Interplanetary Commonwealth

The Interplanetary Commonwealth (also referred to as the I.C. or the Commonwealth) is a federal, constitutional confederation comprising 806 colony worlds in 781 star systems. The country is situated mostly in the Orion Arm, but maintains military installations abroad in the Perseus and Sagittarius arms.

With a population of over 40 billion people, the I.C. is the third or fourth largest country by area covered in light years, and the third largest in terms of population. The Commonwealth was formed in the 22nd century in the aftermath of the Interplanetary War, which brought a great deal of suffering to both the colonial population and the residents of Earth, but also united humanity's military forces into a common armed force under the United Nations Space Command (UNSC), which serves as the military, exploratory, and scientific force of the I.C. The Commonwealth united the various states of Earth and off-world colonies in a democratic confederation.

Prior to the Covenant attack on Harvest in 2525, humanity was in chaos. Battles on multiple fronts and planets evolved from a group known as the Insurrectionists who wanted independence from the Commonwealtrh. The UNSC, more specifically, the United Nations Space Command Defence Force, constantly battled against the Insurrectionists. The I.C. faced near-annihilation with the outbreak of the First Great War. This fact allowed the UNSC to override civilian rule and establish itself as humanity's primary government. Although the Unified Earth Government was more open to step down, the Colonial Administration, the arm of the UEG ruling over the colonies, resisted the UNSC's rise to power, and was thus stripped of its power. By 2552, Earth was the last remaining major human bastion; and fell under attack by the Covenant forces. The war finally came to an end after a UNSC and Covenant Separatists force eliminated the Covenant leadership.

Successive wars such as the War of Vengeance and the Second Great War have confirmed the country's status as a military power. It emerged from GWI as the first country with NOVA weapons. The end of GWII has left the Interplanetary Commonwealth and the Unggoy Star Empire as the sole superpowers. The I.C. accounts for 40% of galactic military spending and is a leading economic, political, and cultural force in the galaxy.