The largest and most powerful of the human nations that have sprung outwards from Earth, the American Union stands heads and shoulders above the rest in both sheer size and economic might. For this reason and many others, it considers itself exceptional, with the roots of its name proudly going back hundreds of years, stubbornly refusing to die despite the tumultuous times it has weathered. The American Union espouses the virtues of liberty and freedom while serving as a bastion of stability and safety by patrolling space and promoting free trade. However, its great success is also its weakness. The American Union's government has grown complacent, corrupt and out of touch, while its military overconfident and set in its ways. On top of this, its social support network has become deprived, degrading the quality of education and healthcare.
Despite the centuries that have passed, many would say that some things never change.
History
As Earth's climate started to sour, the American Union would form from wealthy American nations. They originally started to group up to form an economic union, with the nations that controlled the technologies necessary to continue through the increasingly hostile climate coercing others into joining under unfavorable terms.
Control of space would be seen as key to the Union's continued survival, and the economic might of the Union would ensure that it could fund the massive projects needed to exploit things like interstellar travel and deep space mining. At first these projects would be aimed towards providing the resources and space infrastructure needed to help restore earth.
By the 2090s the development of the first SLE would turn space travel into a viable alternative to living on earth. Discovery of livable planets like New Texas would see a new Manifest Destiny, with the extremely wealthy of the American Union looking to found new colonies on worlds without the problems of Earth.
The modern American Union appears to have stalled, the earth-bound government becoming more of a roadblock to the progress of its colonies, with an increasing number of the wealthy and connected choosing to live in space or on extra-solar colonies. With the loss of the Hawking System in 2320, and a series of ineffectual political administrations running the Union, the AU is heading towards an unprecedented crisis.
See: Timeline
Control of space would be seen as key to the Union's continued survival, and the economic might of the Union would ensure that it could fund the massive projects needed to exploit things like interstellar travel and deep space mining. At first these projects would be aimed towards providing the resources and space infrastructure needed to help restore earth.
By the 2090s the development of the first SLE would turn space travel into a viable alternative to living on earth. Discovery of livable planets like New Texas would see a new Manifest Destiny, with the extremely wealthy of the American Union looking to found new colonies on worlds without the problems of Earth.
The modern American Union appears to have stalled, the earth-bound government becoming more of a roadblock to the progress of its colonies, with an increasing number of the wealthy and connected choosing to live in space or on extra-solar colonies. With the loss of the Hawking System in 2320, and a series of ineffectual political administrations running the Union, the AU is heading towards an unprecedented crisis.
See: Timeline
Culture
The American Union's culture is quite diverse with social groups having come to the AU from all over the earth early in its formation, and more recently with the best and brightest being drawn to the AU through the promise of receiving better pay than they could get anywhere else.
While there is a lot of variation in local government for the different member states of the AU, for the vast majority the vast majority live in sprawling slums, making just enough to get by, and filled with an increasingly vocal desperation as quality of life diminishes. Outlets for this are seen everywhere through society with people trying to 'get famous' on various social media platforms, joining religious cults, turning to crime, or sinking into drugs and VR. Due to lack of healthcare options in most locations ranging from cost barriers to CON laws preventing the opening of hospitals, many only have the option to get care through charity groups or crowdfunding campaigns.
The well paid professional class of the AU tend to live in city centers, archologies, and space-colonies. These people can afford to focus on quality of life improvements, and generally have better access to needs and wants so long as they can maintain their bank accounts. This helps give quite a bit of power to major corporations, often making them powerful political entities in their own rights. Stopping short of the worst predictions of Cyberpunk, corporations don't go to war with one another using soldiers, and professionals usually have the option to freely move between employment between different groups. Similarly, for those that have the money, there is also the freedom to buy almost anything from guns, to drugs, and in limited instances people.
While there is a lot of variation in local government for the different member states of the AU, for the vast majority the vast majority live in sprawling slums, making just enough to get by, and filled with an increasingly vocal desperation as quality of life diminishes. Outlets for this are seen everywhere through society with people trying to 'get famous' on various social media platforms, joining religious cults, turning to crime, or sinking into drugs and VR. Due to lack of healthcare options in most locations ranging from cost barriers to CON laws preventing the opening of hospitals, many only have the option to get care through charity groups or crowdfunding campaigns.
The well paid professional class of the AU tend to live in city centers, archologies, and space-colonies. These people can afford to focus on quality of life improvements, and generally have better access to needs and wants so long as they can maintain their bank accounts. This helps give quite a bit of power to major corporations, often making them powerful political entities in their own rights. Stopping short of the worst predictions of Cyberpunk, corporations don't go to war with one another using soldiers, and professionals usually have the option to freely move between employment between different groups. Similarly, for those that have the money, there is also the freedom to buy almost anything from guns, to drugs, and in limited instances people.
Fashion
The American Union is one of the largest groups of people in human history and as such contains a wide range of local styles.
Law
Organization
Government
The American Union is a republic that follows a long tradition of separation of powers, with an Executive, Judicial, and Legislative branches of government with increasingly complex rules governing how individuals can vote for their representatives and what constitutes an individual. While member-states and member-territories' number of representatives is determined by treaty when entering the Union, the method of voting for representatives is left up to each member nation.
- American Union Government
- Freedom Party
- Progress Party
- Atlantica Colonial Administration / Atlantica Union
- Neptunian Colonial Administration
- New Texas Colonial Administration
Political Stability
The Union exists in state of stable political instability, lurching from one crisis to another, and from one ruling party to another with some regularity every 4-10 years. Constant churn and political attacks over hundreds of years have allowed the American Union to develop institutions of government that are very resilient to attack.
There is a lot of debate over if this political structure is an asset or a liability. There are many that would prefer a more streamlined, dictatorial governmental form within the Union and claim that the current system is inefficient. There are also many more who consider the ability for the government to withstand the constant handover of power as one of the defining reasons for the longevity for the American Union itself.
As of 2319, the American Union had managed to remain intact, steadily adding new nations, planets, and space-colonies. It had survived unrest and flair-ups with some member states approaching the verge of leaving or even temporarily being 'sanctioned' by the federal level of government until order could be restored. The Union's greatest challenge would come in 2320 with the New Years Revolution, when the Hawking System would become the first to successfully break away and completely expel Union forces.
Political Corruption
While bribery is illegal within the American Union, there are many other mechanisms with which influence can be bought and sold. While politicians do need to hold some amount of good will, the political parties maintain powerful propaganda arms that need to maintain good ties to tech and media giants as well as a consistent flow of cash. This allows them to pass legislation, but more importantly it requires corporate money to continue to operate which ensures that most are beholden to their major donors.
Military
The Union military is the largest, best funded, and most capable force ever fielded by humanity. They have access to the latest technology, nearly limitless funding, a massive amount of manpower, and are commanded by elite professional soldiers who have made it their life's work to learn how to kill people and break things.
This military force has been engaged in continual conflict for more than a century, funded by the political and corporate interests of the Union. This has acted as a continual training ground, producing a large number of experienced soldiers, sailors, astronauts, and specialists... but at the same time the continual conflict and shifting political agendas has ground down the capabilities of the military. Equipment procurement is largely controlled by corporate interests. High level officer positions are more frequently given to those who can straddle the line between talent and loyalty to the ruling political party. Finally, no true interstellar war has ever been fought, leaving many to wonder just how effective anyone can reasonably be should major hostilities break out.
Technology
Technology within the American Union is some of the most advanced amongst the nations born from Earth, just behind the HFR and tied right alongside the GDW.
Unlike the Heaven Forged Republic though, and much more like the GDW, its technology can be found more evenly spread throughout American life. Vehicles are still wheeled and tracked, but are all fully electric, and use quick-charge, solid state carbon batteries. Full immersion VR helmets that place the user's body in a sleep-like trance while in use is widely available and very popular, while small service robots such as floor vacs and auto-kitchens make life much more convenient. Meanwhile, smart-watches and pens that project images directly to the user's eyes are both popular and commonplace, allowing for easy electronic access, with serious techno-philes opting for augmented reality glasses or even contacts.
Despite these amenities however, citizens of the American Union are typically uncomfortable with gene-modding save for diseases, especially after what happened to the predecessor to the Heaven Forged Republic and the rise of the Empire of Daqin.
Gear
Uniforms
Starships
Military
- Statesmen Class Mark 1 Warship
- Statesmen Class Mark 2 Warship
- Statesmen Class Mark 3 Warship
- Whip Class Escort Warship
- Steward Class Gunship
- Atlantica Monitor
- Speaker Class Missile Cruiser
- Valence Class Shuttle
- Conciliation Class Lander
- Accession Class Breaching Pod
- Gleesman Class Shuttle
- Conestoga Class Replenishment Ship
Civilian
Vehicles
Drones
Weapons
- M17 Modular Assault Rifle
- XM131 Laser Pistol
- XM132 Laser Rifle
- S-17 Series Weapons
- S-19 Armbreaker Revolver
- S-1911 Pistol
- S-87 Shotgun
- MAG-4 Assault Rifle
- MAG-20 Compressed Air System
- UG-12 Series Weapons
- UG-12-AR5
- UG-12-ARBP2
- UG-17
- UG-18 Shotgun
- UG-20 Hi-Hat Anti-tank missile
Tactical Equipment
Starship Weapons
Locations
Sol:
- The Cradle of Humanity
- Not entirely under control of the AU
- A massively developed system full of humanity
- Pluto/Charon
- Earth-like planet with mega-flora and mega-fauna
- Very exotic diseases are present, such as zombification parasite-fungus
- Everything is bigger in New Texas
- Initially considered a death-world when the first colonization attempts are made
- mega-fauna includes stuff like dinosaur-like creatures as well as hell boars, super wolves and giant otters
- Water World
- Isn't the most resource rich
- Very large and diverse sea life
- Good seafood, not too much else