Name: Republic of Siltways
Background: The Republic of Siltways was founded by a badly damaged colony ship that had barely avoided a fatal crash-landing. The colonists had been bound for what they had hoped would be a paradise world; due to all observations having been made by telescope, however, light-speed delay had prevented them from discovering that the promised paradise planet – Siltways – had been hit by a mid-sized asteroid. Thankfully, the world’s biosphere had survived, but the planetwide impact winter had only begun to subside.
The colonists encountered the native inhabitants of the world, gangly, long-limbed creatures that seemed to be just a mass of multijointed legs and arms attached together, without a central hub. The native Siltwayers were disorganized and stone-aged by the asteroid strike, and were quickly subjugated by the theocratically-led colonists. While the Siltwayers formed a sort of underclass in the colony, many of them eventually rose out of their poverty and became valued members of the new nation.
The Republic established mining colonies on the other worlds of its system once it managed to scrape together an industrial base. In an act of far-sighted statesmanship, President Paul de Mencias granted these mining posts representation in the Senate soon after their establishment, keeping them unrebellious and relatively decent places to live.
The modern Republic of Siltways remains quite theocratic and, ironically, innovative. The religious leadership is typically pro-science, viewing the understanding of God’s creations as at least as important as the understanding of His Word. Population density is generally low, excepting a few dozen urban centers scattered across Siltways. The government is run by the secular Senate, and the theocratic executive branch, with an almost vestigial judiciary to mediate disputes between the two.

Development Points: 6 light ships and a space tech level
Leader: Archpontiff Ezekiel Calabara