Andulvan Ascension

The Andulvan Ascension is a Minor Empire located in Sector Z. The Ascension was founded by the symbiotic pairing of humans and the unusual and powerful Andrals/Avadrens. The Andulvan Ascension claims a total of eleven stellar systems in its dominion, as well as the six quantum front native Nets. The Andulvan Ascension in its current form was established by the First Awakening, which ended the Void Wars 2756 years ago. The Void Wars were fought between the Andrals and the Avadrens, and nearly annihilated both sides, until the arrival of the humans into the equation ended the war and began a new age.

Fresh from a slow rebuilding following the T'klon-Ascension War of 1932AD, the Ascension has reentered the Greater Galaxy with a new awareness of its own vulnerabilities and strengths. The Ascension economy produces little due to its focus on excellence and on producing the highest quality goods possible. However, as one might expect, Ascension goods are widely considered to be among the best money can buy, and are in high demand from those with the wealth to afford them. In addition, a thriving trade in navigation glands from quantum parasites has grown up in the Ascension, and has greatly aided the Ascension in rebuilding after the T'klon-Ascension War.

Ascension policy and law is legislated by the Forum of Awakened and is executed by the Consul and his or her Directory. Over time, the Ascension has evolved a highly complex and comprehensive legal system governing personal rights, interstellar travel, commerce and intra-Ascension relations. The Ascension's laws are upheld by the Seratian Guards, an elite force tasked with the duty of maintaining peace and order within the Ascension.

Socially, the Ascension is noted to be one of the most tolerant cultures in the Greater Galaxy, and merit is highly valued. Outsiders who are not listed under the list of forbidden individuals and forbidden places of origin are welcome to visit the Ascension. Immigration to the Ascension is open to all, but those who have not yet been Awakened may not hold public office or vote. However, most immigrants are Awakened within ten galactic standard years of entry into the Ascension. Customs procedures are simple and visas are easily available to those seeking entry into the Ascension.

T 980.2451/452.789 O M 758.5132/859.82

The Ascension is located in a Matter/Energy quantum zone with a exceptionally high handling ratio, a high advancement ratio, and an abundance of matter and energy. Tech storms within the zone are significantly below average, just below average in frequency, average in duration and insignificant in size. The Relations Guide indicates an open culture with a highly stable political climate. The Ascension is friendly to the aims and ideals of the Omnet.

The Ascension quantum zone is also a Life/Energy quantum zone with a high handling ratio, average advancement ratio, and a high quantity measure. Mystic storms are average in magnitude, very infrequent, below average in duration and small. The Lifeforms Guide indicates the presence of at least one species significantly different from the human norm, and a total of three sentient species in the quantum zone.

Technology:

Technology within the Ascension is significantly above the galactic norm. The Andulvans have always strove towards the advancement of knowledge, and with it has come great improvements in practically all forms of technology, notably drive systems. In almost all fields of practical technology, the Andulvans have made pioneering research and developments. Their spirit of inquiry has led them to become some of the best scientists at theoretical and applied sciences.

The primary advancement of the Andulvan Ascension is in the field of drive systems. In this field, the Andulvans have been aided by an uncanny understanding and empathy with the Void and its most obvious manifestation, the quantum fronts. This has resulted in the development of the frontrunning drives that harness the power of the quantum front to propel the ship through the quantum zone at tremenduous speeds.

Further, another recent advancement by the Andulvan Ascension has been in the field of tapping into the Binding Void to create massive Void Gates capable of greatly speeding interstellar travel. These Void Gates are still at the experimental stage, and a single test Gate has been set up near the Dolorein System, with a matching Gate in the Xenochictoal System in Sector Y. Preliminary testings have been positive, and it is anticipated that should these gates meet with the approval of the Safety Commission, they will greatly speed interstellar travel, even between different quantum zones.

Mystics:

The Ascension has a mystic development level just below the galactic norm. The Ascension uses mystics frequently, but less development has been done in that field than in technology.

The Andulvan Ascension is acknowledged by the Galactic Union as a Minor Empire. Commensurate with that status, the Andulvan Ascension has a seat in the Agora with full voting rights. The Andulvan Ascension maintains a strong presence in the Agora. The current Ascension representative to the Agora is Ambassador Alhana Veyvarden.

Size and Population:

The Ascension's dominion spans 8 stellar systems in the Andulvan zone, one system in the T'klon zone and two in the Vendikai quantum zone. In addition, the Six Wandering Nets provide a mobile home for a small fraction of explorers who seek to move themselves closer towards their Avadren/Andral halves.

The total population of the Ascension according to the Census of 2100 is 124 billion Awakened and 1 billion citizens awaiting Awakening.

Foreign Affairs:

The foreign policy of the Andulvan Ascension has always been one of tolerance tempered by a firm conviction in the ideals of the Ascension as laid down in the First Awakening. The mindset of the Andulvans is externally motivated, and foreign affairs are of deep importance to the Ascension. After the dual fiasco of the Vendikai and the T'klon, the Forum of Awakened pays a great deal of attention to the foreign dealings of the Consul and his Directory. In addition, IGNM coverage of events outside of the Ascension are avidly followed by a majority of the Awakened.

Omnet: The Andulvan Ascension has an excellent relationship with the Omnet. In fact, the Omnet has been of significant aid in setting up a dedicated information system to enable the democratic process of the Forum to be expanded from a mere representative body to a system where all the Awakened participate in the decision-making process of the Ascension. The Omnet, under a special contract agreement, provides advisors and technical aid to the Ascension to maintain that information and decision-making system.

Fartrade Coalition: The Ascension made first contact with this Major Empire shortly after its First Contact with the Omnet. The Fartrade Coalition and the Andulvan Ascension established friendly relations swiftly, and the Ascension benefited by gaining access to defensive and offensive technology with which to upgrade its Defense Force. Relations with the Coalition are cordial and an exclusive distribution agreement for the frontrunner drives has been signed between the Coalition and the Ascension.

Lights of Ja'lel: The Ascension's encounters with the Lights and its political and governmental structure were to have a profound influence on recent Ascension history. The concept of excellence in all endeavors, which had begun to fade among the Awakened, was revived and taken to the natural pinnacle, with the result that the Ascension regained a reputation as an exemplary source of some of the best goods money can buy.

Minor Empires: The Ascension considers its relationships with other Minor Empires to be of significant importance. A great deal of effort has been done in the field of joint training exercises with the Shakhan Clans, the Shocklar Republic and the Free Aleiyan Kingdoms.

Flora and Fauna:

The Andulvan Ascension has a wide array of flora and fauna, most of which are too diverse and varied to be described in this entry. However, there are two of significant note to the Greater Galaxy. These are the Awakened, as the members of the Symbiosis between Andral-Avadren and humans are called; and the Veldani crystalline entities.

The Awakened:

The Awakened certainly are one of the most unusual specimens of life in the Greater Galaxy. They came into being during the Blending, and as such, inherited the chief strengths of both the quantum front-native Avadren-Andrals as well as the human hosts. The Andulvan physiological structure is fundamentally human in nature, however, several major changes are present in all Awakened. The first is a specialized organ deep within the bodies of all Awakened. This organ is rich in a half dozen flows of energy/essence delicately woven with matter/mana, and is the most obvious sign of the Symbiosis. This organ is linked in turn to a network of special nerve linkages that connect it to the brain of the human host.

The Awakened are also different from their human counterparts in the fact that they are extremely resistant to the spatial disturbances near quantum fronts. They are capable of harnessing, for a limited time and in limited amounts, the local energy produced by the quantum fluctuations and utilizing it to sustain themselves while in the front or its immediate surroundings.

Veldani crystalline entities:

The Veldani crystalline entities are in many ways a remarkable example of the diversity of life that the Greater Galaxy produces. These immense crystalline entities are native to the Andulvan/Vendikai and Andulvan/Shakhan quantum fronts. These semi-sentient entities feed off the energy of the quantum fronts. The Veldani entities were soon converted into warships by the Andulvan Starforce when their incredible resistance to energy-based weapons and incredible leveling abilities were discovered.

Geographical Conditions:

The planets within the Ascension display nearly all known major geological and geographical conditions.

Major Population Center:

The Shining City of Majreska, which covers the small continent of Joranin is the capital of the Andulvan Ascension. The Shining City is home to the Citadel of Stars, build over the ruins of the old Federal Senate Hall. The Citadel was the central meeting place of the Forum of Awakened in the days when it was a representative body, and now serves as the meeting place of the Directory, Princip and Consul. In addition, the Temple of Stars opposite the Citadel is considered by many to be the religious and philosophical center of the Andulvan Ascension, for the Church of Stars' role in the dissemination of Leanna Veldan Yeowlan's dreams.

In addition to Majreska, the four provincial capitals have significant populations, as do the individual territorial capitals.

Andulvan history claims--at least on the human half of the symbiosis--a direct link to the time of Kendis Dai and the Lost Imperium. The materials thus far revealed to outside historians reveal a strong federal union of three stellar systems as far back as 1008BC, referred to by historical notes as the Alanthiel Federation. Curiously, no mention has been found in these records of the Shattering of Suns or its effects on the early Alanthiel civilization.

This civilization, though stable enough, was plagued by repeated minor fluctuations in reality, a side effect of the Void War that was at that time raging over the quantum zone. It must be noted that the humans were fortunate that by the time of the Federation, the most destructive phase of the Void Wars had ended with both sides suffering terrible casualties, and with both sides unable/unwilling to wield their most destructive weapons for fear that it might destroy both species. Neither the Andrals nor the Avadrens were willing to chance mutually assured annihilation if their most destructive weapons were to be used. In fact, neither side had the capacity to wield those weapons any longer, for the secrets of their creation had been lost. The general scope of this document does not permit an in depth examination of the Void War and its causes.

In 654BC, the first signs of the Void War were detected by Alanthiel scientists studying the Andulvan/Ventikai Front. The scientists, studying this mysterious region of space were privileged to see an Andral on their sensors. The Andral, one Alda'vetral by name had been badly injured in a battle with a squadron of Avadrens. He had drifted out of the quantum front and was now visible to the limited sensors of the Alanthiel scientists. Alda'vetral was picked up by the stunned scientists and taken towards the sanctuary of a remote scientific outpost in the Dolorein system. The news of first contact with an alien species was swiftly covered up by a nervous federal government, fearful that the news would cause a federation wide panic. Especially as the alien was wildly different from any normal lifeform. Extensive containment fields and equipment were set up to hold this alien specimen for further study, preventing Alda'vetral from fleeing back to the quantum front.

The Andrals and the Avadrens were not thoroughly ignorant of the humans who shared their quantum zone. However, prior to this first contact, they had not considered the humans to be sentient or dangerous. The humans, of course, had no comprehension of the existence of the Andrals or Avadrens, nor of the Void War that had raged over their quantum zone.

All attempts by both the Alanthiel scientists and Alda'vetral to communicate with one another proved futile. The conceptual psychic language of the Andrals was incomprehensible to the Alanthiel scientists, and the Alanthiel language was of course incomprehensible to the Andral. Both sides despaired of ever making any kind of contact with the other. However, events were to bring about a startling series of events to change that. The realization that these humans were capable of trapping them within fields that they could not break, accomplished one thing that all Andrals and Avadrens had thought impossible. The Andrals and Avadrens agreed upon a ceasefire until the full nature of the new human threat could be determined. As one, the Andrals and Avadrens, once mortal enemies, began to study the human threat.

In 653BC, an Alanthiel xenobiologist, Jimena Veldan joined the crew of experts attempting to make contact with the captive Andral, whom they had begun to call Alda'vetral. Unknown at the time, Jimena Veldan was pregnant, a fact that was to prove of great importance in the Symbiosis process. Alda'vetral, faced with a mind just beginning to form, was able to initiate a psychic contact on a higher scale than any prior contact. The unborn child was heavily influenced by this contact.

In the latter half of 653BC, Jimena Veldan's pregnancy was discovered, and she was removed from the staff of the project for fear that contact with the alien might adversely affect her child. By this time, Alda'vetral was aware that despite the quantum flux near Dolorein, he was slowly perishing due to the containment fields blocking him from his brethren and from sufficient amounts of the quantum flux to sustain himself. Just prior to Jimena's removal, Alda'vetral was able to link himself into Jimena's mind through her unborn daughter and implant an imperative into her mind. Under that imperative, Jimena deactivated the containment fields and allowed Alda'vetral to meld his being into the person of her unborn child. Alda'vetral's dying energy form was able to draw upon the inner tenacity of Jimena's daughter to join into a rare and unusual form of symbiosis. He discovered that by Blending himself with the human life of Jimena's daughter, he could not only survive the separation from the quantum front but prosper outside of it. And a daring plan formed in his mind.

The first successful Blending was merely the beginning. The scientists who worked on the project discovered that their mysterious subject had vanished, and that the containment fields had been breached, it seemed, from within. The Federation, under the leadership of Consuls Verona Saridean and Marsholas Gavin began secret preparations for war. The Wight Project, as the study of the Andral Alda'vetral had been designated, was disbanded and its members shunted to various secret positions of importance in the United Federation Starforce.

In 652BC, the first Awakened was born to Jimena Veldan and Torran Yeowlan. This year also marked the beginning of an epochal change in the philosophical outlooks of both Avadren and Andral. They had observed the Dolorein incident, and were aware of the sudden disappearance of Alda'vetral in 653BC. As one, they assumed the worse, and noting the increasing danger that humanity posed to their continued existence, should humanity find a way to enter the quantum fronts that were the Avadren and Andral native habitats, they prepared themselves for a preemptive strike. Humanity, in its turn, was blithely unaware of the growing storm that threatened to sweep them aside.

In 641BC, the combined Avadren and Andral forces struck at the humans, beginning a new Void War, one that was no longer between the two natives of the quantum front, but against the humans whom, in the consciousness of the Andrals, had slaughtered one of their own. The war was a singularly one-sided affair. Despite their relative impotence outside the quantum front, the Andrals and Avadrens were not totally helpless. They were able to manipulate immense energy fluctuations to create energy storms and other disruptions in the reality of the quantum zone. Their attacks were swift and brutal, destroying most of the United Federation Starforce within the space of a few months. The humans, not knowing the source of the attacks, were helpless beneath its onslaught, and much of the Federation was reduced from a highly advanced civilization back to a pre-spaceflight civilization under the terrifying effects of the energy storms lashing their worlds.

The Alanthiel Federation, unable to keep up communications with its member states, collapsed in 635BC. The last remnants of the Starforce were destroyed in 632BC while attempting to carry out the last orders of the Wight Project's senior team members, who requested that they attempt to open a containment field near the Andulvan/Vendikai Front in the hopes of finding or killing any aliens like the Andral Alda'vetral.

Meanwhile, on the distant and now backward world of Johlan, the Blending of Alda'vetral and Leanna Veldan Yeowlan was reaching towards maturity, and a new sense of awareness of the unique entity that she was. For the Blending, though not all that Alda'vetral had hoped for when he gambled his existence on it, was still something that might save both species. The Andrals and Avadrens were unable to propagate their species any longer. The Void War had done irreparable damage to both species' ability to reproduce. In addition, neither species had anything left in them but the deep need for war. Where there was none, they would manufacture one to satisfy that craving for conflict, for a sense of artificial growth that would for a time submerge their own lack of any culture apart from the Void War. They had lost a part of themselves in the nearly eternal Void War, and they no longer had the knowledge to find their way back to the proud and beautiful races they had been before the Void War tore them apart.

The true First Awakening was a gradual process for Leanna Veldan Yeowlan. Contrary to the expectations created by the title assigned this historical event, the First Awakening was not a sudden flowering of awareness of what Leanna truly was. Rather, her awakening to her powers under the subtle teachings of Alda'vetral was a lifelong process that began when she was but a child. And commensurate with her advancement in the latent powers of her Symbiosis came knowledge. She learnt from the symbiont residing in her the terrible knowledge of the Void War, the cause of the energy storms, and the terrible knowledge that unless Avadren, Andral and humans were able to somehow aid each other, all three would perish.

In 630BC, at the age of twenty two, Leanna Veldan Yeowlan joined the Johlan Space Program, a desperate attempt by the Johlan Plenipotentiary Council to find and restore the fading memories of the interstellar Alanthiel Federation. She, however, had other plans. Her dream was not of just trying to restore the Federation, a stopgap measure that would end when the Andrals and Avadrens chose to renew their war with humanity, it was a more powerful and all encompassing dream. While on her first spaceflight, she deliberately disobeyed orders and took the JSS Freedom Star towards the Andulvan/Ventikai Front. Her gamble was that with her symbiotic powers, she might be able to get close enough to the front to harness its power and enter for a time to find the Andrals, to reveal the truth and offer them a chance to save their dying species.

The full details of Leanna's meeting with the Andrals and Avadrens is too long for this basic overview. Suffice to note that it was a success, and the concepts of the First Awakening slowly began to spread. And with it, came the knowledge that the Blending could make all three species stronger. The Andrals and Avadrens were not unaware of their own extinction, and when offered the chance to bring about a renewal of all three species, a majority of them accepted.

Leanna was later to play an even greater role as peacemaker and then as the new leader of the Andulvan Ascension. It was under her leadership that the concepts of the First Awakening were made the basis of the Ascension's new constitution. With the aid of the Andrals and the Avadrens, the Andulvan Ascension was officially founded in 628BC.

Trust on all three sides was low during much of the initial stages of Symbiosis, but no significant troubles flared up until Leanna's death in 584BC. Anti-Symbiosis factions within the Ascension orchestrated a successful assassination attempt on the First Consul while she was attending a mystic show on Alanthiel Prime, throwing the fledgling Ascension into chaos. The frightened Forum of Awakened, still too young to have any true understanding of Leanna's dream, reacted with frightened force. Severe crackdowns were organized by the Awakened. Even more severe citizen violence broke out in Johlan, Dolorein and Questan, where Leanna was practically glorified as a goddess. Anti-Symbiosis supporters were slaughtered by the hundreds, often by mobs of furious and frightened citizens. Fear at what the Avadrens and Andrals might do now that their chosen representative to the humans was dead filled many, and led to even more atrocities committed by both Pro-Symbiosis and Anti-Symbiosis factions.

In 581BC, the Forum of Awakened, unable to control rising violence on Johlan and Dolorein, declared martial law on the Ascension and selected by de facto agreement one of their number to fill the vacant seat of Consul. Kylanvrin Vaden was the eldest of the Awakened, and a brilliant orator and statesman. He reached out to the people and slowly restored peace to the Ascension. Anti-Symbiosis supporters were hunted down and brought to trial, as were those responsible for the massacres of Anti-Symbiosis supporters. Under him, the number of Awakened were slowly increased as more and more Avadrens and Andrals Blended with humans. In 560BC, he lifted martial law and called for general elections. He himself did not compete, instead retiring to his home of Alanthiel Prime to write his memoirs, an important and lucid guide to the events of that age of terror.

By 103AD, the Awakening of all citizens within the Ascension was complete, and the process of rebuilding the Ascension had reached a new height. Culturally and politically, the Ascension was at peace with itself. Progress in almost every field of science and mystics were high. A first wave of colonization ships were sent out to five other stellar systems, and the process of colonization began anew.

In 1187AD, the Six Wandering Nets, crafted using the brilliant ideas of the engineer Anaya Collan, were launched. These Wandering Nets became home to a great many Symbionts who sought a place more familiar to their Avadren or Andral halves. Consul Joran Omnachin himself inaugurated the first of the Nets, charging them with the duty to "Go where no Andulvan save our honored First Consul has gone before." The first of the Wandering Nets entered the quantum front in 1189AD, drawing energy from the fronts and then beginning its long journey of exploration.

Crossfrontal travel became commonplace after 1492AD, when Joshara Navidren and the independent Dolorein Militia Ship Victorious successfully pioneered the first crossing of a quantum front. By some cosmic coincidence, the quantum zone across the front was surprisingly compatible with that of the Andulvan's, and within a hundred and seventy years, proper technologies and mystics were known to the Andulvans. Soon, Andulvan companies were crossing the front on a regular basis to obtain minerals and other materials that were found in abundance there. However, no worlds were terraformed, and no habitable ones discovered in the three systems that Joshara Navidren and his companions explored.

In 1673AD, this idyllic time of exploitation was cut short by the appearance of a military ship of the Vendikai Commune. The Vendikai, a race of humans living in the Vendikai quantum zone, were centuries behind the Andulvans in technological development. Their mystics were not that far behind the Andulvans, but it was not capable of matching Andulvan technology due to the low handling and quantity measures of the Vendikai zone. However, the Vendikai, unaware of that, opened fire on the strange interlopers. It was, to say the least, a terrible mistake.

A Johlan militia vessel, the Glorious returned fire. The militiamen overreacted and blasted the Vendikai cruiser apart. Half fearful of retaliation, the Johlan forces sent back all merchant and mining vessels in the system and launched a messenger probe through the front requesting the intervention of the Andulvan Starforce.

Images and reports from the Glorious raised a fervor against the Vendikai. 87% the Forum of Awakened voted to deploy the Twenty Eighth Battle Group against this new threat, with a mandate that the Twenty Eighth Battle Group stay in the Vendikai zone for as long as the crisis lasted. Diplomatic officers were attached to the Twenty Eighth Battle Group to conduct negotiations should the Vendikai be amendable.

The Twenty Eighth Battle Group entered the Vendikai zone and was met by a scene of overwhelming devastation. The Glorious and two other militia ships had been utterly destroyed, and many of the mining and agriculture stations on Corranos leveled by orbital bombardment using nuclear weapons. Admiral Kyrchen overruled the diplomatic officers and ordered the Twenty Eighth to locate and neutralize the Vendikai threat before negotiations were opened. The hunt was not to last for long. The Vendikai met the Twenty Eighth and were shattered upon the superior might of the Twenty Eighth.

In 1674AD, after moping up the last of the Vendikan's small and underequipped navy, the Twenty Eighth landed on Gudavan, the homeworld of the Vendikai Commune and instated military rule upon the Vendikans. The Andulvan society as a whole remained only peripherally aware of the Vendikai protectorate, due to the massive internal rearrangements that were going on with the return of the first of the Six Wandering Nets to the Ascension. The social upheaval as these explorers and pioneers returned to their homeland was significant, and the Andulvans were content to allow for military government of the Vendikans with the aim of upgrading their cultural development to a level capable of self-government, conveniently ignoring the fact that the Vendikan people had been governing themselves for centuries without Andulvan aid.

In 1891AD, the Andulvans granted sovreignity to the Democratic People's Republic of Vendikai, led by youths educated in Andulvan universities and with a primarily Andulvan outlook. The DPR sundered relations with the Andulvans shortly after its independence was assured, and have since then maintained only minimal ties with the Andulvans. However, the Andulvans were not particularly concerned. Friendly relations had been set up between the Ascension and the Shakhan Clans in a neighboring quantum zone.

Shortly after the freeing of the Vendikai came a momentuous occasion for the Andulvan people. An Omnet Wavefront Runner penetrated into Andulvan space and found a thriving empire perfectly ready for integration into the Greater Galaxy. First contact protocols were rapidly completed and the Omnet's presence welcomed by the Andulvans. The Andulvans were swift to capitalize on their unique position to become a multi-zone trade power. Their industrial capacity was awesome, aided by massive facilities in both the DPR of Vendikai and the Shakhan Clans, and within a few years, the Andulvans were extremely rich. In addition, they soon learnt that their unique Symbiosis permitted them to function relatively unimpeded in areas of terrible quantum flux, and enterprising merchant marines soon made a thriving business in harvesting navigation glands for TFPs grew up around the Six Wandering Nets.

In 1932AD, strained ties between the T'klon Imperium and the Andulvan Ascension erupted into open warfare over the disputed Sharasta System, whose government had called upon the Ascension to liberate it from T'klon occupation. Andulvan forces, under the aegis of the Consul and Forum, liberated the Sharastans and forced the T'klon occupational forces to retreat. The T'klon reaction was predictable, six T'klon Shock Fleets crossed into Andulvan space and were met by the Third and Seventh Battle Groups in the Ichindar Wall. In this fierce battle, much of the Third was vanquished and the Seventh forced into retreat under the fierce onslaught of the Shock Fleets. However, the Seventh was soon reinforced by the Eighth Battle Group and successful threw back the T'klon and entered T'klon space to end the threat of T'klon invasion. The T'klon were forced to the treaty table in 1934AD after the fall Raes'Tkan to the Tenth Battle Group; their navy and army was reduced to a minimum and the Sharasta System was ceded to the Andulvans. For their part, the Andulvans willingly financed the rebuilding of the T'klon and restored all captured territory to the T'klon. The war was costly to both sides, with nearly six million Andulvans and twenty three million T'klon killed, and immense amounts of property destroyed as a result of the two warring fleets.

Since then, the Andulvans have maintained a low profile in the Greater Galaxy, consolidating its hold over its three small foreign possessions, and preparing to reenter the political map of the Greater Galaxy with a new sense of their mission to extend the concepts of the First Awakening to the rest of the Greater Galaxy.

The government of the Andulvan Ascension is divided into three main branches, the executive branch represented by the Consul and his or her Directory; the legislative branch represented by the Forum of Awakened and the judicial branch represented by the adjudicators and the Seratian Guard. This separation was laid down in the precepts of the First Awakening.

The Forum of Awakened is the central legislative body of the Ascension. The Forum has evolved rapidly since the Andulvan's contact with the Lights of Ja'lel to its current form. The Forum was originally an elective body selected once every ten years, and with exactly half the members retiring in a staggered form every five years. However, in 1912AD, the Ascension began the implementation of a new Forum involving all Awakened within the Ascension. The new Forum was developed by the Awakened with the aid of the Illuminated and Omnet technical advisors, and is patterned after the governing system of the Lights of Ja'lel. The guiding principle of the new Forum is one Awakened, one vote.

Under the new system, the Forum and the Ascension as a whole are divided into three main levels: Territory, Province, National. These three levels of the Forum correspond to the administrative divisions of the Ascension. The new Forum is made up of a system of impartial synthetic minds and the natural low-level psychic link of all Andulvans. The synths and biolinks at each level ensure that all Awakened have the capability to propose legislature; obtain information on all policies and initiatives of the Consul and the Directory; and has full voting rights in the Forum. Like the Lights, legislature is vetted thoroughly at the territorial and provincial levels before it is proposed for the broader jurisdiction at national level.

The executive arm of the Ascension is still held in the office of the Consul and his or her Directory. The Consul and Princip are elected every ten years in a national level election. The Consul and Princip then select a Directory for approval by the Forum, thus completing the executive arm of the Ascension government. The Consul, Princip and Directory are tasked with the formulation of policies for the Ascension, subject to the approval of the Forum, and the executing of the legislation of the Forum. In addition to the Consul and Princip, individual provinces and territories have their own elections to elect executives tasked with the executing of territorial and provincial legislation.

The judicial arm of the Ascension is represented by two main groups, the adjudicators who act as the judges of the Ascension, and the Seratian Guards, who serve as the enforcers of Ascension law. The adjudicators serve at all levels and are the ultimate arbiter of a law's legality in the eyes of the precepts of the First Awakening. The High Adjudicators are chosen by the Director of Justice from the ranks of the adjudicators and Seratian Guards and approved by the Bar of Adjudication, the highest legal body in the Ascenion.

Andulvan culture is uniformly egalitarian. Though differences in wealth are present in Andulvan society, there are no class or caste differences. The three guiding principles of Andulvan society for the last two thousand years have been based upon the writings of Leanna Veldan Yeowlan in her treatise on the ideal society for the Andulvans. These principles are: Excellence in all endeavors, shared sacrifices and rewards, and the equality of all, no matter what race or or nationality they might originate from.

Society as a whole is influenced by the Church of Stars, whose membership included both First Consul Yeowlan and her successsor, Consul Vaden. The Church moved swiftly to bring about the completion of First Consul Yeowlan's dreams. Her writings were canonized and her dream disseminated to practically all congregations. The prestige of the Church rose as the Awakening continued to gather force, until it became the dominant religion in the Ascension.

The society as a whole is highly dynamic and mobile. As a result of the encouragement of the Church and the Andulvans' own natural curiosity, society is very aware of the Greater Galaxy and foreign events are followed avidly by the average Andulvan. Living conditions and education are excellent, and the Andulvans are acknowledged as having one of the better education systems in the Greater Galaxy. Society as a whole is highly devoted to the concepts of individual rights as far as these rights do not interfere with the rights of other individuals. The concepts of shared sacrifice and reward are deeply ingrained in the mindset of the Andulvans, and has led to a society with a high level of civic consciousness.

The Andulvans treasure natural beauties and significant areas on all planets within the Ascension's dominion have been set aside as natural reserves. In addition, Andulvan architects have done much to blend natural beauty with the city. Thus, all Andulvan cities are pristine and disturb as little of the surrounding environment as possible.

Entertainment:

Leisure in the Ascension is heavily dependent on the individual tastes of the Awakened. The finer arts such as literature, sculpting, music, poetry are favorites among many of the Awakened. Physical sports are also great favorites among the Awakened.

Andulvan telepresence hauntings are often noted for their depth of emotional portrayal and often beautiful treatment of the human/non-human spirit. The telepresence industry is imaginative and often provides unexpected gems of creative worth for the edification of the Greater Galaxy

As with all things Andulvan, the economy is noted for producing little, but what little that is produced is of the highest quality possible for the Awakened. For so long self-sufficient, the Andulvan economy produces all manner of goods.

As one might guess, there is a certain amount of importing and exporting, despite the Andulvans self-sufficiency. There is generally a moderately large surplus of certain goods that are exported to the rest of the Greater Galaxy. Under an exclusive distribution agreement with the Fartrade Coalition, the advanced frontrunner drives have become one of the principal exports of the Ascension, distributed throughout the Greater Galaxy by the vast resources of the Coalition merchant fleet. Another key export are high quality goods produced by the master crafters of Johlan, Alanthiel Prime, Veyyil, and Gheldan. These high quality goods are in demand by the wealthy of the T'klon Imperium and other neighboring Minor Empires.

The wealth generated by the harvest and sale of the navigation glands of quantum front parasites for use in the manufacture of TFP has allowed the Ascension's government to maintain a fairly large military force without the need for high taxation on the Awakened. In addition, this wealth funds some of the more important social welfare systems used by the Ascension to ensure that all Awakened share in the joint prosperity.

The Andulvan Ascension maintains a strong and capable defensive force in the form of the Andulvan Starforce. These defense forces have been greatly improved since the increase in the wealth of the Ascension permitted the Andulvan Starforce to greatly expand the Andulvan Starforce's capability to project large amounts of force to most quantum zones in its efforts to ensure that Andulvan interests are not interfered with. The Starforce have a long and illustrious history, and pride themselves on having never acted the aggressor, but have always won if forced to give battle.

The mainstays of the Andulvan Starforce are the Twenty Eight Battle Groups. These significant fleets are organized into twenty eight fleets and stationed both within Andulvan space as well as in several areas of interest to the Ascension, most notably the T'klon Imperium, where they act to check the natural aggression of the T'klon, and ensure that the terms of the Treaty of Moras are upheld.

The elite frontline soldiers of the Starforce, known as the Vaden Guard, are excellent soldiers. They are flexible, innovative, intelligent and uniformly well trained. The Vaden Guard provides the crew for all the frontline Battle Group vessels, especially the Veldani Attack Carriers and their supporting fast cruisers and destroyers.

The bulk of the Starforce is made up of the Defense Corp, which also serves as a logistics and supply body for the Vaden Guard. The Defense Corp is responsible for the supply of proper equipment to the Vaden Guard when they are on duty in foreign quantum zones. Most Awakened serve in the Defense Corp at one point or another in their lives, though service is not compulsory.

The Defense Corp, while not up to the elite standard of the Vaden Guard, are very good soldiers in their own right. They are uniformly trained for service in at least two or three quantum zones. Many members of the Defense Corp maintain their membership in the reserves even after their service ends.

In an empire like the Ascension, it is difficult to pinpoint exact chronic problems due to its age. The general efficiency of the Ascension in its various fields has also rendered it difficult to locate any major chronic problems of note.

However, one external threat to the Ascension has been noted. As stated in the history subsection of this entry, the Andulvan Ascension imposed several unequal terms upon the T'klon Imperium following the T'klon-Ascension War, most notably the decomissioning of all T'klon Shock Fleets and the reduction of the T'klon military to a standing force of one million. The enforcement of these terms, however, have been growing lax in recent years. It is widely believed by most experts on regional politics that the T'klon are rearming themselves for a second war with the Ascension.