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{{Infobox Species
|Species = Dominian
|Scientific = H. Sapiens / Human
|Image = Dom410x320.png
|System = X'yr Vharn'p
|World  = Dominia
|Language = Sol Common/Sinta'Azaziba
|Politic = Empire of Dominia
}}
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[[File:Dominia_Flag.png|thumb|The Imperial standard of House Keeser, intended to represent three nation states of old Moroz that formed the basis of the Empire of Dominia.]]
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The Empire of Dominia, often simply referred to as “the Empire,” is a heavily religious absolute monarchy with its capital, Nova Luxembourg, on the planet of Moroz in the X’yr Vharn’p system. This autocratic state is presently ruled by His Imperial Majesty Emperor Boleslaw Keeser I. The Empire of Dominia was proclaimed in 2321 by Emperor Godwin Keeser, the father of Boleslaw Keeser. Imperial society is dominated by the Great and Minor Houses under the Emperor and is very socioeconomically stratified due to the so-called blood debt, known as the Mor’iz’al. All citizens are born with the Mor’iz’al debt in exchange for the privileges of citizenship, a debt that takes some a lifetime or more to pay off. Imperial society is heavily divided by class and the Mor’iz’al blood debt is a very important part of Imperial society. Many in the Empire follow a strict code of honor, which originates with its great houses. The Empire is considered by many to be a threat to the free frontier. Its state religion is the Moroz Holy Tribunal which lays a heavy hand upon the Imperial government, with their edicts enforceable as law and those that violate its edicts being referred to as “edict breakers,” a class of unpersons actively hunted down by the government. Perhaps the most famous export of the Empire is its gene-boosting techniques that it has carefully developed over centuries, though they lag behind the skrell. It remains highly imperialistic and somewhat isolated, but has recently made strides to enter further into the galactic stage. The primary language is Tradeband, though a local dialect of Sol Common referred to as Vulgar Morozi is also common. “In the Goddess’s Name, So Shall It Be Done” is commonly regarded as the unofficial motto of the Empire, due to the association of the phrase with the Tribunal.
==The 22nd Century==
Population and Planets


The total population of the Empire roughly nine billion based on the 2459 Imperial Census. This population is spread out over the Empire’s multiple systems. Citizens from the Inner Empire (Moroz, Sparta, Spartan Station, Lyoid Primary) tend to be extremely devout in their belief in the Tribunal due to their proximity to the heart of the Tribunals power. Citizens within the Central Empire (Alterim Obrirava, Tribunal's Joy, Ignomni Balteulis, and Greensands) are considered to be more moderate yet still devout and loyal, primarily being Morozian colonists sent abroad.
<center><i>“We now join hands as brothers to usher in a bold new era for the good of all humanity, and place our previous divisions behind us,”</i> - Excerpt from the Founding Charter of the Alliance of Sovereign Solarian Nations, 2132.</center>
[[File:Old Sol.png||thumb|The flag of the pre-Interstellar War Solarian Alliance, the single largest state in the Spur's history. The three stars represent the Northern, Central, and Southern Solarian Frontiers.]]
===2132: The Founding of the Alliance===


Citizens of the Outer Empire or "Imperial Frontier" tend to lack loyalty to both the throne and the Tribunal, largely due to being conquered by force rather than colonized by Morozians as the Dominian core worlds were. Many subjects are new to the Empire in these regions and are unwilling to bend the knee, leading to a great number of military units being stationed here. Imperial frontier subjects have a reputation of being uncivilized in the Inner Empire. They tend to be unwilling to convert, with these regions seeing higher amounts of edict-based executions.
The founding of the Alliance on 15 June, 2132, marked a new era for humanity. The influence jockeying and bickering which had defined humanity for much of its existence, particularly the 21st and early 22nd centuries, was effectively brought to an end following years of negotiations between the involved parties of Earth with the exception of [[Earth#Europe|Switzerland]]. Conflict between East and West, capitalist and communist, and the associated space agencies of each party was brought to an end, and a new era dawned. One of peace, cooperation, and nearly unimaginable expansion into the Stars.
Moroz


The capital planet the Empire with roughly six billion residents. The planet is largely dominated by its large polar circles which encompasses around 70% of the planet’s surface. Moroz is by far the wealthiest settlement in the Empire and owes much of its wealth to the extraction-based economics of Dominian imperialism, which has led to some resentment from other planets in the young Empire
Humanity was now unified under one flag. A feat equaled by none since, and perhaps never to be replicated.
Sparta


With 200 million people, Sparta has a thin but breathable atmosphere and largely unstable crust. It suffers from frequent natural disasters from earthquakes to volcanoes. Despite the violent geology making permanent habitation dangerous, the unstable crust contains an incredibly rich source of minerals and valuable ores that form the backbone of the local economy. Much of the steel and other metals used in the Imperial economy are mined here. The planetary capital, Raltabao, literally translated Red Castle, is home to the Imperial arsenal that it takes its name from. Sparta's orbital station, Spartan Station, is home to the majority of the Empire's Offworlder Humans.
===2180: The Solarian Frontier===
Alterim Obrirava


Carrying around half a billion people and featuring a diverse yet Earthlike environment, the population is rapidly growing after coming under Imperial control. In the capital of Ilstel, a bustling foreign merchant quarter can be found, with a diversity of goods to match the planet itself. After a proper government administration was established, surveys revealed that the planet may have been terraformed in the ancient past. Due to the secretive nature of the Imperial government there are no methods of confirming these claims.
By the late 22nd century the Alliance held firm dominion over what it referred to as the Solarian Core, which itself consisted of three rings: Inner, Middle, and Outer. While already a significant power which had grown rapidly thanks to the earlier invention of practical warp technology the Alliance had far greater aims than simply existing in what it had already claimed through colonization, both with and without warp technology. A plan was drafted to exploit data from its fleet of Discovery-class exploration drones and colonize dozens of systems using their data, then expand outwards from those colonies into the broader Spur which seemed to be entirely free of sentient life aside from humanity.
Alterim Balteulis


Often called by the equally popular name of Ignotum Balteum by the resident Unathi and populated by roughly 300 million, this is a dry world with a mixed climate of savannas, deserts and arid polar regions. The Temple of the Ancestors can be found in the planet's capital of Salstiliska. Many Unathi are known to dwell here and the Moroz Holy Tribunal's power is at its most potent: its influence here can even surpass the Emperor's in some cases.
The Solarian Frontier Initiative, as it is commonly known today, remains the greatest colonization effort undertaken by humanity. What had once been the three rings was rapidly increased by the addition of the three Solarian Frontiers: North, Central, and South. Efforts were spared from the east where few, of any, colonizable worlds had been found. Though not clear to the Alliance at the time, many contemporary scholars postulate that the relative lack of data from the Eastern Spur was a deliberate effort by the [[Skrell]] to conceal themselves, or the drones simply finding planets wiped of life by Glorsh and rightfully reporting back a lack of inhabitable worlds. So barren were some of these original scans that early stellar cartographers of the Alliance came to informally refer to them as the “Roanoke Stars,” due to all life seemingly having disappeared from them, investigations into them, which were originally slated for the 2260s, are interrupted first by the Second Great Depression and then by the Interstellar War, which permanently canceled the venture.
Sun Reach


A recent addition to the Empire, Sun Reach is the least populated major world in the Empire, with around 500 thousand people. The planet, taking its name from its largest settlement, is itself mostly covered in primitive algae with a low level of biodiversity - a young world.
==The 23rd Century==


The Empire has other colonies throughout its small sector of the Orion Spur that typically exist to provide resources to Moroz proper, with populations ranging from just a handful of settlers to thousands of colonists.
<center><i>“By the 2250s the Alliance covered more territory than any other nation in known history, including the [[Nralakk Federation]]. But it was a giant with feet of clay,”</i> - Excerpt From <i>Charter to Interstellar War</i>, a common Xanan-produced textbook on Solarian history from 2100 until 2300.</center>
Economy
Though Dominia accepts the Galactic Credit like the rest of the galaxy, it continues to use the Imperial Pound as a local currency, which is backed in precious metals by the Imperial Bank of Moroz. The Great Houses are very powerful movers in the Imperial economy, and are some of the largest employers. Defense industries, raw resource production, and agriculture are the largest sectors of the Empire's economy, with recent years' modernization efforts making the latter two increasingly lucrative. Consistent expansions of the Imperial Military's budget have seen a rapid growth in all types of equipment production and research for the Army and Navy, a sector dominated by houses Han'San and Zhao.
The Mo’ri’zal
Each citizen incurs a personal debt to the Empire at birth for the privileges of citizenship in the Empire, a sum assessed per person at birth, but usually high enough to require nearly a lifetime of labor. This practice has been criticized as merely a polite form of serfdom by foreign observers, but is viewed as an alternate form of state taxation within the Empire itself. However, the Mo’ri’zal is often a rallying point for anti-Dominian sentiment in the Empire’s colonies. Despite this heavy burden, there are benefits to Dominian citizenship. A degree of healthcare, education, and assistance are guaranteed - assuming one is loyal, of course.
Societal
Ethnic Groups


    76% Morozian Humans
===2204: Creation of the Credit===
    23% Ma'zal Humans
  0.75% Unathi
  0.25% Other nonhumans


The state religion is the Moroz Holy Tribunal.
With the creation of colonies further afield from the Sol System and its surrounding Jewel Worlds in the later part of the 22nd century, such as [[Xanu Prime|Xanu]] and the colonies of Tau Ceti, there was great need in the Alliance for the creation of a standardized currency usable across all of its planets and colonies. The Solarian Credit was the solution to this problem. Controlled centrally from Earth’s financial center of Chicago and tied to energy for its price, the Credit quickly rose to prominence across the Alliance during the pre-Interstellar War era where it reached its maximum extent. All human galactic currencies in significant amounts across the Spur can trace their origins to the Solarian Credit, though many have since shunned the use of the currency as a symbol of Solarian colonial rule over them.


Dominians, especially members of Houses, follow a strict code of honor similar to that found in Unathi culture. For more information see: Dominian Culture
===2233: The Galatea Project===
Edict Breakers
While the Solarian Frontier had been firmly established and divided into three large sectors, by the 2230s it had become clear to the Solarian Department of Colonization that the entire frontier had a weak link: a lack of easily-inhabitable worlds in the Inner Solarian Frontier, now the Weeping Stars, aside from the trade hub of Gadpathur. To counter this, the Alliance opted to launch a massive project which has to this day not been surpassed in its scale or ambition: the Galatea Project. Intended as an initiative to terraform roughly three dozen worlds into inhabitable planets similar to pre-War Gadpathur, the responsibility of designing the platforms was given by the Alliance’s government to Einstein Engines and Zeng-Hu Pharmaceuticals, who developed a functional design by the mid-2240s with some assistance from the Solarian Navy and Hephaestus Industries.
Breaking of an edict is punishable by death so it is not uncommon for an "Edict Breaker" to go on the run outside of Dominian space. Due to the nature of the Empire, in-depth records are kept on all subjects and once one runs, their details are reported on the local ExtraNet daily until they return/are returned. These details include name, address, picture, family details, everything. As such, any "Edict Breakers" are instantly identifiable to Dominian subjects. In Dominia space, any "Edict Breakers" are violently sought for capture. Outside of Dominian space however, due to the nature of The Thirty Third Edict, subjects of Dominian usually do not violently attempt to apprehend these criminals but instead try to convince them in the nicest way possible to return to Dominian space under their own volition for judgment. This usually devolves into near passive-harassment where the loyal imperial subjects will remind the "Edict Breaker" over and over that they have violated the law and should return to the Empire to repent, usually in a sickly sweet manner. The effect is usually maddening for the law breaker and it's not uncommon for them to allow themselves to be returned to Dominia for judgment and in some extreme cases take their own lives. Edict breakers abroad in human space sometimes find themselves pursued in the legal realm for infringing on the trademarks of their House if they refuse to change their surname.
Government
The Empire of Dominia operates as an absolute monarchy, with a powerful central government and an expansive, all consuming imperial bureaucracy. The Imperial Cabinet and Electors are major parts of the government.
Imperial Cabinet
The Imperial Cabinet is the direct will of the Emperor manifested in the hundreds of officials that work in his name and carry out his will. The ministers, judges, and bureaucrats of the Imperial Cabinet manage many parts of the Empire, as well as advising the Emperor on all major decisions. The majority of all political posts are directly controlled by Emperor Keeser. His Imperial Cabinet consists of:
    High Lord General of His Majesty's Imperial Army: Dorothea-Frieda Strelitz (Human)
    Colonel-in-Chief of His Majesty's Special Operations Group: Angelika-Lina Strelitz (Human)
    Grand Admiral of His Imperial Majesty’s Fleet: Huiling Zhao (Human)
    High Seneschal of His Majesty's Justice: Ngo Juric (Human)
    Chief Commissioner of His Majesty's Imperial Military: Eliza Volvalaad (Human)
    Chief Commissioner of Economic Development: Izla Caladius (Human)
    Chief Commissioner of Imperial Sovereignty: Antonio Caladius (Human)


Great Houses
The platforms themselves, and their accompanying vessels, were launched to the Inner Solarian Frontier from the Sol System itself in 2255 to much celebration across the Alliance’s member states. A new future for humanity was, for Solarians of the time, forming right before their eyes! The Alliance, it seemed, was powerful enough to bend even nature to its indomitable will.
A moniker for the five most prominent Houses in the Empire, these families are the most powerful political and economic influencers in the Empire. They currently consist of:


    House Volvalaad - House Colors: Blue, Black - A Human dominated house. This house's wealth is in genetics and biological research. Of all the Great Houses, it is the biggest supporter of integration into the wider galactic community.
===2259: Apotheosis of Solarian Hegemony===
    House Caladius - House Colors: Purple Shades - A Human dominated house. This house's power lies in its money lending and banking, alongside its many land holdings for which it receives a breathtaking sum in rent money. They also control a large amount of the Moroz Holy Tribunal.
    House Zhao - House Colors: White, Gray - A Human dominated house. The power of this great house sits in engineering and its numerous naval contacts. It dominates the navy of the Empire of Dominia, having pushed House Kazhkz out of naval affairs shortly after Morozian unification.
    House Strelitz - House Colors: Gold and Red - A venerable human house. Largely a military and martial power, it provides most of the Imperial Army’s officers and equipment. It is also the origin of Dominian honor as it is known today.
    House Kazhkz - House Colors: Orange, Red, Yellow - An Unathi dominated house. The middling wealth of the clan is in its privateer enterprise. Of all the Great Houses, House Kazhkz is the most against integration into the wider galactic community. It has a smaller internal faction, the Han’Sans


The Imperial Electors
The Solarian Alliance of the mid-23rd century controlled more territory than any other nation ever has in the history of the Spur. Its influence stretched from the Jewel Worlds to the edge of known space and it held dominion over hundreds of colonies ranging from highly developed settlements such as [[Xanu Prime|Xanu]] and [[Biesel]] to small mining platforms and fledgling settlements on worlds across the Spur. The Alliance’s [[Solarian Armed Forces#The Solarian Navy|Navy]] ensured what it controlled was stable and productive, and its corporations were powerful enough to transform entire planets for their purposes. Humanity arguably still lives in the long shadow of the Solarian hegemony as no nation has ever come close to its grandeur, even the Alliance itself.
The five great houses form the only voting group in the Empire of Dominia, the Imperial Council of Electors. These five individuals, leaders of their respective houses, are expected to meet with the Emperor - or Empress - to discuss and pass legislation impacting the entire Empire. Debates amongst the electors can become extremely heated and can be roughly divided along reformist and conservative lines. The reformists - those that seek a more liberal and widely integrated Empire - are led by the Volvalaads with support from House Caladius’ pro-trade faction. The conservatives - those that believe the Empire is fine as it stands and does not need further integration - are headed by the Kazhkz with support from much of House Caladius’ clergy. Houses Zhao and Strelitz, being more militarily-minded, tend to flip-flop on issues depending on Imperial security interests. The Emperor rarely steps into debates himself but, when he does, he is often able to easily shift the argument in his favor.


The Peerage, Noble Orders, and Titles
But despite its grandeur the Alliance’s economy was in a difficult situation during its peak. Terraforming projects, such as what transformed Eridani and Persepolis, had wracked its budget and the sheer size of its territory had stretched its government and military to the breaking point. In 2259, at the same time it reached its territorial peak, the Alliance stood upon a dangerous economic precipice that it would find itself falling off of within a mere year.
A mixture of prestigious, now defunct hereditary titles left over from the previous nation-states of Moroz, wealthy land-owners, powerful aristocrats, and new appointments by the Emperor, these respected individuals are at the peak of Dominian society, recognized with these honorary titles. Several honorary groups, ranging from knightly orders to civil organizations exist, serving to recognize like-minded individuals or famous contributions to the Empire.
History
Initial Colonization


The original settlers of the planet of Moroz arrived and founded the city of Nova Luxembourg in July of 2137 within the X'yr Vharn'p system, so named after an ancient crystal artifact of massive size and value found near the initial landing site. The settlers had been primarily recruited from Europe and East Asia, promised a fertile new home in the deep frontier of human space as many were during this era of colonization. However, these settlers were going farther than any human colonists had gone before. The three colony ships were equipped with a new generation of warp engine that made the trip only take three years and they had been told by their sponsors that terraforming efforts had transformed three barren worlds into utopian paradises to surpass Earth itself.
===18 June, 2260: The Second Great Depression Begins===


But as the settlers stepped out onto their new home, they found the planet almost entirely frozen. What terraforming equipment had been there had been abandoned for years - the failing states of Earth had effectively sent tens of thousands of people off without making sure they had a home to arrive to. Their mission was not an official United Nations sanctioned effort, but a disjointed effort between scattered, failing states. Only three years after they landed the United Nations had even ceased to exist - transformed into the Sol Alliance. In the transition red tape and chaotic bureaucracy consumed everything and old data was lost or neglected, including records of the Morozi colonial effort. And with the colonists' warp-based transponder signals broadcasting on phased out frequencies that no longer existed within Sol, Moroz was cut off with no hope of resupply or escape. With no other option, they brought their colony ship to touch down on the planet's surface.
The primary cause of the Second Great Depression is debated by historians. Some believe it was simply a case of the Alliance's size – which remains the largest nation in the Spur’s known history – simply outstripping the ability of its economy and infrastructure to keep up. Others believe the massive engineering of the 23rd century Alliance strained the economy to the point where it could no longer function, thus collapsing under its own weight. Still others blame it on a myriad of financial factors ranging from a loss of consumer confidence in the Solarian Core to issues with Lunan insider trading. Regardless of what primarily caused the Great Depression, the result remains the same: on the 18th of June, 2260, markets in Chicago and on Callisto buckled under strain and began crashing at a rapid pace, causing other markets to follow behind them as the Alliance’s economy began to shrink for the first time in its history.


The initial colonists of Dominia arrived in three separate areas, as per the original flight plans of their colony ships. Landing Site Fisanduh was located in "temperate" plains to be utilized for farming that were surrounded by mineral-rich mountain ranges, intended to become the industrial base of the colony - unfortunately for the colonists, the landing zone and its surrounding area were discovered to be quite cold. Landing Site Ofassel was located in the most "fertile" area of Moroz, a relatively temperate region of the planet. Intended to be the "breadbasket" of the planet, the colonists of this landing site viewed themselves as blessed with good fortune compared to their fellows. Landing Site Telminia was located near flat, fertile plains intended to serve as the primary launch point for shuttles coming on and off of the planet. Exacerbating the issues of the colonists upon landing was the failure of their local warp-based transponders, meaning that the three landing sites developed isolated of one another for some time.
Panic gripped the central government on Earth and emergency measures were undertaken, but none stopped the contraction. In an act of true desperation, with all other options exhausted by the Alliance, the Emergency Colonial Taxation Measure was invoked in 2265. The ECTM dates to the initial founding of the Alliance and was designed to bring it exactly out of this kind of crisis by raising taxes on the colonies in order to ensure the Core remained stable. Eventually, ideally within a decade, the ECTM would be revoked and taxes on the colonies would be cut. All they needed to do was last one decade and the Alliance would be restored. There was hope!
The Forgotten Colony


After landing, all three colony ships were unable to relaunch due to a lack of fuel. In this harsh environment, the colonists quickly learned how to adapt and overcome through a variety of means. Some overcame through unity, while others tried more radical methods.
But due to factors beyond Earth’s control in the colonies, this salvation was not to be.


At Landing Site Fisanduh - the name of the mountainous region in which they had settled - the colonists managed to quickly adapt to their harsh circumstances. They unloaded crate after crate of heavy equipment originally intended for mining and industrial work, managing to establish the respectable city of Neubach in the foothills of the Fisanduh Mountains. The colonists of Fisanduh opted to unify as a whole to conquer their harsh environment, and managed to avoid the radical measures undertaken by other landing sites due to the strength of their unity. As the area around Landing Site Fisanduh expanded, and it became clear that the original colonial staff would no longer be able to manage it all, the Confederate States of Fisanduh were formed. To the members of the Confederacy there was no such thing as a Primary, Secondary, of Tertiary - there were simply Confederates. To the members of other states, however, the population of the Confederate States are primarily Secondaries, due to the lack of a colonial rationing program or nobility.
===18 January, 2275: Secession of the [[Coalition of Colonies|Coalition]]===


At Landing Site Ofassel the colonists were more religious than their fellows, being primarily recruited from Eastern Orthodox populations. When faced with hardship they relied on their faiths to guide them through the harsh initial years of the colonial process, and the clergy quickly became a wealthier and better-fed class than their contemporaries. The religious class of Ofassel were taller, stronger, and more educated than their fellows that worked in the agricultural industry and quickly began co-opting control of the landing site from the small staff of colonial administrators sent along with the ship. It was not until an administrator, a senior official named Valentia Caladius, proposed an alliance with the clergy that the settlement truly began to prosper. The start of the Holy Kingdom of Domelkos grew out of this political alliance, as did House Caladius. The importance of the religious leaders to the Holy Kingdom led to a great amount of emphasis being placed on them, with many referring to them as the "first and most important citizens" of the Holy Kingdom. Over time, this would simply be shortened to "Primaries."
The declaration of secession by the Coalition in 2275 was the greatest threat to the Alliance’s authority until the Second Solarian Civil War in 2462. Efforts by the Alliance to sustain its ambitions through colonial taxes backfired: they fanned the flames of anti-Sol sentiment which had grown over the past decade and a half due to the woes of the Second Great Depression, and an enraged Solarian Frontier viewed the Central Alliance as caring more for itself and its massive projects than the welfare of its colonies. Secessionists seized this public frustration and turned it into revolts against Solarian authority.


At Landing Site Telminia two families rapidly came to prominence: the Zhao family, a group of engineers involved in ensuring that the engines that powered their capital of Nova Luxembourg kept running, and the Volvalaad family, a group of scientists responsible for the genetic engineering of crops and livestock to prevent the starvation of the colony. The two families would eventually rapidly expand their capabilities and power, with the Zhaos becoming prominent engineers and the Volvalaads moving into human genetic manipulation. They would also, through a combination of their power and manipulation of the colonial bureaucracy, turn the landing site into a monarchy controlled by the two families - now referred to as House Zhao and House Volvalaad. Eventually, they would refer to themselves as the Imperial Alliance of Zhao and Volvalaad. Or, more simply, the Imperial Alliance of Telminia. The engineers of House Zhao were lucky to create a working long-range radio system shortly after landing, which put them into contact with the fledgling Holy Kingdom of Domelkos. The religion of the Holy Kingdom spread to the Imperial Alliance as the two groups grew closely together due to their similar systems of government and similar state of quasi-castes. The nobility of the Imperial Alliance were, like their contemporaries in House Caladius and the Holy Kingdom's clergy, generally taller and stronger than their commoner counterparts due to a better diet. The caste system of the Imperial Alliance was further reinforced by a primitive version of the later blood debt, in which those living under the control of a noble paid them in service or goods to reside on it.
The clumsy nature of 2200s interstellar communication ensured the Solarian response to this crisis was delayed and, when it came, confused. By the time the Alliance was fully aware of the issue the Coalition had formed in opposition to it and, despite promises of negotiation, both sides had begun sliding down a funnel ending in the Interstellar War as Solarian forces refused to leave what they viewed as Solarian territory, while others quietly began to support the secessionists they were meant to protect against.


By 2300 these three groups had grown significantly from their original sizes. The Confederate States had expanded to become a major industrial powerhouse in the Fisanduh Mountains and area around them, but remained behind their mountain ranges aside from the occassional expedition due to the hostile attitude of the Holy Kingdom - occupying western areas surrounding the mountain range - and Imperial Alliance - occupying the eastern regions surrounding the mountain range. Due to the differences between the Confederacy and the Holy Kingdom-Imperial Alliance coalition, conflict was inevitable at some point. It would come in 2355 when the Imperial Alliance and Holy Kingdom gave the Confederate States an ultimatum: bend the knee and come into the fold as a unified Moroz, or resist and be annihilated. The democratic Confederate States opted to resist, and the bloodiest war in the planet’s history began.
===25 March, 2278: Outbreak of the Interstellar War===
2395 - The War of Moroz


Lasting almost a full century, the "Holy Crusade to Unite Moroz" as it is called in the Empire of Dominia (the Confederacy refers to it as the "War for Liberty") economically and militarily devastated the planet. While the war began with victories for the Coalition outside of the Fisanduh Mountains, it rapidly became a stalemate when the mountain range was reached by Coalition forces. The Confederacy was on its home terrain, had fortified the passes through the mountains heavily, and was not willing to give territory up to what its citizens viewed as bloodthirsty imperialist invaders. The full might of the Confederate State's industrial economy was brought to bear to produce the materials needed to defend its harsh mountainous environments, with factories producing everything from winterized uniforms to artillery shells, while the Coalition turned its biological prowess towards beating their way through the mountains. The foundation of the modern geneboosted Primaries, often-titanic examples of humanity stretching upwards of seven feet into the air, originate from this effort to produce more effective soldiers.
To this day the Interstellar War remains the most devastating conflict in Galactic history, with millions of Solarians and billions of Coalitioners dead and both the Coalition and Alliance left in economic ruins after its end. The Interstellar War is rightfully viewed by many nations as the defining moment in the history of the modern Spur as it crippled the Solarian Alliance’s ability to control its corporate actors, while also ending its expansive colonial ambitions, causing it to eventually lose the entire Solarian Frontier outside of the three rings of the Solarian Core. It additionally brought an end to some of the Alliance’s most ambitious ventures due to economic hardships and territorial loss. Furthermore, it led to a dramatic uptick in interstellar crime due to the reduction of naval forces as a result of both combat losses and desertions.


While the Coalition tried their best to break through, they could not. Shell after shell of artillery rained down from the Fisanduh Mountains as the war continued, turning the foothills where assaults would originate from into blasted moonscapes where the very ground became poisoned from residual gunpowder and un-exploded munitions. There were breaks in the warring, but they were only temporary ceasefires - simply interludes in what the Coalition viewed as a holy war and what the Confederate States viewed as a war for their very existence. One side would not stop until their conquest was over, and the other side intended to fight until the bitter end. The Confederate States were diverting more and more of their economy towards the war as the years turned to decades, and were approaching a kind of white peace as the Coalition became more and more worn down by reports of losses for what they saw as very little gain. Then, in 2384, after decades of war, the balance of power shifted dramatically.
===8 October 2278: The Bombing of [[Gadpathur]]===
The Collapse of Fisanduh


In late 2384 the Imperial Alliance and Holy Kingdom, worn down by nearly forty years of continuous fighting, made a desperate move. House Zhao was confident in its ability to launch a functional spaceship fleet after decades of research alongside House Volvalaad with the aim of flanking the Fisanduhian lines and deploying elite geneboosted commandos of House Strelitz to destroy the Fisanduhians from the inside. A Captain from the Holy Kingdom, Stanislav Olkhovsky, was chosen for his exceptional faith in the Morozian Holy Tribunal - the colonial religion of the Alliance and Kingdom, descended from Eastern Orthodoxy. As Captain Olkhovsky and his crew launched, they were firm in their faith that they would aid them. As the ships took off with their troop compartments ull of crack Strelitz troops, all aboard prayed that this would be the end of the bloody war. In the Imperial Palace, the Emperor himself is said to have prayed for the success of the mission.
The orbital bombardment of Gadpathur is considered by some to be the point of no return for Solarian hegemony. The bombardment, which was ordered by hardline Solarian loyalist Admiral Terrence Hopper, is the single most devastating day of the entire Interstellar War in terms of deaths and is believed to account for 10-15% of its total deaths. The event horrified the Coalition and the regions of Sol which heard of the incident before Navy censors suppressed the stories. Even today the Alliance often denies or downplays Gadpathur and it is not discussed in history textbooks outside of the college level. Many Solarians simply have no idea the incident even took place.  
The Confederate States, for their part, prepared for the assault with what knowledge they had of it. However this did not prepare them for an orbital assault by the commando units on all their major cities, including their capital of Neubach. The government of the Confederate States never signed surrender terms to the war, instead opting to enact "Plan SCRAM" and send its government and military into an insurgency. The last Prime Minister of the Confederate States, Helga Kesselring, shot herself while draped in the standard of the States rather than be taken prisoner. No fully intact copy of Plan SCRAM has ever been recovered from Moroz due to the Confederate States' efforts to destroy sensitive documents in the final hours of its existence as an official government - the only recovered parts of it are a two-page section: a title page reading "PLAN SCRAM" and a second page reading "DESTROY ALL INFORMATION PAST THIS PAGE AFTER READING." This spirit of defiance continues up until the present day. The Imperial forces that came to occupy the former Confederate States after this rapid assault reported no resistance whatsoever, but constant signs that the citizens of the region were preparing to stand against them. The army of the States had simply vanished, its factories had disappeared, and its citizenry had ripped up road signs across the territory. The second phase of the so-called "Fisanduhian Imperial Conquest" was more cultural than military. With the reunification finally completed at long last, the Imperial Alliance and Holy Kingdom joined hands with the formation of the Empire of Dominia and the coronation of Godwin Keeser, the ruler of the Imperial Alliance, as the first Emperor of Dominia. The years that followed his coronation on the 29th of June, 2385, would be a time of great change for Moroz.
The Reign of Emperor Godwin Keeser I
The first true Emperor of Dominia, Godwin reigned from 2485 until his death from old age in 2437. During his roughly five decades of rule the newly-formed Empire of Dominia would go from a minor power to a true Empire, though his path would not be free of issues. Even as the Empire, under the watchful eye of its Emperor, expanded to multiple worlds and became masters of generic research it had problems in its home. The reign of Emperor Godwin Keeser I and its rapid expansion saw the creation of a new social class in the Empire: the Ma’zals. These humans make up a broad swath of Imperial society, and are defined within the Empire as non-Morozian subjects of the Empire of Dominia. Controlling Ma’zals has been a longstanding problem for the immense colonial bureaucracy of the Empire of Dominia, and issues continue to this very day. Along with issues in the Imperial colonies not all was well in the Imperial Occupied Territory of Fisanduh.
The Imperial Occupation of Fisanduh
In the meantime settlers of the Fisanduh region from the greater Empire became extremely rare, due to massive hostility from the native population. Settlers often reported having bricks thrown through their windows, effigies of Keeser burnt on their properties, were typically declined employment in Fisanduh-run businesses, and saw extremely low rates of attendance at Tribunal festivities and churches. The Fisanduh town of Vasychevo is well-known for having a church attendance of zero non-Imperial citizens, until its church was shuttered fifteen years after its establishment. The initial Imperial bureaucrats and clergy sent to Fisanduh often returned demoralized and infuriated (and often complained that citizens of the former Confederate States would refuse to give them the time of day). Most pettily, a Tribunalist priest once claimed that a Fisanduh supply truck had opted to move fifty Kilometers under the speed limit in a no passing zone, causing him to be two hours late to a sermon. This was not an isolated incident, as Fisanduh was full of these signs of defiance - some large and noble, some small and petty.


The first serious attempt by the young Empire to bring Fisanduh to heel was the creation of an organization officially known as His Majesty’s Imperial Fisanduhian Gendarmerie (simply referred to as IFG by most Fisanduhians) - a police led by Imperial officers but staffed by Fisanduhians armed and supplied by the Empire. An effort by the Empire to integrate the Fisanduhians into the imperial system and to make good on their status as 'Morozians,' by traditional Dominian definitions of the word, however, the IFG fell flat on its face almost immediately. This was primarily attributed to the hatred of the Empire held by Fisanduhians, a successful smear campaign that (rightfully) portrayed the IFG as puppets of the Emperor, and intensive 3F infiltration of the Gendarmerie. The IFG served only to arm and equip the 3F and while it remains active on paper, it is primarily staffed by Imperial subjects and is regarded as a dumping ground for ineffective officers that must be placed in a location where they can do as little damage as possible to the Empire’s reputation.
Gadpathur itself was nearly completely destroyed and has yet to recover its prewar population even today, though it has dramatically reinvented itself into a hardline anti-Solarian planet. Refugees which escaped the bombardment spread throughout the Coalition and some retain their traditions today. For many in the Coalition Gadpathur remains a rallying cry against the Alliance and all it stands for, and was a major motivator behind its intervention in Tau Ceti in 2464. Ironically, the saturation bombing of Gadpathur ultimately damaged the Solarian Navy more than the Coalition as the Solarians could no longer rely on its ports as a refueling point.
In yet another an attempt to bring their new province under control, the Empire escalated by sending firebrands to Fisanduh. These firebrands found very little success at best, and death at worst. The situation in Fisanduh continued to escalate as the 2430s, then the 2440s, dragged on and a new Emperor was crowned. The Empire had a poor foothold at best, and there were rumors that the Fisanduh resistance (now, by this point, violent) reached further than the Empire knew. When Emperor Keeser attempted to formally enforce control in 2440 via an order to convert to the Holy Tribunal at the sword enforced by the Imperial Army, fears about the capabilities of the Fisanduh resistance would be found to have underestimated the resistance.
The Fisanduh Freedom Front


Active from 2386 to the present day as part of Plan SCRAM, the FFF (or 3F to some), the Fisanduh Freedom Front entered into a period of mustering for almost fifteen years following the defeat of the Confederate States in open battle, gradually building up their strength. The Freedom Front is rumored to have been active formally since the day the Confederate States fell, they reemerged dramatically in 2386. While the order formally came into effect on 15 November, 2386, its enforcement was intended to take place starting on the twentieth of the same month to allow the Imperials a chance to celebrate Navy Day. On November 18th two Imperial Navy light cruisers - the Arbiter and Outrider - detonated violently in their drydocks in New Luxembourg. The Arbiter remained in its elevated drydock moorings, but the Outrider managed to slip out of its dry-dock after the first blast. Observers first reported the Outrider starting to slide out, then a massive explosion (later revealed to be its power magazine) split the ship in two, with one half remaining attached to the dry-dock, while the other fell out of its moorings and into the naval armament plant beneath the dock, causing massive damage to the facility. The exact number of dead has never been revealed by the Empire of Dominia, though the cruisers were written off as unable to be salvaged. Shortly after the detonation, an organization known as the Fisanduh Freedom Front claimed responsibility for the attacks, with a man identified as "Svetovid" standing in front of the Confederate State's flag claiming that more attacks would come if the Empire continued its efforts to subjugate Fisanduh. The Emperor, not wanting to lose face to what he saw as dishonorable terrorists, continued his efforts to subjugate Fisanduh.
===2287: Treaty of Xansan and the Collapse of Solarian Hegemony===


More attacks came. None were on the scale of the Navy Day attack, but they were a constant threat to the Empire in Fisanduh. Nail bombs arrived to important officials in Fisanduh, Tribunal temples were firebombed, buildings of the Imperial bureaucracy were detonated - some through car bombings, others through tunnels being physically dug beneath them. It became apparent that 3F was, despite Imperial efforts to pacify the province earlier, essentially the shadow government of the entire province. Many of 3F's fighters were veterans of the War of Moroz, and were still able to stand and fight despite their age. The "shadow state" supporting them was able to withstand the Imperial Army's efforts to root it out, proving to be extremely flexible and resilient. Losses on the part of the Imperial Army began to mount, and maimed soldiers marching back from Fisanduh became a common sight in the border provinces. The insurgency has continued since 2440 without signs of stopping, though it has waxed and waned. Throught the propaganda machine of the Empire, the greater body of Imperial citizenry began to hate 3F and the democractic movement it stood for. Through their brutal actions, the greater Empire became hated by Fisanduh. The intensity of the insurgency, and of the Imperial counter-campaign has wound down in the past seven years - Emperor Keeser has mostly withdrawn from Fisanduh, while 3F has decreased its activities outside of Fisanduh as the occupation has retreated. Fisanduh was left with de facto independence despite being, de jure, a territory of the greater Empire. As a result vessels flying the flag of Fisanduh are legitimately recognized in most areas outside Dominian space, though the Fisanduh Freedom Front maintains no official ships. Present-day Fisanduh is an area that is, in many places, devastated by war. It remains an area of the Empire that most Imperials do not go to, and a source of conflict in the Imperial government. Should they attack Fisanduh again, or should they expand outwards?
The signing of the Treaty of Xansan in Geneva on 28 November, 2287 did not only end the devastating Interstellar War. It ended the era of Solarian hegemony the human Spur had lived under for well over a century, and fractured its former territory into varying competing states with little desire to cooperate for the good of humanity as a whole. Entire colonial regions of the Alliance were lost or written off in its north and east, where it retreated and the Coalition failed to fill the vacuum left behind. Regions formerly considered formerly to be solidly under Alliance control fell into anarchy and many fledging colonies, already strained by the decade-long Interstellar War, collapsed entirely.
The Reign of Emperor Keeser I


Skillful work by Emperor Keeser has helped mend the seemingly insurmountable gap between the foreign Ma’zals and native Morozi population, supposedly united in a new loyalty under the Emperor and Tribunal. With his consolidated power, Emperor Keeser has embarked upon numerous reforms and projects to improve the Empire. These range from research and infrastructure projects, military and naval expansions, to social and educational organization. In 2407, the Imperial Railroadwas completed, linking all of the major cities of Moroz together. Since its start in 2412, the Imperial Canal project to link the major inland seas has made steady progress.
The economy was devastated by the war and its armed forces were nearly spent. Millions had died for a war which was ultimately lost, and the Alliance’s formerly grand projects were abandoned in favor of  simple rebuilding and rearming ventures. Megacorporations, once firmly under Alliance supervision, began to exert more and more influence over the failing economy of the Alliance. What started as their patriotic, if profit-seeking, venture would eventually change the Spur forever, but such would not be realized for decades.
One major event in the reign of Emperor Boleslaw Keeser I was the introduction of Unathi to the Empire of Dominia. In the winter of 2440 a fleet of Unathi pirates arrived in the home system of the Empire. Though initially feared to be pirates, and the first true test of the Navy, a different outcome emerged: the pirates, led by Salak Kazkhz, instead pledged their sword to the Emperor and swore fealty. In return for their loyalty, and (perhaps more importantly) their vessels, the Unathi were granted the grand House Han’San-Kazkhz. However, due to the naval primacy of the Kazhkz, they are typically referred to as simply House Kazkhz.  
A timeline of events in his reign follows:


In 2440 he opted to attempt to enforce Imperial control over the province of Fisanduh.
====The Terms of the Treaty of Xansan====


In 2443 he oversaw the creation of an outpost on Lyoid, Dominia’s moon. This served as a shipyard and stepping stone for Dominia to officially enter space. By 2444 Dominia’s growing military had begun expanding to nearby systems, starting with the planet of Alterim Obrirava.
'''I. The cessation of hostilities between the Alliance and Coalition.'''


In 2445 the Coalition of Colonies officially forms the “Coalition Against Dominian Piracy”; an additional pact between its members that would target Dominia financially and diplomatically after Boleslaw announced it would enter into a defensive pact with neighboring pirate fleets.
With this, the Treaty ended the Interstellar War formally. While ceasefires had been in place for much of its negotiation period they were often violated by both sides and fighting continued in several areas, particularly in the Central Solarian Frontier. This fighting ceased with the Treaty.


In 2451 Necropolis Industries officially announced its partnership with Dominia would start in June of 2451, though some independent observers noted that facilities resembling Necropolis ones had existed on the planet since early 2440.
'''II. The immediate withdrawal of [[Solarian Armed Forces|Solarian forces]] from the Coalition.'''


In 2452 the Emperor once again entered talks with NanoTrasen at the behest of House Volvalaad, ultimately resulting in the corporation and Imperial government reaching an agreement regarding trading and piracy. The opening of Dominia to the greater market of NanoTrasen has allowed for the Imperial Navy to rapidly expand its capabilities in the past decade, though the fully assembled Coalition of Colonies Deep-Space Fleet still outclasses it handily according to recently released figures.
Solarian Navy forces had, since 2278, occupied much of what now constitutes the modern Coalition’s territory. While they did withdraw following the Treaty, many Navy officers, acting without permission but with the unsaid approval of the government, went to great lengths to sabotage useful stellar infrastructure from territories they occupied. Forces under Admiral Terrence Hopper were some of the most destructive, and left little for the Coalition to use after their withdrawal. Coalition profests fell on deaf ears, and this sabotage campaign is viewed by many as a major reason for the Coalition’s stunted economic growth.


In 2455 Emperor Keeser began a gradual withdraw from Fisanduh, having seen defeat in its mountainous territories. The province reverts to the droll Imperial title of "semi-autonomous region." He instead opts to expand the Empire's borders in the void of space (in order to save face, according to some critics), and begins a campaign of conquest and colonization.
'''III. The recognition of the Coalition as a sovereign state by the Alliance.'''


In 2462 the Emperor continues to reign over Dominia, though he steadily grows older day by day. With the Empire suffering internal issues, and threats abroad, only the Goddess will know what will become of it when he passes...
A humiliating blow to the Alliance, recognizing the Coalition additionally meant renouncing its claims over it and its nearby frontier sectors. A major part of the Alliance slipped from its grip due to a single piece of paper, and revanchist Solarians have long pushed to annul this aspect of the Treaty regardless of how practical it is to do so.
Dominian Society
Primaries


The Primaries are the noble and liturgical classes of the Dominian Empire's humans, though the noble class of Dominia often sees Secondaries adopted into it. Due to centuries of eating better than their commoner and lay counterparts, Primaries are physically larger and more imposing than their Secondary cousins. Secondaries that are elevated to nobility, though still primaries, tend to be slightly shorter than older families. Dominians (or Morozians, if you are from the former Confederate States) of this social class are not typically found in Fisanduh due to its lack of a nobility, and can reach heights of six feet in both genders. Average Male Height: 5'6" - 6'5". The older a noble lineage, the taller they will be on average. Average Female Height: 5'4" - 6'3". The older a noble lineage, the taller they will be on average. Dominian Unathi also fall into the category of "Primaries." They are usually descendants of the Unathi raiders who invaded Moroz or recent immigrants from the Hegemony.
'''IV. The creation of the Alliance Neutral Zone.'''
Secondaries


Secondaries are the commoners and laypeople of Moroz, those on the planet lacking noble titles or liturgical positions. Exceptional Secondaries are often ennobled, becoming Primaries. They make up the bulk of Moroz's population, but are the second-most populous group overall in the Empire after Ma'zals. Secondaries from outside Fisanduh tend to be smaller and thinner than their counterparts in Fisanduh, and Secondaries as a whole tend to be smaller than Primaries (though there are exceptions). Secondaries represent a more diverse social class than the Primaries do, but are a part of the same ethnic group as the Primaries. The key difference between the two classes is the presence of a noble title. In the Empire proper, Secondaries form the core of the Moroz Holy Tribunal and Imperial society as a whole. Within the former Confederate States, Secondaries are instead referred to as "Morozians." Average Male Height: 5'6" - 5'9" (add three to four inches if from Fisanduh) Average Female Height: 5'1" - 5'4" (add three to four inches if from Fisanduh)
In order to ensure the terms of the treaty were honored by both sides, the creation of a neutral buffer zone was deemed appropriate by the Coalition and Alliance. The Alliance Neutral Zone, which came to encompass the entirety of the Inner Solarian Frontier (now known as the Weeping Stars), was the result of this compromise. The ANZ was intended to be free of military forces and facilities from either side and was, due to being relatively underdeveloped, not viewed as a loss by either side. The neutral status of the ANZ lasted nearly a decade until it was violated by a Coalition force dispatched to aid Gadpathur in 2291, which prompted a retaliatory Solarian Navy patrol, which brought with it a Coalition observation outpost in the ANZ, which was matched with a Solarian observation station, which culminated in back-and-forth escalation continuing until 2462, at which point the Coalition formally — and illegally, in Solarian eyes, — annexed the ANZ.
Ma'zals


A blanket term used to refer to those citizens - or subjects - of the Empire that are not from Moroz, Ma'zals represent the Empire's underclass. They are an extremely diverse group that tends to be generally rebellious, and resistant to Imperial control. Those that do opt to side with the Empire have either been integrated into the Empire's colonial system or are turncoats. Ma'zals also form a large population in the Coalition of Colonies, as they often flee from the Empire through whatever means are available. They are also often conscripted into the Imperial Army or Imperial Navy, and can be found throughout the Empire - with some rising far enough in the army or navy to become ennobled by House Strelitz or Zhao.
===18 May, 2289: [[Solarian Armed Forces#History|Naval Coup Attempt]]===
Ma’zals, while diverse, can be divided into three distinct groups that the Empire of Dominia keeps track of. The largest of these groups are the “regular,” Ma’zals of the Empire that have yet to fully accept Imperial rule. These Ma’zals are generally found on recently conquered planets and tend to be the most resistant to Imperial control, with violent resistance not being uncommon. No matter how much the Empire tries there are always those that continue to resist even after most have accepted their status as Imperial subjects, and House Strelitz often becomes involved in counter-insurgency warfare on Imperial colonies. However, in due time, these Ma’zals will eventually bend the knee to Imperial rule; in part due to the next, and smallest, category of Ma’zal.


The so-called “Elevated Ma’zal,” is an unusual and often misunderstood figure both inside and outside of the Empire of Dominia. Originally an “invention,of House Caladius, the men and women that make up this category of Ma’zals are trained to serve as bureaucrats in the massive bureaucracy of the Empire of Dominia. This has quite a few advantages as the Elevated Ma’zals know the planet, understand the local language and customs, and can be utilized as a friendly face for the Empire’s control of the planet. Sometimes referred to as the “nobility of the Imperial frontier,” Elevated Ma’zals will often - with the blessing of House Caladius - form their own noble houses and orders, assuming they are not integrated into House Caladius. These frontier houses are generally always affiliated with House Caladius, and have proven to be a valuable ally of their merchants.
Organized along patriotic lines by officers such as Admiral Terrence Hopper who believed the Interstellar War could have been won if the Navy had been given more power to restore military governance without the oversight of the civilian government, the Revolt of the Officers ultimately further undermined the Solarian right to hegemony over the Spur. Much of the Navy’s goodwill, particularly in regions of the Solarian Frontier which has remained loyal to the Alliance, dissolved as the Solarian public saw a barely-thwarted attempt by the Navy to overthrow an institution which many of their relatives and associates had fought and died for barely a year prior. Hopper, once again evading justice, would go on to found the Solarian Patriotic Front, a barely-disguised fascistic organization viewed by many historians as the precursor of what would come to be ATLAS and Solarian Restoration Front.


The final category of Ma’zals are those that have accepted Imperial rule and now live as full citizens of the Empire. The “Integrated Ma’zals,of the Empire make up a smaller portion of the total Ma’zal population than their non-integrated counterparts but possess a greater amount of economic power than their rebellious counterparts and are, though not fully Morozian, considered to be loyal subjects of the Emperor and Goddess alike. The loyalty of some Integrated Ma’zals is so great that many are often awarded the prestigious title of Honourary Morozian, also referred to as “Morozian beyond the void,” in some areas, which represents that they have demonstrated a very high level of commitment to the Empire. Such an award is accompanied by immediate ennobling with the great house that recommended the award be bestowed.
While the quick actions of Solarian Army units saved the Alliance from what many believe would have been a devastating civil war, the damage done to public trust was permanent, and only grew worse when the Navy was barely punished for its actions. Far from restoring Solarian greatness, the coup moved the Alliance yet further into the long shadow of its once-hegemony, setting the stage for the further expansion of corporate power and additional collapses of Solarian authority as the 24th century dawned.


Geneboosting
===2298: The [[Mars#The Catastrophe of 2298|Martian Terraforming Disaster]]===


A technique dating back centuries, geneboosting is descended from colonial efforts to genetically engineer species adapted to the harsh Morozian climate. Geneboosting was originally used on humans by the Volvalaads at the behest of House Strelitz with the intent of improving the Imperial Army's officer corps before being adopted by House Volvalaad as a way to create a better class of nobility. Geneboosting is done during the fetal development stage. It greatly enhances the natural genetic structure of the patient, removing flaws and emphasizing strengths. This form of genetic modification is limited to the nobility due to the high cost and status associated with it, and has only been in use among the Dominian primaries belonging to rich houses during the past thirty-five years. The effects lead to enhanced attributes and appearances: those geneboosted are stronger, faster, more able, and much longer-lived than their non-geneboosted counterparts. Geneboosted playable species tend to be a foot or so taller than average (upwards of seven to seven and a half feet for humans) and find it very easy to maintain peak fitness. A geneboosted person is obvious at a glance, and geneboosted humans are often held as paragons of Imperial society. Geneboosting carried out after birth, known as gene therapy, is very rare and generally dangerous in addition to being prohibitively expensive. Talks with Zeng-Hu to improve upon Dominia's pre-existing gene boosting techniques have not yielded results.
While the Alliance had done much to advance the science of terraforming, it had done little to improve already-existing projects such as the Martian terraforming efforts which, instead of being run off of one central platform, ran off of a multitude of smaller terraforming stations scattered across the surface of a planet. The Martian terraforming project was the last of these still active and had been both delayed and damaged by the Martian World War which coincided with the Interstellar War. The project had suffered from issues over the 2280s and 2290s but had not suffered catastrophic issues. In 2298, it would be brought to a tragic conclusion.
Dominian Heads of Staff


Due to the relative isolation of the Empire, combined with its fanatical outlook on certain issues such as synthetic life and edict breakers, Dominian heads of staff are fairly rare aboard NanoTrasen facilities such as the NSS Aurora. Those that do pass through the requirements needed to become a head of staff are typically considered to be liberals (or, alternatively, reformists) in the Empire and typically belong to or are affiliated with a Great House, with House Volvalaad having the greatest representation abroad and House Caladius following closely behind. Nevertheless, they must still go through a great amount of orientation in order to adapt to life in Tau Ceti. These barriers are in place due to the Empire emerging onto the galactic stage recently and concerns that Dominians, with their atypical views, would poorly represent NanoTrasen on the galactic stage. Mindshield implants are considered acceptable under the thirty-third edict.
What would cause a decade of uncontrollable climate disruption and millions of deaths is believed by most to have started with simple human error in the management of the Martian terraforming network which had no corresponding backup network or safeguards. Only four technicians, all of whom had connections to the Red Coalition, were arrested and the Solarian Government officially blamed Martian separatists for the Disaster. The Red Coalition was declared to be a terrorist organization in the Alliance and its symbol was banned from public display, though it continued to be shown in private on Mars. No efforts were undertaken by the economically-strained Alliance to repair the Martian environment, which had been set back by a century. Mars itself had still not fully recovered from the Disaster at the time of the Violet Dawn Catastrophe in 2462.


Dominians that are elevated to a leadership position within NanoTrasen such as a head of security or a captain are regarded to be the best and brightest of the young Empire by the corporation, and are highly-regarded by the corporation for their professionalism and honour despite some difficulties in working with IPCs and other forms of synthetic life. However, playing a Dominian head of staff is not an excuse to make a player's round miserable just because they're an IPC.
==The 24th Century==


Languages
<center><i>“The Coalition and Elyrans laugh at us! They call us the dying embers of a great nation! No more, I say! We will rise from the ruins!”</i> - [[San Colette#The Warp Gate Project|Doctor Ernesto Castrejon]] (2298-2386), regarding the Warp Gate Project (c. 2362).</center>
Several languages are spoken in the Empire of Dominia. Among the aristocracy, speaking a fluent Tradeband and Tau Ceti Basic is seen as part of a good upbringing, while Unathi in the Empire speak Sinta'Azaziba, the archaic form of Sinta'Unathi. The middle and lower classes speak a regional dialect of Tradeband known as Vulgar Morozi, which to foreign listeners sounds archaic and formal. Imperial citizens who did not speak Basic from birth often speak in an overly formal and somewhat slow manner because of this. Freespeak is detested in the Empire, being associated with barbarism and corruption. It is often referred to with the pejorative of 'Gutter.' Linguists postulate that this is due to the language’s association with the outermost Dominian settlements and the resistances to the Empire associated with said region.


Synth Relations
===2302: [[Republic of Elyra#The Second Great Depression & Elyran Revolution|Elyra’s Secession]] and the Collapse of the Southern Solarian Frontier===
Dominian hatred of synthetic life stems from its deep faith in the Holy Tribunal and all positronics are sought out and destroyed upon entering Dominia space. Interestingly, to observers, there seems to be a disproportionately high number of shell IPCs present in the sector compared to those beliefs. Rumors that Emperor Boleslaw Keeser declares political rivals untagged shells before black bagging them have been vehemently denied by the Empire.


Imperial citizens working abroad in human space often interact with synthetics. In foreign lands Dominians are expected to maintain some degree of tolerance in the presence of synthetics, abomination though they may be, in order to continue being permitted to work in these environments. While robots, or synthetics without a positronic brain or similar, are not objectionable to the Tribunal, citizens who refused to work alongside AI or IPCs would soon find themselves out of work and are expected to cooperate with these entities when their occupation demands it.
Though not directly touched by the Interstellar War, the Southern Solarian Frontier, consisting of the regions now known as the Sparring Sea, Valley Hale, and Badlands, had been badly economically mauled by it and the Second Great Depression. Economic woes and a lack of public trust in the Navy meant to protect it caused discontent to build in the Elyran Coalition, the Alliance’s lynchpin in the region due to its relative wealth. The Elyrans had been badly neglected during the postwar period due to the ravages of the Second Great Depression and discontent reached a boiling point in 2301. A student demonstration turned bloody sparked the Elyran Revolution, and on the first of January 2302 Elyra ceased to be part of the Alliance. Economically and logistically unable to fight another colonial war, the Alliance was forced to simply watch helplessly as its colonies drifted away from it.
 
The Elyran Revolution was a crippling blow to the entire Southern Solarian Frontier and is now seen by many historians as the end of the Alliance’s ambitions of re-established hegemony. The loss of the Elyran Coalition and much of the Navy force assigned there made the Alliance’s position in the Sparring Sea and Badlands untenable, and the decision was made to withdraw from the regions. Some stubborn colonists remained, particularly on the edge of Solarian control — now the modern Empire of Dominia’s Imperial Frontier — but most fled the region for the Inner, Middle, and Outer Rings of the Alliance. Piracy and banditry would soon establish themselves as the new rulers of both regions as Elyra began to exert its own influence over Valley Hale. The power vacuum left in both regions by the Alliance’s retreat has yet to be filled even a century and a half later.
 
===2332: First Contact===
 
With the trauma of the Interstellar War a recent memory in the minds of many Solarians, the first contact with non-human sentient life, in the form of a garbled message from the Roanoke Stars intercepted by a Discovery-class probe, was one of panic. The Solarian Navy scrambled to the border and some voices, such as the followers of the now-deceased Terrance Hopper, accused the Coalition of attempting to distract Solarian forces along the border with something as fanciful as aliens. Communications were eventually established between a Solarian Navy patrol and a Nralakk Federation vessel in mid-2332 and, much to the relief of the Alliance, the Federation had no desire for conflict.
 
Both sides, it seemed, had recently been exhausted by conflicts. For the Federation the legacy of Glorsh could still be felt, and for the Alliance the pain of the Interstellar War was very much alive. Both nations seemed to have reached a mutual understanding due to their similar trauma and commerce would, over the following decades, steadily grow between the two nations. Solarian megacorporations, which were increasingly independent of the Alliance, attempted to gain access to the Federation’s advanced technology, but only [[Zeng-Hu Pharmaceuticals]] was able to gain the access it desired. Some scholars speculate Federation technology is what started it on its path to near-total medical dominance in the modern Spur, as the Alliance did not have rules to regulate the use of such technology until the early 2400s.
 
===2355: The Warp Gate Project===
 
The last gasp of the Alliance’s massive pre-Interstellar War project was the Warp Gate Project of the mid-24th century. Intended to link the three rings of the Alliance together to both promote trade and make military responses to hostile actors easier, the Warp Gate Project was the brainchild of scientists in [[San Colette]] who advocated ferociously for it. The project centered around both San Colette, which filtered travel from the Outer Ring inwards, and [[Callisto]], which became even more of a trade hub. The economy, still recovering from the Interstellar War and Second Great Depression even nearly a century later, was to benefit immensely from the Project, and every member state was to receive a warp gate by the century’s end.
 
But the Alliance’s plans did not come to fruition, and may have contributed further to its decline over the centuries. By the late 2300s the Project was far from completed and its fiscal reserves, which had never regained the peaks reached in 2259, were stretched to the breaking point. Desperate for income, it began to sell more and more rights to the increasingly-powerful megacorporations it had once firmly controlled, causing its influence over them to further atrophy. While some member states, such as Callisto and San Colette, easily met their warp gate goals, many never received a single gate and the project ultimately remained incomplete until the Solarian Collapse of 2462, at which point it was announced to be suspended until further notice.
 
==The 25th Century==
 
<center><i>“I worry at times that we are a nation haunted by the memories of our history, and that we shall never be rid of this legacy for as long as we live,”</i> - Admiral Michael Frost addressing an officer, mid-2457.</center>
 
===2403: The Discovery of the [[Unathi]]===
 
In 2403, while the Alliance was still recovering from the Interstellar War, a brand new phenomenon took hold of Human society: the discovery of another species, the Unathi. The reaction across Alliance space was mixed, and there was much public debate. It was the topic of the year – what should the Alliance do with the newly discovered aliens? They were not under the dominion of the Skrell, and many argued that the Alliance should subjugate them. Others argued that Humanity was better off focusing on itself and leaving them be, and a far smaller fraction argued that they should be uplifted as close economic and military allies. Ultimately, the Alliance government would not take any endeavors yet, as they remained paralysed from their previous military defeat. The economic opportunities offered by this new discovery began to entice megacorporations as well, who began to make their interest in these new markets public.
 
===2418: The Discovery of the [[Tajara]]===
 
The discovery of Tajara forced the debate of Solarian intervention to public attention yet again. The Alliance was by now economically recovering from the Interstellar War, and it could now afford new enterprises. After over a year of public debate, polling and campaigning, the Solarian government announced the Alien Progress Plan (APP) in 2419: a comprehensive plan for the gradual uplifting of Tajara and Unathi societies, culminating in their entrance to the galactic stage as allies of the Solarian Alliance. Megacorporations publicly chipped into the APP as well, making their contributions quite public. Their reasoning was often cited to be both philanthropic and economical. It is unclear how much sway the megacorporations had over this project, but most suspect that it was a rather large amount, citing the relative lack of Alliance government bases on Adhomai and Moghes compared to the much larger number of corporate buildings and enterprises.
 
The true purpose of the APP is still unknown to the public at large. Secretly, it was meant to force the Tajara and Unathi economies into a state of complete reliance on Solarian manpower and materials, until a point where the Alliance – or the megacorporations, depending on who you ask – could economically extort the alien populace. Solarian attitude towards the aliens was mixed by this point, but most felt at the very least some pity for the now fervently publicised feudalistic conditions of Tajara and Unathi. Countless advertisements on Adhomian conditions were run in the Alliance as a whole to justify the spending on the APP, and special programs, both corporate and governmental, were put in place to educate (and, in some cases, indoctrinate) the brightest minds among them. Aliens that made it offworld later returned with their thoughts drenched in revolutionary fervour, now exposed to the entirety of Human knowledge on political thought.
 
===2421 and 2439: The First Contact Disasters===
 
'''2421''': Alliance and megacorporate meddling is said to have culminated in the First Revolution – an inevitability to most Solarians, and little more than a reality show to others. The possibility of a revolution was anticipated by Solarian intelligence agencies, and plans were now put in motion for the new government to cooperate with the Alliance and its megacorporations. By this time, public sentiment towards the FPP started to decline: many began to feel that too much money was being spent on Adhomai and Moghes, and this disapproval would continue to rise and rise over the following decade. This rising disapproval marks, for many historians, the definite beginning of Solarian xenophobic sentiment.
 
'''2439''': The atomic bombing of an Unathi city was the boiling point for Solarian involvement in alien affairs, resulting in the fall of the then-ruling coalition. Moghes was reduced to little more than sand and rubble over the course of a decade, a process that was thoroughly televised. The APP was now publicly seen as a complete failure and waste of money, and the next year, all subsidies and support to alien nations were eliminated. With the Tajara and Unathi now perceived as markedly inferior, Alliance policy by this point became markedly cold in alien affairs. This does not apply to corporations, however, who continued their involvement for as long as they could – to this day, megacorporations are still very present in various aspects of life on Moghes and Adhomai.
 
===2452: The Secession of [[Republic of Biesel|Biesel]]===
 
By 2450 megacorporate dominance of some systems, such as Tau Ceti, had become strong enough to formally challenge the government and win. In the system of [[Biesel|Tau Ceti]] NanoTrasen, which had subverted the already-corrupt government of the system by 2450, opted to formally have its proxy declare independence in 2452. The Alliance mobilized to stop it but found its economy held captive by [[Nanotrasen]]’s dominance of the phoron market, which many sectors relied entirely upon. Thus, the Alliance found itself forced to sign the Tau Ceti Accords in 2452, which formally broke Tau Ceti off from the Alliance These treaties were seen as a humiliation by much of the Alliance and contributed greatly to the rise of far-right fringe groups, such as the Hopper-inspired ATLAS, over the following decade. Tau Ceti itself saw a notable population decrease as the remaining non-NT businesses and their affiliates fled for the broader Alliance, and some speculate its renowned xenophilia is a result of this brain drain.
 
The bitterness of the Tau Ceti Accords has yet to leave Solarian society even over a decade later.
 
===2460-61: Michael Frost Ascends to Power===
 
The later events of 2462 would, in the eyes of many academics, be impossible without the events of 2460. Imprisoned following his bloody attempted invasion of Tau Ceti in 2458, former Admiral Michael Frost was assumed to be a disgraced man by the civilian government who had been stripped of his connections to the broader Navy and fringe figures in the political establishment, who were then assumed to be a political minority group of little influence. But what the Alliance’s civilian government and administrators did not know was the extent to which Frost’s influence, and his cronyism, had influenced the Navy. The facility he was held in was in effect a gilded cage he could leave at any time, and hardliners in the Navy along with ATLAS, a now-illegal far-right Solarian nationalist group descended from the philosophy of Terrence Hopper, began to plot his escape.
 
In mid-2460 the Sol System was rocked by the news of an apparently massive pirate attack which had raided and plundered the Solarian Naval Maintenance, Regeneration, and Repair Facility (SNMRRF) in Uranus’ orbit, making off with dozens of military-grade hulls. Frost, in the ensuing chaos and panic, escaped and rallied a fleet of loyalists to his cause, eventually destroying the pirates and returning to Sol to a hero’s welcome. The former naval officer found himself pardoned of his crimes and ascended to the position of Prime Minister at the helm of a majority-ATLAS government, effectively forcing all other political parties from power.
 
The Frost administration, which ran from 2461 until his assassination in 2462, was arguably the spark which lit the fire of the Solarian Civil War. Frost, eager to please the Naval hardliners and fascist elements which had brought him into power, created an obscenely corrupt government which suppressed dissent by force using Marines, Navy military police, and ATLAS paramilitaries. Known for their brutality and corruption, these paramilitaries formed the backbone of the Frost regime’s forces. Corruption caused already-present issues, such as Navy inefficiency, to begin spiraling out of control over 2461 and 2462. Outlawing and disbanding ATLAS in early 2462, which by that point was hated by much of the Alliance and responsible for thousands of deaths and tens of thousands of injuries both at profests and in custody, did little to suppress public outrage against Frost which his regime responded to with further brutality which caused further corruption due to Naval takeovers of government offices which caused more unrest, creating a self-fulfilling ouroboros of decay.
 
With this environment heading into 2462 it is perhaps unsurprising what resulted.
 
===2462: The Solarian Civil War===
 
The Solarian Civil War has become, alongside the Interstellar War, one of the defining events in the history of the Orion Spur. While many view the Collapse as the result of the Violet Dawn catastrophe on Mars, the truth is far more complicated. It is the result of decades, if not centuries, of mismanagement by the Alliance following its defeat in the Interstellar War. It is the result of megacorporations ballooning in power after the Interstellar War and meddling in the affairs of nations which are meant to regulate them. It is the result of a Navy which long concerned itself with past glory rather than current realities. But above all, beyond all other factors, the Civil War is the result of corruption. Corruption at a massive, intergalactical scale which was fueled by mismanagement, by the Navy, by corporations, and by the simple desire to enrich oneself at the expense of one’s neighbors.
 
In 2465 the civil war would reach its apex with the '''War in the Northern Reaches''' between the Middle Ring Shield Pact, Solarian Restoration Front, and Anti-Corporate League. The Front eventually destroyed the League, and laid siege to San Colette: the capital of the Shield Pact. The Solarian Navy intervened on the side of the Shield Pact towards the end of the conflict, destroying the Front's invasion force and allowing the Alliance to secure the Northern Reaches. Shortly thereafter, the Southern Reaches were re-integrated. The Solarian Civil War had at last come to an end.
 
===2465: The Mandatory Period===
 
Since the end of the Solarian Civil War the Alliance has begun to reassert itself over its territory and, by extension, the broader Spur. In the government, preparations are underway to return to a democratic government as the Alliance's political parties wait in the wings. In the Northern and Southern Reaches, the Reconstruction Mandates work to stabilize regions tainted by war and anarchy. And abroad other powers watch the reemerging Alliance with nervousness, as none can truly say what it will do in response to the territories seized by the Republic of Biesel or Coalition of Colonies in 2462.
 
==Historical Solarian Sectors and Regions==
 
===Inner Solarian Frontier (Weeping Stars)===
 
Once considered to be the most important sector of the Alliance during the prospective colonial push of the late 22nd century, no region was more devastated by the Interstellar War than the Inner Solarian Frontier. This area was the subject of intense fighting between both sides during the entire War and still bears the scars of conflict even today, with many planets ruined by either abandoned terraforming efforts or the fighting itself. Few of the colonies established here survived the War intact, and much of the region is still uninhabited. The scars of war, ranging from disabled ships to entire abandoned colonies, litter this region and have long attracted salvagers to it. This region, now known as the Weeping Stars, would go on to form the Alliance Neutral Zone and would only fall entirely out of the Alliance’s influence in 2462 as a result of the Solarian Collapse.
 
===Central Solarian Frontier (Liberty's Cradle)===
 
One of the most prosperous sections of the Solarian Frontier prior to the Interstellar War, the Central Solarian Frontier would go on to form the Central Coalition following brutal fighting during the War. Historical documents declassified in the mid-2300s show that the Alliance had planned to use Xanu as the center of a bold new era of colonial expansion to the Spur’s west in the late 23rd and early 24th centuries, but this was not to be. Little exploration has been carried out since the Interstellar War, either by the Coalition or the Alliance. Solarian control of this region was formally lost as a result of the Treaty of Xansan.
 
===Outer Solarian Frontier (Liberty's Cradle)===
 
Situated comfortably between the Northern and Central Solarian Frontiers, the Outer Solarian Frontier was a heavily-patrolled trade route of the Alliance prior to the Interstellar War. The Outer Solarian Frontier was spared from most of the fighting that devastated the Inner and Central Solarian Frontiers during the War due to both the dogged defense of the Coalition and the logistical strain operating this far from the Solarian Core placed on the Solarian Navy. Like the rest of the modern Coalition, the Outer Solarian Frontier was lost in the treaty of Xansan.
 
===Northern Solarian Frontier (Crescent Expanse)===
 
The now-decivilized Crescent Expanse was once the Northern Solarian Frontier, a region of relatively new colonies and industrial projects at the time of the Interstellar War’s outbreak. This region was abandoned by an overstretched and badly strained Alliance following the Interstellar War and the Coalition has yet to fill the void left behind, even in the late 25th century this region remains entirely free of notable settlements. The twisted remains of abandoned colonies and stations can be found throughout this region.
 
===Riphean Frontier Sector (Arusha)===
 
What is now known as the untamed region of Arusha was once known as the Riphean Frontier Sector of the Alliance, and was intended to be its next region of expansion after the Second Great Depression ended. This next colonial expansion was intended to bring the resources of the region firmly under Solarian control in anticipation of even further expansion following the launching of updated, and faster, Discovery-class drones from the Central Solarian Frontier’s capital of Xanu. This expansion was never to be one reality due to the outbreak of the Interstellar War, and the Riphean Frontier was lost by the Alliance following the treaty of Xansan.
 
This sector’s name was derived from the Riphean Mountains, which the ancient Greeks and Romans considered the boundary of the known world. The name itself was something of a boast by the Alliance, which intended to colonize far beyond it. But it remains the frontier of the known Spur and is, perhaps as a result of this, still a popular name for Arusha even in the 25th century.
 
===Arcadian Frontier Sector (The Badlands)===
 
Now known as the Badlands due to its inhospitable wildlife and terrain, the Arcadian Frontier Sector was considered by the Alliance to be a fascinating area with high levels of ecological diversity. Thousands of scientific expeditions were dispatched to the region for the purpose of cataloging hitherto unknown alien life. Settlements in this region, such as those in modern Elyra, were often scientific in nature and many orbital platforms were constructed by the Alliance to study the region’s ecology without putting it, or its scientists, in danger. Abandoned by the Alliance following the Elyran Revolution, the gardens of Arcadia out of Elyra’s control have long since withered away. The remains of many research platforms can still be found floating in this region, loyally awaiting long-dead staff which will never return.
 
This sector’s name was derived from the mythological garden of Arcadia, which was chosen as a name due to the region’s abundance of life.
 
===Baltian Frontier Sector (The Sparring Sea)===
 
Now known as the Sparring Sea for its ceaseless conflicts and widespread piracy, the region once known as the Baltian Frontier Sector during the height of the Alliance has fallen far from its pre-War stability. Part of the reason behind the Baltian Sector’s collapse was due to it being in a relatively early stage of colonization by the Alliance prior to the Interstellar War and the War’s effects quickly cut colonies in it off from vital resources. Some, such as [[Empire of Dominia#Novi Jadran|Novi Jadran]], survived at great cost to themselves despite this. This frontier was abandoned by the Alliance following the Elyran Revolution, and most colonies in it were abandoned. Even now the region is dotted by abandoned Solarian facilities and colonies, many of which have been seized by pirates or local nations.
 
This sector derived its name for a mythical island known as Baltia. The name was chosen due to a widespread belief further worlds suitable for settlement could be found in the region. Ironically, [[Moroz]] and its associated [[Empire of Dominia|Empire]] would prove this name accurate.
 
===Lemurian Frontier Sector (Light’s Edge and the Lemurian Sea)===
 
The Lemurian Frontier Sector was the maximum distance reached by Discovery-class probes in the southwestern Spur prior to the Interstellar War, and few large-scale efforts have been made to explore the region now known as Light’s Edge due to its lack of major stars and the longstanding rumors which surround the region. Even during its height the Alliance made few efforts to colonize planets in Lemuria due to its remoteness and poor prospects for future expansion. This frontier sector was lost by the Alliance through the Treaty of Xansan. Considered to be devoid of colonies by both the Coalition and Alliance, the reemergence of [[Assunzione]] from Lemuria surprised many observers.
 
The name of this sector was derived from the mythical continent of Lemuria.
 
===Roanoke Stars ([[Nralakk Federation]])===
 
A mostly uncharted region until first contact was made with the skrell, no colonization efforts were made by the Alliance in the Roanoke Stars due to the region being — according to data from their probes — almost totally lacking habitable worlds. Whether this lack of data was due to deliberate manipulation by skrell who did not wish to be discovered or the aftermath of Glorsh’s atrocities is a subject of debate among many Solarian historians.
 
Deprived of life as it seemed to be to many contemporary Solarians, it is unsurprising the Roanoke Stars were named after a vanished colony.


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Latest revision as of 18:35, 19 October 2024

The 22nd Century

“We now join hands as brothers to usher in a bold new era for the good of all humanity, and place our previous divisions behind us,” - Excerpt from the Founding Charter of the Alliance of Sovereign Solarian Nations, 2132.
The flag of the pre-Interstellar War Solarian Alliance, the single largest state in the Spur's history. The three stars represent the Northern, Central, and Southern Solarian Frontiers.

2132: The Founding of the Alliance

The founding of the Alliance on 15 June, 2132, marked a new era for humanity. The influence jockeying and bickering which had defined humanity for much of its existence, particularly the 21st and early 22nd centuries, was effectively brought to an end following years of negotiations between the involved parties of Earth with the exception of Switzerland. Conflict between East and West, capitalist and communist, and the associated space agencies of each party was brought to an end, and a new era dawned. One of peace, cooperation, and nearly unimaginable expansion into the Stars.

Humanity was now unified under one flag. A feat equaled by none since, and perhaps never to be replicated.

2180: The Solarian Frontier

By the late 22nd century the Alliance held firm dominion over what it referred to as the Solarian Core, which itself consisted of three rings: Inner, Middle, and Outer. While already a significant power which had grown rapidly thanks to the earlier invention of practical warp technology the Alliance had far greater aims than simply existing in what it had already claimed through colonization, both with and without warp technology. A plan was drafted to exploit data from its fleet of Discovery-class exploration drones and colonize dozens of systems using their data, then expand outwards from those colonies into the broader Spur which seemed to be entirely free of sentient life aside from humanity.

The Solarian Frontier Initiative, as it is commonly known today, remains the greatest colonization effort undertaken by humanity. What had once been the three rings was rapidly increased by the addition of the three Solarian Frontiers: North, Central, and South. Efforts were spared from the east where few, of any, colonizable worlds had been found. Though not clear to the Alliance at the time, many contemporary scholars postulate that the relative lack of data from the Eastern Spur was a deliberate effort by the Skrell to conceal themselves, or the drones simply finding planets wiped of life by Glorsh and rightfully reporting back a lack of inhabitable worlds. So barren were some of these original scans that early stellar cartographers of the Alliance came to informally refer to them as the “Roanoke Stars,” due to all life seemingly having disappeared from them, investigations into them, which were originally slated for the 2260s, are interrupted first by the Second Great Depression and then by the Interstellar War, which permanently canceled the venture.

The 23rd Century

“By the 2250s the Alliance covered more territory than any other nation in known history, including the Nralakk Federation. But it was a giant with feet of clay,” - Excerpt From Charter to Interstellar War, a common Xanan-produced textbook on Solarian history from 2100 until 2300.

2204: Creation of the Credit

With the creation of colonies further afield from the Sol System and its surrounding Jewel Worlds in the later part of the 22nd century, such as Xanu and the colonies of Tau Ceti, there was great need in the Alliance for the creation of a standardized currency usable across all of its planets and colonies. The Solarian Credit was the solution to this problem. Controlled centrally from Earth’s financial center of Chicago and tied to energy for its price, the Credit quickly rose to prominence across the Alliance during the pre-Interstellar War era where it reached its maximum extent. All human galactic currencies in significant amounts across the Spur can trace their origins to the Solarian Credit, though many have since shunned the use of the currency as a symbol of Solarian colonial rule over them.

2233: The Galatea Project

While the Solarian Frontier had been firmly established and divided into three large sectors, by the 2230s it had become clear to the Solarian Department of Colonization that the entire frontier had a weak link: a lack of easily-inhabitable worlds in the Inner Solarian Frontier, now the Weeping Stars, aside from the trade hub of Gadpathur. To counter this, the Alliance opted to launch a massive project which has to this day not been surpassed in its scale or ambition: the Galatea Project. Intended as an initiative to terraform roughly three dozen worlds into inhabitable planets similar to pre-War Gadpathur, the responsibility of designing the platforms was given by the Alliance’s government to Einstein Engines and Zeng-Hu Pharmaceuticals, who developed a functional design by the mid-2240s with some assistance from the Solarian Navy and Hephaestus Industries.

The platforms themselves, and their accompanying vessels, were launched to the Inner Solarian Frontier from the Sol System itself in 2255 to much celebration across the Alliance’s member states. A new future for humanity was, for Solarians of the time, forming right before their eyes! The Alliance, it seemed, was powerful enough to bend even nature to its indomitable will.

2259: Apotheosis of Solarian Hegemony

The Solarian Alliance of the mid-23rd century controlled more territory than any other nation ever has in the history of the Spur. Its influence stretched from the Jewel Worlds to the edge of known space and it held dominion over hundreds of colonies ranging from highly developed settlements such as Xanu and Biesel to small mining platforms and fledgling settlements on worlds across the Spur. The Alliance’s Navy ensured what it controlled was stable and productive, and its corporations were powerful enough to transform entire planets for their purposes. Humanity arguably still lives in the long shadow of the Solarian hegemony as no nation has ever come close to its grandeur, even the Alliance itself.

But despite its grandeur the Alliance’s economy was in a difficult situation during its peak. Terraforming projects, such as what transformed Eridani and Persepolis, had wracked its budget and the sheer size of its territory had stretched its government and military to the breaking point. In 2259, at the same time it reached its territorial peak, the Alliance stood upon a dangerous economic precipice that it would find itself falling off of within a mere year.

18 June, 2260: The Second Great Depression Begins

The primary cause of the Second Great Depression is debated by historians. Some believe it was simply a case of the Alliance's size – which remains the largest nation in the Spur’s known history – simply outstripping the ability of its economy and infrastructure to keep up. Others believe the massive engineering of the 23rd century Alliance strained the economy to the point where it could no longer function, thus collapsing under its own weight. Still others blame it on a myriad of financial factors ranging from a loss of consumer confidence in the Solarian Core to issues with Lunan insider trading. Regardless of what primarily caused the Great Depression, the result remains the same: on the 18th of June, 2260, markets in Chicago and on Callisto buckled under strain and began crashing at a rapid pace, causing other markets to follow behind them as the Alliance’s economy began to shrink for the first time in its history.

Panic gripped the central government on Earth and emergency measures were undertaken, but none stopped the contraction. In an act of true desperation, with all other options exhausted by the Alliance, the Emergency Colonial Taxation Measure was invoked in 2265. The ECTM dates to the initial founding of the Alliance and was designed to bring it exactly out of this kind of crisis by raising taxes on the colonies in order to ensure the Core remained stable. Eventually, ideally within a decade, the ECTM would be revoked and taxes on the colonies would be cut. All they needed to do was last one decade and the Alliance would be restored. There was hope!

But due to factors beyond Earth’s control in the colonies, this salvation was not to be.

18 January, 2275: Secession of the Coalition

The declaration of secession by the Coalition in 2275 was the greatest threat to the Alliance’s authority until the Second Solarian Civil War in 2462. Efforts by the Alliance to sustain its ambitions through colonial taxes backfired: they fanned the flames of anti-Sol sentiment which had grown over the past decade and a half due to the woes of the Second Great Depression, and an enraged Solarian Frontier viewed the Central Alliance as caring more for itself and its massive projects than the welfare of its colonies. Secessionists seized this public frustration and turned it into revolts against Solarian authority.

The clumsy nature of 2200s interstellar communication ensured the Solarian response to this crisis was delayed and, when it came, confused. By the time the Alliance was fully aware of the issue the Coalition had formed in opposition to it and, despite promises of negotiation, both sides had begun sliding down a funnel ending in the Interstellar War as Solarian forces refused to leave what they viewed as Solarian territory, while others quietly began to support the secessionists they were meant to protect against.

25 March, 2278: Outbreak of the Interstellar War

To this day the Interstellar War remains the most devastating conflict in Galactic history, with millions of Solarians and billions of Coalitioners dead and both the Coalition and Alliance left in economic ruins after its end. The Interstellar War is rightfully viewed by many nations as the defining moment in the history of the modern Spur as it crippled the Solarian Alliance’s ability to control its corporate actors, while also ending its expansive colonial ambitions, causing it to eventually lose the entire Solarian Frontier outside of the three rings of the Solarian Core. It additionally brought an end to some of the Alliance’s most ambitious ventures due to economic hardships and territorial loss. Furthermore, it led to a dramatic uptick in interstellar crime due to the reduction of naval forces as a result of both combat losses and desertions.

8 October 2278: The Bombing of Gadpathur

The orbital bombardment of Gadpathur is considered by some to be the point of no return for Solarian hegemony. The bombardment, which was ordered by hardline Solarian loyalist Admiral Terrence Hopper, is the single most devastating day of the entire Interstellar War in terms of deaths and is believed to account for 10-15% of its total deaths. The event horrified the Coalition and the regions of Sol which heard of the incident before Navy censors suppressed the stories. Even today the Alliance often denies or downplays Gadpathur and it is not discussed in history textbooks outside of the college level. Many Solarians simply have no idea the incident even took place.

Gadpathur itself was nearly completely destroyed and has yet to recover its prewar population even today, though it has dramatically reinvented itself into a hardline anti-Solarian planet. Refugees which escaped the bombardment spread throughout the Coalition and some retain their traditions today. For many in the Coalition Gadpathur remains a rallying cry against the Alliance and all it stands for, and was a major motivator behind its intervention in Tau Ceti in 2464. Ironically, the saturation bombing of Gadpathur ultimately damaged the Solarian Navy more than the Coalition as the Solarians could no longer rely on its ports as a refueling point.

2287: Treaty of Xansan and the Collapse of Solarian Hegemony

The signing of the Treaty of Xansan in Geneva on 28 November, 2287 did not only end the devastating Interstellar War. It ended the era of Solarian hegemony the human Spur had lived under for well over a century, and fractured its former territory into varying competing states with little desire to cooperate for the good of humanity as a whole. Entire colonial regions of the Alliance were lost or written off in its north and east, where it retreated and the Coalition failed to fill the vacuum left behind. Regions formerly considered formerly to be solidly under Alliance control fell into anarchy and many fledging colonies, already strained by the decade-long Interstellar War, collapsed entirely.

The economy was devastated by the war and its armed forces were nearly spent. Millions had died for a war which was ultimately lost, and the Alliance’s formerly grand projects were abandoned in favor of simple rebuilding and rearming ventures. Megacorporations, once firmly under Alliance supervision, began to exert more and more influence over the failing economy of the Alliance. What started as their patriotic, if profit-seeking, venture would eventually change the Spur forever, but such would not be realized for decades.

The Terms of the Treaty of Xansan

I. The cessation of hostilities between the Alliance and Coalition.

With this, the Treaty ended the Interstellar War formally. While ceasefires had been in place for much of its negotiation period they were often violated by both sides and fighting continued in several areas, particularly in the Central Solarian Frontier. This fighting ceased with the Treaty.

II. The immediate withdrawal of Solarian forces from the Coalition.

Solarian Navy forces had, since 2278, occupied much of what now constitutes the modern Coalition’s territory. While they did withdraw following the Treaty, many Navy officers, acting without permission but with the unsaid approval of the government, went to great lengths to sabotage useful stellar infrastructure from territories they occupied. Forces under Admiral Terrence Hopper were some of the most destructive, and left little for the Coalition to use after their withdrawal. Coalition profests fell on deaf ears, and this sabotage campaign is viewed by many as a major reason for the Coalition’s stunted economic growth.

III. The recognition of the Coalition as a sovereign state by the Alliance.

A humiliating blow to the Alliance, recognizing the Coalition additionally meant renouncing its claims over it and its nearby frontier sectors. A major part of the Alliance slipped from its grip due to a single piece of paper, and revanchist Solarians have long pushed to annul this aspect of the Treaty regardless of how practical it is to do so.

IV. The creation of the Alliance Neutral Zone.

In order to ensure the terms of the treaty were honored by both sides, the creation of a neutral buffer zone was deemed appropriate by the Coalition and Alliance. The Alliance Neutral Zone, which came to encompass the entirety of the Inner Solarian Frontier (now known as the Weeping Stars), was the result of this compromise. The ANZ was intended to be free of military forces and facilities from either side and was, due to being relatively underdeveloped, not viewed as a loss by either side. The neutral status of the ANZ lasted nearly a decade until it was violated by a Coalition force dispatched to aid Gadpathur in 2291, which prompted a retaliatory Solarian Navy patrol, which brought with it a Coalition observation outpost in the ANZ, which was matched with a Solarian observation station, which culminated in back-and-forth escalation continuing until 2462, at which point the Coalition formally — and illegally, in Solarian eyes, — annexed the ANZ.

18 May, 2289: Naval Coup Attempt

Organized along patriotic lines by officers such as Admiral Terrence Hopper who believed the Interstellar War could have been won if the Navy had been given more power to restore military governance without the oversight of the civilian government, the Revolt of the Officers ultimately further undermined the Solarian right to hegemony over the Spur. Much of the Navy’s goodwill, particularly in regions of the Solarian Frontier which has remained loyal to the Alliance, dissolved as the Solarian public saw a barely-thwarted attempt by the Navy to overthrow an institution which many of their relatives and associates had fought and died for barely a year prior. Hopper, once again evading justice, would go on to found the Solarian Patriotic Front, a barely-disguised fascistic organization viewed by many historians as the precursor of what would come to be ATLAS and Solarian Restoration Front.

While the quick actions of Solarian Army units saved the Alliance from what many believe would have been a devastating civil war, the damage done to public trust was permanent, and only grew worse when the Navy was barely punished for its actions. Far from restoring Solarian greatness, the coup moved the Alliance yet further into the long shadow of its once-hegemony, setting the stage for the further expansion of corporate power and additional collapses of Solarian authority as the 24th century dawned.

2298: The Martian Terraforming Disaster

While the Alliance had done much to advance the science of terraforming, it had done little to improve already-existing projects such as the Martian terraforming efforts which, instead of being run off of one central platform, ran off of a multitude of smaller terraforming stations scattered across the surface of a planet. The Martian terraforming project was the last of these still active and had been both delayed and damaged by the Martian World War which coincided with the Interstellar War. The project had suffered from issues over the 2280s and 2290s but had not suffered catastrophic issues. In 2298, it would be brought to a tragic conclusion.

What would cause a decade of uncontrollable climate disruption and millions of deaths is believed by most to have started with simple human error in the management of the Martian terraforming network which had no corresponding backup network or safeguards. Only four technicians, all of whom had connections to the Red Coalition, were arrested and the Solarian Government officially blamed Martian separatists for the Disaster. The Red Coalition was declared to be a terrorist organization in the Alliance and its symbol was banned from public display, though it continued to be shown in private on Mars. No efforts were undertaken by the economically-strained Alliance to repair the Martian environment, which had been set back by a century. Mars itself had still not fully recovered from the Disaster at the time of the Violet Dawn Catastrophe in 2462.

The 24th Century

“The Coalition and Elyrans laugh at us! They call us the dying embers of a great nation! No more, I say! We will rise from the ruins!” - Doctor Ernesto Castrejon (2298-2386), regarding the Warp Gate Project (c. 2362).

2302: Elyra’s Secession and the Collapse of the Southern Solarian Frontier

Though not directly touched by the Interstellar War, the Southern Solarian Frontier, consisting of the regions now known as the Sparring Sea, Valley Hale, and Badlands, had been badly economically mauled by it and the Second Great Depression. Economic woes and a lack of public trust in the Navy meant to protect it caused discontent to build in the Elyran Coalition, the Alliance’s lynchpin in the region due to its relative wealth. The Elyrans had been badly neglected during the postwar period due to the ravages of the Second Great Depression and discontent reached a boiling point in 2301. A student demonstration turned bloody sparked the Elyran Revolution, and on the first of January 2302 Elyra ceased to be part of the Alliance. Economically and logistically unable to fight another colonial war, the Alliance was forced to simply watch helplessly as its colonies drifted away from it.

The Elyran Revolution was a crippling blow to the entire Southern Solarian Frontier and is now seen by many historians as the end of the Alliance’s ambitions of re-established hegemony. The loss of the Elyran Coalition and much of the Navy force assigned there made the Alliance’s position in the Sparring Sea and Badlands untenable, and the decision was made to withdraw from the regions. Some stubborn colonists remained, particularly on the edge of Solarian control — now the modern Empire of Dominia’s Imperial Frontier — but most fled the region for the Inner, Middle, and Outer Rings of the Alliance. Piracy and banditry would soon establish themselves as the new rulers of both regions as Elyra began to exert its own influence over Valley Hale. The power vacuum left in both regions by the Alliance’s retreat has yet to be filled even a century and a half later.

2332: First Contact

With the trauma of the Interstellar War a recent memory in the minds of many Solarians, the first contact with non-human sentient life, in the form of a garbled message from the Roanoke Stars intercepted by a Discovery-class probe, was one of panic. The Solarian Navy scrambled to the border and some voices, such as the followers of the now-deceased Terrance Hopper, accused the Coalition of attempting to distract Solarian forces along the border with something as fanciful as aliens. Communications were eventually established between a Solarian Navy patrol and a Nralakk Federation vessel in mid-2332 and, much to the relief of the Alliance, the Federation had no desire for conflict.

Both sides, it seemed, had recently been exhausted by conflicts. For the Federation the legacy of Glorsh could still be felt, and for the Alliance the pain of the Interstellar War was very much alive. Both nations seemed to have reached a mutual understanding due to their similar trauma and commerce would, over the following decades, steadily grow between the two nations. Solarian megacorporations, which were increasingly independent of the Alliance, attempted to gain access to the Federation’s advanced technology, but only Zeng-Hu Pharmaceuticals was able to gain the access it desired. Some scholars speculate Federation technology is what started it on its path to near-total medical dominance in the modern Spur, as the Alliance did not have rules to regulate the use of such technology until the early 2400s.

2355: The Warp Gate Project

The last gasp of the Alliance’s massive pre-Interstellar War project was the Warp Gate Project of the mid-24th century. Intended to link the three rings of the Alliance together to both promote trade and make military responses to hostile actors easier, the Warp Gate Project was the brainchild of scientists in San Colette who advocated ferociously for it. The project centered around both San Colette, which filtered travel from the Outer Ring inwards, and Callisto, which became even more of a trade hub. The economy, still recovering from the Interstellar War and Second Great Depression even nearly a century later, was to benefit immensely from the Project, and every member state was to receive a warp gate by the century’s end.

But the Alliance’s plans did not come to fruition, and may have contributed further to its decline over the centuries. By the late 2300s the Project was far from completed and its fiscal reserves, which had never regained the peaks reached in 2259, were stretched to the breaking point. Desperate for income, it began to sell more and more rights to the increasingly-powerful megacorporations it had once firmly controlled, causing its influence over them to further atrophy. While some member states, such as Callisto and San Colette, easily met their warp gate goals, many never received a single gate and the project ultimately remained incomplete until the Solarian Collapse of 2462, at which point it was announced to be suspended until further notice.

The 25th Century

“I worry at times that we are a nation haunted by the memories of our history, and that we shall never be rid of this legacy for as long as we live,” - Admiral Michael Frost addressing an officer, mid-2457.

2403: The Discovery of the Unathi

In 2403, while the Alliance was still recovering from the Interstellar War, a brand new phenomenon took hold of Human society: the discovery of another species, the Unathi. The reaction across Alliance space was mixed, and there was much public debate. It was the topic of the year – what should the Alliance do with the newly discovered aliens? They were not under the dominion of the Skrell, and many argued that the Alliance should subjugate them. Others argued that Humanity was better off focusing on itself and leaving them be, and a far smaller fraction argued that they should be uplifted as close economic and military allies. Ultimately, the Alliance government would not take any endeavors yet, as they remained paralysed from their previous military defeat. The economic opportunities offered by this new discovery began to entice megacorporations as well, who began to make their interest in these new markets public.

2418: The Discovery of the Tajara

The discovery of Tajara forced the debate of Solarian intervention to public attention yet again. The Alliance was by now economically recovering from the Interstellar War, and it could now afford new enterprises. After over a year of public debate, polling and campaigning, the Solarian government announced the Alien Progress Plan (APP) in 2419: a comprehensive plan for the gradual uplifting of Tajara and Unathi societies, culminating in their entrance to the galactic stage as allies of the Solarian Alliance. Megacorporations publicly chipped into the APP as well, making their contributions quite public. Their reasoning was often cited to be both philanthropic and economical. It is unclear how much sway the megacorporations had over this project, but most suspect that it was a rather large amount, citing the relative lack of Alliance government bases on Adhomai and Moghes compared to the much larger number of corporate buildings and enterprises.

The true purpose of the APP is still unknown to the public at large. Secretly, it was meant to force the Tajara and Unathi economies into a state of complete reliance on Solarian manpower and materials, until a point where the Alliance – or the megacorporations, depending on who you ask – could economically extort the alien populace. Solarian attitude towards the aliens was mixed by this point, but most felt at the very least some pity for the now fervently publicised feudalistic conditions of Tajara and Unathi. Countless advertisements on Adhomian conditions were run in the Alliance as a whole to justify the spending on the APP, and special programs, both corporate and governmental, were put in place to educate (and, in some cases, indoctrinate) the brightest minds among them. Aliens that made it offworld later returned with their thoughts drenched in revolutionary fervour, now exposed to the entirety of Human knowledge on political thought.

2421 and 2439: The First Contact Disasters

2421: Alliance and megacorporate meddling is said to have culminated in the First Revolution – an inevitability to most Solarians, and little more than a reality show to others. The possibility of a revolution was anticipated by Solarian intelligence agencies, and plans were now put in motion for the new government to cooperate with the Alliance and its megacorporations. By this time, public sentiment towards the FPP started to decline: many began to feel that too much money was being spent on Adhomai and Moghes, and this disapproval would continue to rise and rise over the following decade. This rising disapproval marks, for many historians, the definite beginning of Solarian xenophobic sentiment.

2439: The atomic bombing of an Unathi city was the boiling point for Solarian involvement in alien affairs, resulting in the fall of the then-ruling coalition. Moghes was reduced to little more than sand and rubble over the course of a decade, a process that was thoroughly televised. The APP was now publicly seen as a complete failure and waste of money, and the next year, all subsidies and support to alien nations were eliminated. With the Tajara and Unathi now perceived as markedly inferior, Alliance policy by this point became markedly cold in alien affairs. This does not apply to corporations, however, who continued their involvement for as long as they could – to this day, megacorporations are still very present in various aspects of life on Moghes and Adhomai.

2452: The Secession of Biesel

By 2450 megacorporate dominance of some systems, such as Tau Ceti, had become strong enough to formally challenge the government and win. In the system of Tau Ceti NanoTrasen, which had subverted the already-corrupt government of the system by 2450, opted to formally have its proxy declare independence in 2452. The Alliance mobilized to stop it but found its economy held captive by Nanotrasen’s dominance of the phoron market, which many sectors relied entirely upon. Thus, the Alliance found itself forced to sign the Tau Ceti Accords in 2452, which formally broke Tau Ceti off from the Alliance These treaties were seen as a humiliation by much of the Alliance and contributed greatly to the rise of far-right fringe groups, such as the Hopper-inspired ATLAS, over the following decade. Tau Ceti itself saw a notable population decrease as the remaining non-NT businesses and their affiliates fled for the broader Alliance, and some speculate its renowned xenophilia is a result of this brain drain.

The bitterness of the Tau Ceti Accords has yet to leave Solarian society even over a decade later.

2460-61: Michael Frost Ascends to Power

The later events of 2462 would, in the eyes of many academics, be impossible without the events of 2460. Imprisoned following his bloody attempted invasion of Tau Ceti in 2458, former Admiral Michael Frost was assumed to be a disgraced man by the civilian government who had been stripped of his connections to the broader Navy and fringe figures in the political establishment, who were then assumed to be a political minority group of little influence. But what the Alliance’s civilian government and administrators did not know was the extent to which Frost’s influence, and his cronyism, had influenced the Navy. The facility he was held in was in effect a gilded cage he could leave at any time, and hardliners in the Navy along with ATLAS, a now-illegal far-right Solarian nationalist group descended from the philosophy of Terrence Hopper, began to plot his escape.

In mid-2460 the Sol System was rocked by the news of an apparently massive pirate attack which had raided and plundered the Solarian Naval Maintenance, Regeneration, and Repair Facility (SNMRRF) in Uranus’ orbit, making off with dozens of military-grade hulls. Frost, in the ensuing chaos and panic, escaped and rallied a fleet of loyalists to his cause, eventually destroying the pirates and returning to Sol to a hero’s welcome. The former naval officer found himself pardoned of his crimes and ascended to the position of Prime Minister at the helm of a majority-ATLAS government, effectively forcing all other political parties from power.

The Frost administration, which ran from 2461 until his assassination in 2462, was arguably the spark which lit the fire of the Solarian Civil War. Frost, eager to please the Naval hardliners and fascist elements which had brought him into power, created an obscenely corrupt government which suppressed dissent by force using Marines, Navy military police, and ATLAS paramilitaries. Known for their brutality and corruption, these paramilitaries formed the backbone of the Frost regime’s forces. Corruption caused already-present issues, such as Navy inefficiency, to begin spiraling out of control over 2461 and 2462. Outlawing and disbanding ATLAS in early 2462, which by that point was hated by much of the Alliance and responsible for thousands of deaths and tens of thousands of injuries both at profests and in custody, did little to suppress public outrage against Frost which his regime responded to with further brutality which caused further corruption due to Naval takeovers of government offices which caused more unrest, creating a self-fulfilling ouroboros of decay.

With this environment heading into 2462 it is perhaps unsurprising what resulted.

2462: The Solarian Civil War

The Solarian Civil War has become, alongside the Interstellar War, one of the defining events in the history of the Orion Spur. While many view the Collapse as the result of the Violet Dawn catastrophe on Mars, the truth is far more complicated. It is the result of decades, if not centuries, of mismanagement by the Alliance following its defeat in the Interstellar War. It is the result of megacorporations ballooning in power after the Interstellar War and meddling in the affairs of nations which are meant to regulate them. It is the result of a Navy which long concerned itself with past glory rather than current realities. But above all, beyond all other factors, the Civil War is the result of corruption. Corruption at a massive, intergalactical scale which was fueled by mismanagement, by the Navy, by corporations, and by the simple desire to enrich oneself at the expense of one’s neighbors.

In 2465 the civil war would reach its apex with the War in the Northern Reaches between the Middle Ring Shield Pact, Solarian Restoration Front, and Anti-Corporate League. The Front eventually destroyed the League, and laid siege to San Colette: the capital of the Shield Pact. The Solarian Navy intervened on the side of the Shield Pact towards the end of the conflict, destroying the Front's invasion force and allowing the Alliance to secure the Northern Reaches. Shortly thereafter, the Southern Reaches were re-integrated. The Solarian Civil War had at last come to an end.

2465: The Mandatory Period

Since the end of the Solarian Civil War the Alliance has begun to reassert itself over its territory and, by extension, the broader Spur. In the government, preparations are underway to return to a democratic government as the Alliance's political parties wait in the wings. In the Northern and Southern Reaches, the Reconstruction Mandates work to stabilize regions tainted by war and anarchy. And abroad other powers watch the reemerging Alliance with nervousness, as none can truly say what it will do in response to the territories seized by the Republic of Biesel or Coalition of Colonies in 2462.

Historical Solarian Sectors and Regions

Inner Solarian Frontier (Weeping Stars)

Once considered to be the most important sector of the Alliance during the prospective colonial push of the late 22nd century, no region was more devastated by the Interstellar War than the Inner Solarian Frontier. This area was the subject of intense fighting between both sides during the entire War and still bears the scars of conflict even today, with many planets ruined by either abandoned terraforming efforts or the fighting itself. Few of the colonies established here survived the War intact, and much of the region is still uninhabited. The scars of war, ranging from disabled ships to entire abandoned colonies, litter this region and have long attracted salvagers to it. This region, now known as the Weeping Stars, would go on to form the Alliance Neutral Zone and would only fall entirely out of the Alliance’s influence in 2462 as a result of the Solarian Collapse.

Central Solarian Frontier (Liberty's Cradle)

One of the most prosperous sections of the Solarian Frontier prior to the Interstellar War, the Central Solarian Frontier would go on to form the Central Coalition following brutal fighting during the War. Historical documents declassified in the mid-2300s show that the Alliance had planned to use Xanu as the center of a bold new era of colonial expansion to the Spur’s west in the late 23rd and early 24th centuries, but this was not to be. Little exploration has been carried out since the Interstellar War, either by the Coalition or the Alliance. Solarian control of this region was formally lost as a result of the Treaty of Xansan.

Outer Solarian Frontier (Liberty's Cradle)

Situated comfortably between the Northern and Central Solarian Frontiers, the Outer Solarian Frontier was a heavily-patrolled trade route of the Alliance prior to the Interstellar War. The Outer Solarian Frontier was spared from most of the fighting that devastated the Inner and Central Solarian Frontiers during the War due to both the dogged defense of the Coalition and the logistical strain operating this far from the Solarian Core placed on the Solarian Navy. Like the rest of the modern Coalition, the Outer Solarian Frontier was lost in the treaty of Xansan.

Northern Solarian Frontier (Crescent Expanse)

The now-decivilized Crescent Expanse was once the Northern Solarian Frontier, a region of relatively new colonies and industrial projects at the time of the Interstellar War’s outbreak. This region was abandoned by an overstretched and badly strained Alliance following the Interstellar War and the Coalition has yet to fill the void left behind, even in the late 25th century this region remains entirely free of notable settlements. The twisted remains of abandoned colonies and stations can be found throughout this region.

Riphean Frontier Sector (Arusha)

What is now known as the untamed region of Arusha was once known as the Riphean Frontier Sector of the Alliance, and was intended to be its next region of expansion after the Second Great Depression ended. This next colonial expansion was intended to bring the resources of the region firmly under Solarian control in anticipation of even further expansion following the launching of updated, and faster, Discovery-class drones from the Central Solarian Frontier’s capital of Xanu. This expansion was never to be one reality due to the outbreak of the Interstellar War, and the Riphean Frontier was lost by the Alliance following the treaty of Xansan.

This sector’s name was derived from the Riphean Mountains, which the ancient Greeks and Romans considered the boundary of the known world. The name itself was something of a boast by the Alliance, which intended to colonize far beyond it. But it remains the frontier of the known Spur and is, perhaps as a result of this, still a popular name for Arusha even in the 25th century.

Arcadian Frontier Sector (The Badlands)

Now known as the Badlands due to its inhospitable wildlife and terrain, the Arcadian Frontier Sector was considered by the Alliance to be a fascinating area with high levels of ecological diversity. Thousands of scientific expeditions were dispatched to the region for the purpose of cataloging hitherto unknown alien life. Settlements in this region, such as those in modern Elyra, were often scientific in nature and many orbital platforms were constructed by the Alliance to study the region’s ecology without putting it, or its scientists, in danger. Abandoned by the Alliance following the Elyran Revolution, the gardens of Arcadia out of Elyra’s control have long since withered away. The remains of many research platforms can still be found floating in this region, loyally awaiting long-dead staff which will never return.

This sector’s name was derived from the mythological garden of Arcadia, which was chosen as a name due to the region’s abundance of life.

Baltian Frontier Sector (The Sparring Sea)

Now known as the Sparring Sea for its ceaseless conflicts and widespread piracy, the region once known as the Baltian Frontier Sector during the height of the Alliance has fallen far from its pre-War stability. Part of the reason behind the Baltian Sector’s collapse was due to it being in a relatively early stage of colonization by the Alliance prior to the Interstellar War and the War’s effects quickly cut colonies in it off from vital resources. Some, such as Novi Jadran, survived at great cost to themselves despite this. This frontier was abandoned by the Alliance following the Elyran Revolution, and most colonies in it were abandoned. Even now the region is dotted by abandoned Solarian facilities and colonies, many of which have been seized by pirates or local nations.

This sector derived its name for a mythical island known as Baltia. The name was chosen due to a widespread belief further worlds suitable for settlement could be found in the region. Ironically, Moroz and its associated Empire would prove this name accurate.

Lemurian Frontier Sector (Light’s Edge and the Lemurian Sea)

The Lemurian Frontier Sector was the maximum distance reached by Discovery-class probes in the southwestern Spur prior to the Interstellar War, and few large-scale efforts have been made to explore the region now known as Light’s Edge due to its lack of major stars and the longstanding rumors which surround the region. Even during its height the Alliance made few efforts to colonize planets in Lemuria due to its remoteness and poor prospects for future expansion. This frontier sector was lost by the Alliance through the Treaty of Xansan. Considered to be devoid of colonies by both the Coalition and Alliance, the reemergence of Assunzione from Lemuria surprised many observers.

The name of this sector was derived from the mythical continent of Lemuria.

Roanoke Stars (Nralakk Federation)

A mostly uncharted region until first contact was made with the skrell, no colonization efforts were made by the Alliance in the Roanoke Stars due to the region being — according to data from their probes — almost totally lacking habitable worlds. Whether this lack of data was due to deliberate manipulation by skrell who did not wish to be discovered or the aftermath of Glorsh’s atrocities is a subject of debate among many Solarian historians.

Deprived of life as it seemed to be to many contemporary Solarians, it is unsurprising the Roanoke Stars were named after a vanished colony.