The Crayter Republic - Lore and Information

[Crayter Republic]

History and Lore

---

Summary

The Crayter Republic began many centuries ago as a first attempt to colonise the worlds beyond Sol. We settled in a sector named Crayter and flourished into a large nation. Close to the eighth century (by the Sirian time-line) we were exiled from the Crayter Sector by a natural disaster of unthinkable proportions. We managed to find and arrive in Sirius in 801 A.S. based on effort and a bit of luck.

Being initially shunned as outsiders, we fought hard to claim a small piece of Sirius as their new home. After struggling throughout the entire Sirius sector, we found a decent start in Bretonia with the help of Planetform. But, were soon forced to leave and eventually reached the Taus. Becoming allies of the IMG, we turned the system of Tau 44 into our home. This, however, only lasted until Gallia emerged into Sirius. The Crayterian people fled so that they may live to fight another day.

Our second exodus brought us to Coronado, our current capital system. As Planet Yuma flourishes, so does the Crayter Republic, which continues to fight against the Gallic conquest. We've recently reclaimed Tau 44 and press our advantages as best we can.

Full history

Life out here began out there...

We started as star explorers, long before the fires of war were lit between the Alliance and the Coalition.
We launched from Sol in two prototype sleeper ships - the Gemini and Orion. These colony ships set out to an extremely distant system, which they would inhabit. From our cradle - Earth. It was man’s first interstellar colonization endeavor.

The now future colonials voyaged for many years, with the exact figure remaining uncertain. All we know is that we ended up in the Crayter sector. Here we found eleven habitable planets. The sleeper ships were grounded on the land of Planet New Eden and became nothing but relics of the past - a memory of where our saga began. With this first step, we began our expansion and colonisation of the entire sector. And over time, the yearning to return to Earth dissipated - we stopped being the children of Earth. We became… Colonials, Crayterians.

The planets of New Eden, Libris, Agonos, Hoff, Atreides, Iero Edafos, Ataratheh, Moira, Aphrodite, Scorphan and Tithr were all conquered and turned into either proper settlements for human life or resource wells to increase the nation's prosperity. As such, a Golden Age began… It was an era without greed, where expansion, economic growth and technological development were the norm. There was no need for a military or armed forces. Trade was abundant and the entire Crayter sector was at peace. It felt like paradise.

A hundred years of peace were, unfortunately, all we had. Paradise was lost. Crime started to sprout. Piracy began to spread like a plague across the shipping routes. The unarmed, lightly armored transports fell like flies. The inherent human decadence and violent impulses resurfaced. When some people had everything they wanted, they wanted more. For the first decade this went unchecked. The newly formed military force could only mount the use of ships and technology from the beginning of Crayterian history, which were no match for the defensive capabilities of modern vessels.

The first successes against the pirates, came from an experimental fighter built out of damaged scout hulls - code-named “Eros”. These were quickly rushed into production and the first elite pilots emerged as well. The battles continued to rage throughout the colonies, with criminals losing ground bit by bit. Further battle-oriented advancements were made by retrofitting transport ships with weapons based on old designs. In a few more years, stability was restored, with most unlawful forces being either in prisons or extinguished.

Many thought that this would be the end of a grim chapter in our history. Things returned, for the most part, to how they were before. But now nobody could shake the feeling of dread that came as an after-taste. The media made sure to show everyone the gruesome battles that were fought to achieve peace again. Moreover, even though everyone was safe again... it was now being ensured at a cost. Fleets of military vessels constantly kept watch over the planets and all routes between them. It was an amazing, but frightful, thing to see.

As the Colonial population continued to grow, the planets began to fill. Ships of exploration were built and sent off into the stars in search of more land to hold the nation's populace. The advancements made by the military proved useful here as well. A large number of long range ships set out on voyages to scout the entire sector. At first, it proved to be barren compared to the central systems, littered by nebulae and asteroid fields. And these ships could not travel too far yet. Capabilities increased over time, engines powerful enough to reach more far flung systems being developed out of need. The nation's ruling body decided to send ships out to search for possible ways of expansion, to appease their society but also further their scientific development. The curiosity that lies in each human being drove them to seek knowledge.

A fateful day brought forth a discovery unlike any other. One of the exploration fleets stumbled on something rather special one day. It was a wormhole anomaly, presumed by science to be a rift in space which could almost instantly transport ships to their other ends. Deeming it safe to use, the explorers plunged into the unknown, oblivious to what they would find. It was... Earth. Humanity's original home was found. Or... to be correct, the remnants of the blue planet once sparkling with life were found. The entire Sol sector had been devastated by some form of explosion.

Ship wrecks laid everywhere, devastation ran rampant wherever the eye could see. One particularly large wreck turned out to be similar to their own colony ships, probably a more advanced version of the sleeper ship prototype. The initial survey revealed remnants of computers, with data indicating that some humans survived this disaster. They were taken back to be analyzed using the Colonial Military computers. Coordinates to which the sleeper ship navigation computer had been plotted were retrieved, and presumed to have been the destination of the ones who might’ve actually managed to get there. The discoveries of Earth, and the coordinates of the unknown sector were classified, kept in but a small circle of the knowledgeable, and interest for it gradually wore off.

A couple eons later however, it was all about to come to a sudden end.
It was inexplicable in its brilliance, unknowable in its destruction. With what time there was, all that could be saved was loaded aboard any ship that could fly. Watching, as they struggled to escape the system, a stellar phenomena never-before-seen rose up out of the darkness and began to eclipse the worlds they had called home. The two sleeper ships were brought online, repaired and - miraculously - made functional again.

The leadership of the colonies was placed on those vessels, along with the cream of the crop of colonial society - military, scientists, artists, the best and brightest, those who would preserve colonial culture for posterity, those who would never let it be forgotten. They plotted a relatively short route, just to escape the upheaval of Crayter. It was a test, hoping to conserve as much fuel as possible and perhaps get lucky enough to find some place that was habitable. Alas, that produced no results. They were at a loss, with no ideas and little hope. They were uncertain of how many failures they could endure... This is where the discoveries from Sol finally became more than just a sore on secret papers. The remaining officials sat down and discussed it all. While it didn't make much sense to most, nor did everyone have all the information, it was decided to follow the coordinates found in Sol. A route was plotted towards their last hope for survival, far beyond the stars.

Where once the people of Crayter numbered in the billions, now only hundreds of thousands remain. The flight from Crayter was a wound many Colonials still remember. A decade or more passed... and the ragged fleet of ships, ended their pilgrimage. This exodus concluded in what later proved to be the year 801 A.S., according to the Sirian calendar. The two sleeper ships emerged somewhere in the Omegas, close to Bretonian territory. However, the Sirius Sector was not the homecoming the Crayter people had wished for. Reunited once again with the bulk of humanity, the beleaguered refugees of Crayter now had the task of trying to find a place amidst the Sirius Sector’s already crowded and cut-throat politics.

Their two ships were first spotted by the Zoners in Omega-3, who detected them on their farthest sensor nets. In the months following the Nomad war there was little trust of outsiders anywhere in Sirius. Being dubbed the Colonial Remnants, the strange newcomers were viewed as a nuisance by most of the house governments. Some Colonials attempted to settle down in core worlds only to be rejected by their hosts. Riots broke out in cities where Colonials were allowed to take jobs and buy property. Some of The Colonial Remnant began to scatter among the Sirian stars, their culture dissipating. Rather than be reunited with ancestral brethren, the Colonials seemed to be swallowed up by them.

803 A.S. - the vast majority of the Colonial Remnant was still unsettled. One particularly large group even managed to fly into the Omicrons. Although divided throughout Sirius, they managed to hold proper elections and President Jonathan Barrows rose to power. The new leader of this dispersed nation managed to strike a deal with Planetform Inc., in a desperate attempt to grasp a new home. Planetform, seeing a mercenary fleet and revenue source in the Colonials, drafted a contract with the President to exchange security services and Colonial workforce for a favorable terraforming contract on Planet Harris. Having no other alternative, the Colonial President signed a contract replete with conditions meant to prolong resolution and extend terms. Eager for work and the promise of new lives, the Colonial diaspora converged on Bretonia. With the promise of a new world crafted by Planetform, the President ordered the small Colonial fleet, then consisting of the sleeper ships and a fleet of purchased passenger ships as well as their Eroses, to serve as security forces for the various ongoing Planetform projects.

During the next three years things did not bode as well as expected. Colonial citizens were being treated badly and discriminated against. A labor movement swept Bretonia in reaction to the influx of Colonial workers. Individual Bretonian systems began to enact laws designed to protect Bretonian jobs and exclude the Colonials. Furthermore, in 806 A.S., the Gaian terrorist movement assassinated President Barrows and demanded the termination of all terraforming projects in Bretonia. That which had been hoped for was slowly going out of hand’s reach. The late president’s successor, Orrin Dymas, cited fraud over the contract with Planetform who in turn charged the Dymas administration with contract breach and endangering the crown. As such, the Colonial fleet rescued the refugee Colonial population and left Bretonia for the upper Taus. A House eager to discriminate against the Colonials was all too happy to see them leave, though the unexpected circumstances left the Colonial people disliked in much of Bretonia.

The Colonial Remnant ventured into the Taus to seek out a partnership with the Independent Mining Guild. The Colonial Remnant and IMG became one, with the Colonials concentrating in the Taus. The military was given full funding and resources for building a fleet, which was to be consisted only of small vessels, the Colonials still having no real shipyard of their own.

Soon after, a new system was discovered and christened as Tau 44. It was swiftly turned into a Colonial system, populated in great majority by the people of the Colonial Remnant. They slowly grew back into a nation in its own right and the area began attracting not only the Colonials still scattered across Sirius, but also many immigrants in search of a better life. Plentiful resources and an industrial base to make use of such goods soon led to a rapid development. In Tau 44, the first Colonial shipyard – Singapore, was constructed in a remote part of the system, concealed from the curious eye. Mass ship production began, with the scope of increasing both economic and military strength. The Outcast pirates who terrorized their efforts were met with fierce resistance, however the Colonials were not powerful enough for an open war with the Maltese yet.

By 813 A.S. the Colonials managed to partially settle Planet Borneo, as well as construct the Minato and Sulawesi space stations. They also built a decent fleet composed of vessels of their own design. The "Nyx" Fighter and the "Zephyr" Carrier become symbols of the Colonial Remnant military. President Alexander Wingates took the office and maintained this evolution until 816 A.S. With already two years of war between Kusari and Bretonia, tensions were running high. Bretonia’s increasing pretensions towards the territory of the Taus were obvious. The independent areas of the Taus even had to be defended against their probe-like mini invasions. The Colonial people were highly prejudiced against Bretonians, and with the most of the IMG council having worryingly increasing friendly relations with Bretonia, tensions ran high between the Colonial Remnant and the IMG. Slowly but surely, a gradual separation ensued. Tau 44 remained under Colonial rule whilst the IMG settled in Tau 39.

Until 816 A.S. the Colonials continued increasing their activity throughout the territory of their newly formed nation, now entitled the Colonial Republic. A year later, Wingates Resigned and Consuls Paul Atreides and Kaze Dagon (sharing equal power) took his place. The new administration, however, was quickly disbanded and Markus Kane rose to power, choosing to have complete control over the Republic. Under his rule, the fleet was developed at a larger scale and relations with the IMG were re-established on economic and diplomatic terms.

Unfortunately, in 817.A.S., Gallia was discovered. Less than a year afterwards, the Gallic armada pursued the Council into Sirius and broke through the forces of both Bretonia and Kusari within the Taus. The armoured hordes of massive warships crashed into Sirius, laying waste to everything in their path. The Colonial Republic stood ready to resist the forces of King Charles with everything they had, but even they knew it would be the end. Swallowing pride, the Colonial people, once again, had to leave in exodus from their home of Tau 44, while part of the IMG stayed behind, bending knee to the unstoppable force.

This exodus brought the Colonials to the system of Coronado, neighbouring Baffin, and with the help of the IMG they settled on Pecos, a small frigid moon where the Guild was already conducting mining operations. While finding themselves in a desperate situation, the Colonials did what they could to survive. They poured the last of their resources into developing Coronado, creating a colony on Pecos and constructing the Sabah Shipyard in the orbit of Planet Yuma. The militaristic government wanted to spend most of the nation's resources in an attempt to topple the invading forces, but these plans faltered. The government collapsed and a new democratic administration rose from the ashes. President Richard Connors was elected and helped push the nation back from the edge. The Republic's law system was revised.

Unfortunately, in 819 A.S. President Connors was forced to resign due to severe health issues, but nobody new was sworn in his place. As such, the power fell in equal measure to the ministry and the Fleet's de facto Admiral Roger Anders. This temporary form of government managed to balance the nation's immediate needs with the efforts to fight off the Gallic invasion for a couple of years, slowly re-stabilising the Republic. Furthermore, proper diplomatic relations are formed with the Gallic Council, the Temporary Autonomous Zoners and the Bretonian Government.

821 A.S. - President Henry Gregory Corvin was elected to office. He motioned towards Liberty and Bretonia to include the Colonial Republic within the Treaty of Curacao and succeeded. A new treaty was signed in the same year, with Minister Nelson Steele and Major Sophius Johnsons as representatives of the Colonial Republic. Before the year's end, the colonisation of Planet Yuma had begun. With some help from the IMG, the Colonials were finally building a real home for themselves. Meanwhile, the war with Gallia raged on, the Colonials doing their best alongside the Council, Bretonia and Liberty forces.

Corvin resigned in late 822 A.S. due to political reasons, allowing President Fiona Payne to take the seat. This caused an uproar in the Republic, coming both from regular citizens and influential people alike. A month later, the "17th" C.I.S. squadron broke off, with several military commanding officers following suit, so they were immediately charged with treason by the new government. After a year of unrest, stability was re-established and the nation was renamed into the Crayter Republic, as a symbol of their ancient heritage and distinction from the other houses of Sirius. Yuma's colonisation was finished. Although the planet's landmasses were yet unconquerable due to a highly hostile form of flora, the Colonials were ingenious enough to construct floating cities on the planet's oceans. The Crayter Immigration Initiative is enacted, helping war refugees and other immigrants settle on Yuma, becoming citizens of the Republic.

In 823 A.S. the Crayterian and Council forces were finally ready to commence the reconquering of Tau 44. After numerous battles, towards the end of the year, the system was once again under Crayterian control.

Current state

With a properly organised military and a stable economic involvement throughout the Sirian markets, the Republic now stands as a minor house-like entity. Although still embroiled in the war with Gallia, as well as trying to fend off the Outcast fleets in the Taus, this nation no longer hangs by a thread. The settlements on Planet Yuma continue to be developed. A new Crayterian battleship design is being brought to life. Efforts are being made to rebuild what was lost in Tau 44.

A few years ago, the Republic was struggling deeply. Today, our pilots no longer need to depend on scrapping every ship for parts. And our ships no longer lack the manpower to be used. While the words "For those we left behind!" still stay at the heart of all Crayterians, we no longer fear the future, but look to it with hope... for ourselves, as well as in the name of those who will never see the future.

Further Lore Addendums

◄► Yuma - Home of the Republic
◄► KCLN Radio - CR News Service
◄► Presidential Elections - 821 A.S.
◄► Treaty of Curacao - 821 A.S.
◄► More T.B.A.