Federation of Sovereign States (FT)

Federation of Sovereign States; 주권 국가 연합
	Flag
Capital	Federal District, State of Pyeonghwa, New Mansan
Largest city	Korinth, Airavata
Government	Federal presidential constitutional republic
Independence
Population
Currency	New Don

"We the people willingly stand together as one Federation, and we're here to shape our own destiny amongst these cold stars. It's up to us to determine the shape of our united nations in the eyes of the Sphere, and the Galaxy at large."
— President Javier Andrada, Inaugural Address, 1-5-246

The Federation of Sovereign States, also known as the Neo-Federation, is an interstellar human state in the central Human Sphere, within the Hyeonmu Archipelago. The Federation has a population of 7.718 billion people, spread over territories in four systems.

A federal republic and representative democracy, the Federation is considered a major power. A highly developed state, Federation citizens enjoy a high standard of living, and the Federation is also home to some of the largest corporations in the Human Sphere. Its central location in the Human Sphere ensures that it is a central hub of human society, international trade, and politics. Despite its small size, it has a powerful capitalist economy, and is the fifth-largest economy in the Human Sphere. Known for its non-aligned stance and sphere-wide diplomatic efforts, the Federation is a member of the Hyeonmu Security Treaty Organisation and the Non-Aligned States Free Trade Axis.

History

Colonial Period

Following the development of the Ferran Process in 138 BT, humanity began rapidly expanding from Ordis with their new faster-than-light capabilities. The planets of Serenia and Airavata were the first two inhabitable planets discovered by humanity, and in 134 BT became the second and third planets outside of the Ordis System to be colonised. At the time, Ordis was divided into several competing nation-states, with only some having the capability to become interstellar colonial states. Over the next century, numerous colonies would be established by these colonial states, including planets in the Hyeonmu and Suikazura Archipelagos. These regions would become known as the Southern Sphere.

With Ordis having become heavily overpopulated, millions of people migrated to the colonies. The populations of the colonies increased rapidly, and new generations were born on the colonies with no ties to Ordis. Revolutionary sentiments began to rise in the oldest colonies, which had become heavily developed. Following the Airavatan Crisis in 35 BT, the Airavatan Democratic Republic gained independence, becoming the first extrasolar nation-state. Airavata's success inspired numerous other independence movements across the Human Sphere, including both political activists and violent insurgencies. The colonial powers also reacted in different ways, with some granting greater freedom to their colonies while others responded with force. Airavata was also involved in funding and supporting numerous independence movements across the entire Human Sphere.

The ongoing tensions between Airavata and the colonial powers eventually led to the First Extrasolar War from 28 BT to 26 BT, which resulted in Airavata seizing territories on Serenia by the end of the war. Airavata and Ordis soon became embroiled in a cold war, while various independence movements began achieving varying successes. Some colonies were even able to attain independence. Some attained independence through diplomacy and political actions, such as Pyeonghwa and Gandakpur on New Mansan and Gangwon on Jeolla. Others like Madrugada on Antillia fought wars for independence. In order to better coordinate their efforts, the increasingly numerous independent movements and former colonial states in the Southern Sphere formed the Alliance for Colonial Independence in 9 BT, marking the start of the lengthy Southern Sphere Secession War.

Towards the end of the war, careless use of thermonuclear weapons on Serenia caused the Serenian Terracide, an apocalyptic, global Suzuranite detonation that killed 950 million people and rendered much of the planet tectonically unstable. The horror of the Terracide led many of the colonial powers to disengage from the colonies, and the war ended shortly after in 1 AT with the majority of the Southern Sphere colonies granted independence, though some territories in the region remained under colonial control until as late as 15 AT.

Early Independence Period

Following the end of the war, the Alliance was reorganised into the United Independent Nations (UIN) in 1 AT. This was an intergovernmental organisation created by the numerous newly-established states to present a united front against Ordis, as well as to assist each other in nation-building. Many of the new states were heavily devastated by the conflict, and some of the less-developed frontier states also did not have adequate infrastructure. The UIN served as an intermediary to support international cooperation.

In 3 AT, Airavata, several of its closest allies during the Secession War, and some other affiliated states formed the first iteration of the Federation of Sovereign States. Initially formed as a joint economic bloc and defensive alliance, the Old Federation's combined economic and military power made it the strongest power within the UIN. Having spearheaded colonial independence, the Federation's leadership now considered themselves responsible for the reconstruction, stability, and development of the Southern Sphere. Over the next decades, the Old Federation would contribute large economic aid packages and reconstruction aid to many other countries, while also deploying military forces to assist with security in less stable states. The Old Federation also accepted new member states, and quickly became the first hyperpower after all of the states on New Mansan and Thiele joined the Federation.

The rise of the Federation was not viewed positively by some governments, who were concerned with its unchecked expansionism and economic imperialism. With the UIN largely ineffective at halting the Federation's expansion, several states decided to form a second bloc to provide an adequate counter to the Old Federation. In 23 AT, the Interstellar Union of Independent Republics was founded by several countries on Antillia, Bhaskara, and Almenara. Though the new hyperpower's combined economic and military capabilities were inferior to the Old Federation in some respects, both hyperpowers immediately became locked in a cold war.

Over the next decades, both sides began attempting to influence governments of unaffiliated states to join their respective spheres of influence. The hyperpowers faced off in several minor proxy conflicts, building large military forces, and in some cases annexing territories from other states. Due to its numerous limitations, the UIN was largely unable to rein in both hyperpowers. A new colonial race also began as both hyperpowers and various other states began colonising inhabitable worlds discovered across the Aizawa Arm.

At the same time, a new cultural-political movement was gaining traction across many unaffiliated states, particularly on the planets Yukimura, Neo Gaea, and Khadivar. The Yashiman Cultural Lobby emerged from the state of New Yashima on Yukimura, with roots in the community of Yashiman political and business elites exiled from Ordis that led and bankrolled New Yashima's independence. The Lobby began influencing various governments across the UIN, as well as the UIN itself, without overtly forming a political bloc like the Federation and Union. Initially, the goals of the Lobby were mainly to protect New Yashiman commercial and political interests. Simultaneously, the Shinbunka Wave swept across the Southern Sphere. Promoted by numerous media megacorporations linked to the Yashiman Cultural Lobby, various forms of popular and traditional Yashiman cultural practices became popularised in many countries in the second half of the Post-Terracide Century.

First Hyperpower War and Second Cold War

The conflict between the Old Federation and the Interstellar Union reached its peak in the 70s. The hyperpowers held territories or sponsored allied states on Antillia, Bhaskara, and New Mansan, leading to heightened tensions on these worlds. Both hyperpowers finally had a direct confrontation in 75 AT, starting the First Hyperpower War. Over 50 million people were killed over the devastating three-year conflict, which resulted in both hyperpowers securing full control over their respective planets and star systems. The First Hyperpower War would only mark the start of a period of successive conflicts over the next 50 years, referred to as the Conflict Era.

With the UIN having done little to stop the conflict, numerous unaffiliated states were outraged. Calls were made to increase the UIN's powers and oversight over member states. With the unaffiliated states seeking to use the UIN to protect themselves, various reforms were pushed through the General Assembly throughout the 80s, increasing the UIN's authority and powers over member states. By this time, most unaffiliated states and the UIN itself had secretly come under the influence of the Yashiman Cultural Lobby. The Lobby aimed to preemptively curb the hyperpowers' expansion due to fears that the hyperpowers would wipe out Yashiman culture should they eventually attain control of the UIN. As the UIN began to hold increasingly binding powers, the Union withdrew its membership in the UIN in 89 AT.

Partly due to increasing instability in the Northern Sphere following the Ordic Collapse, the UIN established the International Peacekeeping Forces in 95 AT. This was an international military force controlled by the UIN rather than member states. Concerned that the UIN was amassing too much power, the Old Federation and their allied states withdrew their membership the same year, dividing the Southern Sphere between three hyperpowers. This marked the start of the three-way Second Cold War. Over the next two decades, the UIN continued to centralise power over its member states under the secret influence of the Yashiman elites.

In 119 AT, the UIN was reorganised into the Greater Empire, a unitary interstellar state that embraced Yashiman culture. With few unaffiliated states remaining in the Southern Sphere, the latter half of the Second Cold War was relatively peaceful. More colonisation projects were undertaken during this period, with planets in the Coreward Frontier colonised for the first time. Though they did not fight proxy wars as in the First Cold War, all three sides nonetheless carried out massive military buildups.

Many leaders in the Old Federation still believed in Federation exceptionalism, and increasingly believed that the Federation had to liberate the oppressed peoples in the Union and the Empire. Within the Old Federation itself, many Airavatans saw themselves as the historical leaders of the hyperpower. Various Airavatan elites held on to high positions within the federal government and in political lobbies, forming a shadow government that aimed to encourage a more belligerent national foreign policy. At the same time, various social issues emerged within the Old Federation, such as income inequality between exograted and supplier states, as well as the unequal status of mechanically augmented people across different states.

Second Hyperpower War

Tensions between the Federation and the Empire reached a critical stage in the 130s. With the Union embroiled in the Chorus War in the Northern Sphere, the Federation could afford to reduce its defensive posture against the Union. The Federation President at the time was the hawkish Bajirao Avasarala, who was from the prominent Airavatan Avasarala political dynasty and served five terms as President. Though heavily militarised, the Empire's military was less advanced compared to the Federation Starfleet. Avasarala's government also funded and supplied rebel groups to destabilise the Empire, with the goal of eventually toppling the Imperial regime to liberate the Imperial populace and remove the Empire as a threat, allowing the Federation to focus solely on containing the Union.

On 5-5-136, Bajirao Avasarala signed an executive order approving a declaration of war on the Empire, starting the Second Hyperpower War. Simultaneous to the declaration of war, the Federation Starfleet launched a multi-pronged attack alongside rebel forces across the Old Empire. Initially meant to be a quick push to Yukimura to decapitate the Imperial leadership, the war became a protracted conflict across Imperial Space. Lasting five years, the Second Hyperpower War resulted in over 200 million people killed across various worlds. The war finally ended on 15-4-141 with the surrender of the Interim Imperial Government on Yukimura, though this was not recognised by numerous Imperial Holdouts, which included the bulk of the remaining Imperial Military and elements of the Imperial government. These Holdouts continued to hold huge swathes of territory on the fringes of Imperial Space, and would fight a guerrilla war against the Federation for the coming decades.

In addition to fighting the Imperial Holdouts, the Federation military embarked on a lengthy occupation of former Imperial Space. The Federation government recognised the Interim Imperial Government as the legitimate government of the Empire and saddled it with numerous restrictions and reparations to prevent it from threatening the Federation. Various government and military officials were also removed from office and replaced with Federation-friendly choices; the Interim Imperial Government is thus often referred to in the modern day as the Puppet Empire.

Across Imperial Space, Imperial Provinces that were occupied by Federation troops at the time of surrender held plebiscites for their independence, with the majority becoming independent states. In the Coreward Frontier, the planets of Concordia and Ventura became entirely independent, the new governments also changing the planets' names. Due to political instability or violence, some territories were declared Federal Security Mandate Territories and placed under martial law of Transitional Governments ultimately run by the Federation Government.

The Fracturing

However, the Federation's victory would be short-lived. Starting from the Second Hyperpower War, the Fracturing was a period of economic and political upheavals that resulted in the dissolution of the Old Federation. In the decades after the war, discontent began to rise regarding the mounting cost of lives and money in the occupation of the former Empire, as well as the continued warfare against the Imperial Holdouts and insurgencies. The occupation also allowed the Founder States to obtain resources at extremely cheap prices from the former Empire, reducing the demand for resources from the Supplier States in the Federation. This led to the Supplier Recession, causing numerous economic crises among the poorer Federation states. A political divide began to emerge between the exograted Founder States and the Supplier States. Activists and politicians began exposing the inequalities between Federation member states and questioning the purpose of the war and occupation.

The political divide would only widen with the Shadow Cabal Controversy, where it was revealed that the Airavatan government had surreptitiously taken control of a group of Federal agencies. Empowered by the state of emergency declared during the war, these law enforcement and intelligence agencies amassed large amounts of political and military influence. Operating without Senate oversight, they had begun suppressing dissent within the Federation to prevent dissolution at all costs. The exposure of this conspiracy sparked a major outrage in the Senate. In 8-156, four of the states on Thiele walked out of the Senate and collectively declared secession. The fifth state on Thiele, Mirnaya, attempted to use military force to remove the secessionist governments in their neighbouring states. Both sides hired competing private military forces to bolster their militias, sparking the First Mercenary War. The conflict would spread beyond Thiele when the PMCs began attacking each others' assets across the Federation.

With the Federation military already stretched thin across the Southern Sphere, little could be done about the inter-corporate conflict. As the First Mercenary War tore across the Federation, more states began declaring their secession, including states on New Mansan and Cheongsu. The chaos breaking out across the Federation enabled the intensification of the Imperial Holdouts' operations. Through the 150s and 160s, various pro-Imperial uprisings and rebellions occurred across the former Imperial Space, alongside several Imperial Holdout offensives. By 166, most of the Imperial Holdout factions had been unified under the New Greater Empire, which launched the War of Imperial Restoration against the Federation and the Puppet Empire. The severe domestic instability in the Federation prevented them from putting up an adequate defence against the Empire, and by 168, the Empire had regained control of most of its pre-war territories.

The sudden Union invasion of Ventura in 5-168 convinced the Empire and Federation to sign an immediate ceasefire to face the predicted Union offensive, though the Union ultimately did not go beyond Ventura. Shortly after, the Empire was faced with the Second Imperial Civil War and also did not attempt to reclaim Concordia, which nominally remained under Federation control.

During the Imperial Restoration War, numerous states continued to secede from the Federation, and by 170 only Airavata, some states on New Mansan and Cheongsu, and Concordia remained in the Federation. That year, the Airavatan Civil War broke out in the Airavata System between pro-Federation and isolationist political factions. By the time the Airavatan Civil War ended in 173 with the Airavata System politically divided, the federal government had effectively collapsed. To protect themselves from the Empire and Union, the states on Concordia established the independent Confederation of Coreward States. In the Airavata System, the weakened ADR eventually started acting independently from the Federal Government. The Federation states on New Mansan and Cheongsu also began acting autonomously, though used the framework of the Federation to form unified economic-political blocs on their respective planets to maintain an edge over the independent states.

Though the Federal Government still existed on paper, it quickly became largely defunct with few federal agencies remaining. The unified Federation military had become non-existent, with the remaining member states relying on their State Militias. In 183, President Friedrich Biermann ended his term in office with no elected successor. The Old Federation had effectively come to an end after 180 years.

Post-Fracturing

Though the Federation had effectively dissolved, the former member states still flying the Federation flag remained major players among the now-numerous independent states. Most of the last few Federation states were highly developed, exograted economies. On Cheongsu, the Federation states formed a unified government under the Cheongsu Oceanic Authority (FeCOA) in 185, which became the wealthiest country on the planet. Though the Federal government ceased to exist, the Federation states on New Mansan maintained their policies of free trade and common defence under the Federation Charter, also forming the wealthiest economic bloc on New Mansan.

The year 189 saw a major development in the Human Sphere as the Empire encountered the Hoi^3 and began a conflict with the Hierarchy, a massive interstellar alien civilisation that rivalled the Human Sphere in size. This was humanity's first encounter with intelligent alien life, though archaeological remains of past alien civilisations had previously been discovered. Fears that the aliens would carry out an apocalyptic invasion of the entire Human Sphere were quelled when the Empire successfully signed a ceasefire with the aliens in the same year. The Empire attained great prestige from keeping the aliens at bay, shifting public opinions across the independent states towards rapprochement with the militaristic Empire due to its guarantee of security. Following the Empire-Hierarchy War, the 190s marked the opening of the Human Sphere to the wider galaxy, with numerous alien explorers and diplomats visiting over the coming decades.

In 196, the West Mirnayan Revolution occurred on Thiele. Since Mirnaya was defeated in the First Mercenary War, the country had been occupied by the APEX Corporation, which was aligned with the independent states and effectively controlled the post-war government. Public dissatisfaction, corruption, and various abuses by APEX PMCs led to a massive uprising in West Mirnaya. Seeking to reclaim its international standing, the ADR launched an expeditionary mission to assist the Miranayan revolutionaries, enabling the independence of West Mirnaya in 198. Because the other states on Thiele were aligned with several other countries on multiple planets via the economic Pan-Heonmu Partnership, the New Mansani Federation and the FeCOA pressured the ADR leadership to declare that it was acting independently as a great power, and not as part of the Federation, in order to avoid a wider conflict from erupting.

However, the clear disunity displayed by this move proved to be unpopular among some political movements on the New Mansani Federation and the FeCOA. These Federalist parties sought to eventually recreate the Federation as an interstellar hyperpower, though with governmental reforms to curb the powers of single states to prevent another "Airavatan Takeover". The Federalist parties were slowly gaining greater traction as the New Mansani Federation and the FeCOA were both prevented from joining the Pan-Hyeongmu Partnership by PHP member states, who were suspicious of their motives.

The need for the recreation of the Federation became more pressing with the outbreak of the 203 Second Mercenary War. After the PERUN Corps PMC was implicated in a series of terrorist attacks against Imperial megacorporations, the Empire unilaterally launched a campaign against PERUN Corps and its allied PMCs across the Southern Sphere using its own PMCs and state paramilitary forces. In response to the numerous blatant violations of their sovereignty, many countries formed the Hyeonmu Security Treaty Organisation (HySTO) in 205, but did not allow the Federation states to join. Leveraging public security concerns, the Federalist parties were able to quickly win elections in the New Mansani Federation and the FeCOA, and in 211 the Neo-Federal Government was founded in Geumseong City, Pyeonghwa, New Mansan.

Neo-Federation

Simultaneous to the formation of the Neo-Federation on New Mansan, the political situation in Airavata had shifted dramatically. Following the Airavatan Civil War, the system became divided between three main political blocs; the terrestrial Airavatan Democratic Republic and Airavatan Free States, and the Riemann States, which was comprised of off-world colonies. Since the West Mirnayan conflict, the ADR had begun actively attempting to re-assert itself on the interstellar stage, but had shifted towards insular ultranationalism and was uninterested in recreating the Federation. On the other hand, the Free States were increasingly threatened by the ADR and were also unable to join HySTO. In 209, the Free States and the Riemann State fought the One Year War, which severely weakened the countries involved. After taking over the Riemann State's government in 210, the ADR attempted to forcefully annex the Free States in 211, beginning the Airavatan Reunification War.

To maintain their freedom against the ADR, the Free States pledged to join the Neo-Federation, in a dramatic reversal of the previous political situation. The Federation provided heavy military support to the Free States, which deposed the ADR government in 213, reunifying Airavata. Alongside the other Free States, the post-war ADR regime promptly joined the Federation, once again returning the system to Federation control, as it had been for most of its post-independence history.

The unprecedented rise of the Neo-Federation was of great concern to the HySTO countries. Though economic relations had long been normalised, the Neo-Federation still had to make great efforts to improve diplomatic relations with their neighbours. This was especially important as both the Empire and Union were becoming increasingly belligerent, especially following the Venturan proxy war in 199 and the Shikotsu Conflict in 205, where both hyperpowers attempted to force the other off the newly-discovered planet Amanecer/Shikotsu. The Federation also made attempts to build relations with the Northern Sphere states, while also attempting to build a credible military force from scratch for deterrence.

Tensions between the Empire and Union finally resulted in the escalation of the Third Venturan War into the year-long Third Hyperpower War in 226. Just one year of fighting resulted in over 40 million casualties, mass destruction across Imperial and Union planets, and severe disruption to the interstellar economy. With both sides' attempts at invading the other stalled, and a major political shift in the Union's leadership, both sides agreed to a status quo ante bellum peace treaty. This peace treaty was signed on 1-6-227 in Geumseong City, with the Federation acting as a neutral party, marking the start of the Neo-Federation's reputation as a mediator for the Human Sphere.

HySTO finally agreed to admit the Federation as part of the security alliance due to the increasing danger that the hyperpowers presented towards their sovereignty. As a member of HySTO, the Federation provided access to its large military-industrial complex to its allies, allowing HySTO countries to collectively modernise their forces into a credible united front. At the same time, the Federation also began attempting to reassert itself on the galactic stage, forming ties with the Northern Sphere states and even alien states. The Federation became the first Human Sphere country to legalise non-human land and business ownership in 238, though the population of non-humans in the Federation remains low.

Territories

Main article: Territories of the Federation of Sovereign States

The Federation incorporates territories across four star systems, with terrestrial territories on Airavata, Cheongsu, New Mansan, and Thiele. In addition, the Federation also controls several off-world territories across the respective star systems of these four planets. The total population of all of the Federation's territories is around 7.718 billion.

Government and politics

The Federation of Southern States is federal republic consisting of 14 states. It is a representative democracy.

The legislature of the Federation is the Federation Senate, which includes senators from all of the states, appointed by their respective states. Sufficiently influential corporations, lobbies, religious groups, and more can also be granted senate seats by popular national vote. The President of the Federation heads the executive branch, leading the Presidential Cabinet and other officers. The Judicial branch of the government is the Federation Supreme Court and lower federal courts.

New Mansan
- Karkorin
- Gandakpur
- Pyeonghwa
- Qiyutai
Cheongsu
- FeCOA
Airavata
- Airavatan Democratic Republic
- Riemann Republic (space colonies)
- South Boltzmann (Mining state; an arid region)
- Bohai Confederacy (Coastal Corpo State)
- Republic of Agrastan (Fiercely independent agricultural rednecks with a distinctive accent)
- Malaikal Republic (Mountain region mining state)
- Republic of Dienbien (Tropical and in the south, bordering Malaikal and South Boltzmann)
Seolwon
- Seolwon Colonial Authority
Thiele
- West Mirnaya

Law enforcement and crime

Law enforcement in the Federation is primarily the responsibility of local police departments and sheriff's offices, with the state police forces providing broader services. State courts conduct most criminal trials while federal courts handle certain designated crimes as well as certain appeals from the state criminal courts.

The Federal Office of Law Enforcement (FOLE) is the federal law enforcement agency, governed by the Department of Justice and existing to enforce federal laws and ensuring national security across state borders. FOLE personnel are commonly referred to as Federales. FOLE also oversees the Cheongsu Maritime Law Enforcement Agency, often referred to as the Marine Police or just Marines, which are maritime police forces that patrol the oceanic planet of Cheongsu.

FOLE state departments have Armoured Tactical Insertion and Strike Tactics (ARTIST) units, which are cybernetically augmented paramilitary special forces teams capable of heavy assault and counter-terrorist operations. These personnel also sometimes carry out solitary patrols throughout urban centres on specialised motorcycles, enforcing the law. Colloquially, they are known as Cybercops, of "Cop Dreads" (from "Cop Dreadnought").

Military

Federation Marines alongside Starfleet personnel

The President is the commander-in-chief of the Federation Defence Force and appoints its leaders, the Secretary of Defence and the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The Department of Defence administers the four service branches, which are the Starfleet, Mobile Force, and the Marine Corps. In addition to these official branches of the Defence Force, the three military orders of the Church of the Trinity have also pledged to defend the Federation, and are considered to be independently-operating components of the Federation military.

With a marked manpower difference between the Federation and their neighbours, the Defence Forces maintain a strong focus on maintaining high-tech forces with force multipliers, operating a compact but powerful force to deter potential aggressors. The Defence Forces also employ over 7 million civilian personnel for various purposes.

Economy

APEX Corporation, Wong Trading Group, General Kinetics, Matanza-Armatek, TekDynamika, Adler International, Margatroid Industrial Concern, Mayakovsky Group, GoodFoods Group.

Currency

The official currency of the Federation is the New Federal Currency Unit (돈), often referred to as the New Don, after the currency symbol's reading in Neo-Yeon. The Don is used by all member states of the Federation with the exception of the ADR, as well as some states outside of the Federation, and it is the third-largest currency in the Human Sphere after the Imperial En and the Commonwealth Dollar. The New Don has an exchange rate of roughly 1:10 with the Imperial En, and 1129:1 with the Commonwealth Dollar.

The New Don was adopted in 235 to combat the massive inflation faced by the Old Don following the extensive period of occupation over the former Imperial territories and the War of Imperial Reunification. Prior to the adoption of the New Don, the Federal government was considering adopting the ADR Ducat as the official currency of the Federation, but the idea was not popular within the Federation Senate, which was already wary of the influence the ADR continued to hold over the Federal government. In the period of hyperinflation, other currencies gained popularity within the Federation, such as the Ducat and even the Imperial En. The New Don was officially adopted by a bill passed in the Senate on 17 Nigatsu 235, with an exchange rate of 10,000 Old Don for 1 New Don.

Within the Federation's economy, the ADR is unique as it uses a separate currency, the ADR Ducat, which has been issued since 129 BT. The ADR's ability to maintain a separate currency from the rest of the Federation is preserved under Article 4 of the Federal Currency Act, which was passed in 3 AT to form the Old Don. Today, the Ducat is largely only used on Frontera and the ADR's offworld holdings. The Ducat maintains a 1:100 fixed exchange rate with the New Don.

Energy

The Federation is the originator of E-Stoff, the most widely used combustible fuel in the Southern Sphere. However, the Federation is only the second-largest producer of E-Stoff in terms of total volume, and even imports some from the Empire.

Culture

Religion

The Church of the Trinity is one of the largest religions followed in the Federation, and the Federation has the largest population of Trinitists in the Human Sphere.

Calendar and timekeeping

Like the rest of the Southern Sphere, the Empire uses the Revolutionary Calendar, which is based on the rotation period of Serenia. One day lasts 31 hours, the same as a day on Serenia, and a year lasts 336 days with 12 months of 28 days. As the length of a day varies from planet to planet, Standardised Time is utilised in space and for records purposes, though local calendars tied to the local rotational periods are used for day-to-day timekeeping.

The zeroth year of the Revolutionary Calendar is the Serenian Terracide, which occurred 250 Revolutionary years ago.