The Order of the Blazing Sun is the Star Army of Yamatai's highest award for combat gallantry.

The Order of the Blazing Sun was introduced in YE 30 alongside the Red Tessen to provide the Star Army with awards that could recognize moments of extreme heroism undertaken by its soldiers in combat situations. Only second in order of precedence to the Yui's Blood Medallion, which is granted by Ketsurui Yui for extraordinary service to the Star Army, the Order of the Blazing Sun exists to specifically recognize combat gallantry and demonstrations of incomparable valor by Star Army soldiers.

First awarded during the early days of the Second Mishhuvurthyar War, membership in the Order of the Blazing Sun was most notably given to crewmembers from the YSS Miharu in the aftermath of the Battle of Yamatai. Among them, Kai Nakamura and Rolf Eastwood both received the Blazing Sun for their actions fighting against a Mishhuvurthyar leader, the Dark One interpreter Melisson.¹⁾ Sometime earlier in the war prior to YE 33, a Rikugun warrant officer named Archie Delacroix earned a Blazing Sun.

Chances for soldiers to earn an Order of the Blazing Sun medal were sparse in the interwar years between the Second Mishhuvurthyar War and Kuvexian War of YE 38. Even in the course of that five year conflict — perhaps owing to the less horrific and alien nature of the Interstellar Kingdom Of Kuvexia compared to the Mishhuvurthyar — fewer soldiers performed feats of courageous daring deserving of the award. One of the few to receive the Order of the Blazing Sun for actions in combat against the Kuvexians was Ketsurui Aiko. Her unmatched mettle as a prisoner of war who was forced to engage in bloodsport duels for the pleasure of her captors both saved the lives of her fellow hostages and dealt an irreparable blow to the Interstellar Kingdom's morale through her undefeated gladiatorial record and subsequent escape.²⁾

In YE 45, tensions between Yamatai and the Mishhuvurthyar heightened beginning with Task Force 282's deployment in 45.1 to assist Uesureyan Star Empire allies in the reconquest of a colony, planet Kessica, which was held by the Mishhuvurthyar. Ketsurui Aiko was presented with a second citation of the Order of the Blazing Sun alongside her captain Taiyou Hoshi for their demonstrations of leadership and gallantry in fighting against the Mishhuvurthyar on Kessica. Because of their specific contributions — as well as those of the Nepleslian exchange officer William Sanders, who was not eligible for the Star Army award — the Mishhuvurthyar there were ultimately defeated. In the months thereafter the Third Mishhuvurthyar War began to unfold, quickly becoming a conflict whose danger and intrigue almost assured more soldiers would be recognized with an Order of the Blazing Sun.

Following a review of the award's history and activity, a directive was issued in YE 46.1 limiting future citations of the Order of the Blazing Sun to one per soldier.

The requirements to receive this award are:

• Must be a member of the Star Army of Yamatai
• Must have been recommended by the soldier's captain or unit commander from the time in which the soldier distinguished themselves
• “This soldier is recognized for displaying extreme courage and conspicuous valiance at the risk of their own wellbeing beyond what their duty demands when engaged in honorable combat with an enemy of the Yamataian Star Empire.”

In roleplay, the Order of the Blazing Sun is given for unbelievably heroic, irreplicable deeds performed by characters in combat. To draw real world comparisons, it is roughly equivalent to the American military Medal of Honor or the German Cross of Honour for Valour. However, real world examples of gallantry shouldn't be taken as direct inspiration for characters earning an Order of the Blazing Sun because of the SARPiverse's science fiction power levels and themes. Characters can respawn after death and are equipped with power armor that turns them into combat monsters the likes of which modern reality on Earth cannot encapsulate, so the bar for bravery is pretty high.

The Order of the Blazing Sun should be awarded to characters whose singular actions during a combat situation displayed rare and extreme valor that cannot be repeated. Bravery in the service of one's own starship or unit, such as repelling a particularly difficult enemy boarding action or fighting in an orbital combat insertion, is more appropriately recognized with a citation of the Red Tessen.³⁾ Further, the Order of the Blazing Sun is dissimilar to the Red Tessen in that the odds against which the awarded soldier fights are specifically taken into account, as is the the scope of impact associated with their actions. Recipients of the Order of the Blazing Sun should have, through their roleplay, been portrayed performing a uniquely heroic combat situation that resulted in a wide-reaching strategic impact to the Star Army of Yamatai.

Previous citations of this award have included:

• Facing off against the leadership of Yamatai's foes
• Inflicting severe damage upon the combat readiness of enemy nations
• Undertaking the above in a combat situation while severely outnumbered and outgunned⁴⁾

The award is issued by:

• The Taisho of the Star Army⁵⁾ on the recommendation of a soldier's commanding officer⁶⁾

The Order of the Blazing Sun is a golden eight-ray sunburst medallion with a Star Army Hinomaru at its center. The medal hangs from a moiré silk ribbon that measures 30mm wide and 500mm in length. The ribbon is colored Ketsurui crimson, and overlaid with thin vertical stripes of blood red, dark red, and navy blue. It is worn around the neck as part of the Type 35 Class A formal uniform.

A service ribbon variant is also issued with the medal, and is made from the same fabric pattern as the neck ribbon. It can be worn in lieu of the neck order as part of Class A formal dress, and is usually worn in this way for non-ceremonial functions that still call for Class A attire. The service ribbon is placed second in the order of precedence behind the Yui's Blood Medallion.

• Archie Delacroix
• Ketsurui Aiko⁷⁾
• Ketsurui Rolf
• Miharu Hinoto
• Miharu Ichigo
• Miharu Nimura
• Kai Nakamura
• Sacre Ven Sanssinia

This page was originally created on 2017/07/17 16:17 by Wes. The Order of the Blazing Sun was created and submitted by raz on Sep 20, 2008⁸⁾ and approved by Wes the same day. Raz updated this article on 2023/08/19 16:59, and the update was approved by Andrew on 2023/08/20.

The ribbon's image was made by raz. Lineart for the neck version by Gormstar on DeviantArt and colored by Wes.