User:Imperial Misanthrope/Imperium of the Sangheili Empire

"This is a glorious day! From today, with the beginning of the Age of Realization, we Sangheili shall rise with honour above our enemies as the dominant force in the Galaxy! Let San ‘Shyuum or Jiralhanae know that this august body shall not falter under their treachery!"

- The First Arbitrator, a piece of his inauguration speech

The Imperium of the Sangheili Empire is the current legitimate governing body of the Sangheili people. Ushered in after the official end of the Human-Covenant-Flood War, the ISE expanded and rose to prominence through the determination of its founders, and alliances with the UNSC, Balaho, and Te.

Official Founding
The ISE officially formed and was internationally declared on the 7th March, 2555CE by the reformed High Council of Sanghelios. At this time, the positions of the newly created government were filled, excluding the sacred rank of Arbiter, which was still being retained by the last Arbiter of the Covenant.

During the Empire’s beginning, it worked quickly to secure ties with Earth, Te, and Balaho to form a mutual defence alliance against the scattered forces of the former Covenant. The alliance with the Earth gradually became closer over the first few years of its existence, however the alliances with the Unggoy and Mgalekgolo fell to the wayside, though connections with Te still existed because of the trust felt by hundreds of years in the Covenant.

Organization of Government
The Government body is organized into three sections, Executive, Legislative, and Military (A Judicial body exists, however it isn’t considered by the Sangheili people to be a part of the governing organization. The closest thing to a government judicial system is the High Council since they have the power to preside over civil trials of government officials. The true Judicial body exists on more local levels).

The Arbitrator
The Arbitrator is the Executive office of the ISE. Not to be confused with the Arbiter, the Arbitrator is known as the figurehead of the ISE, and is the human equivalent of an elected Emperor, making him the Head of State and Government.

The Arbitrator has a cabinet beneath him, several ministries sort the inner workings of government. Some of these ministries, such as the Ministry of Opportunity which handles promotion and position placement of government officials, is subject to the influence of the Imperial Admiral when involved in military affairs. The official and unofficial powers of the Arbitrator are as follows:


 * The Head diplomat of the Imperium
 * Head of State of the Imperium
 * Is the mediator in the High Council when a vote comes under indecision.
 * May take possession of the military if the High Council declares a State of Emergency
 * Has the authority to build and possess one Fleet of reasonable size as dictated by the High Council. The Fleet is to be used for the defence of Sanghelios and its territories, and as an escort Fleet for diplomatic missions or parades. The Fleet until further notice will be named the Fleet of Benign Intent. This fleet may be leant to the Imperial Admiral, however all final decisions are made by the Arbitrator.
 * The Arbitrator has an indirect say in all military affairs, and may remove the Imperial Admiral with due cause. Due cause is decided by the High Council is an alternate statue of governance.
 * The Arbitrator has the power to appoint an Arbiter when a State of Emergency is declared
 * Enforces Law
 * Has the power to declare war when in conjunction with the Imperial Admiral. He may also ask the High Council for a vote of overturn if the Imperial Admiral does not agree.
 * Welcomes new Councilors to the High Council

The High Council


The High Council is the legislative body of the ISE government. Unlike the High Council of the Covenant aboard High Charity, the Sangheili legislative body was influenced by human government methods to include a menagerie of representatives instead of just Sangheili. The High Council is thus made up of elected representatives from their territories, which include Mgalekgolo, Unggoy, Humans, Yanme’e, and Kig-yar. Although the majority of the Councilors are in fact Sangheili, around about 25-30% are of other species, mostly Unggoy, Humans, and Mgalekgolo, as only Yanme’e Queens and Kig-yar government officials show any such interest in the High Council, combined numbering only around 7 individuals out of the 99 seats in the Council chamber. The Council is headed by a Grand Councilor

The High Council’s powers are as follows:


 * Create and Manage Laws via a voting system.
 * Fund and upkeep the military. The size of the military is left up to the Imperial Admiral in times of war, however in times of peace the High Council decides its size.
 * Fund all government projects, including any implemented by the Arbitrator or Imperial Admiral.
 * Personally oversees Civil trials of Government officials, such as ministers, diplomats, and military figures. The Arbitrator and Imperial Admiral are present for these trials, though the Arbitrator acts as a judge, and the Imperial Admiral joins the Councilors as part of the jury.
 * In cases that the Arbitrator or Imperial Admiral are on trial, the one who isn’t is the presiding judge.
 * If neither of them are able to preside for whatever reason, the Minister of Justice will act as the presiding judge
 * In cases where all three are incapable, an elected Councilor will preside over the trial.
 * Has the sole power to declare a State of Emergency.
 * Ratifies treaties and finalizes terms of diplomacy.
 * Each individual representative backs a portion of the Empire, territory size ranging from single planets to star systems, relative to certain factors. As such, each Councilor has a responsibility to represent their territory in the High Council.
 * Decides the borderlines of the Empire, and its division lines.
 * Decides whether or not to go to war when the Imperial Admiral and Arbitrator are at odds over the matter

The Imperial Admiral


Like the Arbiter, the Imperial Admiral is considered a relic position of the old Covenant. The Imperial Admiral has full control over the military under normal circumstances aside from its size determination and funding. He is comparable to a Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces in human terms, though his position is kept even when not in war.

The Imperial Admiral’s powers are as follows


 * Full control over the Imperial Armed forces. These include the Imperial Army, Navy, Air forces, and special forces.
 * Is the final authority on all military matters. Unless a State of Emergency is declared and the Arbitrator gets involved, the Imperial Admiral may overturn or create any form of military change that doesn’t overlap the powers held by the High Council, and doesn’t declare war.
 * The Imperial Admiral may declare war when in conjunction with the Arbitrator. The only other method is to gain a vote of overturn from the High Council, which will overrule the decision of the Arbitrator.
 * Has the authority to restrict rebellion. Rebellion leaders are to be handed over to the High Council for trial. Unauthorized, intentional termination of leaders is punishable by civil trial.
 * Has the power to promote, demote, or remove anyone from the military. All three require justification.

-The Military-
The ISE military is one of, if not the most advanced standing army in the Milky Way Galaxy. Sporting numerous Fleets, Tier 2 and nearing early Tier 1 military technology by the early 2700’s, the Sangheili Imperial Armed Forces pose a sufficient threat on its own to any enemy.

Ships of the navy by the 2620’s numbered in the thousands, and troops in the billions, with the defeat of the Covenant Remnant and the re-seizing of major territory, the army was permitted to expand exponentially in order to protect the borders and inner territories.

Territory
The ISE is spread over just over one third of the previous Covenant Empire, with the rest of it unclaimed, owned by the Remnant, other former Covenant forces, or humanity. Despite this, the ISE has the largest portion of territory out of the factions in the known galaxy, encompassing several parsecs of space more than the UNSC, the second largest territory holder. As such, at any given time the Sangheili possess the largest and one of the most advanced armed forces in the galaxy, only rivaled by the humans in the mid-2600’s when humanity had adapted enough technology to become Tier 2.

Divisions
The Empire is divided into provinces, and in more modern times into commonwealths. There are currently 99 Commonwealths and Provinces each ruled by a councilor, and overall by the ISE Councilors on Sanghelios. The Commonwealths and Provinces are divided based mostly upon systems, but sometimes encompass one or two systems depending on population. The population diversity does not officially effect councilor legitimacy, however it stands to reason that the more of a species there is in a Commonwealth or Province, the more likely a candidate of that species would be elected.

Culture
The Empire’s culture is rather diverse because it is based upon several species that reside there. These include Unggoy, Yanme’e, Kig-Yar, Lekgolo, and Humans. In terms of structure, Sangheili reign as the class-1 citizens, and they enjoy many benefits of being able to live the way that they are used to. Other species are allowed to live the way they wish to, however if their way of life comes into friction with Sangheili traditions, it is not permitted or tolerated very well.

For instance:


 * A Sangheili swordsman is permitted, and urged by tradition to mate with any female he chooses in order to spread his swordsmen genes. In contrast, humans traditionally believe that this kind of thing is somewhat obscene and unfaithful.

In this particular example, the human aspect is ignored, and the Sangheili continue as normal. (It should be noted with this example that Sangheili do not mate with humans, the problem humans had in the example is purely ethical)

Aside from favouritism of Sangheili in a Sangheili society, most citizens are equal, however none-citizens are considered to be second class. Debtors are considered slaves, and work off their debts by working for a 1st class citizen for a time period determined by local courts.

Humans, Sangheili, Kig-Yar and Mgalekgolo are usually 1st class citizens, where as a significant percentage Unggoy and Yanme’e, around about 45%, are second class citizens. The reason for this is because of the Unggoy’s often inability to provide a professionalism in a particular field. Yanme’e on the other hand simply act as second class citizens or slaves intentionally so that they are not considered on the same level as their Queens, all of whom are 1st Class citizens.

An interesting note is the Aristocrat Reform Act of the Age of Understanding. This Act of the High Council passed in 2634CE specifically made it able for humans to enter Sangheili war colleges, thus allowing them to be able to earn the right to bear an energy sword, weaponry that had previously been reserved for skilled swordsmen or aristocrats. In addition, through a minor point of the Act, it also allowed humans within the ISE territories to enter the military willingly, where as before humans were only conscripted. Unggoy, Mgalekgolo and Yanme’e had been allowed for several decades by now, and most Kig-Yar in the army were hired mercenaries.