Ushra'Khan (Player alliance)

Summary

The Ushra'Khan is a role-play alliance operating predominantly in null-sec against the supporters of the Amarr Empire. We are New Eden's oldest 'Freedom Fighter' alliance and pursue a role-play based agenda that guides or politics and activities.

1. Origins

The Freedom movement of the Minmatar began in the earliest days of the Capsuleers. As such, the Ushra'Khan is able to trace its origins back to before the advent of formally CONCORD-recognised Capsuleer Alliances.

The history between the Amarr is both long and bloody. Although the Great Rebellion saw many Minmatar win back their freedom from Amarrian shackles, fully one third of their kin remained bonded in Slavery. As the years passed discontentment with this situation amongst free Matari began to grow. As the first freelance Pod Pilots made their way out into space, some began to realise their obligation. To set their kin free.

Corporations were soon founded by this new breed of Freedom Fighter. Names such as Oracle and the People's Front of Minmatar established themselves and began to strike at the slaver where ever they could. They were answered by Amarrian paramilitary Corporations, such as 1st Praetorian Guard & PIE Inc., ideological opposites each continuing the generations old conflict into a new age.

2. Uniting The Tribes

The Minmatar are a diverse people and divide by nature along Tribal & Clan lines. It is little surprise to find that many diverse groups of pilots had sprung up individually to both protect and win back the freedoms of their people. The Amarrian Capsuleers on the other hand had largely concentrated into a few larger entities.

After months of fighting it was agreed amongst several of the leading Matari groups to create a united front. To bring the tribes together in common purpose and focus. An informal alliance, pre-dating CONCORD's recognition of the emerging larger political structures, was formed and became known as 'The Friends of Matar'.

Friends of Matar [FOM] would base their attacks from Molden Heath with the largest members being Freelance Unincorporated, SMaK Enterprises, Northern Intelligence and The Paratwa Ra, with Oracle having relocated to the Curse & Great Wildlands regions.

In time CONCORD finally bowed to building political pressures and began to formally recognise Capsuleer Alliances as political entities. It was not long until New Eden's third ever registered Capsuleer Alliance was formally recognised by the CONCORD Assembly. On 25th November 106EST (2004), the Ushra'Khan was born.

3. Molden Heath

Living in Molden Heath, then a notorious border region of the Minmatar Republic, the Ushra'Khan began to develop both its military capabilities and political position in New Eden. At this time the Ushra'Khan was both a shield and sword for the Minmatar people.

Much of Molden Heath was an undeveloped pirate haven. A significant number of local Capsuleers saw fit to make their trade by pirating these space lanes and picking off the isolated non-combatants of the area. The Ushra'Khan was heavily involved in setting up a local defence group and working to secure the area from both Pirates and Slavers crossing the border through the now closed Throne Worlds-Yulai-Molden Heath trade route.

Meanwhile, opportunities were sought out to take the fight back to the Amarr and to bring home lost kin when and where ever possible. The alliance expanded and became well known across New Eden for its determined focus upon an issue, while most strongly identified with amongst Matari, that all could identify with. Peoples of all nations were drawn to the iconic bloody fist and pledged their support to its cause. Molden Heath became safer and Amarr came to know the sight of freedom fighters raiding its territories.

4. The Vitoc Cure

On 3rd March 107 the world changed. A Zainou Biotech Pharmacologist named Ullia Hnolku and his wife, Eckarine Mitumi-Hnolku, fled the Caldari State with a prototype form of a drug known as “Insorum”. This substance quickly became known as the “Vitoc Cure”, promising to be a true antidote and counter to the Amarrian slave population control system 'The Vitoc Method'.

With Insorum the Minmatar had a real opportunity to break one of Amarr's most powerful tools of oppression. Ullia Hnolku's plight instantly became the number one priority for the Ushra'Khan and all freedom fighters.

On 25th May 107, Eckarine Mitumi-Hnolku was captured by the Blood Raiders while carrying a sample of the Insorum. While many Ushra'Khan warriors swore find and rescue her, no trace of Eckarine's whereabouts was ever found.

Less than a week later, Ullia Hnolku was murdered at the hands of the Caldari Capsuleer militia known as the Caldari Independent Naval Reserve. He was slain when he broke formation while being escorted by an Ushra'Khan fleet, which had already defeated a Blood Raider strike force pursuing him. The doctor's fatal piloting error was due to suffering from a knife wound incurred during his flight. However, both his body and a single sample of the Insorum was recovered from the wreckage.

On June 9th 107 the Blood Raiders unleashed an aerosol form of the Insorum into the atmosphere of an Amarrian world, Mabnen I. This became the first and last known deployment of Insorum until the Elder War of 110, some three years later. The attack sparked a massive and violent planetary uprising of the slave population. This was doomed to failure as the Blood Raiders did not support the slaves, leaving them to be put down by a brutal retaliation of Imperial forces. Following the attack the Ushra'Khan along with other Matari organisations put together a relief convoy taking supplies to the rebels, offering aid as they were able.

5. Tensions with the Republic

Following the acquisition of the Insorum prototype and the death of its inventor, the Ushra'Khan made it their mission to complete Hnolku's work and bring an end to the Vitoc Method. The prototype was promptly offered to the Minmatar Republic for further development. The Republic chose to turn a blind eye for fear of provoking open war with the Amarr Empire.

There was by this time a clear political divide emerging between both the Minmatar people and their Capsuleers. Some argued caution that the continued safety of the Republic came first. Others, championed by the prominent Ushra'Khan, argued that the fight must be taken to the Amarr directly, lest many more generations of Matari be lost to continued slavery.

On 5th July 107, Emperor Doriam II was assassinated. This led to a shut down and diversion of several key jump routes, cutting off the Yulai corridor linking Molden Heath to Amarr. In response the Ushra'Khan relocated to the pirate-nest system of Amamake in order to be closer to enemy territory. This also marked the first big step taken on the path towards leaving Republic space. Tensions between the 'increasingly radical' Ushra'Khan and the conservative pro-Midular camp were continuing to build (Sebiestor Tribal Chief Karin Midular was then the Prime Minister of the Republic).

The Ushra'Khan's presence soon had a strong stabilising effect on the surrounding systems making Amamake a relatively safe transit point. The local pirates were largely suppressed and displaced, a favourable side effect for all Minmatar of the alliance's new forward base.

6. Beyond The Republic

While the situation on the home front had been developing, and the Freedom Fighter-Republic tensions grew, the Amarrian loyalist alliance the CVA had begun their venture to reclaim the Providence region for the Empire. Operation Deliverance.

It was decided that it was time for the Ushra'Khan to move beyond the Republic and oppose this attempt to expand Imperial borders directly. Moving into northern Providence the alliance became fully based in null-sec space for the first time in its history. Operating from star bases and Thukker Tribe stations in low-sec Mandate space, the Ushra'Khan largely parted company with Midular's Republic.

7. Unity Station

The crowning achievement and statement of intent of this time came with the construction of Unity Station. When the Ushra'Khan first arrived in Providence, there were no stations or outposts. The region was entirely undeveloped. The first station to be completed was the CVA's Inflatable House, marking a historic moment in their pursuit of Operation Deliverance. In challenge and defiance, the Ushra'Khan answered with Unity Station.

The Minmatar Outpost was raised in 9UY4-H as the centre point of Matari defiance and resistance to Amarrian expansion. Positioned on a space lane crossroads, the station was to hold a commanding place in northern Providence.

8. The 'Pirate Invasion' of 9UY4-H

Being still a relatively small alliance, perhaps one of the smallest to hold a station at this time, Unity Station was always likely to be a tempting target for an opportunistic foe. Given the crack down on piracy that the Ushra'Khan had been pursuing within its space it should not be all that surprising that in time there came a backlash.

The pirate-mercenary corporation, The Establishment, assembled a coalition of other pirate units to mount a full scale assault on Ushra'Khan sovereignty. The size and resources of this broad coalition was surprising, as was the tenacity of many of its members. There have been few, if any, Capsuleer pirate collaborations quite like it.

Soon after the fight began, the neighbouring Interstellar Star base Syndicate joined the defence and together the defenders were able to hold the attackers to a stalemate. The forces fielded on both sides were substantial and a high number of capital ships saw action with the pirate forces fielding notable numbers of Carriers led by Hera, the Establishment's Nyx mothership.

The fighting went on for weeks with neither side able to break the other. While the pirate forces were diverse and in many cases had not characteristically operated in such a sustained style of combat before, while one corporation might leave the fight others would join it. The hard fighting core remained. As did the defenders.

In the end the siege was broken by the enlistment of the Mercenary Coalition. These highly regarded mercenaries brought sufficient capital strength to the field to finally break the balance and strike hard at the besieging control towers. It took one decisive battle to finally decide the course of the war and end the attempted invasion.

9. The Defiants

On 1st July 108, a war hero of the Minmatar people joined the cause of Freedom. Captain Karishal Muritor of the Republic Fleet went rogue, taking with him a Hel Mothership, the Alfhild, and its supporting carrier group. Together with his loyal comrades he formed the guerilla fighter group known as 'The Defiants'.

To the Ushra'Khan, these men and women were kindred spirits. To support the Defiants operations was both an honour and a strategic priority for the alliance and on several occasions their pilots flew side by side. It was during this period that the Ushra'Khan supported the assault upon, and destruction of, the Imperial Navy's Sosala Battle station.

10. The Muritor Assassination

The triumph and successes of recent months were cruelly turned to despair on 1st February 109. At the order of Prime Minister Midular's war cabinet, Karishal Muritor was lured under a flag of truce to a meeting in Auga. There he was shot down by the Republic Fleet before the disbelieving eyes of an Ushra'Khan escort.

The murder sent shock waves rippling throughout Minmatar society and drove an even greater wedge between the Ushra'Khan and the Republic. A symbolic bounty of a single ISK was placed upon Midular's head by the then-alliance executor, Maggot, to show her sum worth to the Minmatar people.

The remaining Defiants departed soon after to the Great Wildlands in search of something they hoped might change the course of the war forever. The Ushra'Khan, having saved Muritor's body, returned to Providence to lay the fallen hero to rest in exile. Having just acquired the station ISS Condiso, the station was rechristened and dedicated to the Memory of Karishal Muritor. He was laid to rest within the halls of Karishal's Defiance until such time as he could be returned home to his birthplace within the Republic.

11. The Balance Tilts.

The balance of power in Providence was set to change. It was not long after Karishal's high profile Memorial Ceremony that the slavers came to QR-K85 and laid siege to Karishal's Defiance. The onslaught took the defenders by surprise as until now there had been little direct Sovereignty challenge between the Ushra'Khan and the CVA. Sadly the Matari were caught off guard.

It took one week for the defences to be overwhelmed and the Ushra'Khan were forced to fall back. The size of the attacking force was alarming with several previously unheard of entities joining the opening attack. Despite some hurried support from the Star Fraction and Matari Capsuleers, insufficient support could be found quickly enough. It was a brutal defeat and one that prompted an total reappraisal of the strategic situation.

It had become painfully obvious that some of the alliances largest allied neighbours were not prepared to offer support against the CVA, instead opting to remain neutral. Meanwhile, the CVA had successfully enlisted the support of southern Providence neighbours who had felt the sting of Ushra'Khan raiders harassing slaver-held space.

The alliance was compelled to re-evaluate its commitments and offers of support. Local entities Betrayal Under Mayhem and Einherjar Rising had both repeatedly offered support but had been declined due to their poor relationship to neighbouring alliance Sylph. The Ushra'Khan re-prioritised their efforts on battling the slaver and reduced their commitment to local security that did not impact on their mission. The offers of support were accepted and attempts were made to settle tensions with the other neighbours. The wishes of those that had chosen to stay out of the war with CVA were respected, but it was no longer the Ushra'Khan's policy to fight their enemies for them, especially when those enemies were offering to support the cause.

12. The fall of Unity Station

Events moved quickly. Several former friends were moving off the fence and siding with the CVA. The new support had refocusing of efforts had swiftly made a difference to the tactical situation. It was not long before the CVA began their assault on 'terrorist central' itself. The second battle for Unity Station was on.

The defences of 9UY4-H were stronger than those of QR-K85. And the defenders had prepared themselves knowing that the attack would come. Shortly after the siege began events took an unexpected turn. Even with the support of new allies, the defenders were still out gunned by the coalition brought against them. It would be hard fought but the odds were still poor. It was not before Sylph launched an attack on an Ushra'Khan mining base a few jumps away, bringing themselves firmly into the war.

The true surprise came when news of the invasion spread. And help came from unexpected quarters. The Imperialists are not without their enemies. Support came unasked for from such as Ev0ke and The Establishment. These unexpected developments turned a grim fight against the odds into a chance of victory. Such was the unpredictable nature of the conflict that at the peak of the defenders successes, a strike was successfully mounted against a CVA capital shipyard.

The fighting dragged on for months but in the end it was the superior economic strength of the CVA that decided the outcome. More and more star bases were successfully established in 9UY-H and control of Unity Station was finally lost.

13. The Present

Following the fall of Ushra'Khan holdings the alliance moved back to its roots of guerilla fighting. Basing again out of low sec Thukker stations warriors continued to harry Slaver space and that of their Holder Alliances. In time the alliance relocated to Curse to rebuild numbers and strength but has continued to launch raids into Providence.

The Elder War of June 10th 110, and ascension of Sanmatar Maleatu Shakor at a stroke reversed much of the damage done to relations with the Minmatar Republic under Midular. But old wounds heal slowly. And betrayal is hard to forgive. At present the Ushra'Khan remains focused upon its pursuit of the Slaver beyond CONCORD's mandate. A few of its warriors can be found working within the Tribal Liberation Force, primarily under the banner of the Kinda'Shujaa, but for now the time has not yet come for the Ushra'Khan to return home.