New Babylon

New Babylon is a minor interstellar realm spanning three star-systems. It has been created with extensive aid from both the Stellar Republic and the Pax Galactica and is one of several similiar realms in the Aleph Sector intended to stabilize the region and guard vital tradelanes. The realm is a military dictatorship mainly populated by human refugees.

Political Structure
The official head of state and government of New Babylon is the President, outfitted with dictatorial powers and appointed by the Military Council of New Babylon. This Military Council consists of ten high-ranking members of New Babylons military and additional observers from both the Stellar Republic and the Pax Galactica. New Babylons Military Council furthermore limits the ability of the President to decree laws and measures, as it has the power to overturn any decision of the President.

Economy
Of all the realms cushioned between the Stellar Republic and Pax Galactica, New Babylon is most heavily involved with trade in the Divide. Many independent companies operate risky, but lucrative business in the nearby systems, including traders, mercenaries and bankers. Most of the profits gathered this way remain untaxed, meaning that the lion share of New Babylons economic output remains untapped by the government, which is dependant upon subsidies from the Stellar Republic and Pax Galactica to maintain itself. Much of the domestic industry meanwhile is run as part of an extensive military-industrial complex, with captains of industry appointed from within a military caste and its profits directly reaped by the military.

Foreign Relations
Largely dependant upon the goodwill of both the Stellar Republic and the Pax Galactica, New Babylon is a minor signatory of the Grand Treaty and on the forefront of the alliance's efforts to stabilize the Divide. However, its own economic and strategic interests in the neighbouring anarchic systems have repeatly led New Babylon into diplomatic confrontation with its patrons and of all the minor powers who signed the treaty, New Babylon must be considered the most independent.

It is an open secret that New Babylons leadership intends to expand its power into the Divide and wishes to annex the systems closest to its current territory. Military ships have made repeated incursions to protect trade routes and New Babylon nationals active within the divide, corroborating the country's claim on these systems, while business within the Divide is actively supported and subsidized by the government.

Military
Most of the states' funds are used for the small military, whose members are well-paid and loyal to the regime. The military is mainly used to secure the position of the dictator, to quell public unrest and to intervene against pirates. For defense against other realms, particular the threat the Septoids pose for the entire sector, New Babylon has to rely on protection from the Stellar Republic and the Pax Galactica. Likewise, most of its weapons and equipments are outdated versions released from the stocks of the Stellar Republic or lower-tech products specifically aimed at the human market.