Sol Alliance

General
Official Title(s): "The Alliance of Sol and her Colonies" (SC)

Motto: "A United Future for all of Humanity" (SC)

Capital: Alliance of Sol Administrative Station "Nova Concrodia"

Demonym: Solarian, Alliancer, Sol Citizen

Official Languages:  Sol Common, Tau Ceti Common (dialect of Sol Common), variety of intrasystem languages

Population:
 * 2445 Census: 17,835,259,702
 * 2565 Est.: 18,240,727,139

Systems: Sol, Sirius, Altair, Procyon, Alpha Centauri, Sigma Draconis, Eta Cassiopeiae, Delta Pavonis, Epsilon Indi, Ophiuchi, Van Maanen, Barnard, Wolf, Lalande, Luyten, Groombridge, Cancri, Gliese

Semi-Autonomous Member States: Planetary Republic of Biesel, Eridani Federation, Governance of Stormswrath

Drives on the: Varies per System

Government
Type: Federal Democracy

Executive: Chief Councilor
 * Minister of Commerce
 * Head Admiral

Legislature:
 * Upper House: Sol Senate
 * 1500 Senators; 3 for each Admin. District
 * Lower House: The Assembly of Sol
 * 3000 Assembly-persons; Number per sector varies by population

Judicial: Alliance High Court
 * 57 Supreme Judges

Military
Military strength: Strong; Superpower

Power Projection Ability: Very high

Superlarge/Dreadnaught class vessels:

Large/Capitol class vessels:

Medium class vessels:

Corvette class vessels:

Fighter/Personal class vessels:

Economics
Official Currency: Sol Alliance Credit (cr.)

Accepts Sol Credit: Yes

GINI Coefficient: 34.0

Standard of Living: Very high

Societal
Ethnic Groups:
 * 21% Han Chinese
 * 17% Hindustani
 * 15% Arab
 * 14% Bengali
 * 12% Japanese
 * 12% European
 * 31% Other

Religion: Secular; Religious Freedom; Variety of Religions

History
The Sol Alliance, often just addressed as “The Alliance” or sometimes just “Sol” is a strong federation of the core colony worlds originally settled by the Humans from Earth. It is a democracy de jure, however power within the Alliance often falls into the hands of a number of influential and wealthy 'inner worlds' which serve as a sort of Aristocracy, having the largest populations in human space after Earth was abandoned. Until recently, these families have held power nearly since the Alliance's founding. But, in the last election Salvatore Abbiati, from the Jovian moons won in a landslide. The Alliance is emerging from an marked era of economic stagnation and territorial contraction. This period was headed by the isolationist “Sol” party, which has since been ousted by Abbatis' “Oath” party.

The Alliance began as an evolution of the UN designed to administer all colony worlds. As the inner-colonies grew, the Alliance gained more power until it gained enough political and military clot to declare itself the governing body of humanity. Alliance politics during these first couple centuries of Alliance rules are best described as 'Earth' vs the 'Inner-Colonies'. Earth was by far the most populated place is human space, but relied on the colonies for raw resources to keep it alive. Earth also viewed the colonies as 'hers' and a strong sense of 'Earth-planetism' ensured that Earth was always draining more and more resources from the colonies. The Alliance became split on colony and Earth lines, eventually culminating in the first Alliance Civil War. Earth was rendered uninhabitable by orbital bombardment following the launching of Kinetic Kill Vehicles on Inner Colony Worlds. Additionally, a mysterious virus on Earth continues to crop up, killing off whole communities of survivors. The surviving Earth population mostly spread out into the stars, many settling in slums on Mars or Luna, some radical elements fleeing into the fringe. Today, the Alliance is a 'Inner-colony centric' government, reflecting the prestige of the most developed, populated and prosperous planets in human space.

The Alliance is an extremely diverse society, with no specific ethnic group of any kind making up a majority, at most holding a plurality. More than 31% of the population is composed of minority ethnic groups spread across the Sol system and the colonies, both in major population centers and in a handful of ethnic enclaves. Socially, the Alliance is a rather pleasant place to live as-long as you’re not too insistent on being involved in the political system. It is among the more liberal of the empires, with tolerance, social equality and opportunity seen as the birth-right of all mankind, not just those citizens of the Alliance. The Alliance is by far the most powerful of all Human governments, with only the Skrellian Confederation being near an equal in power, wealth and technological advancement. Religious Freedom is also viewed by Solarians as being integral to Human rights, and as such Sol is a secular society where government interference with personal religion is not just frowned upon, but outright forbidden by law.

Politically, the Sol Alliance is a quagmire. With two centuries of codified laws complicating the electoral process to an almost byzantine degree. Furthermore, the vast majority of politicians come from a pseudo-aristocracy from the inner-most worlds which over the centuries has gained a fearsome foothold in matters political and governmental. While officials outside of these ‘families’ are somewhat common, they usually are found in lower ranking positions. Most seats on the Sol Senate are held by the 'political families' or those affiliated with them.

The executive branch of the Alliance divests its power into three individuals. While usually being referred to as an executive Councillor. The three Councillors are, the leader of the majority/plurality party (Chief Councilor), The High-Admiral of the Alliance navy, and the Minister of Commerce. The leader of the majority party takes the role of head of the executive council, while the two unelected officials are viewed as subordinate, though both other councils can, together, veto an action of the Chief Councilor. Though this method, an unstable or otherwise unreliable leader can have his power checked by the other two Councillors, mitigating the damage they are capable of inflicting. On the reverse, this can render an otherwise talented head counselor incapable of doing his duties if he is not well-liked by the other Councillors.

The Sol Alliance is the most advanced and technologically sophisticated entity in Human space, with possibly only the Skrell exceeding them in their technological advancement. A specific piece of technology that is critical to what the Alliance is today is the Warp-gate network present in low orbit of each and every garden or developed core world. This network of transit stations connected to their host-worlds by orbital elevators. Each has anywhere from one, to twenty wormhole-gates which can connect to any other gate in the network allowing for near-instantaneous travel to any other gate. These gates are roughly 3 meters tall and 3 meters wide, with a small tram and rails connected into its horizon. Allowing a tram of 20 people to cross 60 light years from one side of the Alliance to the other in mere moments

The wormhole network is integral to how the Alliance is today. With this invention, cheap, nearly instantaneous travel across the Alliance's wealthiest worlds is available to all. An average trip through the gate costing less than 100Cr. Taking advantage of the superior arcology technology, Alliance worlds manage to achieve low population densities despite it's massive population. The Alliance prides itself on building comfortable settlements while simultaneously leaving the vast majority of nature on settled planets untouched. The relative peace and prosperity of humanity's most powerful nation was the main factor allowing the development and creation of these wonders of modern technology, as they are far too expensive, advanced, and tempting a target in the less-developed outer-colonies.

Though the Alliance was isolated politically and economically until extremely recently. They are now gearing up for heightened trade with both the outer and fringe colonies, powered by bluespace drivers. The Alliance is by far the highest exporter in Human space, trading medical supplies, ship-parts and industrial equipment and luxury goods for foodstuffs, refined plasma and other natural resources.

The Alliance was founded early in the recent era, as a combined effort of Humanity to successfully leave the planet spurned by fears of economic collapse due to resource depletion. Slowly however, the Alliance began assuming more duties until it declared itself the governing body of humanity.

Shaped over time by a series of extremely damaging civil wars, the Alliance has retreated from her outer-most colonies, slowly shrinking over the centuries. The Alliance has set down her border at a roughly 75 ly bubble around Sol. It's borders are ferociously guarded by elements of the Alliance Navy and few rival navies has attempted to brake the border. However, an invasion of the Alliance sin't all that necessary: For the past several centuries, the outer-most Alliance systems have been braking away, joining various outer-colony empires.

Since the election of Salvatore Abbiati, things have changed in the Alliance. With the loyalty and support of the High Admiral and Minister of Commerce, Abbiati has been able to force reforms through the Alliance Senate, crippling the power of the old families and opening the upper echelons of the government to the lower-class. However, the Alliance is coming to realize the uncomfortable reality that not only do they rely on NanoTransen to keep the economy going, they may be exerting a dangerous amount of influence over Alliance affairs. The current administration is also highly suspicious of the conditions behind the forming of the Tau Ceti Free Trade Zone, not to mention what amounts to the loss of one of it's core systems.