Theban Commonwealth

----
Fragen eines lesenden Arbeiters (Bertolt Brecht, 1936)
The Theban Commonwealth, also called the Commonwealth of Thebes, is a state established on the of Thebes, though it controls the whole of the Boeotia System. Thebes is most well-known for its fairly robust military, as well as its willingness to use it in defence of its interests and those of its allies. It has also become notable for its opposition to efforts at reconciliation with certain factions, particularly those headed by Sangheili and Jiralhanae. 
Established amidst a wider wave of independence movements across the Outer Colonies in 2496, the Theban government asserted its independence through forcing any unsympathetic personnel offworld and seizing corporate assets. It would eventually align itself with the and even go as far as to send troops to and to combat the . The outbreak of the created pressures that led to Thebes's withdrawal from the United Front in 2530, and it subsequently took a position as a properly independent state. By the war's end, it had been able to successfully repel a small Covenant assault largely on its own and maintained staunch insurrectionist principles. In the years following the war, Thebes has worked against the influence of the UNSC in its region of space, encouraging independence movements among other surviving colonies.
==Name==
Officially, the Commonwealth's full name is "The Commonwealth of Thebes and the Free Worlds of Boeotia", but is almost always shortened to "Theban Commonwealth", "Commonwealth of Thebes", or just "Commonwealth" in common speech. To represent the Commonwealth's national languages, the official names for it in each of its officially recognised languages are given coequal status. These are as follows: 
*Komonveltot ne Thevas i Svobodnite Svitovi ne Beotina (Theban Slavonic)
*مشترک المنافع تبس و جهان های آزاد بوئوتیا (Persian)
*Die Eidgenossenschaft von Theben und die Freien Welten von Böotien (German)
*Фивия Достастығы және Боэотияның еркін әлемдері (Kazakh)
These, like in English, are commonly shortened. For example, Slavonic speakers usually refer to the nation as Komonveltot ne Thevas, or just Komonveltot, and German speakers tend to prefer the use of just (die) Eidgenossenschaft.
==History==
===Founding=== 
Following the uprisings ("May Days") of 2496, and the subsequent expulsion and seizure of corporate assets and hostile military elements, the leaders of various workers' councils, political action groups, and sympathetic military forces convened in Kadmeia to draw out what would become the Foundation Charter, and promptly declared the establishment of the Theban Commonwealth. The first elections were held on June 29, and the first session of parliament held on August 19. This session saw the inauguration of the first members of the Executive Council, appointment of judges, as well as a number of other actions taken, including the following:
*the selection of a national flag,
*the official nationalisation of most major industry (previously, it had been under de facto control of the transitionary council),
*official abolition of previous UEG taxes and corporate dues (these laws had been de facto nullified prior, and this was act was largely symbolic),
*establishment of a land value tax,
*establishment of citizenship laws,
*establishment of the Defence Forces of the Commonwealth,
*declaration of solidarity "with the United Front and other movements for freedom from the tyrannical dominion of Earth", and
*the appointment of a special council to oversee the creation of a new currency for the Commonwealth.
Fearful of reprisal from the CMA/UNSC, the new government ordered the use of recently seized shipyards to begin refitting freighters with weapons, along with drawing up plans to begin constructing ships of their own. Furthermore, following the UNSC's successful in 2497, Thebes welcomed several URF personnel fleeing Eridanus II, many of whom assisted in the training of the Commonwealth's fledgling military. The Theban Commonwealth officially became a member state of the United Front in 2498. 
Along with these external efforts, certain measures were taken to ensure internal stability. Certain high-profile opposition elements (particularly hardline CMA officers and members of the former colonial administration) who refused exile were quickly arrested and put on trial, with many of those found guilty being executed. In order to maintain popular support and prevent economic downturn and impoverishment, the government used a portion of the seized assets under its control to provide a stipend that would remain in place until 2500, styled as a "small reimbursement for decades of unfair taxation and exploitation by Earth". 
The primary factors that prevented a direct UNSC response to the Thebans' revolt were twofold; certain members of HIGHCOM were concerned that major efforts against Thebes and other less critically strategic worlds would allow the URF to regain a foothold on Eridanus II, and the Boeotia system was located in a sector that was infamous for its piracy, which, along with URF privateers, would make logistics for any UNSC invasion force a nightmare. However, the issue of piracy initially posed just as much of a problem to the new Theban government as it did to the UNSC, and a solution was sought after quickly. Following Thebes's membership in the URF, they requested aid from its high command in handling the issue. 
The URF was able to call on favours from some of its Venezian allies who had contacts among pirates operating within and near the Boeotia system, and successfully arranged a meeting between Theban ambassadors and several influential pirate captains. The Theban government requested that these pirates avoid attacking Theban military and commercial vessels, and to direct their efforts against the UNSC and UEG. In return, Thebes would permit the pirates' access to Theban shipyards for rest and resupply; essentially, making these pirates into privateers. Most pirates quickly agreed, and, while this agreement did not completely solve the issue of piracy for the Commonwealth, it did a great deal to alleviate the economic pressure from the fledgling government and was a major publicity victory. 
In late 2511, thanks to the UNSC's attention being redirected towards other colonies, the URF was successfully able to retake control of Eridanus II, with personnel from the Theban Naval Service being among the victorious forces. This would eventually prompt a major UNSC response in the form of , beginning in 2513. 
===Operation: TREBUCHET===
The commencement of Operation: TREBUCHET triggered the heaviest fighting during the Insurrection to date. With the implementation of martial law following the success of Operation: CHARLEMAGNE, the people of Eridanus II were now more willing than ever to resist the UNSC, and Theban troops assisted them. Theban Naval Infantry saw action during the fighting on Eridanus II from 2513 to 2516, and again from 2518 to 2520.
Theban Naval Infantrymen, alongside units from Gao and local special units, developed a unique combat doctrine in order to counter the UNSC's superior capabilities. This doctrine called for small units to be deployed behind enemy lines, attacking key targets and sabotaging enemy logistics, forcing them to pull resources away and softening their lines ahead of major offensives or strategic withdrawals. These tactics would later be adopted and refined by famed Gao commander for his specialised battle-jumper units. The word "battle-jumper" itself was derived from the Theban Slavonic term "beren-skakasc", more faithfully translated as "combat-jumper". Theban Naval Infantry units would continue to use similar tactics well past Operation: TREBUCHET. 
 As the scope of Operation: TREBUCHET expanded to include several other colonies, the Commonwealth's relatively secure position and experienced military personnel led to it taking a central role in advising other insurrectionist militaries and militias. Starting in 2517, Theban military advisors could be found training and advising troops on colonies such as Kropotkin, , , and . In doing so, Thebes ingratiated itself to many insurrectionist states, governments, and military councils, granting the Commonwealth some degree of political sway inside and outside of the United Front. 
===Human-Covenant War===
Following hostile with the alien hegemony self-identified as the , UNSC High Command suspended Operation: TREBUCHET and focused its efforts on this new threat. Reactions to first contact were initially met with skepticism by Insurrectionist leadership, but the reality would quickly reveal itself to them. Thebes itself would take on and resettle several thousand refugees from and by the end of 2525. These refugees came bearing information regarding , the Covenant's devastating preferred method of orbital bombardment. Stories related to the glassings of Green Hills and Second Base ended up in Theban media and horrified the populace, and sparked fear as it seemed the Covenant could strike at any moment. 
In March of 2526, the leadership of various Insurrectionist groups, including Theban representatives, met aboard the to discuss the Covenant threat. Collectively, the factions' envoys agreed to attempt peace with the Covenant in exchange for providing them with information about the UNSC, with the Thebans being some of the few to vehemently protest such an act. Having just accepted several thousand more refugees from the glassed colony the month prior, and with their envoys having personally witnessed video footage recorded during the glassing of Green Hills, they detested the idea of contributing to any further glassings on any world, even Earth, and knew most of the Theban public would not accept this either. This disagreement would be the beginning of the Commonwealth's rift with the United Front. 
Very shortly following this meeting the Theban Defence Forces recalled all of its military assets back to the Boeotia System. They had also, for several years, been installing emplacements on the surfaces of Thebes and its moons in the event of a UNSC invasion, and began ramping up these efforts in the hopes of countering an increasingly plausible Covenant attack. The Commonwealth was still unwilling to submit to the UEG, and so made its defensive preparations under the assumption that Thebes would be fighting the Covenant alone. 
As Outer Colonies continued to fall despite Insurrectionist attempts to placate the Covenant, the Theban government was made only more steadfast in its opposition to an attempted alliance, and began publicly denouncing the United Front's attempts to do so. After continued disputes over the Covenant and other issues, the Theban Commonwealth denounced and officially withdrew from the United Front in 2528. This action later encouraged the remnants of the failed Mutiny of 2530 to seek refuge in the Commonwealth, which accepted them, repurposed their surviving vessels, and granted several of them positions in the Commonwealth's Defence Forces. One of these former mutineers would be Malcolm Sykes, a now former CMA Captain and progenitor of much of the Commonwealth's modern defensive strategy.
In an effort to establish defensive redundancy, the Theban military began constructing outposts and minor bases in the neighbouring Shahat star system, which would gradually come to hold a somewhat substantial civilian population, reaching around 500,000 by 2548. A skirmish in the Shahat system in 2550 would provide the Thebans' their first real contact with the Covenant. While ultimately victorious against a pair of picket ships, it cost several warships and several hundred dead, including Malcolm Sykes. 
====Battle of Thebes====
However, it would not be until August of the following year that the Covenant would engage the Commonwealth in force. At 0753 hours, Theban time, on December 11, 2551, a Covenant fleet of 22 ships entered the Boeotia System, engaging and destroying a listening post near Boeotia VI with all hands. Code FEINDBERÜHRUNG was declared, and all DFC assets entered a defensive posture. Within hours, Covenant ships had reached Thebes itself and were engaging DFC naval forces in earnest.
As per the Lambda-Sykes Contingency of FEINDBERÜHRUNG, the vessels of the Naval Service entered a defensive posture between Thebes, Thespiae, and Chaeronea, with the primary aim of using their extensive pre-built MAC emplacements to even the odds against the Covenant warships. Theban warships, headed by the DFC Pelopidas sucessfully destroyed 4 of the Covenant fleet's destroyers and frigates, but withdrew from Thebes's orbit by the end of the day. Covenant forces began to engage in ground operations, resulting in especially heavy fighting in and around the cities of Seventh Gate, Uri, and Thisvi. The Territorial Defence Service struggled to repel Covenant assault and was forced to withdraw from several sectors.
Simultaneously, former President of Gao, Hector Nyeto, who had been granted asylum and residency in the Boeotia System two years prior, offered the Defence Forces the services of his three upon the declaration of FEINDBERÜHRUNG. This was quickly accepted and Nyeto was hastily awarded a Commodore commision by the Executive Council. He proposed a plan that would involve the use of his Prowlers to board and seize control of one of the two in order to defeat the Covenant fleet. The plan was accepted and put into action on December 12. 
While most of the Covenant fleet pursued the Commonwealth's naval forces around the moon of Plataea, the battlecruiser Virtuous Triumph was engaged in ground operations above the city of Uri. Using the three Prowlers, a strike force of 140 Naval Infantrymen led by Nyeto boarded the vessel, seizing control of the bridge and reactor room after heavy fighting. With the element of surprisee, they turned its weapon systems against the over Seventh Gate, crippling it. Following a broadside against the second CCS-class that crippled both vessels, the remainder of the strike force abandoned the vessel except for Nyeto, who stayed aboard the bridge in order to ensure that it did not crash in a populated area and was subsequently killed.
With Covenant naval forces crippled, the bruised but operational Theban Naval Service successfully destroyed the CAS-class as it attempted to flee and the remaining Covenant ships withdrew from the system, though fighting on the ground would continue for the next several days as the abandoned Covenant ground forces were hunted down. Though Thebes was spared complete destruction, losses were heavy. Nearly half of the Naval Service's vessels were destroyed or disabled during the fighting, and the Chaeronaean city of Arimnestos was completely destroyed. The cities of Seventh Gate, Uri, Thisvi, and Eros were also heavily damaged. Military and civilian losses were in the hundreds of thousands.
For the remaining year of the Human-Covenant War, the Theban Commonwealth prepared itself for another expected Covenant assault, one which never came. With no discernible presence of relics, a second assault on the planet was placed as a low priority by Covenant leadership, as most of the Covenant's resources were fully dedicated towards the escalating assault on the UNSC's Inner Colonies. With the later onset of the in the following year, the small, independent Commonwealth was forgotten by the alien hegemony.
===Post War===
The Commonwealth's government was unaware of the Human-Covenant War's conclusion until June of 2553, when word was passed on from Venezia. Celebrations were held all across Thebes and the wider Commonwealth, though concern over Covenant remnant groups lingered.
More than the Covenant, many Thebans feared UNSC resurgence. Upon the launch of the , the attention of the Defence Forces was once again focused towards defending against a hypotheticl UNSC invasion of the Boeotia system. Theban diplomats briefly engaged with UEG representatives, but these talks achieved little headway and both states continued to go unrecognised by the other. 
Aware that should the UNSC decide to focus any significant portion of its forces against Thebes, the Commonwealth would still be heavily outgunned and outnumbered, the government adopted a new foreign policy strategy focused around foreign aid. By offering military assistance and other types of aid to friendly insurrectionist and independent colonies, the Commonwealth's government hoped to both create new allies, further cause of independence and socialism across the colonies, and to fan the flames of the reignited insurrectionist movement, alleviating some direct pressure threatening the Commonwealth's own territory.
This new foreign policy direction included a number of developments, including a formal alliance with the Olduvai Republic and military intervention on the planet of Kadanga in 2555. The former prison colony had elected Eridanus insurrectionist Alan Layton to the office of its presidency, and hostility towards UEG-based corporations led to a coup attempt by the colony's UEG sympathetic groups. Civil war quickly followed and drew Theban expeditionary forces into the conflict as the Commonwealth worked to keep President Layton in power. 
At this time, Commonwealth military and military intelligence forces also conducted operations on a number of other worlds, including , , , and . These forces worked against not just the influence of the UEG, but also against the influence of the recently created , whose willingness to cooperate with ex-Covenant radical groups and launch attacks on other insurrectionist organisations made them a target for the Commonwealth's ire.
===Created Crisis===
==Government==
===Legislature===
The Commonwealth's legislature is a unicameral parliament, referred to as the Assembly (Sovrani, in Slavonic). As of 2558, it had a total of 736 elected representatives, who are elected based on districts created and modified as per quinquennial population censuses. All representative seats within the Assembly go up for reelection every 4 years, elected by voters 17 years and older. Elections are conducted using a ranked-choice voting system, and formal political parties are outlawed. Among other duties, the Assembly is tasked with setting the national budget, proposing and passing new laws, and issuing declarations of war. 
===Judiciary===
Under the Theban constitution, all judges in the Commonwealth are elected officials, elected by whichever district they intend to represent. These districts are identical to those that elect the Assembly, and judges are elected every 15 years. In 2525, the High Court was established, intended to serve as the highest court system and the only one to operate at a federal level. There are 11 members of this High Court, who are elected from and by an assembly of all judges in the Commonwealth. The passing of this measure was controversial but deemed necessary by a majority of the Assembly to ensure the stability of the Commonwealth's legal system.
===Executive Council===
The Executive Council serves as the Commonwealth's executive branch. Composed of 9 members, each elected by popular vote. 5 of them are elected from Thebes itself, while the remaining 4 are elected by the Commonwealth's other territories: Thespiae, Plataea, Chaeronea, and Mantinea. The Executive Branch is granted to power to issue executive orders, direct the operations of the Defence Forces, and other duties. 
==Territory==
===Thebes===
The planet of Thebes is the largest of the Commonwealth's territories, the most populated, and the most developed. The third planet in the Boeotia System, it is the fifth largest in orbit of its star and host to three moons. 
Thebes is home to almost 90% of the Commonwealth's population, as well as most of its industry, including the manufacturing, agriculture, shipbreaking, and shipbuilding sectors. In particular, Thebes is the only location in the Commonwealth capable of constructing space vessels; the significant shipyard infrastructure established during the planet's days as a colony have continued to be expanded upon and utilised well into the 26th century. 
===Thespiae===
The second most populated territory of the Commonwealth, Thespiae is the largest of the three moons of Thebes. It is home to 1.6 million, most of whom live in its capital city, Eros. Thespiae has the most mining activity of any of the Commonwealth's territories, including Thebes, and most of its population are engaged in activity directly or indirectly related to mining. The Defence Forces also have a disproportionate presence on Thespiae, with several bases operated by both the Territorial Defence Service and the Naval Service, as well as a total of 28 surface MAC installations.
===Plataea===
The second largest of the Theban moons, Plataea is sparsely populated and primarily serves as a military centre and weapons testing ground. With a civilian populated of only around 100,000, most of Plataea's civilians are either contractors for the Defence Forces or work in Plataea's relatively small mining industry. Like Thespiae, Plataea also boasts a significant defensive MAC network across its surface. 
===Chaeronea===
The smallest of Thebes's moons, Chaeronea is home to around 400,000 people, most of whom live in its capital of Arimnestos. While not the largest city in the Commonwealth, Arimnestos is significant for its status as a major trade hub, serving as a middle point between Thebes and its extrasolar contacts. During the Battle of Thebes, Arimnestos was almost completely destroyed and has since had to be reconstructed, bringing in a number of new jobs as well. 
===Mantinea===
The Commonwealth's only major population centre outside of the Boeotia System, Mantinea is the second planet from the star Shahat, a neighbour of Thebes. As of 2558, it has a population of over 800,000, most of whom live rustic, agricultural lives. It is also home to the Commonwealth's largest foreign-born population, being a major location for refugee resettlement, and as such is the only territory in the Commonwealth where Slavonic is not the native language of the majority of the population. Almost 80% of its population was born offworld, around half of whom were born outside of the Commonwealth, with many coming from , , and .
Mantinea is also home to a small number of ancient Forerunner installations buried under the surface. Since their discovery, the Commonwealth has invested resources into researching and determining a use for these installations.
===Other Population Centres===
A number of minor population centres exist around the Commonwealth, both within the Boeotia System and without. Most of these are military bases, mining installations, or research outposts across a number of moons, asteroids, and space stations. Some notable ones include: 
*Copais (moon of Shahat IV)
*Parnassus Station
==Military==
The Commonwealth's unified armed forces are officially titled the Defence Forces of the Commonwealth, but usually referred to in passing as the Theban Defence Forces. The DFC maintains three distinct branches: the Territorial Defence Service, the Naval Service, and the Intelligence Service. Together, the three armed services usually employ over 3% of the population. A contributing factor to this is the Commonwealth's active peacetime conscription; even when not under imminent or direct threat, the Commonwealth's citizens are required to serve a minimum of 2 years in the Defence Forces, or 3 years of non-military civil service. 
==Economy==
The Commonwealth's economy is rooted in the principles of workplace democracy and is divided between three general classifications of firms. 
Roughly 15% of firms in the Commonwealth are state-owned and state-operated, generally being run by a state-appointed board of directors, alongside a democratic structure managed by the firm's workers, but the ultimate direction of the firm is decided upon by the Theban state. These kinds of firms generally do not control a monopoly in their given sectors, with one notable exception, but rather compete with the other firms that are not operated by the state. State-operated firms primarily exist to provide the state with easy control of aspects of the economy deemed necessary for national defence, such as mining, chemical manufacturing, arms manufacturing, and a handful of state-operated farms. The most well-known state-operated industry is the Theban National Shipyard, which maintains a complete monopoly over the shipyards that orbit Thebes, considered the most valuable industry within the Commonwealth.
Around 45% of firms in the Commonwealths are classified as "VEBs" ("Volkseigener Betrieb", meaning "Publicly Owned Enterprise"), which are firms owned by the state but granted autonomy, being managed democratically by their workers. VEBs are the most common type of enterprise in the Commonwealth, and there are typically multiple VEBs that compete with each other within any given industry. VEBs, being state-owned, are required to hold elections that operate under the same election laws of the Theban government. Some notable VEBs are VEB Slonim Group and VEB Autofabrik Sempach.
The second-most prevalent type of enterprise, making up around 35% of Theban firms, are worker-owned firms. These are entirely owned and operated by the workers that are employed by these firms, required to maintain a democratic structure. This can vary depending on the firm, and they are not beholden to the same election laws as VEBs or state-operated enterprises. Depending on the size of the firm, they may not operate under a representative democracy at all, but rather under a more directly democratic system. 
There are a very small number of privately-owned enterprises within the Commonwealth, about 5%, with restrictions on their operations. They are permitted to directly employ close family members of the owner but are not permitted to employ anyone outside of their family aside from short-term contractors. These have been the subject of some significant criticism, with some critics of the current system believing that restrictions surrounding the ownership of private firms should be loosened, while many others believe that they should not be allowed to exist at all. Despite this, the laws surrounding private ownership of an enterprise have remained largely unchanged since the establishment of the Commonwealth. Due to restrictions, almost all privately owned firms are very small, generally being small, local restaurants or general stores. 
The exportation and importation of foreign goods is only legal for state-operated firms. Other enterprises are permitted access to have access to foreign goods and have their products sold abroad but are required to use a state-operated firm as an intermediary, effectively granting the state a monopoly on the acquisition of imported items and exportation of domestic goods.
===Currency===
The official currency of the Commonwealth is the denar. Unlike the UEG, and even most other independent worlds, the Commonwealth maintains the use of minted metal coins and paper bills. While, in practice, most commerce is done electronically, these transactions do not completely substitute the use of the physical currency, as is the case with the UEG credit. 
===Taxation===
Taxation within the Commonwealth is kept fairly limited. Only two methods of taxation are used by governments within the Commonwealth: land value taxation, and a limited sales tax. There are technical import and export tariffs, and although they are not legally referred to as taxes, they are nonetheless enforced by the Theban tax agency.
Sales taxes within the Commonwealth are very limited. It is illegal for any government within the Commonwealth to implement a tax on goods that are legally considered to be essentials: these include food, non-alcoholic beverages, clothes, hygiene products, etc. As such, the sales tax is only applied to non-essential luxury items, including electronics, recreational drugs, personal vehicles, and firearms. Alcohol exists in a more grey area. While, federally, it is considered non-essential and thus subject to federal taxes, the majority of superdistrict, district, and city governments do not apply local taxes to most alcohol beverages. Certain local governments make a distinction based on alcohol content, with beverages that have a higher alcohol percentage being subject to a local sales tax, while those with a lower alcohol percentage are not. For example, in the city of Seventh Gate, beverages with an alcohol percentage below 15% are completely exempt from any local sales tax, while in the Novattika superdistrict beverages with an alcohol percentage as high as 35% are considered to be exempt.
The second method of Theban taxation is a land value tax, a tax on the value of land without consideration of buildings, personal property, or other man-made developments of the land. All areas of land not directly owned and operated by the state are subject to a land value tax, including personal homes and land operated by VEB enterprises. 
Import and export tariffs, while not technically implemented, do exist in a practical sense. All imported and exported goods are required to use a state-operated firm as an intermediary, and these firms collect a "service fee" on both domestic and foreign businesses when carrying out such operations, effectively serving as a method of collecting tariff dues.
==Foreign Relations==
===UEG===
The Commonwealth has, since its establishment, had an unfriendly and often openly hostile relationship with the United Earth Government, and the UEG continues to refuse official recognition and considers Thebes a rebellious colony. As a former URF member, the Commonwealth was in a state of open war with the UEG until its withdrawal from the organisation in 2530. Following this, it effectively ceased any direct interactions with the UEG or UNSC, hostile or otherwise, for the next two decades. 
With the conclusion of the Human-Covenant War, the Commonwealth has revitalised its efforts outside of the territory under its authority, and in doing so has come back into conflict with the UEG, though indirectly. A number of Theban-backed insurrectionist groups battle UNSC forces on several colonies, whereas the UEG has conducted similar operations against the Theban intervention on Kadanga. 
While the two states refuse to officially acknowledge each other, and their military forces have, for the most part, avoided direct confrontations, tensions have nonetheless been high, and were only alleviated during the chaos caused by the and the subsequent UEG withdrawal from the Outer Colonies. 
===United Front===
Thebes was an early member of the URF, joining it in 2498. During the Insurrection, the Commonwealth's government and military worked closely with the URF's leadership, deploying Theban troops to battleground worlds such as Eridanus II and Gao. Theban representatives held some sway over the URF's governing council.
However, following the beginning of the Human-Covenant War, the URF's decision to attempt to court the invading alien hegemony disturbed the representatives of Thebes and some other insurrectionist factions. Aware of the massacre of millions by the aliens, the Thebans were among those unwilling to assist such actions. This and other disagreements would eventually lead to the Commonwealth's withdrawal from the URF in 2530, on bad terms. Up until the time of the URF's dissolution, Thebes remained unfriendly towards the organisation.
===Gao===
During the height of the Insurrection, Thebes and Gao had a close relationship, being relatively near in proximity. Theban and Gaoan personnel both operated together on Eridanus II, and Theban troops would later assist Gao during the . However, during the course of the Human-Covenant War, having come under direct invasion by the UNSC, the public of Gao grew tired of fighting and sought peace, establishing an arrangement that allowed Gao to exist as an autonomous republic under UEG dominion. Following this, Theban-Gao relationships soured, though the Commonwealth still granted Hector Nyeto and other likeminded Gaoans asylum in the Boeotia System. 
In the aftermath of the UEG's withdrawal from the Outer Colonies, the Gaoans happily reasserted their sovereignty and reignited their close relationship with Thebes, joining the Free Systems Pact in 2564 and inviting Theban economists to assist in the restructuring of Gao's own economic system. 
===New Colonial Alliance===
One of the more recently established Insurrectionist factions, the NCA has a generally hostile relationship with the Theban Commonwealth. Regarded as dangerously radical by Thebes, the Theban military has, on occasion, clashed with NCA forces, particularly on Kadanga. The Theban Intelligence Service includes the NCA on its list of "Hostile and Counter-Revolutionary Organisations". 
One of the Commonwealth's primary criticisms of the NCA is their willingness to cooperate with Sangheili-led, radically religious groups, and the Theban government has repeatedly and publicly denounced them for this.
===Venezia===
During the height of the Insurrection, Thebes and had a generally cordial relationship. Even after the Thebans' split with the URF, the two worlds continued to maintain some form of contact and cooperation, and Venezia remained one of the Commonwealth's few trading partners and sources for foreign-made goods and equipment. 
However, after the war, the independent Venezian government permitted the establishment of the in New Tyne. The Keepers, a religious cult including humans and former Covenant species, is considered by the Theban Intelligence Service to be one of the most dangerous Covenant remnant groups. As such, their harbouring by Venezia has brought a significant amount of criticism from the Theban government. The Intelligence Service has actively worked with its allies on Venezia to hinder the operations of the Keepers.
===Sapien Sunrise===
The Theban government does not, officially, endorse or hold any association with the organisation. There are, however, credible reports that indicate that the Theban Intelligence Service exchanges information and equipment with the terrorist group. 
===Swords of Sanghelios===
The is one of the very few Covenant remnant groups that the Commonwealth maintains any relations with, but these relations are nonetheless limited and maintained reluctantly. The Theban government considers several of its members to be war criminals, including .
==Demographics==
The planet of Thebes itself is both sparsely populated, but is also very urbanised, with a little over two-thirds of its population residing in the planet's many cities. Most of the remainder live in rural areas, usually as farmers or other agriculturally related professions. There are very few suburban areas on the planet. 
The planet itself is home to 128.4 million people, as of 2556, a little over 90% of the Commonwealth's total population. Of those 128.4 million, around 86.3 million are native speakers of Theban Slavonic, who make up the Commonwealth's most populous ethnolinguistic group. The next most populous are Persian speakers, at 22.6 million, followed be Germans (9.2 million), Kazakhs (4.8 million), and native English speakers (3.3 million). The remainder of the population are native speakers of various other languages, including Hungarian, Spanish, and Mandarin. 
As of 2556, Thebes had a fertility rate of 3.24, and a median age of 38.5. It has successfully maintained a steadily increasing population since the colony's establishment in 2423, with the largest dips in population occurring during the May Days of 2496 and the Battle of Thebes in 2551.
The Commonwealth's other territories follow similar trends as Thebes itself. Thebes's moon, Thespiae, which has the second highest population in the Commonwealth at 5.6 million in 2556, is also home to a majority Slavonic-speaking population, but also to a much higher number of native English speakers, at a roughly 2-to-1 ratio between Slavonic speakers and English speakers. 
The largest city in the Commonwealth is the city of Seventh Gate, in the southeastern quadrant of Thebes proper. The second-largest is Kadmeia, the Commonwealth's capital, located in the planet's northern hemisphere. The third-largest is actually Thespiae's regional capital, Eros. Other major population centres in the Commonwealth include Thisvi, Delcsevo, Uri, and Arimnestos.
==Culture==
===Calendar===
The Commonwealth utilises its own, distinct calendar, designed to remove the influence of Earth over the former Boeotian colonies. The traditional (Gregorian) calendar still finds use, particularly among traders and elements of the military, but as of 2558, the Theban Revolutionary Calendar has seen near universal use within the Commonwealth.
===Religion===
The Commonwealth maintains no official state religion or preferred religion, and the majority of the Commonwealth's population identifies as non-religious, roughly 70%. Around 15% of the population identifies as some variety of Christian, mostly Eastern Orthodox, and another ~10% identify as Muslim. The Commonwealth does also contain a significant population of reconstructionist polytheists, who make up around 5% of the population. 
===Sport===
The most popular sport in the Commonwealth is association football, and a number of teams participate in the state-sponsored national football league, the Boeotian League (BL). Football teams represent their respective cities, and teams include the Seventh Gate Immortals, Eros Hearts, Thisvi Hoplites, and the Uri Pikes. Every year, a national competitive tournament, the Boeotian Cup, is held. Theban football teams have attempted previously to compete with teams from foreign nations, with little success. A match was planned between the Thisvi Hoplites and a local Kadangan team in 2557 but was called off following a bombing attack in the host town. A brief tournament was held in 2558 between Theban teams and teams from Olduvai. 
Other popular sports in the Commonwealth include rugby, wrestling, and fencing. Wrestling and fencing in particular are popular among the Commonwealth's military services. 
===Cuisine===
Cuisine in the Commonwealth is expectedly diverse. One of the most universally popular dishes across the whole Commonwealth is doner (or döner, in German). In the Commonwealth, the doner kebab is commonly served as a sandwich wrapped in a bread, typically a pita or German-style flatbread, and topped with various vegetables and sauces, including a number of different chili sauces and tzatziki sauce (typically known in the Commonwealth as tarator). Tarator soup is also a popular side dish or appetizer. 
Goulash is another popular dish, though typically made as a homemade meal, and usually with more spice than its historical variants. It is typically served with a variety of breads and/or potatoes. Schnitzel is another very popular dish, but, like goulash, is usually prepared with a great deal of spice, and is commonly eaten with a chili sauce, especially outside of the Commonwealth's German majority regions. 
The Commonwealth's population consumes large amounts of wine, as several regions on Thebes are ideal wine-producing areas. Beer and vodka combined are roughly near to wine in popularity. Popular non-alcoholic beverages include a variety of locally produced colas, fruit-flavoured sodas, and lemonade. Theban lemonade is especially popular, with the style mimicked even on some worlds outside of the Commonwealth. 
===Media===
===Anthem===
The anthem of the Commonwealth, Boeotia's Song, was adopted in 2500. Previously, L'internationale had been used in place of a proper national anthem at public events. Boeotia's Song is set to a tune derived from the 4th movement (Allegro con fuoco) of Antonín Dvořák's Symphony No. 9, "From the New World".
===Flag===
The flag of the Commonwealth is a vertical bicolour triband of blue, white, blue. In the white centre, a gold Boeotian shield akin to the symbols featured on some Ancient Greek coinage is displayed directly in the middle. Above and below the shield are two four-pointed stars, symbolising the two populated star systems of the Commonwealth, Boeotia and Shahat. This flag was adopted in 2548; prior to this, a variant was used that did not feature either of the two stars. This starless variant can still be seen on some military equipment that had been branded prior to the change.
==Notable Thebans==
*Aleksandyr Novak
*Hector Nyeto (honourary)
*István Zsoldos (naturalised)
*Malcolm Sykes (naturalised)
*Elias Tomilin
*Arash Pakdel
*Zarina Yermekeva
*Vasil Petrovic
*Vincent Liu (naturalised)
*Tomica Maselnik
*Ivet Mateev
*
==Notes==