The Commonwealth Alliance is a confederation of systems located in the western regions of the stellar neighborhood.  It was officially established in 2209 and currently includes the Human colonies in the Tau Ceti, 82 Eridani, and Kappa Ceti star systems.

The origin of this colonial union actually dates back to 2196 and the attempted takeover of the Tau Ceti system by the United Earth Conglomerate.  Two months after the battle for Galbraith, members of the Cetian Council met with selected officials from the UEC at a neutral location in the Sirius system.  Deliberations continued for three weeks before a final agreement was made.  This “Contract of Sovereignty” recognized the absolute autonomy of both the Tau Ceti and 82 Eridani colonies in exchange for relinquishing all remaining corporate assets in the Sol system.  For the Cetians, this compromise was easy to concede as Frontier Industries had transferred all of its operations when it first colonized the Tau Ceti system.  However, this was a difficult setback for the Heimdall Foundry and the Mantell Corporation which were smaller companies who were now facing a complete lack of support from Earth for the first time.

The Cetians had always been fiercely independent and were fully prepared to govern themselves, yet they were inadvertently thrown into a situation where they felt partially responsible for these newer colonies.  Concern that the company-based settlements in the 82 Eridani system might resort back to corporate bureaucracies in a time of crisis, prompted members of the Cetian Council to meet with civilian representatives from each of the inhabited moons.  Focused on maintaining the sovereignty of these individual colonies, the Cetians took on a purely advisory role in helping to establish functioning democratic governments on each world.

For over a decade, the people of Galbraith continued to work closely with the colonies of Draven, Corvallis, and Lassiter’s Moon; due much in part to the ongoing business relationships maintained by their founding corporations.  As interstellar travel became easier for the average individual, exchanges of ideas and cultures amongst the colonies became a normal part of life.  The development of a free trade agreement between these worlds even brought about the creation of a common unit of currency.

Thirteen years after their mutual independence from Earth, elected representatives from each of Niobe’s colonized moons and Ambassador Damon Boggs from Galbraith met to sign a charter which officially established the Commonwealth Alliance as a democratic confederation of worlds.  This alliance was established to deal with critical issues; such as defense, interstellar relations, internal trade and currency, with the general government being responsible for providing support for all its members.  The city of Covenant on Galbraith officially became the capital of this new alliance and, to this day, remains the center of all government activity in the Western regions.

Not only has this alliance allowed for greater cultural diversity, it has also enabled them to pool their resources to further explore this relatively uncharted area of space.  The civilian led exploratory division was instrumental in establishing a successful mining operation in the distant Kappa Ceti system and has even made contact with other alien races as well.