Axumite Providence

The Axumite Providence is a primitive state in the Deep Periphery. The nearest system is located 1,000 light years anti-spinward of Terra, located at the trailing edge of Orion's Bow. Their closest 'neighbors' are the Union of Samoyedic Colonies and the Hanseatic League, although the Axumite Providence is remote from both and has no contact with other civilizations.

History
The poorest nations of twenty-second century Terra got the worst picks during the settlement of the Inner Sphere. The Axumite Providence was established on October 11th, 2245 by colonists fleeing from the Outer Reaches Rebellion. The Uhuru Settlement Group was composed of settlers from twenty-first century North-eastern African regions of Sudan, Eritrea, Somalia, Libya, and Ethiopia. When the Terran Alliance forces massacred 10,000 protestors on Summit, Uhuru Settlement Group Gamma, consisting of some 150,000 colonists, chose to flee anti-spinward. They spent over a year traveling beyond the borders of the nascent Circinus Federation. They began colonization efforts on Thala in 2239. Expansion progressed slowly until a disaster during the colonization of Illizi in 2701, which destroyed one of the Providence's three remaining JumpShips. In 2890, Councilman Ahmad Al-Hasar led a political movement to end isolation and re-establish contact with the Inner Sphere. After being denied his plan at the Council of Elders, Al-Hasar took one of the JumpShips. Interstellar Expeditions discovered the wreckage of the ship near the Circinus Federation in 3029. From the nav computers, they were able to back-trace the location of the Axumite Providence. However, Interstellar Expeditions decided that first contact could wait until the Axumite Providence faced an imminent external threat. Interstellar Expeditions established contact with the Axumite Providence in July 3085. At the time, it was feared that the Axumite Providence might be the target of fleeing Word of Blake survivors from the Circinus Federation. Initial contact with the government went well, though knowledge of the contact was not known to the greater Axumite populace at this time.

Society
The Axumite Providence is notable in being religiously, linguistically, and racially divergent from Inner Sphere demographics. Dominantly Sunni Islamic, and speaking a North African dialect of Arabic, the Axumite Providence is largely at twentieth century levels of industrial technology, although manufacturing does allow for industrial fusion power plants. A traditional Islamic focus on learning has resulted in extensive programs of free education. The result is one of the highest literacy rates of any Periphery state, and a highly developed academic and cultural output. Although one world, Ksabi, is an outright theocracy, the Axumite Providence is ruled by a twelve-person council of elders with one representative from each world, and a second from the capital.

Military
At the time of Interstellar Expeditions' contact with the Axumite Providence, the Providence has no military, only an inter-planetary police force.