[VV] Meran Cluster

OK, I'm sitting on the CQ desk last night, and I started thinking
about way to make for interesting games.

I came up with the Meran Cluster.

Approx 200 years ago, the Merans burst onto the interstellar scene. 
Agressive, Militaristic, and totalitarian, they also had managed to
make some quantum leaps in technology over their neighbors.  They
quickly subdued their local star cluster and set up a semi-feudalistic
empire.  One of the biggest problems was the lack of native Merans to
fill all the positions of leadership, so many local 'elites' were
coopted into the Fleet and Strike Forces, as well as the local
government.

Fastforward about 70 years, with increased restlessness inside the
Cluster.  In order to keep central control, the Merans have set up a
system of jump gates in their cluster.	These require no specific
drive to use, just a transmitting station and a recieving station that
is not 'closed'.  So not so useful if the rebels could get ahold of
the jump gate, but extremely useful if loyal forces could keep
control.  Within a decade of the network's complete, the Hand of God
struck.  A remarkably successful secret society that was apparently
cluster-wide, nothing is known of the Hand of God save the bare name,
and the results of their most spectacular operation.  In the space of
less than six hours, a toxin of some sort was released across the
planet Mera which managed to kill over 99% of all lifeforms with a
central nervous system.  With the loss of the central governmental
structure, the entire empire collapsed nearly over night.  To the
surprise of most of the outside observers, the scramble for Imperial
assets and to set up political structures at the single system level
was very light on bloodshed.

The Maran cluster contains 27 habitable star systems, organized into
polities of between 1 and 3 systems.  Only 3 multi-system
confederations exist.  The economy of the cluster is reasonably
strong, but technology is not near Tier 1 standards.  Mostly Tier 2-3.
 There is some competition among the star systems, largely of a 'cold
war' nature, but occasionally breaking out into serious violence. 
Several of the systems have been noted to have militaristic tendencies
and the resources to put those tendencies into action, so most
observers do not believe the generally peaceful trends will continue.

I designed one star system, the Lithian Commonwealth, with miltary
forces FT/DS.  Any interest?

John
-- 
"Thousands of Sarmatians, Thousands of Franks, we've slain them again
and again.  We're looking for thousands of Persians."
--Vita Aureliani