Tuesday, March 22, 2016

Governments and Gangs

United Earth Alliance

The UEA is the governing body of humanity. It has more power than the United Nations or the European Union, but it does not interfere in individual countries unless requested, or if it sees a dangerous problem. At least, that's how it works in theory.

In truth, while the UEA may not hold much power in Earth's solar system, it is far more powerful on other systems. A few larger systems like the Nahundi System, the Seginus Cluster, or the Kchk'Trrs homeworld of the Omega Parada System rule themselves, but most planets, even the Pentacus System, fall under the thumb of the UEA. And the smaller the system, the harsher the rule. Powerful and corrupt, the UEA still manages to put up a clean, cheerful demeanor, at least to the more powerful systems. Travel between planets is as rare in 2750 as it is now on Earth; only a tiny fraction of the population travel from world to world, and even then mostly on business, or to a resort, where the true mark of the UEA is rarely present.

UEA politicians are a pampered, corrupt, and out-of-touch group of narcissists and modern aristocrats, usually too preoccupied with gossip, power, and petty bureaucracy to worry about the "unwashed masses." There are the occasional diamonds in the rough, but on the whole, the politicians are as they always are and always will be.

The military is, for the most part, a functional, decent group; while not immune to corruption, the structure and size of the UEA military keep it mostly in line. Though ships and crew are readily available, the war budget has been cut back after the completion of the war with the Duul'Tlak. Of all the UEA-sponsored groups, the military branch is probably the least corrupt.

The police fill the gaps between the military and the politicians. Some cops are as dirty as can be, while others are hard-working, even heroic, men and women in blue. The smaller the planet, the more obvious where the police force falls. The smallest planets are patrolled by gruff, tired, but compassionate leaders, or by borderline fascist dictators, tiny kings of their realm.


The Duul'Tlak are a warlike, tribal, fierce, and loyal race, and until the humans came along were vastly superior to anything and everything they met. The war with humanity changed all that; somehow, these small, soft, pink creatures managed to not only out-think the greatest minds the Duul'Tlak had to offer, then even managed to beat them at their own game - war!
Duul'Tlak are roughly human sized, with males slightly taller; their skin is dark yellow to orange, and while their heads are bald, their chins have a reddish beard, male and female alike. They speak a guttural language. Even unarmed, a Duul'Tlak is a fierce fighter, and can use his tongue to slash his opponent and inject a toxin. Few Duul'Tlak are found on UEA ships; their people label them a traitor, and humans tend to avoid them. As it is, the Duul'Tlak government is under the supervision of the UEA, though their newest chancellor is much more of a peaceful expansionist than a warmongering killer like his predecessors.


Known as Chatters by those unable to pronounce their actual name, the insectoid race is smart and friendly, if quite alien. Physically, their body shape is roughly humanoid, if you discount the clicking mandibles and stiff, hand-like pincers at the ends of their double-jointed arms, and chitinous outer shell. The creatures have a knack for engineering and navigation, and are often found on board UEA ships. Similar to Earth insects, the insectoids are mostly female, with only a few males. However, all females can breed; with the very high rate of egg production, and the high rate of survival due to their advanced civilization, only a few females are chosen to breed each year. Males, as rare as they are, are treated like royalty; most Kchk'trrs know the name of every male alive. The Kchk'trrs government operates independently, and while they are willing to allow any race to live on their planets, they gently refused to be under the UEA banner. Even so, they operate closely with the UEA.

Along with the governments of the various races, there are also a number of somewhat less than legal operations:

The Empire

The Trade Empire, usually known simply as The Empire, seems, at least at first glance, to actually be a collection of legitimate businesses. As well it should; the stern leader of the Empire, known as Grandma F'Tarkin, has kept a tight grip on her businesses, forcing them to obey the law and remain beyond reproach - though the darker organizational branches are exceptionally illegal. The Empire trades in information, various legitimate trade goods, and governmental power plays, all funded by blackmail and bribes. The organization has a strict chain of command, with Grandma F'Tarkin at the head, followed by a complex structure of "managers". It has bases of operation on every planet except Bardron, Alpha Corvi, Leporis A 4, Earth, Alchiba, Arabis, and the Omega Parada system.

Norse Supremacists

The Norse Supremacists have four leaders, one for each planet they are based on. Gunvald, the "War King", resides on Alchiba Prime; Jørgen Bølog, lead enforcer, is based on Earth; Håkon Raske, master of imports, stays on Alpha Corvi; and Mats Redson, in charge of human trafficking, remains on Bardron. While well-run, the organization is mostly filled with skin-heads, punks, and druggies; a good match for the drugs, human trafficking, and intimidation they deal out. The four heads keep their organization running smoothly, killing those they cannot intimidate. The leaders use Norse mythology to keep their underlings in line, though they themselves don't believe a word of it.

Jihad Crusaders

The Sheik is a mysterious figure that no one seems to have met, apart from his lieutenants. The lieutenants are, in turn, in charge of a number of camp leaders, each of whom run a camp to train various dissidents. While the name seems to indicate some sort of religious affiliation, the truth is that most of the followers would follow almost anyone. Mostly anarchists, terrorists, and other malcontents, the group seems to have no set goals, apart from wreaking destruction and chaos. From their confusing logo to their even more confusing battle cries, chances are, the only one who knows what is really going on is the Sheik... and he may not even exist.

Alliance Security Force

AKA AlSec, the Alliance Security Force is a tight-knit group of spies, assasins, and soldiers, all part of a black-op group purportedly run by the UEA. The leader or leaders are unknown; the command location seems to be based from one of several roving command ships. The group has been known to work under many aliases, including White Flare, White Sun Taskforce, and Eagle Security. Not much else is known of the shadowy group.

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