• Nobles of Null is a forum based roleplay site where sci-fi and magic collide. Here, Earth remains fractured and divided despite humanity reaching out to the stars. Worse still, the trans-human slaves of one major power have escaped, only to establish their own Empire, seething with resentment at abuses of the past. Even the discovery of aliens, though medieval in development, has failed to rally these squabbling children of Earth together with its far darker implications. Worse still, is the discovery of the impossible - magic. Practiced by the alien locals, nearly depleted and therefore rare, its reality warping abilities remains abstract and distant to the general populace. All the while, unseen in the darkness of space, forces from without threaten to press in. For those with eyes opened by insight, it is clear that an era is about to end, and that a new age will dawn.

HFR Press Conference - Right to Self-Determination

Ray of Meep

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Wiki Moderator
Mars
Olympus Mons
HFR Embassy


President Wu Lili stood at a podium positioned to the side and front of a large screen, which displayed another Asian man sitting at a desk, with the flag of the HFR and its member states behind him. The displayed time lag of the video was twelve hours. His name was displayed to be Zeng Changming, Chancellor of the HFR, situated comfortably in the Li Ming system, tens of light years away from the calamity in Sol.

"... In conclusion, the Heaven Forged Republic supports the right to self-determination of all interplanetary and interstellar city and station states. Recent years have been trying times for humanity across the stars. We must not abandon our principles of liberty and compassion, core traits that make us human."

The video and audio stopped, and the president of the URC now turned to the invited reporters from the entirety of human space. "Now then, as the top governing official of the HFR in Sol, I will be taking questions."
 

Uso

Administrator
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Many of the reporters were clamoring to ask their questions, though only one would end up getting singled out to ask first. The first one called on would of course be the one most friendly to the HFR,

“Does this mean the HFR will be supporting the independence of space-colonies within its territory if they vote for independence?”

The questions wouldn’t be getting any easier from here…
 

Ray of Meep

Administrator
Wiki Moderator
Wu Lili let out an internal sigh. It was expected that such a declaration would be used against themselves. "Should our station-states seek independence, they are in their full right to. States and provinces gaining independence from the Republic is not unprecedented..." He internally seethed, "... as our Tibet and Uyghur allies have shown. The mechanisms exist for peaceful secession."

"However, unlike many others, our stations are largely productivity-oriented instead of fully independent living spaces. It would be inadvisable for station-states across the HFR to seek independence, limiting cultural and socioeconomic support from planetside. Even more pertinent, the Daqinren will take the opportunity to occupy these fledgling station-states, should they attempt to rush through the process now." It was a veiled threat. Stay in line, or else you'll starve to death, if the Daqin boogeyman doesn't get to you first.
 

Uso

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Staff member
Wiki Moderator
"President! What is the HFR intending to do about shipping costs and supplychain disruptions between the colonies now that Daqin attacks are causing havoc!"
 

Ray of Meep

Administrator
Wiki Moderator
"Make no mistake, we are at with the Daqinren." Wu Lili clenched his fist and furrowed his eyebrows. "We have been at war since nukes and rods fell on the capital 124 years ago. After they massacred our great grandparents, they've returned to threaten our sovereignty, our normal government processes. This is war. War incurs a cost, a cost we must pay to beat back the zaowu (synthetics) and reaffirm our rightful claim to the stars and its treasures. The Daqinren launched the first strike. We will not be cowered into submission."

"Let me reassure the public that our resistance is working. Yes, the Daqinren have disabled several of our warcraft and caused economic damage, but they are outnumbered and overextended, having to syphon reinforcements across dozens of light years through shaky, neutral territory. The battlegroup and the lone battleship in Sol are being hunted down, deprived of foraging for fuel and food. It is only a matter of time before they become lifeless husks, unable to threaten our merchant vessels. We now understand much of our foe, and with aid continuously arriving from our sister-states, we are able to counter new Daqin arrivals into the system."
 

Uso

Administrator
Staff member
Wiki Moderator
The press started to speak up again, only for one man to shout over them, "ANY COMMENT ON OTHER NATIONS PRESSURING THE REPUBLIC TO END THE WAR SO THAT TRADE CAN RESUME?"
 

Ray of Meep

Administrator
Wiki Moderator
Wu Lili internally sighed again and cursed the foreign heads of corporate. "First of all, I'd very much like to thank the American Union, the Commonwealth of Worlds, and the Soyuz Sotsialisticheskikh Mirov for their support against this invasion of human space. Our international partners have provided valuable intelligence and defense assets, freeing up our own fleets to conduct counter-offensive operations to strike back at the Daqinren, preventing their own operations from coming to fruition."

"I have heard whispers, murmurs, from certain influencers amongst the rest of the human community, wishing for the Heaven Forged to make a compromised peace with the invaders. To those people, I simple say: grow a spine. Russia did not surrender to Napoleon's economic warfare. Britain stood strong against the Nazis as hundreds of its merchant vessels sank to the seafloor. Vietnam saw its fields burned as the Americans rained down hellfire. Yet now, at the first sight of a few starving battlecraft in Sol space, certain groups wish us to bow to a group of zaowu who massacred our ancestors, glassed our cities, and struck at our merchant fleets decades after, as we sought reconstruction and progress? I say no!"

"We approach an unprecedented, uncertain crossroads in humanity's future. As we speak, our scientists learn, troublingly, that we are beset on all sides by alien species. Some, like the Aos Si, we've come to trust and cooperate with, recognize as equals. We will not be so lucky with others. Today's resistance against the Daqinren reflects upon our strength as a species, if we have the capability to claim our rightful place amongst the stars. To those who seek truce so early, who have yet to experience any harm except for a pinch to the bottom line, you are, truly, a disappointment to humanity."
 

Ray of Meep

Administrator
Wiki Moderator
Wu Lili nodded. "The Magnetic Assembly has been recognized as a fellow, independent, democratic republic that shares similar interests as the HFR, working in humanity's best interests by actively resisting the Daqinren. Because of that, we support the Magnetic Assembly's sovereignty, and are deeply concerned of the instability in the Atlantica system. We ask the American Union and the Magnetic Assembly, as two nations with similar political and cultural values, to come to the table to come to a peaceful, diplomatic resolution so we may unite and face the more imminent, and direct threat before us."
 

Uso

Administrator
Staff member
Wiki Moderator
"Does that mean Republic Space Command will be coming to the aid of the Assembly if they are attacked?"
 

Ray of Meep

Administrator
Wiki Moderator
The President cursed silently. "The situation in Atlantica is delicate. We denounce any aggressive, violent action, and will be providing aid to the defender. The GKF is taking measures to help solidify the peace in the system. I cannot provide further details at this time." It was half true. With the AU having taken control of the HFR's SLE in Sol, sensitive communication with the rest of the confederacy relied on the two FTL motherships, Dahan and Donghan, taking turns flying month long journeys to Shen Zhou to deliver messages. Coordination was slow and messy. All he knew was that the GKF had plans to counterattack against the Daqinren in Atlantica. What they planned to do with the AU and MA was a complete black box to him.
 

Uso

Administrator
Staff member
Wiki Moderator
"What kind of support will the HFR be providing to Jovian Colonies that choose self-determination?"
 

Ray of Meep

Administrator
Wiki Moderator
"I assume you're referring to those currently under HFR jurisdiction. The process towards self-determination is one that'll take years, during which the colony in question still abides by HFR laws, enjoys HFR protection and trade policies. The fate of the colony is determined on a case by case basis. However, I foresee HFR Jovian colonies which choose to become independent states see larger barriers to trade, particularly food, from Earth, as they will likely have the same status as our current international trade partners. Additionally, anti-piracy protection will also see negative impact, as the new independent station-states enforce their own orbital space and HFR assets reprioritized to protect those that still remain in the Republic. In summary, while the HFR endorses the right to self-determination, we do not waive the economic costs for doing so."

It was a cold, financial calculation. Many of these colonial citizens are still employed by corporations based on Earth. Employees can be moved from one station to another, or recalled back planet-side entirely, keeping a lid on the bubbling for independence. Even if a station pushes through with sovereignty, economic policies can be implemented that keep them tied to the URC and the HFR. Admittedly, it was all lip-service to the robots. The GKF needed their ships, missiles, and experience to strangle the Daqin. Whatever happens in Atlantica between the AU and the MA would have to be dealt with later.
 
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