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Carina Cycler Union
Galactography > Other Major Polities, Empires, and Meta-Empires > Deeper Covenant
Galactography > Minor Polities
Galactography > Regions of Space > Outer Volumes
Galactography > Minor Polities
Galactography > Regions of Space > Outer Volumes
Beamrider polity in the Carina Sector | |
 Image from Steve Bowers | |
| Typical Carina Cycler ship propelled on a beam of smart particles | |
A development/exploration based beamrider polity in the Carina Rush, which resembles in some ways both the Deeper Covenant and Cygexpa. It has its origins in the five founding members: Bastet Far Edge Party, the Brown Dwarf Cyberdemocracies, Syrinnhan Colony, Ahti and New Djed. The founding members originally formed the Union as the Carina Rush grew in 7120 in order to protect themselves from being assimilated by "outside influences".
Over the coming centuries, through luck, strong memetics and shrewd politicking the CCU was able to gain a number of new members and expand its influence considerably. Eventually it became one of many organisations exploiting the economic potential of the Rush, specialising in developing colonisation and habitat construction techniques. Beamrider cyclers became the most common form of expansion — hence the name — but the Union has also employed engenerator technology and, wherever possible, wormholes. In the manner of Cygexpa, the control of the majority of the interstellar transport infrastructure gave the Union a great deal of economic power and allowed it to leave many colonies (sometimes called Tier 2 members) to manage all their own local affairs.
At the head of the CCU is a fourth toposophic entity known as Syrin-Bastet-9371 (often shortened to Syr), apparently formed by the merger of the transapient AI overseers of Syrinnhan Colony and several tribeminds of the Bastet Far Edge Party in 9212. Syr is not the official leader of the CCU (each Tier 1 member is sovereign so long as they abide by the CCU principles), and does not participate much in CCU affairs, but exerts a large influence via occasionally providing Weylforges when petitioned and offering advice about which direction the polity is to take.
The CCU has an uneasy relationship with the Deeper Covenant, often competing over Beamrider routes but sometimes finding it more effective to co-operate. For the moment it has refused to join the Covenant, preferring to follow its own agenda. However, many commentators believe it is only a matter of time before the CCU calms down and becomes a Covenant member polity.
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Development Notes
Text by Liam Jones
Initially published on 07 May 2011.
Initially published on 07 May 2011.
