Confederated Republics of Luax
The Confederated Republics of Luax is a highly decentralised star state comprised of several distinct republics based in habitats. It is located within and has control over the eponymmous Luax System, which is notable for housing the Cage of Luax, a partially-operable Dyson Swarm that once powered large-scale antimatter production facilities.
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Government
The Confederated Republics of Luax is a highly decentralised state, with most power devolved to its member republics. The confederal government is primarily charged with managing both internal and international diplomacy, and collects most of its revenue from tarriffs, tolls from ships using Luax's wormhole gateways, and state-owned industries. The member republics are almost entirely autonomous, and are free to engage in diplomatic relations with foreign states and mantain their own militaries, which they are obligated to use to maintain security and defend against any attacks on themselves or other republics. The confederal government is comprised of three elected representatives from each of the sixteen republics, who meet at the confederation's senate on Palatine Station (which is also the seat of the Outer Systems League). The position of head of government rotates every two months, with each republic appointing a representative to act as president of the senate for two months per term, with confederal elections being held every 32 months. While each of the republics is also organised as a representative democracy, many of them have succumbed to corruption and devolved into oligarchies, with Venice's government being particularly infamous for this. Disputes between the republics are common, and many are engaged in long-running feuds with one another, which occasionally turn violent. The confederal government is tasked with maintaining peace between the habitats, but its small budget and minimal authority make this task extremely difficult. In many ways, the confederal government is comparable to Earth's United Nations, the predecessor of the United Leagues of Earth, and some have argued that The Confederated Republics are not in fact a state, but a loose alliance of states.Society
Luax is infamous for its competitive, chaotic, and contentious culture. Stereotypically, Luaxans are known to take deep offence at the most mild of percieved slights, and many works of fiction involve Luaxans engaging in duels of honour over petty disputes, although duelling is only legal in some republics. Most actual competition is relatively peaceful, often taking the form of commercial or athletic competition. Luaxans are typically loyal to their families above all else, though patriotism to one's republic is also highly esteemed and near-ubiquitious.Economy
Luax has a diverse and relatively advanced mixed-market economy. Prior to the ULE shutting down its antimatter production facilities in 2552, Luax grew rich from the sale of antimatter to the other states of the Outer Systems, but since then has experienced a degree of economic decline. The Cage of Luax provides the system with immense amounts of power for numerous industries, and Luax's strategic position on the gateway network results in it seeing large quantities of space traffic and commerce. Without antimatter production, however, the republics have been unable to fully maintain the dyson swarm, and it is now only partially operational. Additionally, trade has declined in recent years, due to increasing tensions between Zeta Tucanae and Orizont. The Luaxan economy is primarily driven by the private sector, though there are several major companies owned directly by the confederal government. Additionally, the line between private and public sector can be blurry, as many corporate elites play key roles in politics, utilising their political power to enrich themselves, and their wealth to improve their political positions.History
Federal Period
Prior to the Antimatter Crisis, Luax was governed as a more traditional federal republic, and housed the capital of the Outer Systems League aboard the habitat of Palatine Station. During the Crisis, however, Luax was occupied by the nomad forces of Ardager Serikov for several years, during which time the remnants of the federal government went into exile in Earth Space, and the gateway that connected Luax directly to the ULE was destroyed. However, the state-level habitat governments were left intact by Serikov, who sought to utilise their administrative apparatuses to collect taxes and extract resources from the star system. Serikov was killed in Mutenia in 2525, and the ULE liberated Luax from nomad control the following year. While the federal government was briefly restored to power, the various habitats of Luax, which had already developed unique cultures and identities in the centuries prior, began to view it as incapable and unnecessary. In 2527, a referrendum was held which resulted in a complete reorganisation of Luax's government into a confederation of republics.Confederal Period
By 2529, the governmental reorganisation was complete, and the habitat-republics of Luax quickly began squabbling with each other. In 2530, the republics of Venice and Tenochtitlan entered into a dispute for control of the Cage of Luax. While the confederal government attempted to mediate the dispute, the situation began to deteriorate. Following a skirmish in which a Venetian corvette was destroyed by a Tenochtitlan frigate, ULE peacekeeping forces were brought in to prevent further escalation. After a series of negotiations, control of the dyson swarm was split evenly between all of the constituent republics, with the stipulation that any republic unable to properly maintain the satellites under their control could cede control to another republic, or have it forcibly revoked by the confederal government. In 2552, the ULE peacekeepers were withdrawn from Luax. By this time, control over the Cage of Luax had been consolidated as most republics ceded control of their sections to other habitats. Venice, Tenochtitlan, and Manhattan were the only remaining stations with control over parts of the swarm, with each of them aligned with a different power in the ongoing three-way cold war (Orizont, Tavastia, and Zeta Tucanae, respectively). Each of the three republics began maneouvring for total control over the Cage, seeking direct support from their great power benefactors. This nearly resulted in the cold war turning hot, before the ULE once again mediated a settlement, part of which involved the closure of Luax's antimatter production facilities, a fact that the people of Luax still resent. Luax was largely uninvolved in the Tavastian War, though the confederal government did allow the anti-Tavastian coalition to freely traverse its space and make use of certain naval bases. Luax has remained officially neutral in the cold war that followed the Tavastian War, though some of its constituent republics have taken sides. Venice and Manhattan have continued to align themselves with Orizont and Zeta Tucanae, respectively, while Tenochtitlan promotes neutrality, and Trogir favours membership in the Outer Systems Alliance. The (now largely nominal) Outer Systems League continues to be based in Palatine Station, which has reignited the major powers' interest in Luax, as both Orizont and Zeta Tucanae seek to establish themselves as the formal leaders of the League, a status which no side sought to claim in the first cold war.
Founding Date
2529
Alternative Names
The Republics
Demonym
Luaxan
Government System
Democracy, Representative
Power Structure
Confederation
Economic System
Mixed economy
Location
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