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Capellan Confederation

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Capellan Confederation
Faction Profile
Time period: 2367 - present
Classification: Successor State
Controlled systems: ca. 217
Capital world: Sian
Ruler title: Chancellor
Military: Capellan Confederation Armed Forces (CCAF)
Secret Service: Maskirovka

The Capellan Confederation is the smallest Successor State, ruled by the Chancellor, the leader of House Liao. Originally governed from Capella, its current capital world is Sian.

History

Main article: History of the Capellan Confederation

Politics

The Capellan Confederation started out as a collection of states united for common defense and well-being, but over hundreds of years, through the influences of certain schools of philosophy and the leadership of House Liao, it has evolved to become an autocratic state with a controlled economy. While appearing to be nothing more than an absolute dictatorship to outsiders, the Confederation's government is closer to that of a troika, composed of three legislative bodies: the Chancellor, the Prefectorate, and the House of Scions. Each competes with the other for power, and even the strongest Chancellors have had to cooperate with the other two in order to pursue their policies.[1][2]

The Chancellor

The Chancellor is the face of the Capellan Confederation, invested with immense executive and legislative authority. The "Celestial Wisdom" is responsible for making all domestic and foreign policy for the Confederation, and with the power to issue decrees can make legislative changes at will. The Chancellor serves as the commander-in-chief of the Capellan Confederation Armed Forces, and has personal control over the Warrior Houses and the Death Commandos. Although originally serving a ten-year term, the position was turned into a lifetime appointment by decree in 2480, and while not mandated by law the Chancellorship is essentially reserved for members of House Liao.[3][2]

The Prefectorate

Sometimes known as the Prefecture, the Prefectorate is the oldest and highest governing body in the Capellan state. Begun by Franco Liao as an advisory council, its members are elected from the House of Scions for ten-year terms. Originally numbering six individuals, each a representative from one of the six original commonalities, it was enlarged to twelve by Kurnath Liao to include other powerful men and women. Kurnath Liao also gave the Prefectorate certain legislative powers, although its most important function only came after the death of Duncan Liao, when the Prefectorate gained the right to designate one of its members as Chancellor.[1][4]

This right was diminished when the Chancellorship became a lifetime appointment, and severely curtailed when the Star League agreed to grant only members of House Liao a seat on the High Council, effectively limiting the Prefecture's choices. Additional restrictions came in 2598 when Chancellor Quinn issued the Decree of Succession stating that, in the event of failure to elect a new Chancellor after three formal votes, the Chancellorship will automatically be ceded to the most senior member of House Liao. Only if a member of House Liao is unavailable or not of age can the Prefectorate choose another in their place.[1][4]

Despite its diminished purpose the Prefectorate still maintains significant powers. It is responsible for passing national tax legislation, appropriations for the armed forces, and officer appointments for those military units outside the Chancellor's direct control. The Prefectorate arbitrates disputes between commonalities and, at the Chancellor's discretion, may issue decrees and rule on court decisions. It also has the power to pass "acts of ennoblement", granting certain privileges and responsibilities to individuals within the Confederation and using it as a way of counteracting decrees passed by the Chancellor. Finally, all legislation passed by the Prefectorate is inviolable (except by the House of Scions) and it cannot be removed or disbanded by the Chancellor.[1][4]

House of Scions

The House of Scions is a governing body composed of Capellan nobility, originally formed as a check on the power of the Chancellor and Prefectorate. Membership is open to both types of nobility, although the twelve-year terms are staggered to ensure constant turnover. The power of the House of Scions has ebbed and flowed through the centuries, from superficial rubber stamp to serious political force. At first the House had the power to veto legislation pass by the Chancellor or the Prefectorate, but the right to review the Chancellor's decrees was removed by Mica Liao. During the Star League era the House gained the right to appoint new members to the Prefectorate, and after negotiations with Ilsa Liao it gained the right to determine taxes for individual commonalities, separate from the national taxes determined by the Prefecture. Like the Prefecture, legislation passed by the House of Scions is also inviolable.[3][5]

The Ministerial

The Ministerial is the bureaucracy responsible for enacting the legislature passed by the troika, created by Chancellor Baxter as a mea culpa for the incompetence of his administration. Each Ministry is headed by a director who reports quarterly to the Prefectorate, with a first and second deputy director under them and various department coordinators, assistants and administrative staff. Originally the Ministerial was divided between the commonalities in an attempt to prevent an unacceptable concentration of bureaucratic power. However, in 3059 Chancellor Sun-Tzu Liao ended this system and relocated all ministry headquarters to the Forbidden City on Sian.[6][7]

  • Ministry of Resources (Sarna) - Responsible for coordinating all scientific research and the exploitation of all natural resources within the Confederation. During the Succession Wars, this mandate was expanded to include the recovery of all lostech. Also liaised with the Word of Blake during joint research projects.
  • Ministry of Information Standards (Sian) - Coordinates weights and measures, including maintaining standard time and managing Capellan currency. Its mission has long been hampered by each polity within the Confederation maintaining their own separate timekeeping standards.
  • Ministry of Trade and Exchange (Capella) - Responsible for overseeing trade relations with other realms. Additional duty of administrating the peoples and resources of recently liberated worlds.
  • Ministry of Development (Chesteron at Sirius) - Oversees economic development and reconstruction within the Confederation, as well as the administration of vital agricultural worlds and general promotion of food production. Receives the largest share of the Capellan budget.
  • Ministry of Social Education (St. Ives) - Maintains the state's education system and charged with indoctrinating the youth to become productive citizens. A focus of (private) criticism by many in the intelligentsia caste.
  • Ministry of the Military (Tikonov) - Oversees all aspects of the armed forces, including financing, procurement, and sponsoring research. Serves as liaison for mercenary units.
  • Ministry of Allied Relations - Created after the formation of the Trinity Alliance, specifically responsible for interstellar relations with the Magistracy of Canopus and Taurian Concordat.

Political Divisions

The highest administrative division within the Confederation is the Commonality, each ruled by a Duke or Duchess who also serves as its representative on the Prefectorate. In the beginning, each commonality was roughly analogous to the founding states of the Confederation: the Liao Commonality, Capella Commonality, Sian Commonality, Sarna Commonality and St. Ives Commonality (a sixth, the Chesterton Commonality, existed in named only, ruled in exile on Sian by the Hargreaves family).[6][8] That number was reduced to just two after the end of the Fourth Succession War, the Capella and Sian commonalities, while the Chesterton Commonality-in-Exile was abolished in 3040 when Chancellor Romano Liao banished the Hargreaves family. However, in the years after the Clan invasion, the Confederation was able to reclaim some of its lost territory, and by 3067 it had reformed the Liao and St. Ives commonalities and created the Victoria Commonality.[8]

The commonalities are further divided into Duchies, each encompassing between two to eight star systems, ruled by a duke or duchess. Each duchy is further divided into Warrens, usually a pair of star systems, and ruled by a ducal representative known as a Diem. Individual worlds within a warren are known as Demesnes and ruled by a nobleman under the authority of the local Diem. In each case, the noble in charge of each district has the power to rule over it as their own personal fiefdom - provided they obey all Capellan laws, of course. Additionally, unless a duchy or fiefdom is hereditary in nature, the Chancellor has the power to reassign each district at will.[6][7]

Citizenship

Unlike the other Successor States where individuals are born with citizenship, in the Confederation citizenship is a benefit to be earned. All minors in the Capellan Confederation are technically wards of the state under the provisional supervision of their parents or guardians. During this time, they receive a state sponsored education and are encouraged to participate in the betterment of their communities. By age 15, each Capellan child is evaluated to determine if they have proven their commitment to the state by participating in their community, whether through outreach work or civic participation. Those who are found to have provided service to the state are granted citizenship. Those who have not are given additional education and a grace period of two years after which they will have a second evaluation. Failure to earn citizenship after one's second evaluation relegates an individual to the class of non-citizens referred to as Servitors.[9][10]

Immigrants to the Confederation must also earn their citizenship, though it may occur a number of different ways. The simplest are for foreign nobles who can pay a "relocation fee" and immediately be inducted into the ranks of the Sheng nobility, albeit at one level lower than their previous rank. Other immigrants must undergo a full educational cycle on the meaning of Capellan citizenship and perform a service to the state, typically several months of unpaid labor within their chosen profession, before being accepted. For the populations of recently liberated worlds, all individuals are immediately made servitors and required to spend no less than five years in this condition until given the opportunity to earn their citizenship.[9][10]

Capellan citizens' rights are defined by the Capellan Concordat and their privileges many: membership in the caste system, free health care and education, retirement pensions, and more. While for the most part left to their own devices, citizens also have a number of obligations: they must take an oath of loyalty to the Confederation, to House Liao and the Chancellor; when so ordered they may be relocated to another world or retrained to serve in another industry (all at the state's expense); if not a member of the armed forces or Home Guard they must register with their local militia and serve during invasions or natural disasters. Above and beyond any legal obligations, citizens are expected to continue providing services to their community throughout their lifetime, and the state makes a point of continuing to promote and reward those who provide selfless service to the state. In contrast, the punishment for some of the most serious crimes (treason, cowardice, ect.) results in a loss of citizenship and automatic demotion to servitor status.[9][10]

Military

The military of the Capellan Confederation is known as the Capellan Confederation Armed Forces (CCAF). Historically the CCAF has been a competent and professional military, equal to its enemies, but often hamstrung both by meddling Chancellors and trying to do too much with too little. The Chancellor serves as the commander-in-chief of the CCAF and has a seat on the Strategios, or Capellan Command Council, which in theory runs day-to-day operations of the military (though in practice this depends on the whims of the Chancellor). In a testament to House Liao's distrust of the military, the rank of General was abolished by Jasmine Liao (leaving their function in the hands of Senior Colonels) and would not be reinstated until six centuries later by Sun-Tzu Liao.

Several different unit types exist within the CCAF. Two of these fall under the direct control of the Strategios: front-line Armed Forces units, and the Home Guard regiments. Supplementing these units in times of emergency are individual planetary militias, most of whom traditionally operated on their own but under Sun-Tzu's rule were placed under greater Home Guard control. Outside the military chain-of-command and answerable only to the Chancellor are the elite Warrior Houses and Death Commandos. Finally, the CCAF has made prodigious use of mercenary troops, categorizing them one of two ways. Chartered mercenaries pledge to serve House Liao for specific lengths of time and under direct military in exchange for better pay and special access to CCAF military stores. Unchartered mercenaries sign with local governments instead, and while not receiving the same state support they have greater freedom to contract their services. Notably loyal mercenary units like McCarron's Armored Cavalrys have been rewarded with their continued service to the state by being made full units of the CCAF and given citizenship in the Confederation.

Economy

Manufacturing Centers

With one of the smallest Inner Sphere economies the Capellan Confederation subsequently has had the smallest industrial base, one that was further reduced as the other states chipped away at its territory. By the end of the Third Succession War, the Confederation had just eight surviving BattleMech production facilities, in various states of repair and efficiency, producing approximately 400 'Mechs per year.[11] This number was reduced even further after the Fourth Succession War and the breakaway of St. Ives and Tikonov. While their loss was nearly a death-blow to the Capellan economy, these industries continued to flourish under Davion rule, and with their reintegration in the latter part of the 31st century the Confederation was able to regain much of its lost strength.[12]

3067

Heavy Aerospace Industry[13]
Major Defense Industries[14]

Religion and Philosophy

The Capellan Confederation, more than any other state in the Inner Sphere, is indifferent to all forms of organized religion. Although a wide segment of the Capellan Confederation, especially the worlds near Terra, still practice organized religion, most of the population is either agnostic or adheres to the state-sponsored atheism of the Capellan government.

Religion does not play a large part in the day to day lives of the inhabitants of the Capellan Confederation. Although the Confederation allows freedom of religion, the state heavily promotes a trio of uniquely Capellan philosophies, the Korvin Doctrine, the Sarna Mandate and the Lorix Order.

The Korvin Doctrine is derived from the collected writings of early Terran space explorer Alana Korvin DeVall. In her writings, Korvin states that mankind's inherent fragility can only be overcome through unity, and that in order for mankind to survive and thrive, individuals must work together for the good of the Greater Humanity, and learn to identify with their collective community. It also stresses the need for strong central leadership to bind together millions of people dwelling on planets orbiting divergent star systems, lest humanity collapse into weaker, fratricidal factions.

The Sarna Mandate comes to the Confederation from the founding principles of one of its founding states, the Sarna Supremacy. The Mandate stresses that only the most talented political, military, & scientific minds are qualified for leadership, and that those who do not originate with that elite group of individuals are not competent enough to decide the fate of others. Furthermore, by virtue of their capability, these individuals are justified in taking whatever actions are deemed necessary for the continued survival of a given population, up to and including what some would deem ruthless acts or the periodic restructuring of society. In many citations of the Sarna Mandate, the reverse is also applied: If a leader is found to be utterly incompetent, then they are considered to have lost the right to rule and should be removed or deposed.

The Lorix Order was developed by CCAF Major Kalvar Lorix during a long convalescence in 2672. It stresses that the citizen has the right to expect the highest level of professionalism and performance from the military that defends it, and to that end, the military, particularly MechWarriors, owe to the populace a life of endless training and campaigning. Warfare is a virtue, because even offensive operations contribute to the good of society by providing experience to society's defenders. Once a MechWarrior has reached the pinnacle of his craft, he has become a valuable asset of the state, and no-one has the right to deprive him of his life save other MechWarriors, and conversely, the MechWarrior in certain circumstances has the right to exact personal retribution against those who transgress against him. To a soldier, the highest ideal must ever be loyalty, to the people, to the state, and to the head of state whom is his commander in chief.

Culture & Society


Military and Civilian Decorations

These are awards given for various duties and actions accomplished by individuals in service of Confederation.[15]

Military Decorations

  • Liao Sunburst of Gallantry - Award for heroism under-fire. Awarded to an individual serving Capallen Confederation Armed Forces.
  • Liao Grand Cordon of Merit - Award to those whom performed in defense of the state for any organization of the CCAF.
  • Liao Cluster of Conspicuous Heroism - Generally a MechWarrior award for individuals wounded while risking their lives to save their fellow comrades. It is sometimes awarded to non-MechWarriers whom are wounded under fire.
  • Baton of Illustrious Service - It is a award which is individually given to those whom perform special task, above and beyond the call of duty. These personally given to the recipient by the Chancellor. The award is a 1/3rd of meter long, carved of ivory. Its is carved with a braided ribbon pattern, with House Liao crest engraved into it with colors of coral, onyx, and malachite bands on of its ends.[16]

Civilian Decorations

  • Citation for Meritorious House Service - Award for individuals who's actions are shining examples for others to emulate. This award is usually presented by a local Capellan Diem.
  • Civil Seal of Valor and Sacrifice - Award presented by the Chancellor to civilian individuals whom in times of war, directly aided Capellan armed forces at a high risk or personal loss.
  • Civil Seal of Valor and Sacrifice - Honorary society created to reward individual civilians whom have done unique self-sacrifice for the state.

Era Specific Data

3145

  • Fact Sheet: Capellan Confederation
  • Founding Year: 2367[17][18]
  • Capital (City, World): Zi-jin Cheng (Forbidden City), Sian
  • National Symbol: A green arm raising a green dao sword, against a green triangle, edged in gold.
  • Location (Terra relative): Rimward
  • Total (Inhabited) Systems: 166
  • Estimated Population (3130): 228,280,000,000
  • Government: Dictatorship (Chinese feudal stylings)
  • Ruler: Chancellor Daoshen (Centrella-) Liao
  • Dominant Language(s): Chinese (Mandarin, official), Chinese (Cantonese), Russian, English, Hindi
  • Dominant Religion(s): Buddhism, Taoism, Hindu
  • Unit of Currency: Yuan (1 yuan = 0.56 C-Bills/ 1.72 C-Bills (3145)[19])

Era Maps Gallery

  • CC2366.jpg

    Capellan Confederation at its founding in 2366

  • CC2571.jpg

    Capellan Confederation after the Age of War in 2571

  • CC2596.png

    Capellan Confederation after the Reunification War in 2596

  • CC2822.jpg

    Capellan Confederation after the First Succession War in 2822

  • Capellan Confederation after the Second Succession War in 2864

  • Capellan Confederation after the Third Succession War in 3025

  • Capellan Confederation after the Fourth Succession War in 3030

  • Capellan Confederation after Operation Guerrero in 3058

  • Capellan Confederation after the FedCom Civil War in 3067

  • Capellan Confederation 3130

Preceded by Capellan Confederation
2366-

Historical Maps

See Also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 House Liao (The Capellan Confederation), p. 57
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Handbook House Liao, p. 90
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 House Liao (The Capellan Confederation), p. 58
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Handbook House Liao, p. 91
  5. ↑ Handbook House Liao, p. 93
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 House Liao (The Capellan Confederation), p. 58 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name "HLTCC59" defined multiple times with different content
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Handbook House Liao, p. 94
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Handbook House Liao, p. 97
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 House Liao (The Capellan Confederation), p. 109-110
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 Handbook House Liao, p. 114
  11. ↑ House Liao (The Capellan Confederation), p. 107
  12. ↑ Handbook: House Liao, p. 130
  13. ↑ Strategic Operations, p. 15
  14. ↑ Tactical Operations
  15. ↑ House Liao (The Capellan Confederation), p. 101, "List of Military Decorations & Civilian Decorations"
  16. ↑ Warrior: Coupé, p. 109: Justin Xiang (Allard) is rewarded the Baton for his daring raid on the Davion world of Bethel
  17. ↑ Handbook: House Liao, p. 13, "Timeline: Capellan Zone"
  18. ↑ Handbook: House Liao, pp. 15-16, "Caroline's Words"
  19. ↑ Era Report: 3145, p.194, "Currency Conversion Table"

Bibliography

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