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Post by Mizagium on Mar 31, 2011 15:47:39 GMT -5
Terran Federation
The Terran Federation is the oldest of the human factions, tracing its roots all the way back to the League of Nations. Initially formed in response to the rise of Venus and Mars, the Federation has undergone several name changes, but only one true overhaul. As the United Nations succeeded the League of Nations after its failure to prevent World War II, it was the Terrestrial Commonwealth that succeeded the United Nations after its failure to prevent the Colony Revolts. With the Age of Expansion came a slight restructuring and a change to the Federation of Earth and Her Colonies, which remained its official title through the Great Interstellar War, until the Age of Isolation, when the old system was nearly torn down and replaced with the Terran Federation.
Originally a bureaucratic free-market system, the Commonwealth and Old Federation were rife with political corruption and dominated by the so-called Megacorporations, that held as much, or more, politcal and military power as any member planet ever did. The Interstellar War ruined the Old Federation economy, not to mention that it sent two generations of soldiers to their deaths over a centuries held rivalry. Following the close of the war, what was left of the Federation engaged in a political civil war for many years that ultimately resulted in the dismantling of the Old Federation and institution of a system of participatory economics as well as a downsizing of the Federation central government.
After over three centuries of rivalry with Venus and then a two-decades long war that nearly destroyed both nations, one would think that the people would be out for revenge. In fact, this was just the opposite. Tired of war, the Federation kept its borders closed for thirty years, even going so far as to ban other factions from traveling through Federation-held space. In order to end the centuries of animosity, the best thing to do was to cut all ties.
With the end of the Age of Isolation, the New Federation, as it is sometimes called, has kept up its stance of peace, and flourished under its new governmental and economic systems. Venus and Mars are no longer enemies, but not necessarily allies. It finds itself on the same side of most issues as they do, particularly when it comes to the Separatists, but thus far it has not made an alliances with any group, though it did acquiesce to the Union's offer of becoming an observer nation of the Union.
Federation citizens are known as Terrans (officially) and Feds (unofficial and usually mockingly). Universal terms for non-Terrans are outworlders and spacers (although this is an old term that goes back to the Commonwealth days; it is not commonly used, but occasionally resurfaces in popularity, depending on the Terrans' opinion of the outworlders). The origin of Terran as a a descriptive (aside from numerous works of science fiction, which loathe as they are to admit, did influence the adoption of the term) is an aesthetic one. Once the Old Federation was no longer confined to Earth, Earthling was no longer an accurate or proper (though elitist in those days) term. Terra, from the Latin word for 'earth' was chosen by the government, but was probably in use by the populace for a long time prior to its official adoption.
Federation naming of planets typically involves tacking "New" onto an already existing location on Earth: New London, New Switzerland, but, while it is a running joke among the outworlders, there is no "New New York/Jersey/England". Federation Navy ships are given the prefix FNS and usually named after famous men and women of Earth. As there have been no new planets settled since the end of the War, it is unknown whether or not the New Federation government will continue this trend. Individual citizens' names would be more or less recognizable by twenty-first century people.
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Post by Mizagium on Mar 31, 2011 19:51:33 GMT -5
Venusian Republic
Even though the oldest of the skycities on Venus are still younger than some of the asteroid habitats, the general attitude of the populace is that Venus is the true successor to Earth. What began as an attempt to turn a profit from people's desires to live in space has evolved into the second of the three major Old World powers, and the only one which has not undergone any major governmental or economic reformations in its history. The Venusian Republic drew much of its inspiration for its government on the United States and French models of democracy.
Venus as a home for humans begins during the First Wave of Space Expansion, when the Venus Atmospheric-Colony Corporation (VACC) founded the first aerostat colony flight. The intention was always to make a profit, and as a result, the early colonies could be compared to mining 'company towns' where everyone worked for the company, was paid in script, and bought their necessities at company-owned stores. For the majority of the twenty-second century, the colonist lived and worked with no problems, but even as more and more colonies were founded, it became increasingly clear to VACC that a profit would be hard to come by in the realm of colonization. In an effort to turn said profit, the corporation used increasingly tougher polices, restricting wages and increasing prices.
Space travel in the twenty-second century was dominated by multinational corporations, VACC being one of the largest, and they were given a lot of leeway by the United Nations. So when Venus appealed to the UN in response to what they saw as exploitation by their parent company. The already forming protest movements across the planet only escalated into violence. In response, the UN sent a 'peacekeeping' force to Venus (on VACC ships, no less) which was quickly descended upon by the protesters. Some troops flat out refused and joined the protesters instead. All in all, the mission was a failure for the UN and they cut their losses, recognizing Venus as an independent nation.
Venus refused to join the United Nation and set about building itself up. By the time of the UN collapse and formation of the Commonwealth, Venus was thriving. It survived relatively unchanged through the Second Wave of Expansion and Great Interstellar War. During the Isolation, the Republic turned more conservative (by current standards) and more religious in response to the destruction and horror wrought by the previous decades of war. Venus was the first of the Old World powers to end its isolation when the (surprise surprise) Isolationist faction was voted out of office. It now holds a shaky alliance with Mars, and is an observer nation of the Union, with which it is sometimes-friends.
Republic citizens are known as Venusians (officially) and variations on the fact that the natives live in floating cities (Airheads, birdmen, etc). They never had a term for non-Venusians, and so have adopted the term "outworlders" from the Federation. "Spacer" carries a couple centuries of negativity, as the Terrans used it as an insult prior to the War.
Republic planets usually follow the old Earth tradition of naming based on ancient Greek and/or Romans. Ships are commonly given myhtological hero names, but more recently they are given names that simply SOUND like Greek heroes. And they are prefixed with VNS (Venus Naval Ship). Names of people are fairly close to the Federation, but with a distinctly Greek slant.
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Post by Mizagium on Mar 31, 2011 20:54:07 GMT -5
Martian Empire
Holding the record for possibly the most unique beginnings is the largest, oldest "space monarchy". The now mighty Empire began its life as a humble outpost that served only as a fuel stop for mining ships on their way to and from the Asteroid Belt. The lone outpost "Waypoint" began as an enclosed complex and graduated to a domed arcology by the time that Willem Keller arrived with only his personal ship and vast fortune. A young British noble with a fondness for early-twentieth century pulp science fiction, Keller took advantage of the Asteroid and Venusian revolts by declaring Mars his own kingdom. Earth ignored him at first, but the people living on Waypoint embraced him. It was only when they refused to allow mining ships to dock unless they paid a tariff that people took notice. Not having the stomach for another revolt, the UN (much to its members' chagrin) recognized the Kingdom of Mars.
From there, the kingdom blossomed. A significant number of people flocked from Earth to live in the new Kingdom, which Keller opened for all immigrants. He possessed a sizeable amount of money, both from inheritance, and from investing in various mining corporations. More complexes and arcologies were built to accommodate the influx on the harhs desert planet. Very quickly, it emerged as a third contender alongside Venus.
Many doubted the ability of the kingdom to maintain itself, especially once the Second Wave of Exploration began and it founded many new colony worlds. But against all expectations, the Kingdom of Mars survived, and even flourished, in large part due to how the royal family conducts itself. The affairs of the royal family are open and generally not kept secret, and the King rules jointly with the Parliament. But the largest contribution to public approval is the choosing of hairs to the Throne of Mars. Hairs to the throne are kept secret from the public and forced to live a double life among the people and the court. They are indoctrinated from birth to understand that ruling is a privilege and not a right, but that as members of the Royal Family, the needs of the people must be held in the highest priority. They are encouraged to marry someone not of the aristocracy, a commoner, and to not reveal themselves as a potential heir until the last possible time. When an heir is needed, such as with the King/Queen's failing health, old age, or sudden death, the potential heirs are rounded up and revealed and the public is asked to vote on the next king or queen of Mars. Only once in history has there been a conflict over succession.
In addition to the Royal Family and the Parliament, there is the Aristocracy. Not originally a part of Keller's design, the Aristocracy grew out of a need to have rulers on the various colones - dukes and duchesses - and has become a necessary evil in the Empire. The Aristocracy behaves much more like the kingdoms of medieval times, with the wheeling and dealing and inbreeding and scheming. Typically, the people have a generally negative view of the Aristocracy, but a positive view of the Royal Family, and a fairly ambivalent view of the Parliament.
The Kingdom nearly fell apart during the events of the Great Interstellar War, partially due to the fact that they switched sides twice, but also do to resoundingly negative view of the war. The Royal Family had to suppress a series of revolts lead by the Aristocracy, resulting in the first and only competition over the Throne of Mars. This lasted well into the Isolation period and resulted in a reduction of the power and influence of the nobility and parliament, and increased power of the Royal Family, becoming the Martian Empire.
Public approval of the Royal Family has waned slightly in recent years because it has asserted its rule more and seems to treat itself as having the right to the throne, rather than the traditional privilege. Still, it is positive, but the reduced powers of the aristocracy has actually driven the planets apart more, despite a more centralized government.
Citizens of the Empire are known formally as Martians, and informally as Imperials and, more derisively, redheads. Outworlders had fallen into vogue as a universal term for non-Martians, but among the Royal Family, the term Plebites is used as an insult.
Martian naming of planets is a strange mix of Roman and Imperial Japanese, which gradually evolved into a mix of the two which mow pervades the citizenry and navy. Ships are prefixed with RMNS (Royal Martian Navy Ship).
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Post by Mizagium on Apr 2, 2011 13:39:09 GMT -5
Frontier League
There is a quote from a very old science fiction motion picture film, "You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy" that more or less sums up most outworlders' opinions on the Frontier League. The actual source of the quote is long forgotten, but the quote itself remains. The Frontier League is a lawless, decentralized nation of the Old World that the citizens of Earth, Venus, and Mars would rather pretend didn't exist.
The League began at the signing of the Solar Treaty as an economic union of the Asteroid Confederacy and the Jovian Combine. Both nations grew out of the revolutions that swept along the extraterrestrial colonies beginning with Venus. The mined-out asteroid habitats joined together - as did the moons of Jupiter, Callisto, Io, Europa, and Ganymede. Neither could afford the hefty price to purchase the FTL drive from the Commonwealth, but together, they would be better able to handle the debt. Based on Ceres, the Frontier League joined the other three nations in the race of expansion. During the Great Interstellar War, League pilots were hired out to each faction at one point or another before being recalled in order to focus on the civil unrest that became a full blown civil war between pro-Federation and pro-Republic. What little government the League had at the time fell apart and anarchy reigned during much of the time when the other factions were in Isolation.
In place of the old League Council is now a handful of so-called Clans, the major nine lead by famous League pilots, with the others being founded in the wake of the the social upheaval. The capital on Ceres has become a meeting place for the Clan heads. The Nine major Clans are: Black Dawn, Tiger Blood, Sun and Stars, Maker's Folly, Dragon's Eye, 1000 Swords, Emperata, Lightstorm, and Eye of the World.
League pilots and ships are usually considered the best of the best, partly because there is no set of standards that they have to adhere to, and as a result, almost all ships are uniquely customized for the captain. Typically neutral, the League would hire out its own pilots to other factions (although considering there was little in the way of government anyway, there was nothing they could have done to stop it) and this practice has been picked up again after the Isolation, but mostly by the Union. The best way to describe life in the Frontier League is to imagine the Wild West, remove the desert, add in more technology, and (now) with nine groups at each other's throats.
The Clan wars that followed the occurred after the Great Interstellar War technically haven't ended, but an armistice was reached by the nine clan heads. At any time, they could spark up again, but for now it seems they are fine to bicker.
Citizens are known as Frontiersmen, for both men and women, although Frontierswomen is sometimes used sarcastically. More recently, Clansmen has come into usage to specifically refer to the Nine clans. Cowboys, space cowboys, and barbarians (if you want to be particularly nasty) are used jokingly, sarcastically, and derisively.
Planet names really don't have a set system, but sometimes they are named after a distinct feature (Razorback, after the sharp mountains that divide the largest continent), the person who founded the planet, or simply whatever they felt like at the time, a practice since adopted by the Union. Ships are not given a prefix and follow no set system of nomenclature, but with the advent of the clans, they are branded with the clan emblem.
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Post by Mizagium on Apr 3, 2011 13:26:42 GMT -5
Stellar Alliance
Depending on who you ask, the Alliance is either the youngest of the Old World factions, or the first Separatist faction. Whatever you call it, the Alliance formed in the last years of the Great Interstellar War, a significant bloc that had finally had enough of the war. Approximately 1/3 of the Federation split and formed the Transolar Confederation, which would later mediate peace between Earth and Venus. The Alliance was the only faction not to have a period of isolation following the war - it kept communications up with some of the first Separatist worlds founded, and was the first to contact the Planetary Union.
The Stellar Alliance is based on Luna and carries on the Lunar practice of direct democracy via electronic voter cards, making the relatively small government extremely responsive to the people's wishes; it probably has the least amount of friction between government and people of any human faction.
The Alliance doesn't really have an official descriptive for its people, as it is simply an alliance of star systems, rather than a cohesive nation like the Federation or Republic, as such, its people are referred to by the planet they hail from.
Their naming is still similar to the Federation, for people, planets, and ships, although they seem to be moving more towards the Union in this regard. Ships are prefixed with ASN (Alliance Stellar Navy) although the running joke among the populace is that the ships are prefixed ASS.
The Alliance is also the only Old World faction to have obtained a sitting position in the Planetary Union, as opposed to the observation status of Earth, Venus, and Mars.
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Post by Mizagium on Apr 3, 2011 14:00:20 GMT -5
Planetary Union
The youngest of the human faction, but also one of the largest, the Planetary Union is composed of roughly 70% - 80% of the Separatist worlds founded during and after the Exodus. Where the Federation is the direct descendant of the old United Nations, the Union is more like the spiritual successor, as it upholds many of the same ideals and practices as the UN did centuries ago. Chief among its goals is the prevention of war, particularly another Great Interstellar War.
Member nations of the Union consist of everything from single planets to large multiplanetary nations, and range from republics to kingdoms to whatever else other system someone was willing to try. Because it is so young, the number of large nations is small enough that the individual planets can usually out-vote them, so there's no bullying going on for the most part. Each member state conducts its own affairs mostly free of Union interference.
The Union is noticeably more socially liberal than the Old World factions, which stems from the Separatists original mission to escape the confines of a society locked in centuries-old rivalries. Still, they are trying to bridge the gap with Earth, Venus, Mars, and the League, but are having little success because they view the Union suspiciously.
The Union is the faction that has made contact with both non-human species, the Ske'ar and the K'orm. Despite a tumultuous start with the Ske'ar, the Union is now good friends with many of the tribes. The K'orm keep their distance.
There is no universal descriptive for Union citizens, as they prefer to be known by their home planet, nor is there a universal nomenclature for planets or ships, although the latter are prefixed with UNS (Union Navy Ship).
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