Successor States

The Successor States of BattleTech's Inner Sphere are each independantly governed by one of the Great Houses, one of the five ruling families. Each Successor State has its own culture, customs, armed forces, and Military ranks.

Federated Commonwealth
The Federated Commonwealth came into being with the marriage of Hanse Davion and Melissa Steiner, joining the Federated Suns and the Lyran Alliance into what was now the most powerful of the Successor States. Unfortunately, the Federated Commonwealth was torn apart by Hanse and Melissa's children; Victor and Katherine.

ComStar
While not strictly being one of the Successor States, ComStar is a peer to them, controlling the interstellar HyperPulse Generators, which allow communication across the Inner Sphere. ComStar itself is composed of quasi-mystical technicians who tend the HPG arrays. They profess to be neutral to the politics of the Inner Sphere.