The Prime Ascendancy

The Prime Ascendancy is a multi-system government believed to be near the Hydra Nebula of the Vast. It was founded by an unknown species calling themselves ascendants and has remained isolated and hidden from the galaxy since before the time of the Gap. They are driven by the belief that pureblooded ascendants are the most perfect species and seek to bring all others beneath their rule.
In 269 AG, an ALQ scout ship exploring the Vast made first contact with this star empire, and the Ascendancy's starships promptly destroyed it. Every interaction between the Galactic Alliance and the Ascendancy since then has ended in similarly efficient and overwhelming violence — no ship has survived direct contact with them, including two Galactic Alliance diplomatic envoys. Since then a Neutral Zone has been established around the entire Hydra Nebula, but recently there have been reports of increasing Ascendancy activity to include sightings of of the green hulled Ascendancy warships in the Vast beyond the Neutral Zone’s borders. No one has even seen the true form of an ascendant, only their emerald green imperial armor.
The Prime Ascendancy supposedly claims over a dozen star systems under its hegemony, from the lush inhabited worlds of Thenekral to the lifeless but resource-rich planetoids of Irdinang. All are subject to the Ascendancy’s laws and dominance, and all must offer to the Aeon Throne their tribute—tribute that the empire greedily consumes as it expands. Likewise, every one of the empire’s 17 officially designated “sentient alien species” are considered second-class citizens or worse, subordinate to the pureblood ascendants descended from the original pioneers who form the empire’s aristocracy. Slavery is a venerable and established institution in the star empire, and androids, who are considered neither citizens nor truly sentient, comprise the majority of the empire’s vast enslaved underclass.
The Prime Ascendancy is governed from an unknown world, home of the Aeon Throne that serves as the seat of power. The empire’s supreme leader is called the Star Imperator, a role filled for the last two millennia by the Rezal dynasty. The current Star Imperator is Erest Rezal. Each star system in the Star Empire is governed by either an arcidux, a hereditary noble, or an exarch, a high-ranking admiral whose title can’t be inherited. Most arciduxes have ancestral lands on the Ascendancy's throne world, as well as a planet or two as their personal fiefdoms. A duxillar is the hereditary ruler of one (or rarely multiple) planets. Lower-ranking noble titles are sardat, each of whom rules over a moon, major space station or large province on a planet; and dominus, rulers of even smaller territories. The ascendant commoners make up the illustar class, which is also sometimes considered the lowest noble title. This is the highest social position which a non-ascendant citizen of the empire could reach.
The Prime Ascendancy’s military is divided into two major branches: the Imperial Fleet and the Aeon Guard, as well as an auxiliary paramilitary made up of non-ascendants called the Alien Cohort. The Imperial Fleet, the space navy of the Ascendnacy, consists of both ascendants and non-ascendants, with the officers being predominantly ascendant. Its size and strength rival those of the combined navies of the Galactic Alliance. The Aeon Guard serves as the elite infantry with the purpose of protecting and expanding the empire and quelling insurrections; only pure-blooded ascendants are accepted into the ranks of the Aeon Guard. The Alien Cohort, which accepts recruits from all non-ascendant species, is the smallest arm of the Ascendancy military. Despite being treated as expendable, the Alien Cohort isn’t lacking in recruits, as it is one of the few ways for a non-ascendant to gain status in the Prime Ascendancy.

Founding Date

Unknown

Type

Geopolitical, Empire

Capital

Unknown

Demonym

Ascendants

Leader

Erest Rezal

Leader Title

Star Imperator

Government System

Monarchy, Absolute

Location

Unknown