User:Rowtree/SCG

The Sol Central Government, commonly referred to as SolGov or the SCG, is a federal republic controlling much of Human space. It is considered a Martian Bureaucratic Federal Democracy, in which much of its political structure and organisation is highly bureaucratic and regulated. While the federal state has authority over matters of rights, security, economics, and diplomacy, many of its sectors have varying degrees of political autonomy, including elected representation. It has a diverse population of many humans and non-humans, encompassing tiny asteroid habitats to sprawling planetary republics, and everything in-between. Though it has suffered under internal conflicts and the occasional war, Sol has swiftly risen to become one of the most advanced and powerful civilizations in the local galactic region.

Government
Theoretically, the governance of the SCG is meant to be simple and scalable. Representation and legislative power rests in the hands of the Assembly and the Senate. With the Assembly functioning as a lower house and the Senate the upper. The Secretary-General, elected by the Senate, serves an eight year term and functions as the chief executive of the SCG. The Secretary-General has wide-ranging powers and authority to conduct their business and oversees the various committees and departments that make up the government.

The SCG mainly acquires its revenue in the form of a progressive income tax on every SCG citizen, with rates ranging from 1% to 15%, depending on one's wealth, as well as corporation and trade taxes. Other sources of revenue include rental of infrastructure and communications systems, as well as taxation on gateway usage, all of which are owned by the SCG.

The SCG is divided into Member States and Sectors. Member States are part of their local Sector, which is responsible for maintaining and overseeing all interstellar functions, such as Gateways, Policing, Mail, and Health, as well as the enforcement of Federal Law. Member States are individual planets, habitats, and installations with a population over 100,000. These states are generally left to their own internal affairs, so long as they comply with SCG law, the Charter, and the Sector Administration, wwith matters of local government, representation and non-Sol laws and ordinances being their domain. However, each member state is expected to contribute to the SCG budget, and those with a population above 100,000 are expected to maintain their own Planetary Defence Forces separate from the SCG Defence Forces, though able to be integrated into it during times of war. This has only happened once, during the Gaia Conflict.

Sol influence is prevalent in all affairs, operations, law and government matters in the void between worlds, gateways and outposts being under the direct governance of its appropriate Sector. In addition to this, any SCG facilities and installations within a member state are under the direct control of the SCG itself. For the majority of member states, the SCG represents itself in the form of a garrison or detachment, as well as hospitals, aid and education facilities and SFP offices. These are maintained and administrated by the Sector, on a per-case basis. It is not uncommon for sectors to have vastly different budgetary priorities. While the SCG does not typically interfere in local matters and negotiations between member states, it alone is responsible for any external negotiations.

There are a number of Organisations that encompass a variety of functions, specialisations and areas, ranging from diplomatic services to law enforcement and exploration. Many of these are funded by the taxpayer of Sol.

Charter
Signed shortly after the founding of the Sol Central Government in 2229, the Charter is both the founding treaty and the constitution of the SCG. It was inspired both by the Charter of the United Nations (1945) and the Constitution of the Terran Commonwealth (2130), both of which declared the inalienable rights of humankind. The Charter defines the layout, function, and the powers of the SCG. It mandates that all member states of the SCG uphold the Charter, and punishes member states that break it. The signatory date, November 9th, is now considered a national holiday in Sol space, known as "Charter Day". As of 2300, 41 and a half (Gaia) states have signed the Charter.

Solar Senate
The Senate is the most powerful governing body in the SCG. It is responsible for acting as a check on the Assembly and the Sec-Gen. With a majority vote, the Senate can veto decisions made by the Secretary-General, though such action is rarely taken. Similarly, with the same majority, a vote of no confidence can be called by the Solar Senate on the Secretary-General. This has only been successfully carried out once in the history of the SCG. The 2294 Vote of No Confidence against Sec-Gen James Croussier. The Senate is also, without the input of the Assembly, able to direct the deployment of the SCG Defence Forces for peacekeeping operations, though not declare war.

Senators are also responsible for forming and chairing committees, which are responsible for monitoring, quality control, and setting policy on the aspect for which they are responsible. At the behest of the Secretary-General, committees can also be formed for more specialised tasks, such as overseeing aspects of foreign relationship, or handling investigations into specific issues and pressing matters. An example of this would be the Committee for Diplomatic Relations, which was established in 2205 and is the overseer of the SolGov Representative.

Unlike the Assembly, which merely requires a population, membership in the senate is limited to planetary bodies, with each planet sending three elected senators. This also includes occupied moons, such as the various moons of the Sol System. Corporations are not allowed to participate in the Senate, though this has not stopped them trying to represent their interests via corporate-aligned SCG worlds. The Senate is seen as a more professional political body, and the nature of their work places each senator under intense scrutiny.

Solar Assembly
The Assembly, the largest group,consists of elected representatives from every single SCG planet, orbital installation group, gateway, and corporate entities with a population exceeding 100,000 persons, with four representatives per 100,000 persons. The Assembly is a place of political infighting, backpedalling, manipulation and intrigue with a low bar for entry and limited restrictions on assemblymen. The Assembly is overseen by the Speaker, who is responsible for setting the schedule, and mediating discussion and enforcement of protocol. The Assembly may draft, submit and forward legislation and motions which, when passed, must then be ratified and voted upon by the Solar Senate, before being signed by the Secretary-General. Outside of their putting forth legislation and voting, Assemblymen often partake in tours, inspections and observation of a myriad of SCG departments, groups, projects and facilities, forming observer committees. The Assembly is also able to veto acts of the Senate, but only with a 66 percent majority.

Major Parties
The Big Four are the dominant political parties in the Sol Senate. They control the majority of seats and have the most influence over Sol politics:

Minor Parties
There are countless political parties that either fail to achieve a majority needed for representation in the Senate, or simply do not participate in interplanetary politics, including prominent local nationalist parties, as well as those that seek to change the socio-economic systems that govern Sol without participating in what they see as an unfair system. This is a list of a few major minors.

Territory


Extending for roughly 50 light years in every direction, the Sol Central Government is made up of numerous sectors, each comprised of multiple planets, known as member states. Each member state is part of a sector, which divides the SCG into seven distinct regions, with their own cultures, politics, and issues. The capital of Sol is Mars, located in the Sol System.

The Sol Central Government is made up of seven sectors:


 * The Sol Central District, is the core of human activity, containing the Sol System, Alpha Centauri, Barnard's Star], and the Luhman Twins. It contains the Homeworld of humanity, Earth, and its current capital, Mars. Despite this position of power, the SCD is also home to Sol's largest wealth gaps, with the distinction between rich and poor being clearly defined, and on some planets, such as Luna, enforced through distinct political actions.


 * The Helios Garrison is Sol's military stronghold, containing the systems of Helios and Culebre. While considered a military garrison, its civilian administration and population is largely focused on the planets of Nueva Castilla, and Eos. The region suffered several devastating losses during the Gaia Conflict, with the remains of the Fourth Fleet's stand being turned into both a war grave, and historical museum. This was done to prevent the resting sites of both Sol and Terran combatants from being salvaged by illegal scrappers. Something that happened with many of the wrecks of the Ares War.


 * Prosperity is a small region of Sol commonly known as “Middle Sol”. It is here that Sol's largest middle-class populations exist, usually in the employ of the many corporate holdings and offices across the region. It is also home to Sol's largest university (CTI), and many joint government-corporate research facilities. The region has extremely lax corporate laws, even compared to the rest of Sol, something that brings it great profits, at the expense of an ever increasing corporate reliance and dominance of their politics. Its capital system is Theia, where the Third Fleet is based.


 * Austrinus is a sector located at the border between Sol and Terra. It has often found itself at odds with its neighbours in recent years, both with Sol and outside, as it contains a sizeable Terran population, many of whom have lived in the area long before the war. It also contains the Gaia DMZ, and administrates Southern Gaia in name only, as power lies squarely in the hands of the military governor.


 * Canis is considered a melting pot of cultures and political ideas, containing eight occupied star systems, and is contained between Sol's Expansion Zone, and the Helios Garrison. Its capital is the administrative hub of Sobdet, located in the Sirius system.


 * The Sol Expansion Zone is technically part of Sol, though its hold is tenuous at best. The people of the expansion zone are some of the few distant colonies that remained tied to Sol. In the recent decade, it has seen renewed interest by the governments of Sol and Lordania, both of whom have begun working together to colonise and expand Sol influence both within the Non-Aligned Expanse, and its unoccupied borders. Moghes, the homeworld of the Unathi is located here, and remains under the control of its local government. The Unathi have a significant space presence, and travel to the system is as easy as travel to any other within Sol.


 * The Second Lordanian Republic is a largely autonomous Republic within the greater Sol Community. It is the most recent acquisition of the SCG, who were invited to govern the Lordanian Cluster, though currently control half of it, with the other half under the control of the Confederate Systems of Lordania. Though autonomous, the Second Lordanian Republic and the United Systems of Sol share warm, and close relations, and it is expected that the Republic will eventually be fully integrated.

Encompassing countless star systems, the SCG is the largest sovereign nation under control of humanity. Its territory extends as far as 50ly from Sol, with its influence permeating even further. Additionally, the SCG maintains dozens of permanently habitable installations in uncolonized systems and deep space, though the population of these outposts is negligible.

Military
The SCG maintains its own standing police and military forces under the authority of the Committee of Defense and Security (CDS). The CDS is also responsible for managing intelligence, counterterrorism, and border security in SCG territory. The committee is subject to serious oversight, with internal tensions brewing over the current cold war with the GCC. Communications traffic between sectors is heavily monitored, and gateways and space lanes are heavily guarded. Pilots who intentionally stray too close to sensitive SCG assets can expect to be heavily discouraged from trying again, though incidents involving loss of life are extremely rare.

Though the most visible parts of the CDS are the Defense Forces and the SFP, the CDS also manages the Office of Interstellar Intelligence, the Bureau of Counterterrorism, the Assembly Security Agency, the Emergency Management Bureau, the Emergency Rescue Service, the Bureau of Border Security, the Defense Intelligence Agency, the Bureau of Corrections, and the Home Guard.

Defense Forces
Defence Forces The SCG Defence Forces consists of the SCG Army and the SCG Fleet. The army handles operations on planets, moons, or larger planetoids, while the Fleet, along with its Armsmen, holds responsibility for operations in space, aboard habitats or vessels, and within the gateway network. Most member states maintain their own planetary defence force, which largely serves as a reserve. Many citizens choose a career in the Sol Defence Forces over their own planetary force, though this is not universal.

The Fleet is by far the larger component, comprised of a handful of massive battlecruisers and supercarriers, dozens of medium vessels like carriers and cruisers, and hundreds of smaller vessels and strike craft. Five standing fleets operate under Fleet Command; they are spread throughout SCG space undertaking security details and patrols.

The Army is smaller and maintains minimal troop numbers during peacetime. In the past, the Army was an integrated force comprised of military personnel from across the member states serving alongside SCG regular forces. However, following a reorganization of the army shortly before the Gaia Conflict, the Army during war now directly integrates PDF's as-needed to bolster their forces, moving them under an integrated command until peace is achieved.

Large concentrations of SCG Defense Forces are seldom seen outside of Sol territories and its immediate neighbors, though outposts in hostile areas or past the border of SCG space typically retain a small garrison. Every gateway in SCG territory has a crew running traffic control operations, as well as a number of vessels protecting the gate itself. Smaller, faster vessels perform customs work and patrol trade corridors. SCG military presence increases with proximity to the inner systems. Only on two occasions have SCG Defense Forces been mobilized for a major peacekeeping operation, with both operations occurring in response to gross violations of sapient rights in non-member states. The most major of these was the occupation of the Lordanian Cluster in 2280, following the collapse of the fascist state in control of the region, where SCG Peacekeepers and Defence Forces were deployed to the region, half of which has since become a member of Sol. Occasionally, lighter forces are tasked to assist member states requesting aid in managing crime or civil unrest.

Pre-Terran Commonwealth
Earth of the late 21st Century was a vastly different place to Earth of the early 21st Century, with resource wars, climate change, and a global refugee crisis stretching the few remaining nation-states to their limits. Those rich and influential enough to flee the devastation did so, establishing colonies that would later become known as Luna, Mars, Deimos, Phobos, and Ceres. The five colonies became home to many of Earth's refugees, including Jimmy Gideon, who would become the first man on Mars, and the founder of Gideonism. Much of the colonisation work was conducted by the earliest megacorporations, such as the Misney Corporation, Suka Cola, and Victoria-Rudidas. Those that remained on Earth were the poorest of the poor or the stubborn of the stubborn. It is from these people that the Terran Commonwealth was first conceived. While it would be another hundred years before Humanity would ever leave the Sol System in great numbers, the early 22nd Century was full of optimistic (and rich) Martian, Lunar, or Ceresian colonists setting off to colonise the Gas Giants.

Terran Commonwealth
The Terran Commonwealth was founded, first on Earth, and then for a second time at the Martian Capital of Mars Base One, recognising the unification of the human colonies under a unitary democratic state. However, almost as soon as it was founded, the TC was effectively split between the Earthers and the Colonists, with Earth wishing to punish those responsible for the catastrophes of the 21st Century, whose descendants had largely fled off-world, and the Colonists, who did not recognise the authority of a Socialist Earth. Under the TC, the discovery of Bluespace allowed for countless colony ships to be launched to nearby star systems such as Alpha Centuri, Helios, Tau Ceti, the Lordanian Cluster, and perhaps most importantly, Gilgamesh. This bitter dispute between Earth and its richest colonies grew worse in the 2170s, with the founding of the Ares Confederation. In the late 2100s, the Aresians were the dominant culture of Mars, and largely comprised of the descendants of 21st Century capitalist and authoritarian regimes. Through a combination of propaganda, military authority, and outright bribary, the Aresians convinced the remaining Martians to join their Confederation, which claimed to stand for colonial autonomy and corporate-capitalist policies. Luna swiftly joined, followed by Ceres, and Tau Ceti. Throughout the 80s and 90s, the two sides competed against each other for the loyalty and support of the interstellar colonies, often leading to skirmishes and battles taking place in far off regions of space. Few battles occurred in the Sol System itself, as both sides agreed against the use of orbital bombardment and asteroid targeting. These agreements would go on to form the basis of the Nouveaulyon Convention, which laid out the rules of space warfare.

The war came to a head in 2202, where skirmishes and battles in the outer colonies became more frequent, and threatened to spill out into the Sol System itself. The Destruction of Deimos took place in 2204, though a new asteroid was towed into place and christened Deimos II shortly after. With both the Terrans and the Aresians locking down the few vital gateways needed to reach the outer systems, many colonies, including the newly founded colony of Amaranth, in the Gilgamesh System, began to suffer drastically from a lack of supplies. In 2228, as a direct response to the bickering of the Sol System, Amaranth founded the Gilgamesh League with its neighboring systems. While Gilgamesh sided with the Terran Commonwealth, it also began to campaign for colonial independence away from Sol itself.

With the war dragging on for over a decade, and taking a major toll on everyone involved, a secret group of politicians and corporations led by Jimmy Gideon II negotiated what is now known as the 'Secret Truce', an agreement between the Terran Commonwealth and the megacorporations funding the Aresians. The Secret Truce is largely considered the founding document of the Sol Central Government because of this. This led to a massive decrease in Aresian power on Mars, and the rise of Olympus as both economic and cultural capital of Mars. The founding of the SCG combined Martian politics, Lunar economics, and Earther pride into new political system that could dominate galactic politcs. Many people were very happy for the end of war and conflict, but regions such as Gilgamesh saw the collapse of Terran politics and the rise of corporate capitalism as a return to the old ways that brought humanity close to extinction. As a result, only a year after the formation of the Sol Central Government, the Gilgamesh Confederation declared its independence, and its intent to continue pro-Terran policies, with both the SCG and the GCC declaring themselves to be the true successor state to the Terran Commonwealth.

Early SCG
The early years of the SCG were marked with first contact with alien species, including the Skrell (2233), Unathi (2260), and Dionaea (2234). Much of these early years of the SCG were a period of nationalisation, including Gateways and the Interstellar Medical Service. Under the SecGenship of Hannah Kofe-Akufo, and Lee Myung-bo, the SCG grew to encompass many of the previously independent colonies, such as Victor's Star and Groombridge. However, in the late 2270s, the Social Democrat Party underwent a series of scandals from which it never fully recovered, leading to the election of the Sol Conservative Party in 2278 and the mass-privatisation of property. It was under the Conservative Party that the modern megacorporations truly flourished, with NanoTrasen exploring and colonising Nyx, Vey-Med pioneering the first Full-Body Prosthetic surgery, and Hephaestus developing modern laser weaponry that is now commonplace across Sol installations and vessels. The 2280s also saw the occupation of the Lordanian Cluster by Sol forces, who helped to found the Second Lordanian Republic, a vassal territory of Sol. It is common for historians to compare the 2280s with the 1980s. Many corporations and political leaders expected this period of economic and political growth to continue, with many people believing Sol was unbeatable and poised to become the first human galactic superpower. This vision was shattered in 2291 with the start of the Gaia Conflict, which caught Sol leadership unawares despite numerous warning signs of Gilgameshi Aggression.

Gaia Conflict
Gaia Conflict

The Gaia Conflict began in 2291 and ended in 2297 with a stalemate. It is widely considered that neither side truly won the Conflict, with millions dead and no gains for both Sol and Gilgamesh. It began with the annexation of Providence into the GCC, followed by the arrival of Gilgameshi peacekeepers on Valy. In response, the Conservative Party of Sol enforced a harsh tariff on the Confederacy, hoping to prevent the GCC from taking any further aggressive actions. Instead, it led to the 2290-2292 Gilgameshi Trade War, the bloodless precursor conflict to Gaia. The Sol Sector of Austrinus suffers harshly under the Trade War, with many local Solar Terrans being harassed and discriminated against due to their ancestry, especially as Austrinus was expected to oversee the annexation of Gaia into the SCG, which had voted that year to join Sol, and had a large Terran presence.

The Conflict began on January 9th, 2292 with a Gilgameshi assault on the systems of Gaia, Lacaille, Partheno, and Victor's Star, with many undefended gateways falling into Gilgameshi hands. Due to the nature of Bluespace Gates, there were only two major entry points into the central SCG: Tau Ceti, and Helios, both of which played major roles in the Conflict. If they fall, then many in Sol believe it is likely that the Sol System would be overrun. However, thanks to the efforts of the Fourth Fleet in their defence of Helios, the Sol System would not fall, and the SCG would regroup to fight again. In 2294, the Sol Conservative Party was defeated by a coalition of parties led by Roland Camp. The Coalition Government would change tactics and begin the Solar Offensive, a period between 94 and 96 in which the Sol Defence Fleets regained lost territory and scored key battles against the Gilgamesh Navy.

The war came to a close in 2296 with the collapse of the Gilgameshi economy, and the near collapse of Sol's. Neither side was able to continue fighting, and the war came to a conclusion on the 22nd of March 2297 with the signing of the Treaty of Tyannani, signed by both Sol and Terran diplomats on the independent and non-aligned planet of Tyannani. It stipulated that no territory would change hands, that the GCC would pay to rebuild the Helios Gateway Installation, that Sol would open its borders to Terran immigrants, and facilitate free travel between the two nations. The intent of the Treaty was to tie the Terran and Sol economies together, in the hopes that it would prevent further conflict. Instead, the Treaty divided Gaia in two, becoming a DMZ between the two parties. Both sides continue to blame the other for the many war dead, and while countless non-aligned parties have attempted to mediate the divide, the Sol Central Government and the Gilgamesh Confederation have entered a state of Cold War, with both parties attempting to one-up the other.

Modern SCG
In the past decade since the Gaia Conflict, the SCG has elected Amaya Barros of the Democratic Alliance to lead them into the 24th Century. The days of colonial governments has given way to a federal system. The Solar Senate is now larger than it has been in decades, with further power being given to the Sol Sectors to govern and administrate on minor issues. Under the Democratic Alliance, various national institutions such as the Expeditionary Corps have been granted further funding and charters. The Expeditionary Corps Organization was founded to further this goal. With Sol's ineffective bureaucracy, and the SCG-GCC Cold War, the past few years have been extremely important for the SCG, with many wondering if it will continue to grant further autonomy to its sectors, or whether it will fully federalise into a unitary state. It seems only time will tell.

Meta Information
The SCG is the primary faction of Baystation 12. It is the Government that your character works for, either as part of the Defence Forces, member of the EXO, or civilian contractor. Unless you are an immigrant from outside the SCG, you have grown up under its political influence, and have by and large lived a comfortable life. Your opinion on the SCG is likely informed by the conditions of your planet of origin, as a Working Class Plutonian would have a significantly different life than an Upper Class Selenian. You have experienced a comfortable level of free speech, and public acts of terrorism are rare and typically reserved to the outer colonies. Despite the dominant position of Mars in Sol politics, the SCG is anything but homogeneous. While the old cultures of Earth have found a place to thrive in space, so too have countless newly developed cultures and traditions, many of which could be seen as completely alien to a 21st Century Human.