Frontier Legion - History

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Addendum 1: Historical information
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Last Updated: 08.03.2420
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History:

   In the second half of the 23rd century, humanity began colonizing Earth-like planets in earnest. The construction of Dyson Spheres and Tenebris-Rosen Bridge Generators exploded across the new Frontier to aid the process, and in 2269, the largest colonial effort yet was dispatched to the Ain System in the Hyades Cluster.

   Many colonists viewed the Ain system as a fresh start, not only for themselves, but humanity as a whole. The expedition’s Safety Commision encouraged colonists to dream of a future unburdened by their history, and “restart” society free from what they considered the heavy-handed control of Tenebris, the Advanced AI that guides life in the Lunar Directorate. Soon after their arrival on the system’s fifth planet (thereafter called Ain Prime), the decision was made to eliminate all but the most superficial contact with Lunar authorities. For all intents and purposes, the Ain system went dark.

   After a decade of near silence, growing suspicions about the colonists’ intentions prompted the Directorate to dispatch a second expedition. Ostensibly, this mission was meant to provide support in the construction of the system's Dyson Sphere and TRB Generator. However, its real purpose was to investigate the status of the colony and, if necessary, to reestablish control. To this end, the second expedition was provided with a military escort.

   Upon arrival on Ain Prime they discovered a fledgling government operating under the vision of the original expedition’s Safety Commision. What’s more, the planet was heavily defended by a ring of missile batteries. Cursory investigations revealed that the colonists’ ship-building and military capacity was surprisingly well-advanced, while work on the Dyson sphere and TRB Generator had not even begun.

   Despite these fortifications, the government of Ain Prime knew that they would not win an extended fight against the Directorate. By the same token, the Lunar authorities had little appetite to enter into open conflict with their own erstwhile citizens. When word of the stalemate reached Mars, the Commonwealth sensed an opportunity.

   Hoping to establish a precedent for dissatisfied Lunar colonies, the Commonwealth extended a formal offer of admission to Ain Prime. Given the autonomy enjoyed by Martian states, this “marriage of convenience” seemed a sure fit for the freedom-seeking colonists. The government on Ain Prime made a show of deliberation, biding for time while playing the two Solar powers against one another. Faced with the possibility of losing the colony to Mars, the Directorate was forced to make a compromise. In exchange for officially remaining a Lunar colony, Ain Prime was granted an exceptional degree of autonomy. However, under no circumstances would they be allowed to maintain an independent army, which by this time the Safety Commission had effectively become.

   Rather than disband, the Safety Commission negotiated with Lunar authorities to transition into a private contractor. In 2282, the newly incorporated militia was rebranded as the Frontier Legion. The enduring ties between the Legion and the people of Ain ensured that the Legion's first act was to sign a protection contract with the colony.

   To most, it appeared as if the dream of independence had died. Politically severed from the Ain colony, the Frontier Legion began a mercenary existence in space. To support itself, the Legion took protection jobs from local commanders as well as newly established colonies. In many cases, they were hired as protection against small-scale piracy, and in particular as a deterrent to XAOC.

   In fact, it was against XAOC that the Legion scored its first decisive military victories. After House Rykov carried out a brutal assault on one of the newly colonized worlds in the Hyades cluster, the Legion vowed to bring those responsible to justice. Led by Legatus Liam Patterson, the Legion’s fleet engaged House Rykov’s forces in the binary star system of Theta Tauri. While vastly outnumbered, the Legion was better disciplined and its ships were better equipped. In a daring assault on the XAOC flagship, the Anarch of House Rykov was taken alive, to be tried and convicted in a Lunar court. With its Anarch captured and its fleet destroyed, House Rykov collapsed. Famously, the Frontier Legion accepted no payment from the surviving colonists. To quote Legatus Patterson, "Justice has finally caught up to the Frontier."

   For more than 60 years, the Legion existed as something akin to a nomadic tribe, executing contracts and accumulating a record of battles and victories. The situation might have continued if wider galactic events had not conspired to change the Legion’s fortunes.

   With more independent factions, including the Tianchao Clan and XAOC, gaining possession of their own Dyson Spheres, the balance of power on the Frontier shifted. To Lunar authorities, the Frontier Legion seemed like their best chance to exert a balancing influence.

   On March 3, 2345, the Directorate officially granted ownership of the Ain system and its Sphere to the Legion. Rather than take direct control of the planet, the Legion instead coordinated the election of a democratic government, helping the colony to finally realize its dream of freedom. Established as a benevolent protector of the Ain system, the Legion had at last found its true home - the very one it had arisen from four generations earlier.

   As the Frontier Legion transitioned into a sovereign power, the scope of its operations grew increasingly complex. Some of the Legion’s most outspoken officers began to chafe at the restrictions of a settled life, feeling that the spirit of their previous existence was being lost. In 2346, several of the faction's leaders broke off to form their own collective. Calling themselves “Les Apaches”, these free-wheeling individuals left the Ain System in search of a life of freedom across the stars.

   Despite this high-profile defection, the Frontier Legion’s fortunes have continued to rise. Equipped with a Dyson Sphere and its own interstellar travel network, the Legion grew to be a major player on a galactic scale and became known as one of the Sovereign Six.

   In recent years, the Legion has been involved in opening many new sectors for human colonization, while the major political blocs are distracted with their perpetual warfare. After becoming one of the Factions involved in the Omega-project in 2412, it has recently spent considerable resources on a new expedition to firmly establish its presence in the Spiral Expanse. The 7th, 15th, and 24th legions have been slated to participate.