The Interstellar Patrol was formed by the Conclave of Essia in YE 41 to serve as a system defense force, protect commercial traffic from and to Essia, and other duties as the Conclave of Essia assign to them.

After the Kuvexian occupation, it was decided by the Conclave that a system defense force was required. They took over most of the military and law enforcement aspects of the Order of the Templar leaving them to return to serve the priesthood. Their Warships are a mixed bag from Yamatai and their trade partners. However, they have been working with Yamatai and others to develop their own gunship. Their standard uniform consists of a custom low profile powered armor. Their Support ships and small craft are a very mixed bag, focusing more on larger lightly armed small craft for patrol and rescue rather than fighters intended for combat.

They are headquartered at the top of the Essia Beanstalk, a massive space elevator that helps lift things to orbit and back down due to Essia's heavy gravity. It also serves as a shipyard and trading hub for not just the increasingly industrial Essia system, but for many systems around it.

The ISP derives it's roots from the Conclave Space Patrol. The CSP was formed with the permission of Taisho kurita shunsaku as a new, space-faring force for Essia. Because of its secular nature, it draws from all walks of life, regardless of upbringing or origin. Elements of the Order of the Templar opposed, and continue to oppose, the concept of a secular Separan military. As the traditional guardians of peace on Essia, hardline Templar feel that this role should have been given to them.

However, moderate factions within the Conclave and Temple, including the Order itself, checked those ambitions. While the Templar forces on Essia may be the single-most powerful ground force, it would not do for so much power to be in the hands of a single organization. It brought to light, for the first time, deep divisions within the Templar Order that no one in the Star Army had known about.

Initially, the CSP was simply composed of Essia recruits who learned to operate technology aboard Yamataian warships. It was planned to expand the CSP and acquire their own warships in the following years. Procurement, however, remains unresolved with some elements favoring waiting for home-grown initiatives to mature while others favor making immediate acquisitions until domestic industries can produce Separan designs. Given the barter economy of Essia, it was doubtful that they would be able to acquire the most modern designs.

By YE 40, the CSP was still floundering with few ships and was relatively small. All but three of the ships that they did have were destroyed while protecting civilian ships from the Kuvexians during the initial stages of the invasion. The surviving members of the CSP became the core of a swiftly growing movement to retake Essia. The CSP worked mostly with the 7th fleet to combat the Kuveians.

In YE 41 after the retaking of Essia, the CSP was disbanded as its purpose was considered too vague. The IP absorbed the equipment and most of the personnel of the CSP.

Interstellar Patrol ranks are typically grouped into groups of three such as Stratigos, Antestratigos, and Ypostratigos (Roughly General, Lieutenant General, Brigadier General). It is appropriate to call people with all three ranks by the highest of it's three. So a Ypostratigos may be called a Stratigos.

It is effectively a law enforcement arm of the Conclave of Essia. While the majority of its forces can be found in or near the Essia system, they can be found wherever Essia has interests, such as branch offices of Essia Monetary Exchange. They also hunt pirates and follow investigations. Their strategy tends to prefer ambushes and traps over more direct methods.

Soban created this article on 2020/12/12 17:17.

It was approved by Wes in this thread on 1/21/2021.