The Terran Amalgam

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Nation/Faction Name: The Terran Amalgam 
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Government Type: Loose Confederation 
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Capital: Syndicate Core, De Valtos Prime
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Homeworld: Earth
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Leaders: Chairman Sui Lin-Sing, Commander Elias Vanderhaus, Lord Silas MacAdim 
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Dominant Race: Terran 
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Alignment: Neutral 
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History: The Terran Amalgam was formed by humans leaving Earth after it was destroyed in an interstellar war with a long forgotten race. The fleeing refugees settled in the Far Quadrants, a highly nebulous area of space that comprised a little less than half the Milky Way Galaxy. Over time, the settlers were split into several factions, some of them powerful corporations wielding governmental power called Syndicates while others were semi-monarchical governments called Great Houses or Clans. Although they are technically united under emergency provisions, the factions all pursue their naked self interest most of the time, this may include trade embargoes and even limited armed conflict. 
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The Syndicates 


The Syndicates control the more populated portions of Terran space, known as Syndicate Space or Peopled Space. This area is home to many colonies and cities, but is quite barren of mineral resources. 


The De Valtos Syndicate is the largest of Syndicates and the most powerful, which makes them the technical leaders of humanity by controlling the Syndicate Core. The De Valtos have a heavy control over trade and commerce and an almost as heavy military presence. The De Valtos are the richest faction and their people live in relative comfort and enjoy an epicurean lifestyle. 





The Cadar Syndicate is the most militarily powerful of the Syndicates, with a professional fleet and trained marines that the De Valtos cannot match. For the past twenty years, the Cadari have pushed the United Trade Front organization or the UTF to wrestle control of the resource markets from the De Valtos. 





Syndicate Rychart is the least powerful of the Syndicates, and the youngest. Rychart does, however, have the advantage of having the best spies and assassins in Syndicate Space. Rycharters are intelligent, reserved, and know how to pit parties against one another to their own advantage. 

 

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The Great Houses 


The Great Houses are monarchical establishments that rule Clan Space with an iron fist. Clan Space, or the Hinterlands, is less densely populated space that is more mineral rich. 


House Thulun is the largest and richest of the Great Houses, ruling from their lofty and noble perch on Thulun Prime. House Thulun controls most of the shipping and commerce in Clan Space. Thulunians are ruled by the authoritarian Lord MacAdim, whose puritanical beliefs have led to the adoption of harsh restrictions on society, such as a complete ban on spice consumption and the criminalization of homosexuality. 





The Clan Javat has the most robust collection of mining and industrial world. More than half of all manufacture and raw material extraction in the Far Quadrants originates in Javat space. The Javat are a hardy and independent people who are shrewd business negotiators and are often distrustful of outsiders. 





The Steel Song Clan is the strongest of the three in terms of military. Their army of bounty hunters and hired guns is enough to rival the Cadar Armada. Every Clan member must make a pledge of sworn allegiance to the Clan, and opposition to the often irrational wishes and whims of the Lady Alazar often leads to death.  

 

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The Terran Amalgam


Military Overview 


Navy 


Although there is no unified fleet between the factions, as each keeps their own military forces, they follow more or less the same class structure and design. Terran fleets are structured around large central ships called Capital Ships. Capital Ships are escorted by smaller vessels called frigates and corvettes. When engaging the enemy, Terran fleets will engage in a tactic known as the "battle line," in which their entire fleet attacks in a pre-planned formation adapted to the specific scenario. Battle line tactics give Terran fleets greater organization and open firing lanes at the cost of fluidity. To support their rigid battle line structure, most factions will employ support ships called cruisers that can move and maneuver quickly. Some factions, namely the Cadar, possess stealth cruisers that can cloak while moving but must uncloak to fire their weapons. Some factions, primarily the Steel Song Clan, employ privateers alongside their regular fleets. Privateer vessels are fast and stealthy starships that can raid shipping lanes and escape capture by slower but deadlier fleet ships. 





Ground Forces


The ground forces of the various factions are less homogenous than their fleet structure and depends widely on the faction. The De Valtos and Cadar Syndicates maintain a regular army formed from volunteers from their respective parts of space or conscripted Independents. Other factions, like the Steel Song Clan or the Syndicate Rychart maintain mercenary armies and have very little in the way of a traditional army structure. It is rare for ground warfare to occur, so the support vehicles utilized by the Terrans are small, light, and meant to be deployed from Orbit. Most artillery and aerial support is provided from Orbit as well. 





In order to serve as a soldier for a faction, one must be issued the Ardok Death Warrant---a license to kill under Shalun Law, the official rules of war. All commissioned officers in the faction armies and navies carry a Warrant, as well as any spies, assassins, and bounty hunters. Warrants are supplied by the Palace Court or Board of Regents of each faction. 

 

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Culture and Society


When humans fled Earth in an event that came to be known as the Diaspora, they brought with them many of the rivalries and prejudices of the old world. Before the war, the dominant nations were the United Federation of Asiatic Republics and the United States. The Chinese, being the dominant ethnic group, had been engaged in colonialism and empire building for over a hundred years. It is argued that Chinese-American aggression ultimately doomed the Earth to its destruction. 


While the new colonies were not segregated, many kept their racial prejudices or biases from before the Diaspora that only deepened with time. Chinese and non-Chinese competed for influence in the factions and in society, which led to aversions to or outright hatred of the other race. Thus, where Chinese have lots of influence (namely De Valtos) non-Chinese have less important jobs and less social status and vice versa. 


There is no uniform culture between Humanity, and it depends mainly on their faction of origin. Life in De Valtos Space is characterized by excess and sin. Her main economic activity being finance and trade, the well-to-do citizens of De Valtos are free to waste their loot at any number of high-tech establishments, cat-houses, spice halls, and gambling dens. Meanwhile, the poor scrape by as dock dregs and manual laborers and mostly blow their meager paychecks on a night of spice-induced bliss. There is no safety net, and the poor are encouraged to pull themselves up by their bootstraps, which never happens. 


By contrast, the Cadari are a people of rigidity and discipline. The Cadar Syndicate has a diversified economy based on trade, war, manufacturing, and civil services. Most vices are illegal. So while the rich mostly destroy themselves in illegal racket houses fronted by the mafia, the lower classes can find a helping hand through the prevalence of good jobs or, if all else fails, joining the esteemed Cadari Military. 


Syndicate Rychart does some trading, but mostly deal in information, technology, limited manufacturing, and mining. Rychart has a smaller population, and so no real economic problems besides a stable stagnation in growth. Rycharters are more intelligent and reserved than the average man and usual do not frequent rackets. Some of the greater Rycharter diversions are chess tournaments and televised mock war games. 


The House Thulun is ruled by a puritanical lord, and his conservative social codes are some of the most restrictive in the 'Verse. The population is split mostly between those loyal to the lord and those who would rather circumvent his authority and provide illegal services. 


The Clan Javat has few major cities and is mostly comprised of mining outposts. Javatians are often suspicious of outsiders and foreign vice peddlers are often disappointed to find a society with no interest in their products. The Javatians are considered fine and upstanding by some, prudish and oafish by others. 


Finally, the Steel Song. Steel Song Clanners have a society revolvent around piracy, bounty hunting, and bloodshed. Other economic activities include manufacturing, mining, and ship-building. The Steel Song has none of the vice restrictions the other Great Houses do and is constantly flexing its muscle. It's theorized that the Steel Song may also be disposing of incuring alien forces along the Periphery without telling the rest of Humanity. 


When humans fled Earth, they brought with them three major religions. Christianity, overseen by the New Papal Authority on Thulun Prime, Islam, and Buddhism. Although only about 20% of the population is religious of any kind, the Churches still hold a fair amount of sway in society.