Because its citizens’ physiology prohibits them from engaging in high-gee combat maneuvers, the Martian Lunar nation has no naval ships, although some of the SII’s commercial starships have a secondary combat role in times of national emergency, and are capable of deploying combat wasps. A training exercise is held for them every ten years, though they have never seen active service.
2. Kulu
Kulu is an ethnic Christian terracompatible planet 173 light-years from Earth, discovered in 2227.
Physical Data
Kulu orbits 152m km from its star, giving it a 379-day year. Rotation takes 24 hours 8 minutes, gravity is 97 percent standard. Its axial tilt is 1.5°, giving moderate seasonal climate change.
Two-fifths of the surface area of Kulu is land, distributed among nine major continents and several archipelagos. Kulu has no polar continents, only ice caps. There are four major oceans.
It has two moons: Quorn is 1,500km in diameter, and orbits 100,000km out, giving each orbit a nine-day period. St. Mary is 2,300km in diameter, and orbits 490,000km out, giving it a six-week orbit. Both moons possess naval bases, and the Kulu Corporation has a mining operation on St. Mary.
One hundred and seventy-five stony-iron asteroids have been maneuvered into orbit 150,000km above Kulu, forming a large zero-gee industrial base. Their combined population is 18.5m.
Kulu’s capital city is Nova Kong, sited on the east coast of the Althalia continent (the largest), 42° north of the equator, with a population of 19m. The planetary population is 3.75bn, making this the second most heavily populated planet after Earth. Emigration to the planet itself is now closed, though the asteroid settlements remain open to specialists.
Star System Physical Data
The Kulu system has five solid planets, including Kulu itself. The other four are:
There is a thin asteroid belt between Ulvern and Bellrit, comprised mainly of stony-iron rocks. A much larger belt orbits outside Bellrit, and supports 242 settlements. Their population is 50,000,000m.
There are also three gas giants.
The Kulu Kingdom
The Kulu Kingdom is composed of the capital planet, Kulu itself, and the principality planets (in order of discovery) Jerez, St. Albans, Nesko, Balurghat, Echtern, Warwick, Shasta, and Obmey. The nine member stars occupy a roughly ovoid shape fifty-seven light-years long, with Kulu itself the closest to Earth and Ombey furthest away. Its Royal Navy scoutships are still searching for new terracompatible planets; however, the cost of funding the Shasta and Ombey principalities precludes another colonization project being launched for another fifty years.
History
Kulu was settled in 2230 by Richard Saldana, the chairman of the New Kong company (an asteroid settlement in Earth’s O’Neill Halo), who transported all the settlement’s industrial stations to an asteroid in orbit around Kulu, and claimed the star system for himself. His reason for moving (or escape, as he called it), was to liberate the New Kong company from what he saw as the unnecessarily restrictive influence of Govcentral, as well as its equally anti-capitalistic tax regime.
Saldana was himself of European aristocratic background, with proven ancestral links to the British, Spanish and Greek royal families, a pedigree which undoubtedly helped his family in their later elevation to sovereign status. Although moving the New Kong industrial stations out of Halo jurisdiction was an act of dubious legality, Govcentral chose not to pursue Saldana. A naval action would probably only have succeeded in damaging or destroying the stations, and invading what was ostensibly an independent star system would have been politically disastrous at a time when Govcentral desperately needed unlimited access to colony planets in order to dump Earth’s surplus population. Saldana’s venture had been meticulously planned over several decades (he was eighty-seven when it happened), and considerable effort had gone into filling New Kong with people dissatisfied by both Govcentral and the alternatives offered by the colony planets, the majority of which at that time were extremely primitive.
Perhaps the most notorious decision he took was to prohibit the Edenists from germinating a habitat in orbit around Kulu’s gas giant Tarron, and setting up their usual He3 mining operation. He did this under the guise of religious devotion, although he had never before in his life demonstrated any religious tendencies. It is arguable that he was himself considering the establishment of an He3 mining corporation to rival the Edenists, though Kulu at that time could never afford to match what was already the largest industrial enterprise in existence, and Saldana must have known this. Whatever the true reason, the Kulu Kingdom remains completely independent of the Edenists for its supplies of He3 (see Gas giants, page 17).
With extensive modern manufacturing systems available in orbit around Kulu, Saldana was quickly able to provide a sophisticated infrastructure on the planet itself, attracting the kind of middle-class professionals who would otherwise have remained on Earth. With its burgeoning economy, Kulu was swiftly recognized as an excellent investment, and capital poured in—with many of the wealthier individual investors following it, raising its appeal still further. The economic upward spiral of Kulu’s first century is one that has never been repeated, despite innumerable attempts; the economic and social factors both on Earth and across the Confederation have changed too much since then. Richard Saldana was simply the right man at the right time with the right idea.
Richard Saldana died in 2248, and his son Gerrald inherited what had become the Kulu Corporation, which then consisted of the asteroid settlement and its associated orbital industrial stations, the Tarron cloudscoop operation, planetary utility services, a starship fleet, and various planetary factories. In a move no less inspired than his father’s, Gerrald called the settlement’s first election, but refused to stand for any post. Instead it was a simple matter to ensure that his placemen secured a majority in the Parliament, and the first action of the new president, Dennis Mason (later Lord Mason), was to introduce an act creating the position of a constitutional guardian who would remain outside politics and safeguard the Kulu system’s new-found liberty. The logical choice for this post was someone who simply could not be bribed, so Gerrald Saldana’s appointment was approved unanimously by Parliament, and his coronation was held in 2250.
Constitution
The head of state is the King, who has the right to levy taxes in defense of the Kingdom, and is responsible for enforcing the Crown’s justice. In return for fealty, the sovereign guarantees all his subjects the following rights: (a) an elected assembly which can offer advice to the Crown, pass laws subject to the royal seal of assent, and raise taxes to pay for the said laws; (b) an independent judiciary and police force not subject to Parliament’s control; (c) the right to own and use property (widely referred to as the Capitalism Pledge, necessary to placate investors and wealthy would-be colonists becoming nervous that Gerrald was establishing a dictatorship).
Religion
The sovereign is also the defender of the Christian faith throughout the Kingdom, a position which wasn’t ratified by the Vatican until 2343. Although atheists are allowed to immigrate, the devout of all other faiths are refused entry. King Marcus granted considerable estates to the Church in 2312, which have provided the synod with an independent income ever since. Kulu priests are frequently assigned to Christianizing missions on recently colonized planets.
The Monarchy
Gerrald Saldana took his duties as head of state very seriously, virtually handing over management of the Kulu Corporation to his son and daughter, Alastair and Cheloe, so that he could devote his energies to proper government. He established a socialized health service and several universities, as well as overseeing the formation of a genuinely independent judiciary. In short, he did effectively perform his role as constitutional guardian, cementing his family’s power base. His greatest challenge came over the annexation of Jerez, which was discovered by Kulu Corporation ships but was also claimed by the Parma government. Up until that point, no government’s jurisd
iction had extended outside its own system (apart from the Edenists’). As usual in times of national crisis, the population rallied round its leader and, with Cheloe serving on one of the starships which fought the Parma ships attacking the Tarron cloudscoop, the Saldana dynasty became unchallengeable in Kulu from this period onwards. Parma was defeated with the use of antimatter weapons, its remaining industrial stations being confiscated in reparation, and Jerez became a principality awarded to Cheloe herself.
Since Gerrald’s coronation, the greatest threat to the stability of the monarchy occurred during the abdication crisis of 2432 (see Tranquillity, page 127). However, the subsequent reign of King Lukas did much to repair the damage; he worked hard at eliminating the excesses of court corruption (which by then was becoming dangerously decadent), and along with Queen Anne enjoyed an extraordinarily high level of public popularity and support.
The Saldana Family
The King still owns the Kulu Corporation in its entirety (as well as possessing the mineral rights of all planets and asteroids in the Kingdom), and because of this he is the richest individual in the whole Confederation today. The Kulu Corporation has expanded its interests to include manufacturing of every kind, and owns all the utilities on the capital planet and on each principality world. Also it administers the Crown Estates, which account for 80 percent of the land mass on each terracompatible planet, and it mines and supplies He3 in each Kingdom system. The Kulu Crown Bank, a Kulu Corporation subsidiary, is the largest financial institution in the Kingdom, and contends with the Jovian Bank for business throughout the Confederation. It is the junior members of the Saldana family who run the corporation, with the sovereign’s tenth sibling (see Saldana Eugenics, below) as its president. A spell of commissioned service in the Royal Navy is virtually compulsory for a Saldana, certainly for one belonging to the upper echelon, i.e. destined for public life. They normally serve a fifteen-year commission, although some go on to make a career out of it. For them promotion is always through merit, and several also hold high-ranking posts in the Confederation Navy (again earned on merit).
There are probably as many as 350,000 direct descendants of Richard Saldana alive today, three-quarters of whom are illegitimate. The Saldanas clearly enjoy their preeminent position, and its associated privileges, but rarely abuse it. Although all upper-echelon family members are expected to marry, fathering children outside their official marriages is not considered an abuse of privilege (rather a consequence), and the family invariably pays a generous allowance to the child’s mother (King Aaron allegedly sired 409 offspring).
The escapades of the junior family members provide a constant source of amusement and gossip for the entire Kingdom’s population, and indeed across the Confederation as a whole.
Saldana Eugenics and Hierarchy
Over the years, the Saldana family has received considerable genetic modification, improving the efficiency of both brain and body, and this process continues. They are physically impressive in size and vigor, although most of them possess a rather thin nose with a slight downward curve at the tip, which has become their (in) famous distinguishing mark, and their life expectancy is currently 180 plus. It’s a common saying that Saldanas are like Edenists without the affinity gene.
All senior Saldanas undertake marriage, thus providing an ideal example of the Christian family to the general public. The first ten offspring of the King and Queen are grown in exowombs, and the eldest child (always male) eventually becomes King of Kulu, with the next eight assuming the thrones of the principality worlds (three princesses are the norm), while the tenth child becomes President of the Kulu Corporation. This same pattern is followed through every generation, which allows further genetic modifications to be made to the zygotes. After the tenth exowomb child has been birthed, the King and Queen (usually still Crown Prince and Princess at the time) are then free to conceive natural children. The usual number of these subsequent offspring is three or four, who act as a reserve in case any of the exowomb ten should be killed before assuming their allotted station in life.
The Crown Princess is always a subject of the Kulu Kingdom, and usually a member of the aristocracy. A family which has itself undergone extensive genetic modification (especially regarding life expectancy) is preferred, so that a long-term marriage partnership will be possible. The King and Queen can never get divorced, but it would be wrong to conclude that all royal marriages arranged by the court are arid couplings, and therefore loveless. Most significantly, King Lukas is reputed to have only ever enjoyed his partner, Queen Anne, as a sexual partner.
The Kings of Kulu
Gerrald 2250–2280
Alastair 2280–2302
Marcus 2302–2351
Aubrey 2351–2372
Aaron 2372–2412
James 2412–2432
Michael 2432 (abdicated before coronation)
Lukas 2432–2505
David 2505–2608
Alastair II 2608–
Kulu Aristocracy
Gerrald Saldana instigated a titled nobility the year following his coronation, thus formalizing the institution of monarchy. Letters patent of nobility were (and are) used as a reward for loyalty or public service (the highest carrying pensions and sometimes small estates), and in form it duplicates the original European system of ennoblement. The aristocracy do not sit in the equivalent of a House of Lords, but a great many of them work for the royal court in administering the sovereign’s privileges, such as the granting of mineral-extraction licenses, the levying of taxes for defense, and as officers of justice, etc.—in effect, forming a private civil service unaccountable to Parliament. It is this court which runs Kulu’s Intelligence services, and this is perhaps its most notorious function.
Technology
Kulu technology is second only to that of the Edenists, and in some fields, notably nanonics, it is more advanced. The capital system has a highly developed techno economy, providing its population with the best Adamist standard of living within the Confederation.
Helium Mining
The gas giant Tarron is the center of He3 mining in the Kulu system. This operation consists of forty-plus cloudscoops controlled by fifteen asteroid settlements in orbit around Tarron. In addition to the Tarron operation, each of the principality systems possesses a gas mining operation. The cloudscoops supply all of the Kulu Kingdom’s industrial, civil, naval, and transport energy requirements, as well as supplying fuel for visiting starships.
The price of He3 within the Kingdom is equal to the price which the Edenists charge throughout the Confederation, and is an arrangement of sheer necessity. If Kulu He3 cost more than Edenist fuel, its industry would suffer accordingly. The Kulu mining operation is profitable, although its dividends are not as high as more normal commercial activities. The colossal scale of the operation makes up for this one shortfall, and the Saldana family considers it a more than worthwhile price to pay for complete independence. Starting with King Richard, they have always viewed the Edenist energy monopoly as a gross incursion of their national sovereignty. However, He3 is not exported by the Kingdom, since the Kulu Corporation simply could not match the lower price the Edenists can charge for He3 in star systems without a developed mining industry. Nor would there be many star systems willing to pay the political price of having their energy supplied by the Saldanas. The Kulu Kingdom is one of the very few examples of a sovereign state possessing its own He3 mining operation and, now that star-system colonization is conducted on an almost institutionalized basis, that seems set to remain so. The two other principal exceptions are Oshanko and Far Texas. Ironically, the only other nation-state to possess its own cloudscoop is Tranquillity, which assumed control of the Kulu Corporation’s Mirchusko mining operation when it became officially independent from the Kingdom. Yet none of these mining operations pose any real threat to the Edenist energy monopoly.
Currency
The Kingdom uses a decimal pound as its currency. Most transactions are done thr
ough credit disk, though the Royal Mint does issue silver and gold sovereigns. During “private” events, such as a night out at a restaurant or club, senior-echelon Saldanas can pay any bills with a platinum crown, equal to £100. Issued only to members of the family, needless to say these coins become instant collectors’ pieces, and can subsequently change hands for twenty to thirty times their actual face value.
As with the Edenist dollar, He3 has given the Kulu pound an enviable stability, and its exchange rate against the fuseodollar has remained unchanged since 2370. Thus the pound is the second strongest Adamist currency (after the Govcentral dollar), and the Kulu Crown Bank is a prevailing influence across the Confederation.
Kulu Royal Navy
Kulu maintains the third largest naval force in the Confederation, after Earth and the Edenists, with 750 warships on active service. The Saldana family is a strong supporter of the Confederation, and one-third of the Royal Navy remains on permanent assignment to the Confederation Navy, with each squadron serving six-year tours of duty.
The naval squadron deployment levels throughout the Kingdom systems, and a willingness to pursue pirates (assisted by the Fleet Intelligence agency) across Confederation territory, have made the Kingdom systems the safest in the Confederation through which to travel, after the Sol system.