The Unity ChroniclesThe Unity ChroniclesThe galaxy has a multitude of factions, particularly following the rebel uprising of U98. This event not only saw the historic creation of the first organisation actively opposing the central Unity government, but also forced every major corporation to consider their allegiance.
What follows is a brief account of each of the major factions and corporations active at one point or another in the history of Unity.
Formed in U0, Unity was the means by which humanity banded together to fight off the alien invaders. All colonial powers were subject to this central authority, which was governed by the Unity Council. No power was delegated; Unity controlled every last resource available to them in an effort to mount a serious defence. Once this was successful, the Council saw no reason to disband: after all, everything was working at peak efficiency and it seemed to be in everyone's best interest to submit to the rule of the central authority.
This universally beneficial situation soon took a turn for the worse, however. Within a decade, the outer planets were little more than slave colonies, the majority of the populations engaged in mining and refining operations which then exported everything to the core.
The uprising in U98 was the first sucessful challenge against Unity's monopoly on power in the galaxy, and shook it to its foundations. With the collapse of its main sources of imports, its resources became stretched and it was forced to grant independence to two-thirds of the systems it once ruled over the course of two years.
With the formation of the Varangian Alliance in U100, the Unity Council went about consolidating its hold on the twenty systems it still controlled. To this end, it renamed all twenty to the virtues it held to be cardinal for each citizen of Unity to display. It was at this point that religion became a driving force behind Unity, and the Church of Unity became a major player in galactic politics.
Formed in U100, after a majority of members of the First Freedom Alliance expressed a desire for greater cohesion, the Varangian Alliance is, in truth, more government than alliance. Though its primary goal is the preservation of its citizens' freedom from opression, its long-term aim is to unseat the Unity Council and establish a galactic commonwealth.
During its formation, the leaders of the Varangian Alliance decided that a common identity would ensure greater pride in, and fidelity to, their cause. With this in mind, they identified themselves with an historical group to whom honour, duty and justice were paramount: The Varangian Guard. It is not clear which government changed the names of their systems in response to the other: certainly the Varangian Alliance changed theirs first (to the names of runes), but it has been suggested that this was in response to intelligence of the Unity move.
The government of the Varangian Alliance is overseen by a small group of military leaders, elected for life and invested with virtually supreme power. They control all industry and production in their systems, much as Unity did before them, but with a view to general economical equality among its citizens rather than the good of the few.
While the uprising in U98 was conducted using civilian spacecraft, by U101 the Varangian Alliance were flying their own distinctive vessels, easily identified by the "horns" at the bow. This was perhaps the most clear way in which the Alliance distinguished itself from its beginnings as a civilian uprising and instead classified itself as a genuine interstellar government. The Unity Council, however, continued to refer to the Varangian Alliance as rebels, refusing to recognise their legitimacy until U160.
The galaxy's biggest producer of refined ralochium, the fuel required for travel at hyperspeed, Arbiter Fuel Corporation effectively runs the principal settled world in the Arbiter system. It was one of the first corporations (and by extension systems) to declare independence after the U98 uprising and the formation of the First Freedom Alliance.
Unity declared that no trade was to take place with the systems involved in the rebellion, and the FFA reciprocated this embargo, prompting Arbiter to declare independence from Unity but remain likewise independent from the new alliance. This allowed them to trade indiscriminately with either side.
So great is the economic power weilded by this corporation, that the Arbiter system is the only truly neutral space in the galaxy; aggression of any sort is not tolerated from or toward any ship, and while there are no immediate repercussions such as military intervention from their fleet, the threat of trade sanctions against the offenders' government is enough to keep the peace.
It was due to this that Arbiter was the theatre chosen for the historic negotiations between Unity and the Varangian Alliance in U160.
Due to the unusually rich deposits of virtually every important ore on Hephaestus V, the early settlers immediately established extensive mining, refining and manufacturing facilities across the planet. It wasn't long before the best engineers and technicians in the galaxy began gathering there, and soon enough Hephaestus made its name as the foremost producer of cutting-edge technology - particularly for military use.
The company which emerged as the most powerful of all was Godsforge Munitions, who soon came to hold a monopoly on the production of personal and ship-mounted weapons, as well as ships themselves. Godsforge became a by-word for quality and innovation in design, with the apprenticeships at their top facilities being highly sought-after and awarded only to the absolute best in their field.
The coming of Unity left the corporations in place as nominal leaders of the planet, but stripped them of power and made them work on Unity's terms. Everything produced was de facto property of the central government. It was little surprise, then, that Godsforge is thought to have been a major power behind the uprisings in U96 and U98. Despite this, however, it remained neutral after declaring independence from Unity in U98 following the initial success of the rebellion.
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