Zilong

Zilong
Seal, containing symbolism related to the name Zilong
Zilong
Interstellar Zone
Government:	IGSA administration; de-facto managed by a military corporate dictatorship
Colonised:	3051
Capital:	Philotes
Geography
System:	Gliese 1061 System
Avg. distance from Earth:	12 ly
Demographics
Population:	18 million
[Source]

“	The Master said, “The gentleman understands what is right, whereas the petty man understands profit.	”
–Confucius

Zilong (Martian English: Zelaag) is a planet (also known as Gliese 1061 c) of middling significance currently under the influence of the Commonwealth of Earth. The most important planet within the Gliese 1061 System and its first colonised planet, Zilong is a source of food and manufactured goods for the rest of the system and beyond.

History

Gliese 1061 c was first identified on August 13, 2019 by the Red Dots project along with two other planets in its planetary system. The Indian Space Research Organisation launched a mission to Gliese 1061 c in 2260 following following the success of the Zheng He mission to Luyten b. More than a hundred years later, the probe would send back detailed telemetry of the system to Earth along with confirmation that Gliese 1061 c possessed an Earth-like gravity, thin atmosphere and magnetic field that protected its surface from ultraviolet radiation, solar wind, and cosmic rays. The data from the successful mission would place Gliese 1061 c on the extrasolar colony candidates list approved by the United Governed Space Authority.

After being initially explored, little attention was paid to Gliese 1061 even after the UGSA green-lit it for further exploration in 2411. This was mostly due to the Luyten b terraforming initiative, which dominated the public imagination for centuries. The development of the Kimber Drive in 2796 would be what sparked the great space race to colonize the stars and increased interest in Gliese 1061 c.

The Zilong Initiative was established by Chinese oligarchs who sought to escape the declining state of Earth while also preserving their cultural identity, moreso than the Zhu Que Initiative which would be drawing many of its colonists from European arcologies. Gliese 1061 c was selected as the target for colonization because of its accommodating gravitational pull and relative close proximity to the Solar System, facilitating a shorter journey time than the more daunting Trappist Friendship Initiative.

In 2910 the Zilong Initiative was granted an official mandate to colonize the Gliese 1061 System on behalf of UGSA, and the group managed to gain sufficient financial support in the next decade or so. In 2915, the initial phase of the colonization began, with the deployment of automated drones to Gliese 1061 c that were tasked with the creation of a space dock and initial habitation domes upon the planet. Construction of the premier colony ship began in the same year, the design based off of the Rigil Kentaurus, the flagship of Spica Kimber's colonization of Proxima Centauri b, with a prospective completion date of 3000.

By this time, the failure of the Ross Scheme had turned many of the Zilong Initiative's backers skeptical, and the effort was met with further delays even after the completion of the premier colony ship, the Bogui, ahead of schedule in in 2998. Preparations for the colonisation lasted another generation before it finally came time to depart the Solar System.

The Bogui arrived in Pluto orbit in late 3036 where final preparations for the colonization began. Fitted with the newer, more expensive, 99% speed of light Kimber drive that had been commissioned for the Vermilion Bird, the Bogui passed all checks with flying colors. The colonists, primarily drawn from citizens of the Chinese arcologies (as planned), began boarding the vessel on the 1st February 3038.

The Bogui departed Pluto on the 30th February 3038 and reached interstellar space by the 22nd December 3038, beginning the twelve year journey to Gliese 180. Arriving in the system at the close of 3050, the Bogui would enter Gliese 180 c orbit on the 4th March 3051, docking with the geostationary orbital habitat Xiaoqing above the dark side of the planet. The first human, Yuan Tian, would set foot on Gliese 180 c on 21st March 3051. The ground team that accompanied Tian was outfitted in reinforced Interface Suits, as the air was not safe for humans to breathe. Development of the colony was rapid, as the construction drones deployed to the surface in advance of the colony ship had fabricated habitation domes for the colonists.

With a predominantly Han Chinese ethnic makeup of colonists and the name of the Zilong Initiative, the colonists dubbed their new world Zilong. Jurisdiction of Zilong officially fell to the Interstellar Governed Space Authority, as a Celestial Colony, but the colony was effectively self-governing as it grew at a slow pace for the next few centuries. Unable to attract stable immigration from the Sol System even during the Climate Crisis and with a low birthrate to start with, Zilong struggled for many years until it finally stabilised. This unstable position and reliance on IGSA for resources led to Zilongs not developing any sort of national identity akin to Martians, Zhu Que, or Earthers. However, the colony’s utilization of Confucian and Buddhist values and strict rules led to a relatively stable if small colony.

So, it came as something of a shock for Zilong when word came of the Commonwealth of Earth's formation. The colonists watched with rapt attention as word came in of the war on Mars and the Commonwealth's other actions in the Solar System. It came as little surprise to Zilong when in 3472 a Commonwealth battle group appeared over the planet. The Commonwealth forces led by Rear Admiral Andrew Cohn announced their presence by seizing the orbital station over Zilong. The Zilong colonists quickly conferred with one another and decided that the best option for them would be submission. The Zilongs notified Rear Admiral Cohn of their submission, and the leaders of the colony offered hospitality to the battle group's officers to curry favor with the new arrivals. Rear Admiral Cohn and his officers would land at the capital Philotes, and they would feast with the colonists for about a week. The rear admiral would explain the changing interstellar situation to the Zilongs, and he informed them of the Commonwealth's plans for the Solar System and the rest of governed space. After a week, Rear Admiral Cohn would depart Zilong and left behind a few Commonwealth Marines in the planet's orbital station to keep an eye on the system. The Gliese 1061 System remained safe under Commonwealth rule for the rest of the Commonwealth Wars.

Though Zilong was not touched during the Commonwealth Wars, the Zilongs were now fully aware of events in the wider universe. A large groups of Zilongs would volunteer to join the Commonwealth in its wars in the late 3400's and a military regime was installed in the 3500s to fully integrate Zilong as a department of the Commonwealth of Earth. The Zilongs who joined the Commonwealth military would not return for many years, but their assistance lead to a tradition of cooperation between Zilong and the Commonwealth of Earth. The production of food and manufactured goods on Zilong became more significant during the Commonwealth occupation.

Zilong would remain peaceful even as the Great Interstellar War raged throughout the 3700s. A backwater lacking the strategic value of other more important exoplanets, Zilong remained under Commomwealth rule for another century. Around that time, Commonwealth veterans from Zilong would finally return home in increasing numbers, with the local Commonwealth regime giving them a larger role in government as time went on. A small local military would even form in mid 3700s, created to combat potential (but unlikely) invasions and the growing threat of terrorism, mainly from Hatchet.

The Commonwealth of Earth would declare Zilong an interstellar zone in 3810, ending centuries of rule. In the immediate aftermath, Zilong civilians alongside many Hatchet sympathizers elected a transitional government to allow for further democratic elections and a new more equitable society. This new transitional government was quickly overthrown by a military faction backed by several corporations with interests on Zilong. This faction, known as the Business Casual Gang, would evolve into a military dictatorship that has kept a grip on power for the last two hundred years through its firm hold on Zilong's small military and its effective alliance with local corporations.

Currently, Zilong remains woefully underdeveloped, dominated by its small but effective military and corporations. The IGSA has turned a blind eye to the frequents protests of many Zilongs as most as slandered as Hatchet agitators. Some are Hatchet members, but discontent remains regardless of their presence. Zilong remains a dreary dark place with much of the population clustered around the capital Philotes working in factories, and the rest of the planet being dotted with mines. The Zilongs themselves remain mostly placid aside from some who are a bit more dissatisfied with their lot. So, trouble continues.

Geography

Habitability

Orbiting in the inner edge of the habitable zone, Zilong is a rocky planet tidally locked to its star. As with most tidally locked planets, half of the planet is shrouded in icy darkness while the other half is endless day. The terminator line of Zilong is where most settlements are located though there are mining settlements on the dark side of the planet. Most Zilongs live within domed cities, as the planet's atmosphere exist but is not breathable.

Government

The government of Zilong is an autocratic corporate state. Originally set up as a democracy, the colony came under the authority of the Commonwealth of Earth as a department, and corporations would play subsequently an increasingly important part over the years. After the downgrading of Zilong to an Interstellar Zone, a military dictatorship backed by several corporations seized control from the original elected transitional government. The dictatorship, informally known as the Business Casual Gang, has kept a grip on power for the last two hundred years through its firm hold on Zilong's small military and its effective alliance with local corporations. This dictatorship acts under the authority of the IGSA in name, which is little more than words to both the IGSA and the government itself.

Economy

Zilong's economy is largely based upon the production of food and manufactured goods. Most of these industries are concentrated within the larger domed cities, with many of the larger factories on the planet built during the Commonwealth occupation. Mining on Zilong is present, but mining is not as big of an industry as it used to be. The planet is also a center for the fly-in fly-out miners on Kongming.

Culture

Ethnicity

Zilongs, descendants of the original ethnically Chinese colonists from Earth, are the dominant ethnicity on Zilong. They have their own culture based upon efficiency and harmony, two factors that were key in the early years of colonisation. Zilongs take a lot of inspiration from their Chinese ancestors with their traditions and the more recent Commonwealth occupiers with their corporate culture. Family values are also highly encouraged among Zilongs to sustain the planet's population. Zhu Que's influence has wormed its way onto Zilong in the past century, and the upper class Zilongs have taken a lot of inspiration from Zhu Que.

Most of the non-Zilong population on Zilong are from the Solar System, with the majority of those being from Earth. Most Earthers on Zilong are merchants or immigrants from the Chinese arcologies, hoping to come to a less crowded home with a familiar culture. Still, there is a sort of tension between recent Earther immigrants and Zilongs, especially regarding the planet's past occupation by the Commonwealth of Earth. Other groups from the Solar System include small numbers of pre-ALIAS Martians and Jovians who reside in relatively segregated communities in urban areas.

Language

Zilong Chinese is the main language on Zilong, but Solars Chinese and to a lesser extent Solar English are also spoken or understood by the majority of the population. Zhu Que is also spoken in small numbers by those in higher society who envy Zhu Que's status as a great power.

Philosophy

Philosophy on Zilong is fairly uniform, at least within the public sphere. The ruling ideology of Zilong currently is a syncretic mix of the pseudo-Confucian and Buddhist values of the original colonists and the authoritarian neo-liberalism of their Commonwealth occupiers. The ruling dictatorship, under nominal IGSA administration, allows for freedom of thought between different strands of economic conservatism and liberalism, but the economic left on Zilong is not allowed any public platform. Philosophy on Zilong has increasingly become influenced by Zhu Que, with a not insignificant portion of the population in favor of government similar to the Directorate. Those sympathetic to Zhu Que on Zilong are usually more nationalistic and hostile to Earthers.

The left has a presence on Zilong, in underground movements like Hatchet. Hatchet's presence on the planet originated from Martian war refugees who arrived after the Martian Civil War but spread beyond their community. Hatchet on Zilong is most influential on college campuses and intellectual circles with student protests organised by Hatchet against the dictatorship being a common sight on Zilong. Hopes for movement towards democracy are usually drowned out by loud calls for socialism. Terrorist attacks by Hatchet also happen on Zilong, mostly on military assets and government buildings.