Terran Colonial Charters

 Terran Charters are a form of system governance propagated by Humans that dispersed across Starfall Galaxy after the Terran Incursion. Charters are the fundamental structure for interstellar colonies. Patron entities generate the resources needed to establish the industrial base for the colony and to transport raw materials and the labor force. The colonists were granted legal protections in the Charter to prevent the overreach of Patron corporations. Charters would establish independent judiciaries and assign legislative responsibilities to the colonists. Defense forces are typically commanded by the colonial executive at the direction of the legislative board.

Charter Executives 

Colony patrons appoint charter executives to ensure the return on their investment. They direct the operation of the charter’s core industry and are ultimately responsible for the overall security of the colony. Charters are designed for a patron-appointed executive to be removed when the colony buys them out of their position. What the colony becomes after the executive buy-out depends significantly on the nature of the buy-out. Rival interests may buy out a patron’s colonies; this rarely results in any observable change from the colony’s perspective. Some particularly autocratic executives buy out their own charters, allowing them to maintain their position and the succession of their title, effectively establishing a system monarchy. Sometimes, private interests can gather the capital to buy out the controlling interest; occasionally, the legislative board buys out the executive; and other times, the labor union purchases the controlling interest.

Charters that have bought out the patron’s interest are no longer considered colonies but either fully realised States or co-citizen provinces.

Assessors

Some charters find themselves unable or unwilling to repay colonial patrons. When Executives are having difficulty maintaining the profitability of a charter colony, an assessor can be appointed to investigate the charter and restore it to profitability. These assessors are given broad authority over the charter and are resourced to establish themselves as a dominant power in the system. Assessors typically travel with their own retinue of support personnel and security forces, most often a regiment of defense forces but occasionally a legion of Sider Stratiotes. Assessors may determine that bringing a system back into charter compliance would be much to costly. These systems are “written off” and sold for liquidation.

Legislative Board

The Charter’s board of directors are selected from among the colonists by the colonists. This governing body typically starts off relatively small, with fewer than a dozen members, and can grow into a few hundred in thriving charters. This board sets the laws and policies that govern operations beyond the core industry of the charter. This legislation falls in the typical purview of government laws that protect the citizenry of the charter colony, policies that support the diversification and expansion of the charter’s economy.  

Charter Defense Forces

Charter defence forces include internal security, surface military, and Space Navy. Charter patrons hire and equip the initial charter defence forces. The board is responsible for any expansion, upgrading, or mobilization after colonial embarkation. 

Acsendency Charters

The Genesis Acsendency issues charters for their interstellar holdings as well. The executors of an Acsendebdy charter is titled the system governor. Acsendency charters do not allow for the colony to buy out the governorship and the position is considered a perpetual title managed by the Piety Conclave. The systems of the Genesis Acsendency Tithe portions of their output to Columbia as an act of collective devotion to the seat of Humanity reborn. Acsendency charters do not allow for the naturalization of non-human species and populations of xenos within an Acsendency colony is considered a violation of the Genesis Imperitives. Systems that lapse in their tithe or harbor Xenos populations are targeted for fully weighted Assessor Inquiries sponsored by the Piety Conclave.