History
At the turn of the twenty-second century, humanity was rebuilding from the wreckage left by the Third World War, and its Civilization had been forever changed by the experiences. Most of humanity banded together to rebuild Terra and the Sol system in its aftermath.
However, a growing grassroots movement rejected the idea of sharing humanity’s cradle in the aftermath of the war’s devastation. The founding members of this socio-political ideology were disillusioned Terran soldiers, alongside some of the intellectuals. This movement would quickly gather momentum and many people similarly disillusioned with society came to associate with it. This group called for the creation of a colony outside of Sol, away from previous ideological and societal pitfalls that they viewed as an inevitability on Terra; As a member of the movement might say, “Luna and Mars were responsible for ending the war, not the people of Terra. They prove civilization progresses away from humanity’s cradle.”
In 2138, the Vikara Combine made first contact with humanity; with them came not only the revelation of extraterrestrial life but the advent of technology beyond humanity’s current capability. This monumental moment in history consolidated the previously disparate movement of the disillusioned, and their spaceward views propelled many of their idealists into political power. These diplomats and politicians hoped that developing Vikaran-Human relations would grant humanity the technology required for interstellar travel and colonization, which would be a huge boon for those wishing to relocate beyond the solar system.
The trade agreement of 2157 made this dream a reality, and an international organization was formed that lobbied for the development of extrasolar colonization projects, with the general populace now becoming invested in interstellar affairs, the decades-old colonization movement was now able to achieve their hopes of settling the stars, and it was only a few years later that the first colony ships were prototyped, and by 2163, prospective colonists would be boarding the first FTL colony ships that would take them to their new home.
These colonists would choose a cluster of three star systems as their destination and would subsequently settle on an earth-like world that became known as Singheim. This world is known for its singular supercontinent and archipelago range, otherwise covered in ocean. Colonizing a habitable world has many boons, from potential agricultural viability to the ability to live on its surface without an EVA suit, but in turn novel and complex challenges appear that wouldn’t otherwise; alien flora and fauna, unknown pathogens, and all manner of other dangers threaten settlers of these worlds.
For the new people of Singheim, these challenges were compounded by a reluctance to collaborate with their Sol-bound kin due to fears of exploitation and ideological drift, which caused a cultural phenomenon of isolationism to sweep its people and make them ever more detached from the politics and affairs of their origin system. As such, the most off-world support they received was from the Vikara Combine with whom they had lukewarm relations, alongside private human enterprise that was detached from the newly forming governments in Sol; those who would eventually form the Orion Confederation.
The colonists of Singheim leaned heavily into autonomous technology to aid in their colonization effort, utilizing various drones and robotics alongside Artificial Intelligence to aid in colonial development and scientific research respectively. Despite these novel uses of technology, the occasional disease outbreaks and difficulty providing the goods for basic human needs resulted in a crisis where life expectancy and population growth suffered massively.
The burgeoning government struggled to address this issue and turned to ever more experimental measures to tackle the crisis. Augmentation of one’s body became commonplace to increase productivity and survival, but the greatest endeavor was the one with a moral cost; Artificial Life.
This pursuit of technological solutions to a growing population and sustainability issue resulted in the creation of the first Biosynthetics; artificial people based on emerging Vatgrown technology and developments in the field of cybernetics and biological cultivation. This technology was largely adopted from trade and what research the Vikara Combine was willing to share with humanity at the time, which the Tri-Star Compact would go on to innovate.
By 2168 the world government that would become known as the Tri-Star Compact, also known as the TSC or Tristar had formed, and the fields of Artificial Life, Robotics, and Artificial Intelligence flourished. The practice of augmentation became intrinsic to Singheim’s society and these transhumanist values brought the native ‘humans’ of the TSC uncannily close to the artificial life they had made. Further developments in biosynthesis resulted in food stocks being produced artificially, and most foods within the nation became synthetically cultivated.
However, Biosynthetics suffered from an issue of a limited lifespan; the first models were known to suffer from bodily and cognitive degradation within a dozen or so years, and this trend continued for multiple iterations as scientists and biomechanical engineers worked to extend the lifespan to that of humans.
A period of stability followed despite these struggles, where the TSC gained a solid foothold on Singheim and began to expand beyond its new homeworld, allowing for the government to colonize the three star systems of its namesake; the Traxis Cluster. As the state grew from strife to success and their influence swelled, a tense period followed where the TSC refused to acknowledge the existent Orion Confederation, only maintaining the minimum level of diplomatic outreach with them.
Circa 2495, the Tri-Star Compact ended its centuries of isolationism with the majority of civilized space by signing the Orion Accords. With this came the opening of borders and trade with other members of the confederation. Despite this, it took many decades for freedom of movement to become common-place for the citizens of the TSC, and it took just as long for the TSC to finally open up to more extensive trade with Megacorporations.
Modern Day
Circa 2495, the Tri-Star Compact ended its centuries of isolationism with the majority of civilized space by signing the Orion Accords. With this came the opening of borders and trade with other members of the confederation. Despite this, it took many decades for freedom of movement to become common-place for the citizens of the TSC, and it took just as long for the TSC to finally open up to more extensive trade with Megacorporations. Previously, they only participated in the military aspects of Confederation membership, including standardizations, force contributions to the JSDF, and the common defense of humanity, etc. This has allowed the influx of TSC domestic tech to slowly filter out into the Confederation at large, though to many, the people there still seem a cloistered insular society that is slow to accept newcomers.
The TSC holds a strict hold over its claimed systems, the most notable being the Traxis System where Singheim is located. Other important locations include the planet of Luren which is one of its most important industrial worlds.
The life of the average citizen depends on if they were born within the Traxis System or another developed world, or if they live out in the sprawling peripheries of TSC space. Despite these differences, the government offers extensive social-economic security to the individual regardless of their economic or regional status.
For someone living within the core worlds, they can expect to have access to some of the most advanced medical and recreational services in colonized space, thanks to the high level of development on Singheim and other population systems nearby. Most industries here have become mostly service-based or are otherwise in highly specialized technical fields. It is often for a citizen from Singheim or nearby to have a high level of education.
On the other hand, life inevitably becomes more austere as one travels further from the TSC’s core systems. These planets tend to be recently colonized or have predominantly industrial settlements, leading to poorer access to amenities. Food out in these systems are often derived from nutrient pastes and derivatives. It is common for Biotic and Biosynthetic settlers to save up their funds to bulk-buy various commodities when the next colony shipment arrives, which can range from non-artificial foodstuff, to the ever-popular Tri-Star animation series, or more practical luxury goods like a Chandelier Assistance Interface to help them manage their daily lives.
All people under the TSC are subject to a great deal of surveillance; after all, their national network is directly linked into the AI Chandelier, which monitors and collates their personal data and utilizes it to better assist the individual in their daily life. This kind of surveillance is at odds with most of civilized space, yet it is embraced by the citizenry who view Chandelier’s benefits and the security it provides as outweighing the concept of privacy violation. This has led to individuals being quite open with one-another alongside a greater tolerance and acceptance of societal deviation, so long as those within society do not attempt to damage this status quo.
Due to this recent thawing of relations within the Orion Confederation, information about them is still making its way across the human sphere, with a deeper knowledge of the TSC’s culture and internal politics just now reaching the frontier on the Vikaran side of the Confederation.
Government Structure
The TSC’s government follows a Hybrid-Regime that bears similarity to the now ‘archaic’ traditions from Sol. Authoritarian in nature, its structure is quite rigid and can give the impression of inflexibility in comparison to more democratic institutions.
An advanced AI system known as Chandelier acts as an important body for the state. Based in an aggregate cloud network alongside a large central datastore located in the capitol building, its duties include managing the nation’s mixed-market economy, and serving as a tie-breaker during judicial deadlock; however, its most important and widespread responsibility is the distribution of the nation’s extranet alongside the cybernetic information network known as the Noospheric Archival System, or NASYS.
The TSC is led by the Secretariat, a supposedly meritocratic executive with each respective Secretary having responsibility in a certain field. The most important positions are the Secretaries of War, Economy, Foreign and Internal affairs. The Secretariat is headed by the Sovereign, a unique Biosynthetic created by 15Lab who acts as the head of state. Great power is invested into this individual which is enshrined within the TSC’s constitution.
Chandelier, the Sovereign and the Secretariatare located in the Arayashiki, which is the arcology that houses Chandelier’s vast server banks and serves as the TSC’s seat of power.
The government has a secondary political body; the Senate. This body hosts democratically elected officials chosen to represent the people of the TSC. Their responsibility is to represent the concerns and views of the public. As such, their approval is required for 60% of the government budget, allowing them to pressure the Secretariat if necessary, while giving the government the flexibility to function even during legislative deadlock.
The third check and balance is the Chūsai Tribunal; the nation’s courts. Appointed by the Judicial Selection Committee from those eligible, they act as an additional check-and-balance to the Secretariat and Senate. A Chūsainin’s duty is to uphold the constitution and the rule of law and ensure that justice is meted out fairly and proportionately. There are multiple levels of court, from the Prefecture level to the National level. The Chūsai Cardinal Tribunal Act as the highest-ranking members of the court, and are responsible for arbitrating the most serious of matters. As the name suggests, they represent the cardinal directions of the compass, including the ordinal directions counting to eight in total. When there is a tie, the AI Chandelier acts as the tiebreaker.
Military Forces
The military forces of the Tri-Star Compact have their origins in the tradition of the Eastern Bloc militaries, organized under the banner of the Tri-Star Armed Forces (TSAF). The Tri-Star Compact Navy (TSCN) handles all issues of defense that exist outside the gravity of planetary bodies while the Tri-Star Territorial Defense Force (TSTDF) is responsible for the defense of Compact worlds and their environs. The TSCN operates on a mobile defense doctrine of small frigate and destroyer squadrons, with limited power projection capabilities based on a small number of core battlegroups that patrol and operate within their borders.
On the ground, they heavily favor heavy infantry, based around mechanized and armored formations that tend towards the heavy side in terms of firepower, if somewhat lacking in supporting elements such as artillery or integrated aviation. What they excel in however is in command and control and electronic warfare, coordinating the actions of disparate elements widely separated in the field, while maintaining their communication and data-link security.
The internal security and intelligence apparatus of the Tri Star Compact is known broadly as “The Watch”, though the actual name of this organization is not known at this time.
Ethos
Given their origins and reluctance to participate in the greater Orion Accords put into place later in 2352, they are what one might call slightly ‘insular’ when compared to citizens hailing from Terra, Mars, Epsilon Eridani, or other members of the confederation. A firm belief in self-reliance, unity of action, and a strong national identity is pervasive within the area of space the TSC claims and administrates.
Notable Stances Towards Corporations
Because of their Mixed-Market economy, the Tri-Star Compact has strict ordinances regarding the operation of Mega-Corporate enterprises within its own economy; as such it is markedly common for corporations who wish to do business in its lucrative territory to create an approved subsidiary that operates within its borders; goods and services solely from within the Orion Confederation flow freely due to a standing free-trade agreement.
The Tri-Star Compact otherwise deals directly with Megacorporations and other political entities through the Central Trading Bureau, where it offers its unique commodities and services to interested and relatively reputable buyers, including work contracts for their prided Replikas.
Biosynthetic & TSC Glossary
“Arayashiki”: The term “Arayashiki” stems from the concept of the “Base Consciousness” or “Storehouse Consciousness” in Yogācāra-Mahayana Buddhism. In the TSC, Arayashiki refers to both a physical location and a virtual space. The Arayashiki one of the tallest and grandest buildings in all Tri-Star Compact space, towering over the capitol city in Singheim. It is a building of great splendor and holds massive practical and cultural importance, due to housing the main cloud servers of the AI Chandelier, alongside being the official residence of the Sovereign. Biosynthetics created by the TSC are often generated based on the data aggregate stored within the Arayashiki, and can be considered the progenitor of Biosynthetic consciousness. Additionally, this building is known to house confidential projects and technologies.
“Biotic”: The term is often used by Biosynthetics and occasionally by Tristar as a whole to refer to organic life. This term is culturally neutral and in their culture the same as using ‘human’, however there are those outside of Tristar space that view it in a derogatory light.
“Chandelier”: Chandelier is the name given to the national AI that runs the Noospheric Archival System and assists with governmental affairs. Its name is derived from the concept of it hanging over Tristar and all those connected to the NASYS network and ‘illuminating’ the masses with its knowledge and perceived wisdom. Chandelier has some degree of authority in governmental affairs.
“Neural Processing Unit (NPU)” - “Cyberbrain”: Officially known as the NPU but often called a Cyberbrain, this term relates to the biosynthetic mind that Biosynthetics are installed with. The NPU consists of a biosynthetic brain analogue alongside heavy integrated cyberization with an operating system built into it.
“Noospheric Archival System (NASYS)”: NASYS is Tri-Star’s proprietary information network utilized by most electronic systems in their territory. Biosynthetics have a particularly special relationship with it as the code for their operating system is based on NASYS architecture; they also use its framework to communicate over longer distances. All systems hosting NASYS have a connection to the AI Chandelier, and many systems additionally host part of Chandelier’s processes.
“Sovereign”: Both the name and title of the Tri-Star Compact’s leader. The Sovereign is a bespoke Biosynthetic developed by 15Lab, one of the main Biosynthetic producers, designed especially for the role of service to the state and people. The Sovereign follows the ideology of ‘Noblesse Oblige’, believing that her privilege entails the responsibility to act as a champion of the people and to be a balanced ruler. ‘Sovereign’ is used inversely by the TSC, inferring that the people and state’s power is bestowed upon this single individual, instead of this individual inherently controlling the people instead.
Lore
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| Corporations | NanoTrasen, Frontier Megacorporations, Minor Corporations, The Syndicate |
| NanoTrasen Specific | NDV Marksman, Paracausal Monitoring Division |
| Other Organizations | ITV Talon, System Defense Force, The Orion Confederation |
| Worldbuilding | Extradimensional Mechanics, FTL Travel, Galactic Landmarks, Legends, Mysteries, and Rumors, Metaphysics and Paracausality, Technology of the 2500's, The Timeline |
| Contribution Data | Lore Submission Templates, Roadmap for Lore Development |
Authors:KatComputer, GySgtMurphy, Shirumic, Sakuya_, TrojanCoyote, Askaris, APMK