GURPS - 4th Edition - Traveller Interstellar Wars

ONE WORLD AGAINST
THOUSANDS

The transition between the First Imper-
ium, governed by the Vilani, and the Rule of
Man, led by the Terran Confederation, has
always been a pivotal era in Marc Miller’s
Traveller universe. Now, for the first time in
any game system, Traveller players can
explore the depths of this rich setting.

GURPS Traveller: Interstellar Wars cov-
ers the 200 years of war, peace, and over-
whelming change as the ancient Vilani
Imperium falls to the upstart Terrans. In this
time of conflict, the opportunities for adven-
ture are more exciting than ever before!

GURPS Traveller: Interstellar Wars is
an official GURPS Fourth Edition source-
book for the Traveller universe. It includes
a detailed timeline, along with rules for tai-
loring characters to the last days of the First
Imperium, starship design, interstellar trade,
exploration, and ship-to-ship combat.

This PDF is an electronic copy of the print
edition of GURPS Traveller: Interstellar
Wars. All known errata at the time of the
creation of this PDF document have been
corrected.

GURPS, Warehouse 23, and the all-seeing pyramid are registered trademarks DOWNLOAD.
of Steve Jackson Games Incorporated. Pyramid, Interstellar Wars, e23, and PRINT.
the names of all products published by Steve Jackson Games Incorporated are PLAY.
registered trademarks or trademarks of Steve Jackson Games Incorporated, or
used under license. All rights reserved. GURPS Traveller: Interstellar Wars is e23
copyright © 2006 by Steve Jackson Games Incorporated. Traveller is a regis-

tered trademark of Far Future Enterprises, and is used under license.

The scanning, uploading, and distribution of this material via the Internet or STEVE JACKSON GAMES TM
via any other means without the permission of the publisher is illegal, and pun-
ishable by law. Please purchase only authorized electronic editions, and do not e23.sjgames.com
participate in or encourage the electronic piracy of copyrighted materials. Your

support of the authors’ rights is appreciated.

STEVE JACKSON GAMES

e23.sjgames.com

Stock #82-0183 Version 1.0 May 15, 2006



Written by PAUL DRYE, LOREN WISEMAN, and JON F. ZEIGLER
Based on the award-winning Traveller science fiction universe by MARC MILLER

Additional Material by DOUGLAS E. BERRY, STEVE KENSON,
ANDREW MOFFATT-VALLANCE, DAVID SUMMERS,
CHRISTOPHER THRASH, and ERIC UEBER

Starship Design and Combat Systems by DAVID PULVER and JON F. ZEIGLER
Edited by WIL UPCHURCH and STEVE JACKSON
Cover Art by JESSE DEGRAFF and BOB STEVLIC

Illustrated by ANDY AKINS, JESSE DEGRAFF, CHRIS QUILLIAMS, and BOB STEVLIC

ISBN 1-55634-746-4 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

STEVE JACKSON GAMES

CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION . . . . . . . . . . 4 Arpad Kovacs . . . . . . . . . . . 46 Bwaps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
Hiroshi Estigarribia . . . . 47 Dishaan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
About GURPS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Geonee . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
About the Authors . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 3. TERRA . . . . . . 48 Anachronisms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
Nugiiri . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
1. A DANGEROUS GALAXY . . 6 THE HOME FRONT . . . . .48 Suerrat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
State of the World . . . . 48 Vegans . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
The Default Present . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 The Citizen’s Life . . . . . . 50 THE VILANI MILITARY . . . . . . . . . . . . . .89
THE TERRAN CONFEDERATION . . . . . . . .7 The Draft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51 The Vilani and Glory . . . . . . . . . . . 89
Leisure and Entertainment . . . . . 52 The Vilani Navy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
Terran Colonies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 The Uplift Projects . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52 The Vilani Marines? . . . . . . . . . . . 91
Conquered Worlds . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 THE TERRAN CONFEDERATION . . . . . . .53 The Vilani Army . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
Being Terran . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Political Organization . . . . . . . . . 53
THE VILANI IMPERIUM . . . . . . . . . . . . .12 A World Under Siege . . . . . . . . . . . 53 5. THE KNOWN UNIVERSE . 95
Outposts of Empire . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Major Nation-States . . . . . . . . . . . 56
The Mystery of Human Origins . . 13 Colonial Administration . . . . . . . 56 DESCRIBING WORLDS . . . . . . . . . . . . . .95
Imperial Society . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 The Phoenix Expeditions . . . . . . . 57 World Climate Table . . . . . . . . . . 97
Being Vilani . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 THE TERRAN NAVY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .57 Social Details . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
The Terran Marine Corps . . . . . . . 59
2. THE EPIC STRUGGLE . . . 17 Operations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59 MAP: THE GALAXY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100
The Terran Station . . . . . . . . . . . . 60 THE TERRAN NEIGHBORHOOD . . . . . .101
SETTING THE STAGE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17 TERRAN GROUND FORCES . . . . . . . . . . .62 MAP KEY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
THE NEW MILLENNIUM . . . . . . . . . . . .19 Army Slang . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
Operations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65 Shululsish Subsector . . . . . . . . . 101
Rise of the UN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 THE TERRAN MERCHANT MARINE . . . .65 MAP: SHULULSISH . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103
Using the Official History . . . . . . . 19 Major Corporations . . . . . . . . . . . 67
The Conquest of Space . . . . . . . . 21 Terran Starport Authority . . . . . . . 68 Urima Subsector . . . . . . . . . . . . 103
First Contact? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 MAP: URIMA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
UNIFICATION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23 4. THE IMPERIUM . . . . . . . 69
The Vilani Aristocracy . . . . . . . . . . 23 Duusirka Subsector . . . . . . . . . . 105
Opening Moves . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 IMPERIAL SOCIETY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .69 MAP: DUUSIRKA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107
The Pace of Operations . . . . . . . . . 26 Vilani Psychology . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
Terra on the Brink . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 Advertising . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70 Apishlun Subsector . . . . . . . . . . 107
The Empty Peace . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 The Vilani Hero . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71 MAP: APISHLUN . . . . . . . . . 109
How Did Terra Survive? . . . . . . . . 29 The Vilani Way of Life . . . . . . . . . 72 Dingir Subsector . . . . . 109
BREAKOUT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .31 Classes and Careers . . . . . . . 74 MAP: DINGIR . . . . . . . 111
Protracted Struggle . . . . . . . . . . . 32 Vilani Culture . . . . . . . 74 Sol Subsector . . . . . . 112
The Albadawi Period . . . . . . . . . . 34 Vilani Longevity . . . . . 75 MAP: SOL . . . . . . . . . 113
TRIUMPH AND UNCERTAINTY . . . . . . . . .37 Vilani Architecture . . . . 75 Looking Home . . . . . . 114
Imperial Terra . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 THE VILANI IMPERIUM . . . . .76 Thalassa Subsector . . . 116
The Imperial Collapse . . . . . . . . . 39 Political Organization . . . . . . . 76 MAP: THALASSA . . . . . . . . 117
Terrans and Colonists . . . . . . . . . . 40 Vilani Dissidents
BIOGRAPHIES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .41 and Secret Societies . . . . . . . . . 76 Capella Subsector . . . . . . . . . . . . 118
The Sharrukin Clan . . . . . . . . . . . 41 Sharurshid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77 MAP: CAPELLA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119
Shana Likushan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 Imperial Administration . . . . . . . 78
Lorette Strider . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 Vilani Settlement Patterns . . . . . . 79 The Green Badge . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119
Yukio Hasegawa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 Gemini Subsector . . . . . . . . . . . 120
Kadur Erasharshi . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 SUBJECT RACES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .80 MAP: GEMINI . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121
Umar bin-Abdallah al-Ghazali . . 44 Anakundu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80 PLACING WORLDS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .121
Sharik Yangila . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 Answerin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81 Step 1: World Type . . . . . . . . . . 122
Manuel Albadawi . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 Step 2: World Size . . . . . . . . . . . 122
Step 3: Atmosphere . . . . . . . . . . 124
Step 4: Hydrographics . . . . . . . . 124
Atmospheric Taints . . . . . . . . . . . 125

GURPS System Design ❚ STEVE JACKSON Print Buyer ❚ MONIQUE CHAPMAN
GURPS Line Editor ❚ SEAN PUNCH Marketing Director ❚ PAUL CHAPMAN

Production Manager ❚ MONICA STEPHENS Sales Manager ❚ ROSS JEPSON
Art Director ❚ WIL UPCHURCH Errata Coordinator ❚ ANDY VETROMILE
Page Design ❚ PHIL REED GURPS FAQ MAINTAINER ❚ STÉPHANE THÉRIAULT

Production Artist ❚ JUSTIN DE WITT

Playtesters: John Buston, Henry Cobb, Nelson Cunnington, Alain Ducharme, Anthony Jackson, Onno Meyer,
Robert Prior, Hans Rancke-Madsen, Chad Underkoffler, Paul Whiteley

GURPS, Warehouse 23, and the all-seeing pyramid are registered trademarks of Steve Jackson Games Incorporated. Pyramid, Interstellar Wars,
and the names of all products published by Steve Jackson Games Incorporated are registered trademarks or trademarks of Steve Jackson Games Incorporated,
or used under license. GURPS Traveller: Interstellar Wars is copyright © 2006 by Steve Jackson Games Incorporated. All rights reserved. Printed in the USA.

Traveller is a registered trademark of Far Future Enterprises, and is used under license.

The scanning, uploading, and distribution of this book via the Internet or via any other means without the permission of the publisher is illegal,
and punishable by law. Please purchase only authorized electronic editions, and do not participate in or encourage
the electronic piracy of copyrighted materials. Your support of the author’s rights is appreciated.

2 CONTENTS

Step 5: Surface Climate . . . . . . . 126 9. STARSHIP DESIGN . . . . . 187 Hardrada-Class 800-dton
Step 6: Habitability Commerce Raider . . . . . . . . 213
DESIGNING A SHIP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .188
and Resources . . . . . . . . . . . . 127 Step 1 – Determine Karl Marx-Class 1,000-dton
PLACING POPULATIONS . . . . . . . . . . . .127 Design Concept . . . . . . . . . . . 188 Heavy Free Trader . . . . . . . . 214
Step 2 – Hull . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188
Step 7: Population . . . . . . . . . . . 128 Step 3 – Armor and StarLeaper-Class 1,000-dton
Step 8: Starport Facilities . . . . . 129 Surface Features . . . . . . . . . . 190 Exploration Vessel . . . . . . . . 214
Naval Bases . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129 Step 4 – Evaluate Hull Design . 190
Step 9: Government Type . . . . . 130 Step 5 – Drives . . . . . . . . 191 Agrippa-Class 1,000-dton
Step 10: Control Rating . . . . . . . 130 Step 6 – Fuel . . . . . . . . 191 Corvette . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215
Step 11: Base Step 7 – Bridge . . . . . 192
Step 8 – Sensors . . . . 192 Shamshir-Class 1,000-dton
Technology Level . . . . . . . . . 130 Step 9 – Weapons Imperial Destroyer Escort . . 215
Step 12: Trade Classifications . . 130 and Defenses . . . . . . . . 192
Port Modifier . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131 Sensor Systems Table . . 193 Sharurshid Standard 2,000-dton
Step 13: World Trade Turrets Table . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 193 Passenger Liner . . . . . . . . . . 216
Turret Weapons Table . . . . . . . . 194
Number . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131 Spinal Mount Sharurshid Standard 2,000-dton
Home Rule . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131 Weapons Table . . . . . . . . . . . 194 Branch Freighter . . . . . . . . . 216
PR Modifier Table . . . . . . . . . . . 131 Bay Weapons Table . . . . . . . . . . 194
Step 14: Trade Routes . . . . . . . . 131 Step 10 – Small Craft . . . . . . . . . 195 Kargash-Class 2,000-dton
Per-Capita Income . . . . . . . . . . . . 132 Step 11 – Power Plant . . . . . . . . 195 Imperial Light Cruiser . . . . . 216
Step 12 – Crew . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 196
6. CHARACTERS . . . . . . . . 133 Step 13 – Quarters Sharurshid Standard 10,000-dton
and Miscellaneous . . . . . . . . 198 Line Freighter . . . . . . . . . . . . 217
Point Totals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133 Step 14 – Performance . . . . . . . 200
ADVANTAGES, DISADVANTAGES, Ship Hit Points Table . . . . . . . . 200 Indomitable-Class 30,000-dton
Drag Table . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 201 Battleship . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 217
AND SKILLS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .134 Step 15 – Finalize Design . . . . . 201
STATUS, INFLUENCE, AND WEALTH . . .137 10. STARSHIP COMBAT . . . 219
COMMON SHIPS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .201
Status . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137 Imperial 10-dton SEQUENCE OF ACTION . . . . . . . . . . . . .220
Administrative Rank . . . . . . . . . 138 Missile Fighter . . . . . . . . . . . 201 Detection and
Military Rank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139 Terran 10-dton Light Fighter . . 202 Communication Phase . . . . . 221
Merchant Rank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141 Standard 10-dton Lifeboat . . . . 202 Maneuver Phase . . . . . . . . . . . . . 221
Religious Rank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141 Standard 20-dton Movement Phase . . . . . . . . . . . . 222
Merchant Rank Table . . . . . . . . 142 Assault Craft . . . . . . . . . . . . . 202 Direct Fire Phase . . . . . . . . . . . . 223
Wealth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142 Standard 30-dton Ship’s Boat . . 202 Point Defense and
RACIAL TEMPLATES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .143 Standard 100-dton Missile Phase . . . . . . . . . . . . . 224
OCCUPATIONAL TEMPLATES . . . . . . . . .146 Interplanetary Shuttle . . . . . 203 Launch and Docking Phase . . . 224
JOBS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .157 Crockett-Class 100-dton Damage Control Phase . . . . . . . 225
Picket Ship . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 203 Celestial Bodies . . . . . . . . . . . . . 225
7. TECHNOLOGY . . . . . . . 159 Special Rules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 225
DECK PLAN: CROCKETT-CLASS
PERSONAL GEAR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .162 100-DTON PICKET SHIP . . . . . . . 204 CHARTS AND TABLES . . . . . . . . . . . . . .226
Armor and Protective Gear . . . . 162 Iiken-Class 100-dton Space Weapons Table . . . . . . . . 226
Communications . . . . . . . . . . . . 162 Scout/Courier . . . . . . . . . . . . 205 Space Range Table . . . . . . . . . . . 226
Computers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162 Phidippides-Class 200-dton Sensor Modifiers . . . . . . . . . . . . 227
Software Costs Table . . . . . . . . . 164 Fast Courier . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205 Gunnery Modifiers . . . . . . . . . . . 227
Medical Equipment and Care . . 165 Hero-Class 200-dton Ramming Modifiers . . . . . . . . . . 227
Sensors and Private Merchant . . . . . . . . . 206 Major Damage Table . . . . . . . . . 227
Scientific Equipment . . . . . . 167
Survival Gear . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167 DECK PLAN: HERO-CLASS 11. CAMPAIGNS . . . . . . . . 228
Weapons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167 200-DTON PRIVATE MERCHANT . . 207
Harmonious Repose-Class THE DEFAULT CAMPAIGN:
VEHICLES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .168 200-dton Yacht . . . . . . . . . . . 208 TERRAN FREE TRADERS . . . . . . .229
Lightning-Class 400-dton
8. STARSHIPS . . . . . . . . . . 169 Frontier Merchant . . . . . . . . 208 Goals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 230
Campaign Character Packages . . 231
STARSHIP SYSTEMS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .169 DECK PLAN: LIGHTNING-CLASS Obstacles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 232
Maneuver Drives . . . . . . . . . . . . 169 400-DTON FRONTIER MERCHANT 209 Resolution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 232
The Jump Drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169 Richtoffen-Class 400-dton ALTERNATIVE CAMPAIGNS . . . . . . . . . .232
Bridge Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172 Missile Corvette . . . . . . . . . . 210 Main Fleets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 232
Sensor Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172 Bannerjee-Class 400-dton Commerce Raiding . . . . . . . . . . 232
Life Support Systems . . . . . . . . 173 System Defense Boat . . . . . . 210 Ground Warfare . . . . . . . . . . . . . 232
Gashidda-Class 400-dton Occupation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 233
STARSHIP OPERATIONS . . . . . . . . . . . .173 Imperial Patrol Cruiser . . . . 211 Exploration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 233
Travel Times . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173 Zheng He-Class 800-dton Colonization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 234
Starship Costs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174 Survey Vessel . . . . . . . . . . . . 211 Diplomacy and Espionage . . . . 234
CAMPAIGN SEEDS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .234
INTERSTELLAR TRADE . . . . . . . . . . . . .177 DECK PLAN: GASHIDDA-CLASS 400-DTON Exiles to Glory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 234
Distance Modifier Table . . . . . . 179 IMPERIAL PATROL CRUISER . . . . . 212 Grand Tour . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 235
Trade Volumes Table . . . . . . . . . 179 Terra Conquered . . . . . . . . . . . . 235
Speculative Trade System . . . . . 180 Alternate Interstellar Wars . . . . . 236
Speculative Goods Table . . . . . . 180 ADVENTURE SEEDS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .237
Actual Price Table . . . . . . . . . . . 181
INDEX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 239
INTERSTELLAR EXPLORATION . . . . . . .182
Survey Operations . . . . . . . . . . . 182
Exploration Operations . . . . . . . 184
Contact Procedures . . . . . . . . . . 184

CONTENTS 3

INTRODUCTION

Traveller was first published in ruling the known galaxy, the First were published, a subsidiary of Game
1977. It was one of the first roleplaying Imperium came into contact with an Designers’ Workshop published a
games, and for many years it was the obscure barbarian race, backward and board game titled Imperium. The
standard by which all other science- poor, from a world called Earth. early versions of the game portrayed
fiction RPGs were measured. At first, the early conflicts between Terra and
the game was very nearly generic. It The Interstellar Wars followed: a vaguely defined alien empire. In
made certain broad assumptions struggles against overwhelming odds, 1977 and 1978, new printings of the
about the far-future universe charac- exploration of exotic worlds, heroism, game were released directly by GDW.
ters would travel in, but the details of betrayal, triumph, tragedy . . . and, in The board game was soon integrated
back story and setting were largely left time, the fall of empire. into the Traveller back story, the
for players to define. Before long, how- “aliens” becoming the Vilani, their
ever, a specific setting began to take The Interstellar Wars era is one empire becoming the First Imperium
shape: a vast Imperium existing over inspired by science fiction of the “space of ancient history. By 1980 the
3,000 years in the future, controlling opera” genre. Here you will find epic Interstellar Wars were a well-
thousands of worlds, with its own battles, new worlds to explore, long established part of the Traveller future
leaders, social forces, and deep history. trade voyages, exotic aliens, and the history, and the stars of the Imperium
clash of civilizations. Fans of Poul game map had been placed on the
Yet the galactic state portrayed in Anderson, Isaac Asimov, James Blish, Traveller galactic map. Later releases
Traveller was the Third Imperium, the or E.E. “Doc” Smith – or of more recent of Imperium included “color” material
successor to other empires that had “star empires” fiction, by authors like that had originally been developed for
existed long before. Once there had Iain M. Banks or David Weber – will Traveller.
been a First Imperium, which laid the find this universe to their liking.
groundwork for everything that Imperium still exists – indeed,
followed. After thousands of years of As a concept, the Interstellar Wars Avalanche Press released a new
actually predate Traveller itself. In
1976, before the first Traveller books

4 INTRODUCTION

edition of the game in 2001, which About GURPS
remains in print. Yet after over 25
years, the Interstellar Wars era has Steve Jackson Games is committed to full support of GURPS
never made the transition to a role- players. Our address is SJ Games, P.O. Box 18957, Austin, TX 78760.
playing game . . . until now. Please include a self-addressed, stamped envelope (SASE) any time you
write us! We can also be reached by e-mail: [email protected].
If you’re a long-time Traveller fan, Resources include:
here’s your first chance to explore one
of the most critical – but least-known Pyramid (www.sjgames.com/pyramid/). Our online magazine
– periods in the history of the Third includes new GURPS rules and articles. It also covers the d20 system,
Imperium. Ars Magica, BESM, Call of Cthulhu, and many more top games – and
other Steve Jackson Games releases like Illuminati, Car Wars,
On the other hand, if you’re new to Transhuman Space, and more. Pyramid subscribers also get
Traveller, this book is specifically opportunities to playtest new GURPS books!
designed for you. Aside from the
GURPS Basic Set, the book you are New supplements and adventures. GURPS continues to grow, and
holding provides everything you’ll we’ll be happy to let you know what’s new. For a current catalog, send
need to begin adventuring in the us a legal-sized SASE, or just visit www.warehouse23.com.
Interstellar Wars era. You won’t need
any other GURPS or Traveller materi- e23. Our e-publishing division offers GURPS adventures, play aids,
als to play – in particular, you won’t and support not available anywhere else! Just head over to
need any of the dozens of Traveller e23.sjgames.com.
sourcebooks that have gone out of
print over the years. If you’ve always Errata. Everyone makes mistakes, including us – but we do our best
wanted to try Traveller, here’s an to fix our errors. Up-to-date errata sheets for all GURPS releases, includ-
opportunity to do so in a setting that ing this book, are available on our website – see below.
offers epic adventure.
Internet. Visit us on the World Wide Web at www.sjgames.com
ABOUT THE for errata, updates, Q&A, free webforums, and much more. The
AUTHORS GURPS Traveller: Interstellar Wars web page can be found at
www.sjgames.com/gurps/traveller/interstellarwars/.
When Paul Drye was 12 years old,
his parents took him on a long plane Bibliographies. Many of our books have extensive bibliographies, and
trip. To give him something to do in- we’re putting them online – with links to let you buy the books that inter-
flight, they took him to a “game store” est you! Go to the book’s web page and look for the “Bibliography” link.
beforehand and let him buy any one
item off the shelf. In the dusty corner GURPSnet. This e-mail list hosts much of the online discussion of
labeled “roleplaying,” he reached up GURPS. To join, point your web browser to mail.sjgames.com/
and pulled down . . . Champions, mailman/listinfo/gurpsnet-l/.
the Superhero Roleplaying Game.
Fortunately, his brother had cut the Rules and statistics in this book are specifically for the GURPS Basic
same deal with his parents, and he Set, Fourth Edition. Page references that begin with B refer to that book,
picked Traveller. This is all your fault, not this one.
Stephen.
Journal of the
Loren Wiseman was one of the Travellers’ Aid
founding partners of GDW, the origi-
nal publishers of Traveller. He spent Society
more than 20 years there as a game
designer, developer, typesetter, and The long-running Traveller magazine is now online at
editor. After GDW closed, Loren free- jtas.sjgames.com. It supports all versions of Traveller with news, arti-
lanced for a while, and then came to cles, discussion areas, and reviews. Subscriptions are $20 per two years,
Steve Jackson Games, where he for 52 biweekly updates and full access to archives.
serves as the GURPS Traveller Line
Editor. The Traveller News Service is updated weekly, chronicling the life
and times of the Imperium, and is viewable free at www.sjgames.com/
Jon F. Zeigler has been a science gurps/traveller/news.html. The SJ Games Traveller links page
fiction fan since the cradle (literally). (www.sjgames.com/gurps/traveller/links.html) links to the Traveller
He and his wife and two children live Web Ring, which includes most of the major Traveller-oriented web-
in Maryland, where he works as a sites. For information on subscribing to the Traveller mailing list, go to
computer security consultant. He has lists.travellerrpg.com.
written or contributed to over a
dozen books for GURPS, and served
for two years as the GURPS Traveller
Line Editor.

INTRODUCTION 5

CHAPTER ONE

A DANGEROUS
GALAXY

March 12, 2170 – Nusku star “Nusku
system, in Terran space: Departure,
this is Cutty
“Cutty Sark, you are cleared to the Sark, thank you
Apishal jump point. Your flight plan is and good day.”
on file as of 0900 standard time today,
12 March 2170. Squawk 2495. Blake looked around at
Maintain heading 090 for orbital inser- his officers, then at the stars now shin-
tion lane 43. Contact Nusku Departure ing clearly on the viewscreen. “Let’s go.”
Control on channel 65 passing through
50,000 feet.”

William Blake nodded to the com-
munications officer, who adjusted con-
trols. “Nusku Tower, this is Cutty Sark,
squawking 2495, on the go. Frequency
change to Departure Control confirmed
at this time. Thank you.”

Blake surveyed the cramped bridge,
watching his officers going about their
duties. They were a trifle rough, he
judged. Just settling into their work, not
really a team yet. That would change.

“Mr. Shimannii,” he ordered,
“forward cameras on main viewer,
please.”

“Aye, sir,” said the pilot, his Vilani
accent cool and unruffled.

An image sprang into being, the
blue-brown arc of Nusku’s surface
falling away below, blue and white sky
above fading rapidly to black. Even
with a full cargo hold, the ship’s engines
were able to slam through the dense
lower atmosphere, bringing it to the
edge of space in mere minutes from
level flight.

“I never get tired of that,” Blake
murmured to himself.

“Altitude 50,000 feet,” reported
Shimannii.

“Thank you. Nusku Departure
Control, this is Cutty Sark, climbing
through 50,000 feet, bound outsystem
for Apishal.”

“Cutty Sark, this is Nusku
Departure Control. We have you in
radar contact. Continue standard
departure profile, no need to contact
Orbital. Current weather shows clear.
Good luck and Godspeed.”

6 A DANGEROUS GALAXY

The Default Present claimed by other Humans, originating
under distant suns. For 200 years,
Interstellar Wars covers a period of about 200 years, from the begin- Terra stood against the might of a vast
ning of the First Interstellar War (in 2114) to the collapse of the Vilani interstellar empire, the Ziru Sirka or
Imperium (in 2302). Vilani Imperium. The epic conflict
changed both societies forever, and
The material presented in this book will permit GMs to run adven- laid the foundation for the empires of
tures at any point in the Interstellar Wars era. However, in many cases the far future.
the book assumes a specific point in time – 2170 A.D., late in the Empty
Peace between the Third and Fourth Interstellar Wars. Any text written Interstellar Wars covers the era of
in the present tense will assume this “default present.” Text describing that conflict, roughly the 22nd and
how the setting changes over time will usually be written in past or future 23rd centuries A.D. At the beginning of
tense, and may be placed in text boxes to set it aside from the main line the period, Terra was a single world,
of description. only beginning to explore interstellar
space, vastly outnumbered and out-
As of 2170, the Terran Confederation has reached its “mature” form, gunned by the Vilani Imperium. By the
in which it will remain more or less stable for the rest of the era. Terrans end of the era, Terrans had taken over
have survived the initial Vilani onslaught, but they still risk conquest if the Empire as its new rulers.
the Imperium should ever make a concerted effort. Terran adventurers
are beginning to infiltrate deep inside the Imperium, coming into contact The period was one of epic conflict
with its many worlds and internal factions. and high adventure. Terrans brought
down the Imperium through a combi-
The Traveller future history the rise of the Third Imperium, nation of high heroism and crass
stretches thousands of years into the humans from Terra struggled mighti- opportunism, stout courage and
future, but it has its roots almost in ly to reach the stars – only to discover treacherous cunning. There was also a
the present day on Terra. Long before that most of them were already great deal of sheer luck – for much of
the period, the Terrans were constant-
ly in danger of conquest and the end
of their independent civilization.

THE TERRAN
CONFEDERATION

For I dipt into the future, far as By the end of the 21st century, the United
human eye could see, Nations was functioning as a world government.
Only the most powerful nations could pursue
Saw the Vision of the world, and all any form of independent policy. For the smaller
the wonder that would be; states, national sovereignty was as dead as the
divine right of kings.
Saw the heavens fill with
commerce, argosies of magic sails, Terran control were under a single of the 21st century a series of global
governing body – the Terran crises proved impossible for even the
Pilots of the purple twilight Confederation. strongest nations to handle without
dropping down with costly bales; close cooperation. Imperfect and
The Terran Confederation grew out unpopular as it often was, the UN was
Heard the heavens fill with shouting, of the old United Nations organization. the only global institution in a position
and there rain’d a ghastly dew The UN began its history as an almost- to consistently resolve international
impotent forum for international disputes and provide the coordination
From the nations’ airy navies debate; for several decades, real power necessary to keep civilization afloat.
grappling in the central blue; remained with the nation-states of
divided Terra. However, in the course
Far along the world-wide whisper of
the south-wind rushing warm,

With the standards of the peoples
plunging thro’ the thunder-storm;

Till the war-drum throbb’d no longer,
and the battle-flags were furl’d

In the Parliament of man, the
Federation of the world.

– Alfred, Lord Tennyson,
Locksley Hall (1842)

For most of the Interstellar Wars
era, Terra and those worlds under

A DANGEROUS GALAXY 7

By the end of the 21st century, the Decline of the wild, harming industrial development
United Nations had been reformed Nation-State and destabilizing their neighbors.
several times and was functioning as a Some provided a safe haven for politi-
world government. The world’s The survival of Terran civilization cal revolutionaries who used terrorism
nation-states were still in existence, was almost certainly due to the col- against their enemies.
but the center of power had shifted lapse of an old political ideal: the
upward to the UN. Only the most pow- notion of national sovereignty. As the 21st century wore on and
erful nations could pursue any form of civilization several times teetered on
independent policy. For the smaller At the beginning of the 21st centu- the brink of collapse, it became obvi-
states, national sovereignty was as ry, Terra was divided into about 200 ous that even the largest nation-states
dead as the divine right of kings. The nation-states. In theory, every one of could no longer be permitted complete
UN was widely resented, but few these states was completely sovereignty over their internal affairs.
Terrans could suggest a viable alterna- autonomous, free to apply any policies Policies that violated basic human
tive, and the stability of Terran civi- it wanted within its own borders. rights, or those that exacerbated the
lization had come to depend on the Every nation ran its own government, rising global crises, could no longer be
UN’s rule. maintained its own armed forces, and tolerated. Over time, this trend helped
fiercely resisted any outside interfer- consolidate governmental power in the
After the near-debacle of the First ence. Even the smallest nations were hands of the UN.
Interstellar War, the UN was once permitted the fiction of sovereign
again reformed and restructured, independence.
admitting representatives from the
offworld colonies for the first time. We must all hang together, or assuredly we
The new governing structure, shall all hang separately.
renamed as the Terran Confederation,
provided leadership for the rest of the – Benjamin Franklin (1776)
Interstellar Wars era. By the end of the
Interstellar Wars period, the In part, the principle of national The Terran Confederation is
Confederation holds uneasy sway over sovereignty was a reaction against an backed by a loose alliance of the most
thousands of inhabited worlds. earlier period of Terran history, in powerful nation-states. The smaller
which powerful nations had built nation-states remain in existence, but
The Terran Confederation pro- globe-spanning “colonial” empires at their ability to set their own internal
vides a veneer of social and political the expense of weaker peoples. policies is now strictly limited.
unity for Terran civilization. Still, National sovereignty was regarded as Corruption, industrial mismanage-
even at its height the Confederation is the best way to prevent any such abus- ment, ecological negligence, revolu-
not perfectly unified. There are a es in the future. For several decades, tion, violations of human rights – any
number of significant divisions – the stability of the global political of these is likely to provoke the
between major and minor nation- order appeared to depend on the Confederation into sending in military
states, between the Terran home- existence of sovereign nation-states. forces to depose one regime and put
world and the colonies, and between another in its place. Such “peacekeep-
Terran-dominated worlds and those By the early years of the 21st cen- ing” campaigns are much less com-
that had been conquered from the tury, this ideal was beginning to show mon today than they were in the late
Vilani Imperium. its age. Some national governments 21st century, but they still take place
engaged in terrible abuses of their every few years.
THE own citizens – mass deportations, tor-
HOMEWORLD ture, and murder. The principle of Meanwhile, the most powerful
national sovereignty was discredited nations have kept some of their own
The 21st century was a time of when it served to protect such sovereignty, but even they must bow
almost constant crisis. Wars and revo- regimes. to the consensus of their partners. The
lutions killed millions of people. alliance of major states, acting
Agricultural failures and shortages of Meanwhile, as the world communi- through the Terran Confederation, is
fresh water threatened billions with ty became increasingly interconnect- more powerful than any one of its
famine. The planet’s climate shifted. ed, the “internal” policies of one nation members. On several occasions, major
New diseases appeared and swept often had profound effects on others. nations have attempted to break away
through the world’s population. Some nations pursued selfish econom- from the Confederation on some point
Thousands of living species became ic strategies, enriching their own of internal or foreign policy, and have
extinct outside of zoos and industries at the expense of been brought to heel by economic
laboratories. others. Some refused to take action to pressure or the threat of force.
protect the environment, with conse-
Even so, Terra survived. It was bat- quences that were felt globally. Some Today, the idea of “national
tered, but still habitable for its popula- permitted internal corruption to run sovereignty” has been pushed to the
tion of over ten billion. By the time of
the Interstellar Wars, Terran society
had changed dramatically in several
key respects.

8 A DANGEROUS GALAXY

margins. Most Terrans who take the travel has also been subsidized, and Progress and Prosperity
idea seriously are dissidents, national- nation-states have been rewarded for
ist rebels who oppose the permitting free movement across Despite the turmoil of the 21st cen-
Confederation and would like to see it their borders. Nation-states have been tury, Terran civilization has made a
dismantled. Mainstream political the- actively prevented from restricting great deal of technological and
ory emphasizes the survival of Terran the flow of information across their economic progress.
civilization as a whole, and sees the borders. Xenophobic local regimes
Confederation as the best way to have been deposed, in favor of those New technologies have given
insure that survival and secure the more willing to remain part of the Terrans a wide range of capabilities
basic rights of every Terran citizen. world community. that were unknown in the early 21st
century. Fusion power plants produce
Cosmopolitanism As a result, more Terrans enjoy cheap, clean, abundant energy.
“foreign” media and entertainment, Gravitic control has reduced trans-
As of 2170, Terrans are far more more Terrans work in a country other portation costs significantly – espe-
cosmopolitan than their ancestors of than the one in which they were born, cially the cost of transporting goods
the early 21st century. Although the and more Terrans routinely travel from the Terran surface into space.
Terran population remains very cul- abroad than at any former time in Space development has made vast
turally diverse, most Terrans are history. Most Terrans speak at least mineral and other resources available.
familiar with the major features of two languages. Meanwhile, the mod- Biotechnology has improved crop
cultures other than their own. More ern dialect of English (which has plen- yields, and has done much to preserve
importantly, most Terrans are better ty of loan words and slang from the planet’s last remaining wilderness
able to appreciate the positive aspects Mandarin, Spanish, and other lan- areas. Advances in medical science
of foreign cultures; societies that cut guages) seems likely to become the have reduced the death toll due to
themselves off from outside contact, first universal Terran language. It is infectious disease, heart disease, can-
or which react with automatic hostili- already the official common language cer, and other historical scourges.
ty to “foreign” ideas, are now very of the Terran Confederation Navy, and
much in the minority. it serves as a lingua franca throughout Technological progress drives eco-
the Terran colony worlds and nearby nomic productivity; the Terran econo-
Imperial space. my has nearly 30 times the output that
it did at the beginning of the 21st cen-
History is full of ironies. We finally learn to tury. The average standard of living,
stop shooting at each other, at least most of the worldwide, is about equivalent to that
time, and what happens? We meet someone of the typical Western European in
much bigger and stronger, and they start 2000 Very few Terrans currently live
shooting at us. in real poverty or lack even the basic
requirements of diet, clothing, shelter,
– Bryce Kendall, British humorist (2105) and education. The wealthiest regions
offer a lifestyle that would have been
To some extent, this is a natural One potential downside of this cos- unthinkable in past centuries.
consequence of technological change. mopolitanism is the marginalization Disparities in wealth and income still
Even the poorest Terrans have had of many local cultures. Of the thou- exist − many regions still have far to go
access to globe-spanning voice, text, sands of Terran languages spoken at to catch up − but most citizens find
and image services for over 150 years. the beginning of the industrial era, the life much easier and more pleasant
This doesn’t guarantee that Terrans vast majority now have no native than their ancestors once did.
will approve of foreign ideas, but it speakers. Today, many local cultures
certainly makes it easy for any citizen only persist through active policies to One unusual feature of the modern
to come into contact with them. preserve them. Some Terrans worry Terran economy is the very high level
that many languages and cultures will of military spending. Even in peace-
Cosmopolitan attitudes are also only survive until the first period of time, about 7% of the planet’s Gross
strongly encouraged by government apathy causes the preservation efforts Domestic Product is devoted to the
policy. For almost a century, the UN to lag. Of course, the opening of inter- military and to paramilitary projects
and the Terran Confederation have stellar travel and colonization has pro- such as the interstellar colonization
done their best to discourage cultural vided an opportunity to establish new effort. In times of open war against
isolationism and xenophobia. The worlds where distinctive cultures can the Vilani, the military budget has
world information grid has been sub- more easily be preserved. sometimes risen as high as 15% of the
sidized, helping it to expand into planet’s GDP. This level of military
every region of the planet. Passenger spending, sustained over decades of
time, is almost without precedent in
Terran history. It has profound effects
on Terran society and politics, and
would probably be impossible to sus-
tain were it not for the obvious and
continuing threat of the Vilani
Imperium.

A DANGEROUS GALAXY 9

TERRAN are known to be many Terra-like Once a colony has a substantial
COLONIES worlds inside the Imperium, most of population (usually at least 1 million)
them already developed by the Vilani and is economically self-sufficient, it
Terrans have settled a number of but lightly settled by Terran stan- can apply to the Confederation for
worlds, both in the Terran star system dards. If the Imperium can be pressed home rule. If the petition succeeds,
and elsewhere. See Chapter 5 for back, all that desirable real estate will the Terran Confederation’s colonial
details of some of these colonies. fall into Terran hands. government is withdrawn, and the
colony is admitted to the
Worlds and Outposts That doesn’t mean that the margin- Confederation as an independent
al worlds inside the “pocket” are being nation-state. As of 2170, this has only
Due to the vagaries of astrography, neglected. Some of them have valu- happened four times (Luna and
Terra is in the midst of a “pocket” of able resources to offer, while others Prometheus in 2122, Mars in 2128,
stars in a region of space cut off on are in strategic locations that invite and the once-Vilani world Nusku in
two sides by the Vilani Imperium and the placement of way stations or 2161).
on the other two sides by a jump-3 defensive pickets. Terran policy is to
“gap” (see Chapter 8 for a discussion place at least a military outpost in Although independent colony
of the interstellar jump drive). This has almost every reachable star system – if worlds can design their own laws and
always tended to channel Terran any local resources are worth develop- forms of government, they suffer the
expansion toward Imperial space. The ing, an industrial colony can take same limitations on their national sov-
situation is further complicated by the shape as well. ereignty as nation-states back on
fact that there aren’t very many Terra- Terra. They are protected somewhat
like worlds inside the “pocket.” Aside Some of the first interstellar out- by distance; colony worlds enjoy more
from Prometheus (p. 114) and Terra posts were established by national or independence of action because it
itself, the worlds immediately avail- private interests, but by 2126 all of would cost the Confederation more to
able for colonization at the beginning them were brought under direct send in a “peacekeeping” expedition.
of the Interstellar Wars were no more Confederation control. Today, all out- On the other hand, the colony worlds
than marginally habitable. posts that are primarily of a military get only token representation within
character are administered by the the Terran Confederation government,
As a result, most Terran settlement Navy, while civilian industrial settle- which remains under the control of the
has gone to Prometheus, and the ments are governed by the Colonial major nation-states on Terra. The net
Terran Confederation spends most of Bureau. There is always a planetary result is that the colony worlds often
its effort on pushing the Imperial bor- Governor appointed by the appropri- feel separated from the homeworld by
der back rather than exploring across ate Confederation ministry, and a social as well as physical distance.
the gap into uncharted space. There local advisory board composed of
leading citizens of the outpost. CONQUERED
WORLDS

As the Interstellar Wars progress
and Terran Confederation slowly
gains the upper hand over the
Imperium, many long-settled Vilani
worlds will pass into the
Confederation’s control. As of 2170,
however, there is only one such world
(Nusku – see p. 112). In later years
there will be dozens, then hundreds,
then thousands of conquered worlds.

The Process of Conquest

The conquest of a Vilani world
begins when the Terran
Confederation Navy secures the space
above it. Once the Imperial Navy is
forced to withdraw, the world it
defended is cut off from the Imperium
and laid open to invasion.

In many cases, an Imperial world
will surrender as soon as the Terran
Navy arrives. Thousands of Imperial
worlds are inhabited by minor-race
Humans, aliens, or Vilani from some

10 A DANGEROUS GALAXY

Being Terran

Even though Terra has come under the unified rule forces, or are close to someone who has. This is partic-
of the Terran Confederation, Terran society still ularly true of Terrans who have the opportunity to seek
exhibits a lot of diversity. It’s difficult to define a set of adventure among the stars – prior military service is
features that most Terrans have in common. Of course, almost a requirement for many starship-crew or colo-
those few Terrans who are likely to go on interstellar nial jobs.
adventures are likely to have unusual personal histories
– the community of Terran adventurers does have a Individual Terrans vary in their attitudes toward the
number of features in common. military, of course. There are very few rabid Terran
imperialists, out to tear down the Vilani by any means
Innovation necessary. There are also very few absolute pacifists.
Most Terrans, especially those with prior service, view
The last few centuries have been hard on Terra’s tra- the military as a necessary, but not always positive,
ditionalist subcultures. Waves of social, economic, and institution.
technological change have shattered many communi-
ties that would have preferred to cling to ancient ways Independence
of life. Although a few such communities still survive,
most of today’s Terrans are at least able to adapt to Most of the homeworld’s citizens are at least toler-
change. ant of the Terran Confederation’s rule – they may not
agree with all of the Confederation’s policies, but they
Naturally, those Terrans who are likely to leave the support the Confederation as the best way to ensure
homeworld for interstellar adventure are the most Terran survival. Those who disagree are among the
adaptable, even creative, of their kind. Many of them most likely to move to the colonies, or to take a job
are entrepreneurs, aggressively seeking out new oppor- involving travel far from Terra. As a result, members of
tunities to make a fortune. Others are social or political the Terran interstellar community are likely to be much
misfits, who wish to escape the heavy hand of more independent and disrespectful toward authority
Confederation rule and set up a new community on than citizens back on the homeworld.
another world.
This independence doesn’t mean that all Terran
Militarism adventurers are rebels. Most colonists and starship
crewmen are willing to give the Confederation their loy-
Since the beginning of the Interstellar Wars, the alty, especially when directly employed by the govern-
Terran Confederation military has become one of the ment. However, that loyalty isn’t likely to be unques-
dominant institutions of Terran life. Every adult Terran tioning or absolute. The colonist or crewman is always
is required by law to serve a short term in public serv- thinking for himself. He prefers to avoid government
ice, and many serve in the military during this period. interference when off-duty, and may eventually put his
Most citizens have either served in the regular military own interests ahead of those of the Confederation.

khagarii culture (p. 15). Many of these for the conquest of a major Vilani conquered Vilani populations. The
worlds chafe under Vilani rule and world usually lasts several months; skill, number, and size of “occupation
would like nothing more than to break some Imperial worlds with well-pre- armies” will grow rapidly in the com-
away. Even some mainstream Vilani pared defenses hold out for years at a ing decades, however, as more and
worlds have no real loyalty to the cen- time. But eventually, the last pockets more Imperial worlds come under
tral Imperial government. Terran pol- of Imperial resistance are stamped Terran control.
icy is to encourage such dissension out.
within the Imperium, treating the sub- During the period of military occu-
ject peoples with respect, making Unless a world has negotiated a full pation, Terran civilians come in large
alliances with them rather than alliance with the Confederation ahead numbers to the newly conquered
imposing harsh Terran rule on them. of time, Terran policy is to place a mil- world. Some take up positions in
As a result, many worlds switch sides itary government in temporary com- charge of civil administration and
as soon as it’s clear that the Imperium mand. A large portion of the Terran major industries, usually sharing
has no way to retaliate. military is trained to provide compe- power as far as possible with local
tent military administration for Vilani, leaders. Other Terrans come simply to
If a world resists, or if loyal Vilani and even non-Human, populations. make their fortunes, providing servic-
troops remain behind after the Important industrial and social cen- es to the civil administration or setting
Imperial Navy withdraws, then the ters are secured, police protection is up new businesses among the local
Terrans must fight to secure the plan- provided, and insurgents are located populace. All of these newcomers
et’s surface. This is often a long and dealt with. As of 2170, the bring their families, setting up perma-
process, a siege rather than a quick Confederation is still gathering nent Terran communities on the new
campaign of maneuver. A ground war experience in how to deal with world.

A DANGEROUS GALAXY 11

Eventually the military occupation names for themselves or their chil- culture attractive – they are likely to
is withdrawn, and the world is given dren, open businesses organized along pick up a few Vilani folkways and bits
self-government within the Terran Terran lines, hold office in the Terran- of Vilani language. Some Vilani wel-
Confederation. Confederation policy imposed political system, and so on. come Terran settlers into partner-
is to make sure that local citizens are Already in 2170, this process is under- ships, forming business and family
as involved as possible, consistent way on Nusku; in the coming cen- connections to further integrate the
with the need to maintain good order turies, billions of Vilani on other two communities.
and make the world’s industries avail- worlds will become “imitation
able to the Terran war effort. Even so, Terrans.” Within a few decades, a “con-
Terrans are likely to be very influential quered” Vilani world will usually
in the new world-state. More importantly, this process develop a distinctive culture of its
works in both directions. Terran set- own. A mixed Terran-Vilani ruling
Mutual Assimilation tlers on former Imperial worlds are far class grows, Terran in language and in
from the home world, and are often most of its customs, but feeling more
Vilani worlds enter the Terran vastly outnumbered by their Vilani attachment to the local (mostly Vilani)
Confederation through “conquest,” colleagues. Some of them respond by population than to distant Terra. So
but in the long run the process is more clinging to their Terran identity, iso- long as the wars against the Vilani
one of mutual assimilation. The Vilani lating themselves from the Vilani pop- Imperium continue, the former
citizens of a conquered world often ulation, sometimes even holding the Imperial worlds are likely to remain
begin to imitate Terran customs, polit- Vilani in contempt. The more effective loyal to the Terran Confederation –
ical theories, and social structures. response, taken by most Terran set- but they will look for safe ways to
They learn Terran languages, read tlers, is to integrate into the Vilani assert their independence from the
Terran literature, choose Terran populace. Terrans often find Vilani home world.

THE VILANI IMPERIUM

Is it not a noble farce, wherein presence of other Humans already liv- In 4000 BC, the Human race
kings, republics, and emperors have ing among the stars, running a vast known as the Vilani had already devel-
for so many ages played their parts, interstellar civilization that was oped the jump drive and was busily
and to which the whole vast universe already thousands of years old. exploring the galaxy. While Egypt
serves for a theater? built the pyramids, the Vilani built
– Michel de Montaigne, Essays (1580) In 4000 BC, there was no civiliza- interstellar colonies. While the Greeks
tion on Terra. Settled agriculture was refined the tactics of shield and iron-
When Humans from Terra first just beginning in a few favored bladed spear, the Vilani launched
reached the stars, they expected to be regions. The largest town on the plan- campaigns of conquest across the
surprised by what they found. The et had a population of less than a galaxy. While Rome rose and fell, the
universe was vast and would doubtless thousand souls. The mystic city-states Vilani established an interstellar
contain wonders beyond imagination. of Sumeria, the pyramid-building empire that spanned ten thousand
What no one expected – what no one dynasties of Egypt, and the half-myth- worlds. That empire – the Ziru Sirka,
could have predicted – was the ical kings of Shang China, were all also called the “Grand Empire of
centuries in the future.

12 A DANGEROUS GALAXY

Stars” or the Vilani Imperium – still The Mystery of
exists today. It presents the ultimate Human Origins
challenge to Terran civilization.
Over centuries, Terran scientists became certain that Humans evolved
OUTPOSTS OF from non-sapient origins on Terra. Humans are well-adapted for the
EMPIRE Terran environment. Genetic analysis shows that they are closely related
to other Terran animal species, especially the nearly extinct great apes.
The Vilani Imperium occupies an The fossil record, incomplete though it may be, clearly indicates a line of
irregularly shaped region of space, development that gave rise to modern Humans.
about 220 parsecs coreward-to-
rimward and 160 parsecs spinward-to- Contact with the Vilani threw the Terran scientific community into
trailing. The Vilani homeworld is actu- chaos. The Vilani originated far from Terra and have been on their home-
ally well away from the center of this world for ages. Yet they are fully Human, a first impression that has been
volume. For a variety of historical and confirmed by both medical examination and intermarriage with Terrans.
astrographic reasons, the Vilani
expanded much further toward the Also, the Vilani Imperium contains other Human races – dozens of
galactic rim and “down” the Local Arm them, each originating on a different world in the distant past. According
of the galaxy than in other directions. to Imperial scientific data, the various Human races known to the Vilani
all seem to have appeared at close to the same time, about 300,000 years
The small bubble of stars currently ago.
under Terran control is nestled close
to the extreme rimward frontier of Terran scientists have developed several theories to account for the
Imperial space. Terra itself is only a presence of Humans on worlds distant from Terra.
few parsecs beyond the final edge of
Vilani settlement. Indeed, it’s a minor Convergent Evolution: This theory claims that the Human shape and
miracle that the Vilani failed to dis- psychology are optimal for a tool-using sapient species, and that they
cover the existence of Humans on have somehow been selected for on many widely separated worlds. The
Terra centuries before Terrans scientific community never took this theory very seriously, although it
attained spaceflight. has some support from the religious community and from certain
pseudo-scientific groups.
On Imperial maps Terra is located
in the Kushuggi sector, also informal- Lost Human Civilization: Another theory holds that there was an
ly known as “the Rim Province.” The unknown high-technology culture in Terra’s distant past, which explored
region is a relatively “young” segment the galaxy hundreds of thousands of years ago and then vanished. This
of the Vilani empire. Although a few civilization supposedly left behind “lost colonies” that eventually became
Vilani scouts tentatively explored the the present-day Human homeworlds. Archaeologists have combed Terra
sector as early as 1500 BC, the first for signs of this ancient spacefaring culture, and have found no trace.
permanent Vilani settlement was only Pseudo-scientists still talk about Atlantis, or lost civilizations now buried
established a thousand years later. under a mile of Antarctic ice.
Almost all of the Imperial worlds in
the immediate vicinity of Terra were Alien Interference: Some scientists suggest that aliens must have trans-
colonized during the first millennium planted Human stock to many worlds in the distant past. This theory
A.D. (see Chapter 5). seems to be the most likely – aliens visiting Terra to pick up “samples”
might not leave much evidence behind. The hypothetical aliens who may
The worlds of the Rim Province are have transplanted Humans around the galaxy are usually called “the
lightly settled – even the most hos- Ancients.”
pitable planets have Human popula-
tions of only 2-3 billion. They are also The Vilani themselves have shed very little light on the subject. Most
very distant from the Imperial core – Vilani who are interested in pre-Human history lean toward the “alien
the fastest courier service still needs interference” theory. They point to artifacts and mysterious sites that have
more than two years to carry a mes- been found on hundreds of worlds, and which appear to predate the rise
sage from the provincial capital to of any Human civilization. The earliest Vilani legends speak of mysterious
Vland, the Vilani capital world. As a “gods,” possibly referring to the aliens (or to their robotic servants).
result, despite over a millennium of
Imperial settlement, the province Of course, most Vilani are not interested in such abstract questions.
retains a strong “frontier” flavor. Local Very few Vilani are willing to admit that Terra could possibly be the
Imperial administrators feel cut off Human homeworld . . .
from their superiors in the Imperial
core. Local Vilani populations are Corporate Feudalism deal of autonomy, handling most situ-
often more stubbornly independent ations on their own and making occa-
than their distant kin on Vland, and The Vilani govern their empire sional reports to their superiors. A vast
more inclined to pursue their own with a very light hand. They have no (but loose) hierarchy covers the
interests rather than those of the choice – the sheer size and dispersion empire, from the few ultimate leaders
empire as a whole. of the Imperium make it impossible to on Vland down to the billions of local
govern with strict central control. administrators who get things done.
Instead, local officials have a great

A DANGEROUS GALAXY 13

In many ways, the Vilani hierarchy (a difficult word, usually translated as They may try to sabotage their rivals’
is similar to the feudal political sys- “bureaus” to suggest a bureaucratic projects. All the techniques of bureau-
tems once common on Terra. High agency) so that their territories overlap cratic infighting familiar to Terran
office is often inherited, and political very little. This means that Sharurshid office workers are also known to the
influence tends to run in important faces little or no competition within its Vilani – and have been honed to a
noble families. Officials live within a own sphere of influence. high degree of sophistication over
complex web of obligations and privi- thousands of years.
leges, defining how they must Within Sharurshid, however, there
behave toward their superiors and is considerable competition. Although One aspect of Vilani competition
subordinates. Vilani are more community-oriented has been very fortunate for the Terran
than Terrans (see Being Vilani, p. 16), Confederation: it has led various
Unlike most of the Terran feudal they don’t lack all personal ambition. Vilani individuals and factions to
systems, the Vilani aristocracy is not They compete for positions of respon- work with Terrans even against the
military or religious in nature. Vilani sibility within the Sharurshid system, Imperium. On a small scale, this
nobles are not primarily warriors or for resources for their favored projects, means that individual Vilani adminis-
priests – instead, they are managers, and for influence over policy. Even the trators are often willing to hire Terran
leaders of business enterprises or the most selfless Vilani administrator can adventurers or mercenaries. On a larg-
civil bureaucracy. still be convinced that he would do a er scale, certain Vilani factions seem
better job in high office than the willing to consider seceding from the
Indeed, the line between business bumbler currently in charge . . . empire entirely, in order to pursue an
and government is almost invisible in independent course with a Terran
Vilani society. Organizations that pro- This kind of “hidden” competition alliance. Even factions that are not
vide civil administration are expected manifests itself in many different interested in secession have some-
to produce a surplus. Business firms ways. Vilani officials may openly times been of great assistance to the
provide housing and consumer goods, oppose their rivals when it comes Terran cause – for example, it seems
organize military defense and police time to meet in committee and dis- likely that Terra would not have sur-
protection, administer civil justice, cuss policy. They may conceal or dis- vived the Third Interstellar War (p. 27)
and perform other “government” tort information in their reports in had factions within Sharurshid not
services for their employees. order to trap a competitor into error undermined the aggressive policy of
or to cover up their own mistakes. the provincial governor.
This blending of corporate and
government institutions is most obvi-
ous at the highest levels of Vilani soci-
ety. For example, the regions of Vilani
space closest to Terra are ultimately
controlled by a single organization
called Sharurshid (roughly translating
as “Direct Exchange Facilitators”).
Sharurshid is a vast organization run
by a network of Vilani noble families.
It operates as a corporation; its pri-
mary business is interstellar trade and
transportation, but it has thousands of
semi-independent subsidiaries that
manufacture goods and provide
services on individual Vilani worlds.
Meanwhile, within the Sharurshid
sphere of influence, the mega-
corporation is the Imperial
government. Sharurshid itself admin-
isters the Imperium at the subsector
level and above, while its major sub-
sidiaries provide government services
on thousands of Vilani worlds.

The Game of Empire

Sharurshid controls a large portion
of the Vilani empire. Terran observers
are aware of at least two other organi-
zations of similar size that hold sway
over other parts of the Imperium.
However, the Vilani appear to divide
their empire among these shangarim

14 A DANGEROUS GALAXY

IMPERIAL occupied by the khagarii, or “dissi- come from “the underworld,” a realm
SOCIETY dents.” Dissident groups live and of chaos and uncertainty. It is usually
work within Vilani society, but they translated into English as “barbar-
Vilani civilization is by no means reject some or all of the age-old Vilani ians,” but that translation doesn’t
monolithic. Indeed, the designers of traditions. Some khagarii are Vilani carry the full weight of repugnance
the Vilani Imperium deliberately who deliberately refuse to follow indicated by the Vilani word.
included cultural diversity as a perma- Imperial social norms. Most of them
nent feature of the empire. They rec- are non-Vilani Humans or non- Lukurranii are those sapient
ognized that Imperial society needed Humans, whose ancestors were con- beings, Human or not, who live entire-
the flexibility that a certain amount of quered by the Imperium but who ly outside the Imperial system. They
diversity could provide. As a result, have never been fully assimilated. reject Vilani traditions – in fact, they
every caste has its own customs and may not even be aware of those tradi-
traditions, every Vilani world follows Dissidents are denied a variety of tions. They threaten the order, stabili-
its own path of social evolution, and rights within the Imperial system. In ty, and harmony of Vilani society sim-
many of the Imperial subject races extreme cases, a world inhabited by ply by existing. When they are capable
have accepted a veneer of Vilani cul- dissidents can be interdicted, forcibly of operating starships, the threat
ture while retaining portions of their cut off from all outside contact by becomes far greater because they can
own. Imperial naval forces. Other dissident spread their chaos into the heart of
communities are forced to live apart Vilani civilization.
The Vilani Mainstream from mainstream society, in ghettos
or reservations where they can follow In a sense, the Vilani Imperium
The core of Vilani civilization is its their own customs without disturbing exists solely for the purpose of con-
“High Vilani” and “Low Vilani” sub- Imperial harmony. Dissidents who quering and assimilating lukurranii.
cultures. work within Vilani society must accept Long ago, the Vilani fought a series of
placement in the “caste” system Consolidation Wars, during which
High Vilani culture is that of the (p. 73), but are restricted to low-pres- they tracked down and conquered
interstellar elite, the aristocrats and tige careers. In particular, dissidents every lukurranii race they could find.
senior shangarim administrators who are denied the right to legally own or After centuries of conflict, every star-
wield Imperial power. It is character- operate starships, and must negotiate faring race that the Vilani could reach
ized by routine access to interstellar at a serious disadvantage with the was assimilated into the growing
travel and communication, sumptu- shangarim if they wish to participate in Imperium. Only after that did the
ous standards of living, elaborate interstellar trade. Imperium – quite deliberately – cease
artistic styles, even more elaborate its growth and begin the long period
codes of courtesy, and (to a Terran) Despite these handicaps, the of stability that has continued to the
extreme arrogance. Imperium is home to many khagarii present.
groups; some estimates place them at
Low Vilani culture is that of the over 10% of the total Imperial popula- Today, the Imperium is once again
Imperial “middle class.” Its members tion. Khagarii are particularly com- challenged by lukurranii who have
include the vast majority of the Vilani mon in frontier subsectors, and on acquired or developed the jump drive.
population, as well as those Imperial low-population worlds off the main Terrans are clearly one such “barbar-
subject races that have fully assimilat- trade routes. Small dissident commu- ian” group, but there are rumors of
ed into Vilani civilization. Members of nities can also be found on most of the more in other segments of the
the Low Vilani culture usually remain Vilani core worlds. Imperial border.
on the world of their birth for their
entire lives, and don’t participate Not all Vilani “dissidents” are The Vilani have clearly lost much
directly in interstellar affairs. They openly classified as khagarii. Vilani of their ability (or their will) to put
usually live comfortably but not lav- society requires its members to down any barbarians who might chal-
ishly, and spend their lives working behave in accordance with tradition in lenge them. Terra would doubtless
hard for one of the shangarim or a public, but private thoughts and have been conquered some time ago if
subsidiary organization. Low Vilani behavior are not so strictly regulated. the bold, warlike Vilani of the
artistic styles are much simpler and It’s possible for a Vilani to engage in Consolidation Wars era were still in
less ornate than those of the High quiet dissent from the social norms charge of the empire. As it is, even
Vilani; Terrans often consider Low without being considered khagarii. Vilani aristocrats are sometimes will-
Vilani art to be dull and uninspired. Many such Vilani join informal clubs ing to bargain with Terran lukurranii.
Low Vilani are loyal to the Imperium, or secret societies, which have tradi- Of course, such negotiations rarely
but they are much less arrogant than tions of their own outside the caste treat Terrans as equals, always involv-
their High Vilani leaders. Indeed, system and in opposition to the main- ing face-saving formulae to maintain
some Low Vilani show a keen interest stream of Imperial culture. the pretense that the barbarians are
in foreign ideas and culture. subservient to the Imperium. Still, the
Barbarians end result is that Terrans can often
Dissidents win favors or concessions in return for
The Vilani word lukurranii sug- helping Vilani officials to promote
On the Imperial social hierarchy, gests “those who come from foreign their own agendas.
the rung below the Low Vilani is lands,” but it also suggests people who

A DANGEROUS GALAXY 15

Being Vilani

Across thousands of Imperial worlds, Vilani tend to To some extent, Vilani pragmatism is related to their

share certain common traits. Even Vilani khagarii have insistence on tradition. Methods, technologies, and

the same basic psychology. ideas become traditional once they have been proven to

work over long periods of time. Vilani innovators are

Tradition regarded as dangerous because they proceed without

Vilani are devoted to tradition. Whenever a Vilani being able to prove that their innovations will do more
must make a decision, his first thought is usually given good than harm.

to what other Vilani have done in similar situations, Community
what the customs of his family and caste require, and so

on. Vilani rarely rely on their own initiative to solve Vilani are strongly community-oriented. Vilani are

problems, and can struggle when the situation is gen- certainly capable of individualistic behavior, but their

uinely new. On the other hand, Vilani gain confidence society trains them to always measure their actions by

from the vast body of tradition they can draw upon. their effect on the community. A Vilani defines his self-

Creative and innovative thinking are strongly dis- image in the context of his family, his caste, his work

couraged by Vilani society. Those who insist on apply- team, his home city, his home world, and the Imperial

ing new ideas are regarded as a danger to society, system as a whole. He regards his prosperity as depend-

attacking the traditions that hold civilization together. ing on that of the group. He expresses his ambitions by

A Vilani who persists in being innovative is often demonstrating that he is better able to advance the

treated as criminally insane. group’s interests than anyone else.

Tradition covers Vilani technology, standardizing it One expression of this group thinking is the Vilani

almost everywhere in the Imperium. Tradition also attitude to work. Vilani are diligent and efficient work-

freezes Vilani technological development in place; the ers. A Terran might expect to spend a third of his day

standard Imperial toolset has seen no significant on the job; a Vilani thinks nothing of spending half of

changes in over 2,000 years. Vilani art, music, and liter- his day, and will often work longer hours than that.

ature are also firmly grounded in tradition – a present- Vilani enjoy their recreational time, but to them life

day Vilani artist will often produce works in a style isn’t about having fun – it’s about working hard to

thousands of years old. make the community healthy and prosperous.

The Vilani prefer communal

decision-making. The notion of

One peculiar tradition among Vilani artists the autocrat, the lone decision-
maker who is subject to no

concerns the lost wax-process. While used other authority, is alien to
Vilani thought. Even the Vilani
extensively in industry and jewelry-making, the
Emperor is simply the chair-

process is never applied to fine-art sculptures. As man of the ruling council of the
Imperium. At all levels of Vilani

with the vast majority of Vilani customs, there is society, from the Imperium
no rhyme or reason behind them, beyond the down to the single family, deci-
sions are reached by groups

mere fact that “it is tradition.” who meet and work out con-
– Lamon hault-Devereaux, sensus. The process is often
slow, but once a decision is

Vilani Sculpture: A History reached it has the committed
support of all members of the

group.

Vilani communities are held

Pragmatism together by codes of courtesy; these codes can be
extremely elaborate, especially among the “High Vilani”

No matter their caste or subculture, the Vilani are castes that fill out the aristocracy and the ranks of sen-

very pragmatic people. They don’t waste time on ior administration. Vilani courtesy helps maintain har-

abstract theories or unattainable ideals – they are inter- mony within the community, and helps individuals to

ested only in doing what works. To them, the real uni- keep their expression of emotion within the bounds set

verse is much more important than the world of ideas. by tradition. Even bitter enemies are unfailingly polite to

Vilani are administrators and engineers, not one another when they must interact socially.

philosophers or scientists.

16 A DANGEROUS GALAXY

CHAPTER TWO

THE EPIC
STRUGGLE

On Saturday we had no meetings to
attend, so I decided to give Adkhar a
treat. We took the morning suborbital to
Paris, and then tubed down to Cairo for
a day’s visit to the Egyptian antiquities.
I decided we could spend a few hours in
the Cairo Museum, and then go out to
Gizeh to say hello to the Sphinx.

It didn’t work out quite the way I
planned. Adkhar was polite but
unimpressed.

“These must be very old,” he
remarked at one point.

“They are,” I assured him.
“How old are they? To be in such a
state of disrepair, they must be from the
very dawn of your civilization.”
“That’s true,” I said.
“So? 15,000 years? 20,000 years?
How old are they?”
So of course I had to admit that they
were only 5,000 years old. I’m afraid
that after that he didn’t appreciate any-
thing he saw. Not that his veneer of
urbane courtesy ever wavered, of
course. Even so, it was clear that he
found it all rather childish, and rather
quaint, and more than a little shabby.
Vilani. No wonder you sometimes
have to beat them over the head with a
battleship squadron before they’ll take
you seriously.

– John Billingslake, Terran
Confederation administrator (2190)

SETTING THE STAGE

Vilani civilization is quite ancient. description of this critical technology, and technological innovation – but
The oldest written records still pre- see The Jump Drive, p. 169). when it came to exploration and
served on Vland are about 20,000 trade, they were bold. For 3,000 years
years old. An industrial revolution Vilani Exploration they poked into every nook and cran-
began about 6500 B.C., slowly but (to c. 900 B.C.) ny of space, mapping star systems as
steadily building up to the first space far as their scouts could reach. They
exploration about 1,000 years later. These early Vilani were quite dif- contacted dozens of sentient races,
For centuries the Vilani explored the ferent from their descendants, the both Human and alien. They set up
nearby stars using slower-than-light Vilani encountered thousands of long-lasting trade relationships; their
ships, before developing the jump years later by the first Terran inter- merchant ships carried exotic goods
drive about 4700 B.C. (for a stellar explorers. To be sure, they from hundreds of worlds.
were already cautious about social

THE EPIC STRUGGLE 17

These early Vilani were much more At the beginning of the rimward and spinward, following a
interested in trade than in conquest, Consolidation Wars era, the jump-1 “main” that trailed out into
and made little attempt to gain direct shangarim were already organized to uncharted space beyond the Vegan
rule over “barbarian” worlds. Close to provide governmental services within sphere. However, the main effort of
Vland there was a sphere dominated their respective spheres of influence. the Consolidation Wars went else-
by various Vilani factions, but Vilani Indeed, each of them already operated where, and colonization in the
goods and technologies reached far an armed fleet in order to protect mer- rimward direction was very slow. The
beyond this region of space. For exam- chant convoys from barbarian or Kushuggi or “Rim Worlds” province
ple, by 1500 B.C. the Vegans (p. 88) renegade attack. It was natural for soon became a backwater of the
had acquired the jump drive at third each of the three shangarim to be growing empire.
hand, 100 parsecs beyond the most given the responsibility for conquer-
distant frontier of the Vilani trade ing and ruling a specific region of bar- The Ziru Sirka
empire. barian space. The Sharurshid organi- (c. A.D. 500 and later)
zation was the shangarim responsible
The Consolidation Wars for expanding Vilani control to The Consolidation Wars ended
(c. 900 B.C.-c. A.D. 500) rimward – toward distant Terra. about A.D.500, with the conquest and
assimilation of the last known non-
Many barbarians used their Vilani- Sharurshid’s ultimate goal was the Vilani starfaring culture. The Igsiirdi,
derived technology in ways that Vegan Polity, a small interstellar state the ruling council dominated by the
clashed with Vilani law and custom. that had been established using a shangarim, recognized this accom-
They made unapproved innovations, Vilani-derived jump drive. As far as plishment by proclaiming the founda-
failed to pay royalties to the anyone knew, there were no starfaring tion of a formal interstellar empire.
shangarim, or built small interstellar races to rimward of the Vegan colo- The Ziru Sirka or “Grand Empire of
empires that openly resisted Vilani nial sphere. Once the Vegans were Stars” would be a vast interstellar
influence. Over time, the Vilani part of the Vilani empire, expansion in state, governed by the three shangarim
became dissatisfied with this situation that direction could safely be halted. for the benefit of all sapient beings.
and shifted their strategy. Once they
had explored the galaxy as peaceful The Vilani conquered and colo- The primary goal of the new
merchants; now they marshaled war nized methodically to rimward, finally Imperium was stability rather than
fleets and proceeded to unite all of making direct contact with the Vegan further expansion. Exploration
known space under their direct rule. Polity about A.D. 75. A Vilani military beyond the borders of the empire was
colony was established on Shulgiasu permitted only under special circum-
Despite the dispersal of advanced (p. 107), which later became the center stances, and within a few centuries
technology among the barbarian races, of Vilani civilization on the Rim. A few had ceased entirely. New colonization
the Vilani still had a considerable tech- decades later, the Vegan Consolidation was likewise slowed, and later halted.
nological edge. Indeed, shortly before Campaign was kicked off with a sur- Technological innovation was even
the Consolidation Wars began, Vilani prise attack on several Vegan outposts. more strictly controlled. With these
researchers had developed the jump-2 The conquest of the Vegan Polity took changes, the Ziru Sirka was to provide
drive (p. 170), giving Vilani ships an only a few years to complete, and was a mature, steady-state economy in
unprecedented advantage in strategic over by A.D. 120. which trillions of sophonts could live
speed and mobility. in safety and comfort. While greed
After the Vegan conquest, the and personal ambition were not
Vilani continued to expand to stamped out, they were channeled
into relatively “safe” pursuits, notably
the quest for higher status within the
elaborate Imperial hierarchy.

Not all of the new Imperium’s sub-
jects agreed with this goal. Even in the
early centuries of the Ziru Sirka, dissi-
dent factions sometimes appeared and
tried to alter the Imperial social con-
tract. One such faction was the
kimashargur (“Virtue of the
Foremost”) movement, which became
very influential in the Imperium’s
rimward sectors beginning about
A.D. 800.

The kimashargur were romantics.
They remembered the days of techno-
logical advance and galaxy-spanning
exploration, and considered the
Imperium poorer for having turned its

18 THE EPIC STRUGGLE

back on such ventures. They demand- A.D. 950. Many thousands of norms that had been imposed on
ed that controls on exploration and kimashargur fled Imperial space them back in Imperial space.
technological innovation be relaxed, entirely, settling beyond the rimward Unfortunately, the experiment did not
so that at least a small section of frontier. Thus it was a dissident popu- last long; just after A.D. 1100 the
Imperial society could continue to lation that first established Vilani Imperium gathered a war fleet and
engage in such pursuits. They also worlds such as Dingir, Gashidda, forcibly annexed the kimashargur
pointed out that the empire’s stability, Iilike, Shulimik, and Nusku – all of state. The war was quite short but very
while a laudable accomplishment, them within only a few parsecs of bitter – even centuries later, the popu-
could be threatened if some outside Terra. Whether any kimashargur lations of the old kimashargur worlds
force arose to challenge Vilani author- scouts discovered Terra itself during remembered and resented the
ity. Clearly someone had to be respon- this era is unknown; if they did, no Imperial conquest.
sible for exploring uncharted space records of the discovery appear to
and discovering new technological have survived. After the reduction of the
tricks, so that the Vilani community as kimashargur, the Imperial rimward
a whole could be prepared for the About A.D. 1000 the kimashargur border was static for over 1,000 years.
unknown. exiles established a Vilani pocket The Vilani expanded no further, ham-
empire, with its capital at Dingir. For pered by a jump-3 gap to rimward and
Imperial authority tolerated the over a century the dissidents pros- by sheer inertia. Fatefully, the
kimashargur for a time, but eventually pered, developing their new worlds, Imperial advance had stopped a mere
cracked down on the movement about diverging from the Vilani cultural three parsecs from Terra.

THE NEW
MILLENNIUM

While the Vilani carved out their Using the
interstellar empire, Terra remained in Official History
a primitive state. An industrial revolu-
tion began about A.D. 1800, centering This chapter describes the official history of the Interstellar Wars era,
in Western Europe and North a very early (and pivotal) period in the Traveller future history. GMs and
America. The result was a period of players already familiar with Traveller will be aware of events that take
upheaval, as the thousands of local place thousands of years further into the future – and, of course, they will
pre-industrial societies were gradually be aware of how the Interstellar Wars themselves are “supposed” to work
unified into a single world communi- out.
ty. The process took centuries, and
was not yet complete when Terra first The official history of the era is intended to give GMs and players back-
came into contact with the Vilani. ground for their own adventures. The GM may choose to set his campaign
at the “default present” (p. 7) assumed in most of this book. Or he may use
RISE OF THE the historical narrative here, together with the worldbuilding tools and
UN other rules in later chapters, to design his own campaign setting at any
point in the era.
As industrial progress spread,
Terran civilization began to go However, once an Interstellar Wars campaign is under way the best
through a slow historical cycle driven approach is probably to push the official history firmly to the side.
by social and economic change. Permitting events to take their own course will maintain the element of
Great crises tended to alternate with mystery and surprise, and will let players feel that they are in charge of
periods of peace – but each outbreak their characters’ destinies. Indeed, the Interstellar Wars era was a time
of violent disaster was stronger, when individual actions often had a profound effect on the course of
harsher, and more difficult for Terran events. This is a worthwhile feature for any campaign setting, but only if
civilization to survive. PC adventurers are given the chance to change history.

The last major outbreak of crisis It should be obvious that the “future history” described here is very
struck soon after the turn of the new unlikely to come about, even in those details that describe life on Terra
millennium. For many years, Terra in the 21st century. GMs and players shouldn’t spend too much effort try-
was wracked with war, revolution, ing to make the future history fit with current events! Many Traveller
terrorism, famine, epidemic disease, fans assume that the game’s history diverges from our own sometime in
radical climate shifts, and ecological the mid-1970s . . . by no coincidence, about the time that Traveller was
disasters. The very survival of first published.
civilization often seemed in doubt.

THE EPIC STRUGGLE 19

The Treaty of New York The General Assembly remained in signed was a major-power candidate
(c. A.D. 2000-2024) existence, but it was stripped of its right (Sadao Kanzaki of Japan, appointed
to elect the Secretary-General. It also in 2026), and many of his successors
During the early years of the crisis lost its ability to authorize military were from the major nations.
era, cooperation among Terra’s major action in emergencies. The General
nation-states was infrequent and Assembly became an effectively power- The Secretary-General and the
grudging. The United States was the less forum. It was the only place in the Secretariat, each within its own
most powerful nation at the time, and reformed organization where minor sphere of authority, were granted a
for years it tried to take on the role of states were guaranteed representation power that had formerly been limited
single world leader. The attempt – but that representation was nearly to the Security Council. Each could
failed, as the deepening crisis era useless except as a platform for trying issue orders and policies that were
moved beyond the ability of any one to move world opinion. binding on all member states of the
state to handle on its own. UN.

The most crucial change in the UN was a The most crucial change in the UN
drastic expansion of its military power. was a drastic expansion of its military
power. Formerly, the UN had no mili-
During the late 2010s, several Meanwhile, the Security Council tary forces under its own command –
major powers – notably France, was abolished entirely. This had the it had to call on the member states to
Germany, India, Japan, Russia, the effect of eliminating the rule of “Great provide them for any specific purpose,
United Kingdom, and the United Power unanimity,” which had often usually by way of a Security Council
States – began to search for a different served to hobble the UN whenever its resolution. Now the major nation-
solution for the global crisis. Various policies came into conflict with a states agreed to place the bulk of their
international treaties were signed to major nation’s desires. own armed forces under direct United
improve cooperation among the major Nations control.
powers; these had some beneficial To replace the powers once vested
effect, but were soon found to be inad- in the General Assembly and Security Meanwhile, the UN’s existing agen-
equate. Eventually, the major nations Council, the Treaty of New York vastly cies for humanitarian aid and interna-
turned to the United Nations expanded the role of the Secretariat. tional development were placed under
Organization (UN). close major-power supervision. They
The Secretariat as a whole was were also drastically expanded, and
Since its foundation, the UN had placed under an Advisory Board, given much greater budgetary support
functioned primarily as a forum for which was given primary policy-mak- from the major nations.
international debate. It had dozens of ing authority. The Advisory Board’s
subsidiary agencies and commissions, members were selected from all of The Quest for Stability
many of which were directly concerned Terra’s nations, but it was stacked with (A.D. 2024-2050)
with aspects of the growing global cri- major-power representatives and its
sis, but it had never been given the voting rules tended to prevent minor The Treaty of New York was widely
authority or resources to be truly effec- nations from changing the outcome of regarded as a massive political com-
tive. Now the major powers reluctantly any vote. Meanwhile, no major nation promise. Almost no one was pleased
agreed that the UN was the only insti- had the ability to control the Advisory with it – but Terra’s global crisis had
tution capable of coordinating the Board either; the major powers were grown so severe that most of the major
international community. therefore forced to cooperate to nations could find no alternative.
accomplish anything substantive.
Before the UN could take a central Even so, the first obstacle that the
role in solving the world’s problems, The Secretary-General himself was reformed UN had to face was the
its structure and authority needed given a much wider range of execu- major nations themselves. Few of
extensive revision. The necessary tive powers, including the ability to them were happy with the notion of
reforms were enacted over a period of order limited military action under turning over so much of their own
several years, culminating in the his own authority. The power to sovereignty – especially military
Treaty of New York (signed in 2024). appoint the Secretary-General was power – to a multinational body. The
This treaty revised the UN Charter, given to the Advisory Board; this United States threatened to withdraw
making extensive changes to the orga- ended several unwritten rules that from the UN altogether; the People’s
nization’s structure. In particular, the had effectively prevented any major- Republic of China actually did (in
two organs that had traditionally exer- power candidate from holding the 2025) and remained outside the UN
cised the most power lost much of Secretary-General’s office. Indeed, the for over a decade. Several times these
their authority. first Secretary-General appointed disputes threatened to break into open
after the Treaty of New York was war among the major powers, but
such a conflict was averted each time.

Meanwhile, many minor states and
stateless peoples interpreted the
Treaty of New York as the foundation
of an empire, in which they were to be
treated as subjects. They feared that
the major industrialized nations would

20 THE EPIC STRUGGLE

begin to openly dictate policy to all Wearing the Blue Helmet
others, using their combined military
might to enforce their wishes. The “crisis era” of the early 21st century was a time of tremendous
conflict and danger, but it was also a time in which the actions of indi-
These fears were soon confirmed. viduals often had a profound effect on the course of history. A wide vari-
The new UN proved much more likely ety of campaigns could be designed around the effort to save civilization
to send peacekeeping forces into hot from collapse. The advantage of such a campaign is that the background
spots around the world, and these is not too different from the present day; inspiration can be drawn from
“blue helmet” troops were much more “techno-thriller” adventure fiction, or from the front pages of the
aggressive than the peacekeepers of newspaper.
the 20th century. The new interna-
tional regime was also much more Characters in such a campaign could be intelligence agents working
willing to use military force against for the UN or one of the major nation-states, soldiers in the new UN-con-
nation-states that tolerated high levels trolled armed forces, specialists working for a humanitarian organiza-
of corruption, habitually violated tion, or just ordinary citizens caught up in events beyond their control.
human rights, gave safe haven to Their foes could be nation-states unhappy with the UN’s new authority,
international terrorists, or otherwise terrorists, or corrupt corporations. Or, to turn the situation on its head,
fell afoul of UN policy. the adventurers could be opponents of the UN.

The result was a drastic escalation For additional weirdness, add conspiracy theory. The notion of the
in international tensions through the United Nations as a world government is already prominent in a num-
2020s and 2030s, as the reformed UN ber of conspiracy theories. The Bavarian Illuminati, an alliance of com-
was almost constantly forced to assert puter hackers, or a cabal of psionic adepts could be behind the UN. Or
its authority around the world. Yet all three . . .
where the “blue helmet” troops were
not required to go, the new UN also Also consider that even if nothing is publicly known about space
demonstrated much greater ability to beyond the Terran system, it’s possible that offworlders are already on
help solve local social, economic, or Terra to pull strings. A near-future campaign could involve Vilani covert
ecological problems. Even in regions agents, secret jump-drive programs, Vegans held captive at Area 51 . . .
of armed conflict, the UN was In the official Traveller future history, Terrans definitely developed the
better able to overcome resistance jump drive on their own, but that doesn’t preclude a great deal of alien
and then provide humanitarian and manipulation of events years or even decades before.
development aid.
Although each nation maintained massive upheavals that shook Terran
Whether the Treaty of New York its own space operations, they recog- society throughout the early 21st centu-
actually saved Terran civilization from nized the need for coordination ry. Even so, its role was critical in the
collapse is debatable. Certainly the between those space forces in matters conquest of space.
UN’s centralization and increased mil- such as traffic control, orbit assign-
itancy created as many problems as ment, radio frequency allocation, and First Colonies
they solved. Still, by the late 2040s so on. Eventually the spacefaring pow- (A.D. 2050-2088)
there was an appreciable lightening in ers decided to address this need by set-
the global crisis. World population ting up a new agency of the United The first manned space expedition
stabilized, economic growth Nations. launched by Terrans was actually in
increased, and standards of living 1961 – the Vostok I orbital probe,
improved. The worldwide level of vio- The United Nations Space launched by the Soviet Union and
lent conflict also declined, leading to a Coordination Agency (UNSCA) was crewed by the heroic Yuri Gagarin.
reduction in UN peacekeeping com- established under the authority of the Despite this early start, Terrans did
mitments. An era of relative peace and UN Economic and Social Council in not establish any permanent settle-
prosperity began. 2015. The new agency would handle ment in space for decades.
all of the mundane administrative
THE chores that would help avoid conflict The first permanent offworld
CONQUEST OF among the spacefaring powers. It also colony was Archimedes Station, estab-
SPACE soon became a clearinghouse for the lished on Luna in 2013. Additional
information that space operations lunar bases were established over the
Even at the height of the global cri- generated – scientific data, maps and following decade, culminating in the
sis, Terra’s nation-states recognized charts, technical specifications, acci- Copernicus settlement (founded in
the potential of deep space. The com- dent reports, and so on. As additional 2022). The lunar colonies were mar-
peting states saw space as a frontier to nations reached space independently, ginal ventures for a long time, but they
be explored and exploited, but they they also joined the UNSCA as served as valuable jumping-off points
also saw space as a danger – a “high participating members. for exploration deeper into the solar
ground” that none could allow another system.
to hold unchallenged. The UNSCA began as a rather minor
agency of the UN, overshadowed by the

THE EPIC STRUGGLE 21

Terran space colonization truly got forces. This helped ensure that new By the late 2060s, the cost of moving a
under way in the 2040s, as the home- technologies were not monopolized by pound of payload from Terra’s surface
world’s crisis era receded and various any one nation – and it also provided into orbit had fallen by a factor of over
nation-states felt free to invest in the UNSCA an independent source of 100. Space travel was cheap for the
space development. Orbital colonies revenue. Indeed, such licenses eventu- first time, encouraging a flood of
sprang up in near-Earth orbit, and at ally began to provide a significant por- migration and new commercial ven-
the Lagrange points associated with tion of the UN’s overall budget, tures. By 2070, the total Terran popu-
Luna. The population of Luna itself increasing its independence and lation off Terra had reached the
grew quickly, the first settlements improving its reputation. 250,000 mark and was growing quick-
growing into full-fledged towns and ly. Most of these colonists were in the
cities. New colonies were established In 2052, it was an UNSCA lab on near-Terra orbital settlements and on
on Mars. Scientific and mining bases Luna which produced the first practi- Luna, but the other colonies were
were set up on Mercury and Ceres. cal “grav modules,” offering Terrans beginning to expand rapidly as well.
control of gravity for the first time. A
During this period, the UNSCA UNSCA research station on Ceres The most ambitious venture of the
maintained a number of research sta- also produced the first working era was mounted by the European
tions throughout the Terran system. reactionless thrusters in 2064. Space Agency, beginning in the 2050s.
These laboratories produced a num- The ESA built a series of very large
ber of scientific breakthroughs, which These new technologies knocked “generation ships,” slow but designed
were then licensed by the UNSCA to down one of the most persistent obsta- for extremely long travel times; some
the various national and private space cles to space development – the mas- of the ships were intended for voyages
sive gravitational pull of Terra itself. that would be centuries in length. The
first of these ships, the Europa, was
First Contact? sent to the nearby Alpha Centauri sys-
tem, where a Garden world (p. 96) was
There are a number of strange elements in the commonly known already known to exist. Others were
story about Terran-Vilani contact. Throughout the Interstellar Wars era, designed to scatter through the galaxy,
there were persistent rumors that at least some Terrans knew a great deal finding Human-compatible planets
more about the Vilani than is normally believed – even before the USSF for settlement. The project was
expedition to Barnard’s Star was launched. immensely expensive, but the
Europeans were determined to
For example, there is the whole question of why the Americans chose demonstrate that the harsh years were
Barnard’s Star as their target. The Alpha Centauri system was closer, and over. A Promethean spirit had settled
it had been known for decades that a garden world existed there. Indeed, over Terra, and it seemed that nothing
the European Union had already launched the greatest of its generation was beyond the Human grasp.
ships toward Alpha Centauri, and in 2097 the world community expected
to hear from the new colony at any time. The Jump Drive
(A.D. 2088-2098)
Against such a prospect, the American statement that “scientific rea-
sons” justified the choice of Barnard’s Star rang hollow and was widely The UNSCA research station on
criticized in the world media. Some European journalists observed Ceres had one more miracle to pro-
(rather caustically) that the Americans wanted to avoid playing messenger duce. It was at that station that
for the new Prometheus colony. It is true that a jump-drive voyage even to Terrans first developed the jump drive,
Alpha Centauri would have required the location of a convenient jump which allowed for accessible interstel-
point, but in fact such points were eventually proven to exist – and before lar travel, in 2088. At first, the proto-
2097 the American mission planners made little attempt to find them. type jump drive was extremely fuel-
hungry and limited in range. It was
In retrospect, another possible justification for the choice of used only within Sol system, as a fast
Barnard’s Star was that the American government knew ahead of time means of reaching the outer planets
that the expedition would contact aliens there. and the cometary cloud.

The source of such putative knowledge is unknown. Perhaps some Even after the UNSCA produced a
renegade Vilani, or members of an Imperial subject race, had secretly true jump-1 drive (in 2092), there
been in contact with the United States government. Perhaps, indeed, the seemed to be little practical applica-
“Roswell” legend was true after all. tion for the technology. No other star
systems were within a parsec of Sol,
On the other hand, there may be no need to engage in such wild spec- and the mathematics of jump naviga-
ulation. Once Terran explorers had the jump drive, it would have been tion seemed to imply that a jump into
natural to examine astronomical records for evidence of nearby inter- empty space was not possible. Most of
stellar civilizations. By the 2090s, the Sandage Deep-Space Telescope and the spacefaring powers viewed the
similar instruments were extremely powerful. It was (barely) theoretical- development with interest, but made
ly possible for such instruments to detect the emissions generated by no changes to their strategy; the
Vilani starships at Barnard’s Star, two parsecs away. The American gov- European Union in particular
ernment owned the Sandage telescope, and so could have had secret
access to such results.

22 THE EPIC STRUGGLE

continued with its program of slow quite difficult, and it was unlikely for conferring with senior US officials,
“generation ships.” one to be in a convenient location. the expedition’s crew reported to a
Here the American mission planners specially called secret session of the
The United States was the main were lucky – a candidate rogue planet UNSCA governing board.
exception. Beginning in 2093, the US was found, located so that jump-1 star-
Space Force began an ambitious pro- ships could reach it from both Sol and When news of the expedition’s
gram to launch a manned interstellar Barnard’s Star. findings was finally released to the
expedition to use the jump drive. The world late in 2098, it shocked the glob-
target was Barnard’s Star, about two Once the jump point was estab- al community. The Barnard’s Star
parsecs away to coreward. The expedi- lished, and the painstaking work of expedition had contacted intelligent
tion was planned as an expression of computing jump coordinates was life at the target star.
American leadership in space, done, the mission could proceed.
although it had a strongly internation- Jump-drive ships operating from a The aliens were the Vilani crew of
al character. The UNSCA approved the base at Luna made several trips to the a small prospecting base, established
mission plan, and the US coordinated jump point, creating a makeshift fuel without Imperial sanction beyond the
with several other international space depot in orbit. Finally, in 2097 the borders of the Ziru Sirka. To every-
agencies. While the mission crew was StarLeaper One expedition was ready. one’s astonishment, the “aliens” were
to be commanded by an American The starship, the largest thus far built biologically Human, but they
astronaut, most of its members were around the jump drive, departed from belonged to a culture that had no
from the other spacefaring powers. Luna orbit and spent a full year in Terran roots. They claimed to be citi-
interstellar space. zens of an interstellar state whose bor-
The first step was to locate a “jump der was only a few parsecs from Sol,
point,” a wandering planet or brown- The US had planned for the expe- an empire that was ancient, vast, and
dwarf star located at a convenient dition to end in a blaze of publicity, immensely powerful. The Vilani were
point in interstellar space. Such bod- but when StarLeaper One returned to polite to their Terran guests, but if
ies were known to exist, although the solar system its crew immediately anything their attitude was one of
locating them precisely was often called for a news blackout. After amusement.

UNIFICATION

News of the Vilani contact took of the Vilani Imperium became clear, expansion could only take place
some time to sink in, and was met by there seemed to be almost nowhere through space already claimed by the
a variety of reactions – from sheer left to explore. All of the valuable real Vilani. Many Terrans had entertained
denial to stark terror to unbridled estate was apparently in Vilani hands. hope of a glorious interstellar future –
optimism. For most, however, the Worse, the Imperium hemmed Terran but those hopes were now dashed, and
reaction was one of fear and anger. explorers into a “pocket,” from which the Vilani were blamed.

Even the earliest contacts with the The Vilani
Vilani demonstrated that the Aristocracy
Imperium was vast and incredibly
powerful. The Vilani outnumbered The Imperium used a hierarchical system of command, from the
Terra by a thousand to one, and con- Ishimkarun or “Shadow Emperor” down to the millions of kiduunuuzi
trolled the resources of thousands of (“holders of special privileges”) who did the routine work of local admin-
star systems. Their technology was istration. In the upper tiers of this hierarchy stood the extremely power-
sophisticated and advanced. Their cul- ful nobles who set Imperial policy across hundreds of worlds. It was a
ture was very old and had already collection of these aristocrats who managed – or mismanaged – the early
assimilated dozens of subject races. It conflicts with Terra.
seemed that, should the Imperium
choose to exert its power, Terran civi- For most of the Interstellar Wars era, the highest official who ever
lization would be easy to conquer and concerned himself with the Terran challenge was the apkallu kibrat arban
absorb. (“minister of the four quarters”) who supervised all Sharurshid activities
across six sectors at the rimward edge of the Imperium.
Yet while there was clear cause for
fear, there was also cause for anger. Beneath the apkallu kibrat arban was a set of saarpuhii, or “underk-
During the 21st century, Terrans had ings,” officials who supervised Imperial government across as many as a
recovered much of their self-confi- hundred worlds each. The Saarpuhii Kushuggi (“Underking of the Rim
dence. In particular, space was regard- Worlds”) was the saarpuhii closest to the Terran frontier during the early
ed as a naturally infinite frontier for Interstellar Wars. With his capital at Shulgiasu (p. 107) he was only a few
Terran expansion. While everyone months of travel time from Terra; his policies had a profound effect on
expected to meet alien civilizations the course of the early wars.
someday, they expected that encounter
to be on relatively even terms.

The reality was quite different, and
quite disappointing. Once the extent

THE EPIC STRUGGLE 23

Envoys to the Empire and had little luck reaching formal
agreements with the Imperial govern-
The “contact era” was the time in which Terrans first learned about ment. On the other hand, some
the Vilani Imperium. Everything about the vast empire was new and Terrans began to make informal but
exotic, and the first Terrans to travel in Imperial space had much to productive contact with dissident fac-
learn. (This era would be a good period for high adventure, as Terran tions within the Imperium, especially
explorers visit the worlds of the Vilani Imperium and try to figure out the kimashargur population of the
how the empire works.) worlds closest to Terra.

These first adventurers worked at a huge disadvantage: they had no Back home, the UN considered the
jump-2 starships of their own, so unless they could somehow acquire a defense of Terran civilization against
Vilani ship they had to rely on Imperial passenger transport in order to possible Imperial aggression. Under
move around. They spent years completely cut off from Terra, forced to UNSCA oversight, space had become
adapt to Vilani customs in order to operate within Imperial society. an almost weapon-free zone; the most
powerful weapons outside the Terran
Despite these disadvantages, many Terran explorers did quite well atmosphere were personal sidearms
during peacetime. When the First and Second Interstellar Wars broke used by the various UN and national
out, the situation changed for the worse. Most Terran adventurers were police forces. Now many of the
imprisoned as enemy aliens, some of them doomed to never return to treaties and agreements that had lim-
Terra. ited the military uses of space were
quietly repealed.
However, a few Terrans, lucky enough to have bought their own star-
ships during peacetime, turned privateer and attacked Imperial mer- This led to an unusual situation, a
chant shipping many parsecs behind the front lines. Their life was des- kind of cooperative “arms race” among
perate and dangerous, but it could be profitable – and these “black-flag the major Terran states. Long-standing
Terrans” were often lionized as heroes if they managed to return home agreements had placed most military
with battle honors. weapons under UN control on the
Terran surface. Now armed spacecraft
OPENING established a permanent mining and starships were rapidly being built
MOVES colony, which was soon overshad- for the first time – but no agreements
owed by an “official” Sharurshid base. existed to place them under UN con-
In fact, the situation was not near- Several Terran nations built their own trol. Each Terran nation built its own
ly as bleak as it seemed in the first outposts, both to lay claim to portions armed starship flotilla, and a few
days after contact. Although the Vilani of the Barnard’s Star system and to private organizations followed suit.
Imperium was certainly massive and keep in contact with the Vilani. Before
powerful, it was unable to bring much long, the marginal Vilani outpost had All of this activity made very little
of that power to bear, and was not transformed itself into something impression on the Vilani Imperium, at
overly motivated to conquer Terra in quite different – a kind of frontier least at the level of official Sharurshid
the first place. Meanwhile, as time bazaar, a place where two civilizations planning. To the Vilani ruling castes,
passed, Terran individuals and corpo- could meet and explore the possibili- the people of Terra were simply one
rations discovered ways to explore ties of trade and social contact. more minor race on the fringes of civ-
and expand despite the presence of the ilization – or possibly an alliance of
Imperium. It was at Barnard that the two soci- minor races; the Vilani at first failed to
eties began an enthusiastic trade in understand Terran ethnic diversity. As
Still, in those first years many high-technology goods. Terran entre- Terrans asserted themselves, Vilani
Terran leaders saw the Imperium as preneurs did especially well offering officials tried to fit them into the
an intolerable challenge to their own medical and biotechnological goods in Imperial system – but they soon grew
aspirations. Although contact with the exchange for examples of Vilani engi- impatient with these new and
Vilani was peaceful for a long time, neering. The Vilani felt that they got arrogant barbarians.
most Terran citizens fully expected – the better end of this bargain, not real-
and even welcomed – an eventual con- izing how quickly Terran scientists Tensions rose, especially after
flict in which they could win their own would reverse-engineer the technolo- Shana Likushan (p. 42) was appointed
place in galactic history. gy they received. One critical item Saarpuhii Kushuggi in 2112. Likushan
developed (by 2108) was a Terran ver- barely noticed the existence of the
The Contact Era sion of the Vilani jump-1 drive, allow- Terran “savages,” but her arrogance
(A.D. 2098-2114) ing Terran explorers their first easy made an impression on lower
access to the nearest stars. Sharurshid officials who did deal
After the initial contact between directly with Terrans. Armed forces on
Terrans and Vilani, the two While trade grew in the Barnard’s both sides began edging toward a
civilizations maintained continuing Star system, Terran expeditions visited provocation.
communications in the Barnard’s Star the more populous worlds of the
system. The kimashargur Vilani who Imperial Rim Province. UN and major- Finally, in 2114 a Sharurshid mer-
had participated in the first contact nation envoys were received with chant convoy approached too near the
polite disdain by the Vilani aristocracy, American base at Barnard, ignoring
the base’s traffic-control signals.
Believing an attack to be imminent,

24 THE EPIC STRUGGLE

the Americans opened fire, destroying In 2122, a second Imperial punitive back to matters they considered more
two ships before the rest could get out expedition entered the frontier region. important, the Terrans were ener-
of range. The First Interstellar War This time, the Terrans were ready, gized by their “victory” over a vastly
had begun. meeting the Imperials with a new fleet superior force.

The First Interstellar under unified UN command. A new Pause and Regroup
War (A.D. 2114-2122) class of light attack craft, or “missile (A.D. 2122-2125)
boats,” returned Vilani missile fire,
Saarpuhii Likushan was no war- taking heavy casualties but damaging During the brief peace that fol-
rior, but even she could not permit the the Imperial expedition. The battle lowed the First Interstellar War, sever-
Terran provocations to go unan- was effectively a draw, but it proved al developments took place in Terran
swered. In 2115 she dispatched a that Terran forces could stand up to society that would set the tone of
small punitive expedition, which an Imperial task force and survive. much of the following conflict.
engaged a mixed collection of Terran
national squadrons at Barnard’s Star. Imperial losses were high enough Already during the late 2110s, a
to appear as a line item in saarpuhii new “free trade” movement had begun
The Terrans found themselves at a Likushan’s provincial budget. Not to grow rapidly on Terra. The new
severe disadvantage, even against wishing to be distracted from the busi- movement was originally concerned
such a minor Imperial detachment. ness of advancing her own ambitions, with international commerce on Terra
Their ships were still technologically Likushan ordered a withdrawal. Soon itself, and with industrial development
inferior, despite frantic attempts to afterward, she offered an unofficial in the growing colonies. Die-hard free-
upgrade to the Imperial level. Worse, agreement, recognizing Terra’s claim market capitalists, its members resent-
the Terran command structure was to the Barnard system in exchange for ed UN and national regulation of busi-
inexperienced and poorly integrated. a promise to stay out of Imperial ness, insisting that prosperity depend-
At first, some of the national space. ed on giving entrepreneurs complete
squadrons refused to engage the freedom to develop new commercial
Vilani at all, leaving the American and The First Interstellar War set the enterprises. After contact opened with
Chinese detachments to take the brunt pattern for many of the following the Imperium, the movement began to
of the engagement. conflicts. The Vilani could have press for new commercial contacts
destroyed Terran civilization – but with Vilani worlds – and it agitated for
Once battle was joined, the experi- they failed to put forth the necessary the removal of both UN and Imperial
enced Vilani commanders were able effort. Each side considered itself the barriers to such trade.
to defeat the Terrans in detail. They victor. While the Vilani simply turned
laid down withering long-distance
missile fire, first crippling the
American and Chinese flotillas, and
then ruthlessly smashing the rest of
the Terran ships on hand. The Terran
base facilities on Barnard were
destroyed, with the loss of almost all
personnel.

Had the Vilani pressed their advan-
tage, they could have mounted a cred-
ible attack against Terra itself.
However, the fleet commander on the
scene decided that the Terran barbar-
ians had been sufficiently punished,
and withdrew his forces. This gave the
Terrans critical time to assess their
mistakes, rebuild their fleets, improve
their technology, and prepare for the
next encounter.

Meanwhile, Terrans stranded with-
in Imperial space launched a quiet war
of their own. For years, these scattered
Terrans fought a desperate campaign,
cut off from home and surrounded by
a suddenly hostile empire. With sabo-
tage, commerce raiding, and political
provocation of dissident populations,
they did all they could to harm the
Vilani war effort.

THE EPIC STRUGGLE 25

The Free Trade movement first The Pace of
found its political voice in 2123, when Operations
a Japanese industrialist named Yukio
Hasegawa created the Free Traders Despite its name, the Interstellar Wars era was not one of constant
Foundation (p. 66). The new founda- bloody warfare. The conflict between Terra and the Imperium had a
tion grew quickly, becoming political- rhythm of its own, one which permitted long periods of relative peace.
ly important in several of Terra’s most
powerful nations. With its assistance, The Early Phase
a number of Terran entrepreneurs
built starships and began to carry (A.D. 2114-2246)
Terran goods into the Imperium –
“Free Traders” who often operated During the first eight Interstellar Wars, major naval campaigns invari-
despite the disapproval of both Terran ably ended in major naval battles, during which the Terran and Imperial
and Imperial governments. fleets mutually pounded one another into scrap. Even the “winner” of
such an engagement usually lost so many ships and men that it could not
Meanwhile, the UNSCA continued immediately press its advantage. The Terrans would often have to rebuild
to operate, coordinating dozens of their fleet almost from scratch. The Imperial saarpuhii theoretically had
crash programs to improve the Terran more resources to devote to fleet construction, but the Imperial system
technological base. The greatest suc- of governance was too inflexible to permit him to divert those resources
cess of this effort came in 2124, when quickly.
the UNSCA released the specifications
for a Terran jump-2 drive. This broke a The necessary time for rebuilding on both sides meant that major
monopoly that the Vilani had held for naval campaigns could not be fought every year. A more typical interval
thousands of years, and made it possi- was three to five years. Each of the first eight wars was defined by a small
ble for Terran ships to carry goods – or number of these major naval campaigns, as few as one (the Fourth
military offensives – directly into Interstellar War) or as many as four (the Third and Eighth Interstellar
Imperial space. Wars).

The last major development of the Major naval campaigns never lasted for more than a few months, after
short peace was political. After the which main-battle-fleet activity always halted until the next round. During
first Terran defeat at Barnard’s Star, it these breathing spaces, both sides worked to rebuild their fleets, while
became obvious that the Imperium commerce raiders and other detachments skirmished on the frontier. The
was too great a challenge for the vari- relatively peaceful intervals were also the main time for ground warfare, if
ous Terran nations to meet without a one side or the other had cut off a major world and was prepared to
strong centralized command. attempt its conquest.
Immediately after the armistice, the
UN admitted its first delegations from Aside from the abortive attempt at the conquest of Terra in the Third
the colonies (Luna and Prometheus) Interstellar War, the early wars were always fought for limited political
and changed its name to the United objectives. Eventually one side or the other would tire, and would offer
Worlds Organization (UWO). The peace terms to the enemy. Such periods of formal peace were often quite
expanded organization opened a lengthy – during the 132 years of the “early phase,” Terra and the
series of negotiations among the Imperium were at open war for only 65 years (less than half of the time).
major Terran powers, eventually
drafting a set of comprehensive The Late Phase
reforms that would transform it into a
viable all-Terran government. (A.D. 2246-2303)

In 2124, the new organization’s The Ninth Interstellar War changed the entire flavor of the conflict.
charter was completed and presented After 2246, Terra and the Imperium were constantly at war. Formal peace
to the various national govern-
ments for ratification. did not return until the Imperial surrender in 2303. The conflict
Several major Terran was no longer a matter of limited frontier engagements – it
nations signed the charter was a battle of conquest that only one side could survive.
within the same year, However, the military frontier between the two pow-
and the new Terran ers was now dozens of parsecs long, and it was rare for
Confederation was for- hostilities to be going on everywhere along that line at
mally in operation. once. As before, any given subsector-sized region of the
Although scattered resist- frontier might see a major naval campaign only every
ance to Confederation few years. The rest of the time would be taken up by
rule continued for decades, border skirmishing and ground campaigning, while
no major nation ever success- both sides prepared for the next confrontation. Local
fully challenged its control over truces also occurred in some regions, permitting both
Terran affairs for the rest of the sides to stand down and enjoy a brief period of near-peace.
Interstellar Wars era.

26 THE EPIC STRUGGLE

The Second Interstellar War is cruel and you cannot refine it. The
War (A.D. 2125-2134) crueler it is, the sooner it will be over.

Despite saarpuhii Likushan’s – William Tecumseh Sherman (1864)
hopes, the Terrans did not meekly
avoid further provocation. the conflict on the side of the on Vland, managing a substantial por-
Sharrukin family, hoping to impress tion of Sharurshid’s core business and
The Terrans still felt fenced in by her superiors with her loyalty in order writing her memoirs.
Vilani control of nearby space, and to win assignment back in the
were willing to defy the Imperium to Imperial core. To this end, she played The new Saarpuhii Kushuggi was
find room for expansion. By 2125, a double game, exerting the minimal another non-dynastic governor, Kadur
Terran starships equipped with the effort required to keep the Terrans at Erasharshi (p. 44). Erasharshi was
new jump-2 drive were beginning to bay while she sent the bulk of her convinced that a full-scale attack on
appear in Imperial space. These ships forces elsewhere. Terra would one day be necessary,
explored Vilani space, made covert and he spent years preparing for it. He
contact with local dissidents, spied out Encouraged, the Confederation ordered the largest Vilani colonial
defenses, and searched for some way mounted a raid against Nusku in effort in centuries, establishing
past the Imperium. Some of the Terran 2134. Although the Terrans were driv- Imperial military outposts on a num-
explorers were Free Traders, carrying en off with heavy losses, the raid ber of formerly uninhabited worlds
Terran goods and making their first prompted Likushan to seek an near Terra. He invested heavily in mil-
inroads into Vilani commerce. armistice. After a token attack on itary construction, nearly doubling the
Procyon designed to give the size of the available war fleet. Finally,
All of this infuriated senior Imperium final battle honors, he moved his headquarters from
Sharurshid officials, who carried their Likushan signed a treaty. The agree- Shulgiasu to Dingir, leaving the snake
complaints to saarpuhii Likushan. ment made the Terrans official allies pit of court intrigue behind so that he
Finally, she decided to send another of the Imperium, with nominal con- could concentrate on communication
punitive expedition into Terran space. trol over everything between Agidda with the front lines. All of these viola-
The new invasion fleet arrived on the and Procyon. tions of tradition made him a more
Imperial frontier late in 2125. effective military leader, but at the
TERRA cost of alienating most of the Rim
As it happened, the Terran ON THE BRINK aristocracy.
Confederation received some advance
warning of the new invasion. Rather So far, the Terrans had been fortu- While Erasharshi laid his plans,
than reaching Barnard without inci- nate. Their existence had become the Terrans were not idle. Colonial
dent, the Vilani fleet was delayed by a known to the Imperial government, development and technological
Terran screening force at Agidda. The but not even the Saarpuhii Kushuggi improvement continued. The Terran
unified Terran fleet soon arrived and had taken more than a passing inter- Navy introduced several new heavy-
fought a main-fleet engagement – the est in military response. The apkallu cruiser classes to stiffen the main bat-
first battle involving cruiser-class kibrat arban and the core Imperial tle fleet. However, the Terran econo-
ships on both sides. The Battle of government had taken no notice of the my was still not large enough to match
Agidda was a tactical draw, which left situation at all. Two conflicts had the resources of the Rim Province, or
both fleets unable to press the attack. taken place, “wars” to the Terrans, to undertake a great deal of new naval
The Terrans can be considered the insignificant border skirmishes to the construction.
strategic victors, however, since they Vilani.
retained control of the Agidda system The Third Interstellar
and soon established a base there. Now a new regime would take con- War: The Siege of Terra
trol of the Imperial Rim Province – (A.D. 2145-2148)
What followed was a “false war,” in and Terra would barely survive the
which neither side made any serious experience. The Third Interstellar War opened
attempt to take up the offensive. The with a strategic tour de force – a two-
Vilani made desultory attempts to Preparations pronged attack designed to take the
keep the Terrans fenced in, while the (A.D. 2134-2145) Terran Confederation by surprise.
Confederation began a strategy of Although Terran intelligence agencies
mounting commerce raids across the Shana Likushan’s support for the had some warning of saarpuhii
Sirius Gap. Although individual ships Sharrukin faction proved critical to its Erasharshi’s intentions, the initial
fought small skirmishes, there were victory in the Imperial civil war of attack took place almost exactly as
no more fleet engagements for several 2129-2135. As she had hoped, planned. Imperial forces assaulted
years. Likushan was rewarded for her loyal- both Agidda and Procyon within a few
ty by appointment to a position in the days of each other, smashing the
By the early 2130s it became obvi- Imperial core. She ended her career Terran picket forces in each system.
ous to Terran planners that something
was distracting the Vilani. In fact, the
assassination of Usham Sharrukin
(p. 41) had led to an outbreak of civil
war far to coreward of Terra.
Saarpuhii Likushan had intervened in

THE EPIC STRUGGLE 27

Taking personal command of the problem. Erasharshi ordered a new had never been his goal. Instead, he
forces on the scene, Kadur Erasharshi offensive, hoping for a decisive and wanted to conquer Terra, integrating it
maneuvered to draw the Terrans into a quick victory, followed by a triumphant into the Imperium as a major world
main-fleet engagement. The critical return home. under his rule. Unfortunately, this no
battle took place at Agidda in 2146. longer seemed possible with the force
Although the Terrans had addressed A new Vilani attack on Procyon he had available.
their shortfalls in training and technol- secured the system long enough for
ogy, they were still unable to stand up the Terran military base there to be Meanwhile, news arrived from
to an experienced Vilani commander captured. Meanwhile, Erasharshi’s Shulgiasu to warn Erasharshi of an
at the top of his form. The Vilani won main fleet attacked Terra itself. The open revolt against his authority. He
a decisive victory, destroying almost remnants of the Terran Navy mounted decided to withdraw, gathering his
the entire Terran fleet at very little cost a desperate resistance, and Terran forces for a return to Imperial space.
to themselves. Erasharshi then ground defenses fought fiercely Many of his subordinates believed
mounted a methodical campaign against any Imperial ship that entered that Terra had been mortally wound-
down the Corridor, capturing the low orbit. Although Imperial forces ed, that the Terrans would never again
Agidda and Barnard outposts. By late briefly secured the immediate vicinity challenge Imperial authority.
2147, Terra itself was wide open to the of Terra, they were unable to hold the Erasharshi himself wasn’t so certain
enemy. space long enough to land significant of this, but he believed he had no
ground forces. Terra suffered only a choice but to defer the conquest for
Fortunately for the Terrans, the brief bombardment – but the attack another day.
Imperials were reaching the end of involved nuclear weapons, which
their tether. Erasharshi had planned destroyed a dozen cities and killed The Third Interstellar
for logistical difficulties, but he was millions of Terran civilians. War: The Terran
also under a great deal of unanticipat- Counteroffensive
ed political pressure. His rivals were After several days of laying siege to (A.D. 2148-2156)
busily undermining his position back Terra, Erasharshi was forced to con-
at the provincial capital, and it seemed cede that his campaign was probably The Confederation had been badly
increasingly likely that nothing but his futile. He could possibly destroy Terra, damaged, but not irreparably so . . .
personal attention would solve the but despite the Imperial fondness for and for possibly the first time in
destructive raids, such destruction Terran history, the entire population
of the planet was unified in its pur-
pose. Nuclear bombardment of Terra
had convinced even the most commit-
ted pacifists that the Imperium was a
bitter enemy. Those holdout groups
who still resisted Confederation
authority set aside their grievances for
the duration of the war. Emergency
measures were passed, raising rev-
enues to bolster the Confederation
military and providing relief to the
war’s millions of civilian refugees.

The Terran counteroffensive got
under way in 2151. While the main
battle fleet was still rebuilding, a small-
er detachment moved to lift the occu-
pation of the Procyon colony. After
defeating Vilani forces at the Battle of
Junction, the navy secured the Procyon
system and permitted Terran troops to
land and retake the planet. With one
front now secure, the Confederation
could concentrate on taking the fight
directly to the Imperium.

A second offensive moved up the
Corridor, retaking Barnard and
Agidda against token Vilani resist-
ance. In 2156 the main fleets clashed
at Nusku. Terran ships and crews now
demonstrated that they were capable
of matching Vilani performance – and

28 THE EPIC STRUGGLE

the Imperial commanders on the Terran invaders to help trap and had transformed Terran society,
scene were not up to Erasharshi’s destroy Imperial troop formations. creating the first true world state, and
standard. The Imperial Navy was giving many people the sense that their
handed a decisive defeat and forced to Although the Nusku ground cam- destiny lay out among the stars. The
withdraw from the system. paign saw several bloody battles, threat of the Vilani was still present,
Imperial resistance collapsed with but now it seemed more distant, and
Once Nusku system space was surprising speed. Once Nusku had most Terrans were tired of war. It was
secure, the Terran Navy launched a fallen, the Terran Confederation sent time, many felt, to enjoy peace and
brief bombardment of the planet. an armistice offer to saarpuhii consolidate the gains already made.
Once planetary defenses had been Erasharshi. Reluctantly, the governor
suppressed, Terran ground forces accepted. Terran civilization had man- Colonial Expansion
began to land. aged to survive the fiercest Vilani (A.D. 2156-2161)
onslaught thus far.
While Terran forces invested their During the Empty Peace, Terra’s
planet, the civilians of Nusku began THE EMPTY interstellar colonies flourished. The
their own quiet campaign against PEACE populations of Earthlike worlds such
Imperial troops. Most of the popula- as Prometheus and Mirabilis rose rap-
tion was of the kimashargur dissident A relatively long peaceful period idly, as millions left Terra to make a
subculture, not necessarily pro-Terran followed the Third Interstellar War. new life. Terran military outposts also
in sentiment, but strongly resentful of This so-called “Empty Peace” was a grew, with some of them becoming
Imperial rule. Many local citizens time of consolidation for the Terran small but healthy industrial colonies.
moved to sabotage Imperial forces, Confederation. The first three wars
sometimes even working with the

How Did Terra Survive?

Viewed from a distance, the Interstellar Wars era is Some Terrans speculated that the Consolidation
a historical puzzle. Wars (p. 18) were an attempt to create such a closed
system, a Vilani-controlled sphere which would include
In 2114, Terra was a single technologically back- every starfaring culture in existence. Once the
ward world on the fringes of the Vilani Imperium, with Consolidation Wars were over, a great change took
only a few tiny interstellar colonies. The Terrans had place in the Imperium, turning every citizen’s ambi-
never fought a significant conflict in space. They were tions toward the eternal struggle for social status. Bold,
outnumbered thousands to one in manpower and in outward-looking leaders were no longer needed, and
economic productivity. Yet after less than 200 years, could even be a liability to the new Imperium.
Terran civilization had not only managed to survive Ambitious citizens were deliberately shackled, weighed
every Vilani assault, it had attained a dominant position down with tradition and the constant need to defend
within the Imperium. against internal rivals.

The Terran ascent to Imperial rulership is actually Naturally, this approach depended on the absence of
the lesser mystery. Terrans had a great deal of help, any new starfaring civilizations outside the sphere of
both from dissident Vilani factions and from the Imperial control. For many centuries, the Imperium
empire’s subject races. Still, that help only came after was indeed unrivaled. However, once new starfaring
the Terrans had demonstrated that they could hold out “barbarians” began to appear, the transformed
alone against the might of the Imperium. So how did Imperium found itself unable to muster a decisive
Terra remain independent through the first three response.
Interstellar Wars?
Imperial leaders who were primarily interested in
By the late 2200s, students of Vilani history had political intrigue would ignore outsiders, or would even
come to a startling conclusion: the Vilani of the hire foreigners to assist against their internal rivals. The
Interstellar Wars era genuinely were not the same as occasional conquest-minded leader might still arise,
their galaxy-conquering ancestors. What’s more, the but in order to make a barbarian conquest he would
change was a matter of deliberate choice. have to turn his back on his peers – who would then
combine to bring him down. The effect was to halt each
The Vilani were masters of the social sciences, able Vilani conqueror before serious harm could be done to
to build social and political institutions that were effec- any foreign target.
tive and stable over very long periods of time. However,
Vilani methods seemed to require a “closed system,” a Thus the Vilani Imperium failed to bring more than
society that was self-contained and insulated from out- a tiny fraction of its power to bear on Terra. Even that
side contact. The unpredictable influence of outsiders miniscule effort was almost enough to wreck Terran
made Vilani social engineering less effective, less able to civilization – but in the end it left Terra independent,
produce a stable community. able to rebuild, and eventually able to carry the fight to
the Imperium itself.

THE EPIC STRUGGLE 29

Possibly the most surprising Challenges to Imperial among the khagarii dissidents, did
Terran colony was Nusku. After the Rule (A.D. 2161-2170) not. The result was economic
armistice, a trickle of Terran migra- upheaval, the likes of which had not
tion rapidly grew into a flood, bring- For their part, the Imperial ruling been seen in the Imperial province in
ing millions of Terran civilians to set- classes were beginning to understand centuries.
tle among the Vilani population. The the long-term threat posed by the
adjustment was not always an easy Terrans. Kadur Erasharshi had Another Terran challenge was on
one, but within a few years many peo- departed the Rim Province in dis- the political level. Before the Third
ple – both Terrans and Vilani – had grace, but his successors found the Interstellar War, no one in the
learned to like and respect their coun- Terran presence in Imperial space to Imperium – not even the khagarii –
terparts from the other culture. This be terribly disruptive. had taken Terrans seriously. Yet Terra
was especially true of Vilani from the had not only survived the determined
kimashargur subculture, who were One challenge that the Terrans assault of a powerful Vilani leader, it
particularly likely to adopt Terran cus- posed to Imperial society was eco- had recovered in a few short years,
toms and philosophy. As a result, nomic. Terrans were now beginning mounting a counteroffensive that
Nusku earned home rule and full to surpass the Imperial technological actually took a major world from the
membership in the Terran standard in a few areas, producing Imperium. Even more significant, that
Confederation much faster than any- goods that found a ready market in world had adapted very quickly to
one had expected. In 2161 the Terran parts of Imperial space. Meanwhile, Terran rule; its Vilani citizens had
military occupation was withdrawn, the concept of open competition was been integrated into Terran society on
and a joint Terran-Vilani civilian rather new to the Vilani, who for a respectful and equal basis.
regime took control of the planet. millennia had managed their eco-
nomic activity through traditional All of this had a powerful effect on
From Nusku, Terrans fanned out to guilds and the centralized control of khagarii groups on hundreds of
explore the Vilani Imperium. the shangarim system. Suddenly, Imperial worlds. The remaining
Entrepreneurs, many of them Free Terran free traders and corporations kimashargur worlds of the Rim
Traders, quickly invested in the sophis- were everywhere in the Rim Province, Province were soon hotbeds of anti-
ticated Nusku shipyards. Free Trader producing superior (or just cheaper) Imperial unrest, difficult for the
ships built at Nusku ventured deep products which undercut the tradi- Imperial ruling class to control. Even
into Imperial territory, seizing a role in tional price structure. Some Vilani on worlds dozens of parsecs from the
Imperial commerce and bringing rejected Terran goods out of respect Imperial border, dissident groups
Terran goods to new markets. for tradition – but many, especially began to seek out and work with any
Terran visitors who appeared.
Playing in the Empty Peace
A final challenge, the most tragic of
The “default present” assumed in this book is in 2170, late in the the three, was a matter of public
Empty Peace, just before saarpuhii Sharik Yangila finishes her prepara- health. Immediately after the end of
tions for war against Terra. The period is a good one for a variety of the Third Interstellar War, a series of
campaign types. plagues began to spread through
Vilani populations, especially on
Merchant characters, of course, can take part in the Free Trader worlds close to the Imperial border.
exploration of Imperial space. They will have some difficulty with Nusku appeared to be the epicenter of
Imperial officials, but they will be able to sell goods and make a decent these plagues, and it was soon proven
profit on many Vilani worlds. This is also a period during which the that the disease outbreaks always
Free Traders work closely with Terran intelligence services, gathering followed contact with Terrans.
information about regions far behind the military frontier. For more
suggestions, see The Default Campaign, p. 229. Working on Nusku and elsewhere,
Terran physicians discovered that
Military characters will also have plenty to do. With the Fourth simple Terran viral diseases – espe-
Interstellar War approaching, forces on both sides of the frontier are cially influenza, measles, and mumps
beginning to prepare for confrontation. Navy characters will have – caused the plagues. To their horror,
patrols, and may face an Imperial probe or renegade Free Traders. they found that much of the Vilani
Meanwhile, back on Terra a surge of nationalist unrest has been going on population was vulnerable to these
for several years. Army troops may see significant action on the home- diseases and had no evolved resistance
world itself. to them. As it happened, the Vilani
had often dealt with “alien” diseases in
The Empty Peace is also a good period for campaigns involving espi- their thousands of years of starfaring
onage and political intrigue. Saarpuhii Sharik Yangila, more than any history – but Terran viruses seemed
other Imperial leader, is willing to use covert activity and subversion particularly virulent and deadly when
against the Terrans. Naturally, the Terrans are always willing to respond introduced to Vilani populations.
in kind. As a result, from Terra to Shulgiasu, the stars are currently a
playground for spies, assassins, saboteurs, and counter-intelligence Terran physicians fought a fierce
agents. battle against the plagues on Nusku,
and also traveled deep into Imperial
territory to help deal with disease out-
breaks there. Vaccines and anti-viral

30 THE EPIC STRUGGLE

therapies were mass-produced and
shipped everywhere, saving millions if
not billions of Vilani lives. This work
was critical in winning the respect of
Vilani populations – but the plagues
had already presented the Vilani ruling
class with yet another reason to deal
decisively with the Terran challenge.

The Imperial Response against Terra, using her expertise in moves by pointing to the economic
(A.D. 2170-2173) covert operations to “soften up” the and social disruption that seemed to
target. She carefully measured Terran follow extensive contact with Terrans,
After the fall of Kadur Erasharshi, weaknesses – military, economic, and to the public health problem the
the new Saarpuhii Kushuggi was one social, and political. She also subvert- “plague-ridden barbarians” posed to
Sharik Yangila (p. 45). It was during ed the Terran Confederation from innocent Vilani populations.
her administration that the Rim within, trying to divide the
Province attempted to respond to the Confederation along lines of national The Terran Confederation govern-
Terran challenge to Imperial authority. identity and social class. This effort ment actually made an attempt to
met with only mixed success, but comply with the new Imperial restric-
As saarpuhii, Yangila showed little some of the Terran nationalist unrest tions, not wishing to set off a new con-
interest in launching great campaigns of the 2160s can probably be traced to flict with the Imperium. Not all Terran
of conquest toward Terra. She was an Vilani covert intervention. individuals agreed, however. Terran
intriguer and manipulator, not a mili- smugglers, especially members of the
tary strategist, and had no interest in All these efforts came to fruition in Free Trade movement, carried goods
glorious – but ultimately futile – the late 2160s. In 2170 Yangila past the border checkpoints in vio-
frontal assaults. She permitted the decreed an almost complete shutdown lation of both Imperial and
Terrans to enjoy peace for well over a of all trade with Terra, imposing very Confederation policy. This placed the
decade, all the while laying meticu- tight border controls and steep tariffs two civilizations on a collision course
lous plans for her own campaign on Terran goods. She justified these once again.
against them.

Yangila collected a staff of military
experts, ordering them to revive long-
unused warship designs and develop
methods that could counter Terran
tactics. The provincial war fleet that
resulted was actually smaller than the
one used by Kadur Erasharshi, but it
was more sophisticated and less likely
to collapse under its own logistical
weight.

Meanwhile, Yangila mounted an
extensive intelligence campaign

BREAKOUT

“Horatius,” quoth the Consul, “As The Romans were like brothers in Confederation was beginning to wear
thou sayest, so let it be.” the brave days of old. down the advantages once enjoyed by
the Vilani. The Terran technological
And straight against that great array Now Roman is to Roman more base was improving dramatically, the
forth went the dauntless Three. hateful than a foe, Terran economy was growing, and
Terran military commanders were
For Romans in Rome’s quarrel And the Tribunes beard the high, learning the art of interstellar warfare.
spared neither land nor gold, and the Fathers grind the low. The Confederation was also learning
how to exploit the deep political and
Nor son nor wife, nor limb nor life, As we wax hot in faction, in battle social divisions that existed within the
in the brave days of old. we wax cold: Imperium.

Then none was for a party; then all Wherefore men fight not as they Over the next century, the Terran
were for the state; fought in the brave days of old. Confederation would slowly learn to
– Thomas Babington, Lord MacAulay, hold its own – and then it would break
Then the great man helped the poor, out of the cramped “pocket” in which
and the poor man loved the great. “Horatius” (1842) Terra was contained.

Then lands were fairly portioned; So far, the Terrans had done little
then spoils were fairly sold: except survive against superior
Imperial force. However, the

THE EPIC STRUGGLE 31

PROTRACTED Terran strategists soon realized been converted to civilian use. The cit-
STRUGGLE that the raid was a very bold opening izens were not prepared for war, and
move. Procyon was the gateway to a indeed the Confederation had been
Historians eventually labeled the whole cluster of Terran industrial snarled up in internal disputes for sev-
next stage of the Interstellar Wars colonies and outposts, in the so-called eral years before the outbreak of hos-
(from about 2170 to the end of the “Outback” region. With the naval sta- tilities. These problems were all cor-
Seventh Interstellar War in 2214) as tion destroyed, this flank of Terran rectable, but it took time before the
“the protracted struggle.” Terrans space was suddenly at risk, and a sig- Confederation could effectively mobi-
learned how to manage a sustained nificant portion of the Navy had to be lize for war. By then, Nusku had fallen
war effort across decades rather than diverted to shoring up its defenses. At and the Vilani were beginning to
years, slowly wearing down the very little cost, the Terran Navy’s mount new probes at Procyon and
Imperial position. offensive capability had been gravely into the Outback. Even if the
reduced. Imperium launched no new major
The Fourth Interstellar offensives, the Confederation faced a
War (A.D. 2173-2176) In 2174, Imperial forces began a long and difficult war.
series of probing raids in the Nusku
When Sharik Yangila closed the system, at the opposite end of Terran Faced with an impossible military
Imperial border in 2170, she doubtless space. The attacks, spaced several situation, the Terrans tried diplomacy
knew in advance that not all Terrans weeks apart, each did as much dam- instead. Envoys met with saarpuhii
would conform to the new policy. age as possible with long-range mis- Yangila at Dingir, literally begging for
After her repeated demands that the sile fire, then withdrew before the peace in very meek terms. Yangila was
Terran Confederation control smug- Terrans could move to close range. naturally delighted at this turn of
gling came to nothing, she declared This technique proved very effective, events, thinking that she had done
that the Terrans had provided casus permitting Imperial forces to wear more than any other Vilani to humble
belli and opened hostilities. down the Terran defensive position at the stiff-necked Terrans. She magnan-
relatively low cost to themselves. The imously agreed to a peace, on the con-
The Fourth Interstellar War began third attack was pressed home, dition that Terra respect the border
in 2173, with a massive raid against smashing the remaining system controls and keep to its own space.
the Terran colony on Procyon. The defenders and landing troops on
Terran naval station and shipyard Nusku. By the end of 2175, the planet The Fifth Interstellar
there were destroyed in the first had been fully occupied by Imperial War (A.D. 2176-2186)
assault, and a brief bombardment of forces.
the colony made a shambles of the Most historians consider the
planetary defense. The colonists pre- The Terran Confederation was not armistice of 2176 to have ended the
pared for a last-ditch defense, but to exactly idle during all of this, but its Fourth Interstellar War, but in fact the
their surprise the Imperial forces sim- leaders discovered that the Empty Confederation never went off a war
ply withdrew to their own space once Peace (and Yangila’s campaign of sub- footing. Careful internal diplomacy
again. version) had sapped Terra’s ability to unified the Terran population behind
fight. Military budgets had been the Confederation once more. Terran
reduced, and military industries had

32 THE EPIC STRUGGLE

economic might soon made itself felt, control of the stars between Nusku such alliances became frequent, as
supporting a military buildup of and Procyon, along with its new out- Terran influence grew and that of the
unprecedented speed. post at Markhashi. The matter of Dumushir government waned.
Terran commercial rights in Imperial
Meanwhile, the Imperial position space was left unresolved, but Sharik The Sixth Interstellar
declined with unusual speed. The Yangila’s most restrictive border War (A.D. 2195-2201)
renown of Sharik Yangila’s provincial controls were abandoned.
fleet brought it to the attention of the The Sixth Interstellar War began in
apkallu kibrat arban, Eneri Sharrukin The Initiative Shifts 2195, with a Vilani raid against the
(p. 41). In 2178 Sharrukin ordered (A.D. 2186-2195) Terran outpost at Markhashi. The raid
Yangila to divert a substantial portion did considerable damage, but the out-
of her fleet to a nearby sector, in order Under the Dumushir regime, the post was not destroyed and was soon
to help put down a local rebellion. Imperial Rim Province began to crum- reinforced.
ble in earnest. The Imperium had lost
The Terran Confederation took the initiative, and was now limited to At the time, the Saarpuhii Kushuggi
advantage of Yangila’s sudden weak- responding to Terran actions on all was Kidarneri Dumushir, the man
ness. Three years after the armistice, a fronts. who had deposed Sharik Yangila and
new fleet launched a surprise attack made peace with Terra a few years
against Nusku. Another raid struck at Vilani customs patrols were still before. He blamed the Markhashi raid
the Imperial naval station at under orders to enforce some border on “renegade corsairs,” former mem-
Shuruppak. Finally, small detach- controls and tariffs against Terran bers of Yangila’s provincial fleet who
ments raided Vilani commerce deep trade, but many inspectors began to were operating without Imperial sanc-
inside the Imperial zone. All of these turn a blind eye to Terran smuggling. tion. He was unwilling to resume hos-
campaigns met with some success; in By 2190 Terran merchants were able tilities, and tried to pacify the Terrans
particular, the new Nusku offensive of to move freely through the Rim with token concessions.
2183 ended with a fierce ground cam- Province, even taking over some of
paign that brought the planet back Sharurshid’s freight and passenger So far had the Imperial provincial
into Terran hands. lines in the border region. Terran structure decayed that Dumushir’s
goods finally began to win an enthusi- excuse may have been true – but the
After the recapture of Nusku, battle astic reception in some Vilani markets. Terran Confederation was not inclined
losses brought a temporary halt to the to let the Vilani off easily. Sensing that
Terran offensive, and gave saarpuhii All this Terran intrusion into the Terra finally had the advantage, the
Yangila time to consolidate her Imperial economy actually improved Confederation’s leaders imposed a
defenses. When the next Terran offen- the standard of living of many Vilani, trade embargo against the Vilani
sive got underway in 2185, Yangila as competition and rapid innovation Imperium, and launched a main-fleet
and her military aides were able to came to many markets for the first invasion of Imperial territory.
keep the Terrans at bay, suffering only time in centuries. On the other hand,
the loss of the frontier outpost at contact with Terrans and with Terran The Terran attack was apparently
Markhashi. goods had a corrosive effect on Vilani aimed at the old Vilani provincial capi-
social structures, undermining the tal at Gashidda. Moving slowly, the
Yangila was prepared to continue centuries-old framework of tradition Terrans gave their foes plenty of time to
the struggle, but the military reverses and caste. gather their forces and accept a main-
had eroded her position among the fleet battle. The fleets clashed at
high nobles of the Rim Worlds. By the While Terran merchants took up a Shuruppak in 2197, fighting a running
mid-2180s, most of her time and ener- growing position in Imperial markets, series of engagements that ended in a
gy was tied up in fending off the the Terrans also found themselves to decisive Imperial defeat. Securing the
intrigues of her rivals rather than be central players in Imperial internal system, the Terrans placed a naval sta-
defeating the Terrans. Finally the mas- politics. Internal factions were grow- tion on Shuruppak, isolating the ancient
ter manipulator was out-intrigued, ing more important in the Rim Vilani worlds of Iilike and Shulimik.
and she was forced to step down after Province, as the Dumushir govern-
the fall of the Markhashi outpost. The ment proved unable to enforce the With the Imperial fleet in disarray
Dumushirs, a noble clan based on ancient structure of Vilani tradition. and two major Vilani worlds cut off,
Shulgiasu, took over the post of Even members of the Vilani main- the Terrans began a ground campaign
Saarpuhii Kushuggi and took com- stream, groups that had never been to conquer both worlds. The cam-
mand of the war against Terra. classified as khagarii, were now think- paign proved to be lengthy, difficult,
ing in terms of their own survival first and bloody. Although both worlds had
The Dumushirs were not fond of and the Imperium later. Not every substantial kimashargur populations
Terrans, but they had no interest in Vilani faction was friendly to the that were pro-Terran in sentiment, the
prolonged warfare and were soon Terrans, but each faction was begin- dissidents were not well organized
looking for a way to end the conflict. ning to choose its own strategy for and the worlds’ ground defenses had
They opened peace talks with the responding to the challenges of the been strongly reinforced before the
Confederation – the first time any day. Some factions had been weighing war. Terran ground forces struggled
Vilani government had taken the ini- the benefits of a Terran alliance ever for almost four years to stamp out
tiative to negotiate with Terrans – and since the Third Interstellar War. Now resistance on both worlds, succeeding
soon reached an agreement. The only in late 2201.
Confederation was confirmed in its

THE EPIC STRUGGLE 33

While the Iilike and Shulimik battleships at the disposal of the The Terrans were quick to take
ground campaigns wore on, the Dumushir clan in order to win a glori- advantage of the situation. Although
Terran and Imperial fleets maneu- ous victory. The Imperial battleships the Terran main battle fleet was still
vered across nearby space. No further arrived in the Rim Province in 2205, being rebuilt, small Terran detach-
main-fleet engagements were fought, only to find that their presence was less ments launched a series of raids into
but there were dozens of small raids than helpful. The province was in poor Imperial space. Several outposts in the
and skirmishes. Commerce raiders economic condition, and could barely “wilderness” between Dingir and
struck at merchant convoys on both support the expense of maintaining Gashidda were attacked. Meanwhile,
sides of the military frontier. several dozen capital ships. commerce raiders penetrated deep
into Imperial territory, further disrupt-
It is well that war is so terrible, else we ing the provincial economy and wear-
should grow too fond of it. ing away at the Dumushir regime.

– Robert E. Lee (1862) In 2214, a disgruntled subordinate
assassinated Kidarneri Dumushir.
By the time Iilike and Shulimik fell In early 2206, Khugi Sharrukin led The Sharrukin clan’s representatives
to Terran control, the Imperial Rim a hasty attack against the Terran were soon implicated in the murder,
Province was suffering from a deep naval station at Shuruppak, opening throwing the provincial government
economic depression. Many Imperial the Seventh Interstellar War. into total disarray. After a few weeks
worlds had become dependent on Although the Terran base was sacked, of internal struggle, Kidarneri
Terran goods, which had undermined the naval engagement was indecisive. Dumushir’s younger sister
traditional economic systems. With Terran forces soon reinforced Iilike Sharikkamur took over the position of
the supply cut off by the and Shulimik, and the war settled Saarpuhii Kushuggi.
Confederation’s trade embargo, local down to a near-stalemate. At one
managers had considerable difficulty point a “loyalist” Vilani uprising on The new governor soon sued for
keeping their economies afloat. The Shulimik threatened to undermine peace, making drastic concessions to
depression hampered efforts to the Terran defensive structure, but the Terrans. Four more Imperial star
rebuild the provincial fleet, and made Terran ground forces and their systems were ceded to Terran control;
any further defense of the Rim kimashargur allies managed to put none of them were densely inhabited,
Province impossible. Recognizing the down the rebellion before any serious but the grant further widened the
inevitable, saarpuhii Dumushir sued damage was done. By 2209 the Vilani buffer zone protecting Terra. More
for peace in 2201, ceding Iilike, offensive had been halted with no importantly, the provincial government
Shulimik, and Shuruppak to the further territorial losses to the dropped all of the official border con-
Terran Confederation. Confederation. trols that had been imposed to restrict
access to Vilani markets. Now Terran
The Seventh Interstellar Once the Imperial offensive bogged traders could legally travel and trade
War (A.D. 2201-2214) down, the Vilani leaders began to feud anywhere in the Rim Province, the only
among themselves. Kidarneri restriction being the reluctance of tradi-
Kidarneri Dumushir was humiliat- Dumushir and Khugi Sharrukin tionalist Vilani to buy Terran goods. In
ed by the Vilani defeat in the Sixth fought to avoid blame for the war’s return, the Confederation dropped the
Interstellar War. Recognizing that he military failures, each writing reports trade embargo against the Vilani, a
could not defeat the Terrans with the to the apkallu kibrat arban that por- move which lifted the economic depres-
resources he had available, he took the trayed his own actions in the best light sion but which also reinforced the
unprecedented step of approaching and blackened the other’s reputation. growing dependence of many Vilani
the apkallu kibrat arban and asking for By late 2210 the dispute threatened to worlds on Terran imports.
military and economic assistance. cause a breakdown in the Rim
Province government. Arashir THE
The apkallu kibrat arban at the time Sharrukin intervened by ordering his ALBADAWI
was Arashir Sharrukin (p. 42). When kinsman to return home with his bat- PERIOD
the Dumushir request for aid came to tleships. Brushing the dust of the Rim
his court, he decided that he had no Province from his boots, Khugi The Seventh Interstellar War was a
time to attend to the situation person- Sharrukin complied, leaving the serious blow to the Vilani Imperium.
ally. Instead, he placed his kinsman province alone to defend itself against Not only were the Terran “barbarians”
Khugi Sharrukin in command of any Terran counterattack. holding their own against Vilani
a capital ship task force, placing the authority, they were beginning to
advance into Imperial territory whole
worlds at a time. Freed from the bor-
der controls, Terran explorers and
merchants were finding opportunities
all over the rimward portion of the
empire. Many of the khagarii and sub-
ject races were beginning to turn to
the Terrans for political leadership.

34 THE EPIC STRUGGLE

Yet the Imperial cause was far without having to draw on only the against Karkhar. The Vilani battle
from lost. The Vilani would make one Rim Province’s resources. He moved fleet advanced slowly and methodical-
more attempt to throw the Terrans his own court to the Rim Province, ly, brushing aside Terran picket
back into the stellar wilderness, led by taking up residence on Shulgiasu in forces, seizing outpost after outpost in
the most formidable strategist the lat- 2224. Finally, he sent an envoy to the turn. Within a year the Vilani had
ter-day Imperium ever produced. Imperial core worlds, taking a full taken Shuruppak and Markhashi, and
Fortunately for the Terrans, they were report of the situation to the Igsiirdi the major worlds of Iilike and
able to produce a remarkable leader of and the Emperor himself. Shulimik were under siege.
their own – Grand Admiral Manuel
Albadawi (p. 45). The Eighth Interstellar Meanwhile, the main Terran battle
War (A.D. 2228-2238) fleet had been gathered and was in the
Preparing field opposing the Vilani. The Terrans
for the Endgame Arashir Sharrukin’s strategic plan were thoroughly outmatched in naval
(A.D. 2214-2228) for the next war against Terra was tonnage, and refused to engage in a
brutally simple. There would be no main-fleet engagement. Instead, they
After the Seventh Interstellar War subtlety, no war of maneuver, no long harassed the Vilani main body, snip-
there was a relatively long period of series of raids and skirmishes. The ing from a distance and trying to slow
peace. During this pause in the long main Imperial battle fleet would sim- down the Imperial advance. Terran
conflict, the slow retreat of Vilani ply advance into Terran space, taking Grand Admiral Josip Degen took per-
power on the Rim became an apparent worlds away from the Confederation sonal command of the main fleet,
rout. one at a time, always bringing over- fighting an inspired campaign to keep
whelming force to bear in each subse- the Vilani off balance. Although the
Several major Vilani worlds were quent battle. The main thrust of the Vilani twice attempted to attack
now integrated into the Terran attack would be from Gashidda Procyon, Admiral Degen was able to
Confederation as allied or occupied toward Iilike and Shulimik, then hold them off and keep a thin line of
territory, drastically expanding the toward Procyon, and then toward the communication open to the embattled
Terran industrial base. Terran facto- Terran core worlds. ground forces defending Iilike and
ries and shipyards could now outpro- Shulimik.
duce the military budget available to Sharrukin’s plan relied heavily on
the Saarpuhii Kushuggi by a factor of logistics rather than on tactical plan- It was at this point that Rear
three or four to one. New ship designs ning. The battle fleet would be large Admiral Manuel Albadawi entered the
were being placed into service, clearly enough to crush any resistance, so the history books. He was in command of
superior to anything in the Vilani main problem was ensuring that sup- a relatively small Terran fleet sta-
standard databases. plies and maintenance were sufficient tioned at Nusku, several jumps away
to keep the fleet in operation. from the main theater of the war. In
Meanwhile, the Imperial govern- Sharrukin was no military genius, but late 2229 he launched an ambitious
ment’s hold on the province was disin- he was the consummate Vilani man- attack against the Vilani flank, sacking
tegrating. There was little or no effort ager, supremely suited to lead divided the Imperial outposts at Zaggisi and
to rebuild the provincial fleet or to factions and keep vital resources flow- Shulgi. In the following year he was
shore up defenses against Terran inva- ing. He was also extremely ruthless, the first Terran commander to mount
sion. Almost all of the military out- quite capable of eliminating any sub- a significant attack against the Vilani
posts between Shuruppak and Dingir ordinate who showed signs of plotting provincial capital at Dingir. By virtue
were abandoned. Even the civilian against his authority. of clever tactics and a well-timed
population was affected by a dreary kimashargur revolt on the planet’s sur-
fatalism. Some wealthy Vilani packed The Eighth Interstellar War began face, Albadawi was able to take the
up and fled for the Imperial core, early in 2228 with a Vilani attack planet in early 2231.
while most of the Rim Province’s pop-
ulation simply waited to make what- The fall of Dingir threatened the
ever accommodation they could with entire Vilani position on the Rim.
the Terrans. While Grand Admiral Degen pinned
down the Imperial main fleet,
The situation was well known at Albadawi launched a new campaign
the court of the apkallu kibrat arban, to spinward. Late in 2231 he seized
who had finally taken the time to and fortified Ensulur, thus cutting off
become familiar with events on the the Vilani communications line
empire’s rimward frontier. In the early between Gashidda and Shulgiasu. He
2220s, Arashir Sharrukin decided that then left about half of his fleet to
Imperial security required him to give guard Ensulur, taking the remainder
his personal attention to the Terran down the Rim Main in a series of
problem. He gathered a substantial lightning advances. He also used his
war fleet from across his domain, and new base to support Terran covert
ordered logistical preparation be operations on the Vegan worlds,
made so that the fleet could operate which prepared to launch an open
revolt against Vilani authority.

THE EPIC STRUGGLE 35

Over the next two years, Albadawi With Arashir Sharrukin temporari- reached the Imperial core in excellent
secured Apishlun, Shikashu, and ly departed, the Dumushir clan was time. In 2229 he presented
Duriim. Small Terran troop detach- left to negotiate a peace accord with Sharrukin’s report directly to the
ments landed on each world, facing the Terrans. The resulting Treaty of Igsiirdi, later having an audience with
little resistance from the surprised Ensulur (2238) more than doubled the the Shadow Emperor himself.
local garrisons (or the mostly sympa- territory under Terran rule, turning
thetic local populations). During these over several major Vilani worlds and a The Emperor recognized the threat
campaigns, Albadawi was many dozen minor outposts to Terran con- that the Terrans posed to Imperial
parsecs behind the military frontier, trol. Even more importantly, the authority. Unfortunately, the rimward
relying on sheer logistical improvisa- treaty recognized the existence of the frontier was not the only one faced
tion to keep his fleet in operation. Vegan Polity, newly independent for with internal dissension and external
When supplies could not be brought the first time in over 2,000 years. The invasion. Indeed, on the coreward
in from the Terran core worlds, new Vegan state immediately allied border – much closer to Vland itself –
Albadawi bought or seized them from itself with the Terran Confederation, a new race of alien barbarians was on
the Vilani – and when that also failed, further bolstering the Terran position the rise. These urbarrani (“pack-preda-
his fleet somehow managed to do against Imperial aggression. tor barbarians”) had been a problem
without. for over a century, raiding undefended
Final Gambits worlds and hiring out as mercenaries
By 2234, the Vilani main fleet had (A.D. 2238-2245) in the service of renegade Imperial
been cut off from all of its supply lines officials.
back to the Imperial core. Admiral During the Eighth Interstellar War,
Degen, who had managed to keep the Terran engineers made two critical The Emperor deliberated, and then
main Terran fleet intact, launched a breakthroughs in naval technology. made a crucial decision. The Imperial
counteroffensive. He soon lifted the The jump-3 drive had the potential to Core Fleet would be dispatched to the
sieges of Iilike and Shulimik, and give Terran fleets unprecedented rim, to crush the Terrans once and for
forced the Vilani to fall back on speed and mobility, while advances in all.
Gashidda. particle-beam technology gave rise to
the first meson-cannon weaponry. Given what the Emperor knew at
The Vilani offensive had failed, and Neither of these technologies was even the time, this was probably a wise
now the Imperial fleet was in serious familiar to the Vilani or to any other decision. Although the urbarrani
trouble. Not even Arashir Sharrukin’s known civilization – so the Imperium raiders were much closer to Vland,
logistical brilliance could keep battle- had no defense against their use on they did not pose a threat to the legiti-
ships in working order while Albadawi the battlefield. macy of Imperial rule. They were sim-
was free to ravage the Vilani supply ply barbarians, and non-Human bar-
lines. The new innovations came too late barians at that. On the other hand, the
to be used during the Eighth appearance of a powerful Human rival
The Imperial position collapsed in Interstellar War, so Admirals Degen state on the rim might tempt whole
2236. The Vegan worlds rose up in open and Albadawi perforce defeated the sectors to defect. For thousands of
revolt against the Imperium, ending Imperium without them. After the years, no enemy had ever been able to
any hope that the Vilani lines of com- Treaty of Ensulur was signed, Terran withstand the Imperial Core Fleet.
munication could be restored. Arashir fleets were quickly overhauled to While deploying it so far from Vland
Sharrukin engaged in a final purge of make use of the new systems, under carried its own risks, no one seriously
the Rim Province’s leadership, and then the guidance of Manuel Albadawi expected the Terrans to survive.
fled ignominiously for the core worlds (promoted to Grand Admiral in 2242).
of his domain. The last Terran offensive The Ninth Interstellar
reached Gashidda a few months later, As it turned out, the naval rebuild- War (A.D. 2245-2256)
at which point the remnants of the ing was carried out just in time.
Vilani fleet surrendered almost without In 2245, Terran intelligence
firing a shot. Admirals Albadawi and Arashir Sharrukin’s envoy had became aware that a massive Imperial
Degen met on Gashidda for the first departed for Vland in 2223. By using fleet was working its way down the
time in several years, solemnly shaking the fastest available transport and Rim Main. Not only had Arashir
hands in a blaze of press publicity. earnestly wielding the apkallu kibrat Sharrukin returned at the head of a
arban’s authority, the envoy had new provincial fleet, but he was
accompanied by a huge armada of
warships from much deeper inside
Imperial space. Confederation leaders
correctly deduced that the Imperium
was preparing to hurl overwhelming
force at Terra.

While Grand Admiral Albadawi
made final preparations, the Vilani
armada reached its main depot at
Shulgiasu. Early in 2246, an Imperial
envoy delivered a formal declaration
of war to the Terrans.

36 THE EPIC STRUGGLE

At first, the Imperial forces At Muan Kwoyen, Albadawi used Arashir Sharrukin was killed while
believed that they were succeeding. the bulk of his “new model” battle- trying to rally fragments of the arma-
While the armada traversed Vegan ships – capable of jump-3 and carrying da a few weeks later. Less than 10% of
space, it met Terran and Vegan spinal-mount meson weapons – to the Imperial armada ever escaped
squadrons, which made hit-and-run surprise the Vilani. Suddenly the from the Rim Province. The rest was
raids but never stayed to fight for long. Imperials faced numbers far greater captured or destroyed as the Terran
The Imperials prepared to lay siege to than they expected. Worse, the Terran fleet leapfrogged up the Rim Main in
the Vegan homeworld of Muan Gwi. battleships poured long-range meson pursuit.
fire into the Imperial line of battle.
At this point, Admiral Albadawi The Imperials had never developed No formal armistice ever ended the
sprang his trap. He ordered jump-3 meson weapons of their own, and Ninth Interstellar War. However, most
raiding forces to move from Lagash knew of them only from fearful historians place the war’s end in 2256.
directly onto the Rim Main, a maneu- ancient legends. Now the Core Fleet In that year the retired Admiral
ver the Vilani did not expect because faced the mythical “certain death Albadawi, widely recognized as one of
they did not believe the jump to be pos- weapon” in bitter reality, as its proud- Terra’s greatest military leaders, died.
sible. Albadawi’s raiders struck at the est ships were destroyed by internal Also in 2256, Terran forces captured
Imperial armada’s line of communica- explosions. the critical Vilani world of Arkiirkii,
tions, threatening to cut it off from almost 30 parsecs from Terra. At this
Shulgiasu. This caused the armada to The subsequent engagement was a point, the fighting paused for a few
abandon its methodical advance, devastating defeat for the Imperium. years while Terran forces consolidated
turning back to deal with the raiders. The Imperial grand admiral was killed their territorial gains.
in the first battle at Muan Kwoyen.

TRIUMPH AND

UNCERTAINTY

Alexander wept when he heard from IMPERIAL limits to Terran expansion had been
Anaxarchus that there were an infinite TERRA shattered; exploration and coloniza-
number of worlds. His friends asking if tion could now proceed in almost
any accident had befallen him, he Of course, none of the long-term every direction without needing to fur-
answered: “Do you not think it a matter problems inherent in Terra’s military ther disturb the Imperium. Surely
worthy of lamentation that when there success were obvious at first. Grand there was no need for further blood-
is such a vast multitude of them, we Admiral Albadawi’s successors contin- shed or involvement in Imperial
have not yet conquered one?” ued to press the Vilani back. The affairs?
Terran Confederation was no longer a
– Plutarch, simple “pocket state” fighting a pro- Before long, events demonstrated
On the Tranquility of the Mind longed war against a much more pow- that this isolationist approach could
erful foe. Now the Confederation was not succeed. Khugi Sharrukin was still
Despite the pause in active hostili- a true empire, a new Imperium taking at large in Imperial space, still claim-
ties after the Ninth Interstellar War, shape on the ruins of the old. ing the title of apkallu kibrat arban. He
fighting between Terran and Imperial and other Imperial leaders continued
forces never wholly ceased. The Wars on the Frontier to fight, engaging Terran forces on the
Terrans were almost constantly on the (A.D. 2256-2280) military frontier, stirring up unrest on
offensive until the final collapse of the the occupied Vilani worlds. The bulk
Imperium. In the aftermath of the Ninth of the Imperium remained in the dis-
Interstellar War, the Terran tance, still outnumbering the Terran
Unfortunately, such complete mili- Confederation had to pause for several Confederation, still ready to make a
tary success led to its own problems. years in order to consolidate its territo- new attempt to regain its lost territory.
Even while the Terran armed forces rial gains. Most of the Kushuggi sector
continued to advance, Terrans found was now under Terran control; over By 2260, it was obvious that Terran
it increasingly difficult to govern hun- 200 formerly Imperial worlds had to power had to keep expanding if any
dreds and then thousands of Imperial be brought firmly into the kind of stable situation was to be built.
worlds. Meanwhile, divisions within Confederation before Terran forces Terran leaders therefore launched sev-
Terran society, long papered over by could continue their advance. eral new military expeditions, striking
the need for unity against the out of the Kushuggi sector for the first
Imperium, became apparent once In fact, in the late 2250s some time. The new offensives were
again. Even final victory over the Terran leaders called for an end to the designed to cut off whole subsectors
Vilani did nothing to resolve the wars. The Imperium had been so deci- of Imperial territory, isolating
deepening crisis in Terran affairs. sively defeated that any serious future Imperial fleets into “pockets” where
threat to Terra was inconceivable. The they could be destroyed in detail.

THE EPIC STRUGGLE 37

For decades, chaotic warfare raged Actually pacifying this vast region of of compulsory military service for
on the frontiers. The fighting could no space took much longer. It was already homeworld citizens. In the next four
longer be broken into neat, under- taking longer to secure new worlds years, military recruitment on Terra
standable chunks that could be and integrate them into the fell by over 95%.
labeled as distinct “wars.” Every Confederation than it was taking to
conflict was interrupted by local conquer them in the first place. After While the homeworld settled down
armistices, cease-fires, or shaky peri- the end of the Sharrukin dynasty, the to enjoy unprecedented peace and
ods of peace. Terran navies often had pace of advance was determined by the prosperity, the colony worlds took up
to stop and regroup before pressing Confederation’s civilian bureaucracy the banner of war against the
on. Imperial forces might be defeated rather than by the military. Imperium. Colonial shipyards built
on the field, but would renew the fight and supplied the Terran Navy, colo-
after reinforcements arrived from the The Great Schism nial citizens provided manpower for
Imperial core. (A.D. 2280-2290) the Terran Army, colonial administra-
tors took on the task of managing con-
During this period, there was no Of course, the continued string of quered Imperial worlds, colonial busi-
possibility of central control for either Terran military victories could not dis- nessmen continued to build trade
side. Both empires’ local commanders guise the fact that the nature of the links into new regions of space.
started and ended campaigns, signed Interstellar Wars had changed Indeed, even while the homeworld
and broke treaties, and did their best dramatically. turned to peaceful pursuits, the
to administer the worlds being fought colonies were able to support a mas-
over. Indeed, new fighting often broke The change was most clearly felt sive expansion in the war effort.
out along the front lines before the on Terra itself. The homeworld of the
news of an armistice could reach Confederation had spent over a In fact, Terra was no longer the
Terra or Vland. century in a state of constant warfare, economic center of the empire. It took
time to integrate conquered Vilani
Playing Out the Endgame worlds into the Confederation, but by
the 2270s the process had been com-
The late Interstellar Wars era is possibly the best setting for epic mil- pleted on over a dozen such worlds.
itary roleplaying. While the Terran armed forces have a technological From that point onward, most of the
advantage, they are usually faced with stubborn Imperial resistance. Confederation’s industrial production
Every world presents its own set of problems to Terran officers and – including most of its military con-
enlisted men, who must deal with each situation with little guidance or struction – took place in what was
backup from distant Terra. once Imperial territory.

The sheer pace of the Terran advance makes the situation very fluid. This redistribution of economic
In every new region of Imperial space, Terran forces must move from power was not reflected in the politi-
“exploration and contact” operations, to military reconnaissance, to full- cal structure of the Terran
scale naval warfare, to ground campaigning, and finally to occupation Confederation. The central govern-
and integration – all within the space of a few years. ment remained dominated by home-
world interests, especially by the
To build this kind of backdrop, the GM can use the world-design sys- major nation-states who still con-
tem in Chapter 5 to set up an area of Imperial space. At the beginning of trolled the Secretariat 250 years after
the campaign, the area is wholly under Imperial control and Terrans are the Treaty of New York. The colonial
only beginning to come onto the stage. During the campaign, adventur- planetary republics had only nominal
ers work to push the Terran advance forward, eventually subduing representation in the powerless
Imperial resistance and keeping the peace afterward. General Assembly, and had no direct
influence in the Secretariat. This situ-
If the adventuring party is composed mostly of Navy characters, the ation continued even after the colonial
campaign should use a play area of up to a subsector in size. Space bat- republics came to represent the
tles can be interspersed with shore leave or other “dirtside” activities on majority of the Confederation’s citizen
various worlds. A party composed of ground-forces characters can use a population, the majority of its indus-
similar approach – or the entire campaign can be set on a single world, trial production, and the bulk of its
covering the initial ground war and the subsequent occupation. military might.

Once the Terrans recognized the but now the pressure was suddenly While the Interstellar Wars raged
need for a continuous offensive, their relieved. Terra itself no longer needed close to Terra, the potential split
string of military victories was quite to drive the war effort – in fact, it was between homeworld and colonies
consistent. Khugi Sharrukin was more convenient to perform military remained unexpressed. However,
eventually brought to the peace table, shipbuilding, construction, and after the Ninth Interstellar War some
signing an agreement in 2266 that recruitment on worlds closer to the colonial leaders began to question
placed the Imperium’s six rimward front lines. The clearest sign of the why they should continue to bear the
sectors under nominal Terran control. times came in 2276, with the abolition burden of war against the Imperium
without adequate representation on
Terra.

38 THE EPIC STRUGGLE

The problem became obvious to on Terra. This concern focused specif- The Last Offensive
the Confederation as a whole after the ically on the Terran Navy, believed to (A.D. 2288-2398)
publication of a book, The Great be the most serious potential threat to
Schism, written by Hasan Ardakani of civilian government. In 2288, the last man to hold the
Iilike. Published in 2280, the book was title of Apkallu Kibrat Arban Kushamii
a sober analysis of the growing cultur- This political observation was quiet died, an honored guest of the Terran
al divergence between homeworld and and unintrusive, for the most part. For Confederation Navy. By that year, the
colonies. Although Ardakani made no years, no one was placed under close Terran Confederation had conquered
political recommendations, his book surveillance, and no one was arrested the apkallu kibrat arban’s old domain.
did more than any other work to raise for sedition or disloyalty. Still, it About 1,000 inhabited worlds fell into
the political awareness of the colonial could not be concealed that the this region; most of these had not yet
population. As the 2280s wore on, the Confederation no longer completely been formally integrated into the
colonials became increasingly aware trusted all of its citizens. This only Terran Confederation, but there had
of their common identity, as a com- served to spark open resentment been no significant armed resistance
munity with its own needs and aspira- among the colonials toward the home- for several years.
tions different from those of the world, exacerbating the potential
homeworld. problem. The Terran Navy had just come
under the overall command of a new
Unfortunately, The Great Schism THE IMPERIAL Grand Admiral, Arpad Kovacs (p. 46).
also made the Confederation’s leaders COLLAPSE Unlike his last three predecessors,
aware of the potential divisions Admiral Kovacs preferred to com-
between homeworld and colonies – With the Terran Confederation mand from the front lines rather than
perhaps a little too aware. During the committed to continued war, the from safety on Terra. After arriving in
2280s, the Confederation’s civilian Imperium found itself fighting for its the war zone and gaining control of
government became concerned with very survival. The last stage of the the situation, he devised a plan for a
the “political reliability” of colonists. Interstellar Wars saw fierce fighting on new offensive – one that he hoped
Government agents began to observe a grand scale, as Imperial authorities would bring the Imperium to its knees.
the colonial population, looking for desperately tried to hold their ground
signs of disaffection or disloyalty across a front over 100 parsecs long. In the course of the wars, the
toward the central government back Terrans had “liberated” and allied
with several former Imperial subject
races. Unfortunately, only one of these
(the Vegans) had been able to make a
significant contribution to the Terran
cause. The others were too backward,
too small in number, or both.

However, within about 30 parsecs
of the current military border were the
home regions of three subject races:
the Darmine (Zarushagar sector), the
Geonee (Masilaa sector), and the
Suerrat (Ilelish sector). All three of
these races were unusually important
to the structure of Imperial power –
but Terran advance agents had
learned that all three were restive
under Imperial rule, and would be
likely to rebel once the Terran Navy
was in a position to support them.
Admiral Kovacs was determined to
give them that support.

Late in 2288, four Terran battle
fleets jumped off from the current bor-
der, striking deep into Imperial terri-
tory. The main axis of the attack was
spinward into the Zarushagar sector,
with a secondary offensive pushing
coreward into Masilaa sector.
Meanwhile, a series of deep-penetra-
tion raids pushed over 40 parsecs into
Imperial space in order to keep the
enemy off-balance.

THE EPIC STRUGGLE 39

The offensive moved quickly at Terrans and
first, but within two years Imperial Colonists
commanders had deduced the Terran
objectives, and were mounting stiff The so-called “Great Schism” was a vast social movement, driven by
resistance. The next few years saw demographic changes on the colony worlds. Although it first received
some of the hardest fighting of the widespread notice in the 2280s, its origins were much earlier than that.
entire Interstellar Wars era. Imperial
fleets were technologically outclassed, Beginning with the Third Interstellar War, Terran forces conquered
and were usually outgunned as well, and occupied many Vilani worlds. As these occupied worlds grew in
but they fought tenaciously. Imperial number, Terran citizens began to migrate to them in droves. This migra-
ground forces did the same, forcing tion grew rapidly, from about 1 million per year in 2220, to 15-20 million
the Terrans to pay for every new world per year in the 2280s.
captured.
One result of the Terran migration was the “Terranizing” of Vilani
Imperial resistance failed to keep populations. Many Vilani on the occupied worlds began to imitate
the Terrans back. The Geonee were Terrans. They learned to speak Terran languages, took Terran names,
slow to respond, unable or unwilling married into Terran families, absorbed Terran political and economic
to rebel until they could be sure of theories, and adopted Terran customs. Even the billions of “unassimilat-
Terran support, but their uprising ed” Vilani, people who tried to hold onto as many ancient traditions as
began in 2294. The Darmine revolt possible, tended to adopt some Terran customs simply to get along under
began the following year, and was the new regime.
much more enthusiastic. Finally, after
a hard-fought campaign ending in the This mix produced a new society, a culture which was no longer
Battle of Three Suns (2298), the Vilani, but which was also no longer strictly Terran in attitudes or ideals.
Suerrat declared their independence The new culture was based on Terran political and economic concepts
and allied with the Terran (individualism, human rights, democracy, and entrepreneurial capital-
Confederation. ism) but it placed its own interpretation on those ideas, and it also
accepted a wide variety of Vilani and other non-Terran notions.
After 10 years of hard fighting,
Grand Admiral Kovacs could see the There was one exception to the trend toward an independent colonial
success of his strategic plan. With sup- society. There were colony worlds to rimward and trailing of Terra, found-
port from the new allied races, the ed as wilderness settlements on worlds that were formerly uninhabited.
Navy continued to press hard. Most of these “Terran-only” worlds played little part in the Great Schism,
Imperial resistance was appreciably growing more slowly in population, remaining culturally and politically
crumbling, and whole subsectors were dependent on the homeworld. This was because most emigrants preferred
beginning to defect to the Terrans to move to former Imperial planets. It was much more attractive to settle
without a fight. on a world that was already thoroughly tamed, especially since a Terran
migrant could almost depend on becoming a member of the colonial
The Imperial Surrender upper class.
(2298-2303)
Terran Confederation and its allies, condition to govern that space. In
The Suerrat revolt proved to be the Grand Admiral Kovacs accepted. 2303, three sectors (about 1,300
last blow to Imperial power, although worlds) were under direct Terran rule,
the final moves took several years to The Interstellar Wars were over. and even that territory was proving
play out. When word of the revolt difficult for the central government to
reached the Imperial core, the last sig- The Challenge of Victory manage. The shattered Imperium was
nificant Imperial fleet had just been (A.D. 2303 and onward) eight times that size, its most distant
ordered into the Masilaa sector to worlds over two years from Terra even
face the Terrans. Rather than obey, When word of the Imperial surren- for a fast jump-3 courier. Much of the
the fleet commanders mutinied, turn- der reached Terra, it provoked a great Imperium was still out of reach of
ing against Vland itself and bringing deal of celebration, but also a great Terran authority; indeed, many
down the Imperial government. The deal of soul-searching. A political car- Imperial worlds had never seen a
Ishimkarun himself became a well- toon of the time portrayed a Terran Terran.
treated prisoner aboard the fleet’s soldier, armed to the teeth, stepping
flagship. away from a heap of corpses into a Meanwhile, the newly surrendered
vast empty plain, peering about as if territories posed problems that had
After some debate, the mutinous looking for someone else to fight. The never been seen in sectors closer to
fleet commanders and leaders of the caption: “Now what?” Terra. The Imperial bureaucracy was
Imperial bureaucracy formed a dele- largely intact, but it lacked direction
gation to meet the Terrans. In 2303 The cartoon was apt. The Terran now that the Igsiirdi had been
the meeting took place, and the Vilani Confederation was now the sole effec- deposed. Some of the Imperial subject
leaders offered the complete surren- tive political authority in all of races and dissident subcultures were
der of the Vilani Imperium and all of Imperial space – but Terra was in no
its subject worlds. On behalf of the

40 THE EPIC STRUGGLE

in open revolt, even without Terran would be futile. Instead, the military Commanders who had previously
support, and might prove hostile to governors were charged with provid- been entrusted with no more than a
Terran rule. The urbarrani and other ing a new source of legitimate authori- light cruiser were now administering
barbarians were tearing chunks out of ty for the existing Imperial govern- whole subsectors. The situation
the Imperial frontier. ment. They were to maintain peace improved as new personnel arrived
and order, permitting the local from regions closer to Terra, but even
While the Confederation’s central bureaucracies to keep the machinery so the Navy’s authority was stretched
government began to debate what to of government in operation. almost vanishingly thin. That the
do, the Terran Navy acted. Grand Terran officers could succeed at all
Admiral Kovacs sent thousands of Even that limited task was tremen- was due to the devotion of billions of
naval officers to the worlds of the dous. Kovacs stripped his fleets and local Vilani bureaucrats, who contin-
Imperium. Their task was not to set support staff almost to the bone. In ued to execute their duties despite the
up a wholly new government, as some cases, Terran ensigns were fall of the Imperium.
Kovacs realized such an attempt required to govern whole worlds.

BIOGRAPHIES

The Interstellar Wars era gave rise 2266, when the last Sharrukin apkallu Eneri Sharrukin
to many remarkable individuals, on kibrat arban surrendered to Terran
both sides of the centuries-long con- naval forces. Although fighting contin- Usham Sharrukin had five chil-
flict. Here are some of the most ued for over a generation, the fall of dren, the fifth being a daughter named
prominent – admirals, aristocrats, cor- the Sharrukin clan marked the real Inanna. This daughter married a
porate executives, politicians, and oth- end of Vilani authority over the nobleman of iishakku rank from the
ers who shaped the history of the time. Imperium – from that point on,
These historical figures might serve as Terran dominance was Erasharshi clan, bearing him several
background figures for an Interstellar inevitable. children. Eneri Erasharshi
Wars campaign, or might act as patrons (2046-2192) was the
for well-connected adventurers. Usham third of these, born in
Sharrukin 2046. Eneri displayed
THE uncommon brilliance,
SHARRUKIN Usham Sharrukin (1954-2129) becoming widely respect-
CLAN was the 11th of his line to hold the
position of apkallu kibrat arban, begin- ed even in his youthful 40s as
Descended from ancient nobility of ning in 2056. His influence was pro- an advocate of Vilani tradition, as a
the Imperial core, the Sharrukin clan foundly conservative, concerned only business manager, and as a politician.
was for centuries one of the foremost with the stability and prosperity of the However, he never expected to inherit
families in charge of the Sharurshid sectors of his domain. No Terran ever anything but the rule of a minor world
organization. Late in the visited his court, and he took almost in the Nakulakak sector.
Consolidation Wars era, the clan no notice of their existence. During his
established itself in the rimward lifetime, he took no steps to intervene The assassination of Usham
provinces of the Imperium. By A.D. in the situation on the Imperium’s rim Sharrukin changed all that. The
1500, a Sharrukin had taken over the frontier. Sharrukin clan’s leadership had been
position of Apkallu Kibrat Arban almost obliterated – all of the apkallu
Kushamii (“Minister of the Four Usham Sharrukin was unusually kibrat arban’s clear heirs were dead,
Quarters of the Rim Marches”), the long-lived even for a Vilani, succumb- leaving only secondary descendants
ultimate supervisor of all Sharurshid ing only to assassination at the age of alive. As Usham Sharrukin’s fifth
activities across six of the Imperium’s 175. The assassination was carried out child, Inanna Sharrukin was now in
rimward sectors. by the detonation of a small nuclear line to inherit the apkallu kibrat
device in his palace; his immediate arban’s office. In fact she felt unpre-
During much of the Interstellar heirs were also killed in the blast, leav- pared for the responsibility, and was
Wars era, the Sharrukin clan was a ing the succession uncertain. Since the unwilling to fight for the position. On
distant yet crucial authority, its assassins were vaporized in the same the very day that she heard of her
actions (or inaction) setting the tone explosion, their identities and motives father’s death, she formally abdicated
for the confrontation between Terrans were never fully made clear, but it her claim in favor of her son Eneri.
and the Imperium. A provincial gover- seems likely that they were backed by
nor who had Sharrukin favor could one of several rival noble clans. The Eneri took the name Sharrukin
ask for aid against the Terran barbar- Sharrukin clan was forced to contend and stepped forward, claiming leader-
ians. One who was out of favor was for power, fighting an open civil war ship of the clan. His quick action pre-
forced to contend with the Terrans that went on for several years before vented the remaining members of the
while drawing only on his own limited their claim to the position of apkallu clan from falling out among them-
resources. This situation lasted until kibrat arban was again unchallenged. selves, and unified them against their
rivals. Eneri led the clan to victory in
the civil war of 2129-2135, and
claimed the position of apkallu kibrat
arban after defeating his last foe.

THE EPIC STRUGGLE 41

Eneri Sharrukin took little direct against Terra. Unfortunately, those field himself against the Terrans,
role in the Interstellar Wars during his two offensives both ended in crushing managing through dogged
reign, although he was responsible for defeats for the Imperium. determination to avoid a decisive
the appointment of his youngest defeat.
brother (Kadur Erasharshi) to the Arashir Sharrukin died in 2246, still
position of Saarpuhii Kushuggi in commanding a fragment of the Vilani Despite his efforts, Khugi
2136. Kadur’s later fall brought that armada as it tried to fight its way out Sharrukin realized that any possibility
part of the family into some disrepute, of a Terran ambush. Oddly, his reputa- of victory over Terra was long since
and apparently encouraged Eneri to tion among Vilani traditionalists gone. His primary goal as apkallu
ignore events on the rimward frontier improved considerably in the years kibrat arban was to win an honorable
for the rest of his time in office. after his death. Eventually he came to peace. In 2266, after two years of
be seen as a Vilani patriot, committed negotiation with Terran authorities,
Arashir Sharrukin to defending against the Terran he surrendered to the Terran
onslaught even against hopeless odds. Confederation Navy. He spent the rest
Arashir Sharrukin (2150-2246) was of his life in semi-retirement on his
Eneri Sharrukin’s third child and pri- Khugi Sharrukin estates, acting as a figurehead and
mary heir. He was born only after occasional advisor for the new Terran-
Eneri had risen to the office of apkallu Khugi Sharrukin (2152-2288) was Vilani government of the Nakulakak
kibrat arban – and since Eneri had a descendant of Usham Sharrukin, by sector.
delayed having children at all, Arashir way of Usham’s second child. He
was over a century younger than his entered the Imperial Navy as a young Ironically, Khugi’s surrender may
father. He was raised in an indulgent man. Although he was only barely have assured the survival and contin-
manner, and had not entirely matured competent as a naval officer, he rose ued prominence of the Sharrukin clan.
when he suddenly inherited his rapidly through the ranks due to his Although the office of Apkallu Kibrat
father’s office in 2192. exalted family connections. Arban Kushamii was abolished upon
his death in 2288, several of Khugi’s
Arashir Sharrukin was the In 2204, Khugi Sharrukin com- grandchildren married Terrans and
youngest Apkallu Kibrat Arban manded the Imperial battleship entered the growing Terran-Vilani rul-
Kushamii to hold office in over 1,000 squadron sent to the Rim by his sec- ing class. A great-grandson, William
years. He was undeniably competent, ond cousin Arashir Sharrukin. His Adkhar Sargon, became an officer in
with a talent for business manage- involvement in the Seventh the Terran Navy; in 2303, he com-
ment and military logistics. On the Interstellar War ended in dismal fail- manded a ship in the expedition that
other hand, he was autocratic and ure, and he was recalled in disgrace. accepted the surrender of the last
cruel, taking pleasure in “breaking” or Although he remained in the Navy, he Vilani Emperor.
even executing subordinates who dis- was never again sent near the front
pleased him. He was often too erratic lines, and his career seemed to be at SHANA
and indecisive to provide his domain an end. LIKUSHAN
with sound leadership. Finally, he was
uninterested in maintaining his family The disaster of the Ninth Shana Likushan (2033-2145) was
line, and failed to marry or adopt Interstellar War changed Khugi’s for- originally from the Imperial core,
heirs. In all, he was an uncomfortable tunes. The apkallu kibrat arban was born and raised on a world almost 200
ruler for the rim sectors, and was decisively defeated in battle against parsecs from Terra. She was from a
widely hated. the Terrans, and then killed in an minor aristocratic family, but did not
ambush in 2246. This left the inherit a noble title, and entered the
Arashir intervened indirectly in the Sharrukin clan in desperate straits. Sharurshid organization as a com-
Seventh Interstellar War, sending a Arashir Sharrukin had no direct heir; moner. Despite this, she displayed
kinsman to the Rim in command of a the only legitimate heirs descended considerable gifts for business man-
detachment of battleships. The ven- from the disgraced Kadur Erasharshi, agement and intrigue. By the age of 70
ture ended in ignominious failure. and were extremely young at that. she had worked her way into the
Worse, a dispute between the With the Terrans pressing close, the upper ranks of Sharurshid manage-
Sharrukin and Dumushir clans ended domain’s most influential citizens ment, and was ready to make her
in the murder of the Dumushir clan looked for a Sharrukin – any bid for a position of real power and
head, causing the entire Kushuggi Sharrukin – to take command. influence.
sector to lean toward open revolt. In Although Khugi had no claim to the
the early 2220s, Arashir decided to title under Vilani inheritance law, he Unfortunately, at this point
intervene personally. was the only possible candidate with Likushan’s faction lost a power strug-
any military experience. gle within Sharurshid’s upper ranks.
For the next 20 years, Arashir spent As a result, Likushan was given aristo-
most of his time on the Rim. His lead- Khugi Sharrukin was named cratic standing, but the “promotion”
ership was crucial to Vilani fortunes in apkallu kibrat arban during a conclave involved a transfer to the distant
the Eighth and Ninth Interstellar of the regional aristocracy in 2248. To rimward frontier. There she was
Wars. Despite his unpleasant and the surprise of many, he proved to be named Saarpuhii Kushuggi of the
autocratic nature, he did manage to a competent ruler. He kept the Imperial province closest to Terra –
keep the Rim Province unified, and he domain’s aristocrats from panicking, and farthest from Vland.
launched two major campaigns and organized defenses against the
Terran advance. Twice he took the

42 THE EPIC STRUGGLE

The position of Saarpuhii Kushuggi LORETTE Strider left the USSF in 2099,
had been held for centuries by the STRIDER accepting a position with the United
Ereshkinar clan, which had recently Nations as one of the first envoys into
become extinct. Likushan might have Lorette Kathryn Strider (2053- Imperial space. Her natural linguistic
regarded her appointment as an 2114) was born in Kansas City, United ability permitted her to learn aristo-
opportunity to raise her own family to States. At the age of 8 she avidly fol- cratic Vilani with unusual speed. On
very exalted status. Unfortunately, she lowed NASA’s Comet Halley Intercept several occasions, she traveled as far
instead viewed her new position as an Mission, forming an ambition to as Dingir in order to establish contacts
exile. When she arrived on Shulgiasu become an astronaut that never left with the Vilani and learn more about
in 2112, she immediately demonstrat- her. After attending the University of them. Strider worked hard to promote
ed her contempt even for the Vilani of Arizona, she joined the United States understanding between the two civi-
the Rim. The recent discovery of bar- Space Force. She worked on the con- lizations, and was a leading advocate
barians beyond the Imperial frontier struction of the Oceanus Procellarium for peace even as the threat of war
was entirely beneath her notice. facility on Luna, and was the first loomed.
commander of Phobos Station.
Shana Likushan was an inept mili- In 2114, Strider left for the
tary commander, but this made little The greatest turning point in Barnard system aboard the American
difference, as she never took the field Strider’s career came in 2095, when frigate Thomas Jefferson, carrying a
against the Terrans. She did prove she was named the commander of last-ditch proposal to avoid conflict.
quite adept at negotiating in such a StarLeaper One, the first Terran inter- She was too late. The Thomas
way as to save the appearance of stellar mission to use the new jump Jefferson was attacked by a Vilani war-
Imperial power. Her usual pattern in drive. Although the mission was inter- ship and destroyed, the first major
wartime was to inflict casualties on national in character and was over- Terran casualty of the First
the Terran Navy, withdraw without seen by the UNSCA, it was primarily Interstellar War.
doing real damage to Terran interests, funded by the United States, so an
negotiate a settlement, and then pres- American commander was a political After her death, Strider’s fame
ent the result to her superiors as a necessity. Fortunately, Strider was not declined; her pacifism and unabashed
decisive victory. As a result, during her only politically useful but thoroughly appreciation of Vilani culture made
tenure as Saarpuhii Kushuggi the competent. her less popular as Terran attitudes
Terrans were able to consolidate their hardened. Still, Strider’s reputation as
position and prepare for the more While at Barnard’s Star, Strider an explorer and diplomat was safe,
serious conflicts to come. oversaw first contact with the Vilani. and her autobiography is required
She managed to establish clear com- reading at many of the Confederation’s
Likushan was constantly on the munications, set up good relations elite universities to this day.
lookout for an opportunity to abandon with the kimashargur prospectors, and
her “exile” on the Rim. In 2129 she laid the groundwork for future trade YUKIO
saw her chance, with the assassination and political negotiations. In so doing HASEGAWA
of Usham Sharrukin and the civil war she became the first Terran considered
that followed. She intervened in the an ally by any Vilani faction. Yukio Hasegawa (2056-2142) was
civil war, supporting the claim of a Japanese industrialist who rose
Eneri Sharrukin with ships and eco- through the ranks of one of that
nomic assistance. After the Sharrukin nation’s most conservative keiretsu.
victory, Likushan was rewarded with He was a quiet but canny business-
a recommendation for a new posting man, with a deceptively gentle
back to the Imperial core. In 2136 she demeanor that often fooled business
left the Rim, never to return. rivals into fatally underestimating
him. He was also one of the first
Shana Likushan ended her days on Terran industrialists to foresee the
Vland, working as one of Sharurshid’s importance of the Vilani Imperium to
highest managers and intriguing for a Terran business.
seat on the Igsiirdi. Had she lived
longer, she might well have attained Upon becoming CEO of his firm in
that ambition – but she apparently 2117, Hasegawa began heavy invest-
contracted a terminal disease in the ment in space industries. His corpo-
early 2140s and died prematurely. She ration eventually spun off an orbital-
did manage to complete her memoirs, industry subsidiary under Hasegawa’s
which were widely read on Vland and direct leadership. This subsidiary
elsewhere. These memoirs described grew so quickly that it soon provided
the Terran “savages” in a very unflat- a significant share of the firm’s over-
tering light, and may have played a all profits. Hasegawa also pursued
role in preventing the Imperium as a influence within the national govern-
whole from taking the Terran threat ment, eventually becoming one of the
seriously. prime movers behind the Japanese
interstellar program.

THE EPIC STRUGGLE 43

Hasegawa was a tireless promoter the saarpuhii solidly into the and apparently vanished from history.
of open markets and interstellar trade. Sharrukin faction. He also served in a His fate is unknown, and indeed even
In 2123 he established the Free critical diplomatic role – he was his date of death is often disputed.
Traders Foundation, a non-profit appointed as a leading envoy to Terra
organization devoted to supporting the immediately after the First Interstellar Strangely, Erasharshi’s very exis-
growing free-trade movement. For the War. This position taught him a great tence was apparently expunged from
remainder of his life, Hasegawa deal about the “barbarians.” More Imperial records, as sometimes hap-
pushed for interstellar colonization, than any other influential figure in the pened to those judged traitors to the
commerce, and trade with the Vilani Rim Province, he came to understand Imperium. As a result, he eventually
Imperium – often against the disfavor the Terrans and the threat they posed became known only through Terran
of both Terran and Imperial govern- to the Imperium. histories – which uniformly black-
ments. Under his leadership, the Free ened his name as a dreadful war crim-
Traders grew to sponsor dozens of After his brother’s victory in the inal. Only the most fair-minded of
commercial ventures into Vilani space. civil war, Kadur Erasharshi turned historians, either Terran or Vilani,
down a position in the apkallu kibrat eventually were willing to concede
Much of the later acceptance of arban’s court. Instead, he accepted that Erasharshi was a competent and
Terran goods by Vilani populations appointment as Shana Likushan’s suc- honorable man.
can be attributed to Hasegawa’s work. cessor, taking the office of Saarpuhii
So can the trade disputes that eventu- Kushuggi in 2136. He quickly proved UMAR
ally led to the Second and Fourth himself to be that rare entity, a bold BIN-ABDALLAH
Interstellar Wars. Vilani, a throwback to the time when AL-GHAZALI
the Imperium had conquered worlds
KADUR by the thousands. After the Third Interstellar War,
ERASHARSHI Terran commercial interests worked
Erasharshi was an effective mili- hard to penetrate Vilani markets,
Kadur Erasharshi (2066-2160) was tary commander, with superb tactical sensing the vast potential for profit.
the youngest child of Inanna skills and a reasonable grasp of grand The Free Traders Foundation, estab-
Sharrukin and her husband Mazun strategy. Unfortunately for him, he lished by Yukio Hasegawa (p. 43), was
Erasharshi. As the fifth child, young was not an effective diplomat. During the backbone of this mercantile effort.
Kadur never expected to inherit signif- his rapid rise to power he made many Working with the Foundation, a num-
icant wealth or status. His career was enemies, especially among some of ber of “merchant princes” found for-
unremarkable until the outbreak of the most influential Vilani clans of the tunes and shaped the course of the
civil war in 2129, in which Kadur’s province. These families had spent Interstellar Wars era. One of the most
elder brother Eneri Sharrukin was decades maneuvering for the prominent of these merchant princes
one of the claimants to the office of saarpuhii’s position, and resented its was Umar bin-Abdallah al-Ghazali
Apkallu Kibrat Arban Kushamii. award to yet another outsider. (2084-2182).
Trying to shore up his support in the
Kushuggi sector, Eneri sent Kadur to The story of Kadur Erasharshi’s From 2157, al-Ghazali was the
serve on the staff of saarpuhii Shana campaign against Terra is told else- CEO of the High Frontier
Likushan. where (p. 27). At its end, he was a Development Consortium, a moder-
broken man, disgraced and helpless to ate-sized multinational corporation
While serving on Likushan’s staff, defend himself against his political specializing in asteroid mining and
Kadur Erasharshi did much to bring rivals. He left the Rim Worlds in 2160 orbital manufacturing. He was a
devoted Muslim, but he was very cos-
Many Terrans tend to think of the profit mopolitan in outlook and superb at
motive as a Western invention, or perhaps as a the game of international business.
Western aberration, to be disdained rather than
imitated. This is nonsense. Every society After the Third Interstellar War, al-
expresses the profit motive in some manner. Ghazali caused High Frontier to join
This is particularly true of my own people. We the Free Traders Foundation, quickly
have never forgotten that the Prophet, peace be becoming one of the organization’s
upon Him, was Himself a successful merchant. major underwriters. He invested heav-
ily in the reconstruction and expan-
– Umar bin-Abdallah al-Ghazali, sion of shipyard facilities on Nusku,
remarks to the annual meeting of the and directed the construction of a fleet
of small, fast trading vessels intended
Free Traders Association, 2168 for ventures into Imperial space.
Before long, High Frontier was mak-
ing vast profits selling Terran commu-
nications and computer equipment to
certain Vilani factions.

High Frontier’s trading ships were
all equipped for exploration and

44 THE EPIC STRUGGLE

survey work, and did much to increase covert-operations service. Here, her Yangila went into retirement, tak-
Terran knowledge about the galaxy. ruthless ambition was allowed to ing up residence in an isolated estate
They were capable of turning priva- flourish as she clawed her way from a on Shulgiasu. Everyone who knew her
teer in wartime, switching from trade lowly field agent’s billet into positions wondered what new scheme she was
to commerce raiding and back again of increasing responsibility. preparing to launch – but for several
as needed. Finally, it was widely sus- years she apparently lived quietly,
pected (but never proved) that High In 2144 Yangila was dispatched to enjoying her retirement and rarely
Frontier’s merchant fleet was acting as the Kushuggi sector as a senior agent. appearing in public.
an espionage force in cooperation Assigned to the saarpuhii’s staff, she
with Confederation intelligence agen- spent years studying the Terran prob- In 2190 Yangila vanished from the
cies. All of these facets of High lem, even visiting Terra on several capital, taking a small ship and head-
Frontier’s operation were at the direct occasions. She quickly came to under- ing for the frontier in an apparent
insistence of Umar al-Ghazali, who stand the Terrans, as perhaps no attempt to defect to the Terran
often spoke publicly about the need Vilani ever could. With this under- Confederation. Unfortunately, before
for Terran commerce to serve standing, coupled with her brutal effi- she reached the Imperial border, her
the long-term interests of Terran ciency in disposing of rivals within the ship apparently suffered a mishap and
civilization. Ishimdagashii, she soon became indis- was destroyed. A few pieces of debris
pensable to Kadur Erasharshi. She were eventually recovered from the
After the Saarpuhii Kushuggi became his leading retainer, the outskirts of the Zaggisi system, along
imposed border controls and trade woman he trusted to protect his polit- with two bodies from the crew.
sanctions against Terran ships, al- ical position while he embarked on Yangila herself was never found.
Ghazali ordered his fleet to continue expeditions of conquest beyond the
operating, avoiding Imperial customs frontier. Sharik Yangila’s ultimate fate
patrols by any means necessary. This remains unknown. The obvious theo-
action made him an instant celebrity, In 2151 Yangila was appointed ry – that she died in the accident that
labeled “Prince of the Smugglers” by head of the Ishimdagashii in the Rim destroyed her ship – is not given much
the international media because of his Province. This was an unprecedented credence by those who knew her well.
distant relationship to the Omani achievement for such a young woman She may have faked her death in order
royal family. Once the Fourth and for a member of her minor race – to enter Terran space secretly, taking
Interstellar War broke out, High but she was far from finished. up residence as a “guest” of the
Frontier went on a war footing in sup- Whether Yangila actively helped to Confederation or with an anonymous
port of the Terran Navy. undermine Kadur Erasharshi is identity. In any case, rumors and
unknown. What is clear is that she sightings continued on the Rim for
Umar al-Ghazali survived three maneuvered herself into position to be many years.
assassination attempts, and lived to named his successor. This work paid
the age of 98. To the day of his death, off in 2157, when Erasharshi was MANUEL
he continued to capably lead the High deposed and Yangila was named the ALBADAWI
Frontier commercial empire from his new Saarpuhii Kushuggi.
headquarters in the Lagrange-5 Manuel Albadawi (2183-2256) was
orbital settlement. Yangila was no military genius, but born in Cairo, Egypt. His father was
she understood how to find and moti- an Arab civil engineer from an old
SHARIK vate such people. Her meticulous atten- Palestinians family, while his mother
YANGILA tion to detail was applied to prepara- was a Spanish biotechnician. In the
tions for a glorious war against Terra. 2170s and 2180s, Albadawi’s parents
Sharik Yangila (2112-2190) was an She hoped to use such a campaign as a worked as an independent consulting
oddity in the Imperium, a non-Vilani basis for claiming even higher position team, specializing in large-scale desert
who achieved high rank within the within the Imperial hierarchy. With the reclamation projects. As a result,
Vilani hierarchy. She was an end of the Fourth Interstellar War in Albadawi spent most of his formative
Anakundu (p. 80), member of a 2176, Yangila appeared to have reached years moving from place to place in
Human minor race native to the her goal. She knew that the Terrans had the Middle East and North Africa,
Mikadira sector. The Anakundu had not been crushed, but she believed that wherever his parents traveled on
been subject to Vilani rule for almost she could be gone from the Rim by the assignment.
2,000 years, and had accepted many time they could present a threat once
aspects of Vilani culture. Individual again. In 2201, the elder Albadawis
Anakundu sometimes reached promi- received a lucrative contract to per-
nent positions within Imperial society. Unfortunately for Yangila, the form environmental studies on the
Terrans recovered more quickly from Vilani worlds conquered during the
Sharik Yangila joined Sharurshid defeat than even she could anticipate. war. For a few months young Manuel
as a minor bureaucrat in 2129. In 2179 they reopened hostilities for remained behind on Earth, but once
Despite her non-Vilani birth, her tal- which she was not prepared. After the he reached the age of 18 he followed
ent and meticulous attention to detail Vilani defeat in the Fifth Interstellar his parents and entered the new
were quickly recognized. In 2135 she War, she was forced to step down as Terran University on Iilike. That once-
was assigned to the Ishimdagashii, saarpuhii, handing the office over to Vilani world remained his home for
Sharurshid’s intelligence and her long-time adversary, Kidarneri the rest of his life.
Dumushir.

THE EPIC STRUGGLE 45

Albadawi had originally intended He supervised the construction of the Born on the colony world Lagash,
to follow in his father’s footsteps and first line-of-battle squadrons ever to Kovacs was of purely Terran descent,
become an engineer. However, the take advantage of jump-3 drives and but his extended family included
experience of interstellar travel and meson weaponry. Once the Ninth many members of Vilani or mixed
contact with the Vilani population of Interstellar War began, it was ancestry. Like many colonials, young
Iilike changed his plans. Although he Albadawi’s strategic planning that led Kovacs was a fierce supporter of the
liked the individual Vilani he met, he to a second decisive Terran victory. war against the Imperium. He joined
came to despise their Imperium, the Terran Navy in 2254 as a common
considering Terran civilization to be After the critical battles were won, enlisted man, and was soon assigned
manifestly superior. At the outbreak Albadawi retired in 2250. His last to a new jump-3 raiding squadron des-
of the Seventh Interstellar War, he years were spent at home on Iilike. He tined for the front lines in the Ninth
accepted a commission in the Terran turned down several offers to run for Interstellar War. He saw considerable
Confederation Navy. Intelligent, hard- high political office, preferring action over the next few years, and
working, and loyal, he was promoted instead to remain home and compose was twice decorated for heroism in
quickly, reaching the rank of his memoirs. He remained a civilian battle.
Lieutenant Commander by war’s end. advisor to the Navy, and continued to
exercise some influence over strategic During his time on the front lines,
planning. Kovacs was also recognized for his
leadership ability and technical apti-
If an admiral wants to defeat the Vilani, he tude, traits that made him a good
has to approach his campaign like a matador in prospect for an officer’s commission.
the ancient sport of bullfighting. At first glance, In 2259 Kovacs was accepted into
the matador seems to have no chance; all the Officer Candidate School. His captain,
advantages of strength, speed, and ferocity seem realizing that time on the homeworld
to be on the side of the bull. But somehow, would be useful to a young colonial
whenever the bull charges, his horns never officer’s career, arranged for him to
touch anything but the red cape. Eventually, the attend OCS on Terra itself.
matador’s sword slips in on the unprotected
flank. Kovacs did well at OCS, and
earned his commission as an ensign in
– Manuel Albadawi, Campaigns (2254) 2261. He spent most of the 2260s on
and around Terra, holding a series of
During peacetime, Albadawi Upon his death, Albadawi was staff positions in Navy Intelligence. In
remained on the promotion “fast given a magnificent state funeral, but private, he disliked these assignments
track,” reaching the rank of Rear in accordance with his will his body – but they did help his later career
Admiral just before the beginning of was cremated and his ashes were scat- considerably, giving him contacts in
the Eighth Interstellar War. It was tered. No grand monument was ever the High Command and the civilian
from that position that he first built to the greatest Terran military bureaucracy that would be very useful
attained galactic prominence. His hero of the age. in later years. His time on Terra also
Dingir campaign, ending with the gave him considerable experience
siege of the Vilani subsector capital, ARPAD with civilian politics and with covert
was competently executed – but it was KOVACS Intelligence operations.
his brilliant campaign down the Rim
Main into the Apishlun subsector that Although later events threw him Eventually Kovacs was able to win
secured his reputation. More than any into eclipse, Arpad Kovacs (2236- an assignment back on the military
other commander, Albadawi was 2318) gained a permanent place in frontier, becoming first officer of the
responsible for the great Terran history during his tenure as Grand Churchill-class battleship U Thant in
conquests of the war. Admiral of the Terran Navy. Not only 2271. Once in the combat zone,
did he hold that office longer than any Kovacs enjoyed one command assign-
Albadawi was a natural choice to other officer in history, he was also the ment after another. He soon had a
serve as Grand Admiral of the Terran officer who presided over the final reputation for brisk competence, if
Confederation Navy, a position he conquest of the Vilani Imperium. not for brilliance – his ships and
accepted in 2242. He applied his logis- squadrons usually came home in good
tical talents to the restructuring of the condition and with the mission
Navy that took place in the mid-2240s. accomplished. He also made efficient
use of intelligence assets, and proved
adept at dealing with local popula-
tions. All of this made him a natural
candidate for admiral’s rank, which he
attained in 2281.

At this point, Kovacs’ extensive
homeworld background proved an
unexpected advantage. During the
2280s, the Confederation’s central

46 THE EPIC STRUGGLE

government was becoming concerned Kovacs knew that all these actions Battle of Three Suns, the Temujin was
about the political reliability of senior were likely to be controversial back on badly damaged by Imperial missile
naval officers. Most of the captains Terra, but he chose to accept the risk fire, ending with a lucky hit on the flag
and admirals leading Terra’s front- in hope that the centuries-long con- bridge that killed the admiral and
line fleets were of colonial origin, and flict could be brought to an end at last. threatened to wreck the fleet’s com-
many of them had never spent signif- With the wars over, Kovacs was at the mand structure. Captain Estigarribia
icant time on Terra. Quietly, some of height of his career and could count saved the flagship, and took tempo-
Terra’s civilian leaders were begin- on a place in the history books. Still, rary command of the fleet until a sen-
ning to worry that the Navy’s goals there was much work to be done, and ior officer could re-establish the chain
might one day diverge from those of no guarantee that the Secretariat of command. A later inquiry found
the civilian government. would leave him alone to do it . . . that Estigarribia’s actions had almost
certainly saved the 16th Fleet and won
Arpad Kovacs was colonial in ori- HIROSHI the battle for the Terrans.
gin, but he had spent years on Terra. ESTIGARRIBIA
He was politically sophisticated, but Estigarribia’s heroic action made
was not known to hold any political One of the most flamboyant mili- him a Rear Admiral, one of the
ambitions of his own. He was person- tary leaders of the late Interstellar youngest in the history of the Terran
ally known to a number of Wars period, Hiroshi Estigarribia Navy. It also earned him widespread
Confederation civilian leaders. All of (2262-2340) was born on Terra itself. adulation. News media on 1,000
this made him a relatively “safe” can- He was native to Peru, born to a fami- worlds dubbed him the “Terran
didate for the Admiralty, at least until ly that had no military tradition; his Alexander,” an appellation which flat-
someone equally talented but more father was a robotics specialist of tered him greatly. He was an admirer
reliable came along. His promotion to mixed Basque-Quechua ancestry, of the ancient Macedonian warlord,
high rank was assured, especially after while his mother was an expert in and saw many parallels between his
Lawrence de Marco (Secretary of the ancient history from an old Peruvian hero’s career and the Terran
Navy, 2284-2290) became his patron. Japanese family. conquests.
In 2287 he was named Grand Admiral
of the Terran Navy. When young Hiroshi was a small Estigarribia did not take part in the
child his parents moved to Ecuador, last act of the Interstellar Wars; by
Terran officials expected Kovacs to where his father had accepted a posi- 2303 he was embroiled in the task of
return to Terra to take up his supreme tion at the Confederation Naval setting up Terran administration
command, as several of his immediate Research Facility at Quito. across the non-Suerrat portions of the
predecessors had done. Instead, he Estigarribia grew up hearing stories Ilelish sector. Still, most observers
transferred his flag to the frontier and about battles against the Vilani and believed that he was due for even
began to plan a great offensive against adventures under distant suns. By this higher positions of responsibility. As a
the Imperium. Communication times time, native-born Terrans almost famous war leader, he had the trust
being what they were, the Secretariat never joined the Navy. Estigarribia and admiration of most Terran colo-
took several years to become con- was determined, however, and reject- nials. As a native-born Terran, he was
cerned at the new Grand Admiral’s ed his family’s pleas to pursue a plan- regarded as politically loyal to the
independence – but by then, news of etbound career. He entered the Naval Confederation’s central government.
the Navy’s victories was reaching Terra Academy, graduated with high hon- Already he was being named as a
and Kovacs was politically untouch- ors, and won a rare assignment to the potential future Grand Admiral, a pos-
able. So long as Kovacs kept winning war zone – arriving there just in time sible successor to Arpad Kovacs when
wars, he could retain his position, and to join the grand offensive of 2288. that officer chose to retire.
he kept winning for well over a decade.
Estigarribia proved to be a superb In fact, Estigarribia’s destiny was
Finally, the Imperial government commander. He earned the respect of considerably higher than the office of
collapsed and various Vilani leaders his subordinates by being an aggres- Grand Admiral – but that story no
approached the Terrans with an offer sive leader, willing to throw himself longer belongs to the Interstellar Wars
of surrender. Years of communication into the hottest part of any situation era, and is beyond the scope of this
time away from Terra, Admiral Kovacs and do or die. He served with great book.
chose to act without waiting for distinction during several campaigns,
instructions. He supervised the negoti- earning rapid promotion to the rank
ation of a final settlement, signed the of captain. If he had a weakness, it
treaty that ended the Interstellar Wars, was a love for publicity. He often
and took the Vilani Ishimkarun under “played to the press” when the oppor-
his personal protection. He then pro- tunity arose, a habit his superiors tol-
ceeded to send Terran naval officers erated since he was very good at pre-
out to govern the Imperium’s thou- senting the Navy in a positive light.
sands of worlds. In all of this, he hoped
to stabilize the interstellar situation, In 2298, Estigarribia was in com-
giving the Terran Confederation a mand of the battleship Temujin, flag-
chance to grow into the mantle of ship of the 16th Fleet under Fleet
galactic leadership. Admiral Leon Gerasimov. During the

THE EPIC STRUGGLE 47

CHAPTER THREE

TERRA

One world. One
world set against an
empire of thousands.
One lone world set
against trillions of
Human and alien
beings who do not
share our history, any
of our cultures, or
any of our values.

Victory seems
impossible. Perhaps
the best we can
expect is survival.
Yet to achieve even
that, we must be . . .
one world.
– Kanshi Bannerjee,

first Secretary-
General of the Terran
Confederation (2127)

THE HOME FRONT

In many ways, the situation in STATE OF Atmospheric and environmental
which Terra finds itself in 2170 is sim- THE WORLD pollution has been brought under con-
ilar to the situation the United States, trol, especially as the growing use of
Great Britain, and other countries The state of the world in 2170 fusion power has reduced pollution
found themselves in during the depends on where one lives and one’s from coal and fission power plants.
Second World War (1939-1945). position in society. Most Terran citi- Carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide
During that conflict, propaganda zens are at least comfortable – but levels have dropped in major cities the
spoke of “the Home Front” as if it was human nature being what it is, almost world over, and smog has become an
another theater of the war. no one is wholly satisfied with his cur- increasingly rare occurrence. Heavy
rent status. There are still broad dif- metal pollution is practically a thing of
Although an uneasy peace exists at ferences between the highest and low- the past.
the moment, war could soon break out est levels of Terran society, and
again. Terran independence, culture, although great strides have been made As fusion power has become more
and society are in constant danger. To to eliminate real poverty, a good deal widespread, cheaper electricity has
survive, the Terran Confederation remains to be done. made many materials more economi-
says, everyone must pull together and cal to recycle. Combined with access
do his part to prepare for what may Environment to raw materials from the Sol system
come. Citizens must waste no and the removal of many industries to
resource, however small, and they The condition of the planetary space, this has reduced the need to
must use every talent to its fullest. This environment has improved since the mine Terra’s mineral deposits and
is a constant theme in state-sponsored middle of the 21st century, but that mitigated the environmental impact
literature, television, and education. isn’t really saying much. of industry.

48 TERRA