Aurigan Federation
We hereby declare that Auriga shall once again be united under one flag, forever leaving behind strife and inequality, for the betterment of all Mankind.
The Aurigan Federation, also known as the Twelve-Headed Federation or simply the Federation, is a country primarily located in the eponymous Aurigan system, although it also has a significant presence in the heavily contested Ceryx system. The Federation consists of twelve semi-independent states spread between seven planets and two solar systems, making it the largest nation in Elysium. With a population reaching around 586 million citizens, it is also the most populated unified government of the star cluster.
The first roots behind the Aurigan Federation were born in the early days of the Interstellar War, a brutal civil war that exposed many of the tyrannical facets of MINERVA, the government leading all of humanity before the conflict. It became apparent that radical changes were needed to alleviate these problems, and a new constitution was proposed after six years of internal turmoil and riots. It was later rejected in early 220, leading to a violent revolution that would see a large number of communities separate themselves from the rest of humanity.
The Federation as we know it emerged from the ashes in late 221, after nearly two years of anarchy, led by a populist faction known as the Federalists. Its foundation returned the trouble Aurigan system to the nobler roots of Old Earth, and after decades of self-improvement, the Federation eventually became a nation where its people share a sense of unity and pride for their nation and its ideals. Nowadays, the Federation enjoys the largest GDP of the star cluster, though its standard of living has stagnated in more recent years compared to other nations. The largest city in the Federation is Bel Avenir, its federal capital, which is located on Vesta.
History
Interstellar War
While few noticed the real treatment of the Asterian colony at the hands of Mobius Group, several prominent figures within MINERVA voiced their concerns over the private management of an entire solar system. Their voices grew louder with the start of the Interstellar War, as it became evident that the management of the Ceryx system was ill-suited for its population. After the war, these anti-war figures banded together in what became known as the Federalist party within MINERVA's political landscape, proposing various changes to the administration's legislative body, to no avail. As the situation continued to deteriorate for years, the Federalists proposed one last solution, a complete reform of the government under a new constitution. Naturally, this proposal was rejected like any other, sparkling a violent revolution that would see MINERVA crumble and Mobius Group disappear for good.
Overview
From unity, strength
Government
Chancellor: Lionel Breen
Economy
After nearly 18 months of violent struggle, the Federalist movement, now no longer a simple political party but a full fledged political entity in and of itself, eventually brought back order to the Aurigan system. As the fires of revolution died down, the Federalists absorbed many smaller groups and founded together the Aurigan Federation, using their ideal constitution as a basis for the Aurigan Security Act. Promising fair treatment and equal opportunities to anyone, regardless of their origins and background, many believed in this dream, but many others were distrustful of it as well. Overall, the public opinion of the new government was mixed, but the new government made slow and steady progress.
The following decades became centered around public adoption of the new government, consolidating its hold and legitimacy over the system. Little to no remarkable event took place during this period, save for the Great Exodus that occurred from 223 to 248 and saw many of the more reticent communities leave the system to found their own home. Despite losing millions of citizens throughout this period, along with numerous vessels and infrastructure bought and repurposed by the newly named Vagari, Auriga began to prosper once more, slowly recovering from the depths it reached.
Recent History
In 253, after decades of slow but steady growth, Auriga entered a recession, prompting many to fear what would come in the following years. In 257, after four years of stagnating or shrinking economy, the Aurigan government finally came up with a solution. In an attempt to revitalize its economy, the Federation attempted its largest project yet: the restoration of Asteria to its prime. The project began in 257 with the construction of several fleets of colony and support ships, and pooled the resources of the entire nation towards this goal, strengthening its unity and economy altogether. The Asterian Restoration Initiative would end some thirty-four years later in 291, resulting in a massive immigration towards the newly restored planet.
During this period, contact with the Enodian Republic was re-established, and the Interstellar War officially ended in 271 with the New Calypso Armistice. Trade between Auriga and Ceryx grew, and the relations with the Vagari hit an all-time low after they were chased out into the Frontier through a joint effort between Enodian and Aurigan forces. Despite this collaboration, and the joint terraforming efforts on Asteria, relations between Auriga and Medea were cold at best, especially since the Armistice of 271 was not considered to be in favor of either side. Finally, this period also saw the birth of the Elysian Security Organization, with which the Federation happily traded in goods in exchange for raw materials.
While the situation in Ceryx remained tense between the Federation and the Republic for the following decades, the Federation itself remained focused on its internal affairs, investing in infrastructure projects and welfare programs to improve the life of its citizens, especially in the further states away from the idyllic Vesta. The construction of the Citadel from 293 to 298 marked the beginning of a vast remilitarization program, which had nearly eighty years of peaceful existence to mitigate. This saw the construction of the Aurigan Skywatch stations, and their Cerysian counterpart in 307 to 320. This was seen as a violation of the New Calypso Armistice of 271 by the Republic, prompting a slow but steady escalation in the Ceryx system.
This escalation and militarization of the system by both parties culminated in 361 with the Kenshira incident, and became known as the Silent War, with neither side officially declaring war and instead using illegal proxies to spark local skirmishes and conflicts to seize valuable lands. The Federation, still reorganizing its military, made use of various Private Military Contractors to field test their equipment and provide valuable combat data to study. The Republic used the Vagari's thirst for revenge against the Aurigans by providing them with technology and intelligence, though by 378, both sides eventually stopped their campaigns and brought all parties involved to justice in a joint effort to deescalate the situation.
Structure
The Aurigan Federation is a centralized representative democracy combining twelve states with equal standing into a single government. It is divided into two tiers, with a first level of federal institutions overseeing the entire nation, and a second level of regional state-wide institutions. This means that while every state has to abide to the rules and laws of the Federation as a whole, they each also have their own independent laws and law enforcement agencies. For all official government positions, however, the only elections are by majority votes of citizens or representatives. As a whole, the Aurigan government is defined and regulated by the Aurigan Security Act of 221, the Federation's de facto constitution. On the federal level, the government is made of three main branches:
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Legislative: The federal Senate makes federal law, declares war, approves treaties, has the power of the purse, and has the power of impeachment, by which it can remove sitting members of the government. It has 624 voting members, 52 from each member state, that are elected by each state's citizens for five years.
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Executive: The federal Council, under the leadership of its chancellor, appoints and manages the Federation's ministries, who administer and enforce federal laws and policies. The Council has twelve members, each being the elected representative of a member state for five years. One of them is also appointed, by majority vote of the Council, as chancellor.
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Judicial: The Olympian Court, whose judges are appointed by the Council with Senate approval, interpret laws and overturn those they find unconstitutional. The Olympian Court has twelve members, one from each member state, that are elected for ten years.
Culture
Thanks to the legacy left by the Founders on Vesta and thanks to its origins as a federalist movement, the Aurigan Federation has a varied and rich culture based on those of Old Earth. Despite the centuries of deviance from the Founders' era, many still attribute those cultural differences to what they had brought from Earth, be it religions, dialects and traditions. The Aurigan people have always put great pride in this diversity, bringing strengths and covering what would be seen as weaknesses with a deep, interconnected net of cultural history. As a result, even though the official language of the Federation is English, many of its citizens speak two or even three languages depending on their origins.
With an average life expectancy of 131 years and slower aging compared to the humans of Old Earth, the Aurigans are considered at their prime in their 20s to 80s, after which their health begins to gradually decline despite remarkable medical advancements. With an average life expectancy of 131 years, and many advancements in medical technologies, many consider the Aurigans to peak in their 20s and start to slowly deteriorate towards the age of 80. This allows most citizens to completely start over their careers two or even three times until their retirement, currently held at the age of 112. This makes it far more likely to discover career paths that would be more fulfilling, boosting the population's productivity and solidifying the government's priorities of equal opportunities for all. Unfortunately, this also creates significant age gaps between generations of workers, as anyone could reach an entry position in any domain.
With a universal basic income policy and heavily automated manual labor, the most common jobs are in the service industries, with the remaining jobs in the primary and secondary sectors being either familial, arts and crafts or managerial. Another popular sector is in military, paramilitary and aerospace sectors, with many young candidates looking for thrilling experiences and adventures. With much of the Federation's territory still unexplored and countless uncharted star systems, this trend is predicted to last many more decades.
Due to the rise of automated labor and advanced communication technologies, most jobs are performed remotely, with many apartments and houses having a dedicated office space. This helps reduce overall carbon footprint of cities and allows the construction of more public establishments like libraries, parks or administrative buildings in place of corporate offices. These offices are, of course, far from obsolete, with various architectural wonders to provide relaxing workspaces and impressive meeting rooms built in many cities.
Demography and Population
The global census of 382 estimated the total population of the Federation to 586 136 025, making it by far the most populated country in Elysium. With a fast and steady population growth of 1,98% each year, it is expected to reach 1 billion in the 410s and to stabilize at 2,3 billions in the 450s. The current population is primarily located in urban areas, followed by rural towns and small cities. At the end of 382, the Federation's twelve states were populated as follows:
Territories
The Federation stretches over more than 1.2 billion square kilometers, most of it remaining unexplored or uninhabited to this day. All of this territory is divided into twelve states, which are spread across seven planets and two systems, making the Federation the largest nation known to man. These states often encompass a planet and its surroundings, dividing planetary systems in orbital regions, with the exception of Vesta. These twelve states are as follow:
Core states
Inner States
Outer States
Military
The Federation is protected by the Vestan Defense Forces, which are led by the Vestan Strategic Command, itself a component of the Ministry of Defense, and comprises three branches: the Vestan Aerospace Defense Force, the Vestan Ground Defense Force and the Vestan Maritime Defense Force. With all three branches of the military reporting nearly 2,5 million total active personnel in 382, the VDF are the largest military force of Elysium, followed by the Enodian Militant Wings and their 1,3 million personnel. Despite this numeric advantage, the VDF primarily rely on human operators, both for ethical and political reasons, and thus have a lower Tooth-to-Tail ratio than their Enodian counterparts, with only 28% of all active personnel being assigned to combat roles. This priorization of human operators, with autonomous drones taking a secondary role only, is primarily due to the fears of de-humanizing war and abusing power like the defunct MINERVA government, and is thus one of the main policies of the VDF. Military service in the Federation is voluntary, with an average recruitment rate of 0.43% every year. While mandatory conscription could still be activated, modern military doctrine renders the practice almost obsolete.
The VDF are present in all corners of the Federation, protecting its interests in its territory and beyond. Numerous fleets of the ADF patrol the systems of Auriga and Ceryx, while others perform various missions throughout Elysium. The 77 combined arms divisions of the GDF are spread across all nine states of the Federation and maintain bases of operations in proximity of every major population center. The MDF is also constantly sailing the seas and oceans of Vesta and Asteria, escorting trade ships and hunting down large hostile sea-faring creatures. Despite this omni-presence, however, the mobilization and deployment of a large force still requires time, as the Asterian Insurrection demonstrated. Nevertheless, the same conflict also showed that even a relatively small force of the VDF remains a force to be reckoned with, a fact that most had begun to doubt after the recent military improvements of the Enodian forces.
Technological level
The Federation is not the most technologically advanced nation in Elysium, but regularily obtains patents over recovered knowledge of Old Earth and their associated developments. In addition, its booming economy and large population has made the Federation one of the largest investors in research and development in the world, far surpassing even the Ascendancy in raw numbers. This has enabled the Federation to develop its own AI programs to compete with the Enodian ASTIs, though with more limited success due to their power consumption and hardware requirements. In addition, the Federation is the most advanced hydrogen user as well as its first producer in the world, making the entire nation reliant on the abundant gas to power its cities and vehicles. In short, what the Federation lacks in dedicated energy and AI research, it makes up for in industrial and economical applications.
Foreign relations
Agriculture
Vestan agriculture is primarily based on xeno-agriculture, using local plants and animals in their "natural" habitat. This allows each state to have its own, unique, food industry and promotes domestic and international trade. More than 80% of all agricultural products produced in the federation come from such xeno-farms and related facilities. Earth-based food are also produced thanks to the Ulysses' massive DNA repository, although the limited quantity produced each year led to these Earth-based food becoming luxury products. Planets without any arable land instead rely on advanced hydroponic and aeroponic farms to support themselves, though food import remains the main source of ingredients. Vesta and Asteria, despite heavy restrictions on environmental impacts, are Elysium's leading producers of agricultural goods.
Industry
Vestan industry primarily relies on space mining from asteroid belts and moons to preserve the ecosystems of Vesta and Asteria. Manufactured products are assembled in regulated factories and orbital facilities, where pollutants can easily be contained, while raw materials are shipped from stations to orbital refineries across Auriga. Ceryx was also once an industrialized system, but ever since the Interstellar War, most of the system's facilities were lost and never recovered. As a result, Auriga alone produces more than 90% of the Federation's industrial output, with Ceryx relying mainly on imports of manufactured goods and exports of raw minerals to support its economy. This results in a rather disparate industrial capacity between the two systems, and while Unity attempts to bridge the gap, Ceryx is still predicted to take decades to become self-sufficient again.
During the early days of the Expansion Era, continued growth and the new colonization efforts were predicted to cause too much strain on the existing industrial capabilities of Vesta. For this reason, the largest manufacturing corporations established the Universal Templates, a collection of patterns and designs aimed at unifying manufacturing processes and compatibilities. These go from the simple smart terminal charging port to the high-voltage power cables and power plugs found on heavy machinery, or even the nuclear fuel pellets used in every power plant. With every company legally obligated to follow them, UTs have been a key factor for mankind’s rapid expansion but also promoted competition. This highly competitive economic environment prompted corporations and citizens to reach even further, literally and figuratively.
Economy
Domestic trade plays a major role in the Federation's economy. Representing nearly 70% of the civilian traffic, millions of tons of goods are exchanged every year, satisfying the needs of every state and providing a hefty sum in sales tax revenue. Domestic and international trade is mostly handled by major trading companies, with numerous sub-contractors and transport companies. The most commonly exported commodities are food, manufactured goods and rare minerals.
To support this trade economy, the Federation has an extensive logistic and communication network across its entire territory. The most prominent infrastructure built by the Federation is its trade station network, an endeavor that took more than a decade to finalize. These large constructions allow ships to travel from system to system while paying a small toll, allowing crews to rest while the ship is frequently resupplied. This network, while expensive to build and maintain, has generated an enormous revenue since its construction. It also serves as the backbone of Elysium's communication network.
This trade network is supplemented by a network of radio and laser transmitter stations to relay communications throughout all of Elysium. While still taking hours if not days for news to travel from system to system, this near-real-time communication network maintains the integrity of the entire human race. Simply referred to as the "Net", it is the spiritual successor to Old Earth's Internet and the foundation to the Federation's freedom of speech and information. As such, neither this network nor the trade stations it relies on is directly in control of the Federation, but of several private companies instead.
For public transportation, each state has an extensive maglev network for inter-city travels, commonly referred to as the Trans-Continental Express, or TCE. This ground-based maglev is supplanted by numerous air lines, roads and ships, depending on the state's infrastructure and requirements.
Education
Vestan citizens are highly educated, as manual labor is almost non-existent for job openings. Public education is managed by each state, under the guidelines of the Ministry of Education. Starting from age five or six with kindergarten, it remains mandatory until the end of high school at age 18. Students then enroll for college, universities or graduate schools for several more years before joining the workforce. Due to the many advantages and government subsidies provided by the student status, it is not uncommon for students to undertake two or more courses, starting their first job in their late 20s.
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