RELATIONSHIPS AND YOU
Inter-Alliance (and Intra-Alliance) Relations
Inter-alliance relationships are practically unheard of in the general populace, as the various alliances do not intermingle in daily life. Someone from New Earth will never visit Centauri, while someone from Luna will not see Chetumal aside from in pictures. With no internet or 'world(s) wide web', there is no real connection between the various populations.
Intra-alliance relationships (such as people meeting each other from different worlds within one alliance) are less rare, but still a little uncommon.
The only interactions the alliances really have between one another other is via traders, scientists, the military, the Accord and civilian pilots.
Even between these groups, the majority are unlikely to be in a situation where romance becomes likely - the three likely groups for this would be scientists, people working for the Accord of Free Worlds, and the civilian pilot program members. These are the only groups likely to spend enough time to get to know members of another alliance enough to become more than simple acquaintances.
MARRIAGE AND INTERALLIANCE LAW
Since the general population does not mix with different alliances, the only laws relating to relationships and marriage are based on the singular alliance.
With groups such as civilian pilots, an inter-alliance marriage causes a great deal of legal footwork on multiple levels, both monetary and politically as both alliances must determine the exact legal framework the marriage consists of that satisfies the laws of both alliances.
For a time, this work was done with the aid of the EAOS and various family groups from each alliance - notably Father Paul Grahams; the priest who normally performed such duties, and Ashley Wells; the planner who worked to solve all the legal issues and assist in the creation of the wedding itself.
But what happens when one member of the marriage retires? There is no automatic citizenship given to spouses from another alliance - what happens then? What happens with tax? With the other laws surrounding the framework of the marriage?
At first the family groups who pushed to allow intra-alliance weddings for civilian pilots pointed out that approximately 60% of marriages do not have to deal with these sorts of issues, and that retirement was such a long time away for the average civilian pilot that the issues could be discussed and dealt with long before they became a problem.
And yet to date, 100% of civilian pilot marriages have ended in divorce, the retirement of one party or the retirement of both parties, causing vast amounts of problems for the liaison offices and the legal departments of the involved alliances.
As such, an interalliance committee determined in late 2314 that under the civilian pilot program, civilians waive their right to a legal marriage until such time as they leave the civilian pilot program, similar to the agreement to be chemically sterilised for the same duration. Like the sterilisation clause, this was met with much controversy, but the simple facts presented were enough to allow them to alter the civilian pilot program agreement.
