Cellean autocratic space (sel:ea)
The Cellean Autocratic Space, equally also known as the Cellean empire, was a nation that conquered a large section of human space, kept stable for a moment or two, then collapsed spectacularly and slowly, leaving behind a complete mess.
Lightlag was, naturally, an issue for the governance of a large interstellar empire. Thus, like so many other interstellar nations, the Cellean Autocratic Space practiced delegation throughout its regime. Conquering fleets would, after securing a system, often select something like a Captain-Commander or a local leader of a loyal major nation, and place them in a position of authority, responsible for representing the system to the Highest Lord. Despite the fleets often leaving behind a small enforcement force, corruption was not uncommon, and many such leaders would start going their own ways after news of a fleet's defeat reached them, now free of the retaliation. Though, usually they'd have their hands full with the rebellions and such.
Step 1. First, a simple message was given; a choice between integration into the interstellar empire and war. From here, if the integration was accepted, the nation was folded into Cellean rule with open arms, given near-complete independence, access to advanced Cellean technology, trade, and all the good stuff. If refused, the process would advance to step 2. Stringer's home city-state of Tican was integrated like this, and the Teinea in Vassalage is at this stage during the short story.
Step 2. War was declared. This war was a clean one, so to say. One to strike at key military and government locations, to cripple and to take down a nation's capability to resist with minimal collateral damage. If in this stage, the nation were to surrender, it would be accepted into the empire, and treated almost evenly. Almost, but not quite. Mad's home habitat, Kiertolainen, was conquered this way.
Step 3. If resistance still held up, a total war would be initiated. Weapons of mass destruction like antimatter bombardment, relativistic kill missiles, or Ruin-Engines would often not find use, yet. The war would be one fought to cause damage and make an example, but the option of surrender would still be on the table. If taken, the nation would be integrated, and ruled with an iron fist, stripped of resources, military, and independence. The place Mad found Anni, Iusco and its parent nation, was subjugated like this.
Step 4. If the nation still stuck to its guns, all bets were off. WMDs, indiscriminate artillery fire, CRBN weapons, and full disregard of collateral damage were all acceptable, common, and free to use. Countless nations through what is now Old Cellean space still lie in ruins, annihilated by the final stage of Cellean conquest.
Parallel to the conquest of individual nations, an administrative element would be built up in the system. These System-Governors would most often be loyal members of a Admiral-Captain's command Cadre, and would have the authority over the entire system, to both recruit for and strengthen the fleet as well as continue integration and oversee peace and loyalty after the fleet moved on. The governor would most often recruit manpower from loyal nations, and materiel from ones that resisted, to ensure the fleet's loyalty. Often, these reinforcements would simply not be enough, and a fleet would hang back for a few years in-system to allow new materiel to be produced. These tended to still not be enough, and fleets would slowly lose their power to attrition from both reduced supply and simply less advanced technology or developed industry being used for reinforcing them.
History
Founding
Some time during the early 2300s, the Orgullo de la Cuna arrived in the Janor-Mosi system, and settled Cellea, the planet. From there, civilization developed like most others, though with a notably high technological base. Some few decades later, the planet's nations had been unified by a certain nation, that would soon declare itself as the Cellean Autocratic Space, and begin buildup, and soon enough, expansion.Rise
Very fast, the new Cellean nation would grow and integrate a number of nearby states and systems into itself, such as Stringer's home, relatively peacefully. From there, it entered another short period of buildup, after which it veritably exploded onto the rest of human space. Through a superiority of numbers, industry, technology, and a stable unity, it conquered all of its nearby regions and then continued onward, the great fleets growing ever more in size and number. Some time during this period, Mad's home was conquered as well. It would take about a century or so from the founding for the next major era to begin for the nascent empire. During this interim, Stringer and Mad would join the military, rise the ranks, and eventually meet back at Cellea proper near the very end of it."I remember the rise of the Cellean empire. I was there, when my home was integrated. Took half a decade, then I enlisted in the draft. Well, I say I remember the rise, but intestellar communications are what they are, especially back then. Still, I was there. I lived through it all, and pushed the borders myself, on the two campaigns I fought in. It felt reasonable at the time, I suppose. The naiveté of youth, I suppose."
Wars of Control
Once the core regions had been integrated successfully and the expansion had properly taken off, the period nowadays known as the Wars of Control began. This period was marked largely by the expansion and conquest going far faster and wider, encompassing a then very large volume of human space. At its height, the Cellean empire had nearly half a hundred fleets, most at the standard strength of ten thousand warships, which, naturally, made the rapid conquest rather plausible even in a time before FTL travel. This did start to slow down somewhat during the end, as more and more fleets met stiff resistance over the years, getting slowly whittled down from the constant attrition, unable to sufficiently replenish their forces from the loyal subjects they made. Many would meet their end, such as what happened with Kerteros Aliret's fleet or in The Omega-Delta Disaster.Collapse
Generally, what would happen after a major defeat of a Cellean fleet or a similar event, is that the nearby regions would get news of it. The fresh lack of the threat of retaliation would often inspire them into rebellion and revolt, and since the loyalties of various nations varied a lot, many rebellious nations and peoples came into conflict with loyal ones. Successful or not, news of these revolts would lead to other systems, often inciting the same sequence there, too. Over the 26th century, this would end up in practically all but the coremost regions of the empire collapsing, and even those soon succumbed to infighting and power struggles. This would all result in a significant technological and developmental decline, and old, intact Cellean technology, which has already been surpassed in regions like the Core Worlds, is still highly valuable and rare.Legacy
The large- and small-scale conflict throughout Cellean space would lead to many a culture evacuating elsewhere in human space over the century. Some, like those who would settle Ochtotne Prime, would go relatively close to where they first were, in peace and in a more proper manner. Others, like those who now inhabit the orbit of Jett, did so due to being forced out. Nowadays, the region is still rife with internicine warfare and strife, unfortunately keeping the region in the terrible state it is in. There are places like the Dragon's Hoard Cluster that were spared the collapse's effects, but they were already largely self-sufficient to begin with.Governance
The Cellean ruler was, officially, the Highest Lord of Cellea. An autocrat, with absolute power. This was the way they appeared to the public, and even all but the highest echelons of leadership. The title has changed hands a number of times, though the selection process was never public and always shrouded in layers of secrecy.
Behind the shadows, though, lie a triumvirate, three people deciding on everything together. Not even the Admiral-Captains of Cellea knew this truth, save for only the rare few Champions of Cellea, who were implanted with an augment to prevent them from ever spreading the information to others. The triumvirate's selection process was completely unknown, yet the rise of a new triumvir into the ranks often coincided with the death of a high-ranking figure.
"Ah, the Highest Lord of Cellea. A mystery even now, centuries after the last of them died. I know the truth, you know? Champion of Cellea that I am, I have insider information on the true identity of the Cellean ruler...s. Well, I suppose those augments must be malfunctioning, all I felt was a little tingle. But no, I swore an oath, and I will uphold it. Sorry, Quaken. You'll just have to figure that out yourself."
Military
The Cellean military was undoubtedly its greatest asset. A substantial part of Cellean industry and society was focused on its military, and, combined with the rapid initial development and expansion, allowed them to create fleets of thousands of ships.Military Strength
At its highest, the Cellean navy consisted of over 40 fleets each with about ten thousand warships alone. These fleets were lead by Admiral-Captains of Cellea, and then further divided into sections in layers. The standard fleet strength was about ten thousand warships, though many had less or more due to attrition and the logistics of warfare. Most such fleets had a decent balance of warships, often separated into groups and units. They also had extensive logistical support. Most fleets had support ships like troop carriers and ground equipment transports, food producing ships, Fleet-carrier ships, and many even had antimatter production ships.Organization
The Cellean military was built for interstellar conquest and constant advance, and so lacked the general navy-army division most modern militaries have. While there were distinct branches for planetside and space operations, they were all bundled into the military. A single Cellean Fleet would have both elements working as one. Each Fleet was lead by an Admiral-Captain of Cellea, commander of the entire fleet, army and navy both, and had a number of roles and ranks below that one, all managing the various elements and sections.
Cellean High Command was a structure operating on Cellea itself, lead by the Highest Lord themselves, and composed of the few military commanders higher in rank and authority than the vaunted Admiral-Captains, as well as the multitude of logistical and signals staff required. It was their responsibility to command new campaigns for returning fleets, plan construction of new ones, manage the imperial core, and decide things like whether a fleet's commanders' and AI systems' appeals for their Admiral-Captain's ascension to Champion of Cellea was warranted.
Ranks
The Cellean rank system follows the ancient conventions followed by most militaries in human space, consisting of enlisted soldiers, non-commissioned officers, commissioned officers, and general officers. It had some deviations from the Standard Scale Rating, notably the lack of an OR-8 or OF-10 rank or the two OR-3 level ranks. Many ranks also had a distinction between them, whether the soldier was serving in the naval elements or others, like the planetside army elements of a fleet or command elements elsewhere. For example, the OF-7 rank was called Admiral-Captain in the fleet, as one would command the fleet and their flagship, but the same rank was simply Admiral in command, and did not exist in the army elements, as those were all under the Admiral-Captain, who there is only one of in a fleet. The general officer ranks were also exclusive referred to in Galactic Standard. They are written down sequentially in the table below, and if one does not exist, it is marked with a -. The Cellean system of military ranks| Standard Scale Rank | Rank Naval Planetside Command |
Translation if non-English (lit.) |
Insignia |
|---|---|---|---|
| OR-1 (Enlisted) | Nevbe Nevbe - |
Recruit Recruit - |
|
| OR-2 (Enlisted) | Vacio-Man Arma-Man - |
Voidsman Armsman - |
|
| OR-3 (1) (Enlisted) | Caporal-Nes Caporal - |
Sub-Corporal Caporal - |
|
| OR-3 (2) (Enlisted) | Caporal Caporal-Ases - |
Corporal Help Corporal - |
|
| OR-4 (Enlisted) | Laun-Cerseant Laun-Cerseant - |
Lower Sergeant Lower Sergeant - |
|
| OR-5 (Non-Commissioned Officer) | Cerseant Cerseant - |
Sergeant Sergeant - |
|
| OR-6 (NCO) | Hoin-Cerseant Hoin-Cerseant - |
High Sergeant High Sergeant - |
|
| OR-7 (NCO) | Maister Maister - |
Master Master - |
|
| OR-9 (NCO) | Skrigsmaister Levansmaister - |
Warmaster Shipmaster - |
|
| OF-1 (1) (Commissioned Officer) | Laun-Leutenant Vandrec - |
Lower Lieutenant Junior Lieutenant - |
|
| OF-1 (2) (Commissioned Officer) | Leutenant Leutenant Capitan-Nes |
Lieutenant Lieutenant Sub-Captain |
|
| OF-2 (CO) | Capitan Capitan Capitan |
Captain Captain Captain |
|
| OF-3 (CO) | Levantes-Nes Majuro Landeman |
Sub-Fleetlord Major Landsman |
|
| OF-4 (CO) | Levantes-Ases Cordinel-Leutenant Cicatrex |
Help Fleetlord Lieutenant-Colonel Central |
|
| OF-5 (CO) | Levantes Cordinel Amderend |
Fleetlord Colonel Second Commander |
|
| OF-6 (General Officer) | Captain-Commander Commander High Commander |
- - - |
|
| OF-7 (GO) | Admiral-Captain - Admiral |
- - - |
|
| OF-8 (GO) | - - Lord Admiral |
- - - |
|
| OF-9 (GO) | - - Lord High Admiral |
- - - |
Conquest Process and Recruitment
The Celleans had a method to their conquests, one that was intended to ensure momentum and consistent reinforcement to an advancing fleet, even through the logistical nightmare of a pre-FTL universe. A step by step process for each nation in a given system to be conquered.Technological Level
As a first-generation colony, Cellea was notably very much more advanced than the rest of its region of space. This advantage was what allowed them to initially expand so very fast, and was a major part of their military success. Indeed, in some specific areas, like interstellar travel and Mass Drivers tech, the Cellean empire was actually ahead of the Core Worlds for a time. Generally, the Autocratic Space tended to give its technology to its vassals, in varying levels depending on how they were conquered. Most regions experienced quite a bit of a boost in their tech from this, though in a lot of more faraway cases, it tended to not be the most thorough of integrations. Many nations were very dependant on Cellean support and trade for their tech, which made the collapse hurt them a lot. Nowadays, Cellean technology is far from the Core Worlds' tech. It largely doesn't compare, as it's nearly 400 years out of date. Still, the region experienced a rapid and very long-lasting decline in technology from the Cellean collapse, and that has not abated since. Many areas are still in the 2300s in level of technology. Pieces of old Cellean technology are highly sought after even now, and have, more than a few times, lead to full-scale wars over relatively small supply. Things like the King of Anakrion's equipment or the heavy cruisers of the Anakrionian Defense Fleet are examples of such pieces.Culture
Further reading: Cellean Culture. Cellean culture was extremely militaristic. Martial skill was praised in all levels of society, a notable example being that Admiral-Captains are trained to be highly skilled duelists and fighters as well as military leaders, and often expected to lead near or from the front at times. The Wars of Control are a testament to that militarism, too. Dueling was a very popular pastime in the empire, and formal, lethal duels, in the form of the Fetaen of a Thousand Lifetimes, were not illegal, as long as the grievances were justified. A martial arts practice, too, developed over time."Man, this war against the little city-state is, what, the third now? Hey Quaken, isn't that a little much warfare for a single nation?" "Maybe, but it's in the culture. The settlers come from the Cellean empire, and pretty directly too. They've very much inherited that militarism, though it's a bit different, what with the direct annexation and such. Fascinating topic, really."
Celleans also tended to view themselves as better than the people they conquered, and had a bit of an ego. They also largely viewed the conquests as justified, both because, in their eyes, their subjects were weaker than them and because they brought improved quality of life to them.
All in all, Cellean society was rather meritocratic and fair. As long as you weren't in a nation that resisted, of course. Generally, anyone had a roughly equal opportunity to rise up the ranks, eventually. A number of Admiral-Captains, including Stringer and Mad, came from practically nothing, and one even became a Champion of Cellea. Of course, those in regions not deemed loyal enough were in less fair a position.
Cellean language, nowadays, is practically extinct. Some societies still speak it, and many Celleans alive from its age still know it, like Stringer and Mad. At its base, it was a mix of northwestern Mediterranean languages, mostly french and spanish. Over the years, even well before its founding, it evolved and gained a significant amount of influence from latin and even eastern European languages.
Founding Date
2309
Type
Geopolitical, State
Alternative Names
The Cellean Empire
Successor Organizations
Training Level
Elite
Veterancy Level
Veteran
Demonym
Cellean
Government System
Oligarchy
Power Structure
Feudal state
Economic System
Mixed economy
Official Languages
Related Traditions
Related Ranks & Titles
Controlled Territories
Manufactured Items
Organization Vehicles
Related Ethnicities
"By right of the laws I was raised by, you have complete legal right to kill me. Well, you can try. I get your grievances, I do. The Cellean Autocratic Space had its issues, and I am personally responsible for events similar to what your people faced. I will full well admit that. But I'm not responsible for it. It wasn't me, Tarno." "It doesn't matter! You supported the empire without complaints, and were loyal to it. That makes you just as much of an enemy as any other Admiral-Captain. Damnit Stringer, I trusted you. I thought I could rely on you, but no, Admiral-Captain Ventan." "Well, you can't kill me. You don't have any chances to do so. So, tell you what; Mad is also an Admiral-Captain. He's done as much as I have for the Cellean empire, and he's out target. You have two options here, because I know you won't just leave, right? You can either try your hand against me now, and fail miserably since all the rest of your friends won't be with you, and I'm your opponent, or, you can fight Mad with me, kill an Admiral-Captain, and then try me. I wouldn't mind. You're a smart guy, I'm sure you know what's the good option here."
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