Governments and Political Alliances In Depth

[Roger]

This thread is an expansion upon the this post which merely provides an overview of the various major governments in the 'Verse. This thread goes deeper in depth into the political structure and organization, internal politics, military reputations, recent histories, etc. of those entities.

Information can be found on:

• The Union of Allied Planets
• The Independent Planets of White Sun
• The Empire of Athens
• The Georgian Federation
• The Red Sun Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation, and Mutual Assistance
• The Commonwealth of Nations
• The Huang Long Union
• The Mesa Accords
• The Xuan Wu Empire
• The Penglai Entente
• The Blue Sun Corporation
• The FURIES

[Roger]

Union of Allied Planets

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

The Union of Allied Planets AKA the Anglo-Sino Alliance or more commonly called simply "the Alliance" is the largest, most powerful, and most well known government entity in the 'Verse.  Information on its history and government can be found here.


Despite its great size and wealth, many consider the Alliance to be a declining power.  After holding complete hegemony over the 'Verse for only 15 years, the Alliance quickly fractured apart over the course of the next two decades.  For the past 34 years the Alliance has retained control of the Core but has failed to successfully re-exert itself beyond those borders.

The Alliance is by far the wealthiest, most industrialized, and most populous entity in 34 Tauri, but despite this great advantage, its power has waned.  The renewed independence of the Border and Rim has led to increased industrialization and a rise in free and fair trade across the 'Verse. This has begun to depress the Core industries as foreign competition encroaches on traditionally monopolized markets, and has led to a rise in the cost of basic resources and food stuffs imported from the Rim as well as that produced locally.  Meanwhile Persephone has exploited its geographic location to dominate inter-system commerce and in effect completely control the flow of trade into and out of the Core.

Although the Alliance is still the center for the most advanced technologies, the richest of the rich, and the height of human culture, the majority of Core society is no longer following an ever increasing path upwards.  The super-rich are less common, leading to a larger stagnating middle class.  Meanwhile, a large class of urban poor is growing and suffering underneath the surface as the cost of living has skyrocketed within Alliance space.

Notably, there have been fractures between worlds as well.  The once strongly unified Alliance has seen more and more political dissent.  Where once there was solidarity now individuals identify with their homeworld more than their combined union.  Conflict has arisen from a perceived sense that some worlds have too much political influence on policy or that certain worlds are disproportionately prosperous.  Rather than focusing on a common good and political idealism, more and more the Parliament is a place of shrewd political maneuvering and subtle insults.


The Alliance is still feared for its military might although this too has waned.  The past decades have proven that the Alliance could not maintain an empire nor could it defeat the unified forces of the Border and Rim.  However, the rest of the 'Verse is not as cohesive as it once was.  In a one-on-one fight, the Alliance is still the clear favorite in any war.  The Alliance Navy is still the largest and most advanced in the 'Verse.  Their regular army is also still considered one of the best trained and armed in existence, however, the size of the Alliance army has shrunk significantly.  Only during wartime is the massive population of the Core mobilized and in those cases the conscript and volunteer forces are not even close to the high quality standing army nor the professional navy.  Thus, the quality of Alliance forces can vary drastically.

In recent history, the Alliance has made several attempts to expand and regain control over several outer worlds.  The Six Years War (2567-2573) was an attempt to join the growing Empire of Athens to the Alliance.  This agreement was conditioned on the destruction of the Huang Long Union which lay between the two powers.  Only six months into this joint venture, Athens quickly withdrew from the conflict and any unification agreement as well.  Despite losing an ally and their entire reason for fighting, the war dragged on for another five years ultimately ending in a stalemate and a nominal military defeat.  However, the Six Years War was a massive political and economic defeat.  The Alliance was seen by much of the 'Verse as expansionist and imperialist just like it had been in the past.  Internally, the Core was furious at the costs of the war in human lives and the absolute failure of their leaders to give them any results.  For six years trade was greatly interrupted, much of the economy was shifted to war production, an enormous amount of treasure was spent financing the conflict, and even more money was spent paying reparations to the enemy after the war ended.

But that was a decade ago.  As memory fades, perhaps the Alliance is prepared to press its advantage once again.


Members of the Alliance are often called Feds or Purple Bellies.  The latter comes from the armor of Alliance soldiers which is typically of a purple hue.  The former comes from the federal system of the Alliance and refers to members of government agencies, particularly law enforcement.  The term has since been extended to include law enforcement in general at the national level and can be applied to those law enforcement agencies of nations other than the Alliance, though with Interpol still being centered in the Core, the term more often than not still applies to the Alliance.

[Roger]

Independent Planets of White Sun

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

The Independent Planets of White Sun (IPWS) AKA Persephone after the dominant member of this interplanetary nation, is the second largest entity in the 'Verse when it comes to population and economics in general. Other than the starship industry, Persephone has a relatively small industrial base and a small agricultural base as well which serve primarily to support Persephone itself rather than feeding a larger international market.

Persephone, however, has no rivals when it comes to commerce and trading. The IPWS is also known as the "Gateway" for its strategic location and the unique position it holds in interplanetary trade. All trade into and out of White Sun must pass through IPWS territory. Furthermore, all trade from Red Sun and Blue Sun heading across the 'Verse to Kalidasa and Georgia (and vice versa) also has to pass through the IPWS (unless taking a long detour). The result is near complete control of international trade.

Persephone's economy is focused on the transportation of goods across the 'Verse. There is a healthy starship building industry there. There is also a large industry to service preexisting ships (e.g. repair, resupply, refueling, etc.) not to mention catering to the crews of these ships as they pass through. Persephone is also not merely a pit stop or a toll booth to pass, but is often a distribution hub where cargoes are offloaded from their original destination to then be transferred to new carriers to find their way to their final destinations. In short, Persephone is the port of the 'Verse and business is good.

As the "gateway" of commerce, Persephone deals in all forms of currency. However, officially the IPWS uses a platinum based currency colloquially known as "Reds and Blues" for the color of the bank notes.


Persephone's government is an oddity for numerous reasons. Persephone has a king and and associated tier of aristocrats. Although not an absolute monarchy, the upper class does wield power and incredible wealth. However they are also largely detached from the day-to-day operation of Persephone, leaving it to the a combination of bureaucrats and merchant politicians. This has led to two pronounced results. First, although the IPWS is immensely wealthy, has a large power base, and has unrivaled strategic location, Persephone has absolutely no expansionist desires at least from a military perspective. The IPWS is content with what territory it controls and its incredible control of interplanetary trade. In all other affairs the IPWS is isolationist and maintains only enough military forces to deter foreign aggression.  It is rather apathetic even to growing threats around it, foreign disasters or crises, etc.

The second result is that the IPWS is notoriously corrupt. Many politicians are criminals and those that aren't are in league with criminals. As the wealth of the 'Verse flows through the gateway, a little bit more is skimmed off the top one way or another. For the most part, criminals operate with impunity often in plain sight and are not bothered by law enforcement so long as they pay and don't cross the line (although Interpol and others have no such agreement).

Although Persephone controls a large swath of territory, it actually holds very little terraformed real estate. Only Pelorum and Persephone herself have any significant populations to speak of, and the two worlds are only .02 AU apart. The rest of the IPWS territory includes a few moons and dwarf planets (many of them barren rocks) and numerous installations across the Halo asteroid belt.  The majority of IPWS territory is populated with starships traveling to and fro across a vast empty expanse.


Historically, Persephone joined the revolt against the Alliance late in 2541 though their struggle became determinative in the ultimate outcome. Quickly upon gaining independence, Persephone quickly moved to establish its prime position, quickly exerting its control over nearby Pelorum but also sending military expeditions to Dukkha, Ra Amiran, and other strategic points held by the Alliance in White Sun. These conquests were never relinquished once hostilities ended but became part of the IPWS. Since the final retreat of the Alliance in 2548, Persephone has made no serious political or military moves of note. Peace and stability are good for business.


Members of the IPWS are typically not called by any nickname. Most never see any government or military from Persephone and there is little animosity toward an isolationist government. "Feds" is a generally applicable term but a misnomer since the IPWS is a unitary system rather than a federation. However, to distinguish soldiers, agents, or even just citizens of Persephone herself from the throngs of people traversing the Gateway, the term "Prime" for Persephone Prime is often used.

[Roger]

Empire of Athens

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

The Empire of Athens or simply Athens is an aggressive expansionist power in the Georgia System. In many ways, Athens is singlehandedly responsible for the political atmosphere of the Georgia system today.

Since the Unification War Athens began to replace Hera as the dominant world in the Georgia system. Athens has grown into both a powerful manufacturing power as well as a leading supplier of raw materials through mining and quarrying. In addition, Athens also controls much of the flow of trade between White Sun and the periphery Kalidasa and Georgia systems.

With the retreat of the Alliance three decades ago, Athens began to exert itself politically to fill the power vacuum. Still war weary from their struggles for independence, many worlds soon found imperial armies at their doorsteps. And thus Athens expanded through force or the threat of force.

The Athenian Empire takes great pains to conceal the true nature of its government which is one of the most oppressive in the 'Verse. Citizens of Athens have various rights and vote for their leaders, yet the process is dominated by a jingoist bloc which denies access to dissenting politicians. The various worlds conquered by Athens, however, receive no representation in this already unbalanced democracy.

What is most remarkable about Athens is how small the Empire actually is. The quick rise to power and the obvious expansionist goals were quick to draw the attention of the international community. The outer worlds of the system rallied behind Hera in the Huang Long Union, and the inner worlds banded together to form the Georgian Federation. Both are sworn enemies of the Empire and work to contain Athens, the former more than the latter. Notably, Athens holds but three planets in the system although it has managed to gain control of over twenty moons.

In 2567 the Empire looked to the Alliance for assistance in defeating the Huang Long Union. They offered reunification, whether sincere or not, in exchange for the military aid. Thus the Six Years War started. Athens, however, withdrew from the conflict only six months in. With the Union facing insurmountable odds, the Georgian Federation threatened to enter on their side. The threat of being hit on multiple fronts led to this quick peace and an ignominious defeat. It also led to the Alliance fighting to a brutal stalemate over the course of several more years.

Since then, Athens is no less expansionist or militaristic. Three Hills, is the current battleground though open war has not yet broken out. The Athenian military is massive compared to its population base, quite possibly the largest standing army in the 'Verse. However, the quality of troops varies considerably (more so than the Alliance's wartime volunteer levies). Athens has several top notch units with top-of-the-line equipment, advanced training, years of experience, and fanatical loyalty. These units, however, are few and far between, the type used to stir trouble in peace time but not the type that can make up any substantial part of an army in wartime. That task falls to a massive conscript army. Poorly equipped and trained, many are unwilling to serve (often citizens of Athens' subject worlds) and are known to perform dismally in combat. In between the two extremes is a rather mediocre core of Athenian citizens, a force which taken alone is notably smaller than would be expected for a nation of such a size.


Members of the Empire of Athens are called Athenians or Imperials (although Athens is not the only empire in the 'Verse). There are also less friendly terms applied to them: fascists, slave soldiers, etc.

[Roger]

Georgian Federation

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

The Georgian Federation or simply the Federation is a defensive alliance of the inner most worlds of the Georgia system. The Federation was formed shortly after independence as a safeguard against future Alliance aggression (the Alliance still occupies the moon Ares within Federation space) and the present threat of Athens' expansionist policies.

The Federation has a fairly high population and a strong and growing manufacturing base. It is a prime example of the prosperity and growth that has recently been attained in the Border worlds. With the Georgia system becoming more and more polarized and militant, the Federation has found itself increasingly playing host to the trade flowing across the system. Federation ports are generally safer and friendlier to all comers and at times are well worth the slight detour from the traditional Athenian or Huang Long ports of call.

The Federation is a military alliance first and foremost... and actually only that. In fact, the government of the federation deals exclusively with the common defense, and since the Federation often avoids conflicts through deterrence, the federal government acts very infrequently. The member nations of the Federation cooperate extensively in other respects: law enforcement, economic trade, aid and assistance, education and research, industry regulation, etc. but these are individual treaties and agreements rather than statutes and laws passed by a singular unifying government.

The Federation can best be described as cautious rather than isolationist in its foreign policy. The Federation is deeply involved in politics, especially in the Georgia system, but it focuses on diplomatic solutions rather than open conflict. For example during the Six Years War the Federation managed to contain the conflict through expert diplomacy and military posturing rather than actual military involvement. At least on the surface the Federation has absolutely no expansionist goals or actually any goals at all except for the preservation of the independence and sovereignty of its member states.

The Federation has a relatively small military, but their armed forces are well respected throughout the 'Verse. They have the training and equipment of the Alliance without the stereotypical attitude and bad reputation. Professional, courteous, and caring, they are a peacekeeping and humanitarian force. However, some question how well such soldiers would actually perform in real combat.

Like the IPWS there are no common names for members of the Federation. The government is so small and limited, most will never see anything other than regular military units and even they are not terribly common. The not entirely precise terms "Georgians" and "Feds" are sometimes used as are more derogatory terms about the soldiers typically pertaining to their appearance or lack of combat experience.

[Roger]

Red Sun Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation, and Mutual Assistance

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

The Red Sun Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation, and Mutual Assistance or more commonly just the "Red Pact" is the dominant interplanetary organization in the Red Sun system. Five years ago it encompassed nearly the entirety of the system but has recently waned in strength and influence.

In the 'Verse economy, the Red Pact (like the Red Sun system in general) is a leader in agricultural production. It is the breadbasket of the 'Verse, feeding the forty-six billion inhabitants of the White Sun system. As the Core is largely dependent on the Red Pact for food, so too is the Red Pact largely dependent on the Core for manufactured goods.

The Red Pact is a bit of a mystery when it comes to politics. Some see it as an expansionist empire, a tyrannical regime, and the greatest threat to independent worlds since the Unification War. Others see the Red Pact as a champion of the weak, a nation unafraid to fight for the interests of its people, and a power merely interested in curbing the expansion of others.

A look at the history of the Red Pact might help shine some light on their motivations and goals. The Pact was formed rather recently in 2571 on Harvest. As the full title suggests, the Red Pact drew many worlds together in the name of friendship, cooperation, and mutual assistance.  All nations then and now were at least theoretically seen as equal within the Pact and could vote on policy.  Together the members of the Pact were strong, a force not to be pushed around by the Alliance, Persephone, the Corporations, or any hungry empires looking to carve out new territory.

It soon became clear, however, that the true "enemy" of the Pact was Jiangyin. Unrivaled by any other Red Sun world, it was the clear leader of the system once the Alliance withdrew. Its population was staggering, its agricultural production unmatched... and its control of the Motherlode asteroid belt troubling. By 2573 Harvest began shifted the Red Pact's rhetoric from that of peace to a more warlike stance. The Pact began to arm up and quickly all remaining worlds outside the Motherlode belt joined the Pact, convinced by their promises of success and a better future for Red Sun.

Not long after, war broke out when the Pact decided they were ready to strike. New Melbourne, the other world inside the Motherlode belt, was quickly caught in the war as well. New Melbourne, however, was in negotiations to join the Commonwealth and soon Kalidasa forces arrived to join the conflict. The Red Pact was eventually turned back and the war visited destruction on each and every one of their own worlds before the conflict finally concluded in 2577.

As enemy forces closed in and began to knock individual members out of the fight, so too did the Red Pact begin to lose members.  Many member nations were not entirely devoted to the cause in the first place.  They were quick to surrender when the tide turned against them, and once peace had been reached they were reluctant to rejoin the Pact.  Other member nations were merely disillusioned in Harvest's leadership and decided to withdraw from the Pact for these reasons.  Whatever the case, for the past five years the Pact has been a shadow of its former self.

The war itself mirrors the nature of the Pact, in that morality in conflicts is often gray with "good guys" and "bad guys" being labels depending on one's perspective.  To most, the conflict is called the "Red Pact War" since the Red Pact was the aggressive party and the sole belligerent on one side of the conflict.  To others (namely those within the Red Pact) it is called the "War of Containment" in reference to the Red Pact's proclaimed goals of containing Jiangyin's power and influence in an attempt to uplift the rest of Red Sun.


The Red Pact itself is a more intrusive form of government than some.  It does not rise to the extreme levels of control exerted by Athens or the complete dominance of Persephone in the IPWS but it takes a direct role in governing all areas of life within the Pact (unlike other entities that are largely just military alliances, and more like the Union of Allied Planets).  Government officials are common sights with various agencies actively working throughout Red Pact space.  The Red Pact military is also a common sight and remains rather large despite the Pact's declining membership.  Soldiers of the Pact are generally known for their bravery and determination though they are not the best trained or equipped soldiers in the 'Verse.  During the war, the Red Pact was known to rely upon numbers alone to overwhelm enemy forces rather than the use of clever tactics or superior units.

Members of the Red Pact are commonly called "Reds".

[Roger]

Commonwealth of Nations

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

The Commonwealth of Nations or just the Commonwealth is a loose federation of nations primarily in the Kalidasa system joined primarily as a military alliance.

The Commonwealth was originally formed on Verbena... and only Verbena. The capital of the Commonwealth is itself a collection of independent nations which joined together into a federal system, the original Commonwealth. The larger interplanetary Commonwealth is modeled on this original idea and came into being after the rise of the Xuan Wu Empire. Many worlds found a non-intrusive government that offered a common defense to be an appealing prospect and the Commonwealth soon grew to be the dominant power in Kalidasa as well as an important political force throughout the rest of the 'Verse as well.

Commonwealth nations are represented in a joint parliament that is tasked with just two functions. First, the parliament has the power to declare war and in times of war can appropriate the individual armed forces of member nations. During peace, the parliament conducts diplomatic relations. The second function of the parliament is to draft proposed legislation to then forward to the individual governments of member nations. This process differs from the Alliance for example in that these proposals are not binding law on all members. They are merely suggestions which each member nation may accept and ratify or ignore and reject at will.

The Commonwealth military is comprised of three parts. First, there is a very small Commonwealth standing force the duties of which include: security for Commonwealth installations such as embassies, and the maintenance of a high command; intelligence operations ranging from espionage to analysis, and advising the Parliament of all potential threats; and special forces units under a joint Commonwealth command. Needless to say, this small permanent Commonwealth force is not a serious military threat to anyone.

The second portion is comprised of the individual militaries of the member nations. During peacetime these forces are under the control of their individual homeworlds. They can be likened to a militia system. These local forces defend their own territory but can be called upon in times of war and "federalized" into the Commonwealth's armed forces and deployed where needed at the discretion of the Parliament and High Command. Thus, Commonwealth units carry additional titles. Rather than being the "3rd Armored Division" it would be the "3rd Constance Armored Division" to signify its place of origin.

Thus also these federalized units are not comprised of members of various worlds and integrated. However, membership within the Commonwealth requires adherence to standardization requirements. Local "militia" units must meet certain expectations when it comes to training and equipment. All Commonwealth forces do not have a standard kit, but they are held to similar standards. E.g. Uniforms are not identical but follow a similar trend, and not all soldiers carry the same weapons but there is a standardized system of ammunition. From a strategic level, Commonwealth units follow a similar organizational structure so in times of war they may be integrated together in a coherent system (e.g. 2 Verbena regiments, 1 Zephyr regiment, and 1 Aberdeen regiment can combine to form a cohesive division, and although the names of ranks may vary they follow a similar rating system). Of course the quality of troops still varies from place to place but overall the Commonwealth militias have a good reputation due to these standards.

The final piece of the puzzle is the Foreign Legion, a force comprised of citizens of non-Commonwealth worlds as well as a few from the Commonwealth itself. The Legion is much larger than the Commonwealth standing army but much smaller than the militias. It serves both in war and peace as an army of the Commonwealth to be deployed as necessary.

The existence of the Foreign Legion hints at the nature of the Commonwealth itself. Although some believe the CoN has ulterior motives, for the most part it is seen as an international paragon standing in opposition to aggression and tyranny. Membership within the Commonwealth is entirely voluntary and there is no history of any world being pressured into joining. The Commonwealth government itself is very hands off and the local control of the lion share of military forces is a check on Parliamentary exploitation of power.

In 2573 the Commonwealth joined the Red Pact War, on the other side of the 'Verse, in defense of New Melbourne, a small independent world it was allied to. The full might of the Commonwealth was mobilized to defend this distant ally which soon joined the Commonwealth as a full member. Most believe that the intervention of the Commonwealth in a fight in which they had no personal stake is what led to an allied victory and the end of the Red Pact's growing power.

Since that time, the Commonwealth has remained open and continues to accept alliances with small independent worlds and entertains applications to join the CoN from all comers. Primarily, the Commonwealth stands on guard against the Xuan Wu and acts around the 'Verse primarily in defensive actions.

Members of the Commonwealth are typically referred to by their individual member nation of origin or a nickname associated with that nation's slight uniform variation (e.g. red stripes, black hats). The remainder of the Commonwealth forces is such a rare sight that they have no common name. Members of the Legion are Legionnaires and there are various common terms describing spies and guards, but no specific Commonwealth terms.

[Roger]

Huang Long Union

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

The Huang Long Union (HLU) or simply the Union is the smallest political power in the Georgia system.

Hera is the historic leader of the Georgia system both economically as one end of the "gateway" from Persephone as well as politically as a leading Border world. In 2506 Hera led the Independents in the Unification War. During that war, Hera and her closest supporters in particular were devastated, again both economically and politically. Athens quickly took prominence in a post-war 'Verse, and since the retreat of the Alliance has founded an Empire to further exert its influence.

Hera has responded to this threat by rallying its traditional base against the threat from Athens much the same as the Federation formed for the same purpose in the inner section of the Georgia system. However, while the Federation has taken a very passive stance, preferring diplomacy and military posturing to actual conflict, the Union has been unafraid to oppose Athens, often on the field of battle. These conflicts are frequent but are typically small skirmishes or brief flash points.

The Six Years War (2567-73) was an attempt by Athens to finally eliminate the Union in a decisive war, but it quickly turned into a struggle between the Union and the Alliance instead. The Union fought a spirited defense, holding the Alliance to a standstill despite being greatly outmatched. The war came with a great price, but the Union survived and even forced large reparations from the Alliance in exchange for peace. Many believe that another war is on the horizon over the fate of the planet Three Hills.

From an internal perspective, the government of the HLU is fairly unremarkable. Despite being the antithesis of the Alliance, the structure of government is nearly identical and its authority to control member nations is equally broad.

The Huang Long Union has a solid navy and marine force on par with most other enemies. In war time, the Union notably fields large volunteer forces of relatively high quality, a by-product of a determined population committed to the cause of their union and well aware of the threats they face to their very existence. It is rarely said of Union soldiers that they look good. Even in peace time uniforms are often old and in poor condition, equipment is old and "worn in", they march and drill poorly, and most lack the ingrained procedures and tactics other militaries are based upon. But what the Union does have is inspiring leaders, cunning strategies, and a seemingly inherent warrior spirit in the individual citizen soldier.

Members of the Union are often called Browncoats because of their historic roots to the movement and the general ragtag appearance of Union forces.

[Roger]

Mesa Accords

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

The Mesa Accords (often shortened to just Mesa or the Accord) are a defensive alliance comprising the worlds orbiting Himinbjorg.

The Accord was created in 2577 immediately following the end of the Red Pact war. The four planets of Himinbjorg and their nine moons met on Mesa, the second moon of Moab, and came to this agreement. What would follow was named for this meeting.

The members of the Accord withdrew immediately from the Red Pact, disillusioned with the current course of the Pact and greatly disappointed in the high cost of the war and absolute failure to accomplish anything. The signatories, however, also agreed to remain united together in their common defense lest the Red Pact attempt to regain control of them or some other power try and attack while they were no longer protected. The result has been an organization modeled very closely off the Commonwealth of Nations which only months before had been their enemy, had defeated them, and in some cases had even landed troops on their homeworlds.

However, structure is the sole shared characteristic between the two. Where the Commonwealth is welcoming to potential future members from all over, the Accord has limited its membership to their geographic area. Where the Commonwealth is active politically, the Accord has distanced itself from politics. Where the Commonwealth is a powerful player economically in its region, the Accord has little influence on the interplanetary scene.

Mesa maintains a respectable military but has a very small fleet in keeping with their foreign affairs posture of defense rather than offense.

[Roger]

Xuan Wu Empire

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

The Xuan Wu Empire is perhaps the only political entity that one can be certain will be remembered through history as an evil power. Many criticize the Alliance, Athens, the Red Pact, etc. and perhaps rightfully so, but there are two sides to every story. Well, that's not true here.

In 2528 a man named Colin Wu followed in nearby Beylix's footsteps and led an uprising on New Kasmir against the Alliance. By 2532 the Alliance was gone, but Wu retained power. Within a year he had invaded Vishnu and soon after forced Whittier into his growing empire as well. This expansion was abruptly halted by 2534 as the Commonwealth of Nations formed and quickly grew to oppose further expansion by Wu.

Over the past fifty years, the Xuan Wu Empire has maintained its borders and the Commonwealth has stood on guard as has the Penglai Entente, but no major conflicts have ever been fought since the expulsion of the Alliance and the early conquests of this new empire. However, tensions remain as high as ever. There are frequent disputes, border incidents, political harassment, etc. Many wonder how long the peace will last. When will one of these incidents finally spark a war? How long will the Empire sit idle and set its clear ambitions aside? Why doesn't the Commonwealth act to free the worlds under the imperial yoke? What happens when aging Emperor Wu dies?


Unlike other expansionist and ambitious powers across the 'Verse, the Empire is very clear about their goals. They also don't attempt to hide what happens under their regimes nor do they put any political spin on their actions. The empire is a military dictatorship plain and simple. Dissent is quashed, children are indoctrinated, the emperor is infallible, outsiders are not to be trusted, etc. In a positive sense, citizens of New Kasmir are treated equally with those of conquered world, although that treatment is rather poor (compared with Athens for example which created second class citizens).

Xuan Wu is self sufficient and that is about it. Their economic activity on the interplanetary scale is minimal which is rather fortunate because few traders want to do business with them or even fly through their space.

The Xuan Wu military is enormous for its size. Soldiers are known to be highly disciplined and adequately trained. Their fault comes in their equipment which leaves much to be desired. Wu forces are equipped with old tech contemporaneous with their struggle for independence six decades ago. Many of their warships are aging and others are merely improvised armed versions of civilian vessels (and their ground forces mirror the quality of their navy). Furthermore, the empire has not fought a single conflict of note in forty-nine years so their military has absolutely no real world experience (although there was an attempt to send units into the Commonwealth Foreign Legion for experience and also generally to infiltrate that unit before that conspiracy was quickly uncovered).

Members of the Xuan Wu Empire and sometimes called "Wu-s" by Commonwealth and Entente soldiers, but most others never interact with the empire at all due to its location out in Kalidasa, hostility to foreigners, and general unimportance in 'Verse commerce and politics.

[Roger]

Penglai Entente

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

The Penglai Entente or simply the Entente was the first interplanetary alliance formed since the Unification War. In 2526 Beylix won its independence from the Alliance in a stunning and unexpected victory. Immediately the small world turn to its neighbors to help them in their struggles for freedom as well. Unofficially the Entente was created that year as Beylix recognized these fledgling nations. Formal existence would occur in 2532 when the Alliance admitted defeat and retreated from the area.

Despite this historic start, the Entente has absolutely failed to expand since then, and they've certainly tried. Even tiny Lear, also a satellite of Penglai, refused to join the Entente. When the Xuan Wu began their aggressive expansion, the other worlds of Kalidasa created a new alliance, the Commonwealth, rather than join the preexisting Entente. There have even been rumors for years that members were seriously considering withdrawing from the Entente and joining the Commonwealth.

In its 56 years of existence, little has actually happened in the Entente. It is still one of the most economically depressed areas of the 'Verse. Little trade comes through Penglai except those ships wishing to dump garbage on the leader of this noble alliance. The Entente has also not been involved in a single military conflict of note though it too watches the Xuan Wu Empire alongside the Commonwealth and has pledged support should the empire make any aggressive moves.

The Entente's government is a mix between the complete hands-off Commonwealth parliament and the intrusive Alliance or Huang Long parliaments, finding a confused balance where often even the government doesn't know what it is and is not authorized to do. For the most part laws are fair and citizens' rights are respected in a rather unremarkable part of the 'Verse.

The Entente military is perhaps unjustly the object of derision. Despite birthing the 'Verse-wide struggle for independence, there is little prestige for its fighters. Entente forces don't have the most advanced equipment or the best training, but honestly they are moderately equipped and trained. They don't have much combat experience but this is no fault of their own. Entente soldiers have a negative reputation for looking bad like the Huang Long troops, but in reality this is unfounded, a stereotype based off coming from a planet best known as a garbage dump.

The Entente and Commonwealth forces frequently cooperate in joint training operations in preparation for the always anticipated conflict looming in their system. Citizens of the Entente also make up a large portion of the Commonwealth Foreign Legion and many Legion combat veterans later return to the Entente to train their own armed forces with their knowledge and experience.

Members of the Entente are called "rings" or "ringers" for Beylix's distinctive orbital ring. They are also often called more derogatory names relating to garbage or fabricated cowardice for a nation that has never fought a real war.

[Roger]

Blue Sun Corporation

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 Blue Sun Corporation or simply Blue Sun is the largest, most powerful, wealthiest, and most politically connected corporation in the 'Verse.

Blue Sun began as a humble corporation within the Alliance. As the Alliance grew and expanded, so too did the Corporation. But after the Alliance began to withdrawal back to the Core, Blue Sun remained in place. Now in many distant parts of the 'Verse, Blue Sun controls entire worlds and governs millions of people.

Blue Sun began as a support company for terraforming and early colonization efforts (principally in the Blue Sun system hence the name). Since then it expanded into most every other market in one way or another. Principally though, Blue Sun is known as a pioneer in technology producing some of the most advanced equipment in the 'Verse. The exact extent of the Blue Sun Corp. is unknown as it controls numerous subsidiaries, has a host of shell companies, and likely has strong influence on many others across colonized space.

Politically the Blue Sun Corp. is rather quiet, keeping to its own operations on the fringe of space and governing its people quietly. Some larger populations have their own governments, but all are subordinate to the interest of the Corporation. Sometimes the Corporation allows worlds to largely govern themselves, but other times they step in and run entire planets like businesses all depending on the interests of the Corporation. Beyond this, it is widely believe that Blue Sun is the tip of a massive conspiracy and shadow government that controls the entire 'Verse, pulling strings and molding the worlds.  Rumors abound about odd scientific experiments and questionable R&D facilities.

Blue Sun has no true standing army. Some of their worlds have police and militia forces and if there ever was a war perhaps an army could be raised. The Corporation itself has a few top notch commando teams and small but highly advanced warships. Beyond this though, Blue Sun relies heavily on mercenary companies for the defense of its various installations and even sometimes hires out mercs to protect what is now their sovereign territory.

[Roger]

Federation of United Republics In Economic Solidarity

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

The Federation of United Republics In Economic Solidarity is an unnecessary title created solely to create the acronym "FURIES". The Furies consist of the eight notable moons of the massive gas giant Fury in the Blue Sun system. Aside from the Blue Sun Corporation itself, the Furies are the only multinational political entity in the Blue Sun system, most other worlds being completely independent or merely being a combined nation of a planet and its moon(s) which together are an independent entity.

When the Alliance unceremoniously abandoned the region in 2543, the sparsely populated moons of Fury looked to each other for mutual defense and economic cooperation as so many other regions of the 'Verse also did. What makes the Furies different is that on all eight moons, there live less than half a million individuals. The economies of the Furies are weak, their manufacturing capabilities are nearly nonexistent, and their importance in the 'Verse's trade network is marginal at best. Yet despite this seeming insignificance, the Furies are not shy on the political scene. In particular, the Furies maintain active relations with other Blue Sun worlds, especial those independent of the Corporation.

The Furies have a very small military which is barely sufficient to patrol their own borders. They are ill trained and poorly equipped as well when compared to military forces from other major powers, more akin to police officers than to soldiers.

Members of the Furies aren't called anything because most people will go their whole lives without ever seeing one.