The Collective of Commonality

Ideology:

The collective of commonality doesn’t pursue grand visions of galactic domination, advanced research, or even cultural purity. Instead, they focus on day-to-day survival, prosperity, and family. Their shared philosophy is grounded in pragmatism, mutual aid, and resilience.

Members of the Collective of Commonality believe that the most important things are family, community, and living a peaceful, uncomplicated life. They reject the high ideals of the other factions as impractical for the average person.

Core Tenets:

1. Survival First: The universe is a hostile place, and the most important thing is to ensure that your community survives in both a physical and economic sense.

2. Self-Reliance: Members of the Collective value self-sufficiency but also recognize the need for cooperation. Local governance and small cooperative communities are highly valued.

3. Non-Interference: They tend to avoid ideological or political conflicts unless directly affected, preferring to remain neutral in galactic affairs.

4. Equality of Contribution: Every person in the community is expected to contribute to the common good, but not everyone needs to be a leader or a genius. Hard work in any form is respected.

5. Skepticism of High Ideals: They are suspicious of grand causes—whether they be scientific, religious, or political—because they believe such causes often ignore the needs of regular people.

Structure:

Decentralized Leadership: The Collective is not hierarchical. Leadership is local and shifts based on needs. Communities elect leaders to manage local resources, and decisions are made through consensus.

Loose Affiliation: Members come from different worlds and species, but what ties them together is a shared commitment to survival and mutual aid. They don’t have strict boundaries; instead, members are defined by their practical concerns and shared values.

Community Hubs: The Collective is organized around small, local hubs that operate autonomously. These hubs are often on the outskirts of more powerful factions' territories, making use of unclaimed land, space stations, or fringe planets that others deem unworthy.

Resource Exchange: They engage in barter, trade, and resource-sharing networks with each other. While they lack the wealth or military power of other factions, they are resourceful and adept at scavenging and repurposing technology.

Interactions with Other Factions:

Ideological Factions: The Collective sees ideological factions as out of touch with the realities of everyday life. While they may trade with them or share resources in times of crisis, they rarely adopt their high ideals.

Economic Factions: Economic factions sometimes exploit the Collective’s need for trade, but the Collective is wary of becoming too dependent on these power brokers. They often create self-sustaining economies to limit outside influence.

Military Factions: Military factions might view the Collective as weak or insignificant, but they underestimate the Collective’s resilience and guerrilla tactics, should they ever need to defend themselves.

Species-Based Factions: While the Collective does not place importance on species, they respect the boundaries and needs of others. Their open philosophy makes them an attractive refuge for members of species-based factions who want to leave rigid systems behind.

Potential Conflicts:

Resource Strain: As they live on the fringes of more powerful factions, they are often the first to suffer from shortages or environmental disasters. This leads to tension with larger, wealthier factions who control key resources.

Political Pressure: Larger factions may try to coerce the Collective into choosing sides during conflicts, using trade restrictions or blockades to pressure them into alliances.

Cultural Clashes: Their skepticism of advanced technology and idealism may put them at odds with ideological or scientific factions, who see the Collective’s way of life as primitive or backward.