Aceh Baru (New Aceh)
The Sultanate of the Stars
New Aceh, or Aceh Baru in Indonesian, is the capital world of the New Aceh Sultanate. Located at a confluence of hyperspace routes, New Aceh is a center of space trade and is one of the richest worlds in Bima Sakti.
History
The fourth planet in its star system, New Aceh was once an uninhabited world of mostly mountains and jungles. It was in the early 22nd century when Indonesian explorers discovered the planet. Both the Captain and the vast majority of the crewmen hailed from the Indonesian province of Aceh. It did not take long for the explorers to settle the lush new world of New Aceh.
At the time, the Central Government in Indonesia was ignorant of New Aceh’s strategic importance. In the early days of space exploration, most people were reluctant to leave Earth for a strange new planet. New Aceh was no exception and was generally ignored.
During the 22nd century, most of the immigrants to New Aceh were religious in nature. Many Muslims in the homeland felt disaffected by the seeming religious indifferentism. A group of ulemas - Muslim religious teachers - was able to gain a permit from the Central Government to establish a colony around the northern hemisphere of New Aceh. The colony would later be known as Kutaraja, named after the old name of Old Aceh Sultanate’s capital.
It was only much later that the Indonesian government truly understood the importance New Aceh’s location. By this time, New Aceh was already an Islamic state led by a Sultan who was greatly influenced by the ulemas. New Aceh Sultanate had also expanded its domain across many star systems and planets. It was basically its own country, stretched across the stars, and its fealty to the Indonesian Government was a mere formality.
The Government in Jakarta found itself in a tough predicament…
Present Day
As one of the richest planets in Bima Sakti, New Aceh has a lot of influence over interstellar politics. It was because of their power that Space Command Indonesia (SCI) and the Sultanate ended up working out a modus vivendi for the governance of New Aceh and its surrounding areas.
Thus, New Aceh became one of the few areas in which Sharia Law was active. Given the stark differences between Sharia Law and Indonesian Law, this is a remarkable difference. Furthermore, non-Muslims, even Indonesian citizens, have limited freedom of movement in Sultanate Space.
In return, the Sultanate must allow the Central Government in Jakarta to handle their diplomacy. This meant that the ulemas of New Aceh could not declare jihad on the non-Muslim states of Bima Sakti.
Needless to say, this was an awkward arrangement. However, it worked out well enough for everyone involved.
Indeed by allowing New Aceh to exist as its own independent enclave, Indonesia was able to exert more influence over the stars and extend Bima Sakti’s territory. New Aceh may not be able to declare jihad on their fellow Indonesians, but aliens are a different matter altogether.
In addition, it would be a mistake to think of New Aceh as a hermit kingdom. Despite their strict code of conduct, New Aceh is still a center of trade. It also enjoys the level of opulence unmatched anywhere else. Thus, the planet has a significant foreign population made up of workers and tourists.
Government
As the name suggests, New Aceh is ruled by a Sultan. And the Sultanate’s no mere monarchy - it is an absolute monarchy. Thus, the Sultan has a lot of leeway in how he rules; but he is not above the law, because he is the law.
That said, the Sultan does not control everything if only because the Sultanate controls so many different planets and territories. With over 500 million people spread over hundreds of star systems, there is no way for Sultan Iskandar Syah to rule adequately by himself.
Instead, colony planets and areas of New Aceh outside of Kutaraja are ruled by satraps, men appointed by the Sultan to rule in his stead. Many satrapies are hereditary, passed down from father to son, while others are governmental positions that people need to apply for.
Conclusion
New Aceh shows the patchwork nature of Bima Sakti. While Indonesia prides itself on its tolerance of diverse groups, including those of religion, the Sultanate is unapologetically Muslim. Indeed, things could have gotten ugly in the power struggle between the Central Government and New Aceh.
But true to their principles, Indonesia was able to work out a deal with the hardliners of New Aceh. The result was an interesting dynamic in one of the richest and most important regions of space.