Difference between revisions of "Hapes Consortium"

Latest revision as of 04:59, 25 November 2013

Hapes Consortium
Political information
Type of government	Sovereign State
Founding document	Declaration of the Hapes Consortium
Constitution	Constitution of the Hapes Consortium
Head of State	King Tylger I
Head of Government	Prime Minister
Commander-in-Chief	King Tylger I
Executive branch	Lorell Hall
Legislative branch	Royal Council
Judicial branch	Courts of Hapes
Societal information
Territory	Hapes Cluster
Capital	Hapes
Official language	Hapan
Currency	Hapan Aquii Imperial Credits
State religious body
National holiday	Coronation Day Sovereign's Birthday Queen's Pageant Marauders' Masquerade Gallinore Day
Historical information
Formed from	Lorell Raiders
Date of establishment	Year -4026
Date of fragmentation	Year -80 Day 62
Date of reorganisation	Year -26 Day 143

The Hapes Consortium is the sovereign state of the Hapes Cluster, a grouping of several hundred stars within the area of nebulous gases known as the Transitory Mists within the Inner Rim—an impediment to hyperspace navigation which has kept the stars of the cluster mostly isolated from the rest of the the galaxy. For millennia, the Hapans were ruled by the Queen Mother, a hereditary title passed down from mother to daughter (or, in the event that the Queen Mother had no surviving female descendants, to the wife of her eldest son). After the success of the Phoenix Movement in Year -26, the absolute monarchy was abolished and the Hapes Consortium became a constitutional monarchy led by its first King, Andrew Starfyre.

The Hapes Consortium was a member of the Imperial Union for nearly six years, from Y7D334 to Y13D300.

History

When the Lorell Raiders, a group of pirates, learned of safe routes through the hazardous Transitory Mists barrier that surrounded the Hapes Cluster, they set it up as their base of operations. The pirates would bring any plundered treasure, including beautiful women, back to Lorell and Hapes Prime. Several decades later, when many of the Raiders were killed in Republic space by military forces led by Jedi, leaving the male population practically nonexistent, Hapes became a matriarchal monarchy led by a Queen Mother. The first Queen Mother then established the Hapes Consortium based on the planet of Hapes and closed the borders of the Cluster.

The Queen Mothers ruled over Hapes for nearly four thousand years with nine specific eras and ten dynasties. The stolen treasures from outside worlds were used to purchase defences and goods to build up a peaceful society within the Hapes Cluster. Some decades were spent indoctrinating new ideals into the minds of the population. The feudal system was established in Year -3324 by Thian Tini'duran—known as Queen Mother Tini'duran III—which brought a new era of order and prosperity in the Hapes Consortium. The noble families of the Hapes Consortium retained their powers and privileges for over three thousand years. Queen Mother Tini'duran III also reformed the Royal Hapan Space Fleet into the Royal Hapan Navy in Year -3311.

The Hapes Consortium expanded across the Hapes Cluster and came to have sixty-three worlds, with hundreds upon hundreds of different governments and thousands of cultures. Hapan cities—beautiful, stately, and serene—were seen to reflect the ideals of the Hapan people. The Queen Mother was treated like a goddess by the Hapans, and her selection of a consort was important to all her people. Candidates for the role of consort often came from the nobility.

Queen Mother Pal'durath VII fell into a coma after years of failing to name her successor, an event that led to a chain of events that eventually triggered the Hapan Civil War. Her daughters, Princess Da'tan and Princess Ta'lan, had a roughly equal number of supporters in their bids for the throne. Princess Da'tan was greatly favored by the nobility, while Princess Ta'lan was popular among the commoners. When the Queen Mother died early in Year -80, Princess Ta'lan was chosen as her successor in a popular vote. Princess Da'tan and her supporters, in response, assembled a military force and attacked Lorell, establishing the planet as the capital of the Draconian Union. Ta'lan Pal'durath ruled the Hapes Consortium as the Queen Mother from her palace on Hapes Prime. She created the Sword Confederacy, with the established intention of ridding the Hapes Cluster of the nobles who had sided against her, and the country plunged into a bitter civil war.

The noble houses squandered Hapan treasuries to fund the war, which lasted nearly 60 years. After Da'tan and Ta'lan had died, their daughters took up the fight in their mothers' names. Inaq Ta'lan Pal'durath held that she was the rightful Queen Mother until her death in Year -30, when she committed suicide after she lost Hapes Prime to the peasant uprising known as the Phoenix Movement. Princess Lana Da'tanah was supported by the Draconian Union until they were defeated by the Phoenix Movement in the battle over Gallinore in Year -28. One year later, Andrew Starfyre was coronated as King Andrew I of the the Hapes Consortium.

Andrew reigned for 27 years; his main efforts were to unite the Hapes Cluster under one government and to re-stabilize the Hapan treasury and governmental system. When Andrew abdicated, his chosen heir, Grand Admiral Jessy James became King James I. Under his rule, the government has gone through a series of reforms, becoming more centralised with most major decisions being made by officials on Hapes Prime. James is also largely considered responsible for the success of the Hapes Consortium's industrial and commercial projects in recent years.

Government and politics

The Hapes Consortium is a constitutional monarchy: the Sovereign is the head of state, who reigns from the Royal Hapan Palace in the city of Chume'Dan on the capital planet of Hapes. As Sovereign, he holds all executive and legislative power over the governance of the Consortium. All formal actions executed by the government at all levels are done so in the name of the Sovereign. The Royal Council, however, holds the responsibility of all actions executed by the government. The Sovereign holds exclusive authority to appoint ministers at all levels, at his discretion.

The Regent of the Hapes Consortium serves as the administrator of Consortium, often alongside or in place of the Sovereign, and most commonly when the Sovereign is either absent, incapacitated or is a minor and unable to rule. The Regent serves directly under the Sovereign, and thus his authority and word is considered of the Sovereign's. The Regent is not the Sovereign's successor; in the case when the Sovereign can no longer rule, the Regent shall rule in his or her place until the heir to the throne is fit to rule.

Lorell Hall, a large government complex where numerous councils and assemblies meet to discuss matters of importance

Aside from the Sovereign, the Royal Council is the highest executive body over the Hapes Consortium. The Royal Council is the Sovereign's cabinet, and is tasked with assisting and advising the Sovereign in all affairs of governance. The Council consists of the Ministers of the Crown of their respective Hapan ministries, and is presided over by the Prime Minister. Ministers are appointed by the King with advice and consultation from the Prime Minister. The Royal Council is made up of the Ministries of Justice, External Affairs, Defence, Industry, Finance, Intelligence, and Culture.

In addition, the government maintains a Civil Service which functions as a bureaucratic work force available to the various ministries and departments of Lorell Hall and also as an alternative to service within the Royal Hapan Armed Forces. Since the lower levels are not restricted to any specific ministry, it makes a large work force available to all departments of the government rather than one specific department at a time.

The Chamber of Lords is the upper Planetary Council for the Lords and Ladies of the Hapes Consortium. Here they meet to discuss local issues within the systems that they govern. The Curia is the lower Planetary Council for the Archons of the Hapes Consortium. The Archons, who function as advisors and aides to the Lords, meet to discuss inter-regional and/or Cluster-wide policies, legislature, and potential conflicts. They report to the Royal Council, but have to respect the higher authority that the Lords hold within their respective systems.

The Court of King's Bench is highest appellate court in the realm. It is presided by the High Magistrate of the Consortium, and generally only accepts appeals on points of law that would further the development of justice. The amount of judges or presence of a jury depends heavily on the nature of the case. It is subordinate of the Ministry of Justice. The Court of Magistracy is the general court of the common law in the realm. Most legal actions are dealt with here. The General Court Martial deals with issues arising from the Military Code of Service and any auxiliary laws or regulations that govern the Royal Armed Forces.

Society

Language

The official language of the Hapes Cluster is Hapan, an evolved form of the language spoken by the Lorell Raiders. It is used for all official duties, be it governmental or military. Galactic Basic is used in some portions of the Hapes Cluster, specifically Lorell, for trade and commerce.

Military

The Royal Hapan Navy, Royal Hapan Army, and the Phoenix make up the Royal Hapan Armed Forces.

Culture

Technology

The navy employs Battle Dragons and Nova Battle Cruisers for capital ship activities, but also some foreign design such as the Dreadnaught Heavy Cruiser, Carrack-class Light Cruiser and Bayonet-class Cruiser. Their starfighter defense is composed of mostly Miy'til Interceptors, Hetrinar Assault Bombers and Y-wing Bombers. The army uses the Consortium-distinct H-1 Light Battle Tank as well as AT-PTs and T-47s.