[h1]Commonwealth of Valyncian Republics[/h1]
[img]http://fc02.deviantart.net/fs71/f/2014/188/6/4/flag_of_united_earth_by_garudateam-d7po4hh.png[/img]
[center][i]"Progress and Humanity"[/i][/center]
[b]Government Type:[/b] Parliamentary Republic[hider=Details]The government of the Commonwealth of Valyncian Republics is divided into two parts: the federal government and the planetary governments. Power between the federal government and planetary governments are constitutionally balanced, although in practice the federal government is significantly more powerful. The planets in the Commonwealth are partially self-governing bodies and do hold some sway over the federal government. 

The federal government is headed by its legislative branch which is divided into two councils, a High Council and a Low Council. The High Council is a parliamentary body that is essentially the same as those found on the planetary level (see Valyncian Republic) with the exception being that each planet serves as a district. The High Council has a large number of responsibilities. Most important of these responsibilities is passing country-wide legislature and ratifying or vetoing treaties with other countries.

Planets in the Imperial Commonwealth of Valyncian Republics are partially self-governed bodies. All planets in the Commonwealth have a valyncian republic as its type of government. The planetary governments are responsible for passing legislature for their specific planets. The prime ministers of all the planets collectively form a Low Council that is responsible for passing country-wide tax bills, suggesting bills to the High Council, and can start a vote of no confidence against the High Council. The Low Council also has the power to veto pieces of legislation passed by the High Council.[hider=Valyncian Republic]A Valyncian republic is a form of parliamentary democracy that places more emphasis on proportional representation. The system itself is rather simple. The entirety of the planet is divided into equally populated districts with populations ranging from one to ten thousand people, depending on the planet. Multiple representatives can be elected from the same district with the requirement that the representative has at least five percent of the total votes in the district; a candidate who has less than five percent can give his votes to another candidate, potentially boosting another candidate above the cutoff or strengthening one who is already above it. At the end of the election process the representatives from each district represent a proportional number of that district's votes, which total one hundred, in parliament. For example a representative who received ten percent of the votes from his district would count as ten votes in parliament for any given piece of legislature.

To control the parliament a party must control more than fifty percent of the total votes in the country. If they don't they can form a coalition with other parties to gain the total votes needed. A majority party or coalition theoretically has unlimited power in the government, however this is checked by the minority parties' ability to have a vote of no confidence, once between every normal election, which begins a new election. Other than a vote of no confidence the majority party or coalition can call for a vote at any time, so long as it is within five years of the last non-no confidence election. Potential candidates have only two months to campaign before the election is held.[/hider][/hider][b]Capital System:[/b] Femna System
[b]Capital World:[/b] Carth

[h3]Population[/h3]
[b]Dominant Species:[/b] Valyncians[hider=Details][b]Race Info:[/b] A subspecies of humanity created through genetic engineering, Valyncians are found almost exclusively in the Commonwealth. No two Valyncians have quite the same genetic modifications, but most have been modified for space travel. This means they have better spatial awareness, reflexes, mental processing power, and resistance to radiation. While other species achieved immortality by uploading their minds into computers, or other similar processes, Valyncians turned to their genetic engineering. During sex Valyncians' bodies absorb DNA from their partners; their bodies use this DNA to repair their own damaged DNA, thus extending their lives. Because of this biological process, Valyncians' bodies do not remain at a static age, but instead go through a process of aging and rejuvenation, effectively bouncing between the "ages" of sixteen and thirty. During the rejuvenation process the body incorporates acquired DNA, thus a variety of physical changes can occur to the Valyncian. Valyncians have been observed to physically change greatly over the course of a few hundred years and have even, in a few extremely rare cases, changed sex entirely.

[b]Average Lifespan:[/b] Biologically Immortal

[b]Physical Characteristics:[/b] Valyncians are very similar to natural humans and can, in some cases, be indistinguishable from them physically. The most obvious physical difference between a natural human and a Valyncian is hair color. The majority of Valyncians have white or silver hair. Blonde is also a fairly common hair color, though technically a Valyncian can have any color of hair, naturally occurring or otherwise. Most Valyncians tend to stand between 5'8" and 6'2" and are naturally built slim or athletically. Most Valyncians are considered more attractive than the average natural human, although differences in cultures can also be a determining factor in what is considered attractive.

[b]Dominant Society:[/b] While the society and culture of the Valnycian species isn’t entirely homogeneous it certainly is close enough to make broad statements about the Valyncian ethnic group as a whole. At the forefront of the Valyncian ethnicities is the Carthinian ethnicity. When people think of Commonwealth culture or the Valyncian species they tend to specifically think of the Carthinian ethnicity; because of this, most people use the term Valyncian culture/society or High/Core Valyncian culture/society when referring to Carthinian culture/society. Valyncians culturally seem drawn to the colors white and silver and are noted for using those two colors significantly in their art. White, in their eyes, means purity, independence, fairness, and impartialness; silver means balance and stability, but can also be used to convey respect, responsibility, and patience. This is important to note as a message sent by a Valyncian written in white or silver may mean something completely different then if it were written in black, even if the written contents of the message remains the exact same. As one might guess based on the colors of white and silver, Valyncians value independence, fairness, balance/stability, respect, and patience.

At one point in time the nuclear family was the most important social unit in Valyncian society. As time went on and the majority of Valyncian families became static or declined the nuclear family dropped in importance and was replaced by cliques. Cliques in Valyncian society are similar to those found in human societies, hence the same name, but differ in some important ways. In Valyncian society a clique refers to a very close knit group of Valyncians, both male and female, ranging in size from four to about twenty individuals. Commonly, but not always necessarily, the individuals making up a clique share economic, political, or philosophical views. Cliques are not a permanent body; their existence is subject to change over the years and many simply cease to exist after a few hundred years. Interestingly the trust and love shared by members of a clique is considered to be greater than that of biological families as clique members often have sex with each other with the purpose of exchanging DNA. Because of this exchange of DNA it is absolutely necessary for Valyncians to bring new members into their cliques or join other cliques in order to avoid genetic issues.

Valyncians are, as a whole, very much a formal people. They prefer to dress in more formal clothes than a human in the Federation or elsewhere would dress. It is quite common for Valyncian men to dress in a full suit, or at least dress pants and a vest, and women to dress in a formal dress or a sundress. Valyncians are also quite well spoken; Valyncians love to use irony and double meanings in their insults.

The highest held ideal of Valyncians is based on individualism. This is an emphasis on not only the moral worth, but also the potential of an individual. This concept is close to worshiped by Valyncians, meaning individuals who are great scientists, soldiers, and entrepreneurs are commonly household names, at least for a short time.

[b]Religion:[/b] Valyncians follow a faux religion created during the early stages of the Commonwealth’s formation. The religion itself was created purely to act as a moral compass and help solidify the culture of the Commonwealth. The religion was built around the concept of a goddess who oversees the universe, blessing those who work hard, advancing science, art, or society in some way while passing judgment over the lazy, selfish, and ignorant. Most Valyncians, especially older ones, are truly atheists, although some younger ones have begun to believe that the Goddess actually exists.[/hider][b]Minority Species:[/b] “Natural” Humans and Ryugyakkans[hider=Natural Humans][b]Race Info:[/b] More or less the same as humans found anywhere else, natural humans in the Commonwealth are on the decline as they are required to have their children genetically engineered. Although they are referred to as “natural humans” inside the Commonwealth, many of these humans are still subject to a certain degree of genetic engineering designed to increase their lifespan and health, combat diseases, and provide some other limited benefits.

[b]Average Lifespan:[/b] 120

[b]Dominant Society:[/b] There is no unique "human culture" in the Commonwealth. Natural humans in the Commonwealth tend to be culturally similar to Valyncians or humans from the Federation or Union.

[b]Religion:[/b] The religious beliefs of natural humans in the Commonwealth tend to mirror those of Valyncians, although natural humans are far more prone to actually believing in the religion, with about fifty percent active practitioners.[/hider][hider=Ryugyakkans][b]Race Info:[/b] Created through the Commonwealth's substantial genetic engineering technology, [url=http://fc06.deviantart.net/fs46/f/2009/197/7/a/Alien_design_2_by_jeffsimpsonkh.jpg]Ryugyakkans[/url] were designed to be the perfect servants. Towards this end Ryugyakkans have been geared towards being able to keep track of numerous things at once and can inherently perform greater mental calculations than most humans. Ryugyakkans are capable of generating a weak electric field which they use for electrolocation and electrocommunication, which is useful only in certain environments. Most of the time Ryugyakkans rely on specialized equipment mounted around their necks to communicate with others as they lack a mouth, thus have no vocal cords. Ryugyakkans gain the nutrients they need through chemosynthesis and typically walk around in suits designed to "feed" them during the entire day. Most Ryugyakkans are physically frail and very susceptible to diseases; however, certain varieties of Ryugyakkans, specifically those created for the military, are much sturdier. Due to a variety of specifically designed neurotransmitters and hormones Ryugyakkans are quite prone to serving their creators. Serving or even just looking at a Valyncian will release neurotransmitters and hormones that affect the reward system of the brain, creating pleasure and a soothing sensation for the Ryugyakkan. In turn seeing a Valyncian harmed or distraught releases neurotransmitters and hormones that causes displeasure for the Ryugyakkan. Humans can also, to a lesser degree, trigger these responses due to their similarity to Valyncians. According to Valyncian law Ryugyakkans are considered legal non-sentients.

[b]Average Lifespan:[/b] 60

[b]Physical Characteristics:[/b] Standing at five and a half feet on average, Ryugyakkans would be considered short by human standards. Their skin is very similar to humans, except the chest, where they absorb chemicals, which has an almost porous texture. Ryugyakkans are notable for their slender, frail forms and mouthless faces. Some Ryugyakkkans, specifically those used by the military, are as tall as a Valyncian and poses a more sturdy build.

[b]Dominant Society:[/b] Ryugyakkans don't have much of a society, though if hard pressed it could be said theirs is one of servitude. They exist to serve their creators and the vast majority have yet to come to terms with the fact that this may not actually be the case. Commonwealth society as a whole has, somewhat ironically, stifled any independent society they themselves might've formed otherwise.

[b]Religion:[/b] Ryugyakkans are split roughly in half between being agnostic and following the Valyncians' religion. Of those that follow religion, most are almost fanatical in their belief and believe that, should they serve the Valyncians faithfully, they will be resurrected as a Valyncian in their next life.[/hider][b]Demographics:[/b] (Overall Humanity: 47%)
[b]Valyncian:[/b] 43%
[b]Natural Human:[/b] 4%
[b]Ryugyakkan:[/b] 53%

[h3]Leadership[/h3]
[b]Head of the Government:[/b] Prime Minister Avril Foxwell
[b]Speaker of the Low Council:[/b] First Minister Isaac Locke

[u][b]Cabinet Members[/b][/u]
[b]-Deputy Prime Minister:[/b] Andrew Brooks
[b]-Minister of the Commonwealth for Finance:[/b] Owen Burns
[b]-Home Minister of the Commonwealth:[/b] Archer Garrison
[b]-Minister of the Commonwealth for Foreign Affairs:[/b] Nataly Farley
[b]-Minister of the Commonwealth for Justice:[/b] Rory Ross
[b]-Minister of the Commonwealth for Defense:[/b] Noah Wood
[b]-Minister of the Commonwealth for International Development:[/b] Katie Barker

[u][b]Other Important Members of the Government[/b][/u]
[b]-Minister of the Commonwealth for the Armed Forces:[/b] Harper Weiss
[b]-Chief of the Defense Staff:[/b] Admiral Mariella Foxwell
[b]-Minister of the Commonwealth for Technology:[/b] Gavin Kinton

[h3]Armed Forces[/h3]
[hider=Doctrine]The Commonwealth armed forces employ a maneuver warfare doctrine that emphasizes preempting, dislocating, and disrupting enemy forces in place of destroying them through attrition warfare. Military orthodoxy tends to believe that victory in war comes from destroying the enemy’s physical assets: killing soldiers, destroying equipment and infrastructure, and occupying territory. Maneuver warfare doctrine, on the other hand, seeks to destroy only specific targets (command and control centers, logistics bases, etc) and isolate enemy formations through maneuver and taking advantage of enemy weaknesses. 

Towards this end the Commonwealth armed forces employ strategically agile and tactically flexible forces that possess the capacity to project power over a wide area. Because of the nature of this doctrine, the armed forces employ a more decentralized command system than one would otherwise expect. Lower level commands possess far more freedom and are expected to show more flexibility and initiative than their foreign counterparts.

The Soviet deep battle and German blitzkrieg strategies of Earth’s Second World War both helped form the basis for the Commonwealth’s overall strategy. The Commonwealth will typically field several large formations simultaneously in a single theater. These formations launch multiple operations against the enemy, seeking to divert its attention and keep the enemy guessing. Once a focal point (ideally a spot both vital and weakly defended) is identified or created a Commonwealth force will seek to break through the focal point and either destroy key enemy assets (command and control centers, logistics bases, etc) or isolate enemy formations from each other, or ideally both. Because of the strategically agile nature of the Commonwealth armed forces it can easily concentrated the forces it needs to achieve such a breakthrough. The Commonwealth also commonly employs interdiction tactics to delay, disrupt, and destroy enemy forces and supplies en route to the battle area.[/hider][hider=The Navy][img]http://th08.deviantart.net/fs71/PRE/i/2014/355/b/5/red_rose_command_ship_by_peterprime-d8apzhi.png[/img]
The Commonwealth Navy (CVN) is geared towards following the maneuver warfare doctrine of the armed forces. It employs small and medium sized highly modular ships. CVN formations are notable for being highly agile, both strategically and tactically, and are typically outfitted specifically for the operation they are currently doing. The CVN has top notch spacebasing capabilities; large formations can be sustained during military operations at large distances from traditional logistic bases through a combination of techniques including the use of mobile space bases. 

Interestingly Commonwealth ships seem to defy normal methods of classification. This is due to their modular design and nature of their construction. Commonwealth ships are made almost completely out of programmable matter, specifically smart metal, thus their shape and design isn’t set in stone once construction is complete. In fact not even the size of the ship is set in stone: Commonwealth ships are designed so that they can condense before entering combat, reducing or limiting unnecessary space (living quarters and halls) so that the material can be used to increase the thickness of the ship’s armor and help limit its profile. This process commonly results in the ship losing about 30% of its volume (from its largest size to smallest). Commonwealth ships are also self-repairing and may visibly shrink during combat as materials are lost to enemy fire. Given enough time Commonwealth ships can even combine to form a larger ship or divide to form two or more smaller ships.

Commonwealth warships typically have more than one zero point generator. Usually it’ll have a primary generator, and a generator specialized for its weapons and defensive systems, as well as its thrusters. In some cases weapons systems or thrusters may have their own dedicated zero point generators. Typically the ship is rigged so that in the event that one generator goes down the others can supply power and particles to whatever the downed generator was supposed to supply to.

The Navy has developed a large number of “mission modules” designed to enhance the capabilities of its ships. These modules are far too numerous to list off, but the most common modules are: railgun weapons module, missile weapons module, particle beam weapons module, carrier system module, flagship module, and troop module. Modules are design to integrate seamlessly with a ship and commonly come with additional zero point generators and point defense systems. A ship can equip more than one module at a time, but it is rare for the second module to be anything besides thruster or logistic based. It is not uncommon for a ship to double in size due after its module(s) has been installed. Typically Commonwealth warships are given a classification for ease of use that is based off of its current size, in comparison to what is found in the Federation or Union, and any modules that are installed. Examples include Missile cruiser and Particle destroyer.[/hider]

[h3]Technology[/h3]
[hider=Ansibles] An ansible is a device capable of communication over virtually any distance with no delay whatsoever. Ansibles work in pairs and are capable of only sending and receiving from its paired unit. While this limits its possible uses by quite a bit, it also serves to make it exceedingly difficult to intercept messages sent between ansibles. While the exact details of how they function are highly classified, it is generally accepted they that use a form of quantum communication. Ansibles grant the possibility to have UCAV strikecraft that have little fear of interference or hacking, with their operators experiencing no time lag regardless of where they physically are in relation to the craft. Special forces may also find it useful in the future as a means of having instant communication access to the leadership of the Commonwealth, where ever they may be. The Commonwealth government uses a system of ansibles to ensure that all the planets in the Commonwealth are able to communicate with each other in a quick, efficient manner.[/hider][hider=Cyberware]A broad term, cyberware refers to essentially any machine or hardware that is implanted into an animal. Cyberware can be divided into two categories: interfaces and prosthetics. Interfaces are implants that are used to interact with other machines, usually wirelessly, or store information. On many planets interfaces are required to be citizens as without them a person couldn’t even pay for groceries at the store. Specialized interfaces are used by the military to allow soldiers to link with their hardware to achieve better control or gather more information quicker. Interfaces are also used to accelerate the learning process and help retain knowledge. Prosthetics are hardware used to replace limbs or re-enable their use should they or the nervous system be damaged. A darker side to this technology involves replacing limbs with prosthetics to increase a soldier’s physical capabilities or use interfaces as a means of surveillance and control.[/hider][hider=Defensive Smoke]By placing a charge on the particles created by a zero point generator and then dispersing those particles in an area a magnetic field can be generated. These particles essentially form a “cloud” of plasma that can vaporize projectiles and cause intense diffusion and blooming in energy weapons that go through it. It is important to note, however, that defensive smoke isn’t as effective of a defense as shields and that multiple attacks will cause it to disperse. It is also important to note that a sufficiently powerful attack can punch through defensive smoke, although it will lose some of its strength in doing so. A ship technically has an unlimited amount of defensive smoke to employ, however using defensive smoke means there are less particles available for other applications such as propulsion or weapons.[/hider][hider=Genetic Engineering] Genetic engineering is sort of a big deal in the Commonwealth. It was this technology and processes that lead to the development of the Valyncian sub-species as well as the creation of the Ryugyakkans as a species. Needless to say that the Commonwealth knows a thing or two about genetic engineering.[/hider][hider=Holographic Matter]Holographic matter technically isn't matter; its light that has been "frozen". Specifically holographic matter is made up of photons that have been made to interact in a way that they act as though they are matter, bonding together to form molecules. The applications for holographic matter are limited purely be imagination; currently holographic matter is used by the military for defenses such as shields, but it can also be used to make temporary structures, such as bridges, or interactive screens.[/hider][hider=Particle Beam Weaponry]These weapons function by taking the particles produced by a zero point generator, giving it a charge, and then accelerating these particles with a circular accelerator to produce a beam. These weapons are useful as they have more impact damage than lasers and possess greater penetration. Advancements in the miniaturization of the circular accelerator have resulted in even fighter craft being equipped with these weapons, although they are much weaker and have far less range than the models found on larger ships. Particle beam weaponry effectively have unlimited ammunition due to how the zero point generator functions, but this means that there are fewer particles available for other applications. Continual use can also overheat the weapon, decreasing its effectiveness.[/hider][hider=Programmable Matter] Also commonly called smart matter, programmable matter can be most easily defined as matter that has the capability to change its physical properties in a programmable fashion. Depending on the specific type of programmable matter it might make these changes based on user input or detected changes in its environment. Programmable matter can range from metamaterials to claytronics. Probably the most import type of programmable matter used by the Commonwealth are claytronics, nanomachines that form together to create larger and more complex machines. Typically referred to as "smart metal", claytronics can be used to construct everything from a computer to a warship. Because of its properties large structures, such as space ships, made out of smart metal are self-repairing, can change size and shape while in use, and can even split itself into smaller structures. Armor made out of smart metal would be self-repairing and could react to incoming fire (such as making itself sloped or hardening itself).[/hider][hider=Q-Thruster]Short for quantum vacuum plasma thruster, Q-thrusters are a type of reactionless drive used to propel almost all of the ships used by the Valyncian Commonwealth. Q-thrusters make use of the virtual particles produced by a zero point generator by charging the particles, effectively turning the particles into plasma. The particles are then exposed to a crossed electric and magnetic field which induces a force on the particles. As the particles are expelled in one direction an equal force is applied on the rest of the ship, thus propelling it in the opposite direction. Because of the way they function Q-thrusters do not require fuel, thus saving space in the ship and eliminating the risks inherent with many conventional fuels.[/hider][hider=Railguns] These electrically powered electromagnetic projectile launchers are one of Commonwealth's main types of weapons. Because of their nature the power of a railgun can be raised or lowered to meet the operator's need, meaning that a handheld railgun can be tuned down from a deadly weapon to a kid's toy. The rounds fired by a railgun are not limited to metal slugs. Explosive rounds, nuclear rounds, torpedoes, and even space craft can be fired from a railgun if it was designed with that capability in mind.[/hider][hider=Space-Time Bubbles]To travel faster than the speed of light Commonwealth ships form a space-time bubble around themselves. This space-time bubble is capable of transporting anything inside of it through hyperspace, referred to in this context as “plain space” (“real space” is a reference to the normal universe). The space-time bubble itself is a self-contained universe with the space-time bubble generator as its rough center, meaning that anything inside the bubble can move around normally. The ship that houses the space-time bubble generator has limited freedom of movement in the bubble. Space-time bubbles can merge or divide from each other, changing their size in the process. Ships in a merged space time bubble have far greater freedom of movement. Space-time bubbles aren't limited to space ships; communications pods and torpedoes can also house a space-time bubble generator.[/hider][hider=Zero Point Generator] Arguably the most important technological achievement of the Valyncian Commonwealth is the harnessing of zero-point energy. Using the dynamic Casimir effect, two reflective flat plates are placed a few nanometers apart. These plates are then manipulated in such a way that they osculate, producing particles and energy in the process. The zero point generator was important in that it essentially created energy for free, except for the initial energy required to start the generator in the first place and subsequent maintenance of the generator. The zero point generator first saw use in space craft, which they were used to power and propel without fuel. Later developments allowed for the construction of massive zero point power plants that provide power for entire countries. While the virtual particles produced by a zero point generator are inherently useless, due to ceasing to exist after a short amount of time, by charging these particles they can be made useable for a wide variety of applications. It wouldn't be an understatement to declare the zero point generator as the foundation of modern Commonwealth technology.[/hider]