Bonaparte is a Class-E planet in the Compact Universe, notable for its ongoing terraforming process. While its oceans teem with life, the land remains largely sterile, requiring extensive efforts to build a viable biosphere. As part of these efforts, cloned passenger pigeons—revived from Earth’s extinct species—were introduced to fertilize the soil, with their droppings helping enrich Bonaparte’s still-sterile land.
Named for Napoleon Bonaparte—though his descendants declined participation—the planet is unique among core worlds for maintaining a rotating monarchy. Seven royal houses, descended from ancient noble families of Britain (House Windsor), France/Italy/Spain (House Bourbon), America (House Red Cloud), South Africa (House Kumalo), India (House Patel), China (House Li), and Japan (House Yamato), take turns occupying the throne. Each house also serves as the land manager for one of the planet’s seven arcologies.
The official language of Bonaparte is French, in homage to its namesake, though daily life is heavily centered on terraforming, not court ritual. Bonaparte’s economy blends agriculture, ecological development, and cultural exports—most notably, Cabo Wabo tequila, which relocated its distillery from Earth to Bonaparte after the planet’s agave-like crops proved ideal.
Succession follows a strict order: when a monarch passes or abdicates, the heir of the next house is invested. In 429 IE, King Yanuhito of House Yamato sat on the throne, with Edward Windsor (House Windsor), as his heir, and the heir to House Bourbon next in line.
The Household Guards form the planetary defense force, drawing members from across the seven houses but serving under the reigning monarch’s patronage. Many nobles, such as Edward Windsor and Mitsuko Yamato, serve in the Compact Navy or Compact Special Forces before returning to fulfill planetary duties.
Though Bonaparte prides itself on its traditions, skepticism about the monarchy persists even within the royal houses. Critics, including members like Mitsuko Yamato, question the relevance of hereditary rule for a world still focused on basic survival and infrastructure.
Cultural Tensions:
The monarchy’s reception varies across human-settled worlds. House Red Cloud, representing the American legacy, is particularly controversial among Indigenous communities. On Dakota (an Indigenous-dominated colony world) and in the surviving Lakota populations around Pine Ridge on Earth, House Red Cloud is often seen as emulating the worst aspects of European aristocracy, betraying traditional values for hollow ceremony and hierarchy.
In an ironic twist, Edward Windsor of House Windsor enjoys considerable popularity among these same communities. His military service, humility, and refusal to flaunt his royal status have earned him more respect than Bonaparte’s American-descended nobility.
Appearances: Storming Amargosa, “The Cephalopods“