THE CONDENSED HISTORY OF THE HAPES CONSORTIUM

Long ago, in the now-mythical days before the Hapes Consortium ever existed and the Old Republic was a fledgling government centered around several star systems, a group of human space pirates named the Lorell Raiders roamed the stars, terrorizing more primitive planetary populations. In those days, the number of peoples that had obtained the milestone of spaceflight and faster-than-light travel was relatively few.

The Raiders attacked settlements, villages, and cities on many planets, destroying, pillaging, and stealing the most beautiful human females they would come upon to use as slaves.

It was after many long years of this venture that the Lorell Raiders finally decided to settle within a secluded cluster of planets and end their many years of nomadic pirate life. Due to the fact that the female population on the original planet, Hapes, was comprised solely of the most beautiful women found across the stars, generation after generation of Hapans far surpassed any other human race in sheer beauty or attractiveness.

Over many generations, the pirate traditions of the people faded away, and a culture began to form. The pirates, long ago, had ended up collecting more slaves than there were pirates, so that over a long period of time the female population grew to heavily outnumber the male population on Hapes and its colony worlds.

Because of this, the female population began to gain more and more prominence, and the ascension of the first Queen Mother to rule the Hapan people is regarded as the beginning of the Antiquity years, the glorious past in which Hapan culture flourished and the Consortium grew to span over 63 planets and rule over billions of living beings.

During this great first Golden Age, the arts flourished under the rule of a long and unbroken line of Queen Mothers and the female-dominated society. Tradition became a staple of Hapan social culture, and preservation of the Hapan culture and isolationism became the name of the game in the Hapan mindset. "No one comes in, no one goes out," was the idea. Any interference from the outside galaxy would tarnish their glorious civilization.

The Queen Mothers, in their pride, wealth and lavishness, built grand palaces and beautiful ocean retreats. The sciences flourished along with the arts, and many new and uniquely Hapan technologies began to circulate around the Cluster.

The Hapan Navy, a massive space force and one of many sources of pride to the Hapan people, ensured that no outsiders dared to approach the Cluster, and if any did, they would be eliminated swiftly. Little more is known about those distant years, but some things cannot be forgotten. To put it simply, things couldn't seem to get any better.

They were right. Things got much worse.

The slow growth of corruption within high government circles, like a creeping but deadly disease, began to sow discord among Royal family members. Disputes arose as to who would succeed the former Queen Mother. Secret scandals began to become more and more frequent; the male population began to be abused and treated as inferior.

It was not until the death of Queen Mother Pal'durath that the much swollen tensions beneath the seemingly perfect surface finally burst. The two daughters argued as to who would take the throne, and the Hapan people began to take sides. Populations of other planets within the Cluster rallied behind their own leaders, adding to the Chaos and increasing the number of nobles and military commanders that sought a chance to take the Hapan throne.

Soon, the entire Consortium was fragmented into warring factions, and the military had split up with them. What could be called the Dark Ages ensued, in which nobles that commanded the loyalty of portions of the military would make war upon one another. Power rose and fell, and no one faction could gain permanent supremacy over all the others and end the chaos.

Starvation became a chronic issue on many planets, and the ravages of war began to have a telling effect on the physical conditions of worlds. Innocent civilian populations would die in massive planetary convulsions, the results of decades of ferocious warfare. Many more were slaughtered in senseless massacres or caught in between warring foes.

Hapes itself became the most contested planet in the Cluster, with battles fought on its grounds, in its skies and outside its atmosphere almost weekly. Greed ruled the decisions of the faction leaders as they sought to become the most prestigious and powerful warlords by controlling the capital planet.

Yet, no one group could claim complete victory. As soon as one faction would gain supremacy, several others would band together to bring it down, and then they would all turn on each other and fight like dogs once again. Millions died in battle, and many more died on the sidelines.

It was during the bleak hopelessness and chaos of these dark centuries that a child was born to a farmer named Barret Starfyre.

On the war-torn world of Charubah, this child was raised by a loving single father, who had been used as a pleasure slave by a ruling noblewoman. The man had been thrown out of the court when the noble had unexpectedly given birth to the young child, and the child had been expelled with him.

Forced to work the land to scrounge for food, Andrew's (for so the boy was named) father showered all the love and care upon his child as he could afford. He taught the child of the great days of the distant past, centuries ago, such as when the ruins across the river from their small cabin had once been a mighty city.

It was through such history lessons, and a hard way of life forced upon him by the turmoil that was the Hapan Cluster, that Andrew Starfyre grew to be a young man with a burning desire to make things right.

It all started with a group of peasant friends.

The Phoenix Movement was formed under the co-leadership of Andrew Starfyre and Derrik Florda. The word Phoenix was used to symbolize the goal of the movement: To resurrect the glory of Hapes from the ashes and unite the Hapan people under one benevolent government and ruler.

As the secret movement expanded in underground circles, the civil wars continued, either not noticing the new movement or not caring. What could puny male peasants do? They had no weapons, no organization, no resources. No power.

Over a few years, with a group of bright, dedicated young individuals of mixed gender who had nothing to lose, the Movement grew to span the entire planet of Charubah, with Starfyre and Florda at its head. Drawing on a massive pool of human resources, pulling strings and making contacts, the Phoenix Movement was able to pull together a sizable force of Hapan Quasar Cruisers, the mightiest warships of the time, and other support vessels.

The journey was long and arduous, but time after time the Movement's forces won valuable victories and increased their political power. Under the leadership of Starfyre and Florda, the Phoenix Movement began to challenge some of the more powerful factions.

The Movement faced its greatest test on the day of the Battle of Gallinore, when the warlord Lana Da'tanah and her mighty faction assaulted the much smaller forces of the Phoenix Movement with the hope of bolstering her strength to take Hapes itself.

On that great day, in which the great heroes of Hapan history emerged, nothing other than fate could have decided the outcome of that battle. In a heroic and incredible victory, the Phoenix Movement's forces, outnumbered 3 to 1, routed the superior fleet of Warlord Da'tanah and captured over 30,000 enemy personnel, with another 35,000 choosing to join the movement freely.

During the course of the Battle of Gallinore, Derrik Florda died on the bridge of the Quasar Cruiser 'Song of Peace'. Many other great heroes of the Phoenix Movement fell in that great but costly victory, and those names are engraved upon a great pillar within the Hapan Palace today.

Andrew Starfyre led the desperate Phoenix forces to victory that day after his close friend and comrade, Florda, died. And after that day, Starfyre's name became the most well-known name in the Cluster.

The slow and destructive chaos of the Dark Ages spiralled swiftly to a close as millions flocked to Starfyre's banner. The Phoenix Movement became a Reformation, and on what is accounted as Day 1 on the modern Hapan calendar, Andrew Starfyre at age 24 was crowned the first Phoenix King of the newly united Hapes Consortium.

From that point on the Hapes Consortium moved steadily uphill. Starfyre, now called King Andrew I, was faced with the gargantuan task of rebuilding the Consortium and restoring its former glory.

Over several decades, Andrew led the Hapan people in a massive reconstruction and restoration effort, rebuilding the greatness that had once been the Hapes Consortium. He established a new code of laws, ensuring the equality of all genders and races. He re-established communications with all 63 of the former Consortium worlds and set up an efficient system of government.

Under Andrew's rule, the Hapan people gave themselves a goal to regain what was lost. The fire that had burned in the blood of the heroes of the Wars still glowed.

With a new King leading the great consortium, the need for good men was crying out loud. Andrew, leading the redevelopment of the Hapan military, took on many young upstarts such as Canler, Jessy James, and Sirius Threestars. With such additions the military began evolving with incredibly talented staff and moved forward at an incredible pace. One of the major milestones was the design for the new Hapes Nova Battle Cruiser, the replacement for the aging, venerable Quasar Cruiser. The military expanded, splitting into several branches and growing exponentially.

Andrew led the restoration of hundreds of great cities and landmarks across the Consortium, giving the Hapan people a sense of purpose and a pride that could not be dimmed. The mindset of those days was one of determination. Determination to rebuild what was lost; determination to become great once again.

At the age of 52, with the Consortium still rebuilding but shining in its rediscovered glory, King Andrew I made the decision to finally abdicate the throne and name now-Crown Prince Jessy James as the successor to the Hapan throne. King James would be the man to take what Andrew had rebuilt and lead it into a new Golden Age.

It was during the ceremonies preceding the crowning of King James that King Andrew I was shot in the throat by a sniper in the middle of a massive crowd of hundreds of thousands of well-wishers. The death was devastating to Hapan morale.

King Jessy James I was crowned later that year, and the assassination that had taken place earlier cast a shadow of gloom upon his first years, it seemed. However, King James was not a weakling, by any means, and he quickly set about the task of picking up Andrew's reins and carrying Hapes forward. While King Andrew had been a great leader during times of hardship, a figurehead in an age of trial and war, King James possessed greater administration skills and the ability to take advantage of any situation.

King James had even greater plans. He wouldn't just fill Andrew I's shoes, he would make them bigger! Within a short period of time, he lifted the Hapan people out from their state of mourning and gave them a vision. A vision of a mighty Hapes, a "city on a hill" for all the galaxy to look upon in awe as a pillar of glory. Jessy rebuilt and expanded the ancient Fountain Palace in the capital city on Hapes, making it greater than it ever was, even in the days of the Queen Mothers, setting a true symbol for a great kingdom.

In an unprecedented move, King James's forces took the planet Dathomir and opened it up as a neutral trading center to the outside galaxy. Never before had a Hapan-controlled planet been open to outsiders. Voices rose in protest, but King James knew what he was doing. This decision paid off immensely, as the Hapan economy received a shot in the arm and began to rapidly expand.

Hapans found new and exotic luxuries flowing into the Consortium, and wealth returned once again. Hapes had not been so economically well-off since the Golden Age. Any voices of dissent that had been raised against the King swiftly silenced themselves, and from that point on, King James was given the complete support and love of the Hapan people. He had become a great Phoenix King indeed.

King James' reign took on a new mindset. While Andrew's reign had been one of restoration, Jessy's reign was one of high ambition. Under Jessy's rule, the Hapan people began a campaign to make Hapes greater that it had ever been before… and as a whole race they worked to accomplish this goal.

The Hapan databanks were upgraded to be one of the most advanced online network systems in the galaxy. Communications between the worlds entered a golden age, health care improved, and the quality of life took another great step forward. Not surprisingly, the Hapan population boomed, and the Consortium not only recovered from the mass deaths of the Dark Ages, but became larger than ever before.

King James also sponsored the ongoing expansion of the Hapan military, tripling its size and contributing to the development of the new, high-tech Miy'til starfighter. The military became the dream of billions of Hapan youngsters, dreaming of glory in battle. What young child would not want to be a legend like the great heroes of the Battle of Gallinore? As a result, the Hapan Naval Academy became the most prestigious educational institution in the Cluster, and remains so.

Today, almost every living being in the entire galaxy knows and respects the Hapes Consortium. Honor, glory and pride are the three most significant words in the Hapan culture. A new Golden Age is approaching, and King James I continues his great campaign to make Hapes the greatest civilization in the galaxy.

Interestingly, the debate over which king was better continues. Many proclaim King Andrew to be the greater king, while many proclaim King James to be the greater of the two. However, those that are wiser know the truth. They were two different Kings with two different sets of skills that lived in two different times. Each king's abilities fit the needs of the times, and as such, they will both be forever regarded as great.

King James once commented that politics and the military war games of modern times are much like a chess game, it's all about getting your figures in the right place and using the right characters for the right task. Not only were the times Andrew and James served in different, so was the opponent.