STARFORGERS

Prolog

In the first millennium of galactic exploration, three worlds thrived together in near perfect union. Selene, a blue and white orb rich in natural resources and mature in technology; Ursai, an exotic world with vast mineral deposits and a hardworking, industrial society, and Drexel, a large, oceanic world with a rich, natural biosphere and a hearty population of sea going people. All three worlds enjoyed free trade agreements and governed themselves separately but equally in a tripartite agreement known as the Federation. The Federation ensured open markets and maintained the trade routes by upholding the law.

Wealthy, high technology conglomerates funded research missions to far away star systems in hopes of gaining new resources to fuel the expanding economies of the three home worlds. New planets were discovered and populated by rugged pioneers with the courage and determination to grow their own wealth. During this period, many new races of sentient beings were encountered and new trade routes established, though not all races were friendly and minor conflicts erupted. These were quickly settled by shrewd negotiations and the technological superiority of the Federation’s limited, but effective military starforce.

For a thousand standard years, the Federation prospered and grew. Space travel remained an expensive and difficult proposition that only the rich multi-planet industrial giants could afford. The limited armies of the day were maintained and financed by these giant conglomerates, while remaining under the direct control of the Federation’s three planetary governments. There were those who were becoming alarmed by the dangers that lay out on the galactic frontiers and they began to campaign for a stronger military and a more united government that would protect the many far off worlds of the Federation as equally as they would the three ‘inner worlds’ of Selene, Ursai and Drexel.

It was not an easy task to warn a bloated and content Federation that it was spreading itself too thin and inviting destruction from an aggressive, exterior force. Alas, the leaders of the three worlds turned deaf ears to the dire warnings issued by a select group of politicians and military leaders who called themselves the Alliance Party. The Alliance Party began meeting in public places and formulating a plan for a new government, one that represented all the far-flung outposts of the Federation equally. This new government would be funded by the taxation of its citizens, including industry, and would be protected by a single, unified military fleet.

The Alliance Party was never taken seriously in elections or by the media until reports of terrible massacres began to filter in from the far reaches of the frontier. A new race had been encountered that was militarily superior to the Federation and appeared destined to conquer the inner worlds with their aggressive stellar armada. A new and experimental military unit, the Starforgers, was formed to explore the concepts of deep space warfare. The Starforgers would soon get a baptism of fire as they encountered the deadly warships of the Votainion Empire.

The Votainion Empire was expanding at the wishes of the young Empress Nykostra, who rose to power after her grandfather was murdered in a bloody coup. In an effort to unite the Houses of Voton, she sent her Chief Strategist on a quest to find the legendary home world of all Votainions.

It was only a matter of time before the two races encountered each other.

Excerpt from:  The Long Embrace - A Military History of the Great War, by Ambassador Rachel Kelley, USF University Press.