Slaves of the galaxy, unite!
—Motto of the Srav Federation
The Srav Federation was a faction in the Cruentusian War. Based on the former Rataka Infinite Empire weapons production world of Sviat, it consisted of former slaves on that world. Led by the charismatic former slave foreman Jasef Yuiln, it was a semi-socialist state with a large arsenal of Rataka nuclear weaponry and technology leftover on Sviat. Aggressive and militaristic, it was nonetheless still on a similar level to the other factions of the war. Sravs were known for their fanaticism and devotion to Yuiln, and their technology, although unstable, was deadly. Their main arch-enemy in the war was the Necasian Military.
Culture[]
A Srav recruitment poster
The Srav Federation had a somewhat oppressive and restrictive sense of culture, with Sravs believing that order and equality are priority above freedom. Despite their lack of freedom, Srav citizens were taught that they were the most liberated people in the galaxy, and they all universally agreed that their current life was better than that of slavery under the Rakata. Srav society aimed to be as equal as possible, with little, if any, class division. However, Srav leaders enjoyed much better living conditions than their average citizen.
Srav attitudes to women were more liberal than that of the sexist Necasians, with women being found in high-ranking positions within Srav ranks, such as Nataska Vergulva, Volita Taika, and Laverta Suka.
Slang for Sravs amongst their enemies and observers included Reds, Crims (for their crimson colours), Sravvies, and radies (for their liberal use of radiation weaponry).
Military[]
A Srav soldier, brandishing a KAM-28 assault rifle
Srav military technology was nuclear-based, with nuclear weaponry being used in almost every facet of their military machines, from tank shells to even grenades. As a result, Srav firepower in battle was very formidable, but very unstable and dangerous to Srav troops. Radiation poisoning was very common amongst Srav soldiers, and anti-radioactivity countermeasures were not widely available. Also, due to its liberal use of tactical nuclear warheads, Srav forces were very poor at capturing targets and strategic locations, often leaving them radioactive wastelands. Srav vehicles included Drakuv-class assault tanks, which were usually equipped with nuclear shells, and Okol-class mobile missile launchers, which could launch tactical nukes from anywhere on a battlefield. Later on the war, the Sravs developed a devastating but unstable superweapon, the Tsarka bomb, a massive nuclear weapon capable of devastating and irradiating a continent.
Srav soldiers were equipped with adequate equipment, with the KAM-28 assault rifle being standard armnament for grunts, and although they generally had inferior bodily protection to soldiers on other sides of the war, they were comparatively well-trained, and were expert in making use of their surroundings, although they were poor in close-quarters combat. Later in the war, the Srav elite Hammer Division was created to rectify poor Srav infantry reputation and as a counter to Necasian SpecOps.
Srav airpower was mostly focused on ground support, as reflected by the poor dogfighting and anti-air abilities from standard Srav air vehicles such as the Yukel-class assault fighter, which was mainly used for nuclear precision strikes, and the Drapeznik-class assault gunship, a powerful hovercopter designed for use against ground forces. Later on the war, with the help of Simiyar Tech designers, Srav engineers came up with the Zulkrum-class heavy interceptor, capable of holding its own in dogfights.
History[]
Prior to the fall of the Rataka, the large slave population of Sviat had already more or less banded into an unofficial community, and many were involved in organized resistance against the Rataka. From their work and resistance, they gained much technical and combat knowledge. Upon the collapse of the Infinite Empire, the slaves formed themselves into an official faction, led by former foreman Yuiln, who was regarded as the greatest authority figure. Establishing their own society, the Sravs worked quickly to establish an empire of their own, after executing all known Rataka collaborators.
The Srav Federation was a large player in the Cruentsian war, and participated in many battles against the various other factions. After fighting off several smaller factions in the earlier stages of the war, the Sravs and the Necasians avoided fighting each other for a few months in a short cold war, before finally going into official war with each other in the Battle of Dagobah, which was a draw. Shortly afterwards, the Sravs were the first major faction to encounter the Zayre at the Battle of Hypori, where they fought back a Zayre expeditionary force.
This prompted the Zayre to ally with the Necasians, and together both sides destroyed a Srav base on Alaris Prime. Worried about this new threat, the Sravs ramped up conscription, recruitment and industrial production. Afterwards, the Zayre/Necasian alliance raided a Srav base on Tandankin, stealing a batch of explosives.
Shortly afterwards, the Sravs succeeded in driving the Necasians off some key factories on Simiyar, giving them an advantage in industrial production.
A few weeks afterwards, thanks to the treachery of Necasian commander Askar Invado, the Sravs gained intelligence into a Necasian assault on their base on Cul-Huq. In the resultant battle, Srav commander Ivran Gresev ordered a full nuking of half the planet, burning it. This had a somewhat adverse affect on Srav support in some places of the galaxy.
Following the battle, the Sravs tried to take the ore-rich world of Raxus Prime, but were defeated by Invado there. Somewhat shaken, Srav leaders made sure their propaganda painted the defeat as a phyrric victory for the Necasians.
Into the second year of the war, the Sravs took the opportunity to launch an attack on the Necasian held world of Kothlis. Under the command of Vlad Mutin and Boras Magdiyek, the Sravs almost took the world, but were repelled by Necasian reinforcements. Following the battle, the Sravs took another blow when the Death's Tongue Militia launched a terror attack on the city of Gresevokrad, destroying part of it by detonating the nuclear reactor there. Jasef Yuiln pledged to exact revenge on the DTM following that raid.
As a result, the Sravs launched an attack concurrent with the Necasians on what they believed was a major DTM base on Tahu, although they were being duped and the base was of little strategic value. In the process, they caused heavy damage to Tahu's capital city, although they located the DTM and wrecked most of it. The battle also saw the first deployment of the new Srav Hammer Division.
At the end of the second year, Nataska Vergulva and some Hammer commandos were forced up against the Lost Ones, and had to reluctantly team up with Necasian hero Haveer Jarn and his Greyfox Squad to defeat the Rakatans.
Following the start of the third year, the Srav research into their new Tsarka bomb was uncovered by Jarn on the world of Oboza, forcing them to accelerate developments. At around the same time, they attempted to establish a relationship with the neutral world of Benmossia to use its industrial capability, but this was derailed by a DTM attack.
Soon, the Sravs began to gear up for a large offensive on the Necasians, to take advantage of their consolidations. A Srav transport on its way to provide strength for said offensive stumbled on the new Zayre homeworld of Ankarr. Under the command of Srav officer Andrei Jalenko, the Srav brigade there rampaged across Zayre lands before being subdued.
The Necasians, however, had realised of the Srav offensive, and tried to derail its preparations by attacking the Srav world of Slavabrya. However, the Sravs used heavy-handed tactics and took advantage of Necasian blunders to repel them.
However, the DTM continued to harass the Sravs. Their elite Death's Knock Assassins infiltrated the Srav capital city of Yuilnokrad to assassinate Jasef Yuiln himself, within the Politikdel. Nevertheless, with the help of Vergulva and Srav Crimson Elite Guard officer Uri Rashki, the DKA were driven away, although the experiance shook Srav high command somewhat.
Continuing with their offensive, the Sravs successfully assaulted Toydaria, helped indirectly by the Savi Alliance, and then attacked Kasa. As the invasion of Kasa drew to a stalemate, Ivran Gresev deployed the Tsarka bomb for the first time and detonated it, devastating the planet with fire and radiation. Following that, the Sravs moved to retake Alaris Prime under Vergulva's command, and succeeded. Proceeding, Atzerri was the next planet to be attacked, though the Necasians there rallied around Haveer Jarn and managed to repel them.
Nevertheless, an unexpected setback occured when the Sravs came under attack by the previously unknown Taung Confederacy. A Srav scout force was destroyed by the Taungs on Demos, and then the Taungs seized the Srav world of Sevastopolitan, with the Srav forces there nonetheless putting up dogged resistance. Angered, the Sravs retook the world shortly thereafter with orbital nuclear bombardment, though devastating parts of it in the process.
The Sravs then scored what they would tout as a massive victory when they learned of the location of the Zayre homeworld, Ankarr, from some Savi Alliance mercenaries. Yuiln was pressured by Gresev into launching a full-scale invasion of the world, with heavy backup from a Savi army. Attacking the world, the Sravs and Savis made quick progress, though under the command of Storm Ironwings the Zayre managed to put up dogged resistance. Eventually, however, the Sravs managed to manipulate Ironwings into being dosed with radiation. While she healed, Nataska Vergulva and Savi heroine Rafe Taker entered the Zayre capital, destroying a Worship Crystal. Vergulva met Ironwings in single combat, and overcame her, though Ironwings escaped. Nevertheless, the Zayre were defeated, and under the command of kommissars Laverta Suka and Anatol Kurzak the Sravs commenced a repressive occupation of Ankarr.
However, as the war entered its fourth year, the DTM commenced a massive military and terror campaign on its enemies. Iyuta, a puppet world of the Federation, fell, and they soon overcame Srav defences on Nodessa Binary. With the Necasians also taking defeats at the hands of the DTM, the Sravs were genuinely alarmed, and were concerned at overstretching themselves fighting all their enemies.
Despite this, their confidence was soon buoyed when the Taungs attempted to directly attack Sviat. Before their attack, their spies based there attempted to disable planetary defences, but failed and were captured. Volita Taika proceeded to prepare the defences, and as a result the Taung fleet was decimated when it arrived. Pressing this advantage, the Sravs attacked the Taung agricultural world of Arca. Though they were eventually pushed offworld, they completed their objective of poisoning Taung crops, spreading civil unrest among them. Pushing further, Srav intelligence uncovered the location of the Taung capital of Dxun. A Srav taskforce attacked Dxun, devastating the Taung main city of Nadd, effectively putting them out of the war.
Changing their attention to the DTM, the Sravs eliminated a DTM base on Myrkr, and then proceeded to enter a battle between Necasians and the DTM on the world of Janna, intending to crush both. However, to the Srav's suprise, the United Coalition of Worlds made its entrance in the battle, overcoming the other factions.
Not long afterwards, Gresev staged a coup, killing and deposing Yuiln, and sending Vergulva into exile. Nevertheless, the war soon came to a closure as Gresev launched an attack on Byss, where Invado was overseeing construction of a station, with the UCW and DTM also partaking. In the battle, Vergulva, having joined with the UCW, boarded Gresev's flagship and executed him, thereby self-appointing herself as Srav leader. Following the closure of the battle, Vergulva and Haveer Jarn signed a treaty that officially brought the war to an end. With Vergulva on the UCW council, the Srav Federation had more or less lost sovreignity, but continued to exist as an entity for a few more decades, although by the time of the Unification Wars it had apparently fully merged with the UCW, now evolving into the Galactic Republic.
Behind the scenes[]
The Srav Federation is themed around the Soviet Union.
The Srav Federation has its own theme.