Union Traits:

Hivemind: Being the Union has one central conscience from where everything is managed.

• 20% FIDS Bonus on systems closest to the Hivemind, and the Home system itself.
• Hivemind can be grown with dust to expand fleet capacity, which is superior to other factions' fleet capacities.

Assimilation: A race that survives off a collective intelligence, the Union very slowly researches independently, but must instead enslave minor factions, and join their scientists' intelligence into the hivemind, they gain 5 to 10 technologies per assimilated faction. 

• Replaces Ally with Assimilate diplomatically
• If a major faction is defeated, the Union gains all unresearched technologies that faction had, and each already researched tech from an assimilated major faction is worth 0.33 points towards a new tech. 

The Greater Good: Being that only one central conscience exist on their homeworld, which will eventually be transformed into one giant brain organism, which must be fed organisms from other planets. Over the course of the game, this hive can be leveled up but it will cost more food per turn. If the brain runs out of food, the Union will sacrifice parts of itself starting with units, then populations.

 Error In Communication: Settlements can be created, but the futher from the central mind they are, the slower they are to recieve orders, which results in projects taking longer once the time to recieve orders is factored. Defensive play is a must, as units gain up to a 33% attack bonus within Union territory the closer they are to their homeworld, however they lose up to 45% of their attack the further they are from Union territory. 

• Minimum of 2 extra turn required in a production of a system not directly connected to the homeworld.

One is All: With the defensive bonus, comes a weakness, being the entire faction feels the pain of one, losing a world or being sieged results in severe pain. In the event of a planet being sieged, they lose accuracy on their military, and their workers lose concentration resulting in a 25% FIDS loss from the distraction of the pain. 

• 25% FIDS loss upon world being sieged. 
• 33% Loss on accuracy upon world being sieged.

Affinity, Biotechnology:  Instead of ships, organic forms fused with propulsion technology are used. 

• Any ship may be used to colonize, at the expense of the unit.
• Dreadnaughts replaced with Colony ships capable of developing an infestation/colony within two turns.
• Units developed with 75% Food, and 25% Industry cost. 
• Planets are captured by using ships to develop an infestation on the planet, which can be destroyed by enemy ships in space

Lore/Playstyle:

An amazing infusion of organic technology with inorganic weapons and propulsion tech, the Union thrives upon a mix of expansion and defense. Made to even out boring endgames, the Union thrives as an Underdog. The Union, if played right, is supposed to be able to grow their tech extremely quickly early game by assimilating minor factions, then later by taking on factions with a large amount of research mid to late game. Wars are supposed to be faught by drawing the opponent to your border planets, and destroying the bulk of their military with the defense bonus, then striking out and expanding your borders into their territory to prevent from getting the attack deduction from going to far away. Lore wise, the Union are organic drones controlled from a single, well fortified organic, eventually planet sized supercomputer.