rnnrqterm.cdx.access - -:- -.- -.- -:- -.- - =================================================================== RUNNERS' GUIDE v.1.001.05.tciv THREAT: UNIFIED EARTH SPACE COUNCIL [UESC] =================================================================== NAME: UESC ROLE: Interplanetary governmental / military alliance JURISDICTION: Earth, Luna, Mars, Inner-Sol Planetary Space, Tau Ceti IV IDEOLOGY: Mutual defense alliance of democratic states SIZE: It is estimated that the UESC employs 0.138% of the population of the Sol system =================================================================== OVERVIEW: The UNIFIED EARTH SPACE COUNCIL is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain interplanetary peace and security, ensure interplanetary cooperation, and serve as a center for coordinating the efforts of human civilization. The UESC, in their own words, has been "the steady hand and cool head required for the peaceful coexistence of human cultures in the Sol system for nearly eight hundred years." As an outgrowth of the Unified Earth Government, they have assumed their mantle as the primary arbiter in interplanetary disputes, as well as the premier protector of constitutionally guaranteed liberties. It is almost universally accepted that they are the primary reason the human species survived the 22nd century, as it was their calm and reasoned leadership during this period that allowed for the drafting of the many accords which now serve as the bedrock of our society across Sol, and which quite literally saved us from ourselves. The UESC was also the commanding force behind Project: Marathon and the UESC MARATHON's mission to colonize the TAU CETI solar system. The fact the UESC has been actively seeking to expand humanity's reach, and by extension their control, beyond Sol for more than four centuries should be a surprise to no one. UESC AT TAU CETI: By law the UESC has every right to protect its interests in the TAU CETI system from illegal occupation/confiscation. But the UESC make up the laws, so the ethical stance of any such rulings related to "ownership" over salvage rights to the TAU CETI colony seem sketchy, especially when considering the unclear nature of the UESC sovereignty of a quasi-nation located 11.9ly away, and the rumors of declared independent post-colony establishment. Of course, rumors won't hold up in court, but they are enough to give interested third parties [RUNNERS, FACTIONS, etc.] wiggle room in their subversion of established law. REMARK: The UESC is essentially a Super United Nations with teeth. Highlights include walking the Earth back from the precipice of environmental collapse at gunpoint, standing idly by during multiple civil wars on Mars, and silencing anyone who protested the sale of one of Mars' moons with one hand while producing documents that explained that Deimos was never a moon in the first place with the other, then launching said not-really-a-moon to a distant star so they could show everyone how clever they were—or maybe it was because they were hedging their bets just in case they weren't up to the task of walking the entire system back from another existential cliff. They're every country throughout all of human history. This author can't think of a single nation that ever told a colony or a territory or a protectorate yearning for self-determination, "yeah, it's cool, you do you" without some kind of a fight. The UESC's attempted lockdown of TAU CETI IV is an extension of that mindset and a demonstration of how far the UESC will go to control its image and resources. =================================================================== [RNNRqterm] || CyberAcme Systems, Inc. ///REDACTED///