Major Organizations in the 'Verse

[Roger]

Major Organizations in the 'Verse

There is more to the 'Verse that just the Alliance and there is more to the Alliance than just law enforcement, military, and Parliament which can be read here. There are several major players out there influencing the 'Verse. This thread details a few of the larger organizations, corporations, agencies, etc. in the 'Verse that exist alongside the major governments of the 'Verse.

Index:
1) Major Governments
2) Government Organizations
3) Contractors, Lesser Corporations, and Agencies
4) Criminal Organizations

[Roger]

Major Governments

Union of Allied Planets
Better know as the Anglo-Sino Alliance or just the Alliance, the Union of Allied Planets for a brief period controlled the entirety of the 34 Tauri cluster.  In the past decades, the Alliance has retreated back to the Core and lost strength yet it remains the most technologically advanced, militarily strong, numerically populous, industrially efficient, and economically affluent organization in the 'Verse.  More information on the Alliance can be found here.

Capital: Londinium and Sihnon
Government: Federal Parliamentary Republic
Members: 12 planets (Bernedette, Londinium, Sihnon, Liann Jiun, Gonghe, Rubicon, Osiris, Santo, Valentine, Bellerophon, Ariel, Albion), 26 moons (including Ares and Conrad in the Georgia System)
Population: 40,624,505,000
Region: White Sun


Independent Planets of White Sun
The IPWS is known better by the name of its dominant member, Persephone, and its relationship on the international scene can be described by the nickname "the Gateway".  The IPWS controls the White Sun system from 25 AU out to the edge of the Halo asteroid belt.  Thus all trade into, out of, and merely through the central White Sun system goes through their territory.  The economy of the IPWS is thus geared toward international trade while the government of the IPWS is geared toward taxing all of that trade.

The IPWS is a relatively wealthy and strong power in 'Verse politics but tends to be completely content with its position and only gets involved in international incidents that might upset the status quo.  IPWS is also notoriously corrupt allowing major organized crime to operate within its borders and often even cooperating with these organizations for further profit.

Notably, although the IPWS controls 11 planets and moons, only Persephone and Pelorum have any significant populations.  The other planets are dwarfs, some moons are moonlets, and many aren't even terraformed.

Capital: Persephone
Government: Unitary Parliamentary Constitutional Monarchy
Members: 4 planets (Persephone, Pelorum, Dukkha, Ra Amiran), 7 moons
Population: 5,553,349,000
Region: White Sun


Empire of Athens
More than any other, Athens has aggressively stepped into the void left by the Alliance's withdrawal.  The rise of Athens' two principle rivals in the Georgia system are a direct reaction to the expansionist policies of Athens.  While most other political entities in the 'Verse have formed through the desire for mutual defense or consensual unity, Athens expanded through force or the threat of force across the central band of the Georgia system.  Other than Athens itself, the "members" of the empire have little to no rights or representation in the government imposed on them.

Capital: Athens
Government: Unitary Presidential Republic
Members: 3 planets (Di Yu, Athens, New Hope), 22 moons
Population: 3,395,395,000
Region: Georgia


Georgian Federation
The Federation was a direct response the the expansion of Athens across the Georgia System.  The innermost worlds of the system banded together against the growing threat and also stand against the lingering Alliance controlled moon Ares, a lunar fortress.  However, the Federation remains largely dormant as the Alliance base remains quiet and the Athens Empire has turned its sights elsewhere.  Thus in many ways the member nations appear and act completely independent.

Capital: Boros
Government: Federal Presidential Republic
Members: 4 planets (Ezra, Regina, Boros, Kerry), 4 moons
Population: 2,631,750,000
Region: Georgia


Red Sun Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation, and Mutual Assistance
More commonly known as the "Red Pact" or simply the "Reds", the Treaty is much more militaristic than it sounds. The main purpose of the Pact is to oppose dominant Jiangyin through economic isolation as well as military action. The Red Pact originally included every single world in the system outside the Motherlode belt but has since declined in membership after a costly defeat five years ago against Jiangying and the Commonwealth.

Capital: Harvest
Government: Federal Semi-presidential Republic
Members: 5 planets (Harvest, Anson's World, Jubilee, Lazarus, Silverhold), 8 moons
Population: 1,380,300,000
Region: Red Sun


Commonwealth of Nations
The Commonwealth is a loose federation of nations primarily in the Kalidasa system. The Commonwealth is closer to a military alliance and economic trade zone than an interplanetary government. At the federal level, government is nearly nonexistent but for requisite executive offices dealing with foreign affairs and the representative parliament itself which votes on matters of great importance for the entire commonwealth. All other functions of government are left to member states to perform at the local level including even national defense during peace time.

Capital: Verbena
Government: Federal Parliamentary Republic
Members: 9 planets (New Melbourne, Sho-je Downs, Verbena, Constance, Glacier, Angel, Zephyr, Ghost, Aberdeen), 22 moons
Population: 1,176,945,000
Region: Kalidasa


Huang Long Union
Hera had long been the political leader of the Georgia system until it led the Independents to defeat in the Unification War.  Under the Alliance, Athens slowly emerged as the new dominant world and once the Alliance withdrew, Athens took the opportunity to assert itself militarily.  Hera responded by forming a power base of its own to oppose Athens.  Where the Federation is concerned purely with defense with deterrence as their main weapon, the Union has taken a more active role to keep the Athenian Empire from spreading.

Capital: Hera
Government: Federal Parliamentary Republic
Members: 4 planets (Meadow, Hera, Aphrodite, Shadow), 12 moons
Population: 1,031,902,000
Region: Georgia


Mesa Accords
The Mesa Accords are a loose defensive alliance consisting of all planets and moons orbiting Himinbjorg formed following their collective withdrawal from the Red Pact in 2577. The Accords are very similar to the Commonwealth in terms of governance and administration, differing primarily in the size of the member nations and the scope of the alliance.

Capital: Aesir
Government: Federal Parliamentary Republic
Members: 4 planets (Aesir, Moab, Brisingamen, Anvil), 9 moons
Population: 288,800,000
Region: Red Sun


Xuan Wu Empire
Unlike the larger Athenian Empire in Georgia, the Xuan Wu Empire is unapologetic about its expansion and oppressive control of its subjects. The Commonwealth's growth from a handful of nations to over 30 planets and moons is in large part thanks to the Xuan Wu's aggression in Kalidasa.  The two opposing powers have not yet come to blows, but political posturing can only last so long before open conflict arises.

Capital: New Kasmir
Government: Single-party State Totalitarian Dictatorship
Members: 3 planets (Vishnu, New Kasmir, Whittier), 3 moons
Population: 206,720,000
Region: Kalidasa


Penglai Entente
The Entente is a loose military alliance encompassing the Penglai sub-system. It is the oldest such alliance in existence, founded by Beylix upon becoming independent in 2526 and soon spreading to the neighboring worlds by 2532. Of note, the Entente was not welcomed on Lear which remains independent, nor has the Entente spread elsewhere in the Kalidasa system despite numerous diplomatic entreaties attempting to do so. Most other nations of the system have instead aligned with the more powerful Commonwealth.

Capital: Beylix
Government: Federal Parliamentary Republic
Members: 3 planets (Beylix, Newhall, Oberon), 9 moons
Population: 72,380,000
Region: Kalidasa


Blue Sun Corporation
Blue Sun is quite possibly the largest, richest, and most politically connected corporation in the 'Verse. Blue Sun has its hands in every market on every world. From food to medical research, t-shirts to spaceships, mining to computing. Blue Sun's legitimate business is vast but it also controls a large number of shell companies and various fronts for both legal and illegal operations.

The organization takes its name from the Blue Sun System where it had its humble beginnings well over a century ago when the system's earliest colonization efforts began. Blue Sun started as a supplier of foodstuffs, namely those sent along to frontier worlds as they started up. Soon Blue Sun expanded to cover just about all colonization needs and even began to expand into terraforming. Within a few decades the company had grown more than anyone could have possibly imagined with no market beyond its reach.

In recent years as the Alliance has declined, Blue Sun has distanced itself from its former political ally and become a political entity of its own. In many parts of the 'Verse, the Corporation is as close to an official government as you might find. It should be no surprise that the Blue Sun Corp. has the most influence in the Blue Sun system where it controls several worlds.

Capital: Meridian
Government: N/A (Corporation)
Members: 10 planets and moons (Whitefall, Lennox, Meridian, Brunet, New Canaan, Ugarit, Lilac, Highgate, Stonewall, Perth)
Population: 27,095,000
Region: N/A


The Furies
The Furies (or Federation of United Republics In Economic Solidarity for those favoring the unnecessary acronym) are the moons of the massive gas giant Fury. With the retreat of the Alliance from the region in 2543, these now independent moons looked to each other for mutual defense and have protected their sovereignty ever since particularly against the Blue Sun Corporation. Unlike a similar pact like the Mesa Accords, the Furies are not purely isolationist in their foreign policy nor is their federal government particularly limited despite their small size.

Capital: Coldstone
Government: Federal Presidential Republic
Members: 8 moons
Population: 465,000
Region: Blue Sun


Colonial Mining Consortium
The Colonial Mining Consortium (CMC) is the largest mining organization in the 'Verse, Blue Sun being the only true rival in size. The CMC is perhaps deceptively large due to it's organization. As the name implies it is a consortium of various smaller mining operations which have partnered together. There are exceptions, but most smaller mines are run by an individual partner in the consortium rather than some larger faceless entity. The consortium works together to pool resources and mining contracts for the common benefit, operating much as any other business might assign work to various departments and transfer personnel around as needed. There are of course downsides to joining the consortium and of course there are also strict requirements of admission for any prospective members.

The CMC runs thousands of mines across dozens of worlds. However, the CMC is most known for and specializes in the mining of mineral rich asteroids (i.e. mining in unterraformed conditions). In recent decades, CMC (like Blue Sun) has expanded into a pseudo-political entity of its own with an increased diplomatic branch to negotiate with the various nations arising across the 'Verse for mineral rights, a larger governing branch to control the people of the remote territories it controls outright, and a much increased militant branch to both protect CMC operations and to at times press the interests of the Consortium by force.

Capital: Port Chester
Government: N/A (Corporation)
Members: 1 moon (Port Chester), numerous asteroids and mines on other worlds not wholly controlled by the Consortium
Population: 5000 (on Port Chester alone)
Region: N/A


Reavers
The Reavers have been a force operating on the edge of the 'Verse for 75 years now.  From outside observation they are a completely savage people with no organization and assumed by man no intellect either, driven rather by an animalistic rage.  Stories as to their origins vary, but the most commonly held belief follows the Signal of 2518 which blamed a failed Alliance behavioral test.  Some still even refuse to believe they exist.

Though small in numbers, the Reavers are determined fighters particularly in close combat and are resilient against all forms of harm from cuts to gunshot wounds and fire to radiation.  They content themselves with raiding the occasional ship they come across and occasionally even striking small settlements, but beyond that the Reavers do not a appear to be a serious threat to the 'Verse itself and to most people they are more of an abstract boogeyman.

Capital: N/A (Miranda)
Government: N/A
Members: 2 planets and moons (Miranda, Caliban)
Population: Unknown, assumed at least 5,000
Region: Blue Sun


Independent
The majority of the 'Verse belongs to one of the above entities, but there are still a fair few independents out there consisting of a single planet or moon (and sometimes numerous vying nations on one world) or at most a planet that controls its own moons.

Capital: N/A
Government: N/A
Members: 15 planets, 34 moons
Population: 5,562,665,000
Region: N/A

[Roger]

Government Organizations

Colony and Settlement Authority
With the exception of the earliest wave of colonization, the helioforming of the protostars, and a few rare modern cases like Miranda, most colonization and even terraforming endeavors are done privately. However, the private industry is still subject to government bureaucracy.

The Colony and Settlement Authority started as an Alliance Bureau headquartered on Bernedette tasked with overseeing all of these endeavors.  For the most part it still is though the Authority has opened its doors to cooperation with other governments across the 'Verse. All prospective terraforming operations and colonization expeditions must first be proposed to and then approved by the Colony and Settlement Authority. Continuing without the Authority's approval is illegal and can lead to serious repercussions, especially for terraformers.


Sentry
The Sentry Program is an Alliance paramilitary organization that operates across all systems of the 'Verse though the vast majority of resources and personnel are clustered in the White Sun system, the program headquarters also being on Bernedette. The purpose of Sentry is to protect the many inhabited worlds of the 'Verse from potentially catastrophic impacts by various objects travelling through space.

Sentry is broken into two main branches. The first is detection. Sentry operates numerous planetside observatories but the main detection effort is performed by small space stations. The most common location of a station is close to a star with the observation field's "back" to that star. The crew then looks out toward space to watch for threats.

Once a threat is detected, the stations report to the second branch of Sentry, interception. Depending on the size of the object and the time allotted, this branch of the program will either divert the object's course or destroy the object before it can impact. In emergencies, the Alliance military might be asked for support, but for the most part Sentry has the "arsenal" to nudge even the largest of objects off course and safely away from inhabited worlds.

[Roger]

Contractors, Lesser Corporations, and Agencies

Private Military Contractors
In recent years, governments have become more and more dependent on private sources for military and law enforcement purposes. Sometimes the private sector can just do things more efficiently and at a lower cost than the government. For the most part though, the recent expansion into PMCs has been because the vying governments of the 'Verse simply lack the manpower, and with the increasing fragmentation of the 'Verse, there is more and more work making PMCs all the more common.  PMCs are often contracted by local governments (to act as a police force or supplement an existing force) and by corporations as well (for security purposes).  At times they are also enlisted for fullscale military operations.

PMCs vary greatly in size, equipment, and skill. Small scale contractors can appear to be no more than a small frontier posse (e.g. the firm robbed in the beginning of the film Serenity) or they can resemble a widespread professional military (e.g. Cobalt).


Terraformers
Terraforming is serious business. It's also incredibly lucrative business. After a heavy investment of time, manpower, tons of resources, and just about all of humanity's accumulated scientific knowledge, you come out of the process with a brand new world rich, flush, and ready to support colonization. The entry cost to get into the business can be high (being able to take on an entire terraform alone rather than being a part of a larger group is even harder) but the payouts make it one of the better investments in the 'Verse both for the lowly worker as well as the business owner.

Terraforming is also incredibly dangerous. Mistakes in the process will at best lead to more sunk costs as you have to fix them. At worst it will be irreparable harm. Such harm could lead to undesirable climate or terrain, or some hidden malady especially prevalent on the world. It might be so bad that the world becomes impossible to settle. In the extreme, there might be a mega-disaster leading to the destruction of the planet and all the terraformers working on it like what happened with Six Sigma. Thus terraforming requires patience and precise scientific and mathematic calculations.

Terraforming is organized through the Colony and Settlement Authority which decides which worlds can be terraformed and when. Sometimes the Authority takes the initiative but often it is a company that proposes the project to them. Once approved, the Authority will work to contract out the work (preference given typically to those who proposed it). Once terraforming is completed, the contractors are paid the remainder of the contract price and the world is handed to government control for colonization efforts.


Cortex
The large infrastructure network that supports the Cortex is largely a thanks of government direction. However, the Cortex existed long before the Alliance gained complete hegemony originally started by various individual companies which networked their communications and began to expand those networks through relays to distant planets. Only in the past century did the Alliance stepped forward to take more control of the network both to provide better communication across the vast 'Verse but also to ensure the security of those lines of communication.  Since the Alliance's fall, the international community has continued this protective stance toward the 'Verse's communication network.

Most Cortex terminals, hubs, and relays are not owned by large governments but by individuals, businesses, local communities, or large corporations. These parts of the network are also serviced by private individuals and when they need to be replaced it is private individuals who do that as well. Thus the cortex system is even more independent than the terraforming industry.  Governments keep a close eye on it but for the most part it is free enterprise furthering these lines of communication and commerce.

[Roger]

Criminal Organizations

Starship Supertrade
The starship supertrade is the often illegal acquisition of starships and the labor intensive process of changing a ship's identity to pass it off as another vessel for resale. In short it is a spaceship chop shop and the profit margins in this business are enormous.  Traditionally the supertrade is focused in the "Diamon Belt" of the Core, the four diamonds being Londinium, Sihnon, Osiris, and Ariel.  Only recently has Persephone pushed into the business and disrupted the age old system of the Diamonds.

The Syndicate
The Knox Syndicate is one of the larger players in the Starship Supertrade, the spiritual successor to the Tavares Syndicate.  The Knox Syndicate began operations in 2578 just after Minerva Colt had seemingly cemented her control on the planet. In a few short years the Syndicate's operation has grown rather enormous as well with over 50,000 men and 400 ships under Onas Knox's command in the supertrade alone.

In comparative terms: the Syndicate has the GDP of Australia with .2% the population; it has the population of Greenland with 350 times the GDP; and a per capita GDP 140 times the highest of current day Earth nations.  It's a lot of money at stake.  Naturally this draws competition from other areas of the criminal underworld looking for a slice of the prize.  Thus, the Syndicate frequently finds itself in various conflicts to control its stake in the supertrade as well as its very existence.

In addition, the Syndicate has expanded into other areas of crime bringing it directly into competition with Minerva Colt's control of the planet.

More on the Syndicate's history and organization can be found here.