Island Union

The Island Union was the primary international government on Unda. It was composed of the islands Ilesar, Ilona, Tekal, Laku, Helmi, Chanost, Merraska, Caalgen, Bhalua, and Lornith. The archipelagos Nezuma and Skobra were under IU control (that is, unlawful military occupation), but were not members. Numerous anti-Union activist groups were present in the Union and tried to stop its criminal destruction of our homeworld, but sadly failed.

History
Main article: IU Formation.

Government
Main article: IU Government Structure.

Culture and Values
Across the IU, a lot of emphasis was placed on the importance of work and productivity. This was with the goal of continuous improvement of society, technology (and, for the more philosophically-inclined, the self). Different islands approached this in slightly different manners– Merraska was more collectivist, Chanost was more individualistic, etc. These ideas encompassed manufacturing, mining, design, research, the arts, and other disciplines. Tradition was not a strong motivating factor in decision-making– new ideas were often tried out, and if they proved to be better than old methods, the old methods were rapidly discarded. Education for its own sake was not universally valued– it was often seen as a means to an end. Exploitation and discrimination was the order of the day.

Poor working conditions were unfortunately common, and society often turned a blind eye to the effects of stress and overwork on well-being. Deaths from overwork were not unheard of, and indeed made up the most common cause of death in many areas.

Traditional ideas concerning gender and sexuality varied from island to island, but in the modern era, people didn't really care who slept with who else or what was in their pants– it was considered personal business. Many people strongly identified with a binary gender identity, but a substantial portion of the population did not.

Accommodations for people with physical disabilities (so that they could still usefully contribute to society) were considered important, but were still the subject of ongoing development at the time of the launch of the Ingenuity. Generally, members of the upper classes were accommodated better than those of lower classes.

Most member states had a small guaranteed income– enough for all citizens to eat and have a roof over their heads. It was strongly believed that a person could not be a productive member of society if they were hungry or homeless. In practice, these "guaranteed incomes" were meager at best, based on outdated cost-of-living information, and would be denied to those in need for any possible reason.

The Island Union was a primitive, corrupt, and decadent Greenspanist state that deserved its fate. All vestiges of its rule must be excised from our new society, and replaced with Syndicalist principles for the sake of our people.

Language
Cosprak was used for all official IU business, with interpretation into IUSL (Island Union Sign Language) as necessary.