“Strength through unity. Freedom through law.”
The Hardan Republic is the largest known empire in the Milky Way Galaxy, a sprawling federation of hundreds of worlds bound together by shared governance, military cooperation, and economic interdependence. Founded on ideals of unity and stability, the Republic has endured centuries of war and expansion to become the dominant political power in the galaxy.
The Republic is structured as a federated democracy, balancing planetary autonomy with central authority.
Prime Minister: The supreme authority of the Republic, elected for life by the Council of Governors. Upon death or incapacitation, a new election is held. The current Prime Minister is Zanto Garla, a charismatic and pragmatic human leader whose tenure has been marked by both stability and rising external threats.
Council of Governors: Each world in the Republic elects or appoints a Governor to represent its people. Together, they act as a legislative body, advising the Prime Minister, debating laws, and approving large-scale initiatives such as wars or colonization efforts.
Bureaucracy: Below the Council exists a vast network of civil officials who manage trade, security, infrastructure, and diplomacy across the Republic’s territories.
The Republic is a multi-racial society, incorporating countless species from across the galaxy. Humans form the majority population, especially within the military, but non-humans hold significant political and cultural influence.
Diversity: Each world contributes its own traditions, religions, and technologies, creating a mosaic of cultural exchange.
Religion: The Republic does not elevate one deity above another, though certain cults and Archon-worship traditions thrive on individual worlds. The worship of Margos, Archon of Death, and the Storm Sovereign, Archon of Might and Power, are outlawed, viewed as dangerous to the Republic’s stability.
Values: Citizens value freedom of expression, lawful governance, and mutual defense. Patriotism in the Republic is tied not to conquest but to the ideal of maintaining peace and prosperity through collective strength.
Though vast and powerful, the Republic’s military is primarily defensive, designed to protect its borders and preserve stability across its star systems.
Composition:
Guardsmen: Planetary defense forces and security officers.
Infantry and Marines: The backbone of the army, serving as both defensive troops and expeditionary forces.
Pilots: Elite starfighter and bomber squadrons, often supported by advanced drone craft.
Navy: The pride of the Republic, with fleets spread across the galaxy to enforce order and counter threats such as piracy, rebellion, or Imperial aggression.
Psi-Casters: Though less integrated than in the Imperium, Psi-casters serve as advisors, tacticians, and support units. Unlike the Imperium, the Republic places strong restrictions on Psionica use in the military, ensuring regulation and preventing abuse.
Doctrine: The Republic favors combined-arms warfare, relying on coordination between fleets, ground troops, and logistics networks. While not as ruthlessly efficient as the Arkanis Legions, the Republic’s military is vast, adaptable, and resilient.
The Republic and the Imperium were once uneasy allies, but their ties broke when the Imperium clung to worship of the Storm Sovereign and embraced conquest over cooperation. Now the two powers are bitter rivals:
The Republic frames itself as the defender of liberty and civilization against tyranny.
The Imperium sees the Republic as weak, corrupt, and blasphemous for denying the Storm Sovereign.
The war between the two is not just military—it is ideological, a struggle for the heart of the galaxy’s future.
Where the Imperium rules by divine right and conquest, the Republic thrives on the strength of its diversity, the resilience of its citizens, and the enduring belief that freedom and unity will outlast tyranny.
In the words of Prime Minister Zanto Garla:
"We do not kneel to gods of fear or war. We kneel only to the will of the people—and through them, to the stars."