Hero of kappa Marfik
Savior of Saiph
Commodore Breckingsbridge was responsible for extracting the remaining Confederation fleet from the Marfik Salient and delivering a major blow to the Imperial Fertod Navy in its attempt to capture the Confederation capitol on Saiph. The Imperial Fertod Navy was so utterly crippled that not only were hostilities with the Confederation ended, it could no longer enforce the Emperor's will. Within 5 years the Fertod Empire crumpled, breaking into numerous small polities.
A product of the Saiph Naval College, Commodore Breckingsbridge attained flag rank on his merits and experience unlike many of his superiors within the Confederation Navy, whom attained their flag through political connections. Destined to never attain the rank of Admiral, the Commodore developed a cadre of like minded officers to operate his task force of fast cruisers. When the Imperials threatened to finalize the destruction of the ineptly led Confederation fleet that had be exposed in the salient around Marfik, Commodore Breckingsbridge coordinated the rearguard action that allowed the remnants of the fleet to escape to Saiph for its final stand against the Empire.
The Confederation council promptly dismissed the remaining senior flag officers that held their positions on political connections and gave Breckingsbridge overall command. With little time to prepare for the final Imperial assault, Breckingsbridge and his staff devised a strategy of using privateers and support vessels as decoys and bait in an attempt to require the Imperial fleet to spread its fleet around to handle the potential threats. There were many heroes as Breckingsbridge's adhoc raiders were able to distract the Imperial fleet allowing the main Confederation fleet to defeat in detail the Imperials forces as they attempted to contain the Confederation to Saiph for the final assault.
After the final battle in the outer zone of the Saiph system and the subsequent collapse of the Fertod Empire, the Confederation, always a fractious collection of self-interested polities, started to splinter into its original form of separate but associated planets. The remnants of the Confederation fleet flocked to Breckingsbridge and with the help of his command staff, they formed the dominant fleet in the region, the Knights of Saiph.
The first 100 years of Knights' reign have seen the fleet continue to grow and spread its influence. With the breakup of the Fertod Empire and the Confederation, war is commonplace and it is big business. Things were going better than planned and the Knights continued to improve their abilities. When colonists from outside the region, the Knights assistance with the initial colony and protection from locals looking to take advantage of the fledgling colony led to a public relations dream, made even better when the colonists shared some of their newer technologies with the Knights.
The Knights have over the years shown their political adroitness by avoiding being embroiled in the intrigues that continually hamper the region. Even when many government contracts were coming up empty, the Knights avoided potential losses to its coffers by remaining flexible and taking advantage of the many commercial contracts that became available.
In recent years the Knights have made a concerted effort to recruit professional soldiers in an effort to bolster the dynasty's defenses. This has sapped some of the dynasty's available wealth, but the results with improved fleet capabilities and better security within its territory indicate the wealth was spent well.
