The IA is an amorphous formation uniting several major powers within itself. To understand what the IA actually is, one must know the history of the Novolyudi race. The Novolyudi are a race that was once human. It probably broke off from the main branch during the Age of Oblivion. It is also believed that its founders were geneticists from one of the Great Empires. Initially the group of scientists was relatively small — all “branches” trace their lineage back to 140 founders. Afterward, several thousand more followers joined them. The scientists had at their disposal a research vessel that became their home. They resolved to perfect the human race, in order eventually to attain an ideal. Gradually they required more and more resources and had to seize new systems and subjugate other races, so that these could handle various utilitarian matters while the scientists carried out their higher mission. Because of disagreements over the exploitation of other races, the original union split into several branches. Two main ones are distinguished today. The first branch, the Ekspluatatory, subjugate “lesser” races to their will, forcing them to serve their interests. The second branch, the mechanizers, considered the first branch's approach incorrect and made use of robots instead. This second branch achieved significant progress in robotics.
At the top of the IA's ruling hierarchy stand the Novolyudi — descendants of the 140 founders. Thanks to genetic modifications they undergo as early as the embryonic stage of development (a standard pregnancy is considered an anachronism, and children are carried by incubators under constant monitoring), modifications that render them resistant to all known diseases, their lifespan is significantly extended (up to 270 years), and they gain the ability to regenerate quickly along with resistance to radiation and weightlessness — even their appearance is subject to careful correction: the Novolyudi are the most beautiful representatives of the human species in the galaxy. Power is strictly hereditary, and mixing of genes is permitted only with the descendants of the first followers. Thanks to meticulous genetic correction, these descendants never suffer the abnormalities associated with marriage within a small community. The Novolyudi themselves consider the career of a scientist the most prestigious of all; all expansion and warfare is frequently arranged in the service of precisely this goal — acquiring new knowledge and perfecting the genome.
The children of mixed marriages between Novolyudi and humans form the “second tier” of the IA's power pyramid — they are responsible for local administration. Like the Novolyudi, they too undergo genetic modification. The chief reason for these mixed marriages, however, is the Novolyudi's wish to test various theories on their offspring.
At the very bottom stand the “lesser races” — which, oddly enough, include all other races, ordinary humans among them. To these races, the Novolyudi are often something like unattainable deities.
This system of governance may have reminded you of the Star Wanderers, and you would not be far from the truth. For a long time these two racial unions maintained allied relations — after the fall of the Wanderers and their rout in galaxy M-12, the IA sought to fill the resulting power vacuum: races that had previously been subject to the Wanderers passed under the IA's wing. The Alliance itself then began laying claim to the role of an inter-sector power. Rivalry with the Golden Suns in the south-central part of the galaxy likewise intensified. (The IA's traditional sphere of activity had been the sectors east of the Suns' sphere of influence.)
If the military might of the Golden Suns is embodied by the gannon fleets, the Infinite Alliance is associated first and foremost with gigantic land dreadnoughts. Using anti-gravity systems, these vessels function as land-based aircraft carriers, flying a couple dozen meters above the ground. Superbly armored, they are a tough nut to crack even for a well-trained army. Thus, in conflicts with the IA, the Suns fought them by means of orbital strikes, since ground forces could rarely offer any real resistance to the dreadnoughts.
The Infinite Alliance after the Second War of the Southern League.
The IA suffered its most severe losses of the war in this conflict. This led to the emergence of two new factions at once — the Originals and the Avengers. The former argued for the need to leave the galaxy and begin preparing for war against the Ancients in another galaxy. The latter held that the war needed to be waged without pause, right now. In any case, the IA faced not only the loss of a number of large territories, but also unrest in the sectors where it still retained holdings. The IA's heavy defeats suggested that the Alliance might not be so strong after all, and this spurred on movements advocating independence from the Alliance. The IA temporarily ceased active participation in the fight against the SL, being occupied with its own problems. Only the Avengers faction remained set on actively continuing the struggle. The SL's strategic goal — to knock the IA out of the war — had been all but achieved.
IA society can be divided into several tiers — the Novolyudi most often engage in science and strategic administration across IA territories. In rare cases they may command fleets and large army formations, but this is more often handled by representatives of the “second tier,” whose lives are considered less valuable. They do not often cross paths with the “third tier” — the lesser races.
Representatives of the “second tier” are local administrators; they handle petty administration and supervisory posts at factories and enterprises. Large-scale private business within IA territories is under the complete control of the Novolyudi. In effect, no one can found a business of any real size without their consent. The third tier — the least influential — are the lesser races. Some of their members can achieve a certain success if they have a “contact chip” installed, becoming representatives of the Novolyudi among the lesser races. Such individuals are often called “contactors.” They enjoy a privileged position in the states and on the planets of the lesser races, wherever these fall under IA influence. Factory workers who build robots for the mechanizer branch play an important role among the lesser races. This work is considered highly prestigious, and the workers often fit themselves with implants that stimulate brain activity.
IA cities often consist of a multitude of skyscrapers set amid lush vegetation. Cellular infrastructure is especially well developed. Cells can be threaded onto an enormous spire, which can make a skyscraper as tall as one likes. Forests of cellular skyscrapers are connected by suspended and underground tunnels. Communication between separated skyscrapers is provided by couriers on gliders — a typical feature of the IA cityscape.
Some of the Novolyudi, despite their long lifespan, became consumed with the question of extending it further. A group led by Arianna Favitar believed the key lay in a post-physical state. Favitar developed a concept similar to that of the Novotabary in the Great Tabar Accord. For a long time she tried to buy the technology outright, but the Novotabary were unwilling to share it, so she initiated an operation to steal the architecture and code of the Novotabar network. This swift operation became legendary among hackers and neuromancers — it involved several of the most famous neuromancer-ryubizy, who made use of an ICE-breaker of the Zherkyet civilization purchased on the black market. They managed to breach all of the Novotabary's ICE and steal the information. Arianna's Network was created on the basis of this data. At the time of its creation, only a handful of Novolyudi had uploaded their consciousness into it, but over the following years their number grew. The Novolyudi sometimes leave the network by using shells — specially prepared bodies for acting in the real world. Their memories, meanwhile, are written to special chips that can be synchronized with the primary mind in the Network. Attitudes toward the Transcended within Alliance society are highly ambivalent. This is particularly tied to the fact that only Novolyudi — representatives of the “First Tier” — may join the Transcended.
The Transcended created their own combat formation — the “Crossing Group” — in effect immortal fighters who used temporary bodies for action on the battlefield.
It is worth noting separately the professions that emerged around this branch:
Weaver — creates biomechanical bodies for the Transcended. Good weavers commanded a very great deal of respect.
Calorist — creates new, more calorie-dense plants that can be used to feed the population. Although calorists are not unique to the Transcended, it was in this branch that they became especially widespread. The reason was that here they could gain additional knowledge.
The Guides are Transcended who have formed a separate, privileged branch. Their numbers are small; as a rule they all bear code names, usually tied to the name of a color. The organization was created with a single purpose: to steer the galaxy's development in the desired direction. The Guides frequently appear during military conflicts, pursuing one goal or another. Most often they support one side or the other, though their underlying motives remain unknown. The Guides command enormous respect within IA society, although their true identities are not reliably known; it is said that they all belong to the oldest of the Novolyudi. There is even a view that they are the first generation of Novolyudi, though this view is disputed, since the Novolyudi's lifespan is far shorter. One of the sub-branch's goals is believed to be the fight against the Ancients. The best-known Guides are the White Guide and the Blue Guide.
The largest state in the sector. Fully subordinate to the Ekspluatatory branch, it serves as the “base” for an experiment in social engineering, as well as dozens and hundreds of other experiments. For instance, the state's territory includes a so-called “Reserve Zone” where primitive races and ecosystems are preserved for study. Terraforming and any settlement by sentient races are forbidden within this zone. Some planets are closed to visitors because of other experiments, such as new forms of terraforming, climate control, and the like.
All of this is sustained by the ordinary residents of the IAT. It is inhabited by 7 races — humans, Homyaks, Koshkri, Partaky, Sapataki, Baloki, and Onary were brought here to serve the interests of the Alliance's progress. Though all this may sound like some form of slavery, in reality the citizens of the IAT are entirely free, and the standard of living here is very high. A network of superfast starships covers the country's territory, and one can travel from the southernmost system to the northernmost in a mere 25 hours. Advances in medicine are quite significant, and human lifespan has been raised to 130 years, with old age only setting in closer to 100. At the same time, robotization is not encouraged here — the Ekspluatatory branch's contempt for sentient machines makes itself felt. In effect, a kind of social contract exists in the IAT: citizens do not encroach on the supreme authority of the Novolyudi and pay a “research tax” in exchange for a well-fed, prosperous existence.
The country is ruled by a High Council made up solely of Novolyudi. The “second tier” — descendants of mixed Novolyudi–human families — make up the elite of the army, the fleet, education, and other ministries. Local self-government is, as a rule, entrusted to representatives of the lesser races, though on key planets power rests with either second-tier humans or Novolyudi.
Most Novolyudi live not far from the main institutes or the sites of experiments. Educational work among the lesser races is considered an honor, and many Novolyudi visit the country to give lectures and open classes.
Capital — Green Sail
Principal races — humans, Homyaks, Koshkri, Partaky, Sapataki, Baloki, and Onary
The Infinite Alliance entered the Great War of the Golden Suns at full strength. The Alliance's armies were in fact among the first to come to the Golden Suns' aid. The war they waged was marked by extreme intensity, and virtually every resource tied to the Infinite Alliance was deployed here.
Among the first to arrive with aid were the Transcended, sending in their starships and ground forces. Since most of the Transcended consisted of fighters who used shells to face the enemy, this considerably eased the fighting. The Transcended employed a tactic of relatively small strikes, using their shells as a kind of special forces.
Although the bulk of the troops still consisted of forces from other races, this arrangement gave a serious advantage: the shells were in effect a consumable, and the Transcended had managed to set up their mass production. So even when shells were lost, their special forces retained constant combat readiness.
The bulk of the troops consisted of ground drones, combat robots, and fairly numerous living contingents of allied races. The Alliance began acting this actively for the first time right at the very start of the war.
At the same time, it is important to explain how the system of interaction within the Alliance was structured. The lesser races entered into agreements with it fairly voluntarily, on various terms. Usually this meant the transfer of technology or the acceptance of a protectorate during a stage of development. In exchange, allied races were required to provide their citizens as soldiers and laborers.
Those who entered into agreement with it were able, thanks to the Alliance, to accelerate their own development. Thus such an alliance benefited both sides: the Alliance gained a large amount of manpower it could use for its own purposes, while the lesser races accelerated their development.
At the same time, unlike many other supra-racial states, relatively small states not infrequently came to the Alliance, gaining an edge in their internal racial struggles.
Furthermore, the Alliance generally built its relations with other races on a fairly lawful footing. That is, it was not the case that someone would be wholly subject to the Alliance and worship it as a deity. To be more precise, that did happen, but mostly among a few. More often than not, subject races worked with the Alliance on a contractual basis.
Such an arrangement allowed the Alliance to build up its strength fairly quickly. For example, during the war with the Ancients, several agreements were concluded at once, which was one of the reasons for the brief but rapid buildup of the Alliance's military power.
