Author: Lieutenant General Nicolas Volograz

To: Department of History (in general)

Subject: "The Drums of War"

"The Drums of War, the story of Jargamus the Conqueror and why we had united"

In the years immediately after Old Terra's fracturing, a large refugee crisis ensued as millions sought exodus from their ruined homeworld. Most who were not lost in space sought whatever worlds could take them, but a small minority rejected settling down and pursued a nomadic life in the stars.

In the 2900s the Gergosphere was already taking its common form, waging factions fighting over planets and stars with whatever they could. Some polities sought expansion to secure their empire, others sought to pillage and move on. One such polity of marauders were the Ibixans, the interstellar evolution of a former biker gang that had fled Terra in the wake of its destruction. The Ibixans were mostly small-time bandits localized in the Isoterian Sector, preying on weaker systems and corrupt nations with underfunded defenses. The area's underdevelopment allowed for the gang to survive at a decent rate, but the group had other ambitions in due time. 

In 2931, following a bloody dispute within the gang's ranks, an individual known as Jargamus Grygon came into power. Under his leadership, Ibixan power grew exponentially as the gang grew more greedy in its movements, pillaging and abducting individuals en masse to bolster membership and resources. By 2942, the Ibixans were the most powerful polity in the northern Gergosphere, with "territory" stretching from Aldorine to Baulton and virtually all competition subjugated or destroyed. But Jargamus wanted more, identifying a shortage of important steels for ship production, with most Ibixan vessels either having been stolen or crudely jury-rigged together. What Jargamus had in fleet power he made up for with stability, bolstering a cult of personality among comrades that he perpetuated through displays of might and fair dealings alike. Bandits in Ibixan territory were not scorned, as the common pursuit of wealth essentially made them members of the Ibixan army, a political system referred to as "Outlawism". Jargamus amassed immense numbers of brigands and marauders, keeping them under control with the promise of wealth that was to be found in the Gergosphere. Jargamus fashioned himself as an instrument of chaos, enemy and ally alike would name him Jargamus the Conqueror.

From 2947 until Jargamus' death in 3020, the Ibixans descended upon the Gergosphere while it was still caught in the Two Centuries' War, overwhelming exhausted space navies by sheer number and by rapidly opening fronts that could not be responded to. The Ibixans raided and plundered as far as Venvi and the Venterian Republic, continuing the Outlawist doctrine of abduction and integration of the desperate to replace losses. For every crude jury-rigged vessel that was downed, the Ibixans could replace them twentyfold. Jargamus personally led his forces into combat a number of times, commonly wielding gatling guns and other physically imposing weaponry. Although his presence boosted troop morale and further grew his cult, it cost the warlord increasing swaths of his body. 

By the later days of his reign of terror, Jargamus the Conqueror was bed bound and partially deaf. Growing tired of the man's weakness, Jargamus' top officers attempted to fashion robotic replacements for his limbs. The installment surgeries were botched however, and Jargamus soon found his way to Valhalla. The officers involved in the surgeries were put to death by Jargamus' vengeful successor, Plemoth the Rash. Plemoth initially intended to cover up Jargamus' death, but it became increasingly obvious after a few years. With the central figurehead of the Ibixan Empire dead, most under his former rule either succumbed to internal conflicts or were too demoralized to persist in sacking. The remaining nations of the Gergosphere were able to chase the disorganized Ibixans out of the Gergosphere by 3051 as they crumbled, with help from the Maggdur Operationzone. The fate of Plemoth and his remaining loyal forces is unknown, except that they had fled further into the galactic north. Though dead, Jargamus the Conqueror had told a heavy cautionary tale to the Gergosphere about disorganization and exploitation of weaknesses. His name would be cited in the formation of the PMC over a hundred years later, meanwhile as the power vacuum left from his death would give way to other powers...

Miscellaneous Notes:

• There had been evidence of Ibixan activity reaching further into the galactic north and towards the Core during the Two Centuries' War, though the extent of their activity is unknown.

• Ibixan cells disconnected from the main horde continued to operate on planets for up to hundreds of years after Jargamus' reign, being notoriously difficult to be ridden of due to their sparse and nomadic nature. 

• Curiously, the Old Terran system was largely spared from raids, likely due to the fact there is nothing there to raid.