Guide to your Manifesto

CONCEPT

Manifesto	Other Names: Treatise Related Lore: Syndicate Languages: CodespeakSyndicate operatives can use a series of codewords to convey complex information, while sounding like random concepts and drinks to anyone listening in.

Esteemed Syndicate Hero, you have chosen to manifest your righteous hatred into words, by developing what the Syndicate means to you in a Manifesto.

Actions speak louder than words, but words travel further. SolFed has infested more lives than there are atoms in a star, and while much of the Federation can be dismantled, we cannot free people from the rot plaguing the galaxy through death and mayhem alone. Only by liberating the galaxy from the forced mentality of the autocratic empire masquerading as a democratic federation can we truly dismantle it and bring peace to the universe. Thus, you must have the words to back up your actions, to separate you from random events. A manifesto.

Rubric

Evaluating your Manifesto

Criteria	Exemplary	Unsatisfactory	Treasonous
Compelling Introduction	Grabs attention Establishes connection with readers Convinces them to listen Informs them of points ahead Memorable	Does not appear to contain a message Is unconcerned with context it is heard Uninteresting Forgettable	Draws ire Alienates readers Convinces them you're batshit insane Memorable
Purpose Why you hate SolFed	Relatable Memorable Compelling Clear evidence of the evils of SolFed et al. Inspires emotional reaction	Abstract and dry Distant from the realities of everyday life Appeals to intellect, not emotion Requires hard expertise to comprehend	Absurd Unsympathetic Your own damn fault Incomprehensible
Logical Flow Leading your audience to hate SolFed	Flows from point to point Builds up evidence neatly Circles back to previous points, reinforcing the connections Relatable	Disjoint Connections are left to be inferred Lists points without connection Stale	Circles back to the same point well after they get it Can't seem to let go of a single point Makes you seem one-note Appears as a hyperfixation on one triviality without addressing the greater evil that is SolFed Excessive use of cryptography and puzzles Rhymes poorly
Evidence What SolFed does wrong	Provides meaningful evidence to support assertions Noticeable in the reader's life Impactful to them Impactful to you Notes hypocrisy Linked to SolFed	Merely restates your assertions Abstract Pedantic Takes SolFed's claims at face value, thus legitimizing them You do not, in fact, have to "hand it to them."	Batshit insane Complaining about something they find "good" Unrealistic "Provably" False No transitionals
Connections Why the evidence means your reader should hate SolFed	Links wrongdoing to their wellbeing Quantifies future harm as a result of the wrongdoing continuing Reminds them that suffering is not a virtue Reminds them that the system cannot be fixed from within	Asserts that universal wrongs are worth acting on Suggests that we are capable of equal wrongdoing Does not address that their suffering is the status quo	Insults the reader for not having already believed in you Threatens the reader directly Implies that enduring the status quo is "noble"
Call to Action What you intend your reader to do	Leads the viewer to want to fight those wrongs Offers the Syndicate as their allies in their fight against those wrongs Offers them community Offers them a future Offers hope	Asserts "joining the Syndicate" is the end-goal Preempts logical conclusions and immediately tells the reader directly how to act Fails to lead to any form of action Overfocuses on a specific wrong, leading to a fight with a concrete conclusion	Points out their likely mortality Encourages their mortality Offers no guidance whatsoever Builds no personal strife
Organization and Style Formatting	Memorable Gives each point time to simmer Points flow into the next Paragraphs, people. Rule of Three	Itemized list Points are explained but not connected to a bigger picture Series of gotchas Points linger too long Inordinate amount of focus on one point Too many points to keep track of	Rushes reader from point to point Guns down reader with rapid-fire statements Rhymes poorly Unconveyable
Effectiveness Does it work?	Incites workplace violence Invites sharing of the manifesto to trusted peers Builds trust and companionship Uses Codewords	Incites unrest Invites secrecy and isolation Does not spur panicked calls to authority	Incites headaches Incites sharing of the manifesto in a cringe compilation Is presented directly to a mindshielded authority figure Incomprehensible language Is only implied

Why do you hate SolFed?

The central premise of your manifesto is that SolFed, or a specific aspect thereof, is intrinsically evil, and thus must be resisted. This, however, is not compelling. If it is a universal evil affecting everyone, then surely someone else can deal with it? This premise needs to be relatable and localized. It is your problem, and you must prove that it is your reader's problem.

The various factions in the Syndicate have their own reasons to hate, and you might consider adapting one or more of them to your own personal journey.

Cybersun

Cybersun outwardly supports Mars liberation. Mars wants out of SolFed. Mars used to be the main voice of Sol, alongside Earth, and has since been an important centrality for Genetically modified persons across the entire Federation, but presently has effectively zero representation in the SolFed council, and all of the restrictions of being in the SolFed core systems. If a planet once dear to SolFed can be cast aside like this, why would you trust that your less-important system will gain any benefit from SolFed? Saturn, somehow, remains a strong voice, so it's not just that all of Sol is equally disregarded. There is undue favoritism and corruption at play.

Cybersun is a Sovereign Corporation, whose products are prolific across the entire Federation. They, in turn, have less political power than economic power, as SolFed has strong anti-corporate voting blocks. In terms of political balance, the Federal Assembly is 40/60 on anti and pro corporate groups, so ~40% of the political power isn't too big on corporations, ranging from mild (Sagittarians) who just don't think corporations deserve special favors or to be sovereign, to major (Saturnian) who are opposed to traditional capitalism as a concept.

Cybersun hates Nanotrasen as a corporate rival, as they both sell high-tech products across the galaxy. Cybersun was also bidding for control of the Nova Sector, and despite bribes and Syndicate action, it was awarded to Nanotrasen instead.

Plasma Runners

SolFed sucks because it fosters the Plasma Clique. They suck because they're moralist, imposing uptight stingy knobs who have a strong majority control over the production and distribution of Plasma across SolFed and beyond, and they impose strict limits on distribution. This means that some SolFed member states don't get enough plasma to thrive. As much as the Plasma Runners would love to simply provide more plasma where it is needed, SolFed backs the Plasma Clique so tightly, that Marshals respond to smuggling operations, even if it's not in their core job description. The Plasma Clique also uses their control over Plasma to enforce their own stringent morality, including uhhhh, boneless pizza.

Mostly, however, the Plasma Runners want to profit off of selling and smuggling Plasma, so their manifestos tend to focus on togetherness and family, providing for the weak (and downplaying the profit) and standing up to the strong.

Anti-Librean Activist Fronts

The Cyberpunk guys. Look, if you're with them, you're so sure of your own writing that you don't need our help. The Libraean Federation is one of SolFed's biggest member states, and a strong interest in the Center Clique. They're a strongly pro-corporate state, and the activists rally around some resistance to a specific corporation or the Librean government for some cyberpunk reason or another. If they bother addressing the outside world, they hate SolFed for being exceptionally supportive of the Libraeans, for favoritism towards them, for being more of the same.

Tiger Collective

They don't write manifestos so much as they write scripture. It's hard to read, possibly calling for all to become Changelings, or for all to be sacrificed to them? Check their scriptures for better advice.

Herbellion

The Herbellion doesn't write manifestos. The Herbellion writes guides to write manifestos, and they prop up folk with smaller grievances, often not even about SolFed. They're often too small to really write full-blown manifestos that can really relate to others.

If the Herbellion itself is publishing writings, they're to spur folk to realize they're being abused as workers, or have been repressing anger towards their neighbors, or the like. Think self-help columns that subtly guide folk towards unrest, especially where it's harmful to SolFed.

Gorlex

Voted most likely to publish an "Unsatisfactory" manifesto, the old era of Gorlex would ramble on about the non-sanctity of life, how life is to be earned and justifying their wanton taking of it.

The modern Gorlex operates more as a mercenary band, extolling the Syndicate's virtues. They may also reminisce about the good years of Gorlex, calling to return to those days where lives were in your own hands (to be taken) and the like. Modern Gorlex is also stuffed with Voidgrown, from the Void Imperium, who will still be mad at how the Void Wars ended and how SolFed isn't entirely respecting the terms of peace (not that the Void Imperium is acting in good faith either).

Redshields

These disgruntled Nanotrasen employees have nothing but complaints against Nanotrasen. Starting with being unduly fired for voicing their concerns, but leading into their actual concerns, often like working hours, unsafe conditions, on-job deaths and mishandling, strategic mishaps (like not accepting their product pitch), and rumors of working with the Syndicate. They also hate that Nanotrasen chooses to mock and trivialize their position, calling them cartoon-lovers and whiny babies, instead of y'know just fixing the problems. If they hate SolFed, it's for supporting Nanotrasen.

Roseus Galactic Actor's Guild

When the RGAG was starting to become big, a good number of member states tried to unionize against them, pushing bills to prevent the monopoly of media production. RGAG would hate those who pushed that, and SolFed as a whole for considering it. Through pushing a superior product, massive bribes, and Syndicate cooperation, RGAG defeated these bills and became a dominant media meta-empire, but staying on top means keeping underhanded efforts. Even now that they've betrayed the Syndicate and are mostly in SolFed's good graces, they've got beef with how SolFed supports unaffiliated creators, how members are trying to pull away, how the Holonet is managed, etc. Mostly, they smear individual politicians and political movements more than they smear the Federation as a whole.

Scarborough Arms

They got shafted by the RGAG betrayal. Scarborough wasn't any more Syndicate than the rest of the Actor's Guild, yet they're blacklisted from basically every SolFed civilization and the RGAG stands proudly.

SolFed refuses to protect their copyrights on their weapon designs, allowing Donk Co. to blatantly parody their imagery with their Foam Force line of foam blasters. Every so often, they file a new lawsuit against Donk Co., then a lawsuit about how quickly that lawsuit was thrown out, et cetera.

Why the Syndicate hates

Below is a non-comprehensive list of why the Syndicate (or individual Syndicate members) might hate, agnostic of their affiliations.

Federal Assembly Departments

• SolFed Marshals are not as unbiased as they claim. Patrols are not spread as evenly as you'd hope, leaving certain areas much more lawless. Perhaps this isn't even from incompetence, but corruption?

• The Bureau of People, while most in line with the Syndicate's desire for a free people, is susceptible to oversight and corruption. Perhaps they ruled that your company's practices were unlawful, but did not do the same for a similar company? Maybe they overlooked your people's rights being infringed, in favor of keeping a larger nation in SolFed.

• The SolFed Armed Forces, as much as they try to only use local forces after the Regular Troops, do directly command local forces, and may have blundered your people. Perhaps a specific general, racist at heart, acted on "bad intel" that led to undue deaths for an unworthy cause.

• The Bureau of Astrography has yet to put out a starmap that acknowledges you.

• • The Bureau of Astrography assigned a planet you were living on actively to someone else.

• The Bureau of Spaceflight reeks of corruption and rot; a starship license's price may be federally regulated, but the bribes involved in submitting go straight to the top. Perhaps, through corruption, they designated a shipping lane to not go near your territory, thus cutting you off from easy access to society, tourism, et cetera.

Cliques

• The warmonger clique is pissed that we chickened out of the Tizero-Terran war before striking a decisive victory. Conversely, the Tizirans... hate that we blew up their holy moon, and the clique hates that they don't recognize that they had it coming they way they started the war and hid behind that damn moon and whatnot. The war was a fair bit ago, but that moon's still a whole ton of dust in their orbit, almost cutting off the surface from space.

• Plasma Clique, see the Plasma Runners but, but also their morals. They impose a lot of morals.

• Frontier Clique, bunch of frontier-adjacent members banding together. The members might hate the Clique for poorly representing them, the clique might hate others for not listening to 'em, putting 'em in more danger with less support... They might support the Syndicate just because they're the only group who will help them out!

• Unity Clique is big about unifying the entire galaxy under a strong SolFed with equal power distribution, so... folk who want to be independent, or want to hold onto their imbalanced power. They're the reason SolFed has a military, so if their military pissed you off, you'd hate the folk who propped 'em up.

• Progress Clique is all about technological progress at the expense of everything else, unless it's something immoral. So both pro and anti tech folk'll hate them. Cybersun's probably had more than a few products forced out of the marketplace by their lobbying.

• Monarchists? There's a bunch of Kingdoms, and their kings unionize to better oppress their folk. You can imagine who'd hate that.

• Trade Clique is about freedom of trade, and has a bunch of Sovcorps, so if you hate free trade, e.g. you like having a monopoly, or you hate the way they've put up regulations... there's your target.

General Purpose Hatred

• SolFed is notorious for corruption, bribery, etc. Anywhere up the chain!

• The concept of Cliques as voting blocks leads to smaller voices being almost completely silenced. e.g. if a Corporation doesn't want to vote with the Trade Clique, they're liable to get blacklisted, unfairly treated, etc., and that sucks.

• Uh, they employ Kobolds but also have them printable in Kobold Cubes?

• They charge 20,000 credits for 911 calls that they deem "unsuitable." Like, your emergency's not emergent enough? Instant infinite debt.

• The Lovealand Experience was rigged from the start.

• I bought a shuttle on-station after someone else built it, and they "stole" it because I didn't immediately have a license and registration.

Testimonials

"My main character has at least one confirmed SolFed official kill and I approve this message. Official was belligerent, came with no announcement and overstepped their non existent authority trying to arrest a crew member and somehow set fire to part of the station so the HOS ordered me to take them down, it escalated to a firefight." - An Esteemed Syndicate Hero, having escorted an on-station SolFed official off this mortal coil. Good job, hero!

"Don't have to have ties to understand that the Cracking of Atra'Kor lead to billions of lizard deaths. 85 years is not enough time to mend damage like that. Especially with heavy regulations in form of taxes and etc, that the SolFed placed onto the Tanulan Empire." Well said, Esteemed Syndicate Hero! SolFed deserves every death sent back, ten-fold!

"The solar[sic] federation enabled the complete ecological collapse of my homeworld." I'm sure they did, Hero!

"SolFed had [a pleasant conversation] with my mother." No, no, don't paint them as martyrs.

Sample Manifestos

Consider the following excerpts:

Unsatisfactory / Treasonous

"SolFed pissed on my cat. They took my cat and put it in the toilet." This passage, while emotional, does not connect to a reader. By specifying your cat, you're saying the incident is isolated, possibly one-time, when you should be pointing out the policies that enabled that incident. Consider rephrasing it as "SolFed pisses on cats," as many readers own cats and should rightfully fear for their safety. Also, uh, it's freaking unbelievable and so petty that readers might just dismiss you as a crazy person. It might be taken that, if believed, your issue is with a specific SolFed officer, not the Federation itself nor the system of corruption that allows an officer to get away with such misdeeds.

" I, like you, dedicated my life to the profit margins of a company. Extensive labor, overtime, [omitted for brevity], all creating value for the company's shareholders, and my direct contributions to the company were not reflected in my compensation. My life served those who cared not for me nor my community." Takes too long to tie to Sol Fed. Makes you seem anti-corporate, when even pro-corporate people suffer at the malicious incompetence of the Federation. Also kind of boring.

Unsatisfactory

"Fuck you, Plasma Clique. Bunch of up-their-own-ass moral purists trying to monopolize one of the most potent fuels in the galaxy, mysteriously stable in any state of matter at room temperature yet extremely volatile. It's an amazing rock! It burns great and is an incredible fuel, and these motherfuckers want it locked down and distributed at their whims. Fuck this "price stability" morality bullshit, let the people pay what they want for as much as they want. Fuck this "overextraction" fearmongering shit, you know it's a lie to line your own pockets with the tears of SolFed citizens. Fuck the Tsogyal Republic, waving their "big plasma energy" around. Fuck that, people need plasma and I want these upright pricks out of my mother-biking way so I can give the people what they want. For money. Fuck you for bending ass-backwards over to this voting block, SolFed."

While the opening remark is evocative and to the point, the overuse of profanity undercuts the seriousness of the claims addressed. Does a moderate job of tying Plasma to the everyman; the potency, and "incredible fuel" put in layperson terms. Good reframing of their policy, "let people pay what they want" ties it to the person's abilities and desires.

Work in Progress: Footer subject to change at a moment's notice. Do not take a red link's presence, struck-through or otherwise, as confirmation (or denial) of their canonicity.

Nova Sector Lore
	Common Species	Humans, Tiziran, Unathi, Moths, Ethereals, Azulae, Slime Hybrids, Teshari, Synthetic Humanoids (and assorted robots), Pod Persons, Hemophages, Xenomorphic Hybrid,
	Other Species	Genemodders (Felinids, Ice Walkers, Dwarf), Ashwalkers, Snailpersons, Ordoht (Formerly Skrell), Plasmamen, Flypeople, Vox (Primalis et al), Tajaran, Vulpkanin, Rouges (Abductorkin), Miscellaneous Species, Dullahans, Employee Golems, Changelings
	Nanotrasen	Nanotrasen, Central Command, Emergency Response Corps
	External Groups	The Syndicate (Gorlex, Tiger Cooperative, DS-2, Syndicate Manifestos), Interdyne Pharmaceutics, Cargo, The Spider Clan, Heliostatic Coalition, The Void Imperium
	Nova	The Nova Sector, IndecipheresLavaland, volcanic mining place., FreyjaIcebox and Snowglobe station frozen moon., BoletusSerenity Mushroomoon.
	Concepts	Bluespace, Plasma, Faster Than Light Travel, Resonance ("Souls"), Death
	SolFed	SolFed, Sol in 2565, The SolFed Armed Forces