NationStates Jolt Archive

What is the Confederacy of Defense Corporations?
First off, it's not a nation, or even a country. It is a consortium of companies given de facto independence, and significant power over its employees. Highly subsidized by the isolationist states in whose territories its facilities are (excepting its more recent acquisitions), the Confederacy focuses on the design, production, and sale of military equipment.
It is comprised of a variety of companies, but is dominated by the Big 5: Jacques Tanks, Boris Rotorcraft, Michael Shipyards, Smith Armory and Luis Aviation.

Where is it?
In Singapore, Jacques Tanks operates a major factory complex. Singapore is also home to the corporate headquarters of the Big 5. Further up the Malay peninsula, Smith Armory has a number of artillery and ammunition factories in and around Kuala Lumpur.
In China, Macao, Hong Kong and Shanghai have major aircraft, radar and lidar manufacturing plants; Hong Kong is the main design hub for the C. of DC.
Seoul-Inchon and Tokyo-Yokohama have the two largest shipyards in Asia, along with various engine manufacturing plants owned by subsidiary corporations. Sapporo, for its part, has three refrigeration plants directly owned by Michael Shipyards.
Saigon is a helicopter manufacturing hub and center of drone research, while Bandar Seri Begawan is the Space Capital of the Confederacy (and is host to several breeder reactors (for producing nuclear fuel), as well as a tank tread plant). Manila has the largest single hub for missile design and manufacture in the C. of DC, and has two automotive factories owned by subsidiaries of Jacques Tanks. Port Moresby, Christchurch, and Darwin have small shipyards and minor factories as well.
Testing ranges are found in Sabah, Papua, Hokkaido, the Shackleton Ice Shelf, the Canterbury Plains (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canterbury_Plains) and the Australian Outback; Tubaui sold the uninhabited territory Vuku Island to Michael Shipyards, which is using the island as a testing range.

In Greater Dienstad, the Burtford Special Economic Zone in Burtford, The PeoplesFreedom is home to a rifle testing range, 4 shipyards, and 11 major manufacturing hubs owned by the members of the Big 5. It functions like any other part of the C. of DC, though Confederacy naming practices will probably not be imported for some time. In the capital, Cerberus, Michael Shipyards owns the semiconductor company Zeichen TechnoWerk, and Jacques Tanks, Boris Rotorcraft, Smith Armory and Luis Aviation co-own a large testing grounds on the outskirts of the city itself. Elsewhere, Michael Shipyards is establishing the Port Vincent SEZ, in Port Vincent, St. Celestino, future home to a shipyard, a torpedo factory, a radar factory, a steel mill, and a missile factory.

More recently, three shipyards were purchased from Cukarica, located in Paxi (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paxi) (Paxos), Kérkira (Corfu) and Préveza (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Preveza_Prefecture). The Corfu facility is the largest single shipyard in the Confederacy; however, all three Cukarican shipyards operated under Cukarican labor contracts for 3 years after their acquisition, to avoid labor disputes at these valuable assets. Unfortunately for employees at other, lower-paying facilities in the Confederacy, those contracts prohibited employment of non-Cukarican citizens. In Salzland, a similar arrangement exists for Tsien Engine's new Talon Engine Plant, in Talon, Salzland. The Talon Engine Plant hired local managers and drew up contracts based on the labor standards of Salzland; in effect, it operates as a Salzland-based subsidiary of Tsien Engines, which is itself a subsidiary of Luis Aviation. In a similar vein, Eichi Jets, a subsidiary of Boris Rotorcraft, owns a factory in St. Radan, Fanrai provinces, Falkasia - the Fanrai-Falkasia Turbofan Plant - that operates under the labor standards of Falkasia, and a factory in Utsuri, the Greenlandic Peoples - the Eichi-Utsuri Engine Works - operating under local labor standards and laws. Further, Smith Armory owns a rifle plant, the Prime Arsenal, in Endenia Prime, Endenia Restos, that operates under local labor standards and laws.

Finally, the Eastington Engine Works, co-owned and jointly operated by Celsan Motors of Astholm (65%) and Jacques Tanks of the C. of DC (35%), is currently in construction in Eastington, Astholm. A small corporate village is maintained in the area, with company-provided housing and health care. A similar arrangement is in place for the United Engine Factory co-owned and jointly operated by ZMW of Zinaire (70%) and Smith Armory of the C. of DC (30%), in construction in Grise, Zinaire. Smith Armory also co-owns and jointly operates a rifle factory with M.A.C in Neogania, New Praetoria, Anghele; this factory, the Union Rifle Plant, is 50% owned by Smith Armory and 50% owned by M.A.C.

What are conditions like for citizens of the Confederacy?
Reword that. The Confederacy has no citizens; it has employees. Still, considering the power the Confederacy has over its employees in its homeland, it's a fair mistake.

Employees in the Confederacy live in company-owned housing, get treated by company doctors, are members of company-backed unions, buy their food from company shops, and send their kids to company-funded schools. Toe the line, and you're fine; step over it, and you'll be drafted to work for company security, or occasionally sent into 'exile' training customers in the use of their weapons.

While the Confederacy does provide rather good health care, it comes at the expense of privacy, as health records are not kept anonymous; company policy puts public health above individual rights.

The Confederacy supports unions - those under its control. It has broken strikes from unapproved unions by force, but mainly resorts to scabs, shanghaiing strikers into the security force, or co-opting the striking unions.

Member companies enjoy significant immunity from prosecution by their host countries on the Pacific Rim. They instead police each other, a system that has worked surprisingly well on the surface. Corrupt employees at any level are not tolerated, but note that 'corrupt' refers to employees acting against the interests of member companies. Obviously, corrupt employees who help secure the Confederacy's interests with their corruption are highly valued.

Obviously, things are and will remain different in Cukarica, Falkasia, Greenlandic People and Salzland. Local managers handle affairs there, to ensure that the different labor culture does not lead to problems. In Astholm, Anghele, Endenia Restos, and Zinaire, labor standards are similar to local labor standards, though a co-opted union, company health care, and company housing are provided. Managers from the Eastington Works, the Union Rifle Plant, the Prime Arsenal, and the United Engine Factory, if they are successful, will be used at other facilities we acquire abroad, to ease tensions caused by distinctive labor cultures. In The PeoplesFreedom and St. Celestino, legal immunity is not present, but other C. of DC labor standards are maintained.

A look at C. of DC culture...

What's with the naming patterns in the Confederacy?
Perhaps the most controversial feature of the Confederacy is its unevenly-enforced policy of renaming employees. Employees are referred to by their first name and the line of work they are in (shipyards, armory, rotorcraft, aviation, munitions, tanks, etc.) in all official documents. Within some hubs of the Confederacy, many people regularly go by their company name; elsewhere, this policy is widely mocked. Comedians have riffed on companies issuing 'wage-slave names,' and parents often seek to give their children unique personal (i.e. first) names. Middle names are surprisingly uncommon.

This has led to some unusually striking shifts in culture. Marriage, formerly an important affair uniting families and ensuring the continuation of family names, has declined in social value; adultery is, while not tolerated, widespread and accepted on occasion. Certain taboos, especially gender-related ones, have disappeared; others have emerged, particularly taboos against dating outside one's own company.

Resistance to this policy has declined over time, but remains prevalent and comes in different forms. For some, resistance involves going only by their first name; for others, it involves adopting a new (or old) last name in public, only using the official name for forms.

Company security? Can you tell me more about it?
Well, company security forces differ, depending on the company involved. The overall Confederacy Security Force is an amalgamation of all these forces combined; it is a legally-recognized part of the militaries of the various states that call the C. of DC home.

Generally, security forces are mostly used for, well, security. They defend facilities against threats ranging from fires to riots to military attacks. Standard armament is generally a sidearm; some forces provide carbines as standard.

There are more specialized branches, usually using prototype equipment (and occasionally equipment built for canceled orders). Still, this isn't a military.

How are the arts in the Confederacy?
That's a unique question. The Confederacy does provide some small-scale support for entertainment for employees. Company-sponsored musicians are tolerated, if mocked, within the Confederacy, while company-sponsored comedy clubs are wildly popular. As for the more traditional arts, the Confederacy does support them indirectly, through individual purchases of expensive paintings and sculpture as signs of conspicuous consumption. There are a few artists put on retainer, particularly by the Big 5, but the art scene in the Confederacy is dominated by artists outside the Confederacy.

OOC - Eastington Engine Works (Astholm) and United Engine Factory (Zinaire) listed in above posts.

In Astholm, labor standards are similar to local labor standards, though a co-opted union, company health care, and company housing are provided. Managers from the Eastington Works, if it is successful, will be used at other facilities we acquire abroad, to ease tensions caused by distinctive labor cultures.

Astholm complies with European and British labor standards and regulations.

And so will the Jacques Tanks-run portion of the E.E.W., apart from somewhat more intrusive (though more proactive) doctors, and company-owned housing. Also: Union Rifle Plant added.

What is the automobile trade like in the Confederacy?
Employees may purchase automobiles from approved auto dealerships; attempting to transfer funds from company scrip to the scrip used by unapproved dealerships is prohibited by the credit union, bank, or savings & loan institution that manages individual employees' money. Of course, a little extra money greasing the right palm, and such prohibitions can be...set aside.
Member companies of the Confederacy approve a diverse set of dealerships. For instance, of the Big 5, Michael Shipyards approves Proton, Nissan and Mitsubishi dealers, Jacques Tanks approves Celsan, JeepManila, RenaultManila, Manila AutoWerk (MAW), and Hyundai dealers, Smith Armory approves Zinaire, RenaultManila, Kia and Ford-Australia dealers, Boris Rotorcraft approves MAW, Daewoo, Kia, Proton and Lada-Vietnam dealers, and Luis Aviation approves Honda, Hyundai, Proton, Fiat-New Zealand, and Mitsubishi dealers.

OOC - Talon Engine Plant added.

What do people speak in the Confederacy?
Officially? Business English. Unofficially? All sorts of languages - Mandarin and Cantonese, Portuguese, Malay, Tagalog, Spanish, English, Japanese, Korean, Ainu, and more.

If you want you can RP having factories in my nation- its free trade so there's no restrictions.

Nice. Where would they be most likely to be built? I figure there'd be at least 4 major manufacturing complexes owned by Luis Aviation and at least 3 by Boris Rotorcraft (each featuring aircraft assembly plants, missile production factories, and various electronics factories owned by subsidiaries, along with tire and rotor factories for the planes and helicopters), along with at least 2 Jacques Tanks manufacturing hubs (featuring vehicle assembly plants, armor manufacturing plants, shell factories, tank tread factories, engine factories, and tire factories), a Smith Armory manufacturing hub (featuring rifle and artillery gun factories, shell and bullet factories, tread factories, engine factories, and vehicle assembly factories), and a Michael Shipyards manufacturing hub (featuring torpedo factories, electronics factories, and armor factories), along with 4 Michael Shipyards shipyards - 1 small yard (corvettes, patrol craft, other light craft), 2 normal yards (cruisers, destroyers, subs, medium carriers, and below), and 1 large yard (supercarriers, large cruisers, 'battleships' (gunnery fire support vessels), and below).
Just name the sites and we'll be set.

Well if you need a city you could use Burtford, its a major city located on my coast with room to build all your factories and shipyards.

Okay, the Burtford Special Economic Zone will open in a year with all the above factories and shipyards. It will operate like part of the 'homeland', as C. of DC labor standards will be implemented in full. Several Burtford companies will be acquired, especially local banks, restaurants, and clubs. New housing complexes, hospitals, and markets will be built, along with our own new airport. Finally, a small shooting range will be built outside Burtford as a testing range for new firearms.

OOC - What are my goals with the C. of DC?
1) Don't kill too much of my time here.
- I wasted lots and lots of time with The Beltway, in part because I was trying to do too much with that country. Thus, I'm limiting myself intentionally with the CoDC.
2) RP a 'realistic' (or at least semi-realistic) corporate empire
- I remember "corporate police states" being common when I was The Beltway. They were just warmed-over fascist states, and I thought it would be more interesting to consider how a corporation (or group of corporations) might find itself in a situation where it is the de facto government.
3) sell well-designed weapons
- I did sell some decently-designed weapons as The Beltway. I enjoyed it the most of all the things I did as The Beltway, and figured I'd try it out again. The tricky bit here, though, is that I'm trying to use only failed RL designs as the bases for most of my designs.
4) Toy with amusing ideas
- See Confederacy Naming Patterns. Or the Automobile Trade in the Confederacy. Or my debate between my main attorney character and the representative of The Scandinvans over the Lantol Anti-Slavery Accord. Or the story of 1-female the ship rat. Or...

OOC - Who are your characters?
Let's break them down by firm.
Smith Armory:
Smith Armory himself, a rather conservative executive. Sidelined of late by other members of his board, explaining recent aggressive expansion; still, he's not yet allowed much onto the market. Likes nice cars.
Rob Armory, a young draftee into the Security Force who's now fighting for the USGA in Vertana. He's an idealist in a cynical country, and keeps latching onto causes - first trade unionism, which fell apart after his union got co-opted, then glory in combat, which is his current fixation after getting sent to San Esperito to train a USGA-sponsored guerrilla group to use some rifles the USGA bought. He's a city kid, very young, very proud.
Luisa Armory, the lead designer of the R-25 and briefly a volunteer for the Security Force, for which she flew out to Vertana to train local militiamen to use her rifle. Stubborn, arrogant, pragmatic.
Mei Armory, personal secretary to Smith Armory. To her, power means the ability to get others to do your work for you. She is thus not powerful, but she's okay with that. At least she knows where she stands.
Omar Armory, volunteer for the Security Force. They pay him well, certainly much better than he could've gotten working in an ammo factory. Plus, work kept him near his native Brunei, until his deployment to observe the R-25C's performance in wargames abroad.

Michael Shipyards:
Michael Shipyards himself, who likes to maintain a reputation of himself as a boss to be feared and loved. Gets along well with other executives in the Confederacy. Something of a show-off, nonetheless.
Aimee Shipyards, an attorney hired directly by Michael Shipyards. Quietly runs a black-market currency exchange.
Jacob Shipyards, a personal secretary to Michael Shipyards.
Lise Shipyards, a secretary for Michael Shipyards and immigrant to the C. of DC. Rather self-confident.
Rachel Shipyards, a manager for Michael Shipyards. Mildly annoyed by Michael, yet she still humors him.
Wei Shipyards, Chief of Carrier Design for Michael Shipyards. Group-centered, rather than self-centered; doesn't use personal pronouns much, if at all.
Matt Reed, aka Matt Shipyards: anti-whaling pirate, formerly part of the Security Force. Grew up by the sea.
Kevin Reed: Matt's brother.
Jane Blue Whale, aka Jane Shipyards: fell in love with Matt and Kevin.
Anne Minke: First mate of the ship she, the Reeds, Jane, and 11 others took over and renamed the Thylacine.

David Law legal firm:
David Law, partner at David Law legal firm. Comfortable, settled down in his Singapore offices, and bored. His debate with Lord Erida of Scandinvan States impressed many in the Confederacy. International lawyer by education, contract lawyer by trade. Regards Matahir well. Implements Confederacy naming practices with a touch of irony.
Matahir Law, associate at David Law. A salesman at heart, he's a rising star at David Law. Normally lives with his lover, a woman named Naz. He started work at a steel mill in Saigon, got into trouble over a labor dispute, then left for Singapore, where he took up law school.
Ming Law, associate at David Law. At 35, she's still fairly young, for an attorney, and has a sense of humor about life. Still, she already has a daughter, Yu, who's six years old, and pretty smart for her age.
Chen Law, attorney at David Law. Has been an attorney with the firm for the shortest length of time. Was once an idealist. Posts to PirateReport.com as an anonymous tipster, where he lets out his anger at the Confederacy's grossly inadequate response to piracy.
Lau Min-Yang, aka Lau Law, intern at David Law. Member of the 14K Triad, but has been forced to lay low after a deal he made with spies from Chazakain.

Jacques Tanks:
Jacques himself. Egotistical, with an inflated sense of self-worth. His tanks are nowhere near as good as he thinks.
Jo Tanks, former conscript into the Security Force. Holds a 'cushy design job' at Jacques Tanks. Hates her last name with a passion, but doesn't have a good replacement in mind, so she just goes by Jo. That's Jo, not Miss Jo, as she'd say. Rather cynical, and not a little paranoid, though with good reason.
Lee Tanks, conscript into the Security Force. Con artist.

Mondo Advertising:
Mondo himself. Thinks he ran the Confederacy; doesn't; wants to win back control of the Confederacy. Very informal, very breezy. Incompetent, but jovial and mostly harmless.

Jason Munitions:
Jason himself, owner of a subsidiary of Michael Shipyards.
Joao Munitions, Chief of Engineering at Jason Munitions. Nautical engineering background.
Yoriko Munitions, Chief of Naval Engineering Research at Jason Munitions. Helped with the PT-1. Joao's grooming her as his successor.

Boris Rotorcraft:
Boris himself. Cautious, patient, penny-pinching. Trusts Natasha with his money, since she's his lover.
Zhou Rotorcraft, Chief of Astronautical Research at Boris Rotorcraft. Ambitious; longs to be in space. Came up with the concept for Flight!
Consuela Rotorcraft, programmer at Boris Rotorcraft. Main programmer for Flight!; taught Zhou Spanish. Technically, no appearances yet.
Natasha Rotorcraft, accountant for Boris Rotorcraft. Lover of Boris Rotorcraft. No appearances yet.

Luis Aviation:
Luis himself. Aggressive. Initially sought short R&D cycles, then was embarrassed by the poor performance of the F-128 into lengthening them.
Maria Aviation, test pilot at Luis Aviation. Loves flying with a passion; it gives her a chance to ignore the petty cynicism of the Confederacy and just fly.

Eichi Jets:
Eichi himself, owner of an engine company owned by Boris Rotorcraft. Corporate background; a very efficient HR director at one point in his career.

Tsien Engines:
Tsien himself, owner of an engine company owned by Luis Aviation and Boris Rotorcraft. Maintains some independence within the Confederacy by selling engines to both major aviation concerns (which both own major portions of his company). No appearances yet.

Vo Electronics:
Vo himself, owner of an electronics firm owned by Luis Aviation. No appearances yet.

Xiao Radars:
Xiao himself, owner of an electronics firm; rival of Vo Electronics. No appearances yet.
Chong Radars, designer at Xiao Radars. Loved Kwa Radars, before she died in an accident. Moved to the Singapore office in hopes of escaping his memories.
Ho Radars, engineer at Xiao Radars. Lover of Chong.
Kwa Radars, manager at Xiao Radars who worked at the Shanghai factory. Loved Chong; died in an industrial accident.

Colin Systems:
Colin himself, owner of a small electronics firm. No appearances yet. Once aspired to become a meteorologist.

Sultan Oil:
The Sultan of Brunei, who has taken on the nickname 'Sultan Oil' for his vast oil wealth. Wants to make Brunei itself beautiful, even if it means putting oil wells and mines everywhere else.

Pearl Foods:
Marilena Foods, representative of Pearl Foods' interests in LHC Cuba. Filipina. No appearances yet.
Lee Ming, investor in Pearl Foods. Also a deputy in the 14K Triad.
Lee Foods, chef at Pearl Foods' Singapore office. Has been having nightmares about a scary experience that he cannot recall occurring to him in real life.

Hyundai:
Chung Mong-Koo, CEO of Hyundai. Never bought into the 'name your company after yourself and your line of work' thing, nor into the 'make your employers take on the company name' thing.

Mitsubishi:
Mitsui Tenno, employee for Mitsubishi. Rabble-rouser, leftist. Barely avoided getting drafted. No appearances yet.
María Ruíz, contractor for Mitsubishi. Medical officer aboard the doomed Andaman Conveyor. Survived the Purple Plague.
Frederico "Freddy" Galan, contractor for Mitsubishi. Sailor aboard the Andaman Conveyor.
Alejandro Ruíz, contractor for Mitsubishi. Sailor aboard the Andaman Conveyor. First to die of the Purple Plague. María's brother.
Isabel Ferrera, contractor for Mitsubishi. Captain of the Andaman Conveyor. Died after taking "guide of souls", an experimental bacteriophage medicine. It worked - too well.
Manuel Fuentes, contractor for Mitsubishi. Cook aboard the Andaman Conveyor. Second of the ship's crew to die of the Purple Plague.

Where does the Confederacy get its resources?
Lots of places. Some resources it gets through trade, some through development and exploitation. For instance, the Spratlys, Sabah, Western Australia and Brunei provide significant oil and natural gas stocks, while Wilkes Land, inland of the Shackleton Ice Shelf, is home to significant iron and iridium mining. Frances Creek, outside Darwin, is also home to an iron mine. Further, Sultan Oil (owned by the Sultan of Brunei, the only leader of the local governments that is an active member of the CoDC (though the PAP in Singapore influences, and is influenced by, CoDC decisionmaking)) owns Vinacomin, a major coal and aluminum-bauxite mining company in Vietnam, and operates the Super Pit gold mine in Western Australia, among other major mines in that part of the continent.

What is the media like in the Confederacy?
While formal censorship doesn't occur, news media do tend to moderate criticism of the Confederacy. Still, the media is surprisingly free in the Confederacy; it has generally not regarded them as a major concern.
The Confederacy does have its own 'mouthpiece', the Defense Corporations Enquirer, which tends to cover news from the perspective of the Big Five, yet has occasionally published embarrassing material, ranging from internal criticism of management among various member companies to, perhaps most famously on an international level, reprinting, in full, the 'dangerous nations' fax of Chazakain to Michael Shipyards. The Enquirer is perhaps unique among newspapers in that it maintains professional political philosophers on its editorial staff.
For a brief sample article, see here (http://z4.invisionfree.com/NSDraftroom/index.php?showtopic=5275).

Philosophers?
Yes, the Confederacy has philosophers, employed in an attempt to justify the business. Several have been involved in long-running intellectual debates by mail with philosophy professors abroad; these debates have often been collected into books and published, providing the philosophers on both sides with free advertising and additional revenue.

O!
Chazkain has a question

What is C. of DC policy on nuclear weapons and other WMDs/NBCs? Do they sell them, ban them,etc?

Also
What is C. of DC policy on sports and/or recreation? do individual companies compete in inter company games. What recreational activities does the company provide/allow?

What is the Confederacy's policy on nuclear weaponry?
The Confederacy neither has, nor plans to acquire, nuclear weaponry. While we do maintain breeder reactors, they are employed for fuel generation alone. We do not need nuclear weaponry.

What about sales of nukes?
You mean nuclear weapons. You got that right in the last question, why did you screw it up now? Seriously, though, the Confederacy will not sell nuclear weapons to nations at war, and will only sell such weapons if their role in the purchasers' deterrence strategy is detailed. This policy is new, and should help guarantee that the Confederacy's reputation is not harmed.

On another note, what about sports and recreation?
Football is wildly popular - after all, all that's needed are some lines to mark off the goals and a ball. Baseball is also fairly popular in some parts of the Confederacy, as are boxing, judo and sumo. Rugby, and a derivative called 'Australian Rules Football,' is modestly popular in Australasia.
Member companies often invest in rival football teams, often spanning multiple divisions. However, member companies themselves do not own any sports teams, for various reasons - perhaps the strongest is a fear that people would think they'd bribe the refs.

Are there inter-company games?
Few, and all are unofficial.

What recreational activities are provided or allowed by companies?
This varies dramatically. Most naval companies provide swimming pools for use during employees' down time, and many gun companies provide shooting ranges, though generally only management ends up using those facilities. Recreation during employees' time off is generally unregulated. It's one thing to control access to housing and medical care; it's another to control the games people play. During work, however, one is expected to work; Internet access is highly restricted, using firewalls that block sites not related to work, especially gaming and social-networking sites.

What's fishing like in the Confederacy?
Varies. Some fisheries are fairly open, others are legally owned directly by firms like Pearl Foods. Enforcement of said ownership, of course, is difficult - consider how much of the Confederacy is coastal. Consider how many boats of all sorts, from sampans to motorboats to fishing craft, there are plying the Pacific. Consider how damn big the Pacific is. Now, consider that Pearl Foods has twelve patrol boats to its name, along with some obsolete cast-off Tu-95 patrol planes, only two of which they can keep running any given month.

What's the term for someone from the Confederacy?
A 'Confederate', formally speaking. More commonly, individuals refer to themselves by their country of origin (e.g. Matt Reed, an Australian who worked for Michael Shipyards before storming off). Immigrants, on the other hand, tend to go by 'Confederate', and, increasingly, so do children. Ming Law is a Chinese attorney who moved to Singapore; her daughter Yu is a Confederate who lives with her mama in Singapore.

What currency does the Confederacy use?
The Confederacy as a whole, or member companies? Overall, the Confederacy uses the US dollar as its standard currency, accepted everywhere. However, member companies don't pay in USD; they pay in company scrips (currencies tied to individual companies). Their associated credit unions charge hefty exchange rates (e.g. $1 JT (Jacques Tanks) = $2 US, when on the black market, it's closer to $0.87 JT = $1 US), and tend to only permit exchange of their own currency (or foreign currencies) with USD, not of other companies' scrips.

I've heard reports of piracy in the Straits. Are they true?
Yes, unfortunately, piracy remains a massive problem in the waters off Singapore. Officially, claims of collusion with the pirates are denied; unofficially, many in the Confederacy believe it. They've imagined worse, after all.

How's justice handled in the Confederacy?
The most common punishment is being sentenced to a term in the Security Forces - the perception being that they'll straighten out small-time crooks. For the more determined criminals, there are prisons, of course. Forced labor by convicts is seen as a perfectly fine punishment; execution is seen as a waste of potential manpower. As for the insane, they are...dealt with - generally, a good lobotomy and a sentence of forced labor will do for the most dangerous criminals.

But who defines insane? Or dangerous?
You're asking too many questions.

Or questions that cut too close to the bone?
Thank you for your time. Next questioner?

What's university education like in the Confederacy?
There's a strong technical bias at most universities, due to heavy funding from the Confederacy. Physics, engineering, chemistry, materials science and biochemistry are particularly well-funded; astronomy, agronomy, botany, psychology, ecology and biology, among other sciences with fewer practical applications, get less support. While economics, philosophy and political science are decently funded, the other sectors of the humanities are generally poorly funded at best. History is particularly poorly funded, and occasionally not funded at all.

How do students pay for their educations?
The Confederacy arranges loans for the education of promising future engineers, doctors, psychologists, educators and scientists. Other students are mostly on their own, although P.R. and legal firms do offer a few scholarships.