Gilgamesh Confederation

The Gilgamesh Colonial Confederation(GCC), officially the Independent Colonial Confederation of Gilgamesh (ICCG), is a regional power in human space, bordered by the Sol Central Government towards the galactic center. The capital of the Confederation is the city of Amaranth on the planet of Terra, in the Gilgamesh system.

Most of the Confederation's territory had been colonies under the early Terran Commonwealth. The Commonwealth Civil War saw many of these early colonies side with the Ares Confederation. On 31 July 2231, as part of the founding of the Sol Central Government, the Gilgamesh League declared independence, naming itself the Independent Colonial Confederation of Gilgamesh. The current Constitution of the Confederation was adopted at this time as well, and it remains in use today. The nation is a loose confederation of member states with a central bank and military. Officially, the leader is the Speaker of the Confederation, though in the 24th century much of the confederations power is tied to the Admiral-General and the Colonial Military Oversight Corps. There are currently 12 member states, each with their own elected minister as a representative to the Colonial Council.

Due to rich mineral deposits in its core systems, and investment by early megacorporations following the initial colonization of the Gilgamesh system and well through the Ares period, the manufacturing industry has grown to dominate the Confederation's economy, and currently composes over 40% of the nation's GDP. The largest sector of this industry is currently the manufacturing of armaments.

History
Most of the Confederation's territory had been colonies under the early Terran Commonwealth. Over time, these colonies grew increasingly upset with the Commonwealth's centralization and Earth-First economic policy. Gilgamesh and it's surrounding states signed with the Ares Confederation in 2196, and left the Confederation in 2228 to form the Gilgamesh League, which was neutral in the conflict. On 31 July 2231, during the founding of the Sol Central Government, the surrender of the Ares Confederation caused the Gilgamesh League to cement its independence and officially form the Independent Colonial Confederation of Gilgamesh. The Confederation has since become a major industrial and military power in the region.

Colonization
The habitable planet of Amaranth Major was colonized in late 2148 after a small fleet of cryogenic generational colonization ships sent out in early 2112 arrived in the Gilgamesh system. Another planet in the system, Amaranth Minor was also colonized during this time, as well as Novaya Zemlya. Other uninhabitable planets in the system were found to be rich in minerals and industrial materials. Development of the system proceeded slowly. However, by 2180, when the Commonwealth made contact with the system again, it had become home to a population of nearly one million humans.

After being contacted by the Commonwealth in 2180, the colonies in Gilgamesh were re-integrated into its government. Only 22 years later, they would leave the Commonwealth for the Ares Confederation. With technological and logistical support from the Confederation and an access to resources that Mars lacked, the Gilgamesh system became a lucrative trade hub. This directly caused a significant increase in immigration to the system, leading to additional economic and societal growth. During this time, developments on the planet of Novaya Zemlya had caused it to become the industrial center of the system.

Independence
In 2228, shortly before humanity's first contact with the Skrell, the colonies of Gilgamesh and neighboring systems founded the Gilgamesh League, distancing themselves from the failing Ares Confederation. The Leagues self sufficiency allowed it to be nominally independent from both the Ares Confederation and the Terran Commonwealth. War continued to rage on in the Sol System, so this new independent force of planets went relatively unchecked by the Commonwealth.

On 31 July 2230, during the signing of the Sol Central Government charter, the League's colonies declared independence from the now defunct Commonwealth, restructuring into the Gilgamesh Confederation. By the 24th century, the Confederation encompassed thirty-one systems, with forty-nine colonies, and a population of ten-billion.

Contemporary Period
After the founding of the Sol Central Government, and the Confederation's declaration of independence, the Confederation entered a period of economic growth and rebuilding after the Commonwealth Civil war. A large amount of manpower was necessary for the Confederation to build a military and economy that could rival that of the rapidly recovering SCG, causing the Confederation to expand their borders in an attempt to annex additional agri-worlds to provide for the rest of the Confederation.

Among the planets annexed was Gaia, a world on the border of SCG space. The annexation of this planet led directly to the Gaia Conflict in 2292. The conflict between the SCG and the Confederation aided significantly in the consolidation of power by the Confederation's military as well as giving the Colonial Council a pretext for conscription. The conflict ended in a pyrrhic victory for the SCG in 2296. During this time, the Confederation had begun significant political reform, seeing its military arm become fairly independent from the infrastructure of it's representative democracy.

Government
The Confederation is a complex system of many local, planetary, and regional governments that operate mostly independent of each other in terms of socioeconomic policy and local law enforcement. The Constitution of the Confederation sets the framework for the government of the nation. The Constitution lays out the framework for independence and sovereignty in all things, save currency and military. It drew a lot of inspiration from the Confederate Charter of the Ares Confederation, and was initially designed to never be amended, though it was amended during the Gaia Conflict to enforce conscription. A particular quirk of the Constitution of the Confederation is it's stance on Positronic Intelligence and non-human sapients, which is largely one of contempt. While the constitution does not specifically disparage them, it allows member states to make their own decisions regarding citizenships and freedoms with no interference from the Colonial Council.

The nation's central legislative body is the Colonial Council, whose members are delegated officials from the Confederations various member states, some appointed by election, others appointed by decision. Each member state sends one Councilmember, and each councilmembers vote is weighted equally. The head of state is the Speaker of the Confederation, who is elected every 8 years from the Colonial council rather than a popular vote, requiring a majority vote by the councilmembers. The Speaker additionally functions as the head of government and assembles a cabinet, which is subject to Council approval, as are the majority of official actions which may be taken by the Speaker.

Foreign Relations
After achieving independence from the Ares Confederation, the Colonial Confederation's foreign policy was designed with a view to establishing relations and integrating independent colonies, and isolation from non-human powers. Immigration is strictly controlled for non humans, but humans of all origins are endowed by the constitution free movement through the Confederation if they can afford travel.

Member states of the Confederation have their own rules regarding immigration, with some such as Amaranth itself refusing to allow any xeno-immigration while other states closer to sol space seem welcoming or even encouraging of alien immigration.

Military
The military of the Confederation is headed by the Admiral-General, who is in charge of both branches, and the Colonial Military Oversight Corps, a group of high ranking military officials and representatives from weapons and vehicles manufacturing groups. Just before the Gaia Conflict, the CMOC began rapidly expanding its influence over the Colonial government and has since gone largely unchecked by the Colonial Council.

The Confederation's military is divided into the Ground Forces and Navy. In 2305, the military had 276.295 million personnel on active duty. It is mandatory for all citizens aged 18–24 to be drafted for two years of service in the Armed Forces.

The Confederation has the largest stockpile of cobalt-nuclear weapons in the region. It has the largest fleet of stealth-equipped ballistic missile ships and is the only human government apart from the Sol Central Government with a substantial cobalt-nuclear arsenal. The Confederation's navy is the largest among human powers in the region, and its ground forces are the second largest.

The nation has a large and entirely domestic arms industry, producing the majority of its own military equipment with only a select few types of weapons imported. The Confederation is the region's top supplier of armaments, accounting for roughly 60% of regional weapons sales and exporting weapons to numerous independent states or colonies. In recent years, the Confederation has been known to supply weaponry to a number of independent states. As of 2308, the Confederation's military budget is higher than any other human state.

Economy
The Colonial Economy is almost entirely Capitalist, though some member states opt to further tax their residents in order to facilitate a strong safety net. The Constitution of the Confederation dictates that the state is not to interfere with it's member's internal markets, though this is wildly up to interpretation by the Colonial Council.

In 2306, the Confederation had a GDP (PPP) of roughly 927.776 trillion Thaler and a GDP per capita (PPP) of 25,471 Thaler. The Confederation is an upper-middle income economy. During its early years, the region that would become the Confederation experienced roughly a century of economic instability and decline due to the Commonwealth Civil War. From 2250 onward, however, the Confederation's economy was transformed into one of relative macroeconomic stability, characterized by high growth, low unemployment, and declining inflation. Shortly after the Gaia Conflict, the economic stability of the Confederation increased drastically. Unemployment in the Confederation is at 9.7% according to 2304 census data.

Industrial output growth reached 10.3% year-on-year in February 2304. The largest local companies include arms manufacturer HelTek, Gazpran Oil and Gas, Grayson Terra, Sinnesloschen Electronics, TDE & TIE, and the Novaya Zemlya Shipyards. Exports have increased substantially over the past few years, with an 18.7% annual rise in exports in 2298. The Confederation's main exports are military equipment, electrical and electronic equipment, industrial machinery, metallurgic products, agricultural products, and raw materials. Trade is mostly centered on independent colonies and smaller nations.

Domestic trade makes up a large portion of the Confederation's economy, with the Novaya Zemlya Shipyards in particular reporting that 86.2% of their contracts are carried out through the Colonial Military. The co-dependent relationship of the economy and military is largely what facilitated the recent grabs in power by the Colonial Military.

Since 2231 the official currency has been the Confederate credit ("FedCred") and following a denomination in 2270, it has been valued at 1.7-1.9 Thaler.

Demographics
As per 2304 census data, there has been a 12.1% population increase from the figure recorded at the 2297 census. The urbanization rate is 48% of the total population living in urban areas (as of 2302).

Cultural and ethnic composition
The term "Colonial" had initially described the inhabitants of the Gilgamesh league, seeing themselves as separated entirely from the Solar System. In 2231, the Confederation's constitution was put into effect, naming the nation as the Independent Colonial Confederation of Gilgamesh. Thus, many among the group of Independent-speaking colonies clung to a "Colonial" identity. With the prevailing identity among the member states being defined as "Colonial," new colonies integrated into the Confederation were more likely to identify as Colonials than were immigrants.

According to the latest Confederation Census (2291) (excluding minor colonies or those integrated since 2292):

Languages
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Religion
The Confederation is notably more religious than the Sol Central government, largely due to it's isolated nature. 62% of the Confederations populace identifies as religious. Christianity has long been a driving force in the confederation. Of it's religious population an estimated 59% are Christians, with 21% being Jewish, 18% Muslim, and the remaining 2% belonging to other religions.

Christianity in the Confederation is a large potluck of various doctrines, the most prominent of which being the Revelationists. Revelationism was a Christian movement that originated on Amaranth around the start of the Commonwealth Civil War, which saw a rejection of the Trinity almost entirely in favor of embracing old-testament symbolism, particularly that found in the book of Revelations. They see a fated end to the universe but still value the teachings of Christ as a pathway to heaven. Most Revelationists hold symbology in high regard, and things such as snakes, lambs, and burning bushes are prominent cultural images through the Confederation. The religion often identifies itself with a plain, iron Orthodox cross, notably one without the body of Christ visible.

Catholicism is also prominent in the Confederation, with a notable schism between Roman Catholics and Novaya Catholics. The Novaya Catholics believe the Holy See sits on a space station in low orbit around Amaranth, whereas the Roman Catholics still follow the Pope in Rome. Roman Catholics are occasionally branded as Solar Sympathizers due to having loyalties on Earth, but for the most part the two groups coexist relatively peacefully.

Reform Judaism has a large presence in the confederation, with members of it's synagogues being lauded as progressive voices for human rights within the nation. 'Colonial Reform' as it is officially called, is one of the largest demographics opposed to the recent consolidation of power by the Colonial Military.

Culture
The adoption of the 'Colonial' demonym has led citizens of the Confederation to distance themselves from Earth-based cultures entirely. Original colony ships sent to the Gilgamesh system were a potluck of many Earth-based cultures, languages, and traditions, and that melting pot combined with centuries of war and isolation has only furthered the cultural divide between the Solar System and Colonial space.

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Colonial Culture is known to vary wildly from member state to member state, with certain planets and system having different values when it comes to authority, celebration, religion, food, and general attitude towards the rest of the Galaxy. It is not uncommon to find a welcoming communal environment on one Colonial planet and a hostile, authoritarian society on the other.

One common thread most Colonial cultures have is their relationship to the Admiral-General and the Colonial Military at large. Conservative circles on most planets view the consolidation of military power as largely a good thing, and support for the Admiral-General is high. Support dwindles for the Military among the youth, many of whom are about to be conscripted based on events that happened before their lives. It's also not uncommon to see anti-Military sentiment among the poor and disenfranchised, as well as the Confederations small nonhuman population. A strong counter culture exists in the Confederation, which in most member states goes largely unpoliced and is not seen as a threat to internal stability. "Terran Punk" is emblematic of a cultural resistance to the establishment and is even often enjoyed in Sol by those who dislike the Colonial Military.

The Confederation also has a bustling market for video games, with a wide variety of genres and systems. Virtual Reality Immersion is a luxury, but many member states have access to for-profit arcades that provide these goods to the common people. Tablet and console based simulators and shooters are common to find in Colonial homes. It's not uncommon for these games to be smuggled into Solar space, occasionally boot-legged and translated for Solar audiences. Their presence is regulated by the Sol Central Government.

A large military culture exists in Colonial space, especially since Conscription began. Colonial soldiers, even conscripts, often see themselves as 'Liberators' or 'Defenders against Solar Aggression' rather than an occupying or policing force. As the power of the military grows, those who serve in it are being increasingly revered in colonial space.

Holidays
Most retail businesses close on Independence Day and New Year's Day as well as Christmas, which are officially recognized as public holidays, but remain open on all other holidays. Christmas is celebrated on the 7th of January, and is officially recognized as a public holiday.

Sports
Thunderdome is the national sport in the Confederation. It is also both the most popular team sport in the nation, as well as the most popular sport overall. Additionally, the Confederation is the only major regional power in which the sport is still legalized. Broadcasts of the sport are extremely popular internationally as well as domestically. The Galactic Organization of Zero-G Racing also has a significant presence in the Confederation. However, their primary racing league has barred non-humans from participating as contestants.