Andrastan Combine

Andrastan Combine of Federated Planets
Flag Coat of arms
Motto: "Beauty, Equality, Prosperity"
Anthem: "March of the Combine" [1]
The homeworld of the Combine, Andraste.
Capital and largest city	Kath Vadir, Andraste
Official languages	Common Tradespeak Veshtid
Ethnic groups	98% Veshtid, 2% Other
Demonym(s)	Andrastan
Government	Geniocratic Republic
• Director General	Sadra Tor
• Administrator General	Lutar Oth
• Arbiter General	Keres Sed
Independent (Sovereign)
Population
• Estimate	11,055,232,568
GDP (nominal)	estimate
• Total	3,814,055,212,550T
• Per capita	34,500T
Currency	Trell (T)
Date format	dd.mm.yyyy

The Andrastan Combine of Federated Planets, more commonly referred to as the Andrastan Combine, or simply The Combine is a Geniocratic Republic located in the far Galactic East within sector FR1 of the Aesos Galaxy. The Combine's home world is Andraste, located in the Friha system, within what is considered to be the extreme frontier of the galaxy. At present the territorial extent of the Combine is confined to the Friha System which feature four inhabited worlds and a number of large permanently inhabited space stations; each planet and station with a population over 100,000 is granted its own local government, and in the case of Andraste, multiple local governments.

The Andrastan Combine is a Federal Geniocratic Republic with a Legislative driven government. The Executive, headed by the Director General, plays a largely organisational and bureaucratic role whilst the Judiciary under the Arbiter General focuses upon matter of law and procedure. The Legislative body of the Combine is the Council, which is chaired by the Administrator General. A series of universally administered examinations determine who is and is not eligible for candidacy in elections and every citizen is entitled to sit these exams once per electoral cycle. Incumbent members of the government are required to take these exams if they wish to serve additional terms of office. Suffrage is universal and granted at the age of 16 Andrastan Standard Years, and all students are required to take the electoral exams when they turn 18. The current Director General is Sadra Tor, the Administrator General is Lutar Oth, and the Arbiter General is Keres Sed.

The capital of the Combine is the city of Kath Vadir on the homeworld of Andraste, this is also the largest city in the combine with a population of approximately 65 million. Following the Combine's expansion offworld into the rest of the Friha System a series of laws and initiatives have been enacted confining urban centres to specific areas of Andraste, in order to allow for the production of food and other necessities in mass quantities. The majority of Andraste's surface is given over to the production of food. Andraste itself is a highly acidic sulphurous world.

As of 14.05.12E ACC the Combine consists of twelve planets, eight stations with a population of 100,000 or more, 1,854 smaller inhabited stations, and 2,544 registered outposts. Of the twelve planets four are permanently inhabited; Andraste, Adamastor, Phynaster, and Lokthan. The eight stations large enough to have their own local government are Genesis, Exodus, Legates, Perspicacity, Primogenitor, Antithesis, Apotheosis, and Serendipity. Andraste is the most heavily populated planet within the Combine with a population of just under 10 billion, followed by Adamastor with a population of approximately 312 million. Each of the planets and the eight stations have their own unitary local government with the exception of Andraste which has several local governments which collectively answer to a central Andrastan government. Each local government is co-equal within the Combine. Due to significant technological limitations in as far as terraforming is concerned the populations of Adamastor, Phynaster, and Lokthan have plateaued at their present level, and rapid population growth has resulted increase migration to the outer stations.

The Andrastan Combine has a well developed economy which relies primarily upon the trade between Andraste and the other inhabited parts of the Friha system. The trade of food for offworld minerals is at the core of the nation's internal economy. The government has maintained moderate levels of economic regulation, and have created a partially regulated market economy as a result. The majority of the Combine's industrial infrastructure is found on Adamastor and Phynaster, while Andraste produces around 80% of the Combine's food supply. The outer stations rely upon asteroid mining, and resource tapping from the system's gas giants and liquid worlds. The GDP Per Capita is approximately 34,500 Trell, although the average income (after tax) is approximately 28,250T. Levels of poverty and homelessness are relatively low due to an extensive system of social security which includes universal healthcare, education, and housing, as well as government run utilities, disability benefits, and unemployment benefits.

Etymology & Terminology

The Andrastan Combine is named after the Veshtid homeworld of Andraste which itself is named after the ancient progenitor deity of the Veshtid species. Prior to planetary unification the most commonly used names for the planet were 'the World', 'the Ground', 'the Everything', or 'the Garden', however with the religious and social unification of the Veshtid species during 10E ACC the name Andraste was chosen, because some form of this deity had existed in most cultures, and because the name Andraste had become synonymous with the idea a 'Cradle of Civilisation'. The discovery of other sapient species within the galaxy at the end of 10E ACC led to significant cultural and religious repercussions which reinforced the use of Andraste as a name for their world rather than a more generic translatable term.

The use of the term Combine has been used since the end of 10E ACC when the changes to Veshtid society and culture led to political upheaval and the overthrow of the former world government. Previously the united Veshtid nation was known as the Andrastan Authority and had been ruled as a dictatorship propped up by a council of military and corporate interests. Following the revolution which ended 10E ACC a new government was formed on the principles of technocracy, meritocracy, democracy, and geniocracy. The revolution had been directed by the combined efforts of various philosophers, scientists, and sociologists and so they informally referred to their movement as the Party of Combined Ethics. It was from this that the term Combine was derived.

The colonisation of the other planets in the Friha system, starting with Adamastor, in mid-11E ACC and the subsequent recognition of said planets as semi-autonomous states within the wider Combine, led to a series of government reforms and the addition of the term Federated Planets to the end of the full ceremonial name of the nation. This was done in order to recognise the potential for growth and colonisation beyond Friha, and to recognise the differing priorities of citizens in the colonies. A recent movement to change the name from Federated Planets to Federated Colonies has seen some traction, however no official moves to change the nation's name again have yet been made.