Ile Danse, though populated by humans of Imperial descent, has close ties to its Zhodani neighbors and remains friendly with the Consulate. Isolated from the Marches since the Second Frontier War, this world has benefited greatly by allowing Zhodani corporations to mine the minerals and heavy salts from its oceans, inviting Zhodani teachers to train their locals Psionics, and letting the Consulate assist with building up the local tech level.
Somehow throughout all this, Ile Danse has maintained its distinctly Imerpial outlook toward society, technology, free trade and style while remaining fiercely independent of their Zhodani neighbors. All debts to the Consulate have been paid in a timely fashion, and Zhodani Naval forces passing through are allowed refuelling priviledges only. Any vessel over 1000 tons of military nature is strictly prohibted from entering within 100 diameters of the mainworld without express permission of the Prime Minister himself.
Were it not for its sole landmass being trapped under miles of polar ice, Ile Danse would have been settled by the Zhodani much earlier than by Imperial humans. The oceans are fairly shallow in some places, and in the case of a minor startup company Tesla Metals circa 250 Imperial, rich enough in heavy metals to be worth the investment of raising up artificial islands as bases from which to launch mining expeditions. Booms in platinum and iridium finds and the discovery of just how rich the ocean's native biodiversity is, led to a flurry of expansion, construction, and immigration from higher population worlds such as Lenin, Fessor, and Reidan.
Eventually, in 755, Tesla Metals bowed to popular local workers' demands (some historians say at gunpoint), and nationalized all mining within a two hundred mile radius of Stage City, the world's first major underwater city complex. The following period of restlessness and disorder lasted about two decades before the government congealed into three branches; an Executives Branch headed by a popularly elected Prime Minister, an Economic House of Representatives with electorates selected from a variety of VP's representing the world's industries, and a judicial branch with chief members appointed for life by the Executives Branch and approved by majority vote by the House of Representatives.
Outer System
Three other worlds,
all moons of the gas giant Demeter, are inhabited as well and help spur a brisk
insystem trade. Demeter itself lies just distant from Ile Danse to make insystem
jumps faster than most merchanter ships can push themselves with maneuver drives.
Braunun (F-421517-B) is wholly owned by Ile Tesla Industries, and is currently headquarters for the company's operations.
Turin (G-100624-A) was founded as a mining colony initially, but in the last hundred years or so has seen a population boom from dissidents seeking more input into governmental affairs. Turin maintains friendly relationships with Ile Danse and Braunun, but considers itself a completely sovereign state, Achos also maintains a modest navy of seven 200 ton jump capable craft.
Achos (H-300466-A) is essentially an extension of the mainworld's territory, representing its interests in the Demeter subsystem. Any anti-pirate patrols of Demeter's rings and moons are based out of Achos. Commandant Giraud Dlientz runs the base with a strict, though fatherly, attitude. He distrusts Ile Tesla's managers in the Demeter system, and resents their patrols, which tend to use more modern, better equipped craft than have been assigned to his base.
Ile Tesla Industries
Tesla Metals
has evolved into a veritable powerhouse of the subsector, Ile Tesla Industries,
now a manufacturer/supplier of vehicles, electronics, metals, mining equipment,
desalinization equipment, as well as a broker for trade for many of the higher
population worlds within 3 parsecs. Ile Tesla Industries maintains offices in
Belt Maginum, Eronirabo, Tlebria, and Gatina, and owns substantial amounts of
territory on Cotalu, as yet untapped.
The current CEO of Ile Tesla Industries is a venerable woman by the name of Marie Strauss, and is considered to be more powerful in many respects than the Prime Minister of Ile Danse. Ms. Strauss is a ruthless politician, and controls a majority faction within the Economic House. While she has many enemies that would like to see her removed form power by any means possible, she is immensely popular, dangerously intelligent, and knows how to use lawyers, media, allies, and a loyal security echelon within Ile Tesla to secure her corporate empire. Some within the political circus of Ile Tesla believe her to be a sinister force of mass manipulation in the populace, but others, some her 'friends' and marginally neutral opponents see her work as being at the core, beneficial to the world's society and safety.
Many worlds within Ile Danse's sphere of influence still refer to the company by its old name, Tesla Metals, and some of the company's older ships still in service after nearly three centuries of use still have the original corporate markings, continually touched up or repainted by doting captains. Two of the larger Tesla (J3, 1G, 20,000 ton) ships, 'Arclight' and the 'Dynamo', are in this group, and are allowed to remain the home and livelihood of semi-independant merchanter families Sousa and Vaughna. Both return a percentage of their profits to Ile Tesla each time they return to port for repairs, but are otherwise free to ply the trade lanes between Shivva, in the Zhodani Consulate, and Titan, in the Avalar Consulate.