Vachik Enclaves

The Vachik Enclaves are a collection of approximately twenty star systems that were carved out of the Knesp Empire in the late 4500’s by the Vachik Exiles. While the Vachik Enclaves are small and sparsely populated, they are rivals with the Knesp for the title of the most technologically advanced species within the Tempest Sphere. The small size of the Enclaves has limited their influence within the Sphere, but they have earned a reputation as ruthless pragmatists playing their rivals off each other to enhance their position.

As the Enclaves were forged through conquest by the veterans of the Revolt of the Exarchs or their descendants, the Enclaves are a highly militaristic society. The Enclaves are the source of some of the most prestigious and capable mercenaries within the Tempest Sphere, and are often seen fighting in many of the region's numerous conflicts and brush wars. Despite their initial tensions the Vachik Enclaves and Knesp Empire have formed cordial if not exactly friendly diplomatic relations. However this working relationship has lead to an alliance of sorts with the Vachik Enclaves providing support to their allies during the Jorros Incursions.

This alliance helped the Vachik Exiles form another Coalition of Tempest Sphere powers in an attempt to stave off the Imperium's invasion of the Tempest Sphere, and the Enclaves in particular. After several battles however the Coalition collapsed and the Enclaves were conquered by the Imperium and would form the core of the modern Tempest Protectorate.

Population

The Vachik Enclaves are fairly sparsely populated by Vachik despite their name. On most planets the Vachik account from anywhere from 15-25% of the population. However the Vachik wield total military and political power. Descended from soldiers, the majority of the Vachik population forms a military aristocracy ruled over by many disposed noble families such as the Etresi's dating back to the early years of the Imperium. However the majority of the Enclaves population consists of enserfed aliens such as the Anesad who have little to no freedom and are effectively slaves to their lords. Other species such as the Knesp have limited citizenship and have greater rights than the serfs, but are still regarded as second class citizens.

Government

The Enclaves effectively share the same government as the Etresi Imperium albiet on a much smaller scale. They are ruled over by an Emperor elected by the Council Lords.

Capital: Baten
Head of State: Emperor in Exile
Legislative Body: Council Lords

Military

The Vachik Enclaves maintain a small state funded fleet and army, however the majority of the Enclaves military is made up of private militias controlled by the nobility. These private militias are required to defend the Enclaves from outside threats in the case of a Council declared state of war, but for the most part are left alone by the state. Instead these private militaries are used as mercenaries for hire working throughout the Tempest Sphere, and making lucrative amounts of money, which naturally the Enclave government takes a chunk of the proceeds and allows the Enclaves to maintain, in theory, a excessively large standing army.

Economy

The Vachik Enclaves boast a fairly modest economy compared to the major powers of the Tempest Sphere. With too small of a population base to be a manufacturing superpower the Vachik economy is primarily geared to producing smaller amounts of high quality advanced technology such as Vachik computer and cybernetic systems. However the most lucrative section of the Vachik economy is the arms trade with the Enclaves serving as a major weapons broker to the Tempest Sphere.

Communications

The Vachik Enclaves are linked together by a system of Drive-Sat Com Arrays. These orbital installations are equipped with miniature jump gates which are used to send unmanned data drones rapidly between star systems. The information is uploaded on arrival and logged into the Arrays database and encrypted to be broadcast via traditional communication methods such as laser transceivers and radio arrays. These Drive-sat Comm Arrays were an attempt to copy the Knesp Subspace Relay System while not as efficient they are better than standard couriers.

History

In the late 4500's the Vachik Exiles arrived en mass near the borders of the Knesp Empire. Never intending to spark a war, jittery nerves on both sides lead to the outbreak of hostility between the two species. The Vachik Exiles quickly overran the local sector military forces and seized control of many Knesp Systems. The Knesp Grand Army and Fleet launched a counterattack which quickly bogged down into a stalemate with heavy casualties on both sides. Unable to withstand the losses the Vachik agreed to withdraw from many of the Knesp occupied systems in exchange for a peace treaty and military support to contain the Shrike. Facing their own problems with the Shrike and unwilling to sacrifice more soldiers over, for the most part, relatively unimportant border-worlds the Knesp agreed and the Vachik Enclaves were born.

From these worlds the exiles quickly tried to rebuild the Etresi Imperium. However their efforts were marred by inter-cine squabbles after the death of Kasairas Etresi, who died leading a military expedition against the Shrike as part of the Treaty despite his advanced age. Eventually a semblance of order was restored within the enclaves under the leadership of one of Kasairas Etresi's grandsons Raevec Etresi. The Vachik Exiles became a military aristocracy ruling over the enclave's mostly, at this time, Knesp population. Many of the old Imperial Nobility retained control of their private militias and used them as mercenaries for hire, growing incredibly wealthy off the warfare of the Tempest Sphere.

Part of their contract payment came in the form of slaves, especially Anesad PoW's who were often captured during the endless squabbles between the Anesad clans. This influx of PoW's and the high Anesad birthrate quickly lead them to dominate the demographics of the Enclaves, with some 60% of the Enclaves population by the time of the Abolition War. However this slavery made enemies of many clans within the Ark Consortium, while the Anesad normally do not work well together, many seprate clans banded together to free their enslaved kinsmen from the Vachik. The ensuing Abolition War was an incredibly bloody one, with billions of Anesad and millions of Vachik dying in the conflict. With the Vachik using their Anesad slaves as cannon fodder and dealing with slave uprisings with drastic reprisals. Even so, many Vachik military units were wiped out in the conflict and many old Imperial families were wiped out or devastated. The Etresi family, for instance, lost nearly everything and by the end of the war only four members of the family were alive, their expansive holdings were reduced to a few estates, and their military reduced to the 33rd Privikani Lancers.