The Star Knights

The Order of the Star Knights began centuries ago on a distant world now known as Citadel. The entity Mentor is a vast neural-mapped cybernetic computer network programmed with the knowledge and experiences of hundreds of thousands of beings—in essence, the sum total of an entire city’s worth of minds linked together to achieve a collective intelligence. Many suspect Mentor is a creation of the Preservers, like many fantastic artifacts throughout the galaxy, but it remains silent on the matter of its origins. Mentor possesses vast intelligence and experience, along with direct control over incredibly advanced technological facilities and a nearly limitless power source. Fortunately, it also has a deep sense of fairness and justice.
When the Lor first achieved interstellar spaceflight centuries ago, the Grue often blasted them out of the stars rather than have any rivals for the space lanes. Mentor detected these conflicts, assessed the actions of both starfaring races, and saw there would be a need for agents to maintain order and protect innocents from harm out among the stars.
Mentor began recruiting brave and intelligent beings, using robotic messengers to ferry potential recruits to Citadel, where it began training the first Star Knights. Coming from a variety of worlds across the galaxy and representing a diverse range of species, Mentor first taught its recruits to respect the diversity among them and conquer any prejudices they previously held. Once their training was complete, Mentor equipped each with an advanced suit of armor with offensive and defensive capabilities and the ability to fly through interstellar space. The Star Knights were charged with preserving peace, order, and justice in the galaxy.
The Lor Republic acknowledged the authority of the Star Knights after witnessing them in action, and most other civilized worlds in the galaxy do so as well. The Star Knights make it a point not to interfere in the internal affairs of other worlds. hey rarely go where they are not wanted, and concentrate on dealing with natural disasters, interstellar crime, and similar menaces. They also protect developing worlds from outside exploitation and conquest. The Grue Unity considers the Star Knights adversaries, although they respect the Knights’ abilities and only challenge them when they feel numbers are in their favor.
There are currently thousands of Star Knights throughout the galaxy, but they’re still spread quite thin, and multiple Star Knights are only seen together in times of great crisis. Each Star Knight is independent and expected to handle matters largely on his or her or its own.
Each Knight wears an advanced suit of technological armor drawing power from the Star Stone, the glowing, multifaceted crystal floating in the heart of Mentor’s complex on Citadel. The Star Stone contains or draws upon a seemingly inexhaustible energy source. The Grue have sought to kill Star Knights for centuries to claim their armor and study it, but whenever a Knight is killed, the armor automatically returns to Citadel (often bringing the corpse with it) or else self-destructs.
A Lor Star Knight, A’Lan Koor, was stationed on Earth for a time. A member of the Freedom League in the late 1960s and most of the 1970s, he was known to Earth simply as “Star Knight.” He eventually returned to space and has risen to membership of the Inner Circle that administers the Order of Star Knights. He is considered a candidate to have his memories incorporated into Mentor upon his biological death, although that is not expected for many cycles.

Structure

Thousands of sentients have served in the Order of the Star Knights over the centuries and the rolls of honor are filled with the names and stories of those who have given all for their higher purpose. Notable current members of the Star Knights include the following:

SRI EE’DOK

Ee’dok (EE-doc) is a member of an arthropod species called the Skr’ee, resembling human-sized, four-limbed spiders. In addition to its other capabilities, Ee’dok’s armor is configured to use its deflector as a tractor beam to move objects (add a Move Object Alternate Effect to the Stellar Shield power), referred to as the “starweb.” In spite of being as carnivorous as Earth spiders, the Skr’ee are a peaceful and philosophical race and Sri Ee’dok has a reputation as a contemplative warrior.

SRI IERUS

Ierus (EE-er-us) belongs to a four-armed humanoid species called the Shoon, and was trained as a gladiator in the game-pits of Zultas before becoming a Star Knight. Although she has had to leave old scores behind, Ierus still bears a strong dislike of Zultasians, and now the Stellar Imperium. She wields a power staff similar to those used by Imperium Justicars, but as a focus for her Stellar Sword and Shield powers.

SRI HASHIK

(HA-sheek) A reptoid Star Knight, with a snake-like lower body and humanoid upper body, including snake-like head. Hashik is a hereditary prince of the Haassaan, a female-dominated species from the desert planet Haassaa. His role, like other royal males, was a largely ceremonial and martial one until his recruitment. Hashik is a loyal warrior who has overcome his cultural prejudices concerning males (and non-gendered sentients) in roles of authority. He sometimes carries a Citadel-made version of a Haassaan ceremonial glaive.

SRI ZARIUS

(za-RE-us) Known to some as “the Silver Knight,” Sri Zarius is a former Lor soldier chosen to serve the Order. Young, talented, and ambitious, he has become known as one of the Star Knights’ most capable new recruits. Unfortunately, the true Zarius lies in a stasis pod hidden beneath the surface of Gruen Prime. The Silver Knight has been replaced by a Hidden Grue infiltrator, mentally conditioned to believe he is the real Zarius, with no conscious memory of his true nature. While Zarius is loyal to the Order, it remains to be seen what his doppelganger will do when his true colors are revealed.

SRI MARIA MONTOYA, STAR KNIGHT II

Maria’s parents were both children of immigrants: her father’s family from Central America, her mother’s from Greece. She grew up in California, where she decided to attend the police academy and become an officer. She earned high marks in criminal procedure, shooting, and hand-to-hand combat, but also had a problem with authority. Her temper got her into trouble on occasion, but she graduated with honors and found a job with the police force.
Officer Montoya worked the streets, dealing with gangs, organized crime, and other risks on a daily basis. A routine investigation led her to evidence of corruption within the department. She was warned to mind her own business, but instead chose to dig deeper on her own. Maria discovered far more than just a few dirty cops; she uncovered infiltration by the alien Grue!
Hunted by the Grue, she found an ally in Pseudo, a rogue member of his race, who sought to warn Earth of the impending invasion. Maria also came to the attention of Mentor and the Star Knights. With the Grue threatening to invade, Mentor appointed Maria the new Star Knight of Earth’s sector of space. She accepted the job and got her initial training “on the job,” helping the Freedom League and Earth’s other heroes against the alien invasion.
Once the Earth was safe, Maria underwent training at the Star Citadel and met her predecessor, A’Lan Koor. Once her formal Star Knight training was complete, Sri Montoya returned to Earth, where she now serves as Earth’s resident Star Knight and a member of the Freedom League.
Star Knight is fairly hard-nosed compared to her teammates—she had to be in order to make it as a woman in a largely male police force. She tends to go for the aggressive solution, although she’s learned some diplomacy from the Star Knights and some restraint from Captain Thunder.

SRI A’LAN KOOR, STAR KNIGHT I

A’Lan Koor was born on a colony world on the borders of Republic space and raised in an environment of independent pioneering, but also potential danger, as his home was subject to raids by pirates and outlaws and of interest to the Grue Unity. He learned at an early age to defend himself and his people, but also the value of diplomacy and a community working together for the greater good. He might well have become a statesman or senator from his world, if the Star Knights had not found him instead. Offered the opportunity to further the cause of peace in the galaxy, A’Lan accepted and joined the ranks of the Order.
Although he distinguished himself in training and on duty, A’Lan Koor’s career as a Star Knight changed after the betrayal of Rojan Lhar. Mentor chose Sri A’Lan to pursue the Black Star Knight to a planet called Earth, home to a primitive human culture on the distant edges of civilized space. For some years, A’Lan lived and worked amongst the people of Earth as the hero known as Star Knight. He joined the first incarnation of the Freedom League and advised the League on matters concerning space and potential galactic threats to Earth. He also developed a deep and abiding respect for Earth-people, so very like the pioneers of his home world.
Eventually, Star Knight defeated Blackstar (as Rojan Lhar came to be known) and completed his duties on Earth. Returning to Citadel, Sri A’Lan accepted promotion into the Inner Circle of the Order, training newer and younger Star Knights and advising Mentor directly. Although he hoped for a peaceful retirement eventually, that is looking less and less likely with upheaval in the galaxy, the overthrow of the Republic, and the formation of the Argents and the Blackguard, led by A’Lan’s old foe, Blackstar.
Chronologically in his 80s (by Earth standards), Sri A’Lan is still middle-aged, thanks to advanced eugenics and medicine, although his brown hair is going increasingly to grey along the temples. Still, his blue eyes are as sharp as ever, even if they sport a few more crow’s feet. The senior Star Knight is rarely seen in his armor any more these days, generally wearing a councilor’s robes while going about his duties on Citadel, although he still has access to his armor and keeps in practice using it.

Assets

THE STAR STONE

The Star Stone is the source of the Star Knights’ power, an icosahedron of crystalline material created by the Preservers uncounted millennia ago. Like other Preserver artifacts, it appears to channel cosmic energy from the very fabric of the universe itself, power linked to the armor of every Star Knight as well as to the primary defensive systems on Citadel, where the stone resides. The Star Stone is powerful enough that no one has mounted a successful attack on Citadel in the entire history of the Order, although Blackstar came closest, using his inside knowledge of the Star Knights and their fortress.

THE INNER CIRCLE

A’Lan Koor is a member of the Inner Circle, the trusted council of senior Star Knights responsible for leading the order with the guidance and assistance of Mentor. Traditionally, the Inner Circle numbers thirteen, allowing for majority votes with the elected head of the Circle as a tie-breaker.
The Inner Circle is responsible for administration of the Order of Star Knights as well as their training and for revising and enforcing the Star Knight’s Code, the body of rules and regulations governing the Order. New councilors are chosen by the Council itself with guidance from Mentor and typically serve until they choose to retire. The very best are chosen to have their neural patterns copied into Mentor’s matrix.
Like the Order itself, the Inner Circle is made up of members of different species from various worlds, brought together in common purpose to preserve peace in the galaxy. The Circle is known for vigorous debate on important issues, but they are all united in their dedication to the Order and its goals. Politics have little place in the Inner Circle’s work and many councilors agree to serve reluctantly, in spite of the honor of doing so, since the Inner Circle tends to favor those who do not seek power.

MENTOR

The true leader and organizing principle of the Star Knights is Mentor, an artificial intelligence housed in the Order’s main headquarters on Citadel. Indeed, the Star Citadel can be said to be Mentor in many ways, his circuitry and consciousness incorporated throughout. Mentor is widely believed to be of Preserver origin, but he has never confirmed or denied this. It may well be he does not know, having been activated some time after the Preservers vanished from the known galaxy for good.
Mentor is based on a complex series of neural “maps” and the technology exists for further mind-mapping. Essentially, the greatest and most capable of the Star Knights have been chosen to have their minds and memories incorporated into Mentor’s neutral matrix before (or shortly after) their corporeal deaths. This ensures the knowledge and experience of the Order is not lost, and allows Mentor’s wisdom to grow over the ages as he guides the Star Knights.
Still, Mentor is not an absolute leader. He shares power with the Inner Circle and serves as advisor, counselor, and coordinator, able to oversee far more than any organic mind. Both Mentor and the Order have always considered it important that Star Knights serve of their own free will, understanding the importance of their work and their oaths. So while the chain of command is respected, it tends to be a short one, and Star Knights are given a great deal of autonomy, so long as they do not abuse their office. Only in times of great crisis does Mentor take “command” of the Order and coordinate their efforts.

Type

Military, Knightly Order

"Sword and shield, Star Stone’s light, shining beacon in our fight, for justice, honor, truth, and right, evil beware—the true Star Knight!"

— The Star Knight oath