Volume XLV: Periphery Nations, Pt. I—Magistracy of Canopus
Fact Sheet: Magistracy of Canopus
Founding Year: 2530
Capital (City, World): Crimson, Canopus IV
National Symbol: A trio of gold, five-pointed stars and an ovoid starfield, set against a green circle with a blue rim.
Location (Terra relative): Rimward, beyond Capellan Confederation and Duchy of Andurien
Total (Inhabited) Systems: 39
Estimated Population (3130): 70,200,000,000
Government: Monarchy (matriarchal rule)
Ruler: Magestrix Ilsa Liao-Centrella
Dominant Language(s): English (official), Spanish, Greek, Romanian, Mandarin Chinese
Dominant Religion(s): Buddhism, Christianity, Wiccan, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism
Unit of Currency: Dollar (1 dollar = 0.54 C-Bills)

From the penthouse suites of the Majesty (formerly Mindstar) Enterprises’ Grand Triumph resort hotel, one can survey the entire Majesty compound, a sprawl of holovid theaters, casinos, restaurants, massage parlors, malls, and amusement parks the size of a small city. This center of the Canopian entertainments trade is brand-new, the decades-long reconstruction of the fire-gutted remains of the old Mindstar compound only now reaching completion. Likewise, to the south, the city of Crimson features all-new architecture and fresh-laid exotic gardens. Shiny new cruise boats ply the waters of the once debris-choked River Tethis and its delta to the open sea. Only to the north, on the outskirts of the Thistletown Fields spaceport, can the remains of the Word of Blake’s hellish firebombing still be seen, in the form of a mound of charred and rusted metal, pushed beyond the outskirts of several blackened hangars along a disused stretch of runway. Canopus was not spared the horrors of the Jihad, but the Blakists’ use of conventional incendiary weapons, rather than nuclear devices or orbital bombardment, made possible the relatively easy reconstruction of the capital city and the mega-resort nearby. Despite the horrors of that war, the people here are friendly, carefree, and all visitors are welcome, be it for business, pleasure, or a little of both. The climate, however, continues to deteriorate thanks to years of strip mining and the damage wrought during the Jihad. Nowadays, it seems that the winters in this once-temperate region grow decidedly colder and longer with each passing year.

Under Star League rule, the Magistracy of Canopus, though technically an occupied state, fared better than most of its contemporary Periphery realms. Generous aid from the League helped restore the pleasure industry ravaged by the Reunification War, and the nation benefited from an age of peace and prosperity. By the time of the Amaris Crisis, these fortunes had reversed, and the Magistracy declared its independence and immediately switched to defensive mode, hoping to survive the difficult times ahead from a posture of armed neutrality.

Unfortunately, such neutrality would not be enough to weather the three-hundred-year storm that was the Succession Wars. With civilian interstellar travel limited at best, the Canopian economy slowly declined, while territorial disputes with the Taurian Concordat, communications breakdowns, and the predations of Inner Sphere and pirate raiders, all sapped the Magistracy’s military and economic strength. The few surviving industries were more practical than the tourist-based trades of yesteryear, and diplomats frantically worked to resolve any political crises, lest another costly war rage on Canopian soil. Though these years were relatively peaceful (at least, from the Canopian point of view), the grandeur of the old Magistracy was lost over the centuries.

Ironically, it would be their one and only stab at imperialism that would revive the struggling Magistracy in the early thirty-first century. Hoping to capitalize on the end of the Fourth Succession War, the Canopians allied with the Free Worlds League’s rebellious Duchy of Andurien, to assault the weakened Capellan Confederation. Though defeated in the end by a fanatical Capellan defense, this ill-fated campaign prompted the ascension of Magestrix Emma Centrella. A truly visionary leader, Emma managed to make peace with the Free Worlds League before a feared Marik invasion could punish her realm for its role in the brief Andurien secession. She also managed to single-handedly revitalize the Canopian pleasure industry with hefty personal bailouts to its remaining major corporations, such as Magliss Spirits and Mindstar Enterprises. The profits from this support allowed Emma to further diversify the Canopian industrial base, helping to recover some of her realm’s lost prosperity.

With the Clan Invasion, the Magistracy once more turned to diplomacy to secure its survival, fearing the eventual arrival of Kerensky’s descendants. Emma Centrella endorsed an ambitious plan to unify all Periphery realms in a coalition against the Clans, should they ever threaten them, but while such a coalition failed to materialize, the plan did result in an alliance between Canopus and the Taurian Concordat. Ironically, this bold political move eventually attracted the unlikely attention of Sun-Tzu Liao and his Capellan Confederation.

The thought of an alliance with the Capellans shocked practically everybody, including Magestrix [Emma] Centrella herself. Here, you had the socially open, militarily unremarkable, matriarchal Periphery state approached by a Great House. And not just any Great House, but House Liao, the very same people the Canopians had fought barely a generation before, and who had a notorious reputation for brutality—as far as most outsiders were concerned, anyway. Sun-Tzu had to be crazy, right? His proposals, however, were valid, well thought out, and unexpectedly respectful of Canopian culture, taking into account the military, economic, and sociopolitical needs not just of the Confederation, but of the Magistracy of Canopus, and even the Taurian Concordat (if they desired to join in this venture as well). Sure, it was obvious, even then, that the Capellans mainly wanted more troops to recover their losses of the Fourth Succession War, but the gains to be had were substantial, and that was just on the opening offer. The offer promised that, before long, the Canopians would have the power and the stability to rival any Great House, all without any binding contract of marriage or political union (Sun-Tzu was engaged to Isis Marik at the time, anyway). To Emma Centrella, it was the most generous offer she could have imagined from a House Lord. Wholeheartedly dedicated to restoring and securing her realm better than it had been in centuries, she simply could not resist an offer like this. —Valerie DuBois, The Trinity Alliance: What Went Right?, Hardcore Press, 3120

As it happened, Canopian and Taurian troops did indeed assist the Capellan state in reclaiming its lost territories in St. Ives and along the Chaos March front. This effort strengthened the so-called Trinity Alliance and proved that the warriors of the Periphery were actually a force to be reckoned with. Sun-Tzu Liao would even eventually wed Naomi Centrella, one of Emma Centrella’s daughters, in the midst of the Jihad. While both realms fought side by side against the Blakists—the Taurian Concordat having already fallen out of the alliance due to internal and external matters—they would never formally unite under a single banner. Sun-Tzu Liao’s promises not to force a political union beyond their alliance proved genuine to the last.

Today, the Magistracy remains its own entity, militarily formidable, economically vital, and socially free. Its government, remaining under the steady rule of the Centrella line (though Ilsa Centrella is actually the eldest daughter of Sun-Tzu; a situation which has caused a small minority within the Magistracy to contend that Sun-Tzu has indeed forced a Capellan rulership onto Canopians), is still a matriarchy. House Centrella still rules, though an electoral system technically has the authority to choose a non-Centrella Magestrix when an incumbent dies. A multilayered court system still oversees the rights of Canopian citizens, and their needs are represented by both a popularly elected Central Committee, which forms a legislative review board, and the Crimson Council, which handles all affairs for the nobility—all without Capellan oversight.

All three tiers of the Canopian nobility (the Froness, descended from the Magistracy’s original settlers; the Durachi, merchant princes; and the Girin, recognized citizens lifted into the nobility) enjoy far more privileges than the underclasses—including the right to choose a substitute for military service, the right of females to choose their own mates (who cannot refuse, under Canopian law), and the right to trade outside Canopian borders. Yet, despite this, the system sees remarkably few abuses.

Canopian citizenship is open to all individuals desiring freedom from political, religious, or social persecution, in keeping with the spirit of the state’s foundation, and all such citizens are free to own land, or pursue any desired social status. In exchange, all are required to contribute to the nation’s defense in some way, be it through military service, involvement in the educational system (which has always been viewed as a cornerstone to the Magistracy’s defense), or by donation of land or materiel to any war effort during times of crisis. Political parties are banned under Canopian law, but all citizens are required to participate in all elections. These systems help assure a sense of belonging among the people of this socially liberal realm, while contributing to its ongoing vitality.

The Magistracy of Canopus, a Periphery realm dedicated to the pursuit of pleasure and entertainment, yet strong and determined enough to defend itself in time of crisis, is certainly nothing like the stereotypical image one gets when thinking about the fringe worlds of human space. Indeed, there are few today who could possibly argue that House Centrella and its longstanding Magistracy are any less a major power than any of the Great Houses today.

Up next, follow me as we tour the Taurian Concordat, another of the Periphery’s most noteworthy realms. I’m Bertram Habeas.