Hokum-tech11-18

Tech Levels 11 - 18

Unlike what happened to the Gluv and Foamasi, the Hokum homeworld suffered far, far less under Fendalen occupation. Had the Cazov decided not to give up their portion of occupied territory it was more than likely that they would've conducted themselves in the same manner as exhibited on Gluv and Foa. As it happened, the Fendalens were circumspect in dealing with the Hokum. Ambassador Lysent tried his best to sway the Imperial Council and Emperor Valsur into becoming partners with the Kingdom. He failed, and the low-level guerrilla war on Hokum and the other two conquered Imperium worlds continued during their five years of occupation.
   At the end of the fifth year Valsur, through his spy network, knew something was happening in regards to the Fendalens. In a matter of days the Fendalen Royal Navy (RN) orbital bases around Hokum were moved to the warp point that lead to Cazov space. Mines, buoys, and the mobile defense force was moved to the warp point as well. Valsur thought that the CPS had found another route into Hokum space and was about to launch an assault. He learned to his surprize that the alliance between the Fendalens and Cazov had broken. The now-fortified warp point destroyed the Cazovian ships sent to relieve a task group in Juzuck, one of other two Fendalen-occupied worlds. In Juzuck the Cazov and RN were conducting training exercises. Instead of using targeting lasers the RN used lived weapons, destroying the startled Cazovians to the last ship.
     Valsur was fearful when the Fendalens withdrew all their ground troops from the other two worlds they've occupied. Such a thing was done prior to a bombardment, but this was not the case. The troops were pulled to reduce casualties. Pressures on other fronts forced the RN to consolidate its position in the Hokum home system. Warp point bases and minefields were left behind in the other two systems, and in conjunction with the mobile defenses fought a rearguard action against a combined CSF/ISN offensive.When the fighting reached Hokum Prime there was a groundswell of support for a general insurrection against the Fendalen occupiers.
     When Ambassador Lysent, the crown governor of the Hokum homeworld, visited Valsur to inform him of the successful breakthrough of the CSF fleet the Emperor acted. Valsur had Lysent held hostage and spirited away to a secret location. Word was sent to the populace to rise up and overthrow the Fendalens. There was no fear of bombardment since all the orbitals were either destroyed at the CSF's entry point or at the Cazov warp point. Only two days passed before battalions of Imperial Marines and Commonwealth Army troops were landed and finished the job the guerrillas and civilians had started. At a total loss of 3100 lives the Hokum won back their world. Fendalen casualties were heavy, but kept the fighting outside the major cities. They wanted it to be clear that they weren't Cazovians when it came to scorched planet tactics.
     The ISN joined the CSF in the drive to the Cazov home world and, like everyone else, was shocked when the demented little race committed suicide rather than accept defeat. Valsur was glad to be rid of the race that had caused so much trouble for everyone involved. When it came to Ambassador Lysent, after a lengthy interrogation, the Emperor was just as glad that he wasn't present. Otherwise he would've choked the oversized bug on the spot. Valsur learned that Lysent had consorted with Princess Hysyth to start the war between the Kingdom and the Imperium. At the urging of the Imperial Council and the Commonwealth Valsur kept Lysent alive and sent irrefutable proof of the ambassador's duplicity to King Kysjyt. Also irate upon learning the truth, Kysjyt replied that Lysent would not be allowed to return to the Kingdom. Tried under Hokum Imperial law, Lysent was sentenced to a lifetime of manual labor, cutting stone steps into a side of a mountain.
     In the post-war period the Imperium built up its fleet and fortified the Fendalen warp point. Long overdue colonization of former Axis worlds was started. Diplomatic relations with the Gander were established and were followed by trading agreements. Talks with the Kingdom were frigid, and what amounted to a non-aggression pact was in place. The system where the Fendalens launched their initial attack on Hokum was captured in the closing stages of the war. Due to the fact that the great bulk of the force was Commonwealth in origin meant the system 'belonged' to them instead of the Imperium. During the peace talks the system was ceded back to the Kingdom and not given to the Hokum. Valsur was miffed; he wanted that system to serve as a forward defense of the home system. Afterwards, Valsur made it clear to his CPS allies that in any future conflict against the Kingdom he would keep any Fendalen territory his forces should capture.
     When the Pulurtan War started there was a feeling in the Imperium of 'serves them right' in regards to the Kingdom. Very little in the way of sympathy was given to beleaguered foe to what was, in all appearances, a fight amongst family. It came as a surprize to Valsur when the Kingdom sent technical data on observed Pulurtan technology. He wanted to disbelieve this apparent turn of generosity, but was convinced of Kysjyt's sincerity when the data was confirmed by his CPS allies. While Imperium scientists worked to produce usable hardware from the data word came of obliteration of the Vendian home system. A general atmosphere of concern and indignation grew in the Imperium about this genocide conducted by the Pulurtans. When the Duchy of Xhali fell Valsur had a portion of the mothballed fleet reactivated. He felt that if the Pulurtans should win against the Kingdom then they might turn on the Imperium and finish what the Kingdom couldn't achieve.
      The atrocities committed by the Pulurtans, especially the Vendian genocide, also made the CPS indignant. It took an incident between the High Kingdom and the Commonwealth in the Hamthen system of Chinook to bring the CPS into the war on the side of the (Gyst) Kingdom. A man of his word, Emperor Valsur honored his military commitments with the CPS, but with two conditions. The first of these was that no Royal Navy ships were to be allowed to enter Imperium space. Only the monthly diplomatic courier ship would have access. As for the second, Valsur wanted possession of two former Axis systems that were under CPS control. He viewed this as compensation for not having the Kingdom system that bordered the Hokum home system.
     The Commonwealth Senate easily accepted to the first condition, but it took major political capital by President Skillpath to get the Unicameral to agree to the second. Despite the bombardments that depopulated them during the Axis War the two systems had inhabitable planets that, with some work, could be colonized again. Some senators called the handover of the systems a bribe, but Skillpath and the majority of the Commonwealth didn't see it that way. It was, in part, compensation for the Imperium for not getting the bordering Kingdom system. Another part was economic. With the Imperium in control of the two systems a common border between the Elotoshani, CPS, and Imperium could be created, increasing trade revenues due to the proximity of the three nations. Finally, and this was what made Skillpath really concerned, was if the Kingdom would go down on the mat that Valsur would start an opportunistic war and conquer as much Kingdom territory as possible. Such an act could've dragged the CPS into a war against the dying remnants of the Kingdom, a war that would've been greatly unpopular. The public would see it as feasting on a neighbor that already suffered great indignities done unto it by a ruthless foe. The debate in the Imperium was minimal, while the Commonwealth took two months of senatorial grandstanding (some of which was rather unflattering and embarrassing) before agreeing.
     Due to its stance with the Kingdom, the Imperium sent its ships through Commonwealth space to engage the Pulurtans. It was not until the sixth year of the war that a new, and much shorter route, to the front became available to the ISN. The Elotoshani had a few unexplored warp points left in its territory. Four warp lines out from their frontier, the Eloto found a Pulurtan system. In conjunction with the ISN, the ESNA created a forward base in the appropriately-titled Warhead system on the Pulurtan border. The combined expeditionary fleets of the Eloto and Hokum successfully captured half a sector of the High Kingdom for only moderate losses. High Navy counterattacks stopped the advance, but the diversion of resources proved decisive. With four fronts to cover even the Pulurtans considerable wealth and industry wasn't enough. With the rest of the allies, the ISN was present for the final assault on the Pulurtan core systems.
     During the war Valsur's term in office expired. The new Emperor, Bevnan, took as his first act in office to formally recognize the Kingdom. With this recognition a trade treaty became a reality. Some harsh feelings still existed in regards to the Kingdom, but Bevnan realized that the Imperium needed more revenue if it was going to remain a meaningful ally in the war. The influx of trade goods enabled the construction of many new warship classes. In time, prolonged contact lessened the overall tension between the two nations. For his part, King Kysjyt decided to make the system that bordered the Hokum a demilitarized zone, removing all fortifications and minefields. He allowed the Imperium to set up a network of surveillance buoys and an OWP to keep watch on the system. This generous act allowed the ISN to shift more of its forces to the front lines.
   After the war, like all of the other nations, the Imperium set upon long-delayed major colonization efforts. The two former Axis worlds received the majority of the initial colonization fund due to the need for planetary remediation efforts. When those two projects were well in hand attention shifted to five other planets that were found suitable for terraforming. Emperor Bevnan would be remembered in Hokum history for starting the new prosperity in the Era of the Long Peace.

The Imperium Space Navy (ISN)
     At the end of the Fendalen War the ISN focused on securing the Fendalen warp point in the home system. The defenses were backed up by the bulk of the ISN mobile forces since all other border warp points led to allied systems. New units were mothballed and kept in systems well back of Hokum itself.
     When war was declared against the Pulurtans the mothball reserve was fully mobilized. Thanks to its wealth and restricted access to the actual fighting, the Imperium's main focused on supermonitors and monitors as its main battleline combatants. No new dreadnoughts would be built until later in the war. The Imperial Echelons continued to serve as the main carrier, with other CSF designs being used for warp point assaults. Nothing lighter than heavy cruisers were built with the exception of destroyers (and the very late use of frigates). The CSFSiege class leviathans, and later the INS Adjudicator class, were the largest ships built during the war. No juggernauts would be built until a year after the war.
     The Imperium R&D community had grown quite proficient in ascending tech levels. In fact they reach TL 18 before the Commonwealth by a good four months. Sole developers and users of the fourth-generation force beam (Fc4), the Imperium continued to use copies of CSF ships with one important difference. Tachyon technology development provided too much of an financial investment as heavy units were in great demand. For those CSF classes used by the ISN simply substitute the tachyon beams with Fc4s, increasing the cost of the unit by 100mc for each switchout.
     All the late-war new class construction was due to the influx of trade revenue with the Kingdom. They were built to provide close escort for large units from the growing number of Pulurtan BCAs and CAs. The use of the improved needle beam (a technology that was bought from the Foamasi) helped in this regard. Smaller units were unable to mount much in the way of shield regenerators, and the needle beams pulled the teeth out of High Navy ships.

Warships	Bases	Mobile Shipyard and Repair Ships
Carriers	Tug	Minelayers and Sweepers
Auxiliaries	Transport	Survey Ship