Tale of the Sol Dominion
Chapter Three: A Golden Age
Endless Mysteries: 2220 to 2240
It was a new golden age of wealth and prosperity for humanity and the Sol Dominion but that didn't mean that it was without challenges. As humanity journeyed through the infinite void of space, they were beset by murderers, pirates and religious fanatics.
While the destruction of the Throne of God forces in the Lyctabon system brought the Dominion no small measure of relief, it was by no means the end of their troubles with this group. Just a few weeks later, another smaller force of theirs was discovered in the Ablapus system. The fleet was sent to dispatch them and, thanks to the veteran sailors of the Dominion Navy and the expert martial experience of Admiral Masuku, they were quickly disposed of with no casualties inflicted on the Dominion forces.
Above: The Battle of Ablapus
Despite the stubborn and foolhardy attacks against the Dominion by these cultists, the Dominion continued to expand and grow with every moment that passed. In 2228 they colonized the world of Arcadia, in the system next to the Lyctabon system, establishing the latest in a series of strong and interconnected trade routes that crisscrossed the Empire.
Above: The colonization of Arcadia
As wealth and mineral resources flowed from the outer territories and back to New Terra, the Sol Dominion flourished like never before. Even when another cultist force emerged from the Cuunbar system, this golden age still continued, uninterrupted. Like all those before them, these cultists were dispatched with ridiculous ease.
Above: Battle of Cuunbar
Throughout all of this, the Dominion prospered as trade flourished and the economy grew exponentially after the confidence of the citizens was bolstered by the fleet's victories over the cultists. They came to believe that there was nobody the Dominion fleet could not defend them against and the hyperspace lanes of the Sol Dominion filled with hundreds of merchant vessels moving back and forth as they traded their goods across the Dominion. Despite the battles with these cultists, it was still considered an age of peace and profit.
But thanks to this golden age, the merchants were bringing in enormous profits from across the Dominion. These thousands of credits worth of goods transiting across the Dominion every day were too tempting a target for some to resist and piracy began to run rampant across the Dominion's most lucrative trade routes. Particularly badly affected was the trade route between Arcadia and New Terra which was the most profitable trade route in the entire Empire.
This trade route had long gone without regular patrols by the navy due to a lack of hostile incursions in the region as well as the fact that it was so deep in the Dominion's core territory. Capitalizing on the lack of military presence, renegades, outlaws, and pirates began to raid the shipping lanes, making off with thousands of credits worth of goods over the next three years.
This was too much for the Dominion to take and they had to respond. An edict was passed by the Grand Marshal, authorizing all civilian merchant vessels operating within the Dominion to be armed in case of pirate attacks. Eventually, as the raids became more and more intense, it became clear that this would not be enough and Admiral Masuku was forced to take a direct hand in suppressing this pirate activity.
DIS operatives traced the base of pirate activity to an asteroid outpost in the Lyctabon system and the fleet was sent in to finish the job. Truthfully, it wasn't much of a fight. Total Dominion casualties for the entire operation, including both destroying the pirate fleet and laying siege to the outpost, were about 30 injured and 3 killed in total.
Above: Operation Crimson Vendetta
A few months after the pirates were put down, the Sol Dominion encountered an alien civilization for the first time outside of their Tebazoid slaves. At first, the Dominion's citizens were nervous about this encounter with another alien species considering that their meeting with the Tebazoids had led to a war for control of the planet.
But, soon enough, they relaxed. This particular race was particularly small and had no real galactic ambitions and they were traders. This group, known as the Muutagan Merchant Guild, seemed to base their entire society around a concept that the Dominion had long since embraced: money makes the galaxy go 'round.
The Muutagan's entire society existed for the sole purpose of making money and the Dominion found they could work with them. They were really nothing more than a gigantic hub of trade and posed no threat to the Dominion as a whole. With that matter resolved, trade was established and the Sol Dominion found themselves with a brand new trading partner.
As the economy grew and the Sol Dominion was strengthened at every level and every trace of the pirate scourge that had once plagued the Arcadia trade route was mercilessly hunted down, it only remained to see what mysteries of the galaxy would be found next.
