Messer Era

The Messer Era was a period in Human history between the founding of the UEE by Ivar Messer in 2546 and the fall of Linton Messer XI on May 3, 2792. During this period, ten members of the Messer family ruled as Imperators of the UEE, plus one titled posthumously. Today, they are seen to have been malevolent dictators who pushed Human expansionism at unethical costs. Many conspiracy theories surround the notoriety of the Messers.

Ivar Messer
Reign: Prime Citizen 2546, Imperator 2547, died 2592

Ivan Messer was the founder of the UEE, Prime Citizen and its first Imperator. He rose to power as a victorious hero of the First Tevarin War, leveraging fear of the Xi'an to justify his desire for power, and has been more recently implicated in having employed his wartime allies to perform terrorist attacks in a ruse intended to help him gain the title of Prime Citizen. After succeeding in becoming Imperator, he initiated numerous classified research projects on devastating weapons of war including Project Vespa. He also oversaw and endorsed a terraforming boom, which inspired the founding of the Gold Horizon Corporation. He also built a strong relationship with Aegis Dynamics.

Deacon Messer II
Reign: Imperator 2592, abdicated 2628

Ivar's only child, Deacon oversaw the UEE's victory during the Second Tevarin War, and used it as a way to cement his power.

Livia Messer III
Reign: Imperator 2628, abdicated 2643

Livia Messer conducted a media smear campaign against Terran secessionist Senator Assan Kieren. She was a promoter of the Monumentalism style of architecture. Because of a spaceship incident in orbit over the Earth, she lost both her husband and son while sustaining heavy injuries. She abdicated two years later.

Marius Messer IV
born 2625, died: 2641, posthumously declared Imperator in 2643 by Livia Messer III

Livia's son, who was given the honorary title of Imperator two years after his death.

Corsen Messer V
Reign: Imperator 2643, assassinated 2592 

Corsen was Livia Messer's brother, who nationalized all "Terraforming support" concerns when Gold Horizon relocated to Terra, leading to the collapse of Gold Horizon. He established the Orville Prison in Dellin, Charon III - a blacksite for the Messer regime.

Illyana Messer VI
Reign: Imperator 2662, died 2697 

Illyana assassinated her father Corsen and her brother. She opted not to commit resources to Leir to consolidate that power, inadvertently enabling the Outsiders' takeover of Mya. She was the UEE's Imperator when the first contact with the Vanduul took place in 2681.

Throne Dispute
In 2697 Illyana's niece Astrid declared herself Imperator leading to a 4-year struggle with Samuel, Illyana's son and designated heir. Samuel became uncontested Imperator in 2701 after Astrid's death.

Astrid Messer VII
Reign: declared Imperator 2697, assassinated 2701

Her reign was overshadowed by the struggle for the throne with Illyana's son, Samuel Messer. She spent large amounts of resources concerning Samuel's elimination until she was assassinated by his agents.

Samuel Messer VIII
Reign: declared Imperator in 2697, Imperator of the entire realm in 2701,  assassinated 2715

He is believed to have denied military support to Caliban following the Fall of Orion to leave the Vanduul enemy as a justification for the harsh militaristic government. He sent a delegation to obtain access rights to the Banu system Gliese amidst the Vanduul recession, uncharacteristic of the anti-alien stance of the Messers. He ordered the removal of Orion and all jumps to it from the UEE's non-military maps. The ICC refused and was backed by prominent military members. He planned retaliatory measures but was stabbed to death in his bed before they could be enacted.

Galor Messer IX
Reign: Imperator 2715, died 2751

Galor was the older brother of Samuel Messer VIII and was disinherited by his mother, due to a chronic illness. After the death of his brother, he became Imperator anyway.

He pulled military forces out of Tohil, unwittingly enabling the Nyx - Tohil - Virtus smuggling route known as Revolutionary Road. Anti-UEE activists would use it to get 'undesirables' out of the UEE to the Xi'an Empire. Galor was Imperator during the Siege of Tiber and subsequent Fall of Tiber and Fall of Virgil.

Ulysses Messer X
Reign: Imperator 2751, deposed and committed suicide 2781 

Ulysses undertook a 10-year architectural project beginning while still High Secretary, culminating in the building of Khanos Stadium on Angeli in a misguided effort to win back the Messers' public favor. The stadium was bombed by his own daughter Fiona Messer and a group of revolutionaries who had been recruited by his son Linton Messer in a coup. Ulysses subsequently committed suicide.

Linton Messer XI
Reign: Imperator 2781, deposed 2792-05-02 and killed 2792-05-03 

Linton founded a revolutionary movement to dethrone his father. Later, however, that same movement would end up overthrowing him and ending the Messer Era. During his reign, Linton oversaw the wanton destruction of a developing species on Garron II, and the subsequent Massacre of Garron II. He also commissioned weapons that would later end up as the initial Apocalypse Arms designs.

Aftermath
Linton Messer XI was killed just one day after his dethronement and replaced by Erin Toi, at this time Senator of Earth. She introduced a first wave of reforms which restored the power of the former Tribunal and limited the power of the Imperator. Linton's sister and heir, Fiona and also the name Messer disappeared from the world stage. Members of the family obscured their origins, went into hiding or were imprisoned.

Messer Era according to the Writer's
The Writers characterised the Messer Era s as '[a time in which] policies were authoritarian, anti-democratic, or even outright evil' (citing attempt to terraform Garron II under Linton Messer). Adding (...) 'the "best" Messer would have to come before' (...) the events of '2641.' (...) 'it only encouraged the most brutish and ruthless members of the family to do what they must to become Imperator (...).' According to the Writer's Deacon rule was remarkable cause he funded exploration and terraforming efforts, reliefed taxation of low and middle class people and managed the war against the Tevarin. The writer's emphasized Deacon's role being Livia's mentor and adviser.

Other Messers

 * Val Messer
 * Fiona Messer

Other related figures

 * Lane Corpos, Administrator of Magnus in 2757, distant cousin of Ulysses
 * Ellis Netemi, cousin of Linton and Fiona Messer, adviser of Linton Messer
 * Aemilia ..., cousin of Livia Messer, eponym of Kiel 3a.

Family Tree
It seems that the oldest of the Imperator's children are appointed (regardless of their gender) to be the heir of the entire Empire.


 * Ivar Messer I (* 2516, Prime Citizen 2546, Imperator 2547, † 2592) ⚭ Delia Hassan
 * Deacon Messer II (* 2567, Imp. 2592, abd. 2628, † 2661) ⚭ N.N.
 * Livia Messer III (* 2593, Imp. 2628, abd. 2643, † 2661 ) ⚭ Daniel Scota, pilot, † 2641
 * Marius Messer IV (* 2625, † 2641, posthumously declared Imp. in 2643)
 * Corsen Messer V (* 2609, Imp. 2643, † 2662 murdered) ⚭ N.N.
 * Gammon Messer (* 2629, heir 2643, † 2662 murd.) ⚭ Yemi Duas, colonel
 * Astrid Messer VII (* 2667, Imp. 2697, † 2701 murd.)
 * Illyana Messer VI (* 2631, Imp. 2662, † 2697) ⚭ N.N.
 * Galor Messer IX (* 2666, disinherited as child, Imp. 2715, † 2751)
 * Samuel Messer VIII (* 2678, 'Anti-'Imperator in 2697, Imp. 2701, † 2715 murd.) ⚭ N.N.
 * Ulysses Messer X (* 2702, Imp. 2751, † 2781 deposed and forced into suicide) ⚭ N.N.
 * Linton Messer XI (* 2745, Imp. 2781, 2792-05-02 dep., † 2792-05-03 killed)
 * Fiona Messer (* 2768, disappeared 2792)



Trivia
Only three regents died a natural death in their office: Ivar, Illyana and Galor Messer. Ivar was also the Imperator with the longest time in office (45 years). The chronically ill Imperator Galor Messer IX died age 85 and reigned 36 years.