Conflicts involving The Serene^Union

A political curiosity

Though the Serene^Union is renowned for its policies of neutrality and non-interference the nation is still technically in a state of outright war, following a series of incidents between the Ardan Imperium and the Triumvirate of Yut which cultimated in armed conflict and a declaration of hostilities by The Aengelistoria Dominica.

Though the Kaeneian declaration of war was against the Five Kingdoms of Melkor Unchained, it is accepted by convention that the current entity of the Ardan Imperium assumes all relevant political happenings previously. Then Governor-General Killthanus did not bring a statement of revocation nor did the then Council beneath him suggest one, and with a change of Governor-General in the form of Sophia Byzainti it is unlikely that what is essentially a superficial state of affairs will return to the agenda of The Aengelistoria Dominica in the forseeable future.

The Silent War

The conflict involving the nation of Sketch to date passes as the only declaration of war announced in five hundred years of Terran-based residence, and the only known full mobilisation of extra-solar and planetary offensive assets. The conflict stemmed from the unwarranted attack upon the WorldDisc space station by the vessels of the Sketchen Empire in an attempt to strike early and without warning and thusly bring about the death of a larger percentage of populace than would otherwise be possible.

Though the superstructure of the station held fast, numerous casualties were unavoidable- Over five million Kaeneians perished in the initial attack and as a result of the concluding confusion. This figure also represents the highest number of citizens slayed at any one time since data nodes first recorded the activities of Kaenei wtihin Sol.

A response was swift and forthcoming- Mobilising initially as support for the Angelus Armada but later as a dedicated combat force, the Defence Solarri took the step of making seven of the eight total combat capable fleets ready for war. Consequently was the full fury at such betrayal of peace brought to bear upon the then dominant inhabitants of the Jovian ice moon, Europa.

The orbital battle was as fierce as anything known within a millenia- The defences of Sketch were well organised and had long forseen the day of retribution and prepared for it thusly with stubborn and tenacious tactics designed to slow and frustrate the space-borne superiority of the Triumvirate-assembled fleets. Yet for their cursed and dogged actions they could not prevent the revenge desired and The Serene^Union became one of the first foreign powers to successfully negoiate planetfall.

Losses were substantial during the initial orbital phase- The largest Kaeneian starship [belonging at the time to the first Solarri fleet] Aengelis was critically damaged. Forced into the atmosphere and unable to correct her fatal course she plunged through the freezing clouds and impacted upon the fields of silent ice. Those few souls whom did not perish immediately upon impact did so as the anti-matter containment pods were detonated to prevent scavenging Sketchen hordes from apprehending Kaeneian technology.

Yet in this sorrow, sadness was tempered with excellent progress. Sustaining losses the Kaeneian taskforce pressed onwards with single-minded intent, for they would not see their dead take last breath in vain- Not whilst those that murdered them so remained safe behind barriers of shimmering energy, and steel.

It was the Serene^Union whom opened the way for others, eliminating the archane shield generators that so bathed the planet in a field of impedement that prevented the superior assets of the Triumvirate from coming to bear. Across splintered rock and chilling ice and relenting only to ensure their dead were safely removed the Aengelis Corsairs savagely unleashed their battle lust upon any and all whom did not register within their almost-lost intellects as friend, or ally.

To delve into further detail would simply condemn the reader to pages upon pages of carnage and death- Savage murder and injury that only the desperate lunges of war can hope to reproduce in any medium remotely close to acceptable in context. Sufficed to say that with defeat imminent and losses reaching unacceptable numbers, the rulers of Sketch sought urgently a ceasefire. A parley so that terms for an end to the conflict could be urgently sought and put an end to the death on both sides of such a bitter dispute.

Consequently, the Treaty of Honoured Blood was signed and assented.

The formative years of Sketchen occupation. [0-20 years]

So began one hundred years of occupation for the Sketchen people at the hands of the Serene^Union- Forced through little alternative to take up a position much maligned upon in order to ensure the safety of its people and territories throughout Sol.

The govermental authority of Sketch was quickly examined- Those believed to be detrimental to the safety of both the Serene^Union and the hope of peace on Europa were retired from their positions of authority and watched closely to ensure they did not plant seeds of dissent amongst a people understandbly perplexed at alien occupation. Young and eager politicans were selected from the ranks of noble houses and previous positions of insignificance to mould a new and fair regime.

One of the first issues undertaken was the formal renaming of the Sketchen Empire to illustrate the occupation- The Serene^Union felt strongly that an example of the consequences of betrayal and also the changes to be wrought that would give control of the afore mentioned Empire back to its people important enough to highlight. For the duration of the Kaeneian occupation, the territory was known as "The Commonwealth Dependency of Sketch."

Where possible, Kaenei sought not to influence Sketchen affairs Unnecessarily, rather than take an observational and advisory role. Unfortunately much of this initial plan fell away during the first few decades of occupation as the Serene^Union was forced to practically construct a govermental model to replace the previous military dictatorship- In this way the moderm Sketchen system of noble houses arose through the delegation of power by Kaeneian authority.

An exhuastive examination of regional power and control informed the Kaeneians that the most successful system would be dispersion and decentralisation- Taking the almost total control of the former dictatorship and rendering most of its powers to regional level to allow for greater autonomy and by extension as little Kaeneian influence as possible.

A Regional-Governor was appointed to each 'province' to oversee all matters pertaining to logistical and legislative function, and to provide final assent on any actions undertaken. In practice these individuals were quickly able to curtail their roles voluntarily as the newly created administrations tended to their tasks well, though there were many occasions which forced them to directly affect decisions and matters. In turn, these Regional-Governors reported to a 'Supreme-Overseer of the Commonwealth' whom had total executive control of all Kaeneian operations within the occupied territories and did hold veto over legislature drafted by the Sketchen goverment- Though it was rarely implemented.

Within each city of appreciable size, Administrational and military centres were combined into a single bloated Kaeneian embassy of sorts- Often comprising several high-rise buildings and as a matter of security isolated from the city blocks and streets sorrounding. It was within these fortress-like installations the Regional-Governor sat with his Sketchen subordinate and contemplated the various issues of their respective province.

A capable administration. [20-90 years]

The bulk of these decades were as uninteresting as they were thankfully uneventful. After the minor difficulties of integrating Kaeneian supervisory presence with the vastly rebuilt Sketchen govermental system these years represented a welcome break, and allowed the rebuilding of national pride somewhat as it became obvious the Serene^Union was as honourable in intention as action- Indeed the Supreme-Overseer of the Commonwealth at the time, one Zinaden Llaria, had not cause to utilise his controlling veto in almost eight years of continous cooperation.

Despite this seemingly lasting peace there was no blanketing serenity. Underground resistance against the Kaeneian occupation was not entirely absent- The most noteworthy event being the successful assasination of Regional-Governor Khristan Fernor and the subsequent murder of his Sketchen assistant in a crime to this day remaining unsolved due to believed sympathetic elements within the non-Kaeneian administration of the province.

Departure. [90-100 years]

The departure of the Kaeneian occupational forces was as complex and involving as their arrival- The govermental model assembled, whilst efficient and functional could not survive the removal of those that acted as supreme lauditors and reform was required. Consequently after prolonged examination of the surviving noble houses, power from the Regional-Governor was transferred there and allowed for an efficient transfer of power.

Until then, centralised goverment had consisted of the Regional-Governor's Sketchen subordinate adepts acting as a group to plan and implement commonwealth-wide legislation, with assistance from relevent Sketchen and Kaeneian advisors. After the end of the occupational period, it was left to those noble houses through simple majority vote to decide upon an acceptable form of primary goverment- Such concerns were no longer for the Serene^Union.

Although originally the existing Kaeneian city 'fortresses' were to be gradually dismantled, it was seen as unwise in the event of underground resistance stepping up any campaign towards the end of the occupation, and so over a relatively short few months the structures were dismantled and those buildings that could not be returned to Sketchen property were demolished.

As stated in the treaty of Honoured Blood, military bases that did not include the administrational centres were dismantled in accordance with time passed.

Conclusion

The occupation saw a dramatic rise in Kaeneian presence upon Europa- The section of treaty prohibiting further Sketchen territorial increase beyond the equator effectively gifting the Serene^Union free reign to expand upon their land claim. As of last effective census, some fifty million Kaeneians resided on Europa and population continues to climb.

In recent years, Kaeneian ire was raised by the granting of rights of settlement to the nation of Menelmacar, despite their failure to secure those same entitlements from the Serene^Union. It is known that the Aengelistoria Dominica considered the seemingly deliberate circumvention of their authority to sate Menelmacari desire for further resources "Highly deplorable".