XAOC - History

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Last Updated: 18.1.2422
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The official origin of XAOC dates back to somewhere between 2184 and 2194. However, the true roots of the movement lie in the chaotic battlefields of Earth at the very beginning of the 22nd century, where the northern swamps of the former Russian Federation largely escaped the nuclear cataclysm of the 15 Day War. There, local warlords were locked in a never-ending cycle of violence as they competed to claim and hold seats of power. It was at this time that stories of Volk Kan first began to appear.

While most historians agree that Volk Kan was indeed a real figure of the warlord era, ruling a vast swath of the tundra in North-Eurasia, stories about his exploits have grown to near-mythical proportions within XAOC. It is said that with indomitable will and charisma, Kan inspired respect and fear among his fellow warlords. He was merciful to those who submitted to his will, espousing the doctrine of “The Path”, a way of life that promised adherents strength and autonomy. At its core, there are three steps along the path: survival, prosperity, and finally dominance. He organized his followers as “The House of Kan”, a cult-like mix of government and family.

Then, as suddenly as he rose to power, Kan vanished from history. Some say he was poisoned by one of his lieutenants, others that he left Earth in pursuit of new frontiers. Whatever the truth, other Houses soon emerged to fill the void Kan left behind. The experienced and battle hardened fighters produced during this period became a coveted resource for the Lunar military, and many were drafted into their marines. The subsequent influx of Lunar capital led to an era of relative stability among the houses.

When the Lunar-Martian war ended, those veterans returned to Earth with advanced tactical knowledge and experience in space combat. Once again faced with scarcity and competing interests, local conflict erupted. Some Houses fell, others took their place, and the cycle resumed. All of this came to an abrupt end in the latter part of the 22nd century, as Lunar authorities began to assert control on Earth, uniting warring nations and pacifying the surface.

Faced with a common enemy, seven major Houses joined to take up arms against the Lunar Directorate, under the leadership of Tatjana of House Zhurov. The uprising that followed was a short-lived affair, as the Directorate was able to leverage orbital weapon platforms to secure a strategic victory. The remaining ground forces scattered to the winds, mixing in with the civilian population to commence a campaign of guerrilla warfare against the Lunar “occupation forces.” In XAOC mythology, this period is described as “the first foot on the path”, and it was during this time that Kan's teachings of self-reliance, determination and dominance were codified into the ideological core of the newborn movement.

In 2194, on the tenth anniversary of the North-Eurasian uprising, a series of terror attacks rocked major Lunar installations. Unidentified mercenary ships took part in a coordinated raid on installations in the rings of Saturn. The missive claiming responsibility was simply signed with “XAOC”. Follow-up investigations revealed that the Houses broken in the uprising had reformed as more flexible entities, not bound by territories, with their new leaders calling themselves Anarchs.

Over the next hundred years, XAOC as we know it today would make itself prominently and publicly known. While many members undoubtedly continued to hold personal grudges against the Lunar Directorate, the movement as a whole was egalitarian in their violence, targeting Lunar and Martian colonies and trade convoys alike. Governmental retaliation proved patchy and ineffective, as XAOC had learned from their past failures; maintaining mobile command centers and moving freely according to their Anarchs' whims. Before long, "XAOC" would become a household name in the illegal underbelly of society, as the movement established itself as a major provider of gladiatorial entertainment, targeted privateering, and slave trading.

But even as their power grew, in the last decade of the 23rd century, XAOC would be rocked by a major rupture in the movement. Sensing an opportunity in the announcement of public interstellar bridges, House Osokin’s Anarch and war council decided to take their foot off the path, leaving XAOC behind in a bid to secure legality. Osokin destroyed one of the other original Old Houses as part of an amnesty deal with the Lunar Directorate. They would then form the Ataka organization, which began exporting XAOC tactics and expertise as security to paying clients. Perceived as a violent betrayal, this act led to a wave of bloodshed, as other Houses took it upon themselves to hunt down the Osokin traitors.

In the following years, XAOC members would begin a coordinated effort to smuggle themselves to the Frontier. Hidden within larger colonization efforts, they infiltrated the large convoys bound outwards from the Sol system and recruited amongst those for whom the promise of riches beyond the Sun didn’t pan out.

In these early interstellar days, the movement's most famous success was the multi-year war between House Bogrov and the Binderburg Corporation, which ended in the death of Binderburg Patriarch Tyr Ramon. On the other hand, its most stinging defeat came at the hands of the newly established Frontier Legion, which managed to decimate the main fleet of House Rykov, and remove the third founding House from the movement.

However, while Osokin's actions were demonized by their former comrades, it became ever more clear that a lack of easily available interstellar travel was stifling XAOC's prospects. In 2342, the four surviving original Houses of the XAOC movement formed a single war council, inviting many of the other splinters of the movement into a unified armada. Under the leadership of the Four Anarchs, the combined forces managed to conquer and occupy the Ellac system and its Dyson Sphere. Recognizing the need for a nexus of interstellar travel, the Enduring Council was formed to oversee the system as 'neutral ground' among the houses.

The possession of their own Sphere has only served to strengthen XAOC’s influence across the galaxy, as all at once Houses began an exodus into previously safe systems, leading to many prominent coups and major battles. XAOC has always existed on the fringe of humanity, hunting among those that dare to leave the security of the civilized sectors.

The Frontier of the Spiral Expanse, with its unregulated space and fledgling colonies, is no exception. Far away from the militaries of the major blocs, many colonies are easy pickings for XAOC, and they have flooded into the region en masse. Besides the major Houses, there are also any number of upstart organizations and splinter groups seeking dominance through raiding operations and resources, with some even specializing in the slave trade.