Machine Empire (Leijiverse)

"Our planet functions solely on Mechanized human components. You have successfully met all of our criteria... Except the fact that you killed our hero, Count Mecha. This is an unpardonable felony. As penance for your sin... You shall become a Mechanized component of Planet Maetel... Laboring eternally for its benefit."

- Machine Soldier to Tetsuro.

The Machine Empire, also known as The Mechanization Empire, is a major antagonistic fraction in the Leijiverse. After the sun was starting to fade, Queen Promethium made a deal with a robotic scientist named Hardgear. Unfortunately, this would lead to Promethium and civilization into becoming mechanized, including cyborgs, androids, and other types of robots. They appeared as recurring antagonists in the Galaxy Express 999 series.

Overview
The empire was founded by Queen Promethium in order to survive the harsh conditions after the artificial sun was starting to fade. However, the mechanization process was flawed, Promethium lost her fear of death and started to force many of La Metal and Heavy Melder citizens into becoming a machine while enslaving those who are still organic lifeforms as a fuel source. Due to this, Promethium was betrayed by her family. While the mechanization was stopped from spreading its reign, the empire has still remained many years on its home planet. But very soon the machine bodies were spread out the universe, increasing the number of Machine Men in subtlety.

Background
When the artificial sun was starting to fading, Promethium had her husband, Dr. Ban, to start the experimental process of converting to Machine Bodies. Her daughters Maetel and Emeraldas were against this, even their father was against this, but Promethium was dead set on the course. Ban tried to use a more mental link with his wife and use his consciousness uploaded into nanomachines for Promethium's mechanization to convince her of other ways besides just mechanization. But as the process went wrong due to another scientist Hardgear interfered, Promethium became a cold-hearted machine and using her last of her free will to sent her daughters away on the Galaxy Express train 999.

When Hardgear tried to have Promethium integrated into him, the artificial queen was working against him and had Hardgear assimilated into her, becoming an evil tyrant forcibly promoting mechanization under the illusion of choice.

Culture
Being the largest empire in the universe, it's an influence is on a galactic scale. Most of the empire's conquest is in Andromeda Nebula with many mechanized citizens. The worlds that are under the Machine Empire are built the sole purpose of machine people. Humans that still flesh and blood bodies lack any rights, even if their local or visitor, allowing some of the machine people abusing, slaughter and hunting them for sport. However, there are some areas in Andromeda Nebula that the Mechanized Empire does not control, with the settlements of regular humans being lead by a Prime Minister.

Capital government
In the capital, Promethium leads the empire as a monarch, but much similar to a dictator. While making the empire appear more benevolent, Promethium sends her daughter to select individuals that need a machine body and brings them back to La Metal. Once the person is mechanized is considered a citizen within the empire, giving them unlimited resources, wealth, and losing the fear of death. However, Promethium enforces behaviors in the person and if refused to do so, they are publicly executed.

Even then, becoming more benevolent was unsuccessful, as the mechanization process forcing the citizens to be under Promethium's control and act as mere components for the reign, making them slaves. Even using the dormant human bodies as a fuel source for the empire, preventing mechanized civilians from getting their old lifeforms back and empowers the machine bodies of the capital. At times, some of the citizens' memories are altered to serve purposes, much like Faust. Even having a long life granted by the Machine Empire, some of the citizens commit suicide because of their living conditions. The humans that are not under the control of Promethium also rebel against her laws. Sometimes, both humanity and machines live together without any worry. But some of the unhappy citizens with their living conditions can even start a coupon world with no watchdogs. When that happens, laws would become more strictly, going as fair to use military force.

Military
The empire's military processes advanced military technology and resources to destroy and the entire planet. It also has a powerful defense force, as stated in the films. Most of the soldiers are machine men, eliminating any human that goes rogue. The wave cannon is one of the most powerful weapons, as it can destroy an entire planet, such as Blue Melon and Bright Ring Firefly. They also have shown the military's will to sacrifice their own soldiers if it means to preserve their utopia at any moment.

Law
On the empire's territories, the national laws are only given to machine citizens and when is an anti-machine action occurs, the individuals are executed, even if the person is mechanized. Some of the laws are considered "disturbing", even to the mechanized people, as it is the only to kill them, even with their approval. The Galaxy Express train is allowed to transport passengers to La Metal is because of an established law which taking hostages and forcing them into machine people and to make the empire to look more benevolent, giving them the illusion that getting the machine body is their choice, but with the explanation of people executed if rejecting the offer.

Influence
While not every planet in the universe is under the Machine Empire's control but has spread their dominating and elitism throughout the cosmos, even reaching to Earth, which is two million light-years away from the capital, turning the planet into a human hunting sport.

Destruction
When Tetsuro Hoshino arrived on the planet, his actions caused their downfall about the Maetel set up her true plan bringing down the Mechanized Empire by using a special pendant that contains her father's consciousness of Dr. Ban. Causing the energy center to power down and exploding the cities of La Metal along with the planet destroyed. However, the remnants still remain the cosmos and efforts of rebuilding the empire.