Cross of Keltrayu

The Cross of Keltrayu was the second-highest military award for combat valor in the Golden Empire. Unique among the Glorious Armada's awards, it was given only posthumously.

The Cross was awarded "to a servicebeing who, in the face of the enemy, intentionally sacrifices his life to save the lives of fellow soldiers in a display of conspicuous heroism above and beyond the call of duty". Rin Sakaros personally created the award as an homage to her fallen apprentice, Keltrayu, who died under exactly those circumstances at the Battle of Tizgo V.

The Cross was awarded to the recipient's next of kin, usually by a Legate, though the High Commands of the Royal Army and the Royal Starfleet were the approving authorities for the award. Given its requirement for "a display of conspicuous heroism above and beyond the call of duty", the Cross could not be awarded contemporaneously with any lower decoration for valor; it was considered to have equivalent criteria to the Star of Valor, but its requirement for self-sacrifice made it a senior award. The Cross could, however, be awarded alongside the Hero of the Golden Empire.

The Cross of Keltrayu was a gold cross with an embossed image of Keltrayu himself in his last seconds of life, leaping onto a shock tank to impale it with his lightsaber. The cross was suspended from a gold and white ribbon, bordered in red.