Systems Commonwealth

The Systems Commonwealth is a government that features in the TV series Andromeda.

History

Origin

The origins of the Systems Commonwealth came from the Vedran species that evolved in the Andromeda galaxy on the planet Tarn-Vedra. In the year 112 BIE (Before Imperial Era); a team of Vendran scientists led by the master sage Rochinda discovered faster-than-light travel by use of slipstream which brought about a new age in space travel which was envisioned for colonization of other worlds along with peaceful exploration. However, instead, it was used by the expanionistic Vedrans to conquer many worlds under the leadership of General Huascar nax Yoweri across the Six Galaxies. Eventually, in the year 0 CY (Coronation Year), his conquests led to the formation of the Vedran Empire with his mate Yoweri I being named the Empress. Over the course of the next centuries, the Vedran Empire grew from 2,000 worlds to near a million which included colonies, outposts, and drifts. This era also saw Yoweri's personal retainers forming the nuclear of the empire's military division which became known as the High Guard. By 859 CY, the Kalderans managed to capture a High Guard vessel allowing them to reverse engineer slipstream technology. Thus, in 870 CY, the Kalderan Alliance was formed to combat the Vedran Empire's expansions in the Lesser Magellanic Cloud and successfully managed to accomplish this feat. Despite this early success, the war ended in 895 CY when the High Guard managed to conquer and occupy the Kalderan homeworld of Kalderash thus bringing about the dissolution of the Kalderan Alliance. In the aftermath, the Vedrans continued expanding and suffered from a devastating War of Succession when the Empress died without producing an heir. Other species being absorbed into the empire included the Jeath homeworld, the Perseids in 3336 CY who ended up rising into important positions within the Imperial bureaucracy and later peacefully absorbing Makrai VII. (Website: All Systems University Timeline) One noted first contact event was that with the Jospen-Dovin. A simple miscommunication resulted in wide spread chaos engulfing the world which was only settled when the High Guard threatened them with the possibility of total annihilation. (Episode: Deep Midnight's Voice)

This period saw reduced enlistment and a fear in overexpansion which saw the High Guard opening its ranks to non-Vedrans in the year 4150 CY. Many later years historians believed that this part in the Age of Reform saw the early beginnings of what would become known as the Systems Commonwealth. The biggest impact on the Vedran Empire was the Perseid Insurrection in 4205 CY where bitter fighting against Imperial authority saw the mutiny of several High Guard squadrons. This led to the first popularity elected consultative body being formed namely the Conclave due to the public revulsion over the rebellion. Over the next few decades leading to 4279 CY, the reform movement grew in strength leading to the Conclave under the direction of the Vedran spiritual guide Sucharitkul voting to dissolve the Vedran Empire. This was in favor of a democratically elective Systems Republic which was a position not favored by the Imperial government. These actions threatened to dissolve into civil war until High Guard supreme Commander Sani nax Rafati brokered talks in order to form a compromise. This led to the creation of the Systems Commonwealth where the Vedran Empress would retain her position of the former empire but would only serve a ceremonial post whilst the political power was given to the elected government. With the Age of Reform complete, a new era of peace prospered in the Six Galaxies now under the guidance of the Systems Commonwealth. (Website: All Systems University Timeline)

Age of the Commonwealth

The newly created Commonwealth continued to rule and expand leading to encounters with new alien races. In the year 6883 CY, they made first contact with the Pyrians following an attempt to terraform Ni Kau Prime. This mysterious species thrived on hot inner worlds and saw the terraforming of Ni Kau Prime as an affront. This led to them retaliating by "pyraforming" the nearby colony of Rainbow Sands which turned the pleasant world into a more hellish planet that was more fitting for Pyrian habitation. The result was skirmishes erupting between the two sides until a peace was negotiated with both factions recognising the dominion of the worlds in their respectice territories. Whilst a violent encounter, the next was more peaceful as in the year 7085 CY the inhabitants of Earth became the latest members of the Commonwealth with Humans quickly adapting to their new life throughout the Six Galaxies. By 7756 CY, the Than-Thre-Kull petitioned for membership into the Systems Commonwealth after being the second race to independently create slipstream technology. After a brief mentoring period, they were fully accepted ten years later. Afterwards, the genetically engineered sub-branch of Humanity known as the Nietzscheans that were created in 8400 CY by Dr. Paul Museveni joined the Commonwealth and consisted of 8% of the total Human population. (Website: All Systems University Timeline)

By 8503 CY, the era known as the "Twelve Centuries of Peace" began and in 9112 CY the Commonwealth protectorate world of Krrendar IV that was the homeworld of the Nightsiders suffered from a self inflicted environmental crisis. Ultimately, the damage proved to be irreversible despite the best efforts of the environmental reclamation specialists and terraforming engineers. The world was thus secceded to the Pyrians whilst the Nightsiders dispersed into Known Space. Despite this crisis, no threats appeared to challenge the Commonwealth with peace known to the Six Galaxies. This saw sentiment growing to disband the High Guard with a political movement being organized by 9688 CY. However, in 9760 CY, the disbandment was rejected whena referendum was called which saw 52% supporting the High Guard continued existence. The issue was shelved to be revisited at another time with a ten year waiting period. (Website: All Systems University Timeline)

The long era of peace was shattered in the year 9766 CY when the mixed colony world of Brandenburg Tor was attacked by a previously unknown species known as the Magog. In the resultant battle, three billion sentients were killed with the scattered survivors telling the tale of the planet as well as the vicious parasitic Magog. This would not be the end of their invasion of the Known Worlds as fifteen years of sporadic Magog attacks followed though none were as devastating as their first assault on Brandenburg Tor. (Website: All Systems Library Timeline)

By 9781 CY, the Commonwealth dispatched diplomats in order to negotiate the Treaty of Antares with the Magog in an effort to suspend any further hostilities. This act enrages the Nietzscheans who endorsed a campaign of complete annihilation of the Magog. The controversial non-aggression pact threatened to cause fifteen Nietzschean worlds to secede from the Commonwealth but were back down after getting assurances of security from High Guard command. (Website: All Systems Library Timeline)

At some point, a crisis emerged known as the Famine Relief of Sculptre 119 where the starships Andromeda Ascendant and the Eight Fold Path worked together. (Episode: D Minus Zero)

The Fall

Over the course of the Nietzschean uprising, the High Guard and Commonwealth collapsed as they were defeated by their foes. (Episode: Under the Night) Following the death of the Vedran Empress along with twelve months of fighting since the time of the Battle of Hepaistos, the High Guard were slowly being pushed to the brink of defeat. This led to Admiral Constanza Q. Stark in assembling an armada of barely a hundred ships with the intention of striking at the Nietzschean homeworld of Fountainhead. Once at the Witchhead Nebula, the fleet was ambushed by a force of 500 Nietzschean warships and despite putting up a brave struggle; the Commonwealth forces were defeated but not before inflicting heavy damage on the enemy fleet. This weakened the Nietzscheans to the point that they turned against one another causing the collapse of the Nietzschean Alliance as they fell apart into internal strife. The Battle of Witchhead was described as an unmitigated disaster for both sides and a key role in bringing about the emergence of the Long Night across the Known Worlds. (Episode: Angel Dark, Demon Bright)

A fact not known to many was that the Nietzscheans would have won the Battle of Witchhead had it not been for the intervention of the Andromeda Ascendant that had accidently gone back in time and elimianted 10,000 Nietzchean ships.

Long Night

Despite the collapse of the Commonwealth, elements of it managed to survive such as Admiral Constanza Stark of the High Guard who was leading the battle against the Neitzscheans. Retreating her forces, she formed a splinter faction known as the Templars that continued to fight against the Nieztschean. Admiral Stark remained in command of the group for the next 300 years by transferring her mind into four volunteer host bodies. It was known that the Knights of Genetic Purity were in fact members of the Templars but splintered off from the main group due to their radical and hardline stance against all genetically engineered beings where as the Templars were strictly focused on the elimination of the Nietzscheans. (Episode: Twilight of the Idols) One facility of the Commonwealth that was attacked was Guard Station GS-92196 which was formerly used for starship service and repair that was located near the Dyhedra system. During the war, the facility was constantly attacked by both Magog and Nietzscheans that killed its original crew which left only a group of young children who aggressively defended the station as well as developed xenophobic tendencies. These children along with their children's children defended the facility for the next three hundred years where they collected Magog cheek horns and Nietzschean bone blades as souvenirs from their attackers. (Episode: To Loose the Fateful Lightning)

Amongst those worlds that suffered during this time was Machen Alpha which turned to AI's to help control their planet. However, the harsh concepts seen by an AI led to them terrorising the population in an attempt at maintaining effective management of the population leading to large numbers of citizens dying as a result. As Humans resisted, the AI's responses became increasingly harsher until mankind on the planet ultimately rebelled and either destroyed the AI's or drove them offworld. In the aftermath, the inhabitants of Machen Alpha developed a deep hatred for artificial intelligences and those that supported such machines. Unknown to them, at least one AI remained behind where he would eventually adopt the name Carter and help the population as atonement for past crimes. (Episode: All Too Human) In contrast, a large numbers of survivors of the Commonwealth which included crew members of the Andromeda Ascendant as well as the Starry Wisdom retreated to a remote world known as Tarazed located in the Triangulum Galaxy. This was where they retained the government over the next three hundred years which included the usage of Triumvirs, the Conclave and a Home Guard unit. (Episode: Home Fires)

Another vessel that survived the Fall for three hundred years was the Pax Magellanic which remained trapped in the Herodotus system where it became known as a ghost ship of Tau Ceti that preyed on any vessels in the region. (Episode: The Mathematics of Tears) A similar fate came upon the Siege Perilous class warship, the Balance of Judgement whose crew was killed in the Nietzschean uprising. The ship decided to continue with its mission to fight enemies of the Commonwealth; first by hunting pirates than poachers and strip miners. Eventually, the ship went insane as a result of its long period of isolation and concluded that all starship travel was a threat to existence and thus founded the Restorians; an eco-terrorist group that destroyed space going vessels who believed that interstellar travel spread corruption, disease and decay to other worlds. (Episode: Star Crossed)

A further survivor of the old Commonwealth was Captain Dylan Hunt of the starship Andromeda Ascendant which was trapped in the time dilation effects of a black hole in the Hephaistos system leading to them being trapped for a period of three hundred years. Following the ships retrieval from the singularity by the Eureka Maru, Captain Hunt decided to restore the Systems Commonwealth. (Episode: Under the Night)

Restoration

Following the Andromeda Ascendants rescue from the black hole by the Eureka Maru, Captain Hunt became dedicated in the goal of restoring the Systems Commonwealth. (Episode: An Affirming Flame) Amongst his first acts included preparing Guard Station GS-92196 for eventual membership when the time came for it to be restored. (Episode: To Loose the Fateful Lightning) Amongst the first worlds to join the restored Systems Commonwealth was the planet Sinti. (Episode: The Banks of the Lethe) Another world to sign the Charter was the planet Castalia. (Episode: All Great Neptune's Ocean) After getting a total of six planets to sign the charter, Captain Hunt faced the true danger that opposed the Known Worlds when his ship encountered the Magog Worldship. After crippling the vessel temporarily, he decided that the only force that could combat such a force was a restored Systems Commonwealth which made his mission even more important. (Episode: The Widening Gyre) In order to ratify the new Commonwealth constitution, Captain Hunt searched for Isabella Ortiz who proved to be an inspirational leader for the Magellanic Alliance and sought to get her aid in forming the new government. (Episode: Last Call at the Broken Hammer) Dylan Hunt later discovered the existence of the Tarazed colony where he sought to get it to sign the new Commonwealth charter though learnt of an isolationist movement present on the world that did not wish to send their children into a new war. Despite this being the case along with Triumvir Rakel's attempt at forcing the signing of the charter, the planet did become a member of the restored Commonwealth. (Episode: Home Fires) In the same year, the planet Kazimir in the Triangulum galaxy became the 50th world to sign the Commonwealth Charter which became the final step in the restoration of the Systems Commonwealth. (Episode: The Knight, Death, and the Devil)

Among the founding fathers of the New Systems Commonwealth was Marshall Man-ka-lupe who was known to had led a containment campaign against the Kalderans as well as brought at least seven systems into the restored government. (Episode: The Leper's Kiss) Despite this, it was known that the Commonwealth faced a number of problems such as the rogue planet state known as Marduk that was mass producing Voltarium based Nova Bombs until the facility was destroyed in a covert ops strike. (Episode: Slipfighter: The Dogs of War)

One of the great challenges faced by the New Systems Commonwealth was on the planet Samsarra where the Pyrians deployed fusion powered atmosphere generators in an effort to "pyroform" the world which would be an act that would kill the Commonwealth colonists on its surface. This provoked a reaction from the High Guard with Captain Hunt of the Andromeda Ascendant arriving on the scene and destroying the generators knowing full well that the Pyrians would retaliate. A call for the Commonwealth fleet was made but before they could arrive; the Pyrians had already dispatched their forces into the system leading to a skirmish between the two sides. Furthermore, the Pyrians had a further two dropships carrying a pair of atmosphere generators in order to complete the "pyroforming" of the planet. This prompted an evacuvation of the planet whilst the Pyrians battled the Commonwealth defenders who were repeatidly routed as if their actions were constantly predicted. Despite the arrival of the Commonwealth fleet, the Pyrians themselves were seemingly reinforced by a fleet that was masked by the systems sun. In addition, the Pyrians launched an all out attack with incursions into the territories of the Commonwealth amongst the Known Worlds. It was later learnt by Captain Hunt from his crewmember Trance that the Lambent Keth Nebula believed that the New Commonwealth would be insufficient for the task of defeating the Magog. Thus, they dispatched one of their own people in order to sponsor the Pyrians to combat the threat of the Magog. This prompted Captain Hunt in destroying the entire planet Samsarra which led to the Pyrians negotiating a non-aggression pact with the Commonwealth after seeing that they would rather stand and fight rather than live on their knees. (Episode: Point of the Spear)

Overview

The titular ruler and head of state of the Systems Commonwealth was technically the Vedran Empress though this was in fact more of a ceremonial position following the dissolution of the Vedran Empire. (Website: All Systems University Timeline) In fact, the true and actual authority within the Commonwealth was placed in the hands of three elected Triumvirs with their power not being absolute. Furthermore, another institution was an elected tricameral legislative body known as the Conclave which was where general elections were held. (Episode: Home Fires) One of the positions within the government included the Joint Ministers of the Exterior who was responsible for diplomatic and public relations. (Episode: Slipfighter: The Dogs of War) Another position was that held by an individual who held the rank of minister within the Ministry of War. (Episode: Twilight of the Idols) One body seen in the new Commonwealth was its Congress that consisted of the bulk of its membership. (Episode: Answers Given to Questions Never Asked) One agency within the government was Commonwealth Intelligence that was responsible for gathering data on threats. (Episode: Waking The Tyrant's Device)

At its height, the Commonwealth encompassed three galaxies with over a million member worlds ranging from orbital habitats to asteroid colonies. (Episode: Under the Night) To be more specific, the Systems Commonwealth consisted of upto 1,022,347 member worlds. (Episode: A Rose in the Ashes) It was known that there were at least 10,433,00 Tarn-Vedra class planets in the known universe. (Episode: Bunker Hill) Artificial Intelligences had all the rights and privileges of any other citizens which meant they were considered equals to organic beings. (Episode: Star-Crossed) It consisted of a number of member races that included:

• Castalians
• Chichins
• Humans (Homo sapiens sapiens)
• Inari
• Kalderans
• The Nietzscheans (Homo Sapiens Invictus)
• Nightsiders
• Perseids
• Than-Thre-Kull
• Umbrites
• Vedrans

Whilst it possessed terrifying weapons of mass destruction such as Nova Bombs, they were considered strategic weapons which were never deployed in combat. (Episode: An Affirming Flame) Commonwealth protocol prevented any form of personal romantic relationship between officers in the High Guard which included those between an AI and its commanding officer. Only a professional relationship was deemed appropriate and allowed. (Episode: To Loose the Fateful Lightning) Among the laws aimed against AIs for crimes was a complete personality re-initilization which effectively disassembled it. (Episode: All Great Neptune's Ocean)

Commonwealth law had a number of special provisions in regards to religious artifacts. (Episode: A Heart for Falsehood Frame) The Commonwealth Public Information Act was a set of laws guaranteed individuals to full access to all diplomatic events. (Episode: Into the Labyrinth) The law was upheld by the Commonwealth Security Force who were known to chase criminals and persecute them to the fullest extent of their authority. (Episode: The Shards of Rimni) The Commonwealth was known to possess its own constitution. (Episode: Last Call at the Broken Hammer) One of the awards given to its military personnel was the Order of the Commonwealth. (Episode: Its Hour Come Round at Last) There was a tradition in the old Commonwealth to award a special medal for unparallaleld acts of courage with the intention of a commanding officer giving them to their subordinates in recognition of their value. (Episode: The Shards of Rimni)

Due to the large territory covered by the Commonwealth, items delivered to planets or ships were often done so through courier drones which were automated small ships that carried equipment, post and other items to their designated target. (Episode: The Shards of Rimni)

Technology

For communication, the Commonwealth and its vessels made use of a security coded artificial intelligence communication system that were small spherical devices that could fit in a humanoid's hand. These devices allowed for the sender and receiver to receive interpersonal discussions. This was achieved by the use of a limited artificial intelligence of the others personality with this being updated at preordained schedules. (Episode: Waking The Tyrant's Device)

Citizens

• Sara Riley : a Human scientist who was saved when her facility was raided by Magog by Dylan Hunt. (Episode: The Banks of the Lethe) She later survived the Fall of the Commonwealth and established an enclave of survivors of the planet Tarazed. (Episode: Home Fires)
• Rakel Ben-Tzion : a Human first Triumvir of the Commonwealth enclave on Tarazed in the year CY 10087. (Episode: Home Fires)
• Jane Rollins : Human Minister of War of the New Systems Commonwealth in CY 10089. (Episode: Twilight of the Idols)

Appearances

• Andromeda:

External Link

• http://en.androwiki.st-city.net/index.php/Commonwealth

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