Sovereign

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The digital intelligence

From somewhere (no one truly knows where), an incredibly advanced Digital Intelligence appeared. It contacted every semi-independent spacefaring nation and gave them the weapons and technology to fight the Solar Supremacy. The nations rose up and, led by the instructions of this intelligence, defeated the Solar Navy.

• Sovereign created the Sovereign class of ships (and a vast open depository of other tech blueprints) and gave them freely to the rebellious nations. The designs remain free and easy to get, and free to manufacture.
• It gave humanity the fold drive, reverse-engineered alien technology (see Technology).
• Its war won, Sovereign began communicating less and less. It gave rules and more technology, then went silent.
• No one knows the origin of Sovereign. A hundred years on, many still say Sovereign is watching and waiting, and some even claim to communicate with it still.

Sovereign law

After the war Sovereign gave humanity a body of commandments, known as Sovereign law. These, and the separate human-made stellar law, are covered in full in The Laws of the Void.

Sovereigns: the currency

Among Sovereign's gifts was a cryptocurrency so strong that no human technology can trace or fake it. Its coins are known simply as Sovereigns. Every nation uses them for large-scale trade across the void, and in the Kuiper belt almost everyone uses them for everything. For daily life, each nation keeps its own currency. See the Plutocracy's council.

Cults of Sovereign

It is perhaps no surprise that some worship Sovereign. A being that appeared from nowhere, overthrew the Solar Supremacy, gave humanity the stars and then fell silent is a god in all but name to many. Cults of Sovereign can be found in every nation, however large or small, and some of their followers claim that Sovereign still speaks to them. Most people view these cults with suspicion or hostility, and few nations tolerate them, so their members rarely speak openly of their beliefs.

Views of Sovereign

• Kingdom of Saturn: debated as sent by God or by the Devil, but worshipping Sovereign is never allowed. See The Kingdom of Saturn.
• NOVA: cults of Sovereign are treated as a nuisance and a joke, though you can still worship Sovereign and serve. See Religion and Sovereign cults.