House Karpeer
The Lystran Revolution was a great source of worry for then House Leader Beid Serkan Karpeer; blood was no longer a guarantee of success, and the position of any House now seemed precarious and precious. He looked at those who governed Karpeer's worlds and business, and was not pleased. He feared the House was sliding into decadence: a dangerous thing in the changing times.
Beid slowly expanded the Noble House's membership; he brought in new advisors, and redistributed holdings. He appointed as successor the common born Naveen Megrez Karpeer over his own son; this was controversial, but few could deny Naveen's honour, or record as planetary governor. Naveen had little loyalty to the old House bloodlines; when the noble born vacated their positions, he brought in competant outsiders to replace them. He also started to improve the lot of the commoners, which gained him popularity. This gave some protection from rebellion of the spurned noble-born, most of whom faded into obscurity with ill grace.
Naveen's successors continued to judge merit over blood. With the majority of the House common-born, there was little objection as the meritocratic trend continued. And it continues to this day; anyone of sufficient talent - regardless of pedigree - may enter the House.
To ensure that all who are gifted are able to use their gifts, education is available to all preadolescents; a series of standardised tests picks out the best of the best. Those who perform best at school go to Prime Academies, the academies' best go to Prime Colleges, and the colleges' best go to the Prime University. Those who perform best at the University, and do not collapse under the pressure, may go on to join the House.
The tests are designed not only to indicate who may be able to run the House, but also to find those suited to other professions; a variety of vocational and technical academies and colleges train people towards the job they are best suited for. Karpeer produces many Technologists, as those of appropriate talent are found at an early age by the tests.
Karpeer also encorporates democracy, to an extent; only those of sufficient schooling may vote, as they are of sufficient merit to assure they will make an informed decision. Those who have completed a College course may vote on their planet's governor. Alumni of the Prime University vote for the House Leader. Only political positions are decided by vote, as elections are a test of political talent. The candidates for each such position are chosen by those high in the Noble House, although the will of the masses is usually taken into account in this choice. Elections usually take place every four years, unless a position is suddenly vacated; aside from death or dishonour, an election may be announced if the Head of House finds the incumbent to be less meritorious than required. For a candidate to join the House, there is a referendum amoungst the Nobles, although it is rare for membership to be denied this way; it is usually assumed that someone would not have been put forward for the vote if they were not worthy.
The one bloodline of the original Karpeers that remains well-known is the family Serkan. Officially, Serkans have the same chance of becoming House members as any other inhabitant of a Karpeer controlled world. In practise, their odds are slightly greater because of the pressure of their heritage, and the family's wealth that gives access to the best tutors; this is why the family did not fade like the others. There is a high expectation that a Serkan will marry someone of suitable merit, although there are few formal forced marriages; there are usually several married into the Noble House.
House Karpeer has a lack of excess population; this may ease the burden on their education system, but means they are less able to colonise new-found planets. Their capital, and home of the Prime University, is Canopus; a Mixed World, mostly oceanic, sprinkled with archipelagoes. The larger islands are densely populated cosmopolitan cities of academics, administrators and artificers; they are covered by a fretwork of pre-Imperial canals, as water is the traditional method of local transportation. Some smaller isles are used for farming, whilst some are left as hunting grounds for the Noble House. The planet's main export is skilled labour, although it does have its share of Empire technology workshops and factories; it also has a Fixed Autofactory capable of producing power cells of the size required for starships.