The Frontier

Narrow corridor of space on the further reaches of the western spiral arm of the galaxy on the fringes of known space. A millennium ago the Frotnier was actually closer to the center of the civilized galaxy, near the heart of the Ghram Imperium and was a main artery of commerce from the Ghram homeworld to the various worlds that served the Imperium, most especially the territory now encompassing the Rigellian Empire, which at the time was the Ghram's agricultural base and main food supply and the Sekhmet Collective, where most of their technology was constructed. Once established, the Frontier became a lifeline for the Ghram, and would, three centuries later, become the battleground of history.

In 1329, the First Rigellian Uprising began, and was soon quelled by the Ghram and their Siridar footsoldiers. Further uprisings happened in 1340, 1346, and 1350, which ultimately led to the Rigellian Revolution of 1360.

Had the Ghram not been distracted by their own Siridar revolt (which left them with few loyal troops with which to put down the revolt) the Rigellians would not have been successful in quelling the revolt, and indeed the entire matter pivoted more on the unthinkable mutual destruction of the Ghram and Siridar homeworlds than anything the Rigellians did--nearly every engagement in the entirety of the revolution ended badly for the Rigellians, save when they pressed their attacks on crippled Ghram bases and ships.

In the wake of the Ghram leaving known space and the Siridar becoming nomadic, the Frontier was then absorbed into the newly-declared Rigellian Empire. Still a valuable commercial area, the Frontier also served as an added buffer between the Empire and the newly independent Sekhmet, who generally stayed within their own borders.

Gradually, the Frontier lost its primacy, as commerce shifted closer to the Galactic Core, specifically the capitals of the Khephren Confederacy and the Rigellian Empire. This arrangement would remain virtually static until the Rigellian War.

While no battles were actually waged on the Frontier during the Rigellian War the Frontier would nevertheless grow in importance as a new base for the UEF, essentially hemming the Rigellians who were in no condition after the War to refuse. They ceded the territory to Earth in the Treaty of Nova Rycon, the document that brought the War to its conclusion.

Following the completion of the Rigellian pullout, Earth began an ambitious plan to reestablish the Frontier as a place of commerce. Within months, Earth construction crews were busily construction major space colonies and terraforming planetary colonies. Mining colonies were established on planets rich in gevenite and refineries were built in the orbits of local gas giants.

With these initiatives, a new influx of humans were shipped to Earth, primarily from ethnic groups who'd been the vanguard of Earth's colony building initiatives since the beginning of the Century Plan. With them came the familiar scourge of crime and vice, most under the control of criminal Syndicates like the Blue Dragons or the Pirate Clans.

In the first ten years of its existence under Earth rule, the UEF generally adopted a hands-off policy towards governing the Frontier, creating figurehead position of Sector Governor to oversee the territory, in recent years, with a strengthening Rigellian Empire and the massacre on Axanar increasing tensions with the Slehmet, Earth has begun a policy of militarizing the Frontier, and converting Kuran's sister colony Zelan into the largest military base in a ten-sector region. Economically, this has had a chilling effect on non-military businesses and the Syndicates have also found their activities sharply curtailed as the Frontier gradually enters an informal state approaching martial law. The story is ongoing.