The United Nations of the Solar System have governed humanity for several decades now. Their influence reaches from the tops of sky-scraping arcologies that house some of the largest corporations to the bottoms of craters on distant moons, sheltering the most insignificant colonies. Unified language and culture. Unified taxation and army. That’s what keeps it all together. Free markets and economies provide the right amount of social Darwinism to keep the general society in a “healthy” struggle. And over all those things, the unquestionable faith that “They” will take us to a brighter future.
But who are “They”? Of course, I am speaking about the Hesperidians, the last remnants of an alien race that took refuge in the Solar System and bonded their fate to the human race. These humanoid moths arrived on board an interstellar Ark, an ancient generation ship, severely damaged and nearly uninhabitable after hundreds of years on its perilous journey. The initial fear of the uncanny was softened by generous offers of technology and know-how. The Hesperidians learned the intricacies of our society with surprising grace and managed to integrate within a single decade. Well, by integration I do not mean you will find any of them working as a cashier at a corner store. Instead, they mostly took the leading roles. Politicians, scientists, physicians and lawyers, these are the occupations that are best suited to their superior intellect. By this point, the first foundation stones of the UNSS had been laid, but nobody knew how many floors were yet to be built and what problems may occur during construction.
“UNSS - the best thing that has ever happened to humanity!” - at least this is the slogan printed on posters pasted all over the colonies. “Cow-house - the best thing that has ever happened to cows!” is what some sick individual has sprayed over. But, new posters will soon cover the old ones, making a fresh canvas for the graffiti artist. It's the same perpetual struggle that accompanies societies since one monkey said to another: “If you want to stay in my tribe, you must hand over half of your bananas!”
Even today, some people just don't want to hand over their share. These people would be represented by Sovereign Colonies.
The Sovereign Colonies formed a natural opposition to the Earth-centered government and rejected the Hesperidians along with their offer of help. As the relationship went cold, the gap between Earth and the Sovereign Colonies widened. A conflict was inevitable, but really, what chance did the Sovereigns have without Hesperidian technology? What did they believe they could achieve against the supreme intellect of Hesperidian strategists? And why were they so eager to fight in the first place? Two things are clear as the sky though, the war was short, and the Colonies lost.
The Colonies were defeated, but as the UNSS did not wish for more civilian losses, not all Sovereigns got eradicated. Many have escaped aboard starships. They became pirates and terrorists and adopted the name Sovereign Fleet. For decades they kept bothering the edge territories, but only disturbing the peace as much as a mosquito bite would trouble a sleeping lion.
The biggest test of this newfound balance started with the discovery of interstellar travel and the colonization of the Siren System that followed. From Day One, the UNSS became the de-facto ruling faction of the whole system. Not a bunch of Fossorian revolutionaries that narrowly escaped their homeworld, nor the Children of the Source, decimated by centuries of holy wars, could stand against the might of the Solar System supporting the UNSS here. All seemed bright, even though it was only a brief moment of peace. A short calm before a storm, the storm that still keeps raging today.
The Gate Station. An ancient and unique device made by the lost civilization of Primals. This very device, making interstellar travel possible, got severely damaged during a terrorist attack staged by an unknown group. The lifeline of goods and reinforcements from the Solar System was severed. As the repairs may take several months or even years, every mosquito from the whole swamp now flies closer to take a bite. The UNSS in the Solar System will continue to thrive, but what fate awaits the UNSS here in the Siren System? All will depend on the grit and dedication of its commanders and their faith that the Gate Station will be repaired and the path back to the Solar System will open once again.
