Vardan Council

Membership

Every Caravan Lead is automatically granted a seat on the Vardan Council, and an equal vote, regardless of the size or age of their caravan. Because larger Clans may fleet several caravans, and Caravan Leads most often vote with their Clan Lead, this does grant the larger Clans more influence over the vote, although no Clan has come close to claiming a majority on the Council.   Clans are expected to work with each other to find common ground, an expectation which typically holds true in actuality, much to the surprise of outsiders. Vardan culture prioritizes cooperation for the good of all, due to the harsh realities of nomadic life in space, and so while Council members will prioritize the needs of their Clan-Kin above all else, the good of the Kin as a whole still carries weight. As a result, while the Council will often engage in heated and often highly emotional debate, these debates are more often than not collaborative in nature.  

Leadership

To help guide a positive discourse, the Council is led by the Council Chief, an individual elected annually from among the Caravan Leads. The Chief serves as facilitator, setting the agenda and helping move conversations and debates forward, but otherwise holds the same rights and privileges as all other members.   The Council Chief is permitted to select their own support staff, often selected from among their Clan, to assist in their responsibilities as Chief. Most also choose advisors, particularly among trusted past Chiefs and other well-respected members of the Council. These special roles hold no unique power over the Council, aside from any administrative authorities granted to them by the Chief.

Neutrality

The Vardan Council is responsible for maintaining the neutrality of all Vardan across Vazdimet. This means updating policies for all Vardan to follow, in alignment with the expectations of Vazdimet's other factions, as well as negotiations with planetary and factional governments in cases where diplomacy is required.   When a Vardan Clan or caravan is accused of threatening the neutrality, by either another Vardan Clan or a foreign government, the Council is notified to help review and resolve the situation.  

Security

While the larger factions pose the greatest potential threats to the Vardan, they are also the most easily appeased, due to their own laws and governments and the Council's diplomatic efforts. Far more prevalent and erratic are the factionless pirates eking out their existence among the stars.   Pirates pose many threats to the Vardan, not only due to the tendency of some to raid any viable ship they encounter, but also due to their common tactic of imitating Vardan caravans. The majority of the Council's external efforts focus on coordination with the larger factions to identify fraudulent Vardan caravans and keep the trade routes clear of raiders.  

Internal Affairs

While Clans are responsible for managing their own members, the Vardan Council handles inter-Clan disputes, providing mediation and, when required, judgment. The Council is authorized to prescribe whatever rulings or punishments it deems suitable, often resulting in remediation for minor infractions, fines for major ones, and exile for severe behaviors which jeopardize the Vardan's neutrality. The Vardan do not believe in corporal punishment; to be separated from the communal support one's Kin is considered the worst of punishments.   They have also been known to review cases where a Kin objects to a ruling in a Clan dispute. Due to the potential repercussions from one's Clan if the Council upholds the Clan's decision, these cases are rare, and often result in the Kin in question finding or forming a new Clan, regardless of the Council's ruling. Or, in rare cases, exile.  

Petitioning for Council Membership

The Kin are notoriously welcoming to anyone who pledges to follow their tenets and maintain their neutrality. They have been known to adopt stowaways who have proven themselves capable of adapting to their lifestyle, and Clans have even accepted pirates looking for a more legitimate lifestyle, provided doing so will not threaten their neutrality. In some cases these new members are even granted status as a caravan of their own, although often under command of a Caravan Lead well-versed in the Vardan's ways.   Forming a new Clan, on the other hand, requires a detailed familiarity with the Vardan, their politics, and their way of life. To be named a Clan, the potential Clan Lead must also petition for membership within the Council, allowing them the authority to not only vote but also form their own caravans. In cases where the petitioner is well-known and respected this request may pass quickly, but in most cases the process is a time-consuming and drawn out affair involving much arguments between the petitioner and their former Clan, until the majority of the Council has formed their opinions. The same process is used in cases of the Exiled, when petitioning to rejoin the Vardan.   New Clans require at least one ship, a suitable crew for each ship, and 2/3 majority in favor from the Council, at which point they are permitted provisional non-voting status on the Council for three years. If they have proven their ability to pay their dues and uphold the Council's codes while successfully avoiding any diplomatic incidents, they are granted full membership status, including a full vote on the Vardan Council.

The Council itself does not own any property, instead borrowing from the Clan of the current Council Chief. Meetings are held via long-range holography and/or Telepathy, dependent upon each Lead's preferences and current resources.   Each member caravan pays a fixed amount of dues into the Council's coffers, which are used to fund diplomatic expenses and pay for any services needed for the benefit of all Vardan. The majority of these funds go to defense of the trade routes when more militant means are required to clear bands of pirates and other raiders, or to the occasional bribe for planetary officials to smooth over disputes regarding contraband - although in the latter case, the Clan responsible for the complain is required to reimburse the Council's coffers.