The second-largest of the Northern Leagues, the UMF is the industrial heartland of the North. Corporations and free enterprise are central to the UMF way of life. The League has no taxes. Government operations are funded through the sale of electoral vouchers, which grant a single vote in a single election to the owner. Most UMF corporations purchase hundreds of electoral vouchers every cycle, in addition to their more direct contributions to the overall welfare of the League. Its concentration of heavy industry makes the acquisition of raw materials particularly important to the UMF. The North is rich in forests and mineral wealth, but the untapped mineral and petrochemical resources of the Badlands are a gold mine for anyone that can lay claim to them. Losing access to these treasures would be devastating for most UMF corporations, so the UMFA is frequently called on to prevent Southern or local monopolies or protectionist governments from claiming exclusive access or plundering a region’s resources without fair compensation. The UMF’s most bitter rival is the Mekong Dominion, and the two Leagues have been locked in a trade war for most of their history. This war has only come to open conflict a handful of times, most notably during the Merchant War in the late 17th century TN and the Sandstorm Strikes of the early 20th century TN. Treasurer Yves Banderas, ex-film star and former leader of the UMF, had been trying to find common ground with the Dominion since his election. He believed that they could be pried away from the AST, a move that would have weakened the South’s industry tremendously. Other Northern leaders were more skeptical. PROFIT MOTIVE 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 is 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 is 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 alliances. 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. The search for profits dominates the companies, and by extension the UMF. The quest for new markets and resources plays a major role in this and has repeatedly brought the Federation into conflict with its neighbors. Almost every war fought by the UMF has at its core financial considerations, as has the league’s alliances. Indeed, the ill-fated “alliance” with the Mekong Dominion grew from Treasurer Banderas’ ambitions to form an economic super-power to rival the CNCS and AST. It remains to be seen if the UMF, unlike the Treasurer, can survive his mistake. 2.1 GEOGRAPHY The United Mercantile Federation covers some 150 degrees of longitude and 80 of latitude and is a land of contrasts. The terrain ranges from deserts and broad savannah in the south to lush forests and arctic wasteland in the north. The Mercantile climate is similarly varied, with the southern regions frequently buffeted by Badlands-born tempests while the Marathon Basin and northern expanses are protected from the worst of these storms by five broad mountain ranges. These mountain ranges also divide the land into distinct regions, each of which has its own microclimate, influencing the range of flora and fauna. Each of these regions plays a major role in the UMF’s society, shaping the industry and economy of its city-states and settlements. The regions all present wide ranges of both resources and challenges, and a well-known Mercantile proverb states: “There are no such things as obstacles to be overcome. Rather, there are opportunities we have yet to decide how to exploit”. 2.1.1 DESERT AND PLAINS The harsh conditions of the Badlands slowly give way to the Ashington, Zagreb and Cajun plains. This arid region, a mix of broad savannah and wasteland, is ill-suited to the mechanized farming methods more common further north, but is dotted with small communities willing to work hard to raise small crops of johar or herds of cattle. Although the involvement of big business in such communities is minimal, they do typify the Federation in other ways. Groups who may be at odds with each other for most of the cycle work together to gather the harvest or drive cattle. Indeed, many communities band together to form cooperatives, allowing them to share capital expenditure and to allow collective bargaining when selling goods to the city-state based corporations. The rolling terrain of the Marathon Basin and, to a lesser degree, the Northern Plain around Swanscombe, have a temperate climate and see more rainfall than the borderlands; the deep loam is considerably more fertile. Furthermore, the mountains surrounding the Marathon Basin provide a measure of protection from Badlands storms. Forests were once widespread in the area, though broad tracts have been felled for timber and to clear land for farming. The area is dotted with massive corporate farms on which planting and computer-controlled vehicles do harvesting. Indeed, at harvest time each of the massive machines is capable of harvesting, processing and packing produce, be it johar, wheat or sand beet. Flora and Fauna As one travels north from the Badlands, the changes in vegetation are clearly apparent. Scrub vegetation and lichen dominate the border region but are replaced by wild johar where water from the McAllen network percolates to the surface. Sand-beet originated on the Badlands fringe, but this nutritious (although bland) distant relative of the johar family has become the focus of large-scale commercial exploitation in the more fertile northern regions where it competes with genetically modified Terran cereals. The regions of highest precipitation, notably the northern reaches of the Marathon Basin, the Byerst Plain and the upwind flanks of most mountain ranges, are blanketed with dense woodland. In the taiga woodland of the high latitudes this is principally Terranovan pine, but saguaro is more common in the drier regions on the Badlands fringe. Small, insect-like flappers are accepted as a vital part of the arable region, serving as the principal vector for pollinating plants. They are, however, capable of wiping out entire crops. Johar worms and wheat-jackets are the target of major pest control programs. Larger fauna such as grassrunners are common in wilderness regions but are less tolerated in farmsteads and are trapped and shot. Most farmers cannot understand the desire of city folk to keep domesticated ‘runners as pets. Springers are the staple of many ranches, and wild varieties roam throughout the UMF, though pack hunters like dawgs and prairie jackals keep their numbers down. Barnabus Iguanas are also commonplace, both in the wild and domesticated. The many northern lakes provide the ideal home for lakewasps and their swarms are regarded as the bane of the tourist industry. Climate The summer season provides the region with its greatest rainfall, with the amount gradually increasing closer to the poles. The mountainous terrain has a major impact on precipitation, however, with increased rainfall on the upwind (generally western) sides of the chains and a pronounced area of reduced precipitation, a “rain shadow,” downwind. The most pronounced of these is the Zihl Salt Flats in the lee of the Downing Range though, ironically, the southern region of the basin contains a large number of rivers and lakes, fed by the McAllen network and run-off from the mountain range. The highest levels of rainfall occur around Lyonnesse, with rain-bearing winds funneled between the northwestern tip of the Downing Range and the western spur of the Quinn mountains. Temperatures on the Badlands fringe average about 35ºC during the summer, falling to around 25ºC during in winter. This pattern holds true throughout the savannah and plains region, with temperatures falling by about 3.75 degrees for every ten degrees further north. Local microclimates, caused by mountains and large bodies of water, can produce more pronounced variations. 2.1.2 MOUNTAINS AND LAKES The Federation’s mountain ranges play a major role in shaping climate and vegetation patterns, but they also serve as major barriers to movement and contain significant mineral deposits. The Westridge Range forms the border with the WFP and delineates the Western edge of the Marathon Basin and Cajun Plains, while the Downing Range serves as the region’s eastern boundary. Only four major passes cross the Westridge Range and one of these, the Cajun Pass west of Mainz, has been closed since it became the target of UMF chemical weapons in the WFP’s abortive invasion of TN 1570. The Downing range also forms the border between the Ashington and Zagreb Plains and the Sangar Basin, while the broad expanse of the Southern Spur separates the Eastern Marathon Basin from both the Badlands and the Ashington Basin. Mount Alban, in the Downing range between Marathon and Lyonnesse, is the highest peak in the UMF and the site of many outdoor pursuit centers. The Quinn Range forms the other two sides of the basin though much of the northern span, south of Rapid City and bounding the Zihl Salt Flats, is little more than hills. The area immediately north of the Quinn Range is known as the Byerst Plain and forms part of the gently rolling polar basin. The northern tip of the Pacifica Range divides the Zagreb and Northern Plains before curving around to merge with the western tip of the Tershaw Range. The Pacifica range contains one of only two volcanoes in the UMF, Mount Lowen. The other, Mount Mosvari, is located in the far southern tip of the Downing Range’s Southern Spur, though several Badlands volcanoes, most notably those at the heart of the Great White Desert, occasionally erupt and spew ash into the UMF. The McAllen network serves as the UMF’s primary source of water, though a number of rivers flow in the Marathon and Sangar Basins as well as on the Tudor Plain that extends south from the Arctic Basin. A number of lakes feed and are fed by these rivers, many of which result from the region’s high precipitation, though others are fed by the McAllen network. Almost 800 kilometers long, Lake Tristan is the Federation’s largest body of fresh water and is the principal site of the league’s fishing industry. The fisheries based on Lake Windermere on the Tudor Plain west of Djakarta Point and the saltwater lakes of the Southern Sangar Basin are less developed, but nonetheless play a vital role in the region’s economy. 2.1.3 THE HIGH ARCTIC The Polar Basin comprises the most northerly expanse of the Federation, a mix of tundra, taiga forest and lakes. Though much of the high arctic is unsuited to any form of industry save logging, the region is dotted with vacation resorts that cater to the sports of fishing and sailing. In the frigid extreme north, the city-state of Pioneer exploits cycle-round snow and ice to become the CNCS’ principal winter-sports venue. Indeed, with snow and ice a rarity on Terra Nova, many regard a trip to Pioneer as the ultimate holiday. Scorched Earth The UMF has repeatedly shown itself willing to use extreme measures to defend against outside threats. Strategic weapons play a major role in this policy, with the Mercantile government willing to sacrifice land in exchange for time to prepare. In TN 1570, the UMF Army used nerve gas to halt an assault by troops of the WFP (the Western Frontier Protectorate), not only killing the defenders and the Mercantile rear-guard, but also poisoning the landscape and rendering the area unsafe for human beings. Indeed, even now some 360 cycles after the incident, the Cajun Pass remains closed to the public. This all fades into insignificance, however, when compared to the War of Alliance. In grave danger of seeing the UMF overrun by the Terran Colonial Expeditionary Force’s GREL shock troops, the Caucus authorized the use of strategic weapons to stem the tide and give the UMFA and Northern Guard time to respond. Use of both chemical and nuclear weapons was widespread along the Badlands border and the southern reaches of the Marathon Basin. Tracts of once-verdant farmland were turned into a radioactive wasteland and remain uninhabitable. In addition to those areas directly affected by the weapons, a number of down-wind areas received trace doses of chemical weapons and nuclear fallout. Though they are at far from dangerous levels, CNCS and Mercantile environmentalists fear that these toxins will accumulate in the food chain and pose a threat to human and animal life in the area. The diseased land has been put to good use by the military, who use the site to conduct live fire exercises and final NBC training and qualification under true conditions. A few officers have scoffed at the economic folly of exposing perfectly good troops to possible contamination, but most agree that the element of danger present increases the effectiveness of the training. In general, only a small portion of the UMFA undergoes these extensive NBC drills because of their cost. There are other benefits to the presence of troops in the area: the samples and measurements they take daily for their safety are made available to biologists monitoring the ecology of the region. Over the cycles, some of the affected areas have begun to recover, with the hardiest species of johar grass attempting to regain a foothold on the exposed soil. The elements have started to wash away the most obvious signs of damage, and most craters have been reduced to shallow depressions in the ground. This has not diminished their danger, however, and people traveling through the region are advised to carry Geiger counters and chemical sniffers for safety. Trekking by foot is also inadvisable; a vehicle, even a lowly truck, offers at least marginal protection against radiation. 2.2 UNITED MERCANTILE FEDERATION HISTORY The origins and history of the United Mercantile Federation begin with commerce, following a bloody path of greed, ambition and treachery. Indeed, most of the cities of the league trace their origins to mining, farming and manufacturing companies established by the Human Concordat. When the Concordat abruptly severed links with the colonies in TN 1454, these companies and their townships were abandoned to their fate. Many were destroyed in the chaos that followed, sacked by bandits or brought low by the collapse of the planetary economy. Others fought for their freedom, forming ad hoc militias to impose order within the towns and the land that surrounded them. Heavily fortified, these company enclaves became city-states, but it soon became apparent that alone, none would survive beyond the first generation. Following the sack and razing of Salisbury by bandits in TN 1525, the leaders of four other city-states banded together. 2.2.1 RISE AND FALL OF THE LYONNESSE LEAGUE (TN 1528-1551) It was Yvgeny Corman, Administrator of Lyonnesse, who brought the cities of Lyonnesse, Rapid City, Marathon, Canterbury and Baton Rouge to the peace table. Throughout the Summer and Autumn of TN 1527 the negotiations raged, balancing demands and working to settle deeply ingrained prejudices and feuds. Brandal Finch of Baton Rouge walked out of the talks on 23 Autumn 1527, but the remaining parties presented a draft to the public on 6 Spring 1528. On 2 Summer of that cycle, the document was signed and the Lyonnesse League came into existence. The return of intercity trade provided a huge influx of capital, prompting a major improvement in the standard of living. By TN 1531 the league was thriving and Baton Rouge was faced with a choice: economic ruin or joining the alliance. Swallowing his pride, Finch chose the latter, though the terms were less favorable than those he walked away from four cycles earlier. In TN 1532 the league integrated its diverse militaries into the League Guard, and formalized relationships between banking, taxation, and other financial institutions. The league also established a comprehensive education system, providing schooling for any who desired it up until the age of twenty cycles. Graduates were guaranteed at least two cycles of vocational training with one of the large companies, and many later went on to become full time employees. The system created a well-trained workforce and low unemployment, but it ultimately doomed the Lyonnesse League. • THE APPRENTICESHIP RIOTS Funding the program of apprenticeships placed a major drain on the league’s finances, a situation not helped by large scale corruption and inefficiency. Nearing bankruptcy, the government both cancelled the program and raised taxes in the summer of TN 1550. Faced with this double blow, workers young and old poured onto the streets. The government overreacted, sending out the League Guard to quell the protest. When crowds in Rapid City began pelting them with stones, the troops were ordered to open fire, killing many civilians. This act of brutality shattered what remained of the central government and civil war loomed. The region’s major corporations decided enough was enough and on 17 Autumn chose to act. Using economic clout and well-trained security forces, they took control of the government and forced the disarmament of the League Guard. The corporate leaders arrested Administrator Genardy Corman, son of founder Yvgeny, and his associates before sweeping away the unwieldy bureaucracy that surrounded them. In its place they created a streamlined administration, headed by a nine-person Caucus, election to which was by a league-wide plebiscite. With the league’s old name tarnished, the new corporate-dominated nation was renamed the United Mercantile Federation. 2.2.2 BEAR MARKETS (TN 1551-1670) The new government sought external challenges to distract the populace from the troubles at home. The Federation launched itself on a massive armaments program and began to eye its neighbors’ territory. By the end of the cycle the troops struck, seizing the city-state of Fort Charles (later renamed Mainz) with the tacit approval of the Northern Lights Confederacy. The Western Frontier Protectorate, however, also claimed Fort Charles and its annexation merely served to sour relationships between the two leagues. The Westerners lacked the resources to retake the city, and instead spent the next twenty cycles destabilizing the UMF’s eastern districts with a series of vicious border raids. The UMFA continued to grow over the next few cycles, its troops constantly relocating within the league to keep its neighbors off balance. In TN 1566 they struck, driving eastward into the Tershaw Cooperative Alliance, a small league straddling the present-day UMF and NLC, and quickly overrunning Djakarta Point. A rich source of gold and silver, Djakarta Point was a major prize, but rather than imposing their will in the city as had been done at Fort Charles, the Federation allowed the city to retain its own cultural institutions and method of government, provided that it accepted the Federation as its overlord. Meanwhile, the matriarchal city-state of Swanscombe, also part of the TCA, was the target of aggressive diplomatic efforts. Seeing advantages in siding with a growing power, they petitioned for membership in the UMF that same cycle. Deprived of two if its principal cities, the Tershaw Cooperative Alliance collapsed. The Federation’s success proved its undoing, however, driving the remaining TCA cities (and neighboring communities) into the NLC. WAR TO THE KNIFE In TN 1570 the simmering feud between the WFP and the UMF finally exploded. The Protectorate launched a massive preemptive invasion of the Federation, driving toward Mainz. With the bulk of their troops still occupied in the former TCA, the UMF was caught flat-footed and could not react to the threat. A small force succeeded in holding the Protectorate forces at bay in the Cajun Pass for three days, and when the force was about to be overrun their commander, Tony Kim, called in fire on his position. The UMFA’s Strategic Rocketry Command fired four tactical missiles into the pass, saturating the area with Kesran nerve gas. There were few survivors, and with its offensive shattered, the WFP sued for peace. Border clashes continued, but it wasn’t until the 1650s that the Federation embarked upon another program of expansion. The UMFA backed the so-called Tricity fuel embargo, a successful attempt by three petroleum rich communities in the Badlands to force a price increase on the WFP, their main client. Encouraged by the poor Westerner response, the Federation continued its military build-up and in TN 1667 invaded both the WFP and NLC. The invasions targeted key sites — Kossuth in the NLC and Fort William in the WFP. Kossuth fell to the UMFA in short order, but a spirited counterattack by the Norlight forces forced a withdrawal to Swanscombe; the siege of Fort William was abandoned around the same time. Horrified by their near defeat, the NLC and WFP decided to ally against the “Mercantile threat.” In the summer of TN 1669, their combined armies invaded the far north of the Federation after luring the bulk of the UMFA to the area around Lyonnesse. The UMF mustered a defense and met the invaders near the city of Pioneer. The battle that followed, a nominal victory for the UMF, is best known as the first use of combat walkers, a development that would ultimately culminate in the Heavy Gear. However, the narrow margin of victory convinced the Caucus that war with their neighbors would only end in their destruction and so they focused their efforts on the Badlands. Moves to annex Red Sands proved unsuccessful, though the UMF did ensure a “special understanding” with the Badlands township, and the Federation switched the bulk of its activity to the Westridge area. 2.2.3 ECONOMICS OF ALLIANCE (TN 1670-1913) The formation of the AST in TN 1681 prompted the NLC to suggest the creation of a pan-northern alliance, but the Federation snubbed the proposal, instead concentrating on efforts to control the Westridge Trade Zone (which would give them a stranglehold on the WFP economy). The UMF was not alone in coveting the Westridge area, however. The newly formed AST, and in particular the Mekong Dominion, sought influence in the region and this led to a major armed confrontation. Known as the Merchant War, the clash between the UMF and the Southern alliance lasted from TN 1686 to 1688 before the Azov Treaty acknowledged the region’s independence. This de-facto loss galled the Federation leadership, and rumors of WFP assistance to the AST forces, added salt to the wounds. Despite these rumors, the Caucus made a policy U-turn and supported the NLC’s proposal for an alliance. The CNCS was founded on 8 Summer 1694. • THE ST. VINCENT’S WAR The discovery of the wreck of the HCS St. Vincent in TN 1723 brought 29 cycles of peace to an end. The tense standoff at the wreck degenerated into a wide-ranging battle, horrific in its own right, but worse was to come. Damage to the hulk released a plague of global proportions, causing the deaths of five percent of Terra Nova’s children. Each alliance blamed the other for the incident and global war ensued. For six cycles battles raged at both poles and in the Badlands, costing uncounted thousands of lives. Only the collapse of the global economy in TN 1729 forced a cessation of hostilities. Though never proven, there are suggestions that several major corporations, Northern and Southern, engineered the collapse to end the war and forestall any further losses. • DEATH AND TAXES The next century saw the Federation dealing with a mix of internal and external threats: The TN 1797 and TN 1814 Ashington uprisings (led by Byron Ash against his brother Rik) raised the prospect of war within the Federation. A massive show of force by the UMFA ultimately persuaded the usurper to stop short of secession. The UMFA also sacked Timmins in TN 1762 in an attempt to discourage the city-state’s ‘bootlegging’ of UMF goods. When Timmins petitioned the CNCS in TN 1820, they refused membership in the UMF and saught Northern Guard protection, citing the devastation of TN 1762. The most significant confrontation was the series of covert engagements between the UMF and Mekong Dominion between 1795 and 1799. Known as the Second Merchant War, the battle was fought more with stocks and shares than bullets and bombs, allowing both parties to circumvent the limits placed on them by their respective alliances. Corporations in both leagues lost millions and the losses were aggravated by special forces attacks on manufacturing sites and R&D establishments. The respective governments plowed vast sums into their economies in an effort to win the proxy war, but by late Autumn of TN 1798 the Dominion’s advantage was becoming apparent. Federation Treasurer Constantin Bodiam ordered the UMFA into the field, and a series of Badlands clashes ensued. While the CNCS and AST were willing to sit by and watch the two capitalist leagues bleed each other dry, neither would sanction a massive armed confrontation and pressure from Valeria and Port Oasis forced a cease fire. 2.2.4 THE WAR OF THE ALLIANCE AND BEYOND (TN 1913-1936) Goaded by the aloof attitude of the NLC and its dominance of the Northern Guard, the UMFA designated the Jaguar Gear a “Strategic Federal Resource” in TN 1905, much to the chagrin of Northco. With the Judas Syndrome in full swing, war between the alliances looked imminent, and the collapse of the CNCS was a distinct possibility. Yet before a world war could erupt, fate intervened. Earth forces returned to Terra Nova in TN 1913 and drove into the heart of the two alliances, the Mekong Dominion and the UMF. Unable to stop the CEF hovertanks and GREL supersoldiers, the UMFA fought a desperate withdrawal, making prolifigate use of strategic weapons in a last-ditch attempt to buy the CNCS time to mobilize. The War of Alliance devastated the Federation, with battles fought throughout the league’s southern reaches and both nuclear and orbital attacks against military and industrial targets. Despite the best efforts of the UMF and the Northern Guard, the city of Mainz was quickly overrun by the invaders and Ashington became the site of five major battles, bitter street-to-street fighting occurring on two occasions, though both times the CEF were eventually thrown back. By war’s end on 9 Autumn TN 1917, the UMF was badly bloodied and exhausted. But it had survived. • RECONSTRUCTION The cycles immediately following the War of Alliance saw widespread reconstruction efforts, both of the UMF’s ruined industry and its shattered military. The War of Alliance had weakened the NLC’s hold on the CNCS, and both the UMF and WFP flexed their political and economic muscles. While the NLC sought a return to the pre-war status quo, including hostilities with the AST and in particular the Southern Republic, the UMF sought the advantages of peaceable contact with the south. Treasurer Yves Banderas sent out feelers to the Mekong Dominion with a view to closer economic ties, hoping to establish a third, mercantile, power block. He failed to win over Speaker Miyako Sogabe but did make contact with her chief rival, Taipan Arron Logan. However, the direction of these talks surprised even Banderas, and at a meeting with Banderas and CNCS Grand Marshal Victoria Edden-Smythe Logan suggested that the Dominion did not want to fight a war with the North and might withdraw its support from the AST in the event of hostilities. With a Grand Plebiscite due in the Autumn of TN 1936, Banderas knew the importance of making a big impact with the deal. When Northco President Natalya Korolov learned of the contacts with the Dominion, however, she was furious. A meeting between the two on 13 Spring was heated and resulted in Northco withdrawing its support from Banderas’ candidacy, and without their support his campaign seemed doomed. Nonetheless, on 6 Winter TN 1936 the Treasurer announced his intention to stand for a fourth term. The assassination of Thor Hutchison on 1 Autumn 1935 resulted in a major upswing in Sorento Revisionist feelings even in the pragmatic UMF, and brought tensions between the CNCS and AST to a boil. The number of religiously motivated attacks in the league rose dramatically, particularly in Jerusalemite-led Swanscombe. The city-state’s police were called in to break up a number of demonstrations, and on 22 Autumn rioting wracked the city after a mob attempted to storm the government center. Mother Superior Frances Hamilton escaped without injury, but there were a number of fatalities in the chaos. 2.2.5 THE INTERPOLAR WAR (TN 1936) The clash between the two alliances at the Badlands community of Rahnguard Oasis finally tipped the balance and on 18 Summer TN 1936 the CNCS declared war in the AST. NorGuard Grand-Marshal Victoria Edden-Smythe immediately assumed dictatorial powers in the CNCS, and as part of the process she suspended the Grand Plebiscite scheduled for 20 Autumn, instead confirming Banderas as Treasurer pro-tem. Northco and other UMF corporations publicly denounced this action, but the War Powers Act gives them little choice but to acquiesce. While UMFA and Northern Guard forces moved into the Badlands to engage forces of the AST, pro-Southern saboteurs attacked industrial facilities and government complexes throughout the Federation. This prompted a massive outcry, though response was far from uniform. While many argued for punishing the AST for their audacity, others called for the UMF to hold itself above what they considered religiously motivated fighting. Northco’s announcement of support for the war effort on 17 Autumn quashed some of the anti-war sentiment, though others spoke up to accuse the company of seeking to profit from the war. On 22 Autumn Treasurer Banderas left Lyonnesse on a morale boosting tour of the Federation. He visited Pioneer, Rapid City, Canterbury, Baton Rouge and Marathon in rapid succession, though political unrest in Zagreb and Swanscombe prompted the cancellation of visits to those cities. However, Banderas’ aircraft disappeared while on route to Ashington. Wreckage was later found on the southern slopes of the Downing Range, and Republican aircraft were blamed for its destruction. Under the auspices of the War Powers Act, the Defense Minister, Solomon Davi, was named interim Treasurer on 28 Autumn. By the time Banderas’ body was found, many in the halls of Northern power were already shifting blame onto him for the course of the war. Indeed, promises of Mekong aid against the Southern Republic proved utterly false, and Northern troops remain locked in combat with Peacekeepers. 2.3 ECONOMICS Money and its acquisition form the bedrock of Mercantile life, driving both individual citizens and the giant corporations. The decision of the Earth companies to establish facilities in and around the region, which in turn grew into modern city states, provided the Federation with vast mineral and agricultural resources which have allowed the league to remain largely self sufficient. Indeed, should the UMF choose to do without external trade it could, having no need to import staples like food or minerals. As with the Mekong Dominion, the UMF is a net exporter of goods and services and were it not for strict trade restrictions the Federation would long ago have suborned both the NLC and WFP. Arguments over these issues have long been a bone of contention between the UMF and the other members of the CNCS. The Federation’s free-market economic base is very diverse, ranging from mining and farming through heavy industry, consumer electronics and service industries like entertainment. This broad-based economy has allowed the league to prosper when others have struggled. Likewise, many corporations spread their interests through a number of fields to minimize the risks associated with economic recession. Officially the government’s management of the economy is minimal, limited to regional price, demand and satisfaction indices, as well as regulatory authorities, principally financial services, intended to safeguard rather than control markets. In theory, the indices are government-sponsored market research statistics intended to report the state of the economy. In practice, subtle manipulations of these figures allow the Caucus and bureaucracy to influence the flow of goods. In truth, the indices are irrelevant to the larger companies who both carry out their own research and have considerable influence of their own through the Corporate Council. Indeed, it is the Corporate Council, when it can agree, that determines Mercantile policy and as with Banderas’ ill-fated alliance with Arron Logan, they take a dim view of meddling by the government executive. The government does, however, have a major say in the transportation of goods, managing the extensive rail and road systems vital to international commerce as well as working in partnership with Terranovan TransRail to ensure the smooth flow of goods along the maglev routes. The government’s control of the road system, or rather the beacon system that steers the automated “land trains,” provides a significant portion of its revenue, each autopilot-equipped vehicle being required to pay an annual fee to use the system. Outside the league the government takes a more active role, principally in the form of trade delegations in major cities of the CNCS and AST, usually as part of a UMF consulate or embassy. Led by a trade commissioner, these delegations promote UMF goods and corporations, often serving as glorified salesmen sponsored by particular corporations. Furthermore, the UMF organizes and protects the trade caravans that wander the fringes of the Badlands, providing numerous small communities with their only source of a wide range of goods. The net result of the league’s economic success is a very high standard of living for those in work, particularly those employed by major corporations. Even allowing for the absence of taxes, wages in the Federation are above the average for the CNCS, though the companies also demand much of their employees. Working hours are long, driven as much by competition within work groups for limited promotion slots as by the employer’s demands, and public holidays minimal, in turn placing a major strain on family life. However, Mercantile citizens have accepted this as the norm, the price to be paid for success and prosperity. The flip side of this is that those who are not employed are shunned and virtually cast out from normal society. The Federation’s social security provisions are minimal. 2.3.1 NATURAL RESOURCES The region’s abundant natural resources were a major factor in encouraging settlement and continue to play a major role in the economy. Farming occurs throughout the UMF but the fertile Marathon Basin is the league’s breadbasket. Agriculture is a mix of arable farming and ranching, providing raw materials for manufacturing and the pharmaceutical industry as well as food. Farm sizes vary considerably, ranging from a few dozen hectares on the Badlands fringe to thousands of square kilometers on the automated corporate farms of the Marathon Basin. Fishing is a popular pastime in the many lakes that dot the northern expanse of the UMF, but only on Lake Tristan does it take place on a commercial basis. Logging plays a major role in the economy of the Northern Marathon Basin as well as the Byerst Plain and the Arctic regions, supplying the wood necessary for construction and furniture production. The process is heavily automated but the devastating effects of deforestation prompted the government to enact a series of environmental protection laws. The league’s territory contains abundant mineral resources, extracted via a mix of deep-shaft and opencast mines, wells and dredging. Iron ore is particularly common in the Quinn Range while bauxite is common on the Ashington Plains and the Zihl Salt Flats in the north of the Sangar Basin. The extraction of petrochemicals plays a secondary role in the economies of both Baton Rouge and Canterbury, though the principal refineries are in Rapid City and Marathon. Several mines in the northern Westridge Range, among the few in the league directly controlled by the government, provide the league with radioactive material for weapons and power. Djakarta Point yields a number of precious metals, principally gold and silver, that play an important role in the electronics industry. Energy product provides the fourth strand of the UMF’s raw materials. Banks of solar panels and highly efficient windmills surround several city-states, topping up the power received from small-scale fission piles. In Ashington, famed for its high winds and low cloud cover, power generation forms a major part of the local economy. 2.3.2 MANUFACTURING AND SERVICE INDUSTRIES The UMF is the industrial powerhouse of the CNCS and is rivaled on Terra Nova only by the Mekong Dominion. Though many city-states encompass a broad range of industries, most also have some form of specialty product. Mainz is a major transport hub for trade with the WFP and the Badlands communities of the NuCoal, but it is best known as the center of the UMF’s ranching and meat processing industries. Mining is associated with several UMF city-states, most notably Djakarta Point, but also Canterbury, Marathon and Baton Rouge. Rapid City and Marathon are the principal processing sites for such materials and Rapid City’s industrial plants are also the UMF’s largest consumers of petrochemicals, processed metals and chemicals. The UMF’s financial and information services are based in Lyonnesse, with products ranging from routine banking through pensions and personal equity plans (PEPs) to insurance and share dealing. Both Rapid City and Swanscombe also play a significant role, particularly in futures trading and securities. Though based in Lyonnesse, the Federation Stock Market also has offices in Swanscombe, allowing Mercantile financial institutions to exploit the 12-hour time difference between the two cities and continue full-scale trading for 30 hours a day. In fact, were it not for the Federation’s financial regulatory bodies, principally the Mercantile Stock Exchange Regulatory Authority (MSERA), who insist on a break in trading to allow software and hardware maintenance, as well as backups of the vital data, the Exchanges would likely remain open 36 hours a day. Marathon serves as a secondary hub for information brokering, making use of the city’s advanced communications and computer systems to process and analyze data generated from a wide range of reports. Models built from census and market research data play a major role in the design and marketing of goods throughout the UMF and CNCS. Regional demographics and economic data allow precision tailoring of such campaigns to regions and city-states, and when combined with EPOS (Electronic Points of Sale) and credit rating data it is also possible to produce successful tailored direct-mail programs. Direct-mail advertising is frowned upon even in the ultra-capitalist UMF, and thus rather than offend consumers most large companies shun the practice. Most UMF cities have a sizable leisure industry, but none are more developed than those of Pioneer and Canterbury. The only city on the planet to experience year-round snow, Pioneer is a major tourist site, particularly popular for honeymoons, anniversaries and corporate incentive programs. Indeed, the latter form an industry in their own right, with companies like Galitzco (who also own a chain of hotels across the UMF) specializing in creating such programs to aid sales and to encourage staff productivity. Canterbury, on the other hand, is renowned for its theme parks. 2.3.3 INTERNATIONAL TRADE Staunch believers in free trade, the UMF imposes few restrictions on imports and exports. This has long been a bone of contention with their CNCS neighbors, who do enact tariffs against UMF goods as a means of limiting Mercantile influence in their economies. This has prompted UMF companies to seek markets outside the CNCS, particularly in the Badlands but also including AST member-states. In the interests of national security, such trade is tightly controlled. There are two main restrictions. The first is an embargo on the sale of advanced technology to “hostile or potentially hostile powers,” which means the entire AST. It was this that prevented the UMF from selling arms to the Basal rebels in the ESE and, to their chagrin, allowed Paxton Arms to do so — although UMF lobbying did prevent a CNCS subsidy. The second restriction is on the sales or export of items deemed to be a “strategic federal resource.” This also includes the sale of goods to the WFP and NLC, and was used to limit the proliferation of the Jaguar Heavy Gear prior to the War of the Alliance. Before the Interpolar War, the Mekong Dominion was a special case, with strict limits placed on the importation of all Dominion goods as part of the ongoing economic confrontation between the two powers. With taxes and tariffs illegal in the UMF, banned Dominion goods were the principal source of revenue for smugglers in the Federation, though the growth of “gray” (semi-legal) imports before the outbreak of war had begun to cut into such operations. With the outbreak of war between the CNCS and AST, all four members of the Southern Confederacy have been placed under total embargo and Mercantile trade negotiators have been recalled via the neutral NuCoal. Even trade within the UMF and CNCS has been curtailed, military equipment and food receiving priority over “luxury” goods. This has prompted a resurgence in smuggling activity, both into and out of the CNCS and its member states, to Badlands communities who serve as middlemen for the AST. Trade has opened up with the Free Emirates (the rebel regions of the ESE), who are now official Northern allies. The state of war, however, mans this trade is largely militarily sponsored support and brings in little to no revenue. Prior to the War of Alliance much of the CNCS’ trade with Caprice was handled via the UMF and its two Gateships, the UMFGS Lhaban Emuros and UMFGS Marcus Pohlo. However, since the War of Alliance the vessels have fallen under the jurisdiction of first the Joint Terranovan Space Initiative (JTSI) and more recently the Northern Guard Space Service, and no trade missions have been allowed.
