Fiction:Phero Ecumene

"Ah, yes, the great Phero Ecumene. Where shall I begin? If you're out in its outer rim without a decent weapon on you, chances are you'll be picked up and sold to the Underground, if not worse. If you're in the middle rim, the feudal Magistrates can do just about anything they like with you; the Prime doesn't care. And as for the central rim and Capital Enclave, your every move is being monitored, processed, and used to assess how much of a threat you might pose. Do anything that makes them consider you dangerous, and you're gone, just like that. To be completely honest, if you don't see or hear about someone being hauled off in a black box in the Ecumene, it hasn't been much of a day."

- Unknown

The Phero Ecumene (Pheroene: [ʒæamʋaɸɛɾo]), briefly known as the Grand Pheroene Consortium of Enclaves, is a large pseudofeudal civilization located in the, comprised of thirty-five enclaves governed by magistrates, with a tricameral Parliament (Pheroene: Shoaphere [ɕoɑɸiɾ]) and Prime Magistrate (Pheroene: Kathaim-Zhov [kat͡θaɪm-ʒov]) to function as a lord over the vassal magistrates. As a stratocracy, all government officials are commissioned officers and have the authority to command soldiers in battle if necessary, though actual military operations are generally handled by the magistrates, who each control their own divisions of the largely decentralized Contention Forces. The population is regularly monitored by the advanced state surveillance systems, which are less entrenched in outer systems, a fact which has allowed the so-called Phero Underground to thrive in these systems.

The Ecumene was initially created by the Tvolin Conglomerate remnants and a collection of civilizations—the Twin Stars Coalition, the Empire, the Nech Moonweb, and the  Hegemony—which were all immediately threatened by the  and more belligerent powers of the Pal-Xalakk sector, many of which would later be absorbed into the Ecumene. The planet serves as the Ecumene's capital.

Unbeknownst to most, the Prime Magistrate and directors of certain ministries answer to the Quintet, a shadow government of five that survived their civilization's collapse and now seek to use the Ecumene as a means to regain control of Tuuros and complete their various other objectives. The one benefit to this covert union is the Ecumene's access to what remains of Psal'Jinnai weaponry and technology, both of which have given the Ecumene an edge in defending itself and conquering weaker species.

Formation and Early History
The concept of the Phero Ecumene as both a united coalition of many species and the covert successor to the Symmetry was first envisioned by Vi'taupheon, the strategist and technical leader of the Quintet. Upon realizing the Symmetry itself could no longer be saved, Vi and his fellow Pentarchs escaped the fall of their civilization by temporarily exiting the universe in their Thought-Ship, and settling in the orbit of one of their fortress worlds upon return. While the others awaited their reawakening in stasis, Vi sat in perpetual meditation and watchfulness over the evolving, mentally constructing what would in 1742 become the Phero Ecumene.

First Convergence War
In 1736 CE, the began relentlessly assaulting multiple civilizations native to the Pal-Xalakk, Khauiz-Tok, and Ton-Yato sectors of Tuuros, searching for the  that possessed the AI Kzejjyt, the only known Tvolin AI capable of fully comprehending and using  and thus a valuable asset to the Convergence. Their first strike in Pal-Xalakk fell on the -held system of Voltrove, forcing the Oslun Empire and Hegemony to both mobilize rapidly in retaliation against this new threat, with the militaries of both often resorting to torture to extract information on the Convergence out of the scattered Tvolii. While the knowledge gathered through this slowed the advance of the biosynths, both empires continued losing worlds at an unacceptable rate, forcing them to pressure the nearby Twin Stars Coalition into aiding them. However, the Coalition's capital world of was attacked in a surprise mass-assault by the Convergence, forcing it to pour all its forces into removing the biosynthetic corruption from the system. The Moonweb, however, entered the war quite unexpectedly on the side of the Oslun and V'kirrn, forcing the Convergence to spread out its forces as it searched for Kzejjyt.

Unbeknownst to the Convergence and most of the factions now embroiled in the war, Kzejjyt was possessed by the former Tvolin admiral Xiaulzhos, who was guided by the almost undetectable meddling of Vi'taupheon to the unclaimed and uninhabited planet in 1737, a former fortress world of the Psal'Jinnai (a fact much of the galaxy remained unaware of). The entry of Xiaul's ship into the Xao system alerted the Thought-Ship sitting at the core of planet's largest moon, and thus awakened four of its five occupants, the last of their species and the group that would come to be called the Quintet. Azh'auvix began whispering to Xiaul through the Zemblite on board his ship, instructing him to land on Phero, where Azh had awoken a Nycotium (a device used to communicate with and uplift lesser species) through which he could guide and speak to the Tvolis.

Many parsecs from Phero, the loose Nech-Oslun-V'kirrn entente began construction of the Pal-Xalakk Wall, a semilinear array of planetary and deep-space installations that would use artificial gravitational fields to pull down anything attempting to cross into the sector along the Oma-Khauat border. However, the project was abandoned as the three empires were forced to divert the majority of their assets toward defending their home territories. At this point, Nech research teams on the fortress world Axolvol appeared to have broken the Psal'Jinnai seal on it, allowing it to be controlled by the Moonweb's military. In reality, the Quintet had remotely unlocked it for use by the Nech, whose Moon Council had been offered the strength of the Psal'Jinnai Symmetry in exchange for total subservience and secrecy. Their entry into the war had been a test of their civilization's innate strength, and despite the dramatic losses the Quintet deemed them and their allies worthy.

Xiaul, meanwhile, was informed of his role in the grander scheme of the Quintet: he would be the head of a new order designed to ensure the loyalty of numerous races, primarily those embroiled in the war with the Convergence, while granting the Quintet total but covert control, exercised primarily through the central leader Xiaul would become. Easily swayed by promise of authority and power for him to exercise within the boundaries of their design, Xiaul was granted access to Phero's ship-forges, with which he produced an incredibly powerful fleet, which would then be staffed by the various Atriants, Lieschi, and Tvolii that had also been called to Phero by Vi'taupehon. When the fleet finally left the Xao system in 1740 CE, also taking two mobile war-moons with it, Kzejjyt was placed in stasis deep within Phero, far beyond the Convergence's reach.

The arrival of Xiaul's fleet at the Siege of Coelyss, the nearest fragment of the war to Phero itself, turned the tide in mere hours, breaking the Convergence forces surrounding the unaffiliated world. Though grateful for his intervention, the governing Tribunal was reluctant to sign a pact of temporary submission which granted Xiaul total control over their military assets and system-wide resources, though Coelyss itself was deemed off-limits for mining. Taking what he could, Xiaul moved on, carving a path of devastation through the Convergence line until he reached Vortrove, where even after four years the Oslun had held out against the relentless onslaught. Coincidentally, the Strategic Mind in charge of attacking and searching Pal-Xalakk chose this as the perfect moment to strike down Xiaul, who had become the greatest threat to the Convergence's objective. The Liberation of Voltrove would go on for nearly a year, with Xiaul's armada facing an overpowering threat that likely would have ended his campaign, were it not for the intervention of the Nech. Brininging their own fleet outfitted with deadly Psal'Jinnai weaponry, they tipped the scales enough for the Pal-Xalakk natives to destroy the majority of Convergence forces in their sector, including the Strategic Mind before it could flee back to Xalakk-Xittan. Subsequent skirmishes over the next year would finish off the remainder of the invaders.

Tyle'an Invasion
As one of the dominant powers in Pal-Xalakk at the time, the Tyle'an Dictation had been able to easily fend off the Convergence assault relative to the rest of the sector. Seeing many of their neighbors weakened by the war, they quickly sent a massive invasion force to establish their sovereignty over the rest of Pal-Xalakk's species. Succeeding in their conquest of much of the broken V'kirrn Hegemony, the Tyle'ans pushed into the Oslun Empire, Nech Moonweb, and Twin Stars Coalition with great confidence. However, the still-mobilized armada of Xiaul and the Nech, both of which the Tyle'ans were largely unaware of, routed the new invaders in six months. And with the recalcitrant V'kirrn Hegemony and numerous provinces within the Dictation rebelling in this moment of federal weakness, the Tyle'ans were effectively held hostage by the technologically superior flotilla which had proceeded to blockade their capital.

Dawn of the Ecumene
At this point, Xiaul and the Nech Moon Council presented their outline for the establishment of the Phero Ecumene, a massive interstellar government which outwardly appealed to the desires of all involved parties as best it could. Seeing that their disorganized and divided state had lead to their near-fall to two threats over the past decade, the Dictation, Enpire, Moonweb, Coalition, and Hegemony gave their sovereignty over to the new system. Xiaul, as luck would have it, was elected to be the first Prime Magistrate. At the protest of the Tribunal of Coelyss, he created the Ministry of Autonomous Worlds, allowing the planet more autonomy alongside the security granted by the Ecumene. Phero, naturally, was designated as the capital of the new state, and a Capital Spire constructed to house the offices of the Prime Magistrate and the then-bicameral Parliament of Phero.

The young Ecumene was rapidly confronted with numerous challenges to its stability, both internal and external. The Caldatine Coven, a sprawling pirate faction plaguing the Pal-Xalakk sector, became a constant threat to the Ecumene's outer systems shortly after its formation, and served as the first true test of its decentralized Contention Forces. Fleets from nineteen of the thirty-seven enclaves began raising Caldatine strongholds and hideouts across the sector, with the exact location of their headquarters eventually being uncovered by the C'cysa Enclave's unique Cyberwarfare Legion. Using this information, the Ecumene forced the Coven to accept a non-aggression agreement after three years of conflict.

In addition to piracy, the Ecumene faced a crisis regarding the illegalization of slave labor that had been implemented by Xiaul during the Ecumene's formation. Numerous Oslun and V'kirrn continued to indulge in illicit sapient-trafficking networks, many of which were formerly legal markets that went underground when the Ecumene was formed, and allowed to continue by the lax attempts of many magistrates to tackle the problem. Xiaul eventually pressured Parliament into passing the Talorossa Protocol, the first federal law to apply directly to magistrates by requiring them to comply with a minimum level of enforcement of antislavery laws.

Internal Strife and Expansion
In 1849 CE, the Ecumene's territory expanded to meet that of the Berraka Empire, which within a decade was peacefully assimilated into the Ecumene. This increased its size by 30% and marked the first total absorption of a foreign power into the Ecumene.

Settan Genocide
In 1870 CE, the Ecumene followed a very different path with the Settan Federation, which proved much more territorial and belligerent than the Berraka and was militarily subjugated in 1876. By 1879, the Federation had been completely dissolved and its territories absorbed into the Phero Ecumene as a military-administrated region. The subsequent Settan Genocide saw occupying forces under Capital Archpraetor Xectamora divide the diverse Settan subraces and eradicate those seen as unsuitable for assimilation into the Ecumene, with their "suitable" brethren often being enlisted to pull the trigger. Though most in the Ecumene were not explicitly informed of the genocide, knowledge of it quickly spread. However, few actively stood against Xect's "campaign."

In 1883, a group of Settan rebel attempted to strike back against their oppressors, waging a short-lived guerilla conflict that culminated in the arrival of Mentem Discordiæ I, and with it the Eye of Vastu-Ux. While the rebels celebrated the overthrow of occupiers on the planet Oxol, the Eye was used on its star, igniting a supernova that wiped out all life in the system, breaking any hope of standing against the Ecumene.

By 1890, the genocide was deemed complete, though the process of reprogramming Settan society continued. The event has long been cited as a testament to the unyielding brutality of the Ecumene in its treatment of non-compliant worlds, as well as its ruthless efficiency in assimilating new species. And while initially seen by the Ecumene's citizens with apathy, several magistrates saw the use of the Eye as a sign of the central government's overextension; such a devastating weapon, to them, showed the need to increase the power of the feudal magistrates over the actions of the Prime Magistrate and Parliament.

First Ecumene Civil War
The closing days of 1941 CE saw the completion and proposal of the Otathes Directive, a package of laws and amendments to the Ecumene's governmental structure that would grant the enclaves near-autonomy with little to no power being retained by the Prime Magistrate or Parliament. Both the Magnus and Modus Synods passed the Directive, and in response Prime Magistrate Kateur Tov Bavorusk appointed himself Master of Legions, declaring martial law in the entirety of the Ecumene. The forty-nine enclaves which had backed the Directive, however, retained authority over their militaries and ignored all federal orders to cede control to Bavorusk. Following a suicide bombing of the Capital Spire on Phero, supposedly perpetrated by one of the rebellious enclaves, Bavorusk began a blockade of all forty-nine, which were now deemed insurgents and their governments no longer considered part of the Ecumene.

Now little more than outcasts, the forty-nine insurgent enclaves began operating under an alternate version of the Ecumene government in which the Otathes Directive was in effect. The majority of their minsters in the Parliament of Phero defected to the Grand Parliament of Enclaves, and Xabakan Tyxurl was elected as their relatively powerless Prime Magistrate. This new system was deemed the Grand Pheroene Consortium of Enclaves.

The first true battle of this civil war was fought in 1942 CE in the orbit of the gas dwarf Juilium, in which Consortium forces from several of its enclaves began relentlessly assaulting Ecumene installations of both military and industrial nature. While the more cohesive Ecumene defense was initially successful, the sheer numbers the Consortium wielded, in part thanks to its inclusion of the populous and militaristic Tzaiel Enclave, toppled the defense after days of struggle, paving the way for further attacks on Ecumene strongholds. Because the Consortium was even less centralized in its functions than the Ecumene, its attacks were much harder to predict and trace, and the Ecumene was quickly exhausted attempting to combat the beast the Consortium had become. Noticing this, the enclaves of the Consortium began the next phase of their conquest.

Meanwhile, the Quintet looked on with great interest. This was the first true test of their Ecumene's ability to survive. If it could not put down internal rebellion, then it was flawed and worthless to them. Bavorusk knew he and the Ecumene were being tested, and in parallel with it he became exhausted by the constant conflict.

In 1945 CE, after years of crippling the Ecumene's military assets and strongholds, the Consortium's legions began invading and occupying loyalist enclaves, forcing their magistrates one-by-one to adopt the Otathes Directive. The Mentem Discordiæ I was fielded against the Consortium the same year, and was crippled beyond repair, though the Eye of Vastu-Ux was returned to Phero intact. By 1947, the Capital Enclave itself was almost completely occupied, with Phero itself being the stage of the war's last major battle. What forces remained loyal to Bavorusk fought to the last ship to keep the Consortium off of Phero, but did so in vain, with Bavorusk and what remained of the Parliament of Phero fleeing aboard the recently completed Mentem Discordiæ II, an act accepted by the Consortium as surrender.

Consortium Age and Second Civil War
The rule of the Consortium lasted for nearly a century, and it is widely regarded as the dark age of the Ecumene, or more specifically, its population and territories. Many enclaves that had been loyal to the original government hired mercenaries and coaxed pirates into attacking the original Consortium enclaves, which retained a number of military and representative privileges in the war's aftermath and responded in kind. Some magistrates that had formerly been on the same side turned on each other, both politically and militarily, with a web of arms races developing between them. The safety and security the Ecumene had prided itself on was lost to the disorder and sometimes extreme danger of living under the Consortium, fueling public distaste.

Despite this, the Consortium was able to expand its territory significantly, and in 1996 CE created the Amaxi Enclave to govern a large swath of newly colonized systems. However, this enclave quickly became a haven for anti-Consortium activity due to its developing infrastructure, and Bavorusk returned to Consortium space in 2004 to begin gathering supporters under the nose of its magistrate. This attracted the interest of the Quintet, who had yet to reveal themselves to the new Prime Magistrate and planned to abstain from doing so while Bavorusk remained alive.

The Second Ecumene Civil War began in 2041 CE with an event known as the Vogue Resurgence, in which armed citizens and disgruntled soldiers of thirty-six enclaves, Amaxi included, stormed their capitals and took control of their governments by force. Bavorusk chose this moment to reveal himself and his involvement in triggering the mass public coup, declaring the rebirth of the Ecumene in the process. The unstable Consortium-loyal enclaves became easy targets for Bavorusk's "Resurgents", who now had both the cohesion and numbers to tackle the Insurgent forces. Enclaves fell and defected over the course of the next six years, until the Resurgent Fleet made it to Phero in a striking parallel of the battle that ended the First Civil War. As Ecumene forces descended on the planet, Prime Magistrate Tyxurl ordered an official surrender and committed suicide, ending the war.

Age of Recovery
The recovery and reconstruction efforts following the fall of the Consortium lasted from 2059 to 2104 CE, elongated by the sheer level of damage and resource depletion caused by the two wars and interstellar chaos between them. In addition, much of Contention Forces were spent hunting down several rogue magistrates. These magistrates had benefited under the Consortium government and fled during the war, taking their supporters with them and returning in the Age of Recovery to cause disorder in the rebuilding Ecumene.

Numerous political reforms were implemented as a part of the recovery, intended to prevent the rise of another Consortium-like entity in the future. The Ministry of Contention was created to oversee, but not command, the Contention Forces of individual enclaves, ensuring they would not act against each other or the central government. The Ministry of Information was granted the authority to implement mass surveillance systems to monitor all activity within the Ecumene. In addition, in order to streamline the functions of the ministries, the enclaves were remapped and reduced from seventy-four to twenty-eight. Even the Parliament of Phero itself was modified, with a Vogus Synod being added to reflect the desires of the Ecumene's entire population. In secret, the Quintet made plans to restructure Ecumene society into a racial hegemony, successfully doing so over the course of the next several centuries.

In 2227, the Ilquaorlan Star Republic was encountered, and peacefully absorbed a decade later.

Expansion to Pal-Tala
2257 CE saw the Ecumene's first forays into Tuuros' Pal-Tala sector, beginning with the colonization of the Kione system. The entrance into Pal-Tala resulted in something of an economic boom, as its proximity to Imi-Xal (and thus the original territory of the Psal'Jinnai) meant Zemblite caches were both larger and less spread out compared to those in Pal-Xalakk.

In 2446, the Ecumene encountered its first sapient pre-spacefaring species, the. Dwarfed by the size and advancement of the Ecumene military, the divided nations existing on Banibazka unanimously submitted to and were uplifted by the Ecumene. At around the same time, the Ecumene made contact with the Esu Imperial Republic, the xenophobic empire of the Esu'imxa, which resisted assimilation until 2616 CE, by which it was almost completely encircled by Ecumene-controlled systems.

Modern Era
2609 CE is generally accepted as the beginning of the modern era for the Ecumene, with the first reports of massive organized crime rings in the Ecumene's outer rim coinciding with the first sightings of Convergence ships in Pal-Xalakk since the Ecumene's establishment. In addition, this era saw the dawn of formal relations with the of Ton-Yato, in part due to the wave of refugees from the Okra-conquered territories K'hanvai Unitary Systems and Centauran Heskron Distinction.

Rise of the Underground
The sector of Ecumene society that would become known as the Underground was first recognized and nicknamed in 2609, as Civil Security operatives began uncovering extensive webs of illicit goods traffickers and organized criminals throughout the outer and mid rims of the Ecumene, with a high concentration existing in the former. In the years since, numerous attempts by Civil Security Legions have been made to combat and eradicate the Underground, with limited success given its entrenchment and decentralization.

In the later 2700s, Prime Magistrate attempted to cripple the Underground by covertly recruiting long-term sleeper agents who would be activated at varying times over the next several decades, with some still waiting for their time. These agents would burrow into the Underground and gain enough influence to cause serious damage to the structure of the underground, often by building their own organized crime rings. However, this plan has had little success, and several agents have been absorbed entirely into the Underground, much to Umbyrvraxa's frustration.

New Conflicts with the Convergence
In 2700 CE, Magistrate Shunor Vo-Kavan of the Temulos Enclave began sending small naval battlegroups to the Xalakk-Xittan sector in response to the increase in Convergence activity. The few that returned revealed a massive buildup of the Convergence's destructive power. In response, Vo-Kavan and nearly sixty other magistrates began preemptive strikes on Convergence-controlled worlds, triggering the modern. The war has turned the massive space between the Ecumene and Convergence into a warzone, as ships shoot each other down mid-jump in the Pal-Tala and Oma-Khauat sectors. However, the Ecumene appears to be making progress in pushing back the Convergence.

Social and Cultural Change
The modern Ecumene has notably seen an extreme rise in anti-machinism—that is, the belief in the inferiority of machine life relative to organic life, no matter how intelligent or advanced a mechanical lifeform may be. The spreading of this view is in part attributed to the Convergence War and the incredibly amoral actions of the Convergence due to its purely logical and algorithmic nature. Many rising politicians, including Umbyrvraxa herself, have played off this stigma against machine life in order to win the support of the general population.

Also of note is the rise of the Coelyss Counterculture, a cultural phenomenon promoting freedom of body, pacifism, and conservation of planets that have naturally developed life. While many magistrates see those who follow this phenomenon as little more than troublemakers, Umbyrvraxa has often defended the movement despite their criticisms of her semi-authoritarian style of rule.

Preparing for War
The 2800s CE have brought increased tensions between numerous factions within the Tuuros Galaxy, with the Ecumene being no exception. Umbyrvraxa has taken note of the loose blocs forming across the galaxy and has begun preparing for the likely explosion of tensions into open war. These have involved keeping both a standby Master of Legions and named successor in the event of her incapacitation, which she fears is a significant possibility in the current galactic climate.

In 2825, Umbyrvraxa resurrected the concept of the Vend Legion, an elite power projection force from the pre-Ecumene Oslun Empire, and placed it under the command of Beurahl Goh Djazor, High Consul of Talorossa and Director of Contention, in preparation for conflict.

Technology
Ecumene technology is something of an amalgam of its resident species' technological feats, albeit with slight general advancements that have take place since the Ecumene's formation. Most Ecumene technology takes on a dark grey, dark teal, or dark red coloration, often accompanied by blue or red lights.

Computing and Artificial Intelligence
Ecumene computation systems generally rely on quantum computing, and many also rely on some form of neural network-based AI. Most Ecumene-born AIs follow the unique and versatile Tvolin model, which uses a triad of artificial neural webs hybridized with more traditional systems to create triple-personality AIs with the mathematical capacity of an ordinary computer and interactive capabilities of a sapient lifeform. "Larger" variants of such AIs are also capable of upgrading themselves with new artificial neurons and "birthing" entirely new AIs, often less complex ones that have only one personality web.

A number of Ecumene-affiliated AIs are also captured and repurposed Convergent Minds, mostly Strategic Minds that are now used in military operations. These AIs deviate little from the Tvolin model, for obvious reasons, and have become extremely useful in pushing back the forces of the Convergence.

Surveillance
Ecumene surveillance systems rely primarily on small robots known colloquially as "mites" (Pherone: T'aomdzæ [ǀaʊmd͡zæ]), each measuring less than a millimeter across. They are capable of viewing all wavelengths of light, detecting extremely faint vibrations in a variety of mediums, monitoring acidity, analyzing matter within 10 meters of each individual mite, finding concealed objects via sonar, and detonating to release a shocking electric pulse and flash of disorienting light. They can also act as conduits for local surveillance Overseers to hack into "secure" devices.

Overseers are incredibly AIs, with one in each system, that control all surveillance mites and monitor digital exchange of information. They are mostly identical, though each has a distinct name and non-disruptive personality, and several have modifications either for experimentation or increased versatility for dealing with highly localized problems. The Overseer designated "Ajkaema," is a notable example, possessing a less cooperative demeanor when dealing with local officials in the Ait'venda Enclave, who are often corrupted by Underground bribes and have in the past attempted to hinder surveillance operations.

Planetary Colonization
Colonization of a new world begins with the construction of a space elevator from orbit to the upper lithosphere of the planet or moon, settling in a body of water if possible due to the prominence of aquatic species in the Ecumene. Worlds with no initial atmosphere are shielded from radiation that could blow it away before having nitrogen, oxygen, water vapor, helium, methane, ozone, and other gases pumped out into an artificial atmosphere around them. After the space elevator is built, pre-fabricated parts for surface structures are ferried down and put together by mechanical workers, and are followed by approximately a hundred colonists, mostly researchers, military personnel, and volunteers who wish to help populate the new colony. Foundries and refineries are quickly built to process materials found in the surrounding system into new structures, vehicles, and other necessities for expanding the colony. Plants native to other Ecumene worlds are often brought in to help sustain a habitable atmosphere and/or hydrosphere.

Additional space elevators are eventually installed at equidistant points across the planet's surface, and cities that spring up around them quickly expand both horizontally and vertically.

Gas Worlds
Because the Tvolii are natives of a gas dwarf, the Ecumene often colonizes gaseous worlds in addition to rocky ones. The process is relatively unchanged, though the initial space elevator only extends down to the habitable layer of the gas world's atmosphere, and structures built around it use a combination of negative matter and rotors to stay aloft.

Government and Politics
The Ecumene government is best defined as a "pseudofeudal democratic stratocracy," featuring a tricameral Parliament which elects a Prime Magistrate to serve as a feudal lord over enclaval magistrates. As a stratocracy, all government employees have military ranks and some training.

Central Government
The Parliament of Phero is made up of three houses: the Magnus Synod, made up of ministers chosen by each magistrate, the Modus Synod, made up of ministers chosen by popular vote in individual enclaves, and the Vogus Synod, made up of ministers elected by each enclave based on population. Each synod contains 246 ministers, three from each enclave in the first two and one to three per enclave depending on population in the third. A proposed law must pass by 3/5 majority in at least two synods and be approved by the Prime Magistrate and a majority of ministry directors to be put into effect.

The Prime Magistrate is believed by most to be elected by a combined majority vote of all three houses, though the Quintet truly makes the decision. He or she oversees and selects the directors of individual ministries from Parliament, and acts as the supreme judicial authority in the Ecumene, often resolving disputes between magistrates.

Central Leadership
 Prime Magistrate Umbyrvraxa=




 * Name - Umbyrvraxa
 * Role - Prime Magistrate
 * In Office - 2760 CE - present

Umbyrvraxa is a female-identified Tvolis and the current Prime Magistrate of the, formerly the Director of Occult Research and Security and later Magistrate of C'cysa before being elected to her current position by the Parliament of Phero, succeeding Daj Kesini, who was assassinated only six years into his reign. Originally intended to be an interim Prime, she was so liked by both the public and Parliament that she was officially elected in 2784, when Kesini's term would've ended. As a former Iconoclast for the Ministry of Occult Research and Security, she has seen firsthand the horrors that have come forth from Tuuros' Schism, and her resultant Frontierist views are shared by much of the population. She is also notably in favor of letting the Coelyss counterculture "bring life to her Ecumene," as she puts it, despite the repeated criticisms many of its members have of her and her government.

With tensions brewing between the galaxy's more prominent powers, Umbyrvraxa has begun approving increased centralization of the military in preparation for the outbreak of a massive conflict, to the silent protest of both her peers and underlings.

Policies:

Vigorous Anti-Machinist · Moderately Pro-Essence Regulation · Slight Militarist · Vigorously Anti-Schism · Pro-Surveillace · Pro-Counterculture



Senior Minister Scellion Akanomi-Te=




 * Name - Scellion Akanomi-Te
 * Role - Parliamentary Minister, First C'cysa Seat
 * In Office - 2794 CE - present

Scellion Akanomi-Te is a male who serves as the Senior Minister in Parliament's Modus Synod, representing the C'cysa Enclave. He is strongly against machine races reaching any sort of equality with organic races, advanced AIs included. He is also in favor of increased centralization and use of the military, particularly against the Tvolai Convergence and any potential mechanical threats to the Ecumene's survival and stability. In recent years, he has proposed numerous times that territorial expansion be prioritized so that the Ecumene may control the living and nonliving resources it needs to compete with other large Tuurosian powers.

Policies:

Vigorous Anti-Machinist · Strong Military Centralist · Strong Militarist · Anti-Schism · Pro-Surveillace · Strong Pro-Organic · Expansionist



Director Beurahl Goh Djazor=




 * Name - Beurahl Goh Djazor
 * Role - Director of Contention, High Consul of, Parliamentary Minister, First Talorossa Seat
 * In Office - 2788 CE - present

Beurahl Goh Djazor is a male serving as the current Director of Contention, tasked with oversight of the entire Ecumene military. In addition, Umbyrvraxa has granted him the position of standby Master of Legions, and if she deems it necessary he will be granted full command of all the Ecumene's military assets. He is a seasoned veteran of the Second Convergence War, and has seen firsthand some of the bloodiest battles in Ecumene military history. Much like various other veterans and commander, he harbors strong anti-machinist views, and loathes the concept of machines having equality to or superiority over organic life. Interestingly, he is one of the few non-magistrates to hold a pre-Ecumene title, having inherited the position of High Consul of Talorossa and thus the recently recreated Vend Legion.

Policies:

Strong Anti-Machinist · Strong Militarist · Vigorously Anti-Schism · Slightly Anti-Surveillace · Expansionist



Director Slurone Om=


 * Name - Slurone Om
 * Role - Director of Information
 * In Office - 2802 CE - present

Slurone Om is a and current Director of Information, tasked with overseeing one of the largest and most influential ministries in the Ecumene. Often bearing the brunt of counterculture-fueled criticism of the government, he has no love for the movement and is only held back from using his power against them by Umbyrvraxa, who is more sympathetic towards them. Within Umbyr's desires, he sets the general standard for all publicly available knowledge in the Ecumene, ensuring anything that comes too close to inciting rebellion or revealing the true nature of the Ecumene is censored and those behind such works are captured and/or executed.

Policies:

Vigorously Pro-Surveillance · Anti-Expansionist · Slightly Anti-Gigaquadrant · Moderate Anti-Machinist · Strongly Anti-Counterculture



Director Navine Kel-Tryshi=


 * Name - Navine vax Phero Kel-Tryshi
 * Role - Director of Trade
 * In Office - 2772 CE - present

Navine vax Phero Kel-Tryshi is a female Lieschi and current Director of Trade. Throughout her tenure, she has worked to reverse the attempts of her predecessors to create a more centralized set of regulations, as she believes in leaving most economic decisions to the feudal magistrates. However, she has implemented a universal ban on illegally acquired laborers, has provided numerous incentives for all employers to give better treatment to organics, as opposed to synthetics, and encourages all businesses to refuse service to those who advocate machine rights.

Policies:

Moderately Pro-Surveillance · Strong Expansionist · Strongly Xenophobic · Vigorous Anti-Machnist · Vigorous Anti-Economic Centralist



Director Zhaliphax=


 * Name - Zhaliphax
 * Role - Director of Occult Research and Security
 * In Office - 2819 CE - present

Zhaliphax is a male-identified Tvolis and Director of the MORS, a ministry known for its miles of black ink and involvement in defending the Ecumene from "unconventional threats to public safety and stability." While it has seen little activity since the collapse of, Umbyrvraxa appointed Zhal due to his less relaxed personality relative to his predecessor, and he is intent on, as opposed to merely fighting paranormal threats, studying and weaponizing them for use against potential enemies of the Ecumene, both internal and external. Zhal is also a strong advocate for regulation of usage of any kind within the Ecumene, and he has coordinated with Parliament lawmakers to establish a MORS-operated Essence Registry, with unregistered Essence-usage now being illegal in Ecumene-controlled space.

Policies:

Vigorously Pro-Essence Regulation · Moderate Expansionist · Strong Anti-Machinist · Moderately Authoritarian

Enclave Governments
Each enclave is governed by a nigh-autocratic magistrate with supreme legislative, judicial, executive, and military authority. Within the bounds of national law, he or she has total authority within his or her enclave, though the responsibility of governing individual planets or systems is often delegated to a locally elected tribunal, while the magistrate focuses on more general affairs.

The Capital Enclave is a unique enclave governed directly by the Prime Magistrate, who acts as the equivalent of an ordinary magistrate. This enclave is the smallest in the Ecumene, covering only the Xao system and its six immediate neighbors.

Prominent Magistrates
 Magistrate Cheñenvola=


 * Name - Cheñenvola
 * Role - Magistrate of C'cysa
 * In Office - 2812 CE - present

Cheñenvola is a male-identified Tvolis and current Magistrate of C'cysa, the inner enclave Umbyrvraxa herself is native to. He is one of the growing coalition of magistrates who oppose the increased centralization of the Contention Forces, though he has yet to openly call for the disbanding of the Ministry of Contention. However, both Umbyrvraxa and Director Goh Djazor suspect he may use his growing support to push for it in the near future, and have begun implementing strict Ecumene-first loyalty policies for all the Contention Forces to lessen or delay this possibility.

Policies:

Strongly Xenophobic · Vigorous Militarist · Strongly Anti-Schism · Strongly Pro-Surveillace · Slight Military Feudalist/Anti-Centralist



Magistrate Ovaekeiriam=


 * Name - Ovaekeiriam
 * Role - Magistrate of Nioxatana
 * In Office - 2798 CE - present

Ovaekeiriam is a female-identified Tvolis who rules over the mid-rim Nioxatana enclave. She is notably in favor of appointing family members to high-ranking positions, following in the footsteps of her father and predecessor Yaneveora.

Policies:

Vigorous Anti-Machinist · Strong Hereditarian · Strong Militarist · Vigorously Pro-Surveillace · Expansionist



Magistrate Katalax Dzhorol=




 * Name - Katalax Dzhorol
 * Role - Magistrate of Tzaiel, Dictator of Tylorthrus
 * In Office - 2819 CE - present

Katalax Dzhorol is a male Tyle'an and Magistrate of Tzaiel, an enclave straddling the border between the inner and mid-rim of the Ecumene. Known for his prosthetic limb, eye, and internal organs, he has no tolerance for what he deems nonsensical and maintains an extremely tight hold on his enclave, which has quickly risen to have the largest number of active Civil Security personnel in relative to the crime rate. He is vehemently opposed to guild-government interaction, having outlawed private arms production within his enclave and ensuring his government relies only on its own assets. As Magistrate of Tzaiel, he has also inherited the title of Dictator of Tylorthrus,

Policies:

Vigorous Anti-Machinist · Strong Auhtoritarian · Vigorously Pro-Surveillance · Anti-Counterculture

Autonomous and Restricted Worlds
A number of planets within the Ecumene are designated as Autonomous; that is, independent of enclaval control and governed by an elective Autonomous Tribunal. The Ministry of Autonomous Worlds and its Director oversee these unique planets. Many of them, such as, are social or legal experiments designed to test the feasibility of certain government actions on the whole of the Ecumene.

Uninhabited planets in the Ecumene, such as, are often reserved for a variety of purposes by the central and enclaval governments, from mass automated mining to ecological preservation to advanced weapons testing. These planets have incredibly acute orbital scanning satellites, capable of picking up and object as small as ten meters across and shooting down any unauthorized ship that refuses to leave when contacted. Most Uninhabited Worlds are overseen by an AI, though those that experience more activity, often worlds reserved for weapons testing, will have direct oversight from whatever ministry has acquired the planet from the Ministry of Restricted Worlds.

Military
The Ecumene Contention Forces are fundamentally fused with the government itself. All government officials are commissioned officers, and the feudal magistrates have effectively total control over their own divisions of the military, commanding them on behalf of the Phero government during wars in exchange for authority over their enclaves. This system is both a blessing and a curse—while the mostly decentralized military is more unpredictable than conventional ones, such decentralization can hamper its effectiveness as a united fighting force. However, the Prime Magistrate has the authority to abolish feudal control of enclaval military divisions and place them under the more centralized control of a Master of Legions, if it is deemed necessary to overcome an enemy. Though decentralized, each division follows the same basic organization of its forces.

Assimilated States
Several civilizations assimilated into the Ecumene still exist to some extent. Each member of the Ecumene's ruling species has a form of unique dual citizenship, to the Ecumene and to their species' former civilization. Laws applying only to members of these semi-defunct civilizations continue to be passed by their leaders, who often hold additional governing or policymaking roles in the Ecumene. However, territorial control no longer belongs to these semi-defunct states, though should a leader of one of them also come to rule an enclave, said enclave will abide by the assimilated state's laws for the duration of that magistrate's rule.

Oslun Consulate
The Oslun Consulate is the reformed continuation of the Oslun Empire's dominant state, led by a High Consul and perpetually in control of the Talorossa Enclave, through either the Magistrate's status as the High Consul or as Consul-Regent, a rank subservient to the demands of the High Consul.

Major Species

 * Centauran Heskron
 * K'hanvai
 * Atriants
 * Settans
 * Esu'imxa
 * Ilquaorlans
 * K'hanvai
 * Atriants
 * Settans
 * Esu'imxa
 * Ilquaorlans
 * K'hanvai
 * Atriants
 * Settans
 * Esu'imxa
 * Ilquaorlans

Hierarchy
The Ecumene contains a rigid species-based social hierarchy which is backed by the government. Recently assimilated species, such as the Centauran Heskron, Okanibaa, Esu'imxa, and K'hanvai have their interplanetary movement and representation rights restricted, and are confined to outer enclaves, ruled by magistrates not of their species. The Esu'imxa, in particular, receive regular physical and psychological examinations to determine their fitness for conscription into the Contention Forces of various Enclaves, and all recently assimilated races undergo a process of political, social, and cultural reprogramming. Atriants, being on the border between synthetic and organic, are controlled by the Ministry of Atriant Usage and function either as laborers or light infantry.

Occupying the effective "middle class" of Ecumene species are the Ilquaorlans, Berraka, Settans, Chis'helxi, and V'kirrn. While deprived of the right to rule, they are allowed to progress up to a point in the Contention Forces and various ministries of the Ecumene, with most generally serving specialized roles. Ilquaorlans and V'kirrn, in the military, are assigned to small squads that progress deep into enemy territory to complete high-priority tasks, and outside the military are allowed to run and work in guilds that specialize in property renting and localized manufacturing. Chis'helxi are allowed to work on board ships of both military and nonmilitary nature, though they are banned from much advancement in rank, and sometimes work in food production. Berraka are often valued as stealth operatives, though some fill fleet security and infantry roles, and those outside the military can generally be found acting as highly specialized advisors to both political officials and guild managers. Some, such as Scellion Akanomi-Te, have even risen to become ministers in Parliament. Settans occupy the lowest section of the middle-class species, with no right to manage guilds or become anything more than a legate in the military, and are mostly confined to work in large mining or similar operations.

At the top of the visible Pheroene social pyramid are the Tvolii, Oslun, Nech, Tyle'ans, and Lieschi. All are allowed ruling rights and are rarely found outside political, scientific, or military roles. The Oslun dominate the Contention Forces of most Enclaves, fulfilling a variety of roles, though some have also taken up professions as leaders within the government. Tyle'ans and Lieschi serve scouting, sniping, and security roles in the military, and Tyle'an-led Lieschi-majority planetary branches of most ministries are incredibly common. The Nech dominate the scientific body of the Ecumene, with most working for the Ministry of Information or Ministry of Progress, and while banned from Terrestrial Legions, some have proven to be excellent naval commanders. The Tvolii are effectively a ruling species, making up the majority of directors, magistrates, and ministers and serving "commanding specialist" roles in the Contention Forces.

The Psal'Jinnai, while not recognized as members of the Ecumene, remain the true ruling race in the form of the Quintet.

Economy
The Pheroene economy is based on the use of Zemblite (Pheroene: [zɛmɓʟaɪt]), a form of programmable matter left in caches across Tuuros by the Psal'Jinnai, as currency. Once converted into a new state, such as part of a machine or a piece of hull plating, it is impossible to convert it back into "raw" Zemblite, increasing the demand as it is used. However, this demand is supplanted by the eerily regular finding and reactivating of new Zemblite caches both in and out of Ecumene territory. In addition to functioning as currency, Zemblite has information-gathering properties that send raw electromagnetic, auditory, and chemical data to a Psal'Jinnai organoserver, allowing the Quintet and Ministry of Information to monitor the locations, usage, and movement of all active Zemblite.

Much of the Ecumene's mining and manufacturing is automated with some organic oversight, though a number of guilds have deals with the that allow them to use worker-caste Okra as cheap physical laborers. However, the fact that the Okra are not an Ecumene resident species means they are not protected by regulations that would otherwise keep workers from being abused, leading to a sort of semi-legal slavery, which is kept secret from the Inalvial by the guilds indulging in it. However, most Okra that live past a month as adults are without any severe mental defects that could make them rebellious, and almost all torment inflicted upon them is due to the sadism of guild overseers. Atriants are also known to be used in a slave-like way, with guilds often purchasing illegally reprogrammed Atriants from Underground markets and seemingly hiring them on the surface.

Underground
The Phero Underground (not to be confused with the Phero Subterranean Transit and Commercial Network, which is also referred to as the Phero Underground) is a massive web of contract killers, contraband salesmen, slave markets, hacker cells, radical cults, organized criminals, and others working outside the law. Its presence is most obvious in outer-rim slum and frontier worlds, where federal and enclaval surveillance infrastructure isn't as developed as it is in the inner systems.

Nevertheless, the term "Phero Underground" can often be taken literally, as almost 50% of its physical substance exists in unmonitored but sophisticated subterranean tunnels. In most cases, an individual will strike a deal on the Ecumene's darknet from a planet's surface, then travel underground to finalize the transaction. While this may sound like an easy process, dark markets will often enlist hackers to review a customer's personal information to ensure the Underground is not found by security forces. If a detective or security officer attempts to sneak into the Underground, they will either be rejected immediately online or lured into a trap before being sold on a slave market, interrogated, or harvested for organs.

Unbeknownst to the public, the Quintet and Prime Magistrate are actually fully aware of the extent of the Underground through hypercovert Psal'Jinnai surveillance systems left behind by the old Psal'Jinnai civilization. They allow the Underground to exist as part of a private deal with the uncomfortably nearby, allowing the dark market slavers to do business with the Order to stave off a potential invasion.

Counterculture
The Phero Counterculture is an anti-urbanization, anti-surveillance, anti-militarization subculture that has gained widespread popularity among inner/mid-rim youths of all species within the Ecumene, with the Autonomous World of being a focal point of the phenomenon. Notable features of this subculture include extreme political and social activism, anti-urbanization and anti-industry sentiment, and disconnection from technology in protest of both immoral industry practices and the mass surveillance conducted by the government.

Favorable
"We show benevolence. We expect you to reciprocate it."



Covert Deals
"We have an arrangement."



Neutral
"Our eyes are upon you."



Unfavorable
"Provoke us and face ruin."



At War
"You have made a terrible mistake."



Quotes
"A new order in its infantile state."

- Azh'auvix

"Know that whatever walls are built by the weak have no foundation. All walls that exist outside of our own exist merely to be knocked down."

- Lord-General Sarhadraxantal of the

"They're smart; that much is obvious. Dangerous? Perhaps. The Phero Undeground, however? Well...business is business."

"Weak and foolish creatures, cowering behind walls. Your worlds will burn beneath the fires of destruction, as this universe is cleansed of your inadequacy."

"Chir-chir. Strong and valuable partners. We feel safe with the Ecumene at our side."

- An Okragenn

"All existence will be brought in order and Categorized. Threats to the Convergence will be Simplified."

Trivia

 * The Phero Ecumene was the hardest faction to come up with a flag design for, according to.
 * The initial concept and aesthetic of the Ecumene was inspired by Destiny's Cabal Empire. While it was changed dramatically before being brought into the Fiction Universe, this initial concept lives on in the Oslun, a species partly inspired by the Cabal. This iteration was also notably less dystopian and more democratic than the final draft.
 * In addition, the original Ecumene would have been located in the, and would have likely absorbed much of Parazrael's extant fictions present there. Due to its pre-implementation relocation to Tuuros, this is now highly unlikely, at least for the time being.
 * The Coelyss Counterculture evolved from the original concept's overall cultural atmosphere, which was also partially inspired by the counterculture of the 1960s US and Parazrael's personal beliefs.
 * In addition to the Cabal Empire, some of the more hegemonic aspects of the Ecumene were inspired by Halo's Covenant.
 * Unlike most fictional surveillance states, the Phero Ecumene is not explicitly collectivist or fascist.
 * Horn of Plenty (Panem National Anthem) serves as the Ecumene's theme, due to its mild similarities to the fictional nation of Panem (both have authoritarian traits, use a militarized civil security force and, despite their technologically advanced states, have sharp quality-of-life differences between regions).