Template:Age (Phoenix Age) The Phoenix Age (4000–4027) is the name used to describe the reign of King Andrew when the re-united Hapes Consortium was rising from the ashes of the Hapan civil war. The time-period is considered a transition from the Age of Queen-Mothers and Dark Age on to the Golden Age as the King mixed the new with the old in order to re-establish a firm government. Most Hapans look back on this period in Hapan history with fondness.
Monarchy & Government
Initial Years
King Andrew ruled the Hapes Consortium with a firm yet gentle hand. He adopted a style of leadership similar to many of the historical Queen-Mothers and encouraged unity across the Hapes Cluster.
The first few years of the Phoenix Age were difficult as many Hapans had trouble accepting a male monarch. The King relied heavily upon the support of the old nobility of the Rim Worlds and Rifle Worlds regions to maintain order and peace. The frail alliance of the re-unified Hapes Consortium was held together primarily by the King Andrew, Lord Laz Tylger and Nilij Cal'taru. At the same time the King was suspicious of the conservative nobility as only a few years earlier they had been sworn enemies.
As time passed and most of the population came to terms with the idea of a male monarch, the King gradually reduced the power and influence of the nobility throughout the Hapes Consortium.
Rebuilding the Economy
The King encouraged the nobility to donate fragments of their wealth to the Hapan treasuries in order to build the infrastructure of the Hapan society. Many of the Consortium's worlds were still in ruins from half a century of warfare and the Crown was left with the bill. King Andrew sent ships out of the Hapes Cluster in secret, establishing a trade network from the outside galaxy in to Hapan space. Using fairly common, but valuable Hapan trinkets and gems, he was able to acquire many of the things that the Hapan peoples desperately needed to rebuild their society.
Black Sun was one of the Hapes Consortium's major suppliers of goods throughout the Phoenix Age and the King established a friendship with Princess Storm who ran the trade conglomerate.
In 4024, Lorell was opened to the outside galaxy and the Hapes Consortium's unique nature and untouched markets attracted many foreign businesses to set up shop on the galaxy's newest trade hub and commerce nexus. The taxation of imported goods, not to mention tax revenue from the planet, stabilized the Hapan economy.
Trans-Galactic Transportation was established in 4024 as a nationalised corporation specialising in the import and export of goods to and from Lorell, and was the first Hapan company to operate in the outside galaxy.
Another major investor that contributed to the Hapan economy during this time-period was Juganoth Mining, owned by former bounty hunter, Captain Friar Blues. They contributed heavily with new and innovative mining methods that helped many of the Hapan mining guilds recover from the Hapan civil war. Blues also donated several ships of his private fleet to the Royal Hapan Navy.
Social Reforms
King Andrew carried out a number of social reforms which he considered necessary after the Hapan civil war. In 4005 he settled the dispute between the sexes, making sure they had equal employment and service opportunities. While this was not welcomed by most of the female Hapan population, especially in conservative circles, the males were happy to be able to serve the government and armed forces as well.
He permitted strict and limited immigration to the Hapes Cluster from 4012 and on, leading to some non-humans moving in and becoming citizens of the Hapes Consortium. He ensured that non-humans were treated fairly, along the same lines as all non-human species native to the cluster.
Lorell Hall
King Andrew oversaw most aspects of the Hapan society and government himself with the assistance of a small group of advisors which frequently visited the Royal Hapan Palace. He toured the Hapes Cluster and spent very little of his reign on Hapes Prime itself. When he became too sick to rule in 4026, he appointed Lord Alexander Tylger as Regent and Prime Minister. Crown Prince James was originally meant to oversee the Hapes Consortium, but was in isolation on an unknown world, studying for his future rule.
Lord Tylger re-established Lorell Hall and appointed a select number of Ministers to help him administrate the Hapes Consortium. The cabinet's firm and stable administration of the state helped ease the transition between the Phoenix Age and Golden Age.
End of the Phoenix Age
Due to his frail health, King Andrew decided to abdicate in favour of Crown-Prince James who he had appointed as his heir in 4024. The official abdication took place in the summer of 4027 after the Hapes Consortium had been administrated for a year by Lord Tylger as Regent and Prime Minister.
The transition from the Phoenix Age to the Golden Age went smoothly with the only dissent coming from the Royal Hapan Army and Grand General Harr. Former King Andrew died shortly after the coronation of King James from the injuries he received in a shooting on the coronation day.
Royal Hapan Armed Forces
The Royal Hapan Navy was finally re-unified under a single banner in 4000. The Hapan civil war had led to significant technological advancements prior to the re-unification and the innovative Nova Battle Cruiser entered service early in the Phoenix Age, becoming the mainstay of the new fleets. As the last ship personally designed by members of House Olanji, it remains part of their legacy within the Hapes Consortium.
Quasar Battle Cruisers were eventually decommissioned and replaced entirely by the Nova Battle Cruisers and some of the Consortium's funds were used to import Dreadnaught Heavy Cruisers from the outside galaxy.
In the early years of the Phoenix Age, one of King Andrew's biggest supporters from the days of the war was the naval commander of the Hapes Consortium. Jacevel Canler was the first Grand Admiral and successfully defended the Hapes Cluster from foreign threats and various groups who did not accept the re-unification up until his death in 4014. Commodore James became the new naval commander and led the Royal Hapan Navy in to a new era, reaching the rank of Grand Admiral in 4020. He is generally thought to have been the most talented naval commander in Hapan history as the Royal Hapan Navy expanded three times during his leadership put the Hapes Consortium among the galaxy's foremost naval powers.
Several prominent members of the Royal Hapan Navy at that time included Sirius Threestars, Juthan Karrde, Sala Mander, Galin Rudge and Alexander Tylger.
Admiral Threestars replaced Grand Admiral Prince James as naval commander from 4026 and on.
Royal Hapan Army
The Royal Hapan Army proved to be the branch of the Hapes Consortium that was the hardest to reunify. Most attempts were unsuccessful and the army was severely splintered until Pez Harr took over leadership in 4023. His hard-line conservative leadership style proved effective and re-unified the army under a single disciplined banner. He was eventually made Grand General in 4027.
The H-1 Light Battle Tank was designed by General Harr, Lord Tylger and the Royal Engineering Corps in 4027 for the Royal Hapan Army, with swift patrol duty being its main field of usage.
In addition to the Regiment Corps, Marine Corps and Air Support Corps, the army had two significant divisions which were under Harr's command.
Phoenix Guard
King Andrew's royal guard was called the Phoenix Guard. It was a highly disciplined army division under the command of Lieutenant General Ta'me'wes which reported to General Harr. It consisted of troops and minor transports only, functioning mostly in a ceremonial role and was not as closely tied to actual military operations as it came to be during the Golden Age.
HapSec
HapSec was an invention of General Harr which was tasked with corporate security duty and deployed to most industrial and commercial facilities of importance such as Olanji/Charubah yards and Trans-Galactic Transportation. During the Golden Age, this was the only part of the Royal Hapan Army to follow General Harr in his exile.
