UNISET

Battle Emblem of UNISET

As multinational corporations on earth moved into space exploration in the tail end of the 21st Century, the invested governments on earth ratified the UN International Space Exploration Treaty(UNISET). This treaty paved the way for international collaboration on space exploration and the free colonisation of extraterrestrial locations without concerns about national territory. UNISET and the Administrative body formed by the treaty was for all intents and purposes a conglomerate government designated to represent the interests of all member nations equally in all matters beyond the scope of terrestrial administration.

Over the following centuries Space Exploration continued to grow in importance and with it the power of UNISET until the power and influence held by the UNISET governing board dwarfed the national govnerments which initially founded it in all aspects of human governance. Today UNISET is considered to be the primary government of all human space, and it is staffed by tens of thousands of beaurocrats administering every aspect of human life in the galaxy from colonial zoning to maintaining an interstellar military force.

## UNISET Military

The UNISET Space Force (USF) is the most technologically advanced military in the galaxy. They rely on high-tech weapons usually designed to lock down and disrupt enemy ships. UNISET ships are generally designed to be self-sufficient, capable of independent resupply and repairs and boast long range capabilities, reflecting the need for UNISET to deploy ships to far flung areas of its territory. UNISET ships tend to be a little light on armour but make up for it with generally good manouverability and play well to a particular specialty. The USF Prosperity class Capital Ship is a mainstay of the UNISET fleet and foccuses on close range ramming manouvers.

UNISET Corvette tactics usually involve high risk manouvers, relying on greater numbers than their opponents to break through enemy defenses and deal decisive blows.

## Life In UNISET

Since ancient times, Earth culture has favoured and even venerated practical and intellectual pursuits above all else, and this tradition remains strong in UNISET to this day. Scientists, Engineers and any form of skilled labour is an honourable life for a UNISET citizen and typically everyone in the borders of UNISET space will find themselves working towards advancing thier skills in one skilled trade or another.

This explicit preference for the practical is exemplified most obviously in the Great Houses of Sol; Enormous, inter-planetary corporations who collectively control the majority of UNISETS economic output.

## History

### The Martian Colonisation Era

As multinational corporations on earth moved into space exploration en mass, the invested governments on earth ratified the UN International Space Exploration Treaty 2084 (UNISET) in an uncharacteristically cooperative move. This treaty paved the way for international collaboration on space exploration and the free colonisation of extraterrestrial locations without concerns about national territory. UNISET was for all intents and purposes a conglomerate government designated to represent the interests of all member nations equally in all matters beyond the scope of terrestrial administrations.

Expansion began in the local solar system by 2100. UNISET flagships backed by large scale supply chains from private industry of the world’s largest corporations made their way slowly to the red planet. Colonists initially founded dome cities on the planets surface, populated by the brightest and most intrepid scientists and explorers which humanity had to offer. Mars bases quickly grew into the leading technological research centres of the human race. Unfettered by the traditional needs of modern society, independent researchers faced the more pressing needs of survival and sustainability on a hostile planet. As Martian agriculture was mastered and the colonies became self sustaining, Mars became a prime destination for skilled workers of all kinds to ply thier various trades, and these boom years saw the migration of millions of colonists.

By 2200, the Martian surface hosted 20 million colonists. Terra-forming projects, small and large, were well under way by 2350. Agricultural and mining domes provided most of the necessary resources to sustain the population, and most Earth based corporations were expanding to industrial mining operations in the asteroid belt, and long range exploration in the outer solar system.

Over three centuries after the founding of the first colony, Mars’ Terra-forming has taken hold. The first martian citizens born on the red planet never saw the unfiltered martian sky, but finally their 5 billion grandchildren could step outside of the great city domes.

### The Star Eater Initiative

In 2473, Martian scientists develop the first Kamimaru engines, allowing faster than light space travel. The primary limitation is that any vessel which intends to survive the journey must be shielded with rare earth minerals. As the name suggests, these minerals were in too short of supply to sustain the human race’s appetite for the galactic expansion.

The Great Houses of Sol, Multi-planetary corporations weilding immense economic might across the span of all human-occupied territory, begin construction of arks with support from UNISET. Powered by gigantic Kamimaru enignes, these arks house various experimental projects which will be required to facilitate humanities ascention to an inter-stellar species. This slew of scientific and industrial projects is subsidised by UNISET and organised into the ‘Star Eater’ initiative.

In 2552 the UNISET flagship Star Eater 1 departs from Mars orbit, bound for the Sirius system. It is carrying the Endeavour corporation’s experimental interstellar mining platform in search of Rare Earth minerals to suppliment the solar system’s now dwindling supply. Two years later it is followed by the Wayfarer Industries’ Solar Capture project: satellites which use the Kamimaru effect to syphon vast quantities of hydrogen gas from distant stars to fuel humanity’s ever-growing power needs. Over the following several decades 8 Major human colonies and dozens of inter-stellar mining outposts are founded by the Star Eater initiative scattered across a region spanning several light years around the Sol Sytem. By 2600, the economic benefits of interstellar colonisation have been realised and the Star Eater initiative has transformed from its initial role of providing subsidies and resource allocation into an intermediary body providing guidelines for the peaceful exploitation of extra-solar star systems by the competing Great Houses.

### The Lemasian Seccession

In 2651 Musk industries’ survey arm discovers a system exceedingly rich in Rare Earth minerals. A massive supernova in the region imbued large quantities of the substance in a cluster of systems mere light years from each other. This was the greatest single source of RE minerals thus-far discovered in the galaxy. Star Eater’s guidelines permitted 20 years of exclusive exploitation of a given find before any house was forced to surrender claimed lands to the ownership of UNISET to be leased at the government’s discretion to any or all of the great houses who wished to compete.

Instead of using the Star Eater supplied resources to bootstrap a mining operation, Lemais secretly and illegally used them to hasten the construction of a secret military fleet and secceeded from UNISET to form the Lemasian Empire. Incapable of penetrating the Lemasian defenses, UNISET was forced to cede the territory to the newly formed empire and due to economic pressure in the Rare Earth Minerals trade established frosty, but lucrative, trade agreements with them.

### Post-Seccession Reformation

Though in large part they were deprived of the rich Lemasian region’s resources, UNISET’s continued rapid expansion had provided them with more than 20 systems to fuel their ever growing material needs. In 2680 they took a leaf from the book of Lamasian governance, and each UNISET system was granted limited sovereignty from the central Earth-based government. Each planet in UNISET space recieved its own president elected by local citizens from a pool of candidates determined by UNISET at the beginning of each electoral term of 10 years. 23 years later in 2703 the Geraldine reforms were enacted. This sweeping legislative reformation enforced strict zoning requirements on UNISET colonies outside of the core systems: Rural colonies were limited to producing Mineral resources, Industrial products or agriculture and produce. This separation of production powers simultaneously stimulated the economy of the core systems providing a viable market for exported products, and ensured that no rural colony could survive effectively without support from UNISET approved supply chains from the core worlds or strong inter-dependent trade with neighbouring colonies fostering a sense of national identity for citizens in the further-flung reaches of uniset space.

A delegation was also provided to each system who served for life. These delegates were UNISET officials who’s purpose was to represent the needs of the UNISET central government in local affairs. This system allowed the president to wholeheartedly advocate for the needs of the local populace while limiting the risk of further seccessionary movements growing beneath the observance of UNISET.

### The Northern and Eastern expansions

With the Lamasian Region inaccessible, UNISET falls quickly behind in the race for Rare Earth minerals. The Star Eater initiatiave is once again called upon to incentivise and facilitate rapid UNISET territorial expansion. A second exploration boom begins in UNISET space, spurred by government incentives. The great houses once again begin producing massive survey and colony ships to pan the galaxy for minerals and ores to feed the economic machine of UNISET. An initially promising prospect is discovered 300 light years to the galactic North of earth. UNISET colonists establish settlements in the Northern frontier in 2793, and supply chains for food and other consumer goods flow in from the core systems. For a time, the Northern frontier provides a key strategic source of Rare Earth minerals and settlers striking out from the core systems under the promise of wealth and stability, flood North in huge numbers. The optimisim was not destined to last, however, and by 2830, improvements in long-range surveying technology have lead to several viable prospects being discovered in several systems far closer to the core systems in the East and South and UNISET cast its gaze to establishing new colonies there.