Ardite

The Ardite are a race of slow-moving and industrious humanoids from the world Helion V. Ever since their subsequent defeats in both the War of the Dawn and Secession Wars, their government has routinely assassinated individuals that are thought to be dangerous to the safety, productivity, or happiness of others. It is seen as their responsibility to do so to avoid slipping back into the aggressive mindset that nearly brought about the end of their race centuries ago.

## Biology

The Ardite are quite similar to the Ardolon externally and in addition to their close proximity, it has led many to believe they come from the same end of the evolutionary tree. Like many others, they lack external tails, have opposable thumbs, and are sexually dimorphic. However, unlike many others, their eyes are much further apart and grant them an unmatched field of view.

It is estimated that the galactic average height for an adult Ardite male is about 5 ft 6 in while females average about the same. The average mass of an adult Ardite male is 143–163 lb while females are on average five pounds heavier at 148-170 lb. As with most species, this growth varies with a planet's gravitational force.

## History

### Pre-Secession

Leading up to the formation of the Grand Alliance, the Ardite were once quite similar ideologically to much of the galaxy. They were spiritual, advocated freedom, allowed free travel, and regularly participated in galactic politics. Yet, this eventually launched them into a bloody war against the Zenith Powers that left them scarred even to this day. And with this defeat, it set in motion the isolationist plan that led to the ideological downfall of the Ardite.

Later, they hesitantly became associates of the Grand Alliance and gave their partial support out of fear of suffering the similar irrecoverable decimation to the War of the Dawn, though they were among the first to secede with the Ardolons.

### Secession Era

Later, when it came time to secede, the Ardite could not get out quick enough. With a promise of protection, they quickly rallied behind the Nironian Collective to avoid suffering the same fate as their ancestors.

While strong in theory with both the Ardolons and Vobuk on their side, the effort proved to be futile. The Coalition Navy launched a massive attack on their homeworld Helion V for siding with their enemies and the planet was quickly decimated. Millions died, the regime was toppled, and the Ardite were in no shape to serve the Nironian Collective any longer. They had lost. Their leaders called for swift reconstruction and an entirely new political landscape. From that point on, the government gradually molded itself into the oppressive regime the Milky Way knows today.

### Reign of Sedition

With the Secession Wars over and their race as a whole having suffered severe casualties, the Ardite government figured joining the Intergalactic Assembly was the best way to both rebuild their infrastructure and ensure they would be free from conflict for the first time in centuries. Since their induction in 1660 CE, the Ardite have focused on rebuilding, with part of that being a complete ideological rewrite.

The government, now resembling an aristocracy above all else, started exert their iron fist over the people. Those who chose to speak out against the regime or in favor of war were silenced both publicly and mercilessly. These brutal executions later came to rename the period as the Reign of Sedition, which later became a rallying cry of the Modernist Party.

#### Civil War

As with any oppressive dystopian society, it is impossible for a regime to completely suppress freedom of thought. Many chose to have their children in secret and not implant them with the federally mandated inhibitors. These cerebral implants which once provided them the gift of language were now used to monitor the thoughts of dissenters. A revolution grew in the Ardite underground as more and more chose to avoid cybernetics.

In 2176 CE, these revolutionaries unveiled themselves as the Modernist Party to the rest of the galaxy. The Ardite have been locked in a bloody civil war the last four years that has left many dead and even more displaced. The Assembly is yet to intervene as the vote continues to end in a tie every time it is brought up. But with the recent induction of the Ganonsyoni, the scales may just be tipped soon, changing Ardite history forever.

### Invasion and Beyond

After the crew of the UNS Medea reluctantly entered an agreement with the Ardite Regime that led to the execution of Modernist leaders at the hands of Gordon Vran, the civil war was put to rest, and the regime elevated back to the top of the political ladder.

Despite initial reservations from the Human Freedom Coalition, the Ardites were allowed into the Second Intergalactic Assembly after generously sending reconstruction teams to Avalon.

## Culture

With society being split between two completely opposite lifestyles and a near infinite amount of subdivisions among these two sides, Ardite culture is far from uniform. While one side is more traditional and fundamentalist, the other embraces modernism and the rest of the galaxy. Naturally, every aspect of their culture is influenced by this division and, in a sense, has created quite a diverse society.

The galaxy's romantics celebrate this diversity and view it as one of the Ardite's strengths, while many realists see it simply as a vulnerable weakness as seen with the advent of the recent civil war.

## Government

The Ardite Regime is an entirely selective group of "enlightened" individuals that are the only ones in their borders that truly understand the full breadth of the galaxy. The transfer of power is almost always seamless and without struggle as the hierarchy is carefully filled via bloodline and social status.

Ordinary citizens do not have suffrage and do not influence government in any capacity. Much of the the population has little knowledge on how their society is run or that running for office is even a possibility in other systems.

## Military

### Fleet

The Ardite Navy is quite literally a miniature version of the Coalition Navy. From ship designs to organization, the Ardite took great inspiration from the distant neighbors, even if they are supporters of the Nironian Collective and often at odds with the Bushraks. The Ardite simply took inspiration from their great success and have emulated the save environment, albeit on a much smaller scale.

### Army

Fitting with their information quarantine doctrine, the Ardite army is littered with brainwashed husks that simply obey the orders of their superiors without question. Those trained into the army are randomly chosen at birth and kept isolated from the rest of society to ensure maximum efficiency and no indecision in the heat of battle.