Interstellar Confederacy

A loosely allied collection of 32 star systems within the Bunkeria and Cemplas subsectors of Core Sector. The Interstellar Confederacy was the largest interstellar government to oppose the Sylean Federation during their 650 year ascendence in the Core Sector.

Formed in -684, the Confederacy was primarily interested in preventing any further technological decline of its member worlds. The Interstellar Confederacy stopped accepting members after it absorbed 32 systems in the Great Spiral region of the Sylean Main. The Confederacy members considered the 32 systems to be the maximum that could be efficiently coordinated.

After its initial formation period, the Confederacy turned in upon itself and made no further attempts to contact adjacent systems until contacted from the outside by Sylean Federation Scout ships in -301. The meeting was an uneasy one on both sides and finally erupted into open warfare a hundred years later as the Sylean threats of expansion into Interstellar Confederacy territory increased.

The centers of power within the Interstellar Confederacy rested with the four to five tech level 12 worlds it contained. Individual planetary rights were paramount in its charter - so much so in fact that the Confederacy rarely achieved the cooperation necessary to carry out its intention to halt the slow loss of technology and loss of general prosperity.

Civil War

Internal dissension within the Interstellar Confederacy finally resulted in the outbreak of hostilities late in -239 when combined forces from Protalus (Core 0128), Marsus (Core 0127), Iacus (Core 0325), {{WorldS|Oorpic|Core|0324, and Domitar (Core 0224) attacked the Confederacy Capitol of Sketola (Core 0622).

The rebel forces, commanded by the fanatical Baron Rolf von Toerbach, swept aside the system's defenses, subdued the orbital starport complex, and landed three crack divisions of Marsian troops on the world's surface. Within two months, the entire surface of Sketola was in rebel hands.

The Confederacy government withdrew to Keplo (Core 1322) and rallied their forces. The Confederacy was essentially cut in half, with the rebels controlling most of the Great Spiral systems in the Bunkeria subsector, while the loyalists controlled those in the Cemplas subsector.

A series of minor raids and squirmishes occurred over the next year and a half, but no major actions were fought. Finally, in -237, the rebel fleet attempted to open a second front at Belicose (Core 1523). After a protracted battle in the system, the rebels were forced to withdraw back to Sketola. The loyalist's Internal Security Force inflicted particularly severe losses to the rebel forces lead by the famous pirate leader, Boss Tarkel.

The Confederacy pursued the rebels back to Sketola. Once in the system, the Confederacy forces trapped the rebels near Magnia Sketola (the system's largest gas giant) and crushed the remnants of the rebel fleet, ending the Civil War.

The Civil War severely weakened the military might of the Interstellar Confederacy, effectively eliminating it as a serious contender for domination of the Core Sector. Without the Civil War, the Confederacy would have been a serious rival to the Sylean Federation, and as such could have radically affected the founding of the Third Imperium.

The Interstellar Confederacy had very few contacts with outsiders, and those that it did have were generally not pleasant. However, after contact with the Sylean Federation, the Confederacy steadily weakened in influence until finally in -17 Cleon convinced a number of member worlds to pull out of the Confederacy altogether. By -1, the Interstellar Confederacy ceased to exist as a government entity, conquered more by the apathy of its members than by any hostile intent on Cleon's part.

- Source: Periodical: MegaTraveller Travellers' Digest No. 9