2400-2417: Republic Everlasting (Still Under the Sun so Red)
The year 2400 saw a pause in the expansion plans for the Aviarium as the scientific community and military interstellar listening posts all reported the same thing: A signal comparative to a fleet, except faint and... coming from the void of space.
No I didn't trigger it in any way, this is still Ironman
But for the first few years, nothing of note happened except the ascension of a new client republic.
Well, at least they got the democracy part right?
To pass the time and to keep the fleet in some manner of battle readiness (which simulations simply could not do entirely) the last vestiges of the Havarigga Empire was united with the Aviarium.
It was a simply and quick matter, quick enough to regroup the fleet as the faint signal situation evolved further.
The Aviarium Continuum controls roughly 20% of the galactic rim, specifically the southern area. The fleet was sent into the Shadow sector in preparation for the event that the outsiders would make their entry there. The worse possibly scenario would be them making landing in the far north where the Aviarium was blocked off from. Noone in the North galaxy, except possibly the Fallen Empire located there, could possibly hope to deal with a large intergalactic invasion, as this was suspected to be.
Then, a phone call.
Srathri verras vussnai YOUR MOTHER!
Tracing the call...
This was not the worst possible outcome. The little burgundian landing spot was a small breakaway Bhenn'Thell state, current engaged at war with the Bhenn'Thell and backed by the Kraxroz Empire (who was attempting to vassalize the Bhenn'Thell).
The bad news was that the defenders were utterly pathetic, and that the Kraxrozzi and Bhenn'Thell would be too busy killing one another to deal with this new threat. The good news? None of the three factions blockaded access to the Aviarium.
Any thoughts of allowing these monsters to violate the galaxy to weaken the Aviarium's rivals were dismissed. This was not the time for power politics. The insanity of the Bhenn'Thell and Kraxroz maintaining hostility in the face of this displayed how much the Galaxy needed a guardian with sufficient firepower and determination to use it.
The newly formed Eagle Lobby holding a small majority formed a unitary government with the Albatross Alliance and made the destruction of these outsiders, now known as ' the primary focus of all the armed forces. The entire fleet was ordered to move into the area the scourge had landed and fire at any signs of them.
The locals were not helpful.
Oh you know, the HUGE BIOLOGICAL MONSTERS TRYING TO CONSUME THE GALAXY MAYBE?
They were here.
The fleet was unified into two major flocks, one would engage their homeworld and the other their fleets scattered in the area. They would not be allowed to gain a sizeable foothold.
First contact in the Zithri system by the 2nd Grand Flock was a surprisingly bloodless affair...
Even as the size of the Prethoryn Swarm fleets increased, the result was much the same: The intense long-range bombardment of Tachyon lances and Kinetic Artillery wore down the majority of the enemy fleet and most projectiles were shot down before they reached the fleets or did much damage.
Even in the landing system, with their largest fleets, were they able to do anything but lightly bruise the Grand Flocks of the Aviarium
I understand they're meant to be scary to empires f they hit 50 years earlier and without the great luck the Aviarium had in expanding, but still... that's it?
Even when flanked by two 50k fleets were the Prethoryns able to beat back the Aviarium.
There were other engagement of the same caliber, but in the end the result was straightforward: Their fleets were annihilated, the colony ships wiped off the sky and their home systems were purged. Sadly, the once fruitful colonies had been turned into barren wastelands.
Less than three years after landing, the Prethoryn Swarm was eviscerated from the galaxy.
Meanwhile, The Kraxroz Empire had been successful in vassalizing the Bhenn'Thell, but little did it matter to the citizens of the Aviarium and members of the Murmuration: They had shown that they couldn't defend themselves against the horror of the universe, let alone their own pointless infighting.
Even just in the aftermath of the victory, the Avarium was at war again working to unify the galaxy.
Rumors that the Murmuration had spent most of its political power behind specific candidates for Protectorship to stop the cycle of ridiculous leaders supporting separatist and to put someone able to throw his weight behind their expansionist policy movements were strongly denied.
Enough. Seriously.
The war itself wasn't really interesting, and ended with an Aviarium victory.
I do mean, an Aviarium
Victory.
Yay?
There were yet, however, a few things to be done before normal expansion could continue. First were the two remaining fallen empires, dictating which planets other factions could colonize and having done nothing to defend the Galaxy as the Prethoryn swarm landed. Their time had come, and went and they still lingered on. First on the list, the 1-planet Iztran Enclave.
The Unity fleet led by the veteran Admiral Ghumm (having gone from 1 star to 5 in one war) made short work of them.
And then... Actually let's take a minute to reflect on this.
What, you guys got bored just sitting there and had an accident while playing Tachyon Lance tag?
In order to secure the high tech infrastructure and to make a point
(and to prevent more "mistakes") the government seized direct control over the Celestial Throne when the Fallen Empire surrendered.
Hopefully the Xeno Zoo, Hyper Entertainment Forum and Virtual Combat Arena would serve to show how interesting Iztran re-entry to active life in the galaxy could be.
Continuing northwards was the Ikaanen Shard, a Xenophobic fallen empire like the Gurites had been, in need of liberation, as the Gurites had been.
Larger, perhaps, but still completely unable to stop the Aviarium advance.
Their defeat was inevitable, and in their place a Client Republic was established to bring the Ikaanan people back into relevance in the Galaxy.
All the conquered planets would eventually be turned over to the ICPS, but Aviarium scientists had taken a certain interest in a single system once belonging to the space of fallen empire and had ordered a survey of it.
On the third planet from the sun, the Birnathian scientist-captain found a tomb like so many before. The skeletons scattered across the planet were eerily familiar, yet spoke volumes of a decadent and volatile species which had fallen to their own internal fragmentation.
Perhaps these mammals could have made it into space, but no matter how much they looked like Birnathians, they had not had the commitment nor patience for it. Maybe they could have used the guiding hands of the Aviarium, but there was no sense in getting caught up in hypotheticals.
More concretely, another species did have the toughness to make it this far on the desolate planet.
They would be uplifted as so many species before. Maybe they would join the synths on some of their tomb world planets to keep them company, maybe they would move to other outlying colonies.
The freedom was theirs.
The very same freedom to choose their own leaders along with the protection of the Aviarium Continuum would soon belong to the entire galaxy. Having secured every fallen empire and established a foothold throughout the galaxy meant that the Unification Wars could soon begin. It was estimated that once they begun, the unification of the galaxy would only take 50-60 years.
But for now the united fleet flew by Aetheria in what amounted to the largest military parade in the known history of the Galaxy. It seemed silly with the distances involved, the expenses associated with it and the vastness of space, but it was popular with the average voter, and that was all that mattered.
...
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25XX
The unification had taken longer then expected, but at long last the last holdouts of the great Northern Coalition, the last worthy rival to the Aviarium having formed from every independent space faction of the early 25th century, had unconditionally surrendered.
There were concerns throughout the Aviarium Continuum as to what this meant for the future, with no rival to contest with would the Lady Protector Plume of Salmon finally agree to reforming the government to abolish military service? There were few who lacked for anything, and most menial jobs could be done by automation, the idea of "Military service for the common good" seemed quite outdated.
Her speech, short as she liked them, did well to quench any such rumors:
"Citizens and Civilians of the Aviarium, it is today more than 120 year ago we fought back the Prethoryn Swarm. Now we have taken the final step towards unification of the Galaxy as dozens of Sectors and Republics, hundreds of species and trillions of individuals are now represented in the Murmuration. This is a fantastic achievement, but not one that has not been anticipated for many years. In fact, it is not that which I have come here to talk about today.
Citizens, let me state this plainly: We have discovered the way the swarm was able to move through the void of the galaxy without the need for hyperlanes or the need to use nearby solar systems as gravitational beacons for warp. It has taken many of our best and brightest over a century, but we have managed to emulate their biological FTL drives... in fact we have improved them many times over in what we have dubbed 'infinity drives'.
Citizens, we know where they came from, and now we're coming for them. Whether that galaxy is their home, a husk they've long since consumed and left behind or if they were sent by inhabitants using them as a biological weapons, we shall strike them before they strike at us again.
Great carrier ships have been outfitted with the new infinity engines to transport our fleet to the their galaxy. We expect the journey will take approximately two years. We won't hear anything of what happened to those we sent out for another two. But this is something that we must do, we were able to easily beat them back when they first came, but who's to say they will not return in greater numbers in a hundred years? A month from now? it is not in our nature to merely be reacting to the world around us, we must also be actors.
Those who have been chosen for this vital mission will be notified shortly. Many others will be called upon to serve, as we will seek to replace those sent far afield in case we need to defend out galaxy once again.
The Aviarium Continuum shall not rest until the Universe knows what we are made of. Long live the Republic.
That is all."
Fin.
