Three World Empire

Three World Empire

Overview

Formed in 2088, the Three World Empire (3WE) was a federation of nations created by the joining of the United Kingdom and Japan, as well as allied nations including India, Indonesia, and Australia. Following the formation of this federation, the Japanese Yutani Corporation purchased and merged with the British Weston Corporation leading to the 3WE’s status as the most significant economic force in Sol. The name, Three World Empire, is drawn from the first three worlds colonized by humanity: Earth, Mars, and Titan.

Supported by the technological advances of the Weyland-Yutani Corporation, the Three World Empire quickly amassed the largest and most advanced naval fleet that humanity had ever seen. These advances in Starflight allowed members of the 3WE to be the first humans to leave the cradle of Sol in search of new homes among the stars. As a result, the 3WE has colonized a plurality of all known resource-rich and naturally habitable worlds. These early colonies would come to be known as the Core Systems.

Due to their heavy reliance on the navy, the Three World Empire can ill afford to field a large standing army like the United Americas (UA) or the Union of Progressive Peoples (UPP). The safety of its territories outside of Sol is primarily contracted to Weyland-Yutani Private Military Contractors (PMCs) as well as the UA’s United States Colonial Marine Corps (USCMC). While the USCMC is exclusively tasked with patrol and rapid response, Wey-Yu PMCs fill a wide array of roles. While the contractors are primarily hired to patrol and garrison 3WE territory, it is not uncommon to see them filling the role of peacekeepers not dissimilar to beat cops on worlds without a strong Colonial Marshal presence.

For its economic influence and role in the Three World Empire’s stability and prosperity, Weyland-Yutani was granted a permanent seat in the Empire’s Parliament. So far, Weyland-Yutani is the only non-governmental entity to be bestowed this honour. While all governmental parties claim that Weyland-Yutani has remained unbiased in its governance, none can deny that since being invited into Parliament, the Corporation’s economic power has increased ten-fold. In contrast, the majority of its competition have floundered under strict economic regulation and bureaucratic red tape.

History

Expand for Three World Empire Historical Records:

Following the terraforming and colonization of Luna in 2031 and 2039 respectively, the United Kingdom (UK) and Japan had managed to secure technological supremacy on Earth. Despite their technical prowess, both nations were resource poor when compared to other world powers such as the United States of America (USA) and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR). Seeing space as a limitless source of resources, the United Kingdom and Japan penned a series of joint treaties to enable the establishment of the first Anglo-Japanese settlements on Luna. These colonies would be governed jointly by both nations and within the decade, the remaining lunar colonies would be brought under the same joint banner. The United Kingdom based Weyland Corporation would then conduct the first manned mission to Mars the next year with a multinational Japanese and British team. Terraforming efforts began in late 2032 and would last eight years before the planet became habitable. In 2040, the first permanent colony on Mars was founded. In an act that rivaled the footage of the Apollo 11 landing, two astronauts simultaneously planted the Union Jack and the Flag of the Sun. This act of jointly claiming a terrestrial body forever entwined the two nations and their colonization efforts. The terraformation and colonization of Titan would be conducted over another ten years starting in 2055. Great Britain and Japan would enjoy over fifty years of open migration and tariff-free commerce before finally merging in 2088 into what would be known as the Three World Empire; its name drawn from the three worlds of Earth, Mars, and Titan. The parliaments of both nations would merge with a minority of seats granted to the colonies on Mars and Titan. The Parliament itself was agreed to be based in Westminster, London, and in exchange the Royal Families of both former nations would reside within the Imperial Palace in Tokyo. Further, it was negotiated between King James III. of Windsor and the Emperor of Japan that a royal marriage would take place to seal the two royal houses into a union in perpetuity. This led to the British King marrying the Princess of Japan, and since the Emperor of Japan had had no heir of his own, Parliament quickly agreed that James III. would be the next, legitimate heir to the throne of Japan, and that his oldest offspring would continue both royal lines henceforth. Seeing the rise of this new, powerful entity shocked many in the world, as both Japan and the UK were now one, and the two sidelined secondary powers had effectively surpassed all in terms of Colonial Power. Further, a few years after formation, in 2092 the Republic of India formally petitioned the Imperial Parliament for membership within the Empire, a request that was passed in Parliament and quickly approved by both Monarchs. Seeing a third nation join this aspiring power, many smaller nations, who were either amicable to Japan or Britain, or were in precarious positions with respect to the United States or USSR and China, also petitioned for membership positions. By 2100, the TWE would count nations such as India, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Indonesia, Taiwan, South Korea, the Netherlands, Belgium, Portugal, Papua New Guinea, Kenya, Fiji and many more to be part of its realm. Most of these were given proper, parliamentary representation within Parliament, although some national governments had made it clear that they wished for lessened integration, and thus did not receive the same level of representation in exchange for decreased interference. South Korea and the Netherlands were two of the nations that had requested this privilege. Furthermore, by the turn of the century, rapid advances in technology and terraforming and colonization technologies resulted in the ability to surpass outer Sol, and pierce into new sectors of space entirely. The TWE, with its scientific lead over the other powers on earth now only further reinforced with its growing size and might, had a large lead on this technology, and would go on to be the first to colonize beyond Sol. In doing so, they seized some of the most resource-rich and also most habitable worlds that were within, what would later become, the Core Sector of space. Later, following their formation, the UA and UPP would find themselves squabbling and scrambling for comparatively desolate planets and rocks, which required far more terraforming investment than the initial TWE colonies did. At the same time, in 2099, Weston Corp and Yutani Corporation, the two prevalent British and Japanese Corporations respectively, agreed to a merger, which united the two’s industrial and political might into one. This procedure was even used by the TWE’s government as propaganda, seeing as how their most powerful megacorporations was now an anglo-Japanese merger, same as the Empire itself had been, and stories were spun about the fortunes that cooperation between the different peoples really did bring to all. Newly established W-Y would go on to increase its cooperation with the Empire’s Parliament and Monarchy, and would eventually, by the year of 2140, even receive a permanent seat in the parliament of its own - the only corporate entity to receive as much. Not all was rosy for the Empire, however. With so many new member states, the fortuitous unity and prosperity between the British and Japanese were overshadowed by an incredible multiculturalism that began to plague the Empire and its society. With a Parliament in London now housing anyone ranging from Belgian, Portuguese, Indian and Indonesian, the issue became clear that something had to be done. When the United Americas formed as the second Conglomerate on Earth in 2104, it became clear that the TWE’s colonial hegemony was at stake, and that efforts in space colonization and protection had to be doubled. As such, a massive recruitment and propaganda campaign was sanctioned, and a huge fleet of ships for the Space Force was commissioned and brought into service. Henceforth, it would become any elected government’s first and foremost priority to give the disunited and diverse peoples of the Empire’s realm a common goal and cause to rally behind. The theory said that, if such was the case, differences among one another would be forgotten, and stability would be ensured. Thus, it came that the Empire moved towards a more outwardly militaristic and expansionist view, something that worried the UA and angered the UPP, which had formed in 2108, four years after the UA. Propaganda campaigns asked citizens to embark on to space, and seize land and prosperity for one’s self and the Empire. At the same time, the Navy became the centerpiece of military operations, growing eventually to an enormous size and force, with recruitment campaigns emphasizing the heroic deed of protecting and expanding the “largest empire in human history”, while also serving valiantly under the TWE’s Emperor, James III. of Britain, who had properly ascended to sole power following the death of the childless Emperor of Japan. The Monarchy, more so than any elected officials in Parliament, quickly rose to become a central authority for the people all around the Empire, as it was something anyone could rally behind, and something that was easy to understand, unlike the motives of an elected Prime Minister who always served dubious standards and objectives. Rather than fight this, the Parliament endorsed this sentiment, and although the Monarchy remained entirely constitutional and largely a figurehead entity, the Emperor was now brought back into the public much more, christening new capital vessels for the Navy, holding speeches and attending many other high-profile public events. This would only increase the effectiveness of the ‘Common Goal’ policies of Parliament, and a new recruitment drive occurred, both for the Navy and for the Colonies. In time, the Empire saw itself with a sort of competition, where member states within it would compete to colonize worlds before the other. This was, and still is, the case particularly in the Outer Rim and Frontier, where entire worlds will be dominated by a single cultural minority. Thus, it is not unlikely to find a TWE world in this space that is almost entirely colonized by, for example, Indonesians, Indians, or Australians. Due to the long-distance and fledgling nature of these new colonies, a Provisional Governor is usually appointed by the central government back on Earth to rule over any specific colony - with care being taken to appoint one of the same culture and heritage as the majority population on the new world. Many years would pass, but by the year of 2135, the Empire realized it had to curb its massive expansionism for its own good. The reality was that, when compared to the UA and UPP, the TWE could not field nearly as many men and women within its military, and thus could not meaningfully patrol the outer rims and frontier colonies to protect them from danger. Thus, several deals were made, both with Weyland-Yutani and the United States Colonial Marine Corps. The former, by now a tight, integrated partner of the Empire, was happy to provide Corporate PMCs to help garrison frontier stations and colonies, while the USCM signed treaties that allowed it to patrol Outer Rim and Frontier Space in exchange for generous payment, though they would also be tasked with rapid response duty should a colony go dark for whatever reason. These treaties, with both parties, were amended and renewed several times, and still exist to this day, in 2182. The TWE remains the biggest and more reliable partner of Weyland-Yutani to this day, and with the help of their integrated, permanent seat in parliament, they have legitimate legislative powers within the Empire, and a voice to make themselves heard. As such, W-Y entertains their most precious, secretive and/or dangerous research within Anglo-Japanese borders, on planets or asteroids leased to them by Parliament on very much loose terms, usually - terms that, for the most part, are favourable to ones offered by the USCM and UA. This close relationship with W-Y has notably strained the Empire’s relationship with the aforementioned Marine Corps, who eye the Anglo-Japanese border with distrust, fearing that the Empire might try to sway W-Y, their main arms and material deliverer, from cooperating with them to disrupt their integrity.

Naval Commands

Home Command (HOCOM)

Despite being treated as its own command, Home Command operates only a single Fleet: the Home Fleet. The Home Fleet is the largest, best-funded, and most well-equipped fleet in the entire Three World Empire Navy and the premier naval force in the Sol Sector. Operating from the Royal Naval Command Centre in Japan’s northern reaches, Home Fleet serves as the primary defensive shield of the 3WE’s home territory and stands poised to strike at any who would dare threaten the Empire and its solar colonies. Home Fleet consists primarily of capital ships, including several battleships and carriers, as well as a plethora of smaller escort-class carriers. Due to the poor manoeuvrability of these oversized ships and the limited operation ranges that they possess, the Home Fleet is largely confined to a defensive role in the Sol System. However, this is not seen as a detriment to the fleet, but rather an opportunity to maximize firepower and armour while saving resources that would otherwise be wasted on long-range capabilities. Home Fleet is also utilized to showcase cutting-edge ships to the public and any potential threats that may be watching.

Imperial Command (IMCOM)

Imperial Command oversees all naval action in Three World Empire territory outside of the Sol System. IMCOM operates over a dozen fleets consisting primarily of patrol craft. These fleets fill the dual role of border patrol and rapid response. While they operate similarly to the USCMS, these patrol craft rarely have more than a squad of commandos per ship. Despite IMCOM’s reliance on light patrol craft, it is not uncommon to see the occasional heavy cruiser, carrier, or battleship semi-permanently moored at checkpoint stations along major shipping routes and border crossings.

Expeditionary Command (EXCOM)

Expeditionary Command is tasked with discovering habitable planets in the Frontier and beyond. Unlike the other two Commands, expeditionary groups rarely consist of more than a few exploration craft and often require escort when in the Core Systems. Such expeditionary task groups usually consist of retrofitted long-range light cruisers meant for deep space exploration. As these deep space exploration craft are not rated for atmospheric operations, they are accompanied by smaller tethered research vessels that are used to determine a planet’s habitability. It is to note that, due to their area of operations in the Frontier and beyond, EXCOM operates in a perpetual state of supply shortage. To compound this issue, a majority of the ships are decades old and in need of constant repair. Parliament has deemed the cost of recalling and retrofitting the ships with modern equipment to be too great and EXCOM has been told to “make do” with what they have.

Relations

Factions	Connections
Union of Progressive Peoples	The corporate-dominated constitutional monarchy of the 3WE has incompatible political differences with the UPP’s anti-capitalist governance. The Three World Empire has engaged in a cold war with the Union of Progressive Peoples since the UPP’s founding in 2108. These tensions have only escalated within the last three years after the Weyland-Yutani Corporation publicly accused the UPP of destroying the Hadley’s Hope colony on Acheron. This, plus increased territorial disputes spurred on by a recent colonization push from the UPP, has many worried that both factions’ sabre-rattling will escalate into a full-blown war. In part, it is this existent threat that has led the 3WE and the United Americas to remain tenuous allies despite ever-increasing border friction and ideological differences.
Colonial Liberation Front	The CLF, whilst mostly occupied with the fight against the USCM, occasionally make their way into TWE territory. They attempt to recruit citizens or pirate supplies and weaponry from colonies, almost all of these incursions occur at colonies with a large Weyland-Yutani presence and the TWE responds to these incursions with swift and deadly military action.
Weyland-Yutani	The Weyland-Yutani Corporation is an integral part of the Three World Empire. The Company’s financial and technical prowess have directly aided the 3WE in becoming the world power that it is today. In addition to the megacorporation’s permanent Parliament seat, currently unproven fringe rumours exist that numerous members of Parliament are either on the Company’s payroll or have been replaced with android duplicates.
United Americas	While the founding nations of the Three World Empire and the United Americas have seen each other as allies for the last few centuries, the relationship between the two conglomerates has gradually deteriorated in recent years. This is primarily in response to the 3WE’s historic expansionist efforts resulting in rapidly muddying borders as well as increasing hostilities between the United Americas and Weyland-Yutani. Despite this, the UA’s USCMC has been contracted to patrol and defend large swathes of 3WE space. Although officially, communications breakdowns had prevented the USCM ships from receiving the distress signal, on more than one occasion, USCM help has arrived late or not at all to a 3WE colony in need.