Codex-UIR
The UIR was founded in 2201 as a mutual defense and commerce organization for races and factions outside the Council. Its stated goal is to provide all of the economic, political, and military advantages of the Council, without sacrificing the independence of its clients.
Initially consisting of only Humans and Batarians, in 2210 the Quarians gained full membership status. They were followed by a dozen Krogan clans from across the galaxy. The most recent member of the UIR is Ilium and the surrounding planets, which were annexed in 2220.
Politically, the UIR consists of two branches of government, a legislative Congress, and an executive Premier. The Congress, also serving as the highest court, consists of elected representatives from every member faction of the UIR. The number of representatives a faction is allowed is based on its population, using a system of one representative for every one hundred thousand citizens. How these representatives are appointed depends on the faction. Humans and Quarians elect their representatives, while Batarian representatives are appointed by the state, and Krogan either lack representation, or are represented by warlords.
Geographically, the UIR technically consists of six systems in-between Human and Batarian space. In these systems, there are three habitable planets, the capital planet Stygia, an industrialized planet named Razx, and a dextro-amenoacid based planet named Orval. In reality, the UIR has military domain over every member faction's territory, though they can only make laws for their own territory.
Militarily, the UIR consists of three parts, the Regulars, the Tithes, and the Foreign Legion. The Regulars are soldier recruited or drafted from territory directly under UIR control. They form the core of UIR forces. The Tithes are units drawn from member factions. Part of the requirement of UIR membership is the leasing of one tenth of a faction's military to direct UIR control. These units usually work on six or twelve month rotations before returning to their native armies and being replaced by other units. The Foreign Legion is entirely composed of those who wish to emigrate into the UIR, or one of its clients. In order to enter, Immigrants must serve nine years in the Foreign Legion. Also, the Legion officially does no background checks, making it a haven for criminals. The STG and Specters have tried to use this policy to infiltrate the UIR. However, agents attempting to do so always dissappeare shortly after entering the Legion
Currently, Ilium is the only open port in the UIR. All other member nations practice a policy of strictly closed borders, with the exception of sanctioned UIR trade convoys, Quarians on Pilgrimage, and trade with independent Terminus factions.
Codex-Commander Shepard
Commander John Shepard, born in 2196 on the small independent colony of New Harmony, lived a normal life until New Harmony attempted to secede from the UIR in the Secession War. After leaving his home to fight in the Systems Alliance navy at nineteen, New Harmony is captured by a UIR army. Shepard's parents are killed in the attack when a tank drives through his house. This loss solidifies his will to fight the UIR and he later returns and retakes Hew Harmony with an army half the size of the occupying UIR force. After the war, Shepard quickly advances in the ranks and is one of the first to reach the new N7 designation. This makes him an obvious choice to be the first Human Specter, and to command the newly commissioned Normandy.
Codex-Ka'hairal Balak
Information regarding the Batarian soldier known as Balak is limited. What is know is that he was born before the Great Uprising in the Hegemony, joining the army a little over a year before, and passed SIU training shortly thereafter. After that, there are a number of somewhat conflicting stories that place him in several different units and prisons over the next twenty four years, until it he is incarcerated in Gateblack Prison on Stygia after a bar fight in which ten died. He is later released from Gateblack under mysterious circumstances.
Codex-Human Nation States
The Human nations of Earth form the primary administrative body for all Human territory. They have maintained their independence and strength even after it became possible to form a unified global government out of paranoia about the dangers of a one world order. All of the nations collectively bargain with the rest of the galaxy through the UIR. While managing their own independent trade relations between themselves. The armies of Earth and her colonies provides almost half of the military strength of the UIR.