An Army with a Stars: Rise of Galactic Empire

[Vlad_Dracul1989]

"I swear, by God and the Holy Bible, to righteously serve my Kaiser, Galactic Emperor and Ruler of all Humans, until the day I die. I will defend the Galactic Empire and the people of it, with my life if necessary. I will also uphold and follow the laws of the Empire and serve the Reichsflotte with honour and dignity. May God send his divine punishment if I ever break my oaths to the rightful Kaiser and the Galactic Empire."

- The Oath of Humanity

 

[Nikolai]

Nice! Looking forward to reading this!

 

[stnylan]

This should be fun

 

[Vlad_Dracul1989]

Prologue

After the astonishing victories in the glorious world wars, time wasn't kind to the Kaiserreich at all. The first sign of future troubles was constant rise of popular uprisings in Europe, Asia or Africa, which were never truly quelled, only to be crushed by German military machine and it's seemingly impassive soldiers. This status quo continued until terrorists groups in the Middle East got the hands on the nuclear warhead. It was detonated in Rome, 2019, right on the Valentine's Day. The Kaiser Georg II. demanded 'ultimate justice' and immediately ordered own nuclear strikes against all the supposed terrorist strongholds and declared the war against all the states supporting terrorism. Dozens of cities were destroyed by the newly introduced orbital weapon platforms, before they were targeted by anti-satellite missiles of so called Free Alliance, led by United North American States. This was point of no return and the war, this time one which could very well end all the wars at last, started. Both sides posessed advanced defensive capabilities against any kind of mutually assured destruction, so the Third World War soon resembled the First one, as the African and Asian frontlines didn't move for months. But unlike the Free Alliance states, the militarist regime led by Kaiser was well-prepared for prolonged conflict, it's population familiar with rationing and soldiers fought for years in many local conflicts.Tactical victories for the Alliance meant strategic ones for the Empire: while the German Navy's raids against North American coasts were Pyrrhic victories at best, combined with millions of soldiers dead every year, however, it forced the enemy to negotiating table for an armistice. An actual capitulation of the Free Alliance states to the German Empire.

The Stahlhelm militiaman fighting in the streets of Bonn, 2027.

On the paper, more precisely, on the maps and the treaties, the German Empire were now in direct or indirect control of majority of Earth's population and resources. The truth was complicated, of course. The delicate balance of power, built on sweat, tears and blood of generations, was gone forever. Refugees from German colonies, protectorates and allied states flooded almost intact Europe, while the imperial military fought hard to preserve order everywhere else. The food and energy shortages became a new normality, same as famines, pollution and poverty, sometimes even in the Germany itself. Rationing continued another ten years here, while it continued on the rest of the planet. This forced the Kaiser and his soldiers to relocate valuable resources to space exploration: any idea to bring anything of value to rebuilt the shattered world or give it's inhabitants a new home, was welcomed. Mining on Luna or colonization of Mars proved the grave limits of such endeavours. Desperate millions of Humans could hardly move there, at least not in same century. On the other hand, a small wormhole on the outer edge of Oort Cloud offered such an option. The probes sent by Kaiser Wilhelm Society, the most prominent imperial scientific institution, brought back datas about it's connection to star system far away on the second edge of galaxy. A decision was made quickly - not that everyone truly believed it must end with success, on the contrary, the Society claimed it can end as a great tragedy - but nevertheless, it could force people to turn their eyes to the stars, instead of their ruined homeworld.

One of the first mining facilities established by the Berlin's colonists

A six ark ships were built in total, poetically named after flowers growing all around the Earth to show that German space colonization project is meant to benefit the all of Mankind: Edelweiss, Gardenia, Chrysanthemum, Hyacinth, Iris and Orchid.The imperial propaganda machine worked in top gear, considering the circumstances, and thousands upon thousands applicants tried to get the ticket outside the dying planet: discharged soldiers, young nobles, middle-class families which lost everything, farmers and miners without work or fanatical supremacists from the colonies, always more radical than any extremist from the Fatherland itself. And exactly the such kind of colonists were aboard the Chrysanthemum, when the miraculously intact ark arrived to a planet called at first New Berlin, then 'just' Berlin. The planet's rugged biosphere supported life, but it was no Garden of Eden. Parts of it oscillated from pretty comfortable Tyrol-like valleys to frozen lakes surrounded by mountains in very Scandinavian fashion. Thankfully, the amount of oxygen was greater than Humans were used to, which made life so above the sea level a little easier. To built necessary infrastructure and allow expansion, the local fossil fuels had to be used, before production of nuclear energy reached sufficient amounts.

The Eagle's Nest, Imperial Navy's elite academy in Mackensen Mountains

With no contact possible, anything could have happened to Earth, it was reasoned, so the overwhelmingly German-speaking colonists established new Human civilization on alien world. Society developed on the grounds well known to the colonists: there was little room for much democracy or idealism at all. In view of harsh realities and never ending shortages of everything on the Berlin, everyone had to serve their 'divine purpose' - as it was entirely possible, it was believed, that they are last of their species. Other arks were seemingly lost as well, with only remote traces of one. Perhaps they truly were last of their kind. If so, everyone must serve to protect the Human race. Men had to work hard or fight the local lifeforms, women had to produce children, the more, the better. Even death penalty was prohibited on the ground that every Human life is too valuable to squander, replaced by life sentence of uranium mining. The United Christian Church therefore became the greatest ally of fledgling monarchy in that regard, which accompanied the rise of House Sternberg.

 

[stnylan]

A rather grim view of the future

 

[Nikolai]

Very grim indeed. I actually thought Berlin was Earth after a massive catastrophe. Have you seeded other human empires out there btw?

 

[HIMDogson]

So is this a sequel to Platz under Sonne? And if so will that one ever be finished?

 

[Vlad_Dracul1989]

A rather grim view of the future

"Man has killed man from the beginning of time, and each new frontier has brought new ways and new places to die. Why should the future be different?"

• Col. Corazon Santiago, "Planet: A Survivalist's Guide"

Very grim indeed. I actually thought Berlin was Earth after a massive catastrophe. Have you seeded other human empires out there btw?

Silence on all frequencies...

So is this a sequel to Platz under Sonne? And if so will that one ever be finished?

Don't worry, I'll continue with that. I shall probably just speed it up.

 

[Vlad_Dracul1989]

Prologue (continuation)

To understand the transformation of mere colony into new Reich, the explanation is far from straightforward. Ever since the colonization pods from Chrysanthemum landed on the Berlin, the fight for survival had to be taken more seriously than it was thought it will be necessary. The world's environment surprised the newcomers in a numbers of unpleasant ways. Local equivalent of earthworm proved so aggressive, that colonists had to wear reinforced footwear at all times. During summer seasons, some areas were overwhelmed by a large poisonous dragonfly-like creatures kept at distance by infrasound and caves had to be 'sanitized' by chemicals or fire as a standard procedure. Surface was generally deadlier at nights so a curfew became as common part of life for all the settlements. Also from such reasons, these had largely decentralized command structure to allow it's leaders a free hand to adapt to whatever was happening, although formal power over all of them belonged to Statthalter (governor) of the planet, first one naturally being the captain of Chrysanthemum. After him, commanders of planetary sectors (ruled as widespread army bases still), chose successors from their ranks. Until this changed.

Noble hunters from Wilhelmstadt. Equipment was often custom-made and decorated with symbols of their family, army unit or settlement.

The origin of the colonists and hard life on Berlin forged the society into more militarized culture than Prussia itself was in times of Frederick the Great or Wilhelm I. In fact, it was ancient Sparta which came on mind often. Physical prowess combined with adherence to strict honor code was valued above all else and any transgression was rigidly judged, be it presumed weakness or corruption. This never allowed any true despotism to rise, as common farmer or miner or Statthalter himself could end in mines or penal battalion for 'moral decay'. This harsh societal justice was reinforced further by the Church, a state religion of the planet, in no way neglecting duty, same as settlements or their commanders. Priests were integral part of the army units and hunting squads, preventing loss of faith, same as the real predators from harming the colonists. There lies the origin of local use of eight-pointed (Maltese) cross, symbolizing eight holy obligations of it's knights, such as faithfulness, fairness or endurance.

One of the nuclear fuel refineries, which finally allowed expansion to the rest of Brandenburg System and beyond

After the few generations, however, when there was not single person alive who remembered the Earth or the old Kaiserreich, the colonists started to wonder if there will be any communication with their homeworld. There was now a dead silence on all frequencies, not a single visiting ship, probe or signal from them or the five other ships. What had took place on Earth, when the Chrysanthemum left the Solar System? Are at least the Hyacinth's colonists nearby, as it's power traces suggested? Is there a trace of others? Perhaps nothing bad happened to them, perhaps worst happened and there's no other Human civilization left in this galaxy. In addition, building a powerful industrial-military complex proved complicated now, with no strong central government able to mobilize entire population and resources of the planet en masse for interstellar expansion.

Heroic depiction of the first Kaiser of Galactic Empire, slaying the 'Beast of the Green Valley', an exceptionally large specimen of local apex predator, now extinct

The solution, can be said, was imposed on the old colonial regime thereafter, when such debates among the Berlin's hierarchy appeared: Friedrich Wenzel Sternberg, the noble from Neue Prag (mostly mining town) and exceptionally skilled hunter leader, declared unification of all hunting squads in goal to exterminate all remaining native threats on the planet. Always considered an independent bunch of knight-errant-like individuals living outside the official power structure, very tolerated if not outright revered, in retrospect, such development was a matter of time. It took only three years of systematic elimination of the most dangerous creatures, some of them living deep under surface, only to be destroyed by the crude use of drilling equipment and explosive charges. After this first campaign, one by one, planetary leaders offered their forces to be used in next, final 'taming' of Berlin. After that, only few reservations for predators kept under strict control remained as the hunting grounds. With this success and Sternberg's overwhelming popularity throughout the population, a proposal was made to choose him as the Kaiser, a proposal welcomed by also the priests and commanders alike - tough hunter as well as highly intelligent Friedrich I. accepted this only under condition, that abilities, not bloodline, will matter, when it will be time to choose next monarch. That's how later became Kaiserin an adopted daughter of the previous Kaiser over his three sons or very distant relative who cared mostly about scientific research and sociology. In short, first Kaiser was convinced, that if dynasty starts with strong men and women and continues to raise sons and daughters in same hard school, then it can last for centuries.

 

[AvatarOfKhaine]

Feels very LOGH in this origin in some ways.

Looking forward to more.

 

[stnylan]

It all strikes me as an approriately Prussian approach to things.

Feels very LOGH in this origin in some ways.

LOGH?

 

[Nikolai]

Meritocratic emperorship? How interesting.

 

[Vlad_Dracul1989]

It all strikes me as an approriately Prussian approach to things.


LOGH?

I believe he meant certain famous anime series. ☺

 

[stnylan]

I believe he meant certain famous anime series. ☺

Ah. Anime is a myserious far-off land for me, of which I know virtually nil.

 

[guillec87]

subbed!

 

[Vlad_Dracul1989]

Early Expansion, I.

People of Berlin's new capital city, named simply Kaiserstadt, witnessed the arrival of first truly interstellar vessels, designed to spread the Reich's glory to the stars. It was a moment an ordinary politician would use to spread his popularity. There was no politician, however. There was a cautious experienced hunter, who refused to think about space in any other way, but a cruel and deadly emptiness, which may easily claim the Human lives. In his speech, Friedrich I. the Unifier did let nothing hidden, and reminded the Berliners, that he is just one of them in a struggle for Humanity's survival in a cold space, where may await the ancient horrors, same as hideous alien races, quoting from diaries of the first colonists: how they were full of glory and pride, only to encounter hostile environment, which claimed so many of them in years to come. This is no different situation, he argued, as they had absolutely no idea what awaits them. That's why the researchers and engineers are now the Humanity's true heroes, going into unknown and giving their species more knowledge and resources to fight any dangers they may encounter.

The stellar position of the Galactic Empire allowed it's expansion to all sides of the galaxy. Somewhere on the other side must be the Earth. Return to Human homeworld became a real obsession, both religious and ideological one for many of Reich's citizen. This phenomenon persisted long after Friedrich I.'s reign and fueled further the militancy of imperial population in the next generations. More troubling was, at first obscure, groups calling for Crusades to spread Humanity's rule all over the galaxy, as their race is clearly the God's chosen inheritors of the stars. But most of the population had no time or taste for such lunatic tirades.

The necessary reforms had to be implemented to boost the early Human expansion: population growth, first contact protocol and ban imposed on robot workers. Each one explained in different way to each political faction on Berlin. While no one argued against first decision, peaceful first contact protocol puzzled some hawks within Berliner military. The Kaiser didn't waste time to call them by proper terms, since only 'an idiot would attack something or someone they don't know anything about'. Ban on the robotic workers was, on the other hand, widely accepted by all the factions without any resistance: the Church argued that Humanity's uncontrolled hubris in technological progress may be their undoing one day, especially as many in the past and the present dreamed about creation of artificial life or mind or immortality. In universities, economists and statisticians warned against relying on machines just as same, predicting decay of society if such case happened.

Generally speaking, the cautious approach in every aspect made the survey and expansion of star systems perhaps slower, but proved right, when the Reich had met it's first galactic neighbours - this won't happen in a couple of years, though, after the SMS Elbe and SMS Konstantin Tsiolkovsky left the Brandenburg System for the first time. It was crucial to know about any interstellar threats, as the fledgling Imperial Navy will consist for years just from few small warships, barely capable to fight Human renegades and criminals in armed merchant ships. For now, and for the few decades, the imperial researchers and engineers will be the real first line of defense against all threats.

First challenge, closely connected with survey of nearest star systems, was the question if there was indeed an another colony ship. The Hyacinth was full of imperial citizens from the Germany itself, just from the old Fatherland, unlike Chrysanthemum, where one could find many nationalities, people from Kaiserreich's colonies, protectorates and satellite states, with fairly high numbers of Germans too, but mostly from Austria and Bohemia. Even the ship's captain, Gustav von Halem, lived most of his life in Reval, Estland. But the Hyacinth was, as the last colony ship, filled with greatest minds, toughest soldiers and hard working people from Prussia: what was left of it, by the end of last world war. Just a pale shadow of it's pre-war glory, which could now arise in the stars again. At least, that's what propaganda claimed. The Hyacinth's captain was probably a greatest celebrity in Germany, who was not a noble or from famous military or industrialist dynasty: a war hero, teacher and writer, the only person which gained both military and civilian Pour le Mérite orders - the 'Blue Max'.

When the original ship was indeed found orbiting the barren world, Sadalbari III., it became apparent that something terribly went wrong. Now it was pointless to hope that anyone survived. The Chrysanthemum colonists can't hope to find another hopeful Human colony. Preliminary scans showed the minimal damage on ship, nothing critical: no large damage on the outside. The Hyacinth also withstood the hundred years long meteor showers, which was remarkable itself. No energy or atmosphere pressure, though.

Some sections of the ships were abandoned and sealed long before the life inside turned into a nightmare.

The science team had many expectations of what they may find, from engine malfunction (which eventually proved right) to terrorism: the Earth was hardly the peaceful place when they left it, and many Free Alliance sympathizers bitterly fought still after ceasefire. Theories about computer viruses or corruption in the space dock continued in the shuttle, but ceased literally in a second after they opened the airlock. The bodies. Bodies were everywhere. Some of them well preserved, making it clear that victims died of suffocation or decompression. But most of them were just...bones. Pieces. Gnawed clean. From women. Children. When they made it to the bridge, changed into something which resembled somehow both an altar and dining room, windows covered by organic remains, they found the answers.

Now the Berliner scientists called this phenomenon as 'spatial rift'. Not a real 'wormhole', as these rifts appeared for only brief periods of time in varying locations, which was showed by the fact that each ark entered it in different locations. The usual rift fluctuations made travel through it a nearly suicide mission and it was never repeated again by any other Human colony ships. Research of such rifts, however, will have a considerable impact on imperial science.

The Hyacinth followed the Chrysanthemum and entered the rift as soon as they received the data package confirming the discovery of habitable planet in binary star system, which will soon be named Brandenburg - not only to honor the heart of the Fatherland, but in expectation of Hyacinth's arrival. However, they perhaps hesitated too long to follow, as they ended up in Sadalbari system. The unstable rift sent them not very far off the course, but without a hyperdrive and with limited energy supplies, their fate was sealed already.

Considering the circumstances, the captain of the ship proved resilient and pragmatic enough to try fight the death sentence fate prepared for them. Ship's statistics clearly showed that armed crew did what they could to preserve the order, through the 'selection process': simply put it, who deserved rations and therefore life. Slightest missteps were awarded with summary executions. For months, they prolonged the inevitable.

In the end, it didn't matter. A rebellion of mad, starving survivors ended everything and everyone. The most of the crew was already starving too, data logs were a mess by that time, but it was clear that some of them joined the crowds, when insanity broke loose and horrible screams filled the recycled air for a while. Before it ran out too.

'We must never forget' were the Kaiser's first words in an epitaph dedicated to the crewmembers and colonists on the Hyacinth, buried properly under the Landing site, a most sacred place on the Berlin, with date of their deaths the same as the date of the first colony founding. 'The darkness took their lives, but their souls lives forever', were the last memorable words during the burial ceremony, later used on the giant white cross in the middle of the site.

Sometimes, the research ships found destroyed remains of ancient civilizations and sometimes an alien pirate lair. Or a toy factory.

Meanwhile, the living heroes of Humanity, armed with nothing but the hope and bravery, continued with their difficult task.​

 

[stnylan]

A grim sequence of events there.

 

[guillec87]

so bad... more colonist would have been of great help

 

[Nikolai]

That was....quite sobering. What a horrible fate.

 

[Vlad_Dracul1989]

Early Expansion, II.

The culture of the Berliners, how the Human colonists often called themselves at the time, didn't changed overnight. There was no distinct 'imperial' society developed yet and most of the people still considered themselves as 'merely' a brave pioneers, waiting for contact from the Earth. The newborn Empire was, after all, mostly a popular monarchy backed by the military, scholars and progressives - that didn't meant there existed unanimous support. State religion and military hierarchy leading the planet provoked more and more dissent over time and it were only the horrific finds in the deep space, which forced people to fiercely support the Galactic Empire.
The Hyacinth was only the first one. Many argued to hide the detailed informations about the ghost ship from the public, but the Kaiser was determined to show the people everything as a warning for the future. Fear, shame and humility, as well as anger and determination showed all over the planet, when the datas were disclosed to the public.

The site of Gotterdammerung Project: the web of underground vaults was designed as the last resort for survival of Mankind

The most practical reaction from the fledgling imperial administration were projects dedicated for the continuation of the Human civilization in the both near and far future. It somewhat appeased the public, expressing more acts of loyalty than ever before, but also accelerated plans for the colonization of surrounding star systems, research facilities dedicated to terraforming got their funding and Berlin itself was properly fortified for the first time in it's history.

Moreover, the planetary surveys revealed in the short time, that throughout the millions of years, now completely dead planets were full of life once. The process had to be compared with similar findings, to ascertain what are the most usual ways for a species to descend into extinction. Because with each star system charted and with each new lifeform described, remains of long dead civilizations were just as common. Some civilizations lasted for million years, some died out before they managed to reach true sentience. Therefore, statistics provided unpleasant hints about their own prospects for the future.

The life itself was not rare. That was made clear, when the very first neighbouring system contained colonizable world with hot but for Humans entirely sufficient biosphere. This world will be eventually named 'Zanzibar', as it's weather strongly resembled old German colony of East Africa - and to make clear how different landmass it contained for a Berliners now adapted to lower air pressure and cold temperature.

In the middle of preparations to send first own colony ship there, the exploration vessels encountered a civilization, with history and knowledge few dozen millennias older than anything of Human origin. Fortunately these aliens, in many aspects very alien indeed to both minds and eyes of any Human, proved very tolerant. They understood their place in the galaxy as the observers, benevolently neutral to most of the 'visitors' and expressed little beyond the mere academic curiosity.

After the previous findings, such encounter was far from unexpected: some of the Berliner scientists merely debated how many species may exist in the galaxy in this very moment. Five? Fifty? How technologically superior or inferior when compared to Mankind? The Xeltek race gave only a hints and indications, what Humans may expect soon to find: several races similarly old and advanced like themselves, both peaceful and aggressive nomadic peoples wandering around the Galaxy for generations, the intelligent machines or very young civilizations using only sticks and stones.

The magnitude of these clear warnings were not realized until later, when the young Galactic Empire started it's first conquests and the first non-Human subjects of the Kaiser were brought into the fold, with the resources crucial for the development of the Imperial Navy, Reichsflotte. Although the Empire will always remain predominantly Human, such enlightening experiences with alien races (including encounter with titanic beings on planet later known as Regensburg), offered experience, knowledge and insight widely considered invaluable. Success of such balanced, pragmatic approach was necessary to define new, interstellar kind of imperialism - Humanity on the march to create united, ordered galaxy. But such grand designs had to wait, imposed during rule of future Kaisers. Now the greatest threat seemed the providence itself. Same providance, which once allowed Chrysathemum to safely breach the spatial rift to Brandenburg system.

The silicon-based lifeforms received no name, as they didn't even manage to invent writing, though structures and remains left indicated they perhaps used telepathy or some kind of limited hive mind communication. They evolved from migrating herbivores, as the moisture was a precious commodity on the planet and rainy seasons had to be followed to survive. The predators were rare, but crucial to preservation of the sustainable environment, so when the species achieved sentience, their destruction was ironically guaranteed. They remained a largely nomadic culture, but following the invention of agriculture and the extermination of local predators, there were just too many herbivores for an ecosystem fragile as piece of glass.

The extinct species resembled 'The Fertile Crescent' era civilizations back on Earth, and managed to built impressive structures in short time the universe gave them.

The second finding puzzled the researchers only more: a planet, apparently a sister-planet of the old Earth, changed into giant frozen snowball, with hundreds of cities trapped under ice. It took much greater amount of time and effort to cut through it and come to some conclusion, or better to say, theories what happened.

The change from mild climate to arctic ice mass happened fast, that was the main reason behind the confusion of leading scientists and other researchers back on Berlin. Anything, from botched terraforming attempt to make warmer weather to completely natural, but unfortunate process. Only a numerous hard evidences proved, that minor theory was actually correct - the species, much like the previous one, made themselves a dead race.

It was found out, that pollution caused by the decadent society, which favoured free trade, fastened the return of Ice Age, which may last another million years.

Same explanation was perhaps possible in the third explored case, undoubtedly the most bizzarre one. Due to poisonous, high-pressured atmosphere, it was extremely difficult to collect samples and artefacts, like the shattered planetary crust wasn't sufficient obstacle.

Full explanation was never provided for either the public or scientific community, but the best and most accept view contained a guess, that industrial, agricultural or combined production of local sentient species boosted the growth of plant kingdom, even before extremely resilient and aggressive, kept under uneasy control. Cultural fragments left also indicated a strict population control and confinement of the only planetary cities to very few areas, which reinforces this theory.

The scientific teams had to wear reinforced space suits to withstand the lethal levels of toxic particles.

Only the last example could be presented without doubt as completely the fault of the dark space.

It had to be truly a horrible fate, as the planet's scientifically quite advanced inhabitants could only watch in horror, how their planet is moving to closer and closer proximity of their star, which was the matter of decades. A generations were born, while their civilization was dying. No evidence of any ark project was found.

The computer simulations nevertheless showed, that extinction of all lifeforms didn't happen so quickly and many species tried to adapt ferociously.

All in all, the extensive research showed, that for now, more precisely, for the few more centuries very at least, the Humanity must fear mostly the foreign aggression - the kind on which the Humans were always prepared, in their millennias of struggle.

In the end, it was concluded that best long term solution - the Reichsflotte's build up - is now secondary to colonization efforts.

The Humans will find a way. On Earth, on Berlin, now on Zanzibar.

Space had become the second home to Mankind. Each colony, space station or trade route gives the species better odds.