L5 Alliance

The L5 Alliance is one of three major governments in the L5 Orbital Pattern. It split from the Free Commerce States in 134NT at the same time as the Rishiri Dominion was formed. It is a constitutional meritocratic technocracy.

## History

Originally all the members of the L5 Alliance were part of the Free Commerce States. Although there were many reasons for the split, the precipitating event was the destruction of Crihna Rock by Rishiri Spinner and Aegis Overlord. This action was seen by the governments of Maquise Spinner and Brandor Spinner as destabilizing the region. In the aftermath the surviving Blades of Crihna pirates rampaged through space, severely affecting trade between the colonies.

The FCS confederation was also blamed for failing to punish Rishiri Spinner, in accordance with the law that no colony is authorized to initiate military action without senate authorization. It was believed that Rishiri's actions had been directly ordered by Aegis in exchange for technology and military assistance. This was seen as a threat to both the independence of the confederation and the legitimacy of the governing senate.

Since the formation of the alliance, the individual member states have worked to harmonize their legal and economic systems. Since NT152 a homogenized system of law has been used throughout the L5 Alliance.

## Politics

The L5 Alliance is not a democracy, but its citizens enjoy constitutionally protected freedoms equivalent to that found in most democratic nations. Government policy is determined by technocratic principles and consultation with citizen focus groups. Public opinion is generally against democracy as a form of government.

All citizens of the L5 Alliance must perform at least two years of public service. Civil servants are selected from those who do well during this period. It is a great honor to be asked to serve in this way.

Internationally, friendly relations are kept with the Federated Territories of Earth and the Free Commerce States. The L5 Alliance has an antagonistic relationship with the Rishiri Dominion which has not yet resulted in open hostilities.

### Technocrats

(From Forum comments from JH)
Technocrat is the general name for a ruler or administrator in L5. Each colony is run as a neo-technocracy; the central government, the Free Commerce States, imposes only a few restrictions on how "technocracy" is implemented. First and foremost, each colony must maintain an energy-profit. This is to say, the colony must be self-sufficient. Secondly, no colony can prevent a FCS citizen from leaving, provided that said citizen has somewhere else to go. Note that colonies are not required to accept immigrants, it's just that they're prohibited from prohibiting emigrants. Trade between colonies and the use of military force is also regulated.

Technocracy as practiced in the GearHead universe is a bit different from technocracy as it is thought of today, but at heart it's a meritocracy which uses statistics and science to make decisions. Administrators whose projects increase the energy-profit of a colony are promoted, while those who squander energy-profit are demoted. It's only really possible to measure energy-profit like this in the inherently limited, tightly controlled world of a space colony.

Most colonies have high standards of living and personal freedoms on par with the democratic countries of Earth. Colonies with low standards of living tend to lose their talented professionals, leading to a loss of energy-profit and eventually intervention by the central planning office. A key point of the FCS central government is that there's no one size fits all solution. As long as the colonies meet their energy quotas, the central planning office stays out of their affairs.

Here are some links explaining Technocracy in the real world. As mentioned above, the GH version is quite different:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Technocracy\_movement

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Energy\_credit

## Culture

Residents of the spinner colonies see themselves as sophisticated, well educated, and enlightened. They are frequently seen by outsiders as arrogant, isolated, and hedonistic.

The earliest spinner colonies were established during the Age of Superpowers, but came to their present form during the exodus when waves of refugees from Earth sought a better life in space. People from different superpowers with different cultures and old grudges were forced to live together in these tiny, primitive stations. Because of this, modern spinner residents are very tolerant of different mores and tend not to be too bothered by anything that happens outside of their immediate social circle.

Strict population controls exist in most space colonies. All citizens of the L5 Alliance are entitled to one breeding permit; a second one is obtained following the two years of state service and additional permits may be awarded based on achievements and test scores. Without a breeding permit one cannot make use of the birthing clinics, though a couple could opt for natural pregnancy instead. Implant based contraception is part of the basic medical service available to all citizens.

Children typically do not live with their biological parents, though in most cases they have some relationship with them. Groups of children called a school circle are raised together and often trained from a young age for specific roles in society. Many people feel a stronger connection to the members of their school circle than to their biological siblings.

## Military

The primary military force of the L5 Alliance is the Order of the Silver Knights. The Order developed from the joint defense force of the Athera-Brandor-Maquise Triangle. Like most orbital military forces, the Silver Knights are few in number but very well trained and equipped. Most Silver Knights undergo cybernetic surgery to enhance their combat abilities.

Shortly after the formation of the alliance, Maquise Spinner created the Privateer's Guild as a mercenary force. Although small numbers of privateers had been employed by most colonies already this was the first organization of such great size. The Privateers are charged with defending the alliance's trade fleet against other pirates. They also run interference against the fleets of the Rishiri Dominion and Aegis Overlord.

## Technology

The spinner colonies are widely thought to have the most advanced mecha in the solar system. As a result of zero-G manufacturing processes they have access to materials too expensive to produce elsewhere.

## Crime in the L5

Crime is typically low within the spinner colonies. No large scale prisons exist here; instead, people convicted of serious crimes might be subjected to psycho-surgery, executed, or exiled from the station. In addition to the big crimes one would expect (murder, rape, robbery) it's also possible to be exiled/sentenced to death for crimes which would be minor (or not even crimes at all) on Earth. Examples include incompetence, fraud, failing to contribute to the well-being of the spinner, and causing damage to the spinner/life support systems. The reason for this is that in space, any of these things could endanger the lives of the rest of the colony. Resources are scarce and nobody can be given a free ride.

Most non-violent first time offenders can fairly easily find another colony to move to. If they have a lot of money, some exiles can flee to the asteroids or even to another world. For everyone else there's Theles Spinner.