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The Republic of Bethsyngaria |
The Republic of Bethsyngaria was founded in 3104 A.T. by a group within the Non-Coercive Zone who wished to found a society that cared more for the welfare of its citizens than was usual in the individualistic, self reliant ethos of the NoCoZo.
Led by the Su Bethsyngaria the original members of the group, roughly one hundred thousand near-baseline humans, founded the Republic of Bethsyngaria in the otherwise unclaimed and uninhabited fringe system of 1405-224-JH, which they quickly also renamed to Bethsyngaria.
From the very first the Republic of Bethsyngaria was devoted to a combination of both freedom, allowing its citizens to do what they would, and welfare, providing a basic level of state support for whatever its citizens wished, but with enough flexibility for the benefits of competition and capitalism to be reaped too.
This structure allowed the Republic of Bethsyngaria to rapidly become a dynamic young polity, expanding out across the Bethsyngaria system and growing rapidly in size, productivity and prosperity, helped by an influx of immigrants. Within a hundred years they were a major local power, and had sent out expeditions to colonise two nearby star systems.
Over time the Bethsyngarian population continued to grow. In most systems history shows that population growth eventually levels out and a stable population is achieved. In the Republic of Bethsyngaria this did not occur. The unique social and political set-up led to a situation in which the original concept of providing welfare and freedom for its citizens led to a culture that promoted freedom, but not responsibility among its citizens. In many cases this manifested as outright selfishness. And regardless it led to a situation where the citizens did not wish to limit population growth, and their government lacked the will to enforce such a policy.
Strong, if limited, memetic engineering kept the society of the Republic of Bethsyngaria relatively stable and united, while maintaining their beliefs. However, it, or something, also meant that they never progressed beyond the S:1 level.
As population continued to increase, the citizens of the Republic of Bethsyngaria continually ignored warnings of future problems with population and resources. However, by 3600 A.T. (within five hundred years) the original population had increased to some one hundred million, doubling every fifty years or so. In another five hundred years, by 4100 A.T., their population had increased to some one hundred billion, with no sign of the growth rate slackening. Another five hundred years, in 4600 A.T., and the population of the Republic of Bethsyngaria was some one hundred trillion individuals.
This was the highest biont population density known anywhere. Still, their systems coped, and their numbers continued to expand.
Eventually population pressure led them to dismantle first one, then all of the worlds within their star systems to provide them with resources and living space. Even this was not enough.
Two thousand years after its founding, by 5100 A.T. the Republic of Bethsyngaria had a population of some one hundred thousand trillion (1017) individuals spread across a vast number of habitats in their three star systems. Still their population grew.
Eventually population pressures led them to seek new resources and living space elsewhere, and they invaded several of their neighbouring star systems. They had a number of initial successes, and a great deal of resources were obtained from the systems they invaded. It was at this time that many people began to reclassify the Republic of Bethsyngaria from a polity to a blight. Over time a number of wars were fought over resources. In many cases the Republic of Bethsyngaria won by sheer weight of numbers over opponents of greater technological sophistication.
But eventually their neighbours, although less profligate being more technologically advanced, united and contained - effectively quarantined - the Republic of Bethsyngaria. Despite large numbers of different attempts the Republic of Bethsyngaria never again threatened its neighbours.
However, its population continued to grow. Seeing the disaster that was coming, and not wanting to have to go into the Republic of Bethsyngaria to deal with, their neighbours transmitted them the details of starlifting technology, hoping that this might satisfy their appetite for resources.
This technology helped the Republic of Bethsyngaria survive for considerably longer. But even that was of limited duration. 5600 A.T. (another five hundred years) saw their population topping ten to the twenty (1020) people, and their needs making significant inroads into the mass of the stars of their four star systems. More astute individuals saw that even they would be mined out within another thousand years, and fled the Republic of Bethsyngaria.
Although only a tiny percentage of the whole, they still were very many in absolute terms, and were not welcomed by their neighbours.
And eventually by roughly 6200 A.T. the mass of bionts and their support systems in the four star systems of the Republic of Bethsyngaria reached that of their entire star systems, stars included. Even the stars were gone now. The population of the Republic of Bethsyngaria was some ten to the twenty-four (1024) individuals.
Repeated attempts to invade or leave to surrounding star systems were rebuffed. Desperate for mass and energy to support their vast population, civil war was inevitable. Vast - nearly unthinkable - numbers of bionts died in the cannibalistic orgy of destruction that followed, leaving only pockets of survivors scattered across their systems. Even these could not contain their growth and as their horrified neighbours looked on, not wanting to be overwhelmed by the remnants of the Republic of Bethsyngaria, they grew too leading to repeated cycles of war, civil war, and destruction over the shattered remains of the once-proud Republic.
And by 6500 A.T. almost the entire mass of four star systems was reduced to the level of dust, and mainly iron dust at that. A very few survivors were rescued, but the Republic of Bethsyngaria, now nothing but an object lesson in unrestrained growth, was gone less than three and a half thousand years after its was founded...
It was then, of course, that the conspiracy theories began.
There are those who say that the Republic of Bethsyngaria never existed as anything other than a myth, that no-one, not even near-baselines, could be so stupid, despite the existence of some archaeological evidence and inconclusive historical records. Then there are those who claim that it did exist, but that it was created and manipulated by one or more of the Archai as an object lesson. And these rumours and stories are only the tip of the iceberg...
