Porg Government

From Carpe Chaos

Contents

Overview

The Union of Sovereign Governments (USG) is the present-day Porg government. Originally formed as an alliance of sovereign nations, the USG has since evolved into a unified, technocratic, asymmetric federation. The terms "union" and "sovereign governments" are artifacts of history and do not reflect current Porg governance. The member states of the USG are in no way sovereign nations; the USG is the only real governing body.

The USG is a weighted democratic republic with three branches: legislative, executive, and judicial. The legislative branch is a unicameral body known simply as Parliament and is responsible for the creation of laws and legislation in the form of bills. Parliament is composed of democratically elected provincial Representatives, two from each individual province. A single planet will usually have multiple provinces, each with their own Representatives. Bills are either drafted by Representatives and then sent to committees made up of both Representatives and experts in fields relating to the bill, or the idea for a bill may be proposed by one or more Representatives to be drafted by a committee. Representatives are given weighted votes on individual bills or issues.

The executive branch is responsible for the enforcement of laws as established by Parliament. The chief officers of executive administrative agencies, which handle all aspects of life in the USG, as well as a number of independently appointed cabinet chairs meet together in a body known as the Cabinet. There is no single "head of state" in the USG; the Cabinet acts as a collective body in its decisions. The Cabinet also includes a representative each from the legislative branch, the judicial branch, and the military. The military as a whole is also a part of the executive branch.

The judicial branch is made up of a system of courts which try all civil and criminal cases within the USG. Lawyers must have a law degree and a license to practice in their chosen locale; judges must prove their knowledge of the law to a panel of legal professors and practicing lawyers. There are multiple levels of courts, going all the way up to a Supreme Court of the USG made up of seven judges.

Individual provinces and planets still retain local governments; however, these are subordinate to USG laws and regulations and typically deal with smaller, administrative issues that are significant only to the local population. These local governments are considered a training ground for up-and-coming politicians; Porgs looking to become powerful figures in the USG often get their start in local government.

Economically, the USG is primarily libertarian in that many public services are contracted out to private companies. This includes the maintenance of roads and transportation services, sanitation, communication services, and (to an extent) the military, which is made up partly of a standing army and partly of private organizations that are hired on a per-operation basis.

History

Elements of the USG can be traced to the Luthoth Empire, the first weighted technocracy, but largely it is a product of the Hell War, the three-day nuclear exchange that killed 30% of the population and destroyed 60% of the cities on Artacuse. In the immediate postwar period, the surviving governments were forced to work together simply to ensure the continuation of the Porg species. Treaties and agreements to share food, medical supplies, and other humanitarian aid were worked out in amazingly short order in an impressive display of unity and cooperation.

Those states that still had nuclear weapons began disarming them as quickly as possible, in order to prevent the possibility of another such war. Troops were demobilized and put to work repairing infrastructure and keeping the peace among civilians. These former soldiers and civilians did not always see eye-to-eye, and there were several violent clashes between the two groups. As a result, the governments began forming a global code of conduct in the form of an international legal code that rapidly superseded the laws of any individual nation.

The economies of most nations were put under direct national control, at least for a while, just to keep most industries functioning. Many nations were forced to rely heavily on imports from other nations; as a result, economic ties between nations were strengthened.

All three of these movements—political treaties, military disarmament, and economic interdependency—contributed to the rise of the USG as the only postwar institution capable of ensuring the survival of the Porg species. Governments realized that they had no chance of surviving and protecting their citizens without the assistance of other nations, and thus were forced to join the USG merely to assure their continued existence. While the individual member nations of the USG continued to claim sovereignty, it soon became clear that any claims to true independence were without substance. Less than a century after the creation of the USG, only the most die-hard and independent-minded politicians continued to assert that individual nations could survive on their own, and as the USG made impressive strides towards undoing the damage of the Hell War, these views rapidly fell out of favor.

At present day, the USG is an interplanetary government in all but name. The boundaries of individual nations exist on paper, but they have little political, economic, or even cultural value.

Present-Day Porg (USG) Government

The official capital of the USG is the planet Artacuse. Parliament, the Cabinet, and the Supreme Court all meet on Artacuse. Lower-ranking officials, bureaucratic organizations, and other offices are on the neighboring planet of Ouphen. The local government of Artacuse is also located on-planet, and as the homeworld of the Porgs their policies have great influence on the workings of the entire USG. Artacuse and Ouphen are categorized as Conglomerate Planets, and as such they share a local government.

Legislative Branch

The legislative branch of the USG creates and passes all laws at the federal level. Although provincial governments may pass laws that pertain to their specific populations, these are purely local laws that do not conflict with federal laws.

Parliament

Parliament is the legislative authority within the USG. Every province in the USG elects two Representatives to Parliament, which meets in the Witenagemot Citadel on Artacuse. New laws and legislation are created within Parliament as bills, which are drafted in committees made up of Representatives and experts in a variety of fields, or proposed in their completed forms and then amended in committee.

Bills

Any member of Parliament may propose a bill to The Information Board to try and gather support and co-sponsors for the idea. Once a bill has a sufficient level of support, it is sent to committee to be amended and voted on. Members of Parliament can also propose a Motion for Action, which forms a committee with the responsibility of drafting the bill itself, and the voting on it. After the bill has been drafted, the committee votes on its adoption. If the bill is approved by committee, Parliamentary Representatives have a certain amount of time to object to the bill in its current form. If there are no objections, the bill becomes law. Some types of bills require a full floor vote regardless of any objections.

Technocratic advisers, often referred to simply as "experts," can vote on bills but not sponsor them. Advisers are not given a vote on the general floor unless an issue went through their committee, and they are only summoned when their services are needed.

Once a bill has been drafted and sent to a committee, it may only be considered for one Porg year. If a bill has not been passed within that year, it will not be up for consideration in the next Parliamentary session and must be re-proposed by a member of Parliament and go through committee a second time.

It is possible, and not uncommon, for Representatives to attempt to attach riders or extra language to bills, in order to favor their special interests. However, advisers often crack down on such "superfluous language" in committee.

Parliamentary Committees

Most of the work of Parliament is done in committees, which consider and amend proposed bills. Bills are first proposed to The Information Board, where they need to gather a minimum number of Representatives as support before being sent to committee. Every member of Parliament is a member of at least one committee; junior Representatives are usually on fewer committees for the first few years of their term. Committees are comprised of both Parliamentary Representatives and technocratic advisers from relevant fields. For example, a committee that is discussing a bill concerning trade laws would include economists and perhaps scholars that study the culture(s) that the Porg would be trading with. These experts are often academics or industry professionals. The experts, by law, cannot be employed in any way while serving on a committee, although there are many exceptions for health care professionals and professors employed at public universities. The committee members are nominated by the Appointments Division of the Executive Branch.

There are many permanent committees in Parliament that are recycled to address long-term issues such as agriculture, the economy, education, and the military. When a new issue arises that requires federal action, an appropriate committee is created. For example, if an increase in pirate attacks near Haelia leads to a proposal to increase punishments for captured pirates, a committee will be formed to study the issue and draft a bill. This committee could be called the "Haelia Pirate Punishment Committee" and several Parliamentary Representatives will be nominated for positions, along with Representatives from Haelia. Military and legal experts from outside Parliament will be nominated as well.

Once a committee is formed, its members begin reviewing the issue. Committees are allowed to hold hearings and collect evidence while issues are discussed and debated. These deliberations are put on record. This information is always made publicly available to all USG citizens. After an issue has been reviewed, the committee drafts a bill and then votes on it. If the bill was already proposed in a finished or nearly finished state, a committee may be formed simply to vote on the bill as it stands or amend it as necessary. The weights of votes assigned to experts and Parliamentary Representatives on a committee are determined through a complex process outlined in the USG constitution.

Once the bill has been approved by the committee, it then goes through a process called "passing through the floor," which is a period where any member of Parliament may object to the bill in its current form. If there are any objections the committee sessions are usually reviewed, additional debate or discussion is added, and the bill then receives a general floor vote from the entire Parliament. This is a special measure to prevent abuse of the system by committee members, but it can also be used by Representatives to bog down Parliament in procedure and stall a bill from being passed. These floor votes most often confirm the decisions originally made by the committee. If there are no objections during this period, the bill officially becomes law without a general floor vote. There are exceptions; some bills always require a general floor vote (such as approval of the yearly budget).

Parliamentary Votes

In general, Parliamentary Representatives prefer not to force a full floor vote on a bill. In the case that a floor vote does take place, each Representative is given a single vote, but these votes are weighted (as are the votes in committees). For example, a Representative whose constituency is directly affected by the issue—say, a province whose natural resources are being mined—would have a vote with the equivalent weight of several of his peers, while a Representative who is unaffected by an issue—one from a distant province, perhaps—would receive a vote worth the "standard" amount. The weight of a Representative's vote is determined by a complex system of rules and statistics which are partially laid out in the USG constitution, and partially based on current social theory; this process is overseen by the Chief Appointments Officer of the Executive Branch. The weights of votes are not always multiplied by integers; the vote of a directly affected Representative may count as 12 times the vote of an unaffected party, while the vote of a marginally affected Representative may only count as 1.3 times as much.

All experts present on the committee also participate in the general floor vote for their bill, and the weights of committee members' votes are recalculated to account for the many other votes now being cast for and against the bill. Often, additional experts are included in a general floor vote because a general floor vote usually means the committee's decisions are disputed by other members of Parliament.

Not all Parliamentary Representatives need to be present for a general floor vote to occur. If a Representative fails to appear for a vote, their absence is logged and their vote is not counted. A Representative may also abstain from voting.

Technocratic Advisers

Experts in various fields are appointed to be part of the legislative process. These technocratic advisers, often just referred to as "experts" or "advisers," are chosen for their knowledge of and expertise in a particular field; they provide Parliamentary Representatives with the necessary scientific context to understand the impact of the bills they consider. The appointment process is overseen by the Chief Appointments Officer and Parliament itself. Advisers may serve on multiple committees simultaneously (as many as is reasonable for their schedule), just as Representatives do.

Most often, advisers are former or current professors and academics. Advisers on the economy and industry sometimes come from the business sector. Advisers are allowed to continue their outside careers, and many do; however, the pay is good enough that they can make their living entirely as advisers, with no job outside of the committee(s) they serve on. Most committed technocratic advisers do not serve for more than a few years because reselection for committees is based on one's continued success in one's field(s), and working full-time in Parliament leaves little time for outside work.

The Information Board

The Information Board is a bureaucratic group linked to Parliament, essentially managing the flow of information into and within Parliament. They are a powerful oversight body that performs procedural and administrative duties, including the admission of bills and issues for consideration.

Witenagemot Citadel
Artacuse, the Porg homeworld and location of the Witenagemot Citadel
Witenagemot Citadel on Artacuse is the meeting place of the USG Parliament. The original structure was built at the height of the Luthoth Empire as a meeting house for the governing patriarchs of the Six Houses. After the fall of the empire, it fell into disrepair and ruin. Occasionally it was used as a neutral meeting place for the heads of the regions that came into existence following the empire. During the Three Days of Hell, what was left of the Citadel was destroyed in the initial nuclear exchange. The subsequent coalition of surviving governments that united to become the USG rebuilt the Citadel where it once stood, as a symbol of their hope of creating a unified future.

The rebuilt Citadel is largely based on the original structure's design, but updated: instead of the original stone and wood, the new Citadel is built of ceramics and hardy metal alloys. The new Citadel is also much larger than the original, and because the fledgling USG expected to expand dramatically it was also built in such a way that new wings and buildings could be added as necessary.

Executive Branch

The Executive Branch of the USG is responsible for the enforcement of laws, which are created in the legislative branch, through the use of executive administrative departments. These departments can be established at will by the Executive Branch or by legislative decree by parliament. The executive branch is lead by the Cabinet, which is made up of nine heads of state. Under the cabinet are the many departments, department heads, and other agents of the executive branch. Some of the Executive Branch's agencies include the Department of the Interior and the Department of Xenorelations, and the military.

Cabinet

The Cabinet is comprised of the chief executive government officers in the USG. Each officer, usually referred to as a "chair," represents the interests of a number of departments. The numbers of interested groups that each of the various chairs represent are by no means equal: the Chief Financial Adviser speaks only for the Department of the Economy, while the Head of Development and Stability represents dozens of separate departments.

The USG has no single head of state that possesses a number of powers. Instead, the various powers of the executive branch are divided between the members of the Cabinet. Thus, each Cabinet member speaks for a particular set of interests or opinions, and each Cabinet member is considered a head of state. For example, the Commander-In-Chief possesses the war powers that a chief executive would normally possess, while the Chief Financial Adviser represents the economic interests and concerns of the government as a whole. Although the Head of the Union has the authority to decide which course of action to take when a cabinet vote is deadlocked, this is the only superior authority among cabinet members, and this is the extent of the Head of the Union's non-ceremonial duties.

The USG has a total of nine Cabinet members. They are:

  • Head of the Union
  • The Head of the Union is the closest thing in the USG to a head of state. He resolves all disputes between Cabinet chairs and has certain ceremonial responsibilities in the USG.
  • The Head of the Union is appointed by Parliament; however, traditionally, it has been determined by a popular election in which all USG citizens may cast a vote. After a candidate wins, Parliament then casts a general floor vote confirming the appointment. There has never been a case of Parliament rejecting a candidate who won the popular vote.
  • Candidates from this position traditionally come from Parliament; however, any USG citizen may run for Head of the Union. Some Heads of the Union have been elected and appointed from the military, others from industry, and even several from entertainment.
  • Parliamentary parties often have internal means of selecting and sponsoring a candidate of their choosing for the popular election. These methods differ from party to party.
  • Chief Appointments Officer (CAO)
  • This position is filled solely through Parliamentary procedure. An individual must first be nominated by a Parliamentary representative and then must win a Parliamentary general floor vote. After nomination, all candidates receive a psychiatric and criminal evaluation; the evaluator is the only technocratic adviser that participates in these votes. If the evaluator approves the candidate, a simple majority of Representatives is all that is needed. If the evaluator does not approve the candidate, for whatever reason, a two-thirds majority of Representatives is needed to elect the candidate.
  • There is no requirement in the USG constitution that the CAO must also be an elected official in order to serve as CAO; however, every CAO elected thus far has also been an elected representative, and the vast majority have come directly from Parliament.
  • After being elected, a CAO may no longer serve as a member of Parliament, even after his term as CAO is up.
  • Commander-In-Chief
  • The candidate for this position is recommended by the USG military's current Fleet Admirals and Marshals.
  • The appointment must be approved by a Parliamentary general floor quorum.
  • This office has the authority to initiate war, although the official declaration is left to Parliament.
  • This position oversees the execution of warfare, and officially declares the objectives of warfare, although much input is made by Parliament and the Diplomat-in-Chief.
  • A declaration of martial law or war requires the agreement of the Commander-In-Chief and the Diplomat-In-Chief.
  • The military as a whole is part of the executive branch.
  • The Head of Parliament is simultaneously a member of the cabinet and a Representative of Parliament, though this in itself does not grant the chair any additional privileges in Parliament. This position represents the interests and opinions of Parliament as a whole.
  • As with the CAO, this position is filled solely by a Parliamentary vote. An individual must first be nominated by a Parliamentary representative and then must win a simple majority—more than 50%—in a Parliamentary general floor vote.
  • The representative from the judicial branch.
  • Senior and distinguished judges from the judicial branch are nominated to this position by the CAO, much as with the Supreme Court. However, because judges on the Supreme Court—Supreme Judges—are elected for life, they cannot be appointed to the position of Chief Justice.
  • Chief Internal Officer
  • The representative of the Department of the Interior, the Department of Infrastructure, and the Department of Parks, Monuments, and Public Facilities. Shared oversight of the Bureau of Ports with Chief Financial Adviser.
  • The CIO monitors the operations and budget of the USG.
  • Chief Financial Adviser
  • The CFA speaks on behalf of the USG's economic interests.
  • He must be nominated by the CAO, and is usually a prominent economic theorist. After nomination, he is confirmed by a general floor vote in Parliament, where he must win at least 50% approval.
  • This official is responsible for a multitude of departments, by far the most of the Cabinet chairs. His job is to ensure the continued development and improvement of the USG, while also maintaining stability and minimizing the disruptive effects of this growth.
  • Diplomat-In-Chief
  • Head of the Department of Xenorelations, which oversees all interaction with other species. This includes peaceful foreign relations, negotiations between planetary governments, and military conflict (though of course actual strategy is left to the military).
  • A declaration of martial law or war requires the agreement of the Commander-in-Chief and the Diplomat-in-Chief.

Department of the Interior

The Department of the Interior (DoI) is responsible for oversight of the federal government. The DoI tracks the functions and efficiency of all department and agencies and monitors the budget of the USG as a whole. They are also responsible for ensuring that no government officials abuse their power; they work closely with the Judicial Branch to track allegations of corruption.

Department of the Economy

The Department of the Economy (DotE) monitors the current economic situation of the USG, including the national debt and the budget. It also negotiates exchange rates between the credit (the USG currency) and all other commonly used currencies of the galaxy. It manages taxation and spending for the USG. The DotE also includes the Department of Trade, which handles the imports and exports of the USG.

Many of the officials of the DotE have risen to their positions from industry; their expertise in the economy at the "ground level" is highly valued.

Although the USG is strongly libertarian in its economic outlook in that it encourages entrepreneurship and competition, there is also strong support for regulation and consumer protection. The Porg have learned that economic competition, while driving innovation, can sometimes come at the expense of the citizenry. As a result, there are numerous regulatory bodies within the DotE which ensure that industries and companies do not harm consumers in their pursuit of new and better products and services.

Department of Xenorelations

The Department of Xenorelations (DoX) is responsible for all interspecies interaction. The DoX's highest-ranking officials are selected by the Executive Branch with Parliamentary oversight and approval before confirmation of the appointment. The DoX has ambassadors for every known species in the galaxy capable of space travel. The ambassadors represent Porg interests and conduct USG business with that species; there are entire departments for each of the Treaty Races. Interactions with the Glea are handled through a special committee which is made up of members of both the DoX and the Department of the Environment.

The DoX's authority is respected both within the USG proper and with all members of the Treaty. There are two major divisions within the DoX: the Internal Department of Xenorelations and the External DoX. The Internal Department (not to be confused with the Department of the Interior) is involved with all interactions with alien species which are initiated by the Porgs; it advises all branches of the USG on their interactions with alien species. For example, if the Department of Trade (a sub-division of the Department of the Economy) proposes opening relations with an alien species, the Internal DoX will advise on the situation as necessary. The Internal DoX also includes a branch that monitors all non-Porg USG citizens. The External DoX participates in those interactions which are initiated by the alien species and not by the Porgs. The External DoX is the department through which all species, including the Treaty Races, maintain contact with the USG, though of course the actions of the USG towards other races are decided by a number of agencies.

The External DoX also includes a branch that secretly tracks the activities of all Treaty Races and reports directly to the Cabinet as well as the Parliamentary Union Committee on Treaty Races Relations (PUCTRR). This branch's existence is a secret within the USG, although most of the Treaty Races suspect that the Porg are keeping tabs on them through extralegal means.

Of all Treaty Races, the Porgs are by far the most active in enforcing the Treaty. If a violation of a treaty—whether the First Interstellar Treaty, or any other sort of agreement with another species—is reported, and there is sufficient evidence supporting the claim, a committee of the highest-ranking members of the DoX (including Internal and External branches) will begin deliberations with representatives of the other species. These representatives typically include the appointed diplomatic officials of the other race, as well as members of whatever group may have been affected by the treaty violation. For example, if the violation involved trade between the two species, high-ranking officials of corporations and other economic bodies may be involved. If the violation involves media—for example, if there was a libelous piece of news or entertainment regarding another species—officials or private individuals who have a vested interest in or are responsible for the creation of the relevant media may be involved. The committee as a whole investigates the claim, deliberates over the evidence, and comes to a final conclusion as to whether reparations are called for. If necessary, the incident may also be tried as a legal case in the judicial branch's FAR courts. If arbitration or mediation through the DoX fails, the DoX will alert senior members of the USG Military and the Cabinet as a prelude to a possible declaration of war.

It is a general policy of the DoX, and the USG as a whole, not to interfere with the affairs of non-Treaty Races. The DoX will take into consideration a mutually beneficial agreement with a non-Treaty Race only when the benefits of the new agreement far outweigh the negative potential of Porg involvement.

Judiciary Oversight Committee (JOC)

The Judiciary Oversight Committee (JOC) is the executive branch's check on the judicial branch. Individuals can bring forward complaints or allegations of misconduct against specific members of the judicial branch, at which point investigators will begin reviewing court records, the accused's personal affairs, and any other evidence that may have an impact on the case. Once the evidence has been reviewed, the JOC may initiate proceedings against the judicial official, which proceeds in a courtlike setting. The judges for these cases are chosen on a case-by-case basis; they must be experienced judges who have no known ties to the accused and, preferably, who do not live in the same planetary system.

Department of Civil Authority

The Department of Civil Authority (DoCA) enforces civil law on all planets in the USG; it functions as the policing arm of the USG. However, there is a significant difference between the USG police and those of most other sentient races: in keeping with their libertarian ideals, the USG outsources the actual job of policing to corporate police groups, giving them long-term contracts to keep the peace on specified planets or sections thereof. Police groups are bound by multiple restrictions on how they may act in a given situation and what level of force is applicable against certain threats; police groups that break these restrictions have their contracts terminated and are often sued or criminally prosecuted.

Under the Chief of Stability and Development

The Chief of Stability and Development represents the interests of a number of departments, more than any other chair. This position is seen as particularly difficult, as the Chief must balance the goals of all of these departments, some of which may be mutually exclusive. The terms "stability" and "development" are broad umbrellas covering a number of departments, among them:

  • Covering the issues of housing, employment, and other social work.
  • Department of the Environment (DoEv)
  • This department regulates the environmental impact of development as well as intentional climate modifications. It also works to develop processes and technologies to repair any damage already inflicted, and has a major role in the terraforming of new worlds.
  • The DoEv lead the effort to remove the fallout and environmental damage on Artacuse caused by the Hell War.
  • Department of Agriculture (DoA)
  • This is a somewhat misleading name, as Porg agriculture includes large amounts of aquaculture, but agriculture is the usual translation of the term.
  • This department oversees patents and copyrights in the USG.

Department of Colonization

The Department of Colonization (DoC) oversees the process of adding new planets and colonies to the USG. Under USG law, if a private citizen of the USG lands on an unclaimed and uninhabited planet and claims it for the USG, it immediately becomes a USG territory. The DoC then helps decide what type of representation in the USG the planet requires, as well as what kind of resources can be extracted—or, in some cases, must be protected—on the planet.

The actual process of colonization is almost entirely uncontrolled by the USG; it is left in the hands of private citizens, corporations, and occasionally the military. The DoC does not suggest planets to colonize, although it does provide map data and information about potentially viable planets. Rather, the department catalogs and establishes communication with colonies and oversees their integration into the USG as necessary.

Intelligence Gathering

The gathering of military and civilian intelligence is handled by the executive branch, but it is not the purview of a single, central department. Each wing of the military and every branch of government gathers intelligence within their sphere of activity—for example, the Department of the Economy gathers information related to the economies of other species and governments—and shares that information efficiently with other bodies within their government. Because many departments and smaller regional governments do not have the necessary personnel to carry out desired operations, much intelligence gathering is outsourced to private contractors, who must be found and hired by the department in need of information.

Military Forces

The Porg Military (see the Porg Military section below) is part of the executive branch.

Judicial Branch

The judicial branch is made up of a system of courts which interpret the law and administer justice to all citizens of the USG.

Lawyers must possess both a law degree and a license in order to practice. In keeping with the technocratic ideals of the USG, judicially-minded Porgs can only become judges after studying the legal system and proving their knowledge of the law to a panel of legal professors and practicing lawyers. After this examination, they are then sworn in by the local authority and become full-fledged judges.

Courts

The courts determine criminal and civil justice in accordance with the laws passed by Parliament. The criminal courts receive their information from police reports. Not all crimes are required to be reported to the police; however, if a police report is not filed within the statute of limitations then it is difficult to proceed with trial, though special hearings may be granted if the defendant can show reason why a crime could not be reported.

There are no jury trials within the USG. All cases are heard and decided by a single judge, except for certain special cases and the Supreme Court.

Appeals Courts

Appellate courts exist to address the grievances of defendants who feel they have been ruled against unjustly. An appellate judge reviews the case and the evidence and comes to a final ruling. If the defendant is still unsatisfied, he can petition to have the decision reviewed by higher courts, and eventually by the Supreme Court of the USG.

Supreme Court

The Supreme Court is a panel of seven judges, called Supreme Judges, that have served for many years as judges in lower courts. Senior or distinguished judges from lower courts are appointed to the Supreme Court by the Chief Appointments Officer of the executive branch.

The Court mostly judges the constitutionality of laws that have been passed by Parliament, thus serving as a check on the legislative branch. However, a defendant who feels he has not received justice even after an appeal can petition to have his case reviewed by the Supreme Court. The Court receives far more petitions to review cases than they have time to adjudicate, and thus are very selective about which cases they choose to hear.

Executive and Legislative Oversight (ELO) Courts

The Executive and Legislative Oversight (ELO) courts are a check on both the legislative and executive branches. These courts are made up of qualified legal professionals, selected randomly within the jurisdictions they oversee. If an ELO judge will be overseeing a provincial government, he will be drawn from the pool of judges, lawyers, and legal professors within that province; if an ELO judge will be overseeing Parliament, he will be chosen from federal appeals courts, Parliamentary legal experts, and province-level supreme courts. Candidates for ELO courts are nominated based on their demonstrated expertise in the law—usually they are among the most experienced members of their profession—but the final decision is left up to a randomization program, which selects the necessary number of judges from the pool of candidates. This is done to prevent any favoritism in choosing the judges; as the representatives chosen to handle corruption, they must themselves be beyond suspicion. ELO judges' terms are limited to 50 years. On average, between 5% and 20% of nominees are selected at some point, although not necessarily in the first year they are nominated.

ELO judges, like all members of the judicial branch, may themselves be investigated and disbarred by the Judiciary Oversight Committee of the executive branch.

Foreign Alien Relations (FAR) Courts

All non-USG citizens must obey all laws of the Porg government while they are in USG space; they receive no special consideration. In the case that a non-Porg commits a crime under USG law, they are tried in a Foreign Alien Relations (FAR) court. These courts are set up to deal with the cultural, social, and biological differences involved in trying a defendant of a different species (or in having a plaintiff of a different species, though this is less common). Court procedures are generally the same as in the standard courts, except where changes are necessary to accommodate the aliens. For example, translators are almost always present in the court, even if the alien speaks Erü; this is necessary to ensure that the specifics of the case are communicated as clearly as possible. There are also experts in the alien's culture present to explain any specific practices or cultural differences that need to be overcome. Despite differences in the court procedures, sentencing is exactly the same as in the standard courts. Aliens are given no special treatment.

FAR courts also try ambassadors with political immunity in the event that they commit a crime while in USG territory. In these cases, they try the ambassadors under the laws of their home government. This means that if an ambassador were to commit an act which is considered a crime under USG law, but not under the law of their own government, the USG would be unable to prosecute them. In cases where the USG obtains a conviction against an ambassador, the punishment is occasionally substituted with deportation back to the ambassador's home government.

Because non-native intelligent species are not allowed on Artacuse, the planet has no FAR courts.

Brain Implants and Self-Incrimination

The Porg brain implant allows for the storage of an individual's entire life experience, including all of their memories. Obviously, this could be a valuable tool for determining the truth of an event: if there is a dispute over what a particular Porg has done, the data on the brain implant could easily be checked. Shortly after the invention of the brain implant, a particularly enterprising prosecutor attempted to use the data on the defendant's implant as evidence in the trial. However, the USG legal system has laws to protect an individual from self-incrimination, and the defense was able to argue that using the implant data in such a way would violate these laws. This decision has since become a universally recognized precedent in USG law, and present-day judges would never consider allowing a Porg's implant records to be used against them in a trial.

Punitive Measures

The Porg approach to punishment is essentially a combination of two ideas:

  • Let the punishment fit the crime, and
  • Let the criminal serve the community.

Following the first idea, it would be foolish and inefficient to force all criminals to serve the same type of punishment regardless of their crime. Thus, those who have committed economic crimes (embezzlement and so forth) have their earnings garnished; those who have committed immigration offenses are deported; those who break the conditions of a license (driving, weapon ownership, etc.) have their license revoked, usually in addition to another punishment; and so forth. Many lesser offenses are punished with enforced community service. Prison is a common punishment for many types of crime, although more common is being sent to a rehabilitation prison, which is essentially a prison with treatment programs designed to prevent the criminal from continuing to commit crimes. Most sentences can be reduced by attempting rehabilitation programs. Tracking devices are used in cases where the criminal does not deserve to be imprisoned, but still might be tempted to flee USG space.

The reasoning behind the second idea is that criminals have hurt society in some way, and though their rehabilitation is crucial so too is ensuring proper reparations to society. In the previous examples, economic criminals must contribute to the economy they have hurt; criminals who subvert the laws of "belonging" to society must be forced out; and dangerous individuals (who do not obey the terms of a license) must be made less of a danger (by revoking that license). Community service is a "catch-all" way of ensuring that criminals contribute in some way to the society whose laws they have broken.

Geographic Divisions

The USG has jurisdiction over all Porg-controlled planets. Each new planet has a planetary government and provincial government; some planets are comprised of multiple provinces. The planetary government or, in the case of conglomerate planets, the stellar government, decides how sub-regions (districts, counties, municipalities) will be divided.

On Artacuse, the homeworld of the Porg, there is an additional division of "Sovereign State." These regions were the original 138 sovereign nations which formed the USG after the Hell War. The provinces of some historic sovereign states have been divided into counties. At least one sovereign state on Artacuse has only municipal governments immediately below the sovereign state government; in other words, they have no provincial, county, or district governments. Other planets are almost exclusively subdivided into provinces which contain counties and, when the population is dense enough, counties divided into districts.

Land controlled by the USG that hasn't been officially incorporated into a planetary government is designated a "USG Territory," although this term is also colloquially used to refer to all territory under USG jurisdiction.

Planetary Categories for Federal Autonomy

An orbital diagram of the Porg home system (click for larger). Artacuse (labeled) and Ouphen (the 6th planet from the central star) together they share a Conglomerate Planetary Government.
The USG is an asymmetric federation. There are three levels of federal autonomy: Central Planets, Conglomerate Planets, and Distinct Planets. What level a planet is given depends upon the level of autonomy it requires in its governance, and is not necessarily a measure of its population or economic significance.
Central Planets are densely populated and easily accessible via tube travel. These planets are the only planetary colony in their system or maintain distinctly different cultures and environments from the rest of the planets in their system. Each Central Planet has its own planetary government. These are relatively weak in comparison to the USG federal government, and regulate primarily local concerns.
  • Example: Reban faces different political issues than the other planets in its system, but it is not sufficiently isolated, nor is its culture distinct enough, to require designation as a Distinct Planet.
Conglomerate Planets are several planets whose planetary governments function as one body, although their provincial, county, or city governments are still independent bodies. Many outside entities address these planets as a single planet. They are always in the same solar system, usually with similar cultures and environments, and are typically highly populated. These planets share the same regulatory body because of their similarity and shared interests. Multiple planets will regularly be designated a conglomerate planet in order to reduce bureaucracy, as when several planets already act in accordance with one another; however, this also reduces autonomy because these planets must then function as one unit. They are afforded the same rights and restrictions as Central Planets.
  • Example: Artacuse and Ouphen are considered a single, conglomerate planet for political purposes.
Distinct Planets are either very remote via tube travel or very culturally distinct (or both), and so require a higher level of autonomy in order to function effectively. The degree of autonomy differs from case to case, and is not constitutionally or legislatively defined. Rights and restrictions may vary widely from other USG planets.
  • Example: the Montarist world of Kaile, which is afforded autonomy both because of its remote location and the unique and universal religious views of its population.

Local Government Structure

The hierarchy of government in the USG is as follows:

  • USG Federal Government
  • Stellar Governments (only in the case of Conglomerate Planets; see below)
  • Planetary Governments
  • Sovereign State Governments (only in the case of Artacuse; see below)
  • Provincial Governments
  • County Governments
  • District Governments
  • Municipal/Village Governments

Stellar governments only exist for Conglomerate Planets: they take the place of planetary governments. Sovereign states only exist on Artacuse: they are the remaining elements of the originally sovereign governments that originally founded the USG. They are a remnant of the USG's creation; there is no way to create new sovereign state governments.

Each level of government coordinates the various governments immediately below it. Thus, a planetary government will coordinate and oversee all the provincial governments on a particular planet, and a provincial government will coordinate all the county governments within that province.

All new USG territory is governed by provinces and planetary governments. As settlers populate the planet, county, district, and municipal governments will be created as needed to serve the new population. Non-terraformed planets do not need provincial governments, or indeed any real government at all, as they are unpopulated; they are USG Territories and do not have any representation in the USG federal government.

Local governments are always subordinate to the USG federal government. Their laws and regulations cannot conflict with laws passed by Parliament; for example, no local government could decriminalize murder. However, the federal government leaves many areas of regulation up to local governments, in the belief that certain laws should reflect the needs and desires of individual communities. For example, paying for basic civil services—sanitation, construction, and so forth—is left up to local governments to regulate.

Citizenship in the USG

All Porgs are automatically given USG citizenship upon registration, which usually occurs shortly after birth. Montarists are an exception to the norm: although their colonies are technically part of the USG and they can become citizens, few choose to register their children at birth. In cases where a Porg was unable to be registered immediately at birth and seeks to register at a later age, the process is generally streamlined and more quickly completed than for a non-Porg who wishes to become a USG citizen. Any non-Porg aliens born in USG territory, regardless of their parents' citizenship status must go through a lengthy application process. The USG only grants citizenship to members of a Treaty Race.

Citizenship may be given up voluntarily. It may also be revoked for treason.

Citizenship ID Number

All USG citizens have a unique ID number, which is assigned by the USG at the time they become a citizen. All USG citizens' numbers are stored and tracked in multiple central databases and are used for a variety of purposes, including voting and vehicle registration. ID numbers are recycled; some time after their original owners die, citizenship ID numbers are passed on to new citizens.

Citizens' Rights

Personal rights are defined at the federal level and cannot be modified by local governments. The USG has defined the drinking age, the minimum age for military service, the minimum age to possess a pilot's license, and the minimum age to own personal weaponry.

USG citizens are protected against self-incrimination in much the same manner as United States citizens; they have the equivalent of the Fifth Amendment in their legal system. Similarly, Porg private residences are protected against searches by law enforcement: law enforcement generally require a search warrant in order to enter and search a dwelling.

Prohibitions

In keeping with the libertarian ideals of the USG, there are no prohibition laws at the federal level; any and all known substances that produce hallucinogenic, narcotic, stimulant, or other effects are perfectly legal to produce, purchase, distribute, and consume. Some substances may be difficult to obtain, but none are illegal.

However, lower levels of government can and do pass laws controlling certain substances within their jurisdiction. Moreover, drugs may be outlawed for certain occupations or in certain contexts. Law enforcement officers may not be under the influence of certain classes of drugs while on duty, for example, and certain sports may ban players who ingest performance-enhancing substances.

Economy

The currency of the USG is the credit. It exists entirely in digital form; even before the Hell War, paper money and coins had been phased out of some nations. All transactions can be handled through the intergalactic digital networks of the USG. When it is necessary to perform transactions physically, anonymous credit can be used instead; these credits cannot be easily tracked and so are generally not trusted as much as purely digital transactions. This also makes anonymous credit ideal for performing illicit exchanges and purchases.

Taxes

The USG constitution does not allow the levying of taxes on existence, and the only taxes that can be placed on income are for USG-wide services. All other taxes are collected from those who will directly benefit from the use of the money gained through the tax.

Income taxes go to fund services that are necessary to ensure a healthy, productive citizenry: health care, defense, and education. Taxes for the purpose of education are something of a special case in that schools can be partially funded by taxes taken from across the USG, but are supplemented by additional taxes—usually property taxes—placed only on those who use the school.

Other taxes are those placed only on those who use the services that are being funded. For example, taxes on fuel for ground vehicles pay for roads, tolls pay for bridges, and renters' and property taxes pay for law enforcement and firefighters.

Trade

The USG Department of Trade is the main government entity that controls trade, both domestic (between sovereign states of the USG) and foreign.

The USG's primary export is knowledge and services: education, medicine, security, exploration, and technical advising. They export large amounts of low-tech products that can be produced in automated factories, such as tools and textiles. The USG also exports a small amount of four-dimensional technology, but all such exports are carefully monitored and heavily taxed. They do not trade ships with interstellar or shielding capabilities, but they do sell ship-based weaponry with other Treaty Races.

The USG's major import is food. Both the Xotron Central Authority and the NTE and Turikasuul clans export large amounts of food from their farming colonies to the Porgs; consequently, the USG has run up a major trade deficit to both species by the start of the Embarnik Era.

Health Care

The USG Department of Health (DoH) is the main government entity that oversees health care in the USG. The DoH supervises and administers health care services and manages the health insurance of USG citizens.

The USG health care system is the best in the known universe. However, this quality comes at a high price; health care spending represents the single largest portion of the USG's budget, averaging 27% of the budget. (Military spending averages another 24%, followed by research and exploration funds at 21% and interest on foreign debt at 11.5%.) Universal health care is provided for all USG citizens. All Porg citizens are identified for health care purposes by their Porg PCs, which are linked to their unique government ID numbers. Non-citizens are identified by alternative methods—generally retinal patterns or skin or blood samples, depending on the species. All USG citizens are taxed for public health care services.

One area in which the USG health care system is particularly advanced is mental health. Preventive health care measures for mental illnesses which are not immediately or obviously dangerous—anxiety disorders, mild depression, anger management, and so forth—are all covered by the health care system, and this coverage has had a measurably positive effect on USG society.

Treatment and Health Care Services

Health care services, including emergency treatment, are divided into tiers depending on the expense of a treatment; the highest tiers—the most expensive, extensive, and specialized treatments—are available only to USG citizens. The next highest tier is available to all Treaty Races; below that are treatments available to non-Treaty Races. Once a treatment or service has been refined below a certain price point, it is made available to lower tiers. Some extraordinary treatments are so phenomenally expensive that paying for them may take several lifetimes of earnings, but these may be provided free of charge to extremely important or highly-placed individuals in the USG. Treatments such as these have become less common since the development of brain implants, since cloning a new body and transferring a Porg's brain's contents to the cloned body will remedy virtually all non-genetic ailments.

In emergency situations, USG hospitals provide necessary care in nearly all cases regardless of the patient's status or ability to pay. For example, non-Treaty Races will be given treatment needed to save their life from impending death: if a Garnam is bleeding out in a public thoroughfare, his wounds will be given necessary care to forestall death. However, if a terminal illness were discovered in the course of admitting him, he would be notified but not given treatment unless he were able to pay for it.

Preventive care for individuals of Treaty Races and non-Treaty Races is available, but only if those individuals have private coverage.

Any species that is not considered hanau will not be treated at a USG hospital, regardless of payment, and must be treated at a veterinary clinic.

Health Care Research

Research on the diseases and conditions of Porgs is undertaken by private companies but funded by the government. Grants are awarded to those companies with promising research or a track record of valuable results and are awarded by the Parliamentary Union Committee on Health (PUCH) in conjunction with the DoH. See the Medicine section of the Porg Technology article for more information on common diseases and afflictions of Porgs.

Hospitals and Clinics

Virtually all hospitals in the USG—87% in the Embarnik Era—are privately owned and funded, but all USG-citizen-run hospitals receive government reimbursement for the treatment of USG citizens. These reimbursements and subsidies are determined by the DoH and overseen by the Parliamentary Union Committee on Health (PUCH).

Military

The primary objective of the USG military is to protect and defend the territory of the USG. Their secondary objective is to protect the property of all USG citizens. Their tertiary objective is to prevent and disrupt any attempts to breach the Treaty by military force. The military is entirely under the direct command of the Commander-in-Chief, although the actual decision to go to war requires both the Diplomat-In-Chief and Commander-in-Chief to agree (and the entire Cabinet of the executive branch has the responsibility to inform the choice).

The military operates mainly on a for-hire basis, contracting individuals and groups of USG citizens, and even groups of non-USG citizens, in times of need. This has been determined to be more effective and efficient than a state-controlled military, especially since Private Military Contractors (PMCs) have been shown to be more cost-effective than full-time soldiers, whether conscripts or volunteers.

Porg Armed Forces Breakdown

At any given time, about 40% of the USG military is full-time staff, and this percentage is comprised mostly of administrators, contract handlers, researchers, and office clerks; less than half of the full-time staff are actual soldiers. These soldiers primarily serve in high-security positions, protecting extremely valuable public resources and completing high-risk objectives, though many private organizations and contractors also serve guard duties for these types of targets. Less than 20% of the standing army of the USG are full-time government soldiers.

The remainder of the military is made up of for-hire groups, some of which may be partially or entirely staffed by non-Porgs. These organizations are comprised by individuals who own their own weaponry and equipment and have been vetted by the USG. The hiring and administration of all for-hire groups is managed by the permanent staff of the USG military.

Wealthy Porg citizens generally prefer to use independent contractors to safeguard their property, as permanent staff are usually transfered to protect government buildings or public property in times of war.

Divisions of the USG Military

The USG Military is organizationally divided into two main groups: forces equipped to travel through and conduct battles in space, and those more or less restricted to planetary warfare.

The Fleet Navy

The Fleet Navy is a central component (though not the entirety) of the space-based military of the USG. It includes all of the highest-ranking officials in all the USG space-based forces, as well as government-owned ships and standing crews of those ships. The Fleet Navy is one of the best-equipped space fighting forces in the galaxy, and is renowned and feared by all sentient races. It is exceptionally heavy in command ships and officers, as the Navy often ends up commanding privately-owned ships in large-scale engagements and thus requires a large, dedicated, and established leadership.

Fleet Navy Ranks

Ranks of the Fleet in descending order:

  • Fleet Admiral
  • Admiral
  • Vice Admiral
  • Rear Admiral
  • Captain (Colonel if not currently in command of a ship with more than 4 crew members)
  • Commander
  • Lieutenant Commander
  • Lieutenant
  • Ensign

Notes: Rear Admirals and above are found only in the Fleet Navy. Non-Fleet Navy space-based personnel can only rise to the rank of Captain or Colonel at best. Some private contractors have staff who are in command of one or more Captains, but these individuals are not considered part of the military structure, and are more like executives or management staff of the contractors.

The Planetary Corps

The Planetary Corps is made up of all forces that take part in engagements on a planet's surface and cannot engage in space battles, regardless of whether they are permanent staff of the USG or not, including water- and air-based vehicles (thus, the Planetary Corps contains what would normally be called the "navy" and "air force"). The Corps does not have an elite unit like the Fleet Navy; most conflicts since the signing of the Treaty have been rapidly-moving battles carried out by (or with the support of) spacecraft, with little or no static conflict on planetary surfaces. Thus, there has never been a need for an elite planetary unit equivalent to the Fleet Navy. Thus, in general, the Corps is less visible than the space-based forces of the USG military.

The Planetary Corps is responsible for a large portion of the security and defense assignments throughout the USG.

Units consisting of mixed forces, capable of engaging forces on the surface as well as rapidly deploying with spacecraft, are considered a component of the space forces and not the Planetary Corps.

Planetary Corps Ranks

Ranks of the Planetary Corps in descending order:

  • Marshal
  • General
  • Major General
  • Lieutenant General
  • Major
  • Sergeant
  • Lieutenant
  • Private

Notes: Only permanent staff of the USG military may be Generals or Marshals. Nearly all Major Generals and Lieutenant Generals are permanent staff as well; it is very uncommon for a private contractor to rise as far as the rank of Major General.

Employment Types

There are three categories of Porgs that serve in the USG military: permanent staff; PMCs; and non-military contractors, alien organizations, and mercenaries. Which among these categories an individual or group falls into largely determines what types of missions they may be assigned in a given conflict.

Permanent Staff

Less than half of the permanent staff of the USG military are actual soldiers; the rest are clerical workers, researchers, contract handlers, and other support staff. Of the soldiers, most are part of specialty teams—special forces, or combat groups trained in local diplomacy—or command staff—those in the upper echelons of the military hierarchy who orchestrate the actions of multiple contractors. This includes the entirety of the Fleet Navy. Some soldiers are also embedded in non-permanent staff organizations.

Government special forces are highly-trained units that perform operations outside of conventional, large-scale, army-based conflicts: sabotage, reconnaissance, counter-terrorism, and assassination are all examples of these. Some Private Military Contractors may also be capable of these tasks, and indeed PMCs may be assigned them, but those operations of the highest level of secrecy, security, and importance to the USG military are only given to government soldiers.

Private Military Contractors

The second category of military personnel are Private Military Contractors (PMCs), which are groups of USG citizens (and occasionally a few non-citizens) who command ships or several groups of soldiers, ranging in size from a single ship with offensive capabilities—a capital ship, a wake cruiser, or an armor ship—up to an entire fleet; some corporations are able to assemble a full armada on demand. These organizations are hired by the USG military on a contractual basis. PMCs are often willing to hire aliens, although this is less common among the more highly regimented groups, particularly those that deal with sensitive information. A PMC that has a majority of non-citizen members, or has too many non-citizens in command positions, is downgraded to an "alien organization" and placed in the third category of military forces.

PMCs and their ships are organized for the sole purpose of combat. Some PMCs are well-regimented, long-standing, and virtually indistinguishable from a standard military; these groups generally receive very long contracts with the USG and are given a great deal of leeway with their operations. The quality of a given organization determines what kind of missions they are assigned, as well as what level of security clearance they are given. Well-respected and established PMCs may be given extremely sensitive assignments, although the highest clearances are only given to governmental special forces.

It must be noted that PMCs are not mercenaries, the distinction being that they only accept contracts from the USG. True mercenaries fall into the third category of military personnel.

See also: Porg ship names.

Alien Organizations, Non-Military Contractors, and Mercenaries

The third category of military personnel, making up the remainder of the USG military, is composed of alien organizations, non-military contractors, and mercenaries. Members of this category are generally given less sensitive and more short-term assignments than the more focused Private Military Contractors and the permanent staff.

An "alien organization" is any group with a command structure that is heavy in non-USG citizens, or that has more than a certain ratio of non-citizens to citizens in its membership, regardless of the duties they perform. A private military group must be able to ensure the loyalty of their troops to the USG; if the highest levels of the group are primarily non-citizens, or if there are not enough USG citizens to isolate the non-citizens from sensitive tasks, then the group is prevented from taking on the more crucial and valuable tasks that are assigned to PMCs.

"Non-military contractors" are USG citizens or organizations which do not maintain a regimented military structure. These include craft with little or no offensive capability that can still serve a useful military purpose—even unarmed cargo haulers can carry materiel to the front lines, for example—or small individual attack craft that do not work within a larger structure. Any USG citizen that owns a ship or other militarily useful resource can become a non-military contractor in times of crisis, and indeed, most (historically 90%) will do so when needed.

"Mercenaries"—those that accept military assignments from any group regardless of purpose, political alignment, or other considerations—are also placed into this third category regardless of their citizenship, species, or size.

Foreign Relations

The USG's Department of Xenorelations (DoX) is the main government entity that controls interactions with aliens. They also process any applications from members of non-Porg species that wish to become USG citizens.

Only native intelligent species, which is to say the Porgs and the Glea, are allowed on Artacuse. Members of other hanau species, regardless of their citizenship, may not set foot on the planet. (Non-hanau species are subject to extensive inspection and strict regulation in order to prevent invasive species from contaminating the planet, but are allowed on-planet under certain circumstances—specimens for zoos, for example.) In certain extraordinary circumstances, a non-Porg may be allowed on Artacuse for a specific period and a specific purpose (for example, to appear before Parliament).

Hanau

In the years leading up to the Embarnik Era, the USG began to adopt the Kaean term "hanau" to describe sentient alien races. Prior to this term, there were numerous terms and definitions for categorizing other species, but none gained common use and were instead relegated to technical contexts. Any species below a certain level of demonstrated awareness is considered to be non-hanau and thus an animal or lesser life form. However, there is a wide range within the category of hanau; for example, the Glea are considered to be hanau, but only just barely. All Treaty Races, of course, are hanau.

It should be noted that just because a race is considered hanau does not mean that it will receive a high level of respect: even if a species is intelligent, its members may not use their intelligence "properly" (according to Porg standards). The Garnams, for example, are hanau and have been a part of Porg society for centuries at the beginning of the Embarnik Era, but they have never received widespread respect among the Porgs.

Treaty Races

As of the Embarnik Era, only members of Treaty Races can be given USG citizenship; non-Porgs make up approximately three percent of the USG citizenry. The Garnams are partially exempted from the rule regarding non-Treaty Races and citizenship on a species-wide basis due to their particular circumstances: although they are allowed to live in USG territory for life, they still cannot become full citizens. Due to their unique status, when Garnams serve with a private military group they count as USG citizens, not aliens.

The Porgs, as the de facto administrators and chief architects of the Treaty, naturally take great interest in the other member species. Most major universities in the USG have at least one department devoted to studying a Treaty Race—for example, the famed Arbucktan University on Artacuse has a Department of Turikasuul Studies, a Department of Kaean Studies, and so on for all four of the other Treaty Races.

This interest in other species extends to the government and its policies, as well. The Department of Xenorelations (DoX) has a division set up for each of the Treaty Races that studies their language, culture, history, and so forth. They are primarily staffed by academics who specialize in that species. These divisions assist in all government communications and interactions with that race; they help prevent mistranslations and accidentally offensive acts.

Non-Treaty Races

Members of non-Treaty Races may not become citizens of the USG. However, they may register to live in the USG for long periods or under certain circumstances. Those who wish to live in USG territory for more than a month must register their name, address, and length of stay; to stay for longer periods requires further authentication and proof of employment or other proof of contribution to the USG in some way. There are work permits, student visas, corporate sponsorships, and various other types of permits for members of non-Treaty Races; these usually require more identifying information and, in some cases, extensive background checks.

The degree of registration required for non-USG citizens can vary significantly from planet to planet, and even from city to city. On frontier planets, however, the niceties of registration are rarely enforced and non-Treaty Race members may stay in USG territory for long periods without attracting notice.

Garnams receive special dispensation to stay in USG territory for life, owing to their status as refugees.

Montarists

Montarists, the separatist religious Porg, are technically part of the USG, but they maintain a careful distance from the majority atheist population. Montarist worlds elect and send Representatives like all other worlds, but their Representatives tend to be less involved in legislative work and vote less often.

Montarists have the highest rate of voluntary non-registration for citizenship out of all other similar groupings. Montarist worlds have their own currency and still produce physical money, but they primarily use an anonymous credit system with physical cards to access accounts that is similar to, but distinct from, the USG credit system.

The main Montarist planet of Kaile is a "backwater" planet, deep in the USG colonies, with few valuable resources. It requires little in the way of oversight or defense. Private organizations and individuals, paid for by the planetary government and small USG subsidies, defend the system. These defenses have never been tested, but in the case of full-scale attack by any marginally competent armada they would almost certainly be destroyed.

All Montarist colonies are easily accessible via the tube network. Before tube travel was discovered, all colonization was controlled by the USG with thousands of Porg on massive interstellar ships traveling through three-dimensional space; because the populations on these ships were carefully chosen by the USG, none of the ships contained enough theists to form any significant political movement on the resulting colonies. Monstarists were only able to found offworld colonies once travel through the tubes became available at a reasonable cost.

Interstellar Ships Under USG Law

In order to enter USG-controlled space, whether by tubehammer or by travel through 3D space and whether for trade, tourism, or any other purpose, non-USG ships must first register with the DoX, the Department of Interstellar Vehicles (DoIV), and the Bureau of Ports (BoP). The passenger and crew list are remotely scanned for possible criminals. Cargo load lists are also scanned, to check for illegal items and ensure that all customs and taxes have been paid to USG authorities. The USG's reliance on computer records has improved the efficiency and speed of docking ships with the drawback of making the system particularly easy to deceive, allowing unscrupulous captains to smuggle goods into the USG with relative ease. Still, physical spot-check inspections are randomly performed at various high-trafficked docking bays to verify that all the ship's information has been properly entered. The Bureau of Ports may also detain and board a ship if there is suspicion of illegal activity.

In most cases, official ships of foreign governments are given diplomatic immunity and may also bypass scanning. Other vessels belonging to Treaty Race governments may also have similar status with the USG; however, this depends on the Treaty Race in question and its relationship with the USG.

Ships belonging to USG citizens and corporations are given a great deal more privacy. As defined by the USG Constitution, ships belonging to citizens may not be boarded without a warrant obtained in a court of law. There are a few exceptions, such as when a national emergency or martial law has been declared by the USG or a local government, or when there is clear evidence of an immediate threat to the lives of others and there is not a reasonable amount of time to obtain a warrant. Aside from emergency circumstances, the interior of a USG ship is given the same status as the interior of a private residence. However, USG authorities may "search" a ship's cargo and crew by checking the USG's digital manifest database without warrant or cause.

Regardless of governmental affiliation or the owner's species, all ships that wish to land on a USG planet must register their vessels with several departments. Visas, customs declarations and other miscellaneous paperwork must be digitally filed with port controllers as a ship enters planetary orbit; once these documents have been checked, the ship is allowed entry. Often, information regarding individual passengers or crew must also be filed—for example, visitors with outstanding criminal records must disclose their records and are often denied permission to disembark. Most planets in the USG have orbiting dock facilities that track the comings and goings of all ships in the area; these facilities are jointly operated by the DoIV and BoP. More heavily populated planets may have multiple orbital facilities, as many as one per major city; these facilities often are guarded by the same private police firms that are contracted by the local government. Planets of particular value—cultural, economic, strategic, or otherwise—are also guarded by military forces (most often PMCs).

In theory, all USG planets have the same landing procedures and similar levels of security. In practice, many less strategically or economically important planets, or planets far from the USG "core," have lax entry systems. (The idea of a USG "core" is difficult to articulate, as the tubehammer network is a non-Euclidean space: a system which is near Artacuse via tubehammers may be distant or even surrounded by systems controlled by other governments when mapped in three-dimensional space. Because of the enormous distance between stars in three-dimensional space, the "closeness" or "distance" of a particular system is determined by accessibility via the tubes.)

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