XiC: Denipira

 

Without a unified military fleet in the wide void of space, the unscrupulous sorts quickly came out of the woodwork during Xi’s voiden era. The dissolution of the Merchant’s Guild additionally spearheaded entire groups of rogues and reprobates, starting a golden age of space piracy for the galaxy of Xi. Additionally, dissenters of the constantly shifting regime and political hotrods would be swift to abandon positions, from the top to the bottom, swarming the ranks of corsairs with abandoned martial forces, equipment and experienced militia heads. The accumulation of organizations dedicated to theft and piracy came to identify as Denipira, named after the former Lot protecting police force and investigatory organization specifically formed to protect cargo within classic Xi.

Denipira’s hoards were known for their daring heists and raids on wealthy merchant ships and affluent transport vessels. They would be fiercely independent and have little patience for authority figures or rules outside the Piracy codes that powerful groups had collectively agreed upon. Denipira kept close relations with Black Nebula and Caldera throughout its reign, having the capacity to tap into the latter’s vast smuggling network and to help defend its interests from the prevailing splinters of the Xi regime. The Denipira of the 14th-15th century were widely regarded as the deadliest pirate group in the history of Xi, and in that era the Denipira led the galaxy’s first wide-scale and systematic assault on the galaxy’s already stretched-thin and oft corrupt security forces, a campaign so devastating in scale and brutality that every voyage earned a place in the history books under the title of the ‘The Doomcruise.’

One of Denipira’s major strongholds was in the star system of Macron Planck. An abandoned colony of the Xi’an origin prior to its dissolution, Oasis boasted an exceptional port system and an active mining corporation that supplied the region with a high level of raw materials and minerals for local trading, and the influx of Cascade activity made it undesirable for authorities to peer into or examine too often. This led to a reliable dependence on so-called ‘Casca-Seers’ who claimed to be able to receive visions and prophecies from the Cascade that would allow them to predict when its storms and sudden appearances would hit, although their legacy is controversial and legitimacy is still a subject of lively debate. Under Denipira’s banner, Macron Plank was the location of several pirate outposts, and one of the largest groups of pirates operating in Xi. Denipira also owned several spaceports in Xi’s official capacity right under the nose of PFU, and one of their largest fleets, the Wanderstar Crusade, was based in the ancient nobility house of the Yettiara Clan ages past who hid pirates for centuries. 

The life of a Denipirate was the life of a free soul and an explorer, with little regard for the rule of law, regulations of the galaxy, or laws of the Xi regime. Whether you were a Torpedo-Charger, mercenary, haggler, local slave trader, Plasma chevalier, alphine raider or a royal heiress running away to live the dashing life of a pirate prince, Denipira offered a whole new world away from the humdrum of Xi’s dark ages. Atomic astropilots gave rides anywhere for a hefty price, no matter how wanted you were. StarRunners performed smuggling jobs and delivery gigs to anyone willing to pay. Vengeancers would serve as hired assassins in Denipira’s Brewery galleons ships constantly looking for work, and those in need of religion could find a Cascaseer and hear of the salvation the Cascade could offer all lifeforms, with enigmatic technology and crystalline altars meant to offer solace right outside saloons and gambling rinks. It was a life of freedom from all authority and law, and a place many youths sought to join in order to escape the conformity of everyday life in the voiden era. Pirates were allowed their own set of standards, and in the wide void of space they had the capacity to govern themselves.

The endless scourge of pirates leads to the ‘glorious’ Atlas v Denipra wars in the 15th void century, in which Atlas’s heavily armored and well-backed corporate armada attempted to go on a cleanse against Denpira, then lead by exiled treasonous former-general Ellidigo Heavensong, an immense campaign in which Ellioise ended up narrowly stalemating Ellidigo’s fleets, but after the losses recuperated by offering her a position within Atlas’s own Naval division. While Denipira was still operable and a threat for centuries, it never recovered from its incursion-loss against Atlas and the persistent anti-piracy efforts of Star Charity and later Sandra eventually massacred most of the major holdouts. Denipira now exists in a diminished form, a shadow of its former self past the bygone piracy age. Still the legacy of Denipira reaches into the galaxy’s imagination in media, cinema and GalaNet roleplaying channels with an enduring captivation still.