Unison Network
Join or die.
The Unison Network is the dominant force in Arcturus. It is a powerful interstellar government that seeks to unify all peoples in the galaxy under its banner of communication and cooperation. In the present day, its direct influence is mostly limited to the inner spheroid, where almost all worlds and peoples have become "conjoined" under its banner. Expansion efforts into the outer shell, however, are ongoing.
Philosophy
The Maxim
The second law of thermodynamics holds that the total entropy of an isolated system (e.g. the universe) can never decrease; only increase. Following this to its logical conclusions seems to suggest the universe will eventually become a homogenous soup of undifferentiated cosmic dust that could never support life again.
However, the second law does not preclude pockets of order from springing up, so long as they do not decrease the total entropy of the universe around them--complex chemical structures can combine to form self-sustaining organic machinery called "life," and this life arranges itself into multicellular organisms, which in turn create sophisticated composites of themselves called societies.
If these societies hold tightly enough together, and do not allow themselves to splinter apart into the ever-gaping maw of entropy, then the thermodynamic fate we foresee might be held at bay or even delayed indefinitely, thus preserving conscious life in the universe for that much longer. So it becomes every lifeform's responsibility to conjoin all societies in a galactic super-organism with these order-preserving capabilities, and this has coalesced in The Maxim of the Network:
A promise, not a threat, that if all life does not coordinate in such a way, the laws of nature itself will snuff it out.
Governing Style
The Network reaches out to as many worlds and peoples as it can to conjoin them with the rest of the interconnected galaxy. Their faith in The Maxim is reflected in their strict policy of universal conjoinment; no society shall be allowed to abstain from becoming part of the Network. In innumerable cases, this policy has necessitated economic coercion or even military intervention to enforce conjoinment. The majority of peoples who encounter the Network, however, see conjoinment as a wonderful opportunity for enrichment, and offer no resistance.Peoples who are conjoined are afforded maximal cultural autonomy, but must observe some terms:
- Each world must harbor one or more Network liaisons, whose task it is to keep tabs on societal development and deliver periodic updates to the capital. The liaison is also responsible for furnishing the inhabitants with whatever provisions—material or otherwise—they might reasonably need, courtesy of the Resource Council (see "Organizational Structure" below).
- Each world must abide by a brief list of galactic laws, the most prominent of which is the prohibition of warfare or other infighting between conjoined peoples.
- Lastly, the Network collects an annual tithe.
Organizational Structure
The Network government is composed of five "councils," branches that perform different roles.- High Council
The executive arm of the government, a parliament with the highest power in the whole organization. All other councils report to the High Council. - Security and Foreign Entities Council
Responds to emergencies in Network territory, and keeps tabs on extragalactic bodies. - Resource Council
Oversees the distribution of material goods throughout Network-conjoined worlds. - Intelligence Council
Collects and compiles information on all Network-conjoined societies and makes it accessible throughout the inner spheroid. Also affords funding to smaller, nongovernmental reporting organizations. - Compliance Enforcement Council
Military; combats threats within Arcturus, and enforces conjoinment when necessary.
Comments