2525 - White Sun System Notes

Inner Republic (Londinium), "The Londies, Corps" - The smaller of two inheritor states of the old Rump Parliament, the Inner Republic is named for the location of its two member worlds. Both are high-population worlds, though Londinium utterly dominates affairs on Bernadette, which serves as a source of labor and agriculture. The two worlds possess a powerful economy, as they escaped the worst of the war and have attracted most of the mega corporations that have relocated from Sihnon as it became more bureaucratic. The Inner Republic is a class-conscious society, with status going in hand with wealth. The Inner Republic now assigns voting rights based on a person's status within the corporate hierarchy; Blue Sun, Weyland-Yutani, and the other large business concerns dominate politics. Despite its attempts to contrast itself with the old Alliance, the Inner Republic remains a top-heavy, somewhat autocratic state, though much more friendly to big business than Sihnon. Londinium remains the financial center of the 'Verse, and maintains good relations with almost every polity in the 'Verse.

Union of Allied Worlds (Sihnon), "The Union, The Centralists" - The larger inheritor state of the old Rump Parliament, the Union of Allied Worlds has retained many of the Alliance institutions, while also adopting a more deliberately Confucian philosophy of rule. After the destruction of much of Sihnon's government during the war, the various bureaucracies turned to the heads of the traditionalist universities and monasteries that educated Sihnon's elites. The Union has become a somewhat rigid place, a mix of typical giant bureaucracies, cutting edge social theory, and a version of traditional Chinese culture. Citizen's lives are closely controlled by planning bureaus, and much of the workforce is employed in repairing war-ravaged urban areas. It is an economic powerhouse largely due to its size, wealth, and the use of AI's in economic planning. Unlike most other successor states, the Union has member worlds and client states in multiple systems, making it the only true interstellar state in the 'Verse. It is fairly vigorous in pressing these claims, sometimes resulting in local conflicts.

White Sun Federation (Ariel), "The Feds" - The successor state of the Ariel Consensus, the White Sun Federation is a multi-party democracy composed of three formerly wealthy high-population worlds. The government struggles to rebuild the damage left by the recent war, while at the same time engaging in quiet "Cold War" against the Union of Allied Worlds. It has managed to retain the relatively enlightened forms of government espoused by the Ariel Consensus, though the dictates of war and reconstruction have led to some internal tensions between member worlds. The White Sun Federation attempts to expand its influence and export its values, and so can be found meddling in local affairs throughout the 'Verse.

Principality of Lux (Persephone), "The Aristos" - The Principality of Lux has unified the various planets and moons of the protostar Lux under the sovereignty of a single Prince, with a hierarchy of various nobles below him. Regions of a world are ruled by Counts, who select one among their number to serve as Prince for life. Individual moons are often independently run as duchies; Dukes rank similarly to Counts, but have more independence of action. This is similar to the system used when Persephone was subject to rule by the Alliance, but now the Prince wields sovereign authority. The state is organized around Persephonic feudalism, as well as the subtle influence of certain Transhumanist principles. Lux inherited a number of large naval vessels, and thus exerts influence far beyond its borders. The various scattered domains generally referred to as "Marches" owe fealty to Lux, and can count on protection by the Prince's Navy. In the last couple of years, it has become a custom of the nobility to use a form of Latin as the official language of the realm, as a way to further distinguish themselves as aristocrats.

Divided Worlds of the White Sun System

Valentine - An earthlike Core world, Valentine is politically divided between the "Republic of Valentine" with two hundred million citizens and several other relatively large states. These others total about sixty million people, all of which maintain Alliance representation.

• Republic of Valentine - Densely settled republic with strict laws.

• Aquitaine Renaître - Below average density dictatorship with average laws.

• New Mumbai Maharajanate - Densely populated totalitarian monarchy.

• Banlarajami Republic - Average density republic with strict laws.

• Azad Srinigar - Above average density Sikh theocracy with average laws.

• Dar-ul-Amzad - Sparsely settled autocracy with strict laws.