Garden of Ravenea

*On this datalink, you can find information on Garden of Ravenea - political entity inhabited and ruled by Raveneans. For more information on the actual species, their biology, technology, history and culture, reader is referred to a separate datalink - Ravenea.*

# Territory

 File:Ravenea+territory2.jpg
Garden of Ravena is located in Sector Grid S24, on the planet Ravenealla IV, designated in Starfleet Stellar Cartography as OB-930, roughly at distance of 140 light years away from Starbase 381. It is a system located beyond the Monsoon Nebula, far away from many common patrol and trade routes, thus making the system quite isolated from any influence from Jenolan Alliance or native Outback polities.

Ravenea claim no more than 1.5 ly of space around their home system.

Their nearest neighbor is Aurelian Protectorate in Sector Grid R-19.

# Government

## Tricameral Legislature

### Legislative Council

The Legislative Council is tasked with lengthy and deep discussions on analysis, possible implementations, benefits and limitations of any proposal that the Council of Nine, Ravenean governing body, would present. This Council sessions are presided by the First Speaker, who also performs day-to-day administrative duties, often delegated among their 5-7 Speaker's Assistants. While the position does not carry any legislative powers, the individual in office is usually of great social and cultural influence on the Legislators and Nation at far.

### Assembly of Elders

If Legislative Council votes in favor, the proposal goes before the Assembly of Elders. Assembly is an older legislative body of Ravenea, dating back to the times when the first metropolitan settlements were founded on the largest continent of Ravenealla IV, almost 3 millennia ago. Composed of local leaders of largest urban areas, most akin to Greek city-states (as national states in conventional sense never formed), the Assembly’s role was that of intermediation between the settlements in area of trade. As technology progressed forward, Assembly's role has waned, as most settlements became self-sufficient for most of their needs.

The Assembly did, however, play a vital role in the post-Ecocide War period, serving as the first informal government on the planetary scale. In the present day, it is advisory body which, by automatism, passes on the legislative proposal with a positive, negative or neutral evaluation, depending on the Assembly’s opinion how the proposal would impact the dynamics of Ravenean society on a very local level. Among the Councilors of Nine, it is often discussed whether the Assembly be dissolved. On the other hand, even though Ravenea is united under one banner, and Legislative Council is popularly elected by all their citizens, the Assembly carries the symbolical strength of Ravenean unity.

The Assembly’s evaluation level itself is more important to the third body of Tricameron - Chamber of Adjudicators.

### Chamber of Adjudicators

The Chamber of Adjudicators is considered the oldest legislative body of Ravenea. While the body itself was formally established in the post-war reunification period, it descends from similar, but much older institutions that existed across Ravenealla IV in the past. It is the only one that is not under any direct legislative influence by the Council of Nine, the Legislators or the Assembly. The primary role of Adjudicators is difficult to describe even among Raveneas themselves. The Chamber is composed of the masters of jurisprudence, the study of law. These are considered the wisest among Ravenea people, as all members of the Chamber were between 1500 and 2000 years old. Their primary task is to establish whether the proposed legislation is in accordance or in conflict with the existing body of law and written traditions. On the other hand, Adjudicators have also a more subtle responsibility, one that is not so easy to explain or codify.

What is a common thread to their history is that all pre-industrial Ravenea societies, nomadic or permanently settled, had individuals who had a role akin to Earth’s druids or shamans. The role of these spiritual leaders, according to historical records, was to contemplate and guide their societies in a direction which would preserve the natural balance of the environment in which they lived. While every Ravenea could telepathically interact with any plant of Ravenealla IV, it was believed these *priests of Nature* had the ability to somehow link themselves with the totality of the environment around them. As Ravenealla IV became more globally interconnected, the role of these individuals came into question. While Ravenean science never fully proved the existence of an underlying synergistic mechanism which would interlink Ravenealla IV in Gaian-alike fashion, it was found that some Ravenea could tap into the totality of the planetary ecosystem. It was them who warned both sides in Ecocide War about the impact level of the conflict, even before the science gave similar estimations after the incubation nurseries were destroyed.

So not only Adjudicators have the responsibility of maintaining legislative compatibility of Ravenea, but also the more natural one. To those who have interacted with Ravenea, whether as trade partners or occasional Jenolan Alliance observers, the Chamber seemed as true oligarchic seat of power. However, in two centuries of the Chamber’s formal existence, the Adjudicators vetoed only one proposal - trade agreements with Draan Republic. The reasoning, superficial as it may seem to the outside observers, was the of utmost importance to Ravenea themselves. Chamber of Adjudicators could not assess how the Draan might impact the natural balance of Ravenea and their homeworld. The species had to be observed more carefully. The Council of Nine followed Adjudicators’ reasoning and, eventually, the trade agreements were signed. It took, however, almost thirty years to do so. In all other cases, the Chamber of Adjudicators accepted the proposed legislation, requiring only few modifications.

## Council of Nine

This Council consists of 8 ministers and the Prime Minister. It serves as an executive body in Ravenean political system. If compared to traditional parliamentary democracies (most commonly found among Federation member states), the Prime Minister holds the function of both head of the state and head of the government. Eight ministers are proposed by the Prime Minister and must be confirmed by Legislative Council and Assembly of Elders. Each minister holds one department:

* Ministry of Agriculture and Arcology
* Ministry of Justice and Domestic Security
* Ministry of Science, Research and Education
* Ministry of Defense and Space Exploration
* Ministry of Infrastructure and Commerce
* Ministry of Industry and Manufacture
* Ministry of Culture and Arts
* Ministry of External Relations

Prime Minister is tasked with the coordination of eight departments and does not hold any direct legislative authority over them. Prime Minister can be voted out of voice only by the Legislators, while other ministers have to be voted out of both by the Legislators and the Elders.

# Diplomatic Relations

While not isolationists per se, Garden of Ravenea has kept to themselves for most of the time since their initial ventures among the stars. By the early 2390s, they had ratified several trade agreements with Draan Republic. They have kept diplomatic observers at Starbase 381 "Praetorian" since the arrival of 26th Fleet to the Outback, but they seriously involved themselves only at the conclusion of End War against the Scourge, by participating in the Battle of Discens.

* Request for Support to Outback Polities by the 26th Fleet

After the End War, Garden of Ravenea entered into a trade agreement with Arkadian Nation. This trade and scientific exchange between the two nations resulted in solving the agricultural crisis on Arkadia and expanding Ravenean knowledge of different ecosystems in the Milky Way. In return for their services, newly elected Chancellor Mirini Dakou presented Envoy Saamnach, Gwyddonydd Planhiggion and their crews with a Band of Friendship, and allowed Raveneans to build a settlement in of the smaller continents of Arkadia. Envoy Saamnach presented Arkadians with a tree sapling of one the oldest tree on Ravenealla IV, symbolizing the new roots of a mutual friendship

# Law Enforcement and Interstellar Navy

Since the end of Ecocide War in 2116 AD (Gregorian calender), Garden of Ravenea has held only a small number of local law enforcement units in larger urban areas. As all of the population has been self-sustainable for almost a century and many have dedicated their work to preservation of natural balance of their homeworld, Ravenealla IV, or to colonization of Ravenealla III, crime has become almost non-existent.

With the discovery of other intelligent, space-faring species, Raveneans established a planetary defense navy, which consists of vessels counterpart to Peregrine fighters and T'Liss Birds of Prey, in offensive and defensive capabilities. Vessels of the defense navy were not equipped with FTL propulsion. Defense of the home system is further supported by a few dozen armed platforms who's firepower is contemporary to that of phase cannons found on Earth's early NX-refit vessels.

Interstellar navy consists of dozens of minimally-armed trade freighters and three cruisers of *Coeden*-class, which bear some resemblance to Nicor bioships used by Species 8472. *Coeden*-class, however, follows the design principles to mimic the most important symbol in Ravenean society - a tree. One such cruiser is RFS *Rion’nag Koille*.

Living on the edge of the Outback encouraged Raveneans to focus their space technology development on FTL propulsion, rather than weaponry and defense. It said among Raveneans that the development of their post-warp 3 drive was inspired by the encounter of early Ravenean astronauts with a pod of Purgills, who visited their feeding grounds around Ravenealla V, a gas giant, in the early 2200s. Due to Raveneans' natural inclination towards organic chemistry, their scientists were able to synthesize a hybrid organic/inorganic liquid-gel compound which acts as fuel for their present day bio-warp engines. The development and useful application of this chemical took almost a century and half. Due to the inherent chemical instability of the liquid, Raveneans have been limited to maximum warp factor of 5.7, with warp 5 being the highest recommended.

Like the vessels of planetary defense navy, the three cruisers are armed with phase cannons, but with energy output which is roughly 20% higher.

# References

* Trek-short 8: A New Deal
* Request for Support to Outback Polities by the 26th Fleet
* Trade agreement between Arkadian Nation and Garden of Ravenea
* Progress Report on Raveneallan experiments on Penthax fauna and soil
* Band of Friendship to Ganryuuvi Saamnach