United Mercantile Federation
Overview
The economic and industrial powerhouse of the Arctic, the United Mercantile Federation has earned a reputation for aggressive and merciless acquisition of wealth. Since deposing the Lyonnesse League which preceded the UMF, the corporations have been the power behind the throne in the Federation, steering it towards their convoluted and often contradictory goals. To the casual observer it would seem the UMF, without the social mores of the Mekong Dominion to curb constant infighting, should fly apart under the weight of its own internal politics.
Nominally a democracy, money i s the true measure of power in the Federation, with voting rights directly proportional to spending power. As such, it is the corporations rather than the citizens who truly control the fate of the league. Yet the diversity of the Federation i s its greatest strength. The perpetual competition within and between corporations drives Mercantile citizens to excel. Even more than money, personal accomplishment is a mark of success in the league, with competition fostered from a very early age. Such advancement can be by fair means or foul, with espionage and blackmail, known in the league as Kompromat, a part of everyday life. More so than in any other League, the media is inextricably linked with society, playing a major role in making - or breaking -the reputations of companies and individuals.
Surprisingly, loyalty, albeit guarded, plays a major role in UMF society. Loyalty to the company is everything, and forms a vital part of Mercantile culture. Corporations provide many of the resources normally expected of governments; individual companies handle all health care, education and retirement benefits, both directly and through partnerships and strategic atliances. Children born to corporate employees are educated by the company, and in all likelihood will be employed by them and see their children follow the same cycle. The largest corporations are nations within the nation, each reflecting the UMF in miniature. Each suffers from constant infighting, with factions pulling in different directions, but despite individual ambitions, the members work together for the good of the league.
The truism "money makes the world go round" originated on pre-ice age Earth, but nowhere is it more true than in the UMF. Money is an essential pre-requisite for participation in the democratic process, with electoral vouchers considered legal property to be bought and sold. Indeed, the more money an individual or company is prepared to spend, the more votes they have and the greater their influence on the political situation. Furthermore, greasing the wheels of business is an accepted part of daily life, with bribes and the like as prevalent as the latest product advertising. Indeed, without such gifts or financial bonds known as ransoms, few corporate employees can expect their career to progress.
Structure
Culture
Sorrento Revisionism is accepted as the principal religion of the United Mercantile Federation, but unlike in the NLC it is not granted the status of state religion. Indeed, the UMF's policy of allowing city-states to maintain their own cultural institutions and forms of government mean that Revisionism must compete with a wide range of religious creeds. Until recently most Mercantilists paid religion only lip service, be it Sorrento Revisionism, Jerusalemism or the Blue Crescent .
For more details on UMF Culture, see the following articles
Assets
History
Military
Technological Level
Technology and innovation are bywords of the Federation. Mercantile corporations perpetually seek new technologies that will give them the edge over their competitors, and this constant striving for improvement has made the UMF the technological powerhouse of the CNCS.
Mercantile concerns have pioneered some of Terra Nova's most important technological developments, the most notable of which are the Heavy Gear and optical "et. Even today, 267 cycles after combat walkers were first deployed, the Federation and in particular Northco remain at the pinnacle of Gear design and manufacture. Northco has faced serious competition since the War of the Alliance, both from Northern companies like Shaian Mechanics of Kenema, and Badlands based Paxton Arms. The rise of non-Mercantile Gear manufacturers is a major economic concern for the UMF and is the subject of several ongoing projects.
UMF materials chemistry is advanced, ranging from new generations of alloys and smart glues used in vehicle construction to designer drugs intended to combat the latest epidemic. Several UMF concerns maintain orbital factories which allow the production of ultra-pure compounds, though since the War of the Alliance jurisdiction over such facilities has fallen to the UMFA Space Directorate and the Northern Guard Space Service. Despite such facilities, Federation research is far from the cutting edge in both areas though Mercantile companies have proved adept in making practical use of developments and in marketing them to the public.
High technology goods, particularly optical NNets and microelectronics, also play a major role in Mercantile concerns. Companies like Abaline research are at the cutting edge of such technologies, and the city of Marathon and its data net serves as a showcase for many emerging technologies. It i s consumer goods, however - trideo and video equipment, telecommunications apparatus and personal computers - that serve as the'backbone of many companies. This applies equally to heavy industry, where companies like Northco are as reliant on automotive and civil walker manufacture as they are on advanced military technologies like Gears. Mass-market goods feed the research into new generations of equipment that are cutting edge today and commonplace tomorrow
Many Mercantile products are little more than gimmicks, designed to exploit ever-smaller niches in the market. The driving force behind such products i s more than base commercialism, however. Fashion, the desire to have the latest thing and the on-going race to be a style leader create an ever-present demand for such goods, creating a self-perpetuating Loop of supply and demand. Most of these gadgets are regarded as little more than curiosities once the craze has died down, often simply discarded and recycled. Over the cycles, however, a few such items have proved their worth and a part of daily Mercantile and Terranovan life. Modern data gloves and personal assistants both began life in the UMF, though neither are truly innovative and have numerous antecedents over the last several millennia.
The quality of Mercantile design and manufacture is unrivaled, with high standards viewed as the best way to ensure repeat business. By necessity, this involves a price premium counteracting the higher wages of Mercantile citizens. Furthermore, low-quality products made by companies based in Timmins and the Mekong Dominion can easily undercut Mercantile prices, though this is widely regarded as false economy.
Industrial Espionnage
Industrial espionage is part and parcel of inter-corporate politics. Every company wishes to know what the others are working on, the nature of their practices and their pricing structures. Knowledge of what a competitor is going to release next cycle, or plans to release in five cycles' time, i s a powerful tool. It can help plan research and marketing strategies, often making the difference between massive profits and horrendous Losses. Knowledge, quite literally, is power.
Though technically a crime, corporate espionage and other such practices are accepted as part and parcel of Mercantile Life. All but the smallest companies maintain some sort of active intelligence arms, charged with both gaining access to the secrets of others and protecting their own interests. Many such personnel are recruited from the FIA, SOE and even the NGIS, bringing considerable expertise to the business.
Methods range from placing listening devices and tapping communication lines to bribery and deception, while special ops teams also carry out sabotage, kidnapping and theft. The government generally turns a blind eye to such operations, though they crack down on cases where lethal force has been used, particularly assassinations. As a result fatalities are rare, but this does not stop senior executives and scientists from hiring bodyguards.
The greatest act of industrial espionage went beyond corporate politics and into treason. Recruited by SRID, Andraya Stephany-Ash (a.k.a Charity) was a minor Ashington noble who came to view the UMF as an occupying force. Rising through Northco's ranks, she became part of the UMFA's Joint Military Development Committee (JMDC) and was in prime position to betray the secrets of ONNet's technology to the Southern Republic. Furthermore, after being fired from Northco for ordering a major technoligy review of the ONNet system, she joined the JMDC's civilian staff and was thus able to betray the Western theft of the Hunter P5 Prototype for her Republican masters, allowing them to acquire a fully-functioning Heavy Gear.
Religion
Though religion plays only a minor role in UMF politics, the Federation has the most diverse religious base of any Northern league. Revisionism dominates, but the Federation's acceptance of differing cultures has allowed many religious groups to gain a foothold. This does not sit well with the church in Sorrento who feel the UMF should follow the lead of the NLC and name Sorrento Revisionism the state religion. The Caucus has made it clear it has no intention of doing so, citing the constitutional rights of differing city-states and enclaves to retain the social organization they enjoyed when incorporated into the UMF.
Revisionism
The Sorrento sect of Revisionism is the largest religion in the UMF and has seen a considerable rise in its number of adherents over the last few cycles. The more pacifistic Massadan form of the religion, however, continues to exert considerable influence in the communities of the Badlands fringe and around Zagreb. Both groups believe in the existence of a benevolent universal force, known as the Gentle Spirit, which enlightened Mamoud Khodaverti; but whereas the Massadan variant of the faith is pacifistic, the Sorrento Church regards intervention in injustice or disharmony as essential. Furthermore, while Massadan Revisionism regards personal experience and decisions as central to the faith, Sorrento Revisionism emphasizes doctrinal orthodoxy over individual interpretations. Many Mercantile Revisionists allowed their faith to lapse, paying lip senn'ce to Revisionist holidays but rarely praying or attending services. Only the most devout Mercantile Revisionists have constructed shrines in their homes or undertake pilgrimages to Massada or Sorrento.
Jerusalemism
The alliance of faiths known as Jerusalemism has many adherents in the UMF, with the variant originating in the citystate of Swanscombe (a reformed Roman Catholicism), the most prevalent with almost 1.4 million adherents in the Federation. Clearwater Jerusalemism, a Norlight version of the faith centered on Muhammadian and Fatmian traditions, has made inroads in Lyonnesse and Baton Rouge. Both traditions recognize Ezrach Ibn-Muhammad as a saint, but some Clearwater imams (religious teachers) ascribe additional attributes to Ibn-Muhammad, namely those of the Mahdi, a spiritual and temporal leader who will restore religion and justice before the end of the world. With the rise of Revisionist Fundamentalism in the NLC, many Clearwater Jerusalemites have relocated to the more tolerant UMF and since the death of Thor Hutchison and the religious persecution that followed, particutarty attacks on the communes, the trickle of Jerusalemites has become a torrent. There are now believed to be in excess of 400,000 Clearwater Jerusalemites in the UMF
Other Faiths
With around 150,000 adherents, Buddhism is the UMF's third largest religion. Unlike the militarized Buddhism of the Southern Republic, Mercantile Buddhists follow the Mahayana Buddhist tradition and believe that only through kindness and compassion will they achieve enlightenment. Part of their beliefs i s that all life is sacred and worthy of protection and they find all war abhorrent. The Mercantile Buddhists believe it is their duty to object to the current Interpolar War; led by Abbot Yeshe Howe, the Buddhist community has staged a number of peaceful protests in Baton Rouge. Their refusal to ship grain from their farms to the UMFA or Northern Guard has prompted considerable debate in the UMF Caucus.
The Blue Crescent has gained limited support in along the fringe of the Badlands and among the mercantilist youth. Although espousing a pacifist philosophy, its communist principals do not rest well with older Mercantile citizens. These principals - combined with the high profile shaved head and trademark tattoo - make the order ideal for young Mercantilists seeking to rebel against the establishment. Of the estimated 50,000 Blue Crescent members in the UMF, less than half are believed to be committed to the group's ideology.
Formed in TN 1876 by Carlton Galliard, a citizen of Pioneer, the Children of the New Dawn are currently the subject of a major FIA investigation. Like the Mekong Rotud movement (see Mekong Dominion Galliard claimed to have discovered the origins of the Terranovan stoneheads. Unlike the Rotuds, Galliard was willing to share his revelations
Laws
The judicial system in the UMF revolves around three sets of laws: civilian (criminal and civil), corporate and military. Civilian law is in fact a collection of laws, some operating on the federal level, while others apply only within city-states. The constitutional guarantees to city-states that allow them to maintain their own system of government prevents a full integration of civilian law in the UMF, though the Judicial Secretariat has campaigned tirelessly to harmonize laws across the league. Corporate law is a homogenous and well thought-out body of laws, written to provide controls on trade within the UMF. It is principally concerned with crimes against property -theft, plagiarism and so forth; it also governs matters such as insider dealing, fraud and bankruptcy, as well as providing a framework for financial regulation. Enforcement of corporate law is carried out by the FIA, though many corporations enact a form of self-policing. Military law is principally concerned with the maintenance of order, but also includes provisions for treason and espionage. In peacetime, civilian and corporate law work side by side, taking precedence over military law. In times of war the roles are reversed: nonmilitary trials require the approval of the FDC and cases not resolved at the time may still be revised after the hostilities.
All cases are tried by a panel of three advocates (or in the case of military trials, three officers of whom at least one must be a colonel or higher rank), who listen to arguments and evidence for and against the case. Witnesses may be cross examined by councils for both the defense and prosecution, and the three advocates may take an active role in proceedings, asking questions of their own. To limit costs, the timetable for the proceedings is agreed upon beforehand by the defense and prosecution. When all evidence has been heard, the panel will come to one of three conclusions: guilty of the charge, innocent of the charge, or a referral to a higher authority (The Caucus, the Corporate Council or the FDC). To prevent frivolous corporate or civil cases, the loser must pay the winner's costs. If they do not do so, the court may declare them bankrupt (itself a corporate offense) and seize assets sufficient to meet the costs.
The UMF divides offenses into three groups; minor, major and capital. Minor offenses are little more than misdemeanors and are punished by fines or community service, though in extreme cases a prison sentence may be imposed. Major offenses are more serious, with the range of punishments increased to reflect this. Capital offenses are the most serious crimes, usually against the state. Those convicted of capital crimes in absentia may receive the "death mark." This signifies a suspended sentence of execution, and 'recipients'are often the target of covert operations by the SOE or UMFA. Furthermore, the UMF posts a substantial bounty for the death of each target, often in excess of 500,000 marks. This i s intended to encourage the recipient's allies to turn on them.
Education
The education standards of the UMF have always been high. It is in the corporations' best interests to maintain a highly educated workforce, and to that end each company sponsors the education of its employees' children from a very young age. Basic education begins in the corporate creches, providing intellectual stimulation, and true schooling begins at around six cycles. The largest companies own and operate their own education facilities and a number of 'Education Corporations' exist to meet the needs of those who do not. Early education follows the same pattern for all pupils, but after elementary school (5-10 cycles of age) the children are streamed according to their abilities. Personal choice plays some part in the process, but educators will attempt to steer a pupil away from training for which they show no aptitude
By the age of fourteen cycles, the delineation between those destined for physical occupations and those for other tasks is clear. This can foster a "them and us" mentality among the students, but effective segregation of the pupils minimizes disruption and the chance of violence. At sixteen cycles, schooling for the manual workers is deemed complete and the new workers are assigned tasks in their sponsoring corporation. Their initial contract, intended to pay the corporation back for their investment, lasts for five cycles, during which they are considered on probation. Any attempt to leave the company before this period is complete usually results in a breach of contract suit and a substantial bill.
Pupils intended for careers in management, research or service occupations remain in education until at least twenty cycles, at which point the most promising will Likely spend a further five to ten cycles in higher education. There is a clear seniority among universities, with Swanscombe topping the List, closely followed by the Galland School of Engineering (Rapid City) and the Federation Technology Research Institute (Marathon). The UMF's universities are all privately run institutions and funding for places is much sought after. The Mercantile government provides no funding to educational institutions other than universities, and even then funding takes the form of research grants. Several city-states run their own education programs, but these lack the funding and resources of the corporate programs. As such, non-corporate citizens are effectively given a second-class education.
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