History of the Stellar Khanate
Origins and Early Decades
Over the centuries, the Lor Republic ignored the many “barbaric” worlds that existed beyond its borders, focusing the majority of its attention on expanding its borders and conflicts with the Grue Unity. This indifference allowed one of the “barbaric” war-leaders, Khana Khan of the planet Zultas, to form a small alliance of worlds which was passed on to her son and successor, Kinan Khan, also known to the galaxy as Star-Khan.
Kinan Khan took the small alliance formed by his mother, and expanded its borders, while forging its patchwork military forces into a formidable military power, creating the Stellar Khanate. Underestimating Kinan Khan, the Lor were caught by surprise when the forces of the Stellar Khanate attacked the Republic. The forces of the Khanate might well have conquered the Republic in this war, were it not for the intervention of Daedalus and the Star Knights (including the Lor Star Knight, A’lan Koor).
After suffering a crushing defeat, it took the Khanate many years to recover, while the Lor began keeping a closer watch over the Khanate, weary of any further aggression. Star-Khan bought himself more time to rebuild by engaging in diplomacy with the Republic and other neighboring spacefaring worlds. During that time, Star-Khan continued to rebuild his forces, hatch new plans and plot his revenge.
However, before Star-Khan could unleash his rebuilt forces on his enemies, a new, long forgotten threat arrived at the boarders of the Khanate. Communion forces quickly smashed through the outer defenses of the Khanate and spread quickly into the very heart of the Khanate, Zultas. Capturing Zultas itself, the Communion also captured Kinan Khan.
Instead of integrating Kinan Khan, as had been done with so many other captured Khanate soldiers and citizens, the Communion chose to only partially integrate Star-Khan, instead making him a cybernetic mouth piece for the Communion as it began its assaults on the Lor Republic, the Grue Unity and other spacefaring worlds in the sector.
Of the major powers in the sector, the Stellar Khanate suffered perhaps the greatest harm at the hands of the Commuion, with numerous worlds beginning the process to be integrated into the Communion by being cyberformed into massive servers, or destroyed by the Communion’s worm-hole weapon. Countless soldiers and civilians alike were integrated into the Communion as drones and turned against their fellow Khanate beings as well as those of the Lor, Grue and countless others.
Surviving Khanate forces joined with the Lor, Grue and other Coalition worlds to fight against the Communion. Eventually the combined forces of the Coalition managed to defeat the Communion, bringing an end to its invasion. Star-Khan was captured by Galvanic, Rock and Paradigm. With the defeat of the Communion, Star-Khan’s cybernetic enhancements shut down, and the Lor did what they could to stabilize him, but too much of his original vital organs were gone, leaving him in a coma. Khanate loyalists rescued him from a Lor prison transport, taking him back to the portions of the Stellar Khanate that remained loyal.
Post-Incursion
In the aftermath of the Communion War, the Stellar Khanate fragmented. Portions remained loyal to Star Khan, even if he was not in any shape to lead it. But a number of former lieutenants declared themselves the new Khan, seizing portions of the Khanate as they began fighting among themselves for overall control. One section of the Khanate was sized by the Boron pirate leader, Dovox, who styled himself as Sovereign and sought to continue to expand his new domain. Still other worlds took the opportunity to free themselves from Khanate control, declaring independence or forming into loose confederations with other newly freed worlds.
This condition continued on for several years, with none of the various warlords managing to gain an upper hand on the others, the loyalist systems of the Khanate taking a defensive stance and managing to withstand any attempts to absorb them. Meanwhile, the breakaway worlds turned to the Coalition, Star Knights and Praetorians for support and assistance in keeping their new found independence. Unknown to all, the loyalist Stellar Khanate was rebuilding its forces, even as previously unknown individual. Dr. Rhavaun, a Naram scientist, inventor and tactician, appeared to help bring Star-Khan out of his coma and sought to try to fully restore his health. Dr. Rhavaun also introduced new weapon designs to the Khanate forces and oversaw the mining of Computonium and the collection of now dysfunctional Communion drones to be used in bolstering the limited forces of the loyalist systems.
Revanche
As the preparations to restore the Stellar Khanate to its former glory neared completion, Star-Khan’s condition began to worsen once more. Dr. Rhavaun had managed to temporarily restore Star-Khan by reintroducing Communion technology into the tyrant, allowing him to taken on an active role once more while they searched for a long term solution. However, Star-Khan’s new cybernetics required Communion nanite plasma for him to be at full efficiency, and the Khanate’s supply was beginning to run low.
Star-Khan and Dr. Rhavaun devised a plan to capture a new supply of the nanite plasma, while simultaneously having the expanding Justicar ranks lead the Khanate forces in beginning to reconquer the lost Stellar Khanate territories. The plan began with a Khanate cruiser travelling to Co-Vic Station to demand an audience with the Coalition Counsel. Meanwhile, a group of bounty hunters and mercenaries allied with various Khanate crime syndicates were already abroad Co-Vic Station.
After the Khanate ambassador and his delegation were aboard the station and meeting with the Coalition Council, Kazzan Suul and his mercenaries began a firefight with the Voidrnners in the Spinal Core, the engagement designed to distract station peacekeepers away from other areas of the station, while many of the Praetorians were busy escorting the Khanate delegation at the Council chambers. A strike team of Stellar Khanate special forces led by Dr. Rhavaun and Yass’ir, a Hassaan assassin used these diversions to steal stores of Communion nanite plasma and to attack the Tower of the Scared Assembly on Co-Vic Station to steal information about the possible locations of various ancient artifacts which might provide a means of restoring Star-Khan to full health.
Meanwhile, Khanate forces began the reconquest of lost systems, unleashing massive Computonium war machines designed by Dr. Rhavaun upon a number of breakaway worlds and others controlled by various warlords who had tried to seize power for themselves. The suddenness of the attacks, combined with the power of the new war machines led to several of the attacked worlds quickly capitulating.
While the Khanate forces attacking Co-Vic Station managed to escape with the nanite plasma and information from the Scared Assembly, quick response by the Lor and other Coalition forces, along with the Praetorians and Star Knights managed to halt the Khanate offensives against the worlds that had declared their independence. However, the Stellar Khanate’s attacks on the regions controlled by the various rogue warlords continued, and over the course of the next year they began to fall, one after another.
The Present
While Star-Khan was not been able to restore the Stellar Khanate to its former size, he has managed to recapture a sizable amount of the territory he controlled before the arrival of the Communion. Currently, only the Boron Sovereign and the various independent worlds (backed up by the Coalition, Praetorians and Star Knights) have not been brought back into the Stellar Khanate. After several months of consolidating his hold on the reconquered systems and reinforcing his forces, Star-Khan is in a position to turn his attention to one or both of the remaining collections of former Khanate worlds that he has not regained. However, there is still the matter of finding a more long term solution to his condition, as the nanite plasma stores taken from Co-Vic Station will not last forever….
Culture and Society
The majority of power within the Stellar Khanate is held by Zultasian nobles and others loyal to Star-Khan. While this ruling class was decimated by the Incursion, Star-Khan has wasted little time since his revival in raising up those who showed the most loyalty while he was incapacitated to fill back in the ranks. Numerous other species make up the majority of the beings within the Khanate, having been brought in by Star-Khan’s many conquests. Some have fully integrated into Khanate, while others still recall their independence and are held in check by the might of Star-Khan’s forces. A majority of these worlds were the ones that declared independence following the Incursion, and while many are still independent, some were reconqured during the Khanate’s initial blitz.
While the Khanate possesses technology close to that of the Lor Republic, it has primarily come into their possession by conquest and/or theft. It also tends to be a bit older and often in rather poorer condition. The best and newest technology is typically in the hands of Star-Khan, the Stellar Khanate military, and the ruling class. On many Khanate worlds, there is a strange mixture of advanced technologies alongside primitive and barbaric conditions. On many Khanate worlds, gladiatorial games and other blood sports are quite popular.
Throughout the history of the Stellar Khanate it has served as a haven for pirates, smugglers and other criminals, so long as they did not try to cross Star-Khan or his lieutenants. Several powerful criminal syndicates developed within the Khanate, and most survived the Incursion, taking advantage of the chaotic aftermath of the war to increase their operations into the Lor Republic and to other Coalition systems.
