Fiction:Stellar Union

"Peace wihout corruption"

- The Stellar Union's Motto

The Stellar Union is an interspecies federal parliamentary republic located in the Carina-Sagittarius Arm of the Milky Way Galaxy. As a small empire, the Stellar Union lacks colonies in any other major galaxy, but it does retain a large amount of power in star systems close by. Famed by its citizens as a place where dreams can come true, the Stellar Union is a good three thousand light-years away from another major civilization.

Founded roughly 3000 years ago, the Stellar Union was predisposed to conflicts throughout its history. The Stellar Union survived these various trials, proving to be one of the most adaptable and advanced states in its region of space. As the Stellar Union continued to be plagued by external conflict, it expanded and absorbed the neighboring empires and species, building up its strength and collecting more resources. Ultimately, the conflicts stopped and expansion ceased, and the Stellar Union began a millenium of peace and political stability. By 2997 UE, the Stellar Union had become entrenched in the politics of the, promoting its peaceful ideals in various ways.

History

 * For more specific dates, see the timeline.

"No individual enters history without choosing their own destiny."

- Hajehenca Cahujei

Formation Era (100 BUE-1,000 UE)
The Stellar Union can traces its origins back to 100 BUE (Before Union Era), with the meeting of the Fenggeha Interstellar Republic and the State of the Ciamith. Relationships between the two empires were tense, mostly due to the abundance of resources in coveted regions between the empires and their relative proximity to each other. This tension would then escalate into the Slow War, one of the longest wars in the Stellar Union's history, mostly because of the lack of wormhole technology.

The Slow War
The Slow War started out with a Fenggeha invasion of the Ciamith colony world of Eddon. The Fenggeha fleet, after arriving, quickly lay siege to the defenseless world. Prepared for a large battle, the Fenggeha did not expect the Ciamith colony to surrender without a fight. However, the Ciamith, prior to surrendering, transmitted a coded message warning the Ciamith government of future invasions and describing how the Fenggeha had made a declaration of war.

When word of the attack reached Jehpran, the Ejhencala was furious. He quickly called for an emergency meeting of his advisor council. He ordered that all Ciamith warships be prepared to attack the Fenggehan military base of Wucra, and that all colonies be equipped with the newest antiaircraft weaponry. Meanwhile, the Fenggehan fleet moved on to attack nearby Ciamith colony of Aviai, home to small portion of the Ciamith fleet. With the Ciamith fleet on the move, Aviai was left with weak defenses.

As both fleets moved to their destinations, both the Ejhencala and the Fenggeha President analyzed their each other's territory for future targets, with the President aiming to conquer territory and the Ejhencala looking to end the war quickly. As the days passed, the Ejhencala prepared a new, secret fleet to attack the Fenggeha capital world and bring an end to the war. With the creation of the fleet completed, the Ejhencala issued the order to send the fleet to attack Iyescene.

While the secret Ciamith warships were heading toward Iyescene, the Fenggeha fleet arrived over Aviai, and issued a threat to the local populace. When the natives opened fire upon the lead Fenggeha cruiser, the rest of the Fenggeha fleet bombarded the local city and military base of Hijea. The ensuing battle lasted for a few days, before the besieged world surrendered. After this, the Ciamith fleet arrived at Wucra, and immediately fired upon the dormant spaceships, completely destroying the Fenggeha ships. With no military left to defend the world, the Fenggeha surrendered, and delivered a message to the President about the battle.

With Aviai under their control, the Fenggeha prepared to attack Jehpran, the Ciamith capital, using the remaining fleet. Months passed as the ships moved throughout space, and eventually the Fenggeha fleet arrived in the Jehoran system. The President was just about to order the fleet to bomb the world when the Ciamith fleet, which had been waiting in the far corners of the Iyese system, began to attack Iyescene. After receiving no word of approval or denial, the Fenggeha commander ordered his fleet to attack Jehpran. The battles lasted for many days until both fleets were annihilated. With the war in a stalemate, the Ciamith called for peace, which was eagerly agreed upon with the Fenggeha. Many years later, the Ciamith, fearing for the future of life, offered to create an organized empire in order to preserve peace in the region. Negotiations between the Fenggeha and Ciamith began soon after, and with the signing of the agreement, the Stellar Union was born.

Much of the following centuries was spent slowly expanding the Stellar Union and helping to calm domestic tensions. It was during this period that the Aa'griaa joined the Union. However, in 959 UE, the Alliance of Yuapur, which was an ancient Beyur empire, attacked the Stellar Union. This long series of wars was devastating on the Stellar Union being remembered as the longest and second deadliest of them all.

The Alliance Wars
The Alliance Wars began with the passing of the Colonization Act, which offered large sums of cash to those who founded new colonies. This resulted in a massive wave of people to move towards the space coveted by the Alliance of Yuapur. Fearful of what the Stellar Union would do, the Alliance attacked the new colonies in order to keep the Union out of the Beyur's way.

The first attacks occurred not on planets, but on colony ships. The Beyur created a border patrol, which destroyed every ship that was seen approaching Alliance space. Most of the ships had little time to send a message back to the Stellar Union about the attacks, but one message managed to slip through, and the government on Iyescene was furious. The Supreme Marshal called for the immediate buildup of a massive military to attack the Alliance of Yuapur.

A few months later, the Stellar Union launched a massive assault on the Beyur world of Dushyur. The planet was poorly defended, and the Union's fleet all but obliterated the colony. When news reached the Beyur capital of Shirar, the Queen of the Beyur commanded the Beyur fleet to seek and destroy and ships or colonies of the Stellar Union. Many colonies of the Union were destroyed by the following onslaught, but the Stellar Union quickly retaliated and bombed the important Beyur shipyard of Yuyur.

The Beyur fleet quickly retreated to defend their capital of Shirar, but to no avail. By the time the Beyur fleet had arrived, the Stellar Union had forced much of the world to surrender. The Beyur fought back to protect their homeworld, but they were overwhelmed by the sheer size of the Union's army, and the Queen had no choice but to accept defeat.

The war officially ended with the signing of the Treaty of Shirar in 996 UE and the Stellar Union's annexation of the Alliance of Yuapur.

Imperialist Era (1,001 UE-2,170 UE)
The Imperialist Era is often seen as the golden age of the Union. This is because the Union had more than doubled in size with the annexation of the Dhyra, Servinii, and Leguulsha States and that various technological revolutions led to a new era of peace and prosperity. This peace lasted for almost 1,000 years before the beginning of the Zagresi Wars.

Zagresi Wars
The Zagresi Wars are a series of three conflicts involving the Stelar Union and Zagresi Empire. The first conflict involves the Stellar Union and a rogue group of Zagresi terrorists. These terrorists were opposed to the newer, more liberal policies passed by the Stellar Union, because they did not agree with the Zagresi religion.

The terrorism began in 1968 UE with bombings on various government buildings in the outer reaches of the Fenggeha State and Servinii State. Many riots erupted, and many were targeted at the Zagresi Empire and the Zagresi race. The conflict ended with the bombing of the Embassy on Iyescene, and the eventual passing of the Zagresi Exclusion Act, which prohibited any Zagresi from living in the Stellar Union.

The second conflict was the massive cold war between the Zagresi Empire and the Stellar Union. Both empires prepared massive armies and invented new technology to use in case one empire would attack the other. This cold war lasted for twenty-five years before the Zagresi Empire attacked the Union.

The third conflict was the deadliest and most costly of any war the Stellar Union had ever participated in. The war resulted in billions dead and many more left homeless. Using the massive army from the cold war, the Zagresi attacked the Stellar Union's many worlds, mercilessly killing those they believed had committed a "sin against the gods' people". The Stellar Union quickly sought revenge against the Zagresi, conquering and destroying any Zagresi colony. The war remained a stalemate until the Stellar Union prepared its most secret weapons for an attack on the Zagresi homeworld of Zagre. The weapons were massive antimatter missiles, containing enough antimatter to level a large city. The battle over Zagre was devastating for both sides, with thousands of casualties. With the Zagresi fleet having no ability to retaliate, the Stellar Union commanded the Zagresi citizens to board the remaining starships and leave the planet. Many Zagresi ignored the demand, and when the last Zagresi ship left the system, a resentful admiral bombed the world with the secret weapons, destroying everything and everyone on the planet.

With the war over, the Stellar Union exiled the admiral, and thanks to the Ciamith's Ecological Conservation Organization, began to rebuild the world back to a state of biological health.

Modern Era (2,171 UE-The Present Day)
The Modern Era began with the annexation of the Yshaena State in 2,172 UE. During this era the Stellar Union rapidly improved the standard of living and average life expectancy. Many embraced the peace and prospered under the new policies, with those who could not previously do what they wanted being able to pursue their dreams. Many saw the lowering difference between the rich and the poor as a good omen. Despite this newfound prosperity, economic recessions occurred. The Stellar Union cycled between economic health and economic stagnation, until 2,629 UE. In 2,629 UE, one of the largest stock market crashes occurred, and the entire economy was thrown into chaos. Thousands of businesses closed, and billions upon billions of people lost their jobs. This depression caused political unrest, with dozens of movements calling for a new government that would fix these problems. These protests soon escalated to the brink of civil war, with assassination attempts on the Yshaena King, Fenggeha President, various delegates, and even the Supreme Marshal.

In the wake of these assassination attempts, elections were held. The new government quickly tried to fix the economic crisis, but with not as much success as had been hoped would occur. Over the next decade, the economic crisis was corrected, and the economy became healthier. With a stronger economy, the Stellar Union shifted its focus to developing its infrastructure. New colonies were founded, space stations and starships were repaired and upgraded, and mining colonies were given newer and stronger equipment. After this, the Stellar Union became prosperous once again, and it has stayed this way for the past three and a half centuries.

Towards the end of the Stellar Union's second millenium, Supreme Marshal released a message that alerted the First Gigaquadrant of the Stellar Union's existence. Many messages were transmitted back to the Stellar Union, and trade began with many of those empires. Diplomatic relations were also established, and in turn the Stellar Union gained valuable knowledge on the workings of gigaquadrantic politics. During this time the Stellar Union received new technologies from other empires, in exchange for resources. These new technologies allowed the Stellar Union to take advantage of its natural andasium deposits. In 2997 UE, the Stellar Union learned of the, which they joined eagerly.

Government
"You cannot live with or without a government."

- Prince Thyrae Yrdirsi

The Stellar Union is a parliamentary republic whose governing body is known as the Embassy and whose seat of government is located on the capital planet of Iyescene. The Embassy is a council of representatives, known as delegates, from each member species' nation-state, which is then run by a Supreme Marshal. The Embassy has control over most legislative and executive powers in the Stellar Union.

The Supreme Marshal
In the Stellar Union, most executive power is wielded by the Supreme Marshal. These powers include the ability to formally declare war, maintaining the Embassy, vetoing decisions made by the Embassy, appoint a council of assistants, and formally issuing peace. There are five different assistant positions, the Minister of Relations, the Minister of Economics, the Minister of the Military, the Minister of Infrastructure, and the Minister of Domestic Affairs. The Supreme Marshal is elected by the delegates, usually out of a pool of former delegates, state leaders, and ministers, every five years, for a maximum of two terms, and can be voted out of office by the Embassy in the same manner. This happens just after the elections for the delegates. In the event that the Supreme Marshal dies in office or resigns, a temporary, one term leader, called an Executive, is appointed to replace the vacant position of Supreme Marshal until a formal election can be held. The Executive has all the powers that the Supreme Marshal has, excluding the ability to appoint assistants.

Current Supreme Marshal -  (In office 2995 UE - ???? UE) Approval Rating: 73%

The Embassy
While the Supreme Marshal has executive power in the Stellar Union, the Embassy has legislative power. The Embassy, being a council of elected delegates, holds elections every five years. These elections allow for the common population to vote for the two representatives that their nation-state is permitted to have, resulting in the Embassy's sixteen members. Every citizen of the Stellar Union is given the right to vote, regardless of their species, as well as the right to run for government positions, even though their species might not control a state. These delegates are allowed a maximum of three terms consecutively, but can be forbidden from running by their associated nation-state. Delegates have the power to make laws and decisions for the good of the Stellar Union, regulate trade amongst its member nation-states and between itself and other empires, issue taxes, propose a declaration of war to the Supreme Marshal, propose a peace treaty to the Supreme Marshal, and impeach the Supreme Marshal.

The Judicial System
While not a true part of the Stellar Union's government, the judicial system plays a crucial role in maintaining the Stellar Union. Headed by the High Council, the judicial system of the Stellar Union regulates disputes between member nation-states, clarifies the law in trials, and can repeal laws that are deemed "unconstitutional". However, most trials are headed by minor State Courts and the bigger, more important cases are headed by the High Council. The High Council is run by a group of seven judges, and the judges are appointed by the Embassy to serve twenty year long terms.

States
To make the running of the government easier, the Stellar Union is divided into eight minor regions known as States. These states retain a large amount of autonomy and are allowed to make state laws, elect or appoint a state leader, called an Administer, and determine the extent of their support in a war. The eight States are the Aa'griaa State, the Beyura State, the Ciamith State, the Dhyra State, the Fenggeha State, the Leguulsha State, the Servinii State, and the Yshaena State. The adult population of these states are allowed to vote for the delegates regardless of species, religion, or sex. The people who are one of the main eight species are allowed to vote for their species' representatives, but species that are not the main eight can vote for delegates that represent the majority on the planet where they live (Someone who is not a species of the main eight voting for Ciamith delegates on Jehpran, a world with a Ciamith majority).

Culture
"Culture is what distinguishes life from AI."

- Hajanan Jequill

Religion
In the Stellar Union, religion is a fundamental part of society. Most citizens follow at least one religion, with many choosing to follow the tenets of multiple religions. These religions are usually unique to a species, but the most popular religion is the belief in the Aa'griaa pantheon, but many more choose to live by the Dhyra Tenets of Prosperity. Some less common religions include isolated monotheistic and atheistic beliefs.

Fashion & Cuisine
Even though the Stellar Union has a wide variety of cultural diversity, the popular culture remains almost identical throughout it. Fashion trends, popular foods, and art styles all help keep the unique cultures united. The current fashion of the Stellar Union includes classic, elegant, and natural styles in the upper class, and more synthetic, utilitarian designs for the middle and lower classes. These differences in style are also evident in the kinds of food that are eaten. Many upper class individuals enjoy rich, flavorful delicacies such as grilled shellfishes and wines. The lower class usually eats simple, fried foods. The middle class usually eats a combination of both types of cuisine.

Language
Because of the Stellar Union's diversity, many languages are spoken. This resulted in the utilization of Changia'a, a Fenggeha/Aa'griaa pidgin language, as a lingua franca. Throughout the Stellar Union, the majority of signs, music, and literature is written in Changia'a, but most citizens of the Stellar Union are bilingual, speaking both Changia'a and their native tongue. Changia'a is also the common language of the media and news, with the national news agency broadcasting in Changia'a. However, some state run news services are broadcast in more local languages.

Music
With so many cultures thriving in the Stellar Union, many types of music exist. This makes music very popular amongst the Stellar Union's citizens. Some types of music include the traditional Aa'griaa string orchestras and Ciamith choirs. Others are electronic synth and lyrical songs with an instrumental base. Music in the Stellar Union is broadcast through the media, whether it be through radio, hologram, or television.

Crime
The Stellar Union, like any other empire, has some amount of criminal activity. This criminal activity, however, has decreased in recent years due to the hiring of more police officers and the legalization of minor narcotics. Nevertheless, other crimes like animal trafficking and smuggling exist. There is also a moderately sized mafia in the Stellar Union's outer colonies.

Species
The Stellar Union is home to many species, but the eight most common are the Aa'griaa, the, the Ciamith, the Dhyra, the Fenggeha, the , the , and the Yshaena. These species each control a state and can elect delegates to the Embassy. Out of these eight, the most common species is the Fenggeha, with the Ciamith and the Aa'griaa being second and third most common.

Technology
"I don't believe in common sense, but I do believe in knowledge."

The Stellar Union is a technologically advanced empire, when compared with other empires of a similar age and relative isolation. The Union is well known for its immense biotech industry and bio weaponry. Much of this innovation comes from the scholars in Iyescene's School of the Sciences. Architectural designs and new machines are also created in the School.

Nowadays, most technological advancements involve creating newer and more convenient ways to travel as well as creating sturdier and larger space stations to house the ever growing population. Some current technology includes wormhole drives, which allow for semi-instant travel between star systems, and Gigacylinders, which are large Orion cylinders that serve a variety of purposes for citizens of the Stellar Union.

Biotechnology is another large field of technological advancements. With the Ciamith and the Dhyra being adamant about using biological technology instead of mechanical technology, the Stellar Union gives large amounts of money to the Ciamith's research facilities to develop new biological technology to help the Stellar Union, whether it be new weapons, new food sources, or a new terraforming agent.

Military
"War is the only thing that even compares to politics in its disgrace."

- Lorr Traa'a

The Stellar Union has a moderately sized military composed mostly of volunteers, robots, and drafted individuals in times of need. The military's main function is to defend the Stellar Union from external threats and to quell riots.

Infantry
The Stellar Union's infantry is composed of a variety of individuals, but the three separate Leagues of the military are armed with different weaponry. The three Leagues are the High League, which is the league that the generals and commanders are in, the Middle League, which is where all the common soldiers and starship crew members are, and the Low League, which is the league with all the robotic drones and biomechanical soldiers are in. Each of these leagues are filled with a variety of species, but the majority of peacetime members of the military are Servinii, mostly due to the warlike culture of the Servinii. The military of the Stellar Union is armed with various weapons, including plasma cannons, laser rifles, plasma shields, grenades, and even nuclear and antimatter bombs.

Spacecraft
The Stellar Union's military also has a large navy, with a large collection of ships that are each designed by the eight states as militia vehicles, and one other design meant to be the official ship of the Stellar Union's Navy. The Navy's vehicles are each a part of four different classes. These classes are the Cruiser Class, which is made of mega sized starships designed to move ships, resources, and infantry to other planets. Another class is the Fighter Class, which is the class full of speedy, close-range ships that are designed to disable enemy Frigate's weapons. There is the Drone Class, which is made of unmanned robot fighters that are built to fend off enemy Fighters. Lastly, there is the Explorer Class, which are heavily supplied and heavily defended ships meant to house a minimal crew, and help the Stellar Union discover new worlds to colonize.

Territory
"Territory is the essence of an empire."

- Uuleha Acyan

The Stellar Union has a decent amount of territory, but its size pales in comparison with other empires. The Stellar Union is quite expansive, and is always willing to admit new colony worlds and other species as new states. However, there is a long application process, and the process is often slow due to the high percentage of votes in the Embassy required for admittance.

Other Astronomical Formations
The Stellar Union's territory also includes other astronomical phenomena, such as nebulae, neutron stars, and black holes. Each of these natural formations are used for specific reasons by the Stellar Union, whether it be to open a close range wormhole or to mine for materials essential in the Stellar Union's economy and infrastructure.



Allies
"The bonds between our empires shall remain forever."

Good Terms
"Your kindess is much appreciated. We hope to return the favor."
 *  "It seems that our goals are aligned."
 *  "We wish them the best of luck in their conflict."
 *  "They are, indeed, honorable. By working together, perhaps we can achieve something magnificent."

Neutral
"Nice to see you again. Are you interested in trade?"
 *  "A great trade partner."

Bad Terms
"We don't need you here. Please help us keep the peace by staying away from us."

Enemies
"You will be destroyed for your wrongdoings."

Quotes
Feel free to add your own!

"I find it humbling that I live in a safe, secure, and free nation where I have the right to change the universe for the better."

Trivia

 * The Stellar Union is the first empire created by TheDinoHunter
 * The Stellar Union was the featured fiction of February 2016