A New Threat On the Horizon

In a span of 14 years, the Scions of Earth consolidated most of the former ECF colonies and became known as the Scion Empire; The General of the Armies "Milo Balthazar" and founder of the Scions was crowned Emperor. Through his guidance he restored order, peace, and stability to the colonies; but at the cost of freedom. No longer could one engage in free enterprise, or free speech, the collective nature of the Empire demanded total compliance. The Empire was not to be criticized on grounds that it was defeatist to the human race, as Balthazar was credited for ending human suffering at the hands of the ECF. Many colonists across the Empire were persecuted for advocating personal freedoms. Because of this an underground movement of secessionists began to secretly migrate off colony worlds to former ECF worlds which had not yet been assimilated into the Empire. Many of these secessionists were scientists, academics, and entrepreneurs who found it difficult to thrive in a totalitarian society where personal beliefs, innovations, & ideas were suppressed for the "greater good" of humanity. In a span of 5 years swathes of Empire Citizens had migrated off Empire worlds and formally declared independence from the Empire through the new formed "Amalgamate Republic". The republic sought to bring back a system of government not seen since the 18th-21st century United States of America and the Old Roman Republic. Instead of oligarchic politicians serving life terms in the ECF council, or unlike the dictator of the Scion Empire, the Republic would elect their leaders through an interplanetary census & vote system. The AR (amalgamate republic) launched a national militia program to enlist as many able bodied men into the armed forces as possible in order to deter Scion Empire aggression. In 2267, the Scion Empire deployed an expeditionary force on Artemis, a verdant AR colony in the outer reaches of the galaxy, on the border of SE & AR territories.