Far Out

Far Out is an extraterrestrial political entity in the Awesome Universe. It occupies the space around Earth, and is comprised of Star Land, Astro Land, Space Land, and Lunar Land (also known as the Moon). Far Out is sometimes used as a general term for outer space by Earthlings, as it is the most local region of space.

Government
Far Out is governed by the Space Ninja Clan Elders of Space Land (hence Space Ninja) as an oligarchy. Each of the seven Elders retains their position for life, and is succeeded based on the customs of each individual clan, i.e. each Elder is chosen slightly differently. Despite the term, the Elders do not necessarily have to be “old”, just highly respected within their own clan.

Decisions are made via a majority vote among the elders. A vote of 4-3 is sufficient for most issues, but some require a clearer majority of 5-2 or 6-1; declarations of war and such require a unanimous decision from all seven.

Answering directly to the Elders are the heads of various bureaus and task forces. Because the Elders are more or less sequestered from the general public, each Elder has a Second, a liaison between them and their clans. Seconds have extended powers while at home or abroad, able to act with their Elder’s authority on most issues. As well, in the interim period between the death of an Elder and the succession, a Second generally acts as a temporary Elder. As such, the position of Second is highly respected and coveted.

The “outer nation” of Star Land, Astro Land, and Lunar Land, as well as the Stations, are subject to the Elder rule and generally do not have a large, if any, voice in their government. Each of the aforementioned outer nations is overseen by a Governor who, naturally, hails from Space Land. Local government is generally minimally impacted by Elder rule, although particularly bad Governors have interfered down to such a level; they are not well remembered.

History
Far Out began as the ancient habitat of Space Land, where the Ninja Clans warred for generations. As their civilization reached spaceflight, the wars became more and more dangerous, until the very survival of their little artificial world. So the Elders of all eight clans came together in an attempt to quell the fighting. But it was a trap. Seven of the eight clans secretly conspired against the eighth, claiming the Elder had attempted to sabotage the peace meeting. They went so far as to blame all the past conflicts on the secret machinations of this eight clan and lead a purge. The Eighth Clan was obliterated and their name stricken from history.

The temporary Era of Peace could not last, the Elder knew; their people were too warlike. So they set their sights on the stars, using ancient texts which indicated the locations of other habitats. The Space Ninjas moved onto Star Land, conquering the pre-spaceflight people easily enough, and establishing the Far Out empire. Astro Land was taken in stride, and the Space Ninja advancement stalled, as the empire consolidated itself.

And again, the people grew restless, so the Elders set their sights on Lunar Land, envisioning it as a stepping stone to Earth, should the opportunity every arise. The campaign for Lunar Land was long and drawn out, despite the country’s relative small size. Months turned into years, and it became a war of attrition, until the Lunar Council sued for an end to hostilities. And for the first time, Far Out accepted a conditional surrender. Lunar Land would retain its sovereignty, but would pay tithe to the Elders and would demilitarize, allowing the Space Ninja presence.

Far Out has since extended its influence to the Stations, a region of smaller space stations on the   edge of Earth’s gravity, just beyond the moon’s orbit.

Recently, Far Out began research into the four Cosmic Energies, establishing the secretive Far Out Research and Development (FORD) organization, which, officially, is no affiliated with the Elders.

Military
Ninja Squads: The Ninja Squads make up the bulk of the Far Out military. Each squad numbers anywhere from three to twenty ninjas, depending on the squad. They are stealth warrior and shock troopers, specializing in hitting hard and fast. It was the Lunar War that demonstrated the limited nature of the ninjas compared to actual ground troops. The increasing preference of the Star Samurai over the Space Ninjas has led to some internal tension between the two groups.

Star Samurai: During the Lunar War, Far Out was forced to establish a ground force. Comprised of soldiers from Astro and Star Land. The first Star Samurai were haphazardly put together, and would likely not have won the Lunar War. Since then, they have become an elite fighting force with a presence in all Far Out territories, including the Stations.

Blackbody Brigade: There are ninjas who excel at stealth far beyond the average ninja. These ninjas are recruited into the Blackbody Brigade and are sent on missions that require the utmost secrecy, at home and abroad.

Star Navy: Far Out maintains a strong fleet of starships, equipt with FTL drives, for easy navigation between territories. A few ships patrol the space between planets, and a special fleet maintains a perimeter around the edge of the solar system.

