Terran Mandate

The Terran Mandate (officially the United Global Assembly towards the Achievement of the Mandate of Terra) is the foremost international authority determining, overseeing, and protecting the collective interests of all humanity. While it is not a global government, the Assembly serves as a forum for representatives of Earth's ten major powers and controls several supranational organizations and institutions to enforce its decisions.

Its name is often used synonymous with humanity overall, as the only human groups outside of it are branded as traitors and collaborators of the Confluence.

The original titular Mandate of Terra was drafted in the wake of the occupation wars and includes a charter for the rebuilding of Earth and its fallen colonies, the liberation of other species enslaved by the Confluence, and ultimately retribution for the devastating invasion.

The Assembly
The oldest and most influential institution of the Terran Mandate is the Assembly itself, made up of representatives from the ten major powers of Earth. Its primary function is to lay out and coordinate international goals and efforts, including interstellar exploration, colonization, and the joint defense of Terran Space. Various secondary organs exist to facilitate international trade, cooperative expeditions, technological exchange programs, and settle diplomatic disputes.

The Assembly is not a governmental body as such and enacts no laws. However, decisions made in the assembly are considered binding and failure to comply risks the implication of treason against the Mandate of Terra and therefore humanity as a whole. To enforce its decisions and facilitate the efforts of the Terran Mandate, the Assembly controls a number of technological-, economic-, and military institutions of great importance to all members.

The Mandate
The Mandate of Terra is a charter compiled by the assembly which includes the goals and commitments of humanity as a whole, as well as detailed plans on how to achieve them. The document is constantly updated and expanded.

While the Mandate has come to include an unending list of secondary objectives and plans, the primary fields covered by the Mandate remain


 * the defense of Terra and its colonial territories
 * the expansion and development of Terran Space
 * the war against – and eventual eradication – of the invading power known as "the Confluence"

The Mandate also sets out fundamental commitments to international cooperation between the major powers of Earth, as well as the sanctioned use of total warfare against transgressors.

Members
All ten major powers of Earth are represented in the Assembly and officially committed to its principle of mutual cooperation and dependency. Their individual influence and sway over the Assembly overall are subject to constant changes in the global balance of power.

For much of its early history, the Terran Mandate was under a strong influence by the Last Commonwealth of Terra, promoting a highly human-centric agenda to consolidate and fortify Terran Space. In recent years, the balance has shifted in favor of the Allied Powers of Pan-Europa, promoting a stronger interventionist and expansion-oriented approach.

Institutions and Organizations
The Terran Mandate controls several supranational institutions and organizations directly, allowing the Assembly to enforce its laws, enact direct influence, and intervene in the development of Terra and Terran Space.

Many institutions of the Mandate are largely administrative and bureaucratic in nature, such as the global Terran Trade Committee, Crisis Response Administration, and the layered judicial branch of independent international courts. Funded through the contributions of all members to the Terran Mandate, these institutions primarily exist to uphold the status quo and facilitate the decisions and laws enacted by the Assembly in detail.

However, there exist several more illustrious organizations which also largely shape public perception of the Terran Mandate. These include the Frontier Vanguard, in charge of interstellar exploration, the Crisis Response Corps dealing with international disasters, and the Augment Corps organizing the most powerful and promising of Terras flesh-induced augments.

The independent organizations of the Terran Mandate exist both to secure its leading position among the great powers of humanity, and to provide the means for effective cooperation and utilization of the most precious assets on the Serpent Chain.

Beginnings
The history of the Terran Mandate officially begins during the Occupation Wars following the Confluence Invasion.

Its precise origins are somewhat shrouded in mystery, surrounded by many unconfirmed theories. These allege the existence of a secret international council founded in anticipation of the invasion to arm and organize the later Terran Resistance. While such rumors have never been acknowledged officially, they are generally an assumed fact among most Terrans.

Officially, the Terran Mandate was founded at the tipping point of the Occupation Wars, when remnant forces of the Terran militaries launched a successful conventional counter-offensive in western Russia. This effort, enabled by the heroic actions of the Terran Resistance, marked the first major territorial victory since the arrival of Extraterrestrials on Earth and reinvigorated resistance all around the globe. Several governments in exile and representatives of fallen nations took this opportunity to sign the first Charter of the Terran Mandate, vowing not to rest until all of Terra was liberated.

Formations of the Terran Resistance, rebellion armies, and remnant militaries of the old nations began flying the banner of the Mandate (The black globe on solid gold) soon after the founding. This symbol of global resistance against the Confluence Tyrannies became a symbol upheld all across the continents.

Rebuilding
While the Terran Resistance excelled at coordinating assets and forces under the Confluence tyrannies, it was not fit to deal with the logistical challenges of rebuilding larger organizations, let alone nations. This task became one of the first achievements of the Terran Mandate, turning the remnant militaries of Earth into well-supplied fighting forces once again.

Following the retreat of the Confluence, the Mandate began the monumental task of rebuilding the planet. While much of the rebuilding effort would be handled on a national level, the Terran Mandate played an instrumental role in re-establishing said nations and distributing remnant resources to allow for such development.

It was also during this time, that the first formations of the Argument Corps and independent military units of the Terran Mandate were formed. Ostensibly their primary goal was to purge extraterrestrial holdouts on Earth, but in reality, they were just as necessary to ensure peace among the stricken nations and populations.

Many monumental building projects were undertaken by the Terran Mandate where local resources and expertise were insufficient. This included the restoration of the power grids, early planetary defenses, agricultural domes, and emergency shelter arcologies.

Expansion
The Terran Mandate stood at the forefront of humanity's expansion into space. Whereas the old interplanetary colonies had been largely national ventures, the new solar system would be rebuilt in joint efforts between the nations of Terra. This, at least, was the ambition during the early stages of renewed interplanetary colonization.

While the colonial programs of individual nations would eventually surpass those of the Terran Mandate again, the supranational outposts of the joint expansion still mark the extent of true Terran Space and are some of the most advanced and influential off-world territories of all humanity.

Leading humanity
The present priority of the Terran Mandate is to provide a coordinated framework for humanity's activity on the interstellar stage, within which the powers of Terra can act according to their interests. Maintaining the cohesion of Terran expansion and the security of its interstellar territories are the biggest challenges in this regard, encompassing both the distribution of military assets and supply lines, as well as the establishment of civilian trade networks, infrastructure, and basic services.

In recent years, the incorporation of extra-solar powers has become a prominent concern for the Terran Mandate. Both the growing importance of human colonial states and contact with extraterrestrial worlds make it necessary to deal with a shift of power away from Terra and to the outer regions of Terran Space.

The Terran Mandate is split into two factions on this matter: The old guard, led by the Last Commonwealth of Terra, seeks to consolidate the Mandate's influence in the currently controlled Terran Space, building up defenses and infrastructure to allow humanity to use the resources and technologies already in its possession to their full effect.

The rising powers of the Terran Mandate, first and foremost the Allied Powers of Pan-Europa, push for a far more expansionist approach. Instead of relying on Terran Powers alone to develop new territories, this faction is far more willing to support sovereign colonial powers and even cooperate with extraterrestrials. This, so the newly prominent powers argue, would allow humanity to effectively develop a far greater territory.

The struggle between these two factions is on-going but seems to favor the newly prominent powers surrounding the Pan-Europeans. This is most evident in the recent departure of the newest Frontier Vanguard Mothership Tutankhamun, on a mission to support the development and integration of the extraterrestrial species "Tassamari" into an alliance with humanity.