Jack of Harts

The New England Federation Starfleet’s official motto is “Ad Astra.” To the stars. As a largely exploration force, that is a logical motto. Their unofficial motto is slightly more wordy and colorful. “Test that assumption at your convenience.” On the record explanations of the motto say it is pertaining to the scientific tests all ships and scientists perform during the exploration process. Off the record interviews recount the words of an infamous captain during a Pre-War incident with a Shang raider. They claimed they could take anything they wanted, and he invited them to test that assumption at their convenience. They did, and he proved them wrong. That victory earned him a commendation for innovative thinking, a UCMJ charge for sending his ship to dry dock for three months, and a new research grant dedicated to finding out how to safely replicate his stunt.

The New England Federation legal code makes no differentiation between a member of the Great Families and a citizen of the lower classes. Everyone is equal before the law. Though some are more equal than others. It is extremely rare for a member of the Great Families to be convicted of the worst crimes. Officially this is because Family members value the peace of the Federation every bit as much as other citizens. In practice it is because they plead to breaking the peace long before they commit harder crimes and are exiled from the Solar System. Most Family members go to the Alpha Centauri or New New York trinary star systems. There they tend to join cadet Family branches and continue on about their old ways. That is one of the reasons those colony systems can be a bit more rough and tumble than Terrestrial Federation territory.

The New England Federation is truly a place where every need is provided for by the government. Every citizen is granted a basic living stipend that covers housing, food, and leisure activities. Their exact stipend is generated by a social credit system that calculates the citizens’ every daily interaction with other citizens. As the Federation strives for security, productivity, and harmony with all, interactions that encapsulate these ideals are rewarded. Higher social credit scores grant them larger stipends. Lower social credit scores generate tips on how to better interact with fellow citizens, or even invitations to find opportunities on other worlds if behavior does not improve. A low enough score grants them free one-way passage to Rikers Planet in the New New York system. This is one way the New England Federation maintains a secure and safe environment for all citizens.