Nephon Sector History

Nephon Sector History

Initial Colonization

The Nephon Sector was settled by a people who left human space at large. It's not really important what human space at large was, just that some people left it, and came to this curiously connected cluster of systems during the early days when fold travel was unaided by jump gates. They came to this sector and found, by phenomenal luck or divine providence, that the systems in it were interconnected by a curious network of charged particles, and they quickly developed the Noble Sail, which enabled easy travel between these systems.

Life spread from system to system, planet to planet like wildfire in this early time. From Nago up to the Hoked Nebula, but especially in the Core, around the Koto and Toko settlements, societies flourished.

Toko and Koto and the surrouding systems flourished more, however. Trade with the societies out of the sector poured in to these areas, thanks to favorable magnetic conditions and the same providence that guided settlers to those systems to begin with. The Toko and Koto systems soon outshone all the others in economic, military, and cultural might.

The Toko-Koto War

For centuries the two systems evolved in parallel; Koto becoming known as a center for high society and finer things, while Toko focused on efficiency and engineering at the expense of social nicety. The systems immediately around them took on something of their character, and the "Toko Cluster" eventually became the major source of technological, industrial, and military goods, while the "Koto Cluster" was a haven for intellectual, spiritual, and cultural development. Many of the finer items of Nephon "culture" as it were came from the Koto area. The development of "Jump Docks", a way to greatly increase the feasibility of travel from the Nephon Sector to points beyond, only cemented the position of these two systems, as they were the only reliable locations where such devices could operate.

As such things inevitably happen, the Toko and Koto governments came into conflict. Many outsiders to the area, because of Koto's valued luxury goods and exalted culture, saw it as the capital, and as space elsewhere coalesced into powers, those powers increasingly chose to deal with Koto as a diplomatic point. This hurt Toko's trade incomes, and also spawned intense jealousy.

Not long after, the Toko government began military conquest. It started with the immediate systems surrounding Toko; these fell quickly and became the "Toko Alliance", sworn to preserving the Nephon culture from the increasing influence of Koto and out-sector trade. This Alliance launched decisive attacks on the Jump Docks in Koto, as well as other, less documented sites. The war continued for several years, but Koto and its allies stood no chance; Toko had the manufacturing and military advantage.

Toko Ascendance

The Toko government soon organized the Nephon Sector into an interstellar nation of sorts; all systems in the Nephon Sector were expected to adhere to Toko law and submit to Toko authority. Their military might made this an inevitability.

Culturally, the Toko were not concerned with spreading their influence; Toko culture borrowed quite a bit from Koto culture as it was, and the destruction of the Koto jump docks (and subsequent stationing of a large fleet there) meant that all out-of-sector trade came through Toko. Economically, the Toko system was invincible, and that satisfied the ambitions of their leaders.

Now

It has been fifteen years since the war ended, and the Core systems are a model of harmony and efficiency. The Koto Cluster, far from holding a resentful grudge, has adopted the Koto Cluster's model of effieciency and dedication and fused it with their famed, elaborate, and beautiful culture. The artisans there are producing the best work seen in centuries.

The Toko Cluster is wealthy beyond belief - trade ships rarely get past Toko, both because ships from out-sector do not have Noble Sails, and because the Toko government is very strict about who it lets out of the immediate cluster.

The worlds not in the core are much as they were before the war - isolated and near anarchic, with only a token attention paid to them by either Toko or Koto. Now, though, remnants of the defeated Koto military have formed roving bandit crews or taken up work as mercenaries. Life on the fringes has become more dangerous.