The Tereket Wars
Starting in 195, a series of quests escalated into a full blown war with the Tereket Dynasties, which saw six years of total war between The Starlit Court and the Tereket Dynasties, including an attempt to destroy Sihi itself, culminating in the defeat and dismantling of the Tereket Dynasties in 197AoQ and a period of reconstruction ending in 220AoQ.
Prewar
In 197AoQ The Starlit court first encountered the Tereket Dynasties while wandering the stars. The Tereket Dynasties were a large interstellar power and local hegemony. They were a feudal empire, ruled over brand full of interconnected human noble lineages that collectively ruled over a dozen planets. Of the Dynasties, the Terek, Sortek, and Dozan Dynasties were considered the 'Prime' dynasties, from which the others derived their power and swore loyalty, with the Terek holding the empires purse strings, the Dozan being considered the masters of the arts and culture, and the Sortek being the military muscle of the Dynasties.
Initial relations between the Court and the Dynasties were cordial and respectful, with the Starlit Court acting courteously and realizing they had entered the Tereket's space. The Tereket for their part marveled at magnificent Sihi and eyed the Starlit Court's military with cautious intrigue. During the first year and a half of entering Tereket space, the Starlit court failed to make contact with any other near by powers or independent civilization. During this time the Knights of Sihi took several small contracts from the Tereket. This lack of contact was disconcerting for the court, as by now the court would typically have made contact with half a dozen new civilizations.
The Anthuak Massacre 199AoQ
By 199AoQ the court had taken numerous small contracts and quests with the Tereket Dynasties, primarily escorting diplomats and hunting space pirates, but this would change with Anthuak. The Tereket approached the council of grandmasters and the Castelon with word that one of their mining worlds was in the grip of a terrorist insurrection. The quest would be for the knights to break the main armed Ahurkin rebel group, and allow for Tereket forces to mop up any further armed resistance. Intelligence on the site was poor, and attempts to gather more were met with failure.
When the contracted knights made planet fall they hit the alleged terrorists like the fist of an angry god. The Ahurkin resistance broke after the first volley of weapons fire. There was practically no resistance from the terrorists, which gave the knights pause. As the knights began to regroup and re-evaluate, local Tereket forces pushed in and began slaughtering the routed Ahurkin forces and any civilians that crossed their paths. It quickly became apparent to all gathered there that the Tereket had used the Knights of Sihi to shatter the armed defenders of an otherwise peaceful demonstration, and judging from the screaming orders from their Tereket 'allies' they were to make a bloody example of them.
Outraged, and disgusted, the assembled knights fired warning shots toward their Tereket 'allies, halting a sweeping massacre mid progress. The knights demanded the end of the operation, as it had been carried out under false pretenses; cautious of the Sihian Knights firepower, the Tereket Commander declared the operation a success, and gave a general withdrawal order.
Rising Tensions 199 - 200 AoQ
The massacre soured relations between the Court and the Dynasties in an instant. Both sides were furious with the other, one for the betrayal of being used as a bludgeon against a civilian target, and the other for the abrupt end to a brutal example being made. Mutliple knights began to call for punitive actions against the Tereket, but with Sihi isolated and cruising through their territory, the Castalan did not wish to put the station at undue risk.
It was during this time that the Starlit Court finally made contact with other powers of the reigon, and gained a wider picture of the local stellar environment and political situation. The Terket Dynasties had subsumed the majority of nearby powers, with only two interstellar forces still independent from their rule: the Zurian Confederation, and the Hulain Theocratic Republic. It was projected that it would take over a year for Sihi to exit Tereket space, during which time the castellon and the Council of Elders and Grandmasters would attempt to keep the Tereket Dynasties relationship at least Civil.
The Ta'corva Incident 200AoQ
While passing through Tereket Space the Court still needed to supply itself with materials through quests and contracts. One such contact was with the planetary government of a world called Ta'Corva. Ta'Corva was a tropical world ruled by intelligent bird folk called the Corvan the outskirts of Tereket territory. The court was called on to lead an evacuation of several major population centers being battered by sudden and dramatic hurricanes and tsunami that threatened to kill millions.
While undertaking this operation, Syr Guibor of the order of The Order of the Lions discovered a Tereket presence while rescuing a capsized civilian transport vessel. The Tereket had established a covert opperations facility and were using esoteric technologies to sabotage the Ta'corva climate, and drive the Corva from the planet. Syr Guibor made a creative interpretation of the mission's parameters, and rallied several lances to their side, assaulting and destroying the Tereket base. With the base destroyed, the natural disasters came to an abrupt end, and the knights were hailed as heroes. However, much of Syr Guibor's glory and chance to speak out against the Tereket was suppressed by the Councils, who did not want to provoke Tereket reprisal while Sihi was in a vulnerable state.
The Alyr Grand Prix 201AoQ
In 201 Tereket noble from the Laoguin dynasty submitted a quest to the starlit court requesting a racer proxy for a race event called the Alyr Grand Prix. The Alyr Grand Prix was a stellar race across the Alyr System held every three years by the Tereket Dynasties. The Grand Prix was a major event for the Tereket, with honor, glory, and political standing for nobles within the Dynasties.
Prince Harold Laoguin sought the court for their mechs, believing that their maneuverability, durability, and firepower would make victory assured. The Castellon initially rejected this quest. Syr Garid Ashigh of the order of the Lion convinced the Castellon that by accepting this quest that they would be reinforcing their relations with the Tereket Dynasties, allowing easier passage and lessening the political burden that was keeping Sihi from gathering resources. Syr Ashigh did win the race, however the event had the opposite desired effect that the Castellon was sold on. The Alyr Grand Prix was a dangerous race which allowed for live weapons fire, and active skirmishing between racers. Unfortunately for the diplomatic standing of the Starlit Court, Syr Ashigh took full advantage of the live fire rules; 'accidentally' shattering an asteroid with their mech's rail gun, obliterating two high ranking nobles from the Sortek and Dozan dynasties in the ensuing debris field. Enraged by the killings the Tereket dynasties demanded Syr Ashigh's head.
In the wake of the Alyr Grand Prix, the Tereket demanded Ashigh be brought to justice for the death of two high ranking Dynasty members. The Grandmasters convinced the Tereket that Syr Ashigh would face justice by way of Cour law, and recalled Syr Ashigh to Sihi. During the trail, the Crows of Maeve were summoned by Syr Ashigh‘s defense.
The Crows relayed a list of Sentient rights violations, covert actions, and other crimes the Tereket Dynasties had engaged in during the short three year span that the Starlit court had been aware of the Dynasties alone. Among these acts included the assassination of a Crow of Maeve, a plan to sabotage Sihian supply routes, and heinous of all the theft of the body of a fallen knight and an attempt to reverse engineer the Sheath.
Additionally the Crows had gleamed countless other horrific and evil acts that the Tereket had committed in order to gain their dominant position in the local sector going back several centuries. After several months of deliberation the court found Sry Ashigh not guilty on grounds that they had acted within the parameters of their quest as commissioned by a Tereket noble. The Tereket Dynasties in response close all borders with the Starlit Court and threaten further action. It is decided by the Castelan, the Grandmasters, and the Council of Elders that the Starlit Court will go to war with the Tereket Dynasties.
The Tereket Wars begin
The Hulain Campaign: 201 – 202AoQ
In late 301 the Castellon orders Sihi moved from Tereket space, looking for somewhere to place the world-satation where it could be safe and act as a staging point for a series of campaigns against the Tereket Dynasties. The world of Charity's Throne was the capital of the Hulain Theocratic Republic, a pacifistic nation which represented the largest religious group in the local sector. The Tereket had blockaded the planet, seeking to starve out and break the Hulian Conclave politically, stripping them of power and absorbing their worlds.
Initially, the Court began maneuvering Sihi toward the planet, and sent a vanguard of engineers and medical experts from the First forge, the Bright forge, and the Order of the fist. These representatives offered a quest to the Hulian government that they would be fools to turn down: allow the court to construct defensive positions and run medical triage on their world for the cost of the materials used there. The Hulain conclave accepted. Over the next months the forge orders and Fist defensive engineers erected powerful anti-orbital defenses across Charity's Throne, training and manning them with local volunteer militias. Meanwhile fist knights gathered additional militia volunteers in fortified locations, arming and training them.
After eight months of limited court intervention, Sihi entered the Charity system, and broadcast a declaration of war against the Tereket Dynasties. The anti-orbital guns roared, tearing into the Tereket blockade fleet as the Court Fleet rushed in ahead of Sihi. Caught between the hammer and the anvil Admiral Benden of the Sortek Dynasty ordered his fleet to retreat and regroup in a nearby stellar gas cloud. Several members of the Tereket fleet misinterpreted the command, and engaged emergency FLT, abandoning the fight as the Court's Knights and fighter-craft crashed into the Tereket Fleet.
Sihi manuvered into orbit of High Charity, taking a defensive position backed by the anti-orbital ground cannons, as the Court fleet began a cat and mouse chase across the system with the Tereket Fleet. Having lost several ships to boarding actions and total destruction, Admiral Benden put their fleet on silent running, vanishing into the background radiation of the system's asteroid belt after having dispatched messengers requesting reinforcements from the main Tereket fleet.
Syr Eir Rinn is dispatched at the head of several lances to the system's asteroid belt, where they engage in extended stealth operations. Syr Rinn's forces remain undetected for several weeks despite the Tereket fleet launching harassing actions from the asteroid belt. Eventually, Admiral Bended mobilizes their fleet fully mobilizes and exits the asteroid belt, burning toward a Lagrange-point to rendezvous with a reinforcing fleet. The Castellan orders a detachment of the fleet to give chase, while sending out encrypted signals to Syr Rinn to remain in hiding. The Court detachment harass the Tereket fleet as they race for the lagrange-point, with the Court forces breaking off the hunt shortly before the Terket reinforcements arrive in system.
Confidant, and seeking revenge for his earlier defeats, Admiral Benden leads a chase against the Court forces from his flagship at the head of the Tereket fleet. The retreating Court fleet makes a break for the asteroid belt, luring Admiral Benden and his fleet in while his reinforcements attempt to catch up, attempting to maintain cohesion and strength in numbers. As Admiral Benden and his men enter the asteroid belt Syr Rinn's trap is sprung. The leading tip of the Tereket fleet is swarmed by mechs who cut their way into the enemy hulls in devastating boarding actions, while asteroids and debris are launched from the belt at the trailing Terket reinforcements. In the chaos the full mass of the starlit court fleet disengages from Charity's Thone orbit and charges in against the Tereket.
Syr Rinn personally carved through their flagship's bridge with a mech scale sword, venting the admiral and sending the Terekt fleet into turmoil. The asteroid belt turns into a killing field as Tereket vessels begin to move to retreat from the battle, a scant handful escaping without being crippled or captured. With the system secured the court began to work with the Hulains, recruiting and training a volunteer milita to augment Court forces for the coming war, while leaving Sihi in orbit of Charity's Throne under the watchful firepower of its new orbital cannons.
The Alyr Campaign: 202AoQ
After Charity's Throne and Sihi was secured the Court began evaluating targets in the Tekret Dynasties that would aid in bringing allies to their side and or cripple Terket operations and force a surrender. The planet of Alyr was chosen as the perfect target. The Alyr system was not only a major transit and shipping hub for resources and personnel in the Tereket Dynasties, but it contained the second largest naval dry dock in the empire, the perfect place to arm the Hulain auxiliaries. Scouts confirmed this intelligence while carrying out a series of hit and fade probing actions. According to the scouts reports, the Alyr system was strangely undefended, with a token force of defenders and the remains of the retreated force from the Hulian campaign. The court decided to press their advantage and invade while the system was poorly defended, sending two small strike forces to harass neighboring systems as cover, while dispatching three full knightly orders to lead the assault into Alyr.
Court mechs detach from the main fleet after entering Alyr space, going dark and preparing and ambush. Meanwhile the main fleet move in toward the station, lobbing fire ineffectually toward the station in an attempt to fool the defenders into believing the court was here to destroy the anchorage. The Tereket forces fall for the ploy, detaching from the anchorage and regular patrol routes to form a defensive picket line. The Court fleet enters an elusive stance, probing and launching attacks from the longest range possible. The Court ships continued to harass and retreat, pulling the Tereket fleet further and further from the station and it's ability to provide covering fire while spreading them further and further apart. The Terket flagship, a battleship class vessel named the Unsaleable Fortress, detached its escorts to chase down a Court vessel that had allowed itself to fall out of cohesion. Just as the escort craft exited the Unsaleable Fortress' range, the mech ambush force sprung their trap. Lead by Syr Arietta Starscourge of the Order of the Great Wyrm, the mechs descended on the Unassailable Fortress in a furious storm. The ship was captured quickly, with Syr Starscourge turning the ship's own guns on it's escort as they desperately made a move to defend the vessel. The remaining forces charge in on the collapsing Tereket picket line, sending several panicking ships into emergency FTL jumps while their remaining comrades surrendered or were destroyed.
The screening fleet scattered, the Court forces moved in on the Alyr anchorage using the Unassailable Fortress at it's head. Hesitant to fire on their own vessel while it was full of captive sailors, the anchorage only opened fire once it was too late, as Syr Starscourge's forces leaped from the captured vessel and disabled the station's guns. Unarmed and surrounded, the Alyr Anchorage's crew surrendered to the court.
With Alyr's orbit secured, the Court dispatched the orders of the First Forge and the Bright forge to the captured station along with every vessel captured from the Tereket fleet up to that point. There was a brief argument between the leaders of both orders as to who would take the lead of operations aboard the captured ship, but this was quickly settled when Syr Starscourge claimed the station in the name of the Order of the Wyrm and reminded the forge masters of their orders from the Castellon to get the Alyr Anchorage working and producing gunships for the Hulain Milita as soon as possible.
The Ground War for Alyr: 202 - 203AoQ
With the space above the planet captured, the court began an invasion of Alyr two weeks after it's anchorage fell. All knigths participating in the ground invasion were given strict orders to avoid collateral damage, and targets where rapid dramatic victories were prioritized early on in the invasion to inspire awe ink the eyes of the local population. Hulain auxiliaries were deployed lead by teams of Court men at arms in teams to clean up in the wake of knight attacks, providing relief and protection to the civilian population to promote the narrative of the Starlit Court as just and honorable liberators.
Several units of the Tereket ground forces surrender or outright defect as approaching knight forces are spotted. Defectors and POWs were disarmed and treated fairly, with the majority allowed to rejoin the civilian population after only a few weeks of detainment. Any captured Tereket forces of commissioned officer rank or higher were held for interrogation and potential military trials for war crimes and sentient's right's violations carried out while under the employ of the Dynasties.
The Tereket forces quickly retreated to the capital, consolidating around the Alyri Dynastic Palace while planning an operation to retake the orbital station utilizing an EMP tipped rocket. Hot on their heels,Court forces laid siege to the capital, court Knights quickly destroying weapon emplacements and hardened defensive positions. The remaining Tereket forces evade the oncoming knight attacks, taking cover in civilian buildings and drawing the attack out into brutal city fighting over the course of several days. The collateral damage restrictions are eventually lifted after the campaign grinds to a halt from knights and men at arms suffering major damage while trudging through a city that has been rigged with traps and bombs, turning the Alyri capital into a veritable death maze.
With restrictions lifted the Court issued a command for full scale evacuation of a 2 kilometer long, 100 meter wide corridor of the city to be evacuated, taking a week to engage in quick skirmishing operations to find and clear civilians from the area. Once it was decided that the court had done their due diligence in evacuation the corridor, they unleashed their full might, blasting everything taller than a Lutrian flat with a protracted bombardment and mech assault; carving away a section of the city for invasion that lead directly to the heart of the local Tereket command center in the Altri palace.
Panicking from the overwhelming display of force, Lord Kavar Alyri orders the emp detonated, knocking out all power in a hundred kilometer radius. The blast disabled not only the knight's mechs, but also locked up the power armor of their men at arms support, leaving them sluggish and unresponsive at best, and completely immobile in the worst case. Forge order forces are scrambled to the planets surface to provide intimidate cover and to reactivate the scrambled mechs, but it was not fast enough. The embattled Tereket forces charged out from their positions and swarmed the ruined corridor, attempting to seize the opportunity and crush the paralyzed court forces. They were greeted by the knights, firing back from cover within the rubble belt. While the EMP had disabled the men at arm's power armor, and knocked out the knight's mechs, the vast majority of knights themselves were shielded from the blast by their mechs, and had chosen to dismount and quickly dig in.
The fighting was fierce and rapid, with charging Tereket forces looking to pounce on their disabled enemies, greeted by a sudden counter attack lead by Syr Damian Rodgers. Syr Rodgers, the Steel Exemplar, was the first of the knight to dismount his mech, and quickly assumed control of the battlefield during the chaos, coordinating several counter charged, fading maneuvers, and harassing actions that lead the Tereket forces away from the Court's mechs and men at arms.
By the time the court's mechs came back online the casualties on both sides were heavy, with many knights suffering grave injuries protecting their comrades. Seeing the court's titans of war wake from their slumber, and their infantry forces swell back to their previous number was enough to make the Tereket force break and surrender. However, in the chaos of the fighting, a single shuttle escaped with Lord Kavar Alyri and members of his royal hangers on, escaping orbit and entering FTL to warn the Tereket Dynasties of what had just transpired.
Despite having been abandoned by their master, many members of the Tereket honor guard continued to fight, retreating to the Alyri palace and launching strikes against any court forces that would approach the building. The palace was heavily entrenched and turned into a total death trap by the Alyri honor guard. The court forces attempt several assaults on the palace, but end up losing several mechs, with many more heavily damaged. Syr Rodgers attempted to cover the retreating forces of one such assault, and was rendered comatose by a lucky improvised explosive detonating against his cockpit, causing their Fae to go berserk, rampaging until it was reduced to little more than scrap.
Command deemed the palace too much of a strategic threat to be left standing, and too well entrenched to be assaulted. So, they ordered a full orbital bombardment of the site, and pounded the palace into rubble. The Alyri campaign was declared a success, and work began on reconstruction and recovery efforts for the planet. Hulian militia forces were brought in to help garrison the planet and offer humanitarian aid, while court forces took a week to search the rubble for survivors and sheaths. Sry Rodgers was discovered alive during this search by Hulain forces erecting a chapel atop the rubble of the Alyri palace.
There were a handful of brief altercations both planet-side and within the anchorage post operations, with Hulain forces discovered collecting and selling scrap from Court mechs and power armor as 'relics', and a brief altercation between the forge-masters of the First Forge and the Bright forge over the direction to take with the captured anchorage and it's new task of arming the Hulain Militia. The Hulian militia were reprimanded, though they had done little wrong, the court did not want to risk their technological secret falling into anyone's hands. The relic trade would continue in secret however. The Forge-masters amicably settled their differences, compromising on a one size-fits all solution after being pressured by the Castilian and their encroaching deadlines.
Seeking further allies in the war against the Tereket Dynasties; the Starlit Court detached a diplomatic attaché to the Zurian Confederation in late 202. The Zurian Confederation was a group of independent worlds brought together in mutual defense by the aggressive expansion of the Tereket Dynasties and for mutual defense and economic benefits. The Confederation had invested heavily in its navy, following the doctrine that if the Tereket dynasties couldn't land an army then they could not capture one of their worlds. While the Zurian Confederation had a strong navy, their ground forces were woefully underfunded, and consisted of a few planetary defensive garrisons, and a network of planet bound anti-orbital weapon platforms.
The diplomat was accompanied by Syr Guibor and Syr Rinn to act as bodyguards and potentially demonstration of the Court's might if need be. The Confederation was cautious of the Court’s capabilities and the threat of the Tereket, taking an evasive and non committal stance for several days. Eventually, the Court's diplomats offer the Confederation a demonstration of the Starlit Court’s might, by way of Syr Guibor and Syr Rinn sparring on foot, while impressed, the Confederation did not budge, famously Harakan Bendozi of the Zurian Confederation diplomatic core said
“While your giants breaking our ring and smashing through a solid wall with their brawling is impressive, I doubt your people are skilled at punching apart tanks and drop kicking fighters out of the sky.”
Offended, Syr Rinn challenged the local confederation ground commander to a trial of skill. The confederation military would bring their best military assets and soldiers, and would be given an hour to shoot down Syr Rinn’s mech. There would be no consequences if Syr Rinn or their mech were destroyed in the process, and Syr Rin promissed not to use any weapons in their own defense. What followed was an outstanding display of skill for the Court, and an embarrassing showing for the Confederation. The top guns of the Confederation defense force failed to shoot down Syr Rinn's mech for not just an hour, but two and a half hours, only managing to score a handful of superficial hits to the mech's armor. Adding insult to injury, Syr Rinn ended the demonstration by kicking a Confederation tank onto its side, and grabbing a confederation attack helicopter out of the sky and grounding it.
With half the Confederation diplomats thoroughly embarrassed and the other half either enraged in in awe, the meeting was called to a close for the day, and contact wasn't renewed for a week. After the tense waiting period the diplomatic corp of the Zurian Confederation committed their full military support to the Starlit Court in their struggle against the Tereket Dynasties, but only in the liberation of Anthuak and Yalen, as they were formerly independent planets that had fallen to the Tereket's expansionist military within living memory. While this was not the full commitment that the Starlit Court desired, they agreed to the terms, and began planning for the campaign.
The Battle of Yalen 203 - 204AoQ
Court and Confederation forces drop into Yelden space about three months after the initiation of the Alyr Campaign. The Starlit Court ships hang back from the FTL entry position deploying knights on the exterior hulls of the Confederation ships. The outnumbered Tereket ships retreat from the planet, slingshotting from the orbital gravity well behind the primary moon. The Confederation forces move in to chase, looking to achieve a quick victory and drive the Tereket fleet from the planet. Anti orbital weapons begin firing from both Yalen and it's moon, catch the Confederation force in a deadly crossfire, prompting the Court knights to detatch and drop onto the planets moon to take out the lunar gun emplacements. As the Confederation fleet weather's the bombardment, the Tereket fleet deploy a messenger ship to alert the Tereket navy of the attack.
As the Knights silence the last few weapon emplacements on Yalen's moon, the Tereket fleet reemerges from the other side of the moon and open fire on the Confederation flag ship. A cruiser class vessel that was more a spacecraft built around a single massive gun than a standard ship unleashes a massive a spiraling plasma beam that rips through the shields of the Confederation flagship. The flagship’s primary reactor goes critical, the ship is set ablaze from the inside and explodes violently, damaging the remaining confederation ships. Reeling from the attack the coalition ships break out of Yalen orbit and retreat. The ship killer vessel, later identified as the Lance of Destiny, begins charging another shot as its escort ships give chase to the fleeing fleet.
The knights finally break away from the gravity of the moon, giving chase to the Lance of Destiny and assaulting it from behind. Syr Meringold breaks away from the knight forces as the Tereket fleet unleash a swarm of fighter craft to intercept them. Just before the Lance of Destiny was ready to fire, Syr Meringold unleashed a full bombardment into the ship killer lance's barrel. The blast went critical, cascading and ripping the Lance of Destiny to shreds. Syr Meringold unfortunately perished in the blast as rubble tore into their cockpit as they attempted to retreat.
With the ship killer destroyed the Starlit Court ship commander chose to reinforce the wavering Confederation feet. With their flagship destroyed the Tereket fleet began to withdraw, dropping into planetary orbit and seeking cover from the planetary defenses. Rather than giving chase, the Coalition fleet falls back in turn, orbiting around to the dark side of the moon for cover. Knights make moonfall with light support from Confederation strike-craft, traveling along the moon’s surface to avoid detection before launching a surprise attack against the Tereket Fleet. During the engagement a Confederation fightercraft crashed into the bridge of a Tereket cruiser, knocking out control and setting it ablaze Syr Guibor rams into the ship's thrusters, pinning it's vectoring flaps and sending it crashing into a neighboring cruiser, causing both ships to break orbit and crash into Yalen below. In the chaos the Confederation and Court fleets move to outflank the Tereket fleet. A civilian shuttle docks with one of the Tereket ships, before the entire fleet enters emergency FTL and abandon the battlefield.
With the Tereket fleet in full retreat, Court knights and Confederation aerospace strike-craft begin planet fall under cover of orbital bombardment. Taking point, the knight forces begin systematically assaulting the Tereket orbital defenses. Within several hours the bulk of the orbital defenses were knocked out, and the combined ground forces cleared out a planetary beach head, allowing further reinforcements to land and begin the ground war.
Over the course of several months Syr Guibor lead Starlit court ground forces on Yalen in attempts to silence orbital cannons and secure the surrender of planetary defenders. The ground forces were primarily made up of Order of the Lion knights and men at arms, with two dozen volunteer lances from various other knightly orders, supported by Confederation aerospace fighters and a small battle force of Confederation volunteer infantry. The initial invasion went well, as ground forces would often be greeted by rebel Yalenese forces that had taken up arms after the Tereket fleet was routed. Projections with the Yalenese rebels bolstering existing ground forces estimated that Yalen would be liberated within three months.
Two months into the invasion, a second enormous Tereket fleet dropped out of FTL and charged in toward Yalen orbit. This enormous fleet contained three ship killer vessels of the same design as the Lance of Destiny. Clearly outnumbered, the Zurian Confederation fleet and Starlit Court naval assets called for an intimidate retreat, with court assets scrambling to retreat the invasion force and civilians that their ships could fit with the remainder of their space. When the evacuation force made ground fall on the beach-head bases, they found Men at arms leading a mass civilian evacuation, with their knights, confederation, and rebel allies refusing to abandon the planet. Reluctantly, the Court naval assets agree, evacuating as many vulnerable civilians as they can while dumping as many supplies, munitions, and repair assets as they could for their ground forces.
The Confederation and Court ships escape Yalen orbit before the arrival of the Tereket fleet, which in turn gives chase after the fleeing navy. The Tereket fleet leaves a single battleship and dozen destroyer escorts in orbit above Yalen to trap the ground forces planet-side, while beginning a campaign of orbital bombardment. The Knights take direct control over the remaining Confederation and Rebel forces, consolidating them with their existing men at arms while securing and retreating into a series of hardened military installations that they had captured during the initial invasion.
For the next three months the planet bound forces wage a brutal campaign of liberation and defense; finishing off the remaining Tereket ground forces in destructive city fights, hit and run ambushes, and all out assaults. This would happen again and again as the Tereket fleet would dump more manpower over and over again onto Yalen, shoveling men and war material into a meat-grinder of a campaign. During this campaign nearly half of all the courts mechs were destroyed or rendered inoperable due to the intense, constant, high tempo combat engagements, forcing many knights to lead ground forces on foot. The Yalen rebels were reforged from a disorganized mass of angry civilians into a battle hardened veteran combat force, fighting with stolen weapons and the best training and tactics the Court could muster.
After two months of pressure, the Zurian Confederation was convinced to deploy their navy to break the Tereket blockade of Yalen. This only came after the court promised the full commitment of the Oder of the Lions and the Beast wardens in their entirety to the action. By the time the fleet returned the Yalen system, they found that the ground forces had managed to reconstruct several orbital batteries and were planning a desperate strike against the blockade forces. The Tereket forces in orbit were quickly dispatched, and Syr Guibor, who had become the defecto general of the ground forces, was hailed a hero. With the planet finally secured, the Yalenese rebels held the first meeting of the Yalenese Provisional Republic. The Provisional Republic's first act was to reform the Yalenese rebel groups into the First People's Legion, with their second and third acts committing themselves to the war against the Tereket and petitioning for member status in the Zurian Confederation.
The First Siege of Sihi 204AoQ
The Tereket Dynasty fleet enters Charity’s Throne space from the Yalen system, blitzing toward Court forces in orbit. The initial Tereket fleet sends a mix of escort and fighter craft into the engagement first, as larger vessels hang back. Rapidly mobilizing, Starlit Court forces scramble all available knights, and aerospace fighters to intercept the Tereket fighter swarm. As the knights lead the charge against the Tereket Fleet, all remaining Court warships converge on Shihi, forming a protective screen while the world craft maneuvers into a safer position.
The Tereket flagship opens fire, scoring a direct hit with its plasma weapon on the Howl of Triumph, the Flagship of the Wolf Princes Order, vaporizing over a quarter of the ship and sending the rapidly crumbling hull into Yalen orbit. Realizing how lethal the Tereket main guns were; the Fleet abandon their defensive positions and charge the Tereket lines, believing the Tereket ship killers would hesitate to fire on targets too close by. As the Court navy engaged in a brutal up-close shooting match with the Tereket fleet, two main battleship broke off from the Tereket navy and entered a slingshot maneuver to reach Sihi.
The Tereket ships fired a hail of boarding torpedoes while scrambling dozens of escort and landing craft toward Sihi, slipping past the world-ship's defenses and beginning ground invasion. Fighting broke out all across the wards and within the anchorages, as shock troops poured into unprepared civilian zones. The fighting was most brutal in Camlain, as Man at arms forces rushed to reinforce the embattled police force who were struggling to hold fortified civilian defense bunkers scattered across the city. Many Terekt assault pods met with a swift and brutal end, breaking into the underbelly of a lake and drowning, punching up into the black forest and being mangled by Cold-ones and Kegs, or being cut down by the automated defenses and machinery that lurk in the spaces between the internal surface and the outer skin of the anchorage.
Syr Arielle Jade Sethdragon of the Mystic Dragons, with the aid of her lancemates, dragons, and men at arms, begin coordinating the defense of Camlain while sweeping through the city; burning Tereket infantry to cinders. Outside of the Worldship, Syr Helia the Hammer manages to rush one of the Tereket ships leading the assault, and smashed their bridge in a daring assault, sewing confusion and anarchy among their ranks. Despite their losses the Tereket invasion force proves to be quite deadly within the halls of Castle Sihi, carving a bloody path to the Grand Master's chambers. The court attempts to evacuate the oldest and most vulnerable Grandmasters, as thirty of the council rush to reach their mechs, but they are intercepted. A team of chemically enhanced cyborgs manage to kill Grandmaster Xarahiks and Dorden of the White Templars and the Blade Smashers before they were repelled. Three other grandmasters were badly injured, including Syr Lanaya who was forced to retire from her injuries after the battle.
Syr Sethdragon and Syr Helia both make their way into castle Sihi, fighting their way through Terket boarding parties, trapping the Terekt between the Hammer, and the really big angry dragon. Syr Sethdragon slays a second team of assassins before they can hit the grandmasters. Syr Helia destroyed the Tereket landing craft, cutting off any hope for escape before leading a sweeping force through the anchorage. After two more hours of battle and purging, the Terekt invasion force is wiped out to a man.
With their invasion force routed, the Terket ships attempt an emergency FTL jump, fleeing into Alyr space. An attempt was made to capture one of the Tereket battleships, but the vassal was destroyed in its entirety before it could be seized. The fleeing Tereket ships briefly engaged the partially constructed fleet above Alyr, but were quickly over-run when court reinforcements entered the system, catching the mauled-retreating ships in the rear. Despite the attack failing, the loss of ships, damage done to the fleet, the deaths of several grandmasters set back the Court's war effort by at least a month. In a brief ceremony both Syr Ariel Sethdragon and Syr Helia the Hammer are both named champions of Sihi
The Ruination of Anthuak 205AoQ
Several months after the first Sige of Sihi, the now Grandmaster Guibor the ruthless pushes the other grandmasters back into acting. Guibor sight the completion of the Hulain Light Fleet and several militias, and that the Terekt were no doubt taking every chance available to bolster their own fleets and dig in across their remaining worlds. The Grandmaster and the Castelon agree, and begin planning a massive show of force to break the Tereket resolve.
A combined force of all available Court forces, accompanied by the new Hulian Light Fleet and Confederation main fleet drop into the Anthuak System, expecting to meet heavy resistance with enormous firepower, however they encounter no resistance. There is no fleet, and the orbital cannons stationed on Anthuak and its moon are both silent and unpowered. Warry of a trap; the fleets complete a full parameter sweep of the system Over the course of several days, the fleet carries out countless scans and probing actions, but only find distress calls from the planet's surface.
Once the Fleet commanders were confidant that they had not been lured into a trap, they approached the planet, and were appalled by their findings. The Tereket had plundered the planet of all availible resources, evacuated their nobility and 'useful' personnel, before scouring the world. Mines had been hastily stripped, settlements and industrial zones scavenged for any working parts, and the world's largest population had been reduced to rubble. The Tereket, knowing that the Court considered itself something of an altruistic force, had devastated the planet, seeking to slow down the court's advance by presenting them with a civilian population in utter crisis and devastation. After much deliberation; it was decided that the Hulians and Confederation forces would restore order to the planet, while the court would press on and deliver a killing blow to the Tereket.
The Battle of Sorozia, 205
The Court fleet arrives in the Sorozia System from Anthuak, finding the system heavily fortified. The Tereket forces had built numerous orbital and ground based defenses, and the full might of the Tereket fleet all massed together here. Scans also indicated that there was a massive ship half constructed in the Sorozian orbital docs.
The Court began their assault immediately, firing on orbital stations and deploying their knight while moving into cover behind Sorozia's moon. Multiple lances assault the orbital stations, attempting to seize them and turn them against the Tereket fleet. The Tereket fleet move to clash against the Court navy in a withering exchange of fire. The ships brawl at close range, exchanging blow after blow over the case of several days, while the knights capture or destroy the orbital guns and begin assaulting the ground based emplacements, beginning the ground invasion. The orbital brawl moves into the void between the planet and its moon, Tereket forces taking heavy fire from both their own captured orbital stations and the Court fleet, while the Court themselves launched the full invasion force.
As the battle drifted around the orbit of the planet, the Sorozian orbital dry dock entered the range of the brawl. The Order of the Fist's flagship, the Unassailable, moved to fire its main gun at the drydock to scuttle the construction, only to find that the ship's main gun was operational. The partially constructed ship opened fire on the Unassailable, launching an enormous plasma-bolt at the capital ship, at the last moment the Cruiser Furious Vengeance moved in the way, and is nearly vaporized as the bolt tears it in half. Even having annihilated a ship, the bolt slammed into the Unassailable shields, shattering them and pulverizing their plating, burning away nearly a quarter of the ship's mass and crippling it in a single blast. It was later discovered that Grandmaster Cantaz Kayschild died coordinating the ship's evacuation, and that the weapon's blast as strong enough to destroy the sheath, granting the weapon the nickname “The Soul Burner Cannon”. The Castelan ordered a full retreat, the Court navy burning hard to the other side of the planet and scrambling to recover the knights still planet-side. Battleships hold the rear to screen the shuttles and evacuating knights from the emboldened Tereket fleet numerous messenger craft are dispatched to neighboring systems to warn of the Tereket super weapon before the Court fleet drops into FTL and retreat to Anthuak space to assess the damages. In the wake of the encounter with the Soul Burner Cannon, that the allied fleets would retreat to Charity's Throne for repairs and to plan for a new assault on Sorozia.
Second Siege of Sihi 205AoQ
Three months pass after the courts retreat from Sorozia, with the fleet mostly reinforced and repaired, while debate raged about what to do about the Soul Burner. An enormous fleet dropped in on the edge of the system, with the Soul Burner at it's head. The Soul Burner fires from the edge of the system, the plasma ball crossing space and obliterating a Confederation cruiser in a single hit. In all, the Tereket fleet consists of the Soul Burner as its flagship, two dozen smaller escort craft, and a pair of cruisers with smaller soul killer cannons mounted on them. With the range of the Soul Burner's main gun demonstrated, the Court and it's allied fleet move in to assault the super weapon. The court leads the charge, followed by the Hulain gunships and frigates taking up the middle, and the Confederation fleet taking up the rear. The Fleets make contact, in a hail of missiles, kinetic slugs, and plasma blasts. The Court fleet take the brunt of the initial engagement, while no ship were lost, damage was extensive. The courts knights were not among the initial engagement, instead charging in with the assistance of the Hulain fleet, with the bulk of the mechs hitching rides on Hulain gunboats. Syr Guibor lead the Hulain/Court charge, as the knights with Hulain support begin tearing apart the Soul Burner's escort.
During the initial fighting Syr Sethdragon lands on one of the soul killer cruisers, leading a boarding action, leaving Syr Eir O'Rin behind to cover the infiltration team. The boarding party turn to fire the Soul Killer Cruiser's main cannon on it's pair, but it is swarmed by Tereket fighter-craft who score a lucky hit on the cruiser's core. Syr Sethdragon and their boarding team set the cruiser to ram the Soul Burner, and evacuate the cruiser, only to have it be vaporized by its fellow Soul Killer Cruiser firing its main gun on it, ripping the ship in two in a cataclysmic fireball. Syr O'Rin and his lance are slain in an instant as they stayed with the ship to assure its collision with the Soul Burner, and their sheaths are assumed destroyed.
The confederation fleet joined the battle, focusing their efforts on the second Soul Killer Cruiser. The Cruiser was destroyed by a suicidal charge lead by Cardinal Shandler of the Hulian milita, crashing himself and his wing of gunboats into the ship killer's cannon, causing it to explode in a cataclysmic melt down. Moral was crushed as it is discovered that the Soul Burner is only 30 minuets away from being able to fire on Sihi itself. Scans indicate the Soul burner will be able to fire within 15 minuets, and its trajectory indicates it will be aiming for Sihi. The Zotan Nox, admiral of the Confederation Fleet panics, and orders a full retreat, but is shot dead and his command assumed by Vice admiral Kanos Xon.
Vice Admiral Xon takes the confederation flag ship, the Dogran's Avenger, into the thick of combat, firing on the Soul Burner. Six lances move in under cover of the Dogran's Avenger, before charging the Soul Burner. The knights end up entangled in a counter charge by a drone swarm. Syr Kay Szar and Syr Rodgers stay behind to draw fire and buy the remaining charge time. Meanwhile, Syr Starscourge and Syr Ashigh split the remaining 4 lances, one going for the bridge and one going for the landing bays.
As the Soul burner nearly entered optimal range of Sihi, Syr Starscourge makes a desperate charge against the Soul Burner’s bridge, taking heavy fire from defensive cannons. Syr Starscourge’s mech is reduced to a single arm, it’s thruster array, and the cockpit under withering fire. Syr Starscourge set their reactor to overload and a enter a ramming trajectory for the Bridge before ejecting and attaching themselves to a lancemate’s mech. The damaged mech impact’s against the Soul Killer’s bridge, exploding in an enormous ball of slag and plasma. Once the rubble is cleared the bridge has been set ablaze and is experiencing depressurization, but still operable. Syr Syr Ashigh lands in the Tereket Hangar but is immediately pinned down as the swarms of drones and fighter craft that had bogged down Syr Kay Szar switch targets.
The Soul Burner begins to charge its cannon, limping into a firing arch against Sihi. Syr Kay Szar orders all ships and knights to immediately retreat as they charge the main gun of the Soul Burner. Syr Kay Szar reveals they intend on unsheathing their soul, and does not know just how devastating the effects will be Syr Starscourge and Syr Ashigh reluctantly order the retreat, scrambling out to a safe distance assured that Syr Kay Szar’s sacrifice will at least divert the Soul Burner shot. Syr Kay Szar unsheaths their soul, supercharging their mech scale graviton mace beyond anything it has ever exhibited before Syr Kay Szar Strikes the Soul Burner with the power of his unsheathed soul, swallowing the miniature sun the weapon produces in a miniature black hole that consumes 80% of the Soul Burner vessel in an instant, shredding the remainder as the singularity collapses in on itself.
The remaining Tereket fleet panics and break and surrender as their super weapon is devoured by a singularity. Hulian and Confederation forces continue to fire on the remaining Tereket vessels until Starlit court command threatens to turn their own weapons on them The Castellon intended to capture the Tereket vessels to replenish losses in the war, and to distribute among local forces after the war to establish a balance of power. Most knights stopped firing when the surrender came, but many needed to be talked down from their desires for martial revenge for fallen comrades.
The Dissolution of the Tereket Empire 207-210AoQ
With the Combined fleets of the Starlit Court, Zurian Confederation, and Hulain Theocratic Republic on the tail of their shattered forces, the Thereket navy surrenders. With no space defenses the coalition forces quickly capture and force the surrender of the remaining Tereket planets. Now under Starlit Court occupation, a series of military trials are held for the Anturk massacre, the Ta'Corva Incident, and the pre-war campaign of espionage against the court. The majority of the Sortek and Dozan Dynasty are summarily executed.
The Zurian Confederation and the Hulain Republic open their own series of trials against the Tereket nobility. Several cases held by the Hulian clergy are mock trials at best, and outright witch hunts at their worst. The council of elders step in to enforce the Hulain legal code and prevent further abuses. The Zurian Confederation trials were found to be rife with corruption, allowing nobility to bribe their way out of responsibility for their actions and vanish with their fortunes. The Confederation Military Police step in, finding a dozen judges to be guilty of treason and stripping them of their station.
Alyr and Guin are both annexed by the Hulian republic. Court Knights embed themselves in the Hulain Auxiliary to provide structure, training, and development of the Hulian Auxiliary into the Hulian Defense force. Numerous ruling priests of the Hulain republic object to the notion of creating a standing military, particularly creating militant orders of priests to govern and control the army. Several Court sages engage the priesthood in debate, and eventually form a negotiating body for the place of the Hulain Defense force. It is determined that the Hulian defense force will act primarily as an anti piracy, humanitarian, and peacekeeping agency with access to fleets and heavy military assets only in the case of a defensive war.
The Zurian Confederation and Hulian Republic both refuse to absorb Anthurk as part of their empires. They site their own weakened economies, and inability to reconstruct a planetary economy from scratch. Both empires are convinced to continue sending economic aid to the Anthurkians as Sihi is moved in orbit of the devastated planet. The Court begins reconstruction efforts on Anthurk, while preventing it from becoming a pirate haven.
The Starlit Court Returns home rule to Dorgan and Gangal, with the descendants of the Dorgan royal line are found in exile in the Zurian Confederation, their return is greeted with great exuberance by the Dorgan people. The Court aids the Gangal people form a provisional democracy from their existing workers unions. The only remaining organization representing the people of Gangal from under the Tereket were their workers unions, which formed to secure and protect what little right the people had under the Tereket. The Zurian Confederation offers associate status to the new Dorgan monarchy, attempting to push a predatory deal on the 13 year old king and their democratically selected regency council.
Prince Patrice Jorundo is nearly assassinated by one of their guardians, after extensive investigation it is found that forces in the Zurian republic had bribed the man. A bodyguard detail from The Order of the Fist are assigned to Prince Jorundo, as are a handful of Sihian sages to aid in their education and the continued development of a democratic monarchy After the trials of the Tereket Dynasties it is found that the two lesser Dynasties of the Ketosi and the Jaruk were both cooperative with the occupying forces. The Ketosi and Jaruk Dynasties were on the outs with the Tereket Dynasties as a whole and generally invested in their worlds, attempting to maintain local beauty, quality of life, and industry, but regularly imposed rough taxes and limited rights to meet tithes to the core dynasties. The Hulain Republic and Zurian confederation forces objected to leaving any former Tereket house in charge of a world. The court decided that it was worth the risk to allow the Ketosi and Jaruk a chance to rule on their own without pressure of an overlord. The Ketosi and Jaruk were each given two of the remaining worlds from the former Tereket Dynasties, creating the Tereket Republic and the Jaruk royal Sphere.
The Chivalric Schism 210-215AoQ
Since the beginning of the involvement of the Starlit court in the Tereket invasion of the Hulian Theocratic Republic there was a problematic cultural force brewing in the ranks for the Hulian Milita. The Church of Hul preached a non violent pacifist message set forth by their founder with a focus on spiritual oneness with the galaxy as a whole. There were several passages in Hulian holy documents which indicate that passive non violence resistance would result in “The stars themselves will cry out at the injustice, and send upon the people their saviors”. Many Hulians interpreted the Knights of the Starlit court as pseudo divine warriors of their cosmic god, and had begun syncretizing the starlit path and the High King with their own faith. Many among those who served in the Hulain Auxiliary had begun to convert to the Starlit path, those returning from the war continued to convert those around them. Several hero monks who had converted to the Starlit path had entered the Divine Senate of Hul, pushing pro-court ideals and making the old guard defensively entrench themselves against what they belived were space knight heresies.
Additionally, a black market trade of scrap from Knight’s mechs as holy relics had become a serious issue on several worlds. While considered harmless at first, the practice quickly becomes cracked down on when a pilgrim is found to have purchased a sheath from one of these relic sellers. The court works with the Hulians to crack down on the relic trade, with the conservative Hulian priesthood believing this act would weaken the position of the heretical sects. Crows of Maeve eventually infiltrated and dismantle the artifact trade, to prevent the dissemination of sensitive weapons technology.
The Conclave Massacre 214AoQ
During a meeting of the Theocratic Council of the Hulian Republic the old guard attempt to pass scriptural reforms that will declare recent schools of thought explicit heresy, making their practice illigal. Debate breaks down immediately, devolving into shouting, then violence. Veterans of the Tereket wars easily overpower and kill several members of the old guard during the skirmish, badly injuring several others. Defense forces move in and restrain all members of the priesthood, but 8 bishops were already killed, and twice that number were hospitalized.
The defense force restrains all members of the Council until the matter can be resolved, and temporarily take control of the government in order to keep the republic from devolving into chaos. Due to the political leanings of the Hulain Defense forces many call their temporary rule a coup. The surviving members fo the Theocratic Council call on the Court as impartial mediaries to resolve the crisis. Quest requests pour in form both sides of the conflict to eliminate the other. Defense force leadership wish to defer judgment of imprisoned bishops to the Starlit Court as they feel any Hulain court would be biased. Peaceful protest and demonstration grind all productivity in the Hulian Republic to a screeching halt. Seeking to prevent the further destabilization of local governments, the Starlit Court holds a brief tribunal over the Hulain council members, finding several in contempt, many guilty of inciting a riot, and three individuals guilty of murder. The crisis is considered resolved, however Hulian politics continue to galvanize.
The Zurian Punitive war 214-216AoQ
During the early post war period the Zurian Confederation experiences an unprecedented economic boom as free trade from former Tereket Dynasty planets flood the Confederation with wealth. Numerous recovering worlds trade vast sums of raw materials for industrial support in their rebuilding efforts. The fall of the Tereket Dynasties ushers in an era optimism, investment, and frivolous spending sending.
The Confederation Fleet are hailed as heroes, its admirals receive near unlimited spending due to this status and the economic boom. The Zurian Confederation navy and military nearly expand three fold since the end of the war. The Zurians comission an 'Anti-piracy' fleet that is deployed on aggressive patrols across the fringes of former Tereket space. The Occupation fleet is constructed and deployed within former Tereket space under the premise of assisting the Starlit Court in peacekeeping. The ‘Hero’ fleet is recalled for repairs and then sent on a year long victory tour across the Confederation. During this time the Crows discover a Zurian Confederation attempt to rebuild a Ship Killer lance with the intent of mounting one on the flagship of each fleet, causing great concern among the Court.
The Confederation High Admiral demands tribute from the unaligned former Tereket worlds for Anthurk, Dorgan, and Gengal, while increasing taxes on Yalen for the special protections the Anti-piracy fleet provides. The move is decried by the Hulian Republic, the Tereket Republic, and the Jaruk Royal Sphere as a blatant power grab and is technically illegal due to Anthurk’s status as a protectorate under the Starlit court.
The Yalenese Republic renounces their associate status with the Zurian Confederation in outrage, putting forth a fund equal to the demands of the Confederation in a quest of defense from the Starlit Court.
In response, the Zurian Occupation fleet launch an assault on Yalen, blockading supply ships and trading fire with planetary defense positions. At the time the Zurian Federal council was in session, and would be in isolation for a month in accordance to its charter, and the Hero Fleet was in the midst of its Victory Tour on the other side of the sector. The Yalenese Republic calls for aid from all neighboring powers and Jaruk Royal Sphere dedicated their fledgling fleet to humanitarian aid but has little to contribute. The Hulain Theocratic Republic decries the attack as an illegal war of aggression, and dedicates a small fleet to humanitarian aid and the defense of civilian ships
The Starlit Court offers a single warning to the admiral of the Occupation Fleet: “Cease, or die.”
The Zurian Occupation fleet continues an aggressive campaign, moving to land troops on Yalen and to secure it’s capital building. Ninety percent of the Starlit Court’s Fleet emerge from FTL above Yalen. The Castellan announces that the Court has accepted a quest to defend Yalen from any aggressive action. The subsequent battle lasts less than an hour. Thirty lances of knights swarm and rip apart the Occupation Fleet flagship, and continue to cripple the occupation fleet. The Zurian ground forces and their landing sites are bombarded from orbit before Knights are blitzed to the surface to capture or slay any survivors. The remaining officers of the Zurian Occupation fleet surrender, and are arrested and are transferred to the Yalenese republic for trial. The majority of the officers are found guilty of conspiring against both the Zurian Confederation and the Yalenese Republic. Several officers are given reduced sentences in exchange for exposing members of the Zurian Republic who were complicit in launching this illegal war.
The surviving crewmen of the Zurian Occupation fleet are packed onto transport vessels and returned to the Zurian republic. The remaining vessels and war materials of the Zurian Occupation fleet was seized by the Starlit court by rights of conquest. The Court keeps three vessels suitable for retrofitting and give the remaining sizable fleet to the Yalenese Republic. The Zurias Republic issues an official apology and pays reparations for the incident, denying their involvement and jailing eight members of their ruling council.
The founding of the Chivalric Alliance 216-218AoQ
After a decade of influencing local politics and culture a movement emulating the Starlit court formed within the former Tereket territories. Several Hulian Chivalric cults had fully synchronized the Starlit Path into their own faith, or dropped the pretext of Hulianism for full blown conversion to the Starlit Path. Yalen and Anthurk had both adopted numerous facets of the Starlit Court’s own political and philosophical ethos as foundational pillars of their own governments. Sihian culture had become popular in the local sector, and ubiquitous in the former Tereket territories. After years of political strife, Alyr succeeds from the Hulian Theocratic Republic. The break away is bloodless, though controversial, as Alyr had been a major center for the Chivalric Cults, with the loudest pro-chivalric voices removed from the Hulain Republic, Chivalric cults are declared heresy.
A mass exiling of those deemed heretics to Alyr is carried out, the Hulian republic using the loss of territory as a means of purging its political theocratic system. Millions willingly leave the Hulian republic for Alyr, looking to practice their new faiths without persecution. The Tereket republic and Jaruk Royal Sphere provide aid and take in millions for displaced Hulains.
After a documentary about the history of the court airs on Yalenese television there is a brief frenzy and social movement calling itself “The Second Exodus”. Private and crowdsourced endeavors to create a second world ship or enormous city vessels to join the Starlit court are launched. The vast majority of these projects are poorly thought out boondoggles or thinly veiled scams, and in the end only one ship is constructed, a battleship sized civilian transport vessel named “The Star Strider”. Enthusiasm rapidly dies down as the numerous scams and failed projects stack up, and the actual anxiety around abandoning one’s home for the uncertainty of space set in. Tens of thousands still dedicated themselves to making the conversion, of which many would eventually join the Starlit Court on its eventual departure from the sector.
A conclave is held on Anthurk between the elected rulers of Anthurk, Alyr, Yalen, Dogran, and Gengal. It is announced that the five worlds would be forming a singular government, based on that of the Starlit Court. A council of Grandmasters assembled from the major districts of each planet would be form the main body and legislature of the new government. Each world would elect a Steward every ten years, and the grandmasters would elect a High steward from among them every five years. Each world would fund and supply several of their own knightly orders that would answer to the High Steward. Each order was comprised of a branch of the military: the infantry, the air force, special forces, and navy. While development of mechs had become increasingly popular with the introduction of Court military doctrines, the title of knight was not exclusively given to Mech Pilots, instead being granted to any officer or NCO.
After a full year of discussion the Chivalric Alliance was officially formed, and recognized as a legitimate government by its neighbors. After much deliberation the Starlit Court would eventually begin sharing technology with the Chivalric Alliance. Any and all technical information about the sheath, Avalon, the lady, or other core secrets of the Court were kept from the Chivalric alliance. Schematics for mechs, spacecraft, medical devices, and numerous civilian grade technologies were shared, on the condition that the Chivalric alliance would contribute a certain percentage of their mech and mineral output back to the court for the remainder of their stay in the sector.
The Departure of the Court 222-251AoQ
After a local conflict was resolved without the aid of the Starlit Court, it was decided that the local political situation was stable enough for Sihi to return to it’s journey. A brief civil war saw one of the Tereket Republic’s worlds defecting to the Jaruk Royal Sphere. The Zurian Confederation attempted to flex its military might again, by seizing the remaining two planets by force. The Chivalric Alliance checked the Zurian Confederation’s ambition by joining the conflict on the behalf of the Tereket Republic. The loss killed most remaining momentum within the Zurian Confederation for militant expansionism as colonization became a more appealing more stable expansion strategy
The Starlit Court remained a factor in local politics despite passing beyond the limits of the sector in 228AoQ. Communications with the Chivalric Alliance remained open, but increasingly slow and convoluted until 251AoQ when the logistics to communicate became too impractical.