Free Republic of Aztlan

Either a highly decentralized confederation of 24 Commonwealths, or 24 independent republics in a very well-coordinated military and economic pact. Either way, the Free Republic of Aztlan is an intensely democratic and militaristic polity currently at odds with it's former overlord, the Chekbrian Empire.

Aztlan is ostensibly guarenteed by Battlegroup Anna; however, with the Free Republic's growing military and economic strength, it appears as though Aztlan may, ironically, end up guarenteeing Battlegroup Anna's existence instead.

## History

### Conquest by Chekbria

Around 2400, by Battlegroup Anna's reckoning, the Chekbrian Empire turned it's attention to the Republic of Chicomoztoc.

The Chekbrian Empire was a large and militaristic empire that heavily emphasized martial skill among its citizens and adhered to a social darwinist ideology, holding itself to be the strongest of all Empires – the 'Last Empire' ruled by 'New Men', destined to conquer the galaxy.

Conditions for those at the bottom of the social hierarchy were harsh; the vast population of serfs and slaves that manned the Empire's factories or orbital works faced unspeakable violence and were subject to a massive campaign of surveillance that was only moderately disrupted by the regular internal conflicts and civil wars, as the Imperial Marshals fought each other for supremacy and the favor of their superiors. Social advancement could only be achieved through joining the military. However, this in and of itself was a risky move -- discipline was worse than draconian within the ranks of the Imperial military, with soldiers who failed training or who were even merely knocked unconscious during combat executed.

The Republic was, compared to the Empire, small and relatively impoverished, with little in the way of a navy and a military that to a large extent still relied on chemically-propelled kinetic weapons, as opposed to the direct-energy weapons in fashion among the Imperial Armed Forces. The conquest of Chicomoztoc was meant to be, ultimately, a quick, bloodless affair - more a punitive action against primitives than a true near-peer conflict.

What followed was a year-long footslog and a decades-long insurgency, as the Republic fought tooth and nail to extract the highest toll possible from it's soon-to-be master.

Without outside help, however, the insurgency petered out. Combined with mass enslavement of its citizens and furious campaigns to wipe out the local culture, the Empire had seemingly crushed the Republic of Chicomoztoc for good and consigned it to history's trash heap, as nothing other than another sign of the frailty and weakness of democratic governments, and their inevitable replacement by the strong and cunning, unfettered by parliamentary politics. Even it's name was wiped out -- the system would be Aztlan no more, instead being incorporated into the Empire as the Special Oblast of Dalstoy.

### Aztlan Mutiny

The misery of the serfs and the draconian disciplinary measures among the lower ranks could not hold forever, however, and after a century, tensions began to boil over all across the Empire -- but especially within the system of Aztlan.

In reality, the citizens of the 'Special Oblast of Dalstoy' never forgot that they were once free. Even as they joined the Imperial Armada or the Imperial Army -- even as they rose to high rank and status, they never forgot the old Republic of Chicomoztoc. Campaigns to wipe out their culture merely made the population ever more hostile, and as the demands of the Imperial Court grew ever greater, as more of Aztlan's best and brightest young men came home from long and grinding wars broken, bitter, or not at all, the embers of rebellion, thought to have been snuffed out long ago, began to glow ever so slightly.

The Governor of the Dalstoy Special Oblast, in 2570 AD, was Grigori Semchenko -- generally a corrupt and inept administrator. The true power behind the throne was the Oblast's Marshal, Baikial Gurievich - a native of Aztlan and, secretly, a fierce nationalist. Over the past decades he had built up a considerable portion of supporters, followers, and sympathizers -- from fellow nationalists in the military to medium-sized industrial corporations attracted by the idea of a free, independent nation with something approaching the rule of law, all unified in their utter contempt for Chekbria's capricious potentates, it's destructive internal conflicts, and it's moral(and literal) corruption.

When the Emperor Ferro Maxim III von Steiner died in 2571 the traditional civil war between his heirs occured. It was at this point that Gurievich's plan came into action.

Abruptly, mass revolts broke out against Chekbrian rule. Many of the few units stationed within Dalstoy defected to the rebels en-masse, while the few loyalists that remained were often picked off by suddenly-resurfaced insurgents, destroyed in transit by armed merchantmen, or torn limb from limb by enraged mobs. While the fires raged, Gurievich personally led a coup by Quetzalcoatl's garrison against Governor Semchenko, detaining him and having him shot shortly afterwards.

In an emotional ceremony on the steps of the Governor's palace, a modified version of the constitution of the old Republic of Chicomoztoc was read once more to assembled militias, defecting troops, and loose bands of insurgents, as was a declaration of independence and war against the Chekbrian Empire, once again establishing Aztlan as a free state.

The constitutional changes primarily involved establishing a new role within the government. These changes granted the Minister of Defense broad powers, mandating that he be a member of the officer corps, and changing the position's name to 'High Hegemon'. Gurievich was instituted as the first High Hegemon, and immediately got to work -- rebuilding damaged infrastructure and industrial capacity, standardizing equipment, and attempting to unify his rag-tag gang of mercenaries, defectors, and militias into a potent military force capable of fending off any attempts at reconquest. Easing this task somewhat was a ripple of further revolts near Aztlan that toppled other system governments, whose newly independent systems petitioned Aztlan for aid in return for incorporation into the Free Republic, adding fresh sources of men and material to the fledgling nation.

However, Gurievich's work was still not completed by the time that the war for the throne ended, with the victor being crowned as Emperor Ferro Maxim IV von Steiner. Soon a fleet was dispatched, along with veteran troops from the civil war, to Aztlan. The frontier patrol groups and militias fought tooth and nail but inevitably swept aside. The more conscientious among the mercenaries conducted daring raids deep into the Empire, but to little avail, while some of their brethren abandoned the Republic or defected to the Empire. The defectors fought hardest of all, but as the Imperial Armada began to bombard Coatl, things began to seem bleak.

The arrival of a new fleet of ships on the edge of the system briefly paused the campaign. A flurry of communications was sent back and forth, and it was established that the new ships were from the self-proclaimed 'Battlegroup Anna', or more accurately a 'Flying Column' of it, with the light cruiser 'Scathach de Mag Mell' at it's head.

An audience was arranged between Baikial Gurevich and the new arrivals. Upon hearing this, in a fit of rage, the Imperial Marshal boarded his shuttle and ordered it to proceed towards the new fleet, effectively barging into the meeting without a flag of truce.

The Imperial Marshal arrived in all his finery; wearing a suit of powered armor inlaid with gold and silver, as well as a cape of feathers and fur. With him were his Imperial Knights, each of which was a great champion and brutal and efficient warrior in his own right, well-trained in tactics and strategy and all the ways and means of war. Gurievich, on the other hand, arrived in mud-caked, bloody fatigues, his eyes bloodshot and hollow from trying to direct a coherent response to fires that were now raging throughout the cities of Coatl.

The Marshal boasted of the Empire's men, who had strength and valor in boundless quantities, and their destiny to sweep and remake the universe anew. He invited the newcomers to join the Empire in this destiny, first by helping them to crush the misguided revolt of Aztlan's rabble.

The marshal had hardly finished speaking when the marines of the Battlegroup, incensed by his words and free to act due to his absence of a flag of truce or even basic docking clearance, opened fire. In an instant his Knights were slain to the last man. The Marshal attempted to fight his way out, but could hardly get a move in before Scathach's ship-spirit lopped off his head and ordered it sent back to the Imperial Fleet.

Upon hearing that their Marshal was dead, the Chekbrian ships opened fire.

What followed was a complete bloodbath.

The invasion fleet was utterly annihilated by Flying Column 'Scathach'. A mere 5 ships had utterly destroyed 29 out of the 30 ships of the fleet sent to retake Aztlan, with a single heavily damaged frigate left intentionally as a survivor. Hundreds of thousands of veteran soldiers perished too, with the fleet’s destruction.

Soon after more ships arrived; first a detachment commanded by the cruiser Visby, then full Surface Action Group centered on the battleship Saybrook. Other Flying Columns laid waste to the Chekbrian Empire's trade routes, while the Surface Action Group annihilated any fleet the Chekbrians attempted to send.

Eventually, bled white, with entire systems laid waste or defecting to Aztlan, the Empire sued for peace, and Aztlan was, for the first time in decades, at peace. With a guarantee of protection from the Battlegroup the Free Republic began to rebuild and recover.

### The Ascendency of the High Hegemon(WIP)

*>Baikial Gurevich retires and steps down as High Hegemon; parliamentary government retakes power and splits up the High Hegemon’s powers among a ‘Committee of Public Safety’*

*>Tensions remain between more ‘native’ Aztlaners and initially-loyal but culturally Chekbrian populations over attempts to forcibly incorporate them into a new reconstructed Aztlaner culture – tensions boil over into violence, ethnic cleansing.*

*>Gov becomes increasingly unpopular as violence continues.*

*>Violence ended when Baikial Gurevich returns from retirement and leads a force of mercenaries and veterans to Coatl and using his status among the regular military to force the Parliamentary Government to come to terms, ending the attempts at forced Aztlanification and leading a second Constitutional Convention, which explicitly turns the Free Republic of Aztlan into a looser Confederacy with local democracies/republics that coordinate a common defense/foreign policy under a hybrid government lead by the High Hegemon, who, while still subject to oversight by the democratically-elected portions of the government, can choose his own successor and has broad powers otherwise.*

## Government and Politics(WIP)

*okay so there's the high hegemon who nominally reports to a civilian prime minister elected from a parliament but ultimately chooses his own successor(with confirmation from the parliament), and the high hegemon rules for life*

*now the way im thinking parliament works is that there's one for each commonwealth, with aztlan getting two because it's the biggest and the OG system, for a total of twenty-five. this in theory prevents deadlock because if there's a tie aztlan will always break that tie*

*in practice though aztlan can throw a lot of weight around ultimately it tries not to anger the other states too much because aztlan still needs raw materials, those other states have their own armed forces, and if those states jump ship it's a bad look and chekbria might take notes*

*so often you'll have a hilarious incident where the two delegates from aztlan vote against each other, since if both vote against legislation their constituents want, things look bad, but if the legislation is that onerous and unpopular for the rest, aztlan can't afford to let it pass*

*of course the high hegemon generally enjoys this as it keeps the civvies off his back so he can go back to smacking chekbria, but it does make joint operations difficult a lot of the time*

*so it's a mixed bag. generally there's a sense of camaderie and fuck chekbria, but there's a fundemental tension between the other commonwealths and aztlan, since aztlan is big, aztlan is prestigious, and aztlan has in the past tried to shove aztlaner culture down the throats of the other commonwealths*

*25 delegates to parliament, 3-4 important dudes with each delegate as advisors -- generally some dude representing the mercenary noble houses, some dude representing industrial interests, etc*

*actually technically there's 26 since BGA as the guarantor of aztlan is entitled to a seat but it has no voting power and the delegate is often just the liaison officer*

*anyway yeah parliament in aztlan is like 100-200 dudes in a room of which 26 are "important" to the proceedings and of which 25 actually vote*

## Commonwealths of Aztlan(WIP)

### Commonwealth of Aztlan

>The largest, wealthiest, and most powerful of the 24 Commonwealths, and the birthplace of the Republic. Well-drilled, large military and very capable mercenaries. Famed as one of the two Commonwealths to provide Battlegroup Anna with naval infantry.

>Aztlan(Star)

>Coatl - Capital, heavily polluted and populated terran world. Large shipyards, though not as extensive of those of Hastaeus or Tlacopan. Produces considerable amounts of ships, ship components, as well as food, metal ores, and fuel.

>Station XIV - Former Chekbrian naval base and atmospheric-mining colony orbiting a gas giant, and headquarters of the 14th Imperial Armada that was the foundation of Aztlan's navy. Also a center for asteroid mining operations. Currently the headquarters of Aztlan’s navy.

>Dalstoy - Namesake of the Dalstoy Oblast that preceded the present Republic. Extremely hot world close to the star of Aztlan. Former penal colony, abandoned during the war. Some mining operations have returned to the planet.

### Commonwealth of Fulgent’s Reach

>Bar-none, the largest producer of ships in the Republic. However, poor living conditions have limited it's population size, preventing Fulgent's Reach from becoming as influential as Aztlan or Tlālōcān.

>Fulgent's Lamp - Brown Dwarf.

>Hastaeus - Barren world hosting a naval base, large orbital shipyards, and some mining/refining operations. Also a center for asteroid mining operations. Besides Station XIV, the largest naval base in the Free Republic of Aztlan.

>Fulgent’s World - Cold, icy world with valuable mineral deposits and gases diffused within the atmosphere. Mining/Atmospheric-mining colony. Most of the population lives underground.

### Commonwealth of Tlālōcān

>Relatively resource-poor compared to other systems but retains status as the second-most important of the Republics due to it's financial strength, powerful mercenary-nobles, and high population. Culturally Chekbrian, though as hostile as Aztlan to the Chekbrian Empire. The only Republic other than Aztlan to provide Battlegroup Anna with naval infantry. Makes up for lack of raw resources by using financial strength to acquire stakes in other Republic's industrial and mining concerns.

>Tlālōcān(Star)

>Zócalo - Near-terran equivalent; continents are close to each other and there is considerably more water content normal for a terran world, resulting in most of the landmasses originally being covered in considerable forests. While not quite a jungle world it's the closest one might get. Immense producer of food, with some local light industry. Former center of power of a Chekbrian noble family focusing on finance and banking. Though said noble family has long since been lynched, their former serfs have proven just as adept, and Tlālōcān's.

### Commonwealth of Tlacopan

>Much like Fulgent's Reach, relatively small. Colonization had just begun when Tlacopan was seized by the Free Republic.

>Tlacopan(star)

>Tlatocayotl - Barren, low-gravity world with some minerals and immense shipyards.

>Station VII - Former major Chekbrian naval base and maintence facility. Headquarters of the 7th Imperial Armada before it's annihilation by a combined Aztlan-Battlegroup Anna task force.

>Meztli - Arid, but habitable world. Food and light industry.

>Cortés - Gas giant with considerable rings, home to a small patrol base as well as mining facilities.

### Commonwealth of Lihyan

>Formerly a system of a far larger empire. Said empire fell, and what remained was colonized by Chekbria and Saoraja.

>Formed from a slave revolt. Relatively backwater polity and as such has a relatively small military presence from what counts as Aztlan's central government. Most law enforcement handled by local militas and mercenary-nobles.

- Lihyan(star)

- Gerrha -- Arid world. Formerly a Chekbrian world with considerable Saorajan merchant presence. Relatively small population, some heavy and light industry, well-developed spaceport facilities -- and a few, very limited shipyards. Composed of various city-states locked in endless rivalry in the temperate zones, and nomads that make a living herding and looting abandoned chekbrian cities, as well as older ruins, nearer to the equator.

- Hud -- barren world with considerable mineral wealth, which remains mostly untapped. Some small mining operations, but nothing substantial. Large mining station, built by some long-forgotten empire, in orbit. So far, unexplored and untouched by the Free Republic's Navy.

- Station N -- An abandoned Chekbrian naval base and research facility, still untouched by the Free Republic's Navy.