Second Empire of Gashikan

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The Second Empire of Gashikan is a defunct polity, formed in -1646 and enduring for many centuries before finally collapsing in 1070.

It was the predecessor to the Third Empire of Gashikan.

Description (Specifications)[edit]

In -1646, following the Sack of Gashikan a decade prior, human worlds uniting against the Vargr formed the Second Empire of Gashikan. The polity's founding principles focused on the extermination of the Vargr as a race, on the basis of a perceived threat posed by Vargr to the very existence of Humaniti. Early efforts to expel the enemy from Gashikan Sector fell short of full success, and Vargr retaliations inflamed the fears of humans in the area. Fear and hatred of the Vargr became rooted in Gashikan society, and influenced other human states to rimward.

The Second Empire of Gashikan, taking advantage of anti-Vargr xenophobia, embarked on a campaign to bring other human planets under its domination, in the guise of offering them protection. Many planets accepted; others who refused were brought into the Empire by force, in a fierce war of unification. Eventually, the Second Empire of Gashikan controlled most of Gashikan Sector, much of Trenchan and Mendan sectors, and had minor holdings in Meshan and Gzaekfueg sectors.

History & Background (Dossier)[edit]

The Second Empire extensively used biological weapons tailored to Vargr in their campaign to remove their enemy; see Wolvesbane Project. The Vargr remember this genocide, and some Vargr worlds still have holidays to honor the millions who died during these race wars.

Although the Gashikan Navy continued to operate vigorously against the Vargr, the Race Wars are generally held to have ended around -300, and the anti-Vargr prejudice, while still dominant in Gashikan society, had the opportunity to reduce in scope. Stagnation set in and the Vargr became a "boogeyman" useful to ensuring popular support for the centralised Gashikan government, rather than an active threat.

Polity Timeline[edit]

References & Contributors (Sources)[edit]

This list of sources was used by the Traveller Wiki Editorial Team and individual contributors to compose this article. Copyrighted material is used under license from Mongoose Publishing or by permission of the author. The page history lists all of the contributions.