New Days

The New Days were a period of Orion history, from 56 BCE to 1003 BCE (reference stardates −20/56 to −10/03), a golden age of Orion culture and civilization.

Reconstruction
Following the end of the Orion War and the Declaration of Nallin on February 13th, 56 BCE (stardate −20/5602.13), the Orion people had been liberated from slavery, their homeworld of Botchok (Rigel VIII) was independent, and they were no longer bound by the terms of the Treaty of Kammzdast. This marked the beginning of the New Days, a time of cultural and spiritual rejuvenation for the newly freed Orion people.

Shortly before the end of the Orion War, in April, 61 BCE (stardate −20/6104), the Botchok Planetary Congress (BPC) began discussing the shape and structure of the society that they would adopt afterwards. Ruddy Orions and Grey Orions were considered equal—they could contract to each other, but were never subservient—while Green Orions remained as the hard-working bedrock of Orion society, in service to the other two, a system that would develop into many varied and complicated forms. It was codified in the Codex Orion, a compilation of the laws of their new society, which heralded the century-long Era of Lawbringing, where the rights of slaves were guaranteed and the behavior of their owners was regulated. The BPC aimed for Orion society to last for eternity.

It would not be an easy start, however: the 40-year-long war had devastated local space, exhausted resources and left little but continuing hostility towards Orions. The former masters of Orion slaves loathed the idea of treating them as equals, suspected them, and were embarrassed to admit how much they’d depended on them. So they ignored them, cut them off, and embargoed trade with them. Even where they were tolerated, Orions were kept out-of-sight and employed in only the very worst jobs.

The BPC chose to avoid the embargo by trading as discreetly as possible, hiring alien ships to quietly trade for them while Orion ships and crews visited only their own communities. Though equally impoverished by the war, they rebuilt with hard work, trade with what they did have, and underhanded dealings with their neighbors. To the Orions, economic interdependence gave them strength and they had to reopen trade no matter what it took. Surprisingly, the Orions enjoyed an almost trouble-free transition from slavery to freedom and quickly rebuilt the worlds of the Rigel system. As no-one wanted to appear worse-off than the Orions and there was no real reason not to get involved with them, other races found underhanded ways to deal with them and obtain their goods and services. Once begun, trade took off. Many worlds accepted a hard-working Orion settlement that boosted their economy. Modern Orion slavery began here, as Orion rhadamanen hired out Orion dubyaln, or 'contract-laborers', just as before the war.

After only twenty years, no trace of the war could be seen, bar on a few particularly war-torn worlds like Zchol. After fifty years, the Orion War was only bittersweet memories, while the interstellar society was wealthier than ever before. What followed was a thousand years of almost-unbroken peace, growth, prosperity, and luxury.

Golden age
Newly freed, energized, and enriched, the Orion Colonies commenced great building projects. Artisans and craftsmen competed to build bigger, grander and more impressive markets, towns and cities, and to build them faster and better and more often. Botchoki architecture spread through the Orion Colonies, and surviving cities on Alphosa and in the Regulus system attested to the beauty of classical Orion architecture. Meanwhile, dozens of starship construction yards were built and produced a huge and advanced merchant fleet. Very quickly, whole schools of design theory were developed.

During their time as a slave-race, Orion culture had been little more than folk art and "gypsy" culture. Now with their talent freed, they blossomed into hundreds of different forms, in music, literature, dance (including forms of ballet), holovision and more. They had the themes and traditions of a mighty, majestic, graceful people coming into their own. They were determined to enjoy the fruits of their millennia of hard work and their resilient, lasting civilization. Modern Orion culture of the 23rd century echoed proudly back to this time. Writing two centuries after the close of the War, the Orion historian Letan told of the glory and perfection of Orion civilization.

Meanwhile, those who traded with the Orions, including their former slavers like the Nine Worlds Confederation, grew wealthy off Orion labor. Excess wealth and self-indulgence became a serious social problem for them as well as the Orions. The aliens grew dependent on the Orion economy and completely absorbed into their society. Some died out and others were swallowed whole, forgetting their own culture and heritage and living as if they were Orions and always had been, becoming some of the muni Orions. Orions proliferated and dominated on the worlds nearest Botchok.

For their first century, the Orions had focused on recovery and preparation for the future, and given little thought to exploration and expansion into the so-called Outer Dark that lay beyond their known space. Only uncivilized Orion traders and pirates operated there, raiding the ships of unknown aliens and trading the booty to the core worlds, while sensible Orions stayed home. It was only when population pressures increased that they began to develop new colonies in unknown areas of space. The first new colony since the war (Nallin the Unconquerable founded one a few years after its end) was established at Zonvan in the Outer Dark, in October, 623 CE (stardate −14/2310).

Orion colonial expansion was slow at first, and an existing Colony might make an effort only once every two or three generations, longer if the last had failed. But in time, across the Colonies, new ventures were launched on average once a year. They colonized, abandoned, and re-colonized many worlds, some up to 18 times. Planets close to Rigel had Orion populations of 50% and above, while those at the frontier were under 1%; they averaged at 10%. But the full list of Orion-inhabited planets and their works were lost to the ravages of history.

Decline
This period, of a cultural golden age and colonial expansion, was not without its problems, however. A growing strength in the outer regions of Orion space had coincided with a weakening centralized government. From 867 to 879 CE (stardates −12/67 to −12/79), the fifteen outermost regions effectively seceded from the BPC. Finally, the Gaetano Region outright declared its independence in May 879 CE (stardate −12/7905), triggering a war with the BPC. After hiring additional ships from the Anor, Guilpin and Sark Regions, the BPC ran out of funds and was forced to end combat. A formal peace was never made, and taxes arriving at Botchok trickled to a halt.

Orion government grew increasingly chaotic while social conditions suffered across Orion space. The social and class differences between Ruddy, Grey and Green Orions increased, growing wide and unyielding. The New Days faded and gave way to the Reverse and the rise of the Orion Empire, whose founding in 1003 CE (stardate -10/03) marked its end.