Federation: Difference between revisions

== History ==

===Consolidation on Earth===

''Mankind's first ventures into space were tentative and gradual. The early part of the 21st century saw the first manned spaceflights beyond the moon, but it took major population and economic problems to stimulate enough commercial commitment to start settlements beyond Earth.''<ref name=":2">Tourist Spot 0165, "Ancient History"</ref>

 

 

=== The Birthright Wars ===

Between 2621 and 2735, Federal member systems underwent a period of societal change. The original colonial charters of many settlements granted hereditary land and position to families descended from their original settlers. Many of these birthright claims extended across vast areas of land and encompassed massive resources. The old charters became a hindrance especially to corporations who wanted access to these assets and gradually more and more pressure came to bear on the presidential administration to take action against this 'stifling anachronism'.<ref name=":0">Tourist Spot 0181, "The Birthright Wars"</ref>

 

 

====3306 - Present====

On September 18, 3306, coming on the heels of the conclusion of a criminal investigation into the Starship One disaster by the [[Federal Attorney's Office]],<ref>[https://community.elitedangerous.com/galnet/uid/5f5ba22df6205f3148762781 GalNet: Inquiry into Starship One's Destruction Concludes]</ref> Chief Technician [[Rory Webster]] of the [[Federal Navy]] Engineering Corps was arrested and charged with mass murder and treason. The investigation claimed that Webster was responsible for ordering unauthorised changes to Starship One's [[Frame Shift Drive]] shortly before it departed on former President [[Jasmina Halsey]]'s ill-fated official tour in May 3301.<ref>[https://community.elitedangerous.com/galnet/uid/5f64d17f13f948281632094e GalNet: Arrest Made in Starship One Criminal Case]</ref> Webster later confessed and exposed Fleet Admiral [[Lucas Vincent]] as the person who ordered him to sabotage Starship One, leading to Vincent's arrest on charges of conspiracy to commit murder and treason.<ref>[https://community.elitedangerous.com/galnet/uid/5f8031b0b1c27315910a85d5 GalNet: Fleet Admiral Vincent Named as Starship One Saboteur]</ref> Due to Vincent's close friendship with Federal President Zachary Hudson, the public and some news feeds concluded that Hudson had been involved in a conspiracy to assassinate Halsey. As a result, support for Hudson and the Republican Party had fallen sharply by October 19, and the Liberal Party regained majority support for the first time in years. Amid Hudson's refusal to issue a statement on Vincent, over a dozen [[Congressmen]] resigned in protest to avoid association with what some alleged was "the crime of the century".<ref name="TurmoilHudson" />

 

The Federation suffered a major embarrassment and loss in public confidence after [[Jupiter Rochester]], the CEO of [[Core Dynamics]] and eldest son of Liberal Party Shadow Vice President [[Isolde Rochester]], fled to [[HIP 54530]] and established the rogue [[Jupiter Division]] faction in February 3307 after being exposed during the trial of Fleet Admiral Lucas Vincent as the financier behind the conspiracy to destroy Starship One and assassinate then-President Halsey in 3301. Federal citizens called for investigations into corruption and corporate influence in the Federal government, and the credibility of both the Republican Party and the Liberal Party was damaged.<ref>[https://community.elitedangerous.com/galnet/uid/602a700b2ad23f14f43973ff GalNet: Federation Damaged by Corruption and Conspiracy]</ref> Jupiter Division was defeated by Federal forces on February 18, and Rochester and thousands of his loyalists were arrested by the [[Federal Intelligence Agency]].<ref>[https://community.elitedangerous.com/galnet/uid/602e59b311bc486b7f3739ab GalNet: Victory for Federal Forces Against Jupiter Division]</ref> Rochester was summarily sentenced to life imprisonment on March 5 by the [[Federal Justice Department]], but despite his crimes, his manifesto of converting the Federation from democracy to corporatism inspired the formation of a corporatist movement.<ref>[https://community.elitedangerous.com/galnet/uid/60422b82a35452295305a1b4 GalNet: Jupiter Rochester Sentenced to Life Imprisonment]</ref> This movement, which sought to create an alternative to the Republican and Liberal parties and reform the Federation into a corporatocracy, managed to keep Jupiter Division alive through June 3307, but Core Dynamics led a second campaign against the faction and permanently dissolved it. Jupiter Division's remaining assets were seized by the new Core Dynamics subsidiary [[Core Enterprises]] on June 10, and the rudderless corporatist movement was well on its way to historical obscurity by June 21.<ref>[https://community.elitedangerous.com/galnet/uid/60b73e1edf893a54853e8a79 GalNet: Jupiter Division Inspires Corporatist Movement]</ref><ref>[https://community.elitedangerous.com/galnet/uid/60c1f179ed9cd61a4e4ff1c5 GalNet: Core Dynamics Triumphs Against Jupiter Division]</ref><ref>[https://community.elitedangerous.com/galnet/uid/60d09b4546004047d64e9692 GalNet: Corporatists Stalled by Jupiter Division's Defeat]</ref>

 

On March 3, 3307, at the Galactic Summit in [[Sirius]], President Hudson personally ratified the [[Cornelius-Lasky Convention]] with his Allied and Imperial counterparts.<ref>[https://community.elitedangerous.com/galnet/uid/603f8712228a4030f344bcb3 GalNet: Superpowers Make Progress at the Galactic Summit]</ref> The conference was cancelled on March 11 following a series of coordinated attacks on starports in nine major systems, including [[Li Qing Jao]] in Sol, that were carried out by the NMLA.<ref>[https://community.elitedangerous.com/galnet/uid/604a1301b02d5114c742fe00 GalNet: Galactic Summit Cancelled – NMLA Attacks Superpowers]</ref> Vice President [[Brad Mitchell]] and several Federal Cabinent members were among the tens of thousands who died at Li Qing Jao. The Federation blamed the [[Nine Martyrs]] attacks on the Empire due to NMLA bombmakers escaping [[Serene Harbour]].<ref>[https://community.elitedangerous.com/galnet/uid/604b64ec0edb312109560151 GalNet: Starport Bombing Casualties Include Federal Vice President]</ref> As a result of the Cornelius-Lasky Convention establishing new communications protocols between the security forces of the superpowers, the Federal Intelligence Agency participated in the creation of the [[Affiliated Counter-Terrorism unit|Affiliated Counter-Terrorism unit (ACT)]] to defeat the NMLA.<ref>[https://community.elitedangerous.com/galnet/uid/6051fcec549a83506f45143f GalNet: Anti-NMLA Intelligence Unit Formed]</ref> [[Federal Congress]] followed this up on March 30 with the approval of the [[Domestic Counter-Terrorism Act]], an emergency law proposed by new Vice President [[Jerome Archer]] to expand the Federal government's surveillance powers with the aim of preventing future terrorist attacks.<ref>[https://community.elitedangerous.com/galnet/uid/606311954f9eda52a923b05e GalNet: Federal Congress Grants Emergency Surveillance Powers]</ref> Under the act, the Federal Intelligence Agency created the [[Proactive Detection Bureau]] to monitor public and private communications networks for terrorist activity.<ref>[https://community.elitedangerous.com/galnet/uid/606c4bee6ac730131e7bf110 GalNet: Federation Begins Anti-Terrorist Monitoring]</ref> As the PDB became mired in controversy and public support for the enhanced surveillance polarized, President Hudson and Shadow President Winters launched competing data collection initiatives on April 29. Hudson desired to expand the PDB's reach and effectiveness, while Winters sought the opposite by planning to distribute legal technology and techniques to protect personal communications from government intrusion.<ref>[https://community.elitedangerous.com/galnet/uid/608aaf2306df062baf07813c GalNet: Federal Leaders Launch Rival Data Requests]</ref> Hudson's campaign prevailed, which the Federal government interpreted as a popular mandate to continue the program. The PDB was strengthened substantially, enabling it to scan almost all public and private comms networks in Federation space, which resulted in a sharp rise in arrest rates and the dismantling of criminal groups.<ref>[https://community.elitedangerous.com/galnet/uid/6093d8eec8a3b342392ba3ef GalNet: Hudson Initiative Increases Federal Surveillance]</ref><ref>[https://community.elitedangerous.com/galnet/uid/609e64f064b3c15c99541d03 GalNet: Federal Citizens Approve Government Scrutiny]</ref>

 

==Government==

===Leadership===

The [[President of the Federation]] is the elected head of state and head of government of the Federation. The President is elected for an eight year term by the [[Federal Citizen|citizens]] of the Federation.<ref name=":5" /> The president faces an automatic "Vote of Confidence" by the people after four years. If the incumbent President wins the vote, they are allowed to complete their full term, but if the incumbent loses the vote, a new Presidential election is called. Presidents select and appoint a Vice President to serve as Acting President in the event that the President is unable to lead. The incumbent Federal President is [[Felicia Winters]], and the Vice President is [[Isolde Rochester]].<ref name=":4" /><ref name=":10" />

 

 

==Federal Law==

The Federation is an interstellar representative democracy. Every [[Federal Citizen|Federal citizen]] has rights and freedoms enshrined in the Constitution such as the right to vote in elections. Each adult citizen has one vote per election within their star system or state to elect Congressmen and the [[President of the Federation]]. Anyone of the Federation is free to run for election to Federal Congress and in Presidential elections.<ref name=":5" /><ref name=":9">[https://www.edrpg.co.uk/what-s-in-the-books The Federation Sourcebook, ''EDRPG'']</ref>

 

 

==Key systems==

* [[Altair]] - The planet Biggs Colony is a humid, mostly oceanic Earth-like world, renowned for its strikingly beautiful and infamously dangerous biosphere. One of the original five signatories of the Federal Accord.

* [[Beta Hydri]] - The planet Homeland was an early human colony and today is one of the most densely-settled Earth-like worlds. One of the original five signatories of the Federal Accord.

File:Earth Tourist Spot 0165 beacon.png|Tourist Spot 0165 beacon near Earth

File:Federation-Federal-Navy-Fleet-1.png|Federal Navy First Fleet

File:Eta-Cassiopeiae-Federation-Mathew-Maddison.png|Eta Cassiopeiae art

File:Elite-Dangerous-Federation-City.png|A Federation city

File:Federation Wallpaper Elite Dangerous.jpg|Federation Wallpaper

File:Elite-Dangerous-Faction-Civilization-City-Patterns-Art.png|City patterns art

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