LoS: Union of Democratic Nations
- This is an article related to the science fiction role play setting Legacy of Sol.
Full Name : Union of Democratic Nations
- Abbreviations : UDN, Union
Independence :
- Founded : 2030 June 30th
- Recognized : 2030 June 30th
Government : Federal parliamentary constitutional republic
- President : Walter Brown
Legislature : Council of Delegates
Capital World : Earth
Capital : New Berlin
Major Holdings : Earth, Moon, Mars, Ceres, Saturn, Uranus, Titan
Population : 20 000 000 000+
Demonym : Union
Ethnic Groups : All original terran ethnic groups
Military : Union of Democratic Nations Armed Forces
Intelligence Agency : Union Secret Intelligence Service
Official Languages : English, Russian, Chinese
State Religions : Atheism
Currency : Interstellar Credit (Incred • ISC)
InterPlaNet TLD : .udn
The "Union of Democratic Nations", or "UDN", is an economic and political Union of over 150 different countries on Earth and colonies in the Solar System. Born after the horrors of the Third World War, it gained massive popular support from both citizens and governments across the globe. Originally intended as an economic Union to make expansion into outer space feasible, it found its ambitions realized because of the hope such successes gave a thoroughly demoralized terran population. It has since grown to become the face of humanity beyond the borders of the Earth and is single-handedly responsible for the creation and growth of most colonies in the Solar System.
Governed by a council of delegates, the UDN heeds the opinions and words of all of its member states and acts accordingly, though criticism has been constant on matters of discrimination towards the colonies. While official UDN law has never been overly biased towards Earth itself, there have been many delegates and high-ranking officials that expressed terran supremacist tendencies over the centuries since its conception.
After consolidating Earth as a whole, and subsequently becoming the sole governing entity of any real power, the UDN proceeded to offer a standardized currency to the globe, as well as regulate trade and immigration. This was conceived as the need for clearly defined, interplanetary laws on the matters grew the more colonies were founded and the further civilization traveled from the comforts of Earth. A unified military in the form of the Union of Democratic Nations Armed Forces was also created to serve as a single supplier of security for the busy space lanes to and from the colonies that were becoming the targets of increasing amounts of piracy and other criminal activities.
Even after losing a great deal of popular appeal, territory and power after the disastrous First Independence War and Second Independence War, the Union continues to sport the largest population, economy and military in the Solar System if purely regarding numbers. It continues to set the standard for a lot of interplanetary affairs related to research, logistics, organization and colonization, with both the Conglomerate of Independent Colonies and the Triton Empire continuing to base and model their efforts off of the examples set by the Union's council.
History
Conception
The brutal, global conflict known as the Third World War had left the world in a state of shock. Enduring regimes changed, economies crumbled and several nations had buckled under the weight of the war entirely. Some, such as South Korea, had even been all but obliterated. An immense sense of hopelessness and lethargy began to settle in with the survivors of the conflict and most governments were unable to raise morale due to the decentralizing effects of the chaotic post-war period. However, Europe, the continent that has seen the least destruction over the course of the war, began to put forth notions of a new level of cooperation between countries. Forerunners of the effort included the United Kingdom, France, Germany and the recently formed United Netherlands. Diplomacy, financial aid and military assistance for the crippled nations of both sides of the war, garnered them tremendous popularity in the public opinion across the globe.
Over the span of half a decade, much of the former unrest had diminished significantly, though many nations still struggled to maintain public order, and concepts such as social security and government-funded housing were a thing of the past. It was in this desperate climate that many European countries decided to engage in an economic Union, seeing merit in the industrial potential of using rapidly advancing technology to colonize the Moon and use it as a stepping stone to reach more distant opportunities, such as Mars. Beyond the borders of Europe, the idea was initially hailed with skepticism as the powerful trio of the United States, the Russian Federation and the Republic of China questioned whether the time was right for such a major leap of faith. On June 30th, 2030, the UDN was officially founded, with much of Europe joining it over the course of the next two years.
Almost immediately, the Union's council set out to make an example and fast tracked their first project. Having been resting on the drawing boards of corporate research centers for decades, the first orbital space colony prototypes are quickly constructed and initial testing showed great promise. With funds stretching thin, the Union decided to make a risky gamble, and constructed the colony, dubbed Genesis in the astounding time of a mere four months. Its construction largely kept out of the press until its completion, the unveiling caused faith in the organization to soar across Earth. With space for more than 500 people, it put into practice many theories that had been abound on whether or not humanity could survive comfortably in the vacuum of space. A tremendous success, the Union was able to establish itself as the beacon of hope it had wanted to become, and over the next four years, most countries on Earth joined the Union.
Not every inclusion had gone smoothly, however, as quite a few countries were still subjugated under dictatorial regimes who preferred the status quo over any amount of change their population desired. While diplomacy and negotiation was used for most of the states that joined the UDN, some were forced into it through a show of military might that had become too powerful to overcome. For the first time since mankind walked upright, it stood united.
Colonization rush
Over the course of more than a century, the UDN would lead mankind into outer space. After the initial success of the Genesis colony, multiple, simultaneous projects were kickstarted using funds from the continually increasing number of member states. The second project to reach completion was one that involved nearly every member state of the organization. Launched from a UDN facility in central China, the Samsara colony was intended to serve as a research station and stepping stone for transporting materials, workers and vessels to the Moon. Once Samsara ran smoothly, immediate construction began on the first dome on the surface of the Moon. Further experimentation and application of theorized principles came in the form of the orbital colony Ark that was completed early in 2039. With well over 2000 workers and staff, it provided information that was vital on the success that was to be the first, self-sustaining lunar colony.
On February 4th 2055, Earth marveled at the live feed of the lunar dome opening its doors to a first wave of colonists. A success that towered above all others up to that point, the UDN had proven true to its word in the eyes of the last skeptics among the delegates. When the mining efforts for valuable minerals and ores on the surface of the Moon, as well as the temporary fad of possessing one's personal rock from Luna, started in full, the endeavors also became tremendously lucrative. A typical post-war baby boom, coupled with a rapidly recovering global economy, sparked a veritable race to expand the existing colonies and more. Private corporations began to amass the funds they needed for their own private projects. While working in close partnership with UDN authorities to ensure regulations were being followed, a mass of jobs were slowly being created in outer space, making the prospect of moving off of Terra all the more appealing to many citizens of the blue planet.
In less than two decades, the UDN managed to expand its reach to Mars by constructing the Aiora colony in orbit around the red planet. With research into possible opportunities on the surface of Mars ongoing, the Union turned inward and began to expand its influence over its member states. Despite the best of intentions, critics of the organization often used these efforts as an example of how the Union was slowly taking away national identity, and replacing it with corporate loyalty to the Union. Colonies had formerly possessed their own central government, or answered directly to some of its primary contributors. However, in the interest of streamlining governing the rapidly expanding territories, the UDN became the central figure of authority and law in the colonies. With full jurisdiction, the Union's power over the economic ties between its member states increased to the point where the private military force of the Union was able to enforce resolutions on any disputes between its member states on matters that went well beyond the mere confines of colonial economic interests.
This influence expanded further with the creation of several massive domes on Mars, each a self-sustaining city that flooded with colonists from Earth, who, as soon as they signed the appropriate documents, essentially fell entirely under the jurisdiction of the UDN, and the Union alone. By the end of 2080, the UDN had grown into the singular, most powerful governmental institute on Earth and the colonies. Local governments' sway in official matters had decreased to the point where the UDN no longer controlled only the economical cooperation between members, but most other areas of government and legislation, as well. Having a position in the Council of Delegates became a far more valuable career move than any other. For all respects and purposes, the UDN had become Earth.
Officially, the Union became an interplanetary state, as it had grown into its own and had reached far beyond the confines of a single world.
First Independence War
- Main article: First Independence War
In the years following the declaration of the UDN as the first, and only interplanetary state, colonization efforts doubled in scale and speed, as the race for the most lucrative ventures only became more pressing. With the lowered costs involved with colonizing marked celestial bodies, more and more corporations, conglomerates and multinationals were able to fund their own private missions, establishing massive production complexes with attached housing and living accommodations for workers and their families. Life in outer space expanded so rapidly, that the UDN was forced to play catch-up with regards to the legislation involving interplanetary travel, customs, security and most other aspects of government and trade. In the span of 60 years, the colonization rush had brought mankind to Jupiter and its large moons of Io, Europa, Ganymede and Callisto, and well beyond. The estimated opportunities of Neptune and its moon Triton lured colonists passed Saturn and Uranus and to the ice giant's orbit. While Saturn and Uranus would develop slower in the coming years, several moons were nonetheless colonized.
However, society had evolved along with technology and the enormous distances between the colonies and Earth began to cause cultural developments no one could have predicted. Traditions began to grow on Jupiter's moons that held no meaning to terrans, while terrestrial holidays such as Christmas, no longer had the same customs attached to it on Triton. People were diverging and ethnicity was no longer the primary separating factor between a given two populations. Instead, distance from Earth and which colony an individual heralded from became a means to identify with a social group. This divide gave rise to new forms of prejudice, but was also reinforced by the manifestos of the Terra Suprema movement. Advocating a decrease in individual rights for colonial citizens, as well as a complete opposition to any form of low-level governance being delegated to the colonies themselves, the movement spooked the Council enough for them to earn a modicum of credence.
Over the next twenty years, tensions would continually rise between the UDN and its colonies, most notably the very lucrative and individualistic territories around Jupiter and Mars. Fearing the glory days had ended, the UDN desperately clung to their holdings and further restricted how much say the colonies had in how they were ran. Cracking down hard on protests and the subsequent violent riots did not help the Union's case at all, and opinion of the organization in the colonies plummeted drastically, while hate for the "troublesome" distant neighbors rose on Earth. A breaking point came at the onset of the First Independence War, when noted activist and immensely popular proponent of greater colonial freedom, Sir Jason Brewer, was assassinated by Terra Suprema adherents.
Sick of the persecution, a large number of colonial military commanders proclaimed they would no longer impede upon hard-won civil rights by following UDN orders. After having been threatened with court martial, they were backed up by their own soldiers and officers, as many of them were born in the colonies and had been subjected to the same prejudice as the disgruntled citizens. They had taken all they could and refused to budge, essentially holding most of the fleet stationed at Jupiter, a sizable force, hostage. The UDN decided to forego diplomatic solutions, an approach fueled by the fear-mongering of the Terra Suprema activists, and it took immediate, military action. When the fleets around Mars mobilized, the First Independence War broke out in full force.
The war lasted for a brutal three years, with fighting taking place across Jupiter space and stretching as far back towards Earth as Mars and Ceres. On numerous occasions, the smaller force of the dissidents were able to push back terran forces, or place them in a forced deadlock in contested space. With interplanetary warfare still very much in its infancy, especially since IW1 marked the first occurrence of space battles larger than mere skirmishes against pirates, the Union struggled to dislodge colonial rebels on every front they decided to create. The end of the war came due to necessity, not an actual winner. The UDN had begun to adapt to the colonial strategy and tactics, and had pushed them back from Europa and Io. However, after a defeat in orbit over Ganymede, and with Mars threatened by the colonial fleet stationed over Ceres, the Union found their hands tied and peace was signed.
The Treaty of Ganymede was signed on August 6th, 2203, with the dissident fleets gaining control of much of Jupiter and its satellites. The UDN managed to retain their control over the distant colonies of Saturn, Uranus and Neptune, as well as the fronts closer to home, Mars and Ceres, but the crushing loss of their most lucrative ventures on Jupiter's moons, was a slap to the face that the Union would not forget for many years to come. Fear of further conflict prevented the Union from taking any further action against the newly formed CIC, though Terra Suprema continued to gain political clout in the aftermath; making the argument that the current order had proven too cowardly to do what had to be done to reaffirm Terra's control over the colonies. Despite the extremist activities, the council would never again get swept up by fear-mongering; having learned their lesson about acting too rashly when they lost a great deal of ships to an impulsive attack on Ganymede in the early months of the war.
Second Independence War
- Main article: Second Independence War
To prevent another conflict such as the First Independence War to rage through the Solar System, the UDN grew somewhat more lacks in the restrictions placed upon a colony's local government, with taxes and social security being adapted to the needs of the specific settlement, instead of all falling under the same circumstances. These slightly more localized forms of government easily calmed the tensions in the colonies the Union had retained after the signing of the Treaty of Ganymede. Despite the surrender of Jupiter to the CIC, the UDN remained the dominant political force across the system and with the demure steps taken towards the colonists, they were able to effortlessly stabilize their foothold and regain their stride.
The Union also saw an increase in loyalty among the colonies close to Earth, such as the domes of Mars and installations on Ceres, as the former war effort continued to be used to raise morale and sympathy for the people who lost their lives defending the UDN. Propaganda quickly removed the last vestiges of resistance on the red planet, as the struggling CIC was used as an example of what a mistake it had been to attempt to wrest free from the cradle.
To aid in economic and public reconstruction efforts, the UDN quickly started setting its sights on the Kuiper Belt in the far reaches of the Solar System, using the opportunities there as a rally point for its people, just like it had done many years earlier in the aftermath of the Third World War. To support this effort, and to no longer leave the distant colonies as undefended as they had during the war with the jovian dissidents, the Union began to invest a great deal of money into the already rapidly expanding colonies orbiting Neptune. Triton, in particular, was expanded tremendously, especially on the military front, to allow them to keep a close eye on CIC space. By the end of the 2200s, and moving on well into the 2210s, the UDN had almost entirely recovered from the hardships of IW1 and had secured the loyalty of Mars and Ceres for decades to come.
However, on July 3rd 2220, admiral Corvinus Lars, dismayed by the current state of affairs within the Solar System, made a swift move that the Union had not expected. He assumed command of the UDN fleets stationed around Triton, and proceeded to claim the moon was independent from the UDN. Moreover, he proclaimed himself imperator of what he called the Triton Empire. He proceeded to hold a well-prepared speech to the attention of the colonies across the Solar System, promoting his belief that neither the UDN, nor the CIC was fit to lead humanity. He argued that stricter regulations on colonization and technology were required to keep the corruption at the heart of the Union at bay.
The move caught the Union entirely by surprise, as no one had kept tabs on the admiral's popularity that soared after IW1. He had gathered a great deal of support, and the Union suddenly found themselves staring down the barrel of the very fleet they had been expanding greatly over the past decade, instead of standing alongside it. Fortunately, the UDN had recovered enough to slow the advance of Lars' proclamations and contrary to the imperator's initial expectations, only Neptune truly followed suit. However, by the end of 2221, the Union had lost all control over its most distant colonies and with communication and information limited, they lost all track of developments so distant from home.
In an effort not to rush into open conflict as it had with the uprisings around Jupiter, the UDN opened diplomatic talks with imperator Lars, though they continually refused to acknowledge Triton independence. The talks amounted to nothing, and the imperator issued a formal warning to the UDN to not attempt to interrupt his efforts. Public support and sympathy for Corvinus near Neptune and beyond increased when news leaked that any soldiers formerly under his command that did not agree with his decision, were safely escorted to UDN-controlled space. Others, if they wished it, were honorably discharged if their families lived on colonies of the as of yet unrecognized empire. These acts had turned a dangerous, but still limited uprising, into a veritable nightmare for the Union. And, with the CIC remaining hesitant and neutral in the entire ordeal, they found themselves threatened by two rivals who consolidated while the Union lost stride.
Believing conflict to be inevitable, the UDN launched a surprise attack on the edge of Triton controlled space, hoping to counter the enormous militarization that had been ongoing along the borders between the two states. The attacks on the Apollo-S and RR-94 installations, as well as the meager border guard stationed there, initially went well, and the Second Independence War flared into existence, barely twenty years after the first.
The war itself quickly became a defensive one for the UDN, with their fleets consistently being pushed back by the far more experienced officers and troops of the empire. The CIC's neutrality during the first three years also didn't ease the pressure any. However, when Mars came under siege, the UDN finally succeeded at convincing the conglomerate to join the war effort, correctly claiming the the empire would set its sights on Jupiter before too long. In a loose alliance, the UDN and CIC were able to halt the empire's powerful advance, something Triton would not recover from throughout the rest of the war. After half a decade of fighting, the three states were completely exhausted and with the deadlock in Jupiter space persisting the entire time, the empire found its hands tied and peace talks begin on Saturn's moon Titan.
On July 8th 2228, on Titan, the peace treaty was signed and the Second Independence War officially ended. Triton forces retreated and the empire was officially recognized as an independent state. The UDN managed to broker the full release of Uranus and Saturn in exchange for allowing the empire control over Neptune and the planet's assets, with no ties to the Union remaining. Relations between the UDN and CIC had also soured to a point worse than they had been in decades due to the Union's machinations to lure them into open warfare, yet offering little to no support when the battle was joined in Jupiter's backyard for over four years.
Despite the losses of Neptune, the conflict had further steeled the resolve of those that remained loyal to the Union. Using the Triton Empire's brutal displays as a means to secure the minds of the population, the UDN was able to keep its unity intact, and focus all of their efforts on rebuilding the shambling remains of their military. The constant bloodshed that had been caused by the tensions between Terra and its colonies did not work out for the benefit of radicals on either side, however, as the UDN began to advocate for ever-increasing cooperation with the member states that were removed from the Union core. However, many in the public eye still supported the ideas of Earth standing center and supreme, with prejudice continuing to make the news.
Consolidation and expansion
The grand majority of the decades following the end of the Second Independence War were marked by a long string of great efforts from the three interplanetary states to restore the damage that had been done to their infrastructure and colonies, as well as to their respective militaries and economies. The UDN entirely isolated itself from its competitors over a period of five years, only maintaining a modicum of contact with the CIC. The arm's race that had started near the end of the IW1 continued to persist as a significant budgets was set aside by the Union to bolster its military presence, and educate the newer generations in the harsh lessons learned in both wars.
Near the end of 2234, the Union had all but recovered, and began reopening its channels and reaching out to the other two states. Relations with the empire failed to improve by a noticeable amount, but a changing of the guard on both sides of the table allowed for fresh blood to wash away older feuds between the Union and conglomerate. With new colonial ventures on the horizon, it was important for the Union to attempt to stabilize its homefront before reaching out further. While the Solar System was generally at peace, a lot of people still felt great unease with the multitude of changes going on around them.
By 2256, the Union had begun to view the Solar System as a potent powder keg that could be set off by the smallest of spark. With every effort they undertook outside their own borders, the Union began to display a very uncertain and cautious attitude they never had before. Whether this tendency will prevent war from breaking out waits to be seen.
Politics
The Union of Democratic Nations is a federal parliamentary constitutional republic, with a unicameral legislature in the form of the Council of Delegates. Established originally as a round-table construction reminiscent of the European Union, with a chairman and a number of representatives from all member states, its growing size slowly demanded for more legislature of its own, instead of deferring these responsibilities back to the members. While originally overseeing only the economic interactions between members, the Union's success in space development and colonial expansion saw its power increase exponentially. Over the course of barely two decades, it had added most nations on Earth to its roster, and by 2080, it had become the sole voice of authority on most matters both terran and colonial.
Today, the Union governs most aspects of life on Earth that affects the globe as a whole, or the cooperation between its members. Economy is no longer its sole concern, as law, immigration, construction, security and far more have all become responsibilities of the Union's delegates. Every nation elects a delegate to sit on the council every five years, with the possibility of having the same individual sit for up to three consecutive terms before having to appoint a replacement for at least two, in an effort to prevent stagnation in the Union's parliament.
As a unicameral legislative entity, the Council of Delegates is not composed of an upper and lower house, but instead takes on both the creation and execution of laws and legislation. With one delegate of every member, it is headed by a president who serves as a kind of mediator and is always chosen from delegates known for their unbiased positions on as many matters as possible. This president is able to veto certain laws if they feel the difference between the majority and minority are so small that the vote could create a dangerous schism. Other instances where the president is able to exert more authority than other delegates include decisions that may directly contradict certain clauses in the Union's constitution, the human rights act or other moral and ethical guidelines the Union attempts to enforce across its domain.
While its authority is not technically absolute, there have been precious few instances where a member state has attempted to resist a law or decision passed down from the Union. The only real notable exceptions was the resistance felt in the colonies before and during both Independence Wars. Regardless, there are still checks and balances in place, despite their diminished potency, to prevent the Union from abusing their power to enforce their will. Any member can attempt to dispute a specific decision for one reason or another and there have been instanced where the case was heard and found sufficient support to have the offending decision revoked. The constitution was also drafted in such a way that it would offer protection against "tyranny of the majority", in an effort to keep the Union's core ideals of cooperation and compromise intact, while still keeping things moving by preventing endless, debate-oriented deadlocks.
Politically, the Union is the most stable of the three interplanetary states, in no small part due to the years of tradition, tried and true methods and careful growth involved in its creation. However, the Union still has its fair share of problems, many of which are intrinsic to a democratic institute.
Society
UDN society is primarily defined by its continually increasing pyramid shape, with a tremendously wealthy minority up top, and a much poorer working class on the bottom. While an off-center diamond shape would be more appropriate to define the Union's distribution of wealth, as the number of people falling below the poverty line has proportionately decreased over the past two centuries, the sad fact is that these individuals are still often ignored by society as a whole. Union citizens tend to have a very strict view on what a specific individual should be doing and be capable of. If one does not have the funds to support a lifestyle that is befitting a high official or a member of management, than he or she should not have ambitions to join that "upper" circle. Displays of wealth tend to equal power and influence and those that cannot follow suit are expected to perform manual and practical labor.
This imbalance has always caused a great deal of unrest within Union borders and the leader's unwillingness to change the status quo, and using every trick in the book they can to that effect, has created a sense of defiance among the broader base of Union citizenry towards the corporate powerhouses. While the council has attempted to change that increasingly disturbing course, they have met with tremendous resistance from the men and women who truly hold sway over what makes the galaxy spin: money. Small wonder than, that corruption, bribery and even blackmail is rampant throughout the upper echelons of Union society; while the middle and lower class struggle to afford the heavy taxes levied from their monthly wages. Especially the middle class is kept content, however, through various free services and plenty of national holidays and benefits that, while not proportionate to the amount of money taken out of salaries, still divert the attention elsewhere.
The UDN is a society of performance. If one does not live for their jobs, they will see promotions snatched up from under their noses by their rivals. This has, in turn, created a highly competitive and paranoid environment on any level of society that dabbles in "loyalty to the business". Stress runs rampant with psychological trauma and very high suicide rates as a result. However, on the flipside, those that are willing to work hard enough do generally get what they are due. However, they may have to be willing to surrender some of their principles in the process.
While the UDN has people of all corners of the Earth, spread across every colony in its space, the Union is still the nesting grounds of a tremendous sense of elitism. Many terrans feel, in some capacity, that they are superior to their siblings in outer space, primarily because of their decision to watch mankind expand, from the near-holy sanctity of Earth. Being able to live in its atmosphere and walk along its surface, intrinsically means you are a mover and shaker of the Solar System as a whole. While this belief is being consciously opposed by the council after it had inadvertently spawned both Independence Wars, it is still a major issue for public safety and law enforcement. Hate crimes and slander are frightfully common still in many colonies, primarily those on the threshold between the inner and outer Solar System. Especially CIC-held colonies have continued problems with Union-born extremists that perceive them as the greatest threat to a glorious existence under the enlightened rule of Earth. Many individuals are not this extreme at all, but there is no denying that, much like with racism and other forms of discrimination, colonists, or star-born as they are derogatorily referred to by some, are the target of prejudice, violence and the belief that they are somehow less human than those that were born on Earth.
While the UDN has these ugly sides that continually crop up in the media, primarily those of the CIC and Triton Empire, who have a vested interest in causing support for the Union to drop, the UDN is not without its bright sides. Violent solutions to problems are heavily frowned upon and people are always encouraged to attempt to resolve their differences through calm discourse, rather than aggressive actions. They are tremendously patient people that genuinely desire unity under a single flag so it can bring about an age of peace and prosperity. Sadly, this message often gets drowned out by Terra Surprema supporters and others that shout louder than their numbers imply they should be able to.
Territory
Despite having suffered the loss of Jupiter and Neptune over the course of the last century, the UDN retains its position as the largest interplanetary state, with its territory reaching from Earth all the way to Uranus and, in the case of several deep space stations, beyond Neptune. With a population tally reaching beyond twenty billion, the Union has a far greater need for space to handle the impact of such a massive demography. The UDN is also the only state that currently has holdings in both the inner and outer Solar System and is the sole claimant of some of the lucrative ventures in the asteroid belt separating the two halves.
Terra
- Main article: Terra
The blue planet and birthplace of humanity, Earth is the seat of power of the UDN and the prestige of being able to call it home is enough to make anyone take notice of your authority. After several technological advances, the geological footprint of the planet's massive demography has decreased substantial, and constant waves of immigrants and workers migrating to the colonies have caused Terra's population to lower back down to just below the six billion mark. With pollution significantly decreased and far more cautious industrialization and urbanization, a new golden age has begun for the once battered planet.
Orbiting Earth is a wealth of space stations, both public and private, as well as some of the Union's mightiest ships to provide the planet with more than adequate protection. With the added support of the heavily militarized Moon and expanded defensive roles of several orbital colonies, Terra is a daunting target for any would-be assailant. While much of the fleet is stationed in Mars, or patrolling the distant corners of UDN space, Earth remains well-defended and a ground war would prove tremendously costly for any invader, as most modernized states retain a sizable military and are able to use the Union for any coordination.
An economic, cultural and historical landmark in its entirety, Terra remains the center of human life, no matter their allegiance or how far they live from the planet.
Mercury
- Main article: Mercury
While the Union does officially lay claim to the planet as part of its sovereignty, it does not maintain any real presence in orbit around the planet closest to the Sun, nor on its surface. It has received substantially greater interest in recent years after the discovery of large Xenian deposits buried deep beneath its surface, but progress towards developing mining installations that can handle the tremendously fluctuating surface temperatures is moving slowly due to the renewed interest in the Kuiper Belt.
Venus
- Main article: Venus
The Morning and Evening Star has rarely received significant attention from the Union, though the state does keep a plethora of research stations in orbit around the planet for a variety of reasons including the study of the Sun, Mercury and the testing of various dangerous technologies; away from prying eyes. Lacking satellites and possessing an impractically hot surface, it is highly unlikely that Venus will ever see any further expansion.
Mars
- Main article: Mars
The red planet, also called the "Shield of Terra", Mars was one of the first successful colonial ventures of the Union and despite several bumps in its relationship with Earth over the years, it remains the Union's most stalwart and enduring ally. Home to some of the largest metropolises in the Solar System, Mars has grown into its own and sports the most expansive shipyards across Union space. With the presence of two of the Union's most powerful fleets, it has never fallen in the hands of an invader and has gained the fearsome reputation of fighting any threat to Earth to the last person, not yielding even a single speck of sand without resistance.
Over time, both of Mars' moons, Deimos and Phobos were colonized and a permanent military presence was founded after the construction of several orbital colonies and an orbital fortress.
Asteroid Belt
- Main article: Asteroid Belt
The UDN is the only interplanetary state to maintain a presence in the Asteroid Belt. Though primarily focused on the dwarf planet Ceres, the Union also maintains holdings on the three other large asteroids of the belt, although only Pallas has settlements used for purposes other than mining or production. The Asteroid Belt houses several military outposts and listening posts, forming an intricate, early warning grid that makes it extremely difficult to get the drop on the defenses at Mars and nearly impossible to push through to Earth without being flanked or even caught in a pincer counterattack.
Saturn
- Main article: Saturn
Saturn was largely ignored by the Solar System's corporate world during much of the colonization rush. Primarily used as a refueling stop on the way to Uranus, the beautiful planet received greater importance with the discovery of Xenian on its moon Rhea and the greater demand for heavy materials from the mining metropolis of Titan. Since then, Union presence has increased greatly as it oversees the mining of the valuable mineral, as well as scours the planet's other moons for other deposits. So far, only Titan and Rhea have been properly colonized and industrialized, with most of the rest of humanity's presence in orbit around the planet restricted to orbital colonies and research facilities. Regardless, the Union still maintains a sizable military presence to keep an eye on both the CIC and the Triton Empire.
Uranus
- Main article: Uranus
Much like Saturn, Uranus was primarily used as a stepping stone to reach the distant Neptune and its large moon, Triton. However, it did see earlier expansion than Saturn with the discovery of valuable resources on its moons, Umbriel and Oberon. Since then, the moons have become somewhat of a financial paradise for corporations who want to conduct their business away from prying eyes and is a frequent battlefield, both during the Second Independence War, and private conflicts between companies.
Economy
The UDN's economy is primarily based around the vast space lanes that connect its various colonies and distant worlds. Since the dawn of exploration into outer space, the Union has spent a great deal of money and effort into setting up an efficient network of routes for trading vessels and cargo ships to use for transporting their goods, while also providing plenty of escort vessels and military patrols to stave off unwanted elements. Despite its maturity, the Union's economy has also been subject to a great deal of fluctuation, with expansions and recessions separated by very few years. However, neither the peaks nor the valleys have ever been extreme enough to endanger the status quo too much and the Union has been able to build up a sizable reserve for times of need.
While the interplanetary state had been drained after both Independence Wars, the reserves and the wealth of some of the Union's distant colonies, such as Titan, always allowed it to recover quickly and prevent the need for harsh measures and budget cuts. However, its size also makes it very susceptible to the whims of the corporations, many of whom have begun to offer their services to the competition as much as the Union itself; with very few companies accepting exclusive contracts for their technology and resources. This is a sharp contrast with less than a century ago, when the Union held monopolies on all manner of advancements.
Most recently, the Union remains the largest exporter of food and base construction materials and machines in the Solar System, with even the Triton Empire forced to send business its way on a regular basis to keep some of its less self-sufficient colonies well-stocked. While specialty items are no longer the UDN's field of expertise, they still maintain excellent pharmaceutical companies and the military's research into propulsion techniques have made a plethora of impressive vessels commercially available.
With the onset of an interplanetary economy, and in preparation of an interstellar one, the UDN had created their own currency, which has now become the dominant coin throughout the Solar System. While both the CIC and the Triton Empire maintain their own currency, many companies and businesses local to those states tend to work with the Interstellar Credit (or incred) by default. Currently, the incred is also the strongest of the three forms of dominant currency.
Military
- Main article: Union of Democratic Nations Armed Forces
The UDN's military, known as the Union of Democratic Nations Armed Forces or UDNAF, was originally created as an unbiased, neutral, Union-controlled peacekeeping force intended to oversee the colonies and any terran-based Union holdings. However, with the ever-increasing global power of the UDN, the UDNAF soon eclipsed any local military and with nigh sole access to space vessels and the latest military technology, it became the sword arm of the Union across the Solar System.
Despite having been dealt crippling blows during the events of both Independence Wars, the UDN has rebuilt their fleets and military structure from the ground up, doing away with many archaic principles and applying the harsh lessons it had learned during the first of interplanetary conflicts. The UDNAF in the 23rd century has thus become a formidable fighting machine that is primarily geared towards defending Union territory. As such, UDN vessels, vehicles and MAs tend to boast significant defensive capabilities and the Union is heavily investing in new alloys to better protect the hulls of their vessels, as well as shield technology for added durability.
The UDNAF also has the largest shipyards in the Solar System, orbiting Mars, and is also in the possession of several orbital space fortresses that safeguard Earth.
Science and technology
Since its founding and the taking of the center stage in colonial development, the UDN has poured immeasurable amounts of money into every research brand from astronautics, physics and chemistry to medicine, computer science and psychology; all in an effort to allow mankind's steps into outer space to go as smoothly as possible. Advances funded by the UDN's significant science budget are too numerous to count, and have only increased ever since Earth united under its singular banner.
While it needs to share the stage with the CIC and Triton Empire, the Union still profits from having superior propulsion systems, medicine and heavy machinery; all a byproduct of their efforts into creating rapidly self-sustaining colonies that are supplied by swift ships, and are well-provided for by the appropriate, state-of-the-art machinery required to construct the settlements and other structures that make up the colony as a whole.
Demographics
The UDN has the largest demographics of the three interplanetary states, by an exceedingly large amount. The latest census has placed population estimates to well beyond twenty billion, with about a fourth of that amount living beyond the Asteroid Belt and the rest living on Earth, the Moon or Mars and its colonies. The baby boom experienced across the entire Earth after the Third World War continues to this day, with populations rising rapidly, and death rates dropping significantly as the standards of life of an unprecedented amount of individuals have increased exponentially in recent years. Birth rates in the colonies, in particular, continue to remain high, with two children for every couple extremely common, and three children not an odd sight at all. While both the CIC and the Triton Empire show a greater increase in births, the UDN's does not seem to stagnate. It had been predicted to fall back and start slowing down by the end of the 2100s, but the recent conflicts and the sudden resurgence of interest in exploring and potentially colonizing the Kuiper Belt and additional satellites in orbit around planets closer to the Sun, have shattered those predictions.
Of its citizens, precious few are immigrants that have moved away from the CIC or Triton Empire, while the UDN experiences a constant flow of emigrants that move to Jupiter or Neptune, in search of lives that fall more in line with what they desire. While not a point of too much concern yet, several delegates have continually pressed with the council to enhance tourism to Earth, Mars and Titan, in the hopes of stifling what could become a lethargic fatigue with the cultural benefits the Union can bestow.
Languages
Having found its roots on Earth in the first half of the 21st century, the UDN was shaped by the heterogeneity of the blue planet and the sheer number of cultures and ethnicities living on its surface. While the need to standardize and take on several international, mainstream languages became apparent once the organization swelled to a certain size, that did not prevent people leaving their home countries and moving to live on colonies across the Solar System, from taking their native languages with them. The languages the UDN had selected for this task were English, Russian and Chinese, to suit the needs of the three primary contributors within the Union. To this day, all three are used consistently during council meetings and while translators are on hand to handle just about any combination of languages, it is commonly expected, and also fact, that delegates speak at least one of these languages fluently enough to bring their point across with sufficient elegance.
The people in the UDN show this same diversity as, contrary to the CIC and Triton Empire, Union colonies still span the width and depth of colonized space and contains colonies that were sponsored by, and popular with, just about every ethnicity on the face of Earth. As a result, languages spoke across the UDN are incredibly diverse, but laws and the repressive, equalizing motions the Union makes with its colonies have forced English to the forefront of most people's minds, with lesser known languages such as African dialects and certain Asian languages slowly disappearing into very niche communities. It would be extraordinarily rare for an individual who only knows English to not be able to make himself understandable on a UDN colony or world, with Russian and Chinese being fairly common occurrences.
Education
Education across the Union is at an all-time high. As a means to reach out to its remaining colonial territories, and to prevent further uprisings that would reduce their influence evermore, the Union has allotted a substantially larger budget to the educational facilities on its colonies and worlds. Earth itself continues to feature some of the most prestigious universities and colleges across the entire Solar System, with Titan only coming in as a close second. Most larger hubs of life have at least a few options for higher education, and any university worth its salt is able to accommodate an influx of students from outside the confines of its own community.
Basic education includes all the necessities for a comfortable life in the modern age, with being able to use the various forms of electronic devices pervading all walks of life taking center stage. Languages and the sciences are still heavily emphasized, with history and arts taking a backseat. With the promise of higher wages, higher education continues to be the default ambition of just about any student, causing crafts to continually diminish in presence and the Union finding itself rather hard-up for people who are able to work with their hands, rather than their heads. To counteract this unfortunate side-effect of the glorification of a degree, the Union has started a whole plethora of programs across its space to try and stimulate parents into making sure their children are studying what they truly want to be doing with their lives and not what peer pressure may be demanding of them.
Despite the numbers being quite positive and uplifting, there is still a large part of the population that is, at most, barely literate and most likely unable to write. This is almost non-existent among the middle classes, and definitely an anomaly among the upper classes in Union society. The poor and the living challenging lives on colonies that receive precious little support, or buckle under the weight of corruption, often cannot afford schooling for their children and are instead forced to have them help work to make end's meet. The issue is well known with the council, but so far, they have taken little effort in stabilizing this dichotomy. Even in the 23rd century, poverty and inequality is present in full-force.
Religion
Contrary to speculations made in the early 22nd century, religion has not steadily been removed from society and culture. Continuing to serve as a beacon of hope, as well as a source of immense comfort and inspiration, most of the primary religions from Earth have survived the trek into outer space, with Christianity, Buddhism and Islam taking center stage within Union-controlled domains. However, the UDN does lack a formal, national religion and instead labels itself as entirely separated from it. There are very few rules and regulations still in existence related to the practice of one's religion. This is primarily rooted in the fact that organized religion has slowly vanished, and worship of a deity, concept or set of tenets has become a wholly private experience, most often done in the comforts of one's own home. Conflicts over beliefs continue to occur on the surface of Terra, but the colonies largely find themselves spared of yet another polarizing aspect of humanity; though they usually have greater issues where cultural differences are concerned.
The UDN purposely does not take much of a stand on any religion of any kind, and tends to leave people to their own devices. Extremism and bothersome preaching is still handled deftly and swiftly, however, as one of the few remaining rules concerning the exercise of one's beliefs is that they should never impeach upon the rights of others, or incite people into disturbing the peace.
Health
Healthcare and the quality of life across the Union is arguably the highest among the three interplanetary states. While not every colony is able to provide its citizens with the same level of help they could find elsewhere, free clinics are still very common and the Union makes a conscious effort to try and promote healthy lifestyles and early warning checkups for whatever ailments are prevalent among a given population group or location. Due to the amount of money poured actively into applied medicine, the UDN hospitals are known to provide the best care possible, and come equipped with the best resources available on the market. University hospitals want for nothing and improvements to tried and true procedures are churned out of their laboratories at a constant pace.
Research into medicine has also yield a vast array of solutions to problems that are becoming all the more pervasive in the highly industrialized, and not always equally safe, workplace of the 23rd century. Limits exist on the quality and strength of prosthetic limbs, but every licensed hospital in Union space is able to provide the most advanced replacement limbs that insurance can afford, while advances into robotic eyes and other synthetic replacements have been proceeding in massive strides. Anesthetics and surgeries have become all the safer as well, with strict regulations making certain that mistakes and malpractice are brought back to the bare minimum. While many of these advances are shared with the Solar System as a whole, primarily through private pharmaceutical corporations, the UDN is able to keep their hands tightly clutching the most valuable of advancements for use on their own, exclusively.
Culture
As expected from a demography as diverse as the Union's, culture in all of its aspects displays a tremendous heterogeneity across the entirety of UDN territory. On Earth, most countries have more or less retained their cultural heritage, though globalization has caused a great many local traditions to fade away, only to be replaced by mixtures of various disparate aspects. Depending on the countries that provided its main source of population, colonies will display a heavy predisposition towards a specific culture and while many structures follow the UDN's building regulations, they will begin to gain the flair and flavor of the dominant culture's style over time. Colonists also more often identify themselves as being part of a specific colonial community, far more than of whatever country the previous generations hailed from. This has created a whole slew of combined cultural movements, that display influences from various different origins. This is one of the primary reasons why discrimination has stepped away from those that were born in a different country, and more towards a fear and misunderstanding of people that were born and raised on colonies far from Earth.
The fine arts are alive and well within the UDN and because of the sheer wealth of its traditional, terran background, it is able to draw upon a far greater repository of inspiration for its arts than its two rivals. Widely regarded as the cultural center of the Solar System, Earth defines the art world beyond the Union's borders. Trends set on the planet travel like wildfire and even reach as far as Neptune, despite often being treated as extravagant and overindulgent upon arrival. Especially fashion, music and classical art forms such as painting and sculpting by hand with "primitive" techniques are one of the many strengths of the Union's cultural presence, but even the more modern arts are not shunned within the halls of its musea. As is the case with all aspects of culture, the fine arts on Union colonies tend to start living a life of their own. While InterPlaNet shows spread terran trends across the network, the mixing of cultures has spawned a wide variety of often eclectic, yet tremendously unique styles of art, as well as a resurgence of interest in distant eras such a baroque or even classical works inspired by the Roman Empire or Ancient Greece. The amount of revenue the UDN receives from tourism to its enormous offer of museums, old cities and ancient monuments is not to be underestimated and the Union is well aware of this.
Folklore within the Union is perhaps the aspect of human culture that has changed the most over the years. With the globalization effort of the UDN, followed by the spread across the Solar System, many local traditions were lost or merged together to form events celebrated across nations, instead of merely within singular towns or villages. Strangely enough, some of the smaller traditions have managed to survive after becoming popular on colonies; especially distant ones such as those orbiting Saturn and Uranus. While these have changed over the years as well, they still prove recognizable to people who know of their original manifestations. Very popular elements of folklore that can be seen across much of Union space, is de-secularized Christmas, a five-day celebration around New Year's Eve and the Chinese Dragon Boat Festival.
Most sports have endured the expansion across the Solar System, while various new ones were introduced; most notably team sports that could be played in very limited space so they could be practices on the earlier, far more cramped colonies. Sports that are nigh ubiquitous and see almost daily coverage across the Union are rugby (once called American football), soccer, boxing, hockey, tennis and MMA, in general order of popularity. Baseball has slowly begun a resurgence and popular interest is rising, though peculiarly, this increase is only noticeable in the colonies.
See also
- Solar System for general information on the Solar System
- Society for general information on society on Earth, colonies and in deep space
- Technology for an overview of the various technological advances
