Frontier Alliance

The Frontier Alliance is a minor faction in Naev.

The First Growth
The Frontier was essentially formed in the days of the First Growth, when mankind dreamt big of the stars and new horizons, despite the fact that it was not fully ready to make the leap. Massive colony ships were constructed, depleting a significant portion of the natural resources of Earth and Mars, and many a hopeful pioneer went through harsh training to be allowed a berth on one such ship. The future colonists were cryofrozen for the trek to their new homes, and the ships were to fly guided by advanced adaptive software. Once at the destination, the ships would enter orbit, wake the crew and proceed to the surface. This would be the beginning of a new human colony.

Over the course of fifty Earth years, a total of twenty such ships were constructed. In order of their launch, they were: Each ship featured populations drawn from a certain population group, both for political reasons and to reduce potential tensions at the future colonies. However, though later ships benefited from updated technology, all twenty ships were built around the same design and to roughly the same specifications.

The distance between the stars had to be crossed purely at sublight speeds, and the destination was unknown save for whatever telemetry had been collected at Sol, which was not much at all. Needless to say, the journey of those twenty brave ships was long and perilous. Arabesque, Babylon and Vermillion, which were all traveling in the same direction, abruptly disappeared from the map mere months after their launch, never to be seen again. Maelstrom was observed burning up in a ball of engine plasma. Weisheit and Sun Tzu veered off course for some reason. The remaining fourteen ships made it to their destinations. However, to this day it is unknown what ultimately became of Yggdrasil and Silverwing. The worlds they were sent to were found barren and devoid of life.

Twelve colonies, then, were the fruit of the First Growth. Most of the worlds turned out to be significantly less hospitable than Earth, but the colonists persevered. Over the course of many years, towns and cities sprang up, resources were exploited, environments were tamed. Eventually, there was even room for modest leisure.

The age of hyperspace
With the dawn of hyperspace travel and heavy duty terraforming technology, the Frontier worlds were essentially obsoleted overnight. The galaxy unfolded before humanity, and countless worlds were found that were much better suitable to human occupation, especially after proper terraforming preprocessing. The Second Growth was far more lucrative than the First could have been under the best of circumstances, and so the twelve worlds were largely ignored, left to their own devices. This didn't change even during the Faction Wars, as the early colonies were considered too hostile and unmanageable to be of any value whatsoever.

As more time passed and the Old Empire rose to power, the first worlds banded together in a loose coalition of independent worlds. Though each colony retained its ancient cultural characteristics and form of government, it was agreed that the colonies should be represented by a single political body, speaking with a single voice. This political body is the Frontier. It imposes general guidelines for all worlds to follow without seriously eroding their individual sovereignty. It also provides the administration for interplanetary diplomacy and trade in Frontier space. Finally, it manages the Frontier's shared security forces, although the Frontier worlds are too poor to afford a standing army.

The few military units that do exist can do little more than ward against rogue pirates and smugglers. For protection, the Frontier relies on the adjoining Dvaered and Sirius military. Unfortunately, it is those same Dvaered that also pose the greatest threat for the Frontier of late. Though poor, the old colonies have caught the eye of Dvaered High command, who consider territorial expansion and planetary supremacy to supercede the material value of their conquests. Slowly, the Dvaered have begun laying claim to the Frontier, and if this trend continues, the Frontier will soon be no more. However, there is one thing standing between the Dvaered's aggression and the twelve old colonies: the FLF.