Fiction:Pan-Andromedan Ecumene

"What does it mean to be Andromedan? The united our galaxy in war and fostered cooperation in peace. But ultimately we still flew our own banners and considered one another by the states we were born in. I suggest no longer; from the shining spires of and Crepusculum to the forests of Mardvenia, we are Andromedans. Children of the stars of our celestial halo. Beyond biology, culture and opinion, we are Andromeda. Its children, its custodians and its face."

The Pan-Andromedan Ecumene (alternatively the PAE or the Andromedan Ecumene) is the ruling oligarchical hyperpower in Andromeda and a direct successor to the. Originally formed under the strenous events of in accordance to the secret Lux Contigency plan formulated during the  period, the Ecumene is united by the common belief in concepts of order, progress and culture, uniting the Andromeda Galaxy by appealing to its many races' shared historical and cultural links - priding themselves on their glorious past, sophistication and their supposed exceptionalism.

With members holding ocnnections to numerous intergovernmental organisations, the Pan-Andromedan Ecumene enjoys an enormous sphere of diplomatic as well as economic influence in the First Gigaquadrant, most known for producing all sorts of luxury goods used in other galaxies. However, this power is hampered by many internal conflicts within the galaxy: the conflict between the monarchical Highlords and the democratic House of Lords, the upper and the lower classes, the inner highlord states and the outer dominions of the realm, and finally the traditional prime Andromedan factions - the and  - and the powerful Exarchates of  and the.

The Andromedan Galactic Commonwealth
The Pan-Andromedan Ecumene isa successor state to the, a supranational body formed in 2785 during the as a means to unite the defending forces of the Andromeda Galaxy against the aggression of the. The war's conclusion in 2787 set the stage for the Commonwealth to establish a new galactic order. The concept of the Andromedan Galactic Commonwealth was a democratic society that though mutual cooperation engaged in numerous social and mechanical engineering projects to the benefit of galactic society such as the Deep Core manufacturing installation, and the United Andromedan Navy. This time was not smooth however, as the era that followed the Andromeda War was challenged in 2792 by the. While the resulting conflict, with Andromeda joining other factions such as the and  in resisting the Dominatus during the Great Tyranny War, the end of the war culminating in the dissolution of the Drakodominatus Tyranny, the death of its leader and the demilitarisation of the Tyranny's territories.

The Lux Contingency
The threat that the Drakodominatus posed was a worrying concern within the Andromedan Light, the seat of power for the Commonwealth. Meeting in secret, the leaders of the Highlord Nations - of the,  of  and Tyraz Breek of the  - drafted the Lux Contingency, a plan for an alternative form of political body should the Andromedan Commonwealth ultimately prove to unstable to be sustainable. The Lux Contingency was originally penned as a last resort, something to be implemented only when the Commonwealth was on the brink of collapse. In order to avoid suspicion the document was referred to in correspondence between those who knew as 'Lux'. Until the early 29th century, the Lux Contingency remained as a rumour-bound concept, known by very few individuals. It was not until the destruction of Adaru and in 2797 that interest in the Lux Contingency returned.

The Shattering and the Ecumene's Establishment
The destruction of the Artifacts in 2797 led to a catastophe that became referred to by media and the public as The ANdromedan SHattering, where the macroscale topology of hyperspace was cracked like glass. THis hyperspace fragmenting cut off regions of the galaxy, which fragmented galactic commerce and, with the fracturing's progression, drove the populace into a panic. Fron 2797 onwards, the Andromedan Commonwealth was assailed by a number of threats such as the Crystalline Horde and sporadic attacks by foreign powers such as. Andromeda was further destabilised by insurgent acts such as the rampage of the Champions of the Aetomarchis, the abduction of Tyraz Breek by the and the spread of the  within the Brood of War.

The death of Tyraz Breek and the collapse of the Brood of War in 2800 was followed by a clandestine meeting between Uriel and Iovera. This meeting marked the first time since the few years after its penning that the Lux Contingency was discussed. Several months of subsequent correspondence between the two highlords and high-level officials of the highlord nations concluded that in order for Andromedan society to persist, the Lux Contingency was the best option. In a period of reformation between 2801 an 2803, Uriel Ultanos used his diplomatic ability to win over the numerous delegates of the Andromedan Galactic Commonwealth into reforming as the Pan-Andromedan Ecumene.

In his delegations, Uriel had promised the Ecumene to the next stage in the social development of the Andromeda Galaxy. He had focused on the celebration of the Commonwealth's achievements and the amount of progress that had been made, but followed these with expressed concern over current events and the looming threat of untrustworthy powers such as the Draconizane Dominion. A combination of these deliberations and the backing of pro-reform organisations and political parties led to the formation of the Pan-Andromedan Ecumene in May of 2802.

The Great Xonexian Schism
These incursions were not the only matters that encouraged the formation of the Ecumene. Compelled by the 's close connection with the, Uriel used discussion of the Ecumene to draw other members of the Commonwealth into the , which had only recently broken out by the time of the meeting between himself and Iovera. While this did not impede talk of reformation, the rest of the Andromedan Commonwealth largely remained out of the war until the summer of 2804 where the abrasive stalemate of the Andromedan Camapign and Uriel's newfound enthusiasm for reform convinced the majority of the Andromedan Light to enter the war for the sake of protecting the galaxy and assisting beleaguered fellow Andromedans such as the.

With the alliegence of the rest of Andromeda secure, the reunified Andromedan coalition supported the rest of the in driving the  out of Andromeda, lending support during the Milky Way offensive and cooperating with the DCP in suppressing and eliminating rogue elements of.

Highlord Alexandre
As a more cohesive entity, the Pan-Andromedan Ecumene was instrumental alongside the French Empire in restoring the damage caused by the Great Xonexian Schism, the relaxed economic barriers between its comonents allowed for Andromeda's economy to restore itself, with new technologies developed by re-emerging pan-Andromedan companies and think tanks emerging on the markets of the. The fiscal policies and economic contributions made by the French Empire granted the French emperor a seat on the Highlord's council a year after the final conclusion of the Great Xonexian Schism. Alexandre's ascension restored galctic leadership to a triumvirate as Alexandre occupied a seat left empty since Tyraz's demise. In the years that followed, cooperation within the bolstering Andromedan Ecumene, coupled with further interaction with the Commonwealth's allies lifted the Andromedan Ecumene to new heights, becoming a leading superpower in Gigaquadrantic politics. Of further excitement to its supporters was the popularisation of inter-universal exploration, which bolstered the Ecumene's understanding of the fundamental physical laws of the universe, which slowly trickled into emerging technologies. The first extra-universal territories were led by the establishment of the Forefront sector in 2809, connected to the Onuris universe by the Ecumene's new Hypergates.

Government
"It is no coincidence that the temples of Crepusculum and the royal halls of Alcanti are so remindful of the old Earth's Constantinople. There is no better word in human languages to describe the intricate structure of Andromeda's government but "Byzantine". Complex, intricate, grandiose, overcomplicated and cumbersome."

- Beginner's Guide to Andromeda, Catherine Dupont

The Ecumene is, in essence, a unique formation, created first as an emergency government during and then as a compromise between various galactic political forces afterwards; thus, it does not fall under any traditional form of government as defined by humans. The official term for the Ecumene's government, used in human nations, is Andromedan republic - that is, a republican system unique to Andromeda - but that translation, a calque from the term used in the, is somewhat imprecise. The actual High Dracid term, which is used in the Ecumene's constitution, is altesicon, roughly translated as encompassing common state. The idea of an altesicon is that of a global, federal community that all of its constituents are allowed, encouraged and obliged to participate in. While this implies a level of democracy and limited rule, and this term was indeed used historically to refer to various -majority republics, the emphasis is placed on the nature of an altesicon as a union, rather than a democratic state (e.g. Drak'oa Regio Altesicon or Alcanti Aldra Altesicon). Alternative terms were suggested as translations, such as global federation, federal commonwealth, or even catholicity, but in the end, only two translations stuck: Ecumene for the state itself and, as already stated, Andromedan republic for its form of government.

De facto, the Ecumene can best be described as a federal constitutional monarchy with oligarchic and republican elements, where every institution functions as a counterbalance to some other institution. The traditional, largely authoritarian sources of power - the Highlords, the House of Lords, and the central sectors - are opposed to the democratic forces of the Andromedan Light, the outer sectors and the Exarchates. The supporters of further unification, coming from both camps, conflict with the federalists who would prefer for the Ecumene to be more similar to the Commonwealth of old. In another state these differences would have likely torn it apart, but the nature of the Ecumene and its rather convoluted network of approvals and vetoes mean that no single institution can do just about anything without other parts of the byzantine government somehow involved. Thus, even sworn adversaries are forced to cooperate somehow and achieve consensus. While the resulting system of checks and balances is quite cumbersome, ultimately, it is what keeps Andromeda stable.

The most important elements of PAE's government are the so-called August Offices, five institutions considered to be pivotal to its functioning and declared in the Ecumenical Constitution to be the ultimate representatives of the nation and its people. These offices are, from the most important to the least: the Convocation of the Highlords, the Office of the Lord Protector, the Andromedan Light, the House of Lords, and the Supreme Court. All these institutions possess vetoes of varying strength regarding each other's decisions as well as other ways to influence one another, ensuring that no branch of the government does not get too strong.

Convocation of the Highlords
"The Convocation of the Highlords shall be the collective head of state of the Ecumene and the symbol of the Home Galaxy's unity. [...] The Highlords shall act as moderators between the August Offices and preservers of order and the Constitution across the home galaxy and its extragalactic domains. In order to do so, it shall exercise these sovereign powers according to the provisions of the present Constitution and with the consent of the August Offices: declaring war, making peace, and concluding treaties, appointing the candidates to the title of Lord Protector... [...] The Convocation shall be dynastic, its members chosen from two of the Home Galaxy's noblemost Houses: the Royal House of the and the Sacrosanct Conclave of the Holy Empire of : the Paragavatus and the Clericarch. Two more shall be chosen on behalf of the Grand Exarchates in accordance to their fundamental laws."

- Excerpts from the Andromedan Ecumenical Constitution, chapter 2, articles 1-5

The pinnacle of the Ecumene's government is the Convocation of the Highlords (formerly known as the Andromedan Light ), derived from the original triumvirate that once spearheaded the Commonwealth against the Grox years ago. With the death of Breek shortly before the Ecumene's formation, the Convocation was originally formed of two Highlords only: the Paragavatus of the  and the Clericarch of. During this period, the Light was known as the Dyad and Iovera and Uriel as Co-Highlords: the two wielded significant autocratic powers alongside the Lord Protector. However, following the end of the Shattering, and under the influence of democratic forces in Andromeda, a new constitution was drafted, in which the Highlords' powers became much more limited. The Edict of Grand Exarchates that was signed following the further expanded the Convocation into a council of four, thus spreading its vast power.

Outside of the traditional three branches of the government as defined by humans, the official role of the Highlords is that of moderators: they are meant to alleviate the potential conflicts between the other four (somewhat conflicting) August Offices and direct the Ecumene as a whole. For that purpose, the Convocation elects two judges for the Supreme Court, chooses candidates in their domains for the title of Lord Protector, and affects the work of the Andromedan Light by issuing imperial edicts; thus, every branch of the government is overseen and influenced by the Highlords. They also possess a veto on most actions of other August Offices, though that in most cases requires the agreement of all the Convocation, which means this right is only realised occasionally. However, the Highlords' power is not without limits: most of their edicts and decisions require the approval of the Andromedan Light, and while Highlords requests and suggestions to other member states are accepted, orders and demands are seen as detrimental to the stability of the Ecumene (unless agreed by other Highlords) and are discouraged to prevent the abuse of power.
 * Highlords

The Lord Protector
"The Highlords may be powerful, and so are the Lords of the Ecumene, but they work in councils - and councils are always a consensus, an agreement, a half-measure. Councils are mired with intrigue, corruption, they lie and devour their own rumps in a constant fashion akin to the Ouroboros. Almost never can a group of people with different opinions come to a solution that will truly benefit society as a whole, and not their own selfish political interests. That is why the Lord Protector exists: if it is necessary for the realization of a well-known political goal to perform a series of brutal actions then it is necessary to do them in the most energetic manner and in the shortest time, which councils cannot give us. The moralists in the Imperium and the Divinarium will always tell you that many is greater than one, but I have come to realise that the opposite is true more often than not."

-, circa 2797

Perhaps one of the most peculiar positions in the Ecumene is the office of the Lord Protector, founded alongside with it as part of the Lux Contingency. De jure, this post is similar to that of prime minister or chancellor - the Lord Protector heads the executive branch of the government, chooses ministers, and oversees the Ecumene's daily affairs. However, in actuality, this position goes far beyond that. Almost as much as the Highlords, if not more so, the Lord Protector is the face of Andromeda and the symbol of its unity; they also function as the Convocation's ambassador to foreign nations, representing the Ecumene when the Highlords are not available (which is quite often), and, with their close connection to the Convocation as well as the Andromedan Light, serve as the primary intermediary between the two institutions, thus ensuring the conflict between oligarchic and democratic forces in the galaxy never escalates. Some would even claim the Lord Protector to be the most powerful man in Andromeda: though the Highlords are powerful collectively, there are four of them, while the Lord Protector shares power with noone.

As an intermediary between the people and the elites, the Lord Protector is neither appointed nor elected directly. Instead, every Highlord has to choose three candidates for the post (the Highlord Exarchs are limited to their own territories, while the Paragon and the Clericarch may, at least in theory, bring candidates from all the Ecumene), and the Andromedan Light then has to either approve one of these twelve as Lord or reject them all. In the latter case, the Convocation will have to choose another set of candidates, this time with the advice of the Light. The Lord Protector has a ten-year term, but may be reelected five times (while half a century may seem like a long period, keep in mind that Draconis and Radeons are long-lived races,  and perceive time differently). Outside that, they can also be removed from power with both unanimous agreement of the Convocation and an overwhelming majority of votes from the Light, which is a fairly rare occurrence. Such was the case with the deposition of Lord Protector Baen Diraph, hated by the galaxy's populace for her stauch policy of neutrality which prevented the Ecumene from acting as a whole in the. The Light's appeals for her removal were famously denied by, who believed taking direct action would endanger her people in the Milky Way and sour relationships with their people's oldest ally, thus further stiflng the Ecumene's foreign policy. It was only after a scandal involving the Lord Protector's alleged illicit affair with a human classical musician Lilian Delacour, which ruffled quite a few feathers in the conservative Conclave, that Iovera approved the appeal and she was finally forced to resign.

Due to the post's somewhat unsavory reputation (courtesy of Maltris and Diraph), the Lord Protector is not the most loved person in the galaxy, and their position's power has dwindled somewhat from its inception. Thus to be chosen as a candidate to the Protectorate is considered to be both a boon and a curse reputation-wise.

In addition to the Ecumene#s territory in its home galaxy, the Commonwealth also has many colonies all over the First Gigaquadrant. While control over them generally remains in the hands of the Ecumene's members, the Highlords also send regional governors to maintain order in its outer realms; two for each galaxy. First, the High Commissioner, resolves disputes between the Ecumene's members and acts as a supreme judicial authority, while the second, the Military Executor, commands the colonies' navies and armies in case of a crisis.
 * Regional governors

Capital
Due ot its success as a political heart, the double-ringworld of is considered the de jure capital of the Pan-ANdromedan Ecumene, with each member having an embassy and a portion of the station dedicated to them. Outside of Andromeda, Elysion remains popular as a cultural mixing site for the galaxy, populated by numerous spacious embassies and sprawling shopping and entertainment precincts located within commercial hubs across the structure.

Exarchates
Not all states seek to commit their full sovereignty to the Ecumene as a whole. These states, known as Exarchates by the Andromedan Light, are empires that although performing duties as component elements of the Pan-Andromedan Ecumene such as providing soldiers to the pan-Andromedan military, contributing tax income to the state budget and discussing ttate policy, they hold a further degree of autonomy compared to other members.

This extra freedom can be considered a source of contention, with some in the governing body arguing that the exarchate system is flawed for a number of reasons. Considered a form of preferential treatment, an escape clause for societies that fear complete integration. Others consider the system a defiance as to what the Ecumene's concept stands for, existing only to cater for a minority. Whether it is form these arguments against the idea or an overall willingness to accept being citizens of the Ecumene first, the number of exarchates compared to the number of fully participating powers are comparatively tiny. The most noteable example of an exarchate being the French Empire.

Astrography
As a unitary collection of the 's members as well as the French Empire, the Pan-Andromedan Ecumene is a vast territory that dominates the and holds sizeable extragalactic territories in each of the major galaxies of the First Gigaquadrant. Inner Amdromeda is considered the very heart of the territory, with millions of wealthy populated star systems that hold a multi-quadrillion sentient population, the coreward regions could be considered a beacon of success both within and outside of Andromeda. While at one time the Andromedan hyperlanes created an intricate network of hyperspace tunnels, the new networks are bolstered with artificial wormholes that bridge gaps over hyperspace fissures, which prevent unrestricted hyperspace travel. While most of Andromeda has been reconnected in some fashion by the start of 2810, there are some areas that remain cut off, either due to logistical issues or are used to hide government or even corporate black-sites for the testing of more controversial technologies or scientific experiments.

Outside of Andromeda, the Ecumene holds territories consisting of hundreds of thousands of inhabited star systems, and many more automated support colonies intended to supply the inhabitants of the Ecumene with an abundance of energy, goods and raw materials. These territories are a common point of visitation for travelers to the Ecumene, as many hold galactic starports that cater to trillions of inward and outbound visitors a year. Adopting the concept from the Draocnid Imperium and the French Empire however, where these colonies are defined can be difficult as the Ecumene prefers to adopt a system of non-contiguous territories defined as a certain radius beyond stars they hold authority over.

Beyond the inhabited star systems and the support colonies, the Ecumene has millions of waystations scattered across the galaxies that are used by citizen and visitor alike as trade posts, local trading hubs, resupply stations and logistics nexi for allied military forces.

Economy
While it varies between members and their territories, the Pan-Amdromedan Ecumene is largely a market economy with diverse industries and international shippping routes throughout the First Gigaquadrant. Inheriting the economic strength of the Commonwealth and consisting of quadrillions of inhabitants, an advanced industrial capacity and several important trading hubs in Andromeda and elsewhere, the Ecumene is an economic powerhouse within the Xonexi Cluster that, due to the central presence of the within, is a leading economic power in the First Gigaquadrant. While initially much of GITO's success was enjoyed by the organisation's leading members, the unitary nature of the Ecumene allows for a degree of wealth for galactic society as a whole that flows to the outer territories much more freely than it did in the more state-bound trading partnerships of the Andromedan Commonwealth. The benefit has not only made the inner colonies much richer, but the outer territories are more easily able to reap the benefits of an increased tax income.

The economy itself is rather diverse, adopting the ideas used by the Draconid Imperium to manage the balance between autonomy and hegemony that keeps regions of Andromeda diverse in what they provide. While the effects of the lingered until 2807, the lessons learned by governments from what caused it and methods devised by think tanks for ways to further mitigate or even avoid a repeat have granted its economy a comforting degree of robustness. When all taken into account, it is understandable how the Ecumene is able to draw an immense yet difficult-to-determine amount of wealth, both domestic and international, to its central economic centres.

Andromeda's reputation as a galaxy playing host to things of ancient, elegant, sophisticated and mystical quality has long been considered a boon for capitalist-minded societies, and provides the Ecumene's Andromedan holdings with the combined commerical influence granting it an enormous degree of appeal for quadrillions of trillions of virtual, physical, business and pleasure tourists alike, creating a thriving tourist culture especially on the more ancient or enigmatic worlds open to such.

Science And Technology
The Andromedan Ecumene's technological base is largely characterised by the devices used by the Draconid Imperium, Brood of War and the Divinarium. While already advanced, the formation of the Ecumene and the treatment of technological development as innovations of galactic society has led to a further mixing of the innovations of the different civilisations, with further adoption seen in less advanced members by the sharing of experts between the highlord nations and the Ecumene's other members. Devices that use a combination of technological developments from various member cultures are becoming more commonplace, further advancing numerous fields such as transportation, engineering, medicine and robotics.

Since the Ecumene's foundation there has been a gradual trend of a more uniform level of technological ability within the Ecumene's territories. The wider infrastructural base base that this has provided for research and development has accelerated innovation in the 29th century, turning the Ecumene into a leader for scientific research and development, one of the most characteristic fields of which has been the ability to manipulate the spacetime fabric. With earlier projects such as the hyperlanes or the wormhole networks bolstered and in some locations jointly provided to compensate for the fracturing of Andromedan hyperspace to re-knit the galaxy together, while more ambitious developments have attempted to repair the fissures created during the Shattering.

THe other characteristic feature of Ecumene technology has been a result of the ideas laid down by the Imperium's, where since 2785, Andromedans have been absorbing, collecting or reverse-engineering technologies once possessed by other powers. As a result, the Ecumene psoesses technologies adapted from superpowers such as the, and. While a number of these civilisations have technologies that are considered questionable in purpose or nature of possessing, Andromedan society has long sought ways to provide safe versions for its inhabitants, granting their territories a trustworthy technological edge in developments previously achieved by more questionable means.

With the advances in bionics, genetics and cybernetics possessed by leading members such as the Divinarium and French Empire, much of the population bear some degree of enhancement that can range from a single neural chip to a bio-synthetic body double. An interest in aesthetics, elegance and practicality have historically encouraged the production of more discreet forms of enhancement, so while much of the population is enhanced, it is difficult to ascertain by the unenhanced eye.

Military
The Ecumene's military forces are divided up into five main divisions: the Unified Andromedan Navy, the mechanised Bastion Legions forming the mainstay of the Ecumene's army, the Dragoon Corps - the equivalent of other nations' marines, the law-enforcing Internal Guard and finally the elite Guardians of Light. Supported by the navies and militaries of its members (reformed into standing militias after the reformation), all three work in synchronicity to protect the Pan-Andromedan Ecumene and wage its wars. Originally small, rapid-response organisations under the Andromedan Commonwealth, the reformation into the Ecumene called for a much larger unified military force accompanied by a call to refit all member militaries to use more standardised equipment over the course of the first five years of the Ecumene's existence.

Military forces are recognised by their sleek, AI-supported designs. Vessels of the Unified Andromedan Navy rely on a minimal amount of crew, providing more space for computation power, weaponry and engines to make the ships more formidable despite their compact size. Armour and vehicles are provided similar, using a mix of technologies to allow frontline soldiers to communicate between one another seamlessly in real-time even over planetary distances. These sorts of combat armour have been nicknamed 'smartsuits' by UAN and Bastion personnel, presumably adopted from the first waves of Guardians utilising them.

Even a civilisation as advanced as the Ecumene is still limited by logistics, with better weapon, armour and vehicle designs being more readily provided to the Ecumene's more industrialised members. As of 2808, it was estimated that at least 92% of military forces within the Ecumene adopted the use of weapons and vehicles designed under the hybrid philosophy of both the Commonwealth and the Ecumene.

Bolstering the Ecumene's organic forces and Artificial Intelligence commanders, the Ecumene makes use of large numbers of drones and combat droids to support its soldiers on the battlefield while tank and artillery crews are supported in their tasks by onboard vehicular AIs. Field drones can be commanded either by drone squad commanders (either android soldiers or higher-intellect drones) or from a central AI commander operating more distantly. Ecumene combat doctrine utilises a concept put forward by Divinarium strategists to foster organic-AI synergy, promoting the idea of artificial intelligences as a vital asset to be used in conjunction with organic soldiers.

Intelligence
Although presenting itself as a light in the darkness, the Ecumene supports a large and complex network of spies, contacts, decoders and intelligence agents to keep fully aware of all goings on across their territory and what occurs in known space. The Ecumene's intelligence agency, the Andromedan Eye is in some respects an evolution of both the Divinarium's Surveillent Caste and the Draocnid Imperium's Royal Intelligence Agency, but also includes the intelligence agencies of other members of the Ecumene's former states. From the Divinarium's cultural obsession with security and control and the Draonid Imperium's methods of covert operation has emerged an intelligence agency with spies and covert agents in every corner of the First Gigaquadrant and possibly beyond, keepign a close eye on all suspected threats. Due to Radeon influence the agency also employs a number of psionic operatives for work in interrogation, information gathering or field work. Like other aspects of the Ecumene's society, the Intelligence committee include a mix of organic, AI and android operatives for the various tasks, utlilising the innate qualities of each for various intelligence tasks. Advanced prosthesis techniques and bio-mechanical philosophy also means that the Andromedan Eye is staffed by a number of androids who can very easily pass off as organic beings save for the most sophisticated of biological scanning technologies.

When clandestine operations would not achieve the desired results, the Andromedan Eye relies on a special tasks unit derived from Wraith Legion and Divinarium special forces. Cybernetically and/or genetically enhanced soldiers trained for covert operations such as infiltration, covert intrusion and equipped with advanced implants and holographic projectors to move about unseen and unheard, the only possible noise often being slicing of flesh or the crack of a silenced firearm.

Quotes
"The AGC turned into something? I didn't even notice, everything looks the same! Except it has humans now for some reason?"

"An interesting development. We await to see how Andromeda will fare under their leadership."

- Councillor Semirian of the

"OH MA DAYZ AGC DUMBOS IS NAO PAE DUMBOS. WES GONNA BATTA YOO ALL DA SAME"

"Your galaxy will burn. Watch your worlds be reduced to cinders. Andromeda belongs to the Dominion, and the Dominion alone."

"So much potential. So much power."

"Our finest work by far. Though we had to suffer greatly to make it come into fruition."

"A vision of a galaxy united in the most important of issues, but still with the potential to manifest the unlimited cultural and political variety of a decentralised alliance. The Milky Way Cooperative failed in its first attempt to create such a system due to the influence of leaders who would rather things not be that way. The rest of the universe has learned from its mistakes, and while Andromeda is not the first such success story of the modern Gigaquadrant, the founding of the Ecumene brings another stable light to quench the shadows that bring darkness to the universe."

"Whether an alliance like this shall last, I am uncertain. Whilst I should retain a sense of optimism, no alliance truthfully stands forever. Whether they will let Andromeda fall beneath their feet is yet to be seen." "Such a travesty of an alliance. What fruit they will bear from preserving an already-dead galaxy is not much unlike salting the earth so that nothing may ever grow. Andromeda is far from their so-called safety."

"Not the brightest solution, but by so far the best solution possible to raise from the ashes we call Andromeda and restore back to its former glory."

- Unknown

Trivia

 * The Pan-Andromedan Ecumene was first conceived in the late stages of the, originally considered as the Pan-Andromedan Domain.
 * One of the driving forces behind the PAE were the close collaborative ties between Monet47, TheImperios and Hachiman