The problem was unfortunately compounded by the fact that when the topic of fair and effective governance is broached, most sparing intellects immediately assume a certain posture. Not one of surrender or admiration, but of abject and interminable boredom.
This fact makes it hard to treat such a fascinating subject with the proper amount of attention and enthusiasm, BUT WE SHALL DO OUR BEST TO UNDERSTAND REGARDLESS.
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The interim government established to rule Earth C in the Creators' absence consisted of three main branches, each with its own roles and responsibilities.
The LEGISLATIVE BRANCH was a democratically elected parliament, known simply as the HOUSE. The House was divided into four QUARTERS, one for each kingdom (Human, Troll, Carapacian and Consort), and each of the quarters consisted of an equal number of SEATS. The occupants of the seats participated in internal House votes to determine the planet's laws and so on.
Various political factions within each kingdom vied for election in their respective quarters, with the seat allocations being determined proportionally through planet-wide general elections.
An important rule which influenced the composition of the House was that the number of seats available to be filled within a given quarter at a general election was based on voter turnout in the respective kingdom.
If every eligible citizen of a kingdom voted, then 100% of the seats in that kingdom's quarter were available for allocation. On the other hand, if only half the population of the kingdom were to vote, then only 50% of the seats would be used.
Since no kingdom wished to be underrepresented in the House, one consequence of this rule was that the general elections on Earth C tended to have very high levels of participation. On the happy occasions where the maximum number of seats were allocated in all four quarters, this was known as a "Full House".
Another consequence of the House's unique structure is that it was practically impossible for any political party to have a majority in the House; a single faction could hope to acquire at most one quarter's worth of the total seats. Hence coalition governments were the norm, and a huge amount of cooperation between parties (and the four House quarters more generally) was needed to get things done.
The House quickly evolved its own unique internal culture, as the ever-shifting body of elected officials worked tirelessly within its walls. A great deal of House-specific terminology and slang began to develop.
For example, if a party took the vast majority of seats from their kingdom, one might remark that they had "given no quarter"; on the other hand, if the seat distribution in the House changed very suddenly at an election, officials might be heard complaining of the dreaded "royal flush".
Friendly and fair behavior was determined through a set of guidelines known as the House Rules.
Most of these rules dictated a basic level of etiquette and decorum, i.e thou shalt not move thy neighbor's seat without asking, thou shalt not make fun of anyone for wearing an unusual hat, etc. The complete House Rules would take too long to list here, DESPITE HOW INTERESTING SUCH AN EXERCISE WOULD BE, but particular attention should briefly be given to the Consort Kingdom.
Without going into too much detail, consorts all tend to have significantly shorter lifespans than the other citizens of Earth C. Because of this, a large number of House Rules were dedicated to describing exactly what to do if a seat was vacated mid-term due to the death of its occupant.
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While the House wrote Earth C's laws, the responsibility for interpreting and enforcing them would fall to the second branch of government.
The DELIVERY OF JUSTICE (DoJ) was founded to keep the peace and arbitrate in all legal matters, and its members were the brave soldiers of God in this righteous crusade.
They also took care of the MAIL.
Overseen by the Postal Minister, the members of the DoJ carried out the duties of both legal scholars and delivery workers. A Justice-by-mail court system handled all forms of litigation or dispute, all in triplicate and mailed first class. Bail was to be paid using the equivalent value in postage stamps.
The DoJ's remit wasn't limited to questions of simple legality though. In the interests of ensuring a just and equitable society, the Delivery became an effective civil service, responsible for such things as infrastructure, housing, work and pensions, diplomacy, welfare...
Of course, such a large organization needed systems to ensure that justice was carried out inside its walls as well as in the public sphere. That was where the union came in.
The PARCEL LUGGER'S UNION (PLU) remains the single greatest triumph of mayoral era civilization. A collective of millions, all arranged with common purpose under the leadership of the PLUtarchs a truly magnificent workers' advocacy. All democratic, all PLU-tocratic. Nothing of its like will be seen again.
While a truly astonishing feat of collective organization, the DoJ was not without its problems. In its heyday, the Delivery was even more monstrously complex than the House, to the point where several major political movements to reform and reorganize it were established.
The Post Structuralists argued that a more robust internal framework would make the whole thing more efficient, while the Post Modernists campaigned for the entire system to be transferred to a digital medium.
Each had only limited success.
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The last branch of government was the MAYOR'S OFFICE.
While its importance was technically somewhat lesser, nevertheless the office of Mayor still fulfilled a very crucial function. And of course, in time, it would prove itself to be the most important function of all.
Though the House was representative in a literal sense, and the DoJ operated purely on the interests of the people, still there was a need for the citizens of Earth to feel embodied in an individual. They wanted to feel seen.
And so the enviable task of maintaining public morale in a fully integrated socialist utopia fell to the mayoralty. Appointed by the people directly, the Mayor acted as a ceremonial figurehead for Earth in its early days.
A brave champion of the light of democracy, the Mayor enthused the masses with convivial spirit, and inspired them in their common purpose to build a better world for the people who would come after them.
It was to be no easy task, but it was to this task that our hero found himself best suited. For who that remained on Earth could inspire a greater legacy?
And besides, the job was quite literally made for him.
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So governing Earth C was a complicated affair, and only became more convoluted over time. But the really important thing was that, despite all this complexity, it worked. It really worked. At one point, a whole field of mathematics was developed just to explain why the interim government worked so well, and they ended up proving it categorically. It was theoretically perfect.
And for a time it was literally perfect, too. The world was young, the people were happy: Earth C was a paradise planet in the making. The gods couldn't have asked for better.
One day, the Mayor looked out of his window at the perpetually blue sky, and paused. It was many years since he had stood on the Battlefield and looked at the clouds, which had once offered visions of great and terrible things.
He wasn't a simple farmer any longer. He was building something better. But as he gazed out over the city, something made his carapace shiver. A bitter chill came over him.
And for a moment, though he could not yet understand why, the clouds above seemed like they were biding their time. Waiting patiently for another portentous moment. Or perhaps, after telling the future for so long, they were simply curious. Maybe they, too, wondered what it would look like when everything fell apart...