Imperial Navy

The Imperial Navy was the primary military arm of The Original Empire (originally known simply as 'The Empire'). The Imperial Navy maintained the peace of the Imperial Realm for over 200,000 years, directly under the rule of the Imperial Oligarchy, a benign monarchy which exercised Sovereingty over more than 50% of the Milky Way Galaxy, until approximately 1200 A.D. (or 1200 C.E.) on the common Earth calendar. In the year 1200 (approximately), the "New" Empire took control of the Imperial Realm, in a Coup, using a distant relative of the Imperial bloodline as a figurehead. Since that time, the Imperial Navy has fractured, dispersing into several factions, including factions which are loyal to the Original Empire, those loyal to the New Empire, those who have declared themselves independent of the Empire, those who have dedicated themselves to the destruction of the Empire, and other factions with their own individual goals.

The Imperial Navy was a force which had no equal in the Galaxy, existing for the purposes of maintaining the loyalty of the Empire's subjugated worlds and systems, and fighting against the chaos and indepency of the pirate worlds and organizations within The Empire. Numerous species of the Empire joined and participated in the Imperial Navy. However, the majority of the Imperial Navy's officers and men were from the Imperial Worlds of Calliate and Bresa. The Calliatians are a humanoid species... one of the original founding species of The Empire... and have an indefinite lifespan (although they can be killed as easily as a human). The indefinite lifespan of the Calliatians is due to the "Genetic Revolution" of The Empire, which occurred about 140,000 years in the past. Such genetic manipulation has long since been ruled "Unlawful", and the Callatian species has suffered many serious problems due to the genetic manipulation of their species.

The Bresa are a powerful and warlike species... and a recent addition to the Empire... subjugated by The Empire approximately 20,000 years ago. The Bresa are Bipedal, but not humanoid. The Bresa have "Bird-Like" faces, including a strong, bony beak, a flat, wide nose, and reptilian, "vertically-oriented" eyes... roughly similar to a cat's eyes. Mature Bresa males stand well over 2 Meters tall, and have a tough, scale-like skin, and are at least 5 times as strong as an average human. Bresa are impeccably loyal, and almost always obey their masters' or commanders' orders without question. Bresa value loyalty and honesty above all else, and will not lie, even under the most extreme duress... although they will remain silent, if speaking would compromise their morals or violate their orders. Bresa often work in close cooperation with Calliatians, whom they respect immensely.

The Imperial Navy was organized into Seven (7) Fleets, consisting of 5 Active Fleets, 1 Reserve Fleet, and 1 Imperial Escort Fleet (which existed for the sole purpose of transporting and protecting the Emperor.). Each fleet was composed of at least 2 Heavy Cruisers, 1 Carrier, 9 Destroyers, and 12 smaller support vessels. Due to the nature and physics of combat in space (in the "Occupied Earth" constructed world) small vessels, which would be considered "fighters", are impractical and not useful as fighting machines. Most combat in space occurs between capital ships, or at least vessels of some appreciable size.

In addition to the 7 Fleets, a few ships were ordered to be constructed -- covertly -- by The Original Empire, in its final years, just prior to the Coup. "Mariposa", a class-leading Corvette that was intended to be the first of a fleet of light assault corvettes, was the only ship of its class ever constructed. During the Coup, Mariposa was confiscated by Captain Marks, who fled with Mariposa to the outlying areas of the Imperial Realm. Mariposa is widely regarded as the most overpowered and over-armed vessel in the entire Imperial Navy, for its size.

Another class of vessel that was ordered into construction, shortly before The Original Empire fell, was the "Hades Class" Heavy Assault Cruiser. The last Emperor of The Original Empire saw a real need for this class of vessel, even though its construction would violate numerous laws of the Empire. Three (3) Hades Class Cruisers were constructed by Spiner Shipyards, prior to the fall of The Original Empire... The Cerberus was a purely offensive cruiser. The Charon was built for speed and maneuverability. The Asmodeus was built for maximum defensive capability, and was intended to be the Flagship of the Emperor, whenever he traveled. All three ships disappeared during the Coup, and are still unaccounted-for.