Colonies

For deep-space colonies established in the various Lagrange points located throughout the system, they have the choice of retaining their own sovereignty or joining the MCC. Known as the Mid-Colonial Confederation, it is a governmental and organizational system established by the various colonies in response to growing pressure by the ESU. Though colonies are typically connected by Lagrange points, those that choose to join the MCC can claim the benefits regardless of distance.

History
Originally, colonies were constructed with support from Earth nations. While the first few were overwhelming supported by the ESU if not outright funded, the majority of Bernal Sphere and O'neill Cylinder colonies were funded entirely by nations within Earth. Many were funded on their own, while others were jointly funded between various nations. There was a big economic benefit with funding colony fleets, it allowed countries cheaper access to space minerals, while also opening more ties with other countries within their fleet.

Over the years, the ties between colony and nation withered. Many colonies became self-sufficient, especially as they interacted and traded with other fleet members. While they enjoyed benefits with their Earth cousins, they were certainly gaining less than them in the exchange. This finally crumbled with the advent of the Six-Month War, which saw colony and Earth nation ties mostly disappear.

Though not every colony had immediately joined the war effort, and indeed, some avoided the war entirely- due to their strong fleet ties, many were considered enemies of the ESU by virtue of association. It wasn’t until after the war that they began to slowly reacquire their ties with their respective nations. A joint MCC-ESU treaty allowed MCC citizens to claim dual citizenship from one of the founding nations of their colony.

Current State
Colonies are largely self sufficient, either on their own or within their fleet. They enjoy close trading privileges with each other, and offer a high quality of life. The cost of living was initially relatively inexpensive, but has begun to climb. 6MW trade tariffs and other concerns have only made the issue worse. With the onset of the Christmas War, tariffs are being reduced or removed altogether between the MCC and the ESU, allowing colonies more economic success.

The actual environment varies between colonies, with some intentionally designed to emulate certain places. As colonies within a fleet often consider general MCC citizenship when handling their citizens, colonists are allowed to freely live and travel between colonies within a fleet. It is not uncommon for young adults to go on a ‘fleetcrawl’, living in each colony within their fleet for a month or more, getting experience, contacts, and enjoying the various different environments.

Mining Colony Types
Outside of the previously mentioned major colonies, there are several mining colonies located around Lagrange Points 4 and 5. Due to the gravitational nature of these points, a fair amount of asteroids collect here- serving as the perfect field for smaller mining colonies to set up. Some of these colonies are built within huge asteroids, fielding anywhere from 10,000 to 1,000,000 people at their largest.

Stanford Torus Types
One of the smaller, yet also the first colony variant. Stanford Torus types can contain anywhere from 750,000 to 1,000,000 at maximum. While essential in testing the concept of a colony, the colony design proved unfavorable. The construction was complex ultimately not very efficient for the material expenditure. That being said, Stanford Torus colonies are generally self-sufficient, sacrificing living space for inbuilt agricultural and manufacturing sectors, depending on need.

O'neill Cylinder Types
Considered the ‘standard’ colony type, O’neill Cylinders are the most efficient in both construction and population count, able to fit anywhere from 3 to 10 million people. As they are found in fleets, they often specialize in a certain area, such as agriculture or military. While specialized colonies still retain their own necessities, such as residential sectors, they convert more of their space into production area to help supplement other colonies in the fleet.

Bernal Sphere Types
Superficially similar to both Stanford Torus and O’neill Cylinder Types, Bernal Spheres are not particularly effective at supporting large colonies. They could be efficient at self-sustaining, but their population size would suffer. As a result, they are often built smaller than their cousins, preferentially supporting from 500,000 to 1,000,000. They are often turned into resorts, vacation destinations, or simply house a large amount of private mansions. Their design makes transport within the colony simple and short.

Lagrange Point 1

 * Helios [ST] [ESU Joint Project]
 * Big O [ST] [North America/Canada/Mexico] (Destroyed)
 * Pipelli [ST] [European Union]

Lagrange Point 2

 * Poto [ST] [Argentina/Peru]
 * Millenia [ST] [Japan]

Lagrange Point 3
The only point to not be in full use, Lagrange Point 3 was too far for initial expansion efforts. While the space is open for use now, little have attempted to work with it. The ensuing tensions and issue of distance only seem to make it less attractive to both the MCC and the ESU.

Lagrange Point 4

 * Terra II [BS] [United States] [Capital]
 * Apollo [OC] [United States] [Manufacturing]
 * Bablyon [OC] [Saudi Arabia/Iran/Jordan/Iraq] [Agricultural]
 * Avalon [OC] [United Kingdoms/France]
 * Bofa [OC] [Brazil]
 * D’Z Nauts [OC] [Australia] [Military]

Lagrange Point 5

 * Londo [OC] [Russia] [Capital]
 * Neo Londo [BS] [Russia] [Resort]
 * Orion [OC] [Mozambique/South Africa/Kenya] [Agricultural]
 * Drei [OC] [Germany/Korea]
 * Khuks [OC] [China]
 * TM’Z Loch [OC] [United Kingdoms] [Military]
 * Archimedes [OC] [Canada] [Manufacturing]