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Kingdom of Gallia
| House Gallia | |||||
| Kingdom of Gallia | |||||
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| Capital | Unknown, Ile-de-France | ||||
| Official languages | French | ||||
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| Founded | Unknown, believed to be circa 85 A.S. | ||||
| Controlled space | |||||
| Affiliated organisations | |||||
Gallia or the Kingdom of Gallia is a mysterious "sixth house" whose presence was only revealed in 817 A.S.. As of yet, the residents of Sirius know only a little about Gallia, other than that the Gallic government is extremely hostile to all of the major lawful and unlawful Houses of Sirius. It is rumoured that Gallia has the largest population of any House in Sirius, though this is as of yet unconfirmed.
History
The Gallic people are believed to be descended from the French of Old Earth, though the full history of Gallia is unknown. According to rumours, the French were somehow "betrayed" during the Exodus from Sol, and secretly followed the other sleeper ships to Sirius.
Controlled and contested space
The five Gallic systems currently accessible to Sirius make up the "Gallic Border Worlds": Lorraine, Champagne, Burgundy, Dauphine and Languedoc. Of these, Champagne and Languedoc are controlled by a faction known only as The Council, who oppose the Gallic monarchy. Languedoc and Lorraine contain the only known Jump Holes to the rest of Sirius (Orkney and Omicron-80, respectively). These jump holes were until recently blocked off by huge minefields on both sides, which were only breached by The Council in 817 AS.
Other than these five systems, nothing is known about Gallia, as the government sealed off all Jump Gates leading to the Gallic core systems following the breach of the seven-hundred-year isolation.
Government and politics
From what is known of Gallia, it appears to be an absolute monarchy, with all policies handled by the Crown. The two main agencies of defense and law enforcement in Gallic space are the Gallic Royal Police and Gallic Royal Navy. The Gallic Royal Police is by all accounts a corrupt group who often work openly with criminals in border space especially, however the Gallic Royal Navy is a very powerful and well-equipped force, and could pose a serious threat to the rest of Sirius.
In addition, it is becoming increasingly apparent that Gallia was the birthplace of the Junkers: Junker vessels have been sighted by explorers throughout Gallic space, and there appears to be a very large Junker installation in the Burgundy system, the largest yet discovered, which is apparently not regarded with any sort of suspicion and is even located at a trade lane terminus. Sirian Junkers entering Gallic space have been surprised to be treated with respect and courtesy by officers of the Crown, and contempt and suspicion by the Council and their allies.
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
The Gallic government is hostile to all foreign forces, and many Sirian freelancers and explorers who have entered Gallia have reported being shot at by Police and Navy vessels. Extreme caution is advised to all wishing to explore Gallic space- while the Gallic Royal Police might be bribed to turn the other way, the Gallic Royal Navy is unlikely to let any intruders leave alive.
Crime and dissent
The main faction opposing the Gallic government is The Council, who are in a state of open war with the Crown (a conflict known as the Second Gallic War). The Council claim to be descended from the Mouvement de Liberation Gaulois (Gallic Liberation Movement), reportedly disbanded by King Louis IV circa 720 AS. The Council currently control two systems in Gallic border space (Languedoc and Champagne), each containing one populated planet (Quillan and Marne, 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. The Council ultimately aims to overthrow the Gallic throne and stop the planned war against the rest of Sirius.
Closely related to the Council is 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, 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, though the Maquis have become more involved in piracy and contraband of late.
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 smaller shipping companies in favor of 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 organised crime syndicate styled after Earth's Corsican Mafia, somewhat similar to the Hogosha of Kusari. The Unione Corse are connected to the Brigands and Maquis, and together with the Brigands, control the majority of the Gallic black market.
