Fiction:French Colonial Empire

"As of this moment, I declare the French colonies of Andromeda, the Quadrants, Mirus, and Bunsen free of any obligation to our occupiers. As of this moment, we are free, and we are coming back."

- Alexandre I, January 4 address

The French Colonial Empire is a federal constitutional monarchy with territory in the Andromeda Galaxy, the Quadrants, Mirus, and Bunsen. Composed of the former colonial holdings of the French Republic, these broke free in January of 2803 in order to continue French involvement in the Great Xonexian Schism despite the surrender of their parent. Acting as the figurehead of this new French nation is Alexandre Valéry, former Prime Minister under the Maxime administration, who was appointed Emperor of the French by unanimous vote in the Emergency Colonial Congress.

A force to be reckoned with in the pre-Xonexian Schism era, this new French Colonial Empire inherited the shattered remains of France’s military, economy, and sphere of influence. Despite the poor shape of the empire, France’s reentry into the war is no small event. The vast industrial power represented by French Mirus, especially given enormous gains during the Mirus Campaign, has the potential to build and maintain a navy to rival that of the Gigaquadrant’s great powers.

On the international stage, the sudden resurgence of a Xonexi-aligned France is a godsend for some and an unwelcome sight to others. A major source of contention is that there are now two French states on opposite sides of an intergalactic conflict, both claiming to be the true government of all of France. To acknowledge one is to undercut the legitimacy of the other. From a more practical point of view, some fear a return to the foreign policy of the Maxime administration, wondering if the newly-crowned Emperor Valéry will step out from under the shadow of his predecessor and former friend. Under his calculated leadership, the French Colonial Empire has not only claimed the territorial extent, diplomatic agreements, and legitimacy of French Sixth Republic, but also assumed its war debt and other less-than-savory responsibilities.

Founding under the French Sixth Republic
The French Colonial Empire draws its roots back to the colonization efforts of the French Sixth Republic which took off in the 2790’s. Under the leadership of President Laurene Maxime, France signed the Franco-Tybusen Accords, expanded to the Quadrants, Bunsen, participated in the Scramble for Mirus, and precipitated the founding of such organizations as the NZTO and GITO. By the start of the Great Xonexian Schism in 2802, France’s colonial empire had amassed an impressive amount of diplomatic, economic, and military power.

However, the country’s meteoric rise did not go undisturbed. France’s growing sphere of influence directly interfered with what was traditionally considered to be the domain of the Delpha Coalition of Planets. From 2797 onward, the two powers clashed with increasing frequency and intensity, leading France to found the Alcanti Triad Alliance in 2800 in preparation for the inevitable war.

Great Xonexian Schism
In March of 2802, tensions over a minor conflict in Orion finally erupted into all-out war between the Delpha Coalition of Planets and France’s coalition, which quickly came to be referred to as the Xonexi Allies. Early victories graced the Allies’ efforts in the Milky Way and nearly doubled France’s territory in Mirus. However, by June of that year, the war had turned against the Allies, and many in France began to clamour for immediate peace. After the GITO economy crashed on June 21, a parliamentary coup removed Maxime’s administration from power and accidentally killed the President as she was fleeing to the colonies. Prime Minister Alexandre Valéry successfully escaped the capital aboard the ‘’Glorious Enterprise’’, the diplomatic ship of Foreign Minister Ballatay. As his act as Interim President of the French Republic, Casimir Gérard announced France’s intention to capitulate, and the surrender was formalized the next day.

While the war continue around them, France and its colonies were consolidated along with the rest of the defunct Orion League into the Human Superstate, a DCP client state meant to bring about the eternal dream of human unification. While Orion’s Spur saw a surge of liberal support, the leadership of many of the colonies remained skeptical, defying the initial order of the Unification Council to disarm by maintaining their colonial regiments. The nationalist administration of French Andromeda in particular actively sought ways to break with the Superstate.

Independence
Barely a few days after he fled France, former Prime Minister Valéry was secretly apprehended in Draconis space by French Andromedan commandos. Instead of turning him over to the French government, President David Fauvre of French Andromeda recruited him to help him found a new French state. Inspired by legends of the Second World War, Fauvre envisioned the French colonies jointly declaring independence and going to war to rescue their occupied parent. He would use the charismatic Valéry as a figurehead for this new state, lending it legitimacy and a seemingly powerful figure to lead it. However, having been warned against Valéry’s skills with political power, he chose to name the former Prime Minister, Emperor of the French. On one hand, Valéry could appear to hold a large amount of political power, but the minute he started to get out from under Fauvre’s thumb, the title would make it easy to take him down as a tyrant and abuser of power.

Until January of 2803, the two conspired to bring together what would soon become the French Colonial Empire. French Quadrantia eagerly turned to the possibility of a powerful protector which could enforce its wavering interests in the Neutrality Zone, French Mirus was won over by the prospect of continuing the war, and the liberal French Bunsen was swayed by the threat of forceful intervention by the neighboring TIAF. At Valéry’s recommendation, Ballatay resumed his position as head diplomat and would soon be reaffirmed as Foreign Minister upon the creation of the cabinet.

On January 4, 2803, representatives from all of the French colonies met in secret on, the capital of French Andromeda, to form the new constitution. The cabinet was finalized, the Emergency Colonial Congress established, and the new substates within the empire established. Once all of this was done, Valéry broadcasted a rallying call to arms to the French nation, a speech which would quickly be buried in Metropolitan France, but would spread like wildfire in the colonies. As promised, Alexandre Valéry was proclaimed Emperor of the French by unanimous vote soon thereafter, giving the French Colonial Empire a clear claim on all of France. In the days following the announcement, people began enlisting in droves in the newly-created Grand Navy of the Empire, and the new French state began the gruelling task of rebuilding its shattered military in preparation to rejoin the Great Xonexian Schism.

Territory
"I N RESPONSE to the need of the French People for a sovereign and indenpendent national government, let it be known that THESE NEWLY INDEPENDENT STATES declare the formation of a firm league of friendship for the defense of their rights to sovereignty, independence, and self-determination, and for the GENERAL GOOD OF THE FRENCH NATION."

- Preamble of the Constitution of the French Colonial Empire

After declaring independence in 2803, the French Colonial Empire inherited France's holdings in Andomeda, the Quadrants, and Mirus, its capital being the Andromedan planet of Richelieu. However, upon its formation, many of the French colonies claimed nationstate status, assuming semi-independent governance within the Empire as defined by Article III, Title I of the constitution of the French Colonial Empire. This made the French Colonial Empire more akin to a loose alliance of nations at its inception, with the right to "sovereignty, independence, and self-determination" of each of its Title I members protected by the constitution.

Territories with weaker political power and influence at the Empire's inception, such French Mirus, French Bunsen and the First City, assumed Title II status, which defined them as, "colonial holdings under the authority of the Emergency Colonial Congress." These territories generally possess their own colonial governments, though these are generally subject to a much greater degree of oversight by the Emergency Colonial Congress.

In June of 2803, the Emergency Colonial Congress amended Article III of the Constitution to include Title III, which created the "charter colony" status. A charter colony was an independent corporate entity granted the authority to colonize space claimed by France. Founded independently of the French government, typically led corporations seeking to produce raw materials for the French Colonial Empire, these companies apply for charter colony status once they raised the necessary capital and stake out a claim. Charter colonies receive the diplomatic, military, and financial protection of the empire, but remain almost completely autonomous in their operation and governance. These colonies, like Alexandria in Borealis, are typically temporary institutions meant to exploit the resource of a region, though there is a clause in Title III allowing charter colonies to apply for regular colony status.

Logistically speaking, the Empire his held together by a network of French and allied hyperlanes and wormholes, facilitating the transfer of goods, services, and materiel from one colony to the next. Installations such as the First City and a myriad of Nante-class border stations were built during the Sixth Republic era to maximize French power projection across galaxies, facilitating the conduct of the war today. By far the largest and most strategically important territory controlled by the empire is French Mirus, the size of which was greatly expanded during the first phase of the Great Xonexian Schism.

Government
The French Colonial Empire is a federated constitutional monarchy with a unicameral legislature, characterized by federal institutions whose powers and responsibilities are vaguely defined. In its constitution, power is heavily vested in sub-national governments, granting them broad powers of self-governance and sovereignty, leaving the federal government with little constitutional power. The Emergency Colonial Congress, composed of representatives from all Title I members, is tasked primarily with the conduct of the ongoing war. Though limited in its assigned role, the Congress' influence is far greater in practice, as it has successfully created an army, levied empire-wide taxes, set production goals, and implemented conscription with little resistance from local governments.

The role of the Emperor is similarly limited on paper, though has been greatly expanded in practice. Serving a purely ceremonial role at the beginning of 2803, Emperor Alexander I has come to act as director of the empire's foreign policy, de facto commander in chief, and orchestrator of domestic policy within the Emergency Colonial Congress.

Debt
Two years of war weigh heavily on the French treasury. In 2803, the French Colonial Empire assumed France's public debts of roughly 2.1 trillion Mimidian Credits incurred by the Maxime administration to finance various aspects of the war. On January 10, the Emergency Colonial Congress authorized the French Andromedan Central Bank to issue and sell bonds in order to make up for projected budgetary shortfalls. Resistance to taxation among local governments, drastic military expenditures, and a reduced tax base made the Emergency Colonial Congress' budgetary needs almost impossible to fill.

The French Andromedan Central Bank issued bonds with repayment dates ranging from five to fifteen years, spreading France's eventual repayment period over ten years. Given the perceived risks in investing in the newly-founded French Colonial government, the market-determined interest rate on French government debt amounted on average to 15.57% in January of 2803. This number fluctuated over the course of the war as confidence in the French state rose or fell. By the end of 2803, France's public debt amounted to 6.5 trillion, giving rise to concerns about the ability of Alexandre's government to repay. In order to reassure investors, the Ministry of the Economy issued the Plan de repayement publique, or Public Repayment Plan, which included a detailed breakdown of how postwar French programs which would give rise to the funds necessary to support the debt over the course of twenty years. This allowed it to continue borrowing until it owed 7.5 trillion by the end of the war.

Colonies
"How can we best serve the French nation?"


 * Green face.png French Bunsen Colonies
 * Green face.png French Mirus Colonies
 * Green face.png First City

Allied in a war
"One cluster, One victory. For Xonexi!"


 * Green face.png Draconid Imperium (Alcanti Triad Alliance, entente, trade agreements, trade routes)
 * Green face.png Tybusen Intergalactic Allied Federation (Alcanti Triad Alliance, Franco-Tybusen Accords, alliance, declaration of friendship, access to hyperspatial infrastructure, trade route, trade agreements)
 * Green face.png Farengeto Trade Coalition (colonial ties, trade agreements, trade routes)
 * Green face.png Mardvaeli Republic (military alliance, colonial ties, trade agreements)
 * Green face.png Eldarisian Empire (Franco-Eldarisian Alliance, defensive pact, military access, trade agreements)

Allies
"We are bound to do great things together."


 *  ?  Allied Terran Republic (claimed: declaration of friendship, trade agreements, limited open borders)
 * Green face.png Hal'Sk Directorate (claimed: alliance, defensive pact, declaration of friendship, trade agreements, trade routes)
 * Green face.png Australia-New Zealand Republic (claimed: defensive pact, open borders, lasting friendship)
 * Green face.png East African Alliance (claimed: defensive pact, military access, open borders)
 * Green face.png Southern Africanus Dominion (claimed: defensive pact, military access)
 * Green face.png Central African States (claimed: defensive pact, restricted military access)
 * Green face.png Pacific Overseas Territories and American Treaty Organization (claimed: trade agreements, defensive pact)
 * Blue face.png Corsican Republic (claimed: alliance, trade agreements, trade routes, open borders)
 * Yellow face.png Fjord League of Northern Europe (claimed: defensive pact, open borders, lasting friendship)

Neutral
"Hm?"


 * Blue face.png East Asian Coalition (claimed: trade agreements)
 * Blue face.png Roreinia
 * Yellow face.png Yamato Intersolar Commune
 * Yellow face.png The Divinarium (trade route)
 * Yellow face.png Cyrannian Imperial State
 * Yellow face.png Galactic Empire of Cyrannus
 * Yellow face.png Unified Alliance of Enlightenment
 * Yellow face.png Imperial Ottoman Directorate
 * Orange face.png Sovereign Caribbean Federation
 * Orange face.png French Republic
 * Orange face.png Drodo Empire

At War
"You have made an enemy of the French. That is not a wise move."

Quotes
"How are you gentlemen! You back into fray! Yes!! All your Mirus base are belong to us Peacebringers now finally!! We inside you Mirus! We you Mirus us now future!!"

- Katshiskero of the Peacebringers

"Oh, great, they've got an emperor now? History seems to repeat itself, and for the case if these humans, even seem to move in cycles. To an outsider it's kinda like this: Kingdom, republic, empire, kingdom, republic, empire, republic, occupation, lots of republics in between...and now empire again. But we know how their previous empires ended, and humans have the tendecy to walk into the same traps over and over again. I state that place known as Russia. At least, I believe that prozen place on their blue ball was called Russia. How many times have humans tried to march to there and freeze to their deaths? Too many times, which exactly proves my point. And on top of that, he people of the French have proven themselves over and over again to be an easily agitated lot, so all we need is the power of their people. All one needs to do is to look at the past, and the victory of the future will be at one's fingertips. Mark my words, this empire will not last. It will be lost to blood and people."

- W'tze of the Waptoria Alliance of Species

"You humans are weak, body, mind, and soul. However your particular group's accomplishments are nothing to scoff at and your return to the battle front when the rest of your nation fell from within and became nothing more than hallow puppets is impressive."

- Empress Zuki of the

Trivia

 * Angrybirds is, in fact, French in real life.