Odestrian Imperium

"In Imperium!"

- A common Imperial saying for "For the Imperium"

The Odestrian Imperium (Panasian: Imperium Odestram) also known by the state letters I P P O (Imperium, Planets and People of Odestria) (Panasian: Imperium Planetus Populusque Odestram), sometimes called The Odestrian Empire and Panasian Space, or less often called The Holy Imperium by religious folk, was a large galactic power existing in Wild Space and the Unknown Regions of the Galaxy.

The Odestrian Imperium was a benevolent Autocracy under the control of an Emperor and it was made up of many races who inhabited the galactic south-west. The most dominant of these races was the Panasians, a near-human species who boasted massive regenerative powers. The Imperium itself existed in many incarnations ,the current being the Fourth Imperium. At its height the Imperium controlled thousands of worlds and held major holdings on 237 planets in the Unknown Regions. During the Rise of the Galactic Empire the Imperium suffered from border skirmishes with the new state but the two superpowers remained in a steady and uneasy peace. The darkest time for the Imperium was the Yuuzhan Vong war. The Odestrians fought on the side of the New Republic and the Greater Galaxy but suffered heavily during the invasions, losing their economic and mining powerhouse, Chiev. Following the War and the subsequent rise of Darth Krayt, The Imperium fell into a major decline which would see the rise of a renewed Republic.

Origins
"For as long as we can remember the Imperium has existed to protect the interests of the people of Odestria and those who fight for her."

- Lorekeeper Nicek Tokotov

Prior to the founding of the First Imperium, Odestria was a planet divided into a numerous amount of Nation States. Given the Panasian ability to regenerate non cauterized parts of their body, wars between these states lasted for a long time. In 8000 BBY the war known today in Odestrian History as "The Great Continental War" started and lasted for a solid two millennia until 6000 BBY. It was here were Panasian history changed course with the arrival of the former Jedi Knight Odestre Sanatov, known today in religious and historical texts as the lord "Odessan." Sanatov was a rare species, lost to history but is said to have had the ability to live for millenia, perhaps longer. It was under the unified rule of Odestre Sanatov that the Panasians of Panas IV (Odestria) were able to discover and master space travel in a speedy 100 years. It was then that the Panasians of Panas IV set out to unify the Panasian Core, unbeknownst to them that Panasian resided on other planets there as well such as Coraz and Odestragrad.

Following the Unification of the Panasian core in 5200 BBY, the new Panasian Union sought to extend its influence over a large degree of space. Historical evidence as well as religious texts cite that it was under the lord Odestre Sanatov, now known as the diety Odessan, that the Panasian Union was able to bind together as cohesively as it was. Once the entirety of the Panasian Core was controlled, Panas IV was renamed "Odestria" in honor of their lord and the first constitution of the First Odestrian Imperium was ratified in 5123 BBY.

The period from 5123 BBY to 5054 BBY was known as the First Great Imperium Expansion. Due to the discovery of the "Hyperdrive" from Sanatov's ship in 5267 BBY the Panasians and their new Imperium were able to expand past the Panasian core using the hyperlane now known as "the Panasian Trail" there they were able to make there way into the Inner Imperium and annexed the planets of the sector, including the Human colony of Rah'Katov thus beginning the full reign of the First Imperium.

First Imperium (5123 BBY - 4123 BBY)
The First Odestrian Imperium was described by many as a "Theocratic Absolute Monarchy" under the command of Odesre Sanatov. Since the people of the Imperium saw him as a diety they had no issues claiming their government to be a theocratic state. As the Imperium continued its expansion into the Galactic west it came across much opposition to what appeared to be a Hegemonic rule by the Panasians. As the First Expansion came to end in 5054 BBY, the Imperium began expanding east of the Panasian core, coreward towards the Inner rims of the Galaxy. In 5053 BBY the Imperium came into contact with the Galactic Republic, leading to what is know called the Republic Contact War. The conflict with the Republic was reserved to a couple of planets before both governments made it clear that full-scale war was not an intended outcome. This lead to the Treaty of Odestria, where both governments agreed to not encroach on each other's territory.

Around the time of the Great Hyperspace War in 5000 BBY the Imperium began to settle worlds south of the Panasian Core, one of the largest gains being that of the Barakian Fence. The Barakians were distant relatives of the Panasians and Humans and as such both groups shared plenty. This period was called the Great Imperium southern expansion. Once a significant part of the southern area of the Unknown regions was annexed under the Imperiums rule one of the most shocking things in Imperial history happened. In 4200 BB Odestre Sanatov was betrayed by his "Disciples of Odessan", each of them running him through with their blades and making a scene which would look similar to the Emblem of the House of Sanatov, Odestre's family seal. In the wake of this, all expansion ceased and a massive funeral was held for the now martyred Sanatov, who underwent apotheosis and became known as a god, who ascended to the grip of the Force.

Following the death of the now god Odessan, the Imperium came under the control of his next in line, one of the traitors and perpetrators of his death, High Lord Xervov. Under Emperor Xervov the Imperium took on a more authoritarian and xenophobic tone. Expansion continued in a much more brutal fashion then it had before and from now one, any systems that did not join the Imperium would either be forcefully annexed, or risk annihilation. In 4143 BBY the Imperium made contact with the Hudrons of the Nickian Expanse and demanded them to join the Imperium. The Hudrons declined and what is known as the Western Great War started. While not particularly massive on a Galactic scale the War was brutal and costly. On 5 planets which bordered the Nickian Expanse massive ground and naval wars raged. The planets in what is now known as the "Nitan Sector" of the Odestrian Imperium consisted of Alnell, Vizegrad, Fortos, Bictret and Frthee, the last two now reside in the fortress system known as "Castrum Nitan." The war raged for twenty Galactic Standard years, with both sides being bled by the attrition. Whenever plans for peace arose, Emperor Xervov declined, stating that "the only way the war would end would be with the surrender of destruction of the Nickian Union." As the war approached its waning months it continued to get increasingly unpopular on Imperial worlds. This coupled with the peoples hatred for Xervov culminated in mass desertions on front line worlds and cease-fires which would be put in place against give Imperial orders. In the closing days of 4124 BBY the Odestrian Military has ceased combat operations against the command of the Emperor and in 4123 BBY, the Imperium fell to Revolution after lasting for a millennium.

The Odestrian Revolution
In the wake of the mass ceasefires imposed by the Imperial Officer corps against the will of Emperor, Xervov made an imperial decree stating that anyone who ordered a cease fire was guilty of treason against him. Naturally, this move was unpopular among the people, and the military. In order to protest this, civilians and soldiers took to the streets on Rah'Katov, Odestragrad and Odestria, protesting Xervov's reign and demanding he abdicate. As a response, Xervov unleashed the Imperial guard on Odestria and the "Massacre of Xervov" was committed. Thousands of civilians were slain and Xervov ended up loosing any support he had remaining. Mass protests soon erupted on all major Imperium controlled worlds, statues of Xervov being destroyed and banners depicting his image tarnished and destroyed. Back on Odestria, Xervov became increasingly volatile and angered his orders becoming increasingly sporadic. The Imperial force sensitive order, the Disciples of Odessan finally could not take Xervov's authoritarian rule and joined the cause of the revolutionaries. At this point Xervov fled Odestria and flew far into the unknown regions. The war with the Nickian Union ended in the Odestra-Nilof pact, a treaty of mutual defense between the two peoples. The first Imperium disbanded and the Odestrian Republic was born.

The Odestrian Republic was described strictly as a "Republic" in the place of the Emperor's position arose the Imperial Senate which was democratically elected by the people of the Imperium. The Senate would elect a Supreme Minister to act as a consul and that Minister would serve for 5 years until the next Senate election. The Senate had political parties, the largest of which initially being the "RevolitionalPartei Odestra" or "Odestrian Revolutionary Party", often identified by the double helix emblem they used during the revolution. The Disciples of Odessan changed their name to the Order of the Odestra Knights and many of their religious connections to Odessan were sat aside. During the early years of the Republic, the Senates first order of business was to find and kill Xervov, who had fled to the farthest reaches of Odestrian Space in the attempt to find refuge in the Galactic Republic. In order to prevent this, the Senate authorized the blockade of the two major hyperlanes leading into the Republic, The Imperium Hyperway and the Panasian Trail. In 4111 BBY Xervov was found by an Odestrian patrol attempting to make a jump to the Core world, his ship was promptly boarded but he managed to escape and flee back into Odestrian territory. Back on Odestria the RPO was having issues keeping up with their political promises with the people. Many of the executive decisions were falling into bureaucracy and even the decision as to what to do with Xervov became a heated debate in the senate. Regardless, the Revolutionary state continued to function, if slightly less effective. The New Odestrian Republican Military continued to search for Xervov within the Inner Imperium until finally, General Ardek Blezzus, an Odestra Knight, found and confronted an aged Xervov on Bestria. His intention was to bring him back to Odestria for a trial, but the crazed Xervov attacked and Blezzus was forced to end the mad former Emperor's life. The news of Xervov's death was met with praise and joy back on Odestria, people paraded throughout the streets of Odestralee and Ladvidago but there was another issue. The RPO lost significant standing in the Senate and there was massive unrest. Politically, the Odestrian Republic fell into stasis and everything from the economy to social reforms went into decline. During the senate election historically said to be 4100 BBY the Senate came under the majority command of the restoration party known as the "NowusImperium Partei" or "Imperium Now! Party". Under the command of the hero, Ardok Blezzus, the NIP passed reforms which brought the faltering Odestrian Republic back up from the brink of collapse, the Military was reorganized and the governmental structure was altered so that the Supreme Minister had more executive power in the attempt to remove the bureaucracy from impeding government decisions. Under the NIP, the Republic took on a far more federal organizational structure. Rather than being divided up into sectors, the Republic would be divided into several sub governments acting like semi-autonomous provinces. The Panasian areas where turned into the "Panasian Union", named after the initial entity of the Unified Panasians. The Human areas mainly around Rah'Katov were turned into the "Union of Rah'Katov," centered around Rah'Katov. The Barakians were given the Barakian Fence and created the Confederation of the Fence. Any Hudron majority areas were designated as the "Hudron Union." This federal organization lasted until the end of the Second Imperium War.

For 27 galactic standard years the NIP ruled the Odestrian Republic with an unquestioned majority, showing that the people did not want a simple republic. It was in the nature of those raised in the Imperium, mainly the Panasians to have an Emperor. While the democratic nature of the Republic in terms of the Senate was a well embraced aspect, it was the strong militarism of the Imperial days which the people desired most. As a result of this in 4073 BBY, the aged Ardok Blezzus was crowned a the new Emperor of the Odestrian Imperium, starting the age of the Second Imperium.

Government and politics
"Panasians work in a unified Autocratic society."

- Lorekeeper Nicek Tokotov

Government
In its current form, the Odestrian Imperium runs on an Autocratic system where the Emperor holds supreme and overarching authority over the three major aspects of the Imperial government. The government itself is highly centralized as most if not all important business is done on Odestria. This of course is with the exception of the occational Senate meeting on Odestragrad, the planet largely considered to be the Imperium's second capital. The Emperor functions as the Head of State, Head of Government and head of the Military, holding the rank of Supreme Imperial Battlemaster. The Emperor is not the only figure of the Government however. The Government also holds the Imperial Council and the Imperial Senate.

The Imperial Council is made up of representatives from the major sectors of the Imperium and acts as the voice of advisers to the Emperor. While overarching power still remains with the Emperor, the presence of the Imperial Council allows for a much larger body to allow some various opinions towards any plans or laws the Emperor may wish to introduce. The council is chosen by the Emperor from a group of people elected by the citizens of each sector of Imperium space. The Imperial Senate is the legislative body made of up of representatives from each world which contains a major holding in the Imperium. While this practice as well as the amount of power that the Senate holds varies through the many years of the Fourth Imperium, the body itself has remained consistent. In a similar way to the Galactic Republic, the "Imperium Senatus Populusque Odestram" is elected by the people from each world the Senator is set to represent. However due to the overarching distrust of democracy within the Imperium due to the Tri decim humilitus or the three decades of humiliation due to Darth Dajivan, the Senate itself holds little power in the actions of the Odestrian state. The Senate does however, function as a means to get the Emperor informed on the well being and situation of the various planets and populations throughout the Imperium. Senate meetings can occur either on Odestria or Odestragrad.

Imperial Ministries (Minitras Imperium)
While the fourth Imperium's constitution ensures that the Emperor or Empress rules the Imperium with overarching authority, the different elements of the Odestrian government are grouped into a vast array of "Imperial Ministries" (Panasian: Ministras Imperio). These ministries, like the Ministry of Odestrian Defense, are responsible for the smooth operation of the Imperial government, while the Senate, Council and Emperor make legislative decisions. Prior to Panarus Kopan I's "Declaration of a New Imperium", the ministries where controlled directly by their ministers and they in turn responded to the Odestrian Government's need. Following the declaration, the Ministers were placed under the direct control of the Silver Throne and the Ministers themselves had seats in both the Senate and Imperial Council.

The well known Imperial Ministries are as follows:
 * Ministry of Defense
 * Ministry of Wartime Production
 * Ministry of Armaments
 * Ministry of Odestrian Defense (Ministras OdestraOdesi)
 * Ministry of War
 * Ministry of Economics
 * Ministry of Internal Affairs
 * Ministry of Diplomacy
 * Ministry of Development
 * Ministry of Education
 * Ministry of Expansion
 * Ministry of Culture
 * Ministry of Colonial Affairs
 * Ministry of Colonial Defense
 * Ministry of Justice
 * Ministry of Nutrition
 * Ministry of Health
 * Ministry of Science and Technology
 * Ministry of Advancement

Ministry of Odestrian Defense (OdestraOdesi)
The Ministras OdestraOdesi or Ministry of Odestrian Defense, colloquially known as the "OO" answered to the Emperor and Imperium Minister of Defence (Panasian:'' Imperoministas Odesi). ''The OO has three separate divisions under its command. The OO-Justicarum, the OO-Frumentarium and the OO-Sentinalus. Each division answered to the Minister and to the Emperor.

The Justicarum, or Justicars, acted as the elite secret police force for the Imperium as well as an elite paramilitary fighting force with unwavering loyalty to the Emperor and the Imperium as a whole.

The Frumentarium was the external intelligence service which served to provide both covert and counter intelligence operations for the Imperium. The day-to-day operations of the Frumentarium was run by the ImperioFrumentus who would answer directly to the Minister of Odestrian Defence.

The Third division, the Sentinalus was the force sensitive honor guard portion of the OO. Those who were part of the OdestraKnights but also members of the OdestraOdesi were granted the position of Sentinel or Sentinalus and would serve the Imperium and the Emperor along with standard Knights. The leader of this division was also the leader of the Knights, the Silver Supreme Commander.

Military
"It is the might of the Imperial Odestrian Legion which keeps the various worlds of the Imperium together. It is far from a simple military force, to the Odestrian Imperium, the Legion is a way of life, something that has a hand in every Odestrian citizen's development"

- Battlemaster Carlyle Durmont

The Imperial Odestrian Legion was the foundation of Odestrian society. The Military functions as not only the peacekeeping force, but has a role in virtually every part of Odestrian society, from fire fighting crews to the civil police force. Although the Imperium itself was much smaller than the Republic in its heyday, the Odestrian military still had formidable discipline. Officers and NCO's dedicate their lives to the Legion, being known as "Tenrakus" Meaning "To the death" in Panasian. Conscripts and enlisted personnel are trained from the day of initiation that to remain calm under fire is the key to winning a battle. Odestrian battle formations rarely break and if they do it's because they have all died. This current form of doctrine has been used since the days of the Third Imperium and saw refit during the initiation of Panarus Kopan the Saviour's reign in 3725 BBY.

Boot camp starting when a citizen reached the age of 16. Every citizen must do this military service for at least 15 to 25 years, when this is up they can choose to be part of reserves, continue their service and take officer training or join society as a civilian, starting a business and raising a family. The service time is dropped for Twi'leks and Humans, instead lasting only 5-10 years as their lifespans are only half of a Panasian.

Army
The Odestrian Ground Legions was the army wing of the Odestrian Legion and the strongest and most feared aspect of the Odestrian Legion. Legionaries typically wore heavy Silver armor with Odestrian insignias and carried Heavy Blaster Rifles into combat. Legionaries are often trained on Odestria on the continent of Ofortus. There they go through rigorous training and heavy discipline in order to ensure the safety of the Imperium. Non combatants in the Ground Legion are also trained to use small weapons so that they do not remain defenseless. One of the major aspects of the ground legion is its near lack of automated infantry. This is due to the reforms of Darius Kopan I and the strong sense of civic duty which exists in many Odestrian citizens. the use of droids is looked at as cowardly and dishonorable and the Legion prides itself on making fine soldiers out of the Odestrian populace. The ground legion does make use out a verity of vehicles in order to make surface attacks plausible. As fearsome as their numbers may be, sending waves of infantry at enemy walkers would be a meaningless sacrifice. The armor composition of the Legionaries would change following the Fourth Imperium but in the wake of the Odestrian-Zakuul War in 3635 BBY, the design of the OL-387B Legion Armor would become a mainstay. The armor was heavy in design but the mixture of Durasteel and Plasteel in it's surface made the armor lighter to wear as iterations came and went. In addition to their armor legionaries carried their rifle, a sidearm, an emergency medpac, 7 days worth of field rations, emergency energy cells, and Grenades in their battle packs.

The Odestrian Ground Legion rank structure was as follows. Private (Privatus), Special Private (PrivatusSpectum), Corporal (Corpuris), Sergeant (Sargentas), Junior Battlemaster (JuniusBatteaus), Lieutenant (Litaenus), Captain (Caustan), Battlemaster (Batteaus), Junior Legate (JuniusLegatus), and finally Legate (Legatus). Special additions and ranks included, Field Legate (LegatusYeldus), and Supreme Imperial Battle Master (SupraBatteausImperium)- reserved for the Commander-in-chief of the Legion.

Navy
The Imperium OdestraNav or the Imperial Odestrian Navy was the naval branch of the Imperial Odestrian Legion. It was overseen by the Minister of War, the Imperium Fleet command and the Emperor/Empress, who controlled the entire Legion. OdestraNav ranks are as follows: Private (Privatus), Fleet Private (PrivatusNav), Corporal (Corpuris), Junior Officer (JuniusOffica), Junior Battlemaster (JuniusBatteaus), Lieutenant (Litaenus), Captain (Caustan), Group Battlemaster (BatteausRegato), Fleet Legate (LegatusNav), Admiral (Admirus) and finally Fleet Battlemaster (BatteausNav). Ships in the OdestraNav are produced at Chograd Ship Yards and tends to consist of Dreadnoughts, Cruisers, Frigates and Destroyers. In the tenure of the Imperium, the ships used by the OdestraNav have changed but two mainstays existed during the long tenure of the Fourth Imperium. First, the Tempest-Class Cruiser was among the most well known of the Odestrian fleet, the overall design being used since the Third Imperium and the Second Fence War.The Tempest-Class made up the bulk of the OdestraNav but it was not the strongest part of the Fleet. The vessel to fit that role was the Infernal-Class Superdreadnaught. These massive vessels where 17000 meters in length held a crew of 189 240, along with a passenger compliment of 25000. Starfighters in the OdestraNav also went through variations during the Imperium's tenure, fighters like the O-1 Heavy Starfighter, the ATB "Z-wing" Fighter and the F-X16A "Silverwing" Interceptor are among some of the more well known fighters. The OdestraNav also made use of O-2 Heavy bombers and a verity of assault crafts, shuttles and cruisers.

Economy
While not entirely separate from the overall galactic economy, the economy of the Odestrian Imperium was its own entity, first using OdestraCreds before switching to ImperiumCreds and finally Kopancreds from the fourth Imperium to the collapse of the Imperium.

At the heart of the Odestrian economy lied two things, military manufacturing and material trade with the core worlds. Planets like Chiev offered an excellent source of minerals to mass produce durasteel, Odesluminin (A rare form of Panasian metal) and other metals that could be used in the production of ships, weapons and armor. The massive Imperial Trade Center on Chiev functioned as a nexus for trade with other galactic civilizations ranging from the Galactic Republic, to the Nickian Union. One of the most important companies in charge of metal export was TroiSec, a state run company which had existed from the days of the second Imperium. Shipping to other states required the use of the Tranev State Transportation Corporation which would in turn require ships from Chograd in order to actually make shipments. Prior to 3699 BBY the planet of Obesnobyl produced hypermatter for trade and military matters, but after an accident involving radiation leaks and a hypermatter plant meltdown, Obesnobyl as since been abandoned.

While the economy is run my the Imperial government as to prevent corruption and fraud there is a surprising amount of liberalism in place of a company. If someone wishes to create an organization they first must get sanctioned by the Ministry of Economics before they pitch the idea, if said idea gets approved then the creator of the organization can run it however they see fit. The major underlying factor is the service that must be made to the Odestrian State and the civic duty involved in running large corporations allows for minimal corruption.

Naturally taxation was a regular form of life, things such as gambling, cigarettes and other harmful activities were taxed in order to provide KopanCreds to things like health care and rehabilitation centers. Taxes were collected from the Imperial Tax agency which was in turn jointly owned by the ministry of economics and the ministry of development.

Society and culture
"Do not let the undemocratic nature of the Odestrian Imperium distract you. Like all states, there are dissenters of course, but the majority of citizens in the Imperium see it favourable to a life in the Republic."

- Jedi Master Panok Reggim

Astrography
"The Odestrian influence was spread throughout the southwestern portion of the galaxy and like the Chiss, the Panasians seemed to hold power in an almost Hegemonic way."

- Lorekeeper K'Krell Tokotov

Taking into account the vast shifting of territory that the Fourth Imperium experienced in its existence and since the fall and subsequent annexation of the Shi'akk cluster following the Great Galactic War, The Imperium consistently controlled 43 major planets divided into 8 different sectors this included the colonial cluster known as Tri colonius. While each sector obviously boasted thousands of star systems, the 43 systems were the only ones with major holdings such as Military Castrums or Cities. All information on the systems and planets under the jurisdiction of the Odestrian government was kept in the Imperial Department of Expansion and planetary affairs database in Odestralee. Panasian Core Inner Imperium Chi-Cho Sector Outer Imperium Nitan Sector Barakian Fence Shi'akk Sector Tri Colonious (Kotavi Star Cluster)
 * Panas System - Odestria
 * Cora System - Coraz
 * Rubenious System- Odestragrad
 * Bestime
 * Persopolis
 * Bactria
 * Desadonia
 * Uzgaut
 * Rah System- Rah'Katov
 * Sevi System- Sevi VI
 * Bestrios System- Bestria
 * Kotep
 * Tractes
 * Hispanos
 * Tenetel IV
 * Oikos
 * Chi System- Chiev
 * Cho System- Chograd
 * Selicus
 * Crateros
 * Philitos
 * Besniss System- Besniss
 * Nobyl System- Obesnobyl
 * Kathirr system- Kathirr
 * Tactum
 * Tresnia
 * Nell System- Alnell
 * Fortos
 * Vezigrad
 * Castrum Nitan
 * Barak system
 * Barakua
 * Baraktia
 * Odyat
 * Purgatorious
 * Tenograd
 * Tosep
 * Tezik
 * Shiaka System- Shiakaku
 * Shisani'okkk System- Cosengrad
 * Terton
 * Shiantis
 * Panarum
 * Varaktum
 * Therom