Hapes Consortium/Legends

"The Consortium is a real flooger-bed of intrigue."

- Nek Bwua'tu

The Hapes Consortium was the ruling government and consortium of the Hapes Cluster. A hereditary monarchy based on the capital world of Hapes, it ruled over the region in isolation since before 3,000 BBY, protected by the Transitory Mists. It spanned 63 closely positioned star systems, each with an inhabited world.

Overview
"No man can rule Hapes."

- Prince Isolder.

The Hapans were ruled by the Queen Mother, who held court at either the Fountain Palace when on Hapes, or aboard the royal transport ship Star Home when traveling abroad. The title of Queen Mother was hereditary, passed down from mother to daughter. If the Queen Mother failed to have daughters, the wife of the firstborn son became Queen Mother. However, to be in the line of succession meant both the Queen Mother and her heirs had to avoid constant attempts on their lives by jealous relatives who vied for the throne themselves. The great importance of the Queen Mother meant that any threats made against her was a ground for immediate execution.

In addition to the Queen Mother, there were also representatives from each Consortium member planet at the Royal Court. Their main purpose was to vote on matters of importance and to give updates on any political and social conditions of their home planets that may require the Queen Mother's attention. The Queen Mother had the final say on everything, and her word was considered law.

History

 * Main article: Hapan History

After the defeat of the Lorell Raiders at the hands of the Jedi, the remaining population of Hapes, most of whom were female, decided to create a new government system which gave power to one woman. Given the title of Queen Mother, the chosen woman united the planets of the Hapes Cluster and formed the basis of the Hapes Consortium. Later on, she would commission the building of Star Home, a mobile replica of the Fountain Palace on Hapes that she would use when traveling abroad.

Around the same time Star Home was completed, the first Queen Mother sealed the borders of the Hapes Consortium from any outsiders and quickly captured more planets within the Cluster for the Hapans to colonize. After being isolated from the rest of the galaxy for almost 3000 years, the Hapes Consortium only opened its borders to the rest of the galaxy in 8 ABY after an alliance was made between Queen Mother Ta'a Chume and representatives of the New Republic.

As of 27 ABY, the Queen Mother was Tenel Ka Chume Ta' Djo. In 36 ABY, her daughter and heir Allana was born. During the Second Galactic Civil War, the Corellian leadership planned on drawing the Consortium into the war on their side by assassinating Tenel Ka and Allana. The result of their assassination attempt failed.

At some point, Roan Fel of the New Empire married a Hapan woman. She was later killed by the treacherous Imperial Knight Eshkar Niin, and the Hapan people blamed Fel for her death due to Niin being his knight. This apparently put major strains on relations between the Consortium and the Empire.

During the Sith-Imperial War and the Second Imperial Civil War that followed, Hapes remained neutral with their borders still open.

Culture

 * Main article: Hapan Culture

Hapan culture, at least among the upper classes, was based on assassination attempts and struggles for power. Most upper class Hapans would think nothing of arranging the death of one of their own if it would advance their own cause.

The Queen Mother was treated like a goddess by the Hapans, and her selection of a consort was important to all her people. Candidates for the role of consort often came from the nobility, mainly to keep the gene pool vibrant. There were fierce rivalries between many noble houses over which house would get their sons to father the next Queen Mother, and nobles often plotted against both the consort and the heir of the Queen Mother who was not fathered by one of their own. It was because of this that Allana's paternity was kept secret, so all the noble houses would believe that one of their own possibly fathered her and would not harm her.

Due to the matriarchal society of the Hapes Consortium, men were often treated as second class citizens. Although most Hapan males were used mainly for breeding, some held positions of power, although their ability to use it was often limited. Some Hapan men who felt trapped by their position in society often ran away and became pirates. These men hid out in the Transitory Mists and preyed on unsuspecting vessels, at least until caught by passing Hapan Nova-class battle cruisers. When captured, they would be put on trial and possibly executed depending on how severe the charge was.

Anti-Jediism was rife among the Hapans, mainly due to the fact that the Lorell Raiders had fallen to the Jedi. This sentiment came to head during the reign of Ni'Korish. Ni'Korish had an immense hatred of Jedi and had done her best to wipe out any that had made their way into the Consortium. Because of this, an anti-Jedi faction that had formed among the Hapans during the Yuuzhan Vong War was named after her.

Military
"True to our pirate roots, the Hapans prefer swift, ruthless strikes. Hurt an enemy at the start of an engagement and he is yours, for as the fight progresses, his fear of you will intensify and will become your ally."

- Prince Isolder discussing Hapan battle tactics with Leia Organa Solo.

Among the founding principles of the Consortium and the Hapes Cluster was the construction as well as maintenance of a strong military.

One of the higher authorities amongst the Hapes Consortium was held by the Hapan Royal Guard. These individuals wore crimson clothing which identified their status. Prince Isolder had a private Hapan Guard led by Captain Astarta. The uniforms were one piece, and were similar to a flight suit. They were quite fitted, in addition to being deep red in color. In addition to them, an elite commando force was present in the form of of Her Majesty's Select Commandos that were tasked with important missions.

In space, Hapes was defended by the skilled Hapan Royal Navy.

Commerce
The Hapes Consortium possessed a vast amount of wealth which meant that only strong trading groups had a hope of dealing with their traders on an equal basis. After their re-emergence following their isolation, trade was done mostly in the form of goods and the Hapans continued to circulate their own curency which at that time was of a higher value than the New Republic credit. This meant that the Hapan credit conversion was greatly in their own favor. The fantastic amount of wealth available to them also included unique treasures such as rainbow gems and guns of command fetching high prices on both legal and illegal markets.

Even though businesses could operate on any of the 63 planets, Hapan law dictates that all major financial and business transactions must be conducted on Hapes.

Behind the Scenes
According to the Essential Atlas, the Hapes Consortium was a "independent affiliate" of the Galactic Empire, during the Empire's rule over the galaxy. This must mean it might have been a independent state paying tribute and providing military support to the Empire. However, the Consortium was isolated from the rest of the galaxy during the reign of the Empire and of the Galactic Republic, so it is highly unlikely.

Appearances

 * The Courtship of Princess Leia
 * Children of the Jedi
 * Young Jedi Knights: Lightsabers
 * Agents of Chaos II: Jedi Eclipse
 * Edge of Victory I: Conquest
 * Star by Star
 * Dark Journey
 * Destiny's Way
 * Tatooine Ghost
 * The Unifying Force
 * Dark Nest I: The Joiner King
 * Dark Nest II: The Unseen Queen
 * Betrayal
 * Bloodlines
 * Tempest
 * Exile
 * Sacrifice
 * Inferno
 * Fury
 * Revelation
 * Invincible
 * Outcast
 * Omen
 * Backlash
 * Vortex
 * Star Wars: Legacy 10: Trust Issues, Part 2
 * Star Wars: Legacy—War 1
 * Star Wars: Legacy—War 1

Notes and references
Hapes-Konsortium Consorcio de Hapes