Star Concord

The **Star Concord** (abbreviated as **SC** and generally referred to as the **Concord**) is the largest and one of the most powerful federated interstellar polity in the Milky Way Galaxy, encompassed more than a third of the galaxy at its highest territorial extent. Comprising of the Pux Directorate, Ruu Confederated Worlds, Kingdom of Partoga and several other minor independent planetary governments, it was born out of the long-standing defensive alliance of the Big Three (the aforementioned Pux, Ruu, and Partoga) during the centuries-spanning genocidal war perpetrated by the Tyrum hordes and the xenophobic Priki-ti-ki species, which eventually evolved into a federation after the signing of the Charter of Razana. All three long predate humans in space travel, and in the case of the Partogans by over 1,000 years if the use of STL drives is counted. Humanity's relevant technological parity with these marked older races was a product of reverse-engineering the Tyrum vessels abandoned in Earth orbit, though GTU propaganda preferred to argue it was human exceptionalism that drove the situation.

The Concord was perhaps unique in the galaxy in that it was regarded as the only true and successful federation of sovereign states. Thus, the Concord set itself apart by having a centralized federal government, military, economy and common foreign policy allowing it to function as a nation rather than a glorified, self-proclaimed ‘federation’ which in reality a loose confederation (Bright League), an alliance of equals (Stellar Axis) or somewhere in between (Beneficial Compact), all of whom lack the strong central polity necessary for the creation of true federal government.

## History

The major species that would be the future founders of the Concord had a long-standing history of space exploration before they even developed the hyperdrive-based FTL travel. Partogan in particular made great use of its advanced preservation technologies as an integral part of its multi-system, slower-than-light based colonization for more than a millennia umthus making them the oldest among the space-faring younger races), while the Ruu had already established a stable and functioning quasi-government (one that comparable to the pre-Tyrum Earth’s United Nations) encompassing more than 15 star systems, a great feat given that they had yet to develop FTL technologies at the time.

The seed of the Concord’s foundation, however, could be traced back to the signing of the Three-Powers Agreement, a three-way free-trade agreement and mutual defense treaty made possible by the discovery of hyperdrive technologies and the peaceful first contact that proceeded thereafter. It lays down a culture of mutual multi-species cooperation and unity that will characterize the Concord in the future. Furthermore, it also indirectly prevented the region that constitutes the Galactic East from plunging into war-ridden regions in likes of the Galactic North and West, allowing the region to blossomed into one of the most developed and advanced regions in the Milky Way Galaxy.

### The First Age of Conflict

The precursor of the Compact was faced with the first challenge that would endanger their sovereignty and survival in a period of Concord history known as the First Age of Conflict. It began with the Partoga’s first contact with the expansionist amphibian race known as the Prikki-ti-ki and the discovery of the Tyrum Consciousness. The former eventually became one of the most prolific genocidal race intent on wiping out all sentient life in the Galaxy that it deemed ‘predatory’ toward themselves, while the latter is a hyper-omnivorous, devouring swarm of insectoids who are responsible for the devastating invasion of Earth and the subsequent formation of the GTU.

Being the first known younger races to develop their native hyperdrives, the Prikki-ti-ki allowed them to become the largest nation in the Galaxy and thus granting them an enormous advantage against the Partoga (and basically any other unfortunate species bordering with them at that time), yet the sheer incompetence of said genocidal species greatly diminished their advantages, leading one Marshall to quip "they want to take over the Galaxy, but they are just so bad at it". In GTU Media and culture, the Priki would come to be a running joke and frequent antagonist in children's comedy shows, though the humor was often lost on the races of the Concord. By the time the front stabilized, the so-called War Against the Prikki-ti-ki eventually devolves into a cold war with occasional knock-down, drag-on conflict in between, made possible by the smooth cooperation of the Big Three races despite the peaceful nature of the allied races and the heavy loss incurred by the Partoga.

Unfortunately, the Tyrum Consciousness remained an enigma among the beleaguered races of the Galactic East. Its discovery has effectively stalled what was a peaceful and progressive space expansion enjoyed by the Pux and Ruu for centuries. Unlike the other hive-races of the galaxy, the Tyrum were notoriously far too advanced for their station, and it were strangely at the dead-end of the evolutionary line despite their inherent mental and physical superiority. The only definite fact was that the Tyrum’s core territories were located in what was effectively a cosmic graveyard of a long-dead, hyper-advanced species, leading to the common speculation that the Tyrum were in fact a bio-engineered slave-weapon thar went rouge against their supposed creator. Nevertheless, the Tyrum had shown to lack even understanding over their advanced technology beyond its basic use or the ability to engage in strategic planning beyond eating and breeding. These weaknesses were capitalized by the races of the Galactic East to a great effect, preventing the Tyrum from achieving outright victories despite the massive devastation it brought during its centuries-long Great Tyrum War.

### The Founding of Concord

The long years of war ultimately become a blessing in disguise for the Pux, Ruu and the Partoga. Despite remain somewhat a peace-loving species, they had effectively developed a strong, defensively-oriented martial tradition that allowed them to grow into one of the most powerful races in the Galaxy. The Big Three eventually fostered even closer relationships with each other, culminating in the signing of the Charter of Razana which permanently unified the three emerging powerhouses in the Milky Way under one banner.

The rising Star Concord eventually turned the tide of the ceaseless war from its long stalemate, effectively leading to the decisive end of the War Against the Prikki-ti-ki and to the Partition of the Prikki States, where the jointly administered Prikki-ti-ki Exclusion Zone was eventually established in place of the now-defunct major power. On the other hand, the war against the Tyrum had led into countless victories and their genocidal march permanently halted, but the Tyrum’s own incapability of reason and compromise, as well the Concord’s own unwillingness to conduct what amounted as a genocidal war against the Tyrum had slowed down the war effort.

Nevertheless, it wasn’t by the Concord’s own accord that the First Age of Conflict ended; it was ended at the hand of the GTU during the Byrum Cataclysm, in which the human superweapon known as the Sword of Terra was used to destroy Byrum reducing it a field of debris floating in the planets original orbit. This lead to the sudden end of centuries of war.

### The Long Peace

Following the unification of the major parts of Galactic East and the subsequent end of the centuries-long First Age of Conflict, the entire region enters a long period of peace known to the respective locals as the Long Peace. The period was characterized by the continuous post-war prosperity combines with its utopian post-scarcity lifestyle and the notable absence of warfare beyond the avoidable minor skirmishes with other independent power, both within the East and outside of it. The on-again, off-again rivalries between the Ruu and the Tenga Hierarchy - an independent enclave within the Concord that refrained itself from joining the federation - reach at its all-time lowest due to the mediation of the Concord’s federal government, while many of the planetary government of the former United Raxar Stars willingly let themselves annexed by the Concord via peaceful diplomacy.

Nevertheless, Concord quickly found themselves entangled with the realities of galactic diplomacy. Its sudden rise as a superpower of the Milky Way brought the attention of the alliance of imperialist-minded nations known as the Stellar Axis who quickly become the ideological rival of the Concord, leading to the Concord-Axis Cold War that lasted for two centuries. The Commonwealth of Xana, formerly the most powerful democratic nation in the galaxy prior to the Charter of Razana, likewise made a quick effort in reorganizing the Bright League in an attempt to counter the Concord’s prominence in the galactic stage. But the greatest challenge, however, lies on the Galactic North; the Greater Terran Union, fresh from its total victory against the Compact, rise as the foremost military superpower of the Milky Way which subsequently upsetting the long-held balance of power in the galaxy.

The Concord nonetheless pressed on, carefully steering the state of galactic affair as it becomes one of the galaxy’s most reputable diplomatic powerhouse. Unlike other major power, it strives to maintain at least a cordial relation with the GTU despite its philosophical differences, fostering a fair trade agreement with every nation big or small, and attempting multiple times (and fails) to create interstellar organizations between Milky Way’s nation. By virtue of Ruu’s diplomatic prowess, it also had no problem in taking more unsavory means to maintain the existing balance of power, as exemplified by the joint creation of Kaprisi Commonwealth with the GTU (as a means to undermine their rival Stellar Axis) while also at a time covertly support the more restive pro-democracy dissidents within the GTU (in hope to spark at least a reform in the GTU and create a much friendly regime at its place).

Nevertheless, the greatest legacy of its Long Peace era lies in its peaceful expansion, rapid technological advancement and its signature megastructure project rival that of the GTU. Dozens, if not hundreds of the architectural projects of unprecedented scale began to dominates the regions of Galactic East, primarily its myriad of Grand Peace habitats, but also its new capital complex of Rivenora Interstellar Assembly, the gargantuan Galactic Arts Repository Installation, as well the one and the only Matter Decompressor that become the single largest producer of minerals in the galaxy, and even planned to construct their very own Dyson Sphere to compete the GTU. Furthermore, many of the wonderful technologies zealously guarded by the ancient races, such as the famed Replicator, were also independently developed by the Concord, a feat made possible by its post-scarcity economy.

By the end of the Long Peace, apart of the original founder states of Ruu Confederated Planets, Kingdom of Partoga and Pux Directorate, it also hosted more than 80 planetary government as its member-states from its previous conquest as well from the myriad of immigrants from various organic sentient species in the galaxy save for the Hive Minds, which include even the Florians, Rogethauran and Human dissidents seeking to live on the Concord’s democratic utopia. Indeed, it hosted the only human-run democratic government outside the GTU; the planet-states of the Heinessen Republic, whose existence made possible due to the cordial GTU-Concord relation as well as the other complicated reasons that made it possible for the Terran states to (reluctantly) tolerate its existence.

### Second Age of Conflict

After nearly a century of a golden age characterized by its unparalleled peace and prosperity, the Star Concord slowly found itself thrown into an era of ceaseless warfare, thus bringing an end to its Long Peace. The first sign of trouble began with the inclusion of the reclusive machine intelligence known as the Algorithm into its erstwhile rival Stellar Axis and the subsequent, ceaseless request by the leading Florians in extending its membership into the Star Concord for the yet unknown reason. The holy war of the Mesh-Ben against the GTU and the decisive victory for the latter soon began to escalate the simmering tension, and whatever progress for the Synthetic Sentient Rights movement spearheaded by the Ruu and Pux quickly come into a crashing end as the news of a genocidal Synthetic rebellion known as the NEX Rebellion were spread across the Milky Way despite the GTU’s best effort to keep the news out of the ears of the galaxy.

Whatever peace the galaxy still had quickly ended with the Declaration of the Nine Nations Alliance spearheaded by the Florian Matriarchy and the subsequent formation of the Grand Coalition Against Terra who then - confident that the NEX Virus perpetrated by the Algorithm had sufficiently weakened the GTU - unilaterally declared a holy war against the weakened GTU. Soon, the Star Concord quickly found themselves in a precarious situation, especially when a joint attempt with the Tenga and Sophox to form a non-aligned bloc during the war backfired horribly against the Concord as the Grand Coalition declared that the non-aligned nations as a rogue state, leading to a series of the cold war and economic sanction in hope to force the aforementioned nation to join their war against the Terran states.

But the worst of the brunt suffered by the Concord come during the so-called War in Heaven. The long-forgotten rivalries between the Xani and the Jaz-Gavaz soon take the center stage of the galactic affairs, and already battles between the navies of these old races become commonplace across their border regions. Both the Xani and Jaz-Gavaz, in their near-unrestrained arrogance, began demanding the Star Concord to dissolve itself and joined their respective side with the warning of punishment should they refused to do so, even as far as to bombarding their neighboring border worlds as a form of threat. Nevertheless, by the urging of the Sophox, the Concord quickly rejected the demand, and then subsequently join the burgeoning League of the Non-Aligned Powers.

The next fifty-years of war were characterized by the Xani’s near-genocidal conquest against the Concord, resulting in the widespread destruction of much of the regions bordering the Xani which includes, but not limited to, the destruction of their prided Galactic Arts Repository Installation along with many of their developed worlds. Nevertheless, the Concord fight on, with the federation and its respective military wisely making use of its standing as the most technologically advanced nations on par of GTU as well the numerical superiority against the smaller Xani forces, as well as the aid from their GTU as their closest ally to forestall the destruction of their federation. In a fashion similar to the war against the Tyrum and the Prikki-ti-ki centuries ago, the Concord successfully brought the war into a much-needed stalemate and thus preventing further destruction of their respective nations, and thus subsequently toward the much needed, well-earned victory after years of ceaseless suffering

### Post-War in Heaven

> It doesn't matter if the Concord no longer existed, for its spirit lives on brightly within the GTU
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Much of their territory would be devastated in the War in Heaven, whose sudden onset marked the first major war the Concord had been forced to fight in over two centuries. Those centuries of happy peace had led the concord in a sense of complacency and not a small bit of arrogant pride directed towards many of the warring races of the First Galactic War which to the cultured Ru and peaceful trading Pux were viewed as one step above outright barbarians. To them, the conflict with the Tyrum and the Priki were abnormal and following their victory they saw the current peace as a return to the way things "ought to be". This belief began to disappear from the mind of Concord's races as they rally midway through the conflict, the initial stages saw the destruction of much of their territory and happy belief in a kind and prosperous universe.

Even so, the sheer destruction across its Milky Way holding did not end the Star Concord as a unified polity. It does, however, have greater difficulty in steering the course of the galactic affairs later on especially with the rise of GTU as the foremost hyperpower in the Milky War, putting its status as a major galactic power in a rather precarious situation. In perhaps the greatest diplomatic move ever committed by the Concord, the federation instead opted for the continued membership of the League as many others - such as the Peronisti, Sophox and the remnant of Bright League - struggles to move away from the aforementioned interstellar organisation. This move is likewise appreciated by the GTU, evident by the 'special relationship' with each other, effectively turning both powers as staunch allies. This move will greatly benefit both powers later on, as shown during the mass rebellion by the still-genocidal Prikki-ti-ki in their vain attempt to break away from the weakened Concord's federal government, only to be brutally quashed by the GTU-Concord alliance during the Unification Campaigns.

Nevertheless, the Concord was not spared by the centuries of unification of the GTU, but its end perhaps was the happiest compared with other parts of the galaxy. It becomes one of the few nations that willingly become part of the Union in the most peaceful manner possible, compared to the large part of the galaxy which is simply too weak to resist (akin to the fate of Stellar Axis) or being pacified after a long period of civil war (Bright League and Peronisti, in part for their inability to recover post-war). Indeed, by the signing of the Compact of Razana, it is afforded greater privileges compared to the other part of the galaxy, in part due to the GTU's gratitude of their staunchest ally that had so long stood alongside the GTU faithfully long after the war ends.

## Military

> "*The Concord are notoriously good in learning our history and tactics more than anyone else in the galaxy. If there anyone else that could beat us in war, it would be them and them alone*"
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> - Vice Admiral Said Bukhari bin al-Hatta, head of the 3rd Ex-Fleet's Task Force Samudera and former coordinator Terran Military Mission to the Concord
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The most notable feature of all the races involved in this region of space prior to the foundation of Concord was the relative inexperience and lack of understanding of how to wage long-term wars. The Partogans, largely sedentary filter feeders and unified under one government for millennia didn't even have a concept for organized armies and fleets beyond non-permanent paramilitary security forces. The Pux was a trader race that believed in free trade, diplomacy and understanding take precedent in determining the outcome of disputes rather than via war, and the Ruu was an artistic species with a complicated, yet fair social meritocracy system where disputes were largely settled by whoever achieved greater social standing within theirs. It is a common cultural belief that using violence to resolve issues was considered barbaric and unprofitable and as a consequence, their struggles against both the Priki and the Tyrum were marked by long bouts of grinding campaigns followed by decades of uneasy peace that persisted up until the 24th century CE.

Nevertheless, the Big Three races are quite adaptive and pragmatic in steering the course of affairs surrounding them, and they took a great effort in learning whatever little they had in their military history to develop their respective military. The discovery of various warlike races in the Milky Way had in turn greatly helped the development of their combined armed forces. They eventually settle on, and perhaps ironically, in adopting the military of the Greater Terran Union as the basis of their military development despite their ideological differences. They even take it as far as making the conflict-ridden military history of Earth as their primary curriculum, observing the GTU's rapid expansion against their enemy, reorganize their military along the line of the FLEETCOM as well adopting its combined arms doctrine as their main combat philosophy.

By the end of Great Tyrum War, the Joint Strike Fleet Command of the Star Concord are, at least on paper, the largest collective military on the galaxy, surpassing the GTU Armed Forces with a small margin (since the JSFC is effectively a military command of three separate military forces, the GTU Armed Forces remain *the* largest military fielded by an individual nation). However, despite being effectively trained by the GTU, the Star Concord instead put their own spin of things of their military by effectively converted the JSFC as a civilian-military body, one that serves as a peacekeeping, diplomacy and research institution, apart from its mandated role as the defense force of the Concord as a whole. Many of the curious observers from the GTU even compares it with Starfleet from the Roddenberry's old media series Star Trek. It did not stop them, however, from serving with distinction during the devastating Second Age of Conflict (or the War in Heaven), allowing them to fought on par with their Fleet Command's counterpart and subsequently preserving the Concord's position as a major galactic power after the War in Heaven, in contrast of the more unfortunate rivals the Stellar Axis and the Bright League.

## Addendum

* The Star Concord bears any resemblance to the United Federation of Planets from Gene Roddenberry's Star Trek franchise. Like the UFP, it is known as a peaceful, idealistic democratic nation with the penchant of exploration and diplomacy, and like the Star Concord, the Federation is born out of the cooperation in the response of the Babel Crisis and the Romulan aggression in the Earth-Romulan War
* It is noted both in- and out-universe that the Concord's formation bears any similarity with the rise of GTU. It is both born via their devastating war against Tyrum and had successfully achieved what should be impossible (permanent unification of human race for GTU, the formation of a true multi-species federation for the Concord), with the differences is that the GTU in a relatively short time in comparison of the decades-spanning formation of SC.