Hestian Union
Planetary Union of Hestia | |
|---|---|
| Capital | Hestia, Crown System |
| Religion | Starchidren Pantheon |
| Demonym(s) | Nymph |
| Government | Federal Constitutional Monarchy |
• High Queen | Azura |
| Population | |
• Estimate | 80,142,150,318 |
| GDP (PPP) | estimate |
• Total | $550 Trillion |
• Per capita | $225,000 |
| Currency | V Credit |
| Time zone | Orion Standard Time |
The Planetary Union of Hestia (also known as the Hestian Union or Hestia) is a cluster of worlds within the Alpha Quadrant and close to Sol. The Hestian Union is a moderate power in the galactic stage, as its reach is contained within its local sector. It is a federation with divine ruler realms that rule over many worlds. The boundary of the Hestian Union is limited by the reach of the Health of Hestia that protects the nation.
In the 14th century on Earth’s Time, the flames of the Hearth of Hestia died, and the Dark Crusade State conquered its worlds. The realms suffered decades of oppression and enslavement, with much of their worlds used as extraction for resources for the Dark Crusade. The realms were liberated in the Starflame War when the heirs, Sailor Scouts of Hestia, returned and freed their nations. Since then, the nation has been rebuilt to be a multicultural federation home to many elven species and alien beings.
History
Origins
The earliest records of Hestia came from their homeworld of Hestia, the birthplace of their elven species. In mythological tellings, the mythical figure Queen Rhea was said to seed the planet with nymphs or elves after escaping a divine war that asunder their cousin's world called Earth. While historical claims say that the elves evolved from other pre-sapient cousins, they arose to migrate across the planet with sails and been in a tribal society. In the disputed 4000 B.C. theory (which will be referenced in the rest of the history section), a powerful mage, Rhea, arose from the promise of an oracle to open new lands across distant worlds across the twin stars.
In this way, Rhea and a group called Star Oracles set forward to construct planetary portals to the world of Chione and Demeter. The people develop a network of portals between their worlds and the homeworld of Hestia itself. Magic and the development of psi-powers fueled technological drive and struggle between its people. Legendary figures of myth arose to clash with each other over thousands of years until roughly around 1000 B.C., the first gift of the people, Princess Sophia or Hestia I, developed the Hearth of Hestia to banish a great evil that threatens the three worlds.
Under the United World agreement, the two cooperated until the formation of the Hestian Union after the last interplanetary war in 300 A.D. All under the formation of the Ruby Millenium. Although it is suggested to be a far older entity as they met the Silver Millennium of old, this incarnation was the first to develop space-faring technologies to colonize the rest of the Crown System and later across nearby star systems.
End of the Ruby Millenium
At some point, the decline of the Ruby Millenium ended with lost ties with the Silver Millennium and other legendary nations across the galaxy. Although it is mythological at best, the nation's actual end came from the Dark Crusade's encroachment and the theft of the Hearth. Said to be done by a desperate foreign princess who wanted to save her people during her asylum in the nation, the theft ended its destruction by the Dark Conqueror. It unleashed an invasion that overwhelmed the vast armies of Ruby. Great warriors fell, and Princess Sophia the III or Hestia dueled many generals and the Dark Conqueror himself. Hestia's last stand ended when the Dark Conqueror defeated her, the Crown Worlds conquered, and its people enslaved. A handful of refugees escaped the world, with one noble house, trusted the fallen princess, to head to earth with a newborn child.
Starflame War
The fall of the Ruby Millenium led to a century-long oppression within the sector and worlds of Hestia. Enslavement, planets were strip-mined, and theft of entire resources were a common sight as colonial administration by the Dark Crusade lords made use to fuel further war effort. Failure to comply or failure to meet quotas made entire cities destroyed to the worst fate of the planet itself was hurled away from its stars to become barren rogue planets. Loss of socio-economic status and enslavement meant periodic bands of rebels were formed to resist the occupation of their worlds. These efforts were in vain as they were too powerless and hunted down by vast xenomorphic horrors. One band of rebels, the Starflame, were the last to hold on to the traditions of their people despite a hopeless war.
Around the 16th century on Earth year, the return of the Sailor Scouts of Hestia met with the Starflame rebellion, and other cells reignited what became the Starflame War. A war that lasted several decades to overthrow the Dark Crusade state. One of the critical battles was the liberation of the people of Ra and the battle of Tau-152 prime, which became a crucial moment in the war. In one attempt to end the rebellion, the Dark Conqueror sent his main armada and fleet to attempt to blast the world of Hestia by destroying its stars and hurling what remains into the void itself. This destruction war proved fatal as a team of saboteurs caused the targeting systems to attack their fleets, and the sailor scouts boarded the flagship to duel him during the Battle of Hestia. In this showdown, the Dark Conqueror was slain, alongside many communication disruptions that caused a vast proportion of his fleet and leadership to call apart against the pressure of the Starflame band’s fleet. At that moment, the war ended in victory.
The Sundering
When the Dark Conqueror met his demise, the flagship was presumed destroyed, and the Hearth restored the short post-war period known as The Sundering. A vast collapse of the empire carved by the Dark Crusade broke apart in a matter of years across the sector. In this period, the nascent Hestian Union and its forces displaced warlords and the followers of Erlking away from their worlds while accepting favorable people from the refugees of Sekhmet and free enslaved groups. Yet entire populations were expelled and displaced by the tide of violence, an instance of return to normalcy and stability for critical people.
This era of history, while focused on reconstruction, had scholars debate the restoration and measures done by the joint resistance groups. The Taskforce of the Sailor Scouts and soldiers pushing back on the warlords led to the formation of the Erlking Confederacy and the current rivalry. It remains a controversial subject as it is considered xenophobic.
Flourishment of the Union
At the end of the Sundering, the Hestian Union was formed as a collection of worlds as a federation under the protection of the new Hearth of Hestia as it was reignited by the new Queen Azura, alongside a desire for a new renaissance and ideas of liberty across the worlds. In this period, the Hestian Union favored isolationism to rebuild with only specific trade stations and ports open to the rest of the galaxy. Only recently, in the 21st century, did the Hestian Union reopen its interest in galactic affairs and the curiosity known as Earth.
Astrography
The Union of Hestia lies within the Orion Arm of the Milky Way Galaxy in the upper section. Known as the Ruby Millenium Cluster or the ‘ellipse band’ territory, it is said that the Flame from the Twins Capital System from the Hestia Flame extends across the star cluster. This region is believed to have seven hundred stars and 120 populated worlds (which encompass habitable planets and moons). There is one grand Ringworld of Atheos and many small space stations.
Crown System
Hestia
Chione
Chione is one of the three core worlds connected by the Star Oracle Gates and the traditional homeworld of the elven people. It is a cold terrestrial planet with vast tundra, expansive arctic ice shelves, and long waters that cover the planet itself. In the equatorial band, entire boreal forestry, grassland, and pockets of rainforests can be found with visible seasonal changes. Two bodies of oceans in this band are visible without the vast sea ice. Chione has one moon, Amphitrite, which is a similar cold ocean world with a landmass filled with tundra and grasslands.
Hera
Hera is an idyllic terrestrial planet sculpted from the ‘Heran Terraform project’ that transformed the broken and barren planet into an ideal habitable world. As the designated paradise world alongside its breathable moon, celestial beings from the heavens freely enter and frolic across the fantastical creatures and grand rainforests of humongous trees. While Hera is otherworldly, it is the center of Hestia’s strategic point and military assembly as the supernatural Heran warriors and magi adept beings are hardened to face many battlefronts. As a result, many central military bastions and defenses are located in this world to safeguard the Crown Systems.
Nyx
The gas giant world of Nyx is the largest planet in the Crown System and resides at the star system's edge. About 156 moons orbit around Nyx, with the prime realm capital in Nyx's Prime on the largest moon, alongside eight other spherical moons as its largest bodies. Nyx is famed for its dark-blood-colored clouds, as the dark pulse of energies to powerful storms with the prime example of the 'Blood Eye storm' rage across its latitudinal bands. The Hestian Union considers the planet itself as a gateway to dark planes of existence, as phenomena and sinister beings are said to wander and endure the planet's extreme conditions. Thanks to the guardianship of Nyx, its queen, and the Hearth of Hestia, any invasive attacks are prevented, and creatures are filtered out in favor of aligned beings to the Realm of Nyx. The vast population of the planet dwells within breathe moons, vast orbital stations, and lunar habitats, to the cloud cities in the gas giant's upper atmosphere.
Noticable Worlds
Atheos
The Atheos System is famed for artificial habitation worlds complex known as ringworlds and the rainbow sun. The system bore scars from the Dark Conquest as the warlord Nemesis Primus stripped mind and cracked entire planets, leaving vast debris fields within the enlarged asteroid belt. This process laid the foundation of a megastructure assembly yard that used slave labor of the two primary races of Melusine and Nopon (who completely lost their homeworlds as the planet's mass was used to build the rings). When the Starflame War concluded, the now-freed people took over many ringworld segments and frameworks (to smaller ringworlds). Since then, the hero band of the Astronauts and freed slave leaders joined together to conduct a ritual to revive their ancestral homeworld to be now at the habitat close zone of the Atheos System.
In contemporary times, the Atheos Star System is home to one terrestrial planet, Athie, and four colossal ringworld complexes. Interconnected by portals known as 'sea gates,' Athenos is the industrial center for Hestia, as vast shipyards and factories can be found in both space and segments of the ringworlds. At the same time, the most pristine and artificial oceans and landscapes can be found in its habitat zones. Entire 'night panels' provide darkness for its people, while dyson swarms around its sun powering its massive structures.
Government
The Planetary Union of Hestia is a federal constitutional monarchy comprising many worlds organized into realms or states. The union is organized by a representative-based democratic system where each member state holds a position within the Diet of Hestia, the Legislative wing. It is here where the common and nobility gather to debate stuff. The executive wing is known as the Council of the Rulers, where the queens, alongside the High Queen, discuss matters across the realm and hold executive power. The highest in the position is known as the High Queen and the Vestal of the Hearth, held by the High Queen Azura or Goddess Hestia. The second position, the Archon, is an elected prime minister position.
Foreign Relations
The legacy of isolationism for the Hestian Union was a five century long period where its interest lay within the local sectors of the Upper Orion Arm and the Alpha Quadrant as a whole. A period where it avoided outside interest while it handled local affairs with hostile powers of successor Dark Crusade States and the Erlking Confederacy that last to this day. As a result, the Hestian Union engaged in a directive to keep cordial and neutrality across the galactic community, and avoid intervention of pre-ftl civilizations within the cradles of their homeworlds. In the turn of the Earth 21th century, the Hestian Union began to open up its foreign affairs to open itself to the galactic community as a whole. A change with the mark of diplomatic affairs with the Sol sector and beyond.
Realms
The Realms, or States, are dominions that hold their share of worlds throughout the Hestia Union. They’re known as nations in themselves, bound together by historical connection and tradition that the Hearth binds to them. The Realms are typically ruled by powerful Starchildren divinities that govern their lives or their associated family. The Jewel Capitals are within the Crown System, while realms run distant star systems.