The United Coalition of Man

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The United Coalition of Man (UCM) is one of the three major political powers in the galaxy, albeit it struggles for supremacy against the Terran Federation both politically, and, more recently, in terms of military might.

## History

### Foundation

The Terrans who would come to make up the United Coalition of Man were Terra’s first true interstellar pioneers. Cut off from Terra and with no way in their present to return home after the Ulysses Initiative, they founded a series of settlements on the planet Unity, which eventually became the Horizon Commonwealth.

### The Horizon Commonwealth

The Horizon Commonwealth was, in theory, a nation based on the democratic principles widely practiced on Terra. The actual foundation, however, was flawed; those involved in the founding of the Commonwealth had less altruistic intentions, and accordingly the democratic aspects were only vaguely converted into law. The Commonwealth was, in fact, designed to heavily favor colonists who already had assets; those who already had power in the then-new Unity settlements.

Within a decade, the Commonwealth had started down the road of oligarchy, and several powerful colonists and their organizations controlled 75% of the “free” market on Unity. Alliances came and went, but the same families remained in power while the Commonwealth Parliament struggled to pass laws that would limit their control.

As the oligarchs continued to grow, tensions did as well, and various different anti-governmental movements came and went. Eventually, one of them, based on reinstating democracy, managed to take root. Shortly later, hundreds of thousands of protestors all across Unity gathered before various governmental buildings to listen to speeches and generally show their distaste for the government. However, these “peaceful” protests turned violent, and one by one they became riots. For a week, Unity burned.

Ultimately, the Commonwealth military was called in, and the riots quelled. Those responsible were arrested and executed, and the deed was blamed on “separatist hardliners”. The military, however, was not done - they saw the chance to increase their control, and made sure to point to the Parliament's ineptness in handling the situation.

Measures by the Parliament to preserve themselves were fruitless, as soon the Commonwealth military declared them unfit to rule. Few opposed the move, and the United Coalition of Man was founded by General Andrew Lawson to take its place. The military, of course, was placed firmly in control of the state apparatus.

## Government

Run by an elected-for-life Grand Marshal, the Coalition is a stratocracy that draws no line between military and civilian leadership. Military service is not mandatory, but at least five years of service is required to hold any position in government, and higher positions accordingly fall often on either career officers of veterans of such service. Furthermore, the Coalition's military is supported wholly by law, the Coalition Constitution, and society. Despite this, the Coalition is not a true dictatorship, and many positions in government are elected, usually to terms of five years.