-History of the Empire-
The Anean Star Empire rose from Haroma in Earth year 1039 (7000 HY). Entering space, their first colony ship was directed at the Azizos System, just 2 lightyears away from Haroma. Using a prototype FTL drive, the ship was hoped to reach the system and pave the way for further colonization projects. It took about a year and a half for the ship to reach Azizos and another year for communications to reach Haroma.
With the success of the Azizos colony, further colonization began on the nearest systems to Haroma. In the year 7045, the Empire came into contact with its first extraterrestrial race; The Galactic Federation. The Federation's arrival was tense, but Emperor Welhan negotiated with them and there was a peace of sorts.
Guided by the Federation, the Empire began to prosper as further colonization efforts, on a massive scale, were undertaken. The Federation's hyperdrive system was given to the Aneans as a gift in order to encourage their rise and expansion.
In about 7150 HY, a Federation fleet descended upon Haroma. What followed was a massacre that resulted in most of the planet's population to die, Emperor Welhan to be captured, and began a long fighting withdrawal to the furthest systems of the Empire. In two months the Federation overran the Empire and pushed them back to the Narcissum System.
In Narcissum the Empire was at constant threat of a Federation attack that would finish them off. For 20 years the Empire held onto Narcissum before help finally arrived. A freighter, which had entered coordinates wrong, arrived over Narcissum. The freighter belonged to the Remnoran Republic, another nation at war with the Federation. After a first contact, the pilot of the freighter, as well as a group of Anean Marines with a general in command, departed for Remnora.
Securing help from the Republic, the Empire launched an attack on the Federation blockade of the Narcissum System. Remnoran ships supported the Aneans and, in just hours, the Federation was forced to withdraw. For the next 15 years the Empire pushed back the Federation with help from the Remnorans. During the first year Emperor Welhan was rescued from a prison camp and he commanded the armies to victory.
When the war ended, the Remnorans and Aneans forged an alliance that would bring their people much closer together. A DMZ was established along the Federation border of both nations and they both began a massive military buildup to be able to counter the Federation. The new Queen of Remnora, K'an Coutant, married Emperor Welhan in hopes that the nations would be, essentially, one. What came of that was widespread protests on Remnora. Most dispersed in days and none were any threat to stability.
The final act of the Remnoran Republic was authorizing the construction of the
Harbinger II on Remnora X. Using Anean weaponry and Remnoran structure, the ship was constructed in 60 years. Its completion marked the beginning of the Second Federation War. It lasted a month and the Federation was pushed back several lightyears. After the war, with Anean and Remnoran unity at its peak, Queen Coutant and Emperor Welhan signed a series of agreements that united the Remnoran Republic and Anean Empire into one nation;
The Anean Star Empire.
From the end of the Second Federation War until 7700 HY, the galaxy enjoyed relative peace. Tourism and commerce flourished, the ASE grew ever stronger by the day, and there was next to no unrest anywhere. That ended with the rise of the Pudrian Collective. Leaving their systems they overran the Galactic Federation, killing trillions. The Empire was able to put up a stiffer resistance, but even they were forced all the way back to a last stand on Haroma. Even though the Pudrians were wiped out after nearly 100 years of fighting, the Empire and Federation suffered massive amounts of damage. Before the war there were 75 trillion people in the Empire and Federation. After the war only 28 trillion remained, mostly in the Empire.
With the near destruction of his nation twice in his lifetime, Welhan began to have mental deterioration. He went, in just a few years, from the benevolent leader that everyone adored to a tyrant that massacred his own people to maintain stability. Even with the end of the Great Galactic War, the galaxy was descending deeper into authoritarianism. The Empire adopted a very military-centric system which put the military near the top of the social ladder.
For the next 150 years unrest was slowly rising as the people, mostly Remnoran, had been the target of Welhan's "racial purity" policies. By 7960 HY, unrest had blossomed into peaceful protests against Welhan and demanding that he resign from the throne and help to bring about a democratic government. Most of these protests were met with extreme force and, typically, deadly force.
In about 7980 HY, Isaiah Xaimoungkhoun rose up as a military and political leader that spoke openly against Welhan. For the next 20 years Isaiah fought a shadow "war" against Welhan in order to increase the unrest and cause open rebellion on several worlds. Finally, knowing that he was almost beat, in 7999 HY, Welhan ordered an election to determine who should take over the nation. After losing, Welhan stepped down and was never seen again.
Welhan's resignation allowed IX the chance to rise to the Presidency. His takeover of the nation was marked by his changing from President to Imperator as well as the start of the Third Federation War. A nuclear device was detonated in a stadium and, in response, war was declared on the Galactic Federation.
The Third Federation War lasted just under a year, but the devastation was immense. From Venak to Talon and beyond, hundreds billions lost their lives. In the end the Anean War Machine was crippled and the Empire had overextended itself. Without the military power to keep the new systems in check, rebellion was widespread. Much of it was contained, but Admiral Rio was forced to take extreme measures to ensure security.
Ninety years passed between the War and the return of the Empire to the Milky Way. During this time reconstruction of the Federation worlds was nearly finished and the Anean Armed Forces reached a new level of power. When the Empire returned to the Milky Way, they found themselves to be, almost immediately, one of the major galactic powers - alongside the Immanence and Unity.
Initially, the three powers got along fairly well. The Empire acted as a galactic police when needed, as did the Immanence, but relations changed as Unity began to invade indiscriminately. In the first invasion of Unity's expansion - the invasion of New Harris - the Empire was forced to turn their guns on Unity as it became clear that they were killing the civilians and laying waste to the planet, and to support or do nothing about it is in violation of ASF protocols.
From then the Immanence and Empire worked against Unity where they could. This resulted in the Unitarian invasion of several Immanence worlds. The Empire initially did nothing, hoping to find a diplomatic solution, but that hope came to an end as a Unitarian armada razed Haroma. Having angered the entire nation, the Empire went to war. In five years the Empire launched the largest offensives since the final years of the Great Galactic War, culminating in the invasion of Weihria and capitulation of Unity.
The victory was marked by the assimilation of Unity worlds into the Empire, and the reconstruction of them, as well as the Immanence joining with the Empire. Effectively, following the Great War of Unitarian Aggression, the Anean Star Empire was a galactic hyperpower.
House Xaimoungkhoun 
House Welhan
House Coutant
House Soldavini
House McCovery
House Mestrat