Takamo Universe - The Five Galaxies

The Rimward Reaches First Things First   F or purposes of this blog, galactic navigation is straightforward. Maps will be from a top-down view.  The upper edge is north, east is right, west is left, and the bottom edge is south.  Obviously, the galaxy is three dimensional, not all stars or empires exist in a single plane, and where this is useful to the discussion, we will introduce three-dimensional graphics.  However, most subjects dealing with galactic geography will be of a strategic nature. Because the majority of empires reside in the galactic plane, the top-down view is perfect for a strategic narrative, and so it is what we will use most of the time. Western Regions of the Galaxy    In the western regions of the galaxy, called the 'Rimward Reaches', there exist nearly seventy empires encompassing over 4 billion inhabited starsystems. They are the glittering shards of the ancient Radnian Empire, a predomina...

A New Prophet    F ollowing the end of the Kossa principate, a new and powerful prophet appeared at the Cathedral of Attra.  Her name was Apar, and she prophesied the end of the principate. The prophet taught that all life, in whatever form, human, animal, alien, biological, and artificial, self-aware or not, was sacred. She set down her teachings in the Aparat; the Tome of Apar. Those who followed the prophet's word were labeled Aparatics. The prophet became popular within the Attran sect and Principate Kortan, fearing another civil war, had Apar imprisoned. The prophet died not long after her arrest in 2117. The official reason given was suicide, but Apar's disciples believed that she had been martyred and despite or perhaps because of repeated campaigns of repression by Martian officials the sect continued to grow.      A new leader of the Principate, Adon Bernier, an avowed Tatou expansionist, came to power in 213...

The Age of Coexistence and Exploration 2112 - 2131     A lthough a factional rebellion pushed the Ammanians out temporarily, the population preferred the Ammanians to the Terrans and welcomed a renewed diplomatic effort which left Mars entirely in Amanian hands by 2112. Over the next decades, a majority of the diverse populations of Mars converted to Ammanianism. The Martian language was also adopted. Initially, the Ammanians required only the subordination of these peoples rather than their assimilation, a process which took a considerable time. The groups that inhabited the Principate following this process became known collectively as Martians.    With the Mars issue settled, the nations of Earth turned their attention to the further reaches of the solar system and beyond. Already, in 2093, Earth's first faster than light (FTL) starship, USS Nevada, had been commissioned at Gremmen Spaceyard, Connecticut and on April 7th of that year, she made t...

Wanna Know More About Ammanians?  There's A Book For That This is the start of the story of Mars, of a planet peopled by humans, and yet not Earth… Expansion of Will     With the Martian government putting pressure on the Ammanian eastern provinces, civil leader Eshe Tordis faces a tough battle convincing her people to fight back. As her community splits into warring factions, she finds that her greatest enemies may be those standing behind her. Turning the Tide     Alic Ollsen is an Ammanian in Terran clothing. To pursue his dream of being a terraformer, he had to give up all trace of his Ammanian beliefs. But when he’s asked to help the Ammanians win the war against the Martian government, he finds himself caught between faith and career…life and death…right and wrong. Vows of Assimilation    The wounds from the first Martian war haven ‘t yet healed and Isak Morven‘s parents–Terran in thought and belief–hold everything A...

Death of the Prophet 2069-2101     T he Cathedral of Attra and the Great Citadel of Fantatoul were founded in the eastern Martian provinces by the recently retired General Kossa in 2069 to provide places of worship for the faithful and the newly converted. The cathedrals acted as places of worship and civic centers. In time they would each become the centers of the two major Ammanian factions, the 'peace party' of Attra, or the Attrans, and the 'hawks' of Fantatoul or the 'Tatou.'     Three years later the Ammanian Prophet Demsel died violently and under suspicious circumstances. Demsel's death created unrest in the eastern provinces, and General Kossa took full advantage of the suspicions of the faithful to build a strong following. He set up his political headquarters in the environs of the Great Citadel and in 2073, to the horror of many, Kossa declared the Ammanian Kossa Principate, selected seven elders to act as the Con...

ORIGINS OF THE TERRAN REPUBLIC  Part 1 2033     T he transition from a community of nations to an interstellar empire began in 2033 when several private and multi-national organizations collaborated to establish a colony on Mars. Under the United Nations treaty, [1] the Mars colony was to be governed by a United Nations official. Undersecretary Simon Aldersgate was the first chief administrator of the settlement. Things went well at first.    In the same year, the Ammanians, a new religious sect emerged in the European Union and began to multiply. They were to have a profound effect on colonization of the solar system.  2041-2048    2041 saw the completion of the South China Sea Mag-rail Undersea Tunnel system linking Singapore, Ho Chi Minh City, and Hong Kong.  It was a marvel of engineering that improved travel and commerce throughout the region. It would also have a significant unintentional impact ...

KEVIN J. ANDERSON PRESENTS You know, the best selling author of so many great sci-fi novels; THAT Kevin J. Anderson. The Naplian Empire’s war of expansion against the Grand Alliance has taken a turn for the worse. With vital serjaum fuel reserves wiped out by a surprise attack, Admiral Daviont of the III Corps makes a long, desperate journey to the fringes of Terran space for a massive undeveloped source of serjaum—the Baedecker Star System. But his action does not go unnoticed. Their mortal enemies, the Briddarri, send their own task force to intercept. At Baedecker Four, starfighter pilot and governor’s son Taggart “Tag” Wester has his hands full steering clear of his wing commander’s wrath. When an emergency call unearths a dangerous foe from the past, he’s put to a test unlike any he’s ever face—one of courage, and leadership. The time for bucking the rules and chasing the horizon has come to an end. Elden Selva is on a mission to restore power to the defeate...