USAC Commonwealth

## History:

USAC had been formed decades prior to the disbandment of the League of free worlds, however, the story is not as simple as that. Before USAC was even conceived, the *League of Free worlds* had created an experimental generation ship called the Inova. This ship, meant to send its people into deep space towards planets that would take generations to reach, even with FTL drives. On board was an AI which oversaw and cared for the Inova’s stocks of seeds and embryos, in addition to a prototype terraformation system which could create a brand new planet for the coming generation to call home. However, a malfunction during the ship’s exodus from the Milky Way caused it to jump into an unknown sector of deep space. The Inova, and the future it promised, was lost to the League of Free Worlds. However, the Inova had survived, though it had been badly damaged. Its first task was to locate a planet with just the right conditions to begin terraformation operations. Eventually, it did find the planet which would become the USAC Homeworld, Concordia.

It would then be another ten years of preparing the planet for habitation before the Inova would gestate the embryos within, creating the first generation. However, while the task had been accomplished successfully, it was not without its problems. Unbeknownst to the first generation at the time, files regarding the League of Free world’s history and several other important teaching modules that would allow the new generation to quickly achieve space travel had become corrupted. Without their past, the first generation fell into infighting, something that would only become worse and worse as factions began to form and use the knowledge they did have to wage war against others. This went on for years, beginning with scattered colonies before full nations had developed, forming alliances and pacts as they all competed with each other for superiority. Eventually however, Concordia’s people managed to unite, though it was a long and painful process. A cataclysmic event, caused by their attempts to develop teleporter technology, nearly destroyed their world.

They had somehow torn a hole in reality, bringing forth hostile alien fauna which upset the natural order of their world. The agreement between the nations of Concordia allowed them to hold off the alien threat while they struggled to stem the tide. It was through this cooperative effort that their world was saved, and the people focused on developing technology for a brighter future. This would be the beginning of USAC. Their introduction into the Milky way was more of an accident.

An experimental USAC automated deep space probe which had been transporting a teleportation hub, had managed to touch down on an uninhabited planet on the fringes of the known galaxy. Despite the high failure rate of these probes, this one had managed to activate and sent a signal back to their galaxy. With their paws now firmly established on a new planet, USAC has begun to slowly make their way into their newest frontier, the Milky Way.

## Ship and Tech level

The USAC Commonwealth is behind in nearly every aspect of technology from space faring vessels, aircraft, and ground vehicles. Prior to contact in the Milky Way, USAC had never encountered a civilization that had technology comparable to theirs. The most advanced civilization they had encountered had only managed to reach a bronze age of technology, resulting in USAC’s complacency and technological stagnation. Worse, their space vessels are considered to be extremely primitive, being nothing more than glorified shuttles with sub-light capable engines. Without more advanced propulsion systems or FTL drives, USAC had to be creative when it came to expanding their borders. USAC does have one edge in the form of its advanced teleportation technology.

Having perfected the process of instantaneous teleportation, USAC is able to bridge the gap between their planets and homeworlds, allowing them to maintain strong control over their territories. This technology has become so widespread to the point where it is a widely used form of transport. Despite this however, these teleporters come with one major drawback that prevents USAC from going wherever they like. Their teleporters require physical stations which, while capable of instantaneously interfacing with each other across time and space, must first be set up. While USAC has experimented with the concept of using unmanned probes to launch teleporter stations to promising worlds, crewed expeditions have been, and still are, the most reliable way USAC has been able to claim new territory.

Not only that, even against their more advanced adversaries in the Milky Way, USAC has quickly begun to develop new means to combat their more advanced foes. While not able to directly battle groups like the Crimson Coalition or Vichy on their own terms, USAC has put much of their efforts into developing advanced weapon systems ranging from massive Orbital defense guns to space stations which carry deadly complements of anti-starship missiles and basic star fighter craft.

On the ground, they invested greatly into advanced anti-air defense systems, long range targeting systems, and supplementing their ballistic weaponry with pulse rifles and plasma weapons.

## Governing body/Economic system

USAC is technically a democracy, governed by a parliament which hosts representatives from planets under their rule. However, many of the planets within USAC space and the USAC homeworld operate under the rule of monarchies, only answering to the supreme matriarch on Concordia. Members of the royalty are often family members selected by the ruling monarch but can be elected in some instances where a true line of succession is not in place. As for their economy, USAC operates under a hybrid system of feudalism and capitalism. Depending on which region of USAC territory one finds themselves in, economic freedom can vary greatly with more underdeveloped planets leaning more towards feudalism and vice versa.

## Everyday life

On the more developed planets, USAC citizens can expect to live a life of relative comfort and prosperity. While they can never hope to be as wealthy as one of their lords or monarchs, economic opportunities have made it so lower classes could enjoy some level of social mobility.

## Civilian life

#### Races/species: Primarily canine/feline

Civilians within the USAC Commonwealth live mostly ordinary lives depending on which planet they live on. Though the technology within USAC territory is relatively advanced, it can vary greatly, the ever expanding colonial front means some citizens may live lives on feudal agriculture worlds and others inhabit high tech urban sprawls. Military service is smiled upon and USAC, mostly due to the USAC space travel initiative. The initiative was a way for USAC to expand its territories by seeking out those who wished to venture into and colonize the unknown. While some expeditions are done independently under the orders of a matriarch or on behalf of private institutions, most citizens enlist in the USAC Expeditionary corps.

## Military doctrine

Due to their underdeveloped space travel technology and the difficulties of safely maintaining an intergalactic campaign, USAC primarily focuses on building heavily guarded teleport hubs and defending their planets with Orbital defense platforms. In initial stages, USAC utilizes older generation equipment, gear that is considered to be expendable in the event such equipment is destroyed, captured, or forced to be left behind such as the LEUV (Light expeditionary Utility vehicle) and Dragonfly helicopters. In later stages, once a proper foothold has been established, USAC then begins to bring in more advanced and heavier equipment like the Wolfhound MK.III MBT. Despite this fact however, much of this technology pales in comparison to equipment fielded within the Milky Way.