Vermilion Salvation

The **Vermilion Salvation**, also known simply as the **Salvation**, was fascist dictatorship and collection of worlds within the Cassiopeia Galaxy. The government formed after a widespread pandemic left many worlds within the western galactic Outer Core region in a weakened and damaged state, under the guise of bringing order to a ruined galaxy. The Salvation lost to the Cassiopeian Republic and the Paladins after the four-year Vermilion War, with former Salvation territories freed from authoritarian rule and subjected to a lengthy reconstruction and reorganization period.

## History

### Rise to Power

c. 4300 ASA, a large portion of the galaxy—the western Outer Core—had recently endured the effects of a widespread pandemic responsible for the deaths of billions of people throughout hundreds if not thousands of worlds. Left in shambles, the worlds that survived the virus had little chance of recuperating by themselves after such devastating losses. A power vacuum was left open as a result of the destruction left behind by the pandemic, and so the man who became known as the First Director seized this opportunity to gain power.

The First Director offered many vulnerable worlds order and protection, so long as they pledged allegiance to him and his allies. Swearing loyalty to the First Director and his cause, the many worlds of the western Outer Core directly aided in the formation of the Vermilion Salvation. As more worlds pledged allegiance to the Salvation, the Salvation itself grew in power and size. The worlds that were now Salvation territories were granted the security, protection, and developmental aid that they so desperately needed, yet at the cost of their own personal freedoms.

### Acts of Rebellion

The Salvation evolved into a powerful authoritarian state, with its citizens either in support of the Salvation, indifferent to its actions, or in active opposition to it. Those who openly opposed the power of the Salvation were summarily punished by the Vermilion Army, at the behest of the ruling Board of Directors.

Several insurrections and rebellions were attempted throughout the lifespan of the Salvation, but very few were successful in fighting off the brutality of the Salvation and their Vermilion Army. Arguably the most notable insurgency movement against the Salvation took the form of a group known as the Paladins, who formed several years before the start of the Vermilion War.

### The Vermilion War

→ *Main article: Vermilion War*

Around sixteen to seventeen years had passed since the initial formation of the Vermilion Salvation, and over the course of those many years, the dictatorship only grew in strength and size. With hundreds of worlds and systems under Salvation control, many who were displeased with Vermilion rule urged for any other larger political entity to step in and bring forth justice and true order.

More to be added.

## Organization

### Executive Branch

The executive branch of the Vermilion Salvation was an oligarchy referred to as the **Board of Directors**. This political body of directors was headed by the **First Director**, who as head of state and head of government held the most power out of all the other directors. The First Director served as a symbol of authority to the citizens of the Salvation, and thus held absolute authority over all.

### Military Branch

The **Vermilion Army** was the military branch of the Salvation, serving as both law enforcement tasked with maintaining order throughout Salvation-controlled worlds and as soldiers tasked with defending the Salvation on the front lines. The Vermilion Army was primarily used as a weapon and instrument of control, order, and repression over the people of the Salvation. Soldiers of the Vermilion Army infamously donned brilliant red armor, making them a noticeable threat to their enemies and a recognizable symbol of the Salvation's push for order and control.

## Society and Culture

Salvation society stressed complete devotion and respect to the power of the government. Propaganda actively tried to paint the image that those living within the confines of Salvation territory were better off than those living out in the wider galaxy. Many Salvation citizens bought into this rhetoric and saw Salvation governance as superior to all other forms of governance, whereas other citizens had to live under Salvation rule out of a lack of any better options, either indifferent to their polity's brutality or forced to assimilate in order to save themselves. Of course, there were also many Salvation citizens who were actively dissatisfied with the corruption and fascism that powered their nation.

The color red, more specifically vermilion, was seen as the representative color of the Salvation. Citizens of the Salvation were to decorate their homes with red-colored banners and flags depicting the Salvation's insignia: a vermilion heptagon with a sharp, inward-pointed base.

## Astrography

The capital of the Vermilion Salvation was the planet Sulmercia, situated in the Prerapha Sector of the western Outer Core region of the Cassiopeia Galaxy. In total, the Salvation held control over hundreds of worlds and systems in the Western Outer Core, within several sectors like the Prerapha Sector, the Deupressia Sector, the Impresoleva Sector, and the Symbolus Sector.