Familias Regnant universe

The Familias Regnant is the name of the government of an area of the galaxy in the distant future from the Serrano series of books written by Elizabeth Moon. In the early books of the Serrano Legacy, the government is headed by a monarchy. As the story progresses, the abdication of the King after the Cloning Scandal caused the Council (equivalent of the House of Lords in the United Kingdom) to appoint an elected official to govern.

Political Make up

The council is made up of members of the Ruling Families. These families have many business interests throughout known space, and political decisions are closely linked to business needs. Non-members of the Ruling Families have little to no control over the choice of leaders and the everyday running of their government.

It is likely that the Ruling Families were initially a business arrangement which became a form of government as business relationships grew and merged. Their government is run according to a set of bylaws and there is no constitution or other set framework in place.

Make up of Military Forces

The Military Forces of the Familias Regnant is made up of two distinct forces:

Regular Space Service

The ' "Regs" ' are the professional section of the Familias Military Forces, primarily made up of space capable vessels crewed by highly experienced crews. They also have planet combat elements and are responsible for the enforcement of law and order in Familias Space.

The RSS was initially created from the private militias of the 14 ruling families. Known founding member families are the Serrano and Livadhi families. Unlike most senior fleet families, the Serranos have no patron due to the occupants of Altiplano lead by the Suiza family over throwing them and in this process killing them. Prior to this amalgamation each militia owed loyalty only to its patron's family.

Notable Characters in the Regular Space Service

* Captain Heris Serrano
* Lieutenant Esmay Suiza
* Captain Arash Livadhi
* Admiral Vida Serrano
* Ensign Barin Serrano

Royal Aeronautical Space Service

Is a non-professional space force with officers primarily taken from families of the chair holders. They have a reputation as being arrogant and unprofessional, existing primarily to live a life of luxury.

Known as the "Royal Ass" to the members of the RSS.

Other Political Elements in the Familias World

The Familias is only one form of government in existence in the galaxy. Other known groups are:

* The Benignity of the Compassionate Hand
* The Bloodhorde
* The New Texas Militia
* The Lone Star Confederation
* The Guernesi Republic

The Benignity of the Compassionate Handis a dictatorial government bordering Familias space. The government is predominantly driven by profit, and failure is usually punished by death. The view from the Familias is that The Benignity is a criminal enterprise governed by criminals who have become the official government. There exists an uneasy peace between the Benignity and the Familias, punctuated by minor skirmishes and border disputes. They are organized in a manner reminiscent of the Mafia.

The Benignity is also known as the ' "Black Scratch" ', or more officially the ' "The Benignity" ', or the ' "Compassionate Hand" '.

The Bloodhordeis a coalition of pirates operating at the edge of Familias Space. Predominantly from Aethar's World, their government is based on tribal lines similar to the Vikings.

The New Texas Militiais one of several groups of fanatics descended from old earth radicals who believe women must be controlled and kept in their place for a godly society to prosper. Literally barefoot and pregnant. They attacked the Familias Regnant by stealing ordnance and piracy against their ships and the ships of other systems. On one such raid they captured and decided to keep Lord Thornbuckle's daughter Brun and use her as breeding stock.

The Lone Star Confederationwas settled by people from the old earth state of Texas. The Lone Star Confederation is one of thetrading partners of the Familias Regnant, and they have no relation to the New Texas Militia.One of their Rangers was dispatched to the Familias Regnant after the kidnapping of Lord Thornbuckle's daughter to clear up any confusion between their states over their connection to the New Texas Militia.

The Guernesi RepublicA very advanced state bordering the Familias Regnant known for its medical and other advanced technology. They were involved in the clone crises that brought down the king and their agents helped in the retrieval of Lord Thornbuckle's daughter Brun from the New Texas Militia.

Familias Regnant novels

* Heris Serrano trilogy
** "Hunting Party" (1993-07-01) ISBN 978-0671721763
** "Sporting Chance" (1994-09-01) ISBN 978-0671876197
** "Winning Colors" (1995-08-01) ISBN 978-0671876777::"Heris Serrano" (2002-07-30) – Baen omnibus edition ISBN 978-0743435529::"The Serrano Legacy: Omnibus One" (2006-12-06) – Orbit GB omnibus
* Esmay Suiza continuation
** "Once a Hero" (1997-03-01) ISBN 978-0671878719
** "Rules of Engagement" (1998-12-01) ISBN 978-0671578411::"The Serrano Connection: Omnibus Two" (2007-09-06) – Orbit GB omnibus::"The Serrano Connection" (2008-10-01) – Baen omnibus edition
** "Change of Command" (1999-12-01) ISBN 978-0671319632
* Suiza and Serrano
** "Against the Odds" (2000-12-02) ISBN 978-0671318505::"The Serrano Succession: Omnibus Three" (2008-02-06) – Orbit GB omnibus

External links

* [http://www.infoshop.org/sf/index.php/List_of_Planets_in_Science_Fiction Planets in Science Fiction]