Gashikan Race Wars

(-1483 to -321): The Gashikan Race Wars were a series of conflicts that occurred in the Vargr Extents between human and Vargr extremists.

• Also known as The Vargr Race Wars

Description (Specifications)

The Second Empire of Gashikan founded itself in -1646 on the belief that the rise of the Vargr threatened Humaniti's very existence. The infamous Sack of Gashikan had caused the collapse of its predecessor society, and Humans in the region -- particularly those with Yilean heritage-- were fanatical in their fear and hatred of the Suedzuk Vargr responsible. Early efforts to destroy Vargr communities and repel the corsairs from Gashilean Subsector fell short of total success. When the Vargr struck back, human fears intensified, fueling a fanatical determination to wipe out the aliens before the humans were exterminated. As these race wars continued with each succeeding generation, fear and hatred of the Vargr rooted itself deeper into Gashikan society. The xenophobia infected other communities rimward.

• Gashikan worked feverishly to bring other star systems under its "protection," and many accepted. Others refused Gashikan's authority, eventually resulting in a fierce war of unification. At its greatest extent, the Second Empire of Gashikan encompassed most of Gashikan Sector, and half of Trenchans and Mendan. It also spilled about five parsecs into Meshan and Gzaekfueg sectors, where the Empire fought most of the later wars against the Vargr.

The Vargr Race Wars ended about -300, although the Gashikan Navy continued to violently defend against Vargr incursions. No Vargr lived long within the borders of the Empire. The end of the wars heralded the start of a slow reversal in the anti-Vargr prejudice that dominated the entire area.

History & Background (Dossier)

To date, there have been eight race wars.

First Race War (-1483 to -1411)

Intense hatred for Vargr and persistent fear within the Second Empire of Gashikan led Emperor William the Great to attack several large Vargr empires adjacent to Gashikan in -1483. The Gashikan Navy, using short-lived radioactives and poisons in a massive and ruthless campaign of terror, eradicated over thirteen billion Vargr in its first six months of operations. Although the fighting lasted 72 years, the Second Empire of Gashikan was able to finally overwhelm its opponents, the Knaelk Initiate, Ghaefoll Cooperative, and the more powerful Gaellik Outworlds. Only the mysterious high-tech Union of Yoetygg was able to withstand the Gashikan Navy, which eventually turned its attention towards unification with several 'lost' Gashikan colonies (First Unification War).

This war saw the infamous Wolvesbane Project in -1427, where all surviving Vargr in Gashikan Sector outside of Yoetygg were killed using a virulent bioweapon. Only heroic quarantine efforts prevented its spread beyond Gashikan.

Second Race War (-1150 to -1083)

In the centuries after Wolvesbane, the resettlement of Vargr within Gashikan Sector, while inevitable, was a cause for much alarm. Seeking power for himself, Fleet Admiral Janos Brand goaded Emperor Edward the Weak into attacking the Union of Yoetygg and other independent Vargr planets in what was then called the Izar Subsector (later Vilani-Yilean leaders would change the name to Ishigisi Subsector). Admiral Brand's attempt to place himself on the Throne using popular support stalled when the Union of Yeotygg beat back every Gashikan attack using high-tech weaponry. Lasting 67 years, the Second Race War resulted in the deaths of 18 billion Vargr.

Third Race War (-966 to -952}

Started by Emperor Malcolm the Conqueror, the Third Race War began in -966 when the Empire of Gashikan started its "limited" scorched-earth policy in Macedon subsector. An ugly, brutal tactic, it was ultimately successful in destroying all Vargr colonies in the subsector within fourteen years. So complete was the victory that Macedon became known as, simply, Gashikan Subsector.

Fourth Race War (-944 to -938)

In -944 the Empire of Gashikan began moving across what they called the Quest subsector (translated as Karuin Subsector), encountering suicidal Vargr resistance. It had taken them this long because a pocket of worlds here aren't on the Nudashiir Lagani and thus were harder to reach. The Empire killed so many Vargr and starved the rest into submission that many rimward states broke diplomatic relations with the Empire. The deliberate genocide of so many noncombatant Vargr also led to rescue missions by Vargr based in the region that centuries later would become the Julian Protectorate.

Fifth Race War (-867 to -801)

Vargr corsairs had plagued the Second Empire of Gashikan for centuries, hitting isolated colonies and keeping the Gashikan Navy off guard until Emperor Malcolm II began a long-term campaign of eradicating the Vargr pirates and smaller Vargr colonies near Gashikan space. Lasting from -867 to -801, this war ended individual Vargr raids into the Empire for several hundred years.

Sixth Race War (-750 to -670)

The Ngolfarg Massive was a powerful Vargr state in Trenchans Sector that came into conflict with the Second Empire of Gashikan during the reign of Queen Caitrin. For decades the Empire had been systematically raided by Vargr corsairs who used the Ngolfarg Massive as a staging ground, provoking Queen Caitrin into engineering raids of her own against "pirate bases" deep within the Massive. It wasn't until -750, when aggressive Vargr corsairs raided four worlds (at the time named Typee, Brigadoon, Mawli, and Mathison's World), killing every inhabitant, that Queen Caitrin decided to move against the Massive. It took eighty years of bitter fighting and cost the Vargr billions of dead but the Empire of Gashikan finally overcame the Ngolfarg Massive in -670.

Seventh Race War (-540 to -410)

Lasting from -540 to -410, this war was started by Council Elector Rezhyk after his coup against the Regency Council. Xenophobic hatred throughout the Empire fueled the war against the Vargr-controlled Union of Yoetygg and the Ullaek Combine even after the death of Duke Rezyhk. Early successes against the Ullaek Combine destroyed that state quickly but fighting between the Empire and the high-tech Union of Yoetygg continued for 130 years, ending in stalemate (though draining Yoetygg of its resources and technologies to the point that it fell into near-terminal decline).

Eighth Race War (-370 to -321)

Duke-Elector Eduard Pierre staged a coup against the Regency Council and began the Eighth Race War in -370 by destroying Fgelfaek, a major Vargr Potentate naval base. The war expanded to include the Olgaek CoDominion and lasted until -321. The ability of the Gashikan Navy to rapidly deploy substantial firepower on short notice ended the conflict quickly but the Gashikan Navy took heavy losses among its frigate/destroyer-class vessels, prompting a naval review of warship construction within the Empire.

References & Contributors (Sources)

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• Michael R. Mikesh, Angus McDonald via Julian Protectorate
• External Link: Idaho Beef Fan Site - by Damon Bradley
• Periodical: MegaTraveller Challenge49