Andromedan Covenant Territories

"We walk the path of the Covenant, no matter where we are."

The Andromedan Covenant Territories, known simply the Andromedan Covenant is the semi-sovereign territory of the Ankoran Covenant within the Andromeda Galaxy. Consisting of one hundred and forty colonised planets within the Gaia Cluster of the Andromeda Galaxy, it acts as an autonomous political district under the sovereign rule of the Ankoran Covenant.

Despite the lack of oversight from the main political body of the Covenant, the Andromedan Covenant Territories are still beholden by Covenant law. Despite its lower population than other Covenant territories, it retains a larger degree of wealth than most of the Ankoran Covenant. Its capital-world, Gaiyama, is estimated to overtake the Ankoran homeworld in terms of wealth by 3010.

The Andromedan Covenant Territories are trade partners with the Sulsuan Protectorate, and Draknisi Imperium, the latter primarily responsible for the colonial territories' immense wealth compared to other Covenant territories.

Andromeda Initiative
Founded during the arrival of the Ankoran Covenant's Andromeda Initiative, the Andromedan Covenant Territories was established as the primary political body of the Ankoran colonists during the 300 year period of isolation from the core Covenant body in an effort to help manage and govern the population and prevent infighting and power struggles.

Using the political structure of their parent-empire as a foundation for the political body of the Andromedan Covenant Territories, mimicking the religious hierarchy and church-as-state systems of the core Covenant political body.

The settlement of Gaiyama would be the first major achievement of the fledgeling government in 1288, marking the official establishment and founding of the Andromedan Covenant with the election of High Ecclesiarch Orau Evake. Gaiyama would go on to become the de facto capital of the Andromedan Covenant Territories, until 1821, when it was anointed the de jure status of capital-planet.

Government
Government infrastructure within the Andromedan Covenant Territories is split between two major divisions in which the state administrative hierarchy subordinate to the religious hierarchy. The election of civil servants is the duty of local archbishops and cardinals, who select candidates based upon the recommendations of peers, and personal belief in the capabilities of the civil servant in question.

Civil servants of particular importance, such as regional governors, ministers, and the prime minister, may be removed from power by religious authorities at any time. Typical reasons. cited for civil servants being removed from power include heresy, corruption, and incompetence. Civil leaders are responsible for the implementation of the constitution, and for the exercise of executive powers in implementing the decrees and general policies as outlined by the state church.

The Andromedan Covenant Territories's prime minister functions as the executive of affairs such as signing treaties and other international agreements, and administering national planning, budget, and state employment affairs as approved by the church.

The legislative body of the Andromedan Covenant Territories is a unicameral body comprising of members elected for four-year terms. Each colony-world is given a seat in the house, filled by a minister elected by the planet's cardinal. It drafts legislation, ratifies international treaties, and approves the national budget. All parliamentary candidates and all legislation from the assembly must be approved by the state church before being written into law.

Culture
Having established trading agreements with the Draknisi Imperium since 1358, society and culture in the Andromedan Covenant Territories have been shaped by Drakniar influences for some time. Ankoran artists have long been attempting to mimic Drakniar artistic styles, themes, and subject matters for some time, while other forms of Draknisi creative works are adapted for the Covenant's religiously-minded masses. A major adaptation of the Drakniar cinematic masterpiece Ultanos has achieved a cult-following across a majority of Andromedan Covenant colonies.

Religious affairs are considered less important within the Andromedan Covenant Territories than the Covenant Core Worlds in the Milky Way Galaxy, with less conservatism and a more open-minded populace. Despite this, Covenant religious doctrine continues to be held as a pillar of the society, and the overwhelming majority of the population subscribed to the state-backed theocratically-mandated sects of Covenant religion. The less strict adherence to religious law in the Andromedan Covenant Territories since the beginning of the 2920s has become a point of political contention with the Covenant's main body in the Milky Way.

Despite Drakniar cultural influence in other areas of life, musical taste within the Covenant territories has largely rejected Draknisi music in favour of electronica and, techno-pop. A few notable classical Drakniar songs have been remixed by notable Ankoran indie musicians to fit more with Ankoran tastes.

Economy
The social market economy of the Andromedan Covenant Territories is the sixth largest economy in the Andromeda Galaxy and, until 2934, was the fastest-growing economy in Andromeda. Although economic policy refrains from attempts to plan and guide production, the workforce, or sales, it does support planned efforts to influence the economy through organic means.

A major source of income for Covenant colonies is exporting goods to other empires and organisations, typically in the form of cheaper, mass-produced products that, although less refined than international competitors, are functionally similar for much lower costs. Acting as a major exporter of goods, and a major importer of services, the Andromedan Covenant economy has become heavily reliant upon the larger trading partners of the Andromeda Galaxy - especially that of the Draknisi Imperium - yet has benefited and grown greatly from the symbiotic agreements it has formed with its many partners.

Recent slowdowns in economic growth have appeared as a cause for concern to Covenant officials, although as of 2950 the Andromedan Covenant economy is still undergoing growth.