Freeside Renegades
What does it mean to serve in another man’s war? To send your sons and daughters off to die for a cause you may not believe in. To watch as your planet, your home, is bled dry of its resources to fuel the ceaseless march of a crusade you aren’t even sure is real. These thoughts and doubts are the foundation that led to the creation of the Freeside Renegades.
The Asterion Order
To understand the Freeside Renegades, we must first understand the empire they once served. The Asterion Order wages an endless war against a tide of demonic incursions, and while they are mighty, they are too few in number to protect the vast amount of worlds within their domain. Yet everyone must do their part to serve the Order's war effort. Many worlds never even witness the demonic incursions of the demon lords' legions. To many, their ceaseless invasion is merely a myth, created to indoctrinate worlds into serving their oppressive overlords. Some, more unfortunate worlds, have seen the madness of the demonic legions firsthand. Their worlds, a tithe to the endless march of demonic corruption. The populace of these once shining worlds now left to wander their dying planets, cursing the order for their inability to shield them from the demon tides of wrath and blood. This has created animosity within the Asterion Order. Many would rather take their chances than serve an empire that cannot protect them. It was this very idea that created the Freeside Renegades.
Freeside or Die!
No one is entirely sure when the first Freesiders were created. There are those who are given the credit of being known as the founding fathers of the Renegades, but much of the faction's early days are lost to time and memory. What is known is the location where and when the separatist movement from the Asterion Order began. The planet Aristian IV, later renamed Motus by the Freesiders, was where the first fires of freedom burned. A man by the name of Aristotle led a small force of renegades into the world’s capital palace. Within the court walls resided a governing official and representative of the Asterion Order. His name was Andreas Beckett, and he was a cancer upon the world of Motus. His corruption came in the form of starvation and pollution of the outer rim planet. He bled dry not just the people of this world but the very globe itself. Under his leadership, Motus was ceaselessly stripped of its resources, rotation after rotation. Civil wars were a constant occurrence. Riots and destabilization plagued the people of Motus. The people who spoke against Beckett’s rule were whipped or hanged from the gallows in an archaic show of discipline. When they cried for justice and aid from the Order, they were met only with cruel silence.
Aristotle Katsaros was a simple farmer. He served for a time with the local military force, even earning multiple achievement medals due to his commendable service. However, after a fateful encounter with one of Beckett’s loyal captains, Theodin Rosenvault, Aristotle was set upon the path of rebellion. Thus began the “10-Year War”, a personal crusade that would culminate in the storming of the Capitol Palace in the Terra Year 5221, and striking down Andreas Beckett mere feet from the courtyard's prized cherry tree. A tree known as the Serenity Tree, imported from Earth as a symbol of unity between the worlds within the Unity System. A tree that was considered incredibly rare, an artifact from the days when Earth still possessed lush and vibrant forests. A tree that Aristotle himself would burn as an act of triumph over the tyrant. His act of defiance would spark a revolution across the Unity System. Within the next 4 Terra Years, each world followed Aristotle’s example, even burning the Serenity Tree’s sister trees located in each of the separate worlds’ Capitol Palace courtyards to mark their declaration of Freedom. The Unity System was soon after renamed the Freesides and its people the Freeside Renegades.
Freeside Today
The Freesides still exist to this day, despite the Order's desperate attempts to shelter its people from its existence through the usage of propaganda. The cluster of planets remains on the outskirts of the galaxy, hidden from most eyes, and the Asterion Order remains too occupied with the countless demonic incursions to dedicate a committed campaign into the system. The Freesiders live in a cultural atmosphere similar to the wild west of old Earth. There are lawmen and sheriffs who maintain order across the populace. The communities come together to sustain themselves through shared ideals. Farmers provide the vegetables and grains, Carpenters craft the homes and buildings. Hunters and Cooks, meat and food. Each person is expected to contribute to the community and thus, the survival of the Freesides. And all of this is managed by community-appointed mayors and representatives. Unfortunately, the Freesides attract plenty of unwanted visitors. Thieves, bandits, smugglers, and many other unsavory folks. Despite the lawmen's best efforts, due to its location along the outskirts of the galaxy, the Freesides is a perfect retreat for many criminal organizations.
Military Might
The Freesides possess a well-sized military force, comprised of planetary militias. These forces are broken into regiments of enlisted men and women of every race and species. The Freesiders don’t discriminate based on species as they welcome any willing to serve their cause, whether it’s alien, robot, or otherwise. The entire military element of the Freeside Renegades is led by an elite group of generals, most notably among them is the prodigy apprentice of Aristotle Katsaros, Malcolm Blackwater. Many of the weaponry and vehicles employed by the Renegades are from the early Frontier Era, back when humanity was initially expanding into the stars. But despite their technological disadvantages, the Renegades make do with what they have, often utilizing brutal guerrilla warfare tactics against their foes. Even when faced with overwhelming odds, their battle cry can be heard emanating from the throats of every man, woman, or xenos across any battlefield, “Freeside or Die.”