Resurgent First Galaxy

*"Vah xelan ann chu serev tanadaal deitho'a kohlje d'o julasyn'veit!"*

*~Hraas chu c'ei Oneia'a, the Anthem of the First Galaxy*

## From the Ashes

The story of the First Galaxy is a winding tale, blooming from its humble beginnings in the hopeful, determined minds of the young Ar-i and Es-ven into one of the most powerful armies in history- And by far the greatest of any the Ann'mui had created before, surpassing even the dreaded Crimson Armada of three millennium prior. At the time of their first rise to power, the First Galaxy strode from star to star like unchallenged gods, with weapons and armour the likes of which the Galaxy had never seen, only to fall at the Battle of Geonosis after Ar-i's defeat, and come into the command of his daughter, Na-zari, who further disgraced the army until to call it a shell of what it had once been would be an understatement. Eventually, the army was disbanded just before Na-zari's supposed death, and put under the control of the Final Galaxy, which, too, eventually fell, leaving the Ann'mui stranded on an unfamiliar world, with an Empress they felt they could not trust, with no hope to turn to, until the possession of the last in the Ta-oran bloodline, Me'qerial, by Ar-i himself. Despite the sudden appearance, and in the body of his grandson, Ar-i's return was accepted almost immediately, as the Ann'mui had become so desperate for any glimmer of hope that they wouldn't slowly fade away into extinction, they would grasp at anything that came their way. Following this, an inventor from times long gone, Kahn Helix, was found, and promptly pulled from his carbonited rest into an alliance with the First Galaxy, along with, subsequently, the super-corporation he'd created: Helix Unlimited. While the alliance between the two organizations was brief, it was more than enough time to get the First Galaxy's production on its feet, and granted a long enough break to have another A-SA-76 constructed; This one, based on Ar-i as he was before his death, allowing him to return to his true body, and imprison Me'qerial for his attempt on Na-zari's life.

Widely considered to be the first and only "Empirical E'olofaxi" in its early days, the First Galaxy had initially assumed the role of its successor, the Final Galaxy, as it was getting off the ground, with the entirety of its resources being diverted into protecting the Motherworld, and limiting their expansion to the furthest reaches of their home system, however, following the death of Na-zari, and Ar-i's subsequent descent into the Dark Side, the motivation of the First Galaxy has shifted more towards what it once was, as a result of what has come to be known as the "Inevitability Factor" of the Ann'mui. With their numbers as a species steadily dwindling, a collective decision was made between Ar-i and the Ann'mui Council of Rulers to redistribute the military assets of the First Galaxy towards conquest once again, though a massive portion of it is still kept within the system, hiding in the immense blankets of ion exhaust from the Superdreadnoughts of the past to mask their presences.

## Alliances

### Chiss Ascendancy

While not exactly considered to be an alliance until the Battle of Rakata Prime- The event which kick-started the invasion by the First Galaxy- The Chiss and Ann'mui have been in some sort of long-running partnership since the early years of the Old Republic, with Chiss expansion having bumped into the Carinae system by accident, and, fascinated by the powerful sentients on the surface of one of the gas giant's tiniest moons, began gifting them technology, which expanded into a powerful alliance that would last up to the initial collapse of the First Galaxy, then return after Ar-i calls them back to action.

## Assets

### Star Forge

The ancient Rakatan superweapon, some three millennium prior to the rise of the First Galaxy, found its way into the hands of the Ann'mui, where it was settled in orbit around the resident pulsar of the Carinae System, and laid dormant for those three millennium until its discovery by Ar-i, after which, it was quickly put to use, drawing mass from its new, effectively limitless source, and bolstering the numbers of the Black Navy tenfold by the day. Unfortunately, the entire structure is heavily damaged, and had initially been operating at the bare minimum requirements, suffering more and more frequent shutdowns and mechanical failures, before eventually being shut down for repairs a final time, shortly before the Second Battle of Geonosis, and, despite being functional once again, the machine is considered to very much be on its last leg, falling apart faster than research on its inner workings can allow it to be repaired.

### Flagships and Superdreadnoughts

The First Galaxy has always focused heavily on a naval warfare doctrine, mass-producing small, but devastating warships from the beginning, and their strategy has not changed, with the Black Navy encompassing the majority of the First Galaxy's forces on all fronts. However, while their standard-issue destroyers and carriers permeate the military, the First Galaxy has retained another factor, left over from their original reign: Three Superdreadnoughts, with the largest of which serving as the flagship of the navy, which defy any and all common sense in regards to both their sizes

and masses- More often than not, in fact, the largest ships of their times, with the advent of the first ever flagship incurring a complete redesign of ship classifications. Originally, those three had taken the form of the Praetorian *Mandator IVs*, and the infamous, black blade that was the *Vengeance*-class, *Dark Lance*, though now, with all three destroyed, the initial plans to mobilize and reinvigorate the First Galaxy's fighting forces were put on hold in order to construct a new trio of ships- Dubbed the "Scarlet Trinity-" Which are exclusively *Vengeance-*class Superdreadnoughts. Despite remaining the same, ultimately outdated, Imperial design as their predecessors, the Scarlet trinity are the pinnacle of Ann'mui advancements in weapons and technology, flaunting the armour and armaments of entire fleets combined on their own, and effectively unstoppable when working as intended- As a team.

#### *FGSD/F Event Horizon*

While technically the second-smallest of the First Galaxy's flagships in length, depth, and width, with her larger sisters comprising the likes of the *Dark Lance* and *Warhammer,* The *Event Horizon* could be easily underestimated based on this fact alone, not to mention the fact that her paint and overall maintenance are deliberately made to be cheaper, however, in terms of sheer mass, she surpasses every iteration of the Ann'mui *Vengeance* prior and following, outweighed only by the Final Galaxy Hyperdreadnought, the *Monolith*. The *Event Horizon* has, by far, the thickest armour of any First Galaxy ship, and is second-to-none in terms of firepower, only being properly outclassed in sheer power by the *Thunder Mk. VIII,* with even experimental weapons technology from the formerly-top-secret Project Riposte, which can fire at and connect with ships traveling through Hyperspace, which, when combined with a relatively weak interdiction field generator in the bow, makes the ship near-impossible to escape from or pass by. Her general armaments follow the usual formula of the Ann'mui flagships, focusing on a jack-of-all-trades arrangement, with almost every single row of guns having enough variety and power to hold its own against another capital ship without the assistance of other layers, and the rows which don't focus on versatility consist of the Superheavy batteries, which, individually, pack enough force to raze entire cities in a single shot, in the case of the railguns, and in the case of the plasmic cannons, oxygen-rich atmospheres can be ignited, producing a similar effect to the "Rippling fire" of the *Dark Lance's* infamous superlaser.

### Py'xalos-Ion Fusion Drives (P-IF Drive)

Across any and all starship sizes, from the five-hundred-meter *Es-ven*-class carrier-destroyers, to the thirty-kilometer Superdreadnoughts, and even the tiny *Trident-V*, there is one common feature around which the entire vehicle is designed: The P-IF Drive. Initially engineered by Talen'ta'rado as a submission to the First Galaxy Military High Command in order to advance his position to Chief of Sciences, the P-IF Drive remains one of the most powerful sublight engines to date, capable of propelling ships as large as the *Warhammer* and *Monolith*- The latter of which was reportedly so utterly massive, the reflector shields were kept online at all times, to prevent asteroids from being drawn into her gravitational pull- Through the *excessively* volatile reaction that occurs between the Ion Bugs and Py'xalos gas, which are two elements previously native only to Volatara. While the size of the engines overall does change to fit the craft and demands, the design remains almost completely unchanged- Excluding the piping network throughout the ship itself- And the functions, as such, are identical.

#### Operation

While out-of-atmosphere- In-atmosphere, the vacuum process is entirely automated, but otherwise functionally indistinguishable- A P-IF Drive functions by drawing Py'xalos gas and Ion fluid from two vats- Each filled over time by two smaller, separate vats, which function as breeding and production chambers for both entities- In quantities specified via algorithm according to the ship's needs. The gates prohibiting air from escaping into space through the engines are opened and closed in a rapid cycle, creating a constant vacuum that automatically opens floodgates holding the liquid and gas back, allowing them to mix, which produces an incredibly energetic explosion of energy and the signature trumpeting sound that Ann'mui ships have become infamous for. This energy is funneled in three directions: The heavier, more energetic resultant gas clings low and is focused out two narrow chutes, extending from a structure in the center commonly referred to as the "Anvil," into the ship's engines, utilizing the force of the explosive exhaust for propulsion, while the lighter gas travels up the Anvil structure, into the ship's piping, which carries it from one end of the craft to the other, terminating in the chambers of specific weapons based on how light and energetic the gases are, and, eventually, being used to drive internal steam turbines for electricity, in larger ships, while in smaller ships, such as starfighters, the entirety of the excess is either burned off for extra thrust, or used to power the weapons, though, in the case of the *Trident-IV* and *Trident-V*, there is a portion of excess diverted to a much smaller-scale turbine near the ship's stern, which almost exclusively powers the port railgun, as drawing from the ship's main supply would instantaneously shut down any and all electrical systems until it is recharged externally.

#### Downsides

##### Volatility

While P-IF Drives are *incredibly* powerful, and can handle the base functions of entire dreadnoughts effectively single-handedly, their greatest weakness is their own power: If a shot were to penetrate the supply piping, the gas and liquid would mix, and the reaction which powers the ship would proceed to obliterate it, and in the process, produce what is called the "Amethyst Flame:" An ignition of a select few chemicals present in Ann'mui Steel, which burns an incredibly hot, vibrant purple, and cannot be extinguished through ordinary means, as the reaction is hot enough to melt the steel beneath it, and is purely chemically fueled. These events on ships the scale of dreadnoughts are utterly catastrophic, producing explosions large and violent enough to decimate the surroundings- Ships and all- With shrapnel and sheer concussive force, and in the case of smaller ships, effectively atomizes them, which does come in handy in preventing an enemy from getting their hands on the technology, however, it simultaneously makes piloting ships small enough to be destroyed so thoroughly an incredible risk.

##### Charge

When activated from a dormant state, the influx of gas and liquid, if flushed into the system too quickly, could cause the engine to enter a backfire state, and, should the backfire reach the generation and storage tanks, the resultant explosion would be devastating, destroying the entire craft, and the surroundings with the force of, in the case of ships the size of even the relatively small size of *Ka'zzhi*, what could be equated to a small meteoric impact. Because of this, P-IF engines must be allowed, at minimum, thirty seconds to charge at an idle state to allow the reaction to stabilize, and any dangerous fluctuations will result in immediate, total shutdown of every system aboard the ship but the absolute bare minimum- Usually exclusively warning lights and life support. With larger ships, and especially dreadnoughts, it usually takes around five minutes for the engines to stabilize, and an extra minute is required to clarify that it will remain stable, however, any charge time over this is strictly prohibited, as, depending on the size of the ship, the piping becomes varying levels of choked, and will subsequently proceed to detonate instantaneously.

## Command Structure

The First Galaxy's military structure remains the same as it was before Second Battle of Geonosis, arranged into four tiers, with four being the highest, and one being the lowest, and retaining an incredibly dynamic system of ranks that, while not necessarily the most stable, effectively structures the army of its own accord, focusing on an individual's strengths, rather than where they would work best with others. While this does lower the overall cohesion of the army, it ensures unpredictability between commanders, and those who *are* able to work together can make incredibly dangerous partnerships, further increasing unpredictability and making the military seem as alien as the Ann'mui themselves, which, when combined with the power and versatility of their technology- Py'xalos-Ion Fusion Drives in specific- Continues to make the First Galaxy's Black Navy and the blitzkrieg tactics of their ground warfare as shattering and effective as they always have been, even with the rest of the Galaxy pirating weapons left over from the previous war.

## Strategies

### Psychological Warfare

*"We are the warriors of Volatara, a world so hellish She lives ever on in legends from both Ann'mui and Humans; There is no reason to not embrace it and strike the fear of the Motherworld into the Galaxy!"*

*~Dandaanem, of the Araxai*

Next to their production of units, the aspect of psychological warfare involving the First Galaxy is likely one of the biggest, and most valuable aspects of their military focus, with their entire navy either painted black- With the *A'briccit-Folkkun* used sparingly as something of a trim element- Or taking the form of something unsettling, such as with the *Ka'zzhi-*class destroyers. While the effect, initially, was entirely unintentional, once it was noted, it became the basis of all further construction, and was consistently improved, with several new developments underway at the time of the Second Battle of Geonosis, which have now been realized, coming in the form of several new ground-based vehicles, and a refit to the *Ka'zzhi*, allowing a sonic weapon to be modified into something similar to a speaker system, which, once in-atmosphere, begins to play *Hraas chu c'ei Oneia'a*, which motivates the soldiers, and demoralizes the enemy yet more. Furthermore, Ann'mui weapons on the ground tend to be much less obvious than the standard weapon in use by the Galaxy, consisting primarily of railguns and other kinetic weapons, which makes the bullets in flight much less noticeable than the usual red, green, and blue of blaster fire, and even then, when it *is* blaster fire, it is only apparent as the dull purple of Py'xalos gas, making most battlefields visually quiet, stark, grey landscapes, devoid of nearly all life, and littered with many thousands of craters from the orbital bombardment of the Black Navy; Often, with the distant sounds of war in the distance, an example of which can be found here.

### Mass Naval Assault

*"We watched them drop into our sky; Thousands of black shapes, with those infamous stripes running down their frames, often dozens at a time, until they were like a black cloud lining the horizon."*

*~Takodana Administrative Council*

The First Galaxy, while their navy is always kept as advanced and powerful as possible, is comprised of surprisingly small vessels, often with extremely limited weaponry- The *Ka'zzhi*-class destroyers, for example, have tens of point-defense P-IF cannons and two relatively weak ion catapults, yet almost exclusively use the railgun that makes up the "Stinger," as it is a much more reliable source of damage- However, while they lack in both size in armaments, the ships make up for tenfold in number, versatility, and outright damage, with extremely powerful primary weapons- Again, refer to the *Ka'zzhi*- Numerous secondary functions, which can range from salvaging to repairing ships nearby.

## Anthem

*"That song. That old, old song, that now carries behind it all the wrath of the Ann'mui."*

*~Es-ven, of the Ta-ora*

The First Galaxy's anthem, *"Hraas chu c'ei oneia'a-"* Translating literally to *"Rush to the Stars-"* is perhaps the most well-known piece of Ann'mui music in history, as it was heard galaxywide through most forms of media during their first invasion, and subsequently permeated history in some way or another. The anthem is traditionally played over Ann'mui instruments, as its origins date back near of three centuries, however, it was modified just before the fall of the Empire to fit the more traditional orchestras of the Galaxy at large, leading to the stranger elements to the song, such as the background rhythm being assisted by the sound of a hammer on an anvil. Initially, the song was composed by Appoz'li-mahl Ta-ora, to be played on an Ann'mui Zon-zoen, and was effectively unchanged with the rendition by the First Galaxy, save for one fact: Much like other traditional Ann'mui folk music, the song had no lyrics, meant to be hummed or otherwise vocalized along with, and the majority of the development time of the First Galaxy's rendition was dedicated exclusively towards fitting lyrics into the song without entirely changing it, resulting in the lyrics being inconsistently-paced, and surprisingly fast overall, especially for an anthem, though it is typically played much slower than initially written, as most Ann'mui aren't comfortable singers, and it helps to properly sell the power and hope the song is meant to represent.