Syzygy Combine

The **Syzygy Combine** (pronounced like "sizzy-gee", formerly the **Lunar Pact**) is a demarchist faction in the Pearlescent Expanse—although their homeworld is currently considered to be the distant Wreath of Light solar system.

The demonym for a person from the Syzygy Combine is Syzygite, e.g. "A Syzygite from Piu". Something that pertains to or is from the Syzygy Combine is Syzygine ("sizzy-gene"), e.g. "one of the largest Syzygine exports is Deep-based technology".

## Worlds

The Combine is currently settled on three moons in the Wreath of Light solar system, which all orbit the gas giant Kolania. The moons are known as Piu, Nuver, and Desver, and each have their own local governments: The Piunite Pact, the Nuverite Pact, and the Desverite Pact. There is also a fourth inhabited satellite, the man-made Perigee Station, where the Perigee Representative of the Combine—the leader of the federal union—resides.

Kolania is presently on a course to come so close to the sun of the Wreath of Light as to make life on any of its moons utterly uninhabitable in a matter of a few realspace decades. However, using time dilation technology developed from research into the Singing Deep, Kolania and its moons are encased in a relativity bubble. While this does not cause the planet's approach towards the sun to slow, it causes time to pass about six times slower inside the bubble, in the hopes that Syzygine scientists and politicians will be able to figure out a solution to the rapidly approaching destruction of their homeworlds before it's too late.

Recently, a moon by the name of Iovu has been settled in the Pearlescent Expanse, as the first ever Syzygine colony outside of the Wreath of Light since the Combine's founding. Though it is ostensibly ruled by the same government as Kolania's moons, time dilation makes true cooperation between the two parts of the nation near impossible.

## Government

The Syzygy Combine is a demarchy, meaning its leaders (the Representative and their Administration) are chosen by a random draw and supported by neutral government staff that carry out their will alongside the will of the people.

*Representative* is a title inherited from the Combine's time as part of the Coalition, but it does not imply that the Combine Representative is part of the original Seven Representatives. While the first and second Representatives of the Combine were indeed descendants from the Seven, every subsequent Representative has been chosen by way of demarchy.

The Representative is chosen at random from a pool of volunteers every two years (with an option to re-enter the pool once after having been chosen), and has executive power over the Combine together with their Administrators (which are also chosen at random from pools of volunteers pre-approved by the Representative).

Most other branches of government are mainly staffed by publicly-funded employees, though some high leadership positions such as judges and military officers are also chosen at random.

Each of the moons, as well as the Perigree Station, also have local governments, led by a randomly selected Agent and their Council.

After the founding of Iovu, a new government specific to said moon was established. It is led by an Apogee Representative with their own Administrators, who technically answers to the Perigee Representative of the Wreath, but is largely and increasingly independent from them. Still, government on Iovu is also a demarchy, by the same model as in the Wreath.

## Culture

Syzygine culture praises cultural belonging and connection, but is also very insular on a nation-wide scale. Syzygites are taught to value the strength and honour of their communities—their local communities, and their moons, and the Combine in turn. There is a strong sense of nationalism and "people's spirit" that encourages local cooperation and coexistence, while shunning outside influence as well as those who choose or are forced to depart from their communities.

Traditionally, Syzygites who have left the relativity bubble around Kolania and its moons have been considered disowned by their communities, and have been forbidden from returning. However, with the establishment of the colony on Iovu, exceptions were made, and those who left with the official fleet bound for the moon were allowed to retain their Combine citizenship. However, assimilation into other cultures in the Pearlescent Expanse is still considered a betrayal of Syzygine culture, and the Iovu government does not permit dual citizenships. Immigration into Iovu is also presently extremely strictly controlled, and requires the immigrant to abandon all legal ties to their homeworld.

Science and faith are both held in very high regard. Dalamit (literally "belief in melody") is the name of the Syzygine religion that praises the Singing Deep for its ability to connect people, but it also posits the existence of a God by the name of Koshru, whose spirit resides on all inhabited moons across the universe. It's commonly believed that the Deep flows through Koshru. Tehoma is treated as a holy substance, and is often called "koshtet" ("body of Koshru") in Dalamit faith. Tehoma and tehomite is often used in religious rituals—even consumed in small amounts—and the effects on the mind from tehoma exposure is treated as a rite of passage that brings one closer both to Koshru and one's fellow people.

### Names

Syzygine names tend to be of Hungarian origin, but surnames are matronymic, indicating the name of the person who gave birth to them—though if said person is not a woman, their name is still used, and in case of adoptive parents, the parents generally choose a name at their discretion. Syzygine matronymic surnames are constructed by adding *-mek* to the end of the birthing parent's name.

In some cases, people who do not wish to retain a connection to their parents may change their surname, and indicate that they are the "child" of something else. Common such names append *-mek* to the end of a community or location (such as Piumek, Nuvermek, or Kolaniamek), and many devout such people name themselves Koshrumek or Dalamek.

A common rite of passage for Syzygites is also to receive a *valoration*, a cognomen nickname, once they have accomplished something significant for their community. A valoration often takes the shape of adjectives such as "the Selfless" or "the Pious", or sometimes a unique compound name like "Shortfingers". These nicknames are decided by the person's closest friends and family, never by themselves, and are considered part of their legal name. The only way to gain or change such a nickname is through a celebratory event. Those absence of such a nickname has no legal consequence on a person's life, but people who have none past a certain age are often judged harshly for it. About 85% of Syzygine adults above the age of 30 has a valoration.

## History

When it was still known as the Lunar Pact, the then-Representative of the Combine was one of the original seven founders of the Coalition oath. The Lunar Pact was known as an ambitious collective of space-farers who sought to go where no one else dared, and as such, it wasn't long after the discovery of the Singing Deep that all official members of the faction departed into corners of the Milky Way where nobody else would ever find them, to start something truly new and independent.

Though the original settlers of this new frontier (which came to be known as the Wreath of Light) did not intend to leave no route back to core Coalition space, it was soon discovered that their eager and distant travels had made it much harder to find their way back. In fact, all attempts until after the end of the Choral Era failed, on account of the subtly shifting topology of the Singing Deep making such distant travel inaccurate and impossible to trace back with early Deep travel technology.

The Combine resolved to hold on to their dream of creating something independent and new, and focused their efforts on new developments in the Wreath, as they settled on three moons orbiting a gas giant named Kolania. However, a few decades into this new era, it was discovered that Kolania was on a course to burn up in the sun's near vicinity in a matter of centuries, and its moons with it. With no other suitable bodies to colonise nearby, the Combine's scientists set to solve the problem with the help of the Singing Deep.

Syzygine research into the Deep had largely focused on its time-dilating properties up until then, and a radical idea was proposed: surround Kolania and its moons in a relativity bubble using vast quantities of tehoma, and buy themselves a few more centuries to figure out a permanent solution that way. In the end, it took several decades and untold hours and lives spent in construction before it was complete, but the relativity bubble surrounding Kolania and its moons was able to dilate time such that it passes about one-sixth as quickly inside of the bubble than outside of it.

However, as centuries went on, no answers came to light, and suggestion after suggestion to venture elsewhere in space was shot down as a culture of insular pride insisted that a solution would be found. It wasn't until very recently that the fiery Councilor Iulia Piumek the Demur finally led a successful petition to lead a fleet outside the Wreath and attempt to reconnect with the now-dead Coalition. There, she and her fleet established a colony on a planet they would name Iovu ("Future"), and she took up the name of Apogee Representative Iulia Iovumek the Defiant.

## Appearance

Syzygite humans tend to appear similar to other standard humans, and there is no one significantly predominant ethnicity. However, there is a significant difference that sets some Syzygites apart, in that certain conditions and traits that develop with age tend to develop earlier in a Syzygine person's life. Many experience early greying hair, hair loss, skin wrinkling and discoloration, and reduced eyesight as early as a 10–20 years before the average person. However, due to advanced medicine, this does not significantly impact life expectancy or quality, and is to a degree reversible—although Syzygine culture places very little stigma on signs of ageing in those who opt to let nature take its course.

Syzygites who are ethnically Nadezhdan vary somewhat from Nadezhdans from the Expanse. Although they still appear as animals from colder climates, most Nadezhdan Syzygites derive their appearance from animals of southern portions of such climates. There are very few that take on the appearance of truly arctic animals.

It's quite common for Syzygites to have both cosmetic and non-cosmetic physical augmentations, especially augmentations intended to restore lost sensory functions such as eye or ear implants.

## Military Technology

Due to its isolated nature, the Syzygy Combine has historically had a relatively small army. However, civil wars and a desire for secure borders in the case of a sudden invasion are both factors that have led to advances in military technology. The Syzygine military was also significantly bolstered for the Combine's venture into the Pearlescent Expanse.

Compared to other factions in the Expanse, the Syzygy Combine does not employ many "walker"-style mechs. Combat vehicles are often piloted by a small unit of combatants, and land vehicles favour firepower and durability over mobility and versatility. The Syzygine military also has a significant portion of soldiers specialising in sabotage and direct on-foot combat with war machines, called Oriathlu, or "Giantkillers".