League of Planets

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The League of Planets is a governmental structure used in the stories set in The Rookie universe, written by author Scott Sigler. It is one of three human dominions, the other two being the fundamentalist Purist Nation and the more centralist Planetary Union.

The League is comprised of the following planets:

  • Satirli 6 - Founding Member
  • Wilson 4 - Founding Member
  • Wilson 6 - Founding Member
  • Vosor 3 - Joined during The Age of Colonization (2527-2549)
  • Tower 1 - Joined during The Age of Colonization (2527-2549); Seceded in 2540

Ideology

The League is the antithesis of the Purist Nation as their priorities revolve around science and reason. Since 2520, the League of Planets has been run as corporation dedicated to science. The prevailing philosophy is that if science is the primary priority, everything else will take care of itself. There is some truth to this ideology as the League is the leader in several tranches, including engine technology, ship construction, communications, genetic engineering (involving the human genome), legal body modification and exploration.

The League of Planets essentially functions as a giant corporation that focuses on scientific achievement. All other elements of government – including defense, trade, agriculture, and exploration – center on keeping the scientific bureaucracy running. Profits made from technological advancements are perpetually earmarked for increased scientific spending and the betterment of life for League citizens. By focusing on the scientific advancement, the League has established the highest quality of life in known space. The League treats all governmental duties as pure business and as part of the effort to support the advancement of science. There is little wasted spending and every credit is accounted for.

Governmental Structure

The League of Planets governmental structure is not easily described as it is not directly comparable to any of the other major governments in the known galaxy. However this section lays out the main offices and governmental bodies.

Head of State

The Head of State for the League of Planets is called the First Scientist. Religion is outlawed in the League but many League outsiders contend that science is their religion. From that perspective one could consider the League’s First Scientist the equivalent of a theocracy’s Supreme Leader. Some say that makes the First Scientist more comparable to the Grand Mullah of the Purist Nation than to the President of the Planetary Union or to the Grand tribemaster of the Yashindi. While the First Scientist does not handle day to day management of the government, this office does hold considerable sway over the Scientific Council. The Scientific Council is the League’s equivalent of a congressional body. The First Scientist’s influence over this group means that they directly impact decisions made by the League of Planets real leader, the Chief Executive Officer.

Chief Executive Officer

The office of the Chief Executive Officer is practically a dictatorial position. The CEO controls all aspects of the government and makes all governmental decisions and their word is law. Unlike a true dictator, the League CEO is held accountable by the 51 member Scientific Council which can order her removal at any time by a two-thirds majority vote. That is why being fired from any position in the League is commonly referred to by the slang term ‘’getting Thirty-Foured’’ – a reference to the 34 votes required to instantly remove the head of state.

The CEO’s job is to increase profitability, as higher profitability means greater scientific funding. If the CEO does not annually increase scientific funding, she is considered a failure. While the position of CEO is one of most powerful in the galaxy, there is little glamour involved. The complete lack of job security means that new CEO’s must produce results quickly and must continue to produce results. Most analysts consider it the most demanding position in any known government.

Many factions within the League vie to put their candidate in the CEO position. This is because the CEO controls all foreign and domestic policy. While a two-thirds vote is the only legal reason to remove a CEO, there is a far more common reason for change – death. Of the 14 CEO’s in the League of Planets history, only 3 were ‘’Thirty-Foured’’ while the rest died under mysterious circumstances – circumstances that had a tendency to follow bitter in house debates about the allocation of scientific funding.

In 2684, the CEO of the League of Planets was Clarissa King.

The Scientific Council

The Scientific Council is a powerful governmental body comprised of 51 scientists. The council has two primary tasks:

1) Determine the effectiveness of the CEO
2) Allocate funds to the governments various departments

Candidates for the Council are chosen based solely on their scientific accomplishments and their appointments are for life. Vacancies on the council are filled by a majority vote of the remaining members. In the history of the Council, controversies regarding new council members are infrequent as positions are always filled by highly accomplished individuals. That is not to say however that council members are not free from corruption. In fact, many council members show a suspicious increase in wealth shortly after their appointment to the council. Once in place, a councilmember is frequently beset by lobbyists from various factions within the league. Having control of a member of the scientific council is to control the allocation of government funds.

Vice Presidents

Non research governmental management of operations is divided into divisions led by a Vice President or VP. The VP is singularly held directly accountable for success and failure of their division, therefore compartmentalizing League functions. Some divisions, such as the shipbuilding division and the exploration division, are far more powerful than others. The CEO fires and appoints VPs as he/she sees fit which incentivizes each VP to maintain a highly efficient department to avoid being replaced. In turn, each VP appoints their staff and hires and fires as they see fit and determines where to invest their available funds into research that benefits the division’s needs. All levels of the division are accountable to the VP. The VP in turn has to answer to the CEO. Failure of underlings is not considered an excuse in the League of Planets. Like the CEO, the VPs are under a great deal of pressure to produce results, as the League does not accept the status quo. The CEO sets quotas that are not open to debate no matter how unreasonable they might be. Any VP that misses the quota is usually dismissed in disgrace and similarly, a VP that does not show improvement each year is considered a failure. Only 65% of VPs last more than 2 years and only 12 % have maintained their position for a decade or more.

Academic Departments

Science is the business of the League of Planets and as such a great deal of governmental bureaucracy is tied up in regulating scientific funding. The League’s science structure is broken into six main academic departments each of which encompass an endless pyramid structure of evermore specialized study. Each of the six major departments is run by Chancellor who is very a powerful sentients that dictates how funds are allocated to various sub departments. Academic departments are broken down into Colleges that are run a Dean. Similar to the Chancellors, Deans vie for a percentage of fixed funds. Because Deans decide where money is spent, they are constantly beset by lobbyists. Supplying scientific contracts is a big business, rife with corruption payoffs, kickbacks and skimming. Deans are elected by their scientific prestige and integrity and while many refuse the temptation of corruption there are some who succumb to promises of wealth and power. The League has little patience with crooked deans. Anyone convicted of corruption is immediately removed from office and sentenced to a lengthy prison term. If enough doubt is cast on a dean but no evidence is available, a chancellor can remove him / her from an office. This strong stance, however, does little to dissuade corruption.

Military

Throughout its history, the League of Planets has had a formidable navy. While more advanced than the Ki Empire and Ki Rebellion, the League navy is smaller than the Planetary Union Navy. The League navy is probably best known for its famed 1,000 ship Blue Fleet.

History

Formation

The formation of the League of Planets took place in 2519, when Satirli 6, Wilson 4 and Wilson 6 join forces to defend themselves against Purist Nation aggression. In 2515, Satirli 6 opened its doors to Planetary Union immigrants which came by the millions and rapidly set up the planet to become an economic giant. By 2517, the Purists recognized Satirli 6's massive growth and assuming they hated the Union, they invited Satirli 6 to join the Purist Nation. Satirli 6 refused and Purists declared war on the infidels. By 2519, the Purists can't keep up their long distance offensive war and off Satirli 6 a peace accord, which Satirli 6 accepts. However, Satirli 6 recognized their vulnerability and initiated the creation of the League of Planets.

First Galactic War

The League and the Purists engaged in battle again during the First Galactic War. In 2520, the Sklorno destroyed Withrit which caused the Whitok Kingdom to declare war against them. Being their allies, the Planetary Union joined the Whitok Kingdom in their war. By 2521, the Purists see the Union at war and declared a Second Holy war on the infidels. In 2523, the League of Planets declared a defensive war on Purist Nation. However, it proved unnecessary as the the Purists got their first look at Sklorno and immediately broke off their war with the Union. The League of Planets stopped its attacks on the Purist ships, allowing them to return back to their system.

The Age of Colonization

The years of 2527 through 2549 were known as The Age of Colonization and the League of Planets was no exception. Both Vosor 3 and the distant planet of Tower 1 join the League of Planets, expanding the League to five planets. During this period, the Portath achieve FTL capability and began colonizing Thew and Faskah. In 2531, League of Planets forces are sent from Tower on a peaceful mission but are lost when they enter the Portath Cloud. This resulted in the Portath sending a message to the galaxy that no one may enter the cloud. In response, the League sent a large navy to protect Tower from this new potential threat.

Second Galactic War

The relationship between the League and the Planetary Union became strained starting with the Union’s 2535 signing of a treaty of friendship with the Purist Nation. Both the League of Planets and the Whitok Kingdom voiced their objections to this treaty but to no avail. Just two years later, the Second Galactic War was in full swing and the Purist Nation launched a major fleet attack in an effort to add Tower 1 to its holdings. In response, the League of Planets promised war if Purists touched Tower.

The Planetary Union became stuck in the middle of this disagreement as the Purists claimed the Union couldn’t allow hostile League ships through its space as was a violation of the friendship treaty of 2535. Caught in the diplomatic trap and wanting to avoid war with Purists, the Union claims neutrality and refused to allow League ships through its space. However, the Purist force was unaware of large Tower Navy and were defeated in first battle for Tower. Two years later, the war between the League and the Purists continued to roil and in 2539, the League put the Union’s loyalties to the test when they try to send ships though Union space. The Union blockaded the movement and a minor firefight ensued eventually resulting in the League returning to their own system. This led to the League forces being stonewalled by Purist defenses outside the Jones system, with the League helpless to protect Tower.

Tower is forced to defend itself and they send the formidable Captain Markos to surprise Purist forces at Stewart. The Purists suffer heavy losses, but still maintained a vast numerical superiority over the Tower forces. Tower’s hopes for peace are dashed as Purists send 80-ship armada to conquer Tower once and for all. However, Captain Markos baited the Purists into Portath Cloud and scattered his fleet. Only seven Tower ships returned home and all 78 Purist ships were lost. The Purists government, unsure of how Tower destroyed most of its fleet, offers Tower peace and they accepted.

The fallout from this war caused Tower to secede from League of Planets. The League blamed the Planetary Union for loss of planet, as they kept the Union showed loyalty to their friendship treaty with the Purist Nation. The Union was left angered at being used by the Purist’s in the Tower conflict, and broke off their friendship treaty, however the League’s hostility towards the Union persists into the current era.

Fourth Galactic War

The League was able to steer clear of the Third Galactic War, however the beginnings of a new threat started in 2584, as the wealth of Ki Empire thrust them past the League of Planets as the top economic power in the galaxy.

In 2592, the Ki government decided war would be good for their economy and declared war on the Union for sponsoring pirate attacks. When the Ki threatened to cut off trade, Tower and the Leekee were forced into the war. By 2593, no battles had taken place but the Purist Nation joined the fight against the Union, who they considered to be warmongering and satanic. The addition of the Purists force the League of Planets into the Fourth Galactic war because they realized they would be next on Ki and Purists target list if the two defeated the Union. Thus, despite the ongoing hatred towards the Union, the League joined forces with them.

In May of 2597, the League of Planets executed what is now known as The Great Sneak Attack. League forces invoked a new stealth technology to travel to Allah, defeated Purists forces and conquered the Purists capitol. The Purists immediately pulled every ship out of the war and headed for Allah, leaving the weakened Ki forces for fend for themselves. When Purists ships arrived in Allah system, the League forces leave without a fight. By 2600, the Ki Empire surrendered to combined delegation of League, Union, Ki Rebel and Rewall forces.

Creterakian Era

In 2639, the Creterakians were weeping across the galaxy engaging multiple systems and governments, including the League of Planets, in battles for supremacy. In 2640, the League of Planets’ famed Blue Fleet joined the assault, but the Creterakians were waiting. Unbeknownst to the League, the Creterakians discovered a design flaw in League ships and they manage to use small boarding vessels to swarm the League ships, capturing all of them in one devastating tactical stroke. The technologically advanced captured League ships are then used by the Creterakians to soundly defeat attacks on their home world by the Ki Empire and Ki Rebellion. In 2641, the League surrendered to the Creterakian Empire, along with multiple other systems.

Galactic Football League Era

Soundly defeating the vast majority of the galaxy’s systems, the Creterakians allow the individual governments to maintain their structures while conforming to Creterakians law. However, cooperation between the species proved to be difficult and by 2654, the Creterakians finally admitted they needed help in improving species relations. The League of Planets offers a solution by introducing non-contact galactic sporting events. Rationalizing that historically sports had brought races together, not only for humans, but for all sentient species, League scientists believed that the group dynamics that had held true for intra-species race relations would also hold true for inter-species relations.

Many sports were tried with various levels of success but true success wasn’t achieved until 2658 when League scientist Demarkus Johnson unveiled a plan for the formation of the Galactic Football League. Football was the only sport where various positions catered to the different physiologies of the species of the galaxy, allowing all species to support the same sport. The Creterakians readily accepted and funded a test league ushering in the Galactic Football Era.

See Also