VON RYAN'S WAR
An Historical Treatise
By Sir Gashid Khedadi, OHD

PROLOGUE: The Phoenix Reborn

The recent rebellion fought by the followers of Count Von Ryan across
the Far Frontiers/Vanguard Reaches sector border changed the history of
the Duchy of Trelyn irrevocably. The interstellar state founded by Ardesh
Varen, Duke of the Third Imperium, journeyed into an uncertain future as
its internal structure collapsed and then rebuilt.

The Rise of Von Ryan

Developed by the Allarton Corporation based on Trelyn Vrra (Vanguard
Reaches 2504), the Duchy of Trelyn was formed when visionary businessman
Ardesh Varen received his patent of nobility from the Third Imperium. In a
program of continued expansion and consolidation, each Grand Duke added a
new county to the Duchy.

The fifth ruler of the Duchy, the lovely Grand Duchess Lissa Dyana
Varen, faced the task of uniting a dozen new worlds into the County of
Yuen in the Far Frontiers sector. She sought the help of a roguish ex-Army
lieutenant colonel named Von Ryan.

Von Ryan distinguished himself as a capable entrepreneur and adminis-
trator in several ventures throughout the Duchy. With the considerable
fortune his trading enterprises amassed, the youthful adventurer formed a
mercenary company known as Dog Soldiers, Inc. The early exploits of Von
Ryan would fill several datafiles, but suffice to say that his experiences
were varied and valuable.

Against the judgment of her advisors, Dyana invested Von Ryan with
the task of uniting the new County of Yuen into a functional administra-
tive unit. Operating with his usual panache and unorthodox tactics, and
using all means available (including his mercenaries), Von Ryan accom-
plished the task. For his efforts, Von Ryan received the patent of
nobility of the Count of Yuen (Far Frontiers 2234), the jewel of the Duchy
and the only functioning example of Extreme Stellar technology known.

Wheels Within Wheels

Utilizing his authority to its absolute limits (some would say beyond
those limits), the new Count embarked upon several ambitious projects.
Terraforming began on several worlds, showing promising results in a short
time. A research project called the Council of Logic planned a network of
advanced computers to be used as a massive "expert system" for
psychohistory.

The astonishing technology available on Yuen produced new System
Defense Boats to replace those in use throughout the County. Plans for
construction of these vessels were submitted to the Grand Duchess, but
maintenance and start-up costs of these high-tech ships were deemed
unsuitable. Von Ryan updated and centralized control of colonial and
planetary naval fleets within his jurisdiction.

Von Ryan's widespread activity caught Dyana's eye, and she viewed
several of these projects with growing alarm. Finally, the Grand Duchess
made a personal visit to Von Ryan's estate on Yuen. While the true nature
of this meeting remains solely in the memories of its two participants,
Von Ryan received several ultimatums.

Duchy intelligence services made Dyana aware of three secret programs
being conducted in the County. Von Ryan created an order of knighthood, an
action within his powers as Count. The Knights of Kajaani, however,
engaged in psionic training, which was "officially" illegal. Secretly, the
Duchy maintained its own psionic research programs, and Von Ryan was told
by the Duchess that he could continue if research data was shared.

Reports detailed another project to build a clandestine super-
starship, embodying the full potential of Extreme Stellar technology:
antimatter missiles, disintegrator weapons, black globes and proton
screens. Dyana ordered this project immediately ceased.

Another secret project involved the controlled breeding of a deadly
creature called the Reticulan Parasite to increase its intelligence and
combat worthiness. The Duchy intelligence operatives knew least about this
program, and assured her that it would be difficult and not worth the
effort. Whether she actually brought this up in the discussion is unknown.

At the very least, relations between the Count and the Grand Duchess
became strained after this meeting. Some observers cite this conference as
the turning point in their relationship. Von Ryan mollified Dyana with
plans for the "Express," a practical Jump-6 courier design to speed up the
long communications route with Archduke Norris in the Spinward Marches.

Grand Duchess Dyana's agents kept close watch on Von Ryan's activi-
ties. Her technological advisors watched the progress of his advanced
research projects. Unfortunately, due to the heretofore-unknown technology
of Yuen, the watchers badly misjudged Von Ryan's capabilities. The Count's
own spies hampered their efforts with misinformation whenever possible.

Massacre of Churchward

Masquerading as system defense boats throughout his county, a secret
squadron of jump-capable ships with antimatter powerplants assembled at
Yuen. When Von Ryan's "Liberation Fleet" arrived at Churchward (Far
Frontiers 2338) they surprised the Royal Navy of the Duchy of Trelyn. The
Rebel intelligence net learned of a clandestine naval action testing
asteroid assaults with several squadrons in the Churchward system.

The Liberation Fleet easily defeated the six squadrons of RNDT ships,
many of them transports and assault boats. The Rebels destroyed the naval
base at Churchward with antimatter bombardment, causing thousands of
casualties. The Massacre of Churchward now complete, the Rebels set their
sights on more important targets.

News of this attack reached the Grand Duchess in the palace on Trelyn
Vrra, and found her sick in bed. The genetic blood disease which had
killed several of her ancestors took hold of Dyana's young life. Though
weakened and fatigued, Von Ryan's actions shocked and angered her. The
Grand Duchess' advisors continued the defense of the Duchy.

Battle of Varen's Planet

The Royal Navy responded slowly, but three squadrons of battle-ready
ships arrived to defend the base at Varen's Planet (Vanguard Reaches 2503)
before the enemy arrival. Von Ryan made most of his fortune selling grain
to Varen's Planet, and now he returned to conquer the huge, high-popula-
tion world. The Rebel antimatter wonder-ships looked like cruisers, moved
like destroyers and fired like dreadnoughts.

Several of the Royal Navy's prize battleships and their proud crews
perished in this action. Commander Gamar Varen, Dyana's younger brother,
died rescuing crewmembers from a flaming fighter hangar.

During a lengthy, pitched battle in system space, several of the
Rebel ships appeared to suffer catastrophic drive failure. While the Royal
Navy could not defeat the Rebel craft, their advanced technology was
becoming their downfall. The conflict was a costly one for both sides, but
the naval base survived as the Rebel fleet jumped outsystem once again.

Defense of Trelyn Vrra

Von Ryan's march on the capital seemed complete when the Liberation
Fleet arrived in system space at Trelyn Vrra. Down to less than one
squadron in strength, the Count's super-battleship led the Rebel fleet in
a final attack on the heart and soul of the Duchy, the Imperial Palace on
Trelyn Vrra.

Royal Navy ships fought a delaying action, whittling down the Rebel
fleet as it closed on the capital. Baron Nicholas Keller, a Royal Navy
veteran Captain, rose to the challenge and took command of the operation.
His skill in maneuvering the remaining system defense boats forced the
Rebel craft into high-G evasive action, resulting in overloaded power-
plants and drive explosions.

As the Rebel Liberation Fleet fell apart, the straggling ships began
to surrender. Von Ryan's personal flagship apparently engaged its white
globe generator, as it abruptly disappeared from Royal Navy sensors. As
the remaining Rebel ships were boarded to take on prisoners, Von Ryan made
good his escape. The whereabouts of the rebellious adventurer are current-
ly unknown.

End of an Era

Only hours after the surrender of the commanding officer of the Rebel
fleet, Grand Duchess Lady Lissa Dyana Varen Thalasso passed away in the
palace on Trelyn Vrra. She died knowing of Von Ryan's defeat, realizing
that the state her family founded and nurtured would live on. Her last
words were, "This must never happen again."

With one single stroke, the Duchy of Trelyn defended its sovreignty
from internal attack, and ceased to exist as a feudal society. Deceased
battle hero Garam Varen was the only heir to the Grand Duke's patent that
expired with Dyana's death.

By this time, communication with the Domain of Deneb, now called The
Regency, was reestablished. Couriers from trailing informed the Trelyn
governors of Virus and how to protect against it. They also brought news
of democratic reforms in the wake of the Rebellion.

The hero of the Battle of Trelyn Vrra, Baron Nicholas Keller, found
himself in the position of trying to assemble a coalition government out
of nothing. Working closely with Dyana's advisors and a select group of
planetary governors, he forged a new constitution.

A Senate with a single representative from each planet would form one
part of the bi-cameral government. Nobles holding patents in the former
Duchy would be given priority for seats in the first Senate, but thereaf-
ter free elections would be held on each world. The traditions and
experience of the nobility in governing were considered a valuable asset.

The other house would be the Assembly, the voice of the people,
containing elected delegates at a rate of one per 100 million inhabitants,
with a minimum of one per planet. Governors popularly elected would
administrate both at County and Planetary levels. The molders of the new
destiny feared too much power concentrated in too few hands. The feudal
nobility of the Duchy was blamed for allowing a crisis like Von Ryan's War
to take place.

Other sweeping changes were instituted to remind the citizens of the
new challenges that lie ahead. The Royal Navy, Marines and Scouts were
renamed the Congress Navy, Marines and Scouts, and the Duchy's Ministers
were renamed Secretaries.

The new government needed a President to set the course into troubled
and murky waters. Without the ability to canvass the population quickly,
Keller was installed, against his will, as the first President of the
Trelyn Congress. When the first elections were held five years later, the
first President was overwhelmingly elected by the democracy he had
founded.

EPILOGUE: Von Ryan's Legacy

Speculation is all that is left of Count Von Ryan's true intentions
regarding the flight of the Liberation Fleet. It is assumed that the
intrepid adventurer had two goals in mind. First, he wanted to bring down
the current government and its ancient notions of feudal fealty. Von Ryan
instituted many democratic reforms in his own county, and constantly
formed councils and conferences to decide issues in egalitarian fashion.
Secondly, the Count planned to install a new style of governing, utilizing
his own personal agenda for the future.

We may never know what Count Von Ryan's vision contains. His self-
imposed exile could end at any time, or it could continue forever. Perhaps
his own flagship suffered an antimatter containment catastrophe. However,
the first of his two goals was definitely achieved, not so much by force
of arms, but by the death of a dynasty. Garam and Lissa Varen were not
targets of the Liberation Fleet--the Rebels sought to destroy the Royal
Navy and control the capital. The last children of Ardesh Varen were
casualties of Von Ryan's war, and the Duchy of Trelyn died with them.

APPENDIX: Dramatis Personae

Grand Duchess Lady Lissa Dyana Varen Thalasso

     Marquesa of Swyssyln, ODM, Governess of the Duchy of Trelyn
     Born: 116-1063, Swyssyln.
     Age: 55 (118), deceased.
     Level: Veteran NPC
     Combat Assets: None
     Other Assets: Liaison 19, Leader 18, Carousing 17, Persuasion 16,
     Linguistics 16, Computer 11, Riding 11, Tracking 11, Observation 11

     Motivation: Heart 10: Dyana wanted only to be like Duchess Margaret,
     her idol, who she imagined to be queenly, schooled in the social
     graces, and personable. Whether Margaret was actually such a person
     or not, Dyana was beautiful, personable and gracious. The Court of
     the Fifth Grand Duchess was a thing to behold, and her state dinners
     were incomparable.

     Spade 9: The Grand Duchess believed that anything she repeated often
     enough would become truth. She ignored the firestorm of scandal
     regarding her anagathic use and often neglected the good advice of
     her well-chosen ministers. Dyana's pompous stubbornness seldom got
     her into trouble, with the one possible exception of her support of
     Von Ryan.

     Notes: An able administrator, Dyana was never credited with being a
     political genius. She assembled a skilled group of Ministers to help
     guide her decisions in the Duchy of Trelyn on various matters. The
     final verdicts were always hers, however, and memoirs of the former
     Ministers are decorated with her refusals to follow their advice.
     Grand Duchess Dyana was well-liked by her subjects and leaders of
     nearby states.

Count Lieutenant Colonel Von Ryan, Retired

     Count of Yuen, Leader of the Rebel Liberation Fleet
     Born: 196-1152, Yuen, Far Frontiers.
     Age: 34 (49), current location unknown.
     Level: Elite NPC (Royal Marines of the Duchy of Trelyn)
     Combat Assets: Slug Weapon (Rifle) 7, Energy Weapon (Rifle) 14,
     Unarmed Martial Arts 14
     Other Assets: Admin/Legal 23, Marketing 20, Persuasion 18, Carousing
     18, Pilot (Interface/Grav) 16, Leadership 16, Computer 14, Tactics 14,
     Forgery 14, Fleet Tactics 12, Interview 10, Streetwise 10, Environment
     Suit 8 (PSI 9, Telepathy 18, Teleperception 18, Self 18)

     Motivation: Queen Spades: Von Ryan was a man with great ambition, and
     let absolutely nothing stand in his way. A self-made billionaire, his
     mercenary company wreaked havoc on many planets, always barely within
     interstellar law. His patent of nobility was just another stepping
     stone in fulfilling Von Ryan's outlandish dream.

     Diamond 10: Once Von Ryan had amassed his fortune with a small
     shipping concern, he lusted for political power. Then he created
     even more possessions--an order of psionic knights, high-technology
     wonder-weapons, and even parasitic animals bred to hunt and kill.

     Notes: Von Ryan's career in the Royal Marines was quite distin-
     guished, including Commando Training, three MCUF, one MCG, three
     Purple Hearts and one SEH. The corporation he founded, Dog Soldiers,
     Inc., was dissolved when half of its officers were arrested on
     Bauxia by a detachment of Royal Marines, and later convicted of
     various crimes.

President Baron Captain Nicholas Saulbach Keller, Retired

     Baron Trayfowen, First President of the Trelyn Congress (1185-)
     Born: 165-1154, Bauxia, Vanguard Reaches
     Age: 46
     Level: Experienced NPC (Royal Navy of the Domain of Trelyn)
     Combat Assets: Slug Weapon (Pistol) 8, Energy Weapon (Rifle) 8
     Other Assets: Admin/Legal 19, Liaison 18, Communications 17, Elec-
     tronics 17, Bribery 14, Pilot (Interface/Grav) 12, Ship Tactics 11,
     Fleet Tactics 11, Investigation 11 (PSI 8, Telepathy 18, Self 18)

     Motivation: Club Queen: Often capable of seeing a new approach to a
     situation, Keller pushed his unorthodox plan for defeating the Rebel
     Liberation Fleet through channels even though he was a lowly captain.
     The novel tactics worked, and Keller became a war hero.

     Club 8: As commander-in-chief of the Congress Armed Forces, President
     Keller has maintained a confrontational stance toward the Eslyat
     frontier and has not hesitated to use pre-emptive strikes when
     necessary. He believes that a strong Navy is essential, and has been
     instrumental in the rebuilding of the fleet in the aftermath of
     Von Ryan's War.

     Notes: President Keller is of mixed racial stock: his father is
     Daarneb Keller, citizen of the Trelyn Congress, and his mother is
     Lirajyiedrifrpral, a Zhodani. He was awarded the Barony of Trayfowen,
     a world in the Mapepire Subsector of The Beyond, in 1178. Rumors have
     linked him with SORAG during his navy service, but these are as yet
     unproven.  Captain Keller was awarded many medals in his Royal Navy
     career: three MCUF, four MCG, a Purple Heart and one SEH.

(reproduced by permission of the author, Chuck Kallenbach II)
