Imperium Ascendant

The Imperium Ascendant is a major galactic power in the galaxy of Proteus Vex.

First Conflict
The Imperium has an incredible ancient history, spanning at least eighty millennia. Historically this era would be the heart of a galactic war known as First Conflict and be the earliest of a series of bloodshed in the centuries to come. This would be also the same time when an emissary of the Imperium approached the leader of the Scorcher s to deliver news of the discovery of a star-dwelling race that were similar to the Scorchers. The news though was dismissed by Scorcher leader, who refused to consider such a revelation as it conflicted with her race's belief in being unique in the galaxy. Out of respect, the emissary agreed to suppress knowledge of the race and any other races of similar makeup as such information would upheave Scorcher civilization.

Obdurate War
1400 years before the start of Proteus Vex, the Imperium Ascendant encountered a new race known as the Obdurates. Initially the Imperium reached out in peace to the Obdurates, but were met by violent aggression. The encounter with the Obdurates soon encompassed into a galactic war with the Obdurates leading a warpath of carnage, aiming to wipe all other races. To combat the Obdurates and for the very survival of galactic civilization, the Imperium Ascendant formed the Alliance, made up of various kingdoms such as the Seaborne Coagency and the Unaligned Worlds. However despite the other galactic powers uniting, they were no match for the sheer brutality of the Obdurates. The conflict prolonged for centuries with the Alliance drawing it out as a war of attrition.

General Netores Edge having fought twenty-four engagements with the Obdurates and the greatest of warriors in all the Allied worlds approached the Scorchers to join the war. Her diplomatic mission was her only recorded failure as the ancient race did not care for the fates of what they perceived as lesser races. Desperate for aid, General Edge concocted a scheme with the Imperium's most skilled agent, Proteus Vex to bring the Scorchers into the war.

Proteus Vex piloting his ship the Farrago rammed into the vessels of the Eight Obdurate Fleet, and drew them to the world of Rixxot Minor where a Scorcher colony was located. The Alliance having inserted comm relays in the system, activated, causing communication chatter to erupt, fooling the Obdurates into thinking that they stumbled unto an Alliance military base. Seeing it as a greater threat, the Obdurates bombed the colony, unaware that it was actually nursery for the Scorchers young. Nine Scorchers were killed in the massacre, and finally forced the Scorchers into the war to avenge their dead.

The Scorchers allying with the Alliance gave the galaxy a fighting chance against the Obdurates, though even with the aid of the ancient race, the Obdurate threat was still ever present. The Scorchers would eventually learn of the deceit though could not pull out of the war as they were already committed.

To land a decisive blow against the Obdurates, a plan was enacted by the Alliance to teleport a dying white dwarf star into the heart of the Obdurate homeworlds. The plan was a success and while the ploy saw the death of billions of Obdurates, historians at the time believed the the ending of the war saved countless lives. Though many Obdurates forces still persisted, the Alliance was able to neutralize them, leaving only a handful of survivors left effectively collapsing the Obdurate Empire. After the end of the Obdurate War, the kingdoms split the territories of their enemy among themselves.

Post War Era
Forty-years into the post-war era, the Imperium Ascendant received news that its senior member, Chancellor Rho 7 Baryon went missing. While it was announced that the Chancellor was missing, in reality Baryon had vanished after murdering Imperium Agent Gren Aldon. The murder though was covered-up by the authorities due to the potential scandal. Recovery of Baryon was made a priority as the sapient possessed vital knowledge on not just the Imperium's secrets but other members of the Alliance. The leadership of the Imperium sent its top agent, Proteus Vex to locate him. Proteus Vex being a former protégé of Baryon accepted the assignment, diverting his attention from transporting an Citheronian fugitive named Midnight Indicating Shame back to Hive Regalis to locating Baryon. From his information Vex tracked his superior to the former Obdurate war-world of Korregag which became a lawless region in the aftermath of the war.

Upon arriving to the war-torn world, which was being stripped by the dregs of the Alliance, Vex came under attack by several mercenaries whilst the peacekeeper force stood idly by. Vex though managed to kill a few of his attackers before the peacekeeper force were forced to intervene, though the alien marauders warned Vex to give up his mission as Baryon was not missing but left the Imperium voluntarily. The Imperium agent did not accept this as he wanted to hear it directly from Baryon himself.

Vex then approached the chief peacekeeper for assistance in locating Baryon as his signal took him to Korregag before it suddenly vanished which the chief explained was the vicinity of the Obdurate reactor and was shielding Baryon's tracking signal. The reactor as it turned out was being salvaged by a team of Scorchers which Vex then requested to have a meeting. Vex using his skills managed to acquired credentials to enter the facility. There he met with Glass Raven, a Scorcher he was all too familiar with. Glass Raven though was no friend to Vex as after the Obdurate War, it was leaked that the Imperium Ascendant had arranged for the attack on Rixxot Minor and that Vex was the main perpetrator. In rage Glass Raven was prepared to kill the agent for his crime.

Vex admitted that he would not deny what he did, but believed that his actions were justified as it forced the Scorchers to see the threat of the Obdurates. The excuse was not enough for Glass Raven, and was prepared to enact his justice, until a fellow Scorcher asked his peer to allow Vex to speak. Vex then told them of a more dire crisis looming in the recovery of Chancellor Baryon who was still at large and in possession of all the Scorchers dirty secrets.

Glass Raven understanding the seriousness of the danger Baryon posed now being unaffiliated, allowed himself to stay his hand in killing the Imperium Agent. The Scorcher confirmed that Baryon needed to be retrieved by the Imperium Ascendant, and informed him that Baryon's tracking signal may have been deactivated. While it was considered to be impossible as deactivating the tracking signal would mean death for the user, there was a way to do so and allow Baryon to live. Glass Raven told Vex that in recent days, several newcomers arrived on Korregag, one being a Dahodem which could easily remove Baryon's tracking device. The same vessel later left the planet days ago Andy was theorized that Baryon may have left with them.

Armed with this lead Vex returned to his ship, to find a mess as Midnight had devoured several mercenaries that were looking to break in the Farrago. Among those mercenaries that were killed was a Dahodem, which caused Vex to believe that he lost his lead, however Midnight using her keen sense of smell was able to determine that this Dahodem was not the surgeon that operated on Baryon and that they may have been a second one. She offered to assist him, if Vex freed her which he reluctantly allowed. The two then tracked the Dahodem's other cohorts, the mercenaries that previously attacked Vex. Under duress the surviving mercenary revealed that Baryon went with a ship aligned with the Seaborne Coagency.

The two tracked the ship to a distant region of space, and were allowed to board. There they found former Chancellor Baryon with the Seaborne, who tried to plead to his junior to cease his pursuit, but when Vex refused, he shot him, near fatally injuring the Imperium Agent. Midnight angered by the act, then attacked the Seaborne and the Imperium turncoat, forcing the crew of the ship to seal her in the room with Vex hoping that the Citheronian would devour the injured Imperium Agents out of hunger, solving their problem for them. However Midnight abstained from eating Vex, as she learned that he was in fact or in part a Cavutust, a species who she felt indebt due as one save her aunt once. After weeks of confinement, the Flesh-Pilot managed to repair his other body, though Vex was still too weak for a full recovery, thus Midnight went to procure him water and medical supplies once the Seaborne opened the door to check if they were still alive. The Citheronian ‘s release from the chamber led to a bloodbath that threatened to kill the entire crew. It was then Baryon finally relented to explain his actions to Vex and Midnight in order to stop the bloodshed and help them understand his defection.

He then told Vex and Midnight the reasons for his defection of the Imperium was out of patriotic duty. Shortly before his abandonment of the Imperium, Baryon was informed by Imperium Agent Gren Aldon that a lost Obdurate colony was rediscovered. The mere existence of the colony threatened the peace of the galaxy, which forced Baryon to keep its existence secret by murdering Aldon and then going rogue as a cover. His defection from his kingdom was a way for Baryon to see his last mission through without soiling the reputation of the Imperium. Hence why he chose to link up with a group from the Seaborn Coagency to eliminate the colony to prevent another possible Obdurate War should the colonists ever regain spaceflight. Midnight called it nothing short of genocide, and Vex while knowing full well what the Obdurates were capable of, also refused to go along with Baryon's plan. The two then attacked Baryon's allies to save the colony. In the struggle, Vex having unlinked from his host entered Baryon’s body in order to slow his movement enough for Midnight to kill the rogue chancellor. After everyone in the Seaborne vessel was killed, Midnight and Vex destroyed it, erasing all knowledge of the Obdurate colony.

Vex being indebt to Midnight for saving him, decided to release Midnight unto the Barriero Anchorage in the Unaligned Region, which would hopefully keep her safe from being recaptured by the Imperium and her people While Midnight complained about being stranded on a station of Stragglers, Vex encouraged her to use the station as means to seek passage to another destination. When Midnight made a comment of joining a crew to seek a Genesis Thread, Vex replied that such things were a myth to his knowledge. The agent found otherwise when he received a flash from Chancellor Baryon's memories from the time he connected minds with him. Midnight seeing his reaction was disturbed on the prospect that Genesis Threads were real. Vex escorted her through the station to hopefully book her a ship, but the two were soon surrounded by a gang of thugs who attempted to mug them of their money. The two comrades made short work on the gang, however Vex spared the life of a female member as he recognized from her tattoo that she was part of the Imperium Ascendant's Desolation Armada, which had vanished a year before the end of the Obdurate War.

The female's name was Rone Latko and a former medic corporal under General Otim Hazyr. Otim Hazyr being a former friend of Vex, desired to know what happened to the Desolation Fleet, and so he and Midnight brought the Latko back to the Farrago. From her testimony, Vex learned that the former medic was discharged from the fleet seven months before it vanished. In order to access the military data waves discreetly without drawing attention to himself, Vex needed Latko to enter her passcodes into the Imperium's mainframe. After soliciting the aid of a scavenger ship to act as a receiver to the data with the supposed promise of opening the military waves for eavesdropping. From the data Vex and Midnight found that the Desolation Fleet was not destroyed but reassigned to aid the Scorchers during the Obdurate War at the order of Chancellor Baryon. Vex soon received another flash of memory Baryon in discussion with a council over the matter of covering up an incident involving the fleet which involved the teleportation of the war dwarf star into the Obdurate homeworlds. Vex realized that the end of the Obduarte War was directly involved with the disappearance of one million Imperium Ascendant soldiers.

Armed with this new lead, Vex released Latko from his service and allowed Midnight to accompany him on his private investigation. Vex caught wind via the military waves that a new hostile alien race known as The Silent were attacking the Mutaveron Network. More memories from Baryon surfaced, from Vex's mind this time with the Chancellor meeting with a member of the Silent, hinting that the race were previously encountered during the Obdurate War. Oddly the attacks on the Mutaveron Network were being suppressed and hidden from the public by the upper echelons of the Imperium. Midnight after studying the attacks on the Network, deduced that the Silent were actually trying to map it and were searching for something. Using her knowledge, Midnight was able to predict their next target.

The outpost of Eremoloi Secundus was the latest station to be attacked by the Silent. Navarch Ko Andrum was the commanding officer assigned to guard the station along with thirty hand-picked shock troops. The entire troop save for Andrum were slaughtered by the Silent within half and hour. Andrum managed to put up a valiant fight against the invaders, but in the struggle lost an arm. Her end would have been assured, had it not been for Vex and Midnight's timely arrival.

By the time the distress beacon that Andrum sent out for aid was received, all of the Silent have been purged from the station. Commander Tross arrived with a battleship to secure the battle site. Although she was impressed that Vex had resolve the matter of the Silent's attack on Eremoloi Secundus, she was disappointed with her subordinate in his failure to bring Midnight Indicating Shame back to Hive Regalis. The commander was interested in how Vex managed to learn of the Silent's attacks as they had been suppressed by the public. Vex though asked Tross why the news of these attacks were being hidden. Tross then revealed that he Silent have been attacking thirty-eight Mutaveron stations, as for why the Imperium Ascendant has yet to find a reason as translation picborgs cannot seem to allow them to communicate with the species. Even captured Silent that have undergone torture have been useless as they refused to speak. Tross though returned to the matter of Vex falsifying his report that Midnight had escaped his custody and warned him that he would be under investigation. Midnight though offered a counter proposal, asylum within the Imperium in exchange for a Silent she consumed and later regurgitated.

Instead of making a deal with Midnight, Commander Tross simply took the Silent into custody and then placed on probation pending the outcome of the investigation. Even though Vex was relinquished of his weapons, he still received flashes of memories from Baryon that showed that the Chancellor had met the Silent in the past. Determine to find the truth, Vex asked Andrum for her help in accessing the station's records. Andrum confirmed Vex and Midnight's suspicions that the Silent were not trying to destroy the Mutaveron Network as it was far too large to take down, but were indeed seeking something on the stations.

Meanwhile the Silent captive underwent torture by his captors under the watch of Tross. However while feigning unconsciousness, the Silent managed to kill its torturers and incapacitate Tross. The Silent then escaped into the station. Vex and his comrades hearing the escape alert then deduce that the sentient was planning on completing his mission and found the Silent in the core. Vex attempted to apprehend the Silent was was stabbed in the chest.

Andrum managed to subdue the prisoner, although Vex was injured in the attack. Tross then ordered the prisoner to be secured and Vex to be healed. To complicate matters, Midnight’s people were en-route with a fleet to retrieve her. The level of military power sent by Hive Regalis surprised Tross so much so she refused to entertain the idea of allowing Midnight asylum. Having no other recourse Midnight played her last card, revealing that Vex was a flesh-pilot. Tross shocked by the information, as agents possessing flesh-pilots within their bodies was illegal. Not only that such restrictions were in-placed due to Vex when he was a junior agent. The duplicitous action caused Tross to be furious who then then confronted a weak Vex, demanding she speak alone to him. Once all the medics were cleared out, while she noted that Baryon's death was unavoidable, she she figured out that he absorbed the turncoat's memories and demanded that he spill everything he knew about Baryon’s secrets else he would be executed.

To understand what the Silent were after, Tross ordered Vex to leave his body to enter the mind of their prisoner. Vex complying learned that the prisoner's name was Expano. From his merging, Vex saw that the Silent were not conqueror but victims. From the recollections Vex learned that the Silent were survivors that dwelt in the subterranean world of ice. From Expano's memories, Vex learned it was not always so, as the Silent's homeworld once sustain a viable ecosystem. But a generation, the Silent's planet were visited by their first offworlders who stole the Silent's most precious resource, condemning their world into an icy wasteland. Expano who was breed to fight and take the stars with several of his kin went out into space and attacked the Mutaveron stations with a specific purpose.

During the session, Commander Tross was contacted by her superior High Commissioner Shrokulun. Shrokulun having been informed that a Citheronian was en-route as well as a member of the Silent was being interrogated, ordered the commander to cease the interrogation, reasoning it was futile. When informed that Tross was employing a flesh-pilot to sift through the prisoner's mind, Shrokulun reminded the commander that the Imperium had strict rules regarding flesh-pilots. Shrokulun informed Tross that he would be arriving to greet the Citheronians and ordered the flesh-pilot Vex to be terminated, adding that failure to comply would result in her death. Having no choice, Tross then prepared to execute Expano, whilst Vex was still inhabiting the Silent.

The flesh-pilot managed to narrowly escape death as Tross aimed a blaster at Expano's neck and then fled into the inner walls of the station. Having no choice, Tross ordered her forces to take the Silent and Vex's body back to her ship. Tross then had Mindnight be placed on watch until her people arrived to retrieve her, Midnight tried to appeal to Andrum who while sympathetic had no power over the matter. It's revealed that Midnight's only crime was for not returning back to Hive Regalis after her three year pilgrimage out into the galaxy was over. Usually Citheronians are compelled to return home via biological homesickness, however Midnight for some reason did not get the urge and hence decided to continue wandering the stars. The rest of her people who frown on conformity then took desperate measure to have Midnight back as they only occurrence like this happened three hundred years ago. Vex as a flesh-pilot recovered his body and quickly dispatched the guards holding him and freed Expano.

When the Citheronian delegation arrived on station, Midnight having no choice in the matter then proceeded to go abroad their ship. Before she was about to depart Midnight asked Andrum to tell Vex thanks. In the last moment, Vex programed the Farrago to snatch Midnight out Imperial custody from the landing bay and shuttle her out into space.

Tross was about to call for a pursuit of Midnight until High Commissioner Shrokulun arrived. Vex now knowing that Expano's people were not inherently hostile sought to aid him in his mission. Together they evaded the pursuing Imperial soldiers. Vex realized that the Mutaveron Network for some reason was instantly translating the picoborgs, rendering them unable to communicate with other sentient races, hence why Expano and his people came and attacked the stations. It appears that Shrokulun and Baryon had a direct hand in this to prevent the Silent from speaking out of what the Imperium committed against their people. The unlikely due found refugee in Andrum's quarters, where Vex discovered a data filter geared to inhibit the translation picoborgs. Andrum learning that the Silent were victims agreed to aid Vex and Expano in revealing the conspiracy.

Meanwhile Shrokulun and Tross were left to appease Constant Hierarchy Repressed of the Citheronians for their failure to deliver Midnight to the delegation. Andrum appeared before the two senior commanders with a captured Vex, claiming she killed the Silent. Vex before Shrokulun demanded to the fate of the Desolation Armada, though the Imperial agent deduced that the one millions souls were part of the plan to establish a teleport node for the Scorchers. When they used it to bring a white dwarf star to be teleported to the Obdurate homeworlds, the armada was destroyed in the operation. While Shrokulun believed it was a justifiable sacrifice, Vex called it an unforgivable act.

Having no wish for more secrets to be reveal, Shrokulun ordered Tross to execute Vex. Vex tried to appeal to Tross to learn the full story of why the Silent have been attacking the outpost stations, alas Tross's loyalty to Shrokulun superseded by curiosity. Vex proceeded to grapple with his former commander and the High Commissioner before escaping once again into the corridors of the station. Andrum who had been watching the conversation from the shadows then proceeded to remotely activate Vex's jetpack from lockup and summon it to her associate's location, giving him the agility to navigate through the station and avoid her pursuers. Tross and Shrokulun having recovered from their brief bout with Vex then realized that Andrum had betrayed them.

Constant Hierarchy Repressed who had been observing the debacle from the sidelines found Vex's actions to be interesting as the sentient risked everything to disseminate the truth, something which she assumed was not associated with agents of the Imperium. Shrokulun tried to impress to the emissary that the Imperium's secrets were a vital part of its fabric and if uncovered would cause his kingdom to unravel. Constant Hierarchy Repressed stated that the Citheronians had no interest in the activities of the greater galaxy. But for Vex, a being who risked his life to prevent Midnight Indicating Shame from being turned over to Hive Regalis, Constant Hierarchy Repressed decided to hear the agent out, ordering the Imperium forces to stand down. Vex then related his story that during the Obdurate War the Alliance destroyed the Obdurate homeworlds as known to the galaxy at large. It was through the process of teleporting a star into the heart of the Obdurate's system. Though both Shrokulun and Tross pleaded to Vex to be silent as they had no choice, vex continued his story. The technology was developed by the Scorchers and was said to only work on a white dwarf star with certain conditions. Only one such star was in range to be used, and contained a fourth planet that was home to the Silent. The Imperium's forces were aware of the Silent living on the planet and their world relied on its sun for life. However the Imperium was desperate to end the war and used the teleportation technology, not only killed all the members of Desolation Armada, but also all the Silent on the planet. A few hundred thousand of the Silent were off planet when the star was taken and found their world and loved ones dead. To cover up their crime, Shrokulun and his co-conspirators arranged for the Silent to be blanked by the language framework and cut off from the rest of the galaxy. In this the race would be unable to relate what had happened to them and rendered them silent.

Shrokulun insisted that there was no other choice, but Vex countered that High Commissioner and Baryon could have evacuated the Silent. Instead they stole their sun, leaving six billion to freeze to death. The High Commissioner was adamant that the right choice was made as there was not enough time as the war with the Obdurates were tittering close to the Alliance's defeat and it was predicted that within a century every kingdom in the galaxy would have fallen to the Obdurate Empire. While he agrees it was a monstrous act and necessary Shrokulun swore that it will be kept secret as it would destroy the Alliance. To ensure that the conspiracy remained a secret Shrokulun announced that he was willing to activate the self-destruction protocols for the outpost, purge its records and sacrifice everyone on the station to ensure that the truth remained buried. This did not sit well with Constant Hierarchy Repressed, as the High Commissioner made it sound he would even kill her delegation. Shrokulun backtracking and not willing to provoke the Citheronians offered to allow them to leave unharmed, only asking that the Citheronians maintain silence on the events that transpired on Eremoloi Secundus. This only served to disgust the emissary that the Imperium would go to such lefts of genocide, deceit and butchery to maintain such secrets for peace. When Shrokulun tried to bribe Constant Hierarchy Repressed for her kind's silence, the Citheronian found the prospect amusing to maintain a secret built around silence, sadly she declined as the High Commissioner had nothing she wanted. Proteus Vex on the other hand did and so she offered him a deal. If the High Commissioner would not disclose the truth to the galaxy on the Imperium's crime, then Hive Regalis would. In exchange, all Vex had to do was give them Midnight Indicating Shame.

With a heavy heart Proteus Vex remote called back Farrago and gave the fugitive to Constant Hierarchy Repressed. Though he betrayed his comrade, Vex ironically fulfilled his mission initially given to him by the Imperium. Under the watch of the Citheronians, Vex, Andrum and Expano were permitted to leave the station unharmed by the Imperium's fleet. Due to Vex actions, he was deemed a traitor and stripped of all rank and privileges. Andrum as well defected from the Imperium, joining Vex in leaving the Imperium as she was seen complicit in the exposure of the truth.

Shortly after the exchange, the Citheronians kept their side of the bargain, and disclosed to the galaxy on the truth of the Silent which forced the Imperium to make reparations by offering the Silent a former Obdurate world to colonize. The Imperium, mainly at the insistence of Shrokulun, sought retribution against Vex formerly its top agent became its most wanted criminal. High Commissioner Shrokulun using tracking beacons he planted on Farrago, tracked Vex's presumed location. However as a final gesture of defiance, the chase for Vex had led Shrokulun to the abandoned frozen planet of the Silent.

Culture
The Imperium Ascendant is a major power in its galaxy, being the forefront in all events of galactic importance from the Obdurate War to the Scorcher War. While structured as an autocratic empire, the Imperium Ascendant is made of multiple races that are given equal rights and protection.

The majority in control of the Imperium Ascendant appear to be a thin lanky humanoid race, though other races have been shown to hold high rankings in the government structure, which indicates that the Imperium allows equal opportunity of advancement, at least within the military.

Agents of the Imperium's elite force are ranked based on levels, which allow them certain discretion of information and privileges to carry out their missions. Using technology developed by the Scorchers high ranking agents are implanted with indestructible trackers with a coded signal to allow the Imperium to keep track of their whereabouts.

The main currency of the Imperium is silver.

Among the races that compose of the Imperium Ascendant are:


 * Troxillan
 * Sekkillarian
 * The Silent

Terminology

 * Chancellor: A level 18 military rank in the Imperium Ascendant.
 * Corporal: A level two military rank in the Imperium Ascendant.
 * Corpro: A term for excrement.
 * Corprolite: A pejorative term for a contemptible person.
 * Genesis Thread: A little understood stellar phenomena, rumored to be constructs of a hyper-advanced race that permitted direct manipulation of the universe's physical laws. During the era of Proteus Vex they were regarded as fictious by the common galactic citizen, though a few influential and high-ranking members of the Imperium knew they existed.
 * Necro-Louse: A furtive and contemptible person. For plural it would be necrolice.
 * Prim: A slang for primitive.
 * Proteus: A level fourteen military rank in the Imperium Ascendant.
 * Rule Eleven: The unofficial Imperium Military term relating to the rules of hostile situations: study the battleground: your environment can be a shield or a weapon.
 * Rule Sixteen: The unofficial Imperium Military wise saying: "Never assume primitive is synonymous with weak."
 * Shattered--The Post-Obdurate Galaxy: A book by Terbium Chime that details High Justice Eniquarl Rop view on the ramifications of ending the Obdurate War via teleporting a white dwarf star into a stable solar system.
 * Sigmoid: A derogatory term meaning scum.
 * Straggler: A term that refers to sentients that have been displaced by war and are seen as vagrants. Rumors are abound of them undesirables, cannibals that procreate just to consume their own children.
 * The Words: An oath of service for those who take up the rank of Proteus. All Proteus are expected to never leave mission unfinished: "To the End".