Sol Alliance

The Sol Alliance
The human juggernaut, this federal union is the home of humanity and the largest nation in the Orion Spur. Though often held back by bureaucratic corruption and inefficiency with archaic laws, political infighting, and economic troubles that have led to over a century of decline and waning influence, many now look to reform the Alliance.

A powerhouse in terms of cultural and political influence, the Alliance of Sovereign Solarian Nations (ASSN), commonly referred to as SolGov, the Sol Alliance, and sometimes the Alliance, is a federal union of 135 member state star systems, and 324 dependencies including the Eridani Federation. Dependencies vary between undeveloped star systems and outposts on asteroids, to sprawling space stations. The capital of the Sol Alliance is the bustling Unity Station in orbit over Earth. The Sol Alliance is divided into three administrative sections, the Inner, Middle, and Outer Colonies.

Demographics
The Sol Alliance is either the most populated or second most populated in known space, though due to the lack of accurate census-taking in the Coalition of Colonies it is hard to determine. As of the 2454 census, the Sol Alliance has 112 billion citizens and 11 billion residents. By breadth of controlled territory SolGov is the largest sovereign state with every ethnicity, religion, culture, and language found somewhere in its borders. Governed at Unity Station in orbit of Earth, hundreds of systems and dozens of member states find representation in the Alliance.

The Colony Rings
The Alliance is divided into three major administrative rings, based on time of colonization and distance from Sol.

Inner Colonies
Also known as the Inner Ring, the inner colonies lie within 100 lightyears of Sol. These planets are the oldest settlements outside of the Solar System, and have the highest quality of life. It is the most populous of the three rings. Solarians from these systems are in favor of SolGov rule, with much of Unity Station’s policies focusing on these areas. Compared to the rest of the Alliance it is more welcoming of other species and belief systems, though this acceptance is still mostly limited to the occasional Skrell or Diona, with the few Tajara begrudgingly accepted. Citizens of these areas push the most for expansion of SolGov authority over human areas outside its control. The separatist Republic of Biesel was considered part of these inner colonies.

Notable Inner Colonies

 * Epsilon Eridani
 * Mictlan

Middle Colonies
Also known as the Middle Ring. The Middle Colonies lie between 100 and 200 lightyears from Sol, and are the most average areas of the Alliance. Citizens of this ring feel neither the benefits of Alliance rule nor the benefits of distance from Unity Station. Corruption and bureaucracy plague this area in particular, and discontent with the establishment is high, with the Reform Party finding much of its support here. The headquarters of the Reform Party is located here on the planet of Silversun, a prominent fiscal center. Quality of life in this area is almost as high as the inner ring, albeit further out of reach toward the outer area. Some systems find themselves in a battle between SolGov and megacorporation control, with it being unclear where the two begin and end.

Notable Middle Colonies

 * Silversun
 * New Hai Phong

Outer Colonies
Also known as the Outer Ring. Lying between 200 and 300 lightyears from Sol, the outer ring is the least densely populated of the Alliance. While Unity Station’s civilian rule is felt the lightest here, the military presence is at its heaviest, with the Sol Navy constantly patrolling the borders of the Alliance. Quality of life in the outer ring is the lowest in the Alliance, but still high compared to areas of the frontier. Inhabitants here are divided between favoring expansion of SolGov influence or some form of autonomy, with the System Freedom party having most of its support here. A large percentage of military personnel are recruited from these systems. Due to a history of Unathi piracy and raiding on the fringe of the Alliance, there is a distinct dislike of the species here.

Notable Outer Colonies

 * Konyang

Economics
The economy of the Sol Alliance is dominated almost entirely by the four megacorporations: Nanotrasen Corporation Hephaestus Industries, Zeng-Hu Pharmaceuticals and Einstein Engines. Nanotrasen is the largest of these mega-corporations, utilizing its monopoly on phoron to keep the Sol Alliance firmly reliant on them for intergalactic travel.

The Alliance has not fully recovered from the Second Great Depression of 2260. The economic collapse and the resulting civil war left confidence in the Alliance economy extremely shaky. The Alliance has an extremely condensed cycle of boom and bust, with a brief year of growth followed by two years of recession, on average. This is partially the reason that trans-stellar corporations are so powerful and influential: With Sol Alliance bonds or ventures radically decentralized and untrustworthy, the resilient economic strength of trans-stellar corporations makes them a much more lucrative investment.

The prosperity of the Alliance is extremely centralized to the inner colonies, most notably the Sol system, which benefit from their proximity to Earth and being the commercial and industrial centers. Farther away from Sol, the average wealth of systems gradually decrease. The frontier of the Sol Alliance territory tend to be far less wealthy than the inner colonies. In some extreme cases, travel to and from these systems can be made difficult as maintenance of bluespace beacons or shuttle services are the responsibility of individual systems. The only assurance in all Alliance systems is the presence of the federally funded Extranet post-service, allowing messages, if not people, to go from one end of the Alliance to the other. And the tax office.

Politics
The Alliance of Sovereign Solarian Nations is governed by a hybrid of a Westminster parliamentary system and a federal democracy. Due to the complex negotiations required centuries ago to form the first iteration of the Sol Alliance, SolGov politics are held together by complex traditions and a nearly impenetrable tangle of ancient laws and regulations gripping any attempt to reform the government. Several parties vie for influence in the Alliance, with the two largest parties being the Sol First and Human Unity parties, followed by the System Freedom Party and the Reform Party. The Sol First party is led by Senator Thomas Roon, and the Human Unity party by former admiral Prime Minister Michael Frost.

Government
SolGov is made up of three co-equal branches of government consisting of the Executive, which is headed by the Prime Minister, the Legislative, composed of the Parliament and Senate, and the Judiciary, headed by the Alliance Supreme Court. The Solarian Senate is composed of 138 senators, one from each member state and three from Earth. The Parliament is composed of 462 representatives, one from each dependency and member state of the Alliance. The current Prime Minister is Michael Frost of the Human Unity Party, governing in a coalition with the Reform Party.

Sol Alliance Military
The Solarian Armed Forces, commonly abbreviated “SAF”, has a history going as far back as the onset of the new mandate. Originally created as a peacekeeping force, it developed over time into a professional military force with fleets capable of projecting the Solarian Alliance’s power. The Solarian Armed Forces is stretched thin across its territory, with their presence becoming less and less concentrated in the farther reaches of Sol space, and they are constantly and consistently encumbered by a tangled web of bureaucracy. Currently the military is a shadow of its former self, yet they are still a force to be reckoned with, with the only military entity capable of rivaling them being the Jargon Federation’s Navy.

The Solarian Armed Forces is divided into two arms, the army and the navy. The army boasts a multitude of garrisons across Sol occupied space, safeguarding vital or strategic posts and responding to areas of conflict as they appear. The navy operates on the basis of power projection, employing small and mobile fleets for patrols with large battle fleets stationed in various positions within their territory for response to confirmed threats. The doctrine of both branches emphasise overwhelming firepower and the ability to transport large amounts of assets into areas of conflict. A notable and recent example of this was the Tau Ceti occupation in 2459, where Admiral Frost was able to, through the sheer size of his fleet and the threat of its firepower, occupy Biesel in a bloodless takeover.

The Sol Alliance sees the independence of Biesel as a serious mistake; during a crisis where there was a very real prospect that the entire human galactic economy would cease to exist, Nanotrasen used its considerable influence and power to coerce the Alliance to grant independence to Tau Ceti in 2452. Ever since then, the Alliance Strategic Intelligence, a branch of the SAF army, has been tasked with eroding the abilities of the young Republic.

Alliance Anthem
“Our United Alliance” - ASSN Anthem

Our Solarian Sovereignty undisputed Our vision, transcendent Our heads high, our will strong Arise my Alliance, for we are supreme From Sol to the frontier, our right

We are humanity, our vision great The stars, our destiny manifest Through the toil of our people We expand to the horizon For our Humanity, we expand

Our Solarian Sovereignty undisputed Our vision, transcendent Our heads high, our will strong Arise my Alliance, for we are supreme From Sol to the frontier, our right

We are humanity, our vision great Proud people under your leadership Through the blood of our people Always ready to give our due For our unity, we stand strong

Languages
Sol Common is the dominant language of the Sol Alliance, across all classes of society. Tau Ceti Basic is commonly available in schools, with Tradeband being uncommon and used mainly amongst those seeking to do business across all of human space. Freespeak is viewed as the language of lower-class, less civilized foreigners, due to rough relations with the Coalition of Colonies. Sign language is a popular elective course in higher education in the Sol Alliance.

See Also: Alliance Strategic Intelligence

Sol Alliance History
The Sol Alliance's relatively long history holds the origins of many of the current nations, megacorporations, and current conflicts within it. For a detailed overview, see the Sol Alliance history page.

Potential Character Concepts
Here is an example character from the Sol Alliance:


 * Chen Zhang, 34, is a medical doctor who currently works for Nanotrasen, currently stationed on the NSS Aurora. He is usually calm and collected.


 * Zhang is 5’9” and has a slim build, likely 130 lbs. With excellent posture, Zhang moves quickly and efficiently. He has dark brown eyes and has his black hair neatly buzzcut.


 * Zhang currently lives on Biesel in Mendell City, though he is originally from Shanghai on Earth. He is married and has two children. Zhang is also an agnostic.


 * Zhang isn’t very fond of Tajara, being a supporter of the sudden Tajara ban. He also dislikes Vaurca due to their sudden appearance throughout Tau Ceti.


 * Zhang speaks Sol Common, Tau Ceti Common, and understands a little Terran Mandarin.

Here is a second example character from the Sol Alliance:


 * Kumari Bhatta, 47, is a chief engineer who has worked for Nanotrasen for 14 years. She is a serious workaholic.


 * Bhatta is 5’7” and has a lithe, athletic build, about 140 lbs. She constantly moves gingerly, with stiff posture. She has dark brown eyes and her long, black hair is usually in a neat braid.


 * Bhatta lives aboard the Odin, with her home in Mumbai on Earth. She moved to the Republic of Biesel with her husband, brother, and daughter. Bhatta is a devoted Hindu. She previously supported the Sol First Party, but, due to her move, cares less about Sol Alliance’s politics.


 * Bhatta has a hard time liking Skrell due to most’s view on artificial intelligence. She does, however, have a slight like toward Unathi because of their honor-based culture.


 * Bhatta speaks Sol Common and Tau Ceti Common.