The Zenithian Hegemony

Origins

The popular saying “Everyone is a Zenithian and everyone is not” describes how many regard the Zenithian people or themselves. No one in the Horizon, with the possible exception of the hemographers in the Hegemony, knows exactly how many Zenithians there actually are. It is however obvious that a lot more people call themselves Zenithians than the Zenith brought with her. Data from the Mathematical Institute in Daddah show that there are more Zenithians in the Horizon than there possibly could be, given the size of the arkship. This is because many call themselves Zenithians without actually being one.   Two generations have passed since the arrival of the Zenith, some 60-odd cycles of marriages and couplings between Firstcome and Zenithians that have created a Horizon far less divided than it appears to be at the Council of Factions.   The Zenithian Hegemony claims to speak for all Zenithians and offers assistance whenever it is in the faction’s interests, whether the help is appreciated or not. The bestknown example of their aid is probably the storming of the Autumn Palace on Dabaran where a Zenithian noble had applied for asylum with the emir. According to the press release to the Bulletin, he had been “brainwashed by anti-Zenithian interests”. During the storming, led by an Astûrban strike team, the emir and all of his family were killed, and the fleeing nobleman was escorted back to the Monolith.   Those who call themselves Zenithians feel more modern than the Firstcome, although they are still Icon believers. Zenithians in other systems than Kua are often connected to colonies from Coriolis or Kua, or to a Consortium corporation. Some cities have whole districts populated by Zenithian exiles, such as Little Zenith in Alburz, Sadaal, or the round Par-Corioli block in Tirgonum, Mira. The Zenithians are generally of a more pragmatic nature than the Firstcome, and have replaced family ties with corporations, factions and birr.    

Politics

The aristocrats of the Zenithian Hegemony are the elite of the Monolith on the planet Kua, and are very clear about their intentions to expand their control, first to Coriolis and then to the entire Horizon.   Members of the captain’s family and other high-ranking officers of the crew of the Zenith founded the Hegemony after the schism onboard. Captain Abarren Quassar together with the Cabinet of Thousands from the Monolith officially rules the faction, but a divide has been growing within the organization. De facto, there are two factions within the Hegemony: the Hegemonists and the neo-Zenithians, the former led by the Quassar family and the latter by Arianites. Both groups share the view that the Hegemony is the rightful ruler of the Third Horizon and destined to lead its peoples to greatness, but they disagree on how to get there. The Hegemonists are elitist and unforgiving, while the neo-Zenithians prefer cooperation, mainly with the Consortium, but also with other factions. Both groups act as patrons for middle class Zenithians through scholarships, as mentors for entrepreneurs, and invest heavily in Zenithian projects, industrial as well as research.   The two groups both control a few key institutions within the faction each. The Hegemonists control the infamous secret police, the Astûrban, while the neo-Zenithians founded the Judicators and dominate the mighty fleet. The two police forces aside, the different families keep house guards of their own.  

THE PRIDE OF ZENITH

The fleet of the Zenithian Hegemony is neither the biggest nor the most powerful in the Horizon, but when it comes down to quality, it might be the best. The Zenith Aviation Academy in the Monolith is generally considered the best in the Horizon, and a long line of popular holo dramas has elevated the academy to a legendary reputation. The Sky City in the Monolith also houses elements of the Salakhad flotilla, known as the best corsair hunters in system with their elite Nighthawk squadron. Just recently, the patrol routes of the flotilla have been extended and some ships have been tasked with hunting Syndicate smugglers. The Arianites family is believed to control the fleet, but this has not been proven.   The Hegemony has many famous members throughout the Horizon apart from Captain Quassar himself and the faction’s council member, Johara Quassar. The duelist Mehot ar-Hrama, a Hegemonist, is notorious for her skills with the mercurium sword and the ritual skafe dagger. From the neo-Zenithians, commander Ehene ar-Eusidia, a Nighthawk squadron fighter ace personally responsible for several corsair kills, is among the best known.   The Hegemony runs two schools of great reputation, the Aviation Academy in the Monolith and the Judicator’s Forensics Institute on Coriolis. People from all over the Horizon come to the system to apply, but the school rules allow only Zenithians to become students.  

THE BLOOD CULT

The bloodlines mean everything in the Hegemony. The ruling class is obsessed with one thing above all others: the preservation of the genetic unity of the survivors from the Zenith. Their worldview is centered on what crew position your family had, and how closely related you are to the original crew. The great philosopher Merkedsar Konstantinides spoke of “the sanctity and perfection of the Zenithian blood” and argued that the Zenithian civilization could only achieve true greatness if they protected their bloodlines from the evil forces that had caused the Third Horizon to fall into darkness. Certain positions are therefore reserved for “pure-bloods” only, and “defiling” one’s family could be grounds for expulsion from the faction.   The idea of Zenithian supremacy has spawned a stubborn search for proof of earlier Zenithian settlements in the Horizon. Some patriotic historians claim that the second arkship, Nadir, reached the Third Horizon before the Portal Wars and founded a colony. Several expeditions have searched the Horizon for the remains of this mythical settlement.   The Hegemony controls the Monolith and the surrounding metropolis, the Conglomerate. They have made huge investments in the different districts and factory islands, but leave most of the daily affairs to hired Algolan colonists, who in turn rule the plebeians and slummers with an iron fist. This practice has resulted in the Free League beginning to recruit in the factories and slums, which has led to clashes between the two factions, sometimes involving both house    

ASTÛRBAN

The Astûrban is both secret police and intelligence agency, watching over the Zenithians from their fortress in the Monolith. The name literally means “eye of Astir” – the Astir family want everyone to know the power they hold as founders and supervisors of the organization. What was once the security staff onboard the Zenith has now evolved into one of the most competent, and ruthless, intelligence agencies in the Horizon. The Astûrban is very set in the old ways, seeing themselves as protectors of Zenithians everywhere, regardless of whether they support the Hegemony or not. Astûrban agents are no strangers to carrying out raids on rival factions in what they call “self defense”, something the Council have condemned repeatedly.