[Starhawk]

[b]The Icaran Imperium[/b}
The Icaran Imperium has existed for over 4000 years now and Praetors related to the first Praetor Saint Alexander have ruled over it with anything from an iron hand to a velvet glove. The Imperium now extends across 30 systems and thousands of light years added to that it consists of over 200 worlds and 4 mighty Sphere worlds with an estimated population of 300 billion. Due to the sheer size and composition of the Imperium the current Praetor Saint Leonidas the XVI has become in effect the most powerful Praetor ever born and because of this his programs of military expansion have been on the largest scale in the history of Icaran kind.

The Imperium now consists of at least 7 distinct races and although the dominant population is Human the “xenos” or alien races play a large and often times respected part of Icaran society each for their unique skills and mental attributes. Some races are more skilled at trade while races such as the Borbora and Humans make excellent soldiers because of their unflinching belief in the Praetor and his divine right of rule.

Because the Empire has been in what is commonly referred to as “The Eternal War” ever since the days of bronze swords it’s people are grim and determined and this single attribute has allowed them to absorb six alien races and to survive the decades of siege at the hands of the now conquered Cue Cappa and the other races of the galaxy another side effect of this eternal war is that the Icarans have never even considered the possibility of a democratic government and this is the main reason for the EA to have attacked them in the first place.

The Praetors and Sainthood:

Ever since the days of Praetor Saint Alexander the people and priesthood of Icara have recognized the Praetors as a tool of the will of God to rule over mankind in their more then human wisdom and gifts of grace that have been bestowed upon them.
The Praetors are considered the only true saints of the current generations of man and thus are seen as not just rulers but as the iron glove of God and the spiritual leaders to all of his people in times of peace and war. Because of this decreed sainthood and the “divine right” to rule the Praetors have since commanded the unflinching loyalty of all of the Icaran kind and those who have been absorbed into the Empire have even come to see the light and abandon their heathen gods and shamans.

More then just a saint Praetor Leonidas is seen as what might be the prophesized ruler of all mankind, for as he prepares to lead the most powerful Human Empire ever formed besides that of the cruel Earth Alliance into the largest crusade ever, in the hopes of crushing the said Earth Alliance the entire Empire is praying for the salvation of their Empire and for the guidance of Leonidas to lead to the final victory of Icara over the final enemy they have ever faced and to lead mankind into a golden age of Imperial rule.

The Imperial Guard

The Icaran Imperial Guard is an ancient institution dating back to the year 1100 AD and is even now fighting for the survival of Icara. The Imperial Guard is an army of men and women who were hand picked by Imperial Sector Generals from their home worlds planetary defense forces for their skill with weapons and their physical and mental prowess. These men and women are put through rigorous training and tests to prove their worthiness for the honor of the title “guardsmen” and throughout the centuries men and women have literally killed themselves with exertion trying to prove their worthiness.

The Imperial Guard has always been raised from one location at one period of time as the expenses were considered too great to try to pull soldiers from all over the empire to a single rally point to form a single unit. So throughout history guard regiments have been raised from one city or village at a time and now that they have gone to space a single world will raise a single regiment at a time. And because of this Guardsmen are willing to show unwavering courage in the face of even the deadliest of enemies because the men and women next to them probably knew who they were and grew up with them and many a Guardsmen showing cowardice has died by the hands of his or her comrades and before they ever saw another battle.

A regiment is a rather loose term as the size of the force raised can vary from 2000 to 4000 soldiers and in times of need sometimes a half regiment will be raised just to bulk up the defenses of a world or to replenish a regiment that has been utterly decimated but is passing back in system for one reason or another.

Normally regimental casualties are not replaced however and some regiments have been so utterly spent by warfare that only a squad or two of elite soldiers remains baring the name of their former regiment. These soldiers throughout history have gained names such as “The Immortals” or “Death Bringers” and the like and are held in high regard by their peers.

The ranks of the Imperial Guard have more recently been crusading against the numerous alien races that inhabit this galaxy and are soon to face their greatest threat ever when they lead the charge against the Earth Alliance by the divine mandates of the Praetor.

The Storm Troopers:

The Storm Troopers are a recent addition to the armies of Icara as the technology required in creating a trooper has only recently been developed in the secret tech labs of the Imperium. By the mandate of the Praetor himself the Empire needed a force of ground troops that was capable of carrying out those missions that even the bravest troopers of the Imperial Guard could not accomplish.

And so 20 years ago the tech labs went to work and created the necessary biological and technological breakthroughs to create this ultimate soldier. The development happened in two phases, the first was the biological phase which created additional organs and tissues to increase the fighting ability of the Storm Trooper by making his body harder to injure and by allowing him to operate in areas where the normal soldier could not go. The Storm trooper’s vision has been increased as have his senses of hearing and taste, along with these enhancements his muscles have been improved increasing his strength, his metabolic rates have been altered to allow the trooper to increase or decrease his own metabolism in times of need and many more “improvements” which are still classified even to the uppermost military ranks of the Empire.

The second phase of Storm Trooper development came in the development of powered armor light enough and thin enough for a soldier to wear like standard armor. These power armored suites that the storm troopers wear are black and gold in homage to the original colors of the Icaran army thousands of years ago and besides just looking intimidating these suites provide a storm trooper with a tactical edge up over his enemy. Storm Trooper power armor can operate in a near vacuum as well as numerous other hostile environments allowing the chapters to be deployed wherever and whenever they are called upon.
Storm Trooper armor increases all of a soldier’s abilities via elaborate sensors, powered “muscles” and a nearly impenetrable shell of armor around the soldier which allows him to operate with a minimal amount of risk of injury.
However this armor is not cheap and forming a squad of Storm Troopers in full armor is often compared by funding advisors to the raising of an entire platoon of standard Imperial Guardsmen and for this reason only the elite genetically modified Storm Troopers have been granted it’s powerful use.

Storm Troopers unlike Imperial Guardsmen are not raised from a single world but are instead selected at birth and put through numerous surgeries and rigorous training to enable them to form the elite Storm Trooper “chapters” that have thus far not seen any action. Another difference between storm trooper units and standard Imperial Guard units is that unlike a standard trooper the Storm Troopers feel practically no fear as it has been modified out of their nature, this allows them to face even the most gruesome of battle without succumbing to the inevitable battle fatigue that even the grim soldiers of the Imperial Guard would face after decades of warfare.

The final note about Storm Troopers is that they are often regarded with some distain by normal guardsmen who see them as nothing more then men carrying big toys and some IG Generals still argue that if a squad of normal guardsmen were given the same technology as their Storm Trooper counterparts that they could be just as effective if not more so as the two Storm Trooper chapters are still untested in battle.

The Imperial Fleet:

The Imperial Navy has been around almost as long as the Imperial Guard and is often regarded with as much honor and prestige as their Guard brethren and because of this the fleet draws nearly endless flows of volunteers to it’s ranks every year.
Unlike the ground based forces of the Empire anyone fit enough and smart enough to join the navy may do so whether they are from the elite of their populations defense forces or not. Because of this the ranks of the fleet often times outnumber those of the guard and always outnumber those of the Storm troopers adding to them a myth of limitless numbers. Sadly this is not true and the navy is often hard pressed to stop the space based threats that had plagued the Empire during the long sieges by the numerous aliens that roamed the galaxy.
However with those threats defeated the Imperial navy now prepares for the largest war ever known to mankind as gleaming new starships leave the space yards of the Empire and more men and women either volunteer or are “volunteered” into the navy’s ranks to help stem the tide of the oncoming foe.


Decided it might be better just to make a new post since my old one being edited wouldn't draw any new attention.....the actual story will come some time tomorrow.