• We have updated our Community Code of Conduct. Please read through the new rules for the forum that are an integral part of Paradox Interactive’s User Agreement.

DaEvilNome

Sergeant
93 Badges
Jul 15, 2011
99
6
danome.webs.com
  • Hearts of Iron IV: No Step Back
  • Europa Universalis IV
  • Victoria 3 Sign Up
  • Stellaris: Nemesis
  • Stellaris: Necroids
  • Europa Universalis 4: Emperor
  • Battle for Bosporus
  • 500k Club
  • Crusader Kings III: Royal Edition
  • Imperator: Rome - Magna Graecia
  • Stellaris: Federations
  • Hearts of Iron IV: La Resistance
  • Prison Architect
  • Crusader Kings III
  • Crusader Kings II
  • Deus Vult
  • Europa Universalis IV: Pre-order
  • Victoria 2: A House Divided
  • Sword of the Stars II
  • Sword of the Stars
  • Hearts of Iron III Collection
  • Europa Universalis III: Chronicles
  • BATTLETECH
  • Age of Wonders III
  • Imperator: Rome Deluxe Edition
  • Surviving Mars: Digital Deluxe Edition
  • March of the Eagles
  • Cities: Skylines
  • Age of Wonders: Planetfall
  • Age of Wonders: Planetfall Deluxe edition
  • Stellaris
  • Mount & Blade: Warband
  • Pillars of Eternity
  • Tyranny: Gold Edition
  • Hearts of Iron IV: Cadet
Very excited to try out Stellaris' new Leviathans DLC. I'm hopeful that this AAR manages to last a /little/ longer than my last one. Thanks for reading!

Her head ached as she stared at the blank speech-to-text dictation document before her. These last few months has been a grueling election cycle and, as much as she was loathe to admit it, she couldn't shake the feeling that the only reason that she had secured re-election was the Hyperdrive project. Her promise of interstellar expansion was ambitious, but it was her genuine conviction that it was the best possible future for humanity.

Dolores Muwanga couldn't remember what life was like before the Terran Unification Act of 2170. She hadn't fought in the wars of the 21st and 22nd centuries, she hadn't struggled with the collapse of much of Earth's biosphere, she hadn't contributed to centuries of brutally enforced inequality and infighting. All the same, she and the other 7-odd billion human beings on Earth were responsible for seeking out new solutions to all of the problems that they lived with but hadn't caused in the first place. She wouldn't outwardly admit it, for fear of being perceived as overly optimistic, but they were doing a pretty damned good job.

The Hyperdrive Project was imagined as a celebration of this new age of progress and enlightenment, in the same spirit as almost every other New Years' Eve that had been celebrated for as long as people bothered to measure time by way of calendars. The premise wasn't too outlandish. The Hyperlane Network had been detected during the last years before the Unification Act, but no single political entity possessed the capability to solve humanity's problems - let alone to leave them behind. It had taken thirty years, but the Terran Union now possessed that capability.

The greatest minds that humanity had to offer had created propulsion drives that could allow a ship to cross the Solar system in days, and special drives that allowed them to access naturally occurring "hyperlanes" that connected almost every major body with a significant enough gravitational field in a complex web-like network. Sublight unmanned probes had been sent over the last centuries, but even the fastest of these were laughably slow by comparison. The universe, or at least the galaxy, was at humanity's fingertips. None of this was news, though.

What was news, and was the subject of the announcement that Dolores was considering how to dictate, was that five Hyperdrive capable spacecraft were ready to be launched from an orbital construction shipyard: three combat ships, a construction ship, and a survey ship. Ricardo Riveros, a stubborn and unyielding man, was assigned to lead the small "fleet" of combat ships - each outfitted with tactical nuclear missiles. Vlada Markov, a meticulous scientist and one of the research leads for the project, would be commanding the survey vessel - unarmed but outfitted with enough survey equipment to map any conceivable celestial body.

The remaining research leads and their teams would remain on Terra to direct future R&D efforts. Maud Horner, a certifiable genius by any standard, was to lead up a project on designing AI programs to assist in an administrative capacity. Xiong Ouyang, a world leader in biological studies, was assigned to design the first generation of colony ships and colony protocols. Lastly, Cui Liang - another genius - was given a team dedicated to enhancing the materials used on ship hulls. Any one of these projects would be newsworthy in its own right.

With one last tired yawn, she sat upright in her seat and straightened her outfit's collar.
"Fuck it," she muttered to herself aloud, "I'll just do what I've always done: wing it."
 
Last edited:
I'm really liking the writing style of this one, and your tastes in galaxy generation run very similar to mine! I'll be following.
Thank you! And, yeah, I'm pretty hopeful about it. The idea is that the size will give a lot of content, but the low planet count will still make individual systems notable.

I bet that a single AI-civilization are humans from the arkship:rolleyes:
That'd be a fantastic twist! haha.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

January 1st, 2206

It had been six years since Launch Day, and Dolores Muwanga found herself again preparing a speech for the new year. Digital folders lay out before her on her desk, each labeled with material from the last few years: highlights for the presentation. If she was being honest with herself, she would have left her office after realizing that she was just going to throw together the images together on a randomly cycling slideshow and improvise the voice-over - same as every year before. Still, Dolores liked to imagine that she might try harder this year.

January 10th, 2200
RR.ADM.TU/DM.CH.TU
RR.ADM.TU (12:53 AM UTC) Unknown contacts have been detected beyond the Oort Cloud.
RR.ADM.TU (12:54 AM UTC) The 1st Fleet is being mobilized in defensive positions around Terra.
DM.CH.TU (12:54 AM UTC) Any attempt at communication?

RR.ADM.TU (12:55 AM UTC) Hogben-Busch protocol has been followed. No response.
RR.ADM.TU (12:56 AM UTC) Standby for remote image relay.

"First Contact." The name was a little misleading. Sure, it was now undeniable fact that humanity was not alone in the universe - but reasonable scientific theory had long ago assumed this to be the case. The truth was that almost no usable scientific or strategic data had been collected from the First Contact incident. The strange spacefaring creatures left almost as suddenly as they had arrived, with no indication of any advanced intelligence at all. If these creatures had decided to attack, would the fleet had stood a chance? The public had celebrated after the announcement, but Dolores had never felt more vulnerable in her life.

June 13th, 2201
VM.SO.TU/DM.CH.TU
VM.SO.TU (2:47 PM UTC) I know how this sounds, but while the Tereshkova was surveying Neptune's moon Triton we found... well, what looked to be monoliths on the moon's surface. I know that our priority mission is to survey systems vetted as "safe" by Ricky in search for either the source of the "First Contact" creatures or for potentially habitable worlds, and I'm not going to break protocol by wasting time investigating this right now - but I would seriously recommend a followup.


While this was the first time that Vlada had complained about not being able to complete a more thorough survey, it would certainly not be the last. While her enthusiasm was refreshing, Dolores was convinced that the time would come when additional scientific ships and teams could be assigned to the tedium of frontier mapping and the more experienced teams could return home and get their hands dirty - but not yet.

December 7th, 2203
Public Broadcast
"It is with great delight that I congratulate Admiral Ricardo Riveros on another successful security sweep! I know that you won't receive this message for a few days, Ricky, but I -and the rest of Terra- want to wish you a very happy birthday. I hope that you and the brave people under your command have a safe trip home and are able to enjoy the winter solstice with your loved ones back home. Godspeed."


Not only had Ricardo Riveros proven to be an excellent leader and scout, he had proven himself to be a reliable friend. While Dolores knew that it was perhaps unprofessional for members of government as influential as she was to play favorites, the expanse of space had an odd habit of bringing people together and reminding them of what matters most.

May 29th, 2204
RR.ADM.TU/DM.CH.TU
RR.ADM.TU (8:45 AM UTC) Contact detected near Sol. Could be our "friends" returning.
RR.ADM.TU (8:46 AM UTC) Same as before: No response to hails.
RR.ADM.TU (8:48 AM UTC) These creatures look noticeable different than the previous ones.
RR.ADM.TU (8:49 AM UTC) No aggressive movement detected. Forwarding image relay.


As if the first time wasn't bad enough. Now not only was there one species of roaming ship-sized lifeforms, but now two - maybe more? Dolores shuddered to think that there might be an entire ecosystem of massive lifeforms wandering through the void of space. How could humanity imagine to compete, or even put up a decent fight?

August 19th, 2204
VM.SO.TU/DM.CH.TU
VM.SO.TU (9:54 PM UTC) Found another planetary body with artificial anomalies. Investigation is pending, per your directions. I know that it might be dangerous to let the word get out, but isn't it eerie that there might have been others here before us? If they were here, where the hell are they?


Vlada was right. She had an annoying habit of being right. There could be miraculous discoveries to be made by investigating these sites, but time is a dangerous thing to waste - and the priority of the survey mission had to be to search for new homes for humanity. Dolores bit softly into her lip and muttered to herself, "We can't hide here forever."

April 9th, 2205
MH.SO.TU/DM.CH.TU/AADM.TU
MH.SO.TU (12:53 PM UTC) Chancellor Dolores, I wanted to be the first to introduce you to your new administrative assistant: AADM.
MH.SO.TU (12:54 UTC) AADM is the first administrative AI of its' kind to operate outside of the station.
MH.SO.TU (12:54 UTC) Don't get hung up on any of those science-fiction cliches! They are perfectly save.

MH.SO.TU (12:55 UTC) AADM, say hello!
AADM.TU (12:55 PM UTC) Hello Chancellor Dolores. It is a pleasure to meet you. Do not worry about your previous Assistant. Mr. Carlos has been notified that his services are no longer required. I look forward to working with you.


AADM had turned out to be a great assistant, even if it was occasionally concerning how cold its logic could be. Dolores hadn't missed an appointment in years. At least, not by accident. While administrative AI programs were still too expensive for most individual consumers, they became widely adopted for use by most major political or business entities.

October 9th, 2205
Public Broadcast
"I am happy to announce today that the 'New Worlds' initiative has completed designing and planning the Terran Union's future colonization program! Construction of these colony ships should be underway soon. If you are potentially interested in settling off world, please contact your local colonial lottery office or consider enlisting for a tour of duty in the Terran Union armed forces for a chance at entering an enhanced lottery!"


It has been months, but the first colony ships were finally underway. Developing the mining operations in the Procyon and Qeb Daraan systems promised a more immediate return on material investment, as well as a more immediate opportunity for those seeking a new life off of Terra - although, admittedly, life aboard a mining station might not be exactly what most had in mind when dreaming of leaving the solar system behind.


Dolores hadn't even bothered to read the accompanying message. She was sure that it would just be Vlada complaining about not being able to investigate. With previous proposals, she had insisted that it wait but, well, maybe if these new colony ships worked out...

The beloved Chancellor smiled softly. 2206 would be a good year. She was sure of it.​
 
Everything had been going so well.
Humanity had finally reached the stars. We had found new worlds to settle, new types of life to explore and study, new mysteries to solve, and ever-new frontiers to explore. It was a golden age.
At least, it was supposed to be.

The arrival of the Merry Marauders changed all of that.
Granted, they had a silly name, but piracy was no joke.
Ships had gone missing before - usually small freighters or supply transports whose loss could easily be written off as accidents. Two months into the construction of the Terran Union's first colony ships, it became clear that the earliest of these disappearances had been criminal defectors - and the rest victims.
By the time that the Merry Marauders had made themselves known, they had assembled a fleet that rivaled the government's own security forces.

The 1st Fleet was dispatched to respond to this rising threat immediately. All the same, it would take the ships under Admiral Ricardo Riveros just over six months to finally catch up to their quarry. In the mean time, the new colony ships' materials were diverted to the construction of additional corvettes. Humanity's new homes would have to wait. Led by the pirate captain Jiao Xie, the bulk of the Merry Marauders assaulted the Terran Union mining outpost on SSD-66 - a particularly resource rich asteroid on the outskirts of the Qeb Daraan System. The 1st Fleet arrived in time, but only barely.

Lives were lost. Human lives were lost.
It shouldn't matter how many of those were members of the Terran Union Navy and how many of those were members of the Merry Marauders. Ships, once full of human beings, were battered by explosions until their hulls buckled and their contents -crew included- were violently ejected into space. Although some had been killed by the fires and debris of explosions, the large majority met their fates in the cold and quiet vacuum of space.
Recovery efforts were undertaken after the last pirate ship was disabled, but space is a big place and the crews of a few heavily damaged ships could only search so far for so long. It's horrible to think, but it is a real and strong possibility that survivors who had made it to their exosuits in time were, all the same, accidentally abandoned out there.

Warfare in space was now a reality. Preparing to meet that challenge was something that the Terran Union was well equipped to do, though devastated at its necessity. The prevailing thought is that if humanity's ships are difficult enough to destroy, maybe more time can be secured to find more peaceful solutions - or at least to staunch the loss of lives.

With reinforcements en-route, Admiral Ricardo Riveros and the crews under his brave command sought out the hiding place that the Merry Marauders had based their attacks out of - to little success.

Even before Terran Union ships ventured into the Borbagon System, we knew that there was something there. Long range sensors scans taken from the Qeb Daraan and Durascadon systems both showed the same thing: a fleet whose size rivaled - and potentially outclassed - that of the Terran Union's fleet. Unfortunately, Borbagon was the only system that the Merry Marauders could have reached Terran Union space through. There was no other way around.

New ships, outfitted with new armor designs, filled the ranks of the 1st Fleet. Over a dozen ships strong, the order was given: bypass Borbagon and hunt down the pirates.

The fleet waiting in Borbagon was not manned by sentient beings. It did not attempt any communication, or respond to any attempted hails. It did, however, immediately attack the 1st Fleet. Admiral Ricardo Riveros, and those under his command, fought bravely - competently destroying drones that approximately rivaled a corvette in size and destructive capability. There were, however, larger drones as well: destroyers.
In the following announcement of the tragedy by Chancellor Muwanga it was suggested the the 1st Fleet was unable to retreat due to being cut off by the automated drones. Still, doubts linger and rumors circulate that it was Ricardo Riveros' unyielding personality that trapped the fleet.

In the aftermath of the Borbagon Tragedy, the Muwanga administration released news from a recent survey of the Fatis system: the discovery of sentient life. Initially restricted from public knowledge, it was hoped that the news would help to revitalize the public's morale and restore hope and curiosity - rather than letting fear and despair take root.
The Lilarobius called their tundra of a home world 'Triumph'. The bitter juxtaposition between its name and the loss suffered in Borbagon was not lost on some critics.
They seemed to be a species of flora, not fauna, that had ascended to dominance over their planet. From what scans and listening posts could tell, the Lilarobius were long-lived, resilient, and adaptable - though slow to reproduce and relatively weak. While they had not yet quite reached space, satellite readings of ambient radiation levels and tectonic activity - as well as local broadcasts - suggest that they possess nuclear weapons. Although stubbornly xenophobic and distrustful of strangers, it seems that their strictly pacifistic traditions have tempered this otherwise destructive trait.

While the Muwanga administration began reconstructing the fleet, an increased effort was made to distract the public with off-world discoveries. Storms on Tem II that made those of Jupiter seem impotent were excitedly discussed - though to no immediate material result.

According to the Muwanga administration, the scanner data gleaned from the Borbagon massacre suggested a potential weakness of these drones: their use of energy-based weapons. Deflector shields showed remarkable promise at reducing the effectiveness of these sorts of weapons. The new fleet, if equipped with these, might fare better.

Nearing the beginning of the next election cycle, a survey of the final systems uncovered by Riccardo Riveros was undertaken. It was suggested by the Muwanga administration that it was to honor the memory of his sacrifice and to continue humanity's journey of exploration. Political opponents suggested that it was meant to distract the public and to rally support for her rearmament platform.

In January of 2210, the election campaigns were underway.

Artyom Larionov was a favorite candidate of those who felt excluded from the political processes of Terra. A resilient and warlike man, Artyom was a veteran who had dedicated himself to politics in order to pursue what he saw as the best public interest. He was arguably the best suited candidate to rebuild the fleet, though his election platform was that the Terran Union should focus on new mining stations and colonies - not the fleet.

Hiroto Yamada was a political insider through-and-through. Hiroto was an excellent administrator who had seen record food and mineral production numbers in the areas under his administration throughout his career. Undeniably the most industrious candidate, Hiroto's election platform was for the construction of new research stations and the investigation of long-ignored planetary anomalies.

Ying Liang had a background in the administration of various reclamation and infrastructure projects. Her architectural sense and knowledge of efficient mining station construction were without peer. Supported by business and industry leaders, Ying's election platform was that the reconstruction of the fleet should be emphasized - and overall spending on construction projects should be increased.

Chancellor Dolores Muwanga was, as ever, a woman of the people. Despite the recent difficulties suffered by the Terran Union, her approval numbers were remarkable. While Dolores repeated her dream of human expansion to other worlds, her election platform was that the reconstruction of the fleet was the Union's most immediate priority.

From 2200-2210, the population of Terra boomed from 7 billion to 11 billion.
Energy output doubled and mineral output increased by 160%.
The GDP of the Terran Union increased by 287%, while expenditure had increased by 280%.​
 
Last edited:
Nice AAR going on here. Leviathans too! Admittedly, haven't played much since it came out. So I guess I'll learn about the changes from you! :p Keep it up. Charge along.

*10 years, 4 billion population growth! Good thing they're not on Earth!!* :eek:

Cheers!
 
Nice AAR going on here. Leviathans too! Admittedly, haven't played much since it came out. So I guess I'll learn about the changes from you! :p Keep it up. Charge along.

*10 years, 4 billion population growth! Good thing they're not on Earth!!* :eek:

Cheers!
Thanks :) Hah! Yeah, I hadn't really thought about it, but that's a lot of babies.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Terran Union Chancellor for 2210-2220: Hiroto Yamada
Hiroto Yamada's skills as an agrarian and industrialist leader had secured the office of Chancellor, along with his campaign promises of increased scientific spending and intensive survey missions. The previous chancellor, Dolores Muwanga, had played a powerful role in establishing the first steps of a permanent human presence in space - but it was up to Hiroto and his administration to solidify that presence.

Planetary Unification (2211), Genome Mapping (2214)
Nanomechanics (2211), Powered Exoskeletons (2214), Ion Thrusters (2219)
Gravitic Sensors (2213), Quantum Theory (2216), Field Modulation (2219)

Vlada Markov's increasing age and expertise lent itself to a softening of her personality.

The legacy of these strangers to humanity would be preserved with as much dignity as possible. At times, copies of small segments of the data would be made available for public study, but the majority of the archive would be preserved as a memorial to this stranger species.

Hiroto Yamada had reconstructed the fleet at an incredibly pace. His industrial expertise and connections helped to ensure that materials were secured and processed with exceptional efficiency.
Admiral Ricardo Romero was assigned leadership of the newly constructed fleet due to his unpredictable and flexible command styles.

While the fleet was being reconstructed, efforts were also undertaken to expand the number of human scientific outposts. After less than three years in office, Hiroto Yamada had completed his campaign mandate.

While this map relayed very little information, the search for more remains of The First League was on.

This First League weren't enlightened enough to eliminate the need for prisons, it would seem.

Nor were they enlightened enough to eliminate the need for war. Disheartening.

Durascadon Prime (2214) possessed a natural beauty that even the most pastoral scenes on Terra couldn't measure up to.
Alpha Centauri Prime (2215) was home to dangerous and violent wildlife.
Sirius Prime (2216) was as beautiful as Durascadon Prime, but also possessed wildly dangerous storms.
Procyon Prime (2217) would be the first 'tropical' world settled by the Terran Union.

As soon as Durascadon Prime's planetary sensor array went online, alarms began blaring. After technicians confirmed that there was not an error with the hardware or software, the announcement was made: the home base of the Merry Marauders had been found.

Planetary-scale artwork deserving of admiration.

Marvelous and worth continued study.

The 1st Fleet, under the leadership of Admiral Ricardo Romero was ordered to return to Borbagon and eliminate the hostile automated defenses there. While two corvettes were lost in the skirmish, the Borbagon system was pacified. The improved defensive technologies had proved their worth.

In comparison to the defenses in the Borbagon system, those constructed by the Merry Marauders were laughable. The 1st Fleet suffered no causalities.

The Borbagon system, in honor of Ricardo Riveros' sacrifice, would be renamed to "Riveros' Rest".
Likewise, in recognition of Ricardo Romero's victories, the Pathavon system would be renamed to "Romero's Stand".

Dangerous wildlife was not all that Alpha Centuari Prime possessed. Beneath the planet's surface was a previously unknown alien civilization! Under the Yamada administration, a doctrine of non-aggression and cooperation was decided upon.

In keeping with the newly-termed Yamada Doctrine, an observation outpost was constructed in orbit of the Lilarobius homeworld of Triumph but no direct contact or active study was undertaken.

[URL=http://s71.photobucket.com/user/danome/media/TUAAR/Five/29.jpg.html]
28.jpg
[/URL]
Primary Candidates:
Cui Liang, Lead of Terran Union Engineering Research
Hiroto Yamada, Chancellor of the Terran Union
Secondary Candidates:
An Wu, Colonial Expansion Proponent
Angela Corsini, Miner's Guild Advocate
Zinhle Okadigbo, Populist

 
I always love the dangerous disturbance notifications and other fun notifications that spring up from exploring. I always think of all the horror space films for some odd reason. :p
 
Hiroto Yamada's excellent first term led to his reelection in 2220. In his campaign, Chancellor Hiroto promised continued scientific advancement and the establishment of more centers of learning. (In other words: more of the usual.) As before, he would live up to his promises with speed and efficiency.

Although nothing worthwhile could be found at the site in question, this place should serve as a reminder to humanity that no matter how advanced a species becomes - there is always the possibility of fatal errors.

Humanity's relationship with the first aliens that they encountered, the Orassians, was a somewhat complicated one. While Chancellor Hiroto Yamada didn't flinch at providing the Orassian government with weapons that it would turn on its own people, he also didn't hesitate to offer refuge to those seeking amnesty and protection from their government. On the whole, relations between the two species were friendly.
(Although the Orassion refugees are pacifistic, their natural strength and resilience made it clear that they were not to be trifled with.)

The Obskyke system would prove to be a curiosity. The first anomaly investigate in the system revealed a massively valuable mineral deposit, while the second...

Well, the second was a bit more ominous. Only time would tell what the pulsar at the heart of the Obskyke system was counting down to.

True to character, Chancellor Hiroto Yamada made good on the promises that he made during his election campaign within the first half of his second term.

The more that humanity learns about The First League, the more apparent it becomes that it was just as flawed and subject to corruption as the many government of humanity's own history. While arguably disheartening, humanity had grown and come so far by learning from its own history. How far, then, might humanity climb from learning from the histories of others?

In 2225, the colony ship TUN McCampbell settled the colony of Riveros' Rest Prime. The unstable tectonics would later cause issues (See "Earthquake on Riveros' Rest Prime | 2229"), but promised to be an excellent location for specific fields of scientific inquiry.

Following in the footsteps of Admiral Ricardo Riveros, Admiral Ricardo Romero began to be known as an excellent scout.

Like Admiral Riveros, Admiral Romero also fell afoul of pirates - although these were much older and more alien.

Unlike Admiral Riveros, Admiral Romero was a man who knew when to retreat. His first loss would not, like his predecessor, be the end of him or of those who served under his command.

While it might be easy to criticize the First League for delving into dangerous fields of study, it would be hypocritical to do so. Humanity has proven time and time again that the study of dangerous and destructive fields can be something to be proud of - but only if we prove that we have the restraint to utilize what we learn in a constructive manner. The First League may not have, but we will learn from their mistakes.

Although the techniques and theories derived from studying this device were not immediately implementable, it had been proposed that studying the device may have saved years of potential research into new fields of mineral and material exploitation techniques.


Lead scientist Xiong Ouyang had a passion for the life sciences - from sociology to biology - and was the unquestioned foremost expert in almost every field that they dedicated themself to. The Fatis System (home of the Lilarobius homeworld of Triumph) was renamed to "Ouyang's Dream" both in memory of Ouyang's achievements, and in the hopes of a future of peace between humanity and the natives of Triumph.

Jessica Blake was appointed as Xiong Ouyang's successor. In her years of academic work, she had proved herself to be exceptionally adaptable - a feat necessary to lead such a broad field.

Humanity's struggle with piracy, it would seem, was one shared by The First League. Although analysis of this particular naval base didn't suggest any new theories or techniques in combating piracy, it suggests that humanity's established methods are at least competent.

Luckily, this massive earthquake predated any large scale infrastructure projects in the affected areas. Still, the settlers on Riveros' Rest Prime would be left shaken and unsettled for quite some time.

In 2229, humanity would encounter their first "fallen empire": the Xaplo Remnant. The Xaplo Remnant were not a good neighbor to have. Xenophobic by nature, these militant isolationists forcibly ejected the first human ships to stumble into their space - and promised to do far worse to any who returned. Chancellor Hiroto Yamada's response was to reinforce the 1st Fleet as much as possible, as well as to redirect expansion efforts elsewhere.

Fourteen new technological breakthroughs were accomplished during Hiroto Yamada's second term. For more information, see the above visual file.

Cui Lang: Returning from the 2220 election cycle.
Hiroto Yamada: Running for his third term in office.
Song Ouyang: Relative of the recently departed Xiong.
Irina Ostrovsky: Popular candidate.
Sergio Rizzo: Retired military officer.

GDP: 218% of 2220
Expenditure: 174% of 2220
Population (Human): +19 billion
Population (Orassian): +2 billion
Population (Total): +21 billion​
 
Last edited:
A bit of bumpy ride, pardon the pun, in a few areas. Nevertheless, things seem to be progressing fairly smoothly on the whole.
 
A bit of bumpy ride, pardon the pun, in a few areas. Nevertheless, things seem to be progressing fairly smoothly on the whole.
Yeah, I've really been enjoying the pacing so far. Hopefully it stays interesting! ...and maybe with a few less earthquakes, giant fissures, etc
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Song Ouyang's campaign in the 2230 chancellorship election focused heavily on invoking his family ties - and that it was owed to the late Xiong to embrace their legacy, and technologically uplift the Lilarobius. Song also promised a continued expansion of scientific institutions within the Terran Union.

The new solar cell development techniques inspired by these discoveries would increase the Terran Union's overall energy efficiency by approximately 5%.

The culture of the Lilarobius was not heavily changed with the introduction of Human technologies from the Terran Union. All the same, amiable relations were established.

Discoveries like these were reminders that technological progress brought with it increased degrees of danger and destructive potential.


This rescued ship would be jokingly deemed the "TUN Salvage" by its first captain, former Chancellor Hiroto Yamada. While not significantly more advanced than ships of Terran Union design, the Salvage did represent a level of technology just beyond that of the TU.

While relations with the native Orassian government had been complicated by the Terran Union's harboring of refugees, the atmosphere on Alpha Centauri Prime was still predominantly one of friendship and cooperation.

The old adage that "beauty is in the eye of the beholder" is certainly something that must be kept in mind when thinking about other species.

In keeping with established tradition, Vlada Markov's contributions to the Terran Union were memorialized by renaming the Ibleen System in her honor. While not a particularly noteworthy system, it was on the fringe of Terran Union space and best represented the frontier that Vlada had so dedicated herself to exploring.


Replacing Vlada Markov aboard the TUN Tereshkova was Mosi Ngwanya. Known for his meticulous nature, it was expected that he would be a great candidate to find even more mysteries to explore. While it would take time for his expertise to reach Vlada's, he wasted no time in honoring her legacy - finding anomalies in the Trabalore and Jurnast systems.

In keeping with his intention to honor the late Xiong's legacy, Song Ouyang campaigned for the rights of nonhumans within the Terran Union. While the Orassians were a minority, it was argued that their voices should still be heard and that their needs should be represented and addressed just like those of any other citizen.

Like the late Vlada, Cui Liang was memorialized by having the Hiamit system renamed in her honor. While Cui's campaigns for chancellorship had met with failure, her leadership in the fields of engineering and mathematics was exemplary.

Cui's replacement, Avani Potti, was careful by nature - but no less capable than any other candidate.

Twelve new technologies were pioneered during Song Ouyang's first term, most of which centered around the colonization and modification of new worlds.

Hiroto Yamada | Former Chancellor, serving aboard TUN Salvage as Admiral
Sergei Titov | Governor of Terra, senior party member
Song Ouyang | Current Channcellor
Jessica Blake | Head of Social Sciences
Maud Horner | Lead Physicist, senior party member

GDP: 147% of 2230
Expenditure: 117% of 2230
Population (Human): +13 Billion
Population (Orassian): +1 Billion
Population (Total): +14 Billion​
 
Last edited:
It's the 23rd century and your leaders can't even reach 80! :p
 
Fine AAR, but why the hell did you change Dolores Muwanga's ethnicity? Like if you wanted a new character you could have changed the appearance as well as the name. A bit peculiar if you ask me.
 
Fine AAR, but why the hell did you change Dolores Muwanga's ethnicity? Like if you wanted a new character you could have changed the appearance as well as the name. A bit peculiar if you ask me.
Honestly, until reading your comment, I hadn't noticed that her name hadn't changed from that of the United Nations of Earth's default ruler. Given that people's names don't necessarily correlate directly to their place of ethnic origin or background, and actually tends to be more closely tied to cultural background and identity, I actually found the juxtaposition interesting and imagination-provoking.
It's the 23rd century and your leaders can't even reach 80! :p
I had pretty much that exact thought right before playing the next session and... yeah, it gets worse.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Maud Horner, senior party member and lead scientist, became Chancellor of the Terran Union in 2240. A warlike industrialist, she was singularly capable of quickly expanding the size of the Terran Union's fleet if the need were to arise.

Until the skills of the leadership of Terran Union survey missions improved, further investigation of detected anomalies was put on hold.

Humanity had reached the stars, but mortality was still a very present reality. Many of the figures whose presence and work defined the early days of the Terran Union's journey into space had passed, and their positions began to fall to those younger and less experienced - as had always been the case. (I actually have to admit that I was sad to see Hiroto Yamada go. I was really hoping that he would have won the last two elections, but not enough so to intervene in the elections.)

Under the leadership of Maud Horner, the scientific cabinet of the Terran Union was reorganized. New officials, better suited to lead in certain fields, were appointed - while others, better suited to leading survey missions, were given state-of-the-art scientific survey vessels. With the passing of Ricardo Romero and Hiroto Yamada, the title of Fleet Admiral fell to Marcel Giroud.

As a direct result of the expansion of the number of Terran Union survey vessels in active service, contact was shortly after made with the Hydari Allied Suns. While the cultural values were not the same as those of the Terran Union, they were not directly opposed either. Baring any unforeseen incidents, the Terran Union and Hydari Allied Suns were set to enjoy amiable trade relations.

Discovered around the same time as the Hydari, the Tuxkan had not yet begun their journey to the stars. As soon as they were discovered, plans were set in motion to uplift them - like had been done for the Lilarobius. Unlike the Lilarobius, the Tuxkan showed promise to be open to other members of the interstellar community.

With the passing of Maud Horner, the Terran Union marked its first complete cycle of new leadership. Although the leaders of the past were beloved and regarded for their talents and service, their legacy would be one of hope for the future - for new generations to take up the mantel and lead the Union onwards.

Courtney Shoebottom | Lead Scientist
Erica McGillis | Lead Scientist
Song Ouyang | Former Chancellor
Jessica Blake | Lead Scientist
Oliver de Montaignac | Lead Scientist

In Maud Horner's short chancellorship, four new technologies were developed - most of which were directly utilizable by the Terran Union's armed forces.

GDP: 106% of 2240
Expenditure: 121% of 2240
Population (Human): +6 Billion
Population (Orassian): No Change
Population (Total): +6 Billion​
 
Last edited:
Erica McGillis was not a woman to mess with. Her background in certain aspects of corvette design and development -primarily power systems and shielding technologies- gave her a distinct edge in her ability to mobilize a sizable force if need be. Fortunately, that need did not arise during her first term as chancellor. In fact, thanks in large part to the groundwork laid out by her predecessor, her term would oversee the greatest number of surveyed anomalies in the Terran Union's short history. Her campaign promises were rigorously and successfully pursued, and she was loved for it.

While the amount of surveyed anomalies was significant, Erica McGillis' legacy would be magnified significantly by her policy of uplifting as many less advanced species as possible. When these civilizations were discovered, a Terran Union frontier outpost would be built nearby - with an observation station to follow shortly thereafter. Fortunately, most of these civilizations were ecstatic to meet newcomers from the stars. Others, like the earlier discovered Lilarobius, preferred to be left alone.

Guo Liang, replacement for Erica McGillis' former lead scientist position, was a brilliant particle physicist who showed remarkable promise.

Upon completion of the first frontier outpost aimed at supporting the Terran Union's ongoing uplift effort, an emissary from the Hydari Allied Suns arrived on Terra to deliver a proposed non-aggression pact. While the interplanetary congress held a formal meeting and opened the floor for debate, there was not a single voice of dissent against Erica's intention to sign off on behalf of the Terran Union. Like so many generations before, humanity dreamed of "peace in our time."

Probe collisions, strange smells, planetary magnetic shifts, organic sheet clouds, microsingularities, ship graveyards, remains of biological ships, weapons ranges, inexplicable ceramic pots, alien mercenary memoirs, sub-glacial oceans, pirate comms network relays, solar sailers, lost alien texts, forgotten survey markers, ammonia biospheres.... What else could be waiting to be discovered?

Groknaploran State | 2248
Intelligent, independent, and overwhelmingly friendly, these semiaquatic felines made for fast friends.
Tuxkan Interplanetary State | 2251
Stubborn, devious, and generally kind, these tundra-dwelling anurans were masterful farmers and engineers.
Ik-Nur-Val State | 2252
Warrior-like desert nomads, these fruitful arthropods begrudged their martial inferiority to the Terran Union.

Regor Prime was home to the indigenous species first, and the Terran Union second. Expansion would be severely limited, but the potential for observation and study of a species emerging from a paleolithic era would more than make up for the inconvenience.

While studying a particularly complex anomaly (the ceramic pot orbiting Troidom), Jessica Blake suffered from a massive stroke and died. The system was renamed in her honor, and Keisuke Nakagawa was promoted to replace her.

Space Amoebas | 2253
Potentially hostile, but easily enough avoided.
Ancient Mining Drones | 2253
Proven to be too dangerous to ignore.
Tiyanki | 2253
Passive, arguably worth preserving and protecting.

Although relatively small, Ziris Prime's atmosphere contained a potent aphrodisiac - one that pharmaceutical research groups would immediately set upon researching.

Courtney Shoebottom | Survey Captain
Erica McGillis | Current Chancellor
Guo Liang | Particle Physicist
Song Ouyang | Former Chancellor
Mosi Ngwanya | Survey Captain
Oliver de Montaignac | Rocket Engineer
Radoslav Dragomirov | Genius

11 new technologies were developed, most of which were directly and immediately utilizable by Terran Union colonies.

GDP: 131% of 2244
Expenditure: 162% of 2244
Population (Human): +14 Billion
Population (Orassian): +1 Billion
Population (Total): +15 Billion
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Why are Stone Age Primitives not uplift/enlighten-able? The only way that I've found around this is to play as a Collectivist empire, enslave and then liberate the pops. I /really/ wish there were a way for xenophile/individualist empires to as well.
 
Last edited:
Radoslav Dragomirov, prior to his election, was widely recognized as a great scientific mind. It wouldn't be until his rising to the office of chancellor that it became apparant how resilient he could be - and how effectively he could turn his inquiring mind to the improvement of infrastructural architecture. His election campaign's platforms were accomplished handily, over the course of a few years.

Following her failure to secure reelection, former Chancellor Erica McGillis returned to her former office as head of Terran Union Societal Research.

Alien murals, towed asteroids, old exploration vessels, geothermal extractors, mineral rich moons, ancient life pods, crystal codices, rogue mass driver rounds, barren planets, former planets, atmospheric ecosystems, derelict shipyards, mummified pilots, collapsed dimensional rifts, alien barracks, and humanity's first attempt at terraforming.

This treaty was proposed by the Groknaploran State to the Terran Union due to the increasing number of Oceanic worlds being settled by humanity. While the expected result was for a surge of Groknaploran settlers on Terran Union worlds, the most immediate result was the departure for many Orassians for the Groknaploran homeworld.


Under the Dragomirov administration, all ongoing 'uplift' projects were suspended - the scientific crews being reassigned to passive observation. New criteria were established for what worlds could be uplifted:
1) If the civilization will soon develop FTL capabilities on their own.
or
2) If the civilization is ideologically similar to the Terran Union.
or
3) If the civilization shows an inclination toward xenophilia or extreme xenophilia.

Ucrichi Prime, Jughum Prime, Fia Nita Prime, and Trinnick Prime were all Oceanic worlds. While not perfectly suited to human settlement, many settlers jumped at the chance to explore these new worlds and make them their new homes.

This exchange helped to decide upon the direction of future Terran exploration and survey missions.

Obskyke's secret was finally revealed in the last days of 2261. The emerging entity, 'The Wraith of Obskyke', immediately proceeded to obliterate all ships and installations in the Obskyke System - resulting in the deaths of thousands. The Terran Union's fleet was consolidated and brought within striking range, but did not engage - knowing the inevitability of their defeat. Powerless to stop it, Chancellor Radoslav opted to track its movements - and pray that it continued to wander away from Terran Union space.

When the terraforming equipment on Fia Nita Prime was first discovered, intense debate followed regarding if the technology should be studied carefully or utilized immediately. The Dragomirov administration decided upon immediate utilization, reasoning that delaying the process would only increase the amount of potential harm that the unknown devices might do. The result was nothing short of miraculous: a world more suited to human settlement - and indeed settlement by any known species - than their own home world or any like it.

10 new technologies were developed, most of which were aimed at improving existing colonies.

Keisuke Nakagawa | Survey Captain
Marcel Giroud | Admiral
Mosi Ngwanya | Survey Captain
Oliver de Montaignac | Rocketry Expert
Radoslav Dragomirov | Current Chancellor
Courtney Shoebottom | Survey Captain
Erica McGillis | Former Chancellor
Guo Liang | Particle Physicist
Song Ouyang | Former Chancellor

GDP: 123% of 2254
Expenditure: 144% of 2254
Population (Human): +28 Billion
Population (Orassian): -2 Billion
Population (Total): +26 Billion​
 
Last edited:
I need to get moving on Stellaris again. All the changes in Leviathans look nice. Too bad I haven't had much time to get back into yet.

Well, maybe your AAR will inspire me over Winter Break to take some time to get back into Stellaris.
 
I need to get moving on Stellaris again. All the changes in Leviathans look nice. Too bad I haven't had much time to get back into yet.

Well, maybe your AAR will inspire me over Winter Break to take some time to get back into Stellaris.
I've been really satisfied with the changes that Leviathans has implemented. The Leviathans themselves are a TON of fun. While there's certainly more that I'd like to see added/modified, I've been enjoying this play-through a lot.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Former captain of the TUN Newton, Keisuke Nakagawa's natural charisma and his passion for exploration and discovery helped to reinforce the Terran Union's ongoing emphasis on increasingly far-flung exploration and expansion. Thanks to the number of new construction ships commissioned by the Dragomirov administration, Chancellor Keisuke was able to implement his campaign promises within a single year.

After ceding the office to Keisuke Nakagawa, former chancellor Radoslav Dragomirov took over Keisuke's previous position of captain of the TUN Newton.

Like Regor Prime before it, the TU settlements on Trinnick Prime would be limited in order to protect the native civilization.

Although measured has been undertaken to protect the colonists on Regor Prime from the native population, and the native population from the colonists, this attack proved that there were still very real dangers for the human settlers on Regor Prime.

Of these five new species, the Sejethari stood out as a promising candidate civilization for uplifting. Although the molluscoid species was short lived, their communal and conformist nature suggested that they would be agreeable additions to the galactic community.

No direct relationship between these two events could be established, but for a technological breakthrough of such significance to happen so shortly after the disappearance of a Terran Union scientist was more than suspicious.

For the time being, direct contact with these strange entities was avoided.

After this event, the legacy of the crew of the TUN Equinox would continue to grow - causing it to become the preferred deployment for some of the brightest minds that the Terran Union had to offer.

Tactical treatises, reactivated shipyards, junkyards, debris fields, stellar salts, destroyed cruisers, silicon lifeforms, nuclear wastelands

Eibriri Prime, settled by TUN Mozambique | 2269
Serpress Prime, settled by TUN Somalia | 2272

Following his failure to secure the office of Chancellor, Mosi returned to captain the TUN Tereshkova. Eight years later, he passed due to increasing age and failing health. As had become tradition, one of the outermost systems in the Terran Union was renamed in his honor - the Bikhul system became the Ngwanya system. Replacing Mosi Ngwanya was Xian Shen - a pioneer in custom neural networks.

Nine new technologies, almost half with direct military applications.

Courtney Shoebottom | Survey Captain
Erica McGillis | Former Chancellor
Guo Liang | Particle Physicist
Song Ouyang | Former Chancellor
Keisuke Nakagawa | Current Chancellor
Marcel Giroud | Admiral
Oliver de Montaignac | Rocketry Expert
Radoslav Dragomirov | Former Chancellor

GDP: 134% of 2264
Expenditure: 151% of 2264
Population (Human): +31 Billion
Population (Orassian): +1 Billion
Population (Total): +32 Billion​
 
Really enjoying this, keep up the good work :)
One question though - what was the rationale behind having only one AI - trying to make the game more about exploring and integrating pre-FTL rather diplomacy?
 
I've been really satisfied with the changes that Leviathans has implemented. The Leviathans themselves are a TON of fun. While there's certainly more that I'd like to see added/modified, I've been enjoying this play-through a lot.

I figured. I only got about an hour(ish) with Leviathans and have been busy with other things. Will get to it soon enough.

Quite an eventful series of events. Damn natives! All those new civilizations...surely one of them should be on the testing end of your new military technologies! :p