United Nations Interstellar Protectorate

United Nations Interstellar Protectorate

Basics

Capital:	UNIP Headquarters, Nairobi, Earth
Motto:	Preserving the past. Protecting the present. Planning for the future.
Founded:	2201The Protectorate is the latest in a string of organisations declaring lineage to the United Nations. The original UN was founded in 1945, the UN Interplanetary Colonisation Effort in 2097, and the UNIP in 2201.

Government

Type:	Intergovernmental Body
Leader:	N/A

Society

Languages:

Solarian Common

After generations of stagnation, the United Nations Interstellar Protectorate seeks to venture into the unknown once more and become something greater than merely the birthplace of humankind. Once at risk of fading into meaninglessness, the resurgent Protectorate, sometimes referred to as EarthGov, is a union of worlds centred around Sol. Stemming from an organisation formed to maintain international peace, the responsibilities and the scale at which they operated increased at an almost unmanageable rate as humanity took its first steps into the stars, even to the point where the frontier slipped out of their grasp in order to keep the peace. In the modern day, the Protectorate has resolved to never again let themselves fall behind to that extent, mainly through spearheading new exploration initiatives and revitalising laboratories across their territory. It will require the collective effort of many, but if there is anything the UNIP is known for, it’s bringing disparate groups together for one cause.

Population and Planets

The core systems of the UNIP are as close as one can be to being crowded in interstellar terms. Many worlds alone have populations in the billions and, for the most part, those numbers don’t see any sign of decreasing any time soon. Though its reach has shrunk in the time before its resurgence, the worlds that remain in the Protectorate are among its most loyal members, and are dedicated to its newfound desire to explore the cosmos. There is very little in the way of a unified culture in the Protectorate, and every colony is distinct from the rest in numerous ways.

Venus, after the former planet of Mercury, is one of the most mined planets in the Solar System, and its residents mostly dwell in orbit of the planet. Originally a Protectorate mining operation, it was eventually sold to Hephaestus Industries which has only further expanded the ageing outposts. Venusian families are more often than not all employed by Hephaestus and assigned to work on their orbital habitat to ensure daily function, or assigned to the cyclical mining operations on the planet, where every shift must be precisely timed to avoid being boiled alive under the superhot temperatures; death is only held at bay by this precise system and the industrial mining RIGs worn by the miners. A few Venusians do end up escaping this fate, but most have no choice but to remain. The hellish conditions have made Venus a hotbed for frequent uprisings, but these tensions have cooled for now. Were the situation to escalate beyond Hephaestus’ ability to contain, it is likely the Protectorate will interfere.

Venus plays host to a massive divide between occupational cultures. The common perception of Venusians abroad frequently focuses on the "Cythereans", named so due to the Cytherea-class Industrial Habitats that they tend to. They make up the bulk of Hephaestus’ station-side employees, and have taken on a signature accent from the years of techno-jargon commonly spoken in their daily lives. However rough their lives around the hellish planet may seem, they hardly compare to the lives of the “Jintarans”, the miners of Venus clad in their high-temperature adapted “Jintara” Industrial suits. Jintarans often speak in a very clipped and gruff way, which has an unsurprising habit of being off-putting to outsiders.

Perhaps the single most important planet in the Protectorate, Earth is the homeworld of humanity. Most megacorporations originated on Earth, and many still operate from it. The planet is divided up into special zones controlled directly by the Protectorate, as well as independent members. Many parts of the world have been restored thanks to a joint biosphere restoration effort between the Protectorate and Zeng-Hu, but many more regions still bear the scars of earlier times. Terran is often used to talk about a human born on the homeworld, rather than any specific nationality.

Earth also has one natural satellite, Luna, which would be one of the Protectorate’s most powerful colonies were it not for its direct acquisition and administration by EarthGov. While not every Lunarian is wealthy, and a significant working class population exists, much of the moon's population is stereotyped as being wealthy beyond what most can imagine; owed in no small part to the truth that the first colonists were wealthy Terran families. Many of their descendants still reside in the moon domes. Lunarians are also often stereotyped as haughty, arrogant,incredibly prideful, and constantly brag about their origins on Luna as well as their service to the Protectorate. Culturally, it draws extensively from the Earthbound roots of its settlers, to the point that Luna as a whole feels like just an extension of Earth.

As one of the first colonies, Martians as a people have suffered grievously throughout their history. Mars was once dreamed of as the next planet to fully colonise and then turn green, a utopia in the making where humanity would begin its foray into the stars. It was anything but that. Modern Mars consists of rows and rows of low-income housing stuck under habitational bio-domes; these habitats are more giant slums than anything else. The only orderly domes tend to be the Colony Governor's own residence and the Martian Militia dome, as well as any corporate branch office. As a result many Martians can be found abroad, wanting to escape their dull and dreary life in search of adventure and a better life out there.

While the majority of the orbital facilities surrounding the inhospitable gas giant are refuelling stations or research outposts, all either government or corporate gas refineries, the most prominent is the "Helios" Habitation Dock, once a simple Protectorate dockyard, is now an Idris owned tourist hotspot, supported by the fact that the residential levels of the dock were turned into a luxury hotel overlooking the massive natural wonders of Jupiter, such as the Great Red Spot. And yet, the most impressive of what Jupiter has to offer can be found on its moons.

• Callisto was originally considered by Nanotrasen for the prison site that now resides on Ganymede, but was left discarded in the first years of Jovian colonisation, before being selected to house the first Non-Earthen Telescope facility, the Hubble II, which has resulted in the formation of a large scientific community on this moon. The rest of the planet is commonly dedicated to mass hydroponics farming, producing a surplus of food that is commonly distributed to all Solar and beyond colonies. The vast underground oceans of Callisto also provide much of the water to the outer reaches of Sol.
• Ganymede was once considered as a Protectorate port, but its rights were eventually sold to Nanotrasen, who turned the cold moon into a penal mining colony once the Port Ward Installation went online. Nowadays, this cold Jovian moon is one large private penal facility, as well as one of Nanotrasen’s largest electronics manufacturing facilities. Ganymede has built up infamy in Protectorate space as an example of corporate overreach and the dangers of private prisons; even with Nanotrasens PR department doing its best to attempt to smooth it over. The only legacy residents of Ganymede tend to be the Nanotrasen Staff´s own families, in company provided residential habs installed in the outskirts of the facility limits, alongside with other habitational basics to ensure staff rarely leave the planet.
• Europa has always been of interest to the science community due to the existence of life under its great ice sheets. It wasn't long before ports and underwater outposts were established, many of the first were purely research sites, but as humanity’s ambition grew Europa saw an increase in habitational stations being built in the vast underground ocean. Nowadays, modern Europa is the most sought out location in the solar system for adventure, with tales of excitement and discovery being common when it comes to the signature nuclear-powered submarines utilised to navigate its treacherous depths. The typical Europan is often deeply superstitious, but eager to chart the unknown.

Despite all evidence to the contrary, Pluto boasts cultural and economic ascendancy and draws envy from other celestial bodies. Despite skeptics dismissing it as a dwarf planet, Pluto's inhabitants, blinded by their world's splendor, aim to showcase its significance. The water world of Pluto features the floating Kuiper City catering to off-worlders.

The Plutoid Renaissance, a marketing campaign turned religious revival blurred the lines between marketing and spirituality.

More information can be found here: Pluto.

The Eridani Corporate Alliance, often referred to as Eridani for short, is a series of relatively independent Solarian worlds that enjoy almost total economic and relative military freedom, through corporations, from the rest of the alliance of states that forms Sol. It is in a 3 caste system, between "Corporates", also referred to as "Suits", who are people employed in the corporate ladder of the interests that run the Alliance; the "Dregs", who are manual labourers and the unemployed, often considered the underdogs and oppressed of the system; and the "Reinstated", dregs who are in some form of position to potentially become Corporates.

The Tau Ceti Special Economic Zone is the home of Nanotrasen, who sought out a system to call their own after being outcompeted in the auctions for Eridani. Though fuelled by envy, this proved to be one of Nanotrasen’s most profitable choices due to the five highly valuable planets in the system. The colonisation efforts for Tau Ceti were a purely Nanotrasen-organised effort, with the third planet of the system, dubbed Biesel, being picked as the primary site, due to its earth-like climate and atmosphere. Nanotrasen’s main headquarters can be found on this colony within the limits of the megacity of Mendell. The planet itself is considered the heart of Nanotrasen’s influence as corporate propaganda finds its way into every aspect of its residents' lives. Even with this overbearing presence, many still claim that it is a constitutional democracy with no corporate influence steering its politics nor government. Such a claim seems ridiculous the moment one takes a closer look at the way Tau Ceti operates.

The second planet from Tau Ceti’s sun is Luthien, a desert planet with a thin, unbreathable atmosphere and small amounts of liquid water located around its cooler poles. Most of its habitation domes and stations are located around these poles, but Luthien itself is far from a residential colony, instead, many of its facilities are dedicated to Nanotrasen testing and research, primarily oriented to weapons testing, or the genetic development of flora and fauna that are able to adapt to extreme environments.

Tau Ceti’s fourth planet, an ice world on the outer edge of the star's habitable zone, was christened Gibson, named after the original colony ship assigned to colonise the planet. The colonists were assigned in two duty teams for most of the colonisation process, a decision that led to the cultural division of the once united colonists, with the "Surfacers" and the "Undergrounders", who were responsible for digging underground where the Arcologies and future NT mining complexes would be built. Nowadays, the separation of "Surfacer" and "Undergrounder" is purely cultural but still clearly defined. While the above surface sections are spacious and luxurious, the underground districts of the arcology are connected by stretching tunnels and elevators for transit, as more and more of it connects to the endless mining effort.

Originally intended to be a Hephaestus mining colony, New Hai Phong has since become one of the industrial centres of the modern Protectorate thanks to massive investment from Hephaestus Industries. Space on New Hai Phong is at a premium, which has led to a communal style of living centred around block families: small organised residential units consisting of several families living in close proximity. This was a living arrangement that was established by its first Southeast Asian colonists, and continued to the present day by a cosmopolitan populace. Corruption is a massive issue on the planet according to reports, and dissent against Hephaestus has been growing in recent years. Respiratory issues plague many residents of New Hai Phong thanks to the harsh environment of the planet brought on by the company's industrial pollution which is even beginning to affect the planet's natural freshwater sea. A considerable number of offworlders also reside in this system, most of them staffing Hephaestus’ massive orbital superfactories.

Originally slated to become a penal colony, Visegrad was "saved" from this dull fate by the timely intervention of the Office of Special Services, who quickly took interest in the planet for their own reasons. Visegrad was instead turned into what the Office labelled a "rehabilitation world". The sole colony world to be under direct Protectorate administration and within its own colonial archetype classification, Visegrad was the testing ground for a new form of psychological rehabilitation. The first colonists sent after direct UNIP control were all EarthGov employees, primarily OSS contractors alongside a small peacekeeper force which would serve as the foundation for its future.

The second wave was not as illustrious, hosting a gaggle of EarthGov prisoners that were selected for rehabilitative imprisonment. These criminals were primarily repeat offenders and asylum patients hand picked by the Office. Visegrad was a prison, despite the rebranding, but it had none of the expected installations. Instead of cells, the residents were assigned housing blocks, and instead of a simple yard for outdoor time, the complexes were large swathes of land, walled in by manned and patrolled border walls. It even had basic entertainment and utility buildings that would be common to a regular settlement, as part of this experiment.

Modern Visegrad has seen some success in its tenure, with several "patients" having been given new lives and allowed to leave the planet, most end up staying due to being familiar with the same routine, a form of normalcy, to the point they still live within reach of any new transfers, each facility on the planet's surface is a community of its own, though many still do leave the planet, glad at last to have made it out.

Visegrad's society is generally divided between the heavily urbanised compounds that the Contractors and EarthGov staff live in, many of who bring their families along due to the long-term assignments to the planet, and rural rehabilitation facility patients. Visegradi are often stereotyped as either gloomy and distrustful people or as cheerful and calm individuals, owing to the planet's residential source as a prison colony in all but name, and a history of intrusive government observation programs. Visegradi culture additionally has a heavy emphasis on luck and fatalism, along with a general distrust towards psionics due to rumours, even if unproven, circulating of their usage as part of the rehabilitation program, and many that go abroad bring their superstitions with them. Visegradi travelling abroad are mostly OSS employees sent out for the purpose of fulfilling their enigmatic objectives.

Mictlan is a world renowned for its stunning natural beauty. This beauty is marred by enviromental laws uprooting the local population, which already forms a complicated relationship with the persistent Everstorm ravaging the equator and the persitent volcanic activity of the north.

History

The history of the United Nations starts years before humanity would take to the stars, but the events that would pave the way for its transformation into the Protectorate would begin in the 21st century. Like most of the planet, the UN was severely impacted by a massive solar flare in 2012. This event caused not only physical effects, such as when the expansion of the Earth’s upper atmosphere led to satellites falling out of the sky all over the world, but knocked humanity’s technological base back considerably. Decades worth of accumulated data were wiped out in mere moments, the infrastructure behind manufacturing, transport, and communication was rendered non-functional, and nearly every corporation dissolved overnight. Many nations found their borders shrinking as it became impossible to exert influence in some areas. Despite the efforts made to recover from this disaster, it seemed like the world was slipping further into chaos no matter how much was tried. This time would eventually pass as the years went by, though the borders and global balance of power would remain fundamentally altered.

Unsurprisingly, the United Nations struggled to remain afloat. As communication and transportation were slowed, the organisation informally split into several groups centered around pre existing facilities, with the hope of reunifying at a later date. This time would come in the 2060s, when the world was at about the technological level of the mid-20th century. The now-reformed UN would take on a more proactive role, supporting further advancements, defusing conflicts before they can start, and in some cases taking indefinite control of regions that were still experiencing a complete lack of authority. It was only in 2093, when they decisively defused a conflict that threatened to drag much of the world into a long and bloody war, that public confidence in the UN truly soared. It would not just become a mediator, but also entrusted with more authority for the sake of keeping the peace in those troubled times. Earth would soar to new heights under the UN’s watch yet through it all, there was still one desire left unfulfilled. Years of seeing the night sky in all its wonder had instilled in many the dream of seeing what else lay out there, but no nation found itself with the ability to do more than launch satellites. In response, the UN would form the United Nations Interplanetary Colonisation Effort, an organisation designed to bring together resources and manpower from around the world. They would go on to establish the first Lunar settlement in 2104, followed by the first Martian colony in 2125. This pattern of expanding across Sol would go largely uninterrupted until 2189, when the unexpected happened.

A mistake made in a routine scientific experiment proved to the scientific community that there was a way to breach lightspeed, and a practical warp drive was developed not long after. As soon as it was publicised, talk of extrasolar colonisation seemed to dominate the airwaves, and the relevant industries started to buckle under the skyrocketing demand for their goods. The first missions to survey and settle uncharted systems began in the 2190’s, missions that never had any shortage of volunteers from every corner of the world. The UN-ICE continued to maintain its role in organising and supporting these projects, but it was quickly becoming apparent that this work was becoming too great for them to handle. And so, as the 23rd century dawned, it was decided to completely restructure the United Nations for this new era. In its place was formed the United Nations Interstellar Protectorate. Not only would it lead the way in coordinating the expansion of humanity across the stars, but it would also hold much more influence over the nations of Earth and even supplanted some of their oldest institutions.

For many decades, humanity was in a veritable golden age of exploration. New discoveries were made seemingly every day, and the core worlds were more prosperous than ever. As the century progressed, the dream began to fade. A series of high-profile failures eroded public confidence in further expansion, and a major economic recession in the 2260’s ensured not even private interests could establish their own missions. Several frontier worlds either lost contact or deliberately severed connections to the Protectorate. Rather than risk a costly interstellar war, these systems were able to go their own way, furthering the Protectorate’s own economic troubles. The fall would eventually be halted, but the stagnation would continue on for centuries. Corporations would take on a much larger role in this time period, effectively eliminating the grey area the special economic zones were in legally. Their reach would massively expand, and massive projects such as Hephaestus’ strip mining of Mercury would become emblematic of their excesses. This era would also be defined by first contact with the Skrell in 2460, a relationship that began warmly and has only improved over time. The Protectorate still ultimately remained inwardly focused during much of the subsequent century, but as with all things, that would not last.

Some time in the early 2580’s, a social movement began to spring up with the claim that the Protectorate was going to be locked out of the frontier by the other nations of the Spur, that they would be relegated to a mere relic of history. The voices that took up this cause were few and far between at first, but by leveraging the anxieties many felt, it spread like wildfire, before eventually making its way into the most influential circles of the Protectorate. Almost at once, the exploration craze that had defined the 2200’s had returned. Interest in the sciences was at an all-time high, old exploration craft were brought out of storage and given new life, and the Protectorate seemed to have finally reawakened. The Spur of today is not the same as it was back then, and the Protectorate has to navigate an even more varied web of interests to accomplish its goals. Whatever consequences their efforts hold remain unknown, but this will do little to stop the Protectorate’s march into the future.

Government

Though its powers have increased far beyond what any of its founders could have imagined, the UNIP as an organisation is still quite limited compared to a “true” nation. Outside of a select few worlds, as well as a handful of regions on Earth, the Protectorate does not directly hold any territory. However, the Protectorate maintains an extensive presence on any member world that, while not directly in control of the colony, does grant the Protectorate considerable influence. Potential colonies that choose to remain in the Protectorate are given a boost in funding, as well as the promise to establish facilities providing for basic needs, infrastructure, and defence. In exchange, colonial governments are required to abide by certain rules protecting the freedom and dignity of their populace for as long as they rely on the aforementioned services, under threat of having all control indefinitely transferred to the Protectorate itself. This provision also applies to colonies undergoing a complete collapse of local authority. Some corporate-controlled systems follow a different, often lighter set of rules due to their status as special economic zones.

The overarching policy of the Protectorate is determined by the General Assembly, which also serves as the main form of representation and the means through which the Chairman-General is elected. These meetings take place at the UNIP Headquarters in Nairobi, a facility that existed before the Flare, though it takes on a much more prevalent role in the modern day. In times past it was able to coordinate the greatest number of members throughout the years of recovery, and now sits not too far away from the recently established space elevator. All member nations and systems are represented here, though extrasolar colonies are only permitted one representative. This has proven to be quite controversial outside of Sol, as each administrative region within Sol itself is granted a representative. Supporters claim that without this system, corporate influence would run amok in the Assembly. No such rules are placed on the other departments and organisations within the Protectorate, but in practice are often led by residents of Sol. These groups include:

• The Department of Justice and Diplomatic Affairs [DJDA] is responsible for interstellar law enforcement, at least on paper. In practice, they only have any real authority over agencies within the Solar System, which tends to result in enforcers requiring cooperation from local colonial administrations. A recent reform, upon first contact with the Skrell, was for the department to increase its mandate to diplomatic affairs with all human colonies as well as alien species. As part of its mandate, the DJDA has assignment authority over Protectorate Peacekeeper units when it comes to diplomatic protection and consular missions.
• The Office of Special Services [OSS], the Protectorate’s own intelligence and clandestine operations and research arm.The former members of the old Terran intelligence agencies had two options: Retire or sign on for a new employer. Most of their exact details and operations aren’t known, aside from what has been redacted and edited for public view; the most famous of these programs is their "Psionic Talent Assessment Program", which recruits individuals that display an aptitude for psionics. In most cases the relevant aptitude tests are treated as part of the routine healthcare checkup that most Protectorate citizens partake in. Most individuals test negative, with none or minimal talent potential, and live a normal life. Those that do tend to have specialised government funded education and job opportunities guaranteed by adulthood in the Office. Many of these “Talents” see themselves effectively limited to government assignments in a supportive or advisory role, where they can best aid The Protectorate. Strangely, the Office also serves as a middleman for contractors from outside the Protectorate.
• The United Nations Security Council [UNSC], the administrative body of EarthGov responsible for its military and security operations. The Security Council has been responsible for the Protectorate's Army and Navy since 2127. It also funds local Colonial Defense Forces. When a colony can't meet the minimum quota for its local defences, UNIP subsidises the employment of mercenaries from relevant companies. Enlistment in the Army is not a prestigious post, but it pays the bills and has lax standards. It also offers educational courses in most fields, but aspiring engineers tend to be siphoned away by the navy, which tends to be regarded as the more impressive of the two. Its entry requirements are more stringent, but its recruits, even the more prestigious Bridge Crew and Captains, tend to lead dull and uneventful services. The boring, bureaucratic nature of military life causes a haemorrhaging of recruits with bloodthirsty tendencies to mercenary companies, while the more adventurous tend to leave for greener pastures in initiatives like the New Horizon.