Highland Government

The Highland Government, or as it is officially known the Grand Human Union, can best be described as a constitutional union of sovereign worlds. The legislative branch consists of the Grand Parliament. The Parliament is divided into an Upper House and a Lower House. The Upper House is made up of representatives of the various world governments. The Lower House is made up of representatives elected by the individual Counties
The President of Parliament is selected by the members and has a primary role in deciding what legislation is brought before the body. He or she presides over the Upper House. The Lower House is presided over by the House Chairman (or Chairwoman). The Lower House can only take up legislation which has already been approved by the Upper House.
The Highlands are divided into Counties, each of which is administered by an appointed Count. Counts typically serve until they are recalled by the  Parliament, resign or die. They have very little authority on most worlds except for issues which extend beyond the world's surface, principally trade and interworld cooperation. They are the actor of last resort for legal review and have the power to issue pardons.
In the area of Parliamentary Law the Count is assisted by the Sheriff, who is the chief law officer of the County. The Sheriff typically has a staff to enforce the law and run the prisons.
The Highlands also have a territorial paramilitary police force, the Highland Rangers. The Rangers perform both police and custom duties as well as such little immigration control as the Highlands see as necessary. They are led by a Senior Captain of Rangers.
The court system of the Highlands is inquisitorial based. Each County has a number of courts with a superior court for review. There is no Highland supreme court, though the upper house of Parliament can convene a Parliamentary Court to hear specific cases with Inquisitors appoint from among the members of Parliament. Judges of the lower courts are appointed by Parliament and like Counts serve until they are recalled, resign or die.
The Highlands have a combined military force called the Star Legion, who's primary purpose is to ensure none of the polities of the Midlands constitute a threat to the Highland worlds.
The Grand Postal System is responsible for delivering mail within the borders of the Highlands. Postal routes primarily join together worlds on the Blue Highways and worlds off the road network entirely. At the borders postal routes sometime connect with external package services.
The Highland Department of Roads is responsible for maintaining the road network, including the beacons, portal gates, waystations and the hypercable communication system.
The Grand Treasury, which is under the control of the Director of the Exchequer, is responsible for minting currency, it does not act as a central bank and has limited responsibility in the management and collection of revenues, which come from a combination of world contributions and individual fees.