The Isihlungu'sa Federation is a relatively small state inhabited exclusively by a species of monogendered chlroine-breathing organisms known as Idlas. All of the worlds of the Federation are highly developed and under the total control of the Federation. The Federation is a state that for the most part prefers to keep to its own affairs, but it is not a wholly neutral and reactive. They recognize the need for diplomacy and for being proactive, especially when thrust into this new and unfamiliar universe.

The Isihlungu'sa Federation is not a particularly large nation by the standard of most space-faring civilizations, having only 26 systems under their control. However, what their territory lacks in size it makes up for in development. The Isihlungu'sa make full use of each of their systems' resources and space; there is not a single major celestial body in Isihlungu'sa space that has no settlements upon it. That is not to say they are all heavily populated; the less hospitable and poorer bodies have far less Idlas living on them than the major population centers (though there are still many there). But such a level of development comes as a price; the reason the Federation is so developed is because their expansion is much slower than most states. They will only colonize a few systems at a time and then build up the infrastructure of those systems, only colonizing more once they've reach a sufficient level of development.

The heart and core of the Isihlungu'sa Federation is the Ekhaya system; home to the Idla homeworld of Isihlungu. By the standards of most organic species, Isihlungu would be an acidic, frozen, toxic hellhole. The planet's atmosphere has little oxygen in it and is instead composed of nearly 20% chlorine gas, giving the planet a yellowish-green tint to it. There is almost no water on the planet, due to its reaction with hydrogen chloride, meaning that the oceans and seas of Isihlungu are composed predominantly of hydrochloric acid alongside smaller amounts of other acids. And finally, the Isihlungu'sa equivalent of room temperature is about -25°C. But despite all of this, the planet is a thriving and verdant world home to numerous ecosystems. Its life simply evolved to survive in the conditions that many other organic species consider harshly cold and acidic as well as utilize the atmospheric chlorine for respiration rather than oxygen. Additionally, a single day on Isihlungu is around 19.2 hours, and each year last 512 Isihlungu'sa days; so each year on Isihlungu is equivalent to about 1.122 years.

Other than Isihlungu, there are several planets home to a similar global environment. However, Isihlungu is the only Isihlungu'sa planet to have the conditions naturally. The other planets have undergone extensive planetary engineering and terraforming in order to freely support Isihlungu'sa life on their surfaces. And those planets are, obviously, the most densely populated of all Isihlungu'sa worlds. However, there are other planets that, for some reason or another, have proven incapable or exceedingly difficult to terraform. As a result, they are less densely populated but still contain populations living within cities sealed underneath great domes.

The Isihlungu'sa Federation is a state governed predominantly by officials elected by the general populace. While voting is considered the right of all adult males, it is possible to have that right taken away, generally via major infractions of the law. Those in prison are unable to vote in any elections, and even those who are released (or do not commit a crime requiring a prison sentence) can have their privileges to vote restricted for a period of time. In the case of the most heinous of crimes, the ability to vote in any election can be permanently lost for the individual.

In terms of actual governance, the major holders of power are the Councils: legislative bodies composed of a number of individuals. Their sizes range from 64 individuals for the smallest and most local of Councils to the 208-man Federal Council. While there are elected Governors of various levels, their power is greatly kept in check by the Councillors. For example, a Council can veto any decision or appointment the Governor makes and in extreme situations can even force the Governor to abdicate his position. As mentioned earlier, the Councils are voted in by those who haven't had that ability rescinded by law, and elections occur every 2 years (around 2.25 Earth years) for half of the given Council. Incumbency is disallowed as by law no Councillor can hold two consecutive terms in office, and are limited to only 4 terms total.

While the Governors have less power than the Councils, they are still no less important. They and their Ministers are the individuals devoted to the everyday running of the government. The Ministers are appointed to their positions by the Governor himself, but the Council can veto any appointment as mentioned earlier.

The Idlas are a race of bipeds native to the world of Isihlungu. They are generally thin and sinewy, as well as tall. An Idla averages about 7 feet tall, but they spend most of their hunched over and are no taller than the average human. Their legs are digitigrade and end in four toes tipped with blunt claws. Their hands likewise have four blunt-clawed digits; two fingers and two thumbs on the side of the hand facing their bodies. Their heads are elongated and their mouths full of long, jagged teeth. They have eyes on each side of their head that come in a wide variety of colours, with sharp plus-shaped pupils. Each Idla also has numerous brightly coloured quills along the base and backside of their heads, as well as smaller numbers on their elbows and chins.

One of the most unique characteristics of the Idlas is that they don't utilize oxygen in their respiration. Like all fauna native to Isihlungu they breathe the chlorine in the planet's atmosphere instead; they inhale chlorine and exhale carbon dioxide and hydrogen chloride. In addition Idlas only have a single, hermaphroditic gender; any individual Idla can both impregnate and become impregnated. And finally, the entire species is known for their extremely strong stomachs. Their ancient ancestors were omnivorous scavengers, and as a result they can consume almost any food. While they would still suffer if they consumed a poisonous creature, they are able to eat most rotten and putrid food with few ill-effects

In truth there is no single monolithic Isihlungu'sa culture; there are numerous cultures within the Federation both those descended from the original cultures of Isihlungu and those that diverged among the other worlds of the Federation. The Federation recognizes a total of 56 distinct languages, though the main Isihlungu'sa tongue is spoken by all in the Federation, making most Isihlungu'sa bilingual as they grow up learning the Isihlungu'sa and their native tongue both. In terms of religions they are likewise as varied; on a single world one can find followers of numerous and widely varied sects and religions alongside atheists and agnostics both.

However, despite these differences there are several cultural similarities most Isihlungu'sa share. The vast majority of Isihlungu'sa are very individualistic for the most part, believing one should be able to follow the path one desires in life. Likewise, Isihlungu'sa civilization is not officially stratified into castes at all and even the poorest can find themselves among the rich and powerful with enough work and effort. However, that is easier said than done as it is exceedingly difficult to make something out of nothing. The Isihlungu'sa also tend not to have any concept of the "nuclear family" nor marriage. They are a species of monogendered hermaphrodites and they see nothing wrong with having as many lovers as one can and wants. They do not get married, and oftentimes the 'father' has no obligation to help raise their child in any way. Instead most Isihlungu'sa live among their extended family and the child is taken for by the 'mother' and their siblings and parents and other relatives. And finally, the Isihlungu'sa have no taboos against cannibalism in any form; they eat anything and the fact that some meat used to be part of a sentient creature doesn't matter in the slightest to them. The rare exception are those few religious sects who believe bodies should be cremated or mummified after death.

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The Isihlungu'sa military is divided into two distinct branches, the Federation Army and Federation Navy.

The Navy itself consists of 26 separate Fleets, a single Fleet for each system within the Federation. The Fleets are staffed, supplied, and oftentimes built at the system they watch over. As a general rule of thumb the entire Fleets are usually moved together, however this is not always the case. The Fleets themselves are divided into numerous Flotillas composed of similar classes of ships and Squadrons composed of several Flotillas. When portions of the Fleet are separated from the main body, it is almost always Squadrons. The size and numbers of these divisions are not set in stone, however and oftentimes differ even within the same Fleet.

The basic self-sufficient unit of the Federation Army is the Regiment, a 4096-man unit recruited entirely (usually) from a single planet. The Regiments themselves are the largest permanent military unit in the Federation Army, with higher levels of organization being changed and shifted as the situation demands. Because of the permanence of these Regiments, many of them have exceptionally long history with some stretching back centuries upon centuries.