Glimmering Federation Dossier
1) Basic Economics
1.a) Trade
The Glimmering Federation does not operate a state-controlled mercantile fleet, relying on internal civilian ISCs (Interstellar Shipping Companies) instead for interstellar trade and commerce. Though three ISCs (Green Horizons Colonization LTD, New Dawn R&D, and Federation Post) dominate the markets with around 79% of the total volume of goods and people shipped within the Federation, smaller single or duo-ship ISCs exist within the polity. In total, 283 individual ships ply the Warp Lanes of the Federation to fuel its economic growth, transport people and councilors, and investigate and seek out new systems, anomalies, and resources.
Their
civilian ships are typically constructed with a "rectangular prism" as their main body, with construction ships having a cylinder with two half-spheres at its end used for the crew attached to the vessel's front with a narrow middle section often containing either materials or pre-constructed parts of stations and void infrastructure. Transportation ships are also constructed like a "rectangular prism," with a blunt bow, with the majority having half-spheres attached to their middle sections in an obtuse angle containing goods, liquids, and gasses they ferry across the interstellar void. At the same time, large-scale transport ships are shaped like construction vessels but with cylinders with a single half-sphere attached to their upward-facing ends attached to their middle sections ranging from 2~12 such cylinders.
A notable quirk of their
military ships is that the main body consists of either a "tube" or a "rectangular prism" with flat wings constructed around the main body following the entire length of the ship. If they aren't, they are mainly situated alone in the bow or rarely found in the middle section but never in the aft. Those same wings are typically located at an obtuse angle pointing downwards relative to the "down" of the ship's internal layout. Carriers often have their "wings" extended and enlarged to make space for their strike craft elements. The Glimmering Federation uses a Stark White as its primary ship coloration, with Black as a Secondary Color and Midnight Blue as a Tertiary/Accent Color.
The Glimmering Federation maintains 154 military vessels as of 780.M42, which they group into Sector Battle Groups and Task Fleets.
1.b) Shipbuilding
The Federation's total military ship production capability is highly dependent on Federal Funding allocated, with three Scouts produced every ten years thanks to internal production rationalizations. The nation could, however, make nearly an entire SBG (33 Ships in total, consisting of 4 Heavy Cruisers, 8 Carriers, 6 Light Cruisers, 8 Heavy Frigates, 4 Corvettes, and 3 Navigation Vessels) within a decade.
Their Destroyers range from 1.3km to 1.6km, Frigates from 1.6km to 2km, Light Cruisers from 3.6km to 4.2km, Heavy Cruisers 5km, and Grand Cruisers from 7.2km to 7.5km.
The Federation heavily favors Missiles and Strike Craft as their go-to armaments, with Macro Cannons a distinct second and Lances a distant third choice. This easily translates to likely the most well-armed and numerous strike craft fielding fleet in human hands, with the median skill of their SBG Fleet Pilots (nearly all (93%) of them clones of the "Thule" gene line) equal to that of a median Space Marine pilot. Their ships favor the survivability of the crew in body and soul, alongside the ability to restore the destroyed hulks of their ships after a battle with minimal fuss, leading to both a higher-than-median crew skill level and level of confidence in victory among their naval arm of the military.
2) Socio-Economics
The Glimmering Federation's member systems primarily engage in a mixture of state and corporate capitalism, with frontier systems next to polities willing to trade engaging in mercantile capitalism. A federally mandated minimum wage exists and is directly tied to the cost of living within legally defined boundaries, which has led to historically low housing costs and high investments in public transport by system governments.
The Glimmering Federation is a Theocratic Federation with Local, Planetary, System, Sub-Sector, and Sector Councils organizing and guiding the whole as chosen by their peers, with strong influences of the state church of the Droman Creed, which reveres the as-yet-unborn deity of the Star Child.
Social programs exist but are mainly conducted through state church organizations and Faith Orders. A minimum age of consent, legalized drug consumption, conscription, marriage, and body modification/augmentation exist. Gun ownership for non-automatic weaponry of low caliber is Federally enforced to raise the skill floor of recruits, with further gun laws dependent on system governments. While belief in the state religion is enforced, non-compliance has mainly social ramifications (dependent on system laws) as long as the non-compliance veers into agnosticism or atheism instead of Heresy or Chaos worship. Blasphemy laws are active for all federation members and are often enforced harshly.
The internal secret police organization, "Order of Cerberus," has been active for multiple centuries and has been charged with the powers and remits to hunt down Chaos Worshippers while having their powers and resources enlarged with later decrees to deal with Major Heresies such as the Order of the Nurenor Roses or the Aetherical Cog.
The Glimmering Federation's primary species are Humans (The Wise/Those Who Think They Think) and Orgyns (The Giant Thinkers), with the secondary the Kil'drabi (We Who Yet Wander) and tertiary the Yeeni (The Thinking Ones). Unlike virtually 99% of all human civilization within the Milky Way Galaxy, the Glimmering Federation is
not Fanatically Xenophobic. However, they still maintain the legal and moral stance that Xenocides are necessary actions to visit upon Xeno species unable to be brought into the fold under the Star Child as either Kin (equal to Humanity), Protectorates (Vassals of the Federation paying in resources for protection) or Wayfarers/Travelers (those as of yet not brought into the fold as one of the first two). The Federation has adopted a wait-and-see stance on non-Warp Capable Xenos (classifying them as Children) unless they are wiping themselves out, have attained desirable technological advancements, or have fallen prey to Chaos.
2.a) Kil'drabi
The Kil'drabi are the first Protectorate and Kin of the Federation. Their naming schemes are typically descriptive of their hatchings, their parents' hopes, the situations they find themselves in, or their personal whims later in life (They-Who-Preach-of-Dawn, He-Who-Sings-With-Golden-Skin, Stellar-Dust-of-Labor, Speaker-Of-Engines-And-Spirits, etc.). As sequential hermaphrodites that are capable of changing their gender every ~60 Standard Terran Years, they can often struggle for a short while with the concept of male/female/non-binary genders if not exposed to such concepts early in their life, or they live within a Primary Kil'drabi station/colony.
Due to an ever-increasing integration into Federation Society and Culture, some aspects of their people and history have been lost, such as the construction of Battlecolonies, once near-religiously revered symbols of their people, now turned into near-religiously revered symbols of their future as a nation. Older generations still mourn the lack of new constructions in favor of Frigates.
2.b) Yeeni
The Yeeni are the second Protectorate and Kin of the Federation. Their naming schemes are typically flowery or poetic (Starshine, Springdawn, Bramble Darkclaw, Petal Shimmerdew, Thistle Starfog, Daring Ignition, etc.). They are a sexually dimorphic species with a natural slant towards matriarchal systems of power and society but are not genetically disposed towards such systems beyond modification via education.
They have integrated well into Federation Society and are an enthusiastic part of the nation. They generally have an approval rate of ~84% among the general non-Yeeni population, with Humans 3 percentage points higher than Kil'drabi (and Ogryns at a consistent 100% approval), and human women maintaining a higher approval rate of Yeeni by 7 percentage points than human men. Sociologists debate the reason why, with no conclusive theory being decided upon.
2.c) Lamenters Space Marines
The Glimmering Federation houses, supports, and aids the Space Marine Chapter of the Lamenters, risen from the ashes of only the Dreadnought-bound Space Marine Amadeus 'Chyron' Chyropheles. Thanks to nearly a millennium of long-standing cooperation and aid, the Lamenters feel heavily indebted to the Federation, and it is doubtful that they would follow any order from the Imperium to fight against the Glimmering Federation unless it came undeniably from the God-Emperor Himself. Some among their number would not fight even then.
3) Corruption
Chaos Corruption exists at very low levels yet is consistently hunted down. Mundane Corruption exists but is combated based on the urgency of the Federation members.
4) Propaganda
Their primary propaganda focuses on combating the ever-present threat of Chaos Corruption, increasing Societal Cohesion, improving Federation Buy-In, and Anti-Van Zandt Free Duchy War Propaganda on the docket in decreasing severity/focus.