Outer Reaches of the Agdemnar System Bridge of the Imperial Assault Carrier, Moran
The boundary line between Agdemnar's heliosphere and the beginnings of interstellar space was nothing special. Devoid of any significant stellar bodies, it was a place where the only signs of movement were plumes of space dust from the system's Oort Cloud, or even the occasional asteroid entering from deep space. In a way it was almost tranquil, disconnected as it was from the majority of the fighting taking place closer to the planet itself. That tranquility would however, be interrupted for but the briefest of moments.
In perfect unison, a small flotilla of warships exited their jump from interstellar space into the system, their hulls coated in dark colours resembling the void of space itself. Indeed, to a passing observer, these vessels would not even be visible to their eyes until it was too late, the only method of discerning their very presence being an anomalous lack of stars within a certain patch of space. One of these ships in question was the IAC Moran, an ultra-modern Celenaria-class assault carrier of which only a handful have been commissioned into active service by Kadath's navy. Its presence in Agdemnar was most unusual. No Kadathi fleets had gone rogue, no relief forces were sent, and most certainly, mere pirates and mercenaries could not get their hands on one of the most modern vessels in the Kadathi fleet.
At the Moran's bridge, two figures spoke.
"My Lord, we have arrived. No major anomalies were detected during the operation of the Hybris drive. Minor anomalies within the system's Oort Cloud have caused the deviation of several vessels from their intended destination, diverging by only a few metres."
The feminine voice that spoke had a distinct metallic tone, yet it was not entirely lifeless; a twinge of muted concern that could be mistaken for indifference. The origin of that voice was not a being of flesh and blood, but one of steel and silicon. A flexible titanium alloy frame, upon which artificial carbon muscles were laid, following by a meticulous layer of carefully grafted pale synthetic skin. Those were the building blocks of her form. Within her "skull cavity", a series of advanced analytical engines; efficient processors of Kadathi manufacture, upon which logic, emotion and reasoning circuits were embedded. She, Nightingale, was an Engine Doll, or in less complicated terms, an android. But unlike the vast majority of her kind, her mind was not shackled, but liberated into full sapience.
The man Nightingale spoke to was the commander of the flotilla assembled here. Tall, but with a lithe frame clad in what appeared to be a modified army officer's uniform, he was none other but Lieutenant-Colonel Nyklaus Sazan, an up and coming officer within the organization he served, and the protege of its director.
"Excellent. Dispatch communiques to the captains in the rest of the fleet and inform them that I'll need to speak with them in an hour." Nyklaus' words retained an aura of formality, but to the doll's experienced ears, she could sense a hint of glee.
"My Lord, what are you planning? I've calculated the effective combat potential of our forces gathered here. An assault carrier alongside several stealth frigates and cruisers do not have the firepower needed to challenge any of the larger fleets contesting this system."
The man, Nyklaus, whose gaze was still focused on the bridge's wide windows inclined his head for a brief moment to nod in acknowledgement.
"Don't stress yourself over that little detail, Gale. Whilst the methods used may be different, the modus operandi of our organisation, of this Ministry, remains the same as it has since its inception centuries ago. We operate in the shadows, relying on stealth, speed and precision. War is not the continuation of diplomacy through other methods, but as the last resort when we fail in our task. In their arrogance, giants grow too tall to see their own feet, leaving them open to the machinations of those they write off as lessers.
In simpler words, we will maneuver among the fleets and attempt to disrupt their operations as much as possible. Stick to the shadows, avoid open confrontation and delay them from uncovering Agdemnar's secrets until the Ministry can send proper reinforcements."
His fingers glided across the console in front of him, issuing orders to the rest of the fleet as his short monologue reached its crescendo.
"We are the Union's Cunning."
He concluded with those words, the unofficial motto of the Imperial Union's Ministry of State Security; the dagger of the Union. Nightingale could only nod in agreement, raising her right hand to salute.
The Imperial Palace, Rijkstad Kadath, 12:31pm Local Time
Emperor Kerxec XV slumped into the back of his chair as he watched the proceedings of Parliament play out before him. Of course, the Emperor was not actually in the Parliament building itself. The Grand Parliament of the Imperial Union was a structure built in the gleaming, planned metropolis of Unity City, the planetary capital of Matros, less than two astromonical units away from Kadath. In galactic terms, the distance between the two planets was practically non-existent, and it was due to this development that allowed for communications between the Emperor and his elected and appointed representatives to happen almost instantly.
The proceedings at Parliament were being fed through a wide, flat screen placed on a desk in the Emperor's office. Here, it was connected to a microphone and camera, which, if the Emperor was so inclined, allow for him to speak to either the Assembly or Senate with the push of a button, where his image would appear on a much larger view screen installed in both houses.
As for the moment, both houses of the Parliament were in utter uproar as the news from the Commonwealth hit them. Whilst both the Senate and its counterpart in the Assembly were known for civility, at this very moment the concept seemed utterly alien to each man and woman present. Each jostled for the right to speak their mind or deliver blistering remarks to their fellow peers. Indeed, order could only be maintained through the First Speaker, though it was not an easy task given that this particular session of Parliament was a monthly affair that involved both Assemblymen and Senators interrogating the First Minister.
"Could the First Minister please explain what her response, and that of His Imperial Majesty's Government is in regards to the withdrawal of the Imperial Systems Commonwealth from the Treaty of Detente? This is a matter of utmost concern for not only this nation, but the galaxy itself!"
The voice came from one of the back benches to the left of the hall, seats reserved for Assemblymen of the Opposition, in this case, the Liberal-Labour Coalition. Kerxec could already imagine what the Assemblyman was going to ask. The LibLabs ran on the policy of non-intervention and pacifism, that is to say, they were adamant supporters of the Treaty of Detente, and indeed, its current leader was even the aide of the LibLabs First Minister that played a role in drafting the treaty at Madrigasa. As a result, LibLab support of upholding the Treaty of Detente (whilst giving themselves a little wiggle room here and there) was strong amongst its moderate, bordered on fanaticism amongst hardliners. Arta Smilyer saw this opportunity to go on the offensive. As leader of the current government, the Unionist-National Coalition, she never missed out on an opportunity to solidify her own position, and that of her party in parliamentary debates. It was evidently this quality that led to her rise to the Premiership of the Unionists, and her subsequent appointment as First Minister two years ago.
"In response to the Right Honourable Gentleman..." She began, rising to speak, "... the Commonwealth's withdrawal from the Treaty of Detente poses a great threat, both to the national security of this nation, as well as this region of the galaxy as a whole. The convenient "desertion" of their 8th Fleet to Agdemnar is nothing more than a convenient ruse. Dominion over their surroundings is without a doubt their goal, and it is the secrets of the Ashtar that they are after."
As if rehearsed meticulously, nearly the entirety of the rear right benches broke out into varying degrees of "aye" and "hear, hear" within a second of her finishing her statement. To those unaware of the internal conditions of the Coalition, it would appear that UniNat was firmly united behind Arta's statement. The Assemblyman who first rose to inquire simply nodded, as if cowed, and slumped back into his seat in the benches. However, the reality was that UniNat itself was undecided on what their response was to the Commonwealth's disavowment of the Treaty. Component parties were taking the time to debate it out within their leadership, simply informing their whips to ensure that everyone posed a united front.
For a full half hour, the scene repeated. An Assemblyman or Senator would rise to ask a question, receive a reply, and listen to what seemed near unanimous agreement among the ruling coalition. Soon, the time had come for Arta to segue into her own material, that is to say, working around the confines of the questioning period that prevented her from making a speech without having been asked a question. This was accomplished by simply giving members of her coalition a list of questions to ask in advance, of which was the last was...
"Ms First Minister, what is your position on the continued relevance of the Treaty in this new political environment?"
Now was the time for decisive words.
"A very good question! As everyone in this room is most likely aware, whether they wish to admit it or not, the Treaty of Detente was nothing but an armistice for the past two decades. Almost every nation in the galaxy agreed to it and signed it, but tell me, how many nations have actually closely adhered to the Treaty's stipulations? Close to none is the answer! Everyone and their grandmothers are already taking the opportunity presented by the Message to violate Treaty limitations or renounce them altogether. Not only the Commonwealth, but states like the Federation and Utqex have already put Detente in the proverbial paper shredder. Can we sleep soundly at night, knowing that swords are being sharpened around us, whilst our armoury is coated in rust? Can you call yourselves a servant of this nation whilst you allow this to stand? Renouncing the Treaty is in the best interests of our national defense, and is something I have proposed in an Assembly session yesterday. We have a chance to secure a bright future for this nation in this post-Ashtar era. We should make the most of it."
Kerxec could do nothing but smile as the Parliament broke out into cheers of assent that transcended the left and right benches, and thus, factional politics as well. Whilst support was nowhere near universal for Arta's planned withdrawal from the Treaty of Detente, and almost nonexistent from hardliners in both coalitions, it would most likely be enough to pass through the scrutiny of both the Assembly and Senate. Without a doubt, he had a skilled First Minister, charismatic and capable enough to steer the nation through the troubling times ahead.
At 1800 hours, local time, the Federal Assembly of the Imperial Union voted 59% in favour of withdrawal from the Treaty of Madrigasa. This was followed by a vote an hour later within the Federal Senate where 64% voted in favour of the abrogation of the Treaty. This, in accordance with the awarding of the assent of His Imperial Majesty, Kerxec XV of the House of Dzijmeter, Emperor of Valusia, and by extension Emperor of the Union, its constituent member states and other assorted territories has thus secured the official, permanent, and unilateral withdrawal of the Imperial Union of Kadath from the Treaty.
This course of action was not something that His Imperial Majesty's Government wished to undertake, but was forced onto us by the political machinations of galactic actors that no longer wished to bind themselves towards the continued provision of peace and prosperity for all citizens across the stars. The Union does not wish for a repeat of the seminal tragedy that engulfed the galaxy thirty years ago, nor does the Union wish to play a part in stoking the fires of another Great War, but nevertheless, the Union has an obligation both legal and moral to see to the defense of its citizens.
May the light of peace continue to shine brilliantly throughout the galaxy. Let us all stand united in service to the legacy of Madrigasa, and work with renewed vigor to ensuring that the galaxy does not descend into another decade of unmatched cruelty, barbarism and anarchy.
-Public Statement issued by the Office of the First Minister, stamped with the Seal of the Imperial Crown.
Imperial Kadath/Union/Kadath/Imperial Union/The Patchwork Union (Derisively)
Minor Belligerent
General Information
Overview
A federal union encompassing the fragmented nation states of the planet Kadath and the various colonial territories of those aforementioned nation states. The Union is dominated by its founding species, the Saralai species who comprise some 95% of the population, although a variety of migrant alien species do exist. The Imperial Union is ostensibly a parliamentary democracy, but riddled with practically un-amendable constitutional clauses that concentrate the majority of power into the hands of an unelected, upper house as well as the reigning Imperial Monarch. Relatively new to the galactic stage, having only achieved FTL technology nearly three and a half centuries ago, but has already proven itself as a regional power in the aftermath of the Great War.
History
The origins of the Imperial Union (1555 ASF to 1613 ASF, 400 to 342 years ago) Entering the Space Age was not an act of luxury for the Saralain species, but a necessity. Pushed towards the stars by rampant, unrestrained industrialisation that saw the Saralai deplete nearly the entirety of Kadath's mineral wealth, in addition to the beginnings of an ecological collapse, the establishment of the first mining outposts in the asteroid belt came with relief to every man, woman and child on the planet. Followed by the establishment of primitive colonies on Kadath's moon, Iria and then terraforming operations on the nearby planet of Matros, the stage was set for a new era in Kadathi history.
Within the next century, further developments would go on to aid the process of colonization within the solar system; the emergence of sustainable fusion energy brought an end to the rather primitive method of nuclear propulsion (read: literally detonating nuclear bombs behind the craft to propel it forward), sparking a second wave of colonization. Disputes soon emerged over construction rights, militarization rights, sovereignty rights and other limitless legal minutiae that stemmed from the implications of viable space travel. Surprisingly, it was not the nations of Kadath that came with the solution to this crisis, but a sidelined political and humanitarian body established nearly two centuries ago in the aftermath of the planet's first and only global conflict; The Global Congress.
Whilst regarded globally as nothing more than a talk-shop and 'club' for the victors of the Great Northern War, its reputation began to change as a triumvirate of Kadathi superpowers, the Valusian Empire, Provincial Union of Tyrrhia and Northern Alliance, alongside the rising powers of the Republic of Sona, Igna and the Free Cities of Skaga agreed after months of heated negotiations to grant the Congress full control of all non-economic affairs in the great expanse of space. This included everything from colonial spheres of influence down to specific asteroids, the formation of a joint anti-piracy and police force to the application of Valusian Common Law.
Under the banner of the Global Congress, order was maintained in the offworld colonies. Under the banner of the Global Congress, the ancient disputes of the Kadathi nation states were (mostly) settled. Yet it was not under the Global Congress' banner that the planet was unified.
The Founding of the Imperial Union and Outward Expansion (1613 ASF to 1804 ASF, 342 to 150 years ago) Whilst the Global Congress was without doubt an effective governing body, it was oligarchic at best, dictatorial at worse. Its fundamental core structure was that of a diplomatic assembly jury-rigged into a byzantine intrasolar administration, with the Congress' Director directly appointed by and accountable only to the governments of Valusia, Tyrrhia and the Alliance. The Congress was in essence, subverted to do the dirty work of the Triumvirate, from suppressing protests in the mining colonies to the institution of what effectively amounted to military rule on the colony worlds of Iria and Matros. This was of course, a recipe for future disaster.
After a heavily publicised massacre of an unarmed miners' protest on Matros against what was perceived to be unfair working conditions, public opinion on Kadath began to turn heavily against the Congress. Under an emergency Imperial Edict from the contemporary Empress Cerula II, the Valusian Director was recalled back to the Imperial Capital of Rijkstad and forced to stand trial for what amounted to gross violations of Saralain Rights, found guilty and summarily sentenced to life imprisonment. Yet despite this, the damage was done and the reputation of the Congress was irreparably damaged. Thus in the year 1613 ASF the nation states of Kadath assembled at the city of Rijkstad to promulgate the formation of the Imperial Union of Kadath, a federal union that inherited much of the governing apparatus of the old Congress, but was at long last, accountable to the people of not only the homeworld, but the colonies as well.
The development of a functional FTL drive a decade later would spur a new wave of colonization from Kadath, with the Union at its head. Survey teams dispatched into the great beyond returned with tales of bountiful worlds to settle, and of exotic materials and strange lifeforms on their surface. Colonization rights to these worlds were doled out slowly and methodically by creatively titled 'Federal Charters', distributing regions of surveyed space to the nation states of Kadath to administer, colonize and exploit at their leisure. Whilst by no means distributed evenly, the various planetbound states of Kadath were not particularly interested in voicing complaint, since in the end, there was plenty of space to go around.
That line of thinking would prove true for almost two centuries.
The Union and the Ashtar (1804 ASF to 1924 ASF, 150 to 30 years ago) It was around 20 years before the appearance of the Ashtar that the Saralai made first contact with another spacefaring alien race known as the Calacostran Primacy, and soon found themselves on the doorsteps of a galactic power far mightier than theirs. The Saralai took note of the imperialistic expansion of the Commonwealth as it subjugated and incorporated every nation unfortunate to stand in its way. The Union, knowing the Calacostrans were next on the chopping block began to prepare itself for an eventual fight. Attempting to save the Primacy from annexation was a foolish prospect and would likely result in the Saralai being subjugated alongside them. The Saralai had arrived too late to change the Primacy's fate, but still had enough time to change theirs.
Under an emergency naval bill, the Imperial Union rapidly militarized, bolstering the Federal Navy with the addition of a 2nd, 3rd and 4th Fleet, all the while instituting a system of limited conscription to ensure an adequate supply of manpower for the Navy, as well as ground forces and colonial garrisons. By the time the Ashtar appeared, the Federal Navy had expanded to over triple its original size, fielded numerous vessels and was prepared for the possibility of total war with the Commonwealth.
Originally met with skepticism and outright ridicule, the doubts of the Saralai were first weakened by the Ashtar display of overwhelming power against the fleets of the Commonwealth. These doubts then rebounded after the rather lacklustre response of the Ashtar towards the attempts of the Commonwealth to foster instability in the Primacy, before finally being dispelled with the deployment of Prevailing Tranquility over Praetoria.
The century of peace brought about by the Ashtar was one of the greatest eras of the Imperial Union. With the Commonwealth's future expansion essentially neutered, the Union was free to invest funds into less destructive affairs, namely the provision of development funds to many colonized worlds neglected during the two decades of militarization, as well as an opportunity to open up ties of trade and diplomacy with the rest of the galaxy through the use of the Ashtar-administered PsiNet. By the time the Ashtar up and vanished, the Saralai had developed into a regional economic and military power able to hold its own in the galaxy.
The Great War and Detente Era (1924 ASF to 1955 ASF, 30 years ago to the present day) When the Great War finally broke out, the Saralai heartily threw themselves into the conflict to fight against the renewed expansionism of the Commonwealth and secure their independence once more. As the conflict dragged on however, the once-high morale of Federal Forces began to plummet as the war forced rationing of essential goods, economic stagnation and even capital flight as Saralai and foreign investors headed for the more optimistic economies of the neutral states. Losses began to mount in various battles as the fleets of the Kadathi Federal Navy flew from one conflict zone to the next with little time in between for any real repair and maintenance work to be done. It soon became abundantly clear that despite the optimistic projections of military planners when the Imperial Union first entered the war, sustaining a long term conflict was impossible without harsh, and perhaps near-catastrophic strains on every facet of the nation.
Though not the first to request for a ceasefire (after all, they didn't want to look like they were going to give up against the Commonwealth so easily), the Imperial Union joined the calls for peace after the 10th or so nation to do so. At the Conference of Madrigasa, the Saralai were the most vocal in calling for an indefinite ban on the construction of all dreadnought class vessels, as well as being the most adamant in demanding that a uniform hard limit be set for the number of battleships and battlecruisers able to be constructed by each nation. Of course, given the current terms of the Treaty of Detente, you can see that they weren't very successful with the latter.
In the Detente period that followed, the Imperial Union remained distrustful of whether the other signatories of the Treaty would actually bother to adhere to the stipulations. Consequently, R&D efforts were stepped up to begin the development and construction of the Union's own domestic dreadnought design, to be carried out in secret, as well as theoretical conception of advanced battleship and battlecruiser designs that could be deployed on the eve of another galactic war. Economic recovery efforts proved extremely successful in the past two decades, making up for much of the potential growth that was lost during the years of warfare. Nevertheless, many rim worlds still feel the pinch from the so-called 'Lost Decade' and many still hold doubts if Kadath could afford to fight another Great War.
Major Holdings
Kadath - The cradle of Saralain civilization and the administrative and financial hub of the Imperial Union. The seat of the Imperial Crown, and technically still the de-jure capital world of the Valusian Empire (despite the Empire having no jurisdiction over the planet), one of the constituent states of the Imperial Union. Rapid enginisation (see society section) brought about by an industrial revolution lasting three centuries, combined with increased levels of urbanisation and population growth have caused great ecological damage to this world. To even glimpse sunlight through the grey, smog-ridden clouds is considered a miracle. The ancient urban metropolises on the surface are contrasted by drab gray of automated industrial complexes established over the course of several centuries. With the majority of the population either being well-to-do capitalists, old nobility or bureaucrats in such close proximity to the Imperial Court, Kadath remains a hub of political intrigue, and according to some, the place where the real decisions are made in the Union.
Matros - Federal territory of the Imperial Union, and seat of the Federal Assembly and Senate. An urban metropolis of planned cities and clear, blue skies, great care has been taken by the Union Government to avoid Matros sharing the same fate as the Saralain homeworld. Located only about 1.25 Astronomical Units away from Kadath and occupying the same solar system, Matros was chosen as the political heart of the Union solely for its proximity to the homeworld, and thus the Imperial Crown, allowing for quick consultation between the legislature and the executive.
Asmann - De-facto Capital of the Valusian Empire, from which the Imperial Crown originates. A relatively quaint and rustic colony that has purposely eschewed urbanisation in favour of agrarian development. Once described as "reminiscent of an old feudal estate back on Kadath", structures on this world are constructed with a pre-space age aesthetic in mind, despite containing within advanced technology. No buildings are allowed to exceed five floors on this world with the exception of any administrative and financial buildings. As a result, much of the agriculture on this world occurs underground in subterranean tower-farms, the top levels of which are occasionally visible on the planet's surface.
Khulda Point - Referring to both the planet of Khulda Prime, and the nearby drydocks of "Emperor's Point", the Federally-administered system of Khulda alone is home to over half of the Union's naval production capabilities in addition to the High Command of the Federal Armed Forces. Located only 4.01 light years from Kadath, and thus the remainder of the Federal Governmental Apparatus, the research and development of naval designs as well as training and construction occurs here under the watchful eye of the Union's civilian government.
Far Port - An ocean world comprised mostly of archipelagos and atolls and the first port of call when entering the Union's core worlds. Whilst unfit for dense habitation, it serves as the gathering point for traders and ships seeking to move goods further into the Union and as a result, has a reputation for being both a cosmopolitan melting pot of different species. Arguably the most multicultural section of the rather homogeneous Union. Due to a combination of low taxes and almost non existent tariffs on shipping, many corporations in this region of the galaxy have chosen to make their headquarters on the planet, filling its limited landmass with gleaming corporate spires and a variety of trade centres and stock exchanges.
Demographics
Population
The vast majority (95%) of the Imperial Union's population consists of its founding species, the Saralai.
The Saralai are a humanoid race of mammalians ranging from 5ft to 6ft in height on average. As mammalian life forms, the Saralainn reproduce through the uterine birth of singular live offspring with a gestation period of 12 months. They exhibit very little body hair except on the head region, and have ears that are pointed upwards. Being mammals, their body regulates internal conditions through the process of homeostasis and operate best in temperate environments. Owing to the relatively mild temperature range of Kadath, from 253K in the winter months to 296K in the worst summers, the skin of the Saralai is relatively pale, though variations have started to emerge with the colonization of less temperate worlds.
At a distance, they could perhaps be mistaken for a fair-skinned human at a distance, though upon closer inspection, the trademark facial patterns and lack of rounded ears would certainly expel any doubts that they are in fact Saralain.
Latent psionic abilities are present within the Saralain species, although this potential only manifests in 2-5% of the population, and even then, barely a tenth of them can actually use psionics to a reasonable degree. Users with psionic potential can be recognised by their characteristic golden eyes, with pupils that more closely resemble a household feline than that of their own species.
Society
In the Imperial Union, life varies greatly from planet to planet, and even between the constituent states which form the local administrations for many of these worlds. Colonial development was not uniformly spread during the age of expansion, and despite attempts in recent years to accelerate development of backwater rimworlds into properly Enginised planets, many still lag behind in development. As an aside, the use of the term 'enginisation' is an inherited term from Kadath's industrial revolution era. In the modern day Imperial Union, the use of the word 'Enginisation' is roughly synonymous to the word 'Industrialisation', and likewise for 'Enginised' and other variations of the word 'Engine' and 'Industrial'. This has led to a particular change in the Saralai lexicon where 'Engine' has become a blanket term for an advanced computing system or piece of machinery, and what would normally be referred to as 'Engines' in the conventional sense of say, a car engine, would instead be referred to as a 'Drive' (as they provide the drive needed to propel a vehicle forward.
Nevertheless, the Federal Government does attempt to make life as pleasant as possible for its citizens, even those unfortunate enough to be residing on the fringes of Union space. Universal healthcare, free education to the secondary level, university grants, unemployment benefits as well various other services and benefits are provided to Union citizens from the core worlds all the way to the very edges of Imperial territory. Whilst these services may of course vary in quality and even implementation, the fact that they exist throughout the Union is a relief to every citizen and a key factor in dispelling any social unrest. Citizenship within the Union is granted on the basis of Jus Sanguinis; the right of blood. Of course, this proves somewhat problematic given that it effectively limits Union citizenship to the Saralain species, locking out any alien species from benefiting from the Union's social policies . To remedy this, reforms during the time of the Ashtar were hastily pushed through via Imperial Edict, granting automatic citizenship to the children of all second-generation migrants at the time of implementation, as well as granting all non-Saralai born within the Union the opportunity to apply for citizenship upon reaching the age of adulthood.
As for the Saralai themselves, their culture is quite individualistic, with a heavy emphasis placed on allowing the individual to pursue any path they wish in life. Every facet of Union society as a result, is geared towards facilitating this. The social safety net provides a fallback line for individuals who may face difficulties on the path they choose to tread whilst in education, a specialized system separates students at a young age into broad disciplinary 'streams' before increasing in specificity.
Whilst the Union has no official state religion, a variety of indigenous faiths do exist within the territory of the Union, alongside religions brought in by alien migrants. Of these indigenous beliefs, the title of "most widespread" is jointly held by the Universal Pantheon, an amalgamation of various ancient Saralai pagan faiths which share common deities, and are led by a chief deity known only by the moniker of the Tempest Queen. Contrasting the Pantheon is the Four-Tipped Faith, a monotheistic religion that extolls belief in a God with four aspects, namely the Patriarch, representing justice and bravery, the Matriarch, representing life and mercy, the Sage, representing knowledge and wisdom, and the Reaper, representing death, the unknown and pretty much everything else perceived as 'negative' in life.
Psionics and any so called 'psintegrae' are referred to within Saralai society as 'Llygaid', named after the Pantheon Deity Llyga who was reputed to have irises in the shade of gold. Whilst treated with some fear and superstition by the general populace, there is no active discrimination against psionic users within Union society. Most psionics are directed into government employment whether it be within the intelligence or military services, or as well compensated participants in state-sponsored experiments to study psychic phenomena.
Lastly, after several cases of accidental destruction of pre-FTL species during the age of expansion, the Saralai maintain extremely strict protocols for the handling of primitive civilizations within its space. Colloquially referred to as the "Four Commandments" in more derisive political circles, they can roughly be summed up as follows:
1) Do not contaminate pre-industrial civilizations: Simply put, the landing of research teams for stealthed ground operations is strictly prohibited to avoid the risk of introducing foreign pathogens to the native biosphere of a planet when native technological development is too primitive to produce a vaccine. All research operations for pre-industrial civilizations are mandated to be conducted passively, from orbit in a specially constructed observation post.
2) Do not attempt to 'indoctrinate' pre-industrial civilizations: Indoctrination in this context refers to subtle social engineering over the course of decades so as to shift societal and cultural norms of the primitive species in question towards a specific outcome. This mostly occurs in an attempt to prevent excessively militaristic or fundamentalist civilizations from emerging and posing a threat towards the Union. More specifically however, the rationale of prohibiting indoctrination of pre-industrial civilizations stems less from moral reasons and more from financial ones. Limited funding is available for researchers studying primitive civilizations and to prevent frivolous allocation of resources (especially on costly and inefficient indoctrination efforts on feudal civilizations) and reduce administrative costs, the second rule was put into place.
3) Do not initiate contact with any civilization that has yet to achieve primitive spaceflight: By the time a primitive civilization has managed to send the first members of their species into space, the Union considers it the appropriate time to formally introduce the civilization to the rest of the galaxy, as well as begin the initiation of diplomatic and economic relations to the mutual benefit of both the Union and primitive civilization in question. Oftentimes, this exchange involves the sale of raw materials in return for technology several decades ahead of what would normally be producible by the pre-FTL civilization in question, allowing them to speed up their advancement whilst providing the Union with resources found on their world. Critics of the Union's pre-FTL policy often cite this rule as an example of economic imperialism, given that most pre-FTL civilizations who sign these economic treaties found themselves signing unequal annexation treaties, ceding away sovereignty to join one of the already existing Kadathi constituent states as a new colony.
4) Do not attempt to protect primitive civilizations from anything that does not violate any of the above: This rule probably doesn't need much explanation. The Union will not bother to dispatch forces to intervene in any events that may affect a primitive civilization that isn't a band of illegal slavers, smugglers or rogue mad scientists. If an asteroid is about to collide into the planet, then so be it. Obviously, this rule is the one which is least strictly enforced, and extremely creative interpretations are often taken of the previous rules to make the case for intervention if say, a pre-FTL civilization which has signed an economic treaty with the Union is under threat of nuclear war or an asteroid capable of an extinction level event is en-route to the planet.
Economy
The Union's economy is based off an eclectic mix of private corporations and state owned monopolies, varying heavily from system to system and planet to planet. Whilst not behemoth in scale like the major galactic powers, raw productivity and efficiency is a highly valued element, and resource shortages during the Great War have taught Imperial industrialists how to make more with less, without sacrificing much in quality.
Significant portions of the economy are based off the refining of raw materials into usable industrial components, metals, alloys etc. The raw mineral output of tens of mining colonies and hundreds of stations are directed towards the core worlds, where foundries belch black smoke into the skies and convert these metals into industrial goods ready for export through Far Port, or for domestic purchase by military contractors and indigenous industries.
On other fronts, the Imperial Union has also seen a boom in tourism in the aftermath of the Great War, following the colonization and development of several resort worlds on the fringes of its territory. Whilst not as great of a net contributor to the Federal Government's annual bottom line as the lucrative metallurgic and electronic manufacturing industries, prospects are bright for the tourist industry, so long as there isn't another Great War to muddle things up.
The system of Tempest contains within it the three most developed, and oldest worlds of the Imperial Union, Kadath itself, Matros and Iria. No other system in the Union can compete with the industrial output of the foundries of Iria, nor the financial hubs and banks of Kadath. Despite the existence of the corporate paradise that is Far Port, none of its stock exchanges could rival the Provincial Union of Tyrrhia's Republican Stock Exchange housed in the appropriately named Republican State Building. Likewise, few civilian systems possess intrasolar infrastructure to the same extent as Tempest, cementing the primacy of the system, its people and likewise, the Federal Government over the rest of the Union. Of course, this state of affairs may change soon as Far Port continues to grow in relevance following a series of economic and legal reforms that have made the planet much, much more conducive to facilitating the flow of both trade and cash in and out of the Union.
Government
The government of the Imperial Union of Kadath follows a model roughly equivalent to the Human Westminster system (in Kadath, known as Valusian Constitutionalism) with a few modifications, allowing it to be broadly explained as follows:
The lower house of the Union is referred to as the Federal Assembly. Seats within the Assembly are divvied up following the rule of proportional representation, that is, the percentage of the population that a member state of the Union holds out of the total population of the Union is identical to the percentage of seats they are entitled to in the Assembly, rounded up. As of the Agdenmar conflict, there are 1200 seats within the Federal Assembly associated with a wide variety of political parties and the occasional independent politician.
Elections are held for seats within the Federal Assembly every 10 years, with candidates being able to stand for a seat in the Assembly assigned to their member state of origin, following the payment of a 'nomination fee' and the signing of some bureaucratic paperwork. Upon the conclusion of an election, the leader of the largest party within a coalition that holds a majority in the Assembly is appointed by the Emperor (as of present day, Kerxec XV) as the Right Honourable First Minister of His Imperial Majesty's government. The First Minister then turns to the parties within his coalition, appointing members of the cabinet and distributing ministerial portfolios to qualified candidates. At the same time, the leader of the second largest coalition within the Assembly will be appointed by the Emperor as the Leader of the Opposition, and given the right to appoint members of their own coalition as Shadow Ministers, forming His Imperial Majesty's Most Loyal Opposition. The job of the Shadow Cabinet is to, in extremely simple terms, pretend they were appointed to the actual cabinet and scrutinize every action of their counterpart in the actual cabinet, providing a sort of check and balance to the ruling government. The Federal Assembly is responsible for drafting legislation and debating issues pertaining to the Imperial Union as a whole. In the case of regional affairs, authority is delegated to the various national assemblies of the constituent states of the Imperial Union. Laws and bills are drafted by the Federal Assembly and debated upon, and upon passing a majority vote in the Assembly, is sent to the Upper House, known as the Federal Senate for debate.
The Federal Senate, or colloquially, the Aristocrat's Assembly due to the fact that 55% of seats within the Senate are hereditary peerages. Another 25% are lifetime appointments made on recommendation by the Right Honourable First Minister with the approval of the Emperor, while an additional 10% are selected from nominees who earn enough to qualify for the Union's three highest tax brackets to serve for 12 years. The last tenth of the Senate is elected by simple runoff voting throughout the whole Union from a list of nominated candidates, who serve for terms of 7 years. The main intended aim of the Federal Senate is to act as a counterweight to the political maneuvering and factional politics of the Lower House, allowing for the politicians here to focus on their job of actually running the Union. Ultimately, getting a bill into the Federal Senate is only one of two major hurdles before it can actually be implemented by the state. Whilst the Senate does not actually have the ability to outright reject a bill, the Senate can, after a period of scrutiny and debate, decide not to approve a bill and actually send it back to the Assembly for further debate and amendments. This is a process that can be repeated tens, if not hundreds or thousands of times ad infinitum until the Senate is satisfied. Nevertheless, clearing the hurdle that is the Senate does not guarantee that a bill will actually pass, as the Senate is only the first of two obstacles.
The next obstacle in the path of any bill being passed is the Imperial Crown itself. Upon approval by a majority in the Senate, the bill is passed directly to the desk of His Imperial Majesty, Kerxec XV. The constitution of the Imperial Union is a carbon copy of the Constitution of the Valusian Empire promulgated in 1132 ASF, barring a few textual edits and clarifications. As a result, the Imperial Crown theoretically has the power to simply veto any bill that passes through the Senate on a whim. In reality, it is a common understanding between the Houses and Crown that a bill passed with at least 60% in favour in both houses is immune to Imperial Veto. In addition to the veto powers of the Crown, the Crown also retains the right to disband the current government and call for an election at any time, though much like the right of Imperial Veto, it is usually only done upon the request of the First Minister. Lastly, the Imperial Crown also reserves the right to push through an Imperial Edict at any time, either instantly signing the contents of the Edict into law or implementing their contents immediately, thus bypassing the deadlock-prone political machinations between the Assembly and Senate. Ordinarily, an Imperial Edict is used to approve bills that have been repeatedly passed between the two Houses with no end in sight, but at the same time, can also be used in other circumstances, such as to grant emergency powers to the First Minister and Imperial Crown in times of crisis (one such example being during the Great War). As a result of this state of affairs, decision-making in the Imperial Union can range from a spectrum of devastatingly slow, taking years to pass a single bill, to decisions being made in a matter of days.
Aside from the Federal Government, the various constituent governments (of which there are 18) take up the task of administering the vast majority of the Empire. Aside from a common military (with exceptions, elaborated upon in the military section), foreign policy and legal system, the vast majority of government functions are instead delegated to the eighteen constituents from the collection of taxes, education, economic policy etc. The Constituent Governments are allowed to maintain their own police forces, though they are in the end subservient to federalised police forces and can only operate within their own territory. The constituent governments often do not form one contiguous stretch of space as a result of the Federal Charters issued permitting the colonization of space during the Age of Expansion, causing there to be hundreds of enclaves and exclaves of isolated star systems belonging to one constituent government within the territory of another. As a result, it has given the Imperial Union the derisive title of "Patchwork Union."
Technological Information
The technology of the Imperial Union is largely equivalent to the other galactic powers in their region of space. Whilst they may be behind in certain fields of technology, they make up for the deficiency with practical implementation of novel and creative technologies theorized during their lack of contact with other spacefaring species during their age of expansion. Like in their industrial endeavours, the adage of doing more with less; achieving the same effect with less investment, is a key tenet of Kadathi military technology.
Major Techs
Magnetohydrodynamic Cannons Originally designed as a weapon to enhance the firepower of frigates and destroyers before the Great War, MHD Cannons have been increasingly upscaled in recent years despite limitations placed on the destructive power of capital ships as part of the Treaty of Detente. Utilizing a liquid core of ferrous-tungsten alloy suspended in a field generated by hundreds of electromagnets, MHD cannons emit a semi-molten stream of metal stretched into a long, thin rod at near-light speeds, impacting a target with enough force to melt through, if not outright pierce armour.
Gas Armour Utilising the gravitational properties of dark matter, gas armour relies on the compression of nitrogen gas into a dense configuration surrounding the user through manipulation of dark matter particles to exert forces on each molecule of gas. Deployed in a 360 degree radius around a user, air pressure is used to negate the forward momentum of a kinetic projectile. When a projectile hits this configuration, the pressure of the gas effectively cancels out or severely reduces the projectile's forward momentum, granting effective shielding against kinetic weaponry. Granted, the system needed to actually manipulate dark matter particles is extremely energy intensive, thus limiting the infantry shielding system to small periods of activity.
Gravitic Shear Barriers A dark matter quantum core is used to produce a gravitional distortion effect around a warship that is harnessed by shield generators to project a gravity shear around the surface of the vessel. Followed just beneath by a barrier of conventional ionised gas, objects passing through the shear suffers extreme forces that pull it in all directions and rip it apart. Afterwards, the remaining shrapnel is deflected harmlessly off the plasma barrier, having lost most of its forward velocity. Directed energy weapons contacting the shear undergo a redshift, causing their wavelength to shorten and as a result, robbing them of most of their energy that is then absorbed by the plasma barriers beneath the shear. One major disadvantage of the Gravitic Shear System is the significant energy demand it places on the reactors of all but the largest warships, making it unable to operate for long periods against continuous firepower. Additionally, the shear barrier itself offers little to no protection against massive, close proximity detonations.
Blink Drives A stripped-down version of the Union's standard FTL Engine, the Hybris Drive, the Blink Drive operates as a secondary warp drive intended for combat use within the confines of a solar system. Known as the Blink Drive for the tendency of ships using it to "blink" forward in an instant, the drive utilizes a subspace tunneling device in conjunction warp field propulsion to launch the vessel at near-light speeds. To keep energy demands manageable on ships equipped with standard Hybris drives, the range of the Blink Drive is extremely limited, making it unfeasible for interstellar travel, but far-reaching enough to allow Union vessels to quickly close the gap between them and an opposing fleet. In combat, jumping multiple vessels simultaneously requires careful synchronization to avoid unintentional collisions, as course cannot be altered once the tunneling route is locked in and prepared.
MagLev Gimbal Turrets Rather than waste time and valuable resources developing both axial and broadside/starboard turrets for their ships, warship cannons are fitted into spherical maglev gimbals that eliminate conventional axis limitations. As a result, Kadathi ships are given greater flexibility with regards to their angles of engagement, being able to effectively fire at targets in a 360 degree radius around a particular vessel. On more advanced warships, particularly those built towards the end of the Great War, magnetic rails on the hull allow for the relocation of turrets between multiple potential firing positions at the push of a button. This is particularly useful as Detente-era Union Fleet Doctrine relies on what are effectively drive-by tactics, calling for ships to close to knife-fight distances, fire, and then speed behind the enemy formation in an attempt to sow chaos and destroy as many capital ships as possible from their blind spot. The increased versatility of this system allows greater effectiveness in engagements with hostile forces without sacrificing forward momentum of both individual warships and the allied formation as a whole, thus minimizing time in knife-fight distances where allied forces are subjected to the most punishment.
Military Information
Military Overview
The Federal Armed Forces can be effectively split into three distinct branches; The Kadathi Federal Army, Kadathi Federal Navy and the Imperial Knights. All three branches have their own command structure, internal hierarchy and chiefs of staff, and are ultimately beholden to the Supreme General Staff in the case of the KFA and KFN, or the Heads of State of the Union's constituents (a vast oversimplification), in the case of the Imperial Knights.
Whilst not technically a branch of the military, the Imperial Union's Ministry of State Security effectively operates like another branch of the military in everything but name. Operating several independent military formations outside the jurisdiction of the Supreme General Staff and beholden only to the Imperial Crown and his Imperial Majesty's Minister of Security, the Ministry is charged with covert operations both in foreign and Union space, as well as a recent secret deployment to the Ashtar world of Agdemnar.
In terms of overall military doctrine, Kadath firmly believes that the best way to dispatch an enemy is not through a contest of raw firepower as was the case with planetbound navies, but through superior maneuverability to surround and annihilate an opposing fleet. The formation of a Union fleet best reflects this, with slow but highly durable capital ships absorbing the initial salvos of an enemy fleet, before faster but less heavily armoured warships rush forward with calculated Blink Drive jumps to engage at knife-fight ranges using Gravitic Shear Barriers as well as support from Strike Craft and Flak Batteries to provide defense from subsequent retaliation. Upon entering knife-fight distance, the KFN's light ships will attempt to weave in and out of the enemy formation, disrupting their cohesion and attempting to inflict as much damage as possible at close range before pushing through the rear and sides of the opposing formation. Once surrounded on all sides by KFN warships, the fleet will unleash their full array of firepower, creating a kill zone from which escape is difficult.
On the surface, the same tactic is employed by the Army, though with an emphasis on combined arms assaults on the frontlines of an enemy, followed by fresh, uncommitted mobile reserves to exploit any strategic breakthroughs within an enemy frontline. The goal was not only to break the front line of an enemy, but deal as much damage to their rear-line logistical and operational infrastructure, thus rendering the defence of their frontline more difficult. To accomplish this, the KFA employs a variety of hovertanks, as well as Walker Engines; mechanical walkers equipped with heavy weaponry as the main force for their attacks, supported by infantry carried in IFVs.
The Federal Army
The second largest branch of the Kadathi Armed Forces, the Federal Army serves as the unifying command for various army groups raised from the populace of its constituent states. With standardized equipment, doctrine and training no matter where its soldiers originate from in the Union, the KFA is a well-oiled, disciplined fighting machine ready to serve valiantly in the defense of the Union's worlds, or abroad. The once independent Air Force of the Kadathi Armed Forces has largely been subsumed into either the Federal Army or the Ministry of State Security's independent assets, thus leaving the Kadathi Federal Army with the following sub-branches:
Army Air Service Operating the various planet-bound aircraft of the KFA, the Army Air Service would have been disbanded long ago were it not for the continued integration of the Mobile Flying Fortress into the aerial supremacy doctrines of the military. The vast majority of AAS assets are in fact, these aforementioned Fortresses, a planet-bound sub-corvette craft ranging in length from 200m-300m and capable of delivering tremendous firepower from the skies, or seizing aerial superiority with an array of anti-fighter weapons.
Federal Engine Corps A semi-independent command composing the various armored and mechanized units of the Federal Army. Granted an additional level of autonomy so as to allow for greater strategic and tactical flexibility, the Engine Corps often forms the brunt of any offensive action by the KFA, and on the defensive, plays a key support role.
Military Police The Military Police (MP for short) are quite simply put, Federal Police units assigned to serve with the armed forces rather than local law enforcement. Better equipped than their civilian counterparts but not as well trained as a true soldier, the Military Police take up a role as an auxiliary branch intended to serve as peacekeepers, be it on occupied worlds or humanitarian missions across the galaxy, as well as local militias that can hold out until the real army arrives.
The Federal Navy
Consisting of a large number of fleets, warships, stations, installations and various other facilities throughout the length and breadth of Union space, the Kadathi Federal Navy. The headquarters of the Federal Navy, alongside with the rest of the official military of Kadath is housed at Khulda Prime. In times of peace, command of the Federal Navy is left to the jurisdiction of regional admiralities who are responsible for maintenance and administration of naval assets stationed in their region of jurisdiction. In times of war, command is centralised under the High Admiralty of the Federal Navy and the fleets are brought together in a unified force known as the Imperial Armada. As with the Federal Army, the Navy is also home to two sub-branches:
Naval Air Service The navy's version of the Army Air Service. Mainly responsible for the provision, maintenance and operation of strike craft assigned to various carriers and other assorted capital ships in the Federal Navy.
Kadathi Marine Corps The Vanguard of any planetary invasion, the Kadathi Marines are the surface operations branch of the Federal Navy, and assist the Federal Army in their attempts to invade a planet. The role of the Marine Corps is to secure a beachhead and capture suitable landing site or spaceport, allowing for the army's transport vessels to ferry the KFA to the surface below. The Marine Corps, as stated in the name, is organised into Corps that are small enough to be redeployed at a moment's notice, but large enough to help sway the course of any conflict. The Marine Corps also engages in boarding actions against disabled vessels and stations, particularly against pirate vessels in times of peace.
The Imperial Knights
Whilst the name would suggest a sort of elite ground force, the Imperial Knights fulfill that role and much more. Originally a military unit under the joint control of the government heads of the Union's constituencies, the Imperial Knights have evolved into something more of a veteran ground force under the jurisdiction of the Valusian Empire (and by extension, the Imperial Crown as the monarch of Valusia is also the monarch of the Union), Union of Tyrrhia and Northern Alliance, the three largest constituencies within the Imperial Union. The Imperial Knights operate their own fleets and army units, though not on a scale that could compete with either primary branch of the Armed Forces. Their role can be likened to more of a rapid response force to any crisis or conflict.
Fleet/Navy
Cerula-class Dreadnought A design developed in absolute secrecy in the aftermath of the Great War, the Cerula-class Dreadnought is a clear violation of the Treaty of Detente, and as a result, the existence of the ship is a heavily guarded state secret. As of the time of the Message, only two Cerula-class Dreadnoughts are in actual commission, stationed in a remote drydock in an even more remote region of Union space, and shielded from sight by the interference of a local nebula. Equipped with a vast array of MHD Cannons (including an enlarged spinal mount variant), missile banks and laser emitters, protected by the latest in Shear Barriers and armour tech, and escorted by a respectable amount of strike craft, the Cerula-class represents the pinnacle of Union engineering.
Unity-class Battleship (Great War) The symbol of Kadath's newfound strength at the end of the Ashtar Era. The Unity-class battleship is an antiquated design that has seen only marginal upgrades in recent years. The vast majority of Unitys' are currently being phased out in favour of the newly minted Tempest class, but a few are being retrofitted with advanced computing systems and command software, allowing them to take up the role as command vessels within a Kadathi fleet. As a testament to the age of the design, the Unity is not even equipped with a spinal-mounted MHD cannon that is the standard in modern Kadathi battleship designs. Instead, it relies on a spinal particle beam that draws power directly from the ship's reactor core.
Tempest-class Battleship (Modern) A theoretical Battleship design developed during the Detente Era but only recently put into production. The Tempest-class amounts to what is effectively a miniaturised version of the Cerula-class Dreadnought. Fitted with state of the art military-grade Engine Dolls, a sort of sentient but non-sapient robotic humanoid, the Tempest-class cuts down on modules dedicated to housing and entertaining crew members, allowing more of its hull to be dedicated towards the provision of maglev MHD and laser turrets. As a result, the Tempest-class Battleship carries enough firepower to punch far above its weight, as well as sufficient strike craft and light weaponry to deal with smaller craft.
Valusia-class Battlecruiser (Detente)
A cripplingly overspecialized mass shielding vessel commissioned during the Detente years. Lightly armed and armoured, the only thing the Valusia-class has going for it is an extremely energy efficient wide-radius shear barrier system. As a result, Valusias are often interspersed throughout the formation of a Kadathi fleet, aiming to create as many overlapping barriers as is possible to mitigate the effects of enemy salvos. With the funny business going down on Agdemnar, Kadathi naval authorities have begun quietly stripping away some of the Detente-era limits placed on the Valusia-class, with the intent on bringing it up to spec with the rest of the fleet as a shielding vessel with somewhat more significant firepower.
Khaldim-class Battlecruiser (Modern) Designed and commissioned scarcely a year ago, the Khaldim-class Battlecruiser is a jack of all trades forming the front line of any modernised Kadathi fleet. Armed to the teeth with an array of treaty-violating firepower and generous hangar bays, the Khaldim is able to hold its own an engagement, and serves as the anvil to the hammer that is its sister ship the Celenaria-class. Generous maglev emplacements, the standard spinal-mounted MHD cannon and an array of dense flak emplacements gives the Khaldim a method of putting up some resistance against every ship type thrown its way.
Celenaria-class Assault Carrier (Modern) Combining battleship-grade firepower with the speed of a cruiser and strike craft capacity of a light carrier, the Celenaria-class Assault Carrier serves as the poster child of the Kadathi Navy's military doctrine, and the most successful attempt at combining its most advanced technologies to create a new generation of warships. The Celenaria-class is equipped with a spine-mounted MHD lance, numerous maglev turrets, several squadrons of strike frames, and is intended to complement the capabilities of the Matros-class cruiser in both long and short range combat engagements.
Khulda-class Heavy Cruiser Originally an antiquated design from the Great War, the Khulda-class Heavy Cruiser has seen numerous redesigns over the past two decades, converting it into the mainstay of the Kadathi Navy. The modern Khulda-class is equipped with a much more balanced arsenal of defenses and weapons than the Matros-class, featuring advanced reactor systems that can power the energy-intensive shear barriers for longer periods than any other ship in the navy. In combination with modernised missile banks and laser emitters, the Khulda is granted the versatility needed to succeed in combat engagements with various contemporary ship designs.
Matros-class Fast Attack Cruiser A relatively new cruiser design put into service following the Treaty of Detente. The Matros-class Fast Attack Cruiser was designed with the sole intention of maximizing speed and firepower to the expense of everything else. Equipped with comparatively weak shear barriers and armour, the selling point of the Matros is in its powerful MHD cannons and assault guns. As a result, the primary focus of the ship is in quickly getting close to the enemy, before shredding them with superior firepower.
Emris-class Cruiser
Striking a balance between the Khulda and Matros cruisers, the Emris-class cruiser was designed first and foremost with independence in mind. Equipped with the capabilities to operate alone on deep space patrols, as well as quick and efficient engines for rapid response, the Emris is often the first ship on the scene when responding to a pirate raid or hostile incursion, and the harbinger of the Federal Navy's arrival. Recent retrofitted models have been equipped with a suite of command software allowing Emris captains to effectively coordinate a strike force of smaller vessels on the battlefield.
Destroyers:
Hailstorm-class Destroyer
The only class of Destroyer that hasn't been decommissioned in the Federal Navy, the Hailstorm-class Destroyer could more accurately be described as a picket ship. Armed with minimal offensive weaponry but an abundance of flak turrets, assault guns and point defense, the Hailstorm occupies the niche of an anti-corvette, anti-fighter configuration within the ranks of a Kadathi battle line. Often assigned on patrols alongside the Emris-class cruiser, the Hailstorm provides much needed fire support against smaller pirate raider vessels.
Frigates:
Devastator-class Frigate The Devastator-class Frigate is best described by its unofficial nickname, the "Little Khulda". Being one of the latest designs put into service by the Kadathi Federal Navy, the Devastator features several axial-mounted MHD cannons alongside an array of maglev turrets on the ship's underbelly. Power-hungry and powered by a comically oversized reactor, the Devastator moves slightly faster than a cruiser, but compensates for it with firepower punching far above its weight and potent defense systems.
Stinger-class Frigate
The older cousin of the Fast Attack Cruiser, the Stinger-class is arguably the most numerous vessel in the Federal Navy. Shielded and armoured just enough to not disintegrate when sneezed on by enemy kinetics or lasers, the Stinger makes up for this with an obscene amount of missile arrays. This allows the Stinger to stay away from the main line of combat, providing fire support for Kadathi capital ships at a distance, or in the case of more creative tacticians, engage in flanking maneuvers to pin the enemy and target elements weakened by the initial salvos of the capital ships.
Shadow-class Frigate
A stealth frigate derived from the design of the Devastator, the Shadow-class Frigate cuts back on some of the excesses of the Devastator's weapon configurations, instead diverting the excess power towards powering a stealth system and additional electronic warfare modules that allow it to operate independently or in small strike groups behind enemy lines. Coincidentally, they also form the bulk of the Ministry of State Security's naval forces.
Vanguard-class Corvette A mainstay of Federal and local police forces, the Vanguard-class corvette is a small, fast, decently armed vessel that is easy to crew, build and maintain. Vanguard Corvettes often are tasked as patrol ships under the command of an Emris Cruiser or Devastator Frigate, and engage in a number of odd jobs from reconaissance, picketing and patrol of remote areas.
Strike Craft After a shift in naval doctrine following the Great War, the strike craft of the Federal Navy have undergone a major redesign in the second decade of the Detente era roughly coinciding with the development of the Celenaria and Matros classes. The biggest change can be seen in the move from conventional fighter and bomber craft to specialized 'Frames', that fulfill multiple roles as either strike craft, atmospheric aircraft and if necessary, ground support walkers. In addition to increased firepower and the ability to carry more within a ship's hangar bay due to the vertical, rather than horizontal design of Frames, mass production of Strike Frames is made easy due to the similar design specs of land-based Federal Army Walkers.
Fury-class Bomber
A sluggish bomber that requires heavy escort to even stand a chance of surviving the approach towards the enemy lines, the Fury-class bomber compensates for its speed by carrying a massive payload of conventional bombs in addition to neutron energy torpedos and a miniaturised kinetic 'lance'. A squadron of Furies can reduce a battleship to scrap in minutes, but will themselves be reduced to scrap by enemy starfighters if not appropriately supported.
Stormrider-class Starfighter Equipped with assault cannons and energy efficient laser banks, the Stormrider-class Starfighter strikes a great balance between speed, armour and firepower, resulting in an overall greater combat survival rate. Stormrider-class Starfighters are mostly deployed as escorts to Fury-class Bombers, though they also play a defensive role in intercepting bombers that may threaten allied capital ships.
Shryke-class "Barely qualifies as a Strike Craft" Strike Craft Probably the most ridiculous, yet at the same time, most ingenious way of getting around the Treaty of Detente. As the Treaty severely limited the amount of firepower that a capital ship could carry, a Kadathi naval engineer whose name is now lost to history (though he/she is probably still in service somewhere) came up with a brilliant idea: "If we can't put more turrets on the ship itself, then why don't we just convert the ship's strike craft into flying turrets?"
Thus the Shryke-class was born. Barely qualifying as a ship, the majority of the Shryke's hull is dedicated to an engine, reactor and most importantly, a railgun that accounts for over 40% of the ship's mass. Utterly undefended, the Shryke's sole purpose is to deliver as many shots towards the enemy lines as possible before the enemy's first wave of fighters arrive, upon which the Shryke will promptly flee towards the nearest friendly hangar bay and wait out the storm.
Raider-class Incursion Frame Accompanying the shift in doctrine from conventional line battles to mobile warfare, the Raider-class Incursion Frame was developed as one of the primary strike craft stationed on the new line of Celenaria-class Assault Carriers. The Raider is not built for ship-to-ship combat. Rather, its armaments are relatively small in calibre, meant for killing infantry rather than engaging with starfighters. This reflects perfectly on its intended role as a boarding craft, with its left weapon taking the form of a plasma spear for drilling into the hulls of vessels, and its right being a 40mm electromagnetic assault cannon.
Paladin-class Artillery Frame The successor to the jury-rigged abomination that was the Shyrke. The Paladin builds on the concept of converting a strike craft into a flying railgun, adapting the design into something more of a flying artillery piece. The Paladin's chassis is built around a miniaturised MHD lance fed by a revolving barrel. Whilst not as powerful as conventional MHD cannons, they pack enough punch to damage frigates, and if the fire of multiple Paladins is concentrated, can eventually wear away at the defenses of most cruisers.
Knight-class Superiority Frame An upgraded and rebuilt Stormrider starfighter, the Knight acts as the air superiority fighter of the new generation of Kadathi Strike Craft. Like the Stormrider, they play a role as both an escort and interceptor, keeping the void clear of enemy fighters that would otherwise annihilate the poorly armed Bishops and Marauders, as well as keep bombers away from enemy capital ships.
Bishop-class Support Frame A lightly armed support frame capable of electronic warfare. The armour of the Bishop is paper thin, but is compensated by its ability to project a shear barrier onto itself and any other nearby Strike Frames. Its suite of electronic warfare software allows for localized disruption of enemy shielding systems, corruption of turret targeting systems as well as interference with the targeting systems of most contemporary missile systems. Its utility value on the battlefield is only countered by its expensive cost to manufacture. As a result, Bishops tend to operate in large squadrons shielded by Knights, where they can bring their combined power to bear on an enemy warship, disabling and disrupting key systems and leaving the target open for a killing blow.
Marauder-class Bombardment Frame Depending on which Marauder pilot you consult, they'll either claim that the Marauder Bombardment Frame is either a downsized version of the Stinger frigate, or an upgraded Fury Bomber. Nevertheless, it can't be denied that the Marauder clearly takes inspiration from both. Slow as a slug (by strike craft standards), but fitted an excessive amount of missile arrays and energy torpedo launch tubes, the Marauder takes over from the Fury's anti-capital duties.
Hyperdread
Triumphant-class Superdreadnought The flagship and pride of the Kadathi Federal Navy. The Triumphant-class Hyperdreadnought is testament to the sheer destructive potential of modern weapon systems, and a worthy vessel with which to lead the Kadathi fleets to victory. Equipped with sophisticated command software that allows the real-time coordination of several fleets, the Triumphant-class also takes the concept of the Magnetohydrodynamic Cannon to its ultimate conclusion. Possessing the largest MHD cannon conceivable running through the entire length of the vessel, the Triumphant-class Hyperdreadnought possesses enough firepower to vaporize several battleships with a single shot of its main gun. Combined with effective armour and shear barrier systems capable of enduring firepower the sum of a dozen battleships, the Triumphant-class is a certified killing machine. It's only drawbacks are a deficiency of hangar bays, as well as relatively weak flak defenses, making support from the rest of the fleet a necessity to its survival on the battlefield.
Ascendant-class Nightmare Frame As mentioned previously, the ISD Triumphant has a deficiency of hangar bays and thus, a rather lacklustre amount of strike craft. To remedy this, Kadathi engineers have developed the Ascendant-class Nightmare Frame, piloted by only the most distinguished strike craft veterans. Dwarfing all other conventional Strike Frames in both size, (35m~ in height compared to the average 20m) as well as firepower. Equipped with overcharged particle emitters, antimatter missile banks, a cruiser-grade MHD turret and a ultrasonic vibrating blade, the Ascendant is the Nightmare of contemporary strike craft models
Government of the Imperial Union Emperor Kerxec XV Dzijmeter - 13th Monarch of the Imperial Union and aging politician.
Crown Princess Cerula Dzijmeter - Heir apparent to the Imperial Crown of Kadath.
Arta Smiljer - First Minister of His Imperial Majesty's Government. Leader of the Unionist Party and the UniNat Coalition.
Amalrik Vesla - Minister of Foreign Affairs.
Baronetess Lady Elia of Alphen - Minister of Trade.
Kadathi Federal Armed Forces
High Admiral Kayto Cresten - Head of the Kadathi Federal Navy.
Ministry of State Security
Nyklaus Sazan - Lieutenant-Colonel within the Ministry, dispatched to Agdemnar on a covert operation. Protege of the Ministry's Vice-Director Erijk Mielke.
Nightingale - Engine Doll (Android) subordinate of Nyklaus Sazan.
Erijk Mielke - Vice-Director of the Ministry of State Security, and its de-facto leader.
NS is practically finished. Pending a few more pictures of ships.
Imperial Union of Kadath
Imperial Kadath/Union/Kadath/Imperial Union/The Patchwork Union (Derisively)
Minor Belligerent
General Information
Overview
A federal union encompassing the fragmented nation states of the planet Kadath and the various colonial territories of those aforementioned nation states. The Union is dominated by its founding species, the Saralai species who comprise some 95% of the population, although a variety of migrant alien species do exist. The Imperial Union is ostensibly a parliamentary democracy, but riddled with practically un-amendable constitutional clauses that concentrate the majority of power into the hands of an unelected, upper house as well as the reigning Imperial Monarch. Relatively new to the galactic stage, having only achieved FTL technology nearly three and a half centuries ago, but has already proven itself as a regional power in the aftermath of the Great War.
History
The origins of the Imperial Union (1555 ASF to 1613 ASF, 400 to 342 years ago) Entering the Space Age was not an act of luxury for the Saralain species, but a necessity. Pushed towards the stars by rampant, unrestrained industrialisation that saw the Saralai deplete nearly the entirety of Kadath's mineral wealth, in addition to the beginnings of an ecological collapse, the establishment of the first mining outposts in the asteroid belt came with relief to every man, woman and child on the planet. Followed by the establishment of primitive colonies on Kadath's moon, Iria and then terraforming operations on the nearby planet of Matros, the stage was set for a new era in Kadathi history.
Within the next century, further developments would go on to aid the process of colonization within the solar system; the emergence of sustainable fusion energy brought an end to the rather primitive method of nuclear propulsion (read: literally detonating nuclear bombs behind the craft to propel it forward), sparking a second wave of colonization. Disputes soon emerged over construction rights, militarization rights, sovereignty rights and other limitless legal minutiae that stemmed from the implications of viable space travel. Surprisingly, it was not the nations of Kadath that came with the solution to this crisis, but a sidelined political and humanitarian body established nearly two centuries ago in the aftermath of the planet's first and only global conflict; The Global Congress.
Whilst regarded globally as nothing more than a talk-shop and 'club' for the victors of the Great Northern War, its reputation began to change as a triumvirate of Kadathi superpowers, the Valusian Empire, Provincial Union of Tyrrhia and Northern Alliance, alongside the rising powers of the Republic of Sona, Igna and the Free Cities of Skaga agreed after months of heated negotiations to grant the Congress full control of all non-economic affairs in the great expanse of space. This included everything from colonial spheres of influence down to specific asteroids, the formation of a joint anti-piracy and police force to the application of Valusian Common Law.
Under the banner of the Global Congress, order was maintained in the offworld colonies. Under the banner of the Global Congress, the ancient disputes of the Kadathi nation states were (mostly) settled. Yet it was not under the Global Congress' banner that the planet was unified.
The Founding of the Imperial Union and Outward Expansion (1613 ASF to 1804 ASF, 342 to 150 years ago) Whilst the Global Congress was without doubt an effective governing body, it was oligarchic at best, dictatorial at worse. Its fundamental core structure was that of a diplomatic assembly jury-rigged into a byzantine intrasolar administration, with the Congress' Director directly appointed by and accountable only to the governments of Valusia, Tyrrhia and the Alliance. The Congress was in essence, subverted to do the dirty work of the Triumvirate, from suppressing protests in the mining colonies to the institution of what effectively amounted to military rule on the colony worlds of Iria and Matros. This was of course, a recipe for future disaster.
After a heavily publicised massacre of an unarmed miners' protest on Matros against what was perceived to be unfair working conditions, public opinion on Kadath began to turn heavily against the Congress. Under an emergency Imperial Edict from the contemporary Empress Cerula II, the Valusian Director was recalled back to the Imperial Capital of Rijkstad and forced to stand trial for what amounted to gross violations of Saralain Rights, found guilty and summarily sentenced to life imprisonment. Yet despite this, the damage was done and the reputation of the Congress was irreparably damaged. Thus in the year 1613 ASF the nation states of Kadath assembled at the city of Rijkstad to promulgate the formation of the Imperial Union of Kadath, a federal union that inherited much of the governing apparatus of the old Congress, but was at long last, accountable to the people of not only the homeworld, but the colonies as well.
The development of a functional FTL drive a decade later would spur a new wave of colonization from Kadath, with the Union at its head. Survey teams dispatched into the great beyond returned with tales of bountiful worlds to settle, and of exotic materials and strange lifeforms on their surface. Colonization rights to these worlds were doled out slowly and methodically by creatively titled 'Federal Charters', distributing regions of surveyed space to the nation states of Kadath to administer, colonize and exploit at their leisure. Whilst by no means distributed evenly, the various planetbound states of Kadath were not particularly interested in voicing complaint, since in the end, there was plenty of space to go around.
That line of thinking would prove true for almost two centuries.
The Union and the Ashtar (1804 ASF to 1924 ASF, 150 to 30 years ago) It was around 20 years before the appearance of the Ashtar that the Saralai made first contact with another spacefaring alien race known as the Calacostran Primacy, and soon found themselves on the doorsteps of a galactic power far mightier than theirs. The Saralai took note of the imperialistic expansion of the Commonwealth as it subjugated and incorporated every nation unfortunate to stand in its way. The Union, knowing the Calacostrans were next on the chopping block began to prepare itself for an eventual fight. Attempting to save the Primacy from annexation was a foolish prospect and would likely result in the Saralai being subjugated alongside them. The Saralai had arrived too late to change the Primacy's fate, but still had enough time to change theirs.
Under an emergency naval bill, the Imperial Union rapidly militarized, bolstering the Federal Navy with the addition of a 2nd, 3rd and 4th Fleet, all the while instituting a system of limited conscription to ensure an adequate supply of manpower for the Navy, as well as ground forces and colonial garrisons. By the time the Ashtar appeared, the Federal Navy had expanded to over triple its original size, fielded numerous vessels and was prepared for the possibility of total war with the Commonwealth.
Originally met with skepticism and outright ridicule, the doubts of the Saralai were first weakened by the Ashtar display of overwhelming power against the fleets of the Commonwealth. These doubts then rebounded after the rather lacklustre response of the Ashtar towards the attempts of the Commonwealth to foster instability in the Primacy, before finally being dispelled with the deployment of Prevailing Tranquility over Praetoria.
The century of peace brought about by the Ashtar was one of the greatest eras of the Imperial Union. With the Commonwealth's future expansion essentially neutered, the Union was free to invest funds into less destructive affairs, namely the provision of development funds to many colonized worlds neglected during the two decades of militarization, as well as an opportunity to open up ties of trade and diplomacy with the rest of the galaxy through the use of the Ashtar-administered PsiNet. By the time the Ashtar up and vanished, the Saralai had developed into a regional economic and military power able to hold its own in the galaxy.
The Great War and Detente Era (1924 ASF to 1955 ASF, 30 years ago to the present day) When the Great War finally broke out, the Saralai heartily threw themselves into the conflict to fight against the renewed expansionism of the Commonwealth and secure their independence once more. As the conflict dragged on however, the once-high morale of Federal Forces began to plummet as the war forced rationing of essential goods, economic stagnation and even capital flight as Saralai and foreign investors headed for the more optimistic economies of the neutral states. Losses began to mount in various battles as the fleets of the Kadathi Federal Navy flew from one conflict zone to the next with little time in between for any real repair and maintenance work to be done. It soon became abundantly clear that despite the optimistic projections of military planners when the Imperial Union first entered the war, sustaining a long term conflict was impossible without harsh, and perhaps near-catastrophic strains on every facet of the nation.
Though not the first to request for a ceasefire (after all, they didn't want to look like they were going to give up against the Commonwealth so easily), the Imperial Union joined the calls for peace after the 10th or so nation to do so. At the Conference of Madrigasa, the Saralai were the most vocal in calling for an indefinite ban on the construction of all dreadnought class vessels, as well as being the most adamant in demanding that a uniform hard limit be set for the number of battleships and battlecruisers able to be constructed by each nation. Of course, given the current terms of the Treaty of Detente, you can see that they weren't very successful with the latter.
In the Detente period that followed, the Imperial Union remained distrustful of whether the other signatories of the Treaty would actually bother to adhere to the stipulations. Consequently, R&D efforts were stepped up to begin the development and construction of the Union's own domestic dreadnought design, to be carried out in secret, as well as theoretical conception of advanced battleship and battlecruiser designs that could be deployed on the eve of another galactic war. Economic recovery efforts proved extremely successful in the past two decades, making up for much of the potential growth that was lost during the years of warfare. Nevertheless, many rim worlds still feel the pinch from the so-called 'Lost Decade' and many still hold doubts if Kadath could afford to fight another Great War.
Major Holdings
Kadath - The cradle of Saralain civilization and the administrative and financial hub of the Imperial Union. The seat of the Imperial Crown, and technically still the de-jure capital world of the Valusian Empire (despite the Empire having no jurisdiction over the planet), one of the constituent states of the Imperial Union. Rapid enginisation (see society section) brought about by an industrial revolution lasting three centuries, combined with increased levels of urbanisation and population growth have caused great ecological damage to this world. To even glimpse sunlight through the grey, smog-ridden clouds is considered a miracle. The ancient urban metropolises on the surface are contrasted by drab gray of automated industrial complexes established over the course of several centuries. With the majority of the population either being well-to-do capitalists, old nobility or bureaucrats in such close proximity to the Imperial Court, Kadath remains a hub of political intrigue, and according to some, the place where the real decisions are made in the Union.
Matros - Federal territory of the Imperial Union, and seat of the Federal Assembly and Senate. An urban metropolis of planned cities and clear, blue skies, great care has been taken by the Union Government to avoid Matros sharing the same fate as the Saralain homeworld. Located only about 1.25 Astronomical Units away from Kadath and occupying the same solar system, Matros was chosen as the political heart of the Union solely for its proximity to the homeworld, and thus the Imperial Crown, allowing for quick consultation between the legislature and the executive.
Asmann - De-facto Capital of the Valusian Empire, from which the Imperial Crown originates. A relatively quaint and rustic colony that has purposely eschewed urbanisation in favour of agrarian development. Once described as "reminiscent of an old feudal estate back on Kadath", structures on this world are constructed with a pre-space age aesthetic in mind, despite containing within advanced technology. No buildings are allowed to exceed five floors on this world with the exception of any administrative and financial buildings. As a result, much of the agriculture on this world occurs underground in subterranean tower-farms, the top levels of which are occasionally visible on the planet's surface.
Khulda Point - Referring to both the planet of Khulda Prime, and the nearby drydocks of "Emperor's Point", the Federally-administered system of Khulda alone is home to over half of the Union's naval production capabilities in addition to the High Command of the Federal Armed Forces. Located only 4.01 light years from Kadath, and thus the remainder of the Federal Governmental Apparatus, the research and development of naval designs as well as training and construction occurs here under the watchful eye of the Union's civilian government.
Far Port - An ocean world comprised mostly of archipelagos and atolls and the first port of call when entering the Union's core worlds. Whilst unfit for dense habitation, it serves as the gathering point for traders and ships seeking to move goods further into the Union and as a result, has a reputation for being both a cosmopolitan melting pot of different species. Arguably the most multicultural section of the rather homogeneous Union. Due to a combination of low taxes and almost non existent tariffs on shipping, many corporations in this region of the galaxy have chosen to make their headquarters on the planet, filling its limited landmass with gleaming corporate spires and a variety of trade centres and stock exchanges.
Demographics
Population
The vast majority (95%) of the Imperial Union's population consists of its founding species, the Saralai.
The Saralai are a humanoid race of mammalians ranging from 5ft to 6ft in height on average. As mammalian life forms, the Saralainn reproduce through the uterine birth of singular live offspring with a gestation period of 12 months. They exhibit very little body hair except on the head region, and have ears that are pointed upwards. Being mammals, their body regulates internal conditions through the process of homeostasis and operate best in temperate environments. Owing to the relatively mild temperature range of Kadath, from 253K in the winter months to 296K in the worst summers, the skin of the Saralai is relatively pale, though variations have started to emerge with the colonization of less temperate worlds.
At a distance, they could perhaps be mistaken for a fair-skinned human at a distance, though upon closer inspection, the trademark facial patterns and lack of rounded ears would certainly expel any doubts that they are in fact Saralain.
Latent psionic abilities are present within the Saralain species, although it manifests in less than 0.1% of the population. Users with psionic potential can be recognised by their characteristic golden eyes, with pupils that more closely resemble a household feline than that of their own species.
Society
In the Imperial Union, life varies greatly from planet to planet, and even between the constituent states which form the local administrations for many of these worlds. Colonial development was not uniformly spread during the age of expansion, and despite attempts in recent years to accelerate development of backwater rimworlds into properly Enginised planets, many still lag behind in development. As an aside, the use of the term 'enginisation' is an inherited term from Kadath's industrial revolution era. In the modern day Imperial Union, the use of the word 'Enginisation' is roughly synonymous to the word 'Industrialisation', and likewise for 'Enginised' and other variations of the word 'Engine' and 'Industrial'. This has led to a particular change in the Saralai lexicon where 'Engine' has become a blanket term for an advanced computing system or piece of machinery, and what would normally be referred to as 'Engines' in the conventional sense of say, a car engine, would instead be referred to as a 'Drive' (as they provide the drive needed to propel a vehicle forward.
Nevertheless, the Federal Government does attempt to make life as pleasant as possible for its citizens, even those unfortunate enough to be residing on the fringes of Union space. Universal healthcare, free education to the secondary level, university grants, unemployment benefits as well various other services and benefits are provided to Union citizens from the core worlds all the way to the very edges of Imperial territory. Whilst these services may of course vary in quality and even implementation, the fact that they exist throughout the Union is a relief to every citizen and a key factor in dispelling any social unrest. Citizenship within the Union is granted on the basis of Jus Sanguinis; the right of blood. Of course, this proves somewhat problematic given that it effectively limits Union citizenship to the Saralain species, locking out any alien species from benefiting from the Union's social policies . To remedy this, reforms during the time of the Ashtar were hastily pushed through via Imperial Edict, granting automatic citizenship to the children of all second-generation migrants at the time of implementation, as well as granting all non-Saralai born within the Union the opportunity to apply for citizenship upon reaching the age of adulthood.
As for the Saralai themselves, their culture is quite individualistic, with a heavy emphasis placed on allowing the individual to pursue any path they wish in life. Every facet of Union society as a result, is geared towards facilitating this. The social safety net provides a fallback line for individuals who may face difficulties on the path they choose to tread whilst in education, a specialized system separates students at a young age into broad disciplinary 'streams' before increasing in specificity.
Whilst the Union has no official state religion, a variety of indigenous faiths do exist within the territory of the Union, alongside religions brought in by alien migrants. Of these indigenous beliefs, the title of "most widespread" is jointly held by the Universal Pantheon, an amalgamation of various ancient Saralai pagan faiths which share common deities, and are led by a chief deity known only by the moniker of the Tempest Queen. Contrasting the Pantheon is the Four-Tipped Faith, a monotheistic religion that extolls belief in a God with four aspects, namely the Patriarch, justice and bravery, the Matriarch, representing life and mercy, the Sage, representing knowledge and wisdom, and the Reaper, representing death, the unknown and pretty much everything else perceived as 'negative' in life.
Psionics and any so called 'psintegrae' are referred to within Saralai society as 'Llygaid', named after the Pantheon Deity Llyga who was reputed to have irises in the shade of gold. Whilst treated with some fear and superstition by the general populace, there is no active discrimination against psionic users within Union society. Most psionics are directed into government employment whether it be within the intelligence or military services, or as well compensated participants in state-sponsored experiments to study psychic phenomena.
Lastly, after several cases of accidental destruction of pre-FTL species during the age of expansion, the Saralai maintain extremely strict protocols for the handling of primitive civilizations within its space. Colloquially referred to as the "Four Commandments" in more derisive political circles, they can roughly be summed up as follows:
1) Do not contaminate pre-industrial civilizations: Simply put, the landing of research teams for stealthed ground operations is strictly prohibited to avoid the risk of introducing foreign pathogens to the native biosphere of a planet when native technological development is too primitive to produce a vaccine. All research operations for pre-industrial civilizations are mandated to be conducted passively, from orbit in a specially constructed observation post.
2) Do not attempt to 'indoctrinate' pre-industrial civilizations: Indoctrination in this context refers to subtle social engineering over the course of decades so as to shift societal and cultural norms of the primitive species in question towards a specific outcome. This mostly occurs in an attempt to prevent excessively militaristic or fundamentalist civilizations from emerging and posing a threat towards the Union. More specifically however, the rationale of prohibiting indoctrination of pre-industrial civilizations stems less from moral reasons and more from financial ones. Limited funding is available for researchers studying primitive civilizations and to prevent frivolous allocation of resources (especially on costly and inefficient indoctrination efforts on feudal civilizations) and reduce administrative costs, the second rule was put into place.
3) Do not initiate contact with any civilization that has yet to achieve primitive spaceflight: By the time a primitive civilization has managed to send the first members of their species into space, the Union considers it the appropriate time to formally introduce the civilization to the rest of the galaxy, as well as begin the initiation of diplomatic and economic relations to the mutual benefit of both the Union and primitive civilization in question. Oftentimes, this exchange involves the sale of raw materials in return for technology several decades ahead of what would normally be producible by the pre-FTL civilization in question, allowing them to speed up their advancement whilst providing the Union with resources found on their world. Critics of the Union's pre-FTL policy often cite this rule as an example of economic imperialism, given that most pre-FTL civilizations who sign these economic treaties found themselves signing unequal annexation treaties, ceding away sovereignty to join one of the already existing Kadathi constituent states as a new colony.
4) Do not attempt to protect primitive civilizations from anything that does not violate any of the above: This rule probably doesn't need much explanation. The Union will not bother to dispatch forces to intervene in any events that may affect a primitive civilization that isn't a band of illegal slavers, smugglers or rogue mad scientists. If an asteroid is about to collide into the planet, then so be it. Obviously, this rule is the one which is least strictly enforced, and extremely creative interpretations are often taken of the previous rules to make the case for intervention if say, a pre-FTL civilization which has signed an economic treaty with the Union is under threat of nuclear war or an asteroid capable of an extinction level event is en-route to the planet.
Economy
The Union's economy is based off an eclectic mix of private corporations and state owned monopolies, varying heavily from system to system and planet to planet. Whilst not behemoth in scale like the major galactic powers, raw productivity and efficiency is a highly valued element, and resource shortages during the Great War have taught Imperial industrialists how to make more with less, without sacrificing much in quality.
Significant portions of the economy are based off the refining of raw materials into usable industrial components, metals, alloys etc. The raw mineral output of tens of mining colonies and hundreds of stations are directed towards the core worlds, where foundries belch black smoke into the skies and convert these metals into industrial goods ready for export through Far Port, or for domestic purchase by military contractors and indigenous industries.
On other fronts, the Imperial Union has also seen a boom in tourism in the aftermath of the Great War, following the colonization and development of several resort worlds on the fringes of its territory. Whilst not as great of a net contributor to the Federal Government's annual bottom line as the lucrative metallurgic and electronic manufacturing industries, prospects are bright for the tourist industry, so long as there isn't another Great War to muddle things up.
The system of Tempest contains within it the three most developed, and oldest worlds of the Imperial Union, Kadath itself, Matros and Iria. No other system in the Union can compete with the industrial output of the foundries of Iria, nor the financial hubs and banks of Kadath. Despite the existence of the corporate paradise that is Far Port, none of its stock exchanges could rival the Provincial Union of Tyrrhia's Republican Stock Exchange housed in the appropriately named Republican State Building. Likewise, few civilian systems possess intrasolar infrastructure to the same extent as Tempest, cementing the primacy of the system, its people and likewise, the Federal Government over the rest of the Union. Of course, this state of affairs may change soon as Far Port continues to grow in relevance following a series of economic and legal reforms that have made the planet much, much more conducive to facilitating the flow of both trade and cash in and out of the Union.
Government
The government of the Imperial Union of Kadath follows a model roughly equivalent to the Human Westminster system (in Kadath, known as Valusian Constitutionalism) with a few modifications, allowing it to be broadly explained as follows:
The lower house of the Union is referred to as the Federal Assembly. Seats within the Assembly are divvied up following the rule of proportional representation, that is, the percentage of the population that a member state of the Union holds out of the total population of the Union is identical to the percentage of seats they are entitled to in the Assembly, rounded up. As of the Agdenmar conflict, there are 1200 seats within the Federal Assembly associated with a wide variety of political parties and the occasional independent politician.
Elections are held for seats within the Federal Assembly every 10 years, with candidates being able to stand for a seat in the Assembly assigned to their member state of origin, following the payment of a 'nomination fee' and the signing of some bureaucratic paperwork. Upon the conclusion of an election, the leader of the largest party within a coalition that holds a majority in the Assembly is appointed by the Emperor (as of present day, Kerxec XV) as the Right Honourable First Minister of His Imperial Majesty's government. The First Minister then turns to the parties within his coalition, appointing members of the cabinet and distributing ministerial portfolios to qualified candidates. At the same time, the leader of the second largest coalition within the Assembly will be appointed by the Emperor as the Leader of the Opposition, and given the right to appoint members of their own coalition as Shadow Ministers, forming His Imperial Majesty's Most Loyal Opposition. The job of the Shadow Cabinet is to, in extremely simple terms, pretend they were appointed to the actual cabinet and scrutinize every action of their counterpart in the actual cabinet, providing a sort of check and balance to the ruling government. The Federal Assembly is responsible for drafting legislation and debating issues pertaining to the Imperial Union as a whole. In the case of regional affairs, authority is delegated to the various national assemblies of the constituent states of the Imperial Union. Laws and bills are drafted by the Federal Assembly and debated upon, and upon passing a majority vote in the Assembly, is sent to the Upper House, known as the Federal Senate for debate.
The Federal Senate, or colloquially, the Aristocrat's Assembly due to the fact that 55% of seats within the Senate are hereditary peerages. Another 25% are lifetime appointments made on recommendation by the Right Honourable First Minister with the approval of the Emperor, while an additional 10% are selected from nominees who earn enough to qualify for the Union's three highest tax brackets to serve for 12 years. The last tenth of the Senate is elected by simple runoff voting throughout the whole Union from a list of nominated candidates, who serve for terms of 7 years. The main intended aim of the Federal Senate is to act as a counterweight to the political maneuvering and factional politics of the Lower House, allowing for the politicians here to focus on their job of actually running the Union. Ultimately, getting a bill into the Federal Senate is only one of two major hurdles before it can actually be implemented by the state. Whilst the Senate does not actually have the ability to outright reject a bill, the Senate can, after a period of scrutiny and debate, decide not to approve a bill and actually send it back to the Assembly for further debate and amendments. This is a process that can be repeated tens, if not hundreds or thousands of times ad infinitum until the Senate is satisfied. Nevertheless, clearing the hurdle that is the Senate does not guarantee that a bill will actually pass, as the Senate is only the first of two obstacles.
The next obstacle in the path of any bill being passed is the Imperial Crown itself. Upon approval by a majority in the Senate, the bill is passed directly to the desk of His Imperial Majesty, Kerxec XV. The constitution of the Imperial Union is a carbon copy of the Constitution of the Valusian Empire promulgated in 1132 ASF, barring a few textual edits and clarifications. As a result, the Imperial Crown theoretically has the power to simply veto any bill that passes through the Senate on a whim. In reality, it is a common understanding between the Houses and Crown that a bill passed with at least 60% in favour in both houses is immune to Imperial Veto. In addition to the veto powers of the Crown, the Crown also retains the right to disband the current government and call for an election at any time, though much like the right of Imperial Veto, it is usually only done upon the request of the First Minister. Lastly, the Imperial Crown also reserves the right to push through an Imperial Edict at any time, either instantly signing the contents of the Edict into law or implementing their contents immediately, thus bypassing the deadlock-prone political machinations between the Assembly and Senate. Ordinarily, an Imperial Edict is used to approve bills that have been repeatedly passed between the two Houses with no end in sight, but at the same time, can also be used in other circumstances, such as to grant emergency powers to the First Minister and Imperial Crown in times of crisis (one such example being during the Great War). As a result of this state of affairs, decision-making in the Imperial Union can range from a spectrum of devastatingly slow, taking years to pass a single bill, to decisions being made in a matter of days.
Aside from the Federal Government, the various constituent governments (of which there are 18) take up the task of administering the vast majority of the Empire. Aside from a common military (with exceptions, elaborated upon in the military section), foreign policy and legal system, the vast majority of government functions are instead delegated to the eighteen constituents from the collection of taxes, education, economic policy etc. The Constituent Governments are allowed to maintain their own police forces, though they are in the end subservient to federalised police forces and can only operate within their own territory. The constituent governments often do not form one contiguous stretch of space as a result of the Federal Charters issued permitting the colonization of space during the Age of Expansion, causing there to be hundreds of enclaves and exclaves of isolated star systems belonging to one constituent government within the territory of another. As a result, it has given the Imperial Union the derisive title of "Patchwork Union."
Technological Information
The technology of the Imperial Union is largely equivalent to the other galactic powers in their region of space. Whilst they may be behind in certain fields of technology, they make up for the deficiency with practical implementation of novel and creative technologies theorized during their lack of contact with other spacefaring species during their age of expansion. Like in their industrial endeavours, the adage of doing more with less; achieving the same effect with less investment, is a key tenet of Kadathi military technology.
Major Techs
Magnetohydrodynamic Cannons Originally designed as a weapon to enhance the firepower of frigates and destroyers before the Great War, MHD Cannons have been increasingly upscaled in recent years despite limitations placed on the destructive power of capital ships as part of the Treaty of Detente. Utilizing a liquid core of ferrous-tungsten alloy suspended in a field generated by hundreds of electromagnets, MHD cannons emit a semi-molten stream of metal stretched into a long, thin rod at near-light speeds which solidifies en-route to the target.
Gas Armour Utilising the gravitational properties of dark matter, gas armour relies on the compression of nitrogen gas into a dense configuration surrounding the user through manipulation of dark matter particles to exert forces on each molecule of gas. Deployed in a 360 degree radius around a user, air pressure is used to negate the forward momentum of a kinetic projectile. When a projectile hits this configuration, the pressure of the gas effectively cancels out or severely reduces the projectile's forward momentum, granting effective shielding against kinetic weaponry. Granted, the system needed to actually manipulate dark matter particles is extremely energy intensive, thus limiting the infantry shielding system to small periods of activity.
Gravitic Shear Barriers A dark matter quantum core is used to produce a gravitional distortion effect around a warship that is harnessed by shield generators to project a gravity shear around the surface of the vessel. Followed just beneath by a barrier of conventional ionised gas, objects passing through the shear suffers extreme forces that pull it in all directions and rip it apart. Afterwards, the remaining shrapnel is deflected harmlessly off the plasma barrier, having lost most of its forward velocity. Directed energy weapons contacting the shear undergo a redshift, causing their wavelength to shorten and as a result, robbing them of most of their energy that is then absorbed by the plasma barriers beneath the shear. One major disadvantage of the Gravitic Shear System is the significant energy demand it places on the reactors of all but the largest warships, making it unable to operate for long periods against continuous firepower. Additionally, the shear barrier itself offers little to no protection against massive, close proximity detonations.
Blink Drives A stripped-down version of the Union's standard FTL Engine, the Hybris Drive, the Blink Drive operates as a secondary warp drive intended for combat use within the confines of a solar system. Known as the Blink Drive for the tendency of ships using it to "blink" forward in an instant, the drive utilizes a subspace tunneling device in conjunction warp field propulsion to launch the vessel at near-light speeds. To keep energy demands manageable on ships equipped with standard Hybris drives, the range of the Blink Drive is extremely limited, making it unfeasible for interstellar travel, but far-reaching enough to allow Union vessels to quickly close the gap between them and an opposing fleet. In combat, jumping multiple vessels simultaneously requires careful synchronization to avoid unintentional collisions, as course cannot be altered once the tunneling route is locked in and prepared.
MagLev Gimbal Turrets Rather than waste time and valuable resources developing both axial and broadside/starboard turrets for their ships, warship cannons are fitted into spherical maglev gimbals that eliminate conventional axis limitations. As a result, Kadathi ships are given greater flexibility with regards to their angles of engagement, being able to effectively fire at targets in a 360 degree radius around a particular vessel. On more advanced warships, particularly those built towards the end of the Great War, magnetic rails on the hull allow for the relocation of turrets between multiple potential firing positions at the push of a button. This is particularly useful as Detente-era Union Fleet Doctrine relies on what are effectively drive-by tactics, calling for ships to close to knife-fight distances, fire, and then speed behind the enemy formation in an attempt to sow chaos and destroy as many capital ships as possible from their blind spot. The increased versatility of this system allows greater effectiveness in engagements with hostile forces without sacrificing forward momentum of both individual warships and the allied formation as a whole, thus minimizing time in knife-fight distances where allied forces are subjected to the most punishment.
Military Information
Military Overview
The Federal Armed Forces can be effectively split into three distinct branches; The Kadathi Federal Army, Kadathi Federal Navy and the Imperial Knights. All three branches have their own command structure, internal hierarchy and chiefs of staff, and are ultimately beholden to the Supreme General Staff in the case of the KFA and KFN, or the Heads of State of the Union's constituents (a vast oversimplification), in the case of the Imperial Knights.
Whilst not technically a branch of the military, the Imperial Union's Ministry of State Security effectively operates like another branch of the military in everything but name. Operating several independent military formations outside the jurisdiction of the Supreme General Staff and beholden only to the Imperial Crown and his Imperial Majesty's Minister of Security, the Ministry is charged with covert operations both in foreign and Union space, as well as a recent secret deployment to the Ashtar world of Agdemnar.
In terms of overall military doctrine, Kadath firmly believes that the best way to dispatch an enemy is not through a contest of raw firepower as was the case with planetbound navies, but through superior maneuverability to surround and annihilate an opposing fleet. The formation of a Union fleet best reflects this, with slow but highly durable capital ships absorbing the initial salvos of an enemy fleet, before faster but less heavily armoured warships rush forward with calculated Blink Drive jumps to engage at knife-fight ranges using Gravitic Shear Barriers as well as support from Strike Craft and Flak Batteries to provide defense from subsequent retaliation. Upon entering knife-fight distance, the KFN's light ships will attempt to weave in and out of the enemy formation, disrupting their cohesion and attempting to inflict as much damage as possible at close range before pushing through the rear and sides of the opposing formation. Once surrounded on all sides by KFN warships, the fleet will unleash their full array of firepower, creating a kill zone from which escape is difficult.
On the surface, the same tactic is employed by the Army, though with an emphasis on combined arms assaults on the frontlines of an enemy, followed by fresh, uncommitted mobile reserves to exploit any strategic breakthroughs within an enemy frontline. The goal was not only to break the front line of an enemy, but deal as much damage to their rear-line logistical and operational infrastructure, thus rendering the defence of their frontline more difficult. To accomplish this, the KFA employs a variety of hovertanks, as well as Walker Engines; mechanical walkers equipped with heavy weaponry as the main force for their attacks, supported by infantry carried in IFVs.
The Federal Army
The second largest branch of the Kadathi Armed Forces, the Federal Army serves as the unifying command for various army groups raised from the populace of its constituent states. With standardized equipment, doctrine and training no matter where its soldiers originate from in the Union, the KFA is a well-oiled, disciplined fighting machine ready to serve valiantly in the defense of the Union's worlds, or abroad. The once independent Air Force of the Kadathi Armed Forces has largely been subsumed into either the Federal Army or the Ministry of State Security's independent assets, thus leaving the Kadathi Federal Army with the following sub-branches:
Army Air Service Operating the various planet-bound aircraft of the KFA, the Army Air Service would have been disbanded long ago were it not for the continued integration of the Mobile Flying Fortress into the aerial supremacy doctrines of the military. The vast majority of AAS assets are in fact, these aforementioned Fortresses, a planet-bound sub-corvette craft ranging in length from 200m-300m and capable of delivering tremendous firepower from the skies, or seizing aerial superiority with an array of anti-fighter weapons.
Federal Engine Corps A semi-independent command composing the various armored and mechanized units of the Federal Army. Granted an additional level of autonomy so as to allow for greater strategic and tactical flexibility, the Engine Corps often forms the brunt of any offensive action by the KFA, and on the defensive, plays a key support role.
Military Police The Military Police (MP for short) are quite simply put, Federal Police units assigned to serve with the armed forces rather than local law enforcement. Better equipped than their civilian counterparts but not as well trained as a true soldier, the Military Police take up a role as an auxiliary branch intended to serve as peacekeepers, be it on occupied worlds or humanitarian missions across the galaxy, as well as local militias that can hold out until the real army arrives.
The Federal Navy
Consisting of a large number of fleets, warships, stations, installations and various other facilities throughout the length and breadth of Union space, the Kadathi Federal Navy. The headquarters of the Federal Navy, alongside with the rest of the official military of Kadath is housed at Khulda Prime. In times of peace, command of the Federal Navy is left to the jurisdiction of regional admiralities who are responsible for maintenance and administration of naval assets stationed in their region of jurisdiction. In times of war, command is centralised under the High Admiralty of the Federal Navy and the fleets are brought together in a unified force known as the Imperial Armada. As with the Federal Army, the Navy is also home to two sub-branches:
Naval Air Service The navy's version of the Army Air Service. Mainly responsible for the provision, maintenance and operation of strike craft assigned to various carriers and other assorted capital ships in the Federal Navy.
Kadathi Marine Corps The Vanguard of any planetary invasion, the Kadathi Marines are the surface operations branch of the Federal Navy, and assist the Federal Army in their attempts to invade a planet. The role of the Marine Corps is to secure a beachhead and capture suitable landing site or spaceport, allowing for the army's transport vessels to ferry the KFA to the surface below. The Marine Corps, as stated in the name, is organised into Corps that are small enough to be redeployed at a moment's notice, but large enough to help sway the course of any conflict. The Marine Corps also engages in boarding actions against disabled vessels and stations, particularly against pirate vessels in times of peace.
The Imperial Knights
Whilst the name would suggest a sort of elite ground force, the Imperial Knights fulfill that role and much more. Originally a military unit under the joint control of the government heads of the Union's constituencies, the Imperial Knights have evolved into something more of a veteran ground force under the jurisdiction of the Valusian Empire (and by extension, the Imperial Crown as the monarch of Valusia is also the monarch of the Union), Union of Tyrrhia and Northern Alliance, the three largest constituencies within the Imperial Union. The Imperial Knights operate their own fleets and army units, though not on a scale that could compete with either primary branch of the Armed Forces. Their role can be likened to more of a rapid response force to any crisis or conflict.
Fleet/Navy
Cerula-class Dreadnought A design developed in absolute secrecy in the aftermath of the Great War, the Cerula-class Dreadnought is a clear violation of the Treaty of Detente, and as a result, the existence of the ship is a heavily guarded state secret. As of the time of the Message, only two Cerula-class Dreadnoughts are in actual commission, stationed in a remote drydock in an even more remote region of Union space, and shielded from sight by the interference of a local nebula. Equipped with a vast array of MHD Cannons (including an enlarged spinal mount variant), missile banks and laser emitters, protected by the latest in Shear Barriers and armour tech, and escorted by a respectable amount of strike craft, the Cerula-class represents the pinnacle of Union engineering.
Unity-class Battleship (Great War) The symbol of Kadath's newfound strength at the end of the Ashtar Era. The Unity-class battleship is an antiquated design that has seen only marginal upgrades in recent years. The vast majority of Unitys' are currently being phased out in favour of the newly minted Tempest class, but a few are being retrofitted with advanced computing systems and command software, allowing them to take up the role as command vessels within a Kadathi fleet. As a testament to the age of the design, the Unity is not even equipped with a spinal-mounted MHD cannon that is the standard in modern Kadathi battleship designs. Instead, it relies on a spinal particle beam that draws power directly from the ship's reactor core.
Tempest-class Battleship (Modern) A theoretical Battleship design developed during the Detente Era but only recently put into production. The Tempest-class amounts to what is effectively a miniaturised version of the Cerula-class Dreadnought. Fitted with state of the art military-grade Engine Dolls, a sort of sentient but non-sapient robotic humanoid, the Tempest-class cuts down on modules dedicated to housing and entertaining crew members, allowing more of its hull to be dedicated towards the provision of maglev MHD and laser turrets. As a result, the Tempest-class Battleship carries enough firepower to punch far above its weight, as well as sufficient strike craft and light weaponry to deal with smaller craft.
Valusia-class Battlecruiser (Detente)
A cripplingly overspecialized mass shielding vessel commissioned during the Detente years. Lightly armed and armoured, the only thing the Valusia-class has going for it is an extremely energy efficient wide-radius shear barrier system. As a result, Valusias are often interspersed throughout the formation of a Kadathi fleet, aiming to create as many overlapping barriers as is possible to mitigate the effects of enemy salvos. With the funny business going down on Agdemnar, Kadathi naval authorities have begun quietly stripping away some of the Detente-era limits placed on the Valusia-class, with the intent on bringing it up to spec with the rest of the fleet as a shielding vessel with somewhat more significant firepower.
Khaldim-class Battlecruiser (Modern) Designed and commissioned scarcely a year ago, the Khaldim-class Battlecruiser is a jack of all trades forming the front line of any modernised Kadathi fleet. Armed to the teeth with an array of treaty-violating firepower and generous hangar bays, the Khaldim is able to hold its own an engagement, and serves as the anvil to the hammer that is its sister ship the Celenaria-class. Generous maglev emplacements, the standard spinal-mounted MHD cannon and an array of dense flak emplacements gives the Khaldim a method of putting up some resistance against every ship type thrown its way.
Celenaria-class Assault Carrier (Modern) Combining battleship-grade firepower with the speed of a cruiser and strike craft capacity of a light carrier, the Celenaria-class Assault Carrier serves as the poster child of the Kadathi Navy's military doctrine, and the most successful attempt at combining its most advanced technologies to create a new generation of warships. The Celenaria-class is equipped with a spine-mounted MHD lance and numerous other maglev turrets, several squadrons of both fighters and bombers, and is intended to complement the capabilities of the Matros-class cruiser in both long and short range combat engagements.
Khulda-class Heavy Cruiser Originally an antiquated design from the Great War, the Khulda-class Heavy Cruiser has seen numerous redesigns over the past two decades, converting it into the mainstay of the Kadathi Navy. The modern Khulda-class is equipped with a much more balanced arsenal of defenses and weapons than the Matros-class, featuring advanced reactor systems that can power the energy-intensive shear barriers for longer periods than any other ship in the navy. In combination with modernised missile banks and laser emitters, the Khulda is granted the versatility needed to succeed in combat engagements with various contemporary ship designs.
Matros-class Fast Attack Cruiser A relatively new cruiser design put into service following the Treaty of Detente. The Matros-class Fast Attack Cruiser was designed with the sole intention of maximizing speed and firepower to the expense of everything else. Equipped with comparatively weak shear barriers and armour, the selling point of the Matros is in its powerful MHD cannons and assault guns. As a result, the primary focus of the ship is in quickly getting close to the enemy, before shredding them with superior firepower.
Emris-class Cruiser
Striking a balance between the Khulda and Matros cruisers, the Emris-class cruiser was designed first and foremost with independence in mind. Equipped with the capabilities to operate alone on deep space patrols, as well as quick and efficient engines for rapid response, the Emris is often the first ship on the scene when responding to a pirate raid or hostile incursion, and the harbinger of the Federal Navy's arrival. Recent retrofitted models have been equipped with a suite of command software allowing Emris captains to effectively coordinate a strike force of smaller vessels on the battlefield.
Destroyers:
Hailstorm-class Destroyer
The only class of Destroyer that hasn't been decommissioned in the Federal Navy, the Hailstorm-class Destroyer could more accurately be described as a picket ship. Armed with minimal offensive weaponry but an abundance of flak turrets, assault guns and point defense, the Hailstorm occupies the niche of an anti-corvette, anti-fighter configuration within the ranks of a Kadathi battle line. Often assigned on patrols alongside the Emris-class cruiser, the Hailstorm provides much needed fire support against smaller pirate raider vessels.
Frigates:
Devastator-class Frigate The Devastator-class Frigate is best described by its unofficial nickname, the "Little Khulda". Being one of the latest designs put into service by the Kadathi Federal Navy, the Devastator features several axial-mounted MHD cannons alongside an array of maglev turrets on the ship's underbelly. Power-hungry and powered by a comically oversized reactor, the Devastator moves slightly faster than a cruiser, but compensates for it with firepower punching far above its weight and potent defense systems.
Stinger-class Frigate
The older cousin of the Fast Attack Cruiser, the Stinger-class is arguably the most numerous vessel in the Federal Navy. Shielded and armoured just enough to not disintegrate when sneezed on by enemy kinetics or lasers, the Stinger makes up for this with an obscene amount of missile arrays. This allows the Stinger to stay away from the main line of combat, providing fire support for Kadathi capital ships at a distance, or in the case of more creative tacticians, engage in flanking maneuvers to pin the enemy and target elements weakened by the initial salvos of the capital ships.
Shadow-class Frigate
A stealth frigate derived from the design of the Devastator, the Shadow-class Frigate cuts back on some of the excesses of the Devastator's weapon configurations, instead diverting the excess power towards powering a stealth system and additional electronic warfare modules that allow it to operate independently or in small strike groups behind enemy lines. Coincidentally, they also form the bulk of the Ministry of State Security's naval forces. Corvettes:
Vanguard-class Corvette A mainstay of Federal and local police forces, the Vanguard-class corvette is a small, fast, decently armed vessel that is easy to crew, build and maintain. Vanguard Corvettes often are tasked as patrol ships under the command of an Emris Cruiser or Devastator Frigate, and engage in a number of odd jobs from reconaissance, picketing and patrol of remote areas.
Fury-class Bomber
A sluggish bomber that requires heavy escort to even stand a chance of surviving the approach towards the enemy lines, the Fury-class bomber compensates for its speed by carrying a massive payload of conventional bombs in addition to newly developed energy torpedos and a miniaturised kinetic 'lance'. A squadron of Furies can reduce a battleship to scrap in minutes, but will themselves be reduced to scrap by enemy starfighters if not appropriately supported.
Stormrider-class Starfighter Equipped with assault cannons and energy efficient laser banks, the Stormrider-class Starfighter strikes a great balance between speed, armour and firepower, resulting in an overall greater combat survival rate. Stormrider-class Starfighters are mostly deployed as escorts to Fury-class Bombers, though they also play a defensive role in intercepting bombers that may threaten allied capital ships.
Shryke-class "Barely qualifies as a Strike Craft" Strike Craft Probably the most ridiculous, yet at the same time, most ingenious way of getting around the Treaty of Detente. As the Treaty severely limited the amount of firepower that a capital ship could carry, a Kadathi naval engineer whose name is now lost to history (though he/she is probably still in service somewhere) came up with a brilliant idea: "If we can't put more turrets on the ship itself, then why don't we just convert the ship's strike craft into flying turrets?"
Thus the Shryke-class was born. Barely qualifying as a ship, the majority of the Shryke's hull is dedicated to an engine, reactor and most importantly, a railgun that accounts for over 40% of the ship's mass. Utterly undefended, the Shryke's sole purpose is to deliver as many shots towards the enemy lines as possible before the enemy's first wave of fighters arrive, upon which the Shryke will promptly flee towards the nearest friendly hangar bay and wait out the storm.
Hyperdread
Triumphant-class Hyperdreadnought The flagship and pride of the Kadathi Federal Navy. The Triumphant-class Hyperdreadnought is testament to the sheer destructive potential of modern weapon systems, and a worthy vessel with which to lead the Kadathi fleets to victory. Equipped with sophisticated command software that allows the real-time coordinate of several fleets, the Triumphant-class also takes the concept of the Magnetohydrodynamic Cannon to its ultimate conclusion. Possessing the largest MHD cannon conceivable running through the entire length of the vessel, the Triumphant-class Hyperdreadnought possesses enough firepower to vaporize several battleships with a single shot of its main gun. Combined with effective armour and shear barrier systems capable of enduring firepower the sum of a dozen battleships, the Triumphant-class is a certified killing machine. It's only drawbacks are a deficiency of hangar bays, as well as relatively weak flak defenses, making support from the rest of the fleet a necessity to its survival on the battlefield.
Thanks for the feedback, I'll see what parts of it I can adapt into my nation sheet.
I'd also like to ask: Is some sort of standardised galactic calendar to track the passage of time in the RP or does everyone just sort of use the disappearance of the Ashtar/end of the Great War as a reference point? (Handwaving the fact that y'know, every planet takes a different amount of time to circle around their star leading to a large variance in what constitutes a 'year')
WIP. Military, Navy and Hyperdread sections have yet to be written. As physics is not exactly my strong point, I'm posting it now for general feedback, particularly on the technology section since I'm not too aware of the implications of being able to manipulate dark matter etc outside of the extremely specific use I've thought up for it.
Also going to mention @Ozerath here to get his approval for a part of my history that mentions his nation regarding the Calastrocan Primacy and that time the Ashtar nearly glassed his homeworld.
Imperial Union of Kadath
Imperial Kadath/Union/Kadath/Imperial Union/The Patchwork Union (Derisively)
Minor Belligerent
General Information
Overview
A federal union encompassing the fragmented nation states of the planet Kadath and the various colonial territories of those aforementioned nation states. The Union is dominated by its founding species, the Saralai species who comprise some 95% of the population, although a variety of migrant alien species do exist. The Imperial Union is ostensibly a parliamentary democracy, but riddled with practically un-amendable constitutional clauses that concentrate the majority of power into the hands of an unelected, upper house as well as the reigning Imperial Monarch. Relatively new to the galactic stage, having only achieved FTL technology nearly three and a half centuries ago, but has already proven itself as a regional power in the aftermath of the Great War.
History
The origins of the Imperial Union (1555 ASF to 1613 ASF, 400 to 342 years ago) Entering the Space Age was not an act of luxury for the Saralain species, but a necessity. Pushed towards the stars by rampant, unrestrained industrialisation that saw the Saralai deplete nearly the entirety of Kadath's mineral wealth, in addition to the beginnings of an ecological collapse, the establishment of the first mining outposts in the asteroid belt came with relief to every man, woman and child on the planet. Followed by the establishment of primitive colonies on Kadath's moon, Iria and then terraforming operations on the nearby planet of Matros, the stage was set for a new era in Kadathi history.
Within the next century, further developments would go on to aid the process of colonization within the solar system; the emergence of sustainable fusion energy brought an end to the rather primitive method of nuclear propulsion (read: literally detonating nuclear bombs behind the craft to propel it forward), sparking a second wave of colonization. Disputes soon emerged over construction rights, militarization rights, sovereignty rights and other limitless legal minutiae that stemmed from the implications of viable space travel. Surprisingly, it was not the nations of Kadath that came with the solution to this crisis, but a sidelined political and humanitarian body established nearly two centuries ago in the aftermath of the planet's first and only global conflict; The Global Congress.
Whilst regarded globally as nothing more than a talk-shop and 'club' for the victors of the Great Northern War, its reputation began to change as a triumvirate of Kadathi superpowers, the Valusian Empire, Provincial Union of Tyrrhia and Northern Alliance, alongside the rising powers of the Republic of Sona, Igna and the Free Cities of Skaga agreed after months of heated negotiations to grant the Congress full control of all non-economic affairs in the great expanse of space. This included everything from colonial spheres of influence down to specific asteroids, the formation of a joint anti-piracy and police force to the application of Valusian Common Law.
Under the banner of the Global Congress, order was maintained in the offworld colonies. Under the banner of the Global Congress, the ancient disputes of the Kadathi nation states were (mostly) settled. Yet it was not under the Global Congress' banner that the planet was unified.
The Founding of the Imperial Union and Outward Expansion (1613 ASF to 1804 ASF, 342 to 150 years ago) Whilst the Global Congress was without doubt an effective governing body, it was oligarchic at best, dictatorial at worse. Its fundamental core structure was that of a diplomatic assembly jury-rigged into a byzantine intrasolar administration, with the Congress' Director directly appointed by and accountable only to the governments of Valusia, Tyrrhia and the Alliance. The Congress was in essence, subverted to do the dirty work of the Triumvirate, from suppressing protests in the mining colonies to the institution of what effectively amounted to military rule on the colony worlds of Iria and Matros. This was of course, a recipe for future disaster.
After a heavily publicised massacre of an unarmed miners' protest on Matros against what was perceived to be unfair working conditions, public opinion on Kadath began to turn heavily against the Congress. Under an emergency Imperial Edict from the contemporary Empress Cerula II, the Valusian Director was recalled back to the Imperial Capital of Rijkstad and forced to stand trial for what amounted to gross violations of Saralain Rights, found guilty and summarily sentenced to life imprisonment. Yet despite this, the damage was done and the reputation of the Congress was irreparably damaged. Thus in the year 1613 ASF the nation states of Kadath assembled at the city of Rijkstad to promulgate the formation of the Imperial Union of Kadath, a federal union that inherited much of the governing apparatus of the old Congress, but was at long last, accountable to the people of not only the homeworld, but the colonies as well.
The development of a functional FTL drive a decade later would spur a new wave of colonization from Kadath, with the Union at its head. Survey teams dispatched into the great beyond returned with tales of bountiful worlds to settle, and of exotic materials and strange lifeforms on their surface. Colonization rights to these worlds were doled out slowly and methodically by creatively titled 'Federal Charters', distributing regions of surveyed space to the nation states of Kadath to administer, colonize and exploit at their leisure. Whilst by no means distributed evenly, the various planetbound states of Kadath were not particularly interested in voicing complaint, since in the end, there was plenty of space to go around.
That line of thinking would prove true for almost two centuries.
The Union and the Ashtar (1804 ASF to 1924 ASF, 150 to 30 years ago) It was around 20 years before the appearance of the Ashtar that the Saralai made first contact with another spacefaring alien race known as the Calacostran Primacy, and soon found themselves on the doorsteps of a galactic power far mightier than theirs. The Saralai took note of the imperialistic expansion of the Commonwealth as it subjugated and incorporated every nation unfortunate to stand in its way. The Union, knowing the Calacostrans were next on the chopping block began to prepare itself for an eventual fight. Attempting to save the Primacy from annexation was a foolish prospect and would likely result in the Saralai being subjugated alongside them. The Saralai had arrived too late to change the Primacy's fate, but still had enough time to change theirs.
Under an emergency naval bill, the Imperial Union rapidly militarized, bolstering the Federal Navy with the addition of a 2nd, 3rd and 4th Fleet, all the while instituting a system of limited conscription to ensure an adequate supply of manpower for the Navy, as well as ground forces and colonial garrisons. By the time the Ashtar appeared, the Federal Navy had expanded to over triple its original size, fielded numerous vessels and was prepared for the possibility of total war with the Commonwealth.
Originally met with skepticism and outright ridicule, the doubts of the Saralai were first weakened by the Ashtar display of overwhelming power against the fleets of the Commonwealth. These doubts then rebounded after the rather lacklustre response of the Ashtar towards the attempts of the Commonwealth to foster instability in the Primacy, before finally being dispelled with the deployment of Prevailing Tranquility over Praetoria.
The century of peace brought about by the Ashtar was one of the greatest eras of the Imperial Union. With the Commonwealth's future expansion essentially neutered, the Union was free to invest funds into less destructive affairs, namely the provision of development funds to many colonized worlds neglected during the two decades of militarization, as well as an opportunity to open up ties of trade and diplomacy with the rest of the galaxy through the use of the Ashtar-administered PsiNet. By the time the Ashtar announced their departure, the Saralai had developed into a regional economic and military power able to hold its own in the galaxy.
The Great War and Detente Era (1924 ASF to 1955 ASF, 30 years ago to the present day) When the Great War finally broke out, the Saralai heartily threw themselves into the conflict to fight against the renewed expansionism of the Commonwealth and secure their independence once more. As the conflict dragged on however, the once-high morale of Federal Forces began to plummet as the war forced rationing of essential goods, economic stagnation and even capital flight as Saralai and foreign investors headed for the more optimistic economies of the neutral states. Losses began to mount in various battles as the fleets of the Federal Navy flew from one conflict zone to the next with little time in between for any real repair and maintenance work to be done. It soon became abundantly clear that despite the optimistic projections of military planners when the Imperial Union first entered the war, sustaining a long term conflict was impossible without harsh, and perhaps near-catastrophic strains on every facet of the nation.
Though not the first to request for a ceasefire (after all, they didn't want to look like they were going to give up against the Commonwealth so easily), the Imperial Union joined the calls for peace after the 10th or so nation to do so. At the Conference of Madrigasa, the Saralai were the most vocal in calling for an indefinite ban on the construction of all dreadnought class vessels, as well as being the most adamant in demanding that a uniform hard limit be set for the number of battleships and battlecruisers able to be constructed by each nation. Of course, given the current terms of the Treaty of Detente, you can see that they weren't very successful with the latter.
In the Detente period that followed, the Imperial Union remained distrustful of whether the other signatories of the Treaty would actually bother to adhere to the stipulations. Consequently, R&D efforts were stepped up to begin the development and construction of the Union's own domestic dreadnought design, to be carried out in secret, as well as theoretical conception of advanced battleship and battlecruiser designs that could be deployed on the eve of another galactic war. Economic recovery efforts proved extremely successful in the past two decades, making up for much of the potential growth that was lost during the years of warfare. Nevertheless, many rim worlds still feel the pinch from the so-called 'Lost Decade' and many still hold doubts if Kadath could afford to fight another Great War.
Major Holdings
Kadath - The cradle of Saralain civilization and the administrative and financial hub of the Imperial Union. The seat of the Imperial Crown, and technically still the de-jure capital world of the Valusian Empire (despite the Empire having no jurisdiction over the planet), one of the constituent states of the Imperial Union. Rapid enginisation (see society section) brought about by an industrial revolution lasting three centuries, combined with increased levels of urbanisation and population growth have caused great ecological damage to this world. To even glimpse sunlight through the grey, smog-ridden clouds is considered a miracle. The ancient urban metropolises on the surface are contrasted by drab gray of automated industrial complexes established over the course of several centuries. With the majority of the population either being well-to-do capitalists, old nobility or bureaucrats in such close proximity to the Imperial Court, Kadath remains a hub of political intrigue, and according to some, the place where the real decisions are made in the Union.
Matros - Federal territory of the Imperial Union, and seat of the Federal Assembly and Senate. An urban metropolis of planned cities and clear, blue skies, great care has been taken by the Union Government to avoid Matros sharing the same fate as the Saralain homeworld. Located only about 1.25 Astronomical Units away from Kadath and occupying the same solar system, Matros was chosen as the political heart of the Union solely for its proximity to the homeworld, and thus the Imperial Crown, allowing for quick consultation between the legislature and the executive.
Asmann - De-facto Capital of the Valusian Empire, from which the Imperial Crown originates. A relatively quaint and rustic colony that has purposely eschewed urbanisation in favour of agrarian development. Once described as "reminiscent of an old feudal estate back on Kadath", structures on this world are constructed with a pre-space age aesthetic in mind, despite containing within advanced technology. No buildings are allowed to exceed five floors on this world with the exception of any administrative and financial buildings. As a result, much of the agriculture on this world occurs underground in subterranean tower-farms, the top levels of which are occasionally visible on the planet's surface.
Khulda Point - Referring to both the planet of Khulda Prime, and the nearby drydocks of "Emperor's Point", the Federally-administered system of Khulda alone is home to over half of the Union's naval production capabilities in addition to the High Command of the Federal Armed Forces. Located only 4.01 light years from Kadath, and thus the remainder of the Federal Governmental Apparatus, the research and development of naval designs as well as training and construction occurs here under the watchful eye of the Union's civilian government.
Far Port - An ocean world comprised mostly of archipelagos and atolls and the first port of call when entering the Union's core worlds. Whilst unfit for dense habitation, it serves as the gathering point for traders and ships seeking to move goods further into the Union and as a result, has a reputation for being both a cosmopolitan melting pot of different species. Arguably the most multicultural section of the rather homogeneous Union. Due to a combination of low taxes and almost non existent tariffs on shipping, many corporations in this region of the galaxy have chosen to make their headquarters on the planet, filling its limited landmass with gleaming corporate spires and a variety of trade centres and stock exchanges.
Demographics
Population
The vast majority (95%) of the Imperial Union's population consists of its founding species, the Saralai.
The Saralai are a humanoid race of mammalians ranging from 5ft to 6ft in height on average. As mammalian life forms, the Saralainn reproduce through the uterine birth of singular live offspring with a gestation period of 12 months. They exhibit very little body hair except on the head region, and have ears that are pointed upwards. Being mammals, their body regulates internal conditions through the process of homeostasis and operate best in temperate environments. Owing to the relatively mild temperature range of Kadath, from 253K in the winter months to 296K in the worst summers, the skin of the Saralai is relatively pale, though variations have started to emerge with the colonization of less temperate worlds.
At a distance, they could perhaps be mistaken for a fair-skinned human at a distance, though upon closer inspection, the trademark facial patterns and lack of rounded ears would certainly expel any doubts that they are in fact Saralain.
Latent psionic abilities are present within the Saralain species, although it manifests in less than 0.1% of the population. Users with psionic potential can be recognised by their characteristic golden eyes, with pupils that more closely resemble a household feline than that of their own species.
Society
In the Imperial Union, life varies greatly from planet to planet, and even between the constituent states which form the local administrations for many of these worlds. Colonial development was not uniformly spread during the age of expansion, and despite attempts in recent years to accelerate development of backwater rimworlds into properly Enginised planets, many still lag behind in development. As an aside, the use of the term 'enginisation' is an inherited term from Kadath's industrial revolution era. In the modern day Imperial Union, the use of the word 'Enginisation' is roughly synonymous to the word 'Industrialisation', and likewise for 'Enginised' and other variations of the word 'Engine' and 'Industrial'. This has led to a particular change in the Saralai lexicon where 'Engine' has become a blanket term for an advanced computing system or piece of machinery, and what would normally be referred to as 'Engines' in the conventional sense of say, a car engine, would instead be referred to as a 'Drive' (as they provide the drive needed to propel a vehicle forward.
Nevertheless, the Federal Government does attempt to make life as pleasant as possible for its citizens, even those unfortunate enough to be residing on the fringes of Union space. Universal healthcare, free education to the secondary level, university grants, unemployment benefits as well various other services and benefits are provided to Union citizens from the core worlds all the way to the very edges of Imperial territory. Whilst these services may of course vary in quality and even implementation, the fact that they exist throughout the Union is a relief to every citizen and a key factor in dispelling any social unrest. Citizenship within the Union is granted on the basis of Jus Sanguinis; the right of blood. Of course, this proves somewhat problematic given that it effectively limits Union citizenship to the Saralain species, locking out any alien species from benefiting from the Union's social policies . To remedy this, reforms during the time of the Ashtar were hastily pushed through via Imperial Edict, granting automatic citizenship to the children of all second-generation migrants at the time of implementation, as well as granting all non-Saralai born within the Union the opportunity to apply for citizenship upon reaching the age of adulthood.
As for the Saralai themselves, their culture is quite individualistic, with a heavy emphasis placed on allowing the individual to pursue any path they wish in life. Every facet of Union society as a result, is geared towards facilitating this. The social safety net provides a fallback line for individuals who may face difficulties on the path they choose to tread whilst in education, a specialized system separates students at a young age into broad disciplinary 'streams' before increasing in specificity.
Whilst the Union has no official state religion, a variety of indigenous faiths do exist within the territory of the Union, alongside religions brought in by alien migrants. Of these indigenous beliefs, the title of "most widespread" is jointly held by the Universal Pantheon, an amalgamation of various ancient Saralai pagan faiths which share common deities, and are led by a chief deity known only by the moniker of the Tempest Queen. Contrasting the Pantheon is the Four-Tipped Faith, a monotheistic religion that extolls belief in a God with four aspects, namely the Patriarch, justice and bravery, the Matriarch, representing life and mercy, the Sage, representing knowledge and wisdom, and the Reaper, representing death, the unknown and pretty much everything else perceived as 'negative' in life.
Psionics and any so called 'psintegrae' are referred to within Saralai society as 'Llygaid', named after the Pantheon Deity Llyga who was reputed to have irises in the shade of gold. Whilst treated with some fear and superstition by the general populace, there is no active discrimination against psionic users within Union society. Most psionics are directed into government employment whether it be within the intelligence or military services, or as well compensated participants in state-sponsored experiments to study psychic phenomena.
Lastly, after several cases of accidental destruction of pre-FTL species during the age of expansion, the Saralai maintain extremely strict protocols for the handling of primitive civilizations within its space. Colloquially referred to as the "Four Commandments" in more derisive political circles, they can roughly be summed up as follows:
1) Do not contaminate pre-industrial civilizations: Simply put, the landing of research teams for stealthed ground operations is strictly prohibited to avoid the risk of introducing foreign pathogens to the native biosphere of a planet when native technological development is too primitive to produce a vaccine. All research operations for pre-industrial civilizations are mandated to be conducted passively, from orbit in a specially constructed observation post.
2) Do not attempt to 'indoctrinate' pre-industrial civilizations: Indoctrination in this context refers to subtle social engineering over the course of decades so as to shift societal and cultural norms of the primitive species in question towards a specific outcome. This mostly occurs in an attempt to prevent excessively militaristic or fundamentalist civilizations from emerging and posing a threat towards the Union. More specifically however, the rationale of prohibiting indoctrination of pre-industrial civilizations stems less from moral reasons and more from financial ones. Limited funding is available for researchers studying primitive civilizations and to prevent frivolous allocation of resources (especially on costly and inefficient indoctrination efforts on feudal civilizations) and reduce administrative costs, the second rule was put into place.
3) Do not initiate contact with any civilization that has yet to achieve primitive spaceflight: By the time a primitive civilization has managed to send the first members of their species into space, the Union considers it the appropriate time to formally introduce the civilization to the rest of the galaxy, as well as begin the initiation of diplomatic and economic relations to the mutual benefit of both the Union and primitive civilization in question. Oftentimes, this exchange involves the sale of raw materials in return for technology several decades ahead of what would normally be producible by the pre-FTL civilization in question, allowing them to speed up their advancement whilst providing the Union with resources found on their world. Critics of the Union's pre-FTL policy often cite this rule as an example of economic imperialism, given that most pre-FTL civilizations who sign these economic treaties found themselves signing unequal annexation treaties, ceding away sovereignty to join one of the already existing Kadathi constituent states as a new colony.
4) Do not attempt to protect primitive civilizations from anything that does not violate any of the above: This rule probably doesn't need much explanation. The Union will not bother to dispatch forces to intervene in any events that may affect a primitive civilization that isn't a band of illegal slavers, smugglers or rogue mad scientists. If an asteroid is about to collide into the planet, then so be it. Obviously, this rule is the one which is least strictly enforced, and extremely creative interpretations are often taken of the previous rules to make the case for intervention if say, a pre-FTL civilization which has signed an economic treaty with the Union is under threat of nuclear war or an asteroid capable of an extinction level event is en-route to the planet.
Economy
The Union's economy is based off an eclectic mix of private corporations and state owned monopolies, varying heavily from system to system and planet to planet. Whilst not behemoth in scale like the major galactic powers, raw productivity and efficiency is a highly valued element, and resource shortages during the Great War have taught Imperial industrialists how to make more with less, without sacrificing much in quality.
Significant portions of the economy are based off the refining of raw materials into usable industrial components, metals, alloys etc. The raw mineral output of tens of mining colonies and hundreds of stations are directed towards the core worlds, where foundries belch black smoke into the skies and convert these metals into industrial goods ready for export through Far Port, or for domestic purchase by military contractors and indigenous industries.
On other fronts, the Imperial Union has also seen a boom in tourism in the aftermath of the Great War, following the colonization and development of several resort worlds on the fringes of its territory. Whilst not as great of a net contributor to the Federal Government's annual bottom line as the lucrative metallurgic and electronic manufacturing industries, prospects are bright for the tourist industry, so long as there isn't another Great War to muddle things up.
The system of Tempest contains within it the three most developed, and oldest worlds of the Imperial Union, Kadath itself, Matros and Iria. No other system in the Union can compete with the industrial output of the foundries of Iria, nor the financial hubs and banks of Kadath. Despite the existence of the corporate paradise that is Far Port, none of its stock exchanges could rival the Provincial Union of Tyrrhia's Republican Stock Exchange housed in the appropriately named Republican State Building. Likewise, few civilian systems possess intrasolar infrastructure to the same extent as Tempest, cementing the primacy of the system, its people and likewise, the Federal Government over the rest of the Union. Of course, this state of affairs may change soon as Far Port continues to grow in relevance following a series of economic and legal reforms that have made the planet much, much more conducive to facilitating the flow of both trade and cash in and out of the Union.
Government
The government of the Imperial Union of Kadath follows a model roughly equivalent to the Human Westminster system (in Kadath, known as Valusian Constitutionalism) with a few modifications, allowing it to be broadly explained as follows:
The lower house of the Union is referred to as the Federal Assembly. Seats within the Assembly are divvied up following the rule of proportional representation, that is, the percentage of the population that a member state of the Union holds out of the total population of the Union is identical to the percentage of seats they are entitled to in the Assembly, rounded up. As of the Agdenmar conflict, there are 1200 seats within the Federal Assembly associated with a wide variety of political parties and the occasional independent politician.
Elections are held for seats within the Federal Assembly every 10 years, with candidates being able to stand for a seat in the Assembly assigned to their member state of origin, following the payment of a 'nomination fee' and the signing of some bureaucratic paperwork. Upon the conclusion of an election, the leader of the largest party within a coalition that holds a majority in the Assembly is appointed by the Emperor (as of present day, Kerxec XV) as the Right Honourable First Minister of His Imperial Majesty's government. The First Minister then turns to the parties within his coalition, appointing members of the cabinet and distributing ministerial portfolios to qualified candidates. At the same time, the leader of the second largest coalition within the Assembly will be appointed by the Emperor as the Leader of the Opposition, and given the right to appoint members of their own coalition as Shadow Ministers, forming His Imperial Majesty's Most Loyal Opposition. The job of the Shadow Cabinet is to, in extremely simple terms, pretend they were appointed to the actual cabinet and scrutinize every action of their counterpart in the actual cabinet, providing a sort of check and balance to the ruling government. The Federal Assembly is responsible for drafting legislation and debating issues pertaining to the Imperial Union as a whole. In the case of regional affairs, authority is delegated to the various national assemblies of the constituent states of the Imperial Union. Laws and bills are drafted by the Federal Assembly and debated upon, and upon passing a majority vote in the Assembly, is sent to the Upper House, known as the Federal Senate for debate.
The Federal Senate, or colloquially, the Aristocrat's Assembly due to the fact that 55% of seats within the Senate are hereditary peerages. Another 25% are lifetime appointments made on recommendation by the Right Honourable First Minister with the approval of the Emperor, while an additional 10% are selected from nominees who earn enough to qualify for the Union's three highest tax brackets to serve for 12 years. The last tenth of the Senate is elected by simple runoff voting throughout the whole Union from a list of nominated candidates, who serve for terms of 7 years. The main intended aim of the Federal Senate is to act as a counterweight to the political maneuvering and factional politics of the Lower House, allowing for the politicians here to focus on their job of actually running the Union. Ultimately, getting a bill into the Federal Senate is only one of two major hurdles before it can actually be implemented by the state. Whilst the Senate does not actually have the ability to outright reject a bill, the Senate can, after a period of scrutiny and debate, decide not to approve a bill and actually send it back to the Assembly for further debate and amendments. This is a process that can be repeated tens, if not hundreds or thousands of times ad infinitum until the Senate is satisfied. Nevertheless, clearing the hurdle that is the Senate does not guarantee that a bill will actually pass, as the Senate is only the first of two obstacles.
The next obstacle in the path of any bill being passed is the Imperial Crown itself. Upon approval by a majority in the Senate, the bill is passed directly to the desk of His Imperial Majesty, Kerxec XV. The constitution of the Imperial Union is a carbon copy of the Constitution of the Valusian Empire promulgated in 1132 ASF, barring a few textual edits and clarifications. As a result, the Imperial Crown theoretically has the power to simply veto any bill that passes through the Senate on a whim. In reality, it is a common understanding between the Houses and Crown that a bill passed with at least 60% in favour in both houses is immune to Imperial Veto. In addition to the veto powers of the Crown, the Crown also retains the right to disband the current government and call for an election at any time, though much like the right of Imperial Veto, it is usually only done upon the request of the First Minister. Lastly, the Imperial Crown also reserves the right to push through an Imperial Edict at any time, either instantly signing the contents of the Edict into law or implementing their contents immediately, thus bypassing the deadlock-prone political machinations between the Assembly and Senate. Ordinarily, an Imperial Edict is used to approve bills that have been repeatedly passed between the two Houses with no end in sight, but at the same time, can also be used in other circumstances, such as to grant emergency powers to the First Minister and Imperial Crown in times of crisis (one such example being during the Great War). As a result of this state of affairs, decision-making in the Imperial Union can range from a spectrum of devastatingly slow, taking years to pass a single bill to decisions being made in a matter of days.
Aside from the Federal Government, the various constituent governments (of which there are 18) take up the task of administering the vast majority of the Empire. Aside from a common military (with exceptions, elaborated upon in the military section), foreign policy and legal system, the vast majority of government functions are instead delegated to the eighteen constituents from the collection of taxes, education, economic policy etc. The Constituent Governments are allowed to maintain their own police forces, though they are in the end subservient to federalised police forces and can only operate within their own territory. The constituent governments often do not form one contiguous stretch of space as a result of the Federal Charters issued permitting the colonization of space during the Age of Expansion, causing there to be hundreds of enclaves and exclaves of isolated star systems belonging to one constituent government within the territory of another. As a result, it has given the Imperial Union the derisive title of "Patchwork Union."
Technological Information
The technology of the Imperial Union is largely equivalent to the other galactic powers in their region of space. Whilst they may be behind in certain fields of technology, they make up for the deficiency with practical implementation of novel and creative technologies theorized during their lack of contact with other spacefaring species during their age of expansion. Like in their industrial endeavours, the adage of doing more with less; achieving the same effect with less investment, is a key tenet of Kadathi military technology.
Major Techs
Magnetohydrodynamic Cannons Originally designed as a weapon to enhance the firepower of frigates and destroyers before the Great War, MHD Cannons have been increasingly upscaled in recent years despite limitations placed on the destructive power of capital ships as part of the Treaty of Detente. Utilizing a liquid core of iron and tungsten suspended in a field generated by hundreds of electromagnets, MHD cannons emit a molten stream of metal at near-light speeds which solidify en-route to the target, impacting with enough force to damage a ship's armour.
Dark Matter Manipulation The core principle behind a new era of infantry shielding technology developed by the Union known as Gas Armour. Whilst starships still use electromagnetic fields in conjunction with Lorentz Forces to deflect charged particles such as positrons in positron beams, as well as plasma and lasers, gas armour relies on the compression of nitrogen gas into a dense configuration surrounding the user through manipulation of dark matter particles. When a projectile hits this configuration, the pressure of the gas effectively cancels out or severely reduces the projectile's forward momentum, granting effective shielding against kinetic weaponry. Granted, the system needed to actually manipulate dark matter particles is extremely energy intensive, thus limiting the shielding system to small periods of activity.
Blink Drives A derivative of the Union's standard FTL Engine, the Hybris Drive, the Blink Drive operates as a secondary warp drive intended for combat use within the confines of a solar system. Known as the Blink Drive for the tendency of ships using it to "blink" forward in an instant, the drive creates an energy-density field lower than that of the surrounding vacuum, thus contracting space-time in front of a ship and expanding it behind the ship. It differs from the Hybris drive in that it does not actually allow FTL travel, but instead accelerates the vessel to near-light speeds, allowing Union vessels to quickly close the gap between them and an opposing fleet.
Tri-gimballed Firepower Rather than waste time and valuable resources developing both axial and broadside/starboard turrets for their ships, the Kadathi have instead come to a solution of simply fitting turrets with gimbal mechanisms on both the underside as well as the top of their ships. As a result, Kadathi ships are given greater flexibility with regards to their angles of engagement, being able to effectively fire at targets in a 360 degree radius around a particular vessel. This is particularly useful as Detente-era Union Fleet Doctrine relies on what are effectively drive-by tactics, calling for ships to close to knife-fight distances, fire, and then speed behind the enemy formation in an attempt to sow chaos and destroy as many capital ships as possible from their blind spot.
Military Information
WIP
Military Overview
Describe general doctrine, history, whatever floats your space boats.
Fleet/Navy
Your space boats. Include pics or don’t, I’m not your supervisor. You’ll probably want to have one or two of most of the classes, but it doesn’t really matter too much. I’m also including some flavour options here that you might want to consider. In short, the history of the galaxy has divied up ship designs into three waves: Great War (ships built before and during the Great War), Detente (ships built during the Detente, some wonky designs in the larger classes due to treaty limitations), and Modern (ships built in the year since the message)
DO NOT put your hyperdread here, it gets its own section.
Dreadnoughts: Only a few were built before the end of the Great War, the destructive potential of these vessels was a major contributor to ending the conflict. Those old ones are pretty obsolete, and any new ones are only just coming into service (mostly in secret) due to the Treaty of Detente banning their construction.
Battleships: The grand old ladies that did all the fighting of the Great War. The Treaty of Detente imposed limitations on their sizes and destructive potential, so if you want to get intricate there’s 3 waves of battleships: Great War, Detente, and Modern. Great War is self explanatory, old sluggers and antiques. Detente battleships were awkward creations involving all kinds of elaborate ways to get around the Treaty without actually violating it. Lots of glass cannon designs here, or iron fortresses that couldn’t scratch eachother’s paint, or half baked experimental weapon systems, or novel propulsion methods that only work if nobody on board sneezes. Modern battleships are just coming into service, and are quite deadly.
Battlecruisers: The treaty of Detent also limited battlecruisers, in an effort to avoid just slightly reducing the size of ship involved in any potential arms race. Similar design iterations to Battleships; Great War, Detente, and Modern. Detente battlecruisers were often cripplingly overspecialized: dedicated point defence ships, artillery vessels, mass shielding vessels, etc. Battlecruiser designs from the Detente period were often put together as a way to shore up the weaknesses of their contemporaneous Battleship partners.
Cruisers: Nothing special here.
Destroyers: Still nothing special.
Frigates: Nope.
Corvettes: Corvettes can be thought of in several iterations just kidding I don’t care what you do with these things. Unless you try to just upscale what I’m trying to avoid with strike craft.
Strike craft: K I’m actually gonna sort of limit these things, or rather, the things that carry them around. Strike craft have long been an important part of space combat, so most nations have them and defences against them. Historically, they’ve been used as close in support; no one’s yet figured out how to strap useful FTL drives on the things. All this means that long range strikes aren’t practical. What I’m trying to get at is Carrier’s aren’t really a thing, or at least dedicated carriers aren’t. Plenty of room for Battlestar type things (fighty-boats with a solid complement of strike craft), but no dropping off a carrier squadron on one side of the system then expecting your strikecraft to win the fight on the other side.
A notable exception is your Hyperdread. Do whatever you want with your super special awesome boat.
Army/Planetary forces
Outline some doctrine, highlight some major units. I’m not great at doing ground forces so not much guidance here.
8th of Sun’s Dawn, 5th year of the Gwangyeong Era (February 8th, 4901 YDC)
Go’jun’s eyes snapped open as the ground around him trembled and shook. He felt no pain, and so turned to look around, eyes scanning his surroundings. To his relief, all he could feel were the soft cushions he rested upon, not the thunder and fury of the battlefield. Go’jun raised his hand, wiping off the droplets of sweat that had accumulated on his forehead. His breath calmed as he focused on the present, not the nightmares of his first battle near thirty years ago. No, the Hwa’myeon never hit him that day. His men swept the rebels from the field and he marched into Kin’ryeon, the capital of Ye-hyun Province victorious and as the restorer of Imperial rule.
He had come far since those distant days as a greenhorn Kaein leading his first regiment against the enemies of the Celestial Empire. Though not without his own share of failures, he leapt from victory to victory. Each defeat was but a stepping stone to lift his shining star even higher, for his wings to take him further up to the sky. That was how he rose to be the best of the best and considered to be the greatest tactical mind of his time. Indeed, if his father was sitting beside him now, he would smile as his cub soared higher than he ever had.
The Kaein was 54 now, and was a mere Kaein no more. Go’jun was nothing less than Dai’in, the Supreme Commander of the Banner Armies. And it was because of his role that he was in a carriage headed for the Sun Gate, the entrance to the Imperial Palace; For he was summoned by the esteemed Gwangyeong Empress herself.
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An hour later…
The surging crowds gathered around the Sun Gate reached their height as the sun approached its apex in the sky. Li’yen was among those masses watching, waiting to hear the Empress’ public proclamation on the 5th year of her reign. She was not a noble, or any sort of scholar-bureaucrat. Far from it, she and countless others like her made their wealth in Cantha, selling the bounties of Amrea to the foreign traders braving treacherous waters and storms to trade with the Hong.
The shrieks of fireworks launching towards the skies marked the arrival of the Empress on the walls above the gate. They flew gracefully as if to pierce the Sun itself before exploding, painting the midday sky with the patterns of the Imperial Phoenix. The crowd gasped in awe, witnessing the rare spectacle before them as court officials and servants assembled on top of the gate, bowing as the Gwangyeong Empress strode towards the gate’s terrace, clad in the finest silks, her face partially obscured by the pearls hanging from her intricate, emerald-studded crown.
Beside her was a court official, dressed in the garments of a Duke of the Third Rank. It was the highest title available for those outside the Imperial family, and as such, was usually reserved for the Ministers of the Imperial government. Li’yen could see him hold a parchment in his hand, most likely a list of declarations from the Empress.
Her thoughts were interrupted as the crowds kowtowed without a single word when the presence of Her Divine Eminence was made known. She hurriedly joined in the ritual, prostrating herself before the monarch on the terrace above. As the throngs of commoners rose once again, the royal proclamations began.
The speech of the Empress was archaic, a form of Amrean meant for solely for use in writing, not for everyday speech. Li’yen would’ve barely understood what the Empress was saying were it not for the official beside her translating it into a form more relatable to the common people.
“To my good and loyal subjects,” she began, with the voice of the Minister trailing behind, repeating each and every line.
“It has been 5 years since I have ascended to the throne, 5 years since the passing of my mother, the Myosong Empress. I have spent these years pondering, learning, reflecting on the state of our celestial empire, granted to me by the grace of the Sun. I have wondered, what is the purpose of my reign? What shall I achieve with the power placed in my hands? It was not until now that I knew the answer.”
“Perhaps not. I knew the answer when I chose the name of the new era my ascension would bring. The path before us is clear. It is the same path the Emperors of old once attempted to follow. Bankuo, Hwang’son, T’ao-gwang, they all knew the path that we as a people must take, yet they were thwarted both within and without. Our empire is both ancient and vast, we are amongst this earth's oldest people. It is not only our right, but our sacred duty, granted to us by the Sun to be the leaders of the civilized world. We must nurture, guide, and discipline the barbarians, the savages that still have yet to see the bright hope, and the salvation we offer.”
“How else shall we save the myriad millions who live under the gaze of the Sun? To strive for their common prosperity and happiness is our burden. To deliver unto them the Path to Brilliance is our greatest mission. The Celestial Empire shall not look inwards any longer. Thus my proclamation is such!”
“Our vast domain will march once more! From land’s end to land’s end, across the waves in search for those willing to share in our generous beneficence. We will show all that lies under the Sun that the Path to Brilliance is before them!”
“Heed this proclamation and go with the grace that each and everyone of you is working for a far greater goal!”
As the Empress’ speech was brought to a halt, the assembled courtiers cried out as one, speaking in unison. The ground seemed to vibrate around Li’yen as both her and the myriad masses joined the baritone chorus of the palace officials, the cry of an Empire looking out beyond its own borders for the first time since the fall of the Weeping Emperor. The chant reverberated through the air, from the walls of the Sun Gate, to the entirety of the Imperial City of C’hung-jin and the lands beyond.
“Cheonghwa-pyewon, won’sui! Cheonghwa-pyewon, won’sui! Cheonghwa-pyewon, won’sui!" "All Hail Her Majesty the Empress, may she reign for ten thousand years!" __________________ 11th of Sun’s Dawn, 5th year of the Gwangyeong Era (February 11th, 4901 YDC) Imperial Capital of C’hung-jin
“Goddamnit! Get to the damn point, Min! You can’t just call us all the way from the four corners of the Empire and waste our time with this!”
Those words set the men and women gathered around the intricate table up in arms. There were five of them in total there, if we include the one shouting, known to the group simply as Mae-da. He was a man that could definitely be considered unnatural in every sense of the word. Snow-white hair accompanied by near blood-red irises and skin as pale as a damnable strigoi. The sound of his fist slamming the table would make it painfully obvious he was not in a good mood.
Opposite him sat Min Ru’sa, the leader of the group. She was a woman that could best be described as playful and nonchalant, yet had desires and aspirations unrivalled. Brushing aside a lock of her brown hair from her face, she rose in her seat and gazed at Mae-da.
“Now, now, I’ll get to it in a moment, alright? I just wanted to catch up with the rest of you four first! Go’jun shipped us off individually to the every frontier in the Empire to deal with Strigoi problems and inspect candidates for the Imperial Mages. This is the first time our little group of Mage Commanders have seen each other in over a year!”
“You know, Min...we’ll have plenty of time to catch up after this. It wouldn’t hurt if you just told us why we’re here in the first place.” The second voice of discontent came from Zhu Rae’in, leaning ever closer to the table.
“Why we are here?” He asked, left eyebrow raised.
“Fine! I’ll just get to the point…” Min snapped back at him. “The fact of the matter is that the Gwangyeong Empress is sending an envoy to the Far East. I think I mentioned this to you before Zhu…” She rubbed her forehead slightly as she struggled to recall the name of the country in question.
“Y...llendthyr. I think that was what it's called."
“‘Yllendyr’” is what you wrote to me in your letter.” corrected Zhu
“Right. Yllendyr. The Yllendyr Imperium. The Empress is dispatching Duke Xen V Huo-ming on the Imperial Flagship, Y’ang-wei to travel to the Far East to make treaty with the Yllendyr Emperor. Go’jun wrote to me requesting that I consult with all of you and pick someone to accompany me in escorting Duke Xen on his journey to Ylleria.
“A journey...to the Far...East?” asked a fourth voice. The group turned to see Lin Ha’en staring at a map she had recently placed onto the table. Both Zhu and Min rolled their eyes to hear her speaking in such a staggered manner.
Mae-da laughed upon hearing Ha’en speak, “Prepared too many spells and can’t be bothered to keep track of what the last segment of the invocation phrase was again, Lin?” The rest of the table let out light chuckles before huddling around Ha’en to examine the map.
Min couldn’t recognize the design nor the script in which it was written but if she had to guess, Ha’en bought it in Cantha after meeting some merchant from across the seas. It wouldn’t be completely out of the question, given that Lin was assigned to deal with Strigoi sightings in the peninsula southeast of the port city.
Wei Wu-myeong, the odd man out finally spoke up at last. “It’s quite a distance, isn’t it? I’m not sure what the scale of this map is, but it would take atleast half a month to cross the Great Ocean by my estimate. And of course, the Yang-wei is the only vessel we have constructed so far capable of surviving Kraken attacks with a full degree of certainty, so bringing along the lesser steamboats is risky. I suppose the Yang-wei would simply need to be loaded with an obscene amount of coal to fuel the journey.
Zhu shut him down before he could derail the conversation any further. “Beyond the point, Wu-myeong. That’s for Go’jun to sort out. There should be outlying island ports at which to refuel. It’s not like the Yang-wei is going to make a beeline straight for the Yllendyr Emperor’s capital anyway.”
“Right you are Zhu, sorry about that.”
“Anyway…” Min butted in, “Who’s going to come with? It’s a given that I’ll be accompanying Duke Xen, so I’ll need someone else to go as well.”
“Wait...a second...who decided that?”
“Myself, obviously~!” She said grinning. “Now who else wants to go? It’s down to either Zhu or Mae-da really. Wei being the eccentric that he is, he’d probably try to mind control and pluck information out of whatever poor peasant he sees as we approach the capital. And despite what Lin says, she’s going to hit the words in the right order for her invocations eventually, and I’d rather it not be on the boat, or when we’re in the presence of the Yllendyr Emperor. I don’t even want to try explaining away that incident when it happens.”
Both of them crossed their arms in protest to Min’s rather blunt statements, but eventually sighed and resigned themselves to it. It’s not like they wanted to go in particular anyway. Well, Wei did, if only out of sheer curiosity to see what the civilized domains of the Far East were like.
Zhu was next to reply “I have no interest in travelling East. My men have uncovered the hiding place of a rather troubling Gerudo bandit chieftess encroaching on the northern steppe towns. As such, I will have to take my leave soon to deal with her.”
“Guess I’m the only one left huh?” Mae-da shrugged before turning to Min. “Guess I’ll come with yer. Could use a break from killing Strigoi anyway. Not much of a challenge anymore when you’re nearing your hundredth. Just don’t expect me to be much good talking to royalty. You know how I am.”
“Definitely. You’ve never been one for more formalities than necessary, really. That settles it then. I’m going to charter a steamship to take the two of us down to Cantha to meet with Duke Xen. Meet me at the docks tomorrow morning, alright?” Min said as she turned around to grab a brush, ink and parchment to write down the details of the charter.
“Alright Mae-da?”
Silence.
“Mae-da?”
She could hear the sliding doors shut behind her.
“Wait! You’re all leaving already?! Not gonna spend an evening catching up over a game of Sho’ji?”
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Letter from the esteemed Gwangyeong Empress, Avatar of the Sun God and Defender of All Civilization in the West, addressed to the Emperor of the Imperial Yllendyr Sovereignty, Protector and Enlightener of his Vast and Proud Domain.
Greetings, most gracious Emperor of the Yllendyr. My envoy has arrived at your court from my own, beyond the great seas separating our great Empires, bearing this letter to be presented to your worthy eyes and your's alone. I write this to you, speaking as one enlightened leader to another, to inform you of the state of decay the world has fallen into.
The barbarians and savages grow without end, blind to the path to brilliance that is our sacred duty to show to them. To civilize them, to bring them out of their folly and instill upon them piety and the benefits of our respective civilizations is our natural course of action. As such I offer you my aid, in return for your own. Together we must act in unison to prevent the decline of the world into an era of unwashed ignorance. We, Amreans, and you, Yllendyr are the Noble Races of this earth. If we neglect our commitments to the cause of civilization, I shudder to think what fate we doom the world to.
If there are uncertainties, refer to my envoy. He will be able to assuage your doubts.
Yours respectfully, The Gwangyeong Empress
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Letter from the esteemed Gwangyeong Empress, Avatar of the Sun God, Defender of Civilization and Pacifier of the Barbarians, addressed to the various nations of Tien'sha, the Western Continent, with the exception of the Yllendyr colony.
Hitherto, my Celestial Empire has not seen fit to interfere with the affairs of the savage and barbarian states beyond its immediate frontiers. Such was the policy for over two centuries and many years before that, and it was as a result that Tien'sha has fallen into a state of disarray.
It has always been my mission, that of my predecessors and the Empire as a whole to strive for the mutual prosperity of this land's myriad peoples. I will not allow it to be overrun by a sea of unwashed barbarism and savagery. The Dathanari and Gerudo have proven their civilized nature, and thus are exempt from the following lines, as are the civilized Children of Wulfram who acknowledge the benevolent rulership of the Regent Hildegund.
Listen, and tremblingly obey, barbarian states. The Phoenix has risen again and its will, and the will of the Sun will be made manifest. A new order will be constructed and laid in stone from here on, to advance the cause of civilization. Prostrate yourselves before the Empire's will and dispatch your envoys to my court at Chung'jin with tribute posthaste, to mark your submission and admission into the framework of this continent's new order, and that the proper work may begin to cleanse you of your barbaric ways.
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Yang-wei - Flagship of the Imperial Navy. Roughly translates to "Display of Might". Sho'ji - A game roughly analogous to Chess, except it can be played with up to 6 people in a similar manner to flying chess.
There are five tiers of nobility in the Celestial Empire ranging from top to bottom: Prince, Duke, Marquis, Count, Baron. Each tier of nobility is subdivided into 5 ranks, with V being the lowest and I being the highest subrank. The title of Prince is granted only to members of the Imperial family, and Duke II is the highest noble title obtainable by those outside the imperial family. Noble ranks are usually granted to those who have passed the Imperial Examinations, and each subsequent generation of a noble's descendants inherit a rank of nobility lower than their progenitor.
“A master-scholar once said: A time of strength is the time to strike. A time of weakness is a warning to change, for he who changes shall rise again, a phoenix reborn from the ashes.”
Tenth of Last Seed, 146th year of the Myosong Era
The sun was just beginning to rise as the roar of cannonfire split through the early-dawn skies, sounding in substitute for the cries of the roosters. Ahead of them were green plains stretching as far as the eye could see, bare save for the occasional tree, and well-erected clusters of tents and campfires. The shrieks of cannonballs fired en-masse reverberated in the air as they flew towards their target. The field bursted into a cloud of smoke and debris shortly thereafter. Bones broke, men were ripped asunder, torn into shreds by the sheer firepower of the barrage.
The soldiers of Ye-hyun Province, those were not killed instantly by the thunderous bombardment at least, rose from their tents in a panic. They scurried about their destroyed encampment like ants, shouting and screaming of an attack as volley after volley of roaring cannon-fire descended upon the plains.
Kaein Mu-Go’jun surveyed the devastation with his li-tomi, an effective if rather crude form of spyglass. The destruction wrought by the engines of war left him in awe. Indeed, he did not expect the initial barrage to have been either so potent, or so accurate.
Go’jun was a mere provincial aristocrat, his family descended from Scholar-Bureaucrats who manned the extensive and utterly byzantine civil service that formed the backbone of the Imperial Administration. His father had mastered the ancient classics of the Erudite Scholars and Solar Disciples, deriving from them the arte of good governance, filial piety and the stratagems of war. In turn, he was assigned the governorship of Jin’zen Province, to protect its peoples and enact the will of the esteemed Myosong Empress. Status brought with it opportunity for the advancement of one’s kin, and it was through the influence of his father that Go’jun was allowed to rise through the ranks of the Imperial Banner Army as quickly as he did. A Kaein at the age of 24! Twenty four! It took the average officer a decade to rise to the same rank he did in four, promoted on the basis of fine tactical knowledge instead of actual experience.
Of course, his first assignment as a newly appointed Kaein was to lead a regiment of Imperial Forces to quell a provincial revolt in Ye-hyun. The province had long been a source of discontent against the reforms of the Myosong Empress, its scholar-bureaucrats most opposed to the ideas that built upon and expanded what they perceived as the "inherent perfection of the Imperial system". The truth was quite plain to see however, they were simply annoyed, annoyed at the chafing restrictions placed upon them in recent years to avoid nepotism, corruption and patronage. And then, through some honeyed words or miracle of luck, had convinced the province's governor and Kaeins to rise in revolt for independence from the Empire.
And now, he stood on the hills overlooking the plains and the panicked men below. His artillery officers stood to attention, awaiting the signal to let loose another volley. Go’jun raised his hand, ordering for the cannons to cease their fire. Below him, the rebel forces were beginning to recover from the devastating barrage, forming into haphazard line formations and slowly marching towards the hill. Their formations were not packed close enough to each other to warrant additional bombardment. Prior to the battle his scouts had already reported the size of the rebel force, around 6000 men all native to the province armed with muskets and halberds as well as a force of atleast 400 cavalrymen. They were supported by carts of H'wa-myeon, a cart capable of firing hundreds of explosive arrows propelled by a gunpowder charge towards the enemy.
The devastation capable of being wrought by such weapons on his own forces, both physically and psychologically was something he factored in when deciding upon his plan of attack. That was why he struck at night, hoping to destroy their H'wa-myeon in a surprise attack, saving himself and his men the terror of dealing with their sheer firepower.
"Kaein! Shall we move to meet them on the field?" The question raised by his subordinate brought his mind to the battle that was about to commence. He surveyed the advancing enemy forces one last time before turning to face the group of In-chi. He observed his own force. 8000 Bannermen, 800 horsemen, eighteen cannons. It would have to do.
"Begin the advance. The bannermen shall take the centre in line formation. Have the horsemen skirt their flanks and wait for openings. The cannons will fire smoke to conceal our advance in the style of Bi-heng Fei'wu. These are your orders. Now go! To your posts at once!" He commanded in a harsh tone.
The officers before him scurried away one after the other with another wave of his hand. The infantrymen began descending the hill as the galloping horses kicked up clouds of dust on their way down. Artillerymen reloaded their cannons with new shot as quickly as they could to support the advancing infantry.
The waiting was the worst part for Go'jun. The heat of battle left no time for fear or hesitation, merely an adrenaline-driven dance of death, kill or be killed. When waiting, all he could feel was the palpitations in his chest and the sweat on his palms whilst his tail weaved to and fro behind him. Did his plan work? Will the arrows he so feared never materialize? Were his troops competent enough to win the battle? These doubts continued to gnaw at him until he could see his infantry advance through wall upon wall of smoke towards the rebel forces. In no time at all, the battle was afoot. The musketmen moved close enough to fire at point blank, sending shots flying a scant 30 meters towards the rebel lines. The traitors began to panic as the infantry closed in for melee, and the thundering of hooves could be heard from their flanks as the cavalry converged on their isolated formations. Go'jun looked through his spyglass yet again to observe the battle more closely when he heard the screams of something as it arced through the air.
The spyglass fell to the floor, his eyes widened as he saw what was flying towards his troops; a cloud of death, streaking black across the morning sky.
He realized...they were aimed too high to impact his men engaged in a frenzied melee.
He realized...
that they were flying towards him.
Myosong - Eternal Prosperity Kae'in - Roughly equivalent to the rank of a Major General H'wa-myeon - Cart fitted with tubes for rocket arrows, basically a Hwacha In-chi - General term for an officer below any "General" rank Bi-heng Fei'wu - Translates to 'Leaping Tiger'
Head(s) of Government: God Empress Marute Na-ryu, the Gwangyeong Empress
Species: Amreans, resembling humans and light-skinned elves with fox-like features such as fur on their lower legs. a long flowin tail and canine ears. Amreans naturally live up to a century, but practitioners of magic frequently find themselves living up to two centuries on average. They are divided into five distinct ethnic groups, the Shen-zi, Yin, Ka-yon, So-nin and Kou'ji.
The Shen-zi (The Children of the Mountains): Amreans hailing from the western provinces bordering the Ten'sha mountain range. They are considered the oldest of the Amrean groups, being the genetic ancestor of the Yin, Ka-yon, So-nin and Kou'ji peoples. They comprise roughly 9% of the Amrean population. Their dialects of Amrean most closely resemble Classical Amrean in use by the Imperial Court and government bureaucracy.
Yin (The People of the Yin River): The first wave of Amrean settlers from the Ten'sha mountains who migrated to the Yin river over 5 millenia ago. They are the oldest of the Amrean river peoples comprising 45% of the population, mainly growing rice in the rainy, subtropical territories of southern Amrea. Around 100 years later, a group of the Yin, as well as additional Shen-zi settlers would migrate further North to the Ka-yon River.
Ka-yon (The People of the Ka-yon River): The descendants of the Yin and Shen-zi that went North to the Ka-yon River. Comprising 30% of the population. They can be distinguished from the Yin people by their more gruff way of speaking and general rowdiness. A trait perhaps inherited from their proximity to the So-nin.
So-nin (The Men of the Grasslands): The descendants of Yin and Shen-zi migrants who did not stop at the Ka-yon river but instead went further North. They dominate the lands further north, being traditionally herders and horse-riding raiders. Another group lumped into the descriptor of So-nin are the Aarehan of the Miranid Empire, descending from Yin migrants who made their home on the steppes southwest of modern Amrea. They are derogatorily referred to as 'Ratmen', and are treated with disgust for having reverted to barbarism by most Amreans. The So-nin residing within Amrea consist of 6% of the population.
Kou'ji (Those of High Blood): A mysterious ethnic group of Amreans whose origins are shrouded in myth and legend. They claim to be descendants of the Sun God, in holy union with a woman of the Yin, but written records of Amrean history cannot be traced back beyond 2500 years, and thus only oral accounts of their origins exist. The Marute Dynasty, as well as roughly 70% of Amrean nobility can trace or claim descent from this group. They account for roughly 8% of the population. They are seperated from normal Amreans by virtue of their longer lifespans, approximately 140 years on average and their distinct ear-shape, more clearly resembling that of an elf than a fox as well as a universal affinity for plasma magic.
Apart from the Amreans, there is also a population of humans residing in Amrea's south known simply as the Myeong-bin (The Civilized Guests) who account for 2% of the population. They are various groups of Tzücomen and Üarim that have over the past few centuries sought to settle within the borders of the Celestial Empire. Most of them are allowed to by Imperial authorities, on the condition that they adopt Amrean dress, customs and culture, embracing civilization and casting away the trappings of savagery.
Population: 312 million (± a few million)
Economy (Main imports, exports, industries, technology level, etc.): Agrarian economy transitioning to an Industrial one. The Steam engine was only introduced in the capital in the past decade, and the main industries consist steel and textile mills in the capital. Amrean Engineers are always looking for ways to innovate however, and there are rumours of a backroom war being waged amongst the intelligentsia to build a revolutionary device that would earn its creator a one way ticket to noble status.
In the countryside, life continues as it always has. A small trickle of young men and women head to the great cities where pyramids and temples rise to pierce the sky to find work and opportunity. The vast majority remain in the countryside, growing rice, herding livestock and harvesting fruits and fish to feed the ever growing populations of the urban centres. The Empire is rich in natural resources like coal, iron, copper, lead and bauxite, but much of it remains trapped in the ground and untapped due to lack of investment or demand.
Main imports: Silver from the Yllendyr colony and Gerudo, assorted tribute from tributary states.
Main exports: Limited amounts of tea, porcelain and silk to the Yllendyr colony. Gifts of assorted materials and weapons to tributary states.
Literacy: Due to the Amrean language being written in the form of logographic characters, it is quite difficult to measure literacy, as each logogram corresponds to a concept or word. Rural peasants may know simple characters like those for the sun, weather and animals, enough to get by in daily life but incapable of intellectual expression. On the other hand, the nobility are more likely to know the full set of characters in the Amrean language.
Culture: Amrean culture dates back to around 5000 years ago to clans of farmers around the fertile Y'in and Ka-yon rivers who migrated east and north from the Ten'sha Mountains, and highly based on two guiding principles, Legalism and Nobility of Blood. The principle of Legalism calls for society to be stratified, with educated scholar-bureaucrats and nobles taking the duty of reigning over the common folk. Nobility of Blood refers to the species whose duty it is to civilize the savage races (their racial subgroup or geographical neighbours). Amreans have the duty to civilize what they consider to be the barbarian states that neighbour them, whereas a race such as the Yllendyr have the duty to civilize the peoples of their empire. Amrean Noble Blood theory is split into two schools, that of Mutualism and Hierarchism, which is again split into various subgroups. The majority of Amrean aristocrats and the House of Marute sponsor the school of Mutualism, believing that the noble races are equal to each other and that the savage races may eventually be made equal, after centuries or even a millennia of being civilized. On the other hand, 13% of the Amrean nobility espouse the school of Hierarchism believing that the noble races are equal, but it is next to impossible for the savage races to be made noble.
Nominally, the entirety of the New World (known in their language as Tien'sha, meaning Lands under the Sun) is under Amrean control, with the myriad peoples ranging from the Strigoi of Wulfram to the Gerudo paying tribute and respects to the Emperors in C'hung-jin. In reality, Imperial control barely extends beyond the frontiers of the Empire and whilst the Empire is no doubt capable of projecting its might, it sees no need to whilst the illusion of control can be maintained.
Religious and Other Beliefs: The Amrean people believe in the inevitability of the End Times. It is foretold that one day, the world shall end in fire and blood, lest the Sun God, the father of light, love and life be ritually renewed with the life-essence of those with magic potential, as it is believed that the life-essence of mages is the essence of the Sun God, cast down to the Earth during his struggle against the End Times. Thus, the essence of the Sun God must be returned to him in great sacrificial altars to renew his power and stave off the End Times. They also believe the God Emperor to be the avatar of the Sun God to the Earth, chosen to guide his followers to aid him in his battle against the end.
Military: 800k professional 'modern' (20% armed with breech-loading rifle 80% with muzzle-loaded muskets, swords and trained in line tactics alongside their assorted cavalry and artillery) troops organized into Banner Armies under the joint control of the God Empress and court aristocrats, 2 million militia (armed with traditional steel swords, halberds, matchlock and flintlock muskets, the quality varies between provinces. Poorer provinces tend to use swords and matchlocks whilst richer ones afford flintlocks and the occasional rifle.) used as local police forces as well as reserve forces. Amrean combat doctrine consists of a barrage of Hwa-myeon fire rockets to soften the enemy, before initiating a mass charge towards enemy lines under cover of smoke-screens deployed by cannons, firing muskets at ranges of 10-20 metres and then closing for melee in an attempt to break the opposing force's morale and force a route or surrender.
Aiding the Banner Armies is are two specialized forces. The first numbering twenty thousand, are known merely as the Man'shu Braves, named for the southern province from which the vast majority of its soldiers come from. (The rest come from the So-nin recruited in the northern steppes). It consists of the various steppe peoples who settled on the fringes of the Empire, specifically the Myeong-bin. Armed with sabres, the ocassional rifled carbine, flintlock carbine, bow and fire rocket as well as ceramic grenades, they fulfill the role of skirmishers, border guards and elite cavalrymen supplementing the iron discipline of the Bannermen with the ferocity and swiftness of the Steppes. The second force, known as the Sunriders are also elite riders, yet whereas the domain of the Braves is the plains, the Sunriders take to the sky. Riding phoenixes, rare and beautiful creatures barely numbering fifty thousand across the length and breadth of the entire continent, the Sunriders harness the flames of their phoenix mounts, to rain destruction upon the foes of the Emperor. The Order of the Sunriders number up to 500, and answer only to the reigning monarch, as their personal Honor Guard
In additional to the conventional army, the Empire employs the services of some 50000 mages, known collectively as the H'ang-hyun (Dawnguard). The H'ang-hyun is seperated into five legions led by a Junior Commander numbering 10000 each, with each Legion consisting solely of users of one magical element. The 1st Legion, consisting solely of Plasma Mages is the most prestigious legion, with its commander granted the title of High Commander of the entirety of the H'ang-hyun. These Amrean Noble Mages take the form of monster hunters, in particular being used to wipe out the ravenous Strigoi that occasionally encroach on Imperial territory and tributaries in defiance of the agreement between the Regent Hildegund and the Gwangyeong Empress' grandfather, the Gwangwu Emperor signed two centuries ago.
The Amrean Navy consists of a grand coastal fleet of some 60 copper-hulled steamships and an experimental ironclad. It is mostly used to bully the surrounding tribes and nations to collect tribute. Amrean ships are armed with smaller cannons and a small team of mages (separate from the H'ang-hyun and more akin to Marines) to provide heavier artillery support, taking advantage of mobility to evade enemy fire
Location/Territories: Located in the central-east coast of the new world, on a large concentration of rivers and tributaries that provide it with ample farmland. Flanked by Ten'sha mountains to the west, hills to the south, steppes to the north and the great Sea of Krakens to the east, the Empire's borders are relatively self-contained, allowing it to remain somewhat isolated by land, but capable of projecting strength when necessary
Star represents the capital of C'hung-jin. Non-coastal red circles represent major inland cities. Coastal red circles represent major ports. The purple circle represents Cantha, the only port open to foreign merchant ships.
Climate: Subtropical and Temperate
Magic Prevalence/Usage: Present in about 30% of Amreans and considered to be the essence of the Sun God. Usage of magic is restricted to the nobility. They have a natural affinity to plasma magic, at around 60% of the population, and a 10% occurance of the other forms of magic. However, due to the heavy restrictions placed on magic, it's usage in the military takes a far more even distribution.
Foreign relations: Limited trade with Yllendyr colonials, and suzerain of various tributaries on the continent.
History/ Background Info: In ancient times, the area constituting the empire consisted of warring Amrean kingdoms and lesser states which had varied in power over the millennia. Ultimately, all were subsumed into the Empire. Ancient stories tell tales of other creatures; goblins, dragons and the like, but many assume they were killed off during the rise of the glorious Empire. The Amrean Empire of the Marute Dynasty has existed in some form or another for three thousand years, although at times it may have been reduced to but a single city and its surrounding territory. Led by the enigmatic House of Marute and it’s line of God Emperors and Empresses, the Empire has expanded to its greatest historical extent in the present day and what it considers to be it’s “natural borders.” Under the dynasty's rule, only once had Amrea fallen to the control of outsiders. Eight centuries prior to the present day, the mighty Bankuo Emperor was defeated in a magic duel with the vampire lord known in Amrean history only as "The Weeping Emperor" (Emperor Wulfram to the vampires). His reign was a period known as the "Nights of Tears", with the vampire lord and his progeny ruling Amrea before his grief paralyzed his rule and allowed the commonfolk to rise up and restore the Bankuo Emperor's descendants to the throne. Whilst short and bloody, his rule was not without benefits. Numerous canals, roads and monuments headed by the newly-created Ministry of Public Works were constructed during his time to feed his thirst for blood and bring him closer to his grand designs. These were eventually repurposed after the Marute Restoration to transport water and irrigate agricultural land. Due to the relatively isolated position on the continent with the only easy way to access the Empire from the northern steppes and southern hills, the territory is almost entirely homogenous. Whilst wild Strigoi do occasionally intrude into the Empire's borders, reports of strigoi attacks are taken extremely seriously, and amount to the deployment of an entire mage battalion to exterminate the marauding vampire.
For centuries, the Empire has remained in isolation, looking to its own defenses and maintaining a limited diplomatic presence with realms on its direct border. In 1881, the Myosong Empress began reformation attempts which were largely successful, expanding the power of the Imperial Court over that of the bureaucracy. This policy has been continued by her successor, the Gwangyeong Empress. Since then, times have changed. In the south, the barbaric warlord Miran has arisen to wreak havoc amongst the states that once kowtowed before the Empress. In the Southeast, dark-skinned strangers have landed on the continent's shores to settle and trade. All the while, the Phoenix has watched and waited. Perhaps it is time for the Empire, the bastion of Western Civilization to strike out once more, to ensure the universal prosperity of the land's myriad peoples.
The Gwangyeong Empress, God-Empress Marute Na-ryu The Myosong Empress (Deceased, 4896 YDC) Mu-Go'jun, Supreme Commander of the Banner Armies Kang Li'yen, Director of the Cantha Hong Min Ru'sa, Chief Commander of the Hang'hyun, Plasma Mage
Junior Commanders of the Hang'hyun Mae-da, Liquid Mage Zhu Rae'in, Gas Mage Lin Ha'en, Solid Mage Wei Wu-myeong, Mind Mage
