After the initial burst of hostilities, the combatants withdrew most naval forces (due to the high attrition rates of ships lost) and resorted to long-distance bombing and missile attacks, primarily against military targets. During the first four months of 2115, over eight thousand missiles and aircraft were shot down on all sides, but at least two thousand missiles and thousands of bombs decimated military installations in all combatant countries. By mid-May 2115, all sides were basically out of missiles and front-line aircraft. The combatants then resorted to the use of reserve aircraft and even civilian models to send on bombing missions.
At this stage, Russia intervened diplomatically, offering to broker a cease-fire. By the end of May, a cease-fire had been agreed and the unofficial war came to an end, although the final peace agreement was not signed until November 21st, 2116.
As a result of the Brush War, further non-aggression pacts were signed in 2117 and 2118 between the major combatants; Japan accepted 2 billion dollars U.S. in reparations from North Korea and China; and the U.S. withdrew its objections to a future, phased annexation of Taiwan in return for a similar future recombination of North and South Korea (both effected in final form by 2174).
Burin Alliance
The Burin Alliance is a confederation of 92 planets located in and around Burin (formerly COROT-2). The Alliance joined RimFed in 2294. It is made up of three distinct species, the Burin, Calani and Bluche. The Rim Federation fought a short, sharp conflict with the Burin Alliance in 2272 as the Rim Federation expanded into the Orion Spur. Encountering ships of the Burin Alliance near Hades (formerly Kepler-20), the aging RDF battleship Vercingetorix attempted to establish peaceful contact but was fired upon and severely damaged, resulting in the deaths of 114 sailors. Retreating toward the Rim while under fire, the Vercingetorix called for help and was met in support by the RDF Ready Task Force consisting of six battleships, twelve cruisers, nineteen frigates and twenty-two destroyers. An extended running battle ensued, with high casualties on both sides. After five days of fighting, both sides were exhausted, and a truce was developed. Further communications over the next several days resulted in a tentative peace agreement, with each side recognizing the boundaries of the other nation and agreeing to observe them. Twenty-two years later, due to diplomatic intercession by the Bat Empire, the Burin Alliance agreed to join RimFed.
Charter Debt
Charter Debt is the debt accrued by a colony in return for legal title to a planet or other colony location (e.g. a moon or asteroid), along with the cost of transportation, resources and support required to initiate a new colony in the location. Charter Debt was a concept introduced by the RDF Colony Office in the early days of Earth's struggle to prepare for the coming war with the Bat Empire. In 2121, when Jake Hammett, Teresa Tolleson and Dr. Kirsten Monk formed the RDF Colony Office, the concept of Charter Debt was established to ensure that the resources involved in starting a new colony could be recouped, with interest, in order to build RDF defenses and prepare for the coming war.
Basically, Charter Debt required the 2nd generation colonists (e.g. the children of the original colonists) and the 3rd generation colonists (e.g. the grandchildren of the original colonists) to construct two starships for use by the RDF (or one battleship or fleet carrier). A typical pattern was that the 2nd generation delivered one small starship (e.g. corvette, destroyer, scoutship), while the 3rd generation built upon that expertise and infrastructure to deliver a larger starship (e.g. frigate, cruiser or carrier). Upon delivery and acceptance of the starships by the RDF, the Charter Debt was expunged, and the colony was free and clear.
In some cases, the RDF allowed substitute payment, e.g. in raw materials, finished goods or labor, to take the place of a delivered starship. For example, the Jovian colony on Europa satisfied their Charter Debt by becoming specialists in low-temperature microelectronics and providing advanced AI cores to the RDF for military use, remaining even today as the pre-eminent AI factory in the Rim. The mixed Earth/Aeolian colony at Eudora satisfied their Charter Debt by providing a long tradition of Marines for duty on RDF ships, and continue to do so today, even though their Charter Debt is satisfied. After the defeat of the Bat Empire and the interdiction of the Bat Home System, Charter Debt was reduced in 2208 to a single starship or its equivalent.
Cold Bay
Cold Bay is a prison planet established in 2125 near Eudora, half-way to the Beehive Cluster. Criminals who would otherwise receive a death penalty in their home jurisdictions or who have been designated repeat violent offenders are sterilized and exiled to Cold Bay. Once dropped on the planet, individuals are left to their own devices. The technology on the planet is held at an early primitive level (Earth, 1750's) to prevent any chance of escape. Two police actions have occurred at Cold Bay, one in 2198 when a prisoner group attempted to build a crude spacecraft and the RDF intervened to destroy it one day before launch, and one in 2204 when smugglers attempted to carry crude rocket technology to Cold Bay in exchange for gold refined from the planet. This attempt resulted in the destruction of the smuggler's starship just short of the planet, forcing them to use their escape pods to land on the planet where they remained for the rest of their lives. No further smuggling attempts have been made.
Compressed Learning
Compressed learning is a technology provided to the RDF by the Machine Ship Pandora in 2121, when she visited Earth to provide a technology boost to humanity, enabling them to survive their anticipated encounter with the Bat Empire.
Compressed learning allows the direct transmission of knowledge into the brain of the recipient during sleep, with few side effects. This allows most languages to be learned in two or three nights of sleep. It is routinely used by the military forces of most star nations but is shunned by most educational institutions for philosophical reasons.
Core (Galaxy Core)
The Core of the Milky Way Galaxy is the area reserved for artificial intelligence creatures such as Machine Ships. This area is off-limits to biological beings. There have been numerous attempts to explore the Core; none of the expeditions have returned. The closest outpost to the Core is Rio Bravo, located at 10,000 lights from the center of the Galaxy.
Daneki (Sentient Race)
The Daneki are a sentient race who were virtually annihilated by the Bat Empire in 2185, with only two dozen surviving members escaping. The survivors were rescued by humans from the early Rim Federation. Their expertise in engineering was put to use by the RDF and they were directly responsible for the development of the A40 “Wicked” attack craft, refinements to the grav deflectors of RDF warships that allowed higher in-system speeds up to 0.6 light, and the shipkiller missiles used at the Battle of Orinoco.
Darwin (Machine Ship)
Darwin was the name of a Machine Ship which visited Earth in approximately 750 BC and abducted roughly 200 persons, along with a variety of plants and animals, taking them to the planet Aeolis in the Beehive Cluster, where they were abandoned. This group of people formed the nucleus of the Aeolian Empire. According to the Machine Ship Pandora, Darwin's intention was to conduct a bottleneck experiment, but he eventually tired of his role as experimenter and departed back to Machine Space, where he was detained and sentenced to re-programming for violation of the non-interference directive of the Machine Space society.
Deinomache (Princess of Aeolis)
Princess Deinomache Andromache Aronte was a member of the nobility of the Aeolian Empire and the mother of the 214th Empress, Hecate. Princess Deinomache was born in 2141, the daughter of Princess (later Empress) Antiope and Jake Hammett, an RDF Admiral who had infiltrated Aeolis disguised as a mercenary. In 2185, upon the abdication of Empress Hippolyta after her murder of Deinomache’s husband Prince Alexander and attempted assassination of Princess Hecate, Deinomache was next in line for the tiara; however, she refused the crown and let it pass to her daughter, who became the 214th Empress.
Eudora
The planet Eudora is a large rocky planet located 27
9 lights from Earth toward Aeolis, in the general direction of the Beehive Cluster, orbiting the cool M-type star Oceanus. It was initially discovered by the RDF in 2124 and used as a forward base for observation and infiltration of the Aeolian Empire before the Aeolians joined the RDF Alliance. It hosts RDF Naval Base Eudora as well as the adjoining city, Selene. With a mass 25% greater than Earth and a slightly larger radius of 7,656 km, the surface gravity is only 86% that of Earth, making it a popular place of retirement for humans.
F81 Dagger II
The F81 Dagger II was a hybrid jet/ramjet/scramjet fighter of the early 22nd century, used primarily by the U.S. Navy for carrier operations. The Dagger was designed as a high-altitude interceptor. It was the first three-mode hybrid in service with the U.S. and was prone to frequent mechanical malfunctions, resulting in a high attrition rate and the loss of a number of pilots. It was considered obsolete by the time of the Brush War of 2115 and was replaced by the next-generation F82.
F82 Stilletto II
The F82 Stilletto II was a hybrid jet/ramjet/scramjet fighter of the early 22nd century, used primarily by the U.S. Navy for carrier operations. The Stilletto was a sub-orbital interceptor, although it was also used as a fighter-bomber for such roles as tossing smart bombs from above 45,000 meters against distant targets. Placed into service in 2108, it was the U.S. Navy’s front-line fighter in the Brush War of 2115. 422 aircraft were lost over a four-month period, the highest attrition rate of any U.S. aircraft in the War, as the Navy’s carriers represented the front line of the war until the U.S. could position more land-based aircraft closer to the battlefront and withdraw the carriers to safer locations. The F82 mission profile typically involved a late-night launch, a climb to sub-orbit and a dive to attack enemy bombers as they made night bombing runs on allied territory, especially Japan, South Korea and Taiwan. Although numbers can only be estimated, it is generally accepted that the F82 shot down 500+ enemy aircraft over the first four months of the war, a major factor in the eventual cessation of hostilities as all combatants ran out of airplanes and missiles.
F90 Grumbler
The F90 “Grumbler” was a hybrid jet/ramjet/scramjet fighter of the early 22nd century, used primarily by the U.S. Air Force. The Grumbler was a sub-orbital interceptor and fighter/bomber. It was named for its distinctive “grumbling” sound during re-entry from sub-orbit. Placed into service in 2120, it was the primary front-line fighter for the Air Force until retired early in 2145 after the tDrive was released for limited civilian use. Variants included the F90B two-seat version and the F90D attack model.
Farpoint
Farpoint (HR6497) is a planet 475 lights Coreward of Nest, used by the RDF in their deception campaign to convince the Bat Empire Navy (BEN) that it was the location of Earth, the home of humanity. The deception involved numerous QE buoys distributed in the vicinity of Farpoint and between the system and Nest, which broadcast fake electronic transmissions (EMF) simulating Earth communications (Project Guano). This was coupled with fake AI-driven starships which moved to and from Farpoint, fake cities built on the planet which looked realistic from a distance, and other deceptions, some of which have never been fully revealed by the RDF. As a result of the ploy, the Bats dispatched half of their Home Fleet (the Detached Fleet) to Farpoint on July 1, 2207, which served to split their fleet, allowing the RDF to conduct a surprise attack on the remaining ships at Nest, decimating them and opening the Bat War.
Fringe Planets
The Fringe Planets are populated planets in the outskirts of the Beehive Cluster near Amasya, which constituted the mainstay of the Fringe Rebellion of 2120-2185. These planets are the farthest from Aeolis and thus considered the “backwater” of the Empire. The list of planets making up the fringe are generally considered to be Amasya, Calypso, Maia, Electra, Taygete, Alcyone, Celaeno and Sterope. All participated in the Fringe Rebellion and were in a constant state of war with the center of the Empire throughout the period. Barcam is sometimes lumped with this group as a Fringe Planet but did not participate to any great extent in the Fringe Rebellion.
Fringe Rebellion
Starting in 2120, the Fringe Rebellion was a determined effort by planets in the outer regions of the Aeolian Empire to institute reforms in the government. Among the reforms they espoused were an end to the House Aronte's rule of the Empire, the abolition of slavery, a democratic government based on sortition (choosing political officials by lot), universal suffrage (i.e. the male vote), and the end of laws preventing males from obtaining political office or serving as officers in the Navy. By 2139, Amasya and ten other planets had been taken over by the rebels and a respectable naval force had been accumulated from captured AEN ships and converted merchant vessels. Using these vessels and more, the rebels fought a long, grinding campaign against the Imperial center of the Empire, lasting until 2185 and ending only upon the succession of Empress Hecate to the throne. Hecate negotiated a peace with the rebels, allowing all planets in the Empire to achieve self-governance, although under the firm umbrella of the central government. Over time, this freedom expanded, until in 2209 the Aeolian Empire converted to the RDF Basic Rules and joined RimFed as a full member.
Hecate (Empress of Aeolis)
Hecate Andromache Aronte was the 214th Empress of the Aeolian Empire, reigning from 2185 to 2238. She ended the Fringe Rebellion in 2185 and implemented democratic reforms for all planets in the Empire, including universal male suffrage, the abolition of slavery and the opening of government and the military officer corps to males.
Hecate was born in 2158 to Princess Deinomache, the second daughter of Empress Antiope. She attended the Imperial Naval Academy at Aronte and was commissioned an Ensign in 2176, assigned to the cruiser Leto. Serving with distinction during several skirmishes with the Fringe Rebels, she advanced in rank until she was assigned as Captain of the Nemesis in 2182. In early 2185, Empress Hippolyta assassinated her father, Prince Alexander and subsequently attempted Hecate’s assassination as well at Pestilence Port, in which action she first encountered RDF Admiral Jake Hammett of Earth aboard the RDF Paris.
After this attempt on her life, Hecate returned to Aronte and deposed Empress Hippolyta, assuming the tiara when her mother, Princess Deinomache, refused the crown. Hecate instituted numerous democratic reforms over the next decades, including the abolition of slavery, male suffrage, opening the government to males and accepting males into the Fleet officer corps. Both loved and hated by various elements of the population, she abdicated the throne in 2238 at the age of 80 in favor of her daughter, Andrea Ligeia Aronte.
She is buried in the Imperial Cemetery near Aronte.
Helios (star)
The Helios system is the home system of the Aeolian Empire, located 580 lights from Earth in the Beehive Cluster. Helios is a G2 star, comparable to Sol in all major respects.
House Aronte
The House Aronte is the ruling dynasty of the Aeolian Empire and is a direct line of descent from the original twelve Amazons abandoned on Aeolis in 750 BC.
Hippolyta Lysippe Aronte (Empress of Aeolis)
Hippolyta Lysippe Aronte was the 213th Empress of the Aeolian Empire, reigning from 2163 to 2185. She inherited an Empire divided by the Fringe Rebellion and with a population exhausted by the war. Unable to end the Rebellion, she allowed it to devolve into a “Phony War”, in which neither side had the strength or the will to press an attack. Hippolyta was deposed in 2185 after assassinating her brother-in-law, Prince Alexander, and making an assassination attempt on Princess Hecate, her niece.
Hippolyta was born in 2135 to Princess Antiope, the daughter of Princess Merope. She was not expected to enter the line of succession, as Merope was a second daughter of Empress Asteria and the sister of the ruling Empress, Miranda. Hippolyta attended the Imperial Naval Academy at Aronte and was commissioned an Ensign, serving as an active officer from 2153 to 2163. Her career in the Navy was unremarkable.
In 2141, Empress Miranda and Hippolyta’s grandmother, Prince
ss Merope, were both killed in a terrorist attack at the Imperial Palace. Her mother, Antiope, then became Empress. This moved Hippolyta to the line of succession. When her mother Antiope was killed in the Great Raid of 2163, Hippolyta ascended to the tiara.
Hippolyta did not prosecute the rebels in the Fringe with any great enthusiasm and let the Rebellion simmer, resulting in a quiet period called the “Phony War”. Instead, she devoted her time to real and imagined conspiracies in the Palace and among the nobility, developing a reputation as a dangerous and somewhat unpredictable ruler. In 2185, she assassinated Prince Alexander, the husband of her sister Princess Deinomache, and attempted the assassination of her niece, Princess Hecate. Unsuccessful in the latter attempt, she was confronted by Princess Hecate in April 2185 and deposed. She was banished to Selene for the remainder of her life.
Hippolyta died in 2213 at Selene and is buried in the Imperial Cemetery near Aronte.
Empress Hecate (starship)
The AEN Empress Hecate was the lead starship of the Hecate class of heavy battleships built by the Aeolian Empire in the early 23rd century. She was lost with all hands at the Battle of Orinoco in 2207.
Laid down in December 2201 at Nyx Shipyards in Aronte, Aeolian Empire, the ‘Empress’ as she was generally called was commissioned on 14 July 2204 by Empress Hecate and joined the RDF Fleet at Tolleson Base in December 2205. Her first and last Captain was Hippolyta Melousa. She served as the flagship for Fleet Admiral Andrea Iona Satra in the Bat War. On 25 July 2207 at the Battle of Orinoco, she was lost with all hands when the Bat Empire Navy destroyer Waspeater performed a kamikaze attack into her engines. A memorial to her officers and crew is on the main quadrangle at RDF Command Headquarters, Tolleson Base, Kamilaroi. Several RDF starships are named after members of her crew, include the RDF fleet carriers Satra and Melousa and the frigates Derinoe and Duspera.
Jake Hammett
Jake Hammett was the first Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) of the Rim Defense Force (RDF). Hammett was born October 26, 2078 in Oakwood, Texas, and grew up in Dallas, Texas, graduating from Dallas Skyline High School in 2096. He was appointed to the U.S. Naval Academy, graduating in 2100, and completed flight training at NAS Pensacola, Florida, and NAS Corpus Christi, Texas. In 2104 he was assigned to VFA-2 'Bounty Hunters' at NAS Lemoore, California, flying the F81 "Dagger II". Hammett served in various fighter squadrons both in the U.S. and overseas, moving up to the F82 "Stilletto" in 2112.
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