Valkus: Yes Schoolmaster
Blaze1992: Indeed always some Karma
OMAC001: Hope you do : )
Guest: Indeed about the size of a Mass Effect Dreadnought. A little smaller. I'm retconning some of the ship sizes, but a heavy cruiser still has a massive crew complement of about 12 thousand. Mainly because of their much larger internal volume. The Kursk class has a crew of 171 and is about 220 meters long. This is 11 more crew than the Typhoon class Boomer, which is actually slightly more massive.
SSV Belgrade, Systems Alliance Space Vessel, CSG-75
There it was. The bombshell that had been dropped, and the look on the face of the Captain was one of shock followed quickly by a hint of something Han'Gerrel couldn't place. He opened his mouth to speak, closed it again, and then opened it. Like a fish brought out of water. "But…. Surely they can't just let an entire species wander the stars alone, did they not try to recapture Rannoch? The geth would have been weak and a counterattack might have-".
"They declared the veil an exclusion zone and doubled patrols, but not much else. Their economy was undergoing a minor recession. The Republics provided 40% of all agricultural products for Dextro species, as well as having a manufacturing industry as large as the Salarians, not to mention the impact of 23 Billion deaths".
John forced the lump developing in his throat down. "So…. What happened to make you flee them? It's been 300 years".
The quarians eyes narrowed, and John almost took a step back. "They infiltrated our flotilla, killed our people, and destroyed several of our ships. We had discovered an asteroid rich in element zero, the Batarians, they're another species, attempted to take some, and ended up getting their arses handed to them by the Heavy Fleet when they committed unspeakable crimes on the miners. We knew the Batarians would never speak anything but lies to the council, so we stripped the asteroid, then fled known space. The Turians sent a patrol fleet to secure the asteroid, that patrol fleet fired on us, and we fled, losing thousands in the process. We had already recalled the pilgrims by this point, sending them back to the fleet, and we've completely left all of known space behind searching for a home".
John folded his arms, "The Pilgrims?"
"Yah… The fleet doesn't produce enough raw resources to get by, nor can it manufacture new ships for habitation, defense or other purposes. So when a quarian reaches 18, they are sent on the rite of passage known as the Pilgrimage. They return only when they find something of value. A ship, new technologies or intelligence, resources. Then they can join the fleet proper as the crew of a starship".
He nodded, gaining a basic understanding. But there was still one matter that he had yet to breach. "Admiral Gerrel. Can you explain exactly how this… fleet manages? What form of governance do you use?"
He nodded, pressing several buttons on his wrist. Without warning, a golden beam of light appeared, that quickly fabricated a screen and keypad, and John flinched, "My god… What is that???"
Gerrel paused. "An Omnitool. They're personal computers that pretty much everyone has across the galaxy. This is a fairly old Logic-Pro Mk 4".
"Fascinating. And they're completely weightless when they produce the screen?"
"Indeed. They use element zero flash-fabricators to produce a small holoscreen and physical keyboard, before de-fabricating them. They're not as powerful as a datapad, but the element zero makes them far more efficient than your typical physical SSD computer system". John made a mental note to deliver that explanation to the engineers when the fleet group arrived. Being able to produce a screen on your wrist was a major advantage, especially for combat where you could include things like cracking programs. Or even flash-fabricate combat assets.
"The Migrant Fleet is the formal name for our people. 50,000 faster-than-light capable starships, some as large as mobile platforms, some the size of patrol shuttles. But all serving the duty of the Quarian people. The government is technically still under martial law, with ship captains individually having sway on-board their ships, however each ship elects 1 representative to serve on the conclave, which contains a representative from every ship in the fleet. The conclave is our main legislative and governing body, although they can be overridden by the Admiralty board".
He took a breath, "The five admirals who serve on the board are each a representative from a fleet. First is the Special Projects fleet, they handle scientific and engineering development, as well as refits and salvaging efforts. They're the smallest, only about 800 ships, with Admiral Xen currently presiding. Then there's the patrol fleet. They're like peacetime militia, with exploration, mining, exploitation and diplomacy covered. They have about 1200 ships under their jurisdiction, and they're lead by Admiral Raan. Then there's the Heavy fleet, my own formation, the heavy fleet is almost 5000 strong, and is our main military force. Our main strength is in attack frigates, cruisers and wolfpacks. Finally, the Civilian fleet under t- Admiral Koris. They're the largest fleet, and are all the other ships that aren't specifically responsible for defense or exploration".
The arrangement made sense. Under that organization the fleet was under civilian governance, but if military needs dictated a change was needed, they could adapt quickly, but…. "Admiral that was only 4 Admirals. There's a fifth you didn't mention?"
He nodded, "Indeed. Admiral Zorah. He's considered the over-all de-facto head of the Migrant fleet. He heads the executive, and is effectively our head of state. Similar to the Primarch of Palevan. Generally the four senior admirals elect someone from their own ranks to the role of Fleet Admiral. And the conclave ratifies their choice. Then someone replaces them as head of a fleet. Zorah was formally head of Heavy fleet before I took my position".
Good. The quarians where decisive when needed then. The alliance was notorious for its overcomplicated bureaucracy, with six different elections for every citizen, depending on work and location. But the Alliance also could overrule many of the lower down legislatures and elected positions in times of difficulty. Like during wars or insurrection. The main legislative assembly was the Alliance Parliament, but they could be overruled in colonial affairs by the Commissariat for Colonial Development, they could also be overruled in military or economic affairs if the Trade Union Congress or the Military Affairs Commission determined them as incapable. The only thing they couldn't be overruled in where judiciary affairs, and legislative matters. Though the First Minister of the Alliance did have a power to force-pass laws in times of strife, such action would result in an immediate election.
The six major political parties of the federation (And dozens of minor ones) where mostly represented, and much of the complaints against the system tended to come from the more… problematic parties. By far the worst offender was Terra-Firma, which consistently screamed about the fact that as far as political parties went, all of their old ally parties like Humanity First, the Alliance Nationalist Party and NLMER had been barred from serving. The crackdown on these parties had come following the insurrections breakout. All three parties had come out in support of the insurrectionists, claiming that the Alliance should consider diplomacy, but the Alliance had refused, and after they had begun to stage protests interfering with the war effort, the parties had their legitimacy revoked, and leadership was blacklisted from holding elected office. The other six main factions of the party had all been pretty unanimous in their agreement, even the Modernists!
"So Admiral. I'm still awaiting the arrival of a diplomatic convoy. I can't officially sanction any formal diplomatic relations…. However… I do have permission to allow you access to this system. Now… Under Dictat-382, all alien artefacts must be rendered inert for formal study, and as such, I must ask that if you choose to take us up on our offer, we close the relay behind you… In essence I can offer you shelter in this system, provided you agree to deactivation of the…. Mass relay?"
Gerrel looked to one of the marines, nodding. "That is acceptable. I might ask that I immediately take my leave to inform the Fleet of this development. Would you object to our inspection of the asteroid field for materials?"
He nodded, "This system is unclaimed and under active exploration, thus we have no power, I see no issue with allowing you to exploit materials. The arrival of the diplomats is expected for about 3 days".
Gerrel thought for a few moments. "Understood. I'll send a communication to the Flotilla immediately. Admiral Zorah will be representing us, and the fleet is about 12 hours out. In the meantime I'd ask if you could withdraw minimum safe distance from the flotilla when it arrives".
"No problem. I'll arrange for Admiral Shepard to withdraw the fleet to a safe distance near the star. I look forward to meeting the Admiralty board in-person"
"A pleasure to meet you Captain, I look forward to exchanging diplomatic overtures. And allow me personally to welcome you to the galactic community"
Arcturus Station, First Minister Aleksandra Bukharin
Hundreds of light years away, at the proverbial centre of human-held space, was the crown jewel of the Alliance. As humanity had begun to venture tentatively outside of its home system, and had realized the sheer distance of space, a decision had been made that the city of Nairobi was no longer an acceptable legislative capital of the Alliance. Its position central to earth was good to run a planet, but not to run an interstellar nation. As such the Alliance authorities had assembled a provisional committee to determine where to move the primary capital to. The result was simple. Don't just move it, build a new one.
The Result was Arcturus Station, which saw at effectively the economic and military centre of human controlled space. It was a gargantuan construct, a mighty Supreme Parliament chamber at the heart stretching into the central chambers, which housed millions of people. Then the four wings of the construct each held the ministries responsible for human affairs and the innumerable docks, hangars and construction bays. These bays allowed the overwhelming majority of Alliance trade activities to be logged through the station, and the station itself was headquarters of both the Fast Reaction Fleet (Admiral Kastanie Drescher commanding) and the Fifth Fleet (Admiral Kirill Kutznetsov commanding). As well as a dozen hunter-killer groups.
The Alliance was as bureaucratic as it was stable, and right now the Humanists and Modernists tended to bounce leadership back and forth. As with the relative status-quo of expansion, no-one wanted to be the one to put a halt on colonial expansion. The new colonies had brought untold prosperity to the Alliance, and the steady population growth of the colonies was being maintained by careful industrial and economic expansion. The Alliance authorities already provided an excellent quality of life, and while there were occasional rumbles about the centrally planned nature of the Alliance, no human went hungry, no child went without education, no colonial went cold, and no colony defenceless. The human alliance made and used different amenities according to their needs, and had long since burnt out the cancerous and parasitic greed of corporatism and oligarchism. Indicated by the fact that corporations where not permitted any business in Alliance space unless strict organizational criteria where met (Including offering Union membership, and the recent rise in workplace democracy). There were also several levels of ownership. For example, vital amenities like housing, food, water and clothing manufacturing, as well as almost all heavy industrial sectors where strictly regulated and controlled by the central authority. Only consumer goods and non-vital products where permitted to private sale and ownership.
The First Minister, was present sat in her office. A reasonably comfortable metal and wood room, with a warm holographic fire to one end, and several vidscreens and simulated viewports upon the dying star of Arcturus. A Red giant in its final stages of life. Most recently the boring repetitious nature of the Alliance had made itself known. It had been almost 40 years since the Insurrection, and the anniversary celebrations where well ahead of planning and in preparation stages, with there being a planned week long holiday where 95% of the Alliance would effectively shut down. The remainder being a small minority who'd agreed to work in exchange for extra days the next week.
Her fingers reached for the medallion around her neck, containing the activation keys for the Alliance' secret antimatter weapons. A heavy burden that so far was effectively useless. Through the window, distant flashes from the star could be seen, likely solar flares and radiation bursts that where harmless at this distance. From behind her, several hardy knocks echoed out, and she had scarcely moved her hand to see who it was, before opening the door.
"First Minister".
"Minister. Do you ever go home?".
"Hardly. Running a nation the size of this doesn't make allowances for personal time".
"You are aware that you have a Vice Minister for a reason. You can take a small break in preparation for the ceremonies next week".
Minister for National Security Jack Harper was a difficult man to convince. A born and raised Vanguardist, his appointment to the Humanist had been based on the fact that the three previous governments had praised his efficiency, loyalty, and capabilities in running the internal and external security wing of the party. "I do, and Eva is wonderful, but the forces of reactionary extremism don't take holidays".
"I'm fairly certain they do. Celebrating some murderer or slaver from old earth I would imagine".
She turned and fixed him with a look. "Minister Do you have something to bring to my attention".
"Oh not much First Minister. Just the biggest revolution in human philosophy and society since the Great Revolution". Her eyes widened slightly. "Right harper I've never known you to be so dramatic. Have you been hiding some sort of sarcastic streak from the First Minister of the Alliance?".
He shook his head, dead serious as he pushed over a folder. "Not at all First Minister. And I am not overstating the situation at all. Approximately 12 hours and 31 minutes ago, the SSV Belgrade and CSG-75 made formal first contact with a foreign alien government known colloquially as the Quarian Migrant Fleet".
She was suddenly completely awake and skimming through the folder, sending an order for a strong cup of coffee, she figured she might well need it. "You mean that Spring Protocol has gone into effect. Has the Parliament been assembled?"
"All reps are being pulled to Arcturus post-haste. Ambassador Goyle has been sent with a diplomatic team on-board SSV Thunder Child, CSG-51. Governor-General Williams has mobilized his defences in case of hostilities, but from Rear Admiral Shepard's initial report, she has carried out a Stirling first contact. All protocols followed, made good progress with cultural understanding, and even managed to gain some basic language matrixes".
"Remind me to organize her a 'Hero of the Humanist Alliance' award. That's not an easy thing to do. What's currently happening".
"Captain John Grissom is continuing negotiations, and has breached the subject of how we deal with the alien artefact they reported the aliens using. We believe it's some sort of hyper-light transportation device, and have noted several alarming potential matches to the density in several planetoids. One in Shanxi, one in Benning. At least three of the planetoids in Arcturus here are exhibiting the same behaviour. Being large icy bodies with odd densities. Even in Sol, where-".
"Sol? Which planet?"
"Charon, Pluto's moon"
She swore, "How the hell did we Miss Alien artefacts this damn close to our nation. Why weren't these found years ago".
"Luck, the dormant artefacts exhibit no energy unless deliberately stimulated by a specific frequency, and seem to require the strange fuelstuffs the aliens use. Additionally these planetoids had been classed as rocky planets with thick frozen oceans. We had no idea that their density was as a result of fluctuating energy fields".
She passed the folder back. "I want censuses done on every planetoid that has potential for this kind of activity, I want to know how many of these things we missed. Assemble the Council of Ministers, mobilize the fleets and enforce a communications blackout on any contact to Shanxi. We need to keep the news contained before the Council decides how we inform our people of the news".
Harper nodded, before getting up silently and leaving with the careful organization and sophistication of a Bastillard.
One hell of a premiership.
Codex: The Supreme Parliament of the Alliance
Founded in 2087 as the planet was undergoing the Third World War (See Also: Human Unification War, the Great Revolutionary War), the Supreme Parliament of the Alliance was the spiritual successor to the failed United Nations. It consists of almost 600 Parliamentary representatives elected proportionally from every single citizen and national of the Alliance. At present the population of the Alliance has boomed to 39 Billion, and discussions are ongoing on whether to boost the total number of representatives to 800. As such the Supreme Palace of the Alliance on Arcturus is undergoing refits and reconstruction to fit the new representatives.
The Supreme Parliament is a legislative body that allows social, economic and military laws to be passed into active usage. Its position as the highest directly-democratic representative body in the Alliance gives it a unique position, and as such it has strict entry requirements to ensure that populists and reactionaries cannot get into candidacy. For starters, all candidates running must be approved by two of three different organizations, either the Trade Union Congress, the Colonial Governorship or Council, or at least 3 of the five largest factions of the Alliance. Generally the easiest way for this is to join a political faction already approved.
The current arrangement of the Supreme Parliament of the Alliance is as such:
Voter Turnout:
72.9% of eligible voters picked formal parties
27% of eligible voters did not register or vote
1.2 Million Spoilt ballots (Ballots where individuals did not vote for recognized party, or defaced)
Major Parties
Humanists – 141 Seats (Revolutionary wing)
Bastillards – 132 Seats (Vanguard wing)
Modernists – 109 Seats (Technocratic wing)
Novembrists – 84 Seats (TUC Empowerment)
The Trinity Group – 72 Seats (Market wing)
Minor Parties
Vigilo Confido – 41 Seats (Civilian War-Time Vanguardists)
The Military Democratic Council – 11 Seats (Stratocratic Military Vanguardism)
Terra-Firma – 1 Seat (Centrist Humanity First party)
Social Humanists – 15 Seats (Social Liberalists movement)
Anarchists Party – 3 Seat (Anarchists party)
Colonial Independence League – 2 Seats (Extreme decentralization party)
Parties Banned
National Movement for Liberalization (Banned for supporting the Insurrectionists, former member of the 'White Sun Coalition')
Human Imperial Association (Banned due to fascist inspirations and anti-Semitism, former member of the 'White Sun Coalition')
National Supremacy Association (Banned due to anti-imperialist and anti-fascist legislation, supported the Insurrectionists)
Internationalists Party (Banned due to anti-imperialist legislation)
Humanity-First (Banned due to xeno-relational and anti-alien racist remarks, prior to the Insurrection, former member of the 'White Sun Coalition')
Note, any party in support of the White Sun Coalition Movement is immediately blacklisted from serving in any electoral or governing position, and under Article 5 of the Treaty of Benning, will be faced with the full might of the alliance military. Same goes for foreign nationals that support any member of the White Sun Coalition. This reminder is to non-affiliated visitors that both the White Sun Coalition, and the Insurrectionist movement are non-recognized terrorist organizations, and that under Charter 4 of the Citadel Accords, you surrender any right to diplomatic immunity for holding anti-alliance rhetoric if you choose to support them.