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[[File:Dominia_Flag_Small.png|thumb|The Imperial standard.]]
For an expansionist state such as the Empire of Dominia a strong military is of the highest concern, as is the sprawling military-industrial complex that supports it. The '''Dominian Imperial Military''' is thus consistently lavished with funds, equipment, and training as a result of its critical nature, which has made it into one of the most-experienced fighting forces in the contemporary [[Orion Spur]]. Yet there is one aspect of its nature cannot be changed no matter how much money is thrown at it: the fact that the vast majority of its least senior personnel — from enlisted soldiers guarding occupied Fisanduh, to the ground crews that maintain the supersonic aircraft favored by typically noble pilots, to the crewmen of the Imperial Fleet’s ships — are Ma’zals.


==The 22nd Century==
While those that supervise these Ma’zals as officers are generally Secondaries or Primaries, the ones below them almost always outnumber them. This seeming contradiction — that the instrument of conquest, and thus the creation of Ma’zals, itself is made up of those conquered — has long seemed puzzling from the outside, yet the Empire has shown that it is able to make the contradiction seemingly sensible, against all reasonable odds. The answer to this puzzle lies in the Empire’s taxation policy: the [[Empire_of_Dominia#The_Mo’ri’zal|Mo’ri’zal]].


<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>
The often-high Mo’ri’zals that Ma’zals incur simply due to being born as a Ma’zal motivates many to pursue a career in the Imperial Military, which often is the only way that many Ma’zals and their families will be free of debts incurred for the privilege of being born in the Empire. Some join for other reasons — many from Novi Jadran in particular join out of a sense of duty to those they perceive as their betters, and often rise higher than their Ma’zal counterparts — but the majority are motivated by their Mo’ri’zal, and the better lives they will live after they are rid of it. The sheer number of willing volunteers that sign up to serve in the Imperial Military has ensured that the Empire has not had a draft since the War of Moroz, a fact that it often dangles tauntingly over the head of the conscription-heavy [[Elyra Military|Elyran Armed Forces]].
[[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===


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.
The [[Empire_of_Dominia#Dominian_Society|Primaries, Secondaries, and Ma’zals]] of the Imperial Military are divided into three major branches: the Imperial Army, His Imperial Majesty’s Fleet, and the Imperial Flying Corps.  


Humanity was now unified under one flag. A feat equaled by nine since, and perhaps never to be replicated.
==The Imperial Army==
<center><i>''L'Honneur Accorde la Victoire''</i></center>
<center><i>“The typical infantryman of the Imperial Army is almost always Ma’zal, a member of a social/economic group similar to Non-Citizen Persons. They are well-trained and well-equipped soldiers who have often seen combat on the Imperial Frontier. Do not underestimate them or their ballistic armament in combat — doing so may <u>COST YOU YOUR LIFE</u> in a combat situation!”</i> — Excerpt from the [[Elyra Military|Elyran Army’s]] <i>Know Your Enemies</i> training manual (2463 edition).</center>


===2180: The Solarian Frontier===
[[File:House_Strelitz.png|thumb|right|The dark red standard of House Strelitz, the great house that dominates the Imperial Army.]]
The oldest and largest of the Empire’s branches is the Imperial Army, which was first formed by the Imperial Alliance — the predecessor of the modern Empire — in the years leading up to the War of Moroz. This makes it older than the Empire itself, though constant reforms and modernizations have ensured that it bears little resemblance to the force that once became stuck in a mountainous quagmire when it had to fight the Confederated States of [[Fisanduh]]’s Army. [[Empire_of_Dominia_Great_Houses#House_Strelitz|House Strelitz]] is the unquestioned master of the Imperial Army, but their conservative nature — and sense of duty — have ensured that the Army is unfailingly loyal to the Emperor, though some more conservative members of it are rumored to disdain the apparently liberal and reformist heir apparent, [[Keeser_Royal_Family#Crown_Princess_Priscilla_Keeser|Crown Princess Priscilla Keeser]].


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 Imperial Army has perhaps the most practical experience out of any comparable force in the [[Orion Spur]] due to the Empire’s seemingly unending conquests, which are providing it with ample opportunities to cut its teeth in open warfare and counterinsurgency operations. Its large size and multitude of active combat operations have given the Imperial Army a massive need for officers, regardless of their origins. Though it remains heavily stratified it is— despite the conservative leanings of House Strelitz — not unheard of for a Ma’zal to become an officer, though those that rise to such ranks are typically from [[Empire_of_Dominia#Novi_Jadran|Novi Jadran]]. While a Ma’zal is capable of rising to the officer ranks, ranks above non-commissioned officers consist almost entirely of Secondaries and Primaries, and a majority of these officers are a part of or affiliated with House Strelitz. Noble officers of the House can be found at a variety of ranks ranging from platoon officers to general staff, and families of the House consider it a point of pride to have a relative serving as an officer involved in active combat. To many Strelitz no location is better suited to the honing of martial pride than an active battlefield, where the path to glory so often originates.


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.
While the Imperial Army is primarily a human organisation it does have some aliens within its ranks, primarily unathi from or affiliated with House Kazhkz and its Han’san faction. These unathi are formed into their own species-based units commanded by human, and often Strelitz-affiliated, officers that are attached to Imperial battalions as assault infantry. These “unathi regiments,” as they are typically known are highly prized by Imperial Army commanders, who often deploy them to the most dangerous areas of an assault.


==The 23rd Century==
The common soldiers of the Imperial Army are most typically deployed on the Imperial Frontier, where they are responsible for much of the fighting and dying that takes place when a planet does not immediately surrender to the Empire when His Imperial Majesty’s Fleet arrives in the system in force. One of the most recent notable invasions carried out by the Imperial Army was the invasion and pacification of [[Empire_of_Dominia#Sun_Reach|Sun Reach]], a planet located in a system with rich deposits of Helium-3. While the conquest took barely two months the Imperial Army has since found itself in a protracted war against insurgents on the planet, and has resorted to using more and more severe methods to pacify the population. While much of the Imperial Army’s combat operations are carried out against similar unconventional forces, it has engaged many conventional forces: primarily the militias and limited armed forces of colonies the Empire conquers. In these scenarios it almost always has an overwhelming advantage, and has yet to face a serious defeat on the open battlefield as a result. Imperial Army forces are also involved in what they term as “peacekeeping operations,” in Fisanduh alongside the Imperial Flying Corps, where they have been involved in an ongoing asymmetrical conflict for decades.


<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 Xanusui-produced textbook on Solarian history from 2100 until 2300.</center>
Compared to its major regional rival, the Elyran Armed Forces, the Imperial Army is significantly more experienced but has begun to lag behind in technological parity as the Elyran military has reformed. The equipment demands that result from its large size and multitude of conflicts have given the Imperial Army a preference for equipment that has been proven to work effectively. Unlike the glamorous clothing associated with [[Moroz|Moroz’s]] nobility, the typical Army regular’s uniform and armor consists of dull earthen tones designed to blend in with the environment. The most common rifle used by Imperial Army troops is the MPR-24/5 (Moroz Pattern Rifle, Year of 2426, fifth modification), a 40 year old rifle that has been continuously upgraded and modified since its inception as ballistic weaponry, in the eyes of Army command, is both more reliable and easier to train Ma’zals with. As a result energy weaponry is generally kept within special units consisting of more trusted Ma’zals, such as those from Novi Jadran, and the Army’s primarily-Morozian special forces.


===2204: Creation of the Credit===
The special forces of the Imperial Army are known as His Majesty's Special Operations Group, or simply as “the Group.” The Group is primarily recruited from the Empire’s core worlds and Novi Jadran, and is divided into two wings: geneboosted and non-geneboosted. The geneboosted wing is the older and more prestigious branch, dating back to the end of the War of Moroz and the Strelitz troops used to decisively end it. This wing consists entirely of geneboosted Primaries and is often regarded as the most prestigious unit of the Army. The non-geneboosted wing is primarily recruited from Novi Jadran (though Lyodii and Secondaries often find their way into it) and, despite their lesser prestige, is responsible for the majority of the Imperial Army’s special operations due to its larger size and greater flexibility. Commandos from the non-geneboosted wing can be found throughout the Empire, but are most often associated with long-range expeditions into Fisanduh to destroy 3F arms factories. These long-range patrols are often equipped with non-Dominian weaponry in the name of plausible deniability, and to avoid any diplomatic consequences.


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.
Standards of living of the soldiers of the Imperial Army vary depending on both their rank and their social class of origin, though the meritocratic nature of its recruitment and organisation has ensured that these social class gaps – at least those in common ranks, such as the enlisted and lower-ranked officers – are not egregious. The general staff of the Imperial Army goes to great lengths to ensure that Ma’zals within it are treated well and have a better standard of living while in the Army than many had on their planets, which ensures that it always has a steady stream of willing volunteers signing up to serve. While life is often difficult in the Imperial Army, its personnel – from the greenest Ma’zal recruits just sent to Moroz for basic training to its Primary general staff – can count on the Army not abandoning them to die, or to go hungry in the cold.


===2259: Apotheosis of Solarian Hegemony===
==His Imperial Majesty’s Fleet==
''Soit Gagner Soit Mourir''
[[File:Zhao_Flag_Small.png|thumb|right|The white-and-grey standard of House Zhao, the great house that dominates the Imperial Fleet.]]
While the junior of the Imperial Army in terms of age — being founded in the final years of the War of Moroz — His Imperial Majesty’s Fleet (often shortened to “HIMF,” or simply the “Imperial Fleet,”) is no less important, with many arguing that it is far more important to Dominia’s imperial ambitions than its planetbound counterpart. Vast funds and countless factories are devoted to the purpose of ensuring that the Imperial Fleet is strong enough to counter any threats to the Empire; whether they be pirates, unathi savages, frontiersmen, or Elyrans — the main regional rival of the Empire. Much of the Imperial Fleet’s equipment is produced by Zavodskoi Interstellar in collaboration with [[Empire_of_Dominia_Great_Houses#House_Zhao|House Zhao]] and [[Empire_of_Dominia_Great_Houses#House_Caladius|House Caladius]]: the Zhaos provide the industry and many of the crews, while the Caladius provide the funding required. While the traditionally more liberal House Zhao is the unquestioned master of the Imperial Fleet, the Fleet itself is a more conservative organization that is steeped in traditions and shaped by its sense of unwavering duty towards the Emperor. Many naval officers in the Fleet belong to often-exclusive officer’s societies that exclude most Ma’zals on principal, and officers outside these societies can find their promotions denied or otherwise stymied. Imperial Fleet vessels can be identified by the prefix HIMFS (His Imperial Majesty’s Fleet Ship).


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.
While it is smaller than many of its human counterparts — having only 15 fleets with mere hundreds of ships in each — the Imperial Fleet is perhaps the most experienced of the Orion Spur’s human fleets, having fought a variety of pitched battles and border skirmishes in the course of the Empire’s steady outwards expansion over the course of the last century. The experience gained during the course of these conquests has shaped the Fleet’s doctrine of “decisive battle,” in which the entire Dominian force moves as one in a massive show of force in an attempt to make the planet capitulate without serious resistance. Many frontier worlds, which often only have a paltry sum of combat-ready vessels, have surrendered upon witnessing the fully assembled strength of an Imperial fleet.


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.
The pride of the Empire’s fleets is the HIMFS ''Moroz'', the current flagship of [[Notable_Humans#Duchess_Huiling_Zhao,_Grand_Admiral_of_His_Imperial_Majesty’s_Fleet|Grand Admiral Huiling Zhao]], the master of the Imperial Fleet, and the command vessel of the Empire’s First Fleet. Originally launched in 2445 and recently modernized in collaboration with Zavodskoi Interstellar in 2464, the ''Moroz'' is regarded as a symbol of national pride, and has never been bested upon the field of combat. To serve aboard it in any function – even at the lowest level – is to bring immense pride to one’s family name, and thousands of hopeful naval personnel apply to serve on the vessel every year. Though it primarily relies upon tried-and-true Helium-3 engines, the 'Moroz'' is one of the few ships in the Imperial Fleet capable of bluespace jumps. In theory, should the Emperor desire to visit the Republic of Biesel, he would be borne to it on the Imperial Fleet’s flagship.


===18 June, 2260: The Second Great Depression Begins===
While the Imperial Army is prone to the occasional non-Jadranic Ma’zal officer out of sheer necessity, the Imperial Fleet is not the same. To be a naval officer is a great honor for many, and it is a right reserved for a select few: Primaries, Secondaries, and notable Novi Jadranic Ma’zals, which the Imperial Fleet views as “honorary Morozians,” for all practical intents and purposes. The highest ranks of the fleet are dominated by the Empire’s nobility, and none come from outside of House Zhao. Unathi in particular are looked down upon in the Imperial Fleet and rarely rise above the lowest ranks, with many believing that House Zhao’s intense distaste for their piratical backgrounds is the reason behind this. Those unathi that do opt to fight for the Empire in the vast reaches of the Orion Spur often avoid the Imperial Fleet entirely, instead opting to serve as privateers. These privateers, which are often crewed exclusively by unathi, are often viewed in a poor light by House Zhao and the Fleet.


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.
When compared to its major regional rivals, the Elyran Navy and [[Coalition of Colonies]], the Imperial Fleet maintains a technological edge on both and a numerical advantage on the Elyran Navy. However, a direct comparison to the Coalition is difficult due to its dispersed strength and varying development. While a [[Himeo|Himean]] or [[Xanu_Prime|Xanusanii]] fleet may be as strong as their Dominian counterparts, there are many worlds in the Coalition that cannot hope to stand against an Imperial fleet on their own. Imperial Fleet vessels rely overwhelmingly on large-scale ballistic armaments and tend to be large and heavily-armored in order to have more space for well-protected gun turrets. Fleet crews are constantly drilled in order to achieve the best accuracy possible, and little attention is paid to strategies such as ramming in order to board. Dominian vessels are generally slower than their Elyran counterparts as they use Helium-3 powered warp engines rather than phoron-based thrusters. With the shortage worsening every day, it seems that their vessels will be made with He3 engines for the foreseeable future.


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!
Each Imperial Fleet vessel is assigned a complement of Imperial Marines for the purpose of repelling boarding parties or any boarding missions the ship itself may have to carry out. Clad in white-and-red prejoroub and Jinxiang-pattern suits, these well-trained infantry are primarily recruited from non-geneboosted Primaries and Secondaries. To have a child serve in the Imperial Marines is a badge of honor for many families, due to the prestige of the Fleet and the Imperial Marines’ reputation for bravery.


But due to factors beyond Earth’s control in the colonies, this salvation was not to be.
Unlike its planetary counterpart, the living standards of the Imperial Fleet are very much divided along lines of social class and rank. Enlisted personnel live in tight, cramped quarters designed to use space as efficiently as possible while their officer counterparts – which are generally nobles – live in comfortable (and for some, opulent) chambers that are most often private, or at least only contain one to two other persons in the case of junior officers. The Ma’zals of the Imperial Fleet often chafe under these conditions, and as a result the Fleet has a smaller amount of “careerist” enlisted (those that have decided to live their life in service of the Imperial military) than the Imperial Army. Despite the clear class divisions in the Imperial Fleet many Ma’zals still opt to serve in it, as a naval career – and the skills learned in it – can provide immense material benefits for a Ma’zal family.


===18 January, 2275: Secession of the [[Coalition of Colonies|Coalition]]===
==The Imperial Flying Corps==
''Nous Protégeons et Vengeons''


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.
For as long as mankind has walked, he has dreamt of flight. Though not the youngest of the Imperial Military’s branches, the Imperial Flying Corps (often called the “IFC,” or simply “Flying Corps,”) it is by far the smallest, having only a fraction of the personnel that the Imperial Army and Imperial Fleet have under arms. Yet despite this small size it exerts a significant amount of influence due to who tends to join the IFC’s ranks of pilot officers: unlike any other branch in the Imperial Military the IFC’s combat troops are often drawn from the Empire’s nobility, with less prestigious positions (such as ground crews and bomber crews) made up of Secondaries and Ma’zals. To be a fighter pilot — the most prestigious position in the IFC — means that one is, in almost every scenario, also a Primary. As a result of how many nobles fill its officer ranks, no single great house dominates the IFC. As with its naval counterpart many officer pilots in the IFC belong to exclusive societies that exclude Ma’zals on principle, with some of these societies excluding Secondaries as well.


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.
The Imperial Flying Corps is seconded to both the Imperial Army and His Imperial Majesty’s Fleet, and provides the both with the majority of their fighter, bomber, and support aircraft. This has led to an often-awkward relationship between the IFC and its attached branch, as many officers in the Fleet and Army come from non-noble backgrounds and, in the eyes of noble-born IFC pilots, are socially inferior to their IFC counterparts. Attempts to integrate the IFC into either the Imperial Army or Fleet instead of having this dual structure have consistently failed due to the Corps’ influence, which stretches up to the Emperor’s throne via the Chief Commissioner for Imperial Aviation, Annaliese Strelitz.


===25 March, 2278: Outbreak of the Interstellar War===
To be a pilot of the IFC means many things depending upon what aircraft one is placed in charge of, or what air wing one is assigned to serve in. The fighter wings of the Flying Corps are the most prestigious of the entire force; viewed as knights of the skies, the stereotypical Dominian fighter pilot is a (non-geneboosted) Primary capable of taking down any threat to the Empire, whether in the void of space or the skies above Fisanduh or Sun Reach, before retiring to the polite society of their officer’s clubs. In reality, a significant minority of non-noble fighter pilots — primarily Secondaries with the occasional Ma’zal — also serve as IFC fighter pilots, and are often passed up for opportunities in favor of their noble counterparts.


(Put an image insert here of the Martian revolt’s flag and describe how that was a problem for Sol too)
For pilots not in the Corps’ fighter wings life is much less glamorous. Bomber crews — which log more flight hours than any other category in the IFC — do much of the work of supporting the Imperial Army’s offensives and counter-insurgency operations, and gain none of the prestige of their fighter-flying noble counterparts. Those that crew the IFC’s supersonic bombers are, as a result of this lack of prestige, a mix of Secondaries and Ma’zals. These men and women are beloved by the Imperial Army and often hated by the residents of recently-occupied planets, which view them as the source of many of their woes. Those that fly ground attack craft, the most dangerous duty in the Flying Corps, are almost always Ma’zals, and suffer from much of the same issues as their bomber counterparts.


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.
The ground crews of the IFC and those in it that fly what the Corps broadly calls “utility” craft — transport planes and such — are almost always Ma’zals. In the highly-stratified Flying Corps, itself a microcosm of the Empire’s broader society, the Ma’zal works for the Primary’s benefit. Behind every Primary sitting in his cockpit, ready to bring home prestige and accolades to his family, there is a team of Ma’zals: they load the missiles, fuel the fighters, and a dozen other things. But they receive none of the credit, none of the prestige, and none of the attention. Thus goes the nature of the Empire of Dominia, and thus shall it always continue unless the Goddess Herself intervenes.


Many have waxed polemically regarding the “what ifs?” of 2275-78 and ponder as to what a modern Spur united under the Alliance’s flag would resemble. Would the Coalition struggle regarding its infrastructure, due to no longer lacking the gates made during the Warp Project of the 24th century? Would [[Empire of Dominia|Dominia]] have been stabilized by the Alliance, preventing the destruction of [[Fisanduh|Fisanduh’s]] democracy by the Empire’s autocracy? Would it have protected the Elyran Coalition against its long-standing issues regarding its neighbors? Would the [[Unathi]] and [[Tajara]] have prospered under the stewardship of the hegemonic Alliance rather than being exploited by powerful corporations which destroyed both of their homeworlds? And what of Tau Ceti, now ruled by corporations and becoming an overextended empire of its own?
As one might expect, the living standards of the Imperial Flying Corps are starkly divided along lines of class and rank. The Primaries that serve in it live luxurious, glamorous lives and have many amenities, with most Primaries of the IFC having their own chauffeurs and housing themselves in the finest available accommodations. On the other hand the Secondaries and Ma’zals of the IFC must make do with barracks – often in muddy environments, due to the amounts of earth that must be moved to create an effective airfield – or simple canvas tents. Few Ma’zals, or Secondaries, opt to make a career out of service in the Flying Corps, with many instead transferring out to the Imperial Army or Imperial Fleet. The Flying Corps has, thus far, not cared to address this issue, as many of its high-ranking officers simply view non-nobility as entirely beneath notice.
 
But such things are more the realm of fanciful dreams than reality.
 
===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 Armed Forces|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: [[Solarian Armed Forces#History|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 [[Mars#The Catastrophe of 2298|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==
 
<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>
 
===2302: [[Republic of Elyra#The Second Great Depression & Elyran Revolution|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==
 
<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.
 
===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.
 
Now the Alliance, reduced to only its Jewel Worlds and its most loyal adherents, must work its way back to a shadow of what it once was. The goal of the Alliance, which once ruled the Spur, is now to simply reclaim its borders of 2462 rather than 2259. Gone are the days of the long shadow, and here are the days of desperate survival.
 
==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 (Central Coalition)===
 
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 (Rebel’s Reach)===
 
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 (Crosk Plains)===
 
The now-decivilized Crosk Plains were 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)===
 
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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    The Imperial standard.

    For an expansionist state such as the Empire of Dominia a strong military is of the highest concern, as is the sprawling military-industrial complex that supports it. The Dominian Imperial Military is thus consistently lavished with funds, equipment, and training as a result of its critical nature, which has made it into one of the most-experienced fighting forces in the contemporary Orion Spur. Yet there is one aspect of its nature cannot be changed no matter how much money is thrown at it: the fact that the vast majority of its least senior personnel — from enlisted soldiers guarding occupied Fisanduh, to the ground crews that maintain the supersonic aircraft favored by typically noble pilots, to the crewmen of the Imperial Fleet’s ships — are Ma’zals.

    While those that supervise these Ma’zals as officers are generally Secondaries or Primaries, the ones below them almost always outnumber them. This seeming contradiction — that the instrument of conquest, and thus the creation of Ma’zals, itself is made up of those conquered — has long seemed puzzling from the outside, yet the Empire has shown that it is able to make the contradiction seemingly sensible, against all reasonable odds. The answer to this puzzle lies in the Empire’s taxation policy: the Mo’ri’zal.

    The often-high Mo’ri’zals that Ma’zals incur simply due to being born as a Ma’zal motivates many to pursue a career in the Imperial Military, which often is the only way that many Ma’zals and their families will be free of debts incurred for the privilege of being born in the Empire. Some join for other reasons — many from Novi Jadran in particular join out of a sense of duty to those they perceive as their betters, and often rise higher than their Ma’zal counterparts — but the majority are motivated by their Mo’ri’zal, and the better lives they will live after they are rid of it. The sheer number of willing volunteers that sign up to serve in the Imperial Military has ensured that the Empire has not had a draft since the War of Moroz, a fact that it often dangles tauntingly over the head of the conscription-heavy Elyran Armed Forces.

    The Primaries, Secondaries, and Ma’zals of the Imperial Military are divided into three major branches: the Imperial Army, His Imperial Majesty’s Fleet, and the Imperial Flying Corps.

    The Imperial Army

    L'Honneur Accorde la Victoire
    “The typical infantryman of the Imperial Army is almost always Ma’zal, a member of a social/economic group similar to Non-Citizen Persons. They are well-trained and well-equipped soldiers who have often seen combat on the Imperial Frontier. Do not underestimate them or their ballistic armament in combat — doing so may COST YOU YOUR LIFE in a combat situation!” — Excerpt from the Elyran Army’s Know Your Enemies training manual (2463 edition).
    The dark red standard of House Strelitz, the great house that dominates the Imperial Army.

    The oldest and largest of the Empire’s branches is the Imperial Army, which was first formed by the Imperial Alliance — the predecessor of the modern Empire — in the years leading up to the War of Moroz. This makes it older than the Empire itself, though constant reforms and modernizations have ensured that it bears little resemblance to the force that once became stuck in a mountainous quagmire when it had to fight the Confederated States of Fisanduh’s Army. House Strelitz is the unquestioned master of the Imperial Army, but their conservative nature — and sense of duty — have ensured that the Army is unfailingly loyal to the Emperor, though some more conservative members of it are rumored to disdain the apparently liberal and reformist heir apparent, Crown Princess Priscilla Keeser.

    The Imperial Army has perhaps the most practical experience out of any comparable force in the Orion Spur due to the Empire’s seemingly unending conquests, which are providing it with ample opportunities to cut its teeth in open warfare and counterinsurgency operations. Its large size and multitude of active combat operations have given the Imperial Army a massive need for officers, regardless of their origins. Though it remains heavily stratified it is— despite the conservative leanings of House Strelitz — not unheard of for a Ma’zal to become an officer, though those that rise to such ranks are typically from Novi Jadran. While a Ma’zal is capable of rising to the officer ranks, ranks above non-commissioned officers consist almost entirely of Secondaries and Primaries, and a majority of these officers are a part of or affiliated with House Strelitz. Noble officers of the House can be found at a variety of ranks ranging from platoon officers to general staff, and families of the House consider it a point of pride to have a relative serving as an officer involved in active combat. To many Strelitz no location is better suited to the honing of martial pride than an active battlefield, where the path to glory so often originates.

    While the Imperial Army is primarily a human organisation it does have some aliens within its ranks, primarily unathi from or affiliated with House Kazhkz and its Han’san faction. These unathi are formed into their own species-based units commanded by human, and often Strelitz-affiliated, officers that are attached to Imperial battalions as assault infantry. These “unathi regiments,” as they are typically known are highly prized by Imperial Army commanders, who often deploy them to the most dangerous areas of an assault.

    The common soldiers of the Imperial Army are most typically deployed on the Imperial Frontier, where they are responsible for much of the fighting and dying that takes place when a planet does not immediately surrender to the Empire when His Imperial Majesty’s Fleet arrives in the system in force. One of the most recent notable invasions carried out by the Imperial Army was the invasion and pacification of Sun Reach, a planet located in a system with rich deposits of Helium-3. While the conquest took barely two months the Imperial Army has since found itself in a protracted war against insurgents on the planet, and has resorted to using more and more severe methods to pacify the population. While much of the Imperial Army’s combat operations are carried out against similar unconventional forces, it has engaged many conventional forces: primarily the militias and limited armed forces of colonies the Empire conquers. In these scenarios it almost always has an overwhelming advantage, and has yet to face a serious defeat on the open battlefield as a result. Imperial Army forces are also involved in what they term as “peacekeeping operations,” in Fisanduh alongside the Imperial Flying Corps, where they have been involved in an ongoing asymmetrical conflict for decades.

    Compared to its major regional rival, the Elyran Armed Forces, the Imperial Army is significantly more experienced but has begun to lag behind in technological parity as the Elyran military has reformed. The equipment demands that result from its large size and multitude of conflicts have given the Imperial Army a preference for equipment that has been proven to work effectively. Unlike the glamorous clothing associated with Moroz’s nobility, the typical Army regular’s uniform and armor consists of dull earthen tones designed to blend in with the environment. The most common rifle used by Imperial Army troops is the MPR-24/5 (Moroz Pattern Rifle, Year of 2426, fifth modification), a 40 year old rifle that has been continuously upgraded and modified since its inception as ballistic weaponry, in the eyes of Army command, is both more reliable and easier to train Ma’zals with. As a result energy weaponry is generally kept within special units consisting of more trusted Ma’zals, such as those from Novi Jadran, and the Army’s primarily-Morozian special forces.

    The special forces of the Imperial Army are known as His Majesty's Special Operations Group, or simply as “the Group.” The Group is primarily recruited from the Empire’s core worlds and Novi Jadran, and is divided into two wings: geneboosted and non-geneboosted. The geneboosted wing is the older and more prestigious branch, dating back to the end of the War of Moroz and the Strelitz troops used to decisively end it. This wing consists entirely of geneboosted Primaries and is often regarded as the most prestigious unit of the Army. The non-geneboosted wing is primarily recruited from Novi Jadran (though Lyodii and Secondaries often find their way into it) and, despite their lesser prestige, is responsible for the majority of the Imperial Army’s special operations due to its larger size and greater flexibility. Commandos from the non-geneboosted wing can be found throughout the Empire, but are most often associated with long-range expeditions into Fisanduh to destroy 3F arms factories. These long-range patrols are often equipped with non-Dominian weaponry in the name of plausible deniability, and to avoid any diplomatic consequences.

    Standards of living of the soldiers of the Imperial Army vary depending on both their rank and their social class of origin, though the meritocratic nature of its recruitment and organisation has ensured that these social class gaps – at least those in common ranks, such as the enlisted and lower-ranked officers – are not egregious. The general staff of the Imperial Army goes to great lengths to ensure that Ma’zals within it are treated well and have a better standard of living while in the Army than many had on their planets, which ensures that it always has a steady stream of willing volunteers signing up to serve. While life is often difficult in the Imperial Army, its personnel – from the greenest Ma’zal recruits just sent to Moroz for basic training to its Primary general staff – can count on the Army not abandoning them to die, or to go hungry in the cold.

    His Imperial Majesty’s Fleet

    Soit Gagner Soit Mourir

    The white-and-grey standard of House Zhao, the great house that dominates the Imperial Fleet.

    While the junior of the Imperial Army in terms of age — being founded in the final years of the War of Moroz — His Imperial Majesty’s Fleet (often shortened to “HIMF,” or simply the “Imperial Fleet,”) is no less important, with many arguing that it is far more important to Dominia’s imperial ambitions than its planetbound counterpart. Vast funds and countless factories are devoted to the purpose of ensuring that the Imperial Fleet is strong enough to counter any threats to the Empire; whether they be pirates, unathi savages, frontiersmen, or Elyrans — the main regional rival of the Empire. Much of the Imperial Fleet’s equipment is produced by Zavodskoi Interstellar in collaboration with House Zhao and House Caladius: the Zhaos provide the industry and many of the crews, while the Caladius provide the funding required. While the traditionally more liberal House Zhao is the unquestioned master of the Imperial Fleet, the Fleet itself is a more conservative organization that is steeped in traditions and shaped by its sense of unwavering duty towards the Emperor. Many naval officers in the Fleet belong to often-exclusive officer’s societies that exclude most Ma’zals on principal, and officers outside these societies can find their promotions denied or otherwise stymied. Imperial Fleet vessels can be identified by the prefix HIMFS (His Imperial Majesty’s Fleet Ship).

    While it is smaller than many of its human counterparts — having only 15 fleets with mere hundreds of ships in each — the Imperial Fleet is perhaps the most experienced of the Orion Spur’s human fleets, having fought a variety of pitched battles and border skirmishes in the course of the Empire’s steady outwards expansion over the course of the last century. The experience gained during the course of these conquests has shaped the Fleet’s doctrine of “decisive battle,” in which the entire Dominian force moves as one in a massive show of force in an attempt to make the planet capitulate without serious resistance. Many frontier worlds, which often only have a paltry sum of combat-ready vessels, have surrendered upon witnessing the fully assembled strength of an Imperial fleet.

    The pride of the Empire’s fleets is the HIMFS Moroz, the current flagship of Grand Admiral Huiling Zhao, the master of the Imperial Fleet, and the command vessel of the Empire’s First Fleet. Originally launched in 2445 and recently modernized in collaboration with Zavodskoi Interstellar in 2464, the Moroz is regarded as a symbol of national pride, and has never been bested upon the field of combat. To serve aboard it in any function – even at the lowest level – is to bring immense pride to one’s family name, and thousands of hopeful naval personnel apply to serve on the vessel every year. Though it primarily relies upon tried-and-true Helium-3 engines, the 'Moroz is one of the few ships in the Imperial Fleet capable of bluespace jumps. In theory, should the Emperor desire to visit the Republic of Biesel, he would be borne to it on the Imperial Fleet’s flagship.

    While the Imperial Army is prone to the occasional non-Jadranic Ma’zal officer out of sheer necessity, the Imperial Fleet is not the same. To be a naval officer is a great honor for many, and it is a right reserved for a select few: Primaries, Secondaries, and notable Novi Jadranic Ma’zals, which the Imperial Fleet views as “honorary Morozians,” for all practical intents and purposes. The highest ranks of the fleet are dominated by the Empire’s nobility, and none come from outside of House Zhao. Unathi in particular are looked down upon in the Imperial Fleet and rarely rise above the lowest ranks, with many believing that House Zhao’s intense distaste for their piratical backgrounds is the reason behind this. Those unathi that do opt to fight for the Empire in the vast reaches of the Orion Spur often avoid the Imperial Fleet entirely, instead opting to serve as privateers. These privateers, which are often crewed exclusively by unathi, are often viewed in a poor light by House Zhao and the Fleet.

    When compared to its major regional rivals, the Elyran Navy and Coalition of Colonies, the Imperial Fleet maintains a technological edge on both and a numerical advantage on the Elyran Navy. However, a direct comparison to the Coalition is difficult due to its dispersed strength and varying development. While a Himean or Xanusanii fleet may be as strong as their Dominian counterparts, there are many worlds in the Coalition that cannot hope to stand against an Imperial fleet on their own. Imperial Fleet vessels rely overwhelmingly on large-scale ballistic armaments and tend to be large and heavily-armored in order to have more space for well-protected gun turrets. Fleet crews are constantly drilled in order to achieve the best accuracy possible, and little attention is paid to strategies such as ramming in order to board. Dominian vessels are generally slower than their Elyran counterparts as they use Helium-3 powered warp engines rather than phoron-based thrusters. With the shortage worsening every day, it seems that their vessels will be made with He3 engines for the foreseeable future.

    Each Imperial Fleet vessel is assigned a complement of Imperial Marines for the purpose of repelling boarding parties or any boarding missions the ship itself may have to carry out. Clad in white-and-red prejoroub and Jinxiang-pattern suits, these well-trained infantry are primarily recruited from non-geneboosted Primaries and Secondaries. To have a child serve in the Imperial Marines is a badge of honor for many families, due to the prestige of the Fleet and the Imperial Marines’ reputation for bravery.

    Unlike its planetary counterpart, the living standards of the Imperial Fleet are very much divided along lines of social class and rank. Enlisted personnel live in tight, cramped quarters designed to use space as efficiently as possible while their officer counterparts – which are generally nobles – live in comfortable (and for some, opulent) chambers that are most often private, or at least only contain one to two other persons in the case of junior officers. The Ma’zals of the Imperial Fleet often chafe under these conditions, and as a result the Fleet has a smaller amount of “careerist” enlisted (those that have decided to live their life in service of the Imperial military) than the Imperial Army. Despite the clear class divisions in the Imperial Fleet many Ma’zals still opt to serve in it, as a naval career – and the skills learned in it – can provide immense material benefits for a Ma’zal family.

    The Imperial Flying Corps

    Nous Protégeons et Vengeons

    For as long as mankind has walked, he has dreamt of flight. Though not the youngest of the Imperial Military’s branches, the Imperial Flying Corps (often called the “IFC,” or simply “Flying Corps,”) it is by far the smallest, having only a fraction of the personnel that the Imperial Army and Imperial Fleet have under arms. Yet despite this small size it exerts a significant amount of influence due to who tends to join the IFC’s ranks of pilot officers: unlike any other branch in the Imperial Military the IFC’s combat troops are often drawn from the Empire’s nobility, with less prestigious positions (such as ground crews and bomber crews) made up of Secondaries and Ma’zals. To be a fighter pilot — the most prestigious position in the IFC — means that one is, in almost every scenario, also a Primary. As a result of how many nobles fill its officer ranks, no single great house dominates the IFC. As with its naval counterpart many officer pilots in the IFC belong to exclusive societies that exclude Ma’zals on principle, with some of these societies excluding Secondaries as well.

    The Imperial Flying Corps is seconded to both the Imperial Army and His Imperial Majesty’s Fleet, and provides the both with the majority of their fighter, bomber, and support aircraft. This has led to an often-awkward relationship between the IFC and its attached branch, as many officers in the Fleet and Army come from non-noble backgrounds and, in the eyes of noble-born IFC pilots, are socially inferior to their IFC counterparts. Attempts to integrate the IFC into either the Imperial Army or Fleet instead of having this dual structure have consistently failed due to the Corps’ influence, which stretches up to the Emperor’s throne via the Chief Commissioner for Imperial Aviation, Annaliese Strelitz.

    To be a pilot of the IFC means many things depending upon what aircraft one is placed in charge of, or what air wing one is assigned to serve in. The fighter wings of the Flying Corps are the most prestigious of the entire force; viewed as knights of the skies, the stereotypical Dominian fighter pilot is a (non-geneboosted) Primary capable of taking down any threat to the Empire, whether in the void of space or the skies above Fisanduh or Sun Reach, before retiring to the polite society of their officer’s clubs. In reality, a significant minority of non-noble fighter pilots — primarily Secondaries with the occasional Ma’zal — also serve as IFC fighter pilots, and are often passed up for opportunities in favor of their noble counterparts.

    For pilots not in the Corps’ fighter wings life is much less glamorous. Bomber crews — which log more flight hours than any other category in the IFC — do much of the work of supporting the Imperial Army’s offensives and counter-insurgency operations, and gain none of the prestige of their fighter-flying noble counterparts. Those that crew the IFC’s supersonic bombers are, as a result of this lack of prestige, a mix of Secondaries and Ma’zals. These men and women are beloved by the Imperial Army and often hated by the residents of recently-occupied planets, which view them as the source of many of their woes. Those that fly ground attack craft, the most dangerous duty in the Flying Corps, are almost always Ma’zals, and suffer from much of the same issues as their bomber counterparts.

    The ground crews of the IFC and those in it that fly what the Corps broadly calls “utility” craft — transport planes and such — are almost always Ma’zals. In the highly-stratified Flying Corps, itself a microcosm of the Empire’s broader society, the Ma’zal works for the Primary’s benefit. Behind every Primary sitting in his cockpit, ready to bring home prestige and accolades to his family, there is a team of Ma’zals: they load the missiles, fuel the fighters, and a dozen other things. But they receive none of the credit, none of the prestige, and none of the attention. Thus goes the nature of the Empire of Dominia, and thus shall it always continue unless the Goddess Herself intervenes.

    As one might expect, the living standards of the Imperial Flying Corps are starkly divided along lines of class and rank. The Primaries that serve in it live luxurious, glamorous lives and have many amenities, with most Primaries of the IFC having their own chauffeurs and housing themselves in the finest available accommodations. On the other hand the Secondaries and Ma’zals of the IFC must make do with barracks – often in muddy environments, due to the amounts of earth that must be moved to create an effective airfield – or simple canvas tents. Few Ma’zals, or Secondaries, opt to make a career out of service in the Flying Corps, with many instead transferring out to the Imperial Army or Imperial Fleet. The Flying Corps has, thus far, not cared to address this issue, as many of its high-ranking officers simply view non-nobility as entirely beneath notice.

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