2199:Tavari-Acronian Union
|
This page is a 2199 alternative universe article and is therefore not part of the TEP Evolved canon. |
 | This page contains outdated information due to a recent retcon. Events, characters, and statistics should not be taken as correct unless confirmed elsewhere by the author(s). |
Tavari-Acronian Union | |
|---|---|
 Flag | |
 De jure holdings of the Tavari-Acronian Union on Urth | |
| Official languages | Modern Standard Tavari-Acronian Raonish |
| Recognised national languages | Staynish Tavari-Acronian Sign Language |
| Ethnic groups (2199) | Elven 58% Feline 31% Human 7% Other 4% |
| Demonym(s) | Tavari-Acronian |
| Government | Federal parliamentary presidential republic |
| Establishment | |
• Kingdom of Tavaris established | c. AD 1350-1400 |
• Acronian Empire established | February 20th, 1496 |
• Tavari-Acronian Union formed | April 5th, 2063 |
| Population | |
• 2199 estimate | 1,022,189,844 |
History
Between the 2030s and the 2050s, political instability began to brew in the Acronian Empire as the political order dominated by the Church of Akrona started to crumble. Eventually, in 2052, it collapsed, and political and social unrest threatened to become outright war. The economy of Acronis collapsed, and it was only by economic intervention by its now much more economically powerful neighbor (and rival), Tavaris, that Acronis was able to avoid an outright Depression. After more than 500 years of bitter rivalry, with the collapse of the Acronian church came the last major obstacle to a political reconciliation between the enemies. In 2063, the two countries agreed to merge into a new polity: the Tavari-Acronian Union. At that time, the northern portion of Ni-Rao, which was under Acronian administration, was brought into the union. South Ni-Rao joined the union in 2074.
The relatively strong military of Acronis combined with the relatively strong economy of Tavaris made for a powerful country, but Acronis had lost ground to others on Urth after the distractions of the preceding decades. The Tavari-Union very quickly prioritized scientific resource and development as a way to regain prominence. With some research done on their own and some done in cooperation with international partners, the TAU quickly became a leader in space research. The TAU had an established, continuously-inhabited base on Olune by 2080. In 2099, TAU researchers were among those who helped engineer the first ever FTL drive. The TAU is also known - and is perhaps infamous for - conducting the first ever experiments in sending ships through a Slamgate at FTL speeds. No ships, nor anyone on them, ever returned.
Modern Day
By 2199, the Tavari-Acronian Union has for the most part abandoned its holdings on Urth, focusing primarily on its holdings elsewhere in the galaxy. The TAU holds 4 inhabited primary star systems, as well as several dozen outlying systems without habitable worlds. The Acronis System and the Tavaris System are the core worlds of the state, holding a majority of its population. Levat is in the same system as a non-functional Slamgate and is home to most of the TAU's scientific research.
Culture
As a nation, the TAU has emphasized scientific advancement over most other factors since its formation, and on Levat they continue to fund significant research on faster-than-light travel and, most importantly, on repairing the Slamgate. In fact, the Slamgate is rapidly becoming an all-consuming focus of the TAU government, to the potential detriment of other priorities. Civil rights advocates have been complaining for years that civil liberties are being eroded as the government seeks to control more information and direct people into fields of study and employment that assist the Slamgate effort. A multi-ethnic state consisting of three different communities of elves, as well as humans and felines - not to mention the increasingly present Asronians - the TAU has been prone to tension, and unrest is beginning to stir. People question the increased role of the government in placing people in schools and jobs as well as in the media, the decreased transparency in what kind of research the government funds, increased police presence, and some are distrustful of the Asronians.
Asronians
The Ranat System, the most distant from Urth, is home not only to a TAU colony world but also another intelligent, FTL-capable species called (in a grand cosmic coincidence) Asronians.
The Asronians live on a moon (which they call Asroni) with a very cold, Arctic-like climate that orbits a gas giant and is heated primarily by tidal heating. They are bipedal, humanoid beings, although they are closer to Ursines in size. They appear as if they evolved very distantly from walruses, with tusks on their bottom jaw and their bodies naturally carrying more body fat as a result of the cold climate. In addition, because their planet is more exposed to radiation, there are very thin deposits of heavy metals such as lead and cobalt in their skin that can act to insulate from radiation. It gives their skin, which is typically dark blue or dark gray, an iridescent sheen in bright light. The Asronians have been in contact with the TAU since 2161, and there are currently ongoing talks for a political integration between the two. The Asronians have more advanced energy and propulsion technology than the TAU, and their homeworld is remarkably rich in heavy metals and other minerals necessary for building ships and FTL drives, as well as thorium, needed in a style of nuclear reactor favored by the TAU. In turn, the TAU has significantly more people and more territory, and present significant options for the Asronians to peacefully expand as well as provide desperately needed labor. (The Asronians provide the latter opportunity to the TAU as well, as both states have almost non-existent unemployment in their economic emphasis on space.)