Axxilan Politics

[Cyrus Tregessar]

Axxila is an ecumenopolis nominally ruled by a pseudo-elective system called simply the 'Concord.' The Concord is essentially a large bureaucratic committee who's job it is to enforce the arcane and intricate system of laws that govern the actions of and arbitrate the disputes between the Great Houses, the true rulers of the planet. The Concord also maintains the planetary constabulary (which has limited power to police the Great Houses themselves), basic planetary administration, and tax collection. Most other civil services are contracted out to the Great Houses.

There are dozens of 'Great Houses,' familial and corporate conglomerations tied together by ancient treaties, bloodlines, and alliances. Generally speaking, status as a Great Houes is earned by dominance in some area or field that is required for life on Axxila to continue. There are several tiers of Great Houses, with only the mightiest at the top. For all intents and purposes these are the true rulers of Axxila. They hold veto power in the Concord and can subvert or modify the laws at will.

House Majhellain – Starship Production. Nearly all the ships that come out of Axxila are based on several standard frames built by House Majhellain. They are famous for their durability and versatility.

House Horigawa – Trade and Commerce. While most houses have a presence in orbit, House Horigawa has a total monopoly on trade stations and commercial spaceports. Far and away the wealthiest Great House.

House Cholot – Banking. Self-explanatory, they keep currency and credit on Axxila fluid.

House Troqwai – Infrastructure. A planet-wide city simply does not maintain itself. Houes Troqwai uses an army of droids and legion of civil servants to keep things functioning more or less smoothly. Keeping the roads paved means keeping the taxes flowing, which keeps the Concord afloat and Axxila stable.

Houes Tregessar – Security. House Tregessar has always focused on security, but used to dabble in many other operations. Recently the new head of house sold or traded away most other industries to form a private corporation, called Shadowline. They also hold a majority in the remains of the Banat-Marath power monopoly.

House Merod – Planetary Welfare. Keeping a planet with a population in the trillions fed and clothed is an astronomical task, one accomplished by Houes Merod. It is House Merod that builds and staffs the hundreds and thousands of aid stations, nutrient depositories, and automated clinics. While the quality of life for the average Axxilan is not great, it would be much worse if not for House Merod. The house itself profits in this by netting the majority of the Concord's planet-wide taxes. As one would expect, only a fraction of this goes to maintaining the aforementioned infrastructure.

Houes Goriot – Resourcing. Primarily metals from deep core mining and agriculture from vast hydroponic farms. Goriot keeps the planet fed and the materials needed for constant expansion flowing.

House Banat-Marath – Power. A former great house, Banat-Marath was the subject of a conspiracy involving House Tregessar, Majhellain, Merod, and Goriot. The house was toppled from its position of power at a high cost, and its geothermal and core-tapping plants were distributed among the conspirators. It still exists and is nominally a Great Houes, but it's a puppet of the Concord at this point.

 

[Cyrus Tregessar]

The Great Houses of Axxila are a sort of aristocratic corporate hierarchy. The ruling family is dynastic, but their power is typically subject to the approval of the Board of Directors. This is not an intentional development, merely the result of a thousand years of stagnant ascendancy and bitter infighting.

Typically these two factions are addressed as the 'House' or 'Dynasty' (being the ruling head of house their numerous scions and relations) and the 'Directorate.' The Directorate families are also aristocratic in nature, preferring to keep power within their own family line rather than risk having some upstart rise above their place.

A powerful Directorate usually comes to be because of a weak Head of House (or 'Chair), and a strong Head of House must necessarily conflict with the Directorate, especially for a new ascension. While violence, assassination, and other such methods are not officially condoned they are commonplace, but it would be a fool who does not acknowledge the value of a well placed propaganda pict.

The exact systems vary between the various Great Houses. The Horigawa's elect the Chair from among the various Directorate members every thirty years, while the Tregessar's tend to operate on an 'ascension by merit' system, wherein one must depose the current ruler, either by force or guile.

The Concord itself is made up of selected members of the various Dynasty's and their Directorate's, with the actual bureaucracy being assigned by the board members. In theory this is supposed to ensure that the system runs smoothly for all the house, but in practice this means different departments tend to be stacked with members of one house or another, and are in constant conflict with one and other for various privileges.

The Concordat is the central ruling body of the Concord, effectively filling the role of Executive, Legislative, and Judicial all at once. The Concordat is currently headed by one Atharet Goriot, who seems to actually try to keep things cordial and functional. He has little support from any of the other houses (including his own).