Unity

Unity is the home of Unity City, which contains the Senate Building.

Unity is a Rogue Planet - that is, a planet without a star - that circles the galactic core. It was discovered by chance some seventeen hundred years ago. At the time, it was noted as an oddity in the log and named PQX-176-R and not looked at again, but some two hundred years ago, it was rediscovered in the archives.

A small, independent science team set up on the planet and discovered that PQX-176-R though now dead and frozen, had once harboured life before it was flung out into space. A combined scientific expedition was launched by several nations to have a look at this world and see what effects such an event had had on the planet.

During this expedition, tensions between two of the nations rose to a point where war seemed inevitable. In an effort to settle the matter peacefully, the expedition leaders wrote an open letter to their respective governments requesting they come to the then still unnamed rogue to see what had been accomplished through cooperation.

As it was neutral territory, both leaders visited the world and at this location a treaty was signed to resolve the issue peacefully. Afterwards, whenever issues arose between members of the expedition, they would meet on PQX-176-R and discuss the matter. New buildings were constructed to host these meetings and governments sent ambassadors to have a permanent presence on the planet.

Almost half a century ago, the planet became the symbolic capital of the newly formed Union and was renamed Unity.

The planet was ordered to be terraformed, and drilling down to the molten core at the center of the planet, vast quantities of heat were extracted, slowly melting the frozen oceans while an atmosphere was constructed.

Currently in various locations across the planet experiments are taking place to introduce single-celled life capable of generating oxygen in a low light environment to improve the atmosphere from Type IV to Type III.

Since the planet has no star, it is roughly similar everywhere. The planet has poles, but they are the same temperature as the equator. Its north pole points straight at the galactic center and will for at least another twenty-thousand years as it revolves around the galaxy.

Unity houses several embassies from the different member worlds either in the Senate building or somewhere else on Unity. Important to note here is that the territory on which the embassies are build, is still the property of the Union, given in use via land-lease agreement. Inside the embassies (both inside the Senate and standing on their own) the laws of the faction are applicable; furthermore diplomatic personnel, as determined by the faction, enjoys diplomatic immunity.

Even though diplomatic immunity applies to the embassy, the diplomatic personnel, diplomatic vehicles and diplomatic post, Union Security Forces are still permitted to enter and/or pursue an immediate threat to the security of Unity without the need for expressed permission.

As in any large city, Unity city has its criminals. The criminals which are caught and prosecuted are often sent to the Unity secure prison. This is prison is located outside the protective dome of the city. From Unity city a train runs over the surface of the planet towards the prison.

The prison itself is located inside a mountain. On a regular basis, but not with a predetermined schedule, the train delivers relief and supplies for the personnel.