ETI: Sol System Politics

Despite the vastly reduced population compared to centuries past, the Sol System's politics remain complex and often dangerous. The system is home to a variety of political entities, each vying for power, resources, and influence.

Major Political Entities  

Chandra (Mercury): 4 million people, industrial corporate colony and the largest manufacturing center in the solar system, leveraging vast solar energy resources and mineral-rich Mercury.

Dar-ul-Muraqab (Mercury): This Sufi Muslim colony has 1 million people and is known for its strict adherence to Sharia law, religious scholarship, and the preservation of Old Earth cultures and history.

Venusian Aerostats (Venus): <1 million people, ruggedly built aerostat habitats floating in Venus' upper atmosphere, primarily used for atmospheric gas processing and extraction. Some serve as isolated homes for the wealthy and independent research stations.

Free Luna Soviet (Luna and Earth): 12 million people, paternalistic socialist society, maintaining a strong social safety net, but leaning towards meritocracy. Known for their innovative medical technology, lift industry, and a small population of research scientists living on Earth.

Unified Mareekh Authority (Mars): 80 million people, theocratic republic, serving as the breadbasket of the solar system. Governed by the Mareekhi faith, with a relatively low technological level compared to outer system powers.

Unaffiliated Martian States (Mars): <10 million people, a handful of independent and isolated states, many autocratic and backward compared to the UMA. These include the People's Republic of Hellas and the Kingdom of Mangala Valles.

Belt League (Asteroid Belt and Kuiper Belt): 1 million+ people (unknown exact numbers), loosely governed, with four major asteroid colonies (Vesta, Ceres, Pallas, and Hygeia), countless independent Belter ships, and small settlements spread throughout the Belt and Kuiper regions. The Belt League provides vital transport, mining, and private shipping services.

Lords of Europa (Jupiter): 1 million people live in Europa's semi-anarchic, subsurface habitats. Europa is a major center for black-market trade and piracy, with no formal government beyond the principle of "The Deal."

Saturn Federation (Saturn): 55 million people, the most industrialized power in the solar system, with strict hierarchical control, a powerful command economy, and the largest navy. Centered on Titan, with extensive settlements across Saturn's moons. Militaristic and embroiled in frequent skirmishes with the Belt League and Wild Belters in the Trojan asteroids.

Republic of Triton (Neptune): 5 million people, an ethnic Chinese republic formed by dissidents from the Saturnian Federation. Triton dominates the Neptune system, operating independently with a growing navy and shipbuilding industry. A significant producer of Helium-3.

Kuiper Belt (Pluto, Eris, and Beyond): Population centers include Longway Station on Pluto (25,000 people) and Sacred Chao on Eris (15,000 people). The region is a haven for transient Belters, outlaws, and independent traders. Belters roam the Kuiper Belt, prospecting for rare elements and conducting trade at isolated way-stations.

Rivalries and Alliances in the Sol System

The Saturn Federation is one of the most dominant powers in the solar system, but it is diplomatically isolated due to its aggressive policies and territorial ambitions. Its ongoing conflict with the Belt League over the Trojan asteroids is a prime example of the Federation’s expansionist tendencies. Saturn’s powerful navy patrols the Trojans and clashes frequently with Belter mining ships, resulting in a low-intensity range war that has persisted for decades. The fiercely independent Belters see Saturn as a threat to their freedom and control over their territories. At the same time, Triton’s Republic, although far removed, also views Saturn with suspicion, particularly as Triton expands its shipbuilding industry, which now directly competes with Saturn’s industrial dominance. Despite their distance, the Belt League and Triton have developed informal ties, often sharing intelligence and engaging in limited trade to counter Saturn’s influence.

Meanwhile, Mars maintains a tenuous but pragmatic relationship with Saturn. Although tensions occasionally flare due to ideological differences—Mars being a theocratic republic under the Unified Mars Authority (UMA) and Saturn being a regimented, militaristic state—the two factions benefit from trade in technology and food. As the primary food producer for the solar system, Mars supplies Saturn’s growing population, while Saturn provides industrial goods and defense technologies. However, Mars has its internal rivalries, particularly with the Unaffiliated Martian States, small breakaway nations that resist the UMA’s control. These independent states often engage in covert deals with the Belt League and Triton, further complicating the alliances in the outer solar system.

The Free Luna Soviet is another key player, maintaining cordial but cautious relations with Mars and Saturn. While Luna is geographically closer to both, its socialist government sees Saturn’s authoritarianism as a potential threat and Mars’ theocratic rule as ideologically opposed. As a result, the Free Luna Soviet has developed a friendly but arms-length relationship with the Belters and Chandra on Mercury, using trade and shared technological innovation to remain neutral in most conflicts. The Belters, always opportunistic, maintain various levels of cooperation with both Triton and the Lords of Europa, with whom they share anti-Saturnian sentiment. In the lawless regions of the Kuiper Belt, Belters from Longway Station and Sacred Chao often coordinate piracy and smuggling routes with the pirates of Europa, further complicating the situation for Saturnian trade.

These intricate rivalries and alliances keep the Sol system in a delicate balance. Open warfare is rare, but covert operations, skirmishes, and economic manipulation are common as each faction maneuvers for control of critical resources, trade routes, and strategic positions. The outer solar system, particularly Jovian space, and the Kuiper Belt remains the most contested frontier, with various factions battling for dominance in the lawless, resource-rich expanse.