Post by Kenneth New on Oct 2, 2011 15:20:10 GMT -5
Overview
During the Golden Age of Space Colonization, human colonies were established throughout what are now known as the Core Worlds. Originally autonomous, the Core Worlds were forced to form an alliance upon the outbreak of hostilities with the Shoomari.
Scope of Government
The Earth Alliance is more than a simple military alliance. It has great power within a very narrow sphere of influence. The mandate of the Alliance is heavily restricted.
The Alliance Mandate
Other functions of government are handled by accords (treaties between member states). Examples include:
These accords are only binding on signatory worlds. Most worlds of the Alliance have signed each accord.
The Alliance has no power to levy taxes unless those taxes are apportioned to the member worlds and dominions based on population. Funding is through fees (fuel fees, communication fees, adjudication fees, etc...) and donations. Wealthy states agree to pay donations to help fund the Alliance. These aren't taxes, but are donations worked out through an Accord every five standard years.
Form of Government
The Alliance is more akin to the Articles of Confederation than the Constitution of the United States. Each member world of the Alliance is allowed a single vote on the Alliance Council, regardless of population. Earth, with 8.5 billion inhabitants, has as many votes as Lyra, with 250,000 inhabitants.
Each world controls its entire star system, with the exception of the Solar System. Earth, LaGrange, the Moon, Mars, the Belt, Jupiter and Saturn each have a vote. Seven votes is significant, but the various polities of the Solar System have very different agendas.
New laws must be justified under the Alliance Mandate and require a 2/3 vote of all member states. Accords are voluntary agreements to follow other rules and regulations.
Agencies of the Earth Alliance
In order to fulfill its mandate, the Earth Alliance has several permanent agencies. Due to the weakness of the Alliance Government, these agencies have significant autonomy.
The Unified Alliance Military
Each planet maintains its own planetary defense force, but the UAM provides overall security. In times of war, Planetary defense forces are placed under the command of the UAM.
The UAM consists of the Navy, the Marines and the Army. Each branch is separate but under the same command. The Joint UAM command consists of the heads of the three services and a chairman appointed by the Alliance Council. Civilian oversight is provided by the UAM Oversight Committee.
The Navy ensures the safety of the space lanes and provides ships of the line to act as a reactionary and patrol forces. It also maintains a fuel depot in every Alliance World. While primarily for the use of the Navy, the fuel depot is where most commercial traffic purchases the hydrogen for their fusion plants.
The UAM Marines provide security for Alliance installations and space born commandos for use in times of war and space born police actions.
The UAM Army provides forces for conquering and holding territory. It is the largest (in personnel), but least prestigious of the services, often occupying desolate and isolated territory.
The Interstellar Scout Service
The ISS is a very powerful agency of the Alliance government, with varied powers and functions.
The Exploration Branch is responsible for charting and scouting new systems. This is the branch most people think of when they think of the ISS.
The Colonization Branch is responsible for opening new worlds for colonization. No legal colony can be founded until the ISS has made a detailed planetary assay to ensure that the planet is safe for colonization and that there are no native sophont life forms. Once a world has been opened for colonization, new colonies must be supervised by an Alliance Legate until it achieves Dominion status.
The Adjudication Branch is responsible for providing law enforcement on colony worlds and for tracking criminals across interstellar boundaries. Alliance Adjudicators have broad authority outside of member states, but very little within their boundaries.
The Communications Branch is responsible for maintaining mail delivery service between all worlds of the alliance: member worlds, dominions and colonies.
Due to fees collected by the Colonization Branch and the Communications Branch, the ISS is mainly self-supporting in these branches.
Types of Alliance Worlds
Member Worlds are autonomous worlds that enjoy all the benefits of full membership. They set their own policies, protect their own systems and have a vote on the Alliance Council.
Dominion Worlds are semiautonomous. They control their own policies and local government, but must answer to a Planetary Legate Appointed by the Alliance Council. The Legate is a member of the ISS Colonization Branch whose office is paid for by the Dominion government, but responsible to the ISS and the Council.
Colony Worlds have limited autonomy. All of their policies and local laws are subject to review by the Planetary Legate and his staff. Traditionally, the legate interferes as little as possible in local affairs. New expeditions are allowed to settle only if their paperwork and fees are in order.
Restricted Worlds are still in the process of a planetary assay. They haven't yet been opened for colonization. Landing on such worlds is restricted to the ISS. Special expeditions (touring, hunting, etc...) are sometimes allowed with permission of the local ISS official.
Closed Worlds are forbidden to all travelers. It may be due to a dangerous environment, the presence of a fragile ecosystem, a native sophont species at a low level of development, or a native sophont species that doesn't want contact with others.
Council Systems are star sytems that are under direct Council jurisdiction. This is a rare category and few worlds fall into this classification. Until transit through the wormhole was regularized, the only Council Systems were the three uninhabited systems in the Core used by the Alliance for training exercises.
Pharos and Bubastic are also classified as Council Systems. Since they aren't under military authority, the Council has privatized their governance.
During the Golden Age of Space Colonization, human colonies were established throughout what are now known as the Core Worlds. Originally autonomous, the Core Worlds were forced to form an alliance upon the outbreak of hostilities with the Shoomari.
Scope of Government
The Earth Alliance is more than a simple military alliance. It has great power within a very narrow sphere of influence. The mandate of the Alliance is heavily restricted.
The Alliance Mandate
- Provide for common defense of the Alliance Worlds
- Represent the Alliance Worlds when dealing with other races
- Ensure the Safety of interstellar travel
- Provide a court for adjudicating issues between member states
- Scout new star systems and establish new colonies
- Provide law enforcement on colony worlds that haven't yet become member states
Other functions of government are handled by accords (treaties between member states). Examples include:
- The Treaty on Standard Metrics (standardizing time and units of measurement)
- The Treaty on Interstellar Exchange (providing rules for exchanging and transferring credit from one member state to another)
- The Treaty on Extradition, Rendition and Repatriation (providing rules for extraditing individuals from one world to another for trial and punishment)
These accords are only binding on signatory worlds. Most worlds of the Alliance have signed each accord.
The Alliance has no power to levy taxes unless those taxes are apportioned to the member worlds and dominions based on population. Funding is through fees (fuel fees, communication fees, adjudication fees, etc...) and donations. Wealthy states agree to pay donations to help fund the Alliance. These aren't taxes, but are donations worked out through an Accord every five standard years.
Form of Government
The Alliance is more akin to the Articles of Confederation than the Constitution of the United States. Each member world of the Alliance is allowed a single vote on the Alliance Council, regardless of population. Earth, with 8.5 billion inhabitants, has as many votes as Lyra, with 250,000 inhabitants.
Each world controls its entire star system, with the exception of the Solar System. Earth, LaGrange, the Moon, Mars, the Belt, Jupiter and Saturn each have a vote. Seven votes is significant, but the various polities of the Solar System have very different agendas.
New laws must be justified under the Alliance Mandate and require a 2/3 vote of all member states. Accords are voluntary agreements to follow other rules and regulations.
Agencies of the Earth Alliance
In order to fulfill its mandate, the Earth Alliance has several permanent agencies. Due to the weakness of the Alliance Government, these agencies have significant autonomy.
The Unified Alliance Military
Each planet maintains its own planetary defense force, but the UAM provides overall security. In times of war, Planetary defense forces are placed under the command of the UAM.
The UAM consists of the Navy, the Marines and the Army. Each branch is separate but under the same command. The Joint UAM command consists of the heads of the three services and a chairman appointed by the Alliance Council. Civilian oversight is provided by the UAM Oversight Committee.
The Navy ensures the safety of the space lanes and provides ships of the line to act as a reactionary and patrol forces. It also maintains a fuel depot in every Alliance World. While primarily for the use of the Navy, the fuel depot is where most commercial traffic purchases the hydrogen for their fusion plants.
The UAM Marines provide security for Alliance installations and space born commandos for use in times of war and space born police actions.
The UAM Army provides forces for conquering and holding territory. It is the largest (in personnel), but least prestigious of the services, often occupying desolate and isolated territory.
The Interstellar Scout Service
The ISS is a very powerful agency of the Alliance government, with varied powers and functions.
The Exploration Branch is responsible for charting and scouting new systems. This is the branch most people think of when they think of the ISS.
The Colonization Branch is responsible for opening new worlds for colonization. No legal colony can be founded until the ISS has made a detailed planetary assay to ensure that the planet is safe for colonization and that there are no native sophont life forms. Once a world has been opened for colonization, new colonies must be supervised by an Alliance Legate until it achieves Dominion status.
The Adjudication Branch is responsible for providing law enforcement on colony worlds and for tracking criminals across interstellar boundaries. Alliance Adjudicators have broad authority outside of member states, but very little within their boundaries.
The Communications Branch is responsible for maintaining mail delivery service between all worlds of the alliance: member worlds, dominions and colonies.
Due to fees collected by the Colonization Branch and the Communications Branch, the ISS is mainly self-supporting in these branches.
Types of Alliance Worlds
Member Worlds are autonomous worlds that enjoy all the benefits of full membership. They set their own policies, protect their own systems and have a vote on the Alliance Council.
Dominion Worlds are semiautonomous. They control their own policies and local government, but must answer to a Planetary Legate Appointed by the Alliance Council. The Legate is a member of the ISS Colonization Branch whose office is paid for by the Dominion government, but responsible to the ISS and the Council.
Colony Worlds have limited autonomy. All of their policies and local laws are subject to review by the Planetary Legate and his staff. Traditionally, the legate interferes as little as possible in local affairs. New expeditions are allowed to settle only if their paperwork and fees are in order.
Restricted Worlds are still in the process of a planetary assay. They haven't yet been opened for colonization. Landing on such worlds is restricted to the ISS. Special expeditions (touring, hunting, etc...) are sometimes allowed with permission of the local ISS official.
Closed Worlds are forbidden to all travelers. It may be due to a dangerous environment, the presence of a fragile ecosystem, a native sophont species at a low level of development, or a native sophont species that doesn't want contact with others.
Council Systems are star sytems that are under direct Council jurisdiction. This is a rare category and few worlds fall into this classification. Until transit through the wormhole was regularized, the only Council Systems were the three uninhabited systems in the Core used by the Alliance for training exercises.
Pharos and Bubastic are also classified as Council Systems. Since they aren't under military authority, the Council has privatized their governance.