Galactic Federation

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Overview

The Galactic Federation is a representative democratic government made up largely of former members of four distinct, previously existing political states and their various protectorates, colonies, and subjects, as well as several dozen more recent members recruited since its formation. *Formed in the Human year 1721, as of 2020 the Federation now consists of over three hundred distinct members (most a single self-governing species or smaller political state) and several dozen protectorates (typically single planets with member species still in the process of being “uplifted” to technological parity with the rest of the Federation).

How it all functions

The Galactic Federation is a representative democracy which primarily oversees the complex matters of treaty and interstellar law as they apply to its member states. In theory, each member state remains responsible for at least some of its own internal affairs; in practice, most members (particularly those of long standing) rework most of their own laws and practices to match those of the Federation as a whole. Thus, in effect the Federation is a true interstellar government, like the Varanyi Empire or Thorgon Hegemony. The Federation has two primary working bodies: the General Council Assembly (GCA) and the Federation Security Council (FSC).

The General Council Assembly

The General Council Assembly (GCA) consists of representatives of each member state or constituency. The over three hundred full voting members of the Council receive two votes each, while associate members receive only one. Associate members (who are usually either cadet states in the process of technological uplift, or former colonies recently granted independence) are expected to vote with their sponsoring full member. There are also several Observing Delegations from non-members with interests in the Federation, including trade guilds and religious groups. Each of these defined constituencies chooses its own representative, almost always by direct election.
The Council elects a leader from among its full members. Known as the Prime Minister, he’s assisted by a Cabinet consisting of appointed or elected members who each have responsibility for a particular subject or sphere of authority (the economy, the arts, agriculture, science and technology, and so forth). The Cabinet also includes a Special Representative from each of the four major powers of the Federation (the Terran Republic, the CCR, the Mon’dabi Federation, and the Perseid Empire).
Special Representatives are nominated by their respective governments and approved by Council vote (failure to approve an “SR” is extraordinarily rare). The current Prime Minister, a Mon’dabi named Zornwil, is a shrewd politician known as a consensus- builder and tireless behind-the-scenes worker. The GCA handles most issues of broad importance to the entire Federation, usually by the creation of Committees, some of whom effectively have permanent status since the issues they address never completely go away. The members of a Committee present proposals to the entire Assembly for approval and ratification. Full meetings of the Assembly are widely believed to be notoriously fractious and noisy, but that’s a reputation only partially deserved.

The Federation Security Council

The Federation Security Council (FSC), technically a permanent Assembly Committee, oversees two military bodies: the Federation Defense Fleet, an immense space navy supplied by member states; and the Federation Army, which it recruits from member species. It also coordinates member militaries if the Council “calls them up,” which has not occurred since the war against the Nibu Gemani ended in 2855. (Though there were plans in motion to activate the Military Compact Protocols against the forces of Istvatha V’han, her invasion was thwarted by The Champions before the Prime Minister could even call the vote.) The FSC also studies and monitors military and security issues in general; its standing subcommittees include ones devoted to keeping a careful eye on the Thorgons, the Varanyi, the Roin’esh, the Tirithian Empire and various supervillains.

The Federation Judiciary and Three Legal Committees

The Federation has its own judiciary system for enforcing and interpreting the laws and treaties that bind its members (most members also permit an appeal from their courts into the Federation courts in at least some situations). There are several Low Courts, each specializing in a particular area of law, and a single High Court which handles appeals from the Low Courts as well as matters of the highest urgency between members. In addition to the courts, the Federation maintains three separate permanent Committees on laws and treaties. The first, the Proposal Group, creates laws based on the wishes and advice of the various constituencies. These proposed bills are sent to the second Committee, the Approval Group, whose members are appointees from the General Assembly; it decides whether to approve the law itself or pass it on to the full Assembly for further consideration. A third Committee, the Removal Group, only convenes when a Federation member makes a proposal in the Assembly to remove an existing law. Although its member states have given the Federation a great deal of authority, and many member states have mirrored its jurisprudence in their own laws, individual member states retain many of their basic legal systems. The Federation concerns itself first and foremost with matters of treaty, interplanetary commerce, and policing the spaceways between stars. Villains who rob a bank on Earth will be prosecuted according to Terran Republic law, which may treat the offenders differently than authorities on, say, Mon’da. (The main exception would be crimes against Federation personnel, facilities, institutions, or resources, which automatically fall under Federation law instead of local law.)

Malagar IV, The Federation Capitol

The GCA meets every year for a deliberative session that lasts approximately nine Human months on the planet Malagar IV. Located about 25,000 light years from Earth near the coreward border of the Terran Republic, Malagar IV is approximately equidistant from the former boundaries of both Mon’dabi and CCR space. It’s a very Earthlike world mostly known as the home of Terran Rebellion patriot Allen Traynor and one of the primary centers of organized dissent against the Terran Empire. Most other important Federation offices and bodies have their headquarters on Malagar IV as well; it’s estimated that over 55% of the population of the planet works directly for the Federation. Of course, the Federation maintains countless millions of other facilities and offices throughout its space. The best-known of these are:
■ Harmony Station, a space station in geosynchronous orbit around Antares. With a permanent population of over fifty thousand sentients and offices and halls for many thousands more, Harmony Station is a shining symbol of the Federation’s success in promoting peace, prosperity, and interspecies goodwill. Trillions of Federation Credits (FCs) pass through its banks and trading halls every day, and its museums and Cultural Exchange Centers are the best in the Galaxy.
■ the Federation Military Academy. Located primarily on the planet Centra II, but with numerous facilities elsewhere, the FMA trains officers for service in the Federation’s army and navy.

The Early Republic

Meanwhile, the Republic was growing quickly. Between 1704 and 1710, nearly all of the former subjects of the Empire joined the Republic as equal partners — full voting members in a representative democracy. Atares, the spiritual (if not physical) home of many of the Republic’s citizens and its most economically powerful planet, was chosen as the capital. The Republic built a new Hall of Government in the megacity of Boswash. At the same time, the Republic sought to strengthen its bonds with states that had supported it. In 1721, the Republic joined the CCR and the Mon’dabi Federation in a new over-arching regulatory, free trade, and mutual defense organization called the Galactic Federation. As Federation members, each state retained some of its fundamental autonomy but agreed to certain common forms of government — and, more importantly, to cooperate in pursuing peace and higher standards of living for all. All Federation members signed both the Federation Constitution, a document establishing the basic structures and powers of the Federation government, and the accompanying Articles of Federation, a series of treaties governing interstellar law, trade, scientific and technological exchange, education, and the promotion of peace through strength. Malagar IV, a world near the center of the three original governments and the site of one of the key rebellions against the Terran Empire, was chosen through compromise as the Federation’s capital. Almost immediately, the citizens of the Federation began to experience the benefits of belonging to the new government. The most concrete example of this was technological advancement; with the help of the Se’ecra, both the Terran Republic and Mon’dabi Federation had achieved ATRI 12 technology throughout their societies by the early 1730s.

Enemies at the gates

Many other governments viewed the Federation’s declaration that it was dedicated to promoting peace and prosperity with skepticism, to say the least. Once they recovered from their defensive stance, the Thorgons began acting as pirates along their border, preying on Federation ships and stealing as much ATRI 12 technology as they could. The Ackálians remained cautiously neutral, occasionally provoking the Federation with overt or covert attempts to seize territory in Mon’dabi or Terran space. Restraint on the part of Federation naval officers kept any of these incidents from turning into a full-blown war. But the worst threat of all was the Varanyi. Realizing that the Federation would soon catch up to their own level of technology, the psionic, acquisitive Varanyi decided to strike while they still had the advantage. In 1763, they forcibly annexed several systems in Se’ecra space. This unprovoked act of aggression started the bitter Varanyi-Federation War, which lasted until 1769 and was terribly destructive and draining on both sides. But through determination, skill, and faith in the righteousness of its cause, the young Federation passed its baptism of fire, forcing the Varanyi to retreat back to their own territory to lick their wounds and brood. By 1790, captured Varanyi technology combined with advances forced by the necessities of war brought the Federation as a whole to early ATRI 13. In 1812, the Perseid Empire, studiously neutral during the Terran Rebellion and the succeeding wars, recognized the handwriting on the wall and threw its lot in with the ever-expanding Federation. After satisfying the Federation’s existing members that they would abide by Federation principles in all respects, the Perseids were allowed to sign the Constitution and Articles. The addition of Perseid territory meant the Federation covered an area nearly eighty thousand light-years across — almost a third of the entire Galaxy, far more territory than any other government at that time (or today). By the early Nineteenth century, the Galactic Federation had become the foremost power on this side of the Galactic Core. It had a thriving economy, powerful combined military force, and extensive cultural influence over even its rivals — the Ackálians, Varanyi, and Thorgons. Many scholars declared this period a Golden Age of peace and prosperity, and for all intents and purposes, they were correct.

The Mandaarian's return

Back in the year 1574, virtually the entire Mandaarian species packed up its possessions and left the Galaxy aboard a fleet of FTL ships. At the time their destination and reason for leaving were unknown — all anyone could tell was that they were aimed in the direction of the Magellanic Clouds. For centuries, the reason for the Mandaarian Exodus remained an impenetrable mystery, and countless theories were put forth. In the meantime, both the Humans and Ackálians had swiftly moved in and taken over abandoned, technologically stripped planets and colonies of the former Mandaarian Union. Late in the year 1843, reports began to make their way back to the Federation that the outermost colonies of the Velarian Confederation, a political entity on the other side of the Galactic Core and an occasional trading partner, were under attack by a voracious and frightening alien invader known only as the Nibu Gemani. Fungoid telepaths, the Nibu Gemani attacked systems by the billions, swarming over defenders with no regard for their own safety and consuming everything in their path. Though it could not confirm these stories, the Federation military began planning for the defense of its own systems. Before the Federation had much time to begin its preparations, the Mandaarians returned to the galaxy after a nearly three hundred year-long absence. A shockingly-small number of survivors explained the situation in a presentation to a hastily- convened meeting of Federation representatives and other diplomats. The Mandaarians had detected the existence of the Nibu Gemani psychically while the fungoid hordes were ravaging the worlds of nearby galaxies, and determined to destroy them before they could attack the Milky Way. However, the Gemani menace proved too powerful for even the Mandaarians to vanquish and had done an “end run” around the Mandaarian forces to attack the Galaxy. Now the Mandaarians had pursued their surviving enemies back home for a final battle. With the aid of the Mandaarian delegation, the Federation and Ackálian Empire formed a shaky alliance and sent a sizable portion of their combined fleet to the aid of the Velarians.(The Varanyi, thanks perhaps to their own immense psionic powers, seemed untroubled by the Nibu Gemani.) The war lasted for twelve years before the allies finally drove the remnants of the Nibu Gemani from the Milky Way in 1855. In the aftermath of the war, the Velarian Confederation collapsed, with its various members devoting their attentions to rebuilding after the devastation.

After the Fire

Though the Federation paid dearly in manpower and ships for its victory over the [[Nibu Gemani]], its infrastructure remained largely intact. Relations with the Ackálians remained relatively stable in the aftermath of wartime cooperation, and the Thorgons seemed unwilling to risk an attack, so the Federation military returned to previous levels fairly quickly. The second half of the Nineteenth century was peaceful and prosperous. In the early twentieth century, it became clear to the Varanyi that despite having acquired much territory in the former Velarian Confederation space, they were slowly being pushed out of prominence in galactic affairs. Preferring not to risk their military strength, they chose a tactic the Federation had long feared: infiltration and psychic subversion of the Federation government. A chance occurrence allowed a young Federation naval officer to stumble onto the plot. After he convinced his superiors that the threat was real, the Federation exposed the conspiracy, killing several powerful Varanyi in the process. Only a humiliating apology from the Sh’garothayn (the Varanyi emperor) averted an all out war.

The Roin'esh War

During the 1900s, the Roin’esh Union began pressing the Ackálian Empire hard, defeating it on several occasions and taking some territory. In 1931, the Roin’esh attempted to capture several Mon’dabi systems in an effort to flank their Ackálian nemeses. The Federation responded immediately, sending an entire navy to assist the Mon’dabi, and thoroughly defeated the Roin’esh in less than six months.

Life in the Federation

The Galactic Federation is a wondrous place, home to hundreds of sentient species, millions of vibrant cultures, and technology that rivals that of many superhumans.

Daily Life

In the Galactic Federation, individuals enjoy a level of freedom and comfort unequaled in history. Robots and computers handle almost every unpleasant or dull task. Though some imbalances of wealth still exist, many goods are available free to anyone who wants them, so the average citizen on most member worlds enjoys an extremely high standard of living. Though it’s obviously difficult to generalize about a society consisting of thousands of inhabited worlds and home to trillions of sentient beings, there are a few constants across the starways.

Money

Although the Galactic Federation is in many respects a post-economic entity, when it needs money it uses the Federation Credit (FC). The FC is an electronic currency accepted not only on every member planet, but virtually everywhere throughout the Galaxy. Barter remains popular in some parts of the Galaxy, including among the Mon’dabi (the idea that Mon’dabi can’t or won’t understand the concept of money is exaggerated in popular culture, where it’s a common source of humor). The FC trades at relatively stable rates with the Varanyi she’mra and the Catavalan scra. It’s the standard unit of currency in the Thorgon black market (since the centralized Thorgon government officially has no need for currency, as it owns everything within its borders and parcels out supplies as needed with perfect efficiency, or so it claims).

The Datanets

The datanets of the Galactic Federation provide citizens with the same sort of ability to retrieve information as the Internet does for the peoples of Earth, but for a much broader range of subjects and with far greater speed and accuracy. An intricate system of unmanned beacons that transmit messages from system to system through Hyperspace, called Hyperspace Relay Networks (HRNs), allows people to broadcast messages. As of 2020, a civilian commercial message can travel by HRN as far as 20,000 light-years in a single day (military signals, which use both public HRNs and their own private nodes, travel faster than that). Datanet use costs nothing throughout the Federation for basic use (which covers virtually anything an everyday person would need to use it for). Advanced queries, or queries to distant worlds, may incur trivial charges. With access to a planetary datanet, a citizen can tap into nearly the sum total of knowledge possessed by all Federation species. Accessing new items (such as any book or video less than a year old) may entail a small fee. Anyone using the datanet can answer a simple question in 1-3 Segments; more complex questions take longer (up to several hours, not including any delay caused by contacting other datanets.)

Minifac's

A minifac (short for “miniature factory”) is one of the most common household appliances of the Federation. Minifac's use techno-nanites to build common, legal, comparatively simple objects from the molecular level up, based on the programs they’ve been supplied with — most common household items like basic tools and replacement parts, furniture, or pretty much any object smaller than a refrigerator and without too many moving parts. Creating an item usually takes from about 2 minutes to a day, depending on complexity, the minifac’s power supply and efficiency, and other factors. Minifac's can also create food items out of basic building blocks, but while safe to eat they’re notoriously “not quite right” if the user tries to create complex meals. Minifac “recipes” for unusual or interesting items are popularly traded on datanets. (Corporations, the government, and the military have access to minifac's much larger and/or more powerful than those available to most civilians.) Since minifac's can create so many basic staples of daily life for nothing (or virtually nothing), Federation society has come to revere the creative work of artisans considerably more than Humans do. Anyone can have a minifac make a violin according to a recipe, but serious musicians still prefer (and pay top dollar for) an instrument made by a talented craftsman, who can create one with a unique and more attractive tone than the minifac could possibly emulate. Likewise, a piece of art created by hand costs considerably more on the open market than one generated by minifac.

Transportation

Antigravity technology is commonplace in the Galactic Federation, and though it’s possible to encounter earlier forms of transportation, especially in out-of-the-way places and on lower-tech colony worlds, gravplanes and gravsleds are by far the most common vehicles on most planets. Gravplanes, which are easily capable of both surface-to-orbit travel and in-system travel between nearby worlds, handle most freight and business traffic, while gravsleds are the most common vehicles seen within the massive cities on most Federation worlds. The Spacewarp drive was developed by a joint project between Terran, Mon’dabi, and Se’ecra scientists in 1790. Once it became the standard method of propulsion for starships in the nineteenth century, the Galaxy was suddenly a drastically smaller place — Federation citizens could now travel from one side of the known Galaxy to the other in less than four months. In 2020, the most advanced Spacewarp drives are capable of completing the journey in eight weeks. However, there is still a great deal of undiscovered territory in the galaxy. The Hyperdrives and Displacer drives used predominantly during the reign of the Terran Empire and in the early decades of Federation rule are still found on spacefaring vessels all over the Galaxy — not everyone in the Federation needs to travel tens of thousands of light-years quickly. While all Federation military vessels and commercial couriers have Spacewarp drive, planetary/ system defense forces still use security and military vessels with Hyperdrives.

Displacer Beams

For short-range trips — typically nothing longer than the distance from the Earth to its Moon — people can use a technology developed in the mid-1900s: the Displacer beam. A “DB” transports a person instantly through Hyperspace to his destination, much in the same way a Displacer drive moves a ship, but since the distance is so short the trip seems almost instantaneous. For maximum safety, Displacer beams require special booths both to send and to receive, but if necessary it’s possible to “Displace” a person or object to a location without a booth, or use a booth to “pick him up” from an ordinary location. The DB has changed society in many beneficial ways. It’s made transporting cargo from ship to planetside, or sometimes from one world to another, ridiculously easy compared to old methods. It also allows people to travel easily and instantly from one city (or even world!) to another, or to live in remote locations while effectively retaining all the benefits of living in a big city. Federation military and security forces have had to develop a wide range of new tactics and technologies to take advantage of, or protect against, the use of DB.

Spacewarp Speeds

The highest-end Spacewarp drives available in the Galactic Federation travel at approximately 1 light-years per minute, allowing them to cross the entire Federation (which is nearly half the length of the Milky Way, though less than half as wide) in about eight weeks, or travel from Earth to Proxima Centauri in a little more than four minutes. More common Spacewarps move at either one-half or one-quarter that maximum speed. In comparison, the best Hyperdrives (which are considerably cheaper to operate and require less skill, equipment, and crew to maintain) move at about 500 light-years per day (about as fast as the slowest Spacewarp), meaning it takes a bit more than seven months to cross the Federation using one. Displacer drives are similar to Hyperdrives in overall effectiveness, but require considerably less maintenance.

Technology

The Galactic Federation ranks at 13 on its Available Technical Resources Index (ATRI) scale. The other major powers in the Galaxy — the Ackálians, Varanyi, Thorgons, and Roin’esh — are all ATRI 13 as well, though at varying stages of development within that ranking (the Varanyi tend to have the most advanced technology in most areas). One species, the Malvans, has high ATRI 14 technology, making it powerful enough to fend off any of the others despite their greater numbers.

Automata

The rights of AIs and other automata remains a bit of a sticky situation in the Federation. The Se’ecra and other CCR races have a long tradition of granting civil rights to automata who agree to follow specific laws regarding reproduction and behavior. Both the Terran Republic and the Perseids traditionally have treated automata as second-class citizens at best, with strict laws against the intentional creation of fully-sentient AIs. The Mon’dabi culturally have had a great resistance to the idea of artificial intelligence, and their laws forbid the creation of or trafficking in AIs (though not necessarily the ownership of AIs legally purchased elsewhere). Under the Federation Constitution, artificially sentient beings such as automata have basically the same civil rights as living sentient beings. But unfortunately it’s not uncommon to find them treated poorly, and their rights ignored or denied them, in some parts of the Federation. Federation officials are working to eliminate this injustice, but changing attitudes will take time.

Energy Production

The most recent advancement in the field of energy production brings to the Galaxy an almost unlimited source of power. Zero point technology, which involves drawing out the energy inherent in space itself (and perhaps, some scientists theorize, from adjacent, uninhabitable dimensions), was first theorized in the eighteenth century but not actually achieved until the twentieth and not made efficient until very recently. Thanks to the invention of the compact, ultra-efficient Casimir Power System (“CPS”) in 1933, starships can travel faster and further, and people can establish homes, bases, and colonies almost anywhere without having to figure out how to power the new facilities. Although developing a local CPS may take longer than using a standard antimatter power plant, the amount of power produced on a consistent basis by zero point energy technology in comparison to its predecessors makes it the number one choice of engineers in almost every field. (And what’s better, it’s much safer and easier to use than antimatter tech.) But people throughout the Galaxy still use antimatter power plants for many different purposes. Because antimatter originally powered the majority of the Federation fleet, one is more likely to encounter vessels powered by antimatter than by a CPS.

Information transmission and storage

Biocomputers have revolutionized data processing on a galactic and personal level in the twenty-first century, thanks to the development of technology that makes it possible to reliably store information in organic matter. Conversion modules transform standard energy into biochemical energy to power these “living computers,” making it possible for the cells to survive off the energy provided by a standard battery. Processor cell farming is a rapidly growing scientific industry. The farms consist of enormous vats of synthesized and genetically modified organic material. Scientists engineer the cells to retain and relay information in the form of electronic impulses. Because the efficiency of these cells differs from manufacturer to manufacturer, some personal hand-held computers found in the twenty first century may contain as little as 500 cells, while supercomputers used by the militaries and governments throughout the Galaxy may utilize over 5 billion processor cells.

Medicine

Advanced cloning techniques and nanotechnology have combined to provide the average citizen of the Federation with an unprecedented level of medical care. Before the invention of nanocloning, lost limbs and failing organs were either replaced by cybernetic implants or not replaced at all, resulting in disability or even death. Nanocloning treatments allow physicians to decode a patient’s DNA and recreate any group of cells, organs, or limbs. With proper programming, the nanobots can even make the re-grown body part healthier than it was before. Whereas in the past physical enhancements were made with drugs and cybernetics, twenty-first century people looking for an all-natural edge can simply have new and improved body parts grown for them. Cybernetics remains a popular and less expensive option for personal augmentation on many worlds, in part because it offers enhancements not available with nano-cloning. Multi-spectrum visual detection as well as sub and super-sonic audio perception are just a few of the improvements available only from cybernetic implants.

Personal Weaponry

Inevitably, the advancement of technology has led to more powerful and deadly weaponry. As of 2020, the weaponry of the major galactic powers falls into three categories: laser, plasma and disintegrator weapons Disintegrators fire an accelerated energy particle that breaks down the molecular cohesiveness of anything it comes in contact with. Ineffective against targets with energy force fields, disintegrators are deadly against regular field armor and living flesh. They were initially developed in 1955 by Federation scientists but because of their devastating power have been produced in a limited quantity. Generally speaking, they’re only available to special operations military units and security forces tasked with protecting high-ranking government officials. But of course, the Federation hasn’t been entirely successful in keeping the weapons out of the wrong hands — in fact, it’s not uncommon to find members of galactic crime syndicates in possession of disintegrators.

Federation Subcultures

Business and Finance

Although most of what people need for their everyday lives they can create with minifacs, there are still many goods that they can’t create, or which it’s cheaper to manufacture and distribute by other means. Therefore businesses of many different types still thrive within the Federation. Allowing for technological changes such as the invention of the minifac, the actual mechanics of business and interstellar trade have changed very little over the last millennium. Countless small businesses still try to make enough money to stay alive, and a few ultra-successful ones have grown into enormous corporations. The only difference in the era of the Galactic Federation is scale; the largest corporations of the twenty-first century have profits that dwarf the gross product of planets. Major corporations in the Federation must abide by local planetary laws where applicable, as well as any relevant Federation laws. In interplanetary space Federation law regulates all business activity directly. Corporations of the Galactic Federation There are billions of active corporations and small businesses registered in the Federation. Some of interest include; ProtoCorp: this corporation maintains an enormously wide range of interests. Its most profitable ventures are in colonization and off-world mining operations, starbase construction, mass market restaurants and food services, and three-D entertainment production. It also maintains strong but less publicly well-known holdings in biotechnology and pharmaceuticals. Its CEO, Shawn Beatty, is a handsome (and famously eligible) bachelor in his early forties well known for his business acumen and cutthroat, emotionless style. Emeraude: Still active and based in Vertica City region on Antares after more than a thousand years, Emeraude manufactures robots, “mechanical enhancement” suits (both combat and industrial models), mechanical parts for heavy equipment and transportation, starships, and many other products. Currently run by Deverra Vesch and administered by several other family members and close friends, Emeraude has a number of lucrative government contracts. It’s one of the most influential businesses on Antares, and has facilities on most of the Heartworlds (the core worlds within 5,000 light-years of Malagar IV) and in many other places. Intergalactic Planetary Forms: IPF is one of the Galaxy’s leading terraforming firms. Once it renders a planet habitable, it takes a small percentage of all of the business and trade done there for up to a century. The “royalty fees” it receives more than cover its enormous expenses, making it one of the most profitable business in the Galaxy and its owners, the Gallo-Gerci family, among the wealthiest Terrans. PhalanX: Based on Centra II and dating back to the mid-fourteenth century, PhalanX remains the largest manufacturer and supplier of personal sidearms and other energy weapons to the Federation and many other governments.

Espionage

Officially, with so much of the Galaxy currently at peace, there’s considerably less need for governmental espionage than during the days of the Terran Empire. But with the Thorgons, Ackálians, Varanyi, Roin’esh, Tirithians and various lesser threats (such as Hzeel organized crime) posing potential threats to the Federation, intelligence activities are alive and well. While technically each member of the Federation may maintain its own intelligence service, the Federation has established the Federation Intelligence Committee, and most members simply subordinate their espionage activities to those of the FIC. The FIC also maintains a massive database of information for use by member states. Given the freedom of trade between the various member states of the Federation, not to mention trade agreements with outside entities, corporate espionage is a thriving business. “Professional adventurers” and mercenaries can find plenty of shadowy but gainful employment uncovering the trade secrets of rival megacorporations. As long as violence remains minimal and the general trade climate doesn’t suffer, the Federation expects and tolerates a certain amount of “corporate roughhousing.”

Law Enforcement

The Federation maintains the Federation Security Patrol (known as “FSP” or simply “Security”) to perform its law enforcement duties. These primarily include dealing with matters like smuggling, piracy, crimes committed in high space, crimes against the Federation itself, and criminal activity beyond the scope of any one world or member state. Members have their own local police agencies, such as the high-profile, highly-acclaimed Terran Bureau of Investigation (TBI) of the Terran Republic. The FSP often works closely with local agencies, extending the full scope of its manpower and enormous resources to help keep crime to a minimum. How all of these agencies will adapt to handling superpowered criminals, or interact with the costumed heroes who have recently emerged, remains to be seen.

Military

As mentioned above, the Federation Security Council oversees the various branches of the Federation military, which primarily include the Federation Defense Fleet and the Federation Army (the former is much larger and more important than the latter, but some problems can be solved only by “putting personnel planetside”). The main purpose of the Federation military is to deter aggression by the Thorgons, Ackálians, Tirithians and other potential enemies, and in this it has succeeded admirably. Given the size, tactical and strategic sophistication, and technology of the FDF and FA, few powers in the Galaxy could hope to stand against the Federation in an all-out war. In addition to its more traditional military roles, the Federation military also conducts missions of exploration, guards trade convoys, assists with (or sponsors) scientific research and investigation, and so forth. Federation popular culture of 2020 tends to consider blatant militarism garish and uncouth, so FDF and FA officers and recruiters tend to emphasize the exploration and “job preparation” aspects of military service over the need to defend the Federation against its enemies. Nevertheless, military service remains an honored profession, and nearly a prerequisite for any sort of major political career. The Federation military’s slow and awkward response to the Tirithian Empire's invasion has caused some experts to question the readiness and training of Federation forces. It may be that significant change is about to come upon the Federation military... which would no doubt cause great concern among the Federation’s rivals and enemies.

The Mystic World

As of 2020, there are very few true practitioners of magic in the Galaxy, since TRUE magic’s only just returned to the Galaxy-at-large. Most who claim mystic power are fakers, scam artists, or crackpots. A few mystics understand the arcane ramifications of the Kolvel Event, but as yet they have not formed any sort of mystical organizations or cults like DEMON or the Circle Of The Scarlet Moon of ages past.

Religion

Within the Galactic Federation, religious freedom prevails. There are literally thousands of religions followed by sentients across the stars, and for the most part faith is considered a private matter free from governmental interference. Most Federation cultures consider aggressive proscelytizing the height of ill manners, though healthy religious debate is acceptable (and on some worlds, thought of as entertaining). Most Terran religions have survived the passage out to the stars. Versions of Christianity, Judaism, Hinduism, Shintoism, and Buddhism all still have billions of followers spread across half the Galaxy, though most are still centered on the Heartworlds. Among more recently-created religions, the Galactic Church of the Cosmic Light remains while others have died out or diminished to tiny sects on one or two worlds. The other religion that has had the greatest effect within the Federation over the last two hundred years is the Se’ecra belief system Chet’rar. In many ways more a philosophy than an actual religion, Chet’rar has been expanded by various followers into half-a-dozen major variations and hundreds more minor ones, some of which blend with existing religions like Buddhism or Confucianism. As of yet, no major religion has officially addressed the sudden appearance of superhuman beings, though rumors suggest a relation to the Cosmic Light. But it’s certainly a common topic of discussion and may lead to some schisms and religious crises as more people come into direct contact with the superpowered.

Notes / Links

  • Interplanetary Defense Fleet A defense fleet of starships who's primary mission is to police Consortium space and aid its peoples.
  • Expansionary Defense Fleet A expansionary fleet who's primary mission is to explore the fringes of known space and chart hospitable new worlds or identify new races.
  • Consortium Academy of Sciences A highly prestigious institute of higher learning of galactic scientific principles and theorums.
  • Antares Homeworld to a Terran (human-like) race of space-farers, and Origin of the term "Terran"
  • Skareth Dismal system of war-torn worlds, overrun by monstrous space-faring 'Xeno' life forms.
  • Star Sentry Corps A powered organization of space faring lawbringers, dedicated to the preservation of life and freedoms.
  • Star Guard An ancient group of space faring protectors who wield star staves to give them wonderous abilities.
  • Az'Arc'A A large space bound energy species that are masters of mathematics and space phenomena.
  • Hzeel A dimunitive race of scavengers who once commanded a large Empire.
  • Adeptus Fraternitas a reclusive order of space-faring mystics who use their powers as sages and protectors.
  • Advocate Ascendancy a new age order of space-faring mystics who use their powers for ambition and personal gain.

Species of the Federation

  • Belaxians Short (3-4ft) reptilian species with bony scales, known for their great strength and competitive nature.
  • Catavalans Large, four-armed humanoids who helped solidify the Federation.
  • Dendrians Purple skinned Terran-like Humanoids who are renowned Engineers and promote peace.
  • Denubians This species vaguely resemble shell-less Turtles.
  • Fassai A Terran-like humanoid race, that emphasizes personal honor.
  • Ixendrian A tall mammalian humanoid race, who are prone to superpowers.
  • Jakkari
  • Kalishari Nocturnal humanoids with short tails and color changing skin that matches their emotional moods.
  • Kuzane
  • Malvan Empire A super advanced race of humanoids who are magically cursed into decadence and rely on their advanced technology.
  • Mandaarians Terran species of explorer's and scientists.
  • Mon'dabi Tall Reptilian species that are vegetarian.
  • Ondrugarans Tall, slendor, human-like species, that are the benefactor's to the Star Guard.
  • Orthu Avian species with hawk-like beaks and deep green skin with large feathers covering most of their body.
  • Osathri An aquatic cat-fish-like species that require watersuits and hover platforms when out of water.
  • Dorvalan / Perseid Large, dark skinned species with knobby growths on their foreheads and shoulders.
  • Pograckians
  • Rigellions A humanoid race with blue-green, blue-black skin.
  • Se'ecra Insectoid species resembling enormous humanoid beetles, known as philosophers which strive to "lift up" lesser technological races.
  • Se-lag Roughly humanoid species resembling overgrown otters with six limbs, often encountered as interpreters and merchants.
  • Susethrin A Primitive Ophidian Species, currently being "lifted up" by the Se'ecra.
  • Terran Republic The largest union of Terran species across the Federation.
  • Tirithians Refugee Terran species of explorer's and mystical scientists.
  • Vayathuran A Golden-skinned Terran-like race of hedonistic pleasure seekers, who have only began to explore the stars.
  • Velarians The Primary Terran species that set the founding for the Federation, and who's belief system stresses Unity.

Galactic Threats

  • The Elder Worms An ancient slug-like species who's technology involves magic.
  • The Gadroon A batrachioid race who utilize gravitonic technology to enslave and terraform new worlds.
  • The Hzeel A Blue skinned Terran-like Humanoid race of space-faring gangsters, who's empire operates much like organized crime syndicates.
  • The Tirithian Empire A conquest driven race of god-like terrans, who subjugate lesser races into their empire.
  • The Thorgons Emotionless warrior race bred by the Ergons, that overthrew their masters.
  • The Varanyi A immensly Psionic race of humanoids who's caste system is ruled by the most powerful psychics.
  • The Qularr A insectoid-crustaceoid species of aliens who rely on biological technology.
  • The Roin'esh A shape-shifting humanoid species that are natural deceivers and invaders.
  • The Nibu Gemani A fungoid telepathic species near the galactic core
  • The Ackalians An Ogre-esque species that are large and powerful, and talented natural hunters.
  • The MQro
  • The Sirians
  • The Xenovore An enigmatic insectoid species that are highly ruthless and devour other races.

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