Moonshine

Moonshine is a nation based on the light side of the Moon, who declared its independance one year before the no-return occured.

Its two million citizen live under a government lead by an official constitution, respecting the rights of men and of citizen. Its government structure is a consul, where highest ranked people of all job categories can sit and decide, which mean that politics is at the range of any citizen who makes his proofs before his hierarchic superiors. In case of doubt, the counsul president's voice count as double.

The national language of Moonshine is the Ukranian, since this is the country the first citizen came from. The national anthem is Ormili, which tells the story of an "orphan boy seeking the lightest path".

HISTORY

The Moonshine project was launched by Walter Selklerc, to celebrate the end of the world economic crisis and unite the world in a common project. Also, it provided him allies he could count on to secure the Leto once it will be in his hands. Selklerc was simply sure that keeping Leto anywhere on earth was too dangerous before humanity had entered its golden age.

Wanting to give Ukraine the luck to resist against a more and more invasive Russia, Selklerc designed it as a winner for the project, which allowed its citizen to be the first ones to populate the Moon permanent base. He made good relations with the first population of the moon and sent his own son on the base, to prepare the arrival of the Leto, soon to be in his hands. It was the signal Moonshine was waiting for ; it declared its independance from all countries of the earth and reclaimed the right to govern on its own, like Groenland. Since only the eastern Europe didn't agree, the majority of the world didn't see the problem, since the exportation of resources would be cheaper, as Moonshine would adopt a weak money.

But the world collapsed and Moonshine was suddently much more isolated from the world that they expected... and much, much more dependant of it. The first estimations concluded that the station only had food for the year to come... After that, people would start to starve to death on the surface of the moon. Something had to be done.

The mining process was accelerated, to recolt enough matters for the creation of a space shuttle. In seven months, it was done and the first recognition team was sent to earth, without even knowing what they'd find on the surface of the planet : a complete wasteland without any survivors, a pretty much unchanged world, nothing but a huge Leto jungle... ?

Fortunatly, the first team landed around Mexico, accidently fitting the neo-aztec prophecies that were around at the time, turning the majority of the population of Mexico to adopt the old pre-columbian ways of life. Moonshine made a deal with the Mexicans, so that they'd always be in good touch. The Mexicans would seek ressources for Moonshine, in exchange for their medicine and science technologies. "Gifts from the sun-god" as it was called.

A researchers team went to the Leto jungles to study their progressions and estimated that the american population only had 45 years to live before the Leto covered the entire continent. Which basically meant that Moonshine also had a life rate of 45 years (strangely suggesting that Moonshine only depends on the American continent, but this point has no answer at the current point of the TV series and the role playing game alike.).

It was clear that Moonshine would devote itself to studying the Leto after that, between the occasional landings meant to capture experiment subjects, ressources and food.

Today, Moonshine tries not to interfere with the geopolitical system of the wastes, even though they often propose collaborations with the growing powers of tomorrow. Their relations with actual factions are completely unknown, but it is clear that the Dies Irae would never accept an alliance with Moonshine. The Dies Irae considerate them as humans recreating the Babel tower, soon to be destroyed by it, even more when you considerate that the Dies Irae believes that the events of the old-testament are prophecies of the events to come after the no-return.

LETO

The goals of Moonshine are very hard to tell for an earth citizen. There are so much legends upon the "demons from the sky", "the martians", "the robots from outer space" and "the angels from the skies" that if any truth comes out from any point of view, it will be submerged by the mass of superstitious theories that surrounds it.

It is commonly admitted that Moonshine doesn't want the simple destruction of the Leto. Their point of view on the plant seems to have evoluted since the first landings, as if they seem to detect a global opportunity in it. But it is also clear that they want the Leto to stop expanding. So, what are their true intentions ? Nobody knows.

Also, maybe Moonshine as accumulated enough ressources, animals and technology to be forever independant from earth, being able to grow its own fruits, farm animals etc.

LEVEL OF TECHNOLOGY

The first thing that characterize Moonshine is its technology level, since it hasn't slowed down since 2031, when humanity already had discovered true Artificial Intelligence, biotechnology, use of the dark matter and higher robotics purposes. So imagine that Moonshine continues the researches in those matters since fifty years.

Nobody on earth has an exact report of Moonshine technologies. But from what people have seen from the lunar scouts, they perfectly control 3D holograms technology, fully aware of itself artificial intelligence... They have the reputation to control things at distance, indicating a full control on the mass effect, probably using dark matter within their suits. Also, everysingle citizen of Moonshine has replaced several organs or organic tissues with synthecic and nanomachinist ones, maybe at the brain too. So, it is very probable that Moonshine citizen have higher, faster and more intelligent minds that the whole humanity, as well as all they'd have erased most of their physical limitations. They are the only faction who masters the nuclear technology (even though they describe it as "getting more than obsolete") and have unlocked the space travel potential humanity has always wanted to have.

It is probably why the factions spread so much superstitions about Lunars. If the people found out what Moonshine potential really is, everybody would understand one thing : today, the earth population only exists because Moonshine allows it.

MILITARY FORCE

Moonshine has a "defense force", suggesting that invasion is not one of their options. Even though, when we considerate the numbers, we could easily agree that America could be fully invaded and all the factions defeated in one day of fight. The defense force of moonshine consists in 130 000 nano-augmented mixt soldiers with Nano-armors and rail-guns. Moonshine owns twenty dropships, capable of containing two rail-tanks or 300 men. Also, Moonsine has taken control of the totality of the satellites around the earth and may use them to launch nuclear (or dark matter) missiles. It is also admitted now that Moonshine has low altitude flying base of operations, each one being able to deploy an unknown number of soldiers, jets and artillery.

But, as we said before, Moonshine has never shown any sign that would suggest an invasion. And we know they had many occasions to do so.

EDUCATION SYSTEM

Each university student has to make a study trip to earth to validate his last semester.

POLITICAL SYSTEM

Moonshine is ruled by a meritocratic consul, where sit all professions masters, which means that anybody who is openly the best in his domain has a role to play in the political system of the community. The actual president is the grandson of Walter Selklerc, and his voice count as any other in the consul. It is only in case of indecision that his voice count as double, in order to never let the system slow down.

The common people have no right to vote, but it is believed that they do not miss it. Their rights are globally respected, even though, a couple is only allowed to have one child, in order to keep the lunar population at its original number, so that the dependance to earth ressources could never grow.