United Terran Federation
"The Federation" redirects here. For the multilateral alliance, see International Federation of 3.
The United Terran Federation, commonly shortened to The Federation or just UTF, is a federalised union of partially self-governing polities, megacorporations and military governments. The Federation spans 12 stars systems and is one of the biggest factions in the galaxy by system count. Its enormous size means it borders a number of neighbours, including the Black March, the Feli Liberation Force, Greater Prospect, the New Draconian Technocracy and the Neo-Furrarian Imperium. With a population of over 38 billion individuals, the faction is also the third-largest in size in terms of population. The political capital of the Federation is Mars, while its most populous colony and economic centre is Demeter, and its military hub is Pandora.
Early humanity draws its roots back approximately 55,000 Standard Cycles ago, but the only emerged from a hunter-gatherer lifestyle 4,000 Standard Cycles ago. Indeed, the calendar used by the IF3 marks its year zero with the Agricultural Revolution; the emergence of the first formal human civilisation. Settlements began to urbanise, and slow but steady technological and economic progress across the globe began a gradual uptick in standards of living, even in spite of the early hardships brought on by conflicts and declines. By 11760 CE, 3,290 Standard Cycles after the first civilisation, humanity began to harness electricity. This sparked an uncontrollable surge through technological progress, leading to enormous political, cultural and economic divides which only began to heal with the advent of globalisation and proliferation of Internet.
The first satellite to orbit space was the Sputnik 1, launched on 11957 CE.
It is the second largest faction by population and military spending and is a founding member of the IF3. The Federation is widely known for their political influence, which often seen by political experts such as <Insert political scientist> as far-reaching, even when compared to the Black March. The Federation currently grapples with the aftershocks of the Canid-Felin War. It, and other IF3 members have been reluctant to commit any sort of intervention force due to the intensity of the conflict, despite criticism.
History
Antiquity
The earliest concrete concepts of a world government would emerge as early as 10027, when the Roman Empire would establish its hegemony and usher in a period of relative stability over the course of two centuries. Even after its collapse, the concept of a world government was viewed positively as evidenced by the works of Dante Alighieri. Later in the 118th century, Immanuel Kant would argue against a world government, on the grounds that it would be prone to tyranny. The popularity of such an idea of an encompassing government would indeed atrophy beyond the 118th century, due to increasing nationalism, imperialism and militarisation, which would culminate in the 1st World War.
The First World War would give rise to the League of Nations, an intergovernmental organization with 58 members that aimed at upholding human rights, improving global quality of life, and maintaining peace through diplomatic channels. The fundamentally flawed nature of its foundation, particularly the lack of a system of enforcement for its resolutions, caused the League of Nations unable to halt the Second World War, under which it ceased operations. It was succeeded by the United Nations, which suffered the same problems albeit to a lesser degree. The lack of accountability, combined with the veto power afforded to the world’s superpowers would render it helpless in preventing the escalations leading up to the Third World War. The United Nations would dissolve in 12274 after the complete destruction of most of its constituent members.
Era of Space Colonization
The first Alcubierre drive would be created in 12055, 18 years prior to the Third World War. Rising tensions preceding the Third World War would create immense pressure on space agencies and spacefaring corporations to expedite extra-Earth colonization efforts. During this tumultuous period, many colony ships would be constructed, loaded with colonists, and launched haphazardly towards nearby stars. By a sheer stroke of luck, many of these ships would come across the habitable planets of Pandora and Demeter, creating the first extrasolar human colonies.
The Exodus would come to a climax at the beginning of the Third World War, when refugees escaping the conflict would come to settle on Pandora and Demeter, as well as the relatively underdeveloped colony of Mars. In 12078, the influx would halt when a global nuclear exchange caused the systematic extermination of humanity and most other forms of life on Earth. Already having suffered severe ecological abuse since the 119th century, the planet would be rendered uninhabitable. Having been the nexus for the three interplanetary colonies, the destruction of Earth would also cause communications to briefly cease for several years, whilst each colony attempted to reconstruct what little remained of human society.
The Restructuring
Full Article: The Restructuring of the United Terran Federation
Nation-states on Demeter would re-establish contact with the Mars colony in 12082, and with the Pandora colony in 12083. What would follow is a period of reconsolidation and the construction of a new human society that would span 100 years, known as ‘The Restructuring’.
During the Restructuring, Demeter, amongst the three original colonies, emerged as the most prosperous colony as it underwent rapid economic growth following a boom in population. Demeter would experience relatively few conflicts and its nation-states would become advanced democracies with highly developed economies. To facilitate continued peace, its constituent nationstates would found the ‘United Federation’ or UF, a planet-spanning entity charged with mediating conflict on planet, as well as representing its interests when interacting with the other colonies.
Mars’ proximity to Earth, would mean that many Martians would witness its destruction, which would subsequently create a culture of extreme pacifism. This would result in Mars experiencing one of the longest and most unparalleled periods of peace in recorded human history, which persists to this day. Despite the levels of peace and stability on Mars, the planet was poor in both materials and foods and struggled to grow. Further, the drain of Martian terraforming, combined with economic mismanagement under the megacorporate government of MarsX would worsen the famines that Mars would experience. It would not be until the last few decades of the Restructuring would Demeter assist Mars by instigating a regime of interstellar trade to provide the colony with necessary supplies.
Converse to the other two colonies, development on Pandora was difficult and stricken with problems. Racial and political tensions were common, due to sheer volume of refugees and the haphazard vetting methods that were in place. This resulted in creation of a multitude of highly ideologically opposed factions across the plane. The Pandora colony would undergo a series of short, but extremely destructive wars over territory, ideology and limited resources. By the end, the Pandora colony came to be dominated by a single isolationist and militaristic nation-state known as the Democratic Republic of Terra - a one-party state isolated by the planet’s few oceans. Relatively untouched by the wars raging across the planet, it would become the only nation-state left in any state to project any power. It would later control the vast majority of orbital space and its influence became so prolific it would be ceded control of the planet.
Terra’s expansionist rhetoric would continue with aggressive expansions outwards to the Auraxis, Mintaka and Betelguese systems. The ambitious program overencumbered the Terran logistical system and Tynan, its most distant colony, would receive a degree of support that was far below the minimum necessary for its development. The Betelguese colony would spectacularly fail and would shatter into an agglomerate of warring states. Tynan’s situation became so untenable it was overlooked by the UF, and continues to be a point of contention to this day.
The United Federation on the other hand, would continue assisting the Mars colony. To refrain from mining Jupiter, a celestial body with both an enormous cultural and physical gravitational influence in Sol, they would establish gas mining operations at Pollux, and more extensively at Copernicus. This gas would fuel fusion reactors that would in turn power critical infrastructure for the Martian colony, which was formerly dependent on fission power. Mars would remain independent under MarsX's control and would continue to do so for the foreseeable future. The UF would only step into Terra's affairs in the 12160s after the collapse of the Tynan colony, and would extensively deliver aid to the newly founded colony of Autumn. At the same time, the UF would gradually evolve into a democratic entity and promulgate its own constitution.
SpaceX, Terra and the United Federation, while extraordinarily ideologically opposed, would continue to trade under the agreement of respecting each other’s autonomy. To dissuade conflict, each would deploy their own respective space force. The notion of independent republican statehood would however be challenged when the Black March made first contact in 12177. Despite the genuinely benign stance taken by the Black March, the leaders of all three human factions would hold a conference a Sagan to discuss potential treaties in order to deter any potential outside threat. The Restructuring period would conclude 5 earth-years later in 12183 when all three sub-factions federated under the constitution of the United Terran Federation. To prevent any perceived preferential treatment of either the UF or Terra, Mars was proclaimed political capital, but this decision still drew significant controversy.
Late Post-Contemporary
Under a single, unified, sovereign entity, the United Terran Federation was capable of conducting a more structured approach towards space exploration and the construction of spaceborne infrastructure. First contact would later be made with the UTF’s major neighbours, chief among them being Formosa, Greater Prospect, and the Neo-Furrarian Imperium. The complete removal of trade restrictions inbetween the UTF colonies, combined with intermittent international trade with Greater Prospect and the Black March, would spark unprecedented economic growth. Mars would swiftly become an economic and political powerhouse while the other colonies would also flourish. Excess resources would permit expansions to the UTF space-navy and control to be established over an additional six systems. Tynan would however remain a feudal colony, with its exploding population and unruly nation-states remaining extremely difficult to manage even for the totality of the UTF.
In 12206, the UTF would make first contact with the Eldership of the Drak and shortly begin the Draconian Enlightenment thereafter. Formosa and the Neo-Furrarian Imperium would lambast the move, citing that the cultural contamination would invariably damage Draconian society. Such concerns were rendered correct by the resultant factionalism and civil unrest exploding across the planet, which proved so unpopular within the UTF that then-president Barney M’beke would be forced to step down and turn over the last stage of the Draconian Enlightenment over to the Black March in 12237.
In 12239, the Black March, the Royal Suzerainty and the United Terran Federation would co-found the International Federation of 3; the first intergovernmental military alliance in the galaxy. In 12242, the UTF also signed a trade treaty with the Peace and Trade Coalition. In the 12260s however, the economic entanglement with Greater Prospect would cause them to be significantly impacted by the Coalition Meltdown and the subsequent 60s Recession. The UTF would publically and controversially withdraw from the trade treaty 12264, in the midst of the recession.
From 12252 to 12271, the UTF would commit multiple brigades of IF3 peacekeepers to the Draconian capital of Arkas in order to administer amnesties, provide armed police to the Eldership and attempt to broker peace deals between the New Draconian Technocracy and the Eldership. These peacekeeping measures would prove to be a failure when the Eldership military capitulated, allowing the Technocracy to surround the Arkasian capital, the last bastion of the Eldership. In 12271, upon the outbreak of the Canid-Feli War, every brigade on Arkas would be redeployed to Artemis to deliver humanitarian aid and help negotiate a planet-side ceasefire. The withdrawal of peacekeepers from Arkas allowed the New Draconian Technocracy to finally fell the incumbent Eldership, which the UTF was not able to respond to adequately until 12272 when it placed sanctions on the Technocracy. These sanctions would only be lifted for a few months in 12275 after the Fenrir Bombing.
Government
Federal Government
Executive - President can only serve 1 term of 2 Martian sols - which is approximately 1.25 Standard Cycles or 3.75 earth-years. The president is directly voted into power.
Exectuive - The president-senator can also only serve 1 term of the same length, like the president. Unlike the president however, the president-senator is elected by the military, in which votes are apportioned to enlisted personnel of the Terran colonies.
The judiciary is the High Court
Colonies and Nation-States
Consists of 3 cores, <number> outer colonies and <number> uninhabited celestial bodies and planetoids, totalling <number> bodies
Though local, autonomous governments exert considerable legal authority over their respective jurisdictions, they are still subordinate to the UTF central authority.
Foreign Relations
The United Terran Federation has an established structure of foreign relations, and hosts the galaxy’s second-largest diplomatic corps, second only to the Black March. It is member and co-founder of the International Federation of 3 and has signed and ratified a non-aggression pact between itself and Greater Prospect. Every faction in the known galaxy, except for one, has an embassy and consulate within the Federation.
The UTF maintains the closest ties with the Black March, though it also maintains strong ties with Greater Prospect and the Colonial Systems. The UTF coordinates closely with other IF3 members in matters of national security. Upon the outbreak of the Canid-Feli War, the UTF has been the biggest contributor towards peace efforts, deploying numerous brigades of peacekeepers and paramilitary forces to intervene on planet-side fighting.
Military
Full Article: United Federation Armed Forces
Leadership (Department of Defense) and the four branches. Paramilitary includes the UFCM which is supported but legally recognised as a police force for the outer colonies, such as Saturn, Winter and Tynan. Expenditure as percentage of GDP (fourth largest in absolute terms).
General composition & 35 million enlisted personnel. Second largest military, behind the Colonial Systems. Enlistment is entirely voluntary, with Terran colonies having been forced to give up conscription in 12183 after constitution.
Space force and operation of the main & auxiliary fleet + the Damocles Orbital Laser.
Crime
Suffering potenital internal stability due to several political divides as the main constituent polities of the UTF are ideologically opposed. Lotta terrorism
Rampant youth crime. Apparently stems back to the 119th Century and has been a lasting socio-economic issue.
Economy
Outline and discussion of GDP as well as debt.
The United Terran Federation is at the forefront of military technology, only readily rivalled by the Neo-Furrarian Imperium and the Colonial Systems, which both restrict their imports. As such, the Federation dominates the fields of aeronautics, artificial intelligence & computers. The economy is fueled by extensive exploitation of natural resources and well-developed commercial infrastructure. It is the biggest exporter of hydrogen and deuterium, exporting a total £2.336 trillion in 12275.
Largest trading partners are Black March & Greater Prospect. Smaller but notable trading partners include NFI, FLF, NDT & CSS.
Most colonies are primarily post-industrial. Pandora and Autumn are the largest industrial colonies. Lack of welfare introduces significant income inequality. Development Index is _
Science and Technology
Forefront in electronics technology. Widely regarded to have been the first to achieve commercial scale quantum computing and is thus its largest exporter (First mover advantage). Relative economic stability has meant that over time the UTF has begun to spend increasingly less on R&D, apparently prioritising capital growth on outer colonies instead.
Has extensive research facilities in space beginning with the ISS. Home to the Orbital Hadron Collider.
Demographics
Ethnic Groups
Predominantly human, which themselves exhibit little relative regional differences between them despite what the polticial divide may suggest. Large diaspora of Canid & Feli brought on by the Canid-Felin War.
Language
Informal amalgam of the two most common languages English and Chinese. Sometimes informally known as Chinglish, it is known formally as Common.
Religion
Religion is split amongst a myriad of different religions, with some old earth, some new, and each having multiple denominations. For the purposes of expediting census, there are three major religion groups: Abrahamic Monotheism, the three major monotheist religions that center around the worship of the God of Abraham; Christianity, Islam and Judaism. They historically were and remain the biggest plurality to this day. Eastern Pragmatism, broadly referring to eastern religious practice that did not necessarily worship deity; Buddhism, Jainism, Taoism, Sikhism. Old Earth Polytheism, referring to typically older and polytheist religions; Hinduism, Shinto, Paganism, Vodun and many other indigenous religions. Non-religious plurality saw a large spike following the Great Mistake, but was not sufficient to make atheism widespread.
Education
Education standards are governed on the nation-state level and thus vary greatly depending on the constituency. On a federal level, the Federation has only provided non-binding resolutions for a compulsory schooling period of approximately 5.3 Standard Cycles. Only few developed nation-states adhere to this guidance; in developing nation-states, schooling is often non-compulsory and well below the national standard. Tertiary education is also often costly to obtain despite being partially subsidized by the federal government. Approximately only ~40% pursue tertiary education, with most citizens instead electing to particpate in workforce early.
Health
According to the 12276 budget, The Federation is expected to spend 12.5% of its projected GDP on healthcare. Despite the enormous variance of the quality of health care between colonies, the average life expectancy within the Federation is 24.1 Standard Cycles, well above the galactic average. The leading cause of death in the Federation is cancer, followed by pulmonary disease. Major health concerns have been raised about microgravity-related illnesses such as muscle atrophy, which is rife among those who live on low gravity colonies and orbital installations.
The UTF does not have universal health care: coverage varies greatly between individual nation-states. Accessibility and quality of care is usually dependent on performance of the local economy, among other factors. Though the Racial Discrimination Act has banned any form of cross-sapien discrimination, Canidae and Feli in some colonies have reportedly come across difficulties in accessing health care. Subsequently, the Federation Refugee Center reports that the life expectancy of ethnic minorities within the Federation is estimated to be 1 to 2 Standard Cycles lower than that of humans.
Culture
Media
Architecture
Human architecture still harks back to monumentality - most if not all cities are typically marked with a distinctive structure. Typically such a structure eclipses the rest of the skyline. But other monuments exist - ranging from enormous statues to pyramids. Large vertical structures both as a result of increasing arcology (lesser sprawl) but also the result of a broader movement calling for the emphasis on shared human values such as awe of the large and the revival of the practice of building big things.
Cuisine
Heavily grained based. Alcohol is popular and humanity is among few species to develop such an extensive number of forms of the drug.
Sports
The most popular sports in the Federation include football, basketball and volleyball. With the majority of humanity having spent most of the better of the previous 74 Standard Cycles on low gravity environments like Mars, Pandora and other orbital installations, such sports have since been adapted for low- or zero-gravity environments. As such many of these sports tournaments, such as the Tri-World Cup, have been conducted in low gravity environments, most notably on Texas Starbase.
Spaceracing has also become immensely popular as civilian spacecraft has become more affordable. UTF spacecraft manufacturers and racers have performed at numerous championships both domestically and abroad, having won a number of titles and victories in many different factions. The UTF also hosts a number of notable races, particularly the Murray Cup at the Rikkord Memorial Raceway. Additionally, the UTF is the home of the infamous Kessler Run, conducted in the Sol system, within the Main Belt.
Olympiads are also popular among the Federation. There have been plans to revive the Olympic Games, both in order to boost intergalactic tourism and to encourage friendlier international relations in sport competition. Representative has begun meetings in 12272 to devise athletic competition suitable for all sapien species.
"United we stand, divided we fall."
United Terran Federation
(Cattus Sapiens)
(Canis Sapiens)
- President
- Vice-President
- President-Senator
- House Speaker
- General-Secretary
- Upper House
- Lower House
Federation of the United Terran Federation
- Federation, Constitution
- Census (12276)
- Total
- Per Capita
- Total
- Per Capita
