With patch 1.3 Power Play only a few days away, and knowing that some pilots had requested further background on the factions, here is a quick overview on each leader based on information from Galnet, the official website and the novels. I hope it will allow those interested in the background to make a more informed decision!
In addition to the narrative backgrounds, each faction will also have different effects on the territories they control reflecting their ethos, outlined in
this thread by Cmdr. Apellono.
The Interstellar Federation
Capital: Mars, Sol system
Head of State: President Zachary Hudson
The cradle of human civilisation, Sol houses the birthplace of humanity and the headquarters of the Federation, including the Federal Congress where representatives of all member worlds meet to vote on policy. Openly democratic, powerful corporations have significant influence over politics as well as the populace, which is kept docile with a constant bombardment of entertainment and advertisement. Celebrity culture within the Federation is such that wars fought on behalf of the people often receive little to no attention in the news.
Culturally, the Federation is tolerant of some things such as religions, but utterly intolerant of drug-taking, political activism, and certain cultures. A great many things are illegal, including slavery, cloning and certain narcotics.
The Federation projects its influence throughout space in the form of so-called Federal Intervention Fleets led by fearsome Farragut-class battlecruisers. As a remnant of the days of the old hyperdrive, Federal Admirals enjoy a large degree of independence in making decisions on how to handle an assignment, though the civilian government often dispatches Commissioners to oversee military operations.
Zachary Hudson
Following next Monday's Vote of No Confidence against the Halsey administration, President Hudson will be the Federation's new leader. The Republican is generally seen as a hardliner with close contacts to the military-industrial complex, first and foremost the Federal Navy and the Core Dynamics megacorporation. Highly critical of former President Jasmina Halsey, Hudson has indicated to refocus Federal culture by introducing general conscription for any unemployed citizens under 40 and strengthen the military against perceived Imperial aggression.
Felicia Winters
The former Secretary of State has assumed the role of Shadow President, leading the Liberal opposition against the Republican government of President Hudson. Winters was a close friend of Jasmina Halsey and critical of the corporations' far-reaching influence within Federal space, on record as saying that the corporations have a responsibility to care for the people. With a focus on educational issues and Federal aid programmes, Winters hopes to win the support of the people by promoting the civil values of the Federation as opposed to President Hudson's military power projection.
The Empire of Achenar
Capital: Capitol, Achenar system
Head of State: Emperor Hengist Duval (comatose)
Imperial society is formed loosely after the image of ancient Rome, with an Emperor at the top and governors bearing the title of Senator. Tradition, appearance and protocol play an important role in everyday life, and the nobility in particular cares greatly for fashion and art. A "cliens" system forming bonds of servitude and responsibility permeates the middle and upper layers of Imperial society, with patrons supporting clients in return for their loyalty.
Slavery is another important aspect of Imperial culture and generally regarded as a safety net intended to prevent indebted citizens from going hungry on the streets, and a number of rules and regulations concerning the proper care of Imperial slaves is intended to prevent abuse. However, treatment still varies from owner to owner, and Senators stand above the law. The majority of Imperial Slaves are temporary indentured workers, but it is possible to be born a slave, and the Emperor's elite bodyguard is made up entirely of clone soldiers.
The Empire's origins lie shrouded in the annals of mankind's great expansion, as colonists fed up with Federal governance had left to set up their own society as far away from Sol as possible. Over almost a thousand years, many things had changed, but a simmering distrust of the Federation had remained.
Arissa Lavigny-Duval
As revealed on Galnet on 20 December 3300, Arissa is not the daughter of Prince Aristide Lavigny, but rather the illegitimate child of Lady Florence Lavigny and Emperor Hengist Duval. Her claim to the throne is not solid, but supported by Chancellor Anders Blaine of the Imperial Estate. Compared to the other current contenders, Arissa is regarded as the conservative choice, concerned with upholding tradition and rooting out corruption - so much so that her "Shield of Justice" has forcibly invaded other Senators' territories in pursuit of enemies of the throne.
Denton Patreus
The Senator from Eotienses is a leading figure in the Imperial Senate and commands much respect from his fellow nobles. Albeit comparatively young, his charisma and influence render him a serious candidate for the throne, whose succession he considers no longer about blood, but merit. The Senator owns a sizable network of corporations as well as one of the largest private fleets in the Empire, and has in the past used the latter to enforce financial claims on other worlds, enslaving their population for debts accrued by the government.
Patreus is allied with Zemina Torval, but has no qualms about covertly chipping away at her pocket empire should the opportunity present itself.
Zemina Torval
Senator Torval is possibly best known for her patronage of the Imperial Slaver's Guild and her political activities in furthering the universal acceptance of slavery or relaxing the laws surrounding it. She is a major shareholder of the Mastopolos Mining Corporation, which was recently in the news due to rumours of Imperial Slaves not being treated according to law and two subsequent slave rebellions. Zemina Torval also owns and operates Lagerkvist Gateway, a starport known to be a major slave market and retraining centre infamous for having accepted and conditioned nearly three million unregistered slaves acquired by independent pilots.
Torval has had several verbal confrontations with Aisling Duval over the role of slavery in the Empire. She publicly supports Denton Patreus in his bid to become Emperor, but is willing to grasp an opportunity whenever it presents itself.
Aisling Duval
The young socialite is possibly best known for her eccentric appearances on various Imperial stream shows where she regularly campaigned against the practice of slavery in the Empire. The controversial stance has been ridiculed by influential Senators and company owners, but finds at least some support among the common citizenry even on Torval's home system Synteini.
The daughter of disowned Harold Duval (the Emperor's son) has spoken out against the Emperor and in defence of her mad father, and uses her considerable wealth to sponsor her own NGO by the name of 'Stop Slavery Stupid', which aims to emancipate slaves and provide them with a new start, in addition to disseminating general anti-slavery propaganda across Imperial space. In addition, the so-called People's Princess has sponsored relief efforts to provide aid to refugees from Quivira who were fleeing from Senator Patreus' assault on the indebted system.
The Alliance of Independent Systems
Capital: Alioth, Alioth system
Head of State: Prime Minister Edmund Mahon
Almost a century ago, Alioth was the focal point of countless battles between the Federation and the Empire, which were warring over independent worlds to annex. A popular uprising against the invaders, led by Mic Turner and Meredith Argent, resulted in the military forces being pushed out of the region, and the participating worlds formed the Alliance on the basis of mutual defence.
The member worlds of the Alliance enjoy an unparalleled amount of freedom compared to the Empire or the Federation, which leads to the political process often being deadlocked by dissenting voices. However, the Alliance proudly embraces its cultural and ideological differences, knowing that its worlds will stand united once a foreign power again attempts to interfere with their fate.
The Alliance Navy is small compared to the Federal and Imperial militaries, largely made up of local navies and police vessels contributed by member worlds and reinforced by converted megafreighters and civilian militias. Nevertheless, the Council of Admirals commands the Alliance Navy with an efficiency many would like to see replicated in the civilian government.
Notably, the Alliance is the only human power that was ever engaged in peace talks with the alien species known as thargoids, although the meeting was disrupted by agents of a secretive organisation sponsored by both the Federation and the Empire.
Edmund Mahon
The Prime Minister of the Alliance is an idealist who firmly believes in the right of self-governance, whilst honouring interstellar treaties and making a distinction between the people's will and a faction in control, such as when he refused the Crimson State Group's request for Alliance acknowledgement until such a time the planet had formally and democratically seceded from the Federation. Nevertheless, Prime Minister Mahon has in the past sent out Alliance ambassadors to unaffiliated independent worlds to act as mediators in trilateral talks seeking a peaceful resolution to various conflicts. As Prime Minister of the Alliance, he wields considerable diplomatic influence, and is a strong supporter of free trade.
Independent
Li Yong-Rui
The Sirius Corporation has long stood at the forefront of exploring and exploiting the riches of space. The first corporation to assume ownership of an entire star system almost a thousand years ago, Sirius has since spread its influence across the sector and became a leading supplier for drive fuel across human space. Over the past months, the Sirius Corporation has financed a number of survey missions conducted by independent pilots, culminating in the launch of 9 new colonial outposts in March 3301. However, the corporation has a wide portfolio, and its subsidiary Sirius Security is a leading contractor for local law enforcement in the region.
Archon Delaine
The fearless leader of the Kumo Crew rose to power at the age of 15, when he killed its previous leader by beating him to death during a clan gathering. The Kumo Crew is a roving warband of militant nomads where might makes right, currently sweeping through the Pegasi sector and extorting local systems, burning down entire settlements if their demands are not met. All attempts to stop the spread of the Crew throughout the Pegasi sector have so far met with failure. The Kumo Crew are described as being well armed, psychotic and thus extremely dangerous.
Pranav Antal
Antal leads the Utopians -- presently, not much is known about either this faction nor its leader, but chances are this will change over the coming days. At a glance, this power seems to be a sort of interstellar cult aiming to oppose traditional governance and spread its teachings of unification and ethical use of technology.
Previous updates on some of the characters mentioned in this document can be found
here
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. Zocht enkel Annies/Pythons/Asps uit om te killen, of soms een Condor of Viper die zijn liefde voor mij wat te enthousiast betuigde. Op die manier kon je makkelijk 1 mil of meer per uur aan bonds verzamelen.
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Hoe zien jullie dit? Als je er nu positief over bent, denk je dat je over 1 á 2 jaar nog steeds zal spelen? Met de huidige content kan ik me dat niet voorstellen, maar jullie zullen bekender zijn met het updatebeleid dan ik ben./u/262099/space-dog_60x60.png?f=community)
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omdat in Tucanae maar bar weinig wegrestaurants en benzinestations zijn (geen, zover ik weet...zit al tijden daar systeempje na systeempje te scannen). 
) en 1 waar ik een scanner met unlimited range kan kopen...maar kom werkelijk geen enkele inwoner tegen. 
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Dit topic is gesloten.
