Servitude and Slavery

An unfortunate discussion

Despite its horrors, slavery and servitude remains, whether through legal or illegal means, in much of the Orion Arm. Though outright chattel slavery is illegal in much of the arm, it remains relatively common in lawless areas of space, such as much of the former White Belt Administration, particularly after the collapse of its government.

Sapient Trafficking

Trafficking of sapient life is illegal nearly universally among all governments in the Orion Arm. Unfortunately, it does happen in the aforementioned poorly patrolled areas of space. Pirates are a common methodology for this; with a ransacked ship presumed destroyed, making its crew 'disappear' is comparatively easy. These enslaved crew can be forwarded on to serve on illicit vessels themselves, or forced into legal-appearing indentured servitude contracts.

Criminal Justice & War

Servitude of some sort is a common outcome in many empires as punishment for a crime, or as a use for prisoners of war. The Holy See of Visra is well known for its disciplinarian legal system, with servitude to the Church or local governments seen as a somewhat light sentence compared to some methods of execution or corporal punishment. Visra was also well known for using Prisoners of War as forced labor to rebuild their cities during The Secession War. Almost all sides in the war used forced labor in some capacity, however. Though the majority of prisoners of war were released following the 2815 Armistice, thousands remain officially unaccounted for.

A far more unfortunate fate is capture by the Stygian Automata Ascendancy, who is rumored to "roboticize" entire captured crews into faithful servants of the Ascendancy.

Vatborne & Artificial Intelligence

With the curation of Vatborne, particularly following the creation of RRCT technology, the creation of massive armies of clones created specifically to serve a purpose became accessible to any moderate sized corporation or government. Though increasingly regulated, these Vatborne and AI chassis are typically created with hard or soft-locks that ensure loyalty to their creators and purpose. Brought to specific attention in the Galactic Coalition following the creation of hundreds of thousands of Vatborne soldiers during the Secesion War, there is an increasing point to regulate, and liberate these creations. Still, corporate money allows continued lobbying for their creation and use.

An additional ethical debate posed would be the creation of life itself; if Vatborne become outlawed or unprofitable, they stop being made, in essence rendering a new 'species' extinct.

There is considerably less enthusiasm among most for the liberation of Artificial Intelligence given the horrors of the Styx Crisis.

Corporate Servitude & Indentured Labor

Though "traditional" slavery is illegal in most governments, binding contracts have allowed a loophole for many corporations. Servitude as a payment for a debt of some kind remains common in both the Coalition and Federation, albeit regulated. The common, albeit not universal, rights set out to differentiate indentured servitude from slavery are:

• Rights to food, shelter, and healthcare.
• Right to a life outside of work.
• A maximum 60 hour workweek.
• Right to some sort of allowance, albeit this can be counted against the indentureds debt.
• A definite end-date (usually the date the debt is paid off) of the servitude contract.

Indentured servitude notably does not allow for freedom of movement or right to property of the indentured. Still, much comes down to the negotiation skills of both parties; some indentured servants are essentially just employees, others are subject to physical discipline for minor missteps.

Opinions by Empire

Galactic Coalition

Chattel slavery has been outlawed in the Coalition (and its predecessors) since antiquity. The punishments for it are severe, and the Coalition Navy has, as a point of pride, continued to exterminate slavery rings in the outer colonies. Bonded labour, otherwise known as indenture holds a slightly more grey legality. Efforts to entirely outlaw the practice were defeated through significant lobbying by mega corporations within the Interstellar Senate. There was some success with regulating the practice. Indentured workers must be fully cognizant of the risk of identure when they enter into a contract that could bring it about. Workplace safety, right to basic sentient rights and fair pay regulations continue to apply to varying degrees, and regulatory agencies are empowered to vet and emancipate where egregious abuse is discovered. As with all regulatory practice, these are most stringently enforced in the core worlds, with the corporate and criminal adherence waning the further from the core you travel.

There has been ongoing legal troubles around "made to order Vatborn", with sentient rights advocates pointing out they have no choice in accepting the contracts placed on them and that it is slavery by any other name. The demobilisation of the Coalition's Vatborn Legions has provided a crystalising point for this issue, with legislation tabled providing mandatory review points in vatborn contracts and enforced emancipation in cases of abuse.

Sovereign Federation of Free Worlds

Being the (disowned) child of the Galactic Coalition, the Federation follows much of the Coalitions' historical lead on slavery and servitude. Chattel slavery remains strictly illegal; though impressment into the Federal Military remains a valid punishment for crimes in the Federation. Federation member worlds, as they are given much more independence than their Coalition counter parts, are often more, or less, restrictive. Corporate-owned worlds may display much leeway towards indentured contracts, while true democratic strongholds may outlaw all types of servitude.

Onk Conglomerate

Being a corporate superpower and effective corpocracy, the Conglomerate remains open to corporate-friendly contracts and servitude contracts. In fact, much of the Conglomerate's prison system is ran by corporate prisons that rely not on tax revenue, but exploiting the prisoners labor to sustain the prison.

United Republic of Ayun-Ji & Grand Tide

Ayun-Ji, being a Coalition-ally government set up after the Secession War, practices in essence the exact same laws and customs relating to servitude as the Galactic Coalition. The Grand Tide, however, in territories it controls, is more conservative socially; allowing for strict penal labor as punishment for crimes or for prisoners of the Ayun-Ji military.

Ruz'kahni Directorate

The Directorate officially outlawed slavery in all forms; including indentured contracts as part of its founding principles. However, the Clan-based societies of the Directorate have ensured many loopholes exist; with capture remaining a valid "recruitment tool" among more conservative clans. Imprisonment is extremely rare in the Directorate's criminal justice system; with most clan judicial systems charging criminals with some form of community service. This sentence can vary in extremity from the minor to near complete servitude to the clan until the debt to society has been repaid.

Vesreen Holdings

Being skeptical of all forms of Corporation or corporate-like entity, the Vesreen have outlawed all forms of slavery and indentured servitude. To ensure compliance, the Vesreen Holdings are known to have agents embedded in all foreign corporations operating in Vesreen space.

Holy See of Visra

Visra, while almost absent of foreign corporations, is well-known for exploitative labor practices as part of its criminal justice system. Servitude as punishment for a crime is commonplace; usually, serving in the community the offender has upset with their crimes. Chattel or generational slavery remains outlawed, though.

White Belt & Onia Provisional Government

Much of the former White Belt fell to lawlessness and warlords following the collapse of the White Belt Administration. On Onia, the rise of the Onia Provisional Government saw the preservation of the status quo, with Governor Emmitt McCandless largely maintaining the laws of the WBA.

Current Legality on Onia

• Chattel slavery is illegal on Onia.
• Indentured servitude contracts are legal.
  • Can be initiated by persons, organizations, or corporations.
  • Must provide food, shelter, basic healthcare to indentured.
  • Requires a binding contract
  • Foreign contracts recognized
  • Servants must be treated "fairly" (no on-the-books-definition of what encompasses fair and unfair treatment)
  • Must have definite end date to contract (either specific date, or end of debt payments towards debt)
• Servitude as punishment for a crime is legal provided it meets the above criteria for servitude contracts.