Sansha's Nation

Sansha's Nation is a rogue state that occupies the Stain region. It was founded over a hundred years ago by Sansha Kuvakei, who wished to create a utopian society based around the exploitation of brainwashed slave labor and a small, cybernetically enhanced elite. Nation, as it is called by its citizens, was destroyed by a CONCORD-led coalition of the empires in YC 37, leaving only remnants behind. However, the survivors managed to band together and reemerged in YC105, gradually restoring its power and growing until launching a series of invasions into empire space in YC112.

History

Foundation

Sansha's Nation began forming in 5 YC, shortly after the establishment of CONCORD, by a Caldari industrial mogul named Sansha Kuvakei. Kuvakei had inherited much of his fortune, his family having grown wealthy during the Gallente-Caldari War through arms manufacturing. He saw the unfettered colonization of space by the empires as a grand opportunity and purchased several pockets of space across New Eden, including a core group in the region that would later be known as Stain.

Within these pockets, Sansha began his own armaments programs independent of the empires, building up a small army of his own. Along with the military buildup, Sansha preached several utopian ideas, such as his dream of a nation ruled by the intellectual elite. He quickly gained followers, while the mining and trading done within his empire brought him wide prestige. Sansha's Nation, as it was being called by outsiders, came to the forefront of galactic politics.

The praise only fueled Kuvakei's delusions of grandeur and megalomania, leading him to begin exploring ever stranger ideas. Believing that the world would be better off under his rule, with his chosen elite free of all burdens, he sought to create a loyal army of workers and soldiers. However, he realized that drones would lack creativity and adaptability. His solution was to join Jove capsuleer technology with existing brain implants to create willing slaves. Before he could perfect this technology, however, he needed test subjects.

Initially, Kuvakei experimented on Minmatar slaves obtained from the Amarr Empire, which provided them with the belief that new methods of slave control were being developed. In reality, Kuvakei was turning them into an utterly loyal army of zombie-like people who obeyed his every command. Not only were these True Slaves, as he dubbed them, used for menial labors, they also were guards and soldiers, composing the entirety of the Nation's naval forces.

With his army of True Slaves providing for their every need, the scientists, philosophers, and other intellectuals became the Nation's True Citizens. While some were left unaware of the true extent of Sansha's crimes, they nonetheless spread the good word of Nation, bringing more followers into the realm. Soon, the Nation spanned several regions, rivaling each of the empires in might.

Downfall

In YC 37, the truth of Sansha's Nation was revealed to the world at large. CONCORD called for Sansha to surrender himself and face the charges, but Kuvakei refused. He knew that eventually his secret would be let out and had prepared for a violent reprisal. However, he had not anticipated the ferocity of the opposition against him.

All five empires, including the Jove, whom he had expected to stay uninvolved, and the Amarr, whom he had anticipating siding with him or, at worse, remaining neutral, banded together to form a coalition against the Nation. The coalition of empires swept into his realm, smashed his fleets, and destroyed his infrastructure.

Sansha himself was reportedly killed in the fighting; the Gallente Federation retrieved a body which matched Sansha's DNA and appearance. All that was left of his once mighty Nation were scattered survivors, ruined stations and settlements, and wrecked ships.

Reformation

Over the next several decades, the remnants of the Nation slowly gathered together. A few of the Nation's commanders had survived. They pulled together the aimless True Slaves into the heart of Sansha's old promised land. A smattering of carefully hidden stations had been spared the onslaught; these served as the new base of Sansha's Nation.

The commanders slowly began the process of rebuilding the Nation from the scraps. They built new ships, fresh stations, and secretively recruited new members. Operating through shell corporations, go-betweens, and mercenaries, they procured new subjects for the True Slave conversion. It was slow going at first, because they wished to avoid attracting the attention of the still-hostile empires.

Reemergence

Sansha's Nation returned to the cluster-wide stage in YC105. The Nation had regained enough of its strength at this point to survive, while the politics that had brought the four empires together were slowly crumbling. Additionally, exploration by capsuleers disrupted their operations, forcing them to emerge from hiding.

The Nation began sending ships on raids across the cluster, though they focused on their nearest neighbors, the Amarr Empire. In early YC108, they began to make raids against the Angel Cartel, igniting a brief territorial war between the pirate factions. They soon began expanding further, sending probe ships across Stain and neighboring regions. Soon after, a person identifying itself as Sansha's Speaker released an ultimatum to the Cartel and cluster at large. Soon after, however, the Nation went silent again, apparently returning to its own ways such as picking among dead bodies following the Empyrean War.

Revival

As these actions appeared unfocused and undirected, many concluded the True Slaves simply continued to act on decades-old orders. However, in May of YC 112, the Nation reawakened fully. Several solar systems across New Eden were suddenly assaulted by massive Sansha's Nation forces. The initial assaults came in the systems of Niarja, Tama, Balle, and Kamela, with Nation forces pouring through unstable wormholes seemingly under control of the Nation. In these initial assaults, approximately 200,000 people were abducted before capsuleers managed to drive off the invaders.

These incursions escalated over the following weeks and months. More shockingly, an individual naming himself Master Kuvakei emerged, speaking on behalf of the Nation. While some expressed skepticism that this was Sansha Kuvakei himself, others believed that Sansha had been somehow resurrected to lead the Nation again. When capsuleer probes later returned images of the Nation controlling portions of Jove space, tensions rose across the cluster. Conversely, people across the cluster began showing support to the Nation. Disturbingly, there was little sign of resistance or fighting on planets attacked by the Nation, with evidence pointing to people peacefully allowing themselves to be rounded up.

Nation attacks continued for several months. Despite capsuleer resistance, many systems, particularly those in low-security areas, were devastated and completely depopulated by the assaults. Master Kuvakei was finally confirmed as Sansha Kuvakei himself, though the truth of his survival has been left a mystery. However, in December, the attacks changed focus. Rather than assaulting planetary populations directly, the Nation began to disrupt capsuleer activities across constellations. This change in tactics was seemingly in response to the capsuleer resistance, though some believe the earlier raids had replenished the Nation's True Slave populations sufficiently to make continued slave raids less necessary.

Government

Sansha's Nation is a totalitarian dictatorship, ruled solely by Sansha Kuvakei. He holds complete command over the legions of True Slaves, directing them to whatever whims he holds at the moment. The True Slaves are instructed through implants connected by a fluid router system, allowing Sansha to issue orders to any True Slave at any time, no matter his or their location.

However, Sansha does not have the faculties to control every individual detail of his Nation, no matter how much he might wish he was able to. Instead, he delegates local control to a number of highly trusted, loyal True Citizens such as Vizan Ankonin, Chelm Soran, Citizen Astur, and Citizen Arson. These commanders are given carte blanche to act as they see fit to advance Sansha's vision. However, because they too are fitted with Slave Implants, they are prevented from acting against Sansha's will in any way.

Foreign Relations and Military

Sansha's Nation takes a hostile stance toward most sovereign powers in New Eden. It currently continues to make incursions against the space of all members of the CONCORD Assembly, as well as several non-aligned organizations as well. It has come into open conflict with the Angel Cartel in the past and remains hostile toward them and the Serpentis.

The Blood Raiders and Guristas maintain an uneasy truce with Sansha's Nation, born more out of a mutual hatred of the Amarr Empire and Caldari State than any similarity in ideals. The three groups refrain from attacking each other or preventing the interests of the others from being achieved. They rarely work together and the Nation has been known to poach members from its allies.

Sansha's is defended by legions of True Slave crewed and piloted ships. Its vessels are instantly recognizable for their unusual designs, featuring spine-like antennas and dark, domed windows. They possess powerful shields, armor, and laser technology, being on the cutting-edge of design and in many cases surpassing the technology of the empires.

The Nation has recently discovered a method of creating artificial wormholes at a whim, enabling them to quickly strike across the cluster and lock down entire constellations. This technology has not been replicated by the empires, giving the Nation logistical superiority over its many enemies.

Most recently, Sansha's Nation has been targeting capsuleers with their incursions, though it continues to make attacks of opportunity against empire targets. Some capsuleers have declared their loyalty to the Nation; recently the Nation has been openly welcoming and recruiting them.

Economy

Sansha's Nation does not have an economy as would be understood by traditional economist. As the majority of its population are True Slaves who do not require money in any form, it has no currency. True Citizens are given anything they desire, either produced by the True Slaves or captured during raids on its enemies.

The Nation produces the majority of its material needs internally through labor of the True Slaves. It has several colonized worlds dedicated to food production, while utilizing stations and mining colonies to produce raw materials and transform them into new ships and stations. The Nation even has several small factories to produce luxury goods for its True Citizens.

It does not actively trade with any party, though it does occasionally exchange resources to a limited degree with the Guristas and Blood Raiders.

Demographics

The majority of the Nation's population is composed of True Slaves. At least 99% of its population are True Slaves, with some estimates putting it even higher. Only a small number of Sansha's Nation are free from the control of the Slave Implants. These individuals, known as True Citizens, are mostly scientists, researchers, philosophers, doctors, artists, and other intelligentsia. Recently, more military experts have emerged as True Citizens, in an effort to strengthen the might of the Nation's navy.

Ethnically, the Nation is relatively diverse, closely matching the demographics of the cluster at large.

True Slaves

The bulk of people in the Nation are known as True Slaves. These True Slaves fill a variety of functions, from custodial and other menial labors to serving as the primary navy of the Nation. These True Slaves come primarily from abducted populations, which are then fitted with Slave Implants. These implants are highly advanced cybernetic control systems that completely subvert the will of those implanted to that of Sansha Kuvakei and his loyal commanders.

True Slaves have no will of their own and are often described as “mindless” by outsiders. However, individuals can show varying degrees of personality and freedom, depending on their personal predilections toward to the Nation and task. Scouts, which approach settlements and offer surrender terms, often appear much as they did before being fitted with implants and retain a high degree of individuality. Similarly, the commanders of Sansha fleets are allowed to retain their creativity and decision-making skills, so as to more easily react to the rapidly changing conditions of a battlefield.

Most True Slaves are kept in a form of hive-mind which constantly feeds data between Sansha's central command and the individual slaves. This is referred to as a direct feed, as everything the True Slave experiences is sent back for analysis. Additionally, instructions can be broadcast to the True Slaves, which they are compelled to follow.

It is incredibly difficult to remove Slave Implants once they have been installed. After a certain time has passed, which differs from person to person, a True Slave's individuality has been broken in such a way that psychological recovery from the process is irreversible. These True Slaves desire only death, either in service of Sansha or suicidally, should they be freed from their bonds.

True Citizens

True Citizens is the term for those individuals who have joined Sansha's Nation willingly and are allowed to retain their individuality and personalities. However, many have been fitted with modified Slave Implants, which link them to the same hive mind the True Slaves are beholden to. The primary purpose of these implants is to boost the users' mental faculties and facilitate greater cooperation and understanding between citizens.

True Citizens are typically scientists, researchers, philosophers, and other intellectuals who have bought into Sansha's utopian vision. They work together to improve the Nation's technology and advance its goals. Additionally, Sansha's most trusted battlefield commanders are True Citizens. These individuals are given control over True Slaves, though always subordinately to Sansha himself.

Rarely, Sansha targets specific members of society for integration into the Nation, exerting additional control over them through the Slave Implants. Finally, if a True Citizen has disloyal thoughts or attempts to act against the Nation's interests, the implants they are fitted with can be used to bring them back into line. Often, this results in psychological damage and a loss of individuality and creativity to the potential defector. Depending on the citizen's worth to the Nation, this can end with them converted fully to a True Slave.

Technology

Sansha's Nation is technologically advanced, matching and in some cases surpassing every empire save perhaps the Jove. Even then, the Nation may have access to Jove technology, as they have been captured occupying stations in Jove space. Its areas of most advancement are ship design, gravitational manipulation, and implant technology.

Ships

Sansha's ships are well known for their alien designs, with smooth, bulbous shapes and protruding spines. They possess advanced laser technology, similar in design and function to the weapon systems of Marauders, though all Sansha ship classes utilize it. It's most recent ships have displayed highly efficient energy neutralizers, powerful shields and armor repair capabilities, effective afterburner and microwarp drives, and extensive electronic warfare capabilities.

The Nation utilizes several basic hull designs, though they have great internal variations. The four most well known are known as the Succubus, Phantasm, Nightmare, and Revenant. Blueprints for these designs have fallen into capsuleer hands. However, at least one other style of frigate has been seen, though its name and design has not been disseminated outside the Nation.

Wormholes

The Nation has also discovered a method of creating artificial wormholes, seemingly at will. These wormholes allow only Sansha ships to pass through, though they can be disrupted by continued gravimetric jamming. The method the Nation uses to create and restrict these wormholes is unknown by the rest of the cluster, giving them a huge logistical advantage.

Slave Implants

All slaves in Sansha's Nation are controlled with Slave Implants. Far more extensive and advanced than the implants capsuleers use to augment their mental acuity, Slave Implants completely subvert the will of those implanted. They can take a variety of forms, ranging from simple neural implants for those considered easy to control, all the way to bulky and invasive “slave helmets” that suppress even the smallest contrary thoughts.

Unlike devices such as transcranial microcontrollers, Slave Implants do not eliminate the ability of the slaves to function on higher levels. True Slaves are capable of utilizing varying degrees of problem solving and creative abilities, often surprising those they are opposing. While a True Slave will never be capable of breaking a command, they are capable of acting in a variety of ways to follow those commands. More trustworthy and loyal slaves are given increasing amounts of autonomy, with some barely appearing different from how they did prior to their transformation.

Even True Citizens are fitted with a form of Slave Implant, though these are primarily designed to enhance the user's abilities rather than subvert their will. Some of these devices have fallen into the hands of capsuleers, who use them to augment their captaining abilities. As yet, these implants do not appear to link the users to Sansha's will, making it seem likely that another vital component is necessary to complete the shackles.