Editing Quest:Hive Queen Quest (section)

==== Commonwealth of Free States ====
:''Capital: Damascus, Constantinople, Aquila system''

===== Government =====
In theory the Commonwealth is a coalition of smaller planetary governments that have banded together under a jointly operated military, in practice it is a Military Junta organized by a board of the Interstellar Fleet's highest ranking admirals. The fact that the admiralty board does not care to meddle in the affairs of local governments means that the day to day operations of the government functions on a basis of laissez faire economics, allowing individual planetary and system governments to write and enforce their own laws, sign their own treaties, and maintain their own infrastructure and economies. The result is that the concept of government is totally different on every world, with some functioning under the rule of wealthy noble families, others run by dictators and despots, and others still as republics or even existing in outright anarchy. The only constant among the worlds of the Commonwealth is that each planet is expected to pay a levy, but even then said levy can take the form of enlisted troops, raw materials, the use of processing plants, food, manufactured goods, and anything in between. So long as levies are paid, the planet is left autonomous, with government assigned governors sent to oversee or outright replace the current leadership in the event of default.

The Admiralty Board itself is composed of an unknown number of officers typically believed to number between four and six people, with the members elected by the Interstellar Fleet's admirals from among themselves. While the details regarding the Board are not classified, it is not typically publicly available information.

===== Life in the Commonwealth =====
Most people will live and die on the same world on which they were born. Travel between worlds is often restricted at the local level, with individual planets placing draconian laws on who and what can and cannot leave or enter a planet's atmosphere. In most cases, trade is managed by exuberantly wealthy trade syndicates that have managed to bribe their way into the ports of every major world, however there is a rather large demand for smugglers even among many government officials, and small cargo runners flying in luxury goods from Union space are common enough that they often do not have need to hide their activity, and in some cases will openly operate their illicit trade routs and securing deals with local officials. While the legality of individual goods is very rarely an issue, it is illegal to obtain goods from Union space, making certain commodities such as delicacies and recreational narcotics more difficult and more expensive to acquire. While it would be obvious to everyone at the table that it was gained illegally, presenting a Huronese Wickerfish at a state dinner is an excellent method of gaining influence among planetary neighbors. In addition to the occasional shortage of food or drugs, some worlds require many other resources as a result of trade embargo, boycotts, or as a result of a particularly harsh levy, meaning there is always demand for smugglers and independent traders.

Between the worlds of the Commonwealth one could almost be lead to believe that the colonies truly were independent, as local politicians arrange trade agreements, sign treaties, forge alliances, and even wage proxy wars over resources. Trade syndicates will often maintain their own small fleets to defend their contracts, and skirmishes between rival corporations are not unheard of. Often times these syndicates are led, or at least involve the membership of one or more admirals as high ranking members and investors, frequently leading to tense political maneuverings on several levels of government.