Galactic Abyssal Federation

The Galactic Abyssal Federation - often abbreviated as just the G.A.F. - is a faction whose territory is located in the Alpha and Beta quadrants. It is notable for being the star nation that represents humanity, their fellow Abyssalite species, and their shared interests.

Its capital is the human homeworld of Earth, and its government headquarters is based out of Sydney, Australia, the structure of which consists of a representative democracy with an elected president, legislature, and supreme court. The current sitting president is Jennifer Adams, who in 2817 CE, was elected to her second term over challenger Dorothy Cook.

The name of the G.A.F. comes from the Galactic Abyss, the geographic region of space in which the Sol System is located, and as such, the faction as a whole, occupies.

G.A.F. ships are usually given the prefix "S.G.A." It stands for "Ship of the Galactic Abyss."

While somewhat less diverse than other multicultural factions, the G.A.F. does have five (technically six) primary member species, which are listed below. Most of them resemble well-known tropes across various fantasy settings:

• Humans, and the identically appearing androids they created, known as Artificial Humans.

• Myrandans, who hail from the planet Myrangard, and resemble a distinct version of high fantasy elves. Their blood color is a distinct, deep blue, which is the same shade as the one used on the G.A.F.'s state flag and emblems. This was a decision made for symbolic and solidarity reasons, as the Myrandan people have historically been through a great deal of hardship, which their political partners acknowledge and respect.

• Calderans, who hail from the planet Kragaris, and resemble wingless versions of devils or fiends across various folklore. Their horns and tails have a distinct dark grey or brown "bone" texture and ridges with bioluminescence that match their skin tone, which can be red, purple, or blue.

• Xen Fau, who hail from the planet Axella, and are humanoid with pale skin, fangs, red eyes, bat-like wings, and thin black tails, thus resembling several depictions of vampire spawn across various folklore.

• Rak'tothians, who are humanoids with green or grey skin and a small pair of visible tusks extending out from their bottom jaw, thus resembling various depictions of high fantasy orcs.

Brief History:

The G.A.F. was founded in 2589 CE, and as such, by the time of the 29th century, it is already around 200 years old.

It was first created when the United Republic of Earth - humanity’s old government dating back to 2168 CE - helped the Calderans, Xen Fau, and Myrandans stage a rebellion against the imperialist power that was in the business of conquering and enslaving their planets, known as the Rak’tothian Khanate, which used to rule vast portions of the Galactic Abyss.

Some time during the late 24th century, humanity discovered this local superpower, and the Khanate immediately attacked due to the fact that humans were the only other species in the area that could potentially match their might, thus making them a threat. This course of action sparked a period of near-ceaseless fighting which lasted hundreds of years known as the Liberation Wars.

During the early Liberation Wars, humanity was contacted by escaped members of the other Abyssalite species, who promised to aid them in their fight if the humans freed their homeworlds. It was agreed, and an alliance was formed. Emerging victorious in an initial overthrow of the Khanate through their cooperation, They eventually realized they had much to gain by working together, which led directly to the G.A.F.’s formation.

The time frames after 2589 CE leading up to the eventual demise of the Khanate around the halfway mark of the 27th century are referred to as the mid and late Liberation Wars respectively. During this time, many Rak'tothians who had grown disillusioned with the harsh culture of their home nation defected, granting the Federation additional strength. They would later be allowed to join the G.A.F. outright, though it did take some time to build trust between them and the people they had previously wronged.

After the fighting concluded, the Rak’tothian forces who refused to join the Federation were exiled from the Galactic Abyss. They still occasionally return as raiders, but the G.A.F’s military can deal with them in most cases.

Rak’toth itself is currently under the direct control of the Abyssalites. However, because its former rulers destroyed the natural biosphere with their industry of war instead of taking care of it, it is an empty wasteland, settled by no one. The original Myrandan homeworld, Myrandus, was also, unfortunately, irreparably polluted by the Khanate before the initial war between it and the U.R.E. began. Thankfully, with the help of the other Abyssalites, the Myrandan people found a new world, which they named Myrangard. The Rak'tothians who chose to join the Federation opted to settle on various planets alongside their new compatriots.

29th Century Status:

The Galactic Abyssal Federation is alive and well in the 29th century, having made contact with various other political entities and species outside the Abyss. Some of them have become valuable allies of the Abyssalites, and others, bitter enemies.

The rather militaristic disposition of its government stemming from its history of armed revolution has inadvertently made it a very powerful force in the galaxy's geopolitical climate, which is appreciated by many weaker factions who share Earth's preference for democratic governance looking to gain guarantees of protection from aggressive neighbors, such as the Democratic Cobaltian Empire , Palladian Republic , and Fafossan United Worlds, and most recently, the Hyperion Federation.

Conversely, it has also drawn the ire of factions whose affairs it has directly interfered in through its diplomatic agreements, resulting in further wars with other imperialist powers outside of the Rak'tothian Khanate:

• From 2767 - 2775 CE, it fought in the Southern Galactic War against the Starkonian Empire and Gazarian Dominion to defend their Cobaltian allies. Fortunately, the G.A.F. - Cobaltian alliance was victorious due to clever usage of advanced technology and superior tactics.

• From 2811 - 2816 CE, it was a primary participant in the Western Galactic War against the Holy Union of Sarnakus and Vascor United Systems, with the other members of the Orion Pact acting as its allies. This conflict ended with a status-quo affirming peace treaty and no clear victor.

• From 2816-2817 CE, it was a co-belligerent alongside the Hyperionites in a series of large-scale battles against remnant portions of the Originator Empire led by The Timemaster. The D.C.E. also participated in several of these battles at the request of the Abyssalites.

Additional Facts:

• The G.A.F. maintains a very large covert operations group, known as the Federal Data Forces, that it uses to gather intel on other groups and factions.

• The G.A.F. government at every level enforces and obeys the rules of a robust and lengthy constitution, which acts as the faction's guiding framework in virtually all legal and political matters.

Main Story Importance:

• Given the facts, the G.A.F. is absolutely crucial to the context of the Main Story, as it is either the current or former home of all human (biological or artificial), Myrandan, Calderan, or Xen Fau characters that appear in it.

• The S.G.A. Washington is a G.A.F. warship. As such, Captain Eric Crossman's allegiance - as well as his crew's - is naturally to the Galactic Abyss and its people.

• A huge number of armed engagements and historical events that are covered in the main story's narrative are carried out by individuals of Abyssalite origin.

• The G.A.F. was the first faction to make contact with the Hyperionites after they escaped from the Aether in 2817 CE.