The Ionian League (/aɪˈoʊniən/), also known as the League of Ionian States or simply as Ionia, is a federal parliamentary republic supported by numerous states and organisations allied under the Ionian Parliament. Ionia is one of, and the largest of, several Ionian states. The Ionian League itself lies galactic north-east of the Intersystem Alliance, south of the Empire of Gaennaan and east of the Empyrean See. It is the second-largest state in the Periphery of the Eastward Rim, and is the eighth-largest state in the known galaxy.
The government of the Ionian League can be split into three subsequent branches; executive, legislative and judicial. The first is the Ionian Chancellorship, elected from the pool of parliamentary delegates once every five years. The Chancellor of the Ionian League acts as the head of state and head of government, advised by their cabinet of selected ministers. The second is the bicameral Ionian Parliament split into upper and lower houses; the Core Council and the Systems Council. The last is the Ministry of High Justice, which administers courts throughout Ionia as well as maintaining Ionian law throughout the league's member states. The Ionians have only just begun growing into a large interstellar economic and military power, despite standing along the median in terms of age. As of the turn of the 35th century the Ionian League incorporate 48 full members and a number of observing allies.
While remembered by those beyond Ionia as a violent, fractious and warlike people, the Ionian League are gradually earning recognition for their shrewd diplomats, talented writers, skilled artists and masterful architects.
Table of Contents
Etymology
The Ionian League is named for the eponymous region within which it inhabits; firstly the Ionian Caldera, secondly the extent of greater Ionia which stretches from the dust banks of the Ihala Spiral in the west, to the uncharted reaches of the Breadth in the east. The origins of the name itself has been hotly debated by Ionian scholars and historians for the greater extent of the Ionian League's life span.
Sharing a name with two regions on Old Earth, the Ionian Sea and the ancient region of Ionia on the western coast of the Anatolian peninsula. The prevailing theory of the modern era is that the name is derived from the original Greek and Turkish settlers of the Ionia Cluster, naming the region of space either after the sea surrounding western Greece, or the ancient region of Ionia in western Anatolia.
Cartography
The Ionian League lies galactic north-east of the Intersystem Alliance and galactic east of the Empyrean See, sharing a region of space with the Empire of Gaennaan, Thaedonian Federation and the Covenant of Edom colloquially known as the Eastward Rim. Ionian territory, of which is officially recognized by the extra-solar community, consists of over 48 settled worlds, spread across a distance of roughly 40 to 80 light years.
Prior to the rise of the Ionian League in 3031, the Ionians were a fractured and fractious people. Numerous petty states governed small areas of localized space. Yet over a span of four centuries the Ionian League has consolidated over forty eight Ionian colonies across four sectors. They now stand as one of the largest Star Nations in the Known Galaxy. The ethnic origins of the Ionian people remain a topic of debate. Due to the length of time between the first settlement of Ionia, estimated to be during the height of the Astrum Diaspora in the 25th Century CE, as well as a number of ethnic migrations during the early Polemic Period, tracing ethnic origins have been difficult. However, it is generally believed that the first Ionian colonists were made up of Italians, Sardinians, Sicilians, Croatians, Albanians, Macedonians, Greeks, Turks, Cyprians and Lebanese.
The nature of Ionia’s colonization led to the rise of numerous different planetary ethnic groups and national identities. Within the greater Ionia, rare is it for one to refer to themselves as Ionian. As a result, the Ionian League has become rich with ethnic and cultural divergence between its member states and citizens. The mingling of ethnic ties between neighboring star nations have only exacerbated this over the past centuries, as extra-solar travel has become cheaper and affordable, and historic incidents such as the Strife in the Gaennid Empire and the Empyrean Crusades, saw large scale migration of ethnic peoples from one sphere to another.
Ionian Caldera
Located at the heart of the Eastward Rim, the Ionian Caldera, sometimes referred to as the Ionia Cluster of the Ionia Sector, is the heartland of the Ionian League. The Ionian Caldera stretches roughly 20 lightyears in diameter, and can be split into a number of distinct regions and sub-regions. The Caldera borders the Empyrean See to the west, separated by the film of dense nebua, asteroid fields and other astral debris of the Ihalan Spiral, acting as the Caldera's westward border as it curves from north to south. The Empire of Gaennaan borders the Caldera to its north, and the Covenant of Edom to its south. Located at the Caldera's metaphorical heart is the Anaxia System, within which sits the seat of Ionian government; the glittering world of Foslara.
Older than the venerable Empire of Gaennaan, and the Edomite covenant, the Ionian Caldera has seen continuous human habitation for nearly a thousand years. Numerous petty kingdoms and system states have risen and fallen within the guarded Caldera; the remnants of their vaunted civilizations still dot the regions astrotopograhy.
As of the 25th century, the Ionian Caldera has become synonymous with scientific and technological advancement, and is home to some of the most prestigious institutions of higher learning within the Eastward Rim. Due to its position at the heart of Ionian artificial intelligence design and construction, computer technology, cybernetic medicine, energy, shipbuilding, and defense industries, the worlds of the Ionian Caldera enjoy a high standard of living, and a well-maintained extra-solar infrastructure. Such wealth has brought the citizens of the Ionia Caldera wide-reaching, affordable planetary and interstellar public transportation.
Gulf of Aspisi
Nestled between the dust banks of the Ihalan Spiral to the south-west, the Glittering Hinterlands in the east, and the Gaennid Empire to the north, the Gulf of Aspisi has been a melting pot of Ionian and Gaennid cultures for centuries. Either through reciprocated trade, or by the very action that has earned the region its name, the Gulf has been molded by its history. In centuries past it was once the borderlands between the Ionian states and the expansionist Empire of Gaennaan, who's footprint can still be found on a number of southerly colonies.
Since its incorporation into the Ionian League during the Expansionist Period, the Gulf of Aspisi has fared better than its compatriots in the Ionian Caldera and Halesus Expanse, too far away to be effected by the Great Ionian War. It became a hub of refugee activity during the expansive conflict, with refugees from across Ionia fleeting to the Gulf to escape the ever escalating conflict.
Halasus Expanse
Located beyond the safety granted by the Caldera's dense wall of nebula, the Halasus Expanse has been a frontier for numerous different peoples from the Eastward Rim; Ionian explorers and settles able the circumnavigate the Aegelian Wall, Edomite extremists and explorers, and in later years the warrior houses of the Kingdom of Ithaseia. The Halasus Expanse carry's the fruits of its turbulent adolescence well into the 35th Century. Though a region staunchly held by the Ionian League since the conclusion of the Great Ionian War in 3345, a scattering of independent enclaves, predominantly of Edomite majority, continue to thrive in among the sea of Ionian colony worlds. These tiny enclaves of Edomite worshipers are protected under a combined treaty signed in the waning years of the Great Ionian War, following Halasus' liberation.
Numerous conflicts have been fought over the right to rule the Expanse. The earliest known was the crusades of Ostius the Great in the 28th century. In the span of a forty year long campaign, the great king conquered his way across the Halasus Expanse and into the uncharted reaches of the Aegyan Gap. Following his death at the Battle of Kategion, his star spanning empire collapsed into itself, leading to centuries of infighting among Ionian petty kingdoms and stellar leagues, as well as conflicts with its expansionist neighbour of the Edomite Covenant. The last great conflict to wash over the region was during the height of the Ionian Wars period, during the Great Ionian War. Occupied by the Kingdom of Ithaseia after a number of bloody campaigns, the region would not know peace until its liberation in 3344.
As of the 35th century, the Halasus Expanse has become a cultural mixing pot of Edomite, Ionian and Ithaseian cultures, housing some of the most advance biotechnical scientific institutions in the Ionian League and spear heading its advancement in biotech.
Aegyan Gap
Straddling the shoreline of the uncharted expanse of space known as the Breadth, the Aegyan Gap has acted as the heartland of the Ithaseian Ionians for over four hundred years. Once an isolated region of space, cut off from larger extra-solar affairs, the region became the cradle for Ionian refugees fleeing the fires of the Ionian Spring in the early 3000's. As such, the Aegyan Gap has modeled itself in the image of old Ionia, before the rise of the Ionian League and the republics that form its internal bedrock.
Numbering seven inhabited planets, the Ithaseian heartland has become a shadow of its former self. Twenty years of civil conflict following the cessation of hostilities between the now defunct Kingdom of Ithaseia and the Ionian League have ravaged the regions extra-solar infrastructure, and crippled its economic backbone.
Since the rise of the Aeglian Regime in the mid 3410's, the Ithasiean Republic, and as a result the Aegyan Gap, have known a semblance of true peace, steadily becoming one of the strongest political entities within the Ionian League outside of its core of the Ionian Caldera.
History
Velian Period
Coming after the turbulent years of the Ionian Spring and the Crisis of the 31st Century, the Velian Period was a golden age for Ionia, ushered in by Endre Velis and the Conference of the Core in 3031 and the discovery of the Anaxian Termini. A period of growth and renewal for the nascent, war battered states of the Ionian Caldera, the Velian Period saw the rise of Anaxian economic and political hegemony over the Ionian Caldera, using its control of the Anaxian Termini as a means to inflate its influence over the surrounding systems.
Reformation Period
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Expansionist Period
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Ionian Wars
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Peace of Arsithos
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Government
The government of the Ionian League is a bicameral representative parliament, constructed of elected delegates of the League's member worlds, centred around its nucleus of the Ionian Parliament. The parliament is seated in the Chamber of the Ionian Parliament located in the White Tower of Idithos on Foslara. During the selection process of a delegate, certain criteria must be met before one can be allocated the position.
The position of Chancellor, the Ionian League's head of state and head of government, belongs to the person most likely to command the confidence of Parliament; this individual is typically the leader of the political party that either holds the largest number of seats in that chamber, or commands the confidence of the chamber. The Chancellor chooses a cabinet, which is traditionally drawn from members of the Chancellor's own party or coalition. Executive power is exercised by the Chancellor and cabinet. Elections are called when the Chancellor so advises. Prior to the Fixed-term Act, the Parliament Acts required that a new election must be called no later than five years after the previous general election.
The Ionian Parliament is split into two houses; upper and lower. The upper house of the Ionian Parliament is the Core Council, which is comprised of the elected delegates from the core worlds for the Ionian Caldera, some of the longest standing members of the League. Its lower counterpart is the Systems Council, which is comprised of the elected delegates of the Ionian colonies beyond the Aegalian Breach, from the three colonial regions of the Ionian League. Both of these houses in tandem form the legislative heart of the Ionian Government.
Membership in the Ionian League
The Ionian League is a democratic confederation based upon the principles of the Constitutional Declaration of Ionia and in accord with the ideals and purposes of the Declaration of the Ionian League. Primary (voting) membership is available to any independent sovereign political entity representing one or more unified planetary populations, or to other recognized and definable territories. Membership follows an application process (during which the candidate member reviews the Constitution and other governing statutes and agrees to abide by them) and an assessment process (during which the candidate member’s annual support contribution is determined). Worlds applying to join the Ionian League submit Articles of Membership, while worlds wishing to leave the Ionian League did by submitting Articles of Withdrawal.
Once an Article of Membership has been submitted, the submitter must first pass the Idithos Criteria. These require a stable democracy that respects the rule of law, a functioning market economy and the acceptance of the obligations of membership, including Ionian law. Evaluation of a country’s fulfillment of the criteria is the responsibility of the Ionian Parliament.
Member States
Through successive enlargements, the Ionian League has grown from the four Core Founders to the current 48. Nations accede to the league by becoming party to the founding constitutions, charters, and treaties, thereby subjecting themselves to the privileges and obligations of Ionian League membership. This entails a partial delegation of sovereignty to the institutions in return for representation within those institutions.
To become a member of the Ionian League a nation must first pass the Idithos Criteria, defined at the 3351 meetings of the Ionian Parliament in Idithos. These require a stable democracy that respects the rule of law, a functioning market economy and the acceptance of the obligations of membership, including Ionian law. Evaluation of a country's fulfillment of the criteria is the responsibility of the Ionian Parliament.
Executive Branch
The executive branch of the Ionian Government has its power vested into the Chancellor of the Ionian League who is elected by a majority vote via an election of Parliament by its representatives. The powers of the Chancellor are often delegated to members of the Ionian Cabinet, a close council of senior ministers serving in an advisory role for the elected Chancellor, and who assist in the overall authority of major Ionian programs and initiatives.
Chancellor of the Ionian League
The Chancellor of the Ionian League is the Head of State and the Head of Government. They have the ultimate authority over short-term actions involving the Unified Ionian Military as well as approval authority of the budget and by nature of their position sets the political goals for the government. The Chancellor also has the authority to approve legislation, veto that legislation, sign treaties, and proposed budget. The Chancellor serves for eight years with a two consecutive term limit. The authority of the Chancellorship and the governance of the Ionian Parliament is made possible by the series of Ansible Networks and Netcourier lines that cross the entire Ionian League.
Cabinet of the Ionian League
The Cabinet of the Ionian League is the collective decision-making body of Government of the Ionian League, composed of the Chancellor and cabinet ministers, the most senior of the government ministers. Cabinet ministers are selected primarily from the members of Ionian Parliament by the Chancellor. Cabinet ministers are heads of government departments. The collective coordinating function of the Cabinet is reinforced by the statutory position that all members jointly hold the same office and can exercise the same powers.
Legislative Branch
The Legislative Branch of the Ionian government is a duel house bicameral system with the responsibility of deliberating on, establish, and maintaining law and other day to day running of the greater Ionian League. This cognisance includes the development of the bi-annual budget, the approval of extended military action, the deceleration of war (at the proposal of the Chancellor), the nomination and confirmation of High Court Justices, and the establishment and maintenance of governmental committees continually evaluating issues of “governmental importance” (i.e. Committee of Refugees, the Parliament Security Committee, the Tower Guard Committee, etc.).
Ionian Parliament
The Ionian Parliament makes up the entirety of the bicameral legislative branch of the Ionian League. Comprised of elected Delegates from the member worlds of the Ionian League. These officials are responsible for passing Ionian laws, edicts and ordinances as well as consent to treaties, propose treaties and may veto or overturn laws, edicts or policies set forth by the Chancellor and their Cabinet. Each world may not supply more than one Delegate to the Ionian Parliament. Delegates are elected every six years from among the 48 member worlds of the Ionian League, and can serve up to three six year terms before they are no long permitted to retain the position of office. In an instance where a Parliamentary vote is a tie, it falls to the First Speaker of Parliament to break said tie.
Sessions of Parliament are held within the Grand Convocation Chamber of the White Tower of Idithos every three standard months each standard year. Sessions of Parliament are overseen and mediated by the First Speakers of Parliament, the individual elected from the delegates of parliament. The First Speaker remains strictly non-partisan, and renounces all affiliation with his or her former political party when taking office as well as when leaving the office. Aside from duties relating to presiding over Parliament, the First Speaker also performs administrative and procedural functions, and remains a constituency Delegate.
Judicial Branch
The judicial branch of the Ionian government is the preliminary authority on law and the interpretation of the law within the greater Ionian League. At various levels, Justicars hear and rule on cases as required, preside over cases ruled upon by a jury of the accused’s peers. The branch is layered based on authority and hierarchy of that authority.
Broken down to its lowest level, the judicial branch of the Ionian League consists of the quasi-autonomous state tribunals of the League's member states, charged with meting out local law and laws set by the Ionian Parliament. These courts hear cases specific to a planet or star system and brought to the courts attention either by petition of the planet’s government or by criminal/illegal activity in violation of Ionian law. The second level is Regional Tribunals, which are the ruling judicial body for one of the four sectors in the Ionian League. These courts here cases appealed at their level and sometimes preside over high profile cases considered beyond the scope of the local state courts. These include cases that include multiple star systems or cases which include citizens from outside the sector (and thus outside of local law). The third tier is made up of the High Tribunal. The High Tribunals are part of the central government and preside over cases appealed from lower courts or cases of a complex nature that include multiple sectors, citizens from other sectors, or non-Ionian citizens.
The highest tier of the Ionian court system is the Supreme Tribunal. Presided over by Ten grand justicars – including one acting as the Grand Court Moderator – the court oversees cases of a significant nature to have an effect on the entire Ionian League. Additionally, they provide interpretation of the Ionian charter and provide rulings on the nature of specific elements or wording in the charter should questions arise.
Government Ministerial Departments
Cabinet Office
Ministry of Defense
Ministry of High Justice
Ministry of Internal Affairs
Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Ministry of Commerce
Department of the Treasury
Office of the Leader of the Core Council
Office of the Leader of the Systems Council
Ionian Law & Enforcement
Law and order within the Ionian League is dictated by the founding constitutions, charters and treaties of the Ionian League, the Peripherian League as well as limited Intersec involvement. By the nature of the Ionian League, law and order are broken down into three levels; local, regional and national. Local law is left in the hands of the Ionian member states, utilising their own local police forces to meet out justice and ensure Ionian law is being followed. Local law enforcement usually works closely with the Ministry of the Interior and its established League-wide police network. Regional and national law enforcement is handled by the Ionian Security Bureau, a sub-branch of the Interior Ministry. Working in much the same way was their distant Intersec cousins, the ISB maintains a number of outposts and facilities across the League either planet-side or in orbit which monitor regional levels of crime, as well as harbour their own peace keeping forces. During peace times the Unified Ionian Military works closely with the Interior Ministry, patrolling vital trade routes and star systems across the League.
The Ionian justice system is broken down into a very similar system. Tribunals are divided between planetary, regional and national levels. Few cases ever find themselves in the regional tribunals, let alone the supreme tribunal. Tribunal cases tend to be handled planet side by the offended member state. The only cases ever to be taken to the Supreme Tribunal are those of the utmost severity, be it treason against the state or genocide. The last time the Supreme Tribunal was used was after the Great Ionian War, during the trials of 225 Pagatharan and Ithaseian officers charged with war crimes.
Human & Android Rights
The Ionian League maintains a liberal stance on human rights within its territories, however, the rights and privileges of android and synthetic life have been a topic of hot debate for the past century. Since the Great Android Revolt in 3115, the Ionian League has maintained strict control over synthetic and android life within the wider Ionian League, using Androids and AI as quasi-slaves. Yet since the end of the Great Ionian War the political scene of the Ionian League has shifted. With it being well over three centuries ago since the Great Android Revolt, a number of minor factions within the Ionian Parliament have for the past two decades lobbied for a referendum to change Ionian law concerning synthetic life; three referenda have been held, one in 3386, another in 3398 and the most recent in 3416, each ending in a political deadlock.
Military
The Unified Ionian Military is the combined arms of the Ionian League under the command of the Ministry of Defense and is composed of a volunteer force made up of individuals from across the Ionia. There are only two uniform branches within the Unified Ionian Military; the Unified Ionian Navy and the Unified Ionian Army. Within both of these branches of the Unified Military are specialized branches such as the Ionian Star Fighter Corps and the Ionian Naval Infantry Corps.
Compared to the Combined Arms of Imperial Gaennaan, the Unified Ionian Military is a centralized military body that remains present throughout the Ionian League during peacetime and times of war. It operates Ordinance/Regional Depots throughout Ionian space and consistently conducts anti-piracy, anti-terrorism and anti-smuggling operations during times of peace.
The Unified Ionian Military can trace its history as far back as the Ionian Military Coalition; a loose coalition of the former independent system fleets of the Ionian member states. After the Emergency Military Act of 3340 and the Maheras and Desykian reforms of the post-war Ionian League, the Ionian Military Coalition was consolidated into the Unified Ionian Military with its two branches; the Unified Navy and Unified Army. As of the 35th century, it operates four full sector fleets, each consisting of hundreds of warships, transports, and support vessels, divided into battle fleets, battle groups and task forces, in addition to ground troop divisions. The Unified Ionian Military has seen action inside the Ionian League and far abroad as part of peacekeeping operations in conjunction with the Peripherian League.
Unified Ionian Navy
The Unified Ionian Navy, also known as the Ionian Navy or the Ionian Star Fleet, is the maritime branch of the Unified Ionian Military. The Ionian Navy is the first line of defense against aggressors both foreign or domestic, operating under the jurisdiction of the Admiralty Department, and is maintained financially by the Annual Defense Budget. The Ionian Navy’s primary peacetime duties place it in a role to defend the Ionian citizenry and property against piracy, smuggling, and other activities of an illegal nature.
The modern Ionian Navy didn’t come to formal fruition until after the Great Ionian War. Before then the Ionian League relied upon the Common Navy's of its member states for defence and the idea of a unified navy was simply an idea held by militarists and centralists within the Ionian Parliament. After the Rape of Milenion in 3336, the Ionian League was forced into conflict with the Dominion of Pagathar and Kingdom of Ithaseia. The short fall of the IMC and the Siege of Folsara in 3340 saw the need for a unified, centralised armed forces. Thus, the unified navy and army was created following the Military Creation Act of 3336. The Unified Ionian Navy would go on to grow larger and more powerful under the guiding hand of Grand Admiral Diokles Maheras, so much so that by the turn of the 34th century the Unified Ionian Navy was among the most powerful navies in the Eastward Rim.
Unified Ionian Army
The Unified Ionian Army is the terrestrial branch of the Ionian Military, and is the second line of defence against aggressors both domestic and foreign. The Unified Ionian Army is the second-largest branch of the Unified Ionian Military. Though it may be small, the Ionian Army makes up for it in its professionalism and lock-step discipline. The Unified Ionian Army is made up of individuals between the ages of 17 to 21. The Unified Ionian Army operates under the jurisdiction of the Army Council. During peacetime, the Unified Ionian Army is responsible for operating and maintaining planet-based instillation, often working alongside local law enforcement to combat smuggling and piracy.
Ionian Auxiliary Command
The Ionian Auxiliary Command is the Unified Ionian Military organisation charged with the administration, operation and organisation of the Ionian League's auxiliary forces comprised primarily of the Common Military's of the Dependencies. Over the 79 years since the enactment of the Emergency Military Creation Act in 3340 the Ionian League has been consolidating the multiple common military's of the Dependencies into the centralized Unified Ionian Army, however the process of forming a completely centralize military does not happen overnight. The Ionian Auxiliary Command acts as a bridge between the central Ionian military force and these military forces on the fringe of Ionian space. The primary role of the Ionian auxiliary forces is to augment already existing Ionian combat units in the field with more specialised troops, as well as to clog up holes in the Ionian League's portion of the larger Warden Line.
Relations
As dictated by the Ionian Constitution the official purpose of the Ionian League is to maintain peace between the Ionian states, protect the League’s collective interests domestic and abroad, and allow the Ionian people to thrive throughout territories old and new.
Foreign relations within the Ionian League is handled by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is the ministry responsible for handling the Ionian League's external relations and diplomatic efforts, including the maintenance of its diplomatic missions across the Known Galaxy. It maintains hundreds of major and minor embassies across the Known Galaxy, most notably in the Gaennid Empire, Intersystem Alliance, Meritocracy of the Threshold and the Covenant of Edom.
Peripherian League
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Empire of Gaennaan
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Covenant of Edom
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Valais Imperium
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Major Powers
Intersytems Alliance
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Meritocracy of the Threshold
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Holy Dominion of the Empyrean See
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People's Coalition
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Minor Powers
Grand Archonate of Sadar
Bound by a shared culture and shared history, the Grand Archonate of Sadar shares a special relationship with the Ionian League. For centuries the Grand Archonate has sat on the junction of several major trans-Periphery jump routs, turning a power small in the scale of territory and population into one powerful in wealth and political influence. The Mareona Treaty of 3361, signed between the Ionian League and the Grand Archonate cemented the peace between the two nations that had already lasted over a century since the Sadarii Gulf War of the 32nd century. The treaty gave the Ionian League free movement of trade goods and peoples in and out of the borders of the Grand Archonate in exchange for political and military support.
Economy
Since the Reformation Period the economic policy of the Ionian League centres around the distribution of licenses and permits given out to the private sector to harvest the natural resources and use the trade routes of the Ionian Cluster. In return, private corporations and industries pay tithe to the Ionian League. The Termini links located across Ionia make up a significant part of the Ionian Trade Corridor, and play a major role in the stability of the Ionian League's economy.
The nature of the Termini themselves allow goods to be transported from one location to another much faster than standard jump routes. In essence, it is the spine of the Ionian League, enabling the interstellar government to trade with larger powers across the known galaxy, and within its own territories at a fraction of the time. The Peripherian League also plays a major part in the economy of not just the Ionian League but the entire Eastward Rim; facilitating trade between it's five main members: The Empire of Gaennaan, the Covenant of Edom, the Ionian League, the Valais Imperium and the Thaedonian Federation.
Before the Ionian Wars, the economy of the Ionian League was a shadow of what it is in the 35th century. Following the Crisis of the 32nd Century that ended the Velian Period, the economy of the region suffered heavily as a result, never to truly recover until the aftermath of the Great Ionian War. The establishment of a stable war-economy was one of the key pillars upon which the Ionian League constructed its post-war economy. The establishment of the Ionian military-industrial complex during the war also benefited the Ionian League post-war, with the swift establishment of corporations and companies dedicated to the construction of weapons, starships, naval technology and more. These goods could then be sold abroad.
Not only did the Great Ionian War unite the Ionian Caldera, but it unlocked the hidden economic potential of the Ionian League, bringing them to the forefront of the Eastward Rim's economic and political stage.
Currency & Banking
The standard currency within the Ionian League is the Ionian Credit Standard, abbreviated "ICS". Ionian credit chips come in the shape of a small metal coin, with different imagery upon both surfaces, similar to the ancient coinage of Earth. The Ionian League's centralized bank is that of the Bank of Anaxia, the original central bank for the Anaxian League prior to the establishment of the Ionian League in 3031, which is responsible for issuing currency. Banks across the Ionian League's member states retain the right to issue their own coinage, subject to retaining enough Anaxian coinage in reserve to cover the issue. The ICS is also used as a reserve currency by other governments and institutions and is the second-largest in the Eastward Rim after the Gaennai Saanid.
Interstellar Trade
Interstellar trade is the lifeblood of any star nation, and the Ionian League are no exception. Overseen by the Ministry of Commerce and administered by the Bureau of Extra-Solar Commerce, these two government branches touch everything that comes and goes to, from and through. The Ministry of Commerce also keeps a registry of every charted ship within the Ionian Merchant Navy; vessels registered under the Ionian League for protection and compensation in the case that their goods or vessel(s) are damaged or lost in the scenario of pirate attacks or natural disasters, in return for a tithe as well as conscripted service into the Unified Ionian Navy during times of crisis.
If it were not for the Jump Routes and Termini Corridors that criss-cross the Ionian League, and by extension the Known Galaxy, the Ionian economy would grind to a halt, wither and die. In order to maintain a delicate sense of control over the Ionian shipping lanes, the Ionian Maritime Security Office was established to act as the Ionian League's maritime police. The IMSO is tasked with ensuring the shipping lanes throughout the Ionian League maintain open and free of piracy and smuggling. IMSO checkpoints are common place in numerous star-systems, where purposely established interdiction fields are established to forcefully bring starships out of FTL in order to be searched and checked before entering Ionian space proper.
The Ionian League's main source of income comes from its private sector - the numerous corporations and mega-corporations that operate out of the Ionian League - corporate entities that provide goods with which the League can export.
Husbandry & Starship Manufacturing
Since the end of the Great Ionian War in 3345, Starship husbandry and manufacturing have become some of the largest industries in the greater Ionian League. The sweeping reaches of Ionia's sphere of influence mean that starships are vital to the ebb and flow of social order and economic industry. Due to its location at the crossroads between hundreds of Jump Routes across the Eastward Rim and an integral part of the Ionian Trade Corridor, Ionian shipbuilders and husbandrymen are considered among the best in existence, reviling the likes of the Meritocracy of the Threshold, the Intersystem Alliance and the Empire of Gaennaan, and with it's bountiful resources, the Ionian League has managed to build a lucrative shipbuilding industry.
The design of Ionian starships differs from sector to sector. However, the warships of the Unified Ionian Navy bare stark contrast to the sleek cruise liners of the civil sector, or the Tritires of Ionian antiquity; their design is pragmatic and industrial, favouring a neomilitaristic pragmatism. Two of the largest corporations at the helm of the industry as of 35th century are Ptelea NavTec and Hydar Fleet Systems.
Fabrication & Manufacturing
Of all the industries in the Ionian League, no other are more lucrative than materials fabrication and arms manufacturing. Long owing their continued existence to the arms manufacturers of the Ionian Caldera, Ionian fabrication and manufacturing pre-dates the Ionian League to the days of the Polemic Period, where the use of archaic forms of combat saw the rise of advance melee weapons and the legendary Ihalan Battleplate. Today the fabrication and manufacturing industries of the Ionian League focus largely on vehicles, computers and components, cybernetics, prefabricated buildings (PREFAB), and more. As for arms manufacturing, the sudden rise in hostilities across the Known Galaxy has seen a marked increase in the demand for military-grade equipment from missiles, particle lasers, and kinetics ranging from man-portable to ship-board use, not only for the Unified Ionian Military, but for foreign buyers such as the Grand Archonate of Sadar.
Planetary & Stellar Mining
Planetary and Stellar Mining is one of the most important industries for the Ionian League, fueling the industries of starship manufacturing and fabrication. With the Ionian League's control over large sectors of space, the extra-solar government finds a source of additional income in the distribution of mining rights to private corporations operating within or outside of Ionia.
Helium-3 Manufacturing
With numerous sources with which one could produce Helium-3 existing within Ionian Cluster and beyond, numerous corporations bid for the rights to control these deposits, whilst paying tithe to the League.
Science and Technology
Ihalan Steel
As of the 35th Century, Ihalan Steel has become a prized item across the Known Galaxy and a main composite material in nearly all aspects of Ionian society, from their warships, battle armour, weapons, and buildings.
Demographics
Located in the heart of the Eastward Rim, the Ionian League has become a mixing pot of numerous different extra-solar nation states. A census taken at the turn of the 35th century estimated that over a sixth of the Ionian League's population was comprised of ethnically Gaennai and that a quarter of its overall population was made up of foreign ethnicities.
Ethnic Groups
In the four centuries since its establishment the Ionian League has become a melting pot for ethnic groups from across the Eastward Rim and beyond. 79% of its general population are ethnically Ionian, whilst its second-largest ethnic population are the Gaennai who take up a total of 20% of the general populous across Ionian Space, specifically worlds located close to the Ionian - Gaennai border. Other major ethnic groups include the Thaedonians and Edomites which individually take up 10% and 7% of the general populous respectively.
Historically, the Ionians can be split into three distinct branches, and further still into numerous sub-branches, as described in the earliest existing works still legible. These tribes supposedly populated most of Ionia. Other ethnic groups found within the Ionian League can trace their heritage back as far as the Isharans and the Empyrean See.
Languages
The official language of the Ionian League is native Ionian, however multiple other dialects are spoken across the Ionian League such as Gaennai, Nathualingua and Galactic Standard, each of which are spoken by large portions of the overall population. The most prominent, predictably, is Ionian.
The Ionian Language is Indo-European in origin, having involved and borrowed heavily from the Hellenic languages first, and Latin second. Whereas words, terms, and grammar have mostly evolved on their own, these languages still have many words that are phonetically and meaningly similar. The citizenry of the Ionian League as a whole is expected to know Modern Ionian fluently, even if their community primarily speaks a dialect of the other officially recognized languages.
Classical Ionian, the oldest officially recognized the language of the Ionian League is commonly used among the elite of Ionian society; from the old houses of the Ionian Kingdoms to the political elite of the Ionian government. In many political circles, it is seen as an ability that gives you worth. In others, it is a sign of how intelligent you are.
Outside of those languages considered “official” are those languages of other star nations that have either proximity or have been learned by the Merchant Guilds. Ionian merchants have been known to speak Busaanese, the Edomite “True Way,” and English.
Urban Areas
Urban areas vary depending on the age of the member world and the wealth obligated to infrastructure and civic authorities. Though, with a strong desire to rebuild after the Great Ionian War, many of these major cities have grown into mega-cities, stretching thousands of kilometers along coasts, boarders, and resources.
For example, Ektasi was one of the largest city's in the Ionian League in 3368. It stretched 1314.28km along the southern sea, reached 449.27km inland, and was home to over 95 million citizens. Megacities’ like Ektasi grew at an unprecedented pace that threatened the ecosystem which was supposed to support it. To ensure that worlds that harbored these immense cities like Ektasi would not succumb to the weight of industry and human concentration, the Natural Preservation Act of 3368 limited the horizontal-growth of these megacities to favor a far more ecological balance than industrial.
Education
The Bureau of the Census reported in 3390 that the adult literacy rate for Ionian adult was 89% and 76% for the elderly. Children and teenage literacy rates were 95% and 98% respectively. The Census noted a significant rise in children and teenage literacy from the previous five-year period detailed in the 3385 census report.
Education within the Ionian League differs from world to world. The mandatory age for a child to start schooling, as dictated by the Ministry of Education, is at the age of 4 years old (standard) and continues till the age of 18, and is paid and provided for by the planetary government. Those children that are 4 years of age begin their primary education within Primary Schools for a period of seven years, before moving on to secondary education at 11-Standard, following a student-focused approach rather than a class-focused. The concept was argued against for some time before it was realized that if the student learned at their own pace, they do far better in society afterward, thus supporting their clans and their house in a larger capacity.
At 16-Standard, students are given a choice to end their educational career, or to further their education and attempt to enter university-level education. University-level education is advised for all students across the Ionian League, promoting the larger centres for learning found in the Ionia Caldera. However, many universities require tuition fees which many citizens within the Ionian League are unable to pay. Thus, state-funded college's negate this issue, too an extent.
Whilst not as highly regarded as the universities of the core worlds, the state-funded college's of the Ionian League provide necessary courses for young adults looking to make their way in the larger Ionian League; courses ranging from basic computer science, mechanical engineers, electronic engineering and artistic vocational outlets. It is possible for an individual, having passed their diploma and extended diploma to then attempt to enter into their desired university with a government-backed loan through the Ionian Student Finance Program.
Healthcare
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Culture
Ionian culture has been evolving since the first colonists arrived in the Ionian Caldera nearly a millennia ago. It is true to say that the Ionians have been building their culture since the Ionian Dark Age, but it was not until the formation of the Ionian League that the sons and daughters of Ionia became a unique people true to themselves. Due to the beep blend of cultures that harken back to Earth's ancient past, there are still some similarities despite the overwhelming differences. It is unknown when, but at some point in the long history of the Ionians, they adopted a type of Neo-Hellenism; adopting and gradually adapting the aesthetic and cultural aspects from the Hellenistic period of ancient Greece, the Roman Republic and the Etruscan League of old Earth.
In the modern-day, Ionian culture has been refined and expanded upon exponentially, facilitated by the widespread peace brought about by the formation of the Ionian League in 3031. Known as the "Pax custodia Ioniae" among Ionian scholars, the Peace of Ionia lasted from 3031 until the advent of the Ionian Wars in 3314. During this period the Ionians, facilitated by the Ionian League, created many great cultural works across Ionian space, from paintings, sculptures to great literary works. They produced some of the most famous thinkers in all the Eastward Rim, such as Karipos of Atlantida and Ianessa of Colaseia.
As of 3345, the Ionian League has once again thrived during the "Pax Arsithos", the Peace of Arsithos. Hallmarks of the Ionian culture such as its opulent or ornamental architecture have survived throughout the years and again have made a return in the post-Ionian War period, which is largely considered to be a second golden age by some Ionian scholars.
Religion
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Cuisine
The foodstuffs within the Ionian League vary depending on region and sub-region. In the densely built and highly populated Ionian Cluster, exotic cuisine made from local fauna and flora are extremely common, due mostly to the trial and error of their ancestors and the work of their scientists. For example, the curries made from the giant shellfish of Oricos, the large skewer fried Pellassa Glowfish from the oceans of Foslara and the roasted Mavri Skia from the high mountain ranges of Ossyria. Due to the age of the "Core Worlds," their pallets have become increasingly diverse, whilst it is all the more evident on the outskirts and frontiers of the Ionian space that such a diverse range of foodstuffs is as of yet out of their reach.
Colonists on the fringe continue the old traditions of those who had come before them. Their diets are made up of the same foods used to feed the original Ionian colonists nearly a thousand years prior. Many former colony worlds within the Cronus Rift and Helligus Reaches take pride in this continued heritage, thus many of their "common foods" are made up predominantly of cultured meats and mana, using spices and flavourings native to their own world, or imported from their original homeworld.
Music
Music in the Ionian League varies drastically depending on location, social circle as well as a number of other attributes. Due to the nature of the Ionian League, a number of different musical styles exist throughout its territory, among the most popular is the neo-classical style of the Ionian nobility and upper-class citizens within the Ionian monarchies and democratic states respectively. As of 3398, a new type of musical genre has gripped the youth of the Ionian League.
Known as Techniko vima, this new genre of techno music originated in the Lower Wards of the Ionian Capital of Idithos in the late 3390's. Techniko vima has encapsulated the youth of the Ionian League, and is commonly played in large clubs and concerts across the League and its territories.
Sport
In the Ionian League, team sports are the most enthusiastically followed. The ancient sports of Football, Rugby and Cricket are the two most popular sports in the League, predominantly the Ionian Cluster and the Cronus Rift.
Out of the two, football is the most popular. Separated into regional and planetary divisions mediated by the Ionian Confederation of Football Unions, Ionian member states field their own football teams that compete for the various Cups for a chance to win the Ionian Football Championship. For the last three years, Ossyria within the Foslara-sponsored Ionia League has won the Cup, with Foslara coming second to each championship. Run in the same fashion, Uskides has won the Ionian Rugby Championship most often on-and-off for the last seventy years, and Foslara has won the Ionian Cricket Championship for the last thirty, on-and-off.
Internationally, the Solar Racing League Le Grand Voyageur is some of the most anticipated sports events throughout the Ionian League—specifically, the highly prestigious Isharan Cup.