[090127]

So BKS 0, same as CL 0, is the start of the BKS/Confederate League calendar. In some arbitrary space-faring civilization somewhere out in the galaxy, something happens (we don’t really know what) that causes Bradly and Keno (members of the aforementioned civilization – we don’t actually have an official name for this race, I’ll call them “founders” for simplicity’s sake) and a number of their kind to arrive in the Milky Way 1600 years later. That’s not to say their journey took 1600 years; they just arrived 1600 years later.
A primitively industrialized, humanoid race in the Milky Way (not the one we know as humans) was “civilized” through alien intervention, eventually forming the basis of the BKS Empire. Officially, the start of the Empire is BKS 1770, but by that time it already covered a significant portion of the galaxy (something like 10%?). Standards of living rose with increased technological developement and penetration, and the empire continued to expand as new worlds and resources were brought in.
Somewhere around 1850 marks the height of the BKS Empire in terms of technological capability. There must have been some sort of major conflict during this period, as 50 Symphonia class and 15 Ultima class very-heavy battleships were built between 1800 and 1850. Another 15 Dogma class ships are built at the end of the 1800s. By 1900, the Empire probably covers something like 30% of the galaxy, but some factor – possibly whatever conflict it faced in the middle of the 1800s = has stopped its expansion. As its boundaries start to shrink, colonial worlds are cut off from the core and ultimately “lost” for the time being.
Furthermore, as the number of Founders shrink relatve to the native population, Bradly and Keno (presumably still the leaders of the empire) decide to hand over imperial control to the native population. Thus marks the start of the Senatorial era, starting from BKS 1889. It proves to be somewhat of a bad idea, as the Senate proves itself barely capable of running the still very large empire. The state begins a rapid decline for the next twenty years. Suddenly, in 1912, fueled by the loss of the old BKS capital (due to a technological failure), the Empire finds itself in a civil war, with a Conservative faction supporting the few remaining Founders and a Progressive faction supporting the Senate.
The senate somehow manages to build another group of super-heavy battlecruisers as “proof” of their capabilities, winning a lot of supporters. A major push by the Conservatives is repelled in 1920, and a short truce follows. In 1926, the Conservative faction soundly defeats the Senatorial forces and a compromise, a peace treaty, gives birth to the Confederate League. Another entity, New BKS, is also established at this time, but little is known about it (I’m actually series here – this is J’s faction but he hasn’t really developed it).
Victory comes at a high cost. A lot of documentation is lost in Senatorial dis-information warfare. History of the empire and of the Founders before 1900 is suddenly very scarce. A lot of technological know-how is also lost. Legends and lost-technology come into existence. The number of Founders left in the system is next to nothing. Even Keno is presumed dead, though his brother, partially through popular support, assumes the role of the chair of the Confederacy.
The next two hundred years sees a continual, slow decline in all aspects of the Confederate League, despite it being a period of peace. Much of the League’s BKS-era military equipment is too expensive to maintain. Some of the original Symphonia class ships continue to roam the galaxy; nonetheless, the League’s control over the various ex-BKS worlds is nonetheless limited. The Confederate decline has spurred discontent on some worlds. Lack of resources has meant that recent internal conflicts in 2221, 2229, and 2248 have been brutal and protracted. The Confederate “present” is CL 2051.
Obviously we have some pictures for this update, but the catch is that they’ve all been posted before. Conceivably they’ll make a bit more sense now.
http://colette.trianglesoft.net/2009/img/0901/mac037.jpg
Senatorial Capital, BKS 6, 1885. The BKS capital is originally located at BKS 1, “main planet”, but is moved to BKS 6 during the senatorial era, probably due to the progressive party’s attempt to break from the old reign. When the empire dissolves into the Confederate League, the capital is moved back to BKS 1, which is re-numbered Confederate League 3.
http://colette.trianglesoft.net/2009/img/0901/mac038.jpg
BKS Abyssia and BKS Materia, Confederate League 53A, ex-BKS 53A. Two major battles during the civil war were fought over BKS 50 and BKS 53. As such, these colonial worlds are littered with the remains of old BKS battleships. The Abyssia and Materia are both members of the original 50 Symphonia class ships.
http://colette.trianglesoft.net/2009/img/0901/man041.jpg
Bradly and Keno, BKS 2, 1912. BKS 2 “jungle planet” is the base of the conservative faction throughout the civil war. It is later renumbered as Confederate League 1, as remains the industrial center of the Confederate League. It is also hosts the headquarters of the state-owned production and transport service BC Inc.
http://colette.trianglesoft.net/2009/img/0901/071118a.jpg
Bradly and Keno. Apparently the lifespan of a Founder is something like ten times the length of a human. Bradly has been alive since before the creation of the Empire and is only recently planning to step down as chair of the League. The lifespan of a Native is probably on par with that of a human – something like 100 years.
http://colette.trianglesoft.net/2009/img/0901/071119a.jpg
Senator Kaska. Originally a [disciple?] of Keno. He is a native. Eventually becomes the chair of the senate; he is probably the most powerful person in the galaxy during the civil war. Eventually gets shot by Keno as depicted in Reflection. As a side note, Reflection should also make a bit more sense after this entry. Reflection implies that, during the civil war, before the 1926 Conservative offensive, Keno went around assassinating key members of the senate. It is also mplied that the loss of leadership of the Progressive faction effectively helped the Conservatives win the war.
Starcrossed also gets a bit more background with this entry (though many of the names of places are still going by an old system). The first battle takes place during the 2221 conflict and the rest of the story takes place during 2229. The lack of Confederate military firepower is evident with the destruction of the Ultima squadron and the heavy-carrier itself by rogue forces. As the original of her class and just shy of 300 years old, the destruction of the Ultima could also be seen as the destuction of a historic entity.
Ok, that’s it for this entry, maybe more BKS/CL ramblings in the next entry.