wow, JP, that's a very idealized version of geek culture? what about hacker/cracker/phreak types?
My faction is led by an emperor who carries the title Artorius Caesar, in recognition of two of the greatest European leaders. They are primarily of Germanic/Franco/Britanic descent. THey have a strict code of honor and set codes of behavior that have firm roots in both the ancient Roman and Britonic eras. there has even been a recent revival of Chivalric love, though as often as not anymore the gender roles of the medieval texts are reversed. This Chivalry is even practiced in courts: There is a strict caste system of nobility (think Dune) though an elected two-body legislature also exists. The nobility and legislature are often at odds with each other.
It is a very militaristic society, and they refer to mech pilots as Knights, though Roman titles are typically used for officers (centurian, legionaire, etc). They even follow a campaigning season, and not a lot of aggressive warfare is waged outside this time. They have a complex set of rules of engagement and warfare that hearkens back as much to the late 20th, early 21st century as it does to Medieval times. Though they are smart enough to know that they cannot count on other groups int he universe to abide by these rules, and are always on their guard against such dirty play. Once warfare rules have been violated, the enemy is no longer due respect or honor, and it is no shame to resort to ANY tactics or practices to defeat them. In fact, it is considered a point of near religious piety to get rid of these people.
While they still follow a Pope, they are very tolerant of religious practice, though other groups that violate political or military ground are often vilified in religious terms. Once ground is conquered, it is often left as is, Roman style, so long as peace is kept and tribute paid.
The empire is quite large, covering many systems. Political offices are typically thus: The ruler of a system (though somtimes an individual planet or even smaller colonized body) is a King, chosen by the locals in whatever tradition they want. Smaller territories are ruled by dukes, barons, lords, etc, though these territories may grow as big as a planet. Some nobles control territories in multiple systems, and are therefore beholden to more than one lord. All nobles and royalty, however, ultimately bow to the emporer, who controls the imperial military directly, and must have skill at command. There is a dynastic practice, but since internal conflicts are not uncommon (all nobility are allowed to maintain whatever military they can afford, though they often get culled by the emperor, so local militias may be large, but are usually inexperienced), dynasties may change frequently.
Again, the territory for the Britonic Union is vast and takes in hundreds of systems. Their ultimate goal is to have their emperor controller of the entire galaxy, but they seem to have reached a mass that is difficult to grow, and conflicts with even small powers make it hard to expand territory. Shrinkage, on the other hand, does not seem to be an immediate threat. Stability and static borders seem more the rule, which may set the scene for internal conflict to damage the empire
The Britionic Union admires art and literature and music that depicts traditional heroism. The main European mythologies are preserved and frequently read. They don't favor one form or another, or focus much on art, though artists are welcome entertainers. Wagner is still a favorite composer.
Science, on the other hand is a tool, and despite their traditional outlook, the military is surprisingly accepting of new tactics, methods, and weaponry.