The League of Planets

BEFORE THE EMPIRE

The League of Planets is a confederation of six planetary systems with in jump distance of one another in the heart of the system. All six systems are technologically advances (Traveller Tech Levels 8-11). The Treaties forming the League call for a unified stance vis-a-vis the rest of the universe. Included in the treaty stipulations are requirments for a unified currency and a single presence in space, but no interference in the internal matters of member worlds. The Leagues major rival is the Pan-Galactic Congress of Sentients, a nearby union of worlds (and races).

League Currency has to be backed by verifiable resources. This means that the league is continually buying up rare minerals, crystals, etc, as well as ships, consumer goods and foodstuffs. The League accountants keep carefull track of the inventory and make sure that the value of it is and member worlds are required to accept it as a legal tender, although each is allowed to create their own currency for internal use.

Simiarily, taxation is a matter of each individual planets choice (on a strict yes/no basis, with a majority carrying the tax for all members). Some taxes, including the Basic Naval Stipend, are created permanently. Once such a tax is passed by all the worlds in the League remains in place for perpetuity.

All worlds have agreed to unlimited extradition under League warrants, which are for crimes in space or crimes against the league as a whole. This includes counterfeiting and piracys. Extradition to other member worlds is also guarenteed when "verifiable proof of criminal activity" can be shown. This, of course, is an incredibly broad statement which can be easily abused by those in power.

ROLE PLAYING THE LEAGUE BEFORE THE EMPIRE:

THE COMING OF THE EMPIRE

As the Kadaened situation got worse, the League was contacted by the rapidly expanding Third Imperium. The Imperium was just finishing its first major series of expansions and the League was able to hold off the Imperial "offers" to join for nearly a century though brilliant dipomatic manuvering.

Thoughout this time, the League had been accepting aid from the empire, particularly to build and operate the giant food proccessing machines on Kadaenen, as the Technology to build them was beyond the League. The League's policy on the Imperium was to hold it at bay, as the fiercely independant worlds of the league had little liking for the Fuedal system that the Imperium used to govern its territores.

The act that broke the league was when Eslkoy petitioned for membership. The Imperium, long hoping for a break in the League Unity accepted the petition, which was sent by the suppressed majority Droyne population. The New Homers first realized what was happening when crack Imperial Marine Units backed up the Droyne illregular troops. The League's protests to the Imperium carried little weight and Eslkoy became an Imperial World under the Droyne.

Not long after, the rest of the League admitted that their independant days were over, and applied for admission as a client state. The Emporer, concerned with other matters, made St.Lawrence the Subsector capitol and appointed the Prime Minister of the League as Duke.

The League was far from the Imperial Core and not on the major Vland-Core-Earth trade routes and so it never rose to prominence. Life went on with little change and the former worlds of the League continued along much the same course that they had taken before.

When the Rebellion came, the quiet little backwater on the fringes of the Empire was one of the first to be stripped of its Imperial fleets. The League lay outside of the zone of control of any of the factions and so was spared the worst ravages of the war. When the atrocities of the Black War era were heard of, the League Congress was called into session once more. St.Lawrence, Glisten, Eskloy, and Kainari sent represenatives and they voted to restore the League in 1128 TI.

THE VIRUS ERA

When Lucan and Dulinor unleashed the Virus, the League was hit hard. The Virus first stuck at St. Lawrence and then Glisten, taking with much of the Leagues high tech base. The only saving grace to the virus was that the newly made vampire fleets at St. Lawrence immediately jumped to Glisten, to deal with their home planets legendary rivalry. The resulting battle took most of the Military Vampires out of action, allowing the League to escape having its Imperial-Built Navy turn on it.

Most of the League was isolated from each other for a period of about 20 years. After that, contact was limited, as the risk of attack, both from Human and Virus made it dangerous. The first real attempts at regrouping came when the sleeper ships: Destination and Southern Star where detected approaching Kainari. Looking for a home for the newcomers, Kainari sent out its remaining ships to the remnants of the League. They eventually managed to contact St.Lawrence, Glisten, and Ferr-Sal (they contacted Eslkoy, but were rebuffed by the Droyne, who wanted nothing more to do with Terran Colonists). Through a massive effort, the colonists were diverted to Gaddon, where they settled. These five worlds, once again in tenuous contact began slow diplomatic meetings to discuss the League's future, when outside events intruded.

NEW BEGINNINGS

Two outside events pushed the reformation of the League into top priority. The first was the discovery that the Jabberwocks on Carroll had regained Jump Drive. The Jabberwocks, always one of the Leagues bogeymen, are a genetically engineered race designed by the Solomani as warriors. Vicious and bloodthirsty by nature, the Jabberwock have been a threat to the League since the Long Night. When the Jabberwock came calling, the League was in a panic. By the time they jumped into Kainari System after a tour of the League, the Treaties were done and signed, recreating the League. The Diplomats were in for a major shock when the Jabberwock, instead of attacking or declaring the League a lunch room, asked for their help.

A Solomani STL colony ship's bouoy had been found approaching Carroll. The ship, part of a group of three that had never been accounted for, was passing through league space in search of a new homeworld. Kainari volunteered their long held and little inhabited possession of Gaddon as that world. The League met the ships and after considerable effort began transporting the colonists to Gaddon. Currently, the task is a little more than half finished, even though the colony transports won't arrive there for over a century. And the League has acquired two more inhabited worlds, Gaddon and Carrol have since joined the reformed League.

The Second problem was not so easily handled. The Pandect of Races, a nearby rival to the Old League, has been reformed by its recovering worlds. The Pandect has long harbored a grudge against the League worlds and desired to add them to the their association. The Pandect is an alliance of a half dozen worlds and races that operates under a strict government and legal system. When they were added to the Imperium, it was by overwhelming force, and their re-emergance and uncertain intentions towards the League are a major cause for concern.

GOALS OF THE LEAGUE

1. Redevelop Technology
   With the Fall of the Empire and the Coming of the Virus, the League lost much of its higher technology. Without this, the League stands in great danger of not being able to support itself. Already the food proccessors on Kadaenen have shut down, with hideous consequences. The League sponsers many forms of research and pays regular bounties on high tech equipment not corrupted by the virus. "Artifact Hunts" to the ruined Grav cities of St Lawrence are becoming a quite popular form of get rich quick scheme.

   Rebuild Shipyards

   The League's greatest loss in its shipbuilding capacity. Only Glisten has working shipyards, and the Glistar do not allow anyone else to operate them. St.Lawrence's yards are still riddled with Virus and Kainari's yards were mostly destroyed. Currently, only smaller vessels can be built and only J1 and J2 drives are available. The few parts for J3 vessels that the Glistar have are designated for the ships that maintain contact with Gaddon and Carroll. The League is funding a major research project, called "Operation Farstar" to develop a J3 or J4 drive that is not haeavily computer dependant and can be built with local resources.

WORLDS OF THE LEAGUE

Associated, Non-Member Worlds