The Intersystem Alliance is one of the oldest interstellar superpowers in existence. Comprised of humanity’s homeworld - Earth - and some of the earliest colonies in the galaxy, the Intersystem Alliance – colloquially the ‘Alliance’ – is an evolution, both spiritually and physically, of the United Nations. Spanning hundreds of star systems and 65 habitable worlds, the Alliance enjoys one of the strongest economies in the galaxy paired with a high standard of living. The recent political climate has reduced the size of its once venerable armed forces, but it still stands as one of the most powerful militaries in the galaxy.
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Etymology
The term “intersystem” was first used to describe a form of government in 2188 during the consolidation and restructuring of the earth governments and the outer colonies in the Sol system. While some criticized the use of the term as a misnomer, suggesting “intrasystem” would have been more correct, the use of the word was intentional. At the same time the new United Nations charter was being developed, 2nd United Nations council was consolidating financial support for the newly established Human Continuity Project with the goal of establishing an extrasolar colony in the early 23rd century. With the specter of an interstellar human community, the United Nations’ 3rd charter established a framework for the beginning of humanity’s political expansion into the stars and the eventual formation of the Intersystem Alliance.
Cartography
Comprised of some of the oldest colonies in explored space, the Alliance has an incredibly complex cultural diversity with ties to almost every nation and group from old Earth. In most cases, the core world – the world at the heart of the region – dominates the cultural landscape of the sector. With the migration of people and goods in a region originating front these planets, they often become melting pots of numerous cultures dominated by the cultural background of the worlds’ founders. Regional governors head these areas within the Alliance and are treated ‘protectorates’ within the Alliance charter. As of the 3300s, there are 15 protectorates each with a distinct and unique history.
Core Worlds
The Core Worlds are the heart of the Alliance and home to the oldest colonies in human history. Dominated by Earth, the Core Worlds lack the specific cultural influences of other regions by nature of the fact that Earth, as the Termini of the area, provides a variety of influences from the diverse cultures still present on humanity’s homeworld.
The Core Worlds also benefit from a denser population and more ‘creature comforts’ than some of the younger colonies. Massive public transit infrastructure makes travel across the planets and in between them commonplace, and an extremely high standard of living – fueled mostly by inequalities in some of the newer Alliance member worlds – leave some bitterness in other regions. Additionally, core worlds tend to have an even longer life expectancy than the national average, paid for by private medical industries which push the frontier of life-extending treatments.
Earth - Sol System
The origin of human life in the universe, Earth is the capital of the Intersystem Alliance and one of the most densly populated worlds in the galaxy. With vast open biomes that have been restored following the climate crisis and the climate wars, Earth's landscape is dominated by centralized mega cities including the capital of Europa, the North American city of Cascaida, the megacity Kampala-Nairobi, and Greater Singapore.
Mars - Sol System
Once the barren and lifeless planet so much of humanity had dreamed of reaching to, Mars has become a bustling and modern world terraformed into a low gravity, hospitable planet. With mild summers and moderate winters, Martians enjoy a climate that moderate climate along their equator while the northern reaches tend to have a dense polar region.
Proxima - Centauri System
Proxima is the oldest extrasolar colony established by humanity and one of the other major political powerhouses in the Intersystem Alliance. Somewhat sidelined in economic significance after the discovery of the Sol Termini, Proxima has maintained its position as an interstellar "silicon valley" and is home to Armstrong Aeronautics, Caysing Computers, and Renaud Corporation's Biotech firm.
Atrius - Atria System
Settled shortly after the establishment of the Centauri colony, Atrius is a brutal world in sheep clothing. While extremely beautiful and lush, the soil on the planet is laced with heavy metals making food grown on the planet poisonous unless treated. This has shaped Atrius and the Atrians who call it home, with vast agriculture regions established in filtered and protected soil on the planet or in large orbiting O'Neil cylinders. Its agrarian roots continue to shape Atrius, and its foodstuffs and mineral-dense products - once properly treated - are highly sought after.
Atarashie Protectorate
Governed by the high gravity (1.3G) world of Atarashie in the Gliese 581 system, the protectorate was the second region to join the Alliance. With Atarashie proper as well as a handful of metal heavy star systems, the protectorate stands as one of the most powerful industrial centers in the galaxy. Citizens of the protectorate enjoy an extremely high quality of life.
Atarashie - Gliese 1061d
The target of a massive interstellar colony project early in the development of the Human Continuity Project, Atarashie - Japanese for "New Home" - was a colonial effort headed by the JAXA (Japan Space Agency) and Chinese National Space Agency (CNSA) with the blessings of the two governments. The capital city, Tǒngyī sits nestled along the idyllic shorelines of the Tǒngyī Sea. The city has evolved into a modern "interstellar silicon valley" with major players including Armstrong Cybernetics, Caysing Computing, and Xaoiwei Electronics all maintaining headquarters on the planet.
Koriakuma - Gliese 1061c
Accurately named for the Japanese meaning "Ice Demon", Koriakuma lies deeper in system than Atarashie. Tidally locked, the planet's two sides are extrema like every other tidally locked world. Starward, the vast water world is covered in a churning, heated sea. Approaching the terminator the temperatures begin to cool and the churning sea meets the frozen shell of the night side. Here, a swath of habitability hosts floating cities and outposts built along the ice sheet. Fishing is the major export of the planet with the prize - the Komahiki or Kraken - is a massive serpent-like water creature with maw nestled inside a cluster of tentacles. Growing on average to 200m, their hollowed bones are used by a number of companies to make Koriakuma Sake with Kurāken brand the most popular on Atarashie.
Eridani Gulf
The Eridani Gulf stands opposite of the Aritashie protectorate relative to Sol. An antithesis to the high technology worlds of the Protectorate, the Gulf is known for its industrial and agricultural efforts. From the garden worlds of Teegarden to the Industrial powerhouse that is Eridani Prime, the Gulf is at the heart of the Alliance economy.
Eridani Prime - Delta Eridani
Eridani Prime is a powerhouse. At 1.02G, its slightly heavier gravity relative to its small radius is owed to its very large metal content. Veins of iron and titanium among other metals make a web of resources throughout the thick crust of the planet and a quartet of moons host a similar metal-dense composition adding to the industry concentrated in the planet's orbit. The capital of Rana sits on the equator of Delta Eridani, nestled around dozens of space elevators feeding the massive shipyards of Renaud Corporation. Everything from warships to cargo ships are forged in orbit of Eridani Prime. Planetside, massive forges and 3D printer yards churn out high-grade components for use throughout the Alliance; while the moons of the system are in various states of strip mining.
Teegarden Prime - Teegarden System
The irony of the Teegarden system hosting two garden worlds is not lost on the natives of one of humanity's oldest colonies. Of the two, Teegarden Prime hosts a world with a radius of 1.2x that of Earth but with a surface gravity of 0.9G. This low gravity is thanks to a metal deficit which in turn caters to a nutrient-rich soil made possible by a biocompatible native ecosystem. Cities such as New Columbia and Maderston host large populations consolidated into archologies and vertical cityscapes. Sprawling farms feed not just the natives but huge swaths of the Alliance giving Teegarden Prime and its sister world - Beta Teegarden - the nickname "Breadbaskets of the Core."
Beta Teegarden - Teegarden System
Where Teegarden Prime borders on a tropically warm climate throughout vast portions of its surface, Beta Teegarden - Colloquially referred to as "Bee Tee" - hosts a temperate climate home to a vast grain and vegetable crop spread across the planet. Large ice caps dominate the northern and southern hemispheres with huge mountain ranges that stretch for miles - products of the tidal forces from its atypical moon that orbits perpendicular to the stellar ecliptic. The northern mountains are known for large, native game animals including the Hexastag and the predatory Golem.
Trappist Reach
A abnormality in the whole of human civilization to date, the Trappist system is home to two naturally habitable worlds and one terraformed worlds. Hosting an expansive population, the Trappist system is an economic powerhouse among the Alliance and a centerpiece in both shipbuilding and industry. Trappist Reach itself hosts two other systems - both resource dense if absent other colonial targets. However, these resource rich worlds paired with the population rich Trappist system has solidified the region as the Alliance's industrial core.
Trappist Prime - Trappist System
Trappist Prime - formally trappist Trappist-1e - is as near an analogue of Earth found naturally among the stars. With a surface gravity of 0.98g and and a radius of 0.95e, the planet is extremely similar to the cradle of humanity. A colder surface temperature leaves much of the planet in the temperature climate, it lacked thicker flora until the introduction and rapid expansion of Terran evergreen trees which thrived under the dim, red light of the parent star. These plants have evolved an even darker color on Trappist Prime, giving them an almost black color leaf lending to the Blackwood Tree and Blackwood forests monikers given to Trappist Prime flora. Outside of the expansive forests, Trappist Prime is famous as the "billion lake" world. With over a billion lakes of various size dotting the planets landscape - and no significant ocean absent the few large lakes sometimes referred to as seas - the planet hosts a large outdoorsy population that enjoy the harsh northern climates famous for their dim days but exceptional nights.
Adriatica - Trappist System
Surge Worlds
The Surge Worlds are the products of humanity’s second wave of expansion. Following the launch of numerous colonization efforts to earth’s galactic north between 2205 and 2230, the Eden Array was aligned to the galactic south and began its search for habitable worlds. From there, humanity launched dozens of colonization efforts to the region that would become known as the Surge Worlds.
At the heart of the Surge Worlds is the planet Acheron. A tortured world, the tidal forces of its two suns – Icarus and Hades – tear at the planet creating a magma scarred world with brutal volcanic activity. Cities clump in the few stable areas along the planet’s polar regions while the magma fields are mined relentlessly for their heavy metal prizes. Other worlds in the region such as Rampart and Hyperion live in the shadow of the Uruk Wastes(1) where the Alliance Navy’s strong presence there helps defend against possible incursions by raiders and pirates.
The surge worlds are known for creating some of the heartiest people in the galaxy. Heavy worlds produce stocky, barrel-chested inhabitants that are hard workers. Massive industrial regions feed nearby regions such as The Presidio and the Paragon Expanse, and the Surge worlds host one of the largest civilian shipbuilding industries in the galaxy, even with many foreign companies holding slips, offices, and infrastructure in the region.
Note 1: The Uruk Wastes were once a teeming Republic before a brutal civil war tore the nation apart and turned most of its worlds into lawless bodies ruled by warlords, pirate kings, and smugglers willing to make a pretty penny in the tense atmosphere that has developed between the Intersystem Alliance and the Coalition.
Elysium Reaches
The Elysium Reaches were the third and last of the original Human Continuity Project colonization efforts. By 2380, colonial efforts in what later be known as the Surge Words, the Citadel, and the Nihonedo Protectorate were well underway. The next focus of the Eden Array was to the galactic east. There it found particularly rich in garden worlds. Places like Elysium and Shangri-La would become paradises in the Alliances, but the colonization effort needed funding. With so much money and resources poured into what would become Nihonedo and Citadel, the United Nations government found it difficult to find backers for this new region. After courting dozens of corporations and nations, colonization efforts started under backing by Renaud Corporation in conjunction with the Argentinian, African, and South Pacific governments.
The first of the original colonial efforts, Elysium sits at the heart of a vital termini starting point and the end of the FTL transit lane connecting Earth with the eastern edge of the Alliance. Home to the Alliance 3rd Fleet, Elysium is heavily militarized. Elysium’s topography is dominated by Titanerest on its central belt island chain, a behemoth of peak twice the size of Olympus Mons on Mars that been turned into a heavily fortified underground base for the Alliance 3rd Fleet Command and the Office of Naval Intelligence. The nearby city of Presidium boasts luxury beaches and destination resorts along Presidio Bay.
Other worlds in the region like Castilla and Nieu Morocco offer vastly different but equally desirable vacation locations making the Elysium Reaches a popular tourist destination even for non-Alliance citizens. However, the ‘Paradise Worlds’ as they are sometimes known live in the shadow of the growing threat from the People’s Coalition to the galactic south.
Sunderland Veil
The Sunderland Veil is the home of the constitutional monarchy, the Kingdom of Sunderland. Situated to the galactic east, Sunderland dominates the Alliance’s eastern reaches and stands as one of the most powerful regions in the Alliance as a whole. A recent addition to the Alliance, Sunderland had a long, proud history of independence with an equally long history of cooperation with the Alliance. Their official integration into the Alliance in 2803 represented a major power shift in the region only shortly after the discovery of the Sunderland long-jump termini that had recently provided a direct link to the Alliance.
History
Main Article – History of the Intersystem Alliance
The Intersystem Alliance is one of the oldest and largest of the star nations in the known galaxy. Containing some of the first human settlements – including Earth itself – its history is integral to the history of humanity and many of the other star nations. Some nations – such as the Threshold – are directly linked to the Alliance. Other nations have been a bitter enemy since the end of the Astrum Diaspora period ended. Meanwhile, the inner workings of the Alliance have seen dark times and great triumphs as the nation evolved into its current form.
Government
Main Article – Government of the Intersystem Alliance
The government of the Intersystem Alliance is a congressional democratic republic made up of three distinct branches – the Executive Branch, the Judiciary Branch, and the Legislative Branch – which derive their powers from the Federal Charter of the Alliance. The Alliance’s central government on Earth governs 286 systems with habitable worlds, 12,315 major orbital installations, thousands of uninhabited star systems, and numerous territories. With the seat of government in New Geneva, Earth, the government is sometimes referred to by the metonym “Geneva.”
Military
Four main branches comprise the military of the Intersystem Alliance, otherwise known as the Intersystem Alliance Armed Forces (IAAF). The Intersystem Alliance Navy (IAN), the Intersystem Alliance Army (IAA), the Intersystem Alliance Marine Corps (IAMC), and the Intersystem Alliance System Guard (IASG). The Army, Navy, and Marines operate under the cognizance of the Minister of Defense. The System Guard operates under the jurisdiction of the regional governors and vice presidents as well as Minister of Security. All branches have a clear responsibility, per the Alliance Charter, to serve “under the direction of the President in the common defense of the citizens of all Alliance member states.”
Intersystem Alliance Navy
The Intersystem Alliance Navy (IAN) is the space warfare branch of the IAAF and is the farthest-reaching of any military branch in the galaxy. It is notable from the other branches of the IAAF in that it employs starships capable of Faster Than Light travel to complete missions that may be far away from Alliance planets, even in foreign territory as necessary. This is in contrast to the System Guard, which may use starships for the purpose of territorial defense. The IAN has established itself as the main branch of the IAAF, and orchestrates many administrative functions not conducted by other branches.
Main Article – Intersystem Alliance Navy
Intersystem Alliance Marine Corps
The Intersystem Alliance Marine Corps (IAMC) operates in tandem with both the Intersystem Alliance Army and the Intersystem Alliance Navy, acting as both a spacefaring infantry fighting force and a beachhead-forming planetary fighting force. As shock troopers, the IAMC are considered one of the most effective military branches in the galaxy, though not operating many spaceships of their own they often rely upon the IAN.
Main Article – Intersystem Alliance Marine Corps
Intersystem Alliance Army
The Intersystem Alliance Army (IAA) is the main planetary fighting force of the IAAF. Unlike the IAMC, the IAA is geared to conduct combat operations solely on planets and large moons but is more capable of extended warfare.
Main Article – Intersystem Alliance Army
Intersystem Alliance System Guard
The Intersystem Alliance System Guard (IASG) is a collection of planetary and system-defense forces, analogous to old National Guards, and rarely requires extended deployments to combat zones. System Guards are responsible for the operation of planetary defensive warships as well as ground un
Main Article – Intersystem Alliance System Guard
Culture
The Alliance’s culture is as diverse as the nations and corporations that backed the early colonization efforts across the various regions. From the corporate world of Atarashie to the stubbornly backward world of Sunderland, it is impossible to identify a particular cultural beat to the Alliance other than the pursuit of wealth and power among the more ambitious of the colonies. Many of these cultures stem from the wide variety of original Earth cultures, though nearly every single planet has developed its own unique mix of cultures or new practices entirely stemming from their experiences. No small number of these cultural changes are due to original colonist extended life onboard colony ships in the early days of the Astrum Diaspora; from this time comes a heavier reliance upon foods like mana to supplant culturally significant foods like rice and wheat. While many traditions stem from the early days upon colony ships, which were some of the longest voyages mankind ever undertook and were relatively low-tech compared to the voyages of other nations’ origins, these voyages being so far chronologically ahead of the others allowed for more cultural shifting.
Alliance culture is bounded by capitalism, however. Planets within the nation are prevented from achieving cultures of notable totalitarian or tribal status by the laws that govern the Alliance, though some peoples do choose to live closer to a tribal lifestyle of their own accord. Alliance culture is particularly connected with the rest of the galaxy thanks to open communication, trade, and borders, a wealth of technology, and little censorship. This fuels diversity throughout the regions on the Alliance and the government encourages a “One Humanity” mindset to prevent racial strife.