Fiction:Calydonian Republic

The Calydonians originated from a small band of settlers fleeing persecution at the hands of the mightier Xhodocto, when they brought war to the universe. They settled on Nova Calydon, a lush jungle planet, and began to expand, taking advantage of the lack of gravity wells in the area to push to new limits. The Republic flourished for hundreds of years; but they were to soon figure out that they were not alone. The warlike, vicious Lydyans were not to be trusted; although they agreed to maintain the hyperspace border the two factions had established, war would soon brew, and none could deny it. But the outcome of this was beyond anyone's foresight; seven hundred years after the founding of Nova Calydon, 700 AF, the Lydyans began to prepare for war. Their antiquated coal plants were unable to keep up with the energy requirements of their factories, and desperate Lydyan leaders pushed for a new power source. For five months, Lydyan scientists began attempting to channel the energy from one of their stars into nearby orbital factories, to increase production. But they paid dearly for their experiments; the star's core went supernova due to a lack of proper tools, and the nearest hundred star systems were obliterated by the explosion, including several Calydonian systems. Hundreds of others were bathed in gamma radiation; although the Lydyans' had natural resistance to all forms of radiation, the Calydonians did not. Now, only the core of the Republic remains unscathed. The survivors in the outer colonies scavenge for what they need, living in a lawless space often raided by pirates and other survivors. The Calydonians and Lydyans, although not at a state of war, continue to make aggressive overtures against one another while slowly picking up the pieces, hoping to reestablish their once glorious empires. Calydonian technology is relatively primitive compared to the mightier universal races. Although they exploit solar power and even fusion, they mostly rely on coal hidden deep within the many T0 planets they own. These planets are bathed in radiation from the supernova; death rates amongst workers are high, but the pay rate is enough to entice thousands more to their certain deaths to provide power to the few remaining T1-T3 planets, those at the core. The military, although weakened, still uses some advanced technologies, such as FTL travel and plasma weaponry. Ships are relatively small, holding only about two hundred crewmen, and are mainly armed with torpedoes and sometimes heavy plasma cannons for ship-to-ship combat. Vehicles are mainly treaded and rely on old chemical-based explosives to fight; airplanes even still use propellors and antiquated engines, although the few starfights left have more advanced fusion engines. Civilian technology is mediocre; robots are avaliable to the rich, as well as fusion-based cars and solar power. Most of the middle class must work for a living, and many rely on rapid transit for travel, which includes everything from metro transport to interstellar ferries. Currently, only one conflict is ongoing. The Tholian Cold War, named for the Tholian Gravity Well near the star Aluhambra, has been going on for six years now, as fleets from both factions orbit the neutral civilized planet of Coros, both respecting the hyperspace border established so many years ago.