Difference between revisions of "Fen-Dane Relations"

Revision as of 00:31, 11 May 2011

Earthbound nations tend to treat the Convention as a monolithic entity; there are very few cases where someone's faction makes a difference how he's treated by any given 'Danelaw nation.

Similarly, the Articles of Convention set forth particular rules about how factions can interact with the 'Danelaw in order to keep the earthbound nations from becoming completely hostile to the Convention.

North America

Officially, the North American governments act as a bloc with regard to Fenspace: handwavium is a restricted substance throughout the continent, and 'waved technology requires a local permit in every state, province, and territory. Unofficially, Canada and Mexico don't always go along with their more powerful mutual neighbor.

The United States of America

Neutral, mixed

While the USA is not openly hostile to the Convention, they are paranoid about Handwavium to the point of having very strict anti-Handwavium laws. These make working with American companies at least difficult for Fen.

The Transrationality Science Assessment Bureau buys handwaved equipment from the Fen; no other government agency is allowed to use handwavium. (NASA space operations were sold to the Artemis Foundation because of this.) The US Navy claims it isn't a government "agency" and has at least one 'waved submarine and a base in the Main Belt.

Official US policy is to assist Fen of US descent who want to return home, unless they're biomodded.

Biomods are officially frowned upon in the United States, and biomodded people are usually held in "protective custody". Unofficial reactions to biomods range from "sometimes useful, I guess" to "lock 'em all up in Gitmo".^[1]

Some prominent BNFs are officially on anti-terror watch lists due to overzealous investigators or blatantly amoral politicians trying to be seen "doing something about the Fen." Subsequently, they have had difficulty getting off the lists when the political climate stabilized under the current administration. BNF on the "terror lists" include Vulpine Fury, The Professor, and most of the crew of the Gnarlycurl (especially Wave Convoy, Shuko, and Marcel LeChevalier). The adult crew of the Grover's Corners are wanted criminals in the eyes of both the Feds and West Virginia, but have not been elevated to the lofty rank of "terrorists" -- yet.

Tellingly, the Junior Senator from New Hampshire got his office by ramping up anti-Wave hysteria and (not incidentally) setting up Vulpine Fury by indirectly providing Eljay with his "seed strain" so he'd have a "Media Devil" to trot out and raise fear. His machinations are often opposed by the newest Congresswoman from Colorado, who otherwise has not expressed any public position on the Fen.

Canada

Neutral-to-friendly (Would be "Friendly", but don't want to piss off the USA)

Canada has a slightly more open policy to Fenspace than the United States does. Handwavium is controlled, but is not illegal, and 'waved devices are licenced much like automobiles are. AIs are distrusted but not shunned.^[2] Unofficially, Fen are treated like any other tourist or ex-pat in Canada.

The Convention maintains a Consulate in Canada.

Mexico

Neutral, mixed

Officially, the Mexican government toes the North American party line about handwavium to keep their relationship civil enough to get US aid against the organized crooks. What local Policia do, OTOH...

Central and South America

Columbia

Neutral

Columbian authorities assist with anti-drug-cartel operations and expect the same assistance in return. The government wants Gervasio Faustino de Leon extradited if he's ever arrested; they otherwise ignore Fenspace.

Venezuela

Neutral, mixed

**WHITENOISE** Venezuela has "a complicated relationship with the VVS."

Brazil

**WHITENOISE**

Chile

Neutral

Chile has a treaty with the Convention that allows emergency landings on Easter Island. They otherwise ignore Fenspace.

Europe

In a reaction to the United States' policies, the European Union and other European countries tend to have good relations with the Convention. ESA regularly hires Fen to handle their surface-to-orbit transfers to Nouveau Paris.

The United Kingdom

Neutral-to-Friendly, mixed

While Handwavium is restricted much like in the US to government control, it is possible to get licenses to use it, transport it, or own handwaved equipment. The BBI office in London helps out with such things.^[3] Several conservatives (not the political party) in Parliament want to restrict handwavium further, but there is enough trade to make it uneconomic^[4] to do so, plus there are several military projects going on using the stuff.

Ireland

Neutral-to-Friendly, mixed

The Irish Government's attitude to Fenspace is best described as changing and changeable.

The failing Fianna Fáil/Green Party coalition first sought to use handwavium as a political hot potato, enacting some pretty tough laws to divert attention from other more pressing issues. Handwavium possession was classed as a scheduled offence.^[5] The launch of the Ciara and some of Jet Jaguar's filmed overflights embarrassed the government. Jet's escape made a mockery of an air force still using turboprops as front-line fighters.

Although a new government was elected in 2011, it wasn't until after the Boskone war that attitudes began to shift. President David Norris is notably pro-Fen; he intends to visit Fenspace, but has yet to receive permission from the government to do so. The Government has taken a more pragmatic approach to the Convention, repealing many of the stricter laws to facilitiate the housing and land sales in 2014. As part of the negotiations, a blanket pardon was enacted by President Norris forgiving most handwavium-related crimes when Ireland ratified the Kandor Treaty. Others are still technically wanted fugitives for supposedly-unrelated reasons.^[6] The Government shows little interest in pursuing them.

Handwavium Law enforcement is handled by the Garda Unit for the Bizarre and Unprecedented (GUBU).

The Irish Government is attempting to market itself as a gateway to the European economy, and has noticeably relaxed handwavium import restrictions do to so. Corporate taxes are also kept low, to entice Fen into establishing a presence on Irish soil. The Government is attempting to emulate Australia in its own unique way.

Owning handwavium requires the completion of a mandatory recognized safety course and a GUBU-issued permit. Spacecraft and vehicles must maintain proper registration documents subject to inspection. In theory, pilots overflying Ireland would require a legally recognized licence.^[7] Many Fen choose to just use ocean-landing craft and dock at seaports.

France

Neutral

Thanks to The Professor's antics before he moved to space, France has a decidedly cooler attitude to the Convention than do most other European nations. Known supplies of handwavium or 'waved equipment are inspected regularly, and anything that even seems like Mad Science is monitored very closely by the French. However, they are the major backers of the ESA's Nouveau Paris orbital facility, and routine business is not restricted any more than in other parts of the EU.

Denmark

Friendly

**WHITENOISE** They actually like The Professor, letting(?) him use their royal yacht.

The Middle East

Middle-eastern opinions of the Fen range from friendly to hostile. Once Stellvia became a full state in late-2014, the OPEC members put what diplomatic pressure on them they can, in order to present a united front to the world's oil consumers; this has worked about as well as the pressure they've put on Canada.

Israel

**WHITENOISE** (won't be in lockstep with their Arab neighbors)

Asia

Russia

**WHITENOISE**

Kazakhstan

Friendly

Kazakhstan loves the VVS, and allow Fen to use Baikonur Spaceport at reasonable rates.

Japan

Neutral-to-friendly

Officially, Japan treat the Convention much like any other nation that isn't Japan. Unofficially, JAXA and "fen-speisu" otaku like the Fen while conservative parents forbid Interwave access to their children.

China

Extremely Hostile

China has closed their borders to the Fen ever since members of Hermes Universal Deliveries brought a train-load of willing people out of Beijing without government permission. Handwavium devices, AI, and biomods are classed "seize on sight". The Interwave is blocked. Transmissions from Babylon .5 and other near-Earth Fen broadcasters are jammed.^[8]

Fen pilots are advised to avoid Chinese airspace at all costs.

India

**WHITENOISE**

Indonesia

Neutral-to-friendly

**WHITENOISE** Watches Ganymede to make sure the Indonesian ex-pats there are not mistreated

Oceania

This is likely the friendliest part of Earth, at least as far as the Fen are concerned.

Australia

Very Friendly

Australia was one of the first nations to sign the Kandor Treaty, managing to ratify the agreement even before the Wizarding World and the Supers chose to do so.

The Australian government puts no unusual requirements on Fen flights into or out of Oz, and actively cooperates with the Big Six factions, the VVS, the Roughriders, and Stellvia Corporation in areas of mutual concern. Australia let Stellvia declare independence without any fuss, and were the first Earth country to recognize the new nation's existence. ^[9]

New Zealand

Friendly

New Zealand likes the VVS, and officially likes StellviaCorp. (Unofficially, some mandarins in the bureaucracy hold a grudge against the Stellvians.)

The Solomon Islands

Friendly

Since the Solomon Islands never signed the Outer Space Treaty, spaceflight and space colonization have been very good for their finances. The Solomon Space Agency works with Fen space-lift companies in matters of mutual interest.

Africa

African opinions of the Fen are mixed.

Libya

Friendly

Of all the OPEC nations, the Libyan government has the most favorable view of Fen, thanks to the communications and intelligence support provided from the group that would become the Hacker Underspace and the cadre provided by various military Fen that the Benghazi transitional council received during the 2011 civil war.

Nigeria

Hostile

The Federal Republic of Nigeria has never forgotten or forgiven The Island "land theft". Nigerians in Fenspace are on their own.

Fenspace Convention Policies Regarding the 'Danelaw

On the whole, the Convention takes a hands-off policy toward Earthbound nations. The Trekkies call this their "Prime Directive," pointing out that no 'Danelaw nation has yet developed FTL travel despite the existence of handwavium and the Whole Fenspace Catalog. Many idealistic factions (such as the Senshi) prefer to let people solve their own problems, providing assistance only when it has been requested. Pragmatic factions (such as the Jossies) point out that the Convention does not have the resources, the ability, or the training to solve humanity's problems.

The only Fen group that routinely acts on Earth^[10] is the Banzai Institute, who make a point of providing humanitarian assistance wherever and whenever they can. Relationships between most nations and the Institute are neutral to friendly. The Blazers rapidly develop into a worldwide organization of volunteers and philanthropists, and by 2012, the Blaze was a common sight at disaster aid stations, charity events, and public hospitals and other similar facilities. It's hard to hate a group that shows up, brings fresh water and food supplies, and sticks around to help fix things. Only regimes that cause disasters have problems with them, because the Institute is all about information dissemination, using its own network of people. Relationships with the US are a little frostier than one might expect, because the Institute has a tendency to solve problems without informing the government first. Also, there is a subpoena that the courts have been trying to serve to "Buckaroo Banzai" since Buckaroo walked through the RIAA's collective music archives and copied everything he could find there. This colors the view of some parts of the American government towards the Institute as less than congenial.

Notes

1. ↑ Or, in at least one tragic case, "shoot on sight".
2. ↑ Canadian AIs are better off than Native Canadians, but not by much.
3. ↑ A.C. Peters has to have a licence covering all three to even enter the UK, given what she's made of.
4. ↑ Read: "politically inconvenient".
5. ↑ Had Ciara's crew been arrested, it's likely they would've have been tried using organized crime laws in the Special Criminal court, and imprisoned in Portlaoise.
6. ↑ For example, Jet Jaguar had built a railgun in his shed, which was technically classed as an illegal firearm due to the vagaries of the law.
7. ↑ Nobody bothers to check.
8. ↑ The Chinese probably use some of the seized 'waved equipment to jam orbital signals.
9. ↑ Rumours about the existence and activities of the Lollipop Guild that might or might not work on behalf of the Convention in Australia are never acknowledged.
10. ↑ Publicly, that is. At least [three fen or fen-like organizations] are known to operate sub rosa, and the existence of others is suspected.