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The Solar Organisation |
The First Federation retained its formal status for many centuries after de facto losing control over the colonies. It became merely the solar system government but retaining the trappings of an interstellar Federation. Politically it was mainly used as neutral ground by the emerging empires but whatever ideas the ever more bloated Federation bureaucracy promoted were ignored. The solar system economy declined as business moved elsewhere, replaced by the legalism and complex regulations of the Federation.
For a thousand years the vast distances of interstellar space had been the bane of the Federation. Many light years from Sol, rogue megacorporations, upstart colonists, even petty pharmlords and nano-runners, were able to do as they pleased, flouting Federation Law, or worse, claiming their actions were in the interests of the Federation. Coupled with this frustration was a growing militarism. As the megacorporations and ais moved to richer pastures on the new frontier, control of the Federation slowly reverted to the old hereditary baseline, nearbaseline, and lower superior leadership. Free of the memetic controls the now departed ais and higher sus and cyborgs had placed on them, the Federation Council factions began to slowly revert to a sort of multi-party rivalry, being unified only in name and in their shared goal to see Solar greatness achieved throughout the galaxy. Throughout much of the 40th century the tweedledum and tweedledee factions of "Solarist" and "Universalists" vied with each other over which one could best return a sense of pride and achievement to the Home System of Humanity. Each side was backed by those ais that had decided to stay in the Sol System, or at least retain a presence there (many of the bigger ais backed both parties). Scarce resources were squandered in relativistic battleships and even more so on presents for swinging voters (Titan City, Oberon and the strategic Sung Base on Pluto were among the many that gained through cleverly playing the two factions off against each other)
When the first stargates were constructed the Federation leadership saw its chance: once all systems were linked by wormholes, then it would be possible to unify all under a new Federation. Led by the general secretary Indira König (Universalist) and Speaker of the House Brent Nkumba (Solarist), who in a rare act of unity steamrolled President Hans Chu (Centrist), pushing through the Stargate Governance Act of 4150. The Act ruled that because the megacorporations and ais that had created the wormhole technology were still technically a part of the Federation, ownership of the patents, and hence of all Stargates and Artificial Wormholes, devolved automatically to the Federation, and were to be therefore put under Federation control. This amazing case of groupthink and lack of understanding of reality was the final blow to the Federation. As the demands were ignored, the Federation leadership attempted to enforce them through economic blockade, which ten years on had hurt no-one but their own citizenship, and caused König and Nkumba's popularity ratings to plummet even at home, and grumbling among their supporters.
With the loss of the fleet, and subjected to a boycott from all interstellar powers of note, the Federation began to suffer from mounting popular discontent and internal criticism of the bumbled way things had been handled.
The result was a desperate and crude attempt to impose order on the solar system through coercion (the September Tyranny), which in turn led to the Solar Civil War 2193-2200.
The period 2200-2600 the solar system slowly recovered and found a new place in the interstellar community. Instead of being ruled by a single polity it was composed of many squabbling minor fractions and shifting alliances. After the skirmishes between the Moon Coop and Lagrange Association escalated into a dirty war in 2323, the various solar powers began to negotiate a peaceful organisation. The Solar Organisation ended the worst decline and helped Solsys to re-establish itself as an important Inner Sphere polity.
Over the centuries the solar system mainly became a tourist attraction and a kind of living museum. Adapting to the situation, the inhabitants often renovated their habitats and environments to reflect the "Golden Era" (usually the First Federation or First Interplanetary Age). Change became very rare.
The Solar Organisation remained neutral in interstellar politics, and stayed out of the Version War. The war led to a major influx of refugees. Most of these were turned away, but those who did arrive spawned a 200 year period of internal conflicts as the staid solar system tried to adapt to the culture shock.
The single biggest headache the Solar Organisation faces are from extreme outsystem hu clades hostile to Gaia. Every so often a few foolish extreme Anthropist clades try to reconquer Earth by force. One of the most dramatic instances (and very embarrassing for the Solar Organisation authorities) occurred in the early 6th millennium when a militant splinter group from the Church of Human Rights - the now defunct Branch Hominist - using cloned weaponry reconstructed from the Version War (they managed to sneak through the wormholes by chameleoning the hulls to look like brightly holographed mobile space-habs). While still in LEO the assembled fleet suddenly and mysteriously began popping like balloons; their force shields - which should give defence against all standard femtotech weapons, strangely offering no protection. Since then the Solar Organisation beefed up security at the Stargates quite a bit, but it doesn't stop a new lot of ludds, militant anti-AI-ists, and generally incompetent crank groups from making an attempt every so often.
