Terran Ascension: Guide & Timeline

by BinaryReflex

Information regarding story Terran Ascension.

Timeline: Year. Month. Day.

2089 04 22

Military space surveillance satellites from 9 separate nations began tracking a group of objects that had entered the periphery of the Solar System. Within weeks these objects have been picked up by civilian observatories and when they became public knowledge, the members of the United Nations Security Council revealed that they were almost certainly artificial and on a direct course with Earth.

2090 02 17

When the ships finally arrived in orbit of Earth, the outcome was catastrophic. A hastily assembled orbital defence network were swept aside. The enemy designated as the Tyrum began an orbital bombardment of Earth. Once proud cities lay in ruins and millions perished.

2091 03 03

The destruction of major population centre on Earth coincides with the destabilisation of much of the central governments on the planets. Though enough of military command structure survived the opening volley to launch a counterattack. In North America and Russia. Washington DC was destroyed, along with the Strategic Command bunker located in the nearby Bull Run Mountains, the North American Aerospace command bunker at Cheyenne Mountain Colorado was ignored. As part of standard operating procedures, the second in command of NORAD was a Canadian General Mark Wahlberg, who after the alien invaders had attacked Earth, ordered nuclear retaliation. A communication hardline from the Cold War remained, and surviving military staff in the Russian Federation rapidly coordinated with Wahlberg for a joint ICBM strike. The missiles were reprogrammed for orbital targeting the Tyrum fleet. The Tyrum warships had no point defence system and were defenceless against the ICBM directed at them. The largest and most powerful ships were soon taken down, as a coordinated launch of intercontinental missile disabled the largest ships, limiting the Tyrum's ability to ground invasion, focused on regions that were devastated by the orbital bombardment. Tyrum swarm began spreading out, constructing massive terraforming spires as they went altering Earth's Biosphere to better suit their environment.

2091 04 07

Russia and North American Commonwealth released what remained of Earth's nuclear arsenal, this time at ground landing sites. The result plunged the planet into a nuclear winter but also caused spectacular damage to the Tyrum swarm, And allowed Human armies to rally. The Indian Republic joined by reinforcements from the Middle East mounted a powerful defence of the Himalayan Line, while a Joint Army of Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay engaged in furious resistance within the Amazon rain forest. General Wahlberg now recognised as Marshal of the North American Commonwealth attempted to hold the line on the American Heartland using the Rocky Mountains as a buttress. Efforts failed, and Cheyenne Mountain had to be abandoned following the loss of the 3rd and 6th Cavalry. The subsequent retreat, all the way to Edmonton was finally halted when the Commonwealth 23rd Airborne division defeated the swarm at Boise, Idaho.

2093 03 17

President Nathan Barlow in his final act of office, before he too was killed, President Nathan Barlow, the last to serve the North American Commonwealth, issued an Executive Order granting a series of emergency powers to the armed forces. Executive Order 19,407 was a violation of the Commonwealth constitution but was a necessary step to govern the North American Commonwealth with military authority to restore stability.

2095 01 14

The United Kingdom has avoided most of the major damages has been established as a centre of human command and control, with the scattered fleets of the Commonwealth, China, and Japan relocating to the British Isles for protection, while simultaneously protecting the Idaho line from invasion by the Tyrum swarm which had overtaken France and Spain. With masses of Refugees pouring into western Spain and Portugal, an emergency council of war declared in the same bunker that once housed Winston Churchill during the London blitz. The British Officers demanded immediate action to save Portugal, England's oldest ally. Backed up by the American contingent led by the acting commandant of the UAC Marine Corps, who by rank was the senior surviving officer of the UAC navy. The decision was immediate Humanity would counterattack in Europe and British Submarines launched a nuclear attack on the Tyrum swarm in Spain, followed up by landing of the British Army, and the Royal and Commonwealth marines at Lisbon. The Tyrum swarm in Spain and Portugal would be halted by the counterattack of the Royal ad Commonwealth marines that held the invader's outside of Lisbon, preserving not only Portugal's primary city but also the massive swarms of human refugees that had been chased to the Atlantic Coast by the invading swarm.

2097 08 03

With constant human Army formations forcing the stalemate, their invasion faltered, and soon came under massive attack by surviving human population within the occupation zone. Six years of Guerrilla warfare followed, along with hit and run tactics that eventually weakened the Tyrum. The strengthened humanity, now under the direction the Emergency Provisional Government launched a counterattack on all fronts, to reclaim a third of the planet and dismantle the terraforming spires and ending the war with the retreating of the remaining Tyrum out of the Solar System.

2126 10 19

After the Great defensive war and also known as "The Great Invasion." To prevent the complete collapse of civilisation the Emergency Provisional Government assumed governmental functions. Measures taken were severe; strict rationing, mandatory one-child policy, and widespread martial law. And every available resource was put towards reconstruction and opportunities afforded to those who's knowledge and expertise could directly benefit this great effort. Millions died in relief camps but across the decades' crop yield increased, global communication was restored and cities were rebuilt and measures placed on the population were repealed.

2156 07 11

As manned space flight resumed and the dissection of derelict alien starships still in orbit revealed astonishing new technologies and fields of study. Every effort was made to prepare the planet for a second attack. But by the middle of the 22nd century, it had still not arrived. In a planet-wide referendum, the fate of humanity's post-war government was left in the hands of its people, transforming the emergency provisional government into the sole governing body of the human race. On July,11th 2156, the Greater Terran Union was proclaimed. A tiered citizenship structure was implemented. A mandatory four year period of national service either within the military or other recognised institution grants every citizen certain rights, while higher tiers and their associated privileges and responsibilities are typically accessible only to those who have achieved a high ranking within the Union's national reputation system. Citizenship tiers determine everything from the type of employment a person is allowed to seek and weather limitations exist on their freedom of movement, all the way down to the amount of water allotted to their showers each month. The system remains fluid, with citizens often gaining and losing tiers multiple times over the course of their lives. A reduction in a citizens tier is the most common sentences for minor crimes, with usually specifics criteria assigned for its reinstatement. While advances in technology and production mean that even the lowest tiered citizens can enjoy comfortable lives, the system serves to promote duty to the state and a responsibility to humanity as a whole.

It also acts as an effective tool used to combat wastefulness or corruption, albeit at the expense of personal liberty. The predominant statues of the military within the Union's citizenship structure means that almost every position of authority is held by individuals who have either completed their service or remain a part of the armed forces with rare exceptions. While the government and the military remain nominally independent of one another, the Greater Terran Union has increasingly come to resemble a stratocracy as the lines between civil and military service become harder to discern. Executive power is held collectively by the National Council, composed of 21 marshals, each responsible for leading one of the nations federal executive departments. Criticism that this council has been too slow to respond to time-sensitive issues and too weak to lead the powerful federal bureaucracy has led to the appointment of a High Marshal - a position accorded to the status as first among equals and granted special representational duties. Marshals are typically appointed to serve a 20 year term although various circumstances can result in longer or shorter periods of service. Legislative powers are held by the National Assembly, a unicameral body that has grown to become almost ceremonial in nature, having rarely rejected a government proposal in its history. While a de-facto single party state, various opposition parties approved by the Greater Terran Union maintain nominal representation within the assembly although all must remain subordinate to the national interest.

Both the National Council and Assembly are headquartered in London, owing to that city's status as one of the first major metropolitan areas restored in the post-war era. London also serves as the regional capital of the Albion Commissariat, one of 17 administrative divisions established across the world. These commissariats roughly correspond to the borders of pre-war nation states, such as the United States of America or the European Federation, while others govern large sections of the world in such a way never before achieved. A principal goal of the commissariats is to foster and promote cultural dimension of worldwide integration in which pre-war nationalists, religious, sexist, and ethnic divisions are eliminated. While no single language has been granted official status, Arabic, Chinese, English, Hindu, Russian, and Spanish are predominantly used in internal affairs. Proposal for a single global language have occasionally been made, without success as of yet. The state's policies emphasise a "diversity of identity" combined with a commonality of values" with individual practices and beliefs tolerated so long as they do not conflict with the core tenets of the nation. The ability for every citizen to participate in the civil and political apparatus of the state without discrimination or representation is one such tenet, not in the pursuit of any utopian ideal, but rather in the pragmatic belief that natural talent which might benefit the human race must be supported regardless of who possesses it.

The most critical element of the Terran State is the armed forces, which retains the ability to assume direct control over the nation in the event its civil leadership were killed or incapacitated. Land Force Command remains the largest and primary branch, responsible for the operational readiness of the nations conventional ground forces. A wholly mechanised army, it utilises a combined arms doctrine in which an enemy's forward defences are broken by overwhelming force at which point fresh uncommitted mobile operating reserves are sent to exploit the strategic depth of an enemy front. Air Command is the second largest branch, dedicated to achieving air and space superiority as well as facilitating rapid global mobility and strategic bombing, Advancements in aerospace technology has seen the deployment of Air Command assets across the solar system, typically unmanned satellites and drones, but also manned squadrons and picket ships. Smallest among the major services is Fleet Command which maintains a largely automated armada of ballistic missile submarines that continuously circle the globe in anticipation of a second alien invasion. As developments in space continue and larger ships are constructed in orbit, their have been renewed calls to transition the service into the Terran Union's space warfare branch and the creation of a separate maritime service. Land, Air, and Fleet Command all maintain their own separate components services, including specialised Navel and Orbital infantry, as well as distinct special operational forces.

Units across all three services have inherited the traditions and custom of previous armies and units from across the globe, resulting in an eclectic military culture. While the supreme goal of the military, and by extension the Greater Terran Union, has been to defend Earth against any further attack, in recent years a new objective has been declared. Advanced technologies have pushed the boundaries of human expansion and the devastation wrought across the Earth has left an insatiable need for raw materials and resources. Already the first mining and research outposts have been established across the Solar System and construction has begun on a wave of starships that will depart for distant worlds. A generation of sacrifice and hardship will soon be rewarded, for as mankind prepares to embark on the greatest journey in its history. It marches towards thus uncertain future united in purpose and determined to never be caught unprepared again. Every wonder encountered shall be utilised, every terror overcome. And when those responsible for the murder of billions are found, every injustice will be repaid a hundred and then a thousand times over.

2200 03 23

After over a decade of automated test and experiments, the TUS Hawking completed the first manned faster than light jump to a distant star system. It arrived in Alpha Centauri, over 4.3 light-years from Earth, and in that moment the destiny of humanity and the Greater Terran Union was made manifest. By the end of the year, the TUS Hawking become just part of an ever-expanding fleet of ships passing across the boundaries of the Solar System and into the unknown. Humanity had learned at great cost, that they were not alone and while no evidence of a second invasion by our great enemy was detected, the search for answers as to the nature of the galaxy raised only more questions. Ancient ruins were uncovered on nearby worlds, derelict alien starships were discovered, scientific anomalies found and new forms of primitive life encountered that challenged the Union's greatest minds. In the face of endless mysteries, the Greater Terran Union was not deterred. In 2206, construction began on a colony ship, one that would transport tens of thousands of citizens to a carefully selected site on a planet within the Sirius system. A year later, on Christmas Eve, these first pioneers arrived and set foot on a new world, not merely as explorers by as settlers Even as all humanity celebrated this tremendous achievement, survey vessels operating on the frontier of explored space began encountering signals that were undeniably alien in origin.

After months of chasing sensor ghost, a ship of unknown origin was finally directly observed by a Union exploratory vessel. Panic swept across the Greater Terran Union and for the first time the assorted patrols and fast attack craft that constituted the Terran Interstellar Navy were deployed to the frontier. As Terran linguist struggled to find a mean to communicate, High Marshal Natasha Fox together with the National Council debated how best to respond. The ship had not acted aggressively and seemed entirely different in nature to those that attacked Earth, but with the prospect of a second hostile alien invasion within striking distance, there were those who urged a pre-emptive attack. It was decided the ship would be continued to be observed but not engaged.

2209 01 06

The means of communications were finally established and diplomats of the Greater Terran Union were formally introduced to the Algan Republic. While the Pauline species that made up the Algan Republic exhibited none of the determined hostilities that defined mankind's earlier conflict with an alien race, differences in culture and governance prevented any meaningful agreements from taking place. In a matter of months, all borders were closed and the Greater Terran Union began an aggressive campaign to claim and fortify star systems that might become the site of a future invasion. On Earth, xenophobia spread like wildfire and several fringe groups began attacking mining outposts across Union space. Mass arrest followed, the right to assembly was briefly suspended, and Fleet Command was formally cemented as the primary space warfare branch of the Armed Forces. It was quickly expanded to deter further acts of piracy. With rising tension with the Algan Republic and the likelihood that other, potentially dangerous alien civilisations lay undiscovered just past the frontier spurred the Union onward. The fledgling colony on Sirius lll, newly renamed Acadia, was soon joined by other on worlds in the Alpha Centauri System and elsewhere. A network of communication and supply bases were constructed and as the first colonist were quickly joined by millions upon millions of their fellow citizens from Earth, humanity was transformed into a truly interstellar society. In 2210, first contact was established with the United Clans of Skiron and more signals were detected by reconnaissance probes each following year. Seemingly surrounded by space-faring civilisations, plans were quickly enacted to seize as much territory as possible.

2220 07 19

One such species was finally discovered. Yet unlike those previously encountered, the Wassari civilisation had not yet developed the means of faster than light travel but was seemingly only years away. Located within a strategically important star system rich in natural resources, the National Council and the newly inaugurated High Marshal Lee Martin convened an emergency session. After a series of debates, it was determined that should the Wassari develop faster than light technology, it would represent a clear and present danger to the national interest of the Greater Terran Union.

2222 09 22

Terran Fleet Command destroyed a primitive space station in orbit of the Wassari home-world, followed shortly thereafter by a coordinated orbital assault. Hopelessly outmatched by superior human weaponry and military doctrine, the Wassari quickly capitulated. The annexation of the Wassari sent shockwaves through the Union. While almost all its citizenry had advocated a humanity first and interventionist approach, the actions of the National Council were seen as shocking. Questions prevailed over how the Wassari would be integrated into the Union and whether the invasion of their home-world had been justified. Some even suggested that by invading the world of a primitive species, the Greater Terran Union had become the very thing it had vowed to destroy. At least One Marshal was forced to resign when leaked documents revealed he supported the invasion of the Wassari only to determine the effectiveness of the Terran armed forces against an opponent that was not likely to pose a serious long-term threat. While the justification and ramifications of the invasion continued to be debated, the colonisation efforts continued. Hundred of outpost and stations were constructed across dozens of star systems and every month brought news of alien contacts and bizarre anomalies. While most alien civilisations seemed unreceptive to human values and worked to counter the Union's ambitions, the United Clans of Skiron themselves surrounded by hostile alien powers, worked to ingratiate themselves amongst Terran diplomats and by 2240, a limited technical exchange had been agreed to as well as a preliminary defence pact. The Greater Terran Union, if not welcomed into some grand galactic community, had if nothing else, been recognised as an equal of the other powers of the region.

The vast emptiness of space that for millennia had challenged humanity to seize it now teems with Terran colonies and stations, alien empires and ancient mysteries. Yet as even more distant civilisations are contacted, and humanity's knowledge of the galaxy extends ever outward, it is a familiar story that is the greatest concern to High Marshal Lee. Desperate refugees encountered across the frontier territories tell of an implacable enemy they call the Tyrum that has consumed entire worlds, annihilating their populations before moving into the next. Terran field agents have spent decades traveling across the stars, seeking the origin of these reports and their findings have finally made it back to Earth. Their can be no mistake, the Tyrum, the great enemy of all mankind has been found, far too distant for now, but perhaps not for much longer. How they might have travelled to Earth, and what has prevented them from returning remains unknown, but the answer might be found in one of the strange alien derelicts encountered by the Union, which for now, remain dormant.

2222 09 22

By the middle of the 23rd century, The Greater Terran Union had earned the respect, if not the admiration of its interstellar neighbours. The occupation and annexation of the comparatively primitive Wassari civilisation had demonstrated the effectiveness of the Union's military but also raised new questions on how these and other aliens might one day be integrated. For many, the death of former High Marshal Natasha Fox seemed to mark the end of the beginning and billions paid tribute, not only on Earth, but across the colonies and outposts that now stretched to the very edge of the Outer Rim. The Greater Terran Union had intended to seize critical resources before they're expanding list of rivals, but the exploration of the Outer Rim brought with it unparalleled dangers.

An enormous Leviathan, a living creature larger than any in the Terran fleet, was detected drifting amongst the frontier, while just two years later, a vast graveyard of derelict alien ships was uncovered, scattered around a lonely star, and broken worlds. This later discovery intrigued the Union's leadership, who assembled a task force uncover whatever mysteries might lay there. When the fleet arrived, the potential benefits seemed imaginable, hundred of thousands of alien starships just waiting to be picked apart and studied. The fleet was not alone, however; amongst the drifting debris, an incredible mechanical construct sifted through the wreckage, salvaging useful parts to add to its own patchwork configuration. Only a few of the Union's ship returned, the rest became the newest additions to the system-wide graveyard. The disaster at the Outer Rim had weakened Fleet Command at the most inopportune moment. Tensions had begun to flare between the United Clans of Skiron and the Rhixian Galactic Directorate. The Union had committed to a mutual defensive pact with the United Clans, but with Fleet Command understrength, the Directorate was emboldened.

2263 16 03

The Rixian Galactic Directorate, together with the Vol Hive, declared war upon the United Clans of Skiron. The Greater Terran Union honoured its commitment and immediately entered the war, issuing its first mass mobilisation orders since the end of the Great Invasion. It took nearly a year for Fleet Command to recover its strength and by then, the United Clans had lost nearly half their territory with their capital and core worlds under siege. In a bold attempt to force the Union out of the war, a Rixian fleet attacked fleet station Thermopylae. Unknown to them newly deployed Terran sensors and intelligence from the United Clans of Skiron had spotted the fleet's approach. When the Rixians arrived in the Thermopylae System, the combined might of the Greater Terran Union was waiting for them. The battle for Thermopylae was decisive. Terran warships left behind only burning hulks and launched an offensive into Rixian territory. Within months, Land Force Command had occupied several alien worlds, perfecting doctrines and strategies first utilised against the Wassari. But even as the Rixian galactic Directorate and Vol Hive began making overtures for an armistice, the Faraxian Union, which had so far remained neutral, launched a surprise attack against the weakened Clans of Skiron. Faced with a more powerful threat, the GTU accepted the Rixian peace proposal, seizing three systems but lacking the means to defend or govern them. Fleet and Land Command were re-deployed to the Faraxian border, but the economy had already been strained by years of war and the Homefront had begun to suffer. Unable to sustain a second prolonged conflict, the Greater Terran Union launched a blitzkrieg into the Faraxian Union, swiftly taking multiple star systems. As the military was pushed to its limits, High Marshal Lee Martin took the extraordinary step to grant lower tiers of citizenship to the Wassari, allowing them to enlist in the merchant marine and other auxiliary forces. Despite a series of strategic victories, the Greater Terran Union was too distant to fully reinforce the United Clans of Skiron, and when the Algan Republic finally entered the war on the side of the Faraxians, its fate was sealed. While the Terran/Algan border remained heavily fortified, the clans were on the verge of collapse and were forced to surrender.

2285 11 29

The Skiron campaigns came to an end. The Greater Terran Union seized critical systems during the campaigns, but the effort had depleted their economy and the national reserves. Many of the fleets mobilised during the war were scrapped and without the means to defend the remaining Skiron rump state, the GTU withdrew from their defensive pact. As the Terran Union entered an economic depression, it struggled to fortify and reinforce the new systems it had taken during the previous campaigns. Worse still was how hundreds of millions of Faraxians and Rixian citizens, now living in GTU territory would be integrated. Riots, revolts, and strikes plagued these newly acquired territories, necessitating the deployment of further ground forces and the implementation of martial law. The Wassari, by contract, had acquitted themselves admirably during the conflict, serving alongside human soldiers and sailors. While restricted to auxiliary and logistics units, some Wassari units had come under fire during the Skiron campaign and their devotion to the Greater Terran Union was widely praised. And in 2291, the Wassari Commissariat was established containing the Wassari home world and several surrounding systems. The highest tiers of citizenship remained exclusively human, but the wassari were free to travel and serve across the breath of the Union, which for the first time, was now their Union as well. Humanity had not only survived its first interstellar wars but had gained new worlds and peoples. Paradoxically, the conflict helped foster support for the GTU's loyal non-human residents while fermenting hatred against neighbouring alien peoples.

Aliens might never be fully accepted, but at least some were tolerated in their literature, arts, ideal, and culture spread across the Union. Children's plushie toys bore the likeness of distant races, while those same creatures were meticulously and cruelly studied in secret faculties for weaknesses. All the while GTU propaganda espoused humanities' virtues, accomplishments and sacrifices. While historians evoked unflattering comparisons to the Imperialist eras of the 19th and 20th centuries, it was increasingly seen as humanity's role to pacify and bring order to chaotic elements of the galaxy. The Rixian Galactic Directorate, Vol Hive, Faraxian Union, and the Algan Republic had all been outmatched both in orbit and planet side, but with the fall of the United Clans of Skiron, the Greater Terran Union was left to face them alone. Still greater threats have emerged. But the Greater Terran Union has not sat idle, as pristine worlds are claimed and the economy strengthened, advance ships have entered service of a size and power never before seen. New technology has been mastered and the pure human will that founded and sustained the Greater Terran Union has not once faltered. In the century since its first ships left the solar system, the Earth has been transformed from a battered world still recovering from invasion to the capital of an interstellar nation.

2304 12 18

For decades, the Greater Terran Union had been confronted by a growing alliance led by their historic rivals, the Algan Republic. However, the rapid exploration and colonisation of the outer rim had brought the GTU into contact with a powerful new empire known as the Peronisti Union. Surrounded by hostile alien nations, Terran High Command began developing a series of color-doded contingency plans outlining potential strategies for the most likely scenarios. In the event of war, the Greater Teran Union would not seek to merely its borders, but aggressively occupy enemy territories and planetary systems. At the dawn of the 24th century, the first of these war plans was put to the test. With Terran military forces concentrated elsewhere, the Peronisti Union launched a surprise attack into the GTU's lightly fortified outer rim territories. They seized half a dozen border systems in the opening strikes, stunning Terran planners who had long considered the Peronisti too distant to be a serious threat. War Plan Case Yellow was immediately executed, but with most of Fleet Command still stationed along the border with the Algan Republic and Rixian Galactic Directorate, several of the Greater Terran Union's newest colonies lay almost completely undefended. Right in the path of the Peronisti advance was the mysterious Doria System.

Home to extraordinarily abundant mineral deposits, Doria's asteroid belt had been a prime candidate for exploitation. Yet mysterious sensor readings from deep within the system had delayed these plans. Memories of the disastrous encounter with the Scavenger construct lingered among the Marshalls and it had been decided to observe Doria until its true nature was discovered. When the Peronisti fleet arrived in the Doria System, the GTU's suspicions were confirmed. Hundreds of living attack craft swarmed from previously dormant asteroids, slamming into Peronisti warships sowing chaos and confusion. While not enough to break their armada completely, by the time the Peronisti had recovered and scoured the creatures from Doria, Terran Fleet Command was ready. In what would later be known as the Battle of the Binary, the largest Terran task force ever assembled engaged the Peronisti, crippling their advance in a single decisive blow. Within two years, every occupied system was liberated, and the invasion of their space had begun. When the Peronisti were forced to sue for peace, the Greater Terran Union had seized much of their territory across the Outer Rim. Case Yellow was a success. The war against the Peronisti and the transfer of military forces to the far rim territories had emboldened the dissident elements of the GTU, especially with the volatile occupation sectors.

On the world of Yeedru, a planet-wide revolt by Rixian sympathisers overthrew the local Terran garrison and declared its independence. When Land Force Command had fully mobilised and was able to respond, Yeedru had already rejoined the Rixian Galactic Directorate. The loss of Yeedru enraged the Greater Terran Union and demonstrations took place on every world. Terran intelligence services had uncovered evidence that the revolt had been sponsored and supplied by the Rixian Galactic Directorate as well as its allies, the Algan Republic and the Faraxian Union. With the territorial integrity of the GTU threatened, such foreign manipulations could not be allowed to continue. In 2314, the Greater Terran Union had began assembling armies and fleets along the Rixian-Algan border that dwarfed even those deployed in the previous war against the Peronisti. On August 16th, Terran diplomats presented a 10-point ultimatum to the Rixian Galactic Directorate, which was given 48 hours to respond. When the Directorate refused and presented its own counter-proposal, the Greater Terran Union enacted War Plan Case Blue. Within the first year of the war the Rixian Galactic Directorate had been decimated. Its fleets had been crippled in a series of engagements and Terran ships roamed across its space with impunity and Yeedru was swiftly retaken alongside it's surrounding systems.

The greatest threat however remained the Algan Republic, and in a campaign echoing the strategy of the Peronisti, the Greater Terran Union began an enormous offensive across the Outer Rim. Lightly defended and home to only a scattered few developed colonies, the GTU seized dozens of systems. In 2321 after 7 years of war, the Algan Republic, Faraxian Union, and Rixian Galactic Directorate capitulated. The Algan Republic had lost nearly a third of its territory while its allies had been removed as major powers in galactic affairs. The Greater Terran Union by contrast had won control over huge territories in the Outer Rim and cemented itself as the primary superpower in its region of the galaxy. Control of the Outer Rim brought with it enormous opportunities and in the decades that followed, the GTU began a development campaign of unprecedented scope. Utilising new technologies and methods previously only theoretical, entire worlds were terraformed to better suit human colonisation. Settlements flourished into colonies that rivalled those of the inner core, new Commissariats were established, and the entire Union prospered in this golden era. The destruction of the United Clans of Skiron in 2341 sent shockwaves across the GTU and ended any remaining thoughts of isolationism. While no longer formal allies, the United Clans had earned a special relationships with the Union and their defeat at the hands of the Algan Republic could not be ignored. Within months of the United Clan's surrender, the Greater Terran Union declared war on the Algan Republic, this time not only to seize territory, but force the vacillation of their empire. Still not fully recovered from the previous war, the Algan Republic and allies, now formalised under a federation known as the Compact, was reduced to fighting a guerrilla campaign. This was not enough to prevent the conquest of the Algan Home world or many of its core systems which for centuries had been deemed too heavily defended for Fleet or Land Command to directly attack. In desperation, the Compact even turned to the Zhell'Zen, fanatic zealots and marauders who had pillaged and warred across the galaxy for the highest bidder. While they're raiding fleets were greatly feared, even within the GTU, Fleet Command had been fully mobilised and the Zhell'Zen were forced to retreat after suffering terrible losses.

The Greater Terran Union had intended to replace the government of the Algan Republic with one more amenable to Terran values, but the reality of the situation was far different. When an armistice was declared, instead of a smooth transition of authority, the Algan Republic descended into chaos. Rival factions emerged across its worlds, making higher level negotiations impossible. The Republican Polenian States, a Terran sponsored puppet government, achieved power in only a handful of systems, beset by bombing campaigns, civil unrest, and economic woes. As Terran advisors flooded into the Polenian States, the true cost of this "victory" had become clear. For over three hundred years the Algan Republic had been the Greater Terran Union's principal rival, a hostile nation, but a stable one, whose actions could be anticipated and counted on to act in its own best interest. Its fragmentation and collapse has left its region of the galaxy more dangerous than ever.

Piracy and criminal elements have returned to lawless systems at a scale never before seen while the Zhell'Zen and other marauders have increased their activity as well. Perhaps most importantly, the conquest of the Outer Rim has brought to the GTU strange new discoveries and insights. In a remote system taken in the closing days of the war, the Greater Terran Union has uncovered a strange new derelict unlike any before encountered. Whatever it is, it was of particular interest to the Algan Republic and the GTU has continued their progress in unlocking its secrets. The wars against the Peronisti and the Compact may have dominated Terran affairs, but the true enemy has never been forgotten. The original invaders, the Tyrum, remain and until they have been destroyed, every opportunity will be exploited, no matter the cost.

In the Rodina System, Union scientist discover an unknown Xeno artefact. VVS-989 was deployed to discern if it poses a threat to Terran colonies. Orders are to destroy any threat to humanity no matter the cost. If Xenos prove hostile they must surrender or be eliminated.

Terran War Plans

As the Greater Terran Union expanded across the length of the Galactic north, military planners on earth began to run into issues of time lag inherent to coordinating military forces and commissariats at Interstellar distances. As consequence, local commissariat governments and their attached military garrisons were given broad latitude to act in accordance to a series of colour coded contingency scenarios that constituted standing orders to be executed immediately upon the meeting of certain conditions. Either tripwire conditions (such as a surprise invasion) or upon direct orders issued by the national council.

Case Blue: Governs military operations towards the races and nations of the Beneficial Compact. Case Blue set forth primary strategic targets for conquest and attack upon the Algan Republic, Faraxian Union, and Rixian Galactic Directorate.

Case Yellow: Governs military operations in the Galactic west, focusing upon the threats of the Talakur Khanate, Bright League and the Peronisti Union. Unlike Case Blue's emphasis on rapid retaliation, Case Yellow relies on a use of strategic defence in depth that sacrifices space for time, to follow with massive counter attack.

Case Indigo: Operational Plans for the extermination of the Tyrum Species and any other species deemed to be detrimental to human survival. Case Indigo is classified at the highest levels and its full contents are not revealed, but are rumoured to include plans for the widespread use of planet destroying mega weapons and among more dark conspiracy theories, biologically engineered viruses and selective nano-machine kill vehicles.

Case Red: Operational Plan for dealing with internal insurrection. Contents highly classified, but rumoured to include the use of the Sword of Terra against rebellious human worlds.

Case Orange: Plans for dealing with ancient powers within the galaxy. Case Orange to be used in the seizure of the holy worlds of Fallen Empires, and later used during the first interstellar war, though it was updated immensely as the scale of the conflict exceeded even the most pessimistic projections of Terran war planners.

Case Violet: Plans for dealing with an invasion from beyond the galactic boundary. Never implemented. Rumours have circulated in recent years that Case Violet has been updated to include the GTU Invading other galaxies instead.

Case Black: Case Black, also known as Code Black Nightmare, Case Omega, or among the more crass of non-commissioned officers as "We're proper F***ed", was a contingency plan created at the direction of High Marshall Connor Lonergan after he noticed a major oversight in defence planning that failed to account for the possibility of a sudden destruction of the central government on Earth that preceded an event that would trigger the other contingency plans. Should earth be destroyed or otherwise incapacitated, the Commissariats and their attached military units would be given free command and charged with resolving the situation as they saw fit. Case Black has never been invoked.

The National Council

The National Council of the Greater Terran Union is the executive body of the Greater Terran Union. The National Council consists of 21 Marshals, each of whom acts as the head of one of the government's departments. Acting as the head of the state and the National Council is the High Marshal, a first among equals who has special powers that were created to allow the Council to act quicker and more decisively in times of emergency. High Marshals are appointed for twenty-year terms, though this can be shortened or lengthened depending on extraneous circumstances.

The National Council is composed of the following offices:

# Office Responsible For Established
1 High Marshal of the Greater Terran Union Head of State and Commander-in-Chief 11th July 2156
2 Marshal of Agriculture Ministry of Agriculture 11th July 2156
3 Marshal of Air Command Air Command 11th July 2156
4 Marshal of Commerce Ministry of Commerce 11th July 2156
5 Marshal of Education Ministry of Education 11th July 2156
6 Marshal of Fleet Command Fleet Command 11th July 2156
7 Marshal of Intelligence Ministry of Intelligence 18th Dec 2224
8 Marshal of Land Force Command Land Force Command 11th July 2156
9 Marshal of the Interior Ministry of the Interior 11th July 2156
10 Marshal of the Judiciary Ministry of Justice 11th July 2156
11 Marshal of the Ministry of Colonisation Ministry of Colonisation 28th Jan 2201
12 Marshal of the Ministry of Ecology Ministry of Ecology 11th July 2156
13 Marshal of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Ministry of Foreign Affairs 5th May 2209
14 Marshal of the Ministry of Health and Citizen Services Ministry of Health and Citizen Services 11th July 2156
15 Marshal of the Ministry of Human Resources and Citizenship Ministry of Human Resources and Citizenship 11th July 2156
16 Marshal of the Ministry of National Development Ministry of National Development 28th Jan 2201
17 Marshal of the Ministry of Natural Resources Ministry of Natural Resources 29th Sep 2241
18 Marshal of the Ministry of Public Enlightenment Ministry of Public Enlightenment 11th July 2156
19 Marshal of the Ministry of Science and Technology Ministry of Science and Technology 11th July 2156
20 Marshal of the Ministry of State Security Ministry of State Security 11th July 2156
21 Marshal of the Treasury Ministry of the Treasury 11th July 2156

Responsibilities of the Marshals

Since the middle of the 23rd century, the following has been the composition of the National Council:

High Marshal of the Greater Terran Union

The Office of High Marshal of the Greater Terran Union was fiercely debated during the Terran Constitutional Conventions. While many feared centralisation of power would occur in this office it was established in response to criticism that the Provisional Government's council of Marshals was slow to respond to time-sensitive issues and to weak to lead the gargantuan federal bureaucracy. The office of High Marshal of the Greater Terran Union has special representative duties, is the Union's head of state, the commander-in-chief of all the Union's armed forces, chairs meetings of the Council of Marshals and is one of the three Marshals needed to authorise the use of the Sword of Terra.

Marshal of Agriculture

The office of Marshal of Agriculture was one of the original National council offices established during the Terran Constitutional Convention. The Marshal of Agriculture is responsible for the Ministry of Agriculture, which traces its legacy to the old Earth Provisional Government Ministry of Agriculture. The primary responsibility of the Marshal and his ministry is ensuring the safety and existence of the Union's food supply. However, additional responsibilities include the regulation and promotion of agriculture, regulation of genetically modified foodstuff, oversight and approval of new agricultural research and methods, subsidising agriculture, regulating farms and other food producers, and overseeing the food supplies in the National Reserve. The ministry works closely with the Ministry of Ecology to prevent the introduction of invasive species and prevent environmental damage as a result of industrial-scale farming.

Marshal of Air Command

The office of Marshal of Air Command was one of the original National council offices established during the Terran Constitutional Convention. The Marshal of Air Command is the highest-ranking officer in Air Command - the third branch of the Union's Armed Forces. The Marshall of Air Command maintains the informal title of "Sky Marshall," a nod towards the influences of the 20th Century philosopher and poet Robert Heinlein on the way the GTU came to view the importance of its military and social structure.

Air Command was initially responsible for all space borne operations. It was at the direction of the first Sky Marshall, Saotome Akashi that the Tyrum Warships wrecked in Earth Orbit were studied. Air command would also build Invicta Station, Earths first modern manufacturing and defence battle station which was placed in Solar Orbit. While since greatly reduced in size and authority compared to Land Force Command and Fleet Command, Air Commands position as the unit responsible for maintaining the space fortresses and planetary aerospace defence causes it to remain an integral part of the national council and the GTU's government.

Marshal of Commerce

The Office of Marshal of Commerce was one of the original National council offices established during the Terran Constitutional Convention. The Marshal of Commerce is responsible for leading the Ministry of Commerce, which traces its legacy to the Provisional Government Ministry of Economic and Commercial Reconstruction. The primary responsibility of the Marshal of Commerce is the promotion of economic growth within the Union. The ministry promotes commerce, regulates industry, designates and regulates trade routes and maintains the Union's wartime-peacetime economic strategies. In later centuries the Ministry worked closely with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to regulate trade with foreign governments.

Marshal of Education

The Office of Marshal of Education was one of the original National council offices established during the Terran Constitutional Convention. The Marshal of Education is responsible for leading the Ministry of Education, which traces its legacy to the Provisional Government Ministry of Education and Science. The primary responsibility of the Marshal of Education is to ensure the delivery of educational services to the Union's citizenry. The Ministry of Education regulates all aspects of education and runs countless millions of state-run daycares, primary schools, high schools, universities and trade schools. However, the ministry does not have any jurisdiction over military colleges. The Ministry of Education is responsible for reviewing and approving educational curriculums and textbooks, ensuring there is an adequate supply of educational facilities to service a population and ensuring that there are no skill shortages within the Terran population. The ministry works closely with all aspects of Terran society to ensure that educational curriculums are in line with the needs of the state and the private sector.

Marshal of Fleet Command

The Office of Marshal of Fleet Command was one of the original National council offices established during the Terran Constitutional Convention. The Marshal of Fleet Commands is the highest-ranking officer in Fleet Command. Modern Fleet Command can be traced back from the previously seaborne Fleet Command (which today is renamed as Maritime Command). Originally, the Marshal of Fleet Command was responsible for Maritime Command but during a military restructuring during the early 23rd century the Marshal of Fleet Command was given control over the modern incarnation of Fleet Command. The Marshal of Fleet Command is one of the three Marshals required to authorise the use of the Sword of Terra. High Marshal's Qing Huang and Connor Lonergan both served as Marshal of Fleet Command prior to serving as High Marshal.

Marshal of Intelligence

The office of Marshal of Intelligence was established on the 18th of December, 2224 alongside the creation of the Ministry of Intelligence on the same day. The Marshal of Intelligence is informally known as the "Spymaster". Originally, domestic intelligence was handled by the Ministry of State Security and extra-solar intelligence was the responsibility of Air Commands extra-solar signals intelligence division. However, the discovery of other nearby alien star nations necessitated the creation of a ministry focused on gathering foreign intelligence and conducting covert operations. The primary responsibility of the Ministry of Intelligence is to coordinate and oversee the Union's intelligence agencies and ensure that the National Council is supplied with accurate, reliable and actionable intelligence. The agencies overseen by the Ministry are the following: The Union Office of Intelligence Assessment (OIA), The Union Financial Intelligence Centre (UFIC), The Union Intelligence Service (UIS), The Union Signal Directorate (USD), The Union Geospatial-Intelligence Organisation (UGI) and the Union Reconnaissance Office (URO). The Ministry also has a very close relationship with the Land Force Command Office of Defence Intelligence and Fleet Command Information, Signals and Propaganda Division.

Marshal of Land Force Command

The Office of Marshal of Land Force Command was one of the original National council offices established during the Terran Constitutional Convention. The Marshal of Land Force Command is the highest-ranking officer in Land Force Command. The Marshal of Land Force Command has two primary missions. Capturing planets, and maintaining control of planets. The Marshal of Land Force Command is one of the three Marshals needed to authorise the use of the Sword of Terra.

Marshal of the Interior

The Office of Marshal of the Interior was one of the original National council offices established during the Terran Constitutional Convention. The Marshal of the Interior is responsible for leading the Ministry of the Interior. The Ministry of the Interior is responsible for a wide range of duties including disaster response and prevention, the supervision and oversight of commissariat governments, the regulation of political parties, public administration and running the elections for the national assembly.

Marshal of the Judiciary

The Office of Marshal of the Judiciary was one of the original National council offices established during the Terran Constitutional Convention. The Marshal of the Judiciary is responsible for leading the Ministry of Justice. The Ministry of Justice is responsible for overseeing the judicial process, appointing federal judges, drafting legislation, developing legal frameworks, prosecuting federal criminals and sentencing.

Marshal of the Ministry of Colonisation

The office of Marshal of the Ministry of Colonisation was established on the 18th of December, 2224 alongside the creation of the Ministry of Colonisation on the same day. The Ministry was formed to replace the former Ministry of Infrastructure, Reconstruction and Resettlement. By the dawn of the 23rd century, this Ministries role had almost been fulfilled and the discovery of extrasolar planets, suitable for colonisation caused the National Council to replace it with the newly formed Ministry of Colonisation. The old Ministry Infrastructure, Reconstruction and Resettlement was split into the Ministry of Colonisation and the Ministry of National Development. The primary responsibility of the Ministry of Colonisation is the planning, supporting and oversight of colonies until the become self-sufficient.

Marshal of the Ministry of Ecology

The Office of Marshal of the Ministry of Ecology was one of the original National council offices established during the Terran Constitutional Convention. The Marshal of the Ministry of Ecology is responsible for leading the Ministry of Ecology, which traces its legacy to the Provisional Government Ministry of Environmental Reconstruction. The primary responsibility of the Marshal of the Ministry of Ecology is ensuring the health and continued survival of the planetary ecosystems on worlds controlled by the Greater Terran Union. The Ministry of Ecology is responsible for maintaining the Union's National Parks, preventing environmental contamination, preserving endangered species of flora and fauna, regulating environmentally damaging industries and preventing the contamination of terrestrial world's water, air or land.

Marshal of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs

The office of Marshal of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was established on the 5th of May 2209, alongside the creation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the same day. The Ministry was formed in response to the discovery of nearby alien nations. The primary responsibility of the Marshal of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is the implementation of the Union's foreign policy. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is responsible for formulating foreign policies, decisions, foreign affairs documents, and statements It also negotiates and signs bilateral and multilateral foreign treaties and agreements. The agency also dispatches foreign affairs representatives to alien nations and operates embassies on foreign worlds.

Marshal of the Ministry of Health and Citizen Services

The Office of Marshal of the Ministry of Health and Citizen Services was one of the original National council offices established during the Terran Constitutional Convention. The Marshal of the Ministry of Health and Citizen Services is responsible for leading the Ministry of Health and Citizen Services, which was originally called the Ministry of Health and Human Services. The primary responsibility of the Marshal of the Ministry of Health and Citizen Services is ensuring the health and wellbeing of Terran Citizens. The Ministry of Health and Citizen Services is responsible for addressing public health crises, regulating medial products and medical professionals, running state-owned hospitals. Additionally, the Ministry and its Marshal are responsible for administering the Union's vast welfare state. Wide-reaching programs such as old-age pensions, accident insurance, affordable medical care, childcare services and unemployment insurance are all state services administered by the Ministry of Health and Citizen Services.

Marshal of the Ministry of Human Resource and Citizenship

The Office of Marshal of the Ministry of Human Resources and Citizenship was one of the original National council offices established during the Terran Constitutional Convention. The Marshal of the Ministry of Human Resources and Citizenship is responsible for leading the Ministry of Human Resources and Citizenship. The primary responsibility of the Marshal of the Ministry of Human Resources and Citizenship is the administration of the vast citizenship tier bureaucracy. The Ministry of Human Resources and Citizenship is the largest Ministry in the Union. It is responsible for assigning and reviewing citizenship tiers, creating national labour policies, standards and regulations and for approving and regulating labour union movements. Additionally, the Ministry is responsible for operating the labour camps where low-tiered citizens, criminals or aliens may be sent to contribute to the Union.

Marshal of the Ministry of National Development

The office of Marshal of the Ministry of National Development was established on the 18th of December, 2224 alongside the creation of the Ministry of National Development on the same day. The Ministry was formed to replace the former Ministry of Infrastructure, Reconstruction and Resettlement. The old Ministry Infrastructure, Reconstruction and Resettlement was split into the Ministry of Colonisation and the Ministry of National Development. The primary responsibility of the Ministry of National Development is developing and maintaining the civilian infrastructure both on Union planets and in space. The ministry works closely with the Ministry of Colonisation and later with Commissariat governments to develop planetary infrastructure. The Ministry is responsible for the Union's fleet of construction ships which are used to construct almost all space-based infrastructure. After the conquest of a new world, the Ministry of National Development is tasked with rebuilding the world into one worthy of the Greater Terran Union.

Marshal of the Ministry of Natural Resources

The office of Marshal of the Ministry of Natural Resources was established on the 29th of September 2241, alongside the creation of the Ministry of Natural Resources on the same day. The Ministry was formed in as a result of the growing amount of Terran space and the natural resources within becoming unmanageable for the Ministry of National Development. The Ministry of Natural Resources is responsible for mapping resource deposits, managing and regulating the extraction of space-based natural resources and the operation of state-owned mines and refineries. The Ministry operates a huge fleet of mining and transport ships. Since 2318 the Ministry of Natural Resources has no authority over the natural resources present on habitable worlds, this authority was transferred to the Ministry of Ecology.

Marshal of the Ministry of Public Enlightenment

The Office of Marshal of the Ministry of Public Enlightenment was one of the original National council offices established during the Terran Constitutional Convention. The Marshal of the Ministry of Public Enlightenment is responsible for leading the Ministry of Public Enlightenment. The primary responsibility of the Marshal of the Ministry of Public Enlightenment is the regulation and oversight of Terran media — both state and private. The Ministry of Public Enlightenment is responsible for regulating private media and social media organisations, operating state-owned media and regulating what content (whether it be art, media, music, books, movies , etc.) can be consumed by each citizenship tier. The Ministry has the power to censor any information it deems to be a threat to public enlightenment.

Marshal of the Ministry of Science and Technology

The Office of Marshal of the Ministry of Science and Technology was one of the original National council offices established during the Terran Constitutional Convention. The Marshal of the Ministry of Science and Technology is responsible for leading the Ministry of Science and Technology. The primary responsibility of the Marshal of the Ministry of Science and Technology is to promote the continued scientific development of the Union while regulating dangerous technologies or fields of research. In addition to operating countless state-run research labs and facilities, the Ministry regulates private research companies, evaluates whether new technologies and ready for public use and regulates which fields of research are forbidden.

Marshal of the Ministry of State Security

The Office of Marshal of the Ministry of State Security was one of the original National council offices established during the Terran Constitutional Convention. The Marshal of the Ministry of State Security is responsible for leading the Ministry of State Security. The primary responsibility of the Marshal of the Ministry of State Security is protecting the Terran State from domestic security threats. The Ministry of State Security is responsible for federal policing, federal emergency services, the Union's secret police, anti-terrorism, domestic intelligence, immigration and border controls, cybersecurity, political security, anti-corruption and counter-intelligence operations. It is famously said that no citizenship tier is safe from the watchful eyes of the Ministry of State Security and that any traitors will eventually find themselves in a Ministry of State Security black site.

Marshal of the Treasury

The Office of Marshal of Treasury was one of the original National council offices established during the Terran Constitutional Convention. The Marshal of the Treasury is responsible for leading the Ministry of the Treasury. The primary responsibility of the Marshal of the collection of taxes and the allocation of those taxes in the Union's Federal Budget. The Ministry of the Treasury is responsible for the minting of Terran currency, the collection of federal taxes, updating the federal tax code and preparing the National Budget for approval by the National Assembly. Additionally, the Ministry is responsible for the formulation and implementation of the Union's economic policies.

(Standard Earth Year)

Citizen

A Citizen is a resident of the Greater Terran Union (GTU) who has actively taken a role in making the GTU and Humanity better. Often this can be achieved through military service, the performance of exemplary community service, or success in a government-proctored application. Citizens of the GTU are afforded some privileges that civilians are not afforded, including the ability to run for a seat on the GTU National Assembly, apply to work for the GTU government, attain the office planetary Commissar-governor, and the reception of a special dispensation to pay lower tax rates.

Civilian

A civilian is a resident of the Greater Terran Union (GTU) who has not taken the steps to become a Citizen. At the age of 15 SEY, a civilian can own property, can vote in local elections and legislation, and must start paying taxes. All civilians are eligible to travel across the Union. Civilians cannot serve on the GTU National Assembly seat or be elected to the office of planetary Commissar-governor. Although not afforded some of the privileges of Citizens, civilians are still protected members of the GTU.

Equivalency

An Equivalency is a certification awarded to people in the Greater Terran Union (GTU) upon completion of their secondary education. It can be earned through the completion of an upper or full secondary GTU-certified education program or through passing a group of subject tests issued by the GTU government. All Civilians in the GTU must earn their Equivalency in order to pursue post-secondary education, enter the armed services, or earn full Citizenship.

Land Force Command

Land Force Command, The Terran Army, (LFC) is the largest branch of the GTU (Greater Terran Union), with several billion personnel active at any time, even during peace, its generals and Marshall responsible for a far greater percentage of the national defence budget and human lives than the more prestigious Terran Navy. It is the largest formation of armed soldiers in the Galaxy, outstripping the size of every other FTL capable civilisation by several degrees. When Deployed the LFC uses a combined arms doctrine in which the enemy's forward defences are broken by overwhelming force, at which point fresh, uncommitted mobile operational reserves are sent to exploit the strategic depth of an enemy front.

A major defining feature of the Terran Army is its stubborn refusal to adopt genetic engineering or cybernetic enhancements in their soldiers, instead relying purely on the natural capabilities of the human species and later alien species allowed to enter its ranks. They are responsible for all the victories the GTU has obtained, their ranks are respected and is the occupation many poor people choose, as it gives them a chance to rise in the social ranks and see the galaxy. The Army itself has two primary missions. Capturing planets, and maintaining control of planets. Considering just how vast any planet is, this has led to a military service of unprecedented scale, both in size and capability.

Training, Organisation & Structure

Prior to the First Compact War terms of service ran for around 4 years and followed the 20th century model. Unlike those pre-Tyrum armies however, it was soon discovered that the vast distances involved combined with the need for more comprehensive (and longer) training made it impossible to honor such a limited time commitment. One division of troops that had been raised in the outer rim spent almost a year and half traveling to the front lines, another 6 months in orbit and then forced into another 4 years of peacekeeping duties before spending another year and a half going home. The loss of moral caused by extending the accepted term over 3 times what was initially agreed on came to be viewed as counter productive. Because of this the Terran Army moved away from functioning under principles of individual personnel assignment or short term volunteer contracts, adopting instead a structure and training regime more akin to that of the Roman Empire. This is a necessity as the GTU found itself having to control territory over vast distances using massive numbers of soldiers, and ended up facing dilemmas very similar to those of Rome. Pre-tyrum military structure was not just unfeasible, it was quite literally impossible as the vast distances involved made moving around units smaller then divisions a logistical and bureaucratic nightmare. . As such, a term of enlistment in the Army lasted for 12 years, with the first two years serving for basic training, either as an officer or enlisted. All recruits enlist as basic entrants to the service and are then directed onto an officer or enlisted track following evaluation of their skills. The initial 2 years are spent to ruthlessly weed out those incapable of being Terran Soldiers, while simultaneously exposing the recruits to a myriad of different combat conditions from close quarters combat on space stations, arctic warfare, combat in an entirely toxic atmosphere, and the training regimes capstone exercise, a full combat drop from orbit. Fatalities were expected and frequently occurred during this training period, with as much as 10% of the class dying or being injured beyond repair (either physically or psychologically). A recruit may at any time be permitted to leave training during their first 2 years, as the service has no desire for those who themselves think they are incapable, though "washouts" carry with them severe social stigma, inability to achieve high citizenship tiers and also are barred from reentry. During times of national emergency, a Draft may also be instituted and citizens forced into the training program. Even then however standards are not relaxed and a recruit may still opt to abandon the program, though in this case they will be relegated into forced labor positions to support the war effort and markedly lower tiers of citizenship.

Those recruits who make it through training will graduate as a unit at the Company level (approximately 1,000 soldiers) Each of the Companies in turn will be combined to form a battalion (10,000 soldiers), which in turn form brigades (100,000 soldiers) and finally a full division, made up of 10 brigades for around 1 million soldiers. Each company of the Terran Army is specialized, so there may be an entire company of Armored soldiers, another light infantry, another of Atmospheric Aircraft pilots and so on. The companies are then organized into various battalions to serve that battalions over all purpose (be it support, armored, artillery, atmospheric etc) and then slotted into Brigades. While a Brigade is nominally intended to be able to deploy on its own initiative and fight under any condition, it is the Division that is the principle unit organization of the Terran Army, and Fleet Command designs its massive troop transports with this in mind.

The Divisions are formed brand new from the massive pools of recruits who graduate, with most recruits rising in authority based on ability. The Division will then spend anywhere from 2 to 5 years training as a cohesive unit before it is approved for combat operations. It rare, but not unheard of for a division to never be approved for combat at all, though in the few instances where this happens results in the general and his staff being thrown in prison for squandering resources, and punishments of varying severity for the entire division ranging from prison to tier reduction. For even the lowliest of privates. During time of war companies that sustain too many casualties are disbanded and slotted into a replacement company drawn from a graduating recruit class. Something considered non ideal but necessary to keep the division combat ready during most skilled of the new recruits will be either Company commanders at the Captain rank or the companies Squad NCO, a Staff Sergeant. Higher ranking soldiers, Major for the officers and Platoon/Company Senior NCO's Sergeant First Class and above, are granted to soldiers who sign another 10 year term of service at the end of their previous term of enlistment. In the case of the NCO's this is done to insure the newly minted Captains and Lieutenants have a steadying experienced hand to teach things that cannot be taught in training. Promotion for officers during their first 10 years is rare and only comes upon their approval of a second term, which can be denied if the service decides it has no use for such soldiers in higher ranks. The 10 year term is by no means a solid one, as all soldiers ultimately serve at the needs of the Union, and in time of war a term of enlistment can be extended, especially if a unit needs to be transported from one end of the Union to the other. Without jump drives such a journey can take over a year. As such ground command frequently refuses to count time spent in Stasis pods as counting towards a term of service, and during longer wars some soldiers have seen their terms extended for an additional decade or even longer.

Promotion is based on need and ability with far more turnover in the enlisted ranks then the officers. THe Ranks of Staff Sergeant, Sergeant and Corporal often frequently being given and lost based on need, or happenstance. The Army also has a special rank of Warrant Officer. Warrant Officers are members of the Army who are given broad authority within the service but are not considered part of the regular combat formations and may not have even gone through basic recruit training. A Warrant officer may, for example, be the captain of a massive divisional troop transport, a scientist in an Army run research lab, or an intelligence operative attached to the Army. All ranks are ultimately granted at the needs of the Army and there is no solid rules governing promotion, with commanders given broad authority to pick the ranks of their subordinates, with the caveat that should their picks fail to handle the responsibility the failure will fall in equal measure both on the officer who failed, and the officer who confirmed them for that position.

The Divisions themselves are often frequently organized into Army groups that can range in size from a 3 divisions to in the case of the invasion of the Xani homeworld of Core during the War in Heaven, 900 divisions. The size of an Army Group itself is based solely on the needs of the moment and not any set standard. Regardless of size however they are all commanded by a 4 star general, with General Ranks below that being given to a division commander as a reflection of that particular commanders ability. The Terran Army has no sub organization between Division and Army group such as Corps or Regiments. Such ad hoc formations are created on the fly as combat dictates, where multiple divisions within an Army group are required to coordinate with each other. In which case the senior ranking division commander would command the overall operation.

At the end of a Divisions 10 years of service the unit flags and standards are retired and presented to a new graduating class of recruits to carry on the legacy should Land Force Command determine a units legacy is worth continuing. It again rare for such a dishonor be given to a unit, but over the centuries many divisions have been permanently retired, their failures deemed too great to overlook and thus be foisted onto a new graduating class. Those soldiers in the retiring division deemed suitable for higher rank are permitted to serve another term of service, this time as the divisions senior cadre of officers and NCO's, thus allowing a continuity of tradition between the soldiers of the prior term and the new. It is very rare for any soldier to be permitted a third term of enlistment, and was usually a privilege granted to those at the General Officer rank, or its equivalent NCO Rank of Sergeant Major.

Equipment

Terran combat equipment has changed over the centuries to reflect new technology, but remains largely the same throughout its history in form and function, if not necessarily the same configuration. All soldiers are issued a Hand Held rifle, Combat Armour, and a Blade for close quarters melee. Early in its history the equipment would not have seemed out of place in a movie on 20th century combat, with the rifle being little different from the M and AK Variants used by the United States and Russia that fired projectile bullets. Even by the 22nd century the Terran Army had not abandoned kinetic rifles for energy based ones, though the SI-2513 assault rifle which entered service during Operation Star-hammer was not some crude chemical projectile weapon but rather a hand held Gauss gun that fired microscopic slugs at relativistic speeds. The small size of the projectile allowed for a single cartridge to be fired over 50,000 times before needing a reload, and had a variable power intensity where the soldier could select the speed at which it was fired based on circumstances, be it to rip into defenceless flesh or punch through a wall of ceramacrete. The Combat Armour and Blade likewise saw improvement, going from crude carbon nano-fibre weave to powered Nannette supported plasteel capable of increasing the strength of the user and self repair both of the armour itself and the soldier within it. The most modern variants even allowed for unsupported orbital reentry of the soldier in question.

The blade, which started out as a variant of the K-Bar to its modern configuration of a short sword with a mono-filament edge which is again supported by Nanites to keep it perpetually repaired and sharp. It came as a surprise even to Terran Combat planners for the ancient sword as a weapon to make a come back, but it was rapidly discovered through accident and practice that firing off weapons, even less powerful energy based ones within the confines of orbital habitats and space stations led to "very bad things" happening... like sudden atmospheric depressurisation. As such hand held melee weapons made a surprising comeback, and when combined with powered combat armour that improved the strength and speed of the wielder became just as deadly as the rifle in certain situations. Some of the more fanciful weapons designers have even experimented with energy shields resembling medieval era kite shields.

Beyond that the Army maintains a host of atmospheric aircraft from fighter aircraft, rotary blade helicopters, landing craft, tanks, mobile artillery, and trucks. Many of which, while highly sophisticated in their armour, weapons, propulsion and onboard targeting systems are largely indistinguishable from their 21st century counterparts. This is largely due to the concept of "not reinventing the wheel". Things like inflated tires, tank treads and overall design have a largely eternal appeal in both functionality and use, and the introduction of things like anti-grav plates to cause the tank to float was viewed as largely unnecessary and created another failure point on the vehicle. As well as massively increasing its expense production and complexity of repair.

History

Strategic Ground Command can trace its earliest existence back in the Tyrum Invasion of Earth - when it was made up of various loose-tied paramilitary organisations called the Joint-Defence-Committee. It was when the Battle of Titan was over, that Strategic Ground Command was officially formed by the provisional government at the time (Although it has no real power as former nations retained their armed forces. SCG was simply a symbolic entity). Once Humanity was able to reach the stars - Strategic Ground Command was fully funded and was given the authority to maintain and control a fully fledged army to represent Humanity.

The traditions and structure of the Army would be drawn from those of "The Big 6," which represented the Armies of the 6 major global powers to maintain combat cohesion for the duration of the war, even, as in the case of the United States of America and India, with their official governments total collapse. They were India, Brazil, The North American Commonwealth, the Russian Federation, Indonesian Republic and the United Kingdom. The Armies of China, Japan, Korea, Australia and the European Federation were largely destroyed along with much of their respective populations in the opening months of the war. In the Case of the USA, Canada and Russia, they were largely saved by heroic actions attributed to two respective units that maintain division formations in the GTU to this day. The Canadian 2nd Armoured, that decisively defeated a Tyrum Swarm at the Battle of Boise, preventing the capture of the provisional North American Headquarters in Edmonton (as well as the grateful American population of Boise itself); And the Russian "Tomoskya Division" which halted the Tyrum advance at the Battle of the Dnieper.

The modern Terran Army is considered formed during the Wassari Annexation, which marked the first orbital drop under combat conditions by Terran Soldiers. To this day, an orbital drop remains the capstone of Terran Army training. A common misconception is that the Terran Navies "Space Marines" are the landing forces on planets by the Terran military. The Naval Infantry attached to Fleet Command does not in fact conduct orbital invasions of other planets, but is instead used for inter-ship boarding actions, counter boarding, and base security.

The seizure of the Wassari home world, as well as ever increasing colonial expansion led to the realisation within the National Council that capturing territory would not be enough. Holding territory would also be required, as well as determining just where the administrative boundaries between the Army and the Navy actually lay. Prior to the outbreak of the First Terran Compact war, Fleet Command made a strong push in the National Assembly to take control of all space mobile soldiers, arguing that orbital operations and invasions should naturally fall under its own purview, and that the Army should function more as a Garrison force to hold the ground after the Navy had moved on to its next target. The lobbying effort succeeded in getting the Assembly to approve such a structure, but the National Council rejected the proposal, fearing that this would give the Navy far too much power and present a potential risk for insurrection. It is bad enough that a rogue admiral could bombard a planet. Worse if he had troops that could capture it outright. Instead the National Council went with a Solomon solution. The Army would handle both ground garrison duties and orbital invasions, but Fleet Command could keep its Naval Infantry for its own uses, and be responsible for the construction and design of the troop transports. The crews of the transports however, would be drawn entirely from the Army.

Today the duties of a Terran Soldier can by myriad, and anything from being assigned to a defensive division on a colony world and functioning largely like a well armed police officer, to being dropped from Orbit by Fleet Command onto some Xenos infested hell world that lacked an atmosphere even breathable by a human.

LIST OF RANKS

DESCRIPTION

Recruit

Basic entry for anyone joining the Army. All higher ranks are conferred on the title during training such as "Recruit Private" or "Recruit Lieutenant". They will be given formal Rank they hold a the end of the training as far to the Captain upon graduating Land Force training.

Private

Lowest grade of soldier available. Often gain unfair reputation as a "punishment rank" despite repeatedly told by the Land Force the contrary, on account of being given worst peacetime jobs or most dangerous wartime mission on regular basis.

Private (Second Rate)

Also known as Seccie, is considered the standard rank for the masses of soldiers. those who held this rank are often seen as exceptional in many way and often trusted to at least do the task they are told to despite holding no formal responsibility

Private (First Rate)

Also known as Firstie, is considered an expert in whatever his task is and will often tasked with supervising other lower ranked privates. as well as given better privileges and accommodation

Corporal

Lowest level of NCO. A Corporal is usually the second in command of a squad, the smallest Land Force formation ranging from 10-20 soldiers

Sergeant

Squad Commander

Staff Sergeant

Squad commander, but considered more competent/senior to a Sergeant. First Rank where an enlisted soldier may appear in Battalion, Brigade or Division staff.

Sergeant First Class

Senior NCO in a Platoon, advisor to the Platoon Commander, or member of a unit staff. May also a senior NCO of a Company

Master Sergeant

Senior NCO in a Company or Battalion. May also appear in Army Group staff

Sergeant Major

Senior NCO in a Brigade, Division or Army Group formation

Lieutenant

Platoon Commander

Captain

Company Commander

Major

Assistant Battalion Commander

Lieutenant Colonel

Battalion Commander

Colonel

Brigade Commander

Brigadier General

Junior Division Commander

Major General

Senior Division Commander. Those held rank above Major General are part of General Staff

Lieutenant General

Either a senior Division or junior Army Group Commander

General

Commander of an Army Group or strategic support unit commander, such as recruit training, R&D, logistic etc.

Marshall of the Land Force Command

Overall Commander of the Land Force Command that doubles as the member of National Council

Fleet Command

Fleet Command, more commonly known among the citizens as FLEET-COM and to foreign power as Terran Navy, is the main interstellar warfare branch of the Armed Forces of Greater Terran Union, alongside its sister branches, the Land Force Command, and Air Command. Much of its military tradition, structure and history could be traced back from the previously seaborne Fleet Command (which today renamed as Maritime Command) and the Space Warfare Branch of the Air Command. It is formed shortly after the first contact with other non-Tyrum alien species as part of a vast military restructuring program in the early 22nd century. The official headquarters of FLEET-COM is located in London on Earth, but the bulk of its administration and command staff are located at the central station of the vast Fleet Shipyards and the planet Arcadia, located in the Sirius System.

Despite having smaller manpower compared to the gargantuan Strategic Ground Command, FLEET-COM are regarded as the most important branch of the Armed Forces simply due to the sheer size of the GTU's interstellar empire (and hence, it's equally large defence requirement). It is such an important aspect of the GTU that many of its High Marshal, such as Qing Huang and Connor Lonergan, are often drawn directly from the FLEET-COM. Nevertheless, Fleet Command are regarded as the single largest and the most capable interstellar navy any individual star-nation could wield in the Milky Way Galaxy, surpassed only by a small margin by the compacts multinational Joint Fleet Command.

Organisation

The core of the FLEET-COM lies on the various components in the operating forces of the Terran Navy. Each components are responsible for their respective area of responsibility across the GTU's territories. However, unlike the more rigid fleet structure and names (such as the typical numbered fleets, i.e: 1st Fleet, 2nd Fleet etc) employed by many galactic naval forces, The FLEET-COM are organised under a series of Numbered Expeditionary Fleets that contain up to ten battlegroup/task force (i.e: Home Fleet's Home world Defence Battlegroup or the 2nd Ex.'s Task Force Rodina), with each formation could field about 5,000 to 13,000 combat starship at a single time. During peacetime, each Commissariats are afforded one Numbered Expeditionary Fleet to be stationed at strategic or major star system within their area of responsibility and will not exceed the number of the Commissariats within the GTU (it has 7 Numbered Expeditionary as in the end of the interstellar War). The number of Numbered Expeditionary however could fluctuate according to the military needs during wartime.

However, there are some irregular formation that are also organised as part of the permanent operational fleet. This could range from the Specialised Warfare Fleets such as the Ryan's Raider and the Ghostbusters, or the recently formed Battlegroup Styx. Excepting the irregular fleets with their own primary mission, the mission of all Terran Navy fleets is the defence of the Sol System and Earth alone. As such any fleet that operates beyond the stellar boundary of Sol is considered on "expedition," thus leading to the caveat in every fleet title of "expeditionary."

Recruitment & Training

All civilians upon reaching 15 who wishes to join Fleet Command must take part in the mandatory national service for about 2-5 years. They started as spaceman second rate upon joining the FLEET-COM, and gained the rank spaceman first rate in about 1-2 years of service in accordance to their performance. During this time period the recruit are exposed with a myriad of combat environments, services, space tactics and so on as a way to evaluate and assign the trainees in which department it excels most. Unlike the Land Force however, the average period for the FLEET-COM term of enlistment are about 7 years (compared to a whopping 12 years minimum for the LFC), making it far more popular option for any citizens to enlist in. To deal with the constant overflow of application, those who are deemed 'unsuited' for FLEET-COM service are more often end up transferred to either Air or Land Force Command (but not the other way around) due to the more pressing need of manpower for both branches.

Like its Land Force and Air counterparts, any participating sailors are permitted to drop out from their service before the end of their mandatory service within any 'justified cause' such as injury beyond repair (physically or psychologically), long-term medical leave, or simply deemed unable to continue training any further. For the latter, this brought heavy risk of being deemed a 'washout' with problems such as social stigma and difficulty in increasing tier citizenship despite the GTU's effort to remedy this problem. However, the GTU's long experience of 'washout dilemma' in the Land Force Command and the greater need of specialised trade compared to its other counterpart meant that a former FLEET-COM drop-out (or those listed for the aforementioned 'cross-service transfer') may be able to reenter training as part of the Reserves Training Program upon request, in which the former drop-out are instead trained as a vital, non-combatant personnel for various tasks such as administration, medical, engineering and logistics. This effort had at last remedied the washout dilemma that Fleet Command suffered to the point that Land Force Command themselves had been enthusiastically adopting this approach as well.

However, this isn't the only means of enlistment that any citizens could apply. Those who are desiring in becoming an officers via fast-track means or those identified with specialised trade instead may take part in the myriads of specialised academies and/or higher education institutions run by the Aerospace Training and Education Command, ranging from officers academy (ex: Chittagong Officers Academy, Earth), state-run university (ex: New Kinabalu Military University, Arcadia), star fighters academy (Marathon Training Centre, Thermopylae Station) or even drawn from fully civilian-run universities depending on the graduates certification via recommendation. (ex: a medical graduate from Harvard may receive recommendation/conscripted to join FLEET-COM Medical Service).

Air Command

Air Command is the third branch of the GTU military, and is responsible for atmospheric warships, orbital defence emplacements on planets, and the great fortress bastions that guard the hyper-lanes. While greatly reduced in size and authority compared to Land Force Command and Fleet Command, Air Commands position as the unit responsible for maintaining the space fortresses and planetary aerospace defence causes it to remain an integral part of the national council and the GTU's government. The Marshall of Air Command maintains the informal title of "Sky Marshall," a nod towards the influences of the 20th Century philosopher and poet Robert Heinlein on the way the GTU came to view the importance of its military and social structure.

Air Command was initially responsible for all space borne operations. It was at the direction of the first Sky Marshall, Saotome Akashi that the Tyrum Warships wrecked in Earth Orbit were studied. Air command would also build Invicta Station, Earths first modern manufacturing and defence battle station which was placed in Solar Orbit. Air Command would produce the first in system defence warships and more importantly, the Hawking Class reconnaissance and research ships. The first hyperspace transit of a Terran ship would be the TUS Hawking, crewed by Air Command airmen and scientists.

Following first Contact with the Algan Republic, Air Command would construct Verdun Fortress and create a secondary defence force for the station that would come to be known as Ryans Raiders. It was at this point that the pirate rebellion spearheaded by a disgraced Air Command officer known as Romulus Chuck would occur. Chuck would seize control of 6 partially completed warships that had been earmarked to fortify the Algan Border and use them to try and launch a coup on Earth. His efforts failed and the Air Command "Home Fleet" would ultimately chase him down and destroy his ships over Alpha Centauri. The incident however happened at an inopportune time as the National Assembly and Council were debating how to redesign the Terran military to deal with the new realities of being an interstellar empire.

As a direct consequence of Chucks actions, Air Command would be stripped of control of the mobile fleet assets, which would instead be assigned to fleet command. Up until this point fleet command had been responsible for largely automated water borne craft, the great armadas of the Great Defensive War having long since been abandoned. The decision to grant them control of the space mobile assets was seen as a grievous humiliation for Air Command, but due to the perfidy of Chucks treason they were in no position to argue the point. Thankfully for their future standing the national council refused to give Fleet Command total control of all space assets. Much for the same reason Land Command maintained control of orbital infantry invasions for fear of giving the Admirals too much power (and thus risking another Romulus Chuck), Air Command was not stripped of its authority over the defence stations. As such Verdun, and later the great fortresses of Thermopylae, Gibraltar and Styx remained under the control of Air Command and the Sky Marshall, along with the massive wings of fighter aircraft assigned to them. Air Command would also be granted command of atmospheric defence aircraft on all colony worlds, and the Planetary Defence Artillery (PDA) placed on each GTU planet, just in case for some reason both Fleet and Land decided to work together for some treasonous goal. The theory being that at least one of the three primary branches should have some form of trump card on the other.

Sword of Terra

The Sword of Terra is a Colossus class super weapon powered by a zero point reaction engine capable of generating (for a brief time) the energy output of a single stellar mass through it's focusing array. The energy of the reactor is focused into a single main weapon, rendering it incapable of ship to ship combat, but given sufficient time its has the capability of unleashing massive energy based attacks on stationary targets, including planets. Research on the development of the Sword of Terra was conducted in orbit of the planet Mictlan, a penal colony used to house the breakaway human traitors, and later the humans who chose to the support the Skiron Interstellar Hierarchy. The vessel itself was constructed at the Sirius fleet naval yards.

Evolution of Ship Design

From the early days of the Space Warfare Branch, much of its design philosophy of its Terran starships and its relevant equipment are mostly spartan and utilitarian in nature that would devoid of anything unnecessary. Unlike the more exploration-minded Algan Republic. And highly aristocratic Vol Hive, its warship would be created solely for fighting, and this mindset are also extended further into its civilian starship building; even its merchant vessels and luxury liners are in some way designed to be armed enough to be able to defend itself.

During the mid 22nd century, its first true space warship are designed to be modular and simple based on a long, rectangular shape that from outside view would look very blocky, ugly and inelegant. The modular nature of its starship design allows each of its section independent from one another, thus allowing easy maintenance, ability to maintain firepower in case of combat damage as well allowing a highly efficient use of resources during the process of shipbuilding. It's early space propulsion are only composed of a single, powerful engine and lacks anti-granitic units to make efficient space and energy use compared to the extremely inefficient ship design used by the Tyrum invaders decades earlier, at the cost of being unable to achieve atmospheric flight should it accidentally wander too deep into any planet's gravity force and thus necessitate the use of space shuttles for supply and crew boarding.

But as the 22nd century reaches its end, the technological leap of the Terran shipbuilding prowess has led to numerous innovation and improvement over humanity's starship technology, and in particular the Fleet Command themselves. For example, the novel multi-nacelles engine technology — long thought to be fuel inefficient compared to the single-engine design — become increasingly practical and economically feasible in line with advancement of the fuel technology that allows ship to consume lower fuel while allowing longer travel range compared to the previous century. This allows starship to descent into the planet's gravitational well and perform atmospheric flight without problem, and subsequently eliminates the need for the often time-consuming and increasingly inefficient use of space shuttle for planet-to-ship boarding.

Furthermore, the aforementioned revolutionary engine technology had also bring numerous subtle changes over humanity's starship. Atmospheric flight of the starship enables the use of anti-gravitic drives (along with its centuries of innovation and refinement) for the first time, allowing the instalment of previously luxurious component economically viable even for military use. The ships overall look, while still retain its utilitarian, modular and pragmatic design, had moved away from its signature blocky features and become more streamlined to necessitate optimal atmospheric and space travel of the warship. Furthermore, advancement of technology allows humanity to progressively design larger and more powerful warship as time marches on, thus provide humanity a definite edge over the development of the fast battleship, carriers and titans far ahead than the rest of the galaxy save the preexisting, waning Fallen Empires - all without sacrificing the resource efficiency on ship construction, manning and maintenance that are the trademark of humanity's culture.

Culture & Society

The Culture of the GTU can at times seem eclectic to outside alien observers and visitors, with numerous languages, religious and philosophical belief systems, and species phenotypes seeming to exist within its borders and carrying the overall title of "human". The most common of these groupings being those that largely survived the Great Defensive War, Mainly the peoples of North America, Nordic and Eastern Europe, central Asia and Africa, India and the Oceanic Islands of the Pacific, though this is by no means comprehensive due to the masses of refugees from South America, East Asia and Southern Europe that swamped into these areas fleeing the devastation wrought by the Tyrum. Mindful of the need to maintain social stability and avoid inter-ethnic strife, the GTU heavily regulates cultural and religious practice.

For example, while freedom of Religion is nominally permitted, all religious beliefs must be vetted by internal security for potential subversive doctrine or beliefs that are contrary to good order and discipline. So it would be more accurate to say that humans are free to believe all religions approved by the GTU rather then their own personal convictions. This is not say their own beliefs could not be approved, but rather need to be approved before they can be practiced openly. As consequence many prominent religious documents such as the Koran, Bible and Vedas have been subject to edit and translation along approved guidelines, while any new religion or denomination of an existing religion that a citizen comes up with is vetted carefully, and often forced to adapt to demanded changes in doctrine before it is approved. Followers of unapproved religions can be subject to sanctions starting with tier reduction and escalating to mandatory reeducation or even execution if all other persuasive measures fail.

Such practices extend into the cultural space as well, where works of art, literature and media are considered integral to the national interest as unifying forces and must in some way serve the interests of the state, either through improvement of morale, patriotism, furtherance of accepted morality or general pacification of the population. Anything that might be construed as denigrating to fellow citizens, political satire or criticism of the State is flatly banned and violators can be subject to harsh penalties. Clever artists however have often found ways around this by depicting aliens and their societies in their work rather then humans. After all, criticising and mocking the Xeno is an excellent method of building pride in humanity and the state. If one of the Xenos depicted happened to act eerily similar to a Marshall or prominent Assemblyman, well, that is just a matter of opinion. Such restrictions on speech and expression are however limited to mass media and entertainment aimed at all tiers of society. Part of the rewards for higher tiers of citizenship is greater permissiveness in political speech, expressions and even access to art and literature. The theory being that by gaining higher tiers, a citizen has shown the necessary qualifications (and loyalty) to know what it is they are talking about, or to understand the context in which certain artistic expressions are made. This has led over time to a level of cultural stratification, where certain forms of art and literature are accessible to citizens of higher tiers while lower tier citizens must content themselves with the standard mass produced fare and books censored of anything that might approach questionable thinking.

The society of the GTU itself is organised upon a pessimistic outlook to the nature of the universe and humanity in general. The GTU being the product of a war that nearly led to the extinction of humanity, will in general assume the worst out of anyones' intentions, be they xeno or their own individual citizens. Collectively humanity is a force for greatness and a towering achievement unparalleled in galactic history. Individual humans on the other hand can be prone to decadence, immorality and rebellion, while until they are pacified any xeno is a potential existential threat to the survival of humanity.

As consequence the GTU draws much more upon the political theory of Hobbes rather than Locke. Instead of trusting in everyone's better nature, it trusts more in the sword of the state to keep everyone in line. Among the great science fiction writers of pre-tyrum Earth, the GTU draws greater inspiration from Heinlein and Herbert rather then Roddenberry. Citizen participation in the functioning of the State is mandatory and human children are raised from an early age to view their responsibilities to the social whole as more important then what they may individually desire. There are many incentives offered for those willing to assume greater responsibility in the betterment of humanity, while those who work against society face every increasing penalties. This is exemplified in the water rationing that limits, among other things, how long a citizen can take a shower. Many aliens are bemused at the practice considering the massive overabundance of water in the Galaxy. To the GTU however, the purpose is to instil personal discipline in the population. Political theorists in the Union caution strongly against the dangers inherent in technologies ability to "do everything and anything" for humanity, turning it into a weak and coddled race too focused on immediate pleasures and an overabundance of luxury. Such post-scarcity economies would, it was feared, render humanity incapable of fending for itself when that technology inevitably fails either due to war or disaster. This mindset was pivotal to the GTU's victory in the First interstellar War. Though the GTU endured massive damage and calamitous losses of life, the population was able to continue to function and fight even as the basics such as food and water became nearly impossible to find and casualties rates spiralled into the billions.

In a large irony to this, this belief in Human strength and ingenuity over technological coddling extends to its government and its enforcers as well. While it is certainly within the GTU's capability to develop functioning AI capable of monitoring every citizens actions instantly, or deducing the courses of action most likely to succeed, such Artificial Intelligence's are illegal and the attempt to even develop them or import them from abroad can result in long imprisonment or execution. The reasoning for this is that should such programs and systems become common place, the Security Services and the Government would eventually become so reliant upon the machines they would give up their ability to the job themselves in favour of the ease of the AI doing it for them. Which would in turn make the Government subordinate to the AI's that now run it. This extends even to programs such as truth detectors for use in court trials, which are almost universally adopted in every other nation in the Galaxy. Their lack forces Judges, Lawyers and Police to rely upon their own efforts to prosecute crimes which in a rather round about way means the legal system of the GTU is often more fair and flexible to those found in more egalitarian societies. Even calculators are prohibited in the education of children, and only allowed upon proven mastery of the concepts behind them. Though in scientific circles it is considered bad form to use them unless its to double check calculations already done without. The only exception to this is secured labs were alien AI's are studied to understand their capability for military application. Namely, for destroying them. The one exception to this rule is the sentient nano-platform dubbed "lady grey," with which the GTU holds an extended contract with and is viewed generally as a treaty of amity with a foreign power due to the intelligence guiding the platform being the core of the mythical grey tempest that devastated the galaxy millions of years ago.

Aegis Dynamics

Aegis Dynamics is a Human spacecraft manufacturer based on Cestulus (Davien II). Because it manufactured a majority of the military ships used by the Greater Terran Union (GT) during the Great Reconstruction Era (2053-2103), the company became synonymous with the Provisional Military of the time. After the end of completion in 2103, Aegis Dynamics faced massive public backlash; losing its military contracts, suffering massive layoffs and internal restructuring. Relegated to producing parts, the company avoided bankruptcy when civilian sales jumped on the redesigned Retaliator bomber. Today, the company is a major manufacturer of both civilian and military crafts.

Anvil Aerospace

Anvil Aerospace is a Human spacecraft manufacturing corporation founded in 2059 that produces both military and civilian crafts. The F 7 Hornet and the F 8 Lightning are among the Anvil spacecraft currently produced for all branches of the Greater Terran Union (GTU) military. Since the foundation of the company, all final designs of spacecraft must be approved by the CEO. It is headquartered on Terra (Earth).

Ballista

The Ballista is a mobile missile platform developed by Anvil Aerospace for the Greater Terran Union military. It was designed for terrestrial anti-air and anti-space operations and is built around a large missile launcher and reloading mechanism. While it is primarily utilised for the military, it is also sold to civilian operators, such as homesteaders and other frontier operators who have cause to defend assets from airstrikes. The Dune-stalker and Snow-blind variants are adapted for use in desert and tundra environments.

F7A Hornet

The F7A Hornet is a single-seat space fighter developed by Anvil Aerospace for the Greater Terran Navy (GTN). It is the Navy's current baseline space superiority fighter and is deployed across the Union aboard all spacecraft carriers. Hornets are used for a variety of missions including combat air patrol, interception, ground attack, reconnaissance in force, escort and strike operations. Anvil also builds a line of civilian Hornet spacecraft adapted from the same frame, the F7C Hornet.

F7C Hornet

The F7C Hornet is a civilian variant of the F7A Hornet space superiority fighter by Anvil Aerospace. Introduced in 2123 after the F7A had a distinguished period of service in the Greater Terran Navy, the F7C was the first ship released by Anvil for civilian use. To keep the ship compliant with GTU military secrecy laws, Anvil replaced 60% of the existing internal hardware systems of the F7A, but made no changes to the frame. Anvil saw a significant spike in sales after the F7C's debut, leading the company to plan further civilian additions to its ship catalog.

F8A Lightning

The F8A Lightning is a next-generation, single-seat, triple-thruster space superiority heavy fighter developed for the Greater Terran Navy (GTN) by Anvil Aerospace. Built as a successor to the F7A Hornet currently utilised by the GTN military, the F 8 was specifically designed as a match for the latest Compact fighters. It is more manoeuvrable and heavily armed than its predecessor. Use of the Lightning is restricted to elite GTN squadrons, though it is expected to see widespread adoption over the next decade.

Jump Point

A jump point is a point in space that marks the opening of a traversable wormhole (jump tunnel) that tunnels through interspace and opens to another location, often a different solar system. In their natural state, jump points are nearly invisible to the naked eye. Their discovery has allowed civilisations to cross vast distances in the universe. Known, stabilised jump points are marked off with large structures and usually patrolled to ensure that they have been legally and safely traversed.

Deep Space Scanning & Astrographical Station

Deep Space Scanning & AstroGraphical Stations (DSSAGS) are dedicated space platforms used by the Greater Terran Union (GTU) government to aid in the search for jump points. These turnkey facilities constantly require a minimal crew who collect data and transmit it to the Terran Cartography Centre, where it is interpreted by scientists trained in reading space for signs of jump tunnels. They are located in most inhabited planetary systems across the GTU.

Buoy

A buoy is an object positioned at a stationary point in space. Buoys are most frequently used to mark specific points of interest in space either to warn spacecraft of a particular danger, like an asteroid field, or to support navigation towards difficult-to-detect spaces like shipping lanes or jump points. Buoys are also used to transmit communications and to provide early warning to military and citizen organisations.

Economy

The economy of the Greater Terran Union is a relatively open, self-sustaining mixed economy. It is the largest economy in the Milky Way and at one-time the fastest growing economy in the galaxy fuelled with many factor which includes, but not limited to; sound fiscal and semi-protectionist policy, abundant resources, well-planned infrastructure, high labor productivity, high industrial output and its status as the major technology innovator of the galaxy. It is notably the only nation that capable in achieving post-scarcity economy (in likes of the Vol Hive, Faraxian Union and the Algan Republic) that deliberately avoids to do so due to cultural and philosophical mindset of the GTU citizenry.

While capitalist features such as private ownership, corporations, stock exchange, etc., are widespread and not restricted (and in some administration, heavily encouraged), the state as a whole still plays a heavy role in guiding economic activities in form of macroeconomic plans and a dualistic flexible economic policies known as Peacetime-Wartime Policies. Such policies are designed to ensure that in the event of war, the economy of the GTU could be readily shifted toward wartime economies without quickly plunging into economic recession and sudden decrease of quality of life like many other star-nations during the time of war, and be readily shifted back to civilian economy in a relatively smooth process the moment hostilities ended.

Despite its large economy (or perhaps, because of it), the GTU is generally self-sufficient; even without the restriction imposed over its homegrown patents and technologies, up to 80% of the GTU's vast resources, consumer and industrial product are often went into it's equally large consumer market or amassed into the nation's already vast reserves meant for the emergency uses such as war, famine and major disasters. This does not meant that the GTU abhor intergalactic trade (as the GTU remain one of the largest export-import economies in the galaxy), but external factors such as continuous war, occasional trade restriction by foreign power as well the general mistrust on the GTU itself prevents it from fully integrating with the galactic market, and the Terran states in particular are often less enthusiastic (with the exception of Trade and Gain Faction) in involving itself with external trade.

Circular Economy

The citizens of the GTU often prided itself for hosting the galaxy's most widespread and efficient circular economy due to its common cultural tendency of efficiency and abhorring wastage. From the smallest household into the the largest mega-industries, these economic gears are mandated to minimise as many waste, leakage and harmful emission as possible. Many of the consumer and industrial products are often known for its long-lasting design and ease-of-maintenance, and the so-called 'Terran standards' become synonymous with environmentally friendly high quality product not to be found in the typically linear economies across the Milky Way Galaxy and historically become the forerunner of the innovative industrial processes such as biomimicry design, cradle-to-cradle design and industrial ecology, one that vigorously emulated by major economic powerhouse such as the Vol Hive.

One of its greatest testament of the Terran circular economy lies on it's extremely profitable recycling industries. Due to the advancement of technologies and industrial process occurred within the borders of GTU, it become entirely possible to break down a highly complex end-product back into the most basic component, be it from the ordinary clothings, complex telecommunication products and even the gargantuan decommissioned starships. Interestingly, Earth itself remains the leading industrial capital of Eco-friendly technologies and recycling industries despite the competition of other major colonies such as Vaikuntha, Rodina and Jormungand, having hosted some of the largest circular economy-based mega-corporations such as Kinabalu Inc., Elya-Harrison Group and the government-linked RENI (Restoration of Earth's Nature Initiative). Other economic initiative meant to foster circular economy includes, but not limited to: special taxes such as pollution tax, nationwide mass recycling program, ten-years tax break for entrepreneur adhering to the Terran standards, as well the development of resource-efficient technologies.

Unsurprisingly, the circular economy were also utilised by the military to a great extend. Fleet Command in particular are well known due to its sheer ability to repurpose its ageing warship to reconstruct a brand new modern fleet, as it is possible to broke down the hull of a starship down to its alloy component, melted and remoulded into a different stronger alloy to construct other starships parts. It is estimated by foreign observer that each newly commissioned starship could have up to 40% of these recycled alloys. In retrospect, Terran Armed Forces could, in theory, produce 35% more military equipment than the other armed services in the galaxy with the same resources.

Tourism & Immigration

While officially a closed society dedicated to the preservation and uplifting of the human species solely, the GTU has been forced over the centuries to come to terms with the fact that its position as one player in a larger galactic stage necessitates certain accommodation. In the the early years of humanities expansion into space cross border movement either by humans or Xenos was flatly prohibited and punishable by the death of any who offended such restrictions. The need to improve relations with alien powers for economic and security purposes became apparent, in particular the Algan Republic. Initially the stated goal of relaxing these border policies was to improve relations with the Faraxian Union and Vole Hive so as to gain access to the Tyrum home world of Byrum, and the promised retribution this offered. In practice it was a result of the National Councils secret determination that the overly hostile and xenophobic policies and beliefs of the GTU were counter-productive and inefficient. The humanity of post invasion Earth was a markedly harder and less optimistic culture then the wild eyed idealists who preceded it, but had not sunk so far as to consider embarking on a galactic cleansing effort like the fanatical Priki-ti-ki.

With the opening of the interstellar borders came interest both in humans and aliens in transgalactic travel. Not just for business and diplomacy, but also for pleasure and personal exploration. This led to hard questions about just what sort of accommodations should be made for any Xeno's seeking to travel to the GTU or any humans seeking to travel beyond it. In the case of any Aliens who chose to enter it was decided that they would be required to register for a Visa at the first port of entry they arrive at, and formalise an itinerary of where they intended to travel and for what purposes. They would also be required to show they had the necessary funds to complete the stated goals and not become itinerant within GTU borders. No particular time limits were set for such visas due to the vast interstellar distances making calculating such things unfeasible, and limitations of the stay would be set solely by the Aliens ability to pay for it. In theory this could mean any Alien visiting the GTU could stay indefinitely, and as there is always need for an able bodied hand (or tentacle) to do some sort of menial labor some often did, updating their itinerary as required by law. Visa applicants were granted a special non-citizen tier capped one level below the midway point of the normal citizenship structure with no ability for upward mobility permitted. The only things that could result in deportation would be violation of any law, running out of funds, or producing offspring. The goals of such restrictions being to discourage long term immigration, the establishment of a permanent alien underclass, and providing the means for speedy removal of any potential drain on human society. These restrictions would also be applied to Aliens living in the Protectorates if they wished to enter the GTU proper (though not the other way around). Diplomats and traders entering the Union on behalf their recognised governments would be granted higher tier level equivalency and greater considerations as dictated by the agreement between the Union and their Nation.

For Humans leaving the Union to travel abroad they do so at their own peril. Formal immigration by humans out of the GTU is illegal. In practice the states enforcers do little to stop it as it is viewed as a useful pressure valve for getting rid of individuals who may become a drain or problem to society with little fuss. Any human who crosses the interstellar boundary is required to submit their own itinerary with the border office with the warning any unnecessary deviation to it will result in tier reduction or imprisonment upon their return. Consequently, Border Guard Officers often function as magistrate judges on top of their official duties as they end up having to listen to every sob story known to man when a citizen returns late or at the wrong border post. They have gained a notorious reputation for being "hard asses". Most humans who cross into Alien territory do in fact stick to their itineraries where possible, and return largely due to the ingrained cultural and moral fidelity most humans share with each other and the Union. This is also aided by the fact that a citizen needs to be of a relatively high tier to be permitted to cross the border in the first place, though there is an illegal smuggling trade for low tier citizens to try and sneak out of the GTU. Those few who do not return are not mourned and largely forgotten as traitors, and woe betide them if they are found on a world subject to invasion by the Terran Military. The most famous example of this was the human population of Skira that was arrested following the subjugation of the Skiro Interstellar Hierarchy by a FLEET-COM intervention force. Those males who survived the battle were shot following mass trials held by Land Force officers, with the women and children imprisoned for life and to the lives of the third generation to follow them on the prison world of Mictlan. The Union also makes no effort to provide for its citizens abroad in the galaxy beyond rudimentary consular services should such embassies be nearby. Travel abroad is stated officially to be done "at your own risk".

The reasons for Humans and Aliens to travel too and from the GTU is varied. Most do so on official business, Apparently the GTU's position as a society that eschews post-scarcity luxury in favour work and resource restriction has earned it a reputation as a place where people who have wish to strengthen themselves go to find their own limitations. Many also wish to visit significant historical locations such as battlefields where their relatives or ancestors perished in one of the numerous conflicts that marked the GTU's expansion across the galactic north.

In the rare instance of a human born outside the GTU, special considerations are established by border guards upon their presentation at the frontier. If they are born to parents on permitted travel they are automatically conferred citizenship. If they were born to illegal travellers, they are considered "unregistered," though their decision to return to the Union is considered commendable. Such persons are assigned to integration facilities where they are taught all they need to know in order to be productive and granted citizenship upon graduation. It not possible to Fail the program, but not passing means indefinite detention until such time as the prospective citizen "gets with the program". As a matter of policy all members of the human species, no matter where they were born or live, are considered citizens or subjects of the Greater Terran Union with the attending legal and ethical obligations and liabilities. Something that has occasionally come as a shock to the few humans who have spent their entire Lives outside the GTU but either through purpose or happenstance find themselves in the hands of Terran authorities.

Universal Translation Sphere V1.0 WIP

The universal Translation Sphere (UTS) is one of the most remarkable pieces of technology ever seen. It consists of a metallic sphere the size of a baseball with a number of smaller spheres the size of golfballs hovering around it. The number of smaller spheres varies depending on the number of individuals that are being translated. These spheres access devices to decrypt languages, it will hover near individuals that are in need of a translation. This seems to happen automatically.

Initial observations seems to suggest that the smaller spheres act as the microphones and speakers, while the bigger one does the translating. Unfortunately, there is as of yet no way of studying the inner workings of the UTS. The sole proprietors of this wondrous piece of technology are Humanity, who currently reside in the Orion arm of Terran Space. Any attempts to obtain a UTS will be blocked by them and would in all likelihood bring the wrath of the Greater Terran Union down upon any Xeno that tries.

The UTS is crucial to the proper functioning of the Greater Terran Union As the name implies it acts as a translation device. However, to call it a mere translation device would be bad or counter productive think of good words tomorrow. Rather than just translate the meaning of words that are spoken, the UTS actually analyses what is spoken as well as the context in which it is spoken. In addition, the Sphere can also pick up on slang, idioms and common sayings and translate them into a cultural equivalent for the listener while still keeping the messages original structure and content. The amount of computing power this would require goes far beyond what is known by any Xeno race and is the ingenuity of Humanity.

Terran Commissariats

The Greater Terran Union is composed of several semi-autonomous interstellar commissariats, and civilian governments overtly blended with the military chain of command. The Interstellar Commissariats are different from the Home world Commissariats of Earth, which are the founding states of the GTU, and are inherently malleable tools for the national government to manage its affairs.

Every commissariat official holds dual civilian and military ranks allowed by their citizenship tier. A commissariat is governed by a Commissar-General, often held by a Marshall, appointed by the High Marshal and approved by the Commissariat's Regional Assembly. Most powers in regional governments are vested in the Commissar-General's Office, with the Regional Assembly channeling the will of popular sentiment, business interests, scientific organisations, and non-governmental organisations.

Commissariats may be created, expanded, reduced, or dissolved by order of the High Marshal, on approval of the National Assembly. By the late 22 century the GTU had a half-dozen or so interstellar commissariats, along with newly acquired territories that would likely later be reformed into new ones.

Some new commissariats were formed from conquered regions of the Milky Way, while others were formed from voluntary annexations of weak galactic powers.

The Core Sector, centred on the Sol System and early GTU colonies are exempt from the Commissariat system, have no self-governance and are ruled directly by the National Council.

Occasionally the GTU would retain conquered regions as Occupation Zones, without formally including them in the Union. These regions were ruled by martial law, and were either a step towards integration as full commissariats, or an end to their occupation and release as Terran Protectorates.

Meaning of the word "Commissariat"

Terran Commissariats should not be confused with other meanings of the word commissariat. The commissariats of the GTU are political/military subdivisions of the GTU, with no almost separation between civil government and the military.

Gateway Network

The Gateway Network refers to the grouping of interstellar "gates" that allow for instantaneous travel from one gate to another, and together encompasses two separate networks. The Primary Gateway Network and the L-Gate Network, with the latter functioning as a means of extra-galactic travel to the L-Cluster.

Science & Mechanics

Both Primary Gates and L-Gates function under a principle of quantum entanglement and gravitic lensing. The gateway uses the pull of a stars gravity well to communicate with other gates through the passage of gravitons in higher dimensions beyond normal Space Time. Once an object passes the event horizon of the gate it is broken up into its basic energy component (the strings, referenced in 20th century "string theory). The energy strands then become entangled with the energy of the destination gate and reassembled on the other side. Primary Gates can be secured by the civilisation that controls them by instituting gravitic filters, blocking access to certain gates in hostile nations. If such a gate is blocked it becomes impossible for the quantum entanglement to occur and any object attempting to travel is simply rematerialised on the far side of the same gate it attempted to pass through.

L-Gates function under much the same principle, however unlike primary gates their gravitic anchor are black holes. While a primary gate is always placed on the periphery of a Stars gravitic field, an L-gate is positioned above the event horizon of a black hole. The subsequent gravitic lensing allows the L-gate to reach much farther then a primary gate, mainly, to the Terminal Egress gate in the Styx System, an extra-galactic star located several galactic radii from the Milky Way near the Magellanic Cloud. All L-Gates are locked to the Terminal Egress. The GTU has not yet been able to fully understand how they are able to harness the intense gravity of the Black Hole, but it is generally assumed the intensity is what makes it impossible for the gate to connect to other L-Gates within the Milky Way Galaxy itself. It is also impossible to install gravitic filtering on the L-Gates, meaning they can be traversed by anyone.

The intense gravity and energy around an active gateway also makes them impossible to destroy by known methods. The centre of the gate itself is in essence a micro-singularity. Any weapon shot at a gate is simply bent around it harmlessly or travels through it to elsewhere. This led to much consternation in the First and Second Galactic Wars, as hostile forces routinely used captured gateways to expand their footholds into GTU and Allied territories, and retreating defenders, not for lack of trying, were unable to destroy them.

The Gates themselves are powered by a Zero Point Reactor, which while possessing an efficiency approaching the mythological perpetual reactive power generation, is still ultimately bound by the universal laws of thermodynamics. While there is no physical way to damage a gate once it is activated (or even to interact with the mechanisms powering it), eventually its onboard reactor will expend its energies. While GTU scientists have expended great effort in attempting to figure out when such an event may occur, the inherent "chaos" that governs the behaviour of matter at the subatomic realm prevents them from determining any definitive time frame, with most estimates ranging from a a few thousand years, to more than a million years. What is known however is that Gates do eventually expend their power and become "derelict," as the GTU came across several deactivated gates that had clearly been placed by some ancient race. A race that was no longer around to swap out the expended reactor with a new one and restore the gate the functionality.

Rodina System

Volga is a continental planet in the Rodina System with varied climates in the Outer Rim of the Milky Way, terraformed, colonised and governed by the Greater Terran Union. Rodina System also has many mining stations, and is located at the approximate centre of the Aurora Commissariat, and contains a Terran built Gateway. Volga is the capital of the Aurora Commissariat. Volga is a major manufacturing and research centre, and one of the most populated planets in the GTU.

Discovery

Originally designated Scorpio-UTX2372 when it was first discovered in 2023, the system was of intermittent interest for the next century and one of several dozen sites selected as a destination for the Al Idriss Probes launched in 2071 by the European Federation. Following the declaration of the Greater Terran Union and the establishment of the first extrasolar colonies, the Scorpio star system was again the subject of rising interest. Automated drones and later manned research vessels surveyed the Scorpio system throughout the first few decades of the 23rd century, but its planets were not suited for large scale colonisation. Instead, humanity's presence in the system was limited to various mining and research stations.

The largest permanent settlement was the Arctic Warfare Training Centre established in 2271 and located on Scorpio 3. By the mid 2300s, various geoengineering technologies had made planet-wide terraforming economically viable. Eager to strengthen its position in the Outer Rim, the GTU embarked on an enormous colonisation campaign across the whole of the sector. Terra-forming the arctic deserts of Scorpio 3 would require a higher initial investment than other candidates across the Outer Rim, but the tremendous potential of the world could not be ignored. In 2343 the Terra-forming process began. Within a decade, the planet had been transformed into a world of enormous, sprawling grasslands, great oceans and majestic glaciers. Roughly one and a half times the size of Earth, it would take another decade for the planet's climate, tectonics and magnetosphere to be fully assessed, but the world was eventually approved for colorisation.

The Eurasian Commissariat had won the bid to colonise the world during the intervening years and shortly after the planet had been approved, the first pioneers and basic infrastructure had been put into place. The first civilian colony ships carrying roughly 100,000 people arrived just 8 months later. High Marshal Qing Huang herself was present at the colony's dedication, signing the orders which renamed the world of Scorpio III to Volga, and the system, Rodina. That same year, it was named the capital of the newly established Aurora Commissariat. What was once considered a backwater territory was now a core region of the Greater Terran Union.

Economy & Criminal Activity

Today, Rodina is widely known as the jewel of the Outer Rim, a centre of industry, finance, research, and culture. Food grown in the system is exported to a dozen other colonies in the region, alongside various chemical exports, industrial machinery, electronics, and hundreds of classes of civilian starships produced in its shipyards. The majority of the system's 34 billion people resides on Volga, and the enormous skyscrapers of Novaya Moskva, its capital city, have become an iconic image across the entire Union. Universities both in Novaya Moskva and other major cities across the planet have developed an impressive reputation, while its local cuisine, especially Volga grown beef, has been prized and imitated even on Earth itself. There is seemingly no industry or field where Volga and the Rodina System do not excel. But the immense wealth of Rodina has brought with it a sophisticated criminal element.

Corruption uncovered within the system's raw material industries, while subsequently eliminated, remains a notable blight on the system's reputation. Dozens of illegal settlements and anchorages are uncovered within Rodina each year, particularly around the system's outer planets and moons. Many of these were constructed by various criminal syndicates and piracy groups and there is little doubt that many more, perhaps hundreds, lay undiscovered and still operating across the system. Despite such difficulties, the Rodina system remains, above all, an enduring symbol of Terran resilience and power. It is proof that even a frigid wasteland, when confronted with the determination of humanity, can be transformed into a verdant paradise, a world worthy of the Greater Terran Union.