Ecumenical Union

Cyberpunk state different than all others.

... and then, we made a mistake. We knew what had to be done, but we faltered in our devotion. Rather than fight against evil with all our might, we decided that we were too weak. So we let things happen. We let Devil triumph. We let the rest of the world descend into madness and corruption. We let the idea of freedom to be warped into what it is today in the Republic. We let the idea of solidarity to be warped into what it is today in the People's Union. We let the Novaya Rossiya shatter and bleed. We let the Empire abandon humanity.
It is enough. We will no longer allow the evil to triumph without a challenge.
Today, the accursed Republic invades the lands of Middle East, in an attempt to wipe out or enslave local texes. "They are weak" they say. "They do not even have technology" they say. "They are primitive" they say. Does that make them less human than us? They suffer as we do. They fight against injustice as we do. They might be pagans, but only because they never had a chance to see the light of true Faith. They might be pagans, but there are our brothers more than republicans ever were.
Republic often insults us, saying that we spend time reanimating long dead traditions rather than thinking about the future. So let us for once embrace the mindset they accuse us of having. It is time to reanimate one more long dead tradition.

Excerpt from Pope Pius XVII public speech, right before proclaiming the crusade against Republic.
This speech is considered by historians to be a beginning of First Vortexian War.

Ecumenical Union is one of five superpowers that divided the Vortex World between their spheres of influence. It is also the one considered most 'problematic' and a cause for both Vortexian Wars... for a reason. Ecumenical Union leadership believes that conquering - or, liberating, as they see it - entirety of Vortex World is their divine birthright and a mission from God. One that they are hellbent on fulfilling.
It can also be considered a state most dissatisfied with the fact it has to share the planet with other countries - to the point of having its border completely closed (with sole exception being refugees and diplomats) and having its economy nearly completely self sufficient. Also being most democratic of five superstates... while believing traditional forms of democracy to be nothing better than godless mob rule.

Structure

The internal organization structure of Ecumenical Union is very complicated. It is caused by problematic sociophilosophical genesis of current political system, that was built upon belief in the right for its inhabitants to freely associate themselves and selfgovern, making it one of the most decentralized of all superstates.
It is on its very basis a federation of many autonomous political entities that are allowed to govern themselves as long as they follow certain basic laws and rights that are considered a cornerstone of Union as a whole. The central government of course exists and is surprisingly powerful for a country so decentralized. It is mostly caused by semi-divine authority of the popes and the needs and requirements of fighting semi-perpetual war against Novaya Rossiya warlords and the permanent threat of Atlantic Republic and People's Union of America.
Central government is ultimately dualistic, which makes it even more complicated. On one side there is an Emperor, a secular hereditary monarch of all Union, that is - however - mostly a symbol of unity. He designates prime minister of Union from the leading party of the secular Supreme Council of Union - a parliament consisting of a thousand representatives elected by all federated sub-states of the Union. Prime Minister chooses his cabinet that is tasked with ruling Union and overseeing the 'vassal states' as they are often called.
On another side there is a pope, a supreme religious authority elected by Roman Catholic Church conclave of cardinals. He is supported by a Synod - a thousand bishops or their equivalents from all Christian denominations existing in the Union, elected by active clergy of all said denominations.
Union is generally a combination between secular republic and theocracy. Day-to-day power lies in secular government, whose decisions, however, can be always overruled by the pope (or Synod, by a majority vote) if they believe them to not reflect Christian values. Normally they do not do this, however the shadow of such threat always hangs above the Supreme Council and Union government, keeping them in line without direct clashes.
Beneath the central government lies the vast number of autonomous governments. They are divided mostly according to ancient borders on Earth... but further divided according to the ideal of self-government and responsibility for your community. An example can be the 'province' of Poland, divided internally into Fifth Republic of Poland (modernity and moderate economic liberalism), Restored Polish People's Republic (very light Christian socialism), Interwar Republic of Poland (militarist state modeled after Second Polish Republic) and Kingdom of Poland, an agrarian idyll for those rejecting majority of modern technology. Plus several independent arcologies, for example housing those texes that still uphold some of old traditions.
Provincional governments are composed of representatives of local states (with their exact internal borders in a state of constant flux, with towns and citizens freely switching from state to state according to their decisions, though it is normally limited to one change a year to avoid chaos). Then there are governments of such local vassal states, and then those of arcologies and conventional towns, that can simply decide to leave their state if they vote so.
Despite this, the needs of permanent warfare lead to certain level of centralization, sometimes leading to central government and military overruling local decisions at least temporarily.
The center of EU lies in New Rome, massive arcology housing nearly seven million of peoples in 1/4 of area of old Rome (which neared 3 millions in early XXI century). It includes a completely reconstructed Vatican in a smaller arcology connected to the main one, where popes and Synod reside. Several administrative levels of main arcology house secular government, with emperor having his own top layer for himself.

Public Agenda

Early Ecumenical Union was built atop teachings of several historical writers, sociologists, politologists and philosophers. Most influential - beside Jesus Christ of course - being Thomas Aquinas, Søren Kierkegaard, Hillaire Belloc, G. K. Chesterton and Feliks Koneczny. Democracy, liberalism (social and economical alike) and socialism were condemned as godless, just as all sorts of moral relativism.
New state was to embody the ideas of latin civilization as written by Feliks Koneczny. This meant the idea that ethics are always superior in value to politics, laws, and even citizens will. It isn't the law that dictates what is good - what is good dictates the laws that should be issued. Citizens voting for something doesn't make it right - after all, what if they voted to execute members of certain ethnic group? This wouldn't be good - because it isn't and because good and evil are objective, even if sometimes hard to discern.
The unity can only be achieved through diversity built atop a foundation of at least several core common values that are objectively Good. Trying to enforce them from the top always led to general collapse of both state and society, while alienating people from their government. Thus it isn't forced - but those that divert too far from the Truth will be gently corrected or simply alienated and isolated in a place when they can live according to their opinions.
The idea that morality predates the laws and is always more important that it led to a situation in which for its citizens Ecumenical Union isn't good because it is their country. It is good because it is Good - objectively. It is an always imperfect attempt to embody values that are universally Good - it still undergoes evolutionary changes when situation changes, but all of them have to be right from the religious and moral points of view. With the idea that ends justify the means considered to be fundamentally wrong and rejected. And Bible replacing constitution.
Ecumenical Union believes that there exists an objective Truth, and all people should strive to get as close to it as possible, for this improvement of both self and their community is a divine commandment. This means expanding their knowledge (according to ancient idea of Fides et Ratio - which means that both faith and rational mind are required to improve as a human being.
For this reason education - humanism and science alike - are well respected and expected from most citizens. Knowledge about Earth is, however, woefully limited, with many events (French Revolution, 1968 cultural revolution) being completely demonized.

Assets

Expansive economy built mostly according to idea of distributionism, with obvious improvements and fixes. Mostly free and without extensive government interventions, but trying to avert both falling into capitalism (mostly equated to anarchocapitalism of Atlantic Republic) and socialism (equated to the system present in People's Union of America).
Circa 3,5M strong Army of God - well armed, trained and fanatically devoted, including several orders of Knights, genetically and mechanically altered to be able to face similar elite forces of other states.
Fleet of God, divided into several fleets that are supposed to both repel assaults on the Western Coast while undermining trade of goods that EU believes to be abhorrent - mostly slaves, geneengineered soldiers and creatures, modern drugs, several less important goods and mass destruction weaponry (or weapons that are considered not humanitarian).

History

Arrival

Founders of Ecumenical Union came to Vortex World as all other humans on the planet did. They departed from Earth aboard a small fleet of transport ships, hoping to find new home among the stars. However, unlike the others, they did this during last years of Fourth World War. Their expedition was composed of refugees from Europe, mostly nationalists and religious groups defeated by forces of Terran Federation. While they didn't carry too much from Earth, they still retained many important informations stored on ships' databases... not to mention arriving as last ones, meaning that their starting technology was most advanced.
The fleet diverted from its course for reason unknown and entered an area known as Vortex Hyperspace Anomaly. Somehow it survived this (or at least part of it did) and after being pulled into the very center of the anomaly it was thrown back into the Realspace, in the very middle of the star system known today for citizens of EU as Refuge.
Here, after sustaining terrible damages, it managed to crawl to world known as Vortex World (or under many other names by other countries) and then unloaded its cargo on the planet. Since - for reason once again completely unknown - it was a nearly perfect geographical copy of Earth, they decided to land on region that they knew. Namely - in Europe.
Soon several independent cities were created, with many nationalist group trying to at least locally resurrect their countries of origins and many religious groups deciding to join them (or form city states of their own). Then humans discovered that they aren't alone - Atlantic Republic, People's Union of America, Novaya Rossiya and Chinese Empire were already there. And even before them they were texes, local inhabitants of the planet (dubbed 'texes' after Vortex anomaly). So similar to human and yet so different.
Thankfully for both sides, those in Europe weren't as violently opposed to newcomers as those in Atlantis continent or in America. In fact, after seeing the power fo human technology they were in awe. What's more, they were recently flooded by refugees pushed out from Russia by Novaya Rossiya colonists. The idea of being refugees was something both sides had in common and, thus, they decided to form a non agression treaty.

Unification

What followed was European Civil War, as several nationalist groups decided that they were against coexistence with locals. While their city states and general population was small, they could already produce firearms, tanks, simple war robots and even chemical weaponry on industrial scale. The prolonged war was a repetition of Fourth World War done on a smaller scale, with those that wished for unification slowly overwhelming the forces of nationalists. Soon they were defeated... with help from those texes that after seeing the power of the human technology decided that they hae to adapt - or they will die.
Soon the victors assembled on a so called Roman Synod, built around one of few popes that were elected to this seat on Earth after the rightful one died during Terran Federation bombardment of Rome - one that fled to Vortex together with other refugees. The Synod was actually composed only in half by clergy, while the other half was mostly important secular citizens, commanders from the war, keepers of technology that came with them from Earth and so on.
Soon the basic outline of Ecumenical Union was created, as a loose federation of independent city-states that included increasing number of tex immigrants. First cases of pregnancies coming from mixed tex-human pairs (next to impossible from the biological point of view) led to swift acceptance of them being made by God as well. Slighty lost and primitive, but... wasn't this a reason for humans to come here? Wasn't this a reason for unexplained deviation in course of their fleet? To bring the light of Faith to those poor beings?

Expansion

This led to swift increase in general alienation of Ecumenical Union among other countries, that began their drift into increasing xenophobia. Soon EU began a target of increasing immigration of texes... in most cases fleeing from persecutions and slowly forming slavery (in its many forms). This, together with steady economic and population growth led to swift increase in power of EU. Further supported by its technological base and incorporation of texan 'magicks' into the industrial process.
It was still mostly isolationist - not to mention being smallest and weakest of all major states - at least until the Atlantic Republic began its attempt to gain control over Middle East region, leading to war with local texes, still mostly independent. Of course, with texes being extremely outgunned (with spears facing tanks and robots) Republic quickly won. However, their occupation of the area bordered with genocide. Soon many EU companies (and the country itself) started delivering mordern weaponry to texan guerillas.
Finally a journalist from EU made a proper relation from the Middle East, showing full extent of treatment texes received, which led to public outrage and finally gave EU a push it needed. Soon the pope announced a crusade. He was ridiculed at first - after all, noone believed that EU can seriously face Republic and win. Then, however, forces of Army of God marched southeast. While Republic outnumbered EU forces, their religious zealotry and ideological drive managed to partially close the gap. What's more, Republic was completely surprised not only by frontal assault of armored and mechanized divisions, but also by well coordinated texan revolts. With insurgents targeting command hubs, airfields, radar stations and supply depots, republican forces in the Middle East were soon not defeated... but nearly annihilated, with remnants fleeing southwest.
Attempt to launch counteroffensive - stalled by an ongoing air and naval battle on the Mediterrean Sea - ended in disaster during the Battle for Damascus, a cornerstone for Ecumenical Union today. 17th. Mechanized Infantry Division suffered 94% casualties during three day of valiant defence, stalling republican tanks long enough for the EU forces to flank them... and practically destroy them in seven days long tank battle during which almost two thousand tanks were destroyed. All of this supported by reports - made by surviving soldiers of 17th. MID - of 'angels' fighting alonggside them during their desperate defense, that made already fierce religious zealotry into something even more extreme.
Atlantic Republic managed to stabilize the front after retreating all the way to Libya, finally ending the war through its superior industral power. but the EU was immediately catapulted into the first league of states. With bitter hatred between two states being a consequence. One that led to Second Vortex War, and liberation of most of Africa.

Today

Today EU waits for the good occasion to launch Third Vortex War. Hoping to completely erase Atlantic Republic presence in Africa... or maybe even assault its cradle on Atlantis. All of this while spreading propaganda among slaves and proles in AR, and pariahs in People's Union of America. It dreams of liberating entire world... and, perhaps, finding a way back to Earth to finish what Terran Federation started centuries ago.

Demography and Population

As all states on Vortex World, Ecumenical Union have nigh endless possibilities in terms of creating its own, perfect society. For this reason, as always, an InSec (secret police in other words) is used to oversee the creation of New Citizen. Ecumenical Union does this too, however it has to be acknowledged that their ways are among the most humanitarian ones.
EU secret police - called Holy Office or Inquisition - never reached levels of terror that are considered average (or even 'tame') in other superstates. It actually tends to target REAL threats to the country, including sympathizers of other superpowers or dangerous anarchists/revolutionaries that dream of radical changes to society of Ecumenical Union. Death and tortures are also generally avoided and frowned upon, instead a system of labour camps (completely closed off and mostly autonomous while supervised) is employed.
There is also a significant private sector in media, that is subjected to only very minor preventative censorship. The attempts to organize a 'proper' totalitarian state are undermined on a very basic level by an underlying plurality of central ideology. Christianity in Ecumenical Union exists in a thousand different denominations. None - even Roman Catholic Church that is supposedly on top but in fact is more like 'first among equals' - are strong enough to try to become an official central ideology. Faith in God under the form of Holy Trinity are the Union's ideology - everything beside this is just a way to approach it and different interpretations.
Effect of this is an unofficial doctrine that conversion should be done only by debate, but each and every denomination is equally true - they are differentiated only by the way of approach to the central subject. They are created by people of different origin and different worldview... but all relay to the same, central entity (namely - God) that gave Humanity certain basic commandments that are universally true, while the rest was let for the humans to figure out.

Relationships

Abortion and most methods of anticonception are universally banned. Pornography was completely eliminated from internet and society as a whole. Homosexualism practically doesn't exist, due to combination of improved methods of sexual education, public pressure and light mindsculpting that allows to easily rewrite things like orientations and fetishes (while also expunging majority of mental illnesses and stuff like paedophilia). There is still a small number of homosexuals that decide to be them willingly - this isn't considered a cause for public stigma or forceful mindsculpting for overwhelming majority of citizens (and Holy Office) as long as one doesn't do it in public. The well hidden internet communities grouping such people are tolerated, but hidden, even if not too seriously.
Sexual education begins quite late (14-15 years old) but is extensive and covers lots of topics, including "positions" and many fetishes that are considered acceptable - in fact most are, as long as are consensual and done by married couples (with sex being considered not only a mean of procreation but also of building relationship). There are groups that oppose that, which is mostly a reaction for oversexualized cultures of opposing superstates which cause many doubts about allegiations of people too... original in that matter, and is part of a social stigma surrounding adulterers.
The approach to marriages is heavily divided between denominations. The abolishment of secular marriages is common for all of them - it was 'merged' with religious marriages that are equal to wedlock according to law. There is however a division when it comes to polygamy and monogamy (though the latter is a standard for ~75% of Union population and their denominations) and the matter of divorces. Some denominations disallow it completely, others accept under certain circumstances.
It is a public knowledge that Union uses a rigoristic policy of population control done by many campaigns for responsible parenthood, and occasionally spicing water with accepted and safe contraceptives. It is done to avoid the fate of Atlantic Republic, which no longer controls its own population, what led to extreme levels of poverty unknown to humanity since antiquity at least. This leads to overwhelming majority of citizens living lives quite luxurious by XXI century standards, with those in problems easily gaining support via charities (or, if their vassal states allows it, social welfare).
There is a notable but informal division between genders. There is no law that forbids women from for example becoming soldiers - however 75% of soldiers are men, while the 25% of women mostly serve where the risks are lower (military administration and so on). Union 'ideal woman' rules over her home and children (while her husband earns money), spending her free time on whatever she really wants, for example hobbies or working part time or gaining additional education that she wants (with many profesional internet courses covering topics from ancient philosophy to quantum physics). Despite this, the Union 'ideal marriage' is made from two equal parts that have different responsibilities but are still equal - in eyes of law, God and society alike. It doesn't work like that always, but for most time it does, with marital abuse considered an acceptable reason for divorce by most denominations.

Approach to texes

Texes are almost completely assimilated and equal to humans. They are in fact no longer considered in any way different than humans aside from obvious biological differences, and are often actually called humans, with baseline humans renamed in conversations, for example to 'sapiens' and so on. Many smaller denominations and vassal states include elements of preUnion tex cultures. The apex of such influences were two popes not being human. Cross marriages are a commonplace and are only made more acceptable by the fact that such couples can have children, which is a strange and still not explained by science phenomenon. It is highlighted even more by local biological terminology, with all tex species having latin names starting with phrase 'homo'.

Military

Relatively small ("only" composed of circa 5 000 000 soldiers in active duty), but both Army of God and Fleet of God present extremely high level of education, training and equipment, which is further enforced by religious zealotry. They tend to triumph over similar units of Atlantic Republic and Novaya Rossiya even when outnumbered, but their situation is more than problematic when elite, geneengineered and cyberenhanced formations are taken into account.
Union elites - commonly called Knights - aren't as much improved as their opponents, but much more zealous and - after careful education that induces the belief of their responsibilities for their brethren - more than capable of dying simply to take down their enemies. Which more or less closes the gap.

Technological Level

Relatively high technological level. Ecumenical Union doesn't have a technological edge like Atlantic Republic (which is achieved by boundless human experimentations done on prole population), but it has a well organized economy with many private research groups and organizations.
The biggest limitations is a nearly complete ban on anti-aging medications and most genetic modifications that aren't done to fix biological (or made by humans, for example in escapees from Atlantic Republic) errors. Genetic diseases are almost eradicated, but humans and texes live only to about 120 years. On the other hand, Atlantic Republic elites are nearly immortal... but their proles rarely live past 50 years, which actually makes the situation in EU not look that bad.

Foreign Relations

Ecumenical Union is hostile to all other superstates, while cordial to very supportive to its many sattelite states that form the Holy League. The situation is especially bad with Novaya Rossiya and Atlantic Republic. The first one regularly launches local attacks on eastern borders of Union and its buffer states, with rossiyan generals launching attacks in hopes of gaining slaves or pillaging riches.
Atlantic Republic does the same from the sea. With moderate successes. And all of this while Union military launches precise assaults on trade routes and nearby installations and cities, sometimes also makes punitive campaigns on bigger scale. Not to mention starting total wars twice (with the first kicking Atlantic Republic and Novaya Rossiya from Middle East, while the second let to EU liberating all Africa north of equator). War is permanent, but officially it is done by rogue generals (in NR), private companies (in AR) and groups of concerned and surprisingly well armed citizens moved by religious devotion to the point of zealotry (in EU). Only the two great wars were done officially.
Similar approach EU has to People's Union, with their internal policies considered unnatural, godless and abhorrent. And with EU regularly attempting to preach 'subversive ideas' among pariahs population.
EU is also a patron of vast number of different and officially independent states in Africa, Middle East and sometimes in Europe. The general idea is if one wishes to no longer be a part of it, he can always do that - EU allows secessions. This led to many smaller secular republics, monarchies or one-faith states, politically and military subservient to EU while allowed complete freedom in internal affairs (as long as they aren't going too far and try to for example legalize slavery or even break permanent embargo for Atlantic Republic goods).

Si Deus nobiscum quis contra nos

Ecumenical Union

Capital: New Rome
Official Languages: Latin, many others.
Religion: Christianity [many denominations]
Government: Federated mix of monarchy, theocracy and republic.
Faction: Holy League
Current ruler: Pope Innocent XIV and Emperor Gaius Habsburg
Population: Approx. 200 000 000.
Currency: Variety

Type

Political, Confederation

Alternative Names

Holy European Empire, European Union, Holy Union, Europe, Latin Union, European Confederation.

Demonym

Unionists, Latins, Europeans, Confeds.

Currency

Ecumenical Union lacks an united currency, since the right to issue your own currency is considered a basic right of any autonomous community. This leads to high level of monetary chaos, at least partially avoided by an Euro - a central currency that is considered to be a conversion unit. In other words, all local currencies have their value written in Euro, which also serves as primary currency in international deals (rare with other superstates, often with members of Holy League.

Judicial Body

Supreme Tribunal deals with secular law. However, if one believes to have a moral reason for breaking the law, he can always appeal to the pope. If he does that, Synod will choose a group of religious authorities that will process the appeal and give their opinions on whether the pope should use his right to pardon (or use it partially, suggesting the secular authorities to reassess the case).

Glossary

Atlantis - The only real geographic deviation of Vortex World from Earth - a small (circa 3/4 of Europe) continent in the middle of Atlantic Ocean, named Atlantis by the landing settlers whose descendants formed Atlantic Republic of today. Mostly temperate in climate, with population reaching a billion.
Mental sculpting - Procedure of altering human memories and brain activities permanently by using electromagnets and proper medications to stimulate certain parts of the brain while shutting down others. With light implants certain knowledge can be imprinted directly into ones brain. Its use is heavily limited in Holy League states, with forceful mind sculpting considered a capital offense - it is used to fix certain dysfunctions while also allowing to be 'imprinted' with knowledge and customs of nation you wish to immigrate too... and also to undo brainwashing on liberated slaves.
Slavery - Institution that returned in new and even more terrible form after Atlantic Republic descended into dystopian anarchocapitalism... when even rights to be considered human being become an object of trade. Includes both being menial workers of relatively little value... and another, much less humanitarian form that grew when Republican elites fell more and more into unbound hedonism.

Texes - Nonhuman inhabitants of Vortex World, that predate human arrival. Humanoids of various species, many of which possess certain supernatural abilities (like telepathy or telekinesis, but not strong enough to really hurt well armed human soldiers). Not considered equal to humans by most countries, and subject to many atrocities including slavery or outright genocide.