Vibius Sestius would be the last individual elected to the Triumvirate before the beginning of the Ascomanni War. A crusader for good governance, he would run a campaign which eviscerated the greed and corruption which had become endemic amongst the Republic's leadership. Pointing to the too-cozy relationship between Umbria's largest corporations and the people's elected representatives, Sestius would find his invection was well received by an increasingly weary public.

Publius Decius is the scion of the vaunted Decii family, whose members have had an outsized impact on the history of the Umbrian Republic. Born in 31098, Publius would immediately be immersed into the mythos of his legendary family, where service to the Republic was the epitome of a life well lived. His mother, a retired Senator, would expose him to much of the Republic's upper crust, creating relationships that would serve him well throughout his adult life.

The Scutia Battlemech is a groundbreaking advancement in the development and production of smart weaponry. Essentially a light tank built on a simple chassis, the Scutia, or Scoots as they are referred to by the Republic's legionnaires, are the first weapons platform to feature a true artificial intelligence. This has led to concern amongst some of the Army's officer corps, but impressive results on the battlefield have quieted the platform's most vocal opponents.

"They leave nothing behind, nothing but death and ash.”

Those were the words that heralded the start of the Umbrian Republic's first intergalactic war. The vicious, cybernetically-enhanced alien race known as the Ascomanni would strike at the distant colony world of Battipaglia, slaughtering the planet's civilian populace and the first wave of rescuers sent to save them.

While not as flashy or awe-inspiring as the Republic's capital ships, modern fleet operations would quickly grind to a halt without a network of supply bases and support ships to keep the vessels fueled, stocked with food and water, and in good repair.

As visionary leaders demonstrated the potential of starfighters to serve as a powerful striking arm of the fleets, the Umbrian Republic Navy concluded that their existing carriers were too small. Individually, these vessels housed too few fighters for the massed wave tactics which were required for them to damage larger warships.