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House Gallia
Kingdom of Gallia
Capital	Planet New Paris, Ile-de-France
Official languages	French
Government Monarchy - Leader   King Louis V
Founded	85 A.S.
Controlled space	Core Worlds: Ile-de-France Lyonnais Berry Orleanais Picardie Artouis Border Worlds: Burgundy Lorraine Dauphine Champagne (contested) Languedoc (contested) and others
Affiliated organisations	Gallic Royal Navy Gallic Royal Police

The Kingdom of Gallia is a house formed from the sleeper ship Gallia, which set out after the others in secret. It arrived quite far from the others, and until 817 A.S. maintained complete isolation. The Kingdom of Gallia is a monarchy, and the Crown has spent the past seven hundred years building a massive armada with which to invade Sirius- Gallia's people and armies are vastly more numerous than that of any other house.

History

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Main articles: History of Gallia, Timeline of Gallic history, First Gallic War, Second Gallic War

Upon the arrival of the sleeper ship Gallia to Ile-de-France, a monarchy was chosen as the most efficient form of government to perform their task- building up an armada with which to visit vengeance upon those who had betrayed them back in Sol. Gallia's technology has focused extensively on military research, and even the most venerable of its centuries-old battleships can stand toe-to-toe with some of the modern warships employed by Sirian forces. Expanding throughout their star cluster, Gallia's only match has been itself, as it has suffered not one but two civil wars. The more recent of the two still rages on, though Gallia's invasion timetable has been forced upwards owing to Council breaking their isolation.

Controlled and contested space

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Main articles: Gallic Core Worlds, Gallic Border Worlds

Gallic space is divided into the Core Worlds and the Border Worlds, the former being closer to where the sleeper ship landed, while the latter possess many of the resources instrumental in supporting Gallia's massive fleets. The Core Worlds boast a population greater than that of any of the other houses, and are kept close to the iron rule of the Crown. IDF Shipping and Solar Engineering are focused there, and the quality of life on a core worlds planet is quite high. The border worlds, by comparison, are filled with criminals and war. Rich in resources, the Gallic Metal Service and EFL Oil & Machinery do most of their mining in the border worlds. The border worlds are where the Second Gallic War is being fought, with Champagne and southern Languedoc controlled by Council. Lorraine and Languedoc also contain the exits from Gallia into Sirius, and due to the presence of Sirian explorers the Core Worlds have been sealed off from the Border Worlds until the main invasion begins.

Government and politics

The Kingdom of Gallia is an absolute monarchy ruled by a king or queen, a hereditary office. Since very early into Gallia's history, this monarch has been a member of the deFrance dynasty. Below the Crown itself are the ruling nobles, ranging from lowly knights and barons to the duc. Nobles are responsible for the administration of systems, planets, stations, and cities, each owing direct allegiance to the noble whose domain encompasses his own, a system similar to the feudal societies of old Earth. Titles are awarded based on merit, though some are also inherited- the various noble houses vie with each other for dominance in the political arena by securing titles for their own, and as more efficient and effective rulers are awarded higher titles this system helps Gallia's industrial juggernaut run smoothly without the normal hurdles involved in a feudal structure. This is not to say that corruption is not widespread- the Gallic Royal Police are notoriously easy to buy, and assassinations happen with some frequency in the Core Worlds.

Economy

Gallia is the only known source of Oil in the Sirius Sector. The Gallic economy is dominated by three powerful corporations: Gallic Metal Service (GMS), Ile-de-France Shipping (IDF) and EFL Oil and Machinery. It is rumoured that high-ranking executives in these corporations have secret ties to The Council, though this is merely hearsay.

Surprisingly, the Gallic Border Worlds are criss-crossed by Trade Lanes and linked by Jump Gates, despite Ageira Technologies insisting they have never been contacted by the Gallic government. This is believed to be the work of the Junkers, who are now believed to have been spies for the Gallic authorities, stealing technology from the four other houses and sending it to Gallia. Most modern Junkers are angered by these accusations, suggesting they, at least, had no connection to Gallic espionage.

Foreign relations

Gallic foreign policy is quite simple. "Conquer everybody". While many believe that the motives for invading Sirius have shifted from a desire for revenge to a lust for dominance, the intent is there regardless. The fleets of the Gallic Royal Navy marshal in Dauphine to begin the invasion, even if it is premature due to Council's interference.

Crime and dissent

The main faction opposing the Gallic government is Council, who are in a state of open war with the Crown (a conflict known as the Second Gallic War). The Council are descended from the Mouvement de Liberation Gaulois (Gallic Liberation Movement), disbanded by King Louis IV circa 720 A.S. The Council currently control Champagne and southern Languedoc, each containing one populated planet (Planet Marne and Planet Quillan, respectively), and have established a base (Reunion) outside the minefield in Orkney. They care about their reputation in the eyes of Gallic civilians, and (with the notable exception of an incident on Gap Station) never attack civilian facilities, ships or passenger liners unless provoked. As a result, they have significant covert support among Gallic civilians, including substantial portions of the Gallic Metal Service. The Council ultimately aims to overthrow the Gallic throne and stop the planned war against the rest of Sirius.

Closely related to the Council are the Maquis, who were once a radical element within the Council who used more violent means such as assassination and terrorism in their struggle. In the early 7th Century A.S., the Maquis were responsible for a series of explosions in various Gallic cities, which killed thousands of civilians. This harmed the Council's reputation so much that they expelled the Maquis from their group. The two groups, however, much to everyone's surprise, did not become hostile, but instead still work together to fight the Crown. The Maquis' less idealistic support has earned them favor with the other unlawful groups in Gallia, a friendship which they use to deadly effect against the Royalists.

A more conventional criminal group in Gallia is the Gallic Brigands, aka the Free Brigands of Gallia, who seem to be a loose union of criminals akin to the Liberty Rogues. While Brigands sustain some sort of romantic aura of medieval highway bandits who robbed the rich and gave to the poor, they often do the opposite, robbing the poorly defended smaller shipping companies rather than larger corporations and their Police protectors. They rarely get involved in political conflicts, however they notably indirectly assisted the Council in several events of the Second Gallic War, including the liberation of Marne.

Finally there is the Unione Corse, an organized crime syndicate styled after Earth's Corsican Mafia, somewhat similar to the Hogosha of Kusari- however more estranged from the local law. The Unione Corse are connected to the Brigands and Maquis, and together with the Brigands, control the majority of the Gallic black market.