Name: The Royal Kingdom of New Kotayk
Location - Around the southern edge of the western lake in the safe zone, cut off at the 4th Parallel north.
Map (grey territory with black edge.)
Leader - Vadrasian Royal Family (HM King Khassan II)
History - New Kotayk traces its origins back to the Martian colony known, formerly, as the Dominion of Kotayki Colonies. Founded by a coalition of European and Caucasian nations, with backing by power blocs in Russia and Asia, the Kotayki Dominion was established in Tharsis with terraforming equipment and the means to establish permanent basing there. Governance of the Kotayki Dominion was relegated to an Earth-based Council administrated by the UN (later the IU.) As the years passed, however, the Kotayki Dominion was granted increasing levels of autonomy in order to better manage its growing borders, becoming more of an independent polity instead of a directly-controlled puppet state. Being one of the earliest settlements, the Kotayki Dominion enjoyed almost limitless expansion and exploitation of the Martian surface. Resources were mined, refined, and sold back to Earth for great profit. Professional personnel, sent by Earth and the Council, oversaw an efficient rise to power amongst the other Martian states. Automated factories enabled growth of colonies into cities as the Martian landscape was terraformed by the millions of new settlers over generations. The size of the Dominion grew almost exponentially as settlers began to migrate towards the opportunities that lay abundant in the colonies. Industrial production became a large business amongst the diverse Kotayki economy, as investors found the Martian laws easier to work with than on Earth: orbital factories, for example, were brought to Kotayk by Earth-based industrialists to cheaply and efficiently build huge products like starships and satellites.
At the same time, governmental issues became a hotspot of conflict. Many Kotayki citizens were dissuaded with the IU's colonial rule and its bureaucracy. Many times, IU involvement held an Earth-based perspective that simply wasn't applicable to Kotayk's situations. These tensions - similar to other colonies - ran underneath the surface for hundreds of years, even if no armed conflict for separation took place. Autonomy was a widely-held popular belief, influencing local political referendums and policies. The strengthening of the Kotayki state would provide better leverage against the IU, they argued. This was held in place by a new culture and identity that had formed over the generations of Martian Kotayki citizens. Many had not been to Earth, and regarded Kotayk as their home. This nationalism created the state's identity that would last through even the Collapse. This nationalism was kept in check by politicians appointed by the IU, however, and no drastic policies were implemented permanently (even if radicalism had frequent peaks in popularity, many of the laws passed were quickly repealed by later local sessions as the IU's Council stepped in.) The new culture - a fusion of European and Near East beliefs and customs - encouraged lending aid to neighbors ("Martian brothers") to gather allies for any future political disputes with Earth or the other colonies, while maintaining a strong state. And although Kotayk encouraged Martian unity, conflicts with other nations did occur. Military units engaged in police actions with IU units, as they were still under charter as a colony. The IU's military cooperation encouraged the training and equipment of the Kotayki military to act as local advisers, and IU operations with Kotayki liaisons were tremendously more successful than without. Many times, this brought the two factions together in the political realm, cooling heated debates over levels of autonomy.
Old Kotayk got to watch as Earth was decimated by the Listeners on the fateful day of the Collapse. Garbled, sudden IU communications sent to Mars detailed initial sightings by Earth signals stations of the Listeners. As the panicked voices of observers shouted out news of an attack, the transmissions ended. Luna relayed footage of the glassing for as long as it could before it, too, was silenced by the Listener fleet. The Kotaykis were now on their own, along with the rest of Mars. Immediately after that, a message came in: Send as many survivors as they could to a colony world called Nai Kolkata. The Martians had time to react, as the Listeners turned their eyes towards the Red Planet. The governors of the Martian colonies ordered mass evacuations, and ship captains hastily crammed as many people as they could into their ships. A Kotayki fleet was assembled in space with military protection - as much as they could afford to get off the surface. The majority of the Martian militaries were sent to buy time in a suicide mission against the Listeners. The Kotayki fleet made as brave a standoff as they could, but were annihilated. Yet the Kotayki fleet - the largest of the Martian refugee trains - escaped into space. They left behind hundreds of millions in the country: billions on the planet. Mars was scorched by the Listeners after they effortlessly plowed through the massive combat vessels assembled by the assorted navies. Old Kotayk was no more, and it became clear that the Kotayki refugees were now responsible for themselves and themselves only. They turned to the lieutenant governor for guidance - the man who was forced by the governor to go away with the fleet to manage it. This man was well-loved and respected amongst the Kotayki citizens, assuring them that everything would be alright. This man was Khassan Vadrasian.
Khassan landed his fleet at Nai Kolkata, amongst a massive humanitarian crisis - the product of the refugees arriving from months earlier. The IU struggled to keep the refugees in order as unrest increased in frequency. Years of badly managed panic was threatening to tear apart the singed scraps of society that remained. Nai Kolkata was almost a warzone after the first few years, until the decision was made to spread out. The IU, unable to maintain its central grip, lost control of the survivors and they organized efforts to do what they pleased. Companies set up to colonize the world proliferated and the colonists went their separate ways to reestablish what they once had. Khassan, realizing that the IU was losing its grip, delivered a public address to the Kotayki settlement in Nai Kolkata: it was their chance to realize the independent Kotayki state. They took their ships and left the city, flying away from the IU and its center of power. They went west, to the edge of the established safe zone and landed their fleet amongst the mountains there. They established New Kotayk, settling their people down to build settlements. A capital - Nor Adanni - was established on the coast of the only sizable sea in the area. It was here where Khassan took the responsibility of leading the new nation. As debates for governance got underway, points were brought up about Khassan. Obviously, he had proven to be a capable leader. Yet records of his past uncovered he was a part of a lost royal family from Earth. His noble lineage, even if it seemed archaic and honorary to some, became a talking point as months went on. But the debates brought up a point: he had done a job that far surpassed anything that many would do in the most extreme of circumstances. He had saved hundreds of thousands of lives. He was nobility, and he truly shone his leadership capabilities. The debates continued, and public opinion that a cumbersome council or parliamentary body making final decisions would be disastrous in these years. Khassan was able to get the job done. A referendum was called where the public would vote in their decision, and they elected to give Khassan the crown of the Kotayki people. He became the leader of the nation.
Foreign affairs with the Kotayki Kingdom have largely been focused around a positive relationship with the Commonwealth (placeholder name for until Hugs gets his shit together) to the north. They were established relatively concurrently, with the border negotiated successfully at the 4th Parallel North in a move that divided the sea between them. From then on, the two countries grew together with several pacts and treaties signed between them. They showed strong signs of interdependence in a myriad of spheres, and quickly become one of the most solid friendships on the planet in a sea of tensions. New Kotayk proved to be amiable with other nations, but not to the extent of its openness with the Commonwealth. The economic policies encouraged trade and business ventures, as the Kotayki resource centers and production areas produced products that were often in high demand. Techniques learned on Mars were utilized from the beginning, kickstarting a rapid expansion and solidification of Kotayki economic might and influence. Advisers and other personnel were often sent out to other countries to provide training and assistance to agencies dealing with issues ranging from crisis control to technical constructions. On a geopolitical scale, Kotayk's primary goal was to avoid conflict, even if it readied itself for any possibility. Like on Mars, the Kotaykis here were friendly but cautious: many inspirations from the former Swiss state were taken into consideration with Kotayk's defense policies. However, political rhetoric was usually reserved and composed, keeping the image of a friendly neighbor who would only strike if the absolute need presented itself. As a whole, conflict was not wanted but would be fought if need be. The same went for other forms of conflict like in the economic realm: New Kotayk preferred to stay out of active conflicts, instead deploying forces only to peacekeeping and counterinsurgency operations and exercising at home for defense and hypothetical counterstrike maneuvers.
After roughly forty-seven years of Khassan's reign, he was struck ill and passed away just before his 91st birthday. Although modern medicine had allowed him to keep lucid for a remarkable amount of time, his ailing mind became a point of concern as the years went on. His only son - Prince Ifriz - was killed in a ship accident just a decade before, leaving the crown to the thirty-year-old grandson bearing his name. Khassan II had been groomed for the task since he was born, and therefore came into power fairly well prepared. While the country mourned their leader's passing, Khassan II assured them that his grandfather and father had done all that they could to make sure he would be a worthy successor. With that said, Khassan II's policies were largely focused on managing the growing nation and keeping his grandfather's visions alive. These include keeping the tradition of freedoms and liberalism alive and well: staying with Khassan's values of serving the people instead of taking power unto themselves at their expense. Even the token Batmen populations were treated better than in other countries as both Kotayk and the Commonwealth served as examples of tolerance and acceptance of the alien beings into their polities. However, some tensions do remain between the humans and aliens, but not to the extent of many other areas. Although most are satisfied with the new monarch, some questioned his response to crisis. He had not led the people through something as drastic as the Collapse like his grandfather, so he had not yet been tested. But with threats looming on the horizon, Khassan II's test may yet come. He bears the weight of the monarchy: with Khassan I's passing, the debate of the continuation of the monarchy had emerged. If Khassan II proved to be inadequate, the monarchy may be absolved by another popular vote. But the time is coming, and the question will be answered in the days ahead.
Factsheet:
GOVERNMENT:
ROYAL FAMILY:
Head of State: King Khassan II of the Vadrasian Family
Heir Apparent: Madraz Vadrasian
Prince: Madraz Vadrasian
Princess: Isabella Vadrasian
ADVISERS:
(Part of their respective Royal Departments)
Adviser of the Department of Agriculture:
Adviser of the Department of Development:
Adviser of the Department of Economy:
Adviser of the Department of Education:
Adviser of the Department of Energy:
Adviser of the Department of Foreign Relations:
Adviser of the Department of Health:
Adviser of the Department of Interior:
Adviser of the Department of Justice:
Adviser of the Department of Labor:
Adviser of the Department of Transportation:
Adviser of the Department of Treasury:
Adviser of the Department of War:
