1. Introduction
The Makhtari Commonwealth is an advanced civilization governed by a limited constitutional monarchy (see section 3. Government for more details) and located in a relatively isolated region of the galaxy approximately 4,000 light years from Earth. The Commonwealth consists of the Kilila-Betul system plus a combined total of 29 colonies and deep-space stations and populated by humans, Dussakairay, and Bregg. The seat of government is located on the planet Makhtar in the binary Kilila-Betul System near the center of the Commonwealth. The Makhtari are a formerly militaristic culture that has for the past several centuries focused primarily on trade, commerce, and peaceful co-existence with neighboring civilizations, the largest of which is the Seven Suns Consortium, also called the Septisolaran Consortium, which consists of 7 Earth-analog worlds and 4 deep-space facilities with colony-sized populations.
2. The People
The Makhtari are a variant of humans originating from a Nomad War Era genetic engineering program of the Terran Imperium. The goals of the Imperium’s genetic engineering program were modest, as far as such things might be judged, and focused primarily on producing a self-sustaining population of human soldiers who were genetically predisposed to good health and resistant to the biological warfare agents commonly used by regional powers at the time. For the most part, Makhtarans exhibit the normal variations of human appearance with the notable, and notably odd, exception of height which is an unfailingly uniform 5’10” (1.78-meters) for both male and female adults. Historians suggests two explanations for this oddity: one, a powerful Imperial bureaucrat hoped to achieved a cost savings with the mass production of standardized uniforms and equipment, or two, it was the whim of a mad emperor with whom no one dared disagree. It is further rumored, although there is no concrete evidence to prove or disprove this, that the terms Makhtar and Makhtaran are corruptions of the terms Mark Two Terra and Mark Two Terran, respectively. The scientists of the Imperium also developed a procedure involving in-vitro genetic manipulation and augmentation that would result in a normal Makhtaran being born as what was termed an Imperial Template human who were intended to be the leaders and special forces operators of the Imperium’s military. In the Commonwealth Era, unauthorized genetic manipulation in this manner is highly illegal and any Imperial Template humans are considered dangerous and closely monitored if not confined outright.
Septisolaran humans, on the other hand, are Earth-normal humans with little to no genetic manipulation. The Dussakairay are somewhat bear-like in appearance with an aggressive, warrior culture. The Bregg are smaller and more lightly built than either humans or Dussakairay and could perhaps best be described as looking like hairless bats with small, human-like ears.
3. Government
The Makhtari government consists of dual monarchs, called the Zdragius and Zdragios, at the uppermost level and a three chamber parliamentary body called the Sahir Council. The duties and responsibilities of the monarchy are divided into two spheres: Civil/Internal affairs and Military/External affairs. The monarchs rule jointly with each monarch focusing primarily on a single sphere on a rotating six-month basis. The Zdragios is responsible for Civil/Internal affairs and the Zrdagius is responsible for Military/External affairs during the six month period Makhtar’s secondary star, Betul, can be seen in the daytime sky with the primary star Kilila (see section 5. Kilila-Betul System for additional information). During the six month period when Betul can be seen in Makhtar’s night sky the monarchs switch roles; i.e., the Zdragios becomes responsible for Military/External affairs and the Zdragius becomes responsible for Civil/Internal affairs. The monarchy is a hereditary role passed on to the eldest usually filled by a husband and wife or, on occasion, by siblings.
The Sahir Council, as noted above, is a three chambered parliamentary body consisting of: the Hall of Nobles, the Hall of the People, and the Hall of Heroes. Members of the Hall of Nobles inherit their seats, members of the Hall of the People are planetary representatives elected to their seats by the populations of the planets they represent, and members of the Hall of Heroes are appointed to their seats by Sahir Council and the monarchy. Much of the day to day civil operations of the Commonwealth are handled by the Sahir Council under the direction of whichever monarch is primarily responsible for Civil and Internal affairs at the time.
The Commonwealth government also has the equivalent of ministries (“khav” in Makhtari) headed by appointed individuals bearing the title “kaveh” who answer directly to the monarchs. The kaveh most likely to have dealings with outsiders are the Kaveh of State Security (essentially the head of the military), the Kaveh of Xenorelations (the head of foreign affairs), and the Kaveh of Xenocommerce (oversees foreign trade and commerce).
4. Culture
4.1. The Commonwealth
The Makhtaran Commonwealth was originally a remote military colony founded on Makhtar approximately 1,000 years before the present by an aggressive, militaristic culture known as the Terran Imperium. At the time Makhtar’s founding, the Imperium was in the midst of a lengthy and bitter civil war and the mission of the Makhtar colony was to build up a immense military force dedicated to avenging and then reestablishing the Terran Imperium should it fall. Several centuries later when the Terran Imperium did indeed fall, the Zdragoi of up the Makhtari Strategy Council revealed that they had developed a different plan. Historical records do not make clear if the Zdragoi was an individual or a group of individuals and this is a matter of passionate debate among Makhtari historians; regardless, the Zdragoi had both authority and the means to bring about this cultural redesign. The Makhtari made peace with the Dussakairay and the Bregg and together the three races resettled and rebuilt the region of space that would become the Commonwealth. The early decades of the Commonwealth’s first century were turbulent, thanks to the efforts of surviving splinter groups from the Divine Right and Collective factions, but the Makhtari smoothed out the turbulence – decisively – and since then the Commonwealth had enjoyed five centuries of peace and prosperity. The Makhtari culture of the present time now focuses primarily on trade and commerce and they have built a reputation in their region of space for being reliable and reasonably fair trading partners.
Traces of the Makhtari’s former militaristic culture, however, can still be found in their current culture, particularly in their preferred sporting events which typically involve some form of stylized combat or martial arts. The most popular of the Makhtari sports is yacht racing. These yacht races involve either “light yachts” (fighter/shuttle/assault sized craft) or “heavy yachts” (raider/escort sized craft) competing in a timed obstacle course either in space (light or heavy yachts) or in a planetary atmosphere (light yachts only).
The Makhtaran place a heavy emphasis on polite behavior and will tend to speak in what may sound like formal tones even when among close friends and family. To an outsider this is particularly apparent in the Makhtaran forms of address as detailed in the next paragraph.
Humans of the Makhtaran Commonwealth will have names following the pattern of given name then family name with either the prefix “ke” or “ki” appearing before the family name depending on if the individual is male or female respectively. The ke/ki prefixes roughly translates as something along the lines “child of the House/Clan” and in certain cases is used much as “Mister” or “Miss” in English. Members of the Sahir Council may additionally use or be addressed using the prefixes “Bel” or “Sah” (masculine and feminine, respectively) in the place of ke/ki. Individuals belonging to the highest levels of Makhtaran nobility will bear the title Val/Ve (m/f) as a stand-alone prefix before their given name. Lastly, the Makhtaran typically use the term “Noble” as a more or less equivalent to the terms Mister and Miss. An individual named Gish ke’Zur who is a member of one of the High Houses and who has a seat on the Sahir Council would, in the most formal of settings, be introduced as Val Gish Bel’Zur, but would typically be addressed as Noble Bel’Zur or Bel’Zur.
Among the Makhtaran the proper use of prefixes and titles is determined by the formality of the setting and the relationship of the individuals involved, however, for non-Makhtari the use of “Noble” and “ke/ki” is considered universally polite. As an example, a individual wishing to greet a Makhtari named Gish ke’Zur might use either “Good morning, Noble ke’Zur” or “Good morning, ke’Zur” unless the two were friends, in which case, the officer would say “Good morning, Gish” or, in a moment of levity, “Good morning, Noble Gish.”
In the distant past the Makhtari, or rather their Terran Imperium progenitors, developed an elaborate framework of pseudo-myths and fables regarding their star systems that still influences the present day Makhtari culture. The two immortal beings who are the central characters of these fables take their names from the binary stars of the Makhtari home system: Kilila, a male being whose symbols are a war hammer and a dragon, and Betul, a female being whose symbols are a dagger and a shooting star. The Makhtari, as a result of these fables, tend to have a cultural preference for, and a number of superstitions regarding, pairs or sets of two. (Note: In diplomatic functions involving an exchange of gifts with Makhtari representatives, items that come in pairs or matched sets are highly recommended.)
Also of note, the near moon of the planet Makhtar is named for Bolus, a divine thief or trickster from the ancient religion. The Makhtari have a number of myths revolving around chasing Bolus in a usually vain attempt to either catch him or acquire his treasure. Present day Makhtari colloquialisms referring to Bolus (particularly “chasing Bolus” and “chasing the shadow of Bolus”) are used to convey a sense of futility or of attempting to achieve something that is for all practical purposes an impossible goal.
4.2. Seven Suns Consortium
The Seven Suns Consortium had formed from the ruins of the Fall from seven independent corporate colonies secretly chartered by the last Emperor of the Imperium to research and develop weapons and other technologies for the Emperor’s equally secret military colonies orbiting Betul and Kilila. To insure the loyalty of the corporate colonies they were kept heavily dependent on supplies sent to them from the Imperium and distributed from three deep space stations the Septisolarans had come to call Sakyo stations. After the Fall, the people of the Sakyo stations ruled over the Seven Suns for almost a full century. They were as short-sighted as they were cruel and it had never occurred to them, until it was too late, that seven worlds populated entirely by the most brilliant minds of the Imperium would tolerate their abuse for only so long.
By all accounts the revolt of the Seven Suns was short and brutal with unconfirmed reports that the Septisolarans sent their defeated former oppressors to House Ain where they were processed into fertilizer to feed the crops and gardens of the agricultural world. It was, according to Makhtari Intelligence, the last time the seven Houses managed to work together toward anything. None of the seven Houses were willing to be ruled by any but their own House Masters and a civil war quickly ensued. In terms of economic and military resources the seven Houses were evenly matched and if one house did manage to gain a significant advantage over its neighbors then those neighbors promptly formed an alliance. This in turn created a new imbalance of power and spurred the formation of a counter-alliance. Alliances during the early decades of the Consortium were fluid and short-lived things that seldom lasted for more than a few months and it was not unknown for Houses to shift allegiances in mid-battle. Skirmishes and raids quickly resulted in a massive escalation of violence that only tapered off when the casualties on all sides had become too great to sustain it.
Eventually a semblance of balance was achieved, though it seemed a bizarre and needlessly complex system to Makhtari eyes. House Khep and House Mo-Si became allies as did House Yahra and House Chafu. The three final Houses – Psomtac, Ta-Hi, and Ain – remained unallied, though Ain typically sided with Yahra and Chafu. When the seven House Masters met, any proposal by one House was always opposed by another, even if the proposal would benefit all seven Houses. Everything debated by the House Masters was always, without fail, settled by a vote of four Houses against three. On top of that, while the seven Houses used the Sakyo stations as neutral trading grounds, they still conducted supply raids against one another. Some of the raids were almost ritualistic and incurred few, if any, casualties while others were just as violent and deadly as the skirmishes of old. Commonwealth Intelligence deemed the odds of all seven Houses ever settling their differences to bring peace and unity to their region as being so unlikely as to be impossible.
Natives of the Seven Suns will have names following the pattern of House name then given name; the term “House” in this case being defined as an individual’s planet of origin. As far as the Septisolarans are concerned all natives of a given world, or House, are sons and daughters of that House and should be treated by outsiders with appropriate respect. Family names exist but Septisolarans never use these when among outsiders (i.e., anyone not of the House) or while not on the homeworld. The exceptions to this are individuals descended from one of the seven founding corporate directors; for such individuals the House name and family name are one in the same. A Seven Suns House name is also used as a prefix, similar to the use of Mister or Miss, when addressing a Septisolaran in most conversational settings with the exception of private conversations between close friends and family. An individual named Jolan belonging to House Khep would be addressed as Khep Jolan, or if Jolan belonged to House Ain then he would be addressed as Ain Jolan. In a military setting, the clan name is also an acceptable substitute for an individual’s rank if the individual is the highest ranking person in the unit; i.e., Sept Leader Khep Jolan might be addressed by subordinates as either Sept Leader Jolan or as Khep Jolan while his second-in-command, Deck Officer Mo-Si Ch’Veyo would be addressed as Deck Officer Ch’Veyo.
The prefix Ch’ attached to an individual’s given name (Ch’Veyo, Ch’Rissa) signifies the individual is a member of a House’s aristocracy. As mentioned earlier in this report, the worlds of the Seven Suns were originally corporate colonies governed by the equivalent of a board of directors. When the Terran Imperium collapsed the colonial charters became the foundation for planetary law and, as the charters included no mechanism for the replacement of board members, the directorships became hereditary. The Ch’ prefix is a contraction of the Old Imperial Terran word chairman/chairwoman which Commonwealth historians believe meant something along the lines of corporate officer or perhaps one who speaks for the corporation.
In addition to their seven worlds, the Septisolarans possess three major deep space stations and one major shipyard, each with colony sized populations drawn from each of the seven clans: Doba Sahkyo, Taini Sahkyo, Kitchi Sahkyo are commercial and civilian facilities while the military-run shipyard (known formally as the Joint Military Production Facility) is referred to simply as The Milpro or Milpro. Septisolaran ship crews, ambassadorial delegations, and any other groups expected to interact on a regular basis with Outsiders will almost always be composed of individuals drawn from one of these space stations.
4.3. Religion
The current religious beliefs are more spiritual and individual in nature rather than a formal theological system with the majority of Makhtari following one of the dozen or so mainstream philosophies.
4.4 Military Service
Available specifics concerning the both the Commonwealth and the Septisolaran military services are sparse. Neither polity can be said to have a warrior culture, but it would not be inaccurate to say they both have militarized cultures. In the Commonwealth, the entire adult population serves in the military, although most do so in a reserve status. The reserve components of the military, however, drill regularly with the full time components and differences in proficiency between the reserve and active components are small to negligible. In the Seven Suns Consortium, military service typically begins at a much younger age than in the Commonwealth (in some cases as young as age 12) and Septisolarans spend 6 months on active duty and 6 months on reserve duty each standard year. While this might seem disruptive, most Septisolarans perform the same duties on active duty that they do while on “civilian” status.
5. Kilila-Betul System
As mentioned earlier, the center of government for the Commonwealth is located in the Kilila-Betul System a binary star system located approximately 4,000 light years from Earth. The primary star is Kilila, a type G2 star and yellow color like Sol, and the secondary star is Betul, a type F9 star and a silver white color like a florescent light. Betul orbits Kilila at such a distance that during the half of the Makhtari year when Betul is alone in the night sky the F9 star illuminates Makhtar with a light much like very bright moonlight on Earth. Kilila has four main planetary bodies in orbit around it: Saethar, Makhtar, Endei, and Juman. Saether is a Mercury-analog world, Makhtar, and Endei are Terra-analog planets (via terraforming), and Juman is a Neptune-sized gas giant planet. Betul has two terraformed Terra-analog planets in orbit around it, Dojar and Khurae, and one Mercury-analog world, Armine. Historical records imply that Armine at one point had also been terraformed to Terra-analog status until an unspecified, large-scale disaster rendered the planet uninhabitable.
6. Economy
After the fall of the Terran Imperium, the Makhtari, with the help of the Dussakairay and the Bregg, recolonized a network of abandoned and devastated Imperium colony worlds closest to the Kilila-Betul system and laid the foundations for the Commonwealth of the present day. The Zdragios designed the manufacturing and agricultural base of the Commonwealth to ensure each world depended on its four closest neighbors for its continued economic well-being. During the early decades of the Makhtari Commonwealth this served as a means of control to ensure none of the new colonies rebelled or attempted to break away from the Commonwealth, but as the centuries passed this “Balance of Worlds” has mostly transitioned to the realm of custom and tradition with only a few aspects of the Balance holding the force of law. As a part of the Balance, individual worlds within the Commonwealth do not trade directly with external (non-Commonwealth) sources, instead all trade with foreign merchant vessels is handled through the Juman Orbital Commerce Facility (or as the Septisolarans call it, Juma Sahkyo) in the Kilila-Betul system. Attempts to circumvent the Balance of Worlds within the Commonwealth are dealt with severely and can result in steep fines, loss of trade goods, impounding of trade vessels, and, in what the Makhtari judge to be particularly egregious cases, lifetime imprisonment. The Seven Suns Consortium has nothing comparable to the Balance of Worlds therefore external trade with the Seven Suns is more open, but it is also considerably less regulated than in the Commonwealth. Taxes, tariffs, and fees vary greatly from House to House and as a result most non-Septisolaran traders confine their operations to the three commercial deep space stations (Doba Sahkyo, Taini Sahkyo, and Kitchi Sahkyo) which are far more even-handed and consistent with their trade regulations.