Post Terran: The major powers

Nearly a year since last update, been busy. But now about the major powers in the Cruxis starzone.

The Kingdom of Kiova

The great Kingdom of Kiova started as a republic. It was founded on a somewhat colder world with higher gravity than most, around 1,4 G. It had abundance in metals but scarce in arable land due to high vulcanism and otherwise active planet. So, as the population grew, so grew the pressure to colonize new systems. So Kiova, while not the first to settle in the starzone, was the first to move offworld after the initial settlement.

But expansion brought only more expansion and finally to war. This war was against the world of Magneta, currently one of the founding members of the Transhuman Union. The population of Magneta were mainly transgenics, genetically engineered peoples. The lush world was harnessed to feed the masses in Kiova which was constantly growing and becoming more dangerous to the oligarchy that ruled it.

Finally, the transgenics rebelled, aided by their sister world Xavier. The war was long and bitter and ended in the defeat of the then-republican Kiova and the birth of the Transgenic Union. The catastrophe of defeat also brought with it a military coup. The coup brought with it harsh control, food rationing and limitation of basic rights. At the same time the coup leaders attempted to solve the food crisis at every consievable way. Mass deportations, orbital gardens and genetic engineering were all attempted. There are some rumours lingering that millions died also in the hands of the military police, cleansing 'undesirables'. When the old junta leader died, his son stepped in and thus the system became hereditary.

The present Kiova is a mighty star kingdom, controlling nearly a hundred systems and having colonies on roughly two dozen worlds. It boasts the strongest military in the Cruxis starzone.

Great Puritanian Commonwealth

The Great Puritanian Commonwealth sprung from a theocratic planet called Puritania. Settled by religious fundamentalists with a certain sense of realpolitik, it grew in time as a minor regional power. Acting as a mediator and police force it gained more power and eventually united several worlds under it's banner. Some systems were annexed by force, usually after repeated warnings and transgressions against Puritania, but more usually a system would request to join the alliance.

Puritanians see themselves as the protectors of their allies. They demand simply payment for their protection either in form of money, raw materials, personnel or a combination of these. The systems are allowed to govern themselves as they see fit but puritanians have been known to suppress undesired governments, sometimes harshly.

These suppressive actions caused a major crisis seventy years ago which led to the formation of the Commonwealth Council. The Council is comprised of representatives from every member world. Every world has a limited veto on the Commonwealth's action, but a two-thirds majority can overrule a veto. The Council has also moved to increase non-puritanian officers in the fleet, currently a small minority and mainly in the lower officer ranks. All fleet officers serving are of puritanian descent.

Republic of Macedon

Macedon was founded with a vision of a scientific and philosophic utopia. The founders were quick to build industry and automation to allow the population to concentrate on more important things. The educational levels in the republic are very high and equally high is it's contribution to the scientific community. Nanotech, gravitic drives and antimatter power are all attributed to macedonian scientists.

While Macedon excells in material sciences, it is lacking in ethics and diplomacy. Macedonians use genetic slavery, a method abhorred by nearly every stellar state with some exceptions like the Kingdom of Kiova. This genetic slavery is not only for transgenic slaves grown in the vat chambers of the State Creche but also to those unfortunate enough to be seen "unfit" for citizenry. This fittingness is decided during school years with those passing the required grades gaining citizenship status at graduation. Those who failed, however, are practically sentenced to slavery. Those who are seen to have some hope serve in a form of limited slavery with a chance to redeem oneself. These limited slaves make up most of the macedonian marine corp and navy enlisted personnel.

Militarily Macedon isn't much of a threat to anyone but it has strong planetary defense systems and the fleet is strong enough to challenge an invader. The highly automated fleet requires only comparatively small crews, roughly a fourth of that of other fleets.

While republican, Macedon has cold relations to Voltaire due to the slavery question. It has recently allied itself with the Kiovans.

Republic of Voltaire

Voltaire prides itself as being the first system colonized in the Cruxis starzone and it's oldest democracy. It has grown steadily in power and influence and while it is not a military might for much else than protection of it's territorial integrity it is an economic might controlling several vital stellar routes. Voltaire itself is a focal point of trade with thousands of ships arriving daily.

In the past Voltaire was looked upon as the ultimate success of capitalist democracy. Enterprising, industrious and cultural, they prospered. However, as their wealth increased, so did social differences. A large underclass grew steadily as corporations preferred immigrants, specially transgenics, in simpler jobs, leaving many native voltairans unemployed. This led to a revolution some two hundred years ago and the establishment of a socialist state in Voltaire. The military, however, fought the revolutionaries and eventually stalemated, dividing the Voltaire colonies in two.

This divided state continued to exist separately for several decades until a military coup in the old republic usheredin a new war between the states, finally resulting in reunification by the militant republic. The People's Republic did manage to send out several refugee fleets to settle outer worlds where remnants of the old socialist state survives.

The current Voltaire Republic is once again a democratic state and is the starzone's economical giant, having double the economical weight of any of it's competitors. Militarily, the republic lags behind the more militant Puritanians and Kiovans but is strong enough to hold it's own. Voltaire has been rumored to use mercenaries in limited warfare against Macedon but no substantial evidence has surfaced.

Transhuman Union

The Transhuman Union was born from a dream. This dream was to unite the transgenics and post-humans under a single banner, to protect them against mainline human discrimination and subjugation. It's founders dreamed of an peaceful utopia but soon quarreled over what should be done with the mainline humans. As a result of this quarrel the union split in two factions, each settling it's own world. The worlds happened to be orbiting a binary system so limited hostilities continued until Magneto, the more militant of the two factions, was subjugated and occupied by the Kiovans.

The Xanadu faction, the more peacable of the two, supported covertly their oppressed brethren and by decades of hard work, guerrilla warfare and terrorist attacks forced Kiova to retreat. This resulted into a major political crisis within Kiovans and simultaneously in reunification of the two factions. Best of both worlds were combined and as both saw that conflict with other star powers was unavoidable, they assumed a military collectivist society built for warfare.

TU has been in war with Kiova for most of it's existence, the war varying from border skirmishes and raids to outright invasions. TU has managed to form a buffer zone between Kiovans and itself, maintining the more important worlds behind the heavily fortified border worlds. TU's military power rivals that of the Kiovans but is more focused on smaller operations and smaller ships while Kiovan fleet focuses more on major fleet actions.

The Garm Territories

Garm are the only major alien faction in the starzone. They had obtained the technology for interstellar travel a little after the settlement of Voltaire and were first met by the Macedonians whose territory is nearest to those of the Garm. The relations between the two have been peacable interrupted only by two short wars. Trade between the Garm and human factions is common, with the Garm being highly interested in biotechnology.

Garm is a marsupian species with the females being slightly taller than male. The tallest garms are shorter than the average human, roughly 170cm but they are more heavily built, thanks to their high-gravity homeworld. Despite the cold climate the garm are hairless, preferring heavy clothing. Their skin color is a mottled gray. They are highly social and prefer to live in large clan-packs of 6-20 interrelated adults and their young living in the same household. Social pecking order is set by the oldest female leading the family pack. Males care for newborn and infants until they can walk. It is exceptional in that any male, not just the father, can be assigned as the caretaker and it is not expected of the father to enter the child's life, the child living with his or her mother's clan-pack. Sexual relationships are conducted outside the clan-pack and it is considered taboo to have a sexual relationship within the clan-pack. Transgressors are expelled or killed.

Garm society at large is, for the human observer, a semi-anarchic meritocracy with the most able receiving the best positions of power, most mating propositions and the best resources. Power is seen that as all individuals are expected to further the better future of the race, they should have free rein in how to accomplish this. Resources are assigned by clan-packs supporting the individual. As these resources can be pooled, a poweful garm politician can easily combine the resources of a thousand clan-packs for starship production, agriculture or such. As an unspoken rule, politicians are not allowed to countermand each other and disagreements of policy are often settled by personal combat. This tradition, according to the garm, is fairly recent. Before entering space, the garm lived in more or less competing feudal kingdoms. A planetary regime came from cooperation between these feudal kingdoms. As feudal lords were of the habit of granting succession to their most able servant instead of favoring familial relationships determining power within the clan, the current system was created.

Garm have ambassadors on all major trade worlds and stations around the starzone. The ambassadors are considered major politicians who hold large sway over garm affairs domestically. Militarily, the garm could outnumber all human factions if they combined their efforts. However, the fractured state of the garm society ensures that such an union is unlikely.