Theocracy

From Earth Central

The Theocracy, (technically called the "Brotherhood") was the ruling elite on and above Masada, living in huge space stations around the planet until its destruction by united Polity and rebel forces in 2437 (occuring in The Line of Polity).

Prior to its defeat, the Theocracy maintained control over Masada's slave population through its monopoly over Scone anti-rejection medication; without such medication, human bodies would reject the Scone symbiant and consequently would not be able to breate outside in Masada's low-oxygen atmosphere. Additionally, the Theocracy enforced its rule through orbital laser arrays preventing any sort of military uprising from occuring. Its economy revolved around the export of agricultural produce grown by Masada's primarily slave population.

The Theocracy's internal politics were marked by freqeunt and brutal infighting amongst its rulers. Its leaders freqeuntly squabbled for power, and most rulers were eventually overthrown by their rivals. The price of defeat in these power struggles was a slow, painful execution. The last ruler of the Theocracy was one Reverend Loman Dorth, who eliminated all his rivals in the Theocracy before they could overthrown him, but was killed during the Polity incursion above Masada.

For many decades, a literal "underground" movement existed on Masada, hiding in undergorund caves from the Theocracy's orbital defences. Undercover Polity agents co-operated with this underground, bringing in weapons and technology for a possible future incursion, as well as taking secret votes from the slave population (Polity Law only permitted acquisition of foreign territoy if at least 80% of the popluation accepted it).

The revolution against the Theocracy began prematurely, however, when the alien entity Dragon arrived in orbit around Masada. Dragon was able to destroy the orbital laser arrays with ease, enabling the underground to stage a military uprising, assisted by Polity agents and equipment. The Theocracy's remaining orbital infrastructure was destroyed in the ensuing conflict, and its power soon collapsed. The Polity then established its own government in Masada. granting its human and Dracoman inhabitants full rights as Polity citizens (although Masada remained quarantined for some time afterwards to prevent Jain technology from escaping).