The Rhustarim Hegemony Factbook (FT)

by **The Rhustarim Hegemony** » Sun Dec 08, 2013 6:42 pm

The Rhustarim Hegemony
The Rhustarim Hegemony, more commonly referred to simply as the Hegemony, is a near post-scarcity interstellar state which is situated in the Alpha Quadrant of the Milky Way Galaxy. The primary state within the Hegemony is the Rhustarim Hierarchy, the founding agent of the Hegemony and the state from which all the others broke off over time. The Hegemony is composed of four recognised 'child states' in addition to the Hierarchy, and several smaller micro-states spread across three relatively small star systems. The systems under Hegemonic control are heavily developed, and a large portion of the Hegemonic population lives off world in artificial habitats. The Hegemony has little holdings or interests beyond its borders, save for a single trade and cultural station present in the Liu Xiu system. The three Hegemonic systems are all close together, approximately 230 light years coreward from the Sol system, and 50 light years from the Beta quadrant border. Despite its advanced technologies and science, the Hegemony's relatively young age and short existence has limited its development somewhat and it is still in the early stages of becoming a member of the galactic community. Its development is improving at an increasing pace as the number of, and ability of, its SIs increases as does its industrial base.

The Hegemony is ruled by the state of the Rhustarim Hierarchy which is in turn ruled by the political organisation known as the Assembly, which is made up of four of the most powerful Sophontic Intelligences in the Hegemony and the current Hegemon. A Senate with 80 seats serves to bring matters to the attention of the Assembly from the various micro-states and child states within the Hegemony. In terms of governance, the Hegemonic Assembly and the Hierarchy government take a very hands off approach and allows the various small communities which manifest on space stations, colonies and even some of the larger starships to govern themselves. Very few things will cause the Hegemony to interfere with its citizens without request. For the most part, the Hegemony's ruling power is content to work simply to improve the standard of living within its borders by funding and managing the production of habitats, producing large quantities of anti- and exotic matter, and providing the basic requirements for it's citizenry. The various micro states and child states controlled by the Hegemony enjoy the benefits that come with its rule, although it is not unheard of for entire communities to reject the Hegemony and all that it provides. Such communities are typically quick to rejoin when their Intellects refuse to sustain the high standard of living their citizens almost invariably have become used to.

Almost the entirety of the Hegemony is run and operated by Sophontic Intelligences of various levels. Automation is rife throughout the nation, and many parts of it have a much deserved reputation for hedonism. In most parts of Hegemonic space, citizens only work if they want to as the basic necessities are provided for everyone where possible. There is work available, particularly in service industries, for those who want a better standard of living than the average citizen and can earn some of the (rarely used) digital currency used in the Hegemony. In some areas, particularly diplomacy and public relations, the SIs prefer to operate through organic beings. Despite the heavy influence of Sophontics, the most powerful individual is still the Hegemon who is always an organic-originating Rhustarim.

Politically, the Hegemony has little presence outside of its own borders. A concerted effort to remain unnoticed and quiet in the midst of what they perceived to be a galaxy in eternal conflict, the Hegemony has only recently begun official efforts to open up to the galaxy at large. It maintains a cautious and somewhat paranoid nature, preferring to allow private enterprises to venture out into the galaxy rather than do so in any kind of government sponsored manner. The largest single venture into the galaxy was performed by the Malisette Authority, one of the larger states ruled by the Hegemony, in their construction of a trade station in a foreign star system half the galaxy away.

I'd like to extend my thanks to Kyrusia for help with formatting and worldbuilding, and to Valinon for inadvertently helping me find mistakes and holes in the development of my nation.

by **The Rhustarim Hegemony** » Sun Dec 08, 2013 6:47 pm

History

by **The Rhustarim Hegemony** » Sun Dec 08, 2013 6:48 pm

Politics

The Hegemony is most easily described as a confederacy of several major 'member-states'. There are four recognised member-states in addition to the Rhustarim Hierarchy (the founding state of the Hegemony), who act as largely independent sovereign states within the Hegemony. Smaller communities may consider themselves independent member states, but in reality rely on one of the five major states for continued stability. All major communities partake in the Hegemonic Senate, a governmental body of 80 individuals responsible which acts as a representation of the greater Hegemonic population. At the top of the government sits the Assembly, a small council consisting of four Deisent level Intellects, and the currently ruling Hegemon. The Assembly is responsible for rulings on all matters which effect the Hegemony at large, while leaving smaller matters to the individual states and communities within the Hegemony's influence.

The Assembly

The Assembly is the ruling body of the Hegemony, and is the evolution of the Directorate that once ruled the Rhustarim Hierarchy. The Assembly consist of four separate Intellects, all of Deisent level, hand picked by the Hegemon who is always organic and always hails from the Hierarchy. These four SIs usually represent and handle specific areas within the Hegemony and are drawn from all across the Hegemonic sphere of influence when possible.

In modern times, the Assembly takes a very hands off approach to governing the citizens of the Hegemony. Differing cultures and living conditions make a centralised ruling body inefficient, and so the Assembly typically only intervenes in matters that would effect a majority of the Hegemony. At times, their rulings are requested by the Senate for internal issues the Senate cannot handle itself. Officially, the Assembly has supreme power over the Hegemony and all within it but this power is rarely exercised.

The Assembly currently consists of:

Hegemon Lukas Veknan - A Rhustarim born soon after the founding of the Hegemony. Veknan was born and raised entirely on SI controlled habitats, and his policies reflect his preferences for an SI controlled Hegemony.
Aeon - Aeon is a 7th level Deisent, and was the first truly sapient machine intelligence built by the Rhustarim. Despite extensive alterations to her operating system and architecture, Aeon maintains her original desires to work towards the prosperity of the Hegemony and its organic citizens.
Incursus - The only other 7th level Deisent on the Assembly, Incursus is a Warlect tasked with protecting the Hegemony both from internal and external threats. Incursus is currently operating the entirety of Arin Mors defensive networks personally, but is still in direct command of the entirety of the Hegemony's fleets and armies despite delegating their direct control to other SIs.
Veus - Veus was one of the first SIs created by Aeon and used to act as her assistant. His primary governance is over economic and social matters within the Hegemony. Veus oversees the management of what little remains of the Hegemony's digital currency and is the primary SI that manages the development of new colonies and Hegemonic expansion.
Ravia - Ravia is a Culturelect, and the Assembly SI that is most in touch with the organic citizenry. Unlike other members of the Assembly, Ravia has a much smaller domain under her control within the Hegemony, focusing on fostering the arts and entertainment rather than directly monitoring them. She has a particular fondness for music and theatre with organic artists and actors. She has been the most outspoken SI with regards to inviting alien civilisations to visit the Hegemony.

by **The Rhustarim Hegemony** » Sun Dec 08, 2013 6:48 pm

Culture

by **The Rhustarim Hegemony** » Sun Dec 08, 2013 6:48 pm

Economics

by **The Rhustarim Hegemony** » Sun Dec 08, 2013 6:49 pm

Astrography

The Aerys System

Aerys System Infobox

Stellar Classification: G2V
Stellar Bodies: 3 Terrestrial
3 Gas Giant
23 Moons
1 Asteroid Belt

Population: ~17,000,000,000
Member States: Rhustarim Hierarchy
Protectorate of Khul
System Capital: Arin Mors

Aerys serves as the Capital of the Hegemony as well as its origin. It houses the largest population of all the Hegemonic systems and is the most well developed of the systems. Housing a colony on almost every major stellar body, Aerys also has over 100 artificial structures ranging from small refuelling stations up to massive megastructures used for the housing of populations. Of particular note is the Aerys Swarm, a Dyson Satellite Network which orbits the Aerys star at the centre of the system. The Aerys Swarm is self replicating and has been under construction for the past 25 years, though it is not the oldest Dyson Swarm in the Hegemony (as that is housed in the Malis System). The Aerys Swarm is currently due for completion within the next 4 years. Aerys (in particular, Arin Mors) stands as the figurehead of the Hegemony to the outside galaxy and is the primary economic force in Hegemonic space.

Arin Mors acts as the system's capital, as well as the capital for the Hegemony at large, and is also the largest single population centre in the Hegemony. Despite a scattering of micro states spread across space stations, starships and O'Neil Cylinders, the majority of the system's population lives under the banners of the Rhustarim Hierarchy and the Protectorate of Khul. These nations are the oldest and most politically powerful within the Hegemony, and can both trace their routes to well before the founding of the Hegemony and the senate. The population of the Aerys System is spread across 4 McKendree Cylinders (Arin Mors, Arin Vechs, Arin Mehk, and Arin Dyros), a collection of 18 O'Neil Cylinders, and finally the planets of Khul, Drost, and Rhust themselves. Together, these population centres account for the majority of the system's inhabitants, with the remainder spread across moons and minor habitats. The Aerys System is also considered by most SIs to be the home of the Conglomeration, given that what few physical holdings the Conglomeration has are present within the system and that it is considered the birthplace of the Hegemony's first Sophontic.

Rhust
Nationality: Rhustarim Hierarchy
Population: ~1,400,000,000
Rhust is the second planetary body out from Aerys and is the birthplace of the Hegemony. Despite this, Rhust is woefully underpopulated. A runaway greenhouse effect just prior to planetary unification resulted in large portions of Rhust’s landmass being swallowed by the seas. A single continent is all that remains above sea level and this is unlikely to change any time soon. Rhust’s atmosphere is heavily polluted, although utility fogs and automated terraformers are working to purify the air. This pollution, coupled with the flooding, has left Rhust with a massively degraded ecosystem and most of the planet’s wildlife and vegetation is carefully maintained by the Rhustarim who live on the planet. The majority of the planet’s population live in the two major cities on the continent, although roughly 30% prefer to live in small coastal towns or in smaller cities scattered across the continent.

Despite the poor weather, Rhust is well known for its active tourist trade. The majority of these tourists are citizens of the Hegemony who wish to see their nation’s birth place, but the citizens of Rhust have capitalised on this by flooding their cities with entertainment districts. The majority of their income comes from tourists (or even locals) who invest in virtual reality simulations to see what their homeworld was like before the great flood. Wildlife safaris, hunts and even simple tours of geographical landmarks are amazingly popular with those who bother to venture to Rhust. Industrially, however, Rhust is impotent. With the majority of the planet’s resources already used up, and what little is left flooded under the new seas, the planet is almost entirely dependent on imports of resources, fuel and food to survive.

Khul
Nationality: Protectorate of Khul
Population: ~615,000,000
Khul is the third terrestrial planet out from Aerys, and the sixth planet in the system overall. Khul obtained its independence from direct control by the Hierarchy soon after its foundation, and is one of the founding states of the Hegemony. Despite this, Khul houses a very small number of Rhustarim and is well known for its pro-Baseline stance with regards to gene-mods and cybernetics.

The population of Khul is housed in four biodomes, with the majority of the planet’s population living underground in carefully controlled habitats. Despite not having grown much beyond its humble beginning as a mining and fuel gathering colony, Khul is still considered an important member of the Hegemony, if only for nostalgia’s sake rather than any real political power. Citizens of Khul tend to view themselves in a realistic standard, and do not consider their small stature a weakness. That said, the harsh conditions of their home, coupled with the necessarily spartan living conditions, have given the Khul a very different way of looking at the universe compared to the Rhustarim. Citizens of Khul and its offspring states typically eschew (or outright shun) creature comforts and many forms of entertainment which don’t improve the individual or provide for those around them.

Arin Mors
Nationality: Hegemonic
Population: ~3,500,000,000
Arin Mors is the largest and most heavily populated of all the artificial habitats within the Hegemony and is also the most recently completed. Arin Mors is a McKendree Cylinder with a length of 8500km and an inner radius of 850km. It houses the central government of the Hegemony and although the Hegemon himself typically resides elsewhere, the Senate meets solely on Arin Mors in their chambers at the ‘top’ of the structure.

Arin Mors is a vast metropolis internally, with a bustling economy and pretty much every form of entertainment, pastime and social situation that the Hegemony has to offer at its disposal. The day/night cycle is controlled by a number of artificial lighting strips built along a cylinder at the centre of the structure, and the atmosphere is constantly cycled to purify pollutants. The various nationalities of the Hegemony typically remain divided up amongst themselves, leading to some very obvious divides within the layout of the cityscape due to different architectural and aesthetic preferences of each nationality.

As is befitting its importance, Arin Mors is also the single most heavily defended installation in Hegemonic space. Within the massive walls of the cylinder are housed an array of shield generators, power supplies, weapon systems and redundancies of all three. Arin Mors is also partnered with a number of docks which serve to maintain the Mors fleet, a dedicated fleet of Hegemonic vessels which protect the structure should it come under attack.

The Malis System

Malis System Infobox

Stellar Classification: A1IV
Stellar Bodies: 2 Terrestrial
4 Gas Giant
35 Moons
3 Asteroid Belts

Population: ~12,500,000,000
Member States: Malisette Authority
Esthyst Dominion
System Capital: Malek

Malis is the first (and for a long time was the only) interstellar expansion performed by the Rhustarim Hegemony (at the time the Hierarchy). For a long time, the citizens of Malis were forced to operate entirely independent from their home nation, using an army of drones and towed dockyards to get their own footing in the system. This industrious beginning carried on throughout the development of the colony, and Malis remains the Hegemony's main industrial centre to this day. Originally a singular nation under the Malisette Authority, a growing number of habitats began to feel disillusioned with the Authority and its methods soon after the Malisette joined the Hegemony. The system is now divided between the Malisette Authority, whose population resides primarily on the few planetoid bodies and their orbiting habitats, and the Esthyst Dominion which is situated on several free floating habitats.

The citizens of Malis are responsible for most of the engineering brilliance in the Hegemony. The design of habitats that could be thousands of kilometres long, and the production of rapidly completing Dyson Swarms are all thanks to the ingenuity of the Malisette. This technological skill is prevalent throughout the huge number of communities in the system, with almost all of them unified through a love of self augmentation. Although the Hegemonic and Hierarchical fleets are the most formidable within the Hegemony, both the states that call Malis home have their own defence forces that only a fool would overlook. The Esthyst in particular are known to produce the finest organic soldiers in the entire Hegemony, their skills rivaling even the abilities of some of the Rhustarim war drones.

Malek
Nationality: Malisette Authority
Population: ~2,250,000,000
Malek was the first planet settled in the Malis system, and as a result serves as the de-facto system capital as well as the capital of the Authority. Malek is a carefully planned out world, with the entire population living in arcologies across the planet’s surface. Despite being the starting point for the Hegemony’s main industrial centre, Malek has since become well known as a hotspot for tourism. Safaris, sports centres and theatres stand alongside casinos, red light districts and wargame arenas as huge draws for tourists from both within and outside the system. However, Malek is fast losing its status as the main ‘entertainment district’ in the Hegemony due to the rapid development of Dynar in the Zephyr system.

Malek has the largest number of orbital elevators in the Hegemony, with eight of them spread out along the equator. This is mostly a remainder from its days as an industrial powerhouse, but as more of the Authority's infrastructure was moved off world the elevators found a new use bringing citizens and tourists to and from the surface.

Arin Esth
Nationality: Esthyst Dominion
Population: ~1,900,000,000
Arin Esth is the second most populated McKendree Cylinder in the Hegemony, and serves as the ‘homeworld’ of the Esthyst Dominion. Arin Esth is one of two McKendree cylinders which house of the Dominion’s population and as is typical of Esthyst habitats is bathed in an almost permanent twilight, eschewing the typical day/night cycle present in other artificial habitats. It stands at 5000km in length and 500km radius.

Arin Esth is one of the most insular and secretive places in the Hegemony, and very few people are granted permits to visit the structure unless they are of Esthyst nationality. The people of Arin Esth are typically regarded as even more nationalistic than the average Esthyst citizen. Arin Esth houses the chambers of the Esthyst government in a large complex at the ‘base’ of the cylinder. The rest of Arin Esth is almost entirely covered in high rise structures, and the atmosphere of the megastructure is maintained entirely by machinery (another difference to standard practice aboard cylinders). Arin Esth is also the only place in the Hegemony which rivals Arin Mors in terms of defences.

by **The Rhustarim Hegemony** » Sun Dec 08, 2013 6:49 pm

Science

by **The Rhustarim Hegemony** » Sun Dec 08, 2013 6:50 pm

Military

The Rhustarim Hegemony Factbook (FT)

The Rhustarim Hegemony Factbook (FT)

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