Militesi Empire

Jörg Paradis was a lowly lord in Azurr who encountered the White Tiger l'Cie in 174, three years before he was to crown himself the Emperor of Milites. He studied Crystal-driven technology leading to the invention of firearms. His subjugation of Azurr was swift, requiring less than a year to demolish decades of civilization. Out of the ashes rose Ingram in the north, the capital chosen to house the White Peristylium as Paradis made his formal declaration of empire. The subsequent conquest of Cetme had the realm take notice, as the expansionist Milites ushered in a new era of force in Orience.

The mass production of firearms saw the subjugation of the outlands, but imperial expansion also necessitated new technologies. Milites made inroads to Berith and inadvertently engaged the paladins of the Lorican Alliance, suffering casualties in close range combat. In 214, four years prior to the breakout of hostilities, the empire had developed the Crystal (or "C-") Engine—a motor to power mobile artillery. As the first airships were conceived, the advent of mechanization in warfare changed combat forever.

The imperial machines were suits of armor whose cannons tore the Lorican lines to shreds from afar. Imperial forces penetrated the Lorican heartland before the Black Tortoise l'Cie stifled the imperial advance and brought about an armistice. The alliance poured its efforts into combating the Crystal-powered imperial weapons and devised a means of imbuing arms and armor with the Black Tortoise Crystal's energy. The Arms of Agito could fell the formerly invincible imperial war machines, and once enough knightly orders had been outfitted, Lorica declared war on Milites on 301.

The armies again clashed in the sandy region of Berith, and with their new equipment the Loricans overwhelmed the empire. Alliance knights pursued the fleeing imperial troops into their homeland, but were driven out of imperial lands by White Tiger l'Cie, although the knights' Crystal-imbued Arms of Agito saved the alliance army from total destruction.

After suffering defeat the empire hastened its development of new weapons. Thanks to their C-Engine, the empire was ahead of the alliance in regard to Crystal energy extraction, and imperial researchers introduced a weapon superior to their tanks and dreadnoughts: magitek armor. The imperial government installed enormous, high-output C-Engines throughout the state to extract energy from the Crystal that distributed the energy to smaller C-Engines, which then used that energy to generate power for the various imperial arms factories. As a result, magitek armor could be mass-produced and the empire sought to test the power of it new mechs.

The Lorican Alliance accepted the Militesi challenge in 315. The Black Paladins took up their Arms of Agito, but could not demonstrate the crushing strength they had shown in the previous war. The alliance army was overwhelmed and the Black Paladins were annihilated. In wars past, the imperial army would have advanced on the Black Peristylium, where the Black Tortoise Crystal would have retaliated with l'Cie. However, because the empire's objective was to test the newly developed MAs, as the alliance army took flight, the empire pulled back.

The border between Milites and Rubrum, the Meroë Region, had been plagued with conflicts, and in 343 RG, one of these border disputes sparked the first war between the two countries. The battle became a contest between magic and mechs, but the dominion's spells had little effect on the empire's magitek armor. The empire nearly routed the dominion out of Meroë before the dominion's First Independent Summoning Regiment called forth Ifrit who drove back the imperial army and led the dominion to victory.

Steeled and strengthened through centuries of war, each Crystal-State had developed formidable fighting forces convincing each head-of-state of the possibility of unifying Orience under one banner. The waning of the Crystals' power drove the four state leaders to expedite their war efforts, even if extracting energy from the Crystals exacerbated their deterioration. Fearing the weakening of the Crystals to be permanent, each nation sought to annihilate the others.

As the Great Orience War commenced Milites focused on attacking the dominion, prompting Lorica to deploy its troops to the empire. Having driven the dominion out of Meroë Region, the empire continued its advance into the Iscah Region. The alliance tried seizing the Berith Region, but the king and the Black Paladins left Jubanla Region for Iscah to see how the King's Sword and Armor would fare in combat: special arms developed with the power of the Black Tortoise Crystal. They were met by the Vermilion Bird l'Cie Kiyosaki who engaged the Lorican King, and the empire lost more than half of its magitek armor fleet in the clash between the king and the l'Cie.

With the alliance approaching from the north, and the imperial fleet in shambles, Militesi territory was vulnerable—but with the help of its l'Cie, the empire escaped the plight. The Crystals began deteriorating even faster due to the replenishment the weapons, armor, and magic, and through the creation of l'Cie. As the power of all four Crystals was waning, on Ventusmens IV in the year 359, the four nations ordered a ceasefire and began preparations for a peace treaty. Pax Codex prohibiting the use of l'Cie in war was drawn up in 361, and in 448 the four peristylia drew up a non-governmental pledge of non-aggression, known as the Fabula Pact.

When the emperor went missing in 832, Marshal Cid Aulstyne took over government affairs as well as the White Peristylium. In truth, the marshal had the emperor imprisoned, and enacted a coup d'etat to become the nation's ruler. The White Tiger Crystal fell into his hands, and the marshal came up with a way to subjugate it and thus enslave its l'Cie. Skirmishes began erupting between the empire and the dominion border cities and villages gradually intensifying until the imperial army razed a dominion village in 841. The Dominion Central Command deployed a task force to assault an imperial city in retaliation. When a White Tiger l'Cie appeared near the border, fearing another clash between l'Cie, the leaders of both armies quieted their troops.

The empire devised a three-part campaign to invade the dominion in 842. The first phase was Operation Solar Eclipse, in which Brigadier General Qator Bashtar would lead a blitzkrieg attack on the Vermilion Peristylium from the ocean. Accompanied by the provisional First Airmobile Force and a l'Cie-piloted magitek armor, his objective was to force the dominion capital of Akademeia to surrender. In the second phase, the empire's main force would invade Iscah, the town where the dominion's primary defenses were stationed. The dominion troops received orders to report to the capital moments after the battle began and as the legionaries retreated, and imperial troops seized the dominion's western half with minimal casualties. The third and final phase involved deploying a fleet of dreadnoughts to infiltrate the dominion's central and eastern regions. The empire had to transport personnel and MAs via airship. Milites anticipated an unrelenting local resistance, but the Rubrumite legionaries fled to defend their capital, and the empire conquered the central and eastern regions of the dominion unimpeded.

Cid Aulstyne used the Militesi government to break the Pax Codex and deployed the Militesi forces alongside the White Tiger Secundus l'Cie Qun'mi Tru'e to invade the dominion. The empire's new weapon Cid had developed with help from Qun'mi and the White Tiger Crystal, crystal jammer, is used the dominion capital and magic academy of Akademeia to disable the Rubrum army's magic by cutting them off from the Vermilion Bird Crystal. Agito Cadets from what would become known as Class Zero destroy the crystal jammers, as they can wield magic independent of the Crystal, and Qun'mi, Qator and the Militesi forces are driven out of Akademeia. Impressed by Class Zero's prowess, the dominion administration deploys the cadets to help regain Rubrum Region from the empire.

Though the empire failed to capture the dominion capital and the Vermilion Peristylium, the Ultima Bomb obliterates the Black Peristylium. The empire sets to recover the Black Tortoise Crystal from the ruins with Cid Aulstyne declaring Milites will become Agito, the fabled savior of Orience, and carve a new path the world to garner support from his people for the war. Rumors spread that the White Tiger Crystal is fading and the empire wants to siphon energy from the other Crystals. Milites lacks many resources, unlike Rubrum, whose Vermilion Bird Crystal still shines strong. The White Tiger Crystal powers the empire's armaments making them the premier military power in Orience. Milites is the only Crystal-Nation to have subjugated their Crystal, and thus, its l'Cie, who are deployed to war to support the imperial troops. This shocks the other nations, as l'Cie are known to not meddle with mortal affairs. The other Crystals respond by deploying their l'Cie against the empire.

After the dominion reclaims the Rubrum Region with the help of Agito Cadets who have been enrolled into the military to help in the war effort, they turn their sights on the stronghold of Togoreth, a strategically important location. Ready to reclaim it at all costs, the dominion storms the stronghold and disables its defensive system, gaining an upper hand. Though General Bashtar defends it with his new magitek armor, the Gabriel is still a prototype and he is forced to flee. The White Tiger Primus l'Cie Nimbus arrives and the Vermilion Bird sends its own Primus l'Cie to intercept him, Zhuyu Voghfau Byot. Togoreth is obliterated in the l'Cie's clash and Milites loses Togoreth Region.

Both the dominion and the empire try to recover from the losses and neither can mobilize for a time. Because the dominion lost fewer personnel, the legions resume military activity sooner, and set their new objective to liberate the town of Keziah. Given the base's remote location, Milites cannot easily dispatch reinforcements to assist the small squad charged with defending the town, and it is lost to the dominion. Soon the Northern Togoreth Region is also lost as the dominion cooperates with the Kingdom of Concordia to liberate Mi-Go. Milites loses Iscah when the dominion sends a cadet task force to infiltrate the town's subterranean waterways and plant Magicite bombs to take out the dynamos that power the city. As the Militesi forces scramble to restore power, the dominion legions storm the city and reclaim it.

The imperial army dispatches several units to the ruins of the Black Peristylium to seize the Black Tortoise Crystal. Believing the entire Lorican population annihilated, Imperial Central Command anticipated a bloodless occupation. Yet, the empire was met with a small group of surviving paladins who put forth a valiant effort before ultimately falling. The remaining survivors are reported executed, but in truth some end up in Militesi hands as test subjects, such as Supersoldier Akkad. The imperial units retrieve the Black Tortoise Crystal and take it back to Milites.

The dominion army deploys newly mobilized troops to its recently acquired base at Iscah. Having lost its occupation headquarters in Rubrum, the imperial army fears it might be driven out of the dominion. Local Militesi officials request reinforcements from Ingram and the empire lands the first strike against the legions at Iscah, but fail to capture the base. The empire meets with a Vermilion counteroffensive, and the Limbo Stronghold falls to the dominion. Imperial troops retreat from the Iscah Region.

Imperial officials reorganize at Renown Base in Meroë to combine the troops who retreated with reinforcements from the capital. The imperial army obtained a briefcase containing classified dominion military information during their occupation of Rubrum, but dominion legions discover the team responsible for transporting the case to Milites. A pursuit and subsequent battle ensue, and the legionaries chase the imperial squad into the Rokol Caverns. Class Zero is deployed to recover the stolen documents.

Class Zero is sent to destroy the imperial prototype magitek armor in the Steelworks manufacturing plant near the imperial capital of Ingram. The cadets infiltrate the factory and destroy the Brionac designed to deploy the Ultima Bomb, but are overpowered by the White Tiger Crystal Primus l'Cie, Nimbus. Queen Andoria of the Kingdom of Concordia invokes the Fabula Pact forged between the nations' peristylia hundreds of years ago. Nimbus ceases his attack and the queen declares an armistice in the name of the god Pulse. Cid Aulstyne watches the spectacle from a balcony, finding the queen invoking the pact "quaint".

Chancellor Khalia Chival VI of Rubrum travels to Ingram to partake in the peace talks. During the ceasefire the imperial troopers stationed in the Nesher Divide fall victim to monster assaults, and Class Zero, that had been given leave in Ingram, is deployed to "assist" them, their true mission being espionage on the Militesi forces. The ceasefire is short-lived as Queen Andoria is assassinated and the blame is placed on Class Zero. The chancellor and his entourage return to Rubrum as the war is to continue immediately, but imperial troops ambush Class Zero in the Hotel Armada who must fight their way through Ingram to escape.

The King of Concordia, whose title is more of a figurehead, schemed to overthrow Andoria, and now assumes control of the nation and forms an alliance with the empire to retaliate against the Dominion of Rubrum for their supposed role in Andoria's death. Thus the Azure Dragon Crystal falls into Militesi hands. Facing invasion from two sides, the dominion works to secure its borders at Meroë and Eibon Regions, but the empire puts up little resistance as it is planning a simultaneous invasion with Concordia, forcing Rubrum to split its army to wage war on two fronts. Driven from the dominion, the imperial forces rally in their homeland and, along with the royal army, begin formulating a renewed offensive. Hoping to buy time to regroup, Milites deploys a surprise amphibious assault targeting the Sothoth Coast on the far side of Rubrum. When Dominion Central Command hears the empire has landed, they deploy Class Zero to destroy the beachhead.

The dominion deploys nearly 300,000 legionaries to the imperial border—approximately 80% of the dominion army. With the inclusion of their newly formed 106th and 107th Companies, the imperial forces double the dominion legions in size and easily breach the dominion's front line. The dominion deploys troops behind the imperial forces to disrupt their rear guard and slow the imperial advance, and Class Zero destroys the empire's crystal jammer-mounted MAs. The Vermilion Bird Secundus l'Cie Lady Caetuna summons the Verboten Eidolon Alexander, whose Divine Light obliterates the imperial stronghold. Militesi casualties mounting as high as 180,000, their MAs hopeless against the dominion's Eidolons, the empire is devastated, and morale plummets as the troops withdraw from dominion territory. Although Rubrum lost the greater half of its legionaries, Milites lost all strongholds and 90% of its units stationed along the border, and the dominion emerges victorious.

Concordia capitulates and the dominion concentrates its forces into taking the empire. Militesi towns fall one by one until dominion troops march on Ingram. Seeing the empire's surrender inevitable, a Militesi scientist fits a prototype Ultima Bomb to General Qator Bashtar's magitek armor intending to wipe out both the capital and the invading forces. Realizing the ploy, and not wanting to see Ingram destroyed, Bashtar flies his MA to the atmosphere where the bomb detonates clear of the city. As Cid Aulstyne watches the bomb light up the sky he realizes Bashtar has perished and the empire has lost the war. As he flees Rubrum conquers the White Peristylium and Orience is united under the banner of the Vermilion Bird.

The dominion's victory celebrations are short as Tempus Finis commences and the Rursan Reavers lay waste to Orience. Cid has Nimbus give him passage to Pandæmonium, the Land of Judgment that appears at the end of the world where the Judge is said to make the Final Decision on the world's fate: if there is no Agito Orience will be destroyed. Class Zero follows and finds Cid has been turned into the Rursan Arbiter, the Judge, by the fal'Cie Gala. The Judge deems the cadets unfit to be Agito, but they fell Cid and stall Tempus Finis. The light of the Crystals fades. It is unknown what becomes of Milites in this new world where mankind can no longer rely on the power of the Crystals, but Machina Kunagiri and Rem Tokimiya, the only surviving members of Class Zero, become a guiding light for the newly united mankind to usher them toward a new future.