The pattern appears to be that each of the Departments goes about its business as it sees fit, reporting to the Council as needed. When the Council thinks something is important enough, they send a Deputy, or even a Council Member to take charge, investigate, or overrule the Department.
The overall impression which Schmitz gives us is of a powerful but loosely organized government. Except for the complete absence of any form of hereditary privilege, the internal structure of the Federation seems almost quasifeudal. The Departments rule their “fiefdoms” with great latitude, with the Overgovernment serving as a court of last resort and occasional overseer—much as did the medieval monarchs.
The danger of political abuse in such a system is obvious, but seems to be counteracted by the Overgovernment’s determination to leave the basic workings of Hub society in a state of semianarchy. Even such institutions as “private wars” are allowed, apparently in the belief that to suppress such violence by police action would run the risk of placing a political straitjacket on the Hub. Thus, if the various Departments of the Federation wield immense power, so too do the various nongovernmental institutions and agencies of Hub society.
But here we are verging on sheer guesswork. The simple fact is that Schmitz never had much to say about the political structure of the Hub in the abstract. Unlike some science fiction writers who have created complex future universes portrayed in many stories, Schmitz was not a “theoretical synthesizer.” He was always content to let the reader get mere glimpses of the various powerful forces behind the scenes, as his characters encountered those forces in the course of their various adventures. The end result may be frustrating for political scientists, but it is pure pleasure for those readers who are simply looking to spend some enjoyable hours lost in Schmitz’s imaginary universe.
THE END