While humans and aliens existed in the Aphelion System well before the arrival of the Noble Households. It is said by the Supreme Intelligence of the Xiphos Cult that a great Dark Queen arose to usurp her mother and enslaved the system unto her sinister grasp as those who once ruled this system did before hand. When the Noble Households arrived in their Great Arkships using extremely slow hyperdrives and suspended animation they only encountered ruins, ghostly echoes and remnants of what haunted this system still. A system with numerous suitable planets and moons was a unique find for the settlers who quickly began surveying and erecting the first generation of colonies upon the Aphelion Prime, Aphelion II, Oshur, and Searhus. Led by the Louse family the colonies sprang out thanks to the impressive colonization technology such as Molecular Furnaces which could churn out literally anything from vehicles, buildings and even starships with only being fed basic building materials. Prefabricated self assembling buildings, and a tireless army of working class droids made the colonization of the Aphelion system a breeze.
With the major settling families of the Louse settling into Aphelion Prime, the Gorgian on the moon of Aphelion Prime Oshur, the Iacton on Searhus, and the Deizel on Aphelion II along with numerous minor families. Even with such advanced technology it soon to found not so easy as colonists quickly came under attack by what still resided in the Aphelion System. Menacing creatures that could easily swallow up an entire colony in moments and only driven off at great cost to lives, ancient war droids which lay dormant for millennium reactivated upon detecting lifeforms roused to continue their war upon the unsuspecting colonist.
Brought with them on the Arkship the scientists of the Gorgian family, esteemed biologists and bio-engineers set to work on a most ambitious project to combat the growing horror of all the Noble colonists which journeyed from the Mid-Rim to the Aphelion System. In Genevats, Geneforges, and laboratories they were constructed Bio-Engineered creatures. The so called Companions of the first true noble warriors of the Aphelion System, the Paladins of the Noble Households. The Paladins inspired by legends of old, where trained by the Louse family from ancient datacrons of forgotten fighting styles and equipped by the best arms and armor maker of the Deizal family.
Such fighting force of Paladins and Companions took to the fight to the horrors of the Aphelion System. As the duos cut thru the denizens of the Aphelion System with superior firepower and monsters of their own to assist them with ease. The last of these creatures and ancient war droids where stamped out finally with the last pockets of resistance crushed on Searhus within three years.
Elevated to First Ruling Family of the Noble Houses for their training and coordinating the Paladins of the Households. The Louse Family established many of the rules, orndances, and regulations which bind the Households together as one today. The Circle of Paladins was formed as the standing defenders of the Aphelion System and the Council of Equals represented the heads of all the Noble Households as the governing body. The Louse Dynasty would continue to flourish for centuries thru the Republic, though the Lord Armitage Louse the VII could not unfortunately produce an heir. And upon his death his Queen held onto a dwindling power base as support for the Louse family dried up.
For their part in assisting in the formation of the Paladins of the Noble Households in equipping them with arms and armor the Diezal support for them pushed them to Ruling Family next. The Diezal family would see a refinement in the Circle of Paladins as the first Paladins began reaching old age as their Companions would needed be cared for after they had died. The Diezal Family decreeing that all Companions that served during such time would be set free to wander the Aphelion Nebula at large was controversial but in the end accepted. It was sheer irony that Lord Baron Von Diezal the VIII and his entire family was slain by a freeded Companion by accident as they collided with his luxury star liner while touring the Grey Nebula. It would be the Diezal family relatives last grasp of power which would issue the standing orders to hunt down and slay all freeded Companions in retribution for the death of Baron Von Diezal the VII. Companion fought Companion along side Paladins. Many Paladins refused or flat out rebelled against the decree provoking a coup against the Diezal family but the damage was done. When the dust settled it was not the Gorgian or Iacton families who found themselves ruling but a small minor family of the Louse.
The Courlaine Dynasty
Seemingly shocked and awed by the sudden elevation to Ruling Family the Courlaine family quickly setting about a grand agenda. Establishing trading lanes to export the raw materials outside of the Aphelion System and into the Sector beyond the Grey Nebula. Emissaries and diplomatic missions were undertaken while on behalf of the Courlaine whom also where the first to try and make contact with enigmatic Searhus natives who the Iacton family reported to small exchanges before the families exile. Such attempts where difficult and not much headway was made as the Courlaine family left the job of dealing with the natives to the Iacton family in the end. Though a much larger diplomatic win was won by the Courlaine family as the Republic sent its first delegation to the now sprawling capital city of Forestall on Aphelion Prime. As the family plotted its course to membership into the Republic. Lord Artemis Courlaine would not see her system join the Republic but her great grandchildren would see such efforts thru before passing rule to the Gorigan family.
Finally at last the final Great Families would be installed as ruler. As the Gorgian had patiently waited for centuries at this stage. Setting about organizing their agenda it was the Gorgian family who now was best by the greatest triumph of the family now became its curse. The bio-constructs, the Companions themselves now some of them centuries old began to degenerate as such magnificent and powerful creatures. Began to revert to base level instincts of the creatures they had been altered from. Effectively turning on their masters and beloved friends who the Paladins that they fought and sometimes died together with. And as more free roaming Companions degenerated along with those few remaining in service the once pride and powerful defense of the Noble Houses collapsed under the rule of those who created them. An extremely short lived rule as the Lord Kord Gorgian the I, watched as all the families began to turn their back upon the family which brought them all salvation from the horrors of the what they began to call home centuries ago. Facing such an ultimate failure Kord Gorigan set about destroying what his family created burning down the Gorgian Reach in a massive funeral pyre along with his family, retainers and servants after vacating the throne to a lesser family of low station in a completely shocking maneuver. It is said that during the Gorgian Dynasty, the last of the Companions where finally put to rest and those who served as Paladins quitely ushered into retirement or ordered into new stations by their respect houses.
In the aftermath of the Gorigan family disaster, the ascending Astrika family claimed the throne thru ancestors related to both the Louse and Deizal families. Renown to be a family of soldiers, strategists and tacticians of Galactic Warfare such skills would be now extremely useful now that both Circle of Paladins ceased to exist as they fade quietly into the history books. The Guards of the Household they would be officially titled as the standing traditional military arm, drawn up from all the households unless called to arms by the Lord Astrika or the Council of Equals. Tens of thousands flocked to join what once was the warrior elite as officers or rank and file soldiers. The Astrika sent the Guards of the Household to harass their now exiled cousins in the fledgling Xiphos Cult. At first such attempts were extremely successful as the pitiful Xiphos Cult lacked proper soldiers and even the green Guards of the Household proved to much for the Cultists. This was quickly stopped when the Xiphos hired the Havoc Corp and the first charged and disintegrated bodies of Guards of the Household were sent back courtesy of the Havoc Corp. Animosity of the Astrika against the Mekkei would also grow as the interstellar conglomerates merchant fleet was raking in profits many more times over the Astrika own fleet of slower ships. Also included was the ill harboring and alliance with the Xiphos the Mekkei fostered.
Such feelings were justified as the Aphelion System was embroiled in the Clone Wars just as many system had become. The Mekkei wasting no time arrived backed by a massive force of CIS naval assets and droid army was allowed to enter the system and claimed it in the name of Count Dooku. The Astrika quickly summoned the Guards of the Household to mount a counter attack which was smashed aside by the superior numbers of the Mekkei’s security forces bolstered by the droid army it has been given. Now an occupied system the Astrika family itself was besieged government bottled up by a massive naval blockade of CIS and Mekkei warships. While attempting to wait out the siege and the forever stalled Grand Army Republic relief effort to lift the siege of the Aphelion System they decided to act on their own accord sending a secret message thru spies embedded in the Mekkei forces. It was a simple message, a promise for any mercenaries who’d attack the CIS and Mekkei blockade would be granted a prize beyond their belief. In the end a massive force of mercenaries the Outer Rim had never seen before spilled out of hyperspace and began to fight the armada of CIS and Mekkei forces. This would later grant a mercenary unit known as the Logos Mercenaries Assembly Organization the former Iacton held world of Searhus to them.
With the rise of the Galactic Empire the Astrika have formed a close tie with the New Order as a autonomous protectorate of the Empire. Such a move which sees its power guaranteed in writing that if at all threatened could bring the wrath of the Galactic Empire upon its enemies. Is seen as the ultimate source of bargaining for the Astrika Dynasty. Though this has been tested as half a decade ago the Astrika family and Mekkei Conglomerate engaged in a fierce but short lived war dubbed the Contract War due to the massive usage of mercenary forces utilized by both sides. In the end the Aphelion Accord seen to a diplomatic resolution. A politically arranged marriage between the oldest son the Mekkei, Hotaru and daughter of the Astrika Isolda where formerly married in the Palace of Eternity in a lavish and extravagant ceremony attended by every whose who's in the system. And the larger issue of the city of Devron and its outlying areas where brought into Astrika administration. In exchange the Mekkei would be allowed to permanently do tariff free business to the Noble Houses and granted as the main supplier of logistical goods to the Imperial military stationed inside the Aphelion System. Both sides for the last five years have remained on decent terms though rumors and gossip still say that minor incidents are covered up across the system.
The Guards of the Household
With the rise of the Astrika family as the head after the decline of the Gorgian family, the Guards of the Households became the frontline defense and military force that would ensure the security of the Noble Households, with the obscelenance of the Companions and the Paladins. Adopting a more traditional military the Guards of the Household are considered one of the premier fighting forces in the system.
The Logos could claim quantity with their massive militia and former mercenary roots, while the Mekkei Security Forces are not designed to fight a full scale war relying more so on elite mercenaries to do its heaviest fighting and its powerful navy to deter its enemies. While the Xiphos have hired the massively destructive Havoc Corp to protect them. The Guards of the Household are a spared no expense force, though relatively small in number as even the Mekkei Ground Security Forces out number them. Often seen around Household installations and site in their lavish colourful uniforms and las-lock rifles. While this is the often portrayed visage of the Guards of the Household when sent into the field they don blast vests and helmets plus the Deizal Number Four blaster carbine.
While in space the Guards of the Households never have fully recovered from the Contract Wars. While star fighter pilots are reserved to fly old Naboo N1 Royal Starfighters and older model V and Y Wings. Their capital ships are limited to one Dreadnaught heavy cruiser Triumphant but to make up for the lack of true capital ships the Guards of the Households have over a dozen CR90 Corvettes and DP20 Gunships. Making the fleet assets of the Households considerable and able to hold their ground against any other power in the system.
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