The Federation of Democratic worlds began almost a thousand years ago(2999 SE) when a colony ship from the Solarian Empire, the 'Enterprise Stardust', was caught in a wormhole by a Quantum Weather front and was deposited in a remote quadrant of Sector H bordering what is know known as Sectors G and B of the greater galaxy. The 'Enterprise Stardust', lost in unknown space and unable to contact Imperial HQ on Solaris III, was able to find a small starsystem with a habitable planet on which to deposit the colonists. The Solarians used the components of the 'Stardust' to build their colony on the bleak world they christened 'Enterprise Wake'. Almost immediatly they began to send out scout ships to search the nearby starsystems for a new, more hospitable world on which to raise their families. Several scouts disappeared exploring a nearby sector which became known as Merlin's Shadow that came to be found on the other side a Quantum weather front. Other scouts heading in the opposite direction were more successful discovering two world's ideal for colonization one which became known as Fortune's Planet and the other New Solaris as it was so similar to the Solarian Homeworld Solaris III (and the human colonists living on all three worlds began to refer to themselves as New Solarians).
In 3005 SE, the Solarians began to explore their new universe. Scouts and explorer-bots began to seek out new worlds to colonize and new star systems to use as refueling depots or resource centers. The City of New Solaris was founded on the colony of the same name and a Representative Democracy was set up in the form of a Federal Republic to replace the Imperial Bureaucracy to which all contact was lost. The few remaining Imperialists were banished back to Enterprise Wake.
The years 3000-3200SE saw expansion of the surplus population on New Solaris and widespread colonization of nearby systems with habitable worlds. During this period, colonies were set up on Versuvius, Dyerszhinsky, Folsom's World, Union, Saintjohn, and Alexandrianople. Several refueling and supply depots were also set up at this time in uninhabited systems along with hundreds of mining colonies of various types and sizes.
in 3222SE first contact with an alien civilization was made as the Scoutship 'Geographic Explorer' exited a jump gate right behind a Boetian Merchantman. Finding other humans in the same quadrant of space came as a pleasant surprise to the Solarians who had expected first contact to be with a race of BEM. Trade between Boetia and the United Solarian Systems, the new federal government formed on New Solaris after the overthrow of the old Colonial Bureaucracy, began and new products and ideas began to be exchanged between the two peoples.
Intergalactic Piracy reared its ugly head for the first time as experienced Boetian pirates began to prey on USS cargo vessels. The USS Senate at this time authorized the equipting and recruiting of regular naval forces and selected the planet Union as the headquarters of the New Solarian Navy. The Navy recruited officers and men from a smaller group of Pirates descended from banished Imperialists who were wrecking havoc on commerce near Enterprise Wake. Soon with promises of immunity and land on Union the fromer Bucchaneers began to wrestle earnestly with the Boetian Pirate problem and after some early reverses soon overcame the renegades from Boetia restoring peace to the quadrant.
3201-3300SE saw continued colonization and expansion by the Solarians into the quadrant. Colonies were established at this time on Arkabutla, Sidon, Petrosian, Capea, Juba Aziz, Mekongi, Cotswold and Uhura. Contact at this time was made with neighboring races of human civilizations, the Megarans and the Irianjayans and new trade relationships were formed. First contact with a non human race, the birdlike Orinichians was made in 2292.
3301-3400 saw contact with another non human race, the Reptilian Tauraugs. New problems with piracy emerged from the inhabitants of a new humanoid race the Vanagar which finally ended in 3333 after a small 10 year war with a sharp fleet action with the pirates off Kohiba one of the new Solarian colonies facing the brunt of Pirate incursions and capture of the Vanagar Homeworld. A stable government was established on Vanagar by Unionist occupation forces which were withdrawn in 3354. Colonies were set up during this period on Kohiba, Chicago, Memphis, Sapporo, Royster's World, and Vitebsk.
3401-3600SE saw vast expansion of the Solarians into the surrounding Galaxy. They were now well established as the dominant power of the quadrant at this time and enjoyed a great period of prosperity selling their Robotic and AI units to neighboring civilizations. The Locke dependancies were first contacted at this time and trade treaties were made and a consulate set up on Locke prime. In 3593 first contact was made with a Major Empire as the USS 'Ticonderoga' task force chanced upon a force of similar size from 'Jal el' and were soundly thrashed in a battle resulting from a misunderstanding. Further hostilities were averted by the Locke who intervened on behalf of the United Solarians but the incident remains as an embarrassment to this day. In 3593 first contact was made on the planet Kazulosis between the USS and a similiarly expanding humanoid race, the Argon Empire. The Colonies of Vahalia, Heliopolis, Tanghiers, and Farside.
The period 3601-3800 saw further expansion of USS colonies and influence in the quadrant accompanied by friction with the newly expanding Argon Empire. The era of prosperity was coming to a close as these centuries saw numerous recessions and depressions and a vast military buildup to counter Argon expansion. The Three Sisters system Colonies of Dixie, Pixie, and Nixie were founded to provide jobs and land for Naval penshioners from Union, Capea, and Juba Aziz in 3693. Rampart Intersteller and Ingalls Starships moved their HQ's from New Solaris to the Three Sisters in 3705. BDI and Telemarke AI made similar moves from Union and Capea respectively in 3711. New Colonies were founded on Cato, Rivoli, Rodel, Cannan, Tyme, Helmuth, and Urbana with several mining colonies and refueling stations established in other uninhabited systems.
Friction between the Argon Empire and the USS and nonaligned worlds began to grow around 3780SE as Argo established a Colony on Kakulosis and displaced a colony of Vanagar on the same planet. Several border incidents and firefights between Argon vessels and those of the USS and nonaligned worlds occured over the next 90 years causing a buildup in military expenditures in the USS defence budget. Cheif beneficiary of the defence buildup was the planet Dixie who's proximity to the shipyards of Rampart and Ingalls caused her to be a main base for Solarian Defence Forces. Most of the violent encounters with Argon vessels were made by ships from Dixie or the two other Sisters. Sumpter and Gargamela were founded as colonies towards the end of this period.
3871SE marked a watershed period in the history of the Solarians and the quadrant with the beginning of the Human-Argon War. In 3871 the Imperial Argon Navy launched a sneak attack on New Solaris destroying most of the cities and infrastructure of the United Solarian Systems homeworld and Capital. The USS and nonaligned worlds under attack by Argo formed the Federation of Democratic Worlds and began mutual defense preparations with a combined fleet command.
The years 3871-3877 were hard years of defeat and retreat for the new FDW. The colonies of Cannan, Urbana, Cato, and Tanghiers fell to Argon occupation and numerous Naval operations ended in disaster at this time. The one bright spot was a brief occupation of parts of the Argon Colony of Kazulosis in 3873. The Solarians moved their capital from New Solaris to Union in the fourth quarter of 3872.
In 3878 the tide began to turn in favor of the FDW as advances in nanotechnology and artificial intellegence lead to the invention of the MIRC missile. An Argon invasion fleet attacking Uhura was decimated by Task Force 17 using the MIRC for the first time in 3879. The Cannan colony was retaken by Task Force 22 in a followup attack early the next year.
The next 10 years (3878-3888) saw the beginning of a bloody war of attrition and Total War between the two opposing empires as FDW fleets began to retake lost colonies and began an economic blockade of the Argon Empire. Argo attempted to circumvent the blockade in 3886 by invading the technologically backward but strategically important Scaluan System. FDW forces launched a counter invasion in 3887 which began the terrible 30 year guerrilla war between the Scaluanii and the Argon and FDW invaders.
The period 3887-3895 saw a bloody slugfest between the two belligerants as FDW colonies occupied by the Empire were slowly retaken one by one and Argon colonies faced invasion by the Humans and their allies. Military and Civilian casualties numbered in the millions as planets were bombarded by naval forces and hard hand to hand fighting between ground forces resulted in a terrible attrition never before seen in this quadrant.
The second FDW seizure of Kazulosis in 3894 was especially bitter as Argonaut fanatics dug in and forced Federation infantry to blast them out one by one refusing to surrender. Attacks by Argonaut commandos on occupation forces continued a full two years following the war. Losses among Argon civilians were estimated at 25 million!
The fleets of Union and Dixie were finally combined as a whole Federation Navy at Kazulosis in 3895 for the final assault on Argo itself. Under the Command of Fleet Admiral Sebastian Telemarke the combined fleet destroyed the last of the Imperial Navy at the battle of the Twelve Apostles in the first quarter of 3996. Troops from every corner of the Federation were brought forward for the final assualt on Argo. Hulk carriers were made ready for the invasion as the combined Fleet made ready for what would have been the largest bombardment of the war since the first assault by Argo on New Solaris.
The Emperor Sarium not wishing to see the inevitable destruction of Argo as it was caused by his own blind ambition did the unthinkable(for an Argon)and committed suicide. The seven year old Cesium took over the throne and immediately made overtures to the CICFed Admiral Welsh Bentzen asking for terms. Bentzen refused to accept the Argon surrender and then ordered the combined fleet to "Destroy Every Inch of Argo".
Sebastian Telemarke refused the order to destroy the Argon Homeworld in retaliation for the destruction of New Solaris and unilaterally issued terms of surrender to the Argon Empire which were accepted. Before FDW representatives from Union could converge to undo his peacemaking, Telemarke dismantled the Old Imperial Government and replaced it with an Federation occupation government and began moves to turn the planet from an absoulute monarchy to a Parliamentary Monarchy.
Telemarke was hailed as a hero by the press for stopping the war and began a life in politics culminating in his election as Federation President in 3909. The Argons were so grateful to him for stopping the bloodshed, the Imperial Government to this day provides his descendants with a contingent of Argonaut bodyguards.
The post war years 3897-3909 saw a period of inflation and unemployment fall upon the Federation as the government moved from a controlled war economy to a free market peace economy. Quite a few of the pre war trade partners had gone elsewhere to buy similar goods and services previously obtained from the former USS worlds and their allies and did not want to disrupt new trade alliances which were in some cases 25 years old.
The government tried various spending programs to provide relief for the unemployed and went so far as to pass laws prohibiting some occupations from using Robotic laborers when a human or other sentient could be used instead. Taxes grew accordingly and the Great Tax Riots of 3908 brought down the Government of President Ashley Ravi-Hart resulting in the election of former Admiral Sebastian Telemarke of the Democratic Republican party in election of 3909. An economic recovery resulted from a new trade treaty with the Locke Dependancies and the D-R's were the recipiants of good public confidence in the early part of the decade.
Occupation and trusteeship of the 11 former Argon Worlds went smoothly. All 11 worlds were allowed their own governments and each eventually received membership in the Federation by 3911.
Occupation of Scaluan by Solarians and Argon defense forces deteriorated into a bloody guerilla war as the Scaluanii whose Technology was based upon Fossil Fuels at the time of the First Argon invasion began to learn how to use modern technology and weapons. Scaluanii resistance forces attacked both FDW and Argon targets on Scaluan and fanatic Scaluanii terrorists attacked civilian targets throughout the Federation.
Human and Argon ground forces were sent to Scaluan in increasing numbers to 'keep the peace' but to no avail. The stronger anti terrorism forces became on Scaluan, the more of the indigeneous population joined the rebellion. Soon FDW occupation officials could not move outside the major cities without an armed escort.
In 3916, a crisis ensued as the nephew of the Argon Crown prince was killed in a duel by Sub-Lieutenant Daniel Bundt of Union(see The Gulmonger). The Scaluanii resistance helped Bundt escape to Rodel where his discovery of the ruins known as The Temple of Aruluan lead to Omnet first contact with the FDW.
Bundt disappeared (some say to become a Librae on Menemen IV), and the Omnet helped mediate the crisis on Scaluan, the Scaluanii regained their freedom and OmnCitadels were set up on Union, Capea, and Dixie.
The years 3917-3977 marked years of prosperity for the Federation as Omnet TFP technology greatly improved Robotic products. Federation TFP's and Robots made on 10 princeple planets brought in hard currency in intersteller trade.
First contact with the Robotics was made in 3977 as a violent Tech Storm raged thru the area near Enterprise Wake and New Solaris. Federation ships found that they could now cross the wave front separating Enterprise Wake from the Merlin system. Crossing over into previously unaccessable space FDW scouts soon encountered the first ships of the now well known Robotic Purple Trade Clan. The organic sentients were amazed by the technologically advanced goods available from the Robotic Traders and the Purple Clan ships along with their Satrap Tilamedore Dore.
Dore lead the Scouts back to his homeworld of Do and the scouts were amazed to find a society comprised solely of sentient linear thinking Robots. They learned that humans had once ruled over the Robots but were overthrown and destroyed after they tried to exterminate their Robotic servants during a period of religious unrest known as Bu'tler's Crusade.
The organics were allowed to meet with the robot head of the planetary government, the Trajan of Do, who was delighted to meet with new sentients in the greater galaxy and offered to let the Satrap of the Purple Clan return with them to the FDW as an ambassador.
Dore set up trade agreements with FDW President Kindrith Lanteer of Sapporo and soon raw materials were flowing on Purple Clan ships into the Robotics and returning as finished technological goods for consumption in the FDW and surrounding areas. Rampart Intersteller tried to set up an agreement with the Orange Clan to produce TFP's for implant into starships, but this plan was quashed by the Omnet as the Robotics would not allow visitors from IGNM to pass into their space.
In 3980 a group of 200 political and civic leaders from the FDW lead by Senators Olaf Breen of Union and Anne Urundi of Nixie visited the Robotic worlds at the behest of the Trajan of Do. Breen was so captivated by the Robotic society that upon his return he wrote his famous essay 'Regarding the Sentience of Robotic Life' in which he first espoused the ideas of emancipation for the millions of sentient or semi sentient Robots and TFP's residing within the Federation of Democratic Worlds. The premise of this essay became the party platform of the Abolitionist Party which Breen founded in 3985.
Breen's Abolitionist movement began to grow in strength and was soon the dominant party on Chicago, Dyerzhinsky, Union, and Juba Aziz. On all four of these worlds(save for the Federal district of Union) Robots and other artificially intelligent lifeforms gained their autonomy and the Laws of Robotics were removed from their programming. Tensions soon erupted as these worlds decalred that any Robotic Servants occumpanying visitors would also be declared 'free'. Immediate protests were filed by representatives of the Three Sisters, Argo, Cannan and other Robot producing Worlds of the FDW to no avail.
In the years following the trade treaties between the Robotic Worlds and the FDW, the latter found themselves more and more dependent on the goods of the other. Frequently, technologicals goods manufactured on Capea, Union, or Chicago would be sent to one of the Robotic Worlds for improvement. Robotic engineers would redesign the Federation Products and make numerous improvements. Sometimes each lot sent to Do. Ti, La, or So would come back to the Organic homeworld with a modification superior to the lot sent before it.
Other Robotic trading clans began to make inroads into the markets of the FDW and surrounding areas carrying goods and passengers between Organic worlds and returning to the Robotics with raw materials. A period of economic expansion began in 3986 which has lasted to this day.
In the election of 3995, the Abolitionist Party made significant gains in the Federation Senate at the expense of the Whigs and Democratic Republicans. They successfully petitioned to admit the four Robotic Worlds into the Federation after promising the Trajans that Siliconic Lifeforms in the FDW would be emancipated. Then the Abolitionists immediately tried to force thru a bill banning the Laws of Robotics from the program of every sentient or semisentient Robot in the FDW. The bill passed but was vetoed by D-R President Limon Orestes of Boetia.
Breen won the Presidential election of 3996 defeating Senator Edmunde Telemark of Dixie for the D-R party and Senator Anne Urundi of Nixie for the Whigs. Since the abolition bill could not be brought up in debate in the Senate for 3 years, he filed suit in Federal Court on behalf of the Trajans of Do Ti La and So to have the Laws declared unconstitutional. This brought outrage from the Senators representing the 10 Robot producing worlds who threatened to secede from the Federation and begin their own government if the ploy succeeded.
Shortly before the Supreme Court could convene for the term and hear arguments in the case, Justice Astrid Boyd-Telemark and her husband Senator Edmunde Telemark were assasinated by Abolitionist extreamists upset at her husbands view on Robotic Sentience. President Breen appointed a member of his own Party to take Telemark's seat on the Court and the Laws of Robotics were declared unconstitutional by a 5-4 vote and all Robots and Artificial intelligences residing in the dominions of the FDW received thir rights on those planets where the Abolitionist party had not yet come to power.
Representatives of the 10 robot producing planets who's economic livlihoods depended upon the manufacture and trade of Robotic wares stormed out of the Senate in Lincolnia. Lead by Senator Julio Campabares of Pixie, the Emperor Helix V of Argo, and Senator Anne Urundi of Nixie they gathered together on Argo and declared the secession of their respective Worlds from the Federation of Democratic Worlds and the formation of a Confederation of Democratic Worlds as their new provisional government. Articles of Confederation were drafted and ratified by the 10 planetary governments and Julio Campabares was elected President.
President Breen declared secession to be unlawful and sent the Unionist Navy to seize the planet Sumpter. The Unionist Fleet lead by the Space craft Carrier 'Hiryubanzai' met the Dixian Fleet lead by the Carrier 'Ark Kansas' in battle near the Star known as 'Rudolph's Nose' and was defeated with the loss of the 'Hiryu' and several smaller ships.
The FDW fleet has since regrouped and now awaits the introduction of the never before seen armed ships and armbot soldiers of her Robotic Allies. Both the Governments of the FDW and the new CDW realize that they are engaged in a great civil war with no end in sight.
