Chiba

Official Name: Chiban Technocracy

Founded: 1889

Form of Government: Technocratic dictatorship

Head of State: Master Steamsmith Rez Idoru

Population Level: Above average

Society structure: Sky-high urban

Technological Level: Extreme

Background: See Niho.

Founding: As the technology base of Niho, Chiba Province enjoyed certain perks, namely a significant influx of resources and the occasional blessing of the Emperor upon the invention of a particularly useful bit of tech, or anything that happened to catch the royal eye. Many outside the country questioned why the Nihonese considered the Emperor's blessing such a critical achievement; eventually it became known that with the blessing came even more resources for the recipient. Despite the tradition that such blessings could only be given to Niho natives, inventors from around the world flooded in to make history, attract some of the more mundane resource flows, or simply work amongst hordes of like-minded scientists. And as the steamtechs swarmed in, all those who would provide services to the new residents followed close behind.

As the province's population ballooned, Chiba expanded so far that the cities of the relatively small province became one giant swath of urban territory. Despite this, and the necessary overcrowding that came with it, the clamor for entry remained extraordinary. Nihonese officials initially planned to shut the borders to any further immigration. But the technology sector had expanded so far, and become such a critical part of the nation's economy, that to cut off entry to useful people would mean economic stagnation. The scientists would still produce, but the potential of the province would have to be considered maxed out.

So the Nihonese looked to the sky.

Ereth's first skyscraper was finished in Chiba in 1884, despite the increasing expense of materials due to the Melt. As the world regained some sort of equilibrium, a half-dozen more skyscrapers went up in either 1887 or 1888. Chiba's population became nearly impossible to count- the overall total resembled that of an average nation, but its population density blew away the rest of the world's. Most inventors worked with the living spaces of a shared apartment; moderately successful techs might maintain their own place, and only the finest inventors could afford to rent a separate office for their work. By that time, Chiba had become the spot for the most experimental steamtech. Inventions hit the streets daily, by the dozens. These were increasingly niche items, to the point many had to create their own niches in which they might survive, but the imagination and work ethic behind no small percentage of them were greater than some of the most hailed innovations from twenty or thirty years prior. Overwhelmed by Chiba's inventive spirit, the Niho government suspended all special dispensations from the Emperor, on the basis that even recognizing a fraction of the deserving techs would likely bankrupt the nation.

Scientists, however, tend to be fairly smart. And with so many fairly smart people in one place, it took only hours before documents detailing the economic status of Niho began to spread. Thick with calculations, the upshot of this data was that almost seventy percent of Niho's GDP was in some way due to the efforts of Chiban scientists and manufacturers. The province demanded a heavy outlay in resources, but depending on how one chose to read the numbers, it could be argued Chiban innovation paid for itself.

A movement for a return to the old method of royal bonuses began, but this was quickly supplanted by a much more radical idea: Freedom for the Chiban province to exist as its own state. A small minority of older workers and inventors were repulsed by the idea, going as it did against the code of loyalty to Niho that had been part of the nation's culture for over a millenium, but the fact was most of Chiba's residents were younger people somewhat disconnected from the old ways or immigrants with no cultural equivalent to these distinctly Nihonese ideas. When the more influential citizens of Chiba put out propaganda regarding how keeping all economic activity in-house would allow the province to experiment even further, that was enough to get a solid majority on board.

A referendum was held; secession won by a healthy margin. The Nihonese government made a great deal of sound and fury, but its military capacity had been heavily damaged by the Melt. With no ability to quell the rebellion short of bombings and massive slaughter- which would only turn the numerous apathetic citizens against them, making the uprising so much the worse- Niho accepted the decision. Thus was the Chiban Technocracy founded in April of 1889.

Pre-Melt: N/A

Melt: N/A

Great War Era: Not two months after the separation of Chiba from Niho, the first diplomatic quarrels began that would blossom into the Great War. Diplomatic relations between the two countries, still very fragile, were constantly at risk from Nihonese nationalists bent on enforcing loyalty from the ex-province and Chiban radicals determined to show Niho how poorly their armies would fare against the greatest tech center in the world. Border skirmishes between fringe elements occurred, not commonly, but with enough frequency to raise questions on both sides about whether or not there was institutional influence behind some of the battles.

The incident most dangerous to the peace, however, happened at sea. As part of the secession treaty, Chiba agreed to consider the waters off the coast under their control only to a range of about five miles, rather than extending the border out to infinity and claiming all waters north of it. This allowed Niho a small diplomatic victory in maintaining control over a larger territory, while Chiba would be able to grow its navy slowly, given the limited area of responsibility. At the time, it seemed to be a win for both sides.

The practical result, however, turned out to be the Chiba coast becoming a zone of piracy. Without a sufficient navy to guard against raiders, and with new airfields still under construction, numerous Chiba residents turned to the ocean for their profit. At first these small boats only attacked merchants who strayed into Chiban waters, but soon took their chances against the Nihonese navy once civilian ships learned to stay far from the border area. Most of these pirates ended up on the sea floor sooner rather than later, but one small cadre- the Silent Souls- developed a sonar-inhibiting device that allowed them to approach, rob, and escape from ships long before navy patrols could react.

As soon as the pirate attacks crossed into Nihonese waters, the empire moved away from basic warship design to quicker patrol boats, along with two of the world's first steamplane carriers. Once the navy had gained sufficient speed, only the Silent Souls managed to carry out routine attacks successfully. Moreover, without being able to capture one of their ships, reverse engineering the sonar inhibitor and finding a workaround proved a tall order for the good-but-not-great Nihonese technicians. All they could do was increase patrols and hope for the best.

In the end, the only thing that worked for Niho was luck. As significant as the sonar inhibitor was in giving the pirates an advantage, much attention has been paid to the fact a non-professional group of sailors managed at least fifty attacks without making any glaring mistakes. Experts on naval warfare have generally believed the leader of the Silent Souls was an experienced officer in some navy before winding up in Chiba, or had an inside connection to the Nihonese military. All that went wrong for the Silent Souls was a Nihonese patrol finding itself with a desperately ill crewman, and turning from its course to drop him off at the nearest warship with a medical bay.

As it happened, an attack was planned on a freighter that was right in the path of that patrol ship. After visual contact was confirmed, the chase was on. The Silent Souls broke off their raid and sped back towards Chiban waters. Four more Nihonese boats followed, along with a half-dozen steamplanes from the closest carrier. Part of the pirates' engine blew just before the border; but when they crossed, the pursuers were still a half-mile behind.

The Nihonese knew this. They did not stop.

Much to the shock of the Silent Souls, the Nihonese patrol boats surrounded them a quarter-mile into Chiban waters and took them captive. The fledgling Chiban navy had no opportunity to react. The pirates were thrown into the brig, and their ship stripped down to reveal its secrets.

The refusal to respect Chiban sovereignty caused ripples of concern amongst Chiba's people, that war was on the horizon. Chiban officials took their most aggressive tone to that point with Niho, demanding the return of all Chiban citizens and property, and insisting any problems caused by their people would be handled internally. Niho disagreed and set a trial date for the pirates. Eventually the row reached Chiba's Master Steamsmith, Rez Idoru, who threatened war if his people were judged and sentenced by a Nihonese judge.

Once the trial began, both countries nearly drew to a halt. Worker productivity plummeted as everyone listened to radio broadcasts of the proceedings. Ambassadors from each country were recalled home; rhetoric between the nations stepped up in intensity by the day. Nihonese soldiers prepared themselves for battle, and Chiban citizens familiarized themselves with general concepts of guerilla warfare. Chiban military leaders went so far as to pass out basic intelligence on the differences between Chiban and Nihonese technology (to the extent differences had developed in the year since secession) and how Chibans could take advantage of them.

The day before a verdict was to be handed down, however, the trial was called off. The Silent Souls were to be returned to Chiba unharmed. Their ship could not be returned, having been entirely disassembled and studied down to the size of its bolts. Master Steamsmith Idoru turned down the rhetoric several notches, and insisted his people return to their normal lives. Nihonese authorities were mysteriously quiet, but when soldiers recently stationed near the border returned to their bases, it was considered as close as they would come to any public statement. Peace would be maintained.

Chiba spent the rest of the war pouring nearly all its resources back into its strength- steamtech innovation. Without the Nihonese government as its main supplier of funds (though it remained a buyer), most Chiban scientists learned to work on a contractual basis. Where previously most Chibans worked solo or in small teams in an ultra-competitive environment, now tech conglomerates began to emerge, pulling together teams of inventors to work on important national or international jobs. Much of this revolved around military devices, especially once people began to see the money involved in that type of work.

Near the end of the war, officials from Hyogo, the other main Nihonese province, began secret, high-level talks with Chiban officials. In 1898, the Hyogo farmlands officially seceded from Niho, and Chiba formalized an alliance with them, offering protection in exchange for first-trade rights on Hyogo's extra food supplies. Though it had not even been a decade since Chiba's split, the quality of their steamtech had already gained a degree of separation from Niho's, and Hyogo's provincial airfields allowed Chiba to station sufficient protection against a Nihonese strike. Niho was left with no choice but to accept the secession; this all but destroyed relations between Niho and Chiba. No official contact was maintained, and even unofficial contact became nothing but a rumor.

Post-War to Present: Chiba's influence on the world has exploded over the past fifteen years. Their technology remains the envy of the world, though New Atlantis and The Flotilla have siphoned off enough talent to maintain similar technical capability. However, while the latter two nations use their power to do battle in the ARI, Chiba has chosen the route of science and profit over war. Maintaining a generally brisk business with wealthy nations the world over, Chiban salespeople can be found hawking the most astonishing wares to teams in the Aces' Cup of every ARI- that is to say, the teams skilled enough to make the best use of Chiban goods.

Rumors abound, of course, that Chiba will tire of seeing other countries and corporations hold a stronger hand in world affairs using Chiban technology. But the Master Steamsmith has few confidantes, and what little information comes from the top of the Neon Towers suggests he is content with this state of affairs. Plus, after twenty-five years in power, it seems likely that if Idoru desired a dominant role in the world, he would have made a move in that direction by now.

That, however, judges him by the behavior of normal men. And no one ever accused Chibans of being normal.