The Governments of My Traveller Universe
- The Talaveran Empire
- The Republic of Tamarkand
- The Stedhard Alliance
- The Kassiran Defense League
- The United Planets of America
- The Lycosky Trade Protectorate
- The Union of Socialist Worlds
- The Litton Confederation
- The Solaris Alliance
- The Corellian League
- The Dothan Alliance
- The Ostrander Federation
- The Thrainian Confederation
- The Kamarov Republic
- The Alliance of Dormarc
- The Mercador Compact
- Five Worlds Coalition
- The Kingdom of Onaji
- The Independents
- The House of Dirata
International Politics in my Traveller Universe
In 925 SA, space is mostly free of war, except for the interminable war between the SA & the KDL (see Stedhard & Kassira for more details). This does not, of course, mean that there is no friction.There are four political entities that have the most interstellar influence, typically referred to as The Big Four. They are: The Talaveran Empire, the Lykosky Trade Protectorate, the Union of Socialist Worlds, and the United Planets of America. The Big Four pursue regional dominance through diplomacy, trade, economics, as well as covert (and sometimes overt) military action. Most of the lesser star nations are allied with, or subject to, one of the Big Four.
Wars and rumors of wars:
The Kingdom of Onaji has been aggressively upgrading its navy, which could be a prelude to an offensive move against one of its independent neighbors. Tamarkand quietly gives military aid to the Stedhards, and the Union is openly pro-Kassira. The LTP claims to not have political aspirations, but their trade practices border on warfare at times. In 924, the Mercador Compact made a grab for the independent planet Wahara, and nearly dragged Talavera and the Union into the war. Wahara repelled the invasion on its own (with help from the Ostrander Fed) but tension in the region remains high.
Number of Planets= Eleven
Total Population= 2,991,000,000
Description= Current monarch: King Roger the XII. The Empire began as the Kingdom of Talavera with one planet. After a four hundred year period of expansion (conquest and three planets that joined voluntarily), King Cedrick VII issued a royal decree that "The Empire will no longer pursue a policy of expansion by conquest". The Empire maintains that policy, and the Thrainians and Ostranders are on good terms, but the Dothans and Correllians remain cautious and skeptical.
The Empire is ruled from Talavera, with a curious mix of feudalism and representative government. Each planet has a semi-autonomous government with a planetary Duke holding authority over that. The feudal order extends down to Barons of cities; the Barons often act as the representatives to the planetary government. Some nobles would prefer more feudal rule, some citizens want a more democratic rule, but the debate rarely grows beyond political maneuvering.
Bishor is one of the conquered planets in the Empire. The Imperials have tried hard to administer justly & fairly, but there remains an underground of discontent. The former monarch and his family were deposed & exiled when the planet was conquered. They were in fact transported to Gataneu and installed in a brand-new duchy. This satisfied them and squelched any ideas about returning to liberate their planet. The family is still there and is now staunchly pro-Imperial.
On Bishor, however, there is a persistent urban legend that the royals were taken off planet and shot, or spaced, or blown up with their ship. The Imperials supposedly killed them but one family member escaped. That person’s descendent (whether it was a son or daughter depends on what version you’ve heard) supposedly is back on Bishor and organizing a rebellion against the Imperials.
Number of Planets= Eight
Total Population= 1,573,000,000
Description= The UPA's Constitution was taken directly from the Old Earth US Constitution, Including the eventual 27 Amendments. The capital is on New Maryland, where the President, Congress and the Supreme Court are seated. Each planet is a 'state' which is subdivided into regions under local control, the US rules interplanetary commerce. President Lucas has made his primary policy aim the expansion of US trade, putting them in direct competition with the LTP.
Number of Planets= Five
Total Population= 615,500,000
Description= The LTP is ruled by the Board of Directors of Lycosky Shipping and Trading, Ltd. CEO and General Manager is Janos Lycosky XII, direct descendent of the man who led the colonization of the planet he named for himself. The Hard Times (the first hundred years or so) shaped the company into a fiercely competitive, belligerent organization that happens to control 33% of the international shipping in the galaxy. LTP crews are not always pleasant or even civil, especially to rival shipping companies or free traders. LTP citizens are all employees of the company. 21% of the LTP's population are recent immigrants from other nations, since the LTP boasts 100% employment. Immigrants usually get the 'bottom of the cargo hold' jobs, and competition for advancement is intense.
Number of Planets= Fourteen
Total Population= 1,730,000,000
Description= The Union is led by the Commisioner of State and the Galactic Socialist Party. The government runs all the businesses, the schools, and the media. There is a strong anti-technology bias built into the State educational system, only trusted Party members are taught how to actually build or repair the machines that run the cities. The rest of the mass of citizens have a 'black box' attitude towards the devices they use. The Union was born by conquest, and it has reached it present size by conquest. Nine independents and the Hecht Federation were forcibly absorbed into the Socialist Worlds. The Union's neighbors are uniformly defensive and hostile. The Union maintains an aggressive posture towards its near neighbors, and towards the other members of the Big Four.
Number of Planets= Three
Total Population= 178,000,000
Description= The Litton National Council, despite having only three member planets, has 826 representatives. The council is burdened by mountains of bureaucratic process, making progress very difficult. The Council has its membership based on population, which worked much better 500 years ago, when there were only a few million citizens. But the procedure for re-apportioning representation is so complex that it has never been done. Stagnation does bring a certain kind of stability, however, and most Littonians have long since given up expecting the Council to do anything useful. With the latest round of conflict between the KDL & the SA, trade has been affected (a lot of SA shipping goes through the LC)and the economy is beginning to show strain. Whether or not the Council can muster itself to address this is unsure, as is what will happen if they do not.
Number of Planets: Five
Total Population: 116,800,000
Description: Also called Solaria. The Alliance is the most insular and xenophobic of all the States, and the most culturally unified. The official approval of and endorsement of the use of psionics plays the major role in this unity. Alliance society is divided along psionic aptitude lines - those with talents are on top.
Number of Planets= Six
Total Population= 180,000,000
Description= The League is the most insular government in the region. Their six planets are all temperate, warm and have breathable atmospheres. All have natural resources, and are far from crowded. The League government has achieved a very uniform and high standard of living for its citizens. They have no treaties and generally do not try to involve themselves in galactic politics, with one exception. League merchant lines will do anything to frustrate the LTP's effort to control trade in the region, especially among the independents.
Voting rights are universal; citizens elect local representatives who in turn elect regional/ planetary officials. Each planet sends a 3-person delegation to the League Congress. The Congress has a Principal, elected by the Congress from retired planetary leaders. Congressmen are barred from seeking the Principality.
Number of Planets= Eight, plus one planetoid belt
Total Population= 307,500,000
Description= The Dothan Alliance is a tight network, with a militaristic bent. Although they are activiely engaged in galactic politics, they are defensive in trade policy, and have many factions in favor of isolationism. The DA is on official bad terms with the Union, and is suspicious of Talavera as well . Despite the tariffs imposed on foreign trade, the DA is a popular market for merchants. This is due in part to the Alliance's attitude towards piracy/privateering. Any ship suspected of piracy is hunted down and destroyed, period. This policy makes merchants feel very safe when entering Alliance space.
Number of Planets= Four
Total Population= 96,500,000
Description= Next to the Empire, the LTP and the League, the OstFed is a small fish in a big pond. At least that's the popular perception. Federation President Buckley is the canniest politician alive today, and he has ambitions to make the OstFed into a real superpower. Currently, he is quietly building a network with the independents around him to push back at the intrusions of the Mercadors and the Lycoskys. He is negotiating technology transfers with the League to bolster the civilian standard of living and upgrade the navy. His agents inside the Dormarc Alliance are hard at work reforming their government structure in advance of a proposed cooperation treaty. His methods are peaceful and his stated goals noble and positive. The Federation supports him and his policies. What his enemies will do or say is not yet known.
Number of Planets= Five
Total Population= 151,000,000
Description= A loose association of planets, originally formed in response to concerns over the expansion of the Talaveran Empire. Relations with the Empire have warmed since Talavera ended its expansion. Internally, the TC exists mostly as a set of preferential trade practices and the funding of a common navy to suppress piracy and provide defense. Member worlds retain near-total sovereignty, and the right to withdraw from the Confederation.
Number of Planets= Five
Total Population= 116,000,000
Description= The Kamarov Republic holds the distinction of being the only star government that successfully resisted a takeover attempt by the Union. Two hundred years ago, a daring (some would say desperate) counter-attack enveloped and overwhelmed a Union invasion fleet around Whitney. The Union Navy was so stunned at the defeat that the plans for invasion were suspended, and have never been brought up again. To this day, relations between the Republic and the Union are tense and hostile. Kamarov actively engages in defection assistance, disinformation, and other 'dirty tricks' against the Union. In contrast to the Union, the Republic puts great emphasis on education and technical proficiency. While Republic technology is still behind the galactic leading edge, the material they produce is of consistently superior quality.
Number of Planets= Eight
Total Population= 118,500,000
Description= The Republic has a dirty little secret: it's completely broke. 100 years ago, a cabal of military and industry bosses, called The Table, took control of the government in a stealth coup. Officials were bribed, bullied and coerced into compliance with The Table. Such was the finesse and skill of The Table that the populace never noticed the takeover, and the event remains to this day almost completely unknown. However, the inheritors of The Table's machinations were not as competent, organized or unified as the originals. More and more money was siphoned off to pay bribes, kickbacks and general lining of pockets; and political favoritism replaced competency in hundreds of offices and departments. As of 922 SA, the Republic government, still a representative democracy on paper, is completely insolvent. So far, the Table is managing to keep the government running, but no one knows how long they can keep from collapsing. What happens then is anyone's guess.
Number of Planets= Four
Total Population= 812,000,000
Description= The Alliance is run by a Parliament, with delegations from each member world. The membership of Parliament is drawn mostly from the landed and aristocratic families, with a few representatives for the common man. The Parliament still includes representatives for the Kassiran cluster, since they do not acknowledge that the cluster has declared independence. The Parliament has been in a 'state of emergency' since the rebellion began; the leadership finds it a convenient justification for keeping a tight hold on the reins of government.
Number of Planets= Four
Total Population= 110,600,000
Description= The KDL is ruled by a Board of Governors, one governor from each of the member worlds. The KDL was originally settled by the Stedhard Alliance, but they declared independence several hundred years ago, after a period of severe disruption by pirates. A badly-worded clause in the original charter of colonization gave the colonies the right to secede, but the wording was hotly debated by the Alliance, which never acknowledged that the KDL's situation met the criteria for secession. The Alliance claimed the cluster was in a state of rebellion, and the two have been at war ever since. KDL space is considered a war zone by its neighbors. The conflict even arises in other areas, whenever ships from the two sides meet: the KDL issues Letters of Marque against Stedhard shipping.
Number of Planets= Seven
Total Population= 65,750,000
Description= The Dormarcs just can't get any respect. Although the are the largest power in their end of the region, no one takes them seriously. Reasons: The Alliance Parliament has over sixty parties, and with elections held annually, no one can stay in power long enough to accomplish much. The Dormarc Navy is a textbook case of mis-management, mostly due to the horrible practice of political appointment of officers. The official response to several instances of LTP strong-arming other legitimate shippers has been muddled and ineffectual.
Number of Planets= Two
Total Population= 120,000,000
Description= The Compact is run by the President and CEO of Mercador Mining Ltd., under the supervision of a Board of Directors. The Board doubles as a business and political body. MML mines and refines chemicals from the six gas giants in the Mercador system, and the three in the Ashbii system.
Number of Planets= Five, obviously
Total Population= 839,000,000
Description= The Coalition is a bureaucratic mess. The five planetary governments long ago started disliking one another, and the Coalition Parliament is "full of greedy, sqabbling delegates". (thank you, Senator Palpatine) The only things holding the coalition together are the desire of the members to gain control of the others, and the fear that the nearby Union of Socialist Worlds or the Kingdom of Onaji will pick them off one at a time if the coalition dissolves. The Coalition navy couldn't hold off the Union anyway, but they have marginally more bargaining power together. There is little cooperation among planets, and not even a standardized set of trade rules. This makes the 5WC and unpopular destination for merchants, and the LTP basically won't deal with them at all.
Number of Planets= Two
Total Population= 401,000,000
Description= The Kingdom is under the direct rule of King Osmic the Twelfth. A Viceroy administers Hsue in Osmic's name, but he is personally responsible to Osmic for all decisions made. The Kingdom is technically a constitutional monarchy, but the power of the House of Lords has been reduced over the last fifty years to almost non-existence. Osmic is an ambitious man, undertaking many programs to improve the technological capabilites of his realm, and increase the population. The possibility that he wants to expand his kingdom's borders cannot be ignored by surrounding systems. He has diplomats working on non-agression treaties with several surrounding powers, which is viewed by some as insurance against interference with his plans.
Number of Planets= Two
Total Population= 13,000,000
Description= Meepsoor and Iskillin are ruled by the Patriarchy. The Dirata family runs everything. There are no elections, just seniority and family connections. Only male family members can hold office, though wives and mothers can be strongly influential. The Patriarchy tends to keep to itself; contact with the rest of the galaxy would get 'disruptive ideas' (such as democracy) into the people's heads. The Patriarchs rule fairly well, gross incompetence is not tolerated because it makes the Patriarch look bad. Behind closed doors there may be factions and infighting, but the average citizen seems content with the arrangement. Perhaps this is because of the tendency for 'agitators' and 'reformers' to end up dead or in jail.
Number of Planets= Many
Total Population= indeterminate
Description= Each planet will have to be described individually. See the page Planets in My Traveller Universe.
The "Wilds" (not a term they apply to themselves)
Number of Planets= Thirty-two
Total Population= Varies by planet, usually around 1-2 million
Description= The Esparada Cluster forms the bulk of this region, which is generally avoided by the rest of the galaxy, mostly on account of distance. The planets of the Wilds are just beginning to develop space travel on their own, and the individual planets are still working out the pecking order. A region ripe for development and full of intrigue and adventure possibilities.
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