New Republic

The New Republic is an interstellar nation that claims to be the successor of the Galactic Republic of yore. Its territories are just as expansive as the Imperium of Andarra, spanning 48,000 lightyears and controls over a million planets. Historically-speaking, the New Republic has been the Imperium's main rival for millennia, but in recent years, tensions between the two nations have de-escalated greatly, thanks to the efforts of one Emperor Karl Franz.

The Lost Ship
The Great Collapse came as quickly as it went. Within the span of a single day, countless worlds were cut off from the galaxy as the warp relays mysteriously malfunctioned, causing the labyrinthian warp highways that bind the galaxy together to fall apart. The Old Republic was the galaxy's supreme authority, its power unmatched by any other government that came before it, and when the Galactic Senate was destroyed at the Battle of Artemis V, the galaxy drew its breath. A new age had begun—one of strife, one that would see the promise of peace wither away into the void.

The Age of Strife struck hard to the former worlds of the Old Republic. Separated from each other, many planets starved, its planetary governors unable to support its massive population—some even resorted to cannibalism. However, from the ruins of the Old Republic emerged a new hope that would shine the way to a new age. At the height of the Imperium's 'great crusade', an Imperial ship had vanished into the warp, never to be seen again by Imperial authorities. It was called Lazarus, and this mighty vessel would find itself isolated in the desert world of Kharak. For a millennium, its crew split apart and paved their own paths as the desert tribes of Kharak; their knowledge of the stars slowly disappeared as the survivors of the wrecked vessel withered away into obscurity. Yet, the ship remained dormant under the red sea of Kharak, waiting to be discovered—and that day came when a small expedition sent by a coalition of tribes stumbled upon the decaying ruins of the Lazarus. On that day, a new hope emerged from the great red dunes. Within a century, the coalition grew, its members espousing the word of peace and unity until it eventually encompassed the entire planet. The ancient warp drives that had broken done a millennium ago were reversed engineered, developing a new method of interstellar travel that continues to be a staple of Republican technology—the hyperdrive. Where it lacks in speed, it makes up for it with stability as the hyperdrives utilised by Republican ships would travel across the stars with a higher degree of safety than the unstable warp drives.

After almost a century since the discovery of the Lazarus, the Kharakii have successfully built their first ships. A small fleet of ships, accompanied by a mothership, was sent to a nearby star system to test out their hyperdrives, but the promise of discovery would come at a great cost. When the fleet returned to their home planet of Kharak, they found its surface charred and in flames. An unknown enemy had destroyed their planet, killing all of the people on the planet. As far as the crews of the fleet are concerned, they might be the last Kharakii in existence. Armed only by its faith in a brighter future, the last remaining Kharakii departed for the core of the galaxy, to the system where the mighty Lazarus was supposed to reach: Hiigara.

The Pilgrimage
While the galaxy languished at the hands of the warmaster Galatan Oriana, the small fleet of Kharakii had their own share of mishaps in their journey to Hiigara. It was through the actions of this fleet that the ancient homeworld of the Secorians was rediscovered, its people suffering under the repressive rule of the Tulimar High Dynasty—an alien race that the Secorians subjugated when they gain full dominion over their shared homeworld of Vedia. They overthrew the regime, freeing the Secorians from slavery. The Secorians allowed the Kharakii to stop at their planet for supplies, and by the end of the year, the first foundations of the New Republic were planted when the Secorians decided to join the Kharakii in their pilgrimage to Hiigara. Surprisingly, the Tulimarians were forgiven by the Secorians and were even invited to join the pilgrimage, in which the species graciously accepted their offer. Together, they formed the Triumvirate.

As their pilgrimage continued, they encountered strange worlds that were lost to the sands of time—colonies forged by a long-forgotten power. New races were discovered, like the technologically-advanced peoples of Illyria or the honourable Telosians. Over the course of their pilgrimage, the Triumvirate grew to become a bastion of peace, a bearer of utopian ideals once deemed lost by many to the cruel hands of the universe. However, their journey was not one without troubles. Near the end of their journey, the Coalition—as it was now called—encountered a mighty alien race known only as "the enemy". The details of this particular race have been lost to the annals of history, but it is told that their ships were infused with the might of the aether and that they sent forth their dogs of war to thwart the Pilgrimage. Countless innocent lives were lost, as the enemy picked apart their vessels one-by-one; but the will of the Coalition was not one to be trifled with. Upon learning that the sacred world of Hiigara was actually controlled by the enemy, the Coalition battled them with a fury that outshone the stars. The Coalition set siege to the planet, and the Kharakii, enraged by the sight of the enemy, drove them off of the planet, claiming the planet in the name of the Coalition.

Foundation
Ten years after the Pilgrimage, it had begun apparent that the Coalition was slowly crumbling. Overstretched, the vessels of the Coalition had a difficult time patrolling their vast territories. The races that once joined in peace now rebelled openly, demanding political reform. For decades, the efforts of the Coalition were organised completely by the original members of the Triumvirate, and as more members joined their fledgling nation, the power gap between the original species and the newly-integrated races began to widen. Only Triumvirate members were allowed to join the military, and so the military was viewed as the epitome of race discrimination in the Coalition—a fact that heavily contradicted their utopian ideals of total equality for all races of the cosmos.

Tensions ultimately culminated when the Corellian system came under siege by a fleet of Imperial ships who were sent off-course from their original destination. Home to the Corellian race, the system was terrorised by Imperial operatives, who came to believe that the Holy Mother sent them to the system in order to annihilate the enemies of mankind. Due to the structure of the military, the Coalition had very little time to respond. They sent a small contingent of Kharakii ships to dispose of the threat, but Admiral Terence Hood knew better. He gathered the various races of the Corellian sector to fend off against the Imperial threat. Through the brave actions of the Coalition Armed Forces, the Coalition was able to drive the Imperial out of the Corellian system. This victory emboldened the races of the Coalition, who came to view their diversity as their main source of strength. In 015.M13 A.D., Hood was elected into office, and his first order as Chancellor is to reform the Coalition into the New Republic, stating that it is their responsibility to pursue the values that the Republic of yore tried to achieve.

Age of Reconciliation
With the adoption of the Galactic Constitution, the New Republic began a series of campaigns that sought to expand its territories into unknown space. Their encounter with the Imperium of Andarra taught the new nation that if it wanted to be taken seriously as the heir to the Old Republic, then it must be strong—internally and externally. Grand armadas were made and millions of colonists from the inner core of the Republic venture into deep space, carrying with them dreams of a better tomorrow. One of the most notable events that occurred during this period is the Alsakan War, a small-scale conflict between the planets of Hiigara and Alsaka over which planet should be designated as the Republic's capital world.

It is around this time when the New Republic officially recognised the Imperium of Andarra as a political entity, though tensions between the two would remain high until the reign of Karl Franz.

Time of Upheaval
In M17 A.D., a small sub-sector of the Imperium decided to split apart from the emperor's rule to establish their own nation based around the planet of Mandalore. Its inhabitants, the Mandalorians, are a proud people, with a rich militaristic tradition that values honour above all else. In fact, the Mandalorian sub-sector pride themselves in its diversity, for they believe that anyone can be a Mandalorian so as long as they follow The Way. Although opposition for this action was strong, they were ultimately resolved when Mandalore was besieged by a rogue fleet who disguised themselves as the New Republic. It is unclear who those ships belonged to, but when the Mandalorians finally drove them off of their territory, they were filled with an unyielding resolve to exact vengeance upon the enemy who sought the destruction of their culture. Their nation grew rapidly from a handful of systems to over a thousand star systems. The combination of Imperial doctrine and Mandalorian culture blended perfectly as it allowed them to strike effectively and decisively. Those that surrendered to them were spared, celebrated even; but those who refused would often find their planets in ruins.

The Mandalorians' expansion was of some concern for the New Republic, but they barely paid any attention to their rapid expansion as they had been embroiled in a conflict with the Imperium over a disputed star system. On 8.8.260.M17 A.D., a massive fleet of Mandalorian ships entered Republican space—and any ships remotely affiliated with the Republic were destroyed on sight. The First Mandalore War had begun. Their entrance into the First Galactic War marked a pivotal point in the conflict. Their surprise attack on Ilum caught both the Imperium and Republic off-guard, as the Mandalorians were able to overwhelm the mighty defences of the frozen world in a matter of days. The Mandalorians shared an uneasy alliance with the Imperium as the latter wanted to reintegrate the lost sector, a prospect which the Mandalorians hated. Yet ultimately, the First Galactic War ended in a stalemate. While the Imperium and the New Republic languish from economic turmoil, the Mandalorians celebrated their first victory against their dreaded foe. The Mandalore declared that the peoples of Mandalore shall set forth across the star and show the galaxy the might of Mandalore.

A period of calm reigned the galaxy for nearly a century. The Mandalorians were revered for their warrior code, which made them excellent mercenaries. Meanwhile, the Mandalorian State pursued a policy of nihilistic acquisition against the New Republic, occasionally raiding their trade convoys for precious goods that can be used for the Mandalorian war machine. The Republic, however, was unable to attack Mandalore as they had signed a treaty of mutual defence with the Imperium of Andarra—a war with Mandalore could result in another galactic war. Nevertheless, whether they wanted it or not, the dogs of war were let loose when a Mandalorian ship was accidentally destroyed by a Republic space station. Enraged, a