)

For starters, the faiths before Quirkizm survived, even though they were kept in the shadow. Think about catholicism in Protestant England in the Middle Age, or how Islam persisted in the USSR despite state atheism. Even if people could not pray in the open, they were able to pass down their faith, although, of course, some might not have survived the onslaught of the Empire. Add to the fact that the lost colony ship that founded Opyrra was primarily populated of political prisoners and other "traitors" to the official faith, and it becomes clear why other religious practices have survived across time and (literally) space.

For the imperials, the Commonality isn't above using dirty tactics in order to get law and order. This was mostly represented with the purge against the Reaper's loyalists, who were simply lined against a wall and shot by the founders of the Commonality. Even if this is a democratic society, a strong security apparatus keep the most fringe ideologies in check, and people who are too "deviant" and too influential are... well, removed from public life, let's say. This isn't a paranoic society though, people are not afraid that their neighbours will denounce them at the first sign of deviancy, it's just that the security establishment is harshly pragmatic: if dirty tricks are needed to safeguard workers' democracy and the freedom of the Quakadors, then dirty tricks it is.

That's an interesting question concerning the Alignment. I thought that the Commonality would frame the conflict as a "continuation" of their revolution back in Ilzia, representing the Jusstkans as being oppressed by a totalitarian government. Instead of xenophobia, this successful intervention might embolden the Quakadors to be more aggressive against "imperialistic" powers. It's especially true when you consider that they have the Evangelisation ethic, and considering that the old faiths of Ilzia put an emphasis on freedom and social justice... Well, you have both a religious and a political basis for interventionism.

As for the threadmark, thanks for the advice, I'll figure out how they work and put them as soon as I can :)
 
the People's Commissariat for the Protection of the People
Sometimes, comrade, the people need to be protected from themselves.
Hey guys, sorry for the long wait, work has been exhausting this past week. I'll try to post at least once or twice a week from now one, hope I'll be able to keep up with this rythm :)
I hope work was fun, even if it was exhausting. Don't feel like you have to post something just because it's been a while. Sometimes chapters take time. Sometimes real-life comes first. :)
 
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(a) This is a lot of fun; I can't wait to see where it goes.

(b) I agree with @jak7139; don't worry about making a schedule for our sakes. You should write on a timetable that works for you.
 
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In the year 2220, Quakadors and Jusstkans alike are heading to the polls in a volatile situation. The electoral campaign, as usual, was marked by passionate speeches, feral personal attacks and demonstrations against counter-demonstrations. Nothing to worry though, for the Commissariat for the Protection of the People is watching closely the situation. Democracy is always a bit messy, which is why comrades can sleep at ease knowing that the Commissariat is looking after them. Any attempt of resurgence of the deviant, anti-worker Manifesti movement has been squashed mercilessly, with reports of mysterious disappearances being reported to the police. A few visits from G-Men in tailored suits later and the investigations are stopped "due to lack of evidence". Meanwhile, on black sites located on asteroids or Tiom, the most degenerate and corrupting elements of the Commonality are left to rot. Democracy, yes, but degeneracy, never.

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Prison "Black Hawk" number 209, located in the Tiom system - Image made with Midjourney

However, despite these interferences, competition is painfully real. The two main contenders in Quazardorlian politics are the Worker's United Confederation, the "establishment" party devoted to the collectivist ideals of the Commonality, and the Qashadiran Party, the more economically and societally "liberal" part of politics, although loyal to the collectivist ideals of the Commonality. Sitting at the top of their respective party, the Mokaï Yurulek, the quintessential establishment candidate, and General Tibakh, one of the rare military men openly involved in politics. Gods know how much these two hate each other. Their debates, either on Commonality Cable Chanel (CCC) or Qork Multimedia News (QMN), always devolve in passionate speeches and diatribes. The more philosophical and calm debates usually happens when the two characters aren't facing each others.

These elections are also a pivotal point in electoral politics: with the expansion of the Commonality, loads of political parties and debate forums are sprouting across the new colonies, but three "big" ones can be singled out as important (although not important as the two main ones). First is the Malentovian League, back on Tiom, named after the philosophical current inspired by a former Jusstkan dissident, Malentov, executed by the Alignment long before the Commonality freed the planet. His ideology, focused on individual prosperity and rights, has made the party a natural junior partner for the Qashadiran Party, with whom it has signed an electoral pact. The second party is the Ashkarian Justice and Freedom Party, also born on Tiom, whose collectivist ideals led to the same electoral )pact with the Worker's United Confederation. Lastly, with the religious renaissance on Oppyrra and Tiom, the Dergochist-Democratic Union was born as a "moderate" and "centrist" party, focused on the ideals of Dergochism. Although closely related to the Qashadiran Party in terms of philosophy, the party decided to remain independent from either "Big Two", and has run its electoral lists alone.

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Siege of the People's Supreme Assembly - Made with Midjourney

The electoral system of the Commonality is a bit straightforward, least to say. Originally, each Worker's Council would elect one representative to the unicameral People's Supreme Assembly, but as demographic growth went on, it was no longer viable, since one representative could represent 300 000 people, while another only 66 000. As such, new electoral rules were drafted as the Commonality grew, especially with the successive Electoral Acts of the 2210s. Having demographic proportion in mind, the Commonality is divided into many electoral districts, each with a number of representatives proportional to the population. Each party would receive seats proportionally to the percentage of votes received in the electoral district.

As the campaign went on, the news of unknown fleets roaming the border systems has alarmed many in the Commonality. While many hoped to encounter comrades and friends in this frozen galaxy, others feared that another imperialistic power might be on the horizon. This potential threat provoked a "rally around the flag" effect for Yurulek's Worker's United Confederation. This didn't deter Tibakh to lead a vicious campaign, attacking the administration's passivity in the Reaper Monument affair, while pointing out that it was Tibakh's talents that freed the Jusstkans from the Alignment. Presenting himself as a providential man in the face of an entrenched establishment, he also advocates for lesser taxes and regulations on private businesses that aren't under workers' councils management. However, would this be enough to counter the positive trend for Yurulek? As Election Day arrived, everyone held its breath...

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The results took everyone by surprise within the Commonality. No pollster or media pundits could have predicted such as shrinking in the number of seats for the establishment's party. But even more ironic, the Qashadiran Party was able to barely win some seats, as the three other parties who have successfully breached the electoral threshold took with them hundreds of seats. This would mark the end of a two-party system which had dominated the Quazardorlian Commonality in living memory.
Yet, in the end, the establishment would get its way. Due to the brash personality of Tibakh, the Qashadiran Party found itself in a very difficult position to negotiate with the Dergochist-Democratic Union or the Ashkarian Justice and Freedom Party, and failed to convince them not to take the offer of the WUC for a grand coalition. In the end, the Worker's United Confederation announced that it would govern in tandem with the Dergochist-Democratic Union and its electoral partner of the Ashkarian Justice and Freedom Party. The campaign has been vicious, it was a political turning point, but in exchange for some concessions, the establishment of the Commonality, so deeply engrained within the bureaucracy, would remain in power... for the foreseeable future.
 
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The electoral campaign, as usual, was marked by passionate speeches, feral personal attacks and demonstrations against counter-demonstrations.
And I'm sure nothing will go wrong, especially as Tibakh and the QP feel they've been snubbed. He's a military man, perhaps he'll resort to a military solution...
 
Democracy can get very messy if one is watching the wrong things :)
 
I love that you create a whole electoral system AND five parties for it, all with made up alien names. That's commitment.