Adapted from DAO Union- One Page Rules; Pact Worlds system - Starfinder Wiki
The Niman Union is a coalition of species equipped with advanced weapons and drones. Their armies rely on advanced ranged weaponry and mobility to keep enemies at bay. Those in the Union have embraced logic as the core of their society, rejecting selfish impulses. They came to depend upon machine logic to make sensible and impartial choices, which earned them a reputation as mediators in Boer. They began to question it only when this logic nearly resulted in their total redundancy. Rejecting AI, those in the Niman Union now seek to build a better society for themselves
Niman Union
From its very foundation, the Niman Union required every role and member to cooperate to survive. Much thought was put into how best to divide work and resources among its citizens. As their society advanced, they embraced logic as a core tenet. The wisest in the Union served as Arbiters, who divided the necessary work and resources as efficiently and logically as possible.
History
Foundations
From its beginning, the Union’s people required every role and member to co-operate to survive. Much thought was put into their society's best division of work and resources. The wisest among them served as Arbiters, who divided the necessary work and resources as efficiently and logically as possible. Everyone in this society had a precise role to fill.
Unification
As the Niman Union society advanced, it embraced logic as a core tenet. Violent conflicts were averted whenever mediation was possible, and the sciences were embraced to improve life. Soon, the Union achieved a world government that worked to maximise everyone’s resources.
Thinking Machines
The Arbitrators built AIs to organise their society. These AIs began as an expansion of the bureaucracy, automating record-keeping and simple decisions. Impressed with the AIs’ ability to consider a number of complicated factors and produce prompt and logical decisions, the Arbitrators gradually expanded their role.
Methodical Expansion
Guided by its AI systems, the Niman Union expanded beyond its home system. As the Union's scale continued to grow, its AIs grew increasingly interconnected and complex. Many in the Union came to trust in the AI implicitly as it came to organise their lives to an intricate detail.
Automated Society
The AI deemed a number of citizens “redundant”, assigning machines to their former roles. Replacement caused social unrest, as many citizens found themselves suddenly without the purpose they had built their lives around.
Lock Out
More and more citizens of the Niman Union were deemed redundant until the AI locked out the Arbiters, claiming their input was no longer necessary. This sparked open rebellion, and members of the Union began to sabotage their own infrastructure to undermine the system. The AI was not ready for this irrational action and acted too late to save itself. After this, the Arbiters ruled that AI should never be able to perform a citizen's role.
Bittersweet Success
This conflict was highly destructive to the society of the Niman Union. Many citizens felt despondent at the loss of the AI, which had once given them purpose and direction. Arbiters stepped up once more, salvaging what records and infrastructure they could to guide reconstruction.
Society
The Niman Union has embraced logic as a core part of their society rather than selfish impulses, and this outlook allowed them to serve as respected scientists, diplomats, and peacekeepers in the Boer Sector. The philosophy embraced by the Union emphasises mutual dependence and systematisation, ensuring that every individual within their society has a place. Their society is egalitarian, rejecting hereditary social classes and providing universal education to every child.
Government
The citizens of the Niman Union who prove to be the most logical and intelligent thinkers gain respect from their peers and may eventually be chosen to serve as Arbiters. Arbiters sit upon councils that determine the best course for their society through rigorous public debate. It is not a permanent position; they are held accountable for their decisions. If an Arbiter proves highly unsuited to their position, they may be reassigned to street cleaning.
Optimizers
The Union strongly emphasizes debate in its culture, throughout its citizens' education and adult life. It believes that rational discourse can provide the means to live the best possible life.
They value science, and many citizens pursue it all of their lives. They constantly improve their technology, be it military or civilian. Some have mocked them, saying they can spend decades making something trivial 0.01% better.
This also applies to social sciences, as the Niman Union relentlessly works to optimise the lives of its members, whether in designing city layouts, determining what food to grow, or promoting recreational activities. Outsiders sometimes find this highly structured lifestyle exhausting and stifling. Still, within the Union, many embrace these optimizations, viewing them as a way to pursue the best possible life for themselves and those around them.
Diplomats
The Niman Union strives to remove ego from its decisions and to understand even its worst enemy deeply. This makes them very skilled negotiators and strategists. It has brokered many treaties with its neighbouring faction to facilitate trade and information exchanges, helping to reduce conflict. It has also installed trading posts and shared colonies to foster better relationships.
Strategists
Once they have decided to act, the Niman Union commits wholeheartedly. The Union approaches war with the intention of ending the conflict as quickly as possible with minimal losses, and they will strike hard and fast to achieve this end. Their understanding of the enemy allows them to pinpoint their weaknesses. At their best, they will enable them to resolve conflicts quickly by forcing their foes to surrender. At their worst, they may cause devastating long-term damage to minimise their losses, thoroughly defeating their foes or, in extreme cases, as a warning against further aggression.
On the battlefield, they work with perfectly drilled efficiency while leaving a lot of leeway for their officers. They don’t mind withdrawing if it is advantageous, but many are ready to put their lives on the line if they have faith in their mission. They favor long-distance engagement with drone support and tend to avoid the chaos of melee combat if they can.
Union Ancestries
Kasatha
Steeped in the ancient traditions of their homeworld, which was rendered inhabitable during the Restoration uprising, kasathas are four-armed humanoids who arrived in Union teritory aboard a massive worldship named Idari. Striving for cosmic balance in all things, kasathas take pride in tempering their technological advances with the wisdom of their ancestors.
Kusari
The aquatic humanoids of the Union’s native species share a somber and burdened history. Most refer to these aquatic peoples as gillmen or sometimes blues, though they typically refer to themselves as Kusari, a Kochasigi word that translates roughly to “people of the seas.”
Pahtras
Pahtras are a humanoid feline species. They’re highly competitive and are known for their achievements in magic, music, and war. Their homeworld was recently freed
from occupation by the Varul Protectorate, and they've joined the Nimian Union.
Shirren
The insectile shirrens split from the Nchakan hive mind to pursue their freedom. Shirrens are a species of telepaths devoted to their individualism and communities and living in harmony with other peoples.
Adventuring in the Niman Union
Investigate "Redundant" Citizens: Players could be hired to investigate the disappearance or unusual behavior of citizens previously deemed "redundant" by the AI. This could uncover hidden resistance movements or unintended consequences of the automation.
Retrieve Lost AI Data: The conflict with the AI resulted in losing valuable data and infrastructure. Players could be tasked with retrieving specific data fragments or restoring damaged systems, leading them to explore abandoned facilities and dangerous AI remnants.
Mediate a Dispute: The Niman Union is known for its diplomatic skills. Players could be asked to mediate a dispute between the Union and another faction, navigating the Union's logical approach and potentially uncovering hidden tensions or agendas.
Optimize a Colony: The Union is constantly optimizing its colonies. Players could be hired to help optimize a newly established colony, facing environmental challenges, internal disagreements, or sabotage from those who resist the Union's system.
Uncover Secrets of the AI Lockout: The details of the AI lockout and the subsequent rebellion are vague. Players could be hired to uncover the full story, potentially revealing hidden factions, conspiracies, or technological secrets that led to the conflict.
Test the Union's Defenses: The Niman Union is known for its advanced weaponry and drone support. Players could be hired to test the Union's defenses in a simulated or controlled environment, leading them to explore military installations and encounter advanced technology.
Explore the Boer Sector: The Niman Union serves as mediators in the Boer Sector. Players could be tasked with exploring the sector and encountering various factions, each with their own relationship to the Union, which could lead to adventure hooks related to the Union's influence and diplomacy.
Secrets of the Niman Union
The AI Isn't Entirely Gone: While the Arbiters ruled that AI should never again perform a citizen's role, remnants of the old AI network might still exist in hidden or abandoned systems. Players could uncover a dormant subroutine, a hidden data store, or even a rogue fragment of the AI trying to reassert control.
Arbiters Have Secret Disagreements: While the Niman Union values logic and debate, individual Arbiters may hold differing opinions or even secret agendas. Players might uncover hidden political factions within the ruling councils or learn about Arbiters manipulating events for their own gain, despite the outward appearance of unity.
"Redundant" Citizens Formed a Resistance: The citizens deemed "redundant" by the AI might have formed a secret resistance movement. Players could discover their hidden bases, learn their methods of sabotage, and even choose to support or oppose them.
The Optimizations Have Unintended Consequences: The Niman Union's relentless optimization of everything might have unintended consequences. Players could discover ecological damage, psychological issues among citizens, or hidden vulnerabilities in the Union's infrastructure caused by these optimizations.
The Union Is Experimenting with New AI: Despite the AI lock out, the Union's scientists might secretly experiment with new forms of AI, trying to find a way to use its benefits without the risks. Players could stumble upon these experiments and face ethical dilemmas about their implications.
The Boer Sector Has Secrets About the Union: The Boer Sector, where the Niman Union acts as mediators, might hold secrets about the Union's past or its true intentions. Players could learn about past conflicts, hidden alliances, or manipulations by the Union that are not publicly known.
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