Black Age

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Contents 1 The Black Age Wargame Project 2 The Black Age Universe 2.1 Summary 2.2 Human History after the year 2050 2.2.1 The Pre Ramiatic era 2.2.1.1 The Third World War 2.2.2 The Ramiatic Era 2.2.2.1 The Reuniting of Humanity 2.2.2.2 The First Merengetti War 2.2.2.3 The Reformation of the New Terran Republic 2.2.2.4 The Great revival 2.2.2.5 The First Xeno-Terran War 2.2.2.6 The Second Renaissance 2.2.2.7 The Great Expansion 2.2.3 The Imperial Era 2.2.3.1 The Birth of the Ramiatic Empire 2.2.3.2 The First Imperial Golden Age 2.2.3.3 The End of the Golden Age 2.2.3.4 The Creation of the Veranati 2.2.3.5 The Age or Rebellion 2.2.4 The Merengetti Era 2.2.4.1 The Second Merengetti War 2.2.4.2 The Veranati Merengetti conclift 2.2.4.3 The Creation of the Bavin and the Greeze 2.2.4.4 The Internal Revolution 2.2.4.5 The Third Merengetti War 2.2.5 The Second Imperial Era 2.2.5.1 The Age of Disorder 2.2.5.2 The Camalev Dynasty 2.2.5.3 The New Imperial Order 2.2.5.4 The Camalev Golder Age 2.2.6 The Revolution Era 2.2.6.1 The End of the Second Imperial Era 2.2.6.2 The Reign of Yusef Romanov 2.2.6.3 The Great Purge 2.2.6.4 The Road to the Confederate Revolution 2.2.6.5 James Ryan, The man who would lead the Revolution 2.2.6.6 The Confederate Revolution 2.2.6.7 The founding of the Camalev Republic 2.2.6.8 Alexander and Naxium 2.2.6.9 The Imperial Civil War 2.2.6.10 The battle of the Emperors Way 2.2.6.11 The Battle for the Metternich Wall 3 Black Age Time-line 3.1 Pre-Ramiatic Era 3.2 Ramiantic Era 3.3 The Imperial Era 3.4 The Merengetti Era 3.5 The Second Imperial Era 3.6 The Relovutionary Era 3.7 The Post Revolutionary Era 4 Map of the Milky Way Galaxy in the Black Age Time-Line 5 Races in the Black Age Universe 5.1 Human Factions 5.1.1 The Second Ramiatic Empire 5.1.1.1 Summary 5.1.1.2 Imperial Military 5.1.1.3 Notable Imperial Army Units 5.1.1.3.1 Imperial Assault Infantry 5.1.1.3.2 The Endalbi Hellbenders 5.1.1.3.3 The Black Ops 5.1.1.3.4 Imperial T.A.C. Corps 5.1.1.3.5 The Imperial Guard 5.1.2 The United Human Confederacy 5.1.2.1 Summary 5.1.2.2 The Confederate Military 5.1.2.3 Notable confederate unit 5.1.2.3.1 The confederate marine corps 5.1.2.3.2 Confederate tactical response groups 5.1.2.3.3 Confederate tactical space combat units 5.1.2.3.4 Confederate mechanized infantry units

[edit] The Black Age Wargame Project

The Black Age Wargame Project is an attempt to create a flexible and realistic set of wargaming rules that can be easily modified and used in multiply settings (ie: Historic, fantasy, Sci-fi wargames). The rule system will be optimized for small scale engagements with each player controlling 10 to 20 characters. Special Emphasis is being put on the use of customizable war gear and equipment as well as how soldiers will act under stress. The pilot game for this rule system is going to be Black Age, a Science Fiction Game based in a largely dystopian universe.

[edit] The Black Age Universe

[edit] Summary

The Black Age universe will be set in approximately the year 3800. Humanity has spread throughout he stars and now occupies a small portion of the Milky Way Galaxy. Within human space there are two rival factions that are at odd with each other. These factions are the Second Ramiatic Empire and The United Human Confederacy. The Empire retains control of Earth with the Confederacy is situated to the galactic East of the Empire with its home world of Vendetta Prime. There is also an area between the two nations known as the outland which is a largely lawless land filled with criminals and other less an savory characters. This course of history was set in motion by the actions of earth's major power's near the end of the 21st century.

[edit] Human History after the year 2050

[edit] The Pre Ramiatic era

(2050 - 2360)

[edit] The Third World War

During the later half of the 20th century the decline of natural resources as well as a rise in poverty and inflation caused high tensions among the more powerful nations of the world. This is fueled by the general incompetence of the U.N. and isolationist policies of the world's major powers. In the late 2070's China begins a expansionist policy to try and relieve its overpopulation problems and secure newly discovered natural resource deposits in Mongolia and Indochina. The United Nations is slow to respond but eventually a U.S. led NATO coalition is organized to stop Chinese aggression in southern Asia. Eventually the EU and Russia will join the war and will align themselves with the U.S. Although neither Side can gain a major tactical advantage, resource shortages and lack of popular support cause the U.S. and other western block countries to compromise with China. This leads to the Treaty of Beijing in which China gains control of Japan and Most of Southern Asia. While not a particularly long or costly conflict, the Asian American convinced the world's major powers to adopt a mobilization policy that greatly increased the size and strength of the world's militaries and set the stage for an even greater conflict.

This conflict started in 2105 when Russia invaded Mongolia after linking terrorist activity in Russia to cells in China. China moves to protect its new territory and uses the Invasion to declare war on Russia, the U.S., and the EU. Russia's invasion is soon halted at the Battle of Dzavhan. China followed up this victory with a large scale counter invasion that was able to move across the Russian border less than a month later. Meanwhile the U.S. Led Coalition moves to "suppress" Chinese aggression (China used the war with Russia to move troops into Cambodia, the explanation for this invasion was that Russia was using the Land to garrison bombers to hit industrial centers in southern China, this invasion was, however, a violation of the Treaty of Beijing) in southern Asia and managed to gain several victories in Vietnam and Cambodia. In response to this, China convinced the newly formed South American Union to join the war on the its side by sending substantial amounts or capital and material resources to the country. The South American Union moved to invade North America. After destroying the Panama Canal, South American forces moved into Mexico where they engaged Mexican and American forces in a prolonged land war. While the SAU never managed to secure any large amount of land in North America, its action forces The U.S> to abandon most of its gains in Asia to protect its own borders and the war in Asia grinds to a stalemate, which allows china to amount an invasion of India. A terrorist Organization known as the Black Sword takes advantage of the following instability in India to gain control of nuclear missile silos and is able to launch nuclear missiles against what it calls "lesser nations", namely the United States. The U.S., believing the missiles to be Chinese, fires its Nuclear arsenal against China. This leads China to fire its missile against coalition forces which leads the other nuclear powers of the world to fire their missiles against their enemies. An estimated 98% of national governments are wiped out or irreparably crippled. 68% of the earth's population is wiped with another 24% dying in the coming months. This effectively ends the now named third world war.

[edit] The Ramiatic Era

(2360 - 2542)

[edit] The Reuniting of Humanity

After the third world and the following nuclear holocaust the surviving humans organized themselves into small tribal cultures that have little contact with one another for almost 200 years. It was not until a man known as Joseph Ramian came to power in the Tariman tribe that this system was challenged. The Tariman tribe was a large band of semi-nomadic peoples that was characterized by its brutal hit and run tactics and large use of vehicles. The Tarimans had waged almost constant war with the larger Anahal tribe over territory and hunting rights. One of the more successful Tariman Leaders was Joseph Ramian. He was a master at outmaneuvering his enemies and had the uncanny ability to predict his adversaries tactics and strategies. Later it will be suggested that Ramian was one of the first fully developed human psychic. This theory, however, was never proven. Ramian eventually became leader of Tavian chapter. The largest subgroup of the Tariman tribe. It is at this time that it is believed Ramian discovered the ruins of Washington D.C. and more importantly the Smithsonian institutes. Awed by the former glory of humanity, Ramian set out to unite humanity and return it to its former glory. His first order of business was to gain control of the Tariman tribe. Traditionally the Tariman were ruled by a council consisting of the leaders of each of the subgroups of the tribe and did not contain an executive officer. Tariman law stated that an executive could only be appointed in times of war. However, this was not to happen for another 3 year until the Anahal tribe discovered the ruins of Washington. The Anahal, declared that the area was religiously significant and began attacking Tariman settlements in the area. Ramian sensed the opportunity and launched a series of counter attacks on the Anahal which removed them from the area. Declaring the Anahal Actions an act of war, Ramian was able to secure for himself executive authority in the Tariman Tribe and preceded to wage a all out war on the Anahal. The Anahal, not accustomed to such large engagements, were slow to respond to the aggression and were conquered in less than four months.

With The Anahal out of the way the Tariman quickly expanded. They set up permanent settlement and controlled most of the east coast of the former United states in five years. Over the next ten years the Tariman Tribe continued to conquer and expand until they control almost all of North America and parts of South America. It is at this point that Ramian faced his next major challenge. This challenge was the Ana-Sav and Gal-Morov tribes. The Ana-Sav controlled most of the western coast of the former United States and Canada while the Gal-Morov held northern former Canada and former Greenland. The Ana-Sav joined the Tariman peacefully under the condition that its representatives be given a say in the government and that they would be able to continue to have a measure of self-rule. The Gal-Morov were less cooperative and began to gather their military forces along their border with the Tariman. In response, Ramian orders the mobilization of his own forces and situated them along the border. Hostilities began a few weeks later when the leader of a Tariman scouting party is killed by an enemy sniper. Ramian took the initiative and Moved his troops into Gal-Morov territory. Consequently, the officer that was killed was one of relatively few Ana-Savs in the military, this helped to galvanize the Ana-Sav against the Gal-Morov and helped Ramian to end the conflict quickly. This happened two months later when Ramian's troops marched unopposed into the Gal-Morov capital of Malerick. After his defeat of the Gal-Morov, Ramian sought to consolidate his holdings into a more unified and defendable state. He called this new state the United Terran Affiliate and divided it into twenty regions. He also replaced the old tribal council with a newer and more powerful senate (although many of the former councilmen will be senators in their respective regions). Each region was given the power to elect 5 senators to serve in the senate. The senate in the Affiliate had the power to create and enforce laws. Ramian also appointed himself the new executive of the Affiliate. As leader, or Premiere, he became the leader of the senate and maintained control of the Army. Ramian also set up a court system with the help of Samir Marshall.

With his new State secure, Ramian attempted to open up communication with Europe and Asia. It is at this time that we find out about the Merengetti Empire, a Large Human state that controls most of Europe and Asia. The Merengetti refuse to recognize the Affiliate as a sovereign power and refused to negotiate with Affiliate Representatives. In response to this, Ramian Set up Strong holds in Alaska, Hawaii and Greenland to help defend against a Merengetti Attack.

[edit] The First Merengetti War

This attack came less than a year later when the Merengetti launched a full scale invasion of Alaska. Instead of leading from the front as he previously did, Ramian took a more political role in this conflict. It was actually Ramian's son, Alexander Ramian, who led the defense of Affiliate territory. While he lacked the political prowess of his father, Alexander was a unmatched military commander. Instead of engaging the much larger Merengetti force directly, Alexander began a slow tactical retreat with periodic hit and run attacks on the enemy. Using this technique he forced the invaders to over-extend themselves. This went on until the Battle of Mt. St. Elias where Alexander had prepared strong defensive fortifications. It was that this point that Alexander put his plans into action. He sent word to troops which had been hiding behind the Merengetti advance to attack the poorly defended supply lines and steal of destroy Merengetti Fuel and Ammunition stockpiles. This plan also involved a high risk attacks on several Merengetti held ports including Seldovia, Wales, and Nome. The most dangerous by far of these attacks wahttp://bluwiki.com/index.php?title=Black_Age&action=edit&section=9 Editing Black Age (section)s the attack on Nome, which was well supplied and heavily defended. This attack was to be led by General George Hendrick. Hendrick's Guerrilla fighters had been staging hit and run attacks behind enemy lines since the beginning of the Merengetti invasion and were some of the most experienced soldiers in the Affiliate. Hendrick was also a brilliant tactician and a close friend of Alexander. These attacks began as the Merengetti were making their assault on Mt. St. Elias, this made sure that the bulk of the enemy was focused on Alexander, giving the raiders a higher chance of success. The Gambit of surprisingly successful, with all of the intended targets captured, with the exception of the port at wales. The Merengetti saw themselves being surrounded. They could not break Alexander's defense and advance but not have the supplies to retreat back to former Russia. After a 40 day siege of St. Elias Alexander went on the offensive, Staging a massive flank of the Merengetti army while it was focused on the St. Elias Defenses. Alexander led the attack personally. Clandestinely smuggling his elite troop out of their defenses and around to the Merengetti's left. The Attack lasted only seven hours and all but destroyed the Merengetti force. Unable to maneuver and short on supplies, the leader of the Merengetti force, Luther Von Rictoven, surrendered to Alexander. Alexander moved quickly to secure the Alaskan coastline line and eliminate any remnant of the invaders. A month Later, After receiving additional men and supplies, Alexander mounted his own invasion.

The invasion of the Merengetti Empire of a textbook example of the type of lightning war that had characterized the Tavian tribe of old. Using newly constructed tanks and other armored vehicles, Alexander was able to again outflank the Merengetti army by destroying its ability to maneuver. The invasion was also helped by the Merengetti's own pride, which led them to often refuse to destroy their supplies dumps when being routed by the enemy. The affiliate also found other human nations which were more than willing to help overthrow the Merengetti, which they saw as an unjust oppressor. The most notable of these nations were the Si-Chame Confederacy and Jesuit Alliance. The Si-Chame confederacy held lands in southern Asia including former Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, and parts of former India. The Si-Chame were most notable for their Naval Prowess, A factor which allowed them to stay independent from the Merengetti and a strength that greatly aided the Affiliate Cause. The Jesuit Alliance consisted of a band of city states in former Italy and other area of southern Europe. Although not active until the later stages of the conflict, The Jesuit's proved invaluable in that they supplied several regiments of elite shock troops to the army and in that they gave the affiliate a staging area for their invasion of Europe. The Invasion of Asia went surprisingly well. According to local information, Asia consisted of several conquered states and was only lightly defended. The local populous also aided the Invasion by providing intel and forming a resistance. It was not until Alexander reached Former Belarus and Ukraine that he faced serious opposition. After this point Alexander's advance slowed to a crawl. The Invasion's dominance of the sea and the underground's constant attacks of Merengetti supply lined prevented them from mounting a serious counter attack. After two years with littler progress Alexander disparately needed to find a gap in the Merengetti defenses and began looking for an alternate plan of attack. This led him to find the Jesuit Alliance, which allowed him to use their lands as a staging area. The Jesuit also had an unintended effect on the Invasion army. The Jesuit's practiced an ancient religion known as Christianity. The fact that the Alliance had survived this long so close to the Merengetti homeland, along with the active evangelization efforts of the Jesuit's caused a large number of the Invasion army to convert to Christianity, Alexander himself is said to have embraced the old religion (whether this was sincere or to promote unity among his forces is still unknown). In any case, this new sense of unity among the Invasion forces help to raise moral while they prepared to invade the most heavily defended portions of the Merengetti Empire. The Invasion's codename was operation leviathan, and it was planned in the utmost of secrecy. A fake invasion, codenamed operation endgame, was even staged to fool the Merengetti into misallocating resources , this fake invasion alleged that Alexander would move his troops into former Sweden and stage a amphibious landing to former Denmark. To further the ruse Alexander spent most of the pre-invasion time in Sweden, relying secret orders to his men by radio and courier. During this time the Three-powers conference was held (also in absolute secrecy) near Former Milan. During this Meeting the leader's of The United Human Affiliate, Si-Chame Confederacy, and Jesuit Alliance met and drafted the articles of cooperation. This document was more or less a military alliance that cemented the alliance between the powers and stated their goal of eliminating the Merengetti Empire. This also marked the first time the Ramian set foot on European soil, late stating "it wasn't near as pretty as the Merengetti POWs made it out to be." One of the major problems that Alexander faced before the invasion was a way to play the Affiliate's strengths against the Merengetti. The Affiliate army was trained, and excelled, as fast paced vehicular warfare supported be infantry raided and hit and run attacks. The Affiliate was not equipped or trained for direct large scale assaults and often floundered when faced with long term trench warfare. The Affiliate's lighting war worked well in Asia where Merengetti had only small defenses and were often under supplied, The Merengetti homeland, however, contained and myriad of solid defensive fortifications including walls, bunker complexes, and defended cities. They also contained several of the most feared form of Merengetti Defense, the ominous Flak Towers. Only two such Fortifications existed in Asia and both had caused major problems for the invasion. The Meregetti Homeland contained no less than 23 flak towers, 4 of which surrounded the Merengetti capital of Tarsus, which was located near former Berlin. Alexander finally resolved to try and bypass the bulk of the Menengetti Defenses by pushing his invasion force through former France where the Merengetti had substantially less defenses. This would be a much longer route than going directly into former Germany but Alexander hoped that the speed of his army, mixed with the relatively show moving Merengetti army, would allow him to retain the upper hand.

The invasion began on July 12, 2383. The initial invasion went well. with over 4 million invasion troops moving into Merengetti territory. The first major battle of the campaign took place a week later at St. Etienne. Affiliate troops gained the upper hand after 3 days of fighting as forced the Merengetti into retreat to the defenses of Lyon. While his advisory urged his to bypass Lyon, Alexander saw it as a way to give his troops a major victory and deal a major blow to the Merengetti army. Lyon, However, was one of the most heavily defended area in southern France and its defenses included one of the seemingly unbreakable Merengetti Flak towers. It was the Jesuit Alliance that purposed a solution to this Problem. The alliance proposed that they could land paratrooper on the flak tower and try and take it from the inside. This was thought to be impossible because the Flak tower had a copious array of anti air defenses. The alliance, however, pointed out that the week after next there would be extensive cloud cover over Lyon that could cover an airborne landing force. This however would make accurately dropping paratroopers next to impossible. Alexander eventually agreed to the plan but wrote in his log that "it was a gambit that I did not think I could spare". The Alliance sent its elite troops, the Seraphim corps, the make the landing. The Seraphim were considered to be among the best assault troops in the invasion force and some of the most experienced troopers in the Invasion force. They were so effective that they are still studied by modern Imperial assault troop. The Seraphim specialized in HALOs (High Altitude Low Opening) that made them stay in the air as little as possible. The Assault took place on schedule, with the Seraphim dropping into the city while Alexander assaulted it form the outside. Despite heavy casualties the Seraphim were able to take the tower and secure it. They then turn the tower's guns on the Merengetti, causing confusing and allowing Alexander to take the city in only four days. The Merengetti never fully recovered from their loss at Lyon, and Alexander pushed his advantage, overtaking retreating Merengetties and scoring major victories at Besancon, Strasbourg, and Luxembourg. Alexander's push into former Germany was aided by the large underground that had been brooding since the end of the war. The war had also placed the Merengetti in a financial crisis and Merengetti citizens often welcomed invasion troops and gave them aid. Alexander lay siege to the Merengetti capital of tarsus in late 2384. Following 80 days of shelling and bombing Alexander mounted his final assault on the capital. The attack of victorious, but Alexander, who, as alway, led from the front, was killed on the steps of the Menengetti palace.

With the Merengetti broken, Ramian quickly moved in too bring the former Merengetti citizens into his alliance. During the Tarsus conference, the leaders of the three powers agreed on the act of union. This document was the culmination of Ramian's efforts to unite the human race. It formed the three powers, as well as the former Merengetti empire, into a single state known as the New Terran Republic. The Terran council in also formed which serves as the legislative body of the new nation. Ramian is elected President of the new nation. While the council members were elected democratically, Ramian was given (or obtained) a life term and hereditary succession.

[edit] The Reformation of the New Terran Republic

In the wake of 2nd Merengetti war, the fledging Terran Republic, although victorious against the Merengetti, was floundering in its attempts to control its own dominion. In the wake of the war several dissident factions, including some from the former directorate army, began to question and even challenge the right of the republic to govern them. This predicament was worsened by the fact that the new Terran Council took unacceptable long amounts of time to pass any sort of legislation. The infrastructure of the new republic was also less then adequate. With many former war zones still unfit for human inhabitation. This created a large number refugee camps. These camps boosted little more in the way of sanitation than the Merengetti ruins. The camps were rife with disease and civil unrest of every kind. They were also prime recruiting areas for the political dissidents that continued to try and spread disorder throughout the Republic.

This unrest reached a peak during the 10 bay of anarchy. This consisted of coordinated attacks by several of the largest rebel factions in an attempt to cripple the military and governing power of the Republic. There was even an attempt made on the Life of Ramian. The event started when terrorists managed to shoot down a plane carrying Ramian and several of his top advisors. The plane crashed into the ocean near the coast of Former Portugal. With Ramian, the symbol and controlling force in the government, out of the way, the rebels made their attack. The bulk of the attacks took place in Europe and Asia, but some even took place in the north American. The rebellion was eventually put down, but it left thousands of soldiers and over hundred thousand civilians dead in its wake. A large number of councilmen were also assassinated, leaving the new legislative body largely inoperable. Ramian, who managed to survive the crash, emerged in the capital a week later and took personal control of the forces defending the city. After to conclusion of the 10 days Ramian, aware that massive change was needed, Took full control of the Republic and, with the help of his personal advisors and a few able councilmen, set out on a massive reform project in the hopes of stabilizing the Republic and solidifying his work of uniting the human race. The first thing that was issued by this new governmental body was the Declaration of rights of citizens of the republic. This act enacted large numbers of social reforms that helped to stabilize the Republic and pull support away from the dissident factions. In the wake of the Merengetti war, several citizens of the alliance moved into Merengetti territory in the hopes of getting rich quick or making a new lives for themselves and their families. These new settlers often clashed with the current formerly Merengetti inhabitants. This led to such things as vigilante police forces, lynching, and discrimination on a massive scale. The Declaration sought to stop this by making it a crime to discriminate against anyone because of race, or former allegiance. It also made every human currently living in Republic territory a citizen which was entitled to all of the rights granted a citizen of the republic. The declaration also strengthened the power of domestic security forces, giving them more power to arrest and hold possible suspects while making it illegal for any private citizen �to take the law into their own hands.� The act also reformed the court system, making the legal process faster and, to an extent, less corrupt and bureaucratic. Finally, the Declaration set up a bill of rights that helped to guarantee the rights and safety of Republic citizens.

The second act of the body, now known as the temporal council, was to reform legislative process and powers of the Terran council so that crises such as the ten days of anarchy never occurred again. It also want to reform the government. The reforms were eventually gathered in Declaration of Proper Governmental Order. It reorganized the Republic into provinces. Each province had a limited amount of self government so that it could attend to itself and maintain order within its own borders. The Central Government was also given more power so that it could quickly respond to problems that arose. The New Terran council, now called the House of Order, was established. Each of the 200 Republic provinces was to send five delegates to the House, making a total of 1000 representative present in the new legislative body. Ramian was also sure to make an allowance for an Executive department of the new government that could act as a symbol of strength and security for the citizens of the Republic. This new executive would be the head of the House of Order as well as the commander and chief of the Military. This executive would also be given a life term as well as the right of hereditary succession. However, the position would not put the individual in it above the law, and this leader would have in all respects the same rights and duties of everyday private citizens.

With this act in place elections were held to elect the new representative of the council. With the formation of the New legislature Ramian dissolved the temporal council. However, Ramian kept most of the former temporal council in his newly formed cabinet, including such positions as the minister of war, the minister of finances, and the minister of order.

The final act of the Temporal council was to commission a massive building project to restore the battlefields of the 1st Merengetti war sos they could move the refugees out of their abominable camps. This project was spearheaded by former Alliance leader Gonzollas, who knew that for order to be restored the camps must be vacated and destroyed. The main success of the project was that it created job for the people in the camps and gave them a chance to move out and back into their former homes. Although the initial rebuilding would not be completed for another ten years, the jobs and new sense of worth experienced by the refugees allowed for order in the camps to be easily maintained. The largest portion of the project focused on the new republic capital. Ramian was well aware that humanity required a symbol that could strike fear into its enemies and respect into its citizens. For this reason the location of the capital was placed on the ruins of former Tarsus (the Merengetti capital) literally crushing the old Merengetti empire. The capital was named Alexandria after Ramian's son, who was instrumental in the downfall of the Merengetti and personally took the city for the republic.

With the reformation completed Ramian was able to rest easily knowing that his goal of reuniting the human race was complete. Ramian would Die three years later and was laid to rest in a tomb in the center of the capital of Alexandria.

[edit] The Great revival

After Ramian's Death the new Republic faced yet another time of uncertainty. The succession of Ramian second son, Thomas Ramian, was not entirely well received. While intelligent and good willed, Thomas was not near as charismatic or inspiring as his father, which left his open the scrutiny of other who wished to take the throne for themselves. Political dissidents and rivals for the seat of power pushed for elected leadership or even usurping Thomas and placing themselves on the throne. However, one talent the Thomas received from his father was that he was a good judge of people. Using this, Thomas appointed former army general and tactician Arthur Wellington to be the prime minister of the Republic. Through political skill Thomas was able to get the approval of the council, which lent even more weight to his appointment. While Thomas was quiet and calculating, Wellington was heroic and inspiring. Wellington was able to give new respect to the Position of Executive of the republic and struck fear into those who might challenge it. With the immediate threat of dissension out the way, Thomas was able to focus his attention on other matters. Unlike the time in which his father ruled, the Republic during the reign of Thomas was largely peaceful. with was out of the way, Thomas set about restoring the technological advance of humanity. After the Third World War the technological advance of the human race completely stopped and in many area declined. To begin this project Thomas commissioned the excavation of known knowledge archives such as the Smithsonian in former Washington as well as other sights in former London, China, France, and Germany. Thomas also ordered the requisition of all documents formerly belonging to the Merengetti Empire. Using this knowledge Thomas set up the College of Engineering to act as a center for the newfound knowledge and train potential that might help develop and advance the technology. The Republic Academy was also established to school military officers.

Education seemed to be a common theme throughout the reign of Thomas. He set up a public schooling system that gave Republic citizens an education equivalent to that of a high school education in the Pre-World War Three west. Multiple colleges were also established by the government as well as private institutions. With the establishment of there school Thomas turn the college of engineers into a sort of research facility rather than a direct school. He also expanded it to include the college of technology, the college of medicine, and the college of Exploration. The college of exploration was of particular importance to Ramian because he wished to establish a republic space program. Using the college of exploration, Republic scientist commandeered many of the satellites that were still in orbit around the earth and were able to send the first Republic humans into space within eight years. The college of exploration was also tasked with the recolonization of south America and Africa. These area had been largely thought of as uninhabitable because of the substantial amount of radiation received during the Third world war. Speculation about these areas were also high, with many thinking that they were infested with every sort of abominable creature, from zombie like humanoid groups to massive flesh eating plants. These rumors were fueled by the fact that almost all patrols into the area had been lost and the large number of crashes that occurred when planes overflew the area. There were even an disproportionately large number of lost vessels that had been sailing off their coasts. Thomas, wishing to take the land for colonization sent a large military detachment into Africa to determine the nature of the land there. Thomas also issued the commanders of the force special radiation absorbing equipment to help clear the land for colonization. What the army found there was appalling. There was no sign of any human survivors in the area. however, the land was by no mean lifeless. The expedition reported that the initial search area was inhabited by "massive insect-like organisms, and well as dangerously large carnivorous plants. The source of these mutations would eventually be linked bio-warheads used by Russia in the final stages of the Third world war (the weapons were not used against Asia because they were still experimental, and their potency was "questionable"). The greatest threat, however, came when the expedition teams made their way into former Sudan. Their the expedition found the first confirmed sighting of what would be eventually known as Alouatta Novus. The Alouatta Novus, more commonly known as Screamers, are thought to be highly evolved or mutated monkeys of the Pre-World War Three era (the "screamer" nickname comes from the high pitched sounds they make, supposedly to communicate, similar to that of howler monkeys). The bio-toxins in the Russian warheads had caused these monkeys to develop symptoms similar to rabies, but on a more severe level, it also caused the monkeys greatly increased size and body structure. Another side effect of the toxins was that it caused the monkeys to become carnivorous (was caused this is unknown but some speculate that it could be caused by the large amount of protein that the animals had to take in to support themselves). The first specimens that the expedition found were corpses. The remains suggested that groups of the monkeys were fighting each other, which meant that the animals had some sense of community and possibly intelligence. The first encounter with live Alouatta Novus came two weeks later when a group of about 28 Alouatta attacked an expedition camp. The animals were repelled, but not before 12 soldiers and 2 scientists were killed. This attack convinced the republic government to send addition aid to the expedition, In the of two armored divisions and 10,000 men. As a force moved deeper they found even more signs of the intelligence of the Alouatta, including basic shelters and weapons. This movement also caused more Alouatta attacks, with the expedition, now a full fledged invasion force, making attacks of their own. With the new men and material, the expedition was able to clear some areas for habitation. however, most of these were slow to come into being, and mostly consisted of fortified towns close to existing military bases. With the successful clearing of Sudan, Thomas himself ordered a dwelling built for himself in the area to help encourage colonization (this dwelling was, ironically enough, more of a compound than a home, consisting of twenty foot defensible wall and multiple defense installations).

Meanwhile the Invasion forces moved further south into Kenya and Tanzania. It was there that they encountered the Homo Novus, Similar to the Alouatta Novus, these creatures are thought to have evolved from humans that were infected with the Russian bio-toxins. These creature were often seen acting as leaders of groups of Alouatta and often led attacks against the expedition. Although more intelligent than the Alouatta, the Homo Novus were in most cases were little more than rabid animals they led. Such abominations convinced the Republic to start massive bombing campaign against the creatures. Massive amounts of incendiary and conventional ordinance were dropped in an attempt to eradicate any threat of human habitation. Thousands of acres were also burned in an attempt to drive out the Alouatta. The "liberation" of Africa would continue for another 4 years before the entire continent was considered safe. Meanwhile, Researchers at the Republic colleges had made great technological advances were brought humanity back to the state that it had been before the third world was and quickly beyond it. The Republic was soon able to land on the moon and would set up permanent habitats there. The Republic space program was also able to land on mars, and were surprised to discover that several of the former American habitats were still functional, and populated. American scientists told the Republic that their descendants had lost contact with their superiors but were aware that some form of cataclysmic event has taken place (this being the primary reason that they did not attempt to make the return journey to earth.) The scientist were also able to give knowledge to the Republic in the form of advanced power cells and atmosphere creation systems. However, not all of the Martian inhabitants were friendly. A groups of these former Americans refused to pledge allegiance to the Republic, claiming that they were still, and forever would be, Americans. These Rebels were successful at repelling the initial Republic action because of the lack of weaponry of the Republic forces. In response The Republic sent a task force of 2000 army personnel to pacify what it saw as open revolt. After 8 months of conflict the "rebellion" was put down, but the rebels continued to wage a guerrilla war that would last another 8 years.

Overall the great revival would last over most of Thomas' 45 year reign. During this period Mankind reestablished itself as a technological power and set up its first colonies. Making was also able to rediscover the arts, since life was no longer an everyday battle for survival. When Thomas Died he was buried on mars facing outward away from the sun so that, in a way, he would always represent looking toward the future.

[edit] The First Xeno-Terran War

Thomas was succeeded by his son Isaac. Isaac seemed to be content to maintain the status quo rather than make strides like his predecessors, and in many ways this was accepted since the Republic was in a state of general welfare at the time. One of the things that Isaac did do, however, was to greatly expand the Republic space program. He commissioned the construction of several Permanent orbiting facilities as well as creating larger settlements on mars and the moon. It is also under him that new artificial gravity machines and Faster propulsion systems were developed, allowing humanity to send humans as far as the asteroid field in less than a year. However, these new colonies brought new unrest, and a new flare up of terrorist activity occurred on mars. Isaac sent republic forces to quell the activity and began construction on a the first human military space vessels. Current human space transports offered very little protection from hostiles. This became painfully obvious when rebel took control of 4 Martian rail guns (these devices were meant to be a way to send cargo and mineral to earth quickly, but could easily be weaponized by loading the guns with explosives and aiming them at hostile targets) and used the weapons to decimate a group of Martian security force vessel, destroy 8 and crippling 7 others. The new vessels, built specifically for military purposes, would offer some protection against these types of attacks as well as bring such weapons to bear on the enemy. The first of these vessels, the RSV (Republic Sailing Vessel) Alexander, left its port in orbit around the earth in early 2461. It was less than a year later that a research outpost picked up 3 unidentified craft entering space approximately 230 miles from the Martian surface heading toward earth. The report made by the research team said that the craft were "of unknown make of origin" and "were traveling far faster than any made vessel could." The report also said that one of the craft seemed to have "extensive structural damage" The craft passed near earth 4 days later, with the lead (the one that was noted for structural damage) entering the earth�s atmosphere and landing in southern Africa near a republic military outpost. The other two ships made 180 turn in their course and the solar system almost immediately. Isaac immediately dispatched troops to secure the area. When republic troop reached the crash they found that the ship had sustained tremendous structural damage that only one of the crew was alive, with the other two dying in the crash. This alien, the first confirmed extraterrestrial, surrendered to republic forces and was afterwards transported to a undisclosed facility for decontamination and study. Isaac himself went to observe the alien, who, surprising, spoke English. The told the humans that he was a defector, fleeing his native land because of the tyranny that controlled its administration. He then provided the humans with data that he had stored in his ship in an attempt to win over the trust of his new masters. The data that the alien provided contained a wealth of information on advanced technologies that humans had previously only dreamed of. The Alien, identifying himself as Naxium, was given an honorary republic citizenship. However, the alien also warned Isaac that his race was at war with another alien race known as the Ami-Akais, and that the war was moving in the direction of the solar system. He also told the human that earth would be a prime target for either race because of its high oxygen content and natural resources. This prompted one of the most massive military building project ever undertaken in human history as Isaac attempted to prepare for an inevitable alien invasion. Armed with the advanced knowledge of Naxium (who was also able to give the humans intelligence on the military capabilities of each alien race) the humans began to building several newer and more capable space combat vessels as well creating advanced armor and weaponry for the Republic infantry. This preparation would be put to the test 3 years later when colonies on mars detected a massive amount of unidentified alien craft heading in their direction. However, before it could reach human space it was intercepted by another large group of alien craft that engaged the other craft in battle. In the wake of the battle the victors, which appeared to be the Ami-Akais, continued their route towards mars, intent on an easily overtaking any defenses that the planet might have to offer. However, the human forces were determined to make such a victory as costly as possible for the invaders, and a force of 23 human capital ship engaged the invasion force (which consisted of 11 ships) the humans were able to gain an early advance by taking out two alien ships at the start of the engagement. The tide of battle quickly turned against the human as the larger, more advanced, alien ships forced the human into a retreat. The battle was not a complete loss however, with the humans able to retreat and only losing three vessels (with the Ami-Akais losing four). The 5th fighter group, a force of one man fighter craft, also distinguished itself by covering the retreating attack force from enemy fighters. The Ami-Akais eventually gave up their chase and the humans were spared, for the moment. However, a week later a massive Ami-Akais attack force hit the Human defenses on mar, wiping out almost all of the defenses. The human defenders were able to hold out for three days but were eventually overrun. After it lost contact with its Martian colonies the Humans on Earth began preparing for the inevitable invasion. This came 4 days later at during what is now known as the battle for South America. Ami-Akais and Aeriam Electorate engaged in a major naval battle in Earth upper atmosphere over former South America. About two hour into the battle the Electorate Forces released a substantial amount of Landing craft that entered the earth atmosphere and made landfall in former Argentina. The Ami-Akais soon followed suit with a landing force of their own and the rival forces soon engaged each other in a massive ground war in the Jungles. The humans bided their time, hoping for the alien forces to weaken each other. This was also the first time that the human government witnessed the alien forces ground combat capabilities. The aliens would continue to engage each other and would send even more troops to earth�s surface. The conflict spread to the South American coastline and north into former Brazil.

It was here that the finally made a stand to try and ward off the Alien advance. Near the ruin of former Manaus the humans made their stand against an Aeriam attack force. The battle lasted eight hours, with the humans forced into a fighting retreat. The human forces continued their retreat until they reached fortified position near the newly constructed Panama Canal. The Aeriam forces were able to breech the human defenses yet again and the Human forces were forced to retreat into North America. By this time the both alien faction were landing forces on other parts of earth and actively trying to exterminate any human resistance. The Aliens would be successful at this for more than a year until the Ami-Akais were attacking the Republic capital of Alexandria and the Aeriam were assaulting former Washington, Ramian�s homeland. This seemed to be humanity most desperate hour, for if the aliens managed to take either city they would severely cripple the humanity�s ability to govern themselves or to mount any type of coordinated defense. With this in mind the human forces refused to abandon their posts and resolved to fight to the death rather than continue to retreat. The battle, coincidentally, happened at almost the same time. At Washington, the Aeriam forces breached the outer defenses and enemy forces streamed into the city; there the human forces waged a guerrilla war on the aliens as they tried to gain ground outside the city. The battle for Washington lasted for more than a month, with the Aeriam forces unable to take control of the city and forced to retreat. With the retreat of the Aeriam forces the human continued to mount hit and run attacks on the enemy supply trains and were able to severely cripple the Aeriam war machine in North America. The humans were also able to capture several Aeriam weapons and war machines, allowing them to reverse engineer the technology and so it to advance their own technologies. At Alexandria, the Ami-Akais laid siege the Republic city and cut off all supply routes into or out of the city. After two months the human supplies began to dwindle and Republic tacticians agreed that something had to be done to stop the siege or the human defenders would have no choice but to surrender. To this effect the human commander, Franco Romanov, organized a commando raid that would attempt to try and destroy Ami-Akais material assets as well as attempt to cripple the invader command and control. Romanov led 40 of the best human defenders out of the ramparts under the cover of darkness and infiltrated the Ami-Akais defenses. The human raiders split into 3 groups. The first group moved toward the ammunition stockpiles while the other two moved toward the officer�s quarters and the command and control center. The first group managed to evade defection and placed timed explosives in most of the Ami-Akais heavy artillery and sabotaged several of the enemy�s ammunition stockpiles. The second group moved into the Ami-Akais communication facility and was able to disable the enemy�s power generators. The final group moved to where the Ami-Akais Leadership was staying in an attempt to kill the officers and other important personnel. Using a potent nerve gas that was innocuous to humans but lethal to the Ami-Akais (this was developed with information Naxium provided) the human contaminated the Barracks ventilation systems and proceeded to attempt to storm the Ami-Akais officer lodge. At this point the Humans were discovered when the nerve agents began to affect the enemy; however, little effective resistance could be organized because of the lack of power and communication. Even so, all of the raider groups are forced into pitched close range gun fights cannot as planned. The third group is able to assassinate The Ami-Akain leader but is soon after trapped in his stateroom by enemy defenders. While the Enemy�s attention is focus on the Ami-Akais, Romanov is able to communicate with his subordinates in Tarsus and the rest of the human defense soon descends upon the alien camp in hopes of overrunning the invaders. The Ami-Akais try to focus their power on this new threat but are caught between the raiders and the rest of the human defenders. The battle last only two hours with almost all of the Alien forces killed of captured.

These battles will represent a turning point in what is now known as the 1st Xeno-Terran war. Both alien races are unable to fight the humans and each other and, within the next three year, are forced off the planet. The Ami-Akais soon left earth, leaving nothing behind. The Aeriam Electorate however, will eventually seek peace negotiations with the republic. This represents one of the few times in known history that humans and Aliens have come to any type of compromise. The document, known as the treaty of Washington (the site of the negotiations), sets up a military ceasefire between the nations and states that the Aeriam recognize the Republic and an independent and sovereign state. This truce will last almost five hundred years and set the course of future human expansion.

[edit] The Second Renaissance

In the wake of the First Xeno-Terran war a wave of nationalism swept through the Republic. An outcry for public works soon went out and everything from monuments to murals to museums was erected in most major Republic cities. In Alexandria, The monument to the army of the Republic was commission where it still stands today. Along with beautification of the Republics, the want of learning and advancement were rekindles, and the republic colleges were soon bursting at the seams with learners and visionaries alike. The witnessing of advance alien technology during the war had fed the imagination and curiosity of human scientists and would lead to great discoveries over the next 20 years. This period of art and advancement would come to be called the second renaissance. Another thing that came about in the wake of the war the thirst for expansion, although interstellar human colonization was thought to be impossible, a new discovery would soon prove that statement false. This discovery, considered to be one the most important in Human history, was the discovery of Theta waves, whose unique properties would revolutionize human technology.

Theta waves are similar to radiation, but are different in many ways. Theta waves are released by most super high energy bodies such and stars and black holes, but they are also given off by the brains of most living organism though thought and when they perform synapses. Until the second renaissance, humanity had no device capable of detecting theta particles, whose wavelength was even shorter than that of gamma particles. The first theta particles were discovered by Roy McGoffin, who was trying to perfect a new type of x-ray device. Theta particle have several unique properties that make them useful of humanity. The first of these is can be converted into particle (albeit unstable) and can be manipulated as such. These particles contain enormous amounts of energy and when triggered, they can do anything from power spacecraft engines to detonate explosives. Another things that was discovered about theta particles is that they were the cause of a common disease at the time, currently known as PNSS (Post nuclear stress syndrome), which often cause insanity in its victims. This disease was first discovered by a doctor Mitchell Hues, who notice that several of the patients that suffered that they called "a perpetual static sound in their heads" had an enlarged section of their brain, which was later termed the novel lobe. What was not known at the time was that the people that suffered from PNSS were actually the first human psychics. However, their novel lobes were not fully developed and therefore, instead of being able read and control "hearing" the thoughts of others, all they received was constant static sound when in the presence of other sentient beings. By this time there were several fully developed psychics in the Republic (the Republic military had even formed a psychic corps that trained psychics to use there powers for military purposes). From this it was discovered that theta particle were actually the source of a psychic powers. The most basic of these was telepathy. When a person thought something, the theta particles that his/her brain released would carry energy spikes and sag that would act as a sort of Morse code that advanced psychics could translate and understand (note, while most psychics and pick up these signals, very few can actually interpret them.) Other psychics would use theta particles to trigger synapses in animal and even humans, which resulted in a form of mind control over the target. Another common psychic ability was the ability to convert theta waves into theta particles without the help of special machines used by non psychic humans. After converting the particles, advanced psychics could �trigger� the particles, seemingly creating explosions from thin air, other could �ignite the particle, creating fire balls. Some could even wrap the particles around an object and manipulate, forming the basis of telekinesis. Apart from the knowledge of the origin of psychic potential in human, scientist began using this knowledge to try and manipulate theta particles using technological means. One of the first inventions that used theta particles successfully was the theta drive. This was a propulsion system that was than ten time as potent as the current human drive systems. Another groundbreaking discovery about theta particles was act they hindered man�s ability to observe the universe. The affect of theta particles on human telescopes was similar to that of Earth�s atmosphere, but more severe. After republic scientists managed to fix this problem, they found that the celestial bodies that they had observed before were actually far closer than originally thought, with star such as Alfa-Centari being less than half a light-year away. This completely changed human thought as far as the concept of inter-stellar colonization, and people as high up as the Isaac Ramian himself began to encourage research on the possibility of human interstellar colonization. The first unmanned probes are sent to Alfa-Centari two years later, and reached Alfa-Centari in another two years using the theta drive system. Probes were also sent to other planetary systems to search for possible planets would support intelligent life.

Noticing this new technology, the alien races of the Aeriam Electorate and the Ami-Akais began to watch the young race once again. The Aeriam, seeing the humans thought of manifest destiny as a way to weaken its own enemies, invited a group of human scientist and diplomats to a Ameriam planet. Once there, the human witnessed the true scope of the Aeriam domain, which consisted of over one hundred fully populated and civilized worlds and growing. They also were given secrets to basic faster than light travel and galactic maps detailing worlds that would support human life. This form of faster than light travel involved "catapulting" a ship off of a high gravity body (like a star) of a specially manufactured synthetic equivalent. This act of catapulting, along with a use of theta warps , which used theta particles to temporarely open up a wormhole in a certain direction and distance. This method, while common and refined by the Aeriam, was difficult for the humans to master, and many early explorers were sent millions of miles off their intended targets. The objective of this was to bring the human, who seemed to have uncanny abilities on the battlefield, into conflict with the Ami-Akais. With new good will towards their alien neighbors and the continued agreement of cease-fire, the Republic government agreed to stay away from all Aeriam claims, which of most of the space to the galactic southwest of earth. Using the technological secrets of the Aeriam, human scientist built the first ships capable of faster that light travel. These ships, known as explorers, were able to carry a small human along with ample supplies and equipment, they were also equipped with an early form of corrective warp, which had the limited ability to direct the wormhole opening to get human colonists closer to their intended targets.. The first planet to be colonized by humans was called Venture Prime, and was located approximately two light-years galactic west of earth. The planet's climate was slightly cooler than earth, with most of the planet's landmass covered with deciduous forests. The humans were quickly able to make a foothold on the world and establish their basic prefab shelter and communication equipment. The colony would continue to grow over the next several years as more colonists were sent to the planet. Human scientists on the world would document everything they could about the alien environment. The ecosystem of venture prime was largely the same as earth. however, the atmosphere of the planet absorbed the light and heat of the planet's star and spread it evenly throughout the entire surface of the planet. This meant that almost all of the planet was the same temperature and that the planet contained little diversity as far as environments. The life on the planet consisted of mostly large grazing deer like animals and a plethora of small sized mammals. The primary predators on the planet resembled the timber wolves of earth. There was also a large predator which the colonists described as a large furry carnivorous pig. The colony would continue to grow at a modest rate until the invention of "hyper gates" as they were know at the time made the act of colonizing a planet much easier. Hyper gates took advantage of already naturally occurring wormholes to create "portals' from one planet to another. The problem with these wormholes was that they only stayed open for a period of nanoseconds. They were also unpredictable. Hyper gate used theta particles to open, and keep open, wormholes so that they could be used by humans. In order to connect the opening of the wormhole the correct exit, human scientist created a "projection' mechanism into the gate which made sure that the wormhole would open in a certain direction, and connect to an "exit" gate on the other side, making faster than light travel much less risky. Using precise calculation they could project the wormholes at each side of the gate onto each other, causing them to create an open pathway to the desired destination. This technology was not perfected until almost a year and a half after the wormholes were developed, meaning that there were several instances of cargo, and even humans, being sent to still unknown locations.

On Earth, the renaissance continued to thrive. There was also for the first time a large middle class population in the republic that began to have time for more than simply surviving. This gave way to a larger intellectual populations and Republic universities swelled with new and potential learners. Even the death of Isaac Ramian could not stop the new fervor for learning. Isaac was succeeded by his son Christopher. Christopher moved to focus the power of renaissance toward the further colonization of humanity. The new executive also worked to strengthening the human military, knowing that his expansionist policy would eventually bring him into conflict with the Ami-Akais and possible other unknown enemies.

[edit] The Great Expansion

During the end of the second renaissance, the republic began a period of rapid colonization. This would also bring about about a series of small conflicts with other nations such as the Ami-Akis and Raadium Alliance. The first planet colonized during the period known as the great expansion was known as Bastion prime. This Planet would play a pivotal role in the future of the human colonization as it would serve as a hub for the multiple hyper-gates that were used to ferry men and supplies throughout the galaxy. It was also one of the few Planets that supported a hyper-gate large enough to accommodate capital class warships. This ability would make the planet a key strategic world for the human as well as a center for the Republic military. From Bastion, the humans continued to expand westward, settling the planet's Alexander prime and Oasis. The third planet to be taken was Hyperion prime, this world, unlike the others, was already colonized by the Ami-Akais, who had a modest number of colonists and settlers present on the world. The humans first tried to land on the world without alerting the aliens to their presence, but it failed to last as soon colonist from both parties were waging small scale border war on the opposing faction. In response, both nations responded in sending large naval armadas to the planet in hopes of taking the world for themselves. The fleets would meet in high orbit above the planet in what is now known as the battle of calypso (a moon that was near to where the battle was taking place.) The Human forces in the battle used the newer and stronger guardian-class heavy cruisers as well as a small number of even larger Vulcan-class Battle ships. These ships, however, were still small in comparison to the Ami-Akis, who primarily used their Battleships and destroyer, both of which were more than a mile long. While bigger, the Ami-Akais ships were slower and more suited the firing from a stationary position at a stationary target as had been done in battles with the Aeriam Electorate. The humans had no intention of doing this, as their warships were equipped to fire and move at the same time. The human ships were also more maneuverable than their Ami-Akais counterparts. The final advantage that the humans held in combat was the superiority of their small fighter craft, which were faster and more powerful than the Ami-Akais equivalent. The battle of Calypso lasted 2 hours and went surprisingly well for the humans. The Ami-Akais were so surprised at the speed and tactics of the humans that most were not even able to retreat before being overtaken. This battle convinced the aliens to give up their claims to Hyperion and retreat to better defended outposts. This battle also established the superiority of the Republic navy in battle. The Republic navy would continue to dominate space warfare for the next twenty years and would greatly aide human interests during the remainder of the Great Expansion. Over the next 3 years the humans would take several more planets. They would also developed newer and better methods of interstellar travels such as the Theta-gate, which was able to create and connect two wormholes using only one gate, meaning that humans could instantly transport themselves to potential planets for surveying and initial exploration. The problem with theta gates was that they took an enormous amount of power to operate, limiting their size and frequency of use. To address this human scientist developed the Spencer method of planetary colonization. Using this method, a small group of colonists would use a theta gate to warp to a potential planet. Once there the colonist would assemble a pre-constructed hyper-gate about 4 meters in diameter. Using this hyper-gate the human could send a large stream of personnel and supplies to the world. The second wave of colonist would bring the materials to construct a standard sized hyper-gate (about 40 meters in diameter) or even larger if the situation demanded. Using this method, a new planet could be colonized in less than a week, greatly expediting the act of traveling to and scoping out new worlds for possible inhabitation.

However, the rapid expansion had the effect of spreading humanity faster than it could secure its new domain, and with humanity venturing farther and farther into unknown territory, it became clear that the alien nations were not going to sit idle while humans encroached upon their territory. This became apparent when a team of human explorers came into contact with the Raadium Alliance. The humans were intcepted and detained. When news of this reached the Republic Government they dispatched an envoy of 20 warships to "Investigate" and determine the cause of the action. Unfortunately, the only Raadium officials present when the human fleet arrived were non-senior military commanders, and no one on either side could communicate in the each other's language. Consequently, communication between the factions quickly broke down and one side or the other (who shot first was never determined) opened fire and a full scale naval engagement ensued. What was interesting about this particular battle was its brevity as well as its brutality. The fighting lasted only 45 minutes. However, both sides lost 90% percent of their air power and the survivors were forced to make landfall on the planet's surface. Here, it was the humans that claimed the initiative, with a lieutenant Anderson leading a group of about 200 human survivors in an attack on the enemy's supposed land site. Here the fighting lasted longer, most of the combatants on either side were navy personnel with little or no experience with ground warfare. The humans eventually prevailed, but when the fighting was over only 23 humans and no Raadians had survived the engagement. It also became known that all of the humans the envoy had been sent to rescue had died in the confrontation. The entire operation was a disaster, and destroyed any chance of friendly relations between the humans and the Raadium Alliance in the near future. Both sides only raised tensions by massing military forces along their respective borders in what was thought to be an inevitable confrontations. The conflict opened with the battle of the Gellog Pass, in which the human were able to gain a narrow victory and push the Raadium forces into a retreat, the humans continued their advance until they reached the Solomon Divide. The Solomon Divide was a massive asteroid field. Almost 2 Light years long and one half long and tall, it one one of the largest asteroid clusters in the known galaxy, it also presented a natural barrier for space travel as the asteroid were to dangerous navigate at any type of substantial speed. Here the war ground to a stalemate, the Raadium were also in a war with the Ami-Akais at the time, so to try and negotiate a truce with the Humans they organized the Solomon conference, with produced the Solomon nonaggression pact. This document stated that the Republic would halt its expansion at the Solomon belt. It also said the Raadium alliance would respect the current human gains and recognize The Republic as a sovereign state. Although this pact would help the human in the years to come it was met with resentment by some who wished for humanity to conquer the entirety of the galaxy. To try and unite humanity Christopher himself went to oversee the final signing of the treaty. This proved to be a fatal mistake, and the Hyper gate Christopher used to travel to the conference malfunctioned and the wormhole collapsed with the leader of humanity still inside. Christopher's death was made even worse in that he left no heir, leaving the position of leader of the Republic open. Although the peace agreement with the Raadium was completed, the future of humanity was still uncertain. Rival factions in the Council and otherwise came from everywhere with claims to the throne. Added to this was the fact that many considered the "malfunction" an assassination. This rose to the point of almost anarchy and the Council eventually wrote and passes resolution 274. This stated that in the event that the executive of the Republic should die and leave no heir, then the Viable provinces will vote on the new executive. The Republic at that time contained 850 provinces (these included the original 200 provinces from earth as well as 650 new provinces that had been added for off world colonies that met the minimum population requirements). The election process was a massive undertaking for humanity at the time and no one will ever know how accurate the final outcome was. Nevertheless, General Karl Von Metternich, a hero of the Republican-Raadium War, was elected to the position of executive. This represented the end of an era for the Republic and the beginning of something completely different.

[edit] The Imperial Era

(2543 - 2977)

[edit] The Birth of the Ramiatic Empire

The Reign of Metternich cam under fire as soon as the man took office. Unlike the previous executives who could trace their lineage back to the Legendary Joseph Ramian, Metternich had only his military record and a questionable election upon which to base his authority. Rival parties still made claims to the throne. The loudest of these malcontents was Admiral Davin West. West was another hero of the Raadium war. While Metternich was in command of the Republic ground forces, West commanded the Republic Navy. Supposedly, West was told by a Republic Councilman that he had actually won the election and was the rightful successor to the throne. West set up his base of operations on the planet Alexander III where he enjoyed a large amount of popular support. At first Metternich did little to stop these dissidents. However, he mobilized the Republic military and made sure that none of the various dissidents could spread their ideas to other worlds. He also stationed army units on larger worlds to make sure that order was maintained. This was relatively simple to do since the army was already mobilized because of the Raadium war. While this was going on Metternich called the council into a special 6 month session. This session, Known as the Ramiantic conference, would set the course of human history from then forward. Before revealing the results of the conference Metternich made sure that he showed his authority to the dissidents to still questioned his reign. He began by taking part in a formal coronation of sorts where he was officially installed as chief executive or humanity. It was here that the Council officially extended its support, declaring him the true leader of humanity. The very next day, as foreseen by Metternich and his advisers, many dissident faction spoke out and began to threaten secession in their respective territories. The New leader had suspected, and even hoped for, such action. These threats gave him just cause to silence the factions on account that they "threatened the stability and continued existence of the Republic". Massive military raids were staged on the rebel strongholds. With the tactical knowledge gained by commanders during the Raadium war and through the use of overwhelming force, the republic army was able to crush any sort of resistance these rebels could muster to defend themselves. The speed with which these attacks were planned and carried out was astonishing, and enough to deter any new groups from challenging the Republic. In truth these attacks had been planned months ago as the second step in Metternich cementing his claim as leader. The orchestrator of the attacks was one of Metternich most trusted subordinates, General Benedicto Rictoven, who himself lead the attack of Alexander III. The third and final stage of this plan was carried out a week later when the leaders of the rebellions (who had all been condemned to death) were brought to Earth to be executed. The executions were set to take place at the gates of the city, and a massive crowd had gathered to watch the events unfold. In all, 68 gallows were constructed for the event, and a grave site had already been prepared at the edge of the city wall with a coffin set up by each gallows to carry the corpse to the site. The men were marched to the gallows and a noose placed around each man's neck. However, as the final order was about to be announced a messenger emerged at the site announcing an official pardon from Metternich himself. In the end, only one man would hang that day. This man would by Davin West, who had led the largest of the rebel groups and the one who had garnered the most popular support. This elaborate pre-planned scheme was to, and largely succeeded at, showing that Metternich was a strong leader, and also a compassionate one. In fact, Metternich plan was so successful that he never received any viable threats to his leadership during the remainder of his reign, even during the massive reform effort that he was about to begin.

It was now that Metternich announced the results of the Ramiantic Conference. The first act of the conference was a massive reorganization of the Republic land holding to try and take into account the past and future expansion of humanity. It drastically reduced the number of provinces on earth, lowering the number to two. every other planet in the republic that met the population requirement counted as a single province. Under this new organization each province could send one delegate for every 500 million Republic citizens that it had living within its borders. New rules were also put in place that stated how current for future Republic territories could become provinces. The second part of the this act reworked the powers given to each province, allowing them more authority to govern and defend themselves in case of attack. These new powers included the right raise a defense force to defend the province from attack as well as the ability to tax citizens within its territory.

The final result of this conference was meant to cement to authority of the government and try and foster nationalism within the republic. This came in the from of changing the name of the old Republic into the more appropriate empire. The official new name was the Ramiatic Empire, named after the founder of the republic. With this done Metternich declared himself emperor of the New Empire. While this change brought about minor opposition, the fact that the new emperor gained no new powers made the change merely an cosmetic one for most imperial citizens. With his power and realm momentarily secure, Metternich moved to fortify the frontier planets of the empire so that they could ward off alien attack. This was also done to encourage colonization on these rim worlds. For the project, Metternich employed Loyd Hemingway, a high ranking Imperial Army Engineer, to design the new defenses. Hemingway was well respected and he did not disappoint his new emperor. In fact, Hemingway's designs and structures were so effective that many still exist today and modern Imperial architects still study his writings. For the defenses, Hemingway worked to make the defenses a "visual deterrent" as well as an actual one. He proposed that if the Fornication looked strong they would discourage an attacker so that they would not ever try to mount an attack. One of the most common sights in a Hemingway style fortification was the flak tower. These structures were often the centerpiece of the defenses, serving a control towers and anti air defenses. The building project would last over two decades and cause billions of imperial citizen to move to the outer worlds. In all 28 planets were set up as "border worlds". Six of these worlds would make up an even larger defensive net known as Metternich's wall. The "wall" of sorts was a sting of space born defensive stations set up on asteroids at the edge of the Solomon belt with the planets acting as hubs for the smaller space born bases.

Metternich would rule for another 23 years, slowly strengthening the Imperial Economy as well as instituting a powerful set of reforms that gave more civil rights to the people as well as strengthened the army. The work done by the "first" emperor of mankind would help to preserve humanity in the future as well as secure it from future alien attack.

[edit] The First Imperial Golden Age

After the death of Metternich his son Carlos Metternich, rose to the Imperial throne in 2566. While Carlos was in office he worked to erase the racial and social division still present in humanity as well as make the Empire more friendly toward free enterprise. One of the Most important pieces of legislation worked on by the Emperor was the "Right of the Common Man" Declaration. This document worked to reform the laws to the Imperial so that would not favor any social of political group. It also reformed the legal system so that it would the fair for all people. The final, and arguably most important, part of the declaration was an amendment to the imperial constitution that guaranteed people with psychic potential the same rights as all other citizens in the Empire. Before this time psychic individuals were often discriminated against or imprisoned without cause. This fear of psychics was fueled by the destructive power of psychic that used their powers for destructive purposes. The amendment was received with mixed support but would gradually gain acceptance in the Empire. Carlos' social reforms along with Metternich's Fiscal and defense reforms would create a time of general peace and prosperity that would last almost three hundred years. During this time humanity would experience few major wars and most of humanity would live comfortably within the imperial borders. Art and Science flourished during this time and humanity made several scientific advanced that would help it in the years to come. There were also am increasingly large number was romantic philosophers and writers during the period.

When Carlos Died in 2704 he was succeeded by Farlow Metternich, who continued to maintain the expand the principles of his predecessors. He used to first few years of his term attempted to allow the average imperial citizen to become more educated. With the passage of the Imperial Education act 23, all imperial citizen became entitled to the ancient equivalent of a high school education. This new found mass education led to several "back room inventors" such as Yangzy Torkarev, who invented the first cost effective theta powered electric generator. Humans also push forward into the eastern portions of the known galaxy. In the year 2795, the Imperial explorer Gabriel Endalbi reached the "edge" and of the home arm of the galaxy (which had been recently renamed to Ramiatic Arm by Emperor Metternich III). The space between the Ramiatic arm and the Perseus arm were named the Endalbi rift in his honor. Farlow, showing the ambition of an inexperienced leader, ordered an expedition to be sent to the Perseus arm so that colonies could be set up there. Five ships to part of this effort, known as the Mariana Voyage. The ships were launched from a station orbiting Endalbi Prime (the imperial planet that was closet to the Perseus arm at the time) The voyage went well, but as the ships reached to the Perseus arm electrical failures within the ships cut them off from the Imperial and the ships were never heard from again and presumed lost. The loss sobered the new leader, a only limited colonization of the space between the to arm would take place during his reign. When Metternich III died he was a barren scepter, meaning that a new leader had to be voted upon to lead humanity. In the past, former military leaders had been the greatest candidates, but with no major war occurring within the lifetime of the current generation, humanity had to look elsewhere. The candidates that were eventually chosen for the election were a navy admiral, Joseph Leppsom, an Imperial marshal, Ramsy Al Govan, who currently commanded the forces that occupied the Metternich Wall, and William Ellesworth, a business leader from the imperial south. The election proved strangely uneventful, and the imperial people, content with the peace that they had given, chose Ellesworth for the position of emperor. Ellesworth would rule for 22 years, during which he would give businesses in the Empire even more free reign. He also expanded the previously pass Education act twenty three, setting up numerous programs that provided financial aid so that people could attend higher education facilities. However, in the process of enacting these programs he drastically cut military spending, which led to a decreased imperial defensive presence along the imperial border. When Ellesworth died he also left no heir, meaning imperial elections would again have to take place.

[edit] The End of the Golden Age

[edit] The Creation of the Veranati

[edit] The Age or Rebellion

[edit] The Merengetti Era

(2978 - 3112)

[edit] The Second Merengetti War

[edit] The Veranati Merengetti conclift

[edit] The Creation of the Bavin and the Greeze

[edit] The Internal Revolution

[edit] The Third Merengetti War

[edit] The Second Imperial Era

(3113 - 3468)

[edit] The Age of Disorder

[edit] The Camalev Dynasty

[edit] The New Imperial Order

[edit] The Camalev Golder Age

[edit] The Revolution Era

(3469 - 3580)

[edit] The End of the Second Imperial Era

Under the Camalev Dynasty the empire had finally been able to regain the respect of the aliens that shared its borders. The Veranati Patriarch, while still a constant threat, was largely quarantined within their own borders. The Bavin Illumate had retreated back into tis domain after the second Alluman War and did not threaten the empire, at least for the moment. The Greeze were also being successfully deterred from attacking the Imperial border by the heavy fortified Imperial Bases on Cain prime, Isaac IV, and Metternich II. Within the Empire the economy as well as the infrastructure of the Empire was stable enough for the citizens of the Empire to experience relative tranquility within its borders. However, The Death of the Emperor would soon throw this age of stability into an age of revolution

The Death of Emperor Augustus Camalev could not have come at a worse time. Augustus was the last of the Camalev emperors in the fact that he had no heir to succeed him to the throne. Augustus had also not appointed an successor as the previously heirless emperors had done, leaving the Empire effectively leaderless. During his reign Augustus had worked tirelessly to maintain the "golden age of the Camalev Dynasty" that had been started by his forefathers. Upon Camalev's death there was a squabble for the position to imperial throne. Although the position of emperor during the days of the First Ramiatic Empire had been decided be popular vote, there was no system for selecting a new emperor in the constitution of the Second Ramiatic Empire. Politicians took full advantage of this loophole and several faction arose from the imperial senate, each with a candidate that they believed was the most qualified for the imperial throne. Some of these candidate laid their claim for power on the fact that they were in some way related to Augustus (One man even claimed to be his long lost some, however the validity of the claims of these convenient relatives were hardly ever proven. The strongest parties that emerged from this squabble with the Industrialists, and Liberals, and the Imperialists. The Industrialist were known as such because the politicians that formed the group had strong ties to the Business leaders of the empire and enjoyed the most popular support on the industrial world in the southern parts of the Empire. The leader of the Industrialist was a man called Nickolaus Yemian. Yemian was a self made billionaire whose family owned the company galactic Resources inc. This company was the largest natural resource mining company in the Empire and one of the largest and most powerful businesses the the known galaxy. Yemian's claim to the throne was that his grandmother was a sister of Augustus' grandfather's brother. Yemian was also a well known and respected senator that was known for his hard line conservative and moral attitude on government issues. The Liberals were a group of the mostly younger politicians that wanted to "increase the civil liberties of the people and make life easier for the common man" The Liberal held relatively little popular support in comparison to the Other two major factions. The candidate, however, held what was possibly the strongest claim to the throne in fact it was proven that he was the son of Augustus father's sister. This man, Hiero Sullivan, was also a senator in the Imperial senate and known for his simple, and highly un-corrupt, values and actions involving imperial policy. The third party, with called themselves the imperialist, stated that they wanted to expand humanity even further and "create an even brighter extension of the Camalev golden age". Thing that the Imperialist stated they wanted to accomplish included subjugating the Veranati, the Greeze, and the Bavin Illumate so that they would "no longer be of any threat to the empire" they also wanted to expand the border of the Second Ramiatic Empire by conquering and colonizing alien worlds. The man that the imperialist nominated as their candidate was supposedly had a Grandfather who was the cousin of Augustus' Grandfather's brother. This man, Yusef Romanov, was the Governor of the province of Medinia, and was feared and respected for his uncompromising style of leadership. Although there were initially over a hundred factions that laid claim to the Imperial throne it was these three that would eventually lay serious serious claim to the position of Emperor. These lesser factions were slowly weeded out in every way from underhanded dealing to outright violence. Not since the 10 days of anarchy had the center of humanity grown so unstable. After 3 months of unending debate the three factions moved ever closer to violence. Rather than maintain stability, the leadership of the imperial military took sides, and both the Industrialist and the Imperialists, and to a lesser extent the liberals, had small armies that were willing to back up their claims for the position of emperor. However, with the exception of a few isolated incidents there were large scale violent encounters in between the three faction. Even so, the threat of violence loomed ever closer as the Empire went even longer without an emperor. To make matter worse, the Veranati, seeing the emperor-less empire as weakened, Attacked the Imperial border world of Metternich VI. The Imperial Senate, wanting to resolve the matter. Ordered that popular elections be held and that all three of the candidates were ordered to stay on Terra Prime until the election ad been decided. The Senate set the election date one month after the candidate arrived on Terra Prime. While seemingly ending the crisis, this decision would lead to some of the most controversial events of the revolutionary era. While on his way to a rally, the limousine in which Yemian was riding was hit by another vehicle. Yemian's vehicle spun out of control and hit a nearby building. Yemian was mortally wounded in the accident, and died two hours later at a nearby hospital. Two days later, Sullivan dropped out of the race and retook his place in the Imperial Senate.

[edit] The Reign of Yusef Romanov

This meant that the only viable candidate left was Romanov, who declared himself emperor 4 days after Sullivan's withdrawal. Although many stipulated that Romanov had orchestrated the "removal" of both candidates there voices were quickly silenced, forcibly or otherwise. The first act by Romanov was to dissolve the Industrialist and Liberal faction, declaring them unnecessary and dangerous to the stability of the Empire. Romanov also moved to crush the Veranati invasion tactics, encouraging his commanders to use "every means necessary to ensure that the Veranati were thoroughly expelled from the imperial borders". The Veranati, unprepared for the shear number of troops Romanov committed to the counter-invasion, were quickly forced into retreat. The Imperial forces removed the Veranati forces from the Empire, and soon after mounted an invasion of their own. The Veranati, however, were less willing to give up their own worlds than they had been with their conquered imperial planets, and the war quickly degraded into a war of attrition.

At home, Romanov cemented his power by violently suppressing those that wished to oppose him. Using these brutal tactics Romanov was able to return the Empire to relative stability and rid his new domain of any threats to his power. After initial stability was restored Romanov set out to enact a number of "reforms' that he stated were necessary to the continued strength of the Empire. The first of these was a general strengthening of the Imperial Army. This came in the form of swelling the ranks of the army through conscription, but was largely accepted. Romanov also secured a declaration of was against the Bavin Illumate, hoping to gain the territory the Illumate had conquered over three hundred years ago. Another early act of Romanov was to put new restrictions of businesses in the Empire. The set limits on how much companies could charge the government for their services. These prices were, predictably enough, much lower than what had previously been charged and often not even enough to allow manufacturers to break even. Many businesses refused to follow the ordinance. Other larger companies simply suspended their contracts to the Empire and turned to strictly selling to civilians. Romanov viewed this as nothing sort of treason. And did not hesitate to call in the Imperial army to quell what he saw as "outright rebellion" Again, tensions between the former industrialist and the current emperor ran high. One company, Imperial Steel, even called in mercenaries to defend its interests. Although most companies were subjugated without violence, two companies, standard steel and Galvan Motors, refused to comply. They argued, and not without premise, that there right to run a free business was protected in the constitution. To make matters worse, the companies held the popular support of the Nebulan Province in which they were located. Negotiations between the company and the government broke down six week after the new laws were past and Imperial troops were sent in. The company, who had hired a mercenary of about 8,000. Were able to fend off the initial imperial assault, which was poorly planned and shoddily carried out. This emboldened the companies, who began to try and rally even more to their cause. The leader of the this movement was Carlos Venzetti, a former industrialist and a CEO of Imperial Steel. In addition to the initial mercenary force, several thousand employees volunteered to join scratch companies that would help to defend the interests of the company. These "irregulars" were quickly armed and received basic training from the mercenaries. In addition to this the Nebulan Province began mobilizing its interior guard units, although who they would fight for was uncertain. Romanov, furious that his officers had been unable to quell the revolt, sent a massive force of 40,000 men to "crush" any resistance to his new decrees. The Neblulan government argued against the massive invasion force, calling it a violation of their rights for imperial forces to mount an invasion of a peaceful imperial world. Romanov dismissed the claims, stating the the world in question was in rebellion against the Empire. The Imperial mounted their offensive 4 weeks after the initial attacks. The Imperial were successful at storming the primary rebel defenses, but many of the rebels retreated into the factory complexes. Rather then destroying the complexes from orbit the Military decided to storm the factories using the infantry. This was done because Romanov wanted the rebel leaders captured alive. The emperor also planned on using the factories for government use and did not want to spend the time and money rebuilding the complexes. Although outnumbered, the rebels were able to use the environment of the factory to their advantage. THe imperial infantry was also not prepared for combat at such close quarters, being armed with weaponry made for open combat at long range. On the other hand, the rebels were armed mostly with carbines and submachineguns that were ideally suited to the type of close combat that the factory provided. However, the Imperials were eventually able to overwhelm the rebels, but only after suffering extremely high casualties and 3 days of bloody close quarters room to room fighting. The rebels leader, Venzetti, was also able to escape the planet with a number of his supporters. The battle itself of a long and bloody example of the new emperor uncompromising will. Even so, Romanov sought to make further examples of the rebels. He had all of the captured rebel soldiers and leaders executed on Terra Prime. Along with the rebels Romanov ordered the execution of several Nebulon officials, who Romanov stated resisted the authority of the Imperial government. The final people to meet their death in the incident were the imperial officers that had led the first failed assault on the factory complex. These were the first in a long line of the Imperial official to be executed because "they failed to do their duty in doing so fail the Empire as a whole". The companies, or what was left of them, were reorganized and restarted under the direct control of the Imperial government. Over the next several year, most of the major companies in Empire were "nationalized" in this way.

[edit] The Great Purge

The next 20 years of Romanov's rule would be characterized by almost constant wars with the Veranati and the Illumate, as well as the slow decrease in the amount of civil liberties of the citizens and businesses in the Empire. It was during this time, in the twenty third year of Romanov 's rule, that the emperor performed one of his largest, and most controversial, actions. As Romanov had worked to increase his powers on Earth, there were several that spoke out against his violent and often unprovoked actions. The loudest of the voices came from the Catholic church in the Empire, and almost all of the religious institutions in the empire had in some way stated that they were against Romanov increasingly tyrannical policies. This came to a head when Romanov published imperial Decree number 428. This decree stated that all institutions that operated within imperial borders were under the control of the Imperial government. The decree also said that all people that