Imperial Collage of Heralds, Information Division
Document DPB-0102/2
001-2370T

The Principality of Breakout
The Principality of Breakout is the oldest surviving Terran government in the
Greater Magellanic Cloud. It can trace its origins back to the Terran Empire
and through it to the earlier Terran Confederation and the pre-stellar United
Nations. Breakout is the site of the first Terran colony in the Cloud.
Sighted by Amon Diska upon traversing the wormhole in 501T, the first
colonists landed on Breakout in 511T. Breakout is a lush hospitable world and
grew rapidly to become the dominant world in the Terran Magellanic
Territories. Breakout survived the Second Dark Age with its government and
legitimacy intact; and was the prime mover in the establishment of the Terran
Magellanic Empire.

Breakout
     Breakout A666A98-C
Breakout is a medium sized world (9,600km diameter) orbiting Dart, G5 V star
with a distant (525,000,000,000km) M0 V companion (Armant). Breakout orbits
Dart at a distance of 100,000,000km, Breakout has an orbital period of
307.67 standard days and rotates on its axis once every 26 hours. Breakout
has an axial tilt of 19.3° and an orbital eccentricity of 0.04. It has an
albedo of 0.36 and an average surface temperature of 18° Celsius. Breakout
has two small natural satellites, Aresa (100km diameter) and Beral (135km
diameter). Breakout has a density of 1.2, giving a surface gravity of 0.9G.

Breakout has a population of 40 billion and is the capital of the
Principality of Breakout, the largest and most influential interstellar state
existing within the Magellanic Empire. Breakout is governed by an impersonal
bureaucracy, headed by the Breakout Governing Committee.

History
Breakout was the first world in the Cloud to be settled by the Terrans. The
first permanent Terran settlers on Breakout were prospectors and miners, In
504T Captain Shria Dent noted an unnamed settlement of some 100 people
clustered around the landing beacon. Settlement continued in this unorganised
manner until 511T when an organised colony of 20,000 settlers was founded.
The combination of a Terran prime world, abundant resources and strategic
location lead to the colony’s rapid growth and prosperity. In 529T Breakout
was named as the capital of the newly formed Terran Magellanic Territories,
by which time the colony had grown to around 150,000.

Breakout continued to thrive, coming to dominate the local region. The
official census of 600T records a population of 102 million. In 631T Empress
Cloe II relocated the capital to Aramada {Yumacaza 1820} in response to the
Duke of Breakout’s opposition to her suppression of non-Terrans in the Cloud.
Breakout remained out of Imperial favour until the succession of Arthur V in
687T. However it had become strong enough to continue to prosper despite
Imperial disfavour, however the capital of the Terran Magellanic Territories
would not be returned to Breakout until 1267T, by which time the Terran
Magellanic Territories had all but ceased to exist.

For the majority of the remainder of the Imperial Period Breakout continued
to be one of the leading worlds in the Cloud, in 739T the Duchy of Breakout
was granted the status of Archduchy, in 854T Grand Duchy and in 932T
Principality. In 959T Prince Martin of Breakout became Viceroy of the
Magellanic Territories, a position that has been held by the Prince or
Princess of Breakout ever since.

The collapse of the Terran Empire was a major crisis for Breakout. Intimately
linked to the fate of the Empire, Breakout suffered very badly during the
Civil Wars. Breakout’s economy was severely damaged by the strain of
attempting to halt the collapse. These attempts proved to be ultimately
futile and in 1314T, the final Imperial world was lost and the Empire in the
Cloud came to exist only on Breakout. Viceroy Robert III continued to attempt
to reestablish the Empire, further harming the ailing economy of Breakout;
but in 1351T Viceroy William abandoned all attempts to reestablish the Empire
and started concentrate on ensuring the survival of Breakout. By this time
Breakout was on the verge of total collapse; its economy was in ruins and its
population on the edge of revolt.

The revolt came in 1351T with the start of the Breakout Civil War. The war
was a brutal affair that lasted until 1367T, when William’s daughter Alethea I
finally defeated the rebels. By this stage Breakout had slumped to tech
level 8 and its population had fallen to perhaps 800 million. Alethea I is
regarded as the saviour of Breakout (and ultimately, the Empire). Immediately
after the end of the Breakout Civil War, she started on a program to rebuild
the shattered economy of Breakout, along with the introduction of policies
aimed at reuniting the population after the long and bitter civil war.
Alethea used her position as Princess of Breakout to introduce an elected
Governing Committee to Breakout, whilst retaining her overall control as
Viceroy. By retaining the fiction of a separation of the Empire and Breakout,
she was able to reconcile the various factions and retain ultimate control.
Her economic reconstruction was successful and prevented any further decline.
By the time of her death in 1419T, Breakout had stabilised and recovered
sufficiently to survive the Second Dark Age intact.

Alethea’s grand daughter Rachel continued her grandmother’s policies. Using
the IMSC, she started on a cautious program to reestablish some interstellar
contact with Breakout’s neighbours. In 1432T the first new starship (the ISS
Rutherford) to be built at Breakout since the start of the Breakout Civil War
was laid down. As far as can be ascertained, this was the first new starship
to be constructed by any Terran world in the Cloud for over 50 years.
Rachel’s policies proved successful and in 1475T Moffatt reacknowledged
Imperial sovereignty.

Over the next 100 years, Breakout gradually expanded; and by 1587T all of the
worlds in the Breakout cluster had reacknowledged Imperial sovereignty and
been incorporated into the Principality of Breakout. At this point Colin III
abandoned attempts to expand the Principality’s direct control beyond the
Breakout cluster for the immediate future, having found the costs too high.
Instead he directed the IMSC to rebuild interstellar communications and
enable the return of civilisation at a later date. Meanwhile the Principality
concentrated on strengthening its internal economy to ensure the survival of
at least their isolated pocket state.

For the next 250 years the Principality remained inwards looking, slowly
rebuilding and bringing its worlds up to the same technological level as
Breakout. However the efforts of the IMSC through the Phoenix Project were
finally starting to bear fruit. In 1839T the Faorin Confederation (the first
Diadochi state) came into being. At first this had little impact on the
Principality, but in 1862T the Yert Empire was founded just beyond the
Breakout cluster. Finally the Principality had an interstellar state as a
neighbour. By 1904T, the Yert Empire had expanded to encompass 4 worlds.
Viceroy James II at this point decided that it was now time to attempt to
rebuild the Empire. Initial diplomatic efforts met with failure; in the
Second Dark Age the former Imperial worlds had developed a strong sense of
local identity and did not want to give up their independence. In 1914T the
First Yert War erupted between the Yert Empire and the Principality. The
majority of the Diadochi states allied with the Yert and the war proved to be
protracted affair. In 1919T the Principality admitted failure and negotiated
an end to the war. The war had proved to be very costly for the Principality
and convinced them that direct incorporation of the former Imperial worlds
would be impracticable.

Over the next 180 years the Principality concentrated on improving relations
with the Diadochi states and rekindling the concept of the Empire. In 2099T
the Principality was forced to respond to continued Yert interference with
trade and the Second Yert War started. This proved to be a very different
affair from the First Yert War. The Yert were no longer supported by the
other Diadochi states and in 2102T, the Yert Empire was incorporated into the
Principality. With this display of strength, the Principality embarked on a
diplomatic campaign to reform the Empire. In 2127T Viceroy Henry IV was able
to proclaim the Babylon Accords and declare the Empire reformed. With the
reformation of the Empire, Breakout again assumed it’s position as Capital;
but this was accepted as only a temporary measure and in 2132T Viceroy
Henry IV moved it to Babylon {Yumacaza 2517} to reassure the new Diadochi
states that the Empire was not just an extension of the Principality.

Since the reformation of the Empire, the Principality has not expanded its
borders; but is still the most powerful state within the Empire. Its economy
was strained by the effort of essentially single handedly conducting First
Mwoah War, but has continued to grow and it is now the richest and most
advanced state within the Empire. Its population is firmly committed to the
concept of Empire and it continues to dominate the upper levels of the
Imperial bureaucracy and senior ranks of the Imperial military. Since its
foundation, every Commander in Chief of the Imperial Magellanic Navy has
come from the Principality.

Government
The Principality of Breakout is governed by a Prince or Princess. He or She
is advised by a Grand Council of Nobles. However, since the Grand Council of
Nobles only meets three times a year and the Prince or Princess is also the
Viceroy of the Magellanic Empire; the real power rests in the Principality’s
bureaucracy. The Bureaucracy is the old Imperial Terran Bureaucracy that
continued on Breakout during the Second Dark Age, it is the last direct
remnant of the Terran Empire left in the Cloud. For all practicable purposes,
the Principality is under the direct rule of the Empire.

However each world in the Principality retains its own local government.
These control the day to day affairs of the world. They have considerable
independence and generally are quite responsive to the needs of their
citizenry. They are the product of Alethea I’s reforms after the Breakout
Civil War.

Military
The Principality’s military is divided into four arms: the Navy, Marines,
Army and Patrol. All military forces of the Principality are under the
control of the Principality government; the local governments are not
permitted to raise military forces. The Navy and Marines are primarily
intended for employment outside the Principality and can be regarded as
extensions of the Magellanic military; whilst the Army and Patrol are
intended primarily for the defence of the Principality (though both Army and
Patrol units have served with the Imperial Forces).

The Navy and Marines are patterned along identical lines to the Magellanic
Navy and Marines (though it would be more correct to say that the Magellanic
forces are patterned after the Breakout military). The Army is dedicated to
surface defence, whilst the Patrol is composed of non-jump capable ships and
is responsible for system defence. Both the Army and Patrol serve as pools of
reserve personnel for the Breakout and Magellanic Marines and Navy
respectively. Breakout units are organised and equipped to the same standards
as Imperial Magellanic units.

Language
Maganglic is the official language of the Principality of Breakout. The
prestigious Breakout Institute of Linguistics is generally regarded as the
ultimate authority on "correct" Maganglic, though it fiercely resists the
existence of such a concept.

Calender
The Principality of Breakout uses the old Imperial Terran Calendar. Until
2261T the official Magellanic Time Beacon was located at Breakout, when it
was relocated to Babylon.